CalltheMoon (2 page)

“I don’t see the harm.”

He punched a few codes into a terminal, and the ship popped a screen in front of her with a series of documents with her name as the header.

She started with the arrest report. It was horrible. According to the data in front of her, she had wiped out a village and caused a tsunami that wrecked three coastlines. “I didn’t do that. There was no damage.”

“The official reports differ.”

There was no sympathy on his side, so she continued to read. Her medical files were there, including her lack of sexual activity. It was bizarre to see something so intimate displayed on a document available for anyone to read.

Her parents’ death was outlined, as well as the extensive investigation that followed the two-vehicle accident that shattered her life. After she had been arrested, they returned to the scene to look for signs of seismic activity, but they didn’t find any. That did not stop them from speculating that she had a hand in her parents’ accident years earlier.

Cruel, malicious and vicious speculation covered the documents. Naka put her hand on the screen. “Please, turn it off. It is horrible.”

His brow furrowed, and he did as she asked. “Don’t tell me that you are innocent.”

She was shuddering with nausea. No wonder there had been no press conference to announce her arrest. Her fate had been decided the moment she lost control.

“I will not say innocent, but I will say that I did not use my talents in the manner described in the files. I lost emotional control near my home, and the ground shook. That was all. No one was injured, no one died and there was no wrecked coastline.”

“Your parents?”

“They died when I was ten. I was at my grandmother’s house, playing with my cousin at the precise moment of their deaths. We were pretending to be actors and recording our little play. I had no idea that they were gone, my life ended that day.”

“They left you money.”

“I had a trust, was raised by first my grandmother and then my father’s sister. I went to school, got a degree in botany and returned to my home on the coastline where I could run every day and pretend that my parents were running behind me once again.” She wiped the tears from her eyes like she did every time she thought of them.

He paused, “I see. If my actions were brusque, I apologise, but the truth of your words will be determined at a later date.”

She sniffled. “So, you are going to hold off on the snide comments for now?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. This day is trying enough.” She tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt. Her suit hugged her gently as it had a few times since it had bonded to her skin. If she didn’t know better, the mark of her arrest was trying to comfort her.

He snorted, and she saw a slight smile on his lips. “Your day has only begun. Do you know what a jump is?”

Naka shook her head.

“We are heading for that jump ship, and they will transport us in space from one point to the next. Many folks find it unpleasant, but the effects of the jump soon pass.”

His words were making her nervous. “How long does the jump take?”

“Seconds, but it is enough to disorient you. Wait and see. Each person reacts differently.”

He gave her an encouraging smile, but she wasn’t falling for it. No one would have built up the effects if it weren’t a serious concern.

Naka swallowed back panic as their shuttle coasted toward the large jump ship. The dark hulk was nearly invisible against the nothingness of space. When the ship folded them inside, she gripped the arms of her chair and prayed for a quick resolution to whatever was about to happen.

This was not her day.

Chapter Three

The wet compress on her face was followed by a low croon. She squinted at the man who had taken her from her world and folded her stomach into a small package.

“Please tell me we don’t have to do that again.” Naka fought a whimper.

“We are approaching Teklan now. We went through three jumps while you were out. I thought it best to leave you unconscious.”

“Excellent call.” She gave him a weak smile.

He was standing next to her with the compress, but she was still strapped in. Sweat coated her neck, but anywhere the suit touched her was clean and dry. It was the biggest bonus to the restrictor suit. No bodily functions had to be taken care of. The suit did all the cleaning for her. It sealed off her reproductive centre, but that was the entire purpose. They didn’t want physical talents breeding, so sealing their access points managed the population quite handily.

“Thank you for the first aid.” Her words were quiet, and she was unaccountably shy with him towering over her.

“It was my duty to have you arrive alive, as it is my duty to bring you to Piq so that you may use your talent for tectonic shift for the good of the Alliance.”

“Piq?”

“It is an unstable world that has strategic potential. It is your permanent assignment once we leave Teklan.”

She brushed at her hair nervously. “You are stationed there as well?”

“For now. I am engaged in a study of the local botanicals and the possibility for transplanted greenery.”

Finding out that his assignment there was temporary was disappointing. “Oh.”

He stared at her in surprise. “Yes, well. We are on approach. I will be right back, and we will land shortly.”

Leaving Resicor was fuzzy. Her mind had rejected all of the newness and blunted her memory of the moment. Landing on Teklan was done while she was awake, alert and paying close attention to pushing her body back in the chair to avoid smacking into the ground.

Travel was now off her list of things to try before she died. The mass of transport that she had experienced today was enough for a lifetime, and there was still more to come.

Whatever species her companion was, there was another of his kind waiting for them on the tarmac.

“That is Might. He is also a Dhemon.” Her companion offered that information without being asked.

“You are a Dhemon?”

He gave a look that indicated embarrassment. “I apologize. I have not introduced myself. Viiko Carolian, at your service.”

She inclined her head. “Thank you, Mr. Carolian.”

Titles were funny things. He looked as if she had just smacked him. “Please, call me Viiko.”

“Viiko then. Thank you. I was wondering where you were from, but in light of your briefing, I did not know where to start.” She gave him an attempt at a bright smile, but she was still nervous about what was about to happen next.

“We will enter the base, go to medical and meet with Reset. She will do what has to be done, and by the time you are ready to leave, our shuttle will be refuelled and outfitted for the journey.” He nodded and unbuckled her harness.

Her knees wobbled as she got to her feet. With Viiko leading the way, she took a few tentative steps onto the world of Teklan.

The energy patterns of the planet started to pull at her the moment she was free of the shuttle. It was a healthy world, growing, living and stable. A smile crossed her lips at the definite calm that came over her.

Viiko met the other Dhemon, and they clasped forearms and slapped each other on the shoulder in a greeting that she had never seen before.

“Naka Gwyn, this is Might. General and commander of Teklan Base.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” She inclined her head formally.

Might frowned in confusion. Based on what she read on his features, he had read the
official
file as well.

“Might, I was wondering if you could arrange a mind scan for her while she is here. I need to know what I will be sharing space with.”

Might nodded with a jerk, his horns flashing in the afternoon sun. “Past Tense is on base today, I will get her to swing by medical.”

“Thank you. It is one thing to know they arrest talents, another entirely to know that they frame them for dastardly deeds.” Viiko smiled.

With a few more polite words, they departed from Might, and soon, Naka was facing a woman with rippling blue hair.

“Hello, Naka.”

“Hello.”

“My name is Reset. Viiko, you can wait elsewhere. This will not be completely simple.”

Viiko nodded. “I understand, but I will wait. I cannot abandon her after I have delivered her into your custody. Tell me if you need help, and I will do what I can.”

Naka looked from one to the other. “What is about to happen?”

Reset smiled and gently steered her to a medical bed. “The restrictor suit that they put you in is not the standard suit. We have slipped a hybrid Masuo into their supply and when it bonds to you, it mimics a restrictor suit until we tell it otherwise. This decommissioning of the suit is done slowly with mild electricity as well as my talent for returning things to their natural settings.”

“So, it will hurt, but I will be able to change clothing again?”

“The Masuo will be able to mimic anything you want. It can be a bodysuit, trousers or an evening gown. It is your choice. Once you get into the rhythm of it, it will intuit your needs.” Reset was working with scanners and setting the machines. “Are you ready?”

Naka boosted herself onto the medical bed and watched as Reset clipped wires to various points on her suit.

Viiko stood nearby, calmly observing.

Naka felt her power return to full. She knew where every fault line was as well as each pit and cranny on the nearest moon. The pain was a small price to pay to have her power back and the freedom to use it.

The suit rippled and shifted to cover her legs modestly. She heaved a sigh of relief. The short suit didn’t suit her. Full coverage was much more her style.

She was sitting up after another full round of scans when a new woman entered the room.

“Naka, this is Past Tense. She will see your previous actions and determine whether you are unaware of your activity or if there is something else involved.”

Reset was smiling, and her relaxed attitude helped Naka tremendously. If the doctor was calm, this was not going to hurt.

“Hello, Naka. I simply need to touch your hand to determine your past. Relax and clear your mind.” The woman took her hand, and her eyes flicked rapidly.

Naka waited calmly, Reset was curious and Viiko was at attention.

“Nothing. You have never successfully used your talent aside from the jag that got you arrested. The peculiar thing is that you should not have used it that time. Something forced your hand, so to speak. A suggestion was planted to flush you out.”

Naka was amazed. “You can see that?”

“I read your file and looked for the days in your past. Those days are covered with innocuous activities and a quiet life. There was no reason for you to use your talent. You were not threatened, you were not particularly depressed, nor were you furious. Someone pushed you to those actions, and I believe that it was the same person who crafted such a colourful past for you.”

“So, somewhere in the government is a corrupt psychic who falsified my records?”

“That is my guess.”

Naka looked at the other woman and said soberly, “If they did it to me, how many others have been arrested the same way. We also have a high suicide rate for talents in captivity. I am guessing now that those deaths are not unrelated to this incident.”

She ran her hands through the columns of curls on her head. It wasn’t as surprising as it should be that her government was working against the active talents.

Past Tense patted her shoulder. “I am sorry for this knowledge and how it is hurting you, but it does give you a clean record as far as the Alliance is concerned. Reset will register the scans as well as my testimony. From this moment on, you are starting with a clean slate.”

Naka looked around her cautiously, but all expressions said the same thing. She could start new and be herself, not a hidden talent, not a freak, but simply Naka Gwyn.

As she got to her feet, one question rang through her thoughts. It was a question that she had fought to ignore her whole life.
Who and what was Naka Gwyn?

Chapter Four

Naka was silent on her trip to Piq. The women of the Sector Guard had caught her mood and helped her get a grip on her suit’s functions, including the wired communication devices in the collar. Everyone had been very serious, but it didn’t help Naka one bit.

She still wasn’t sure what she was.

The idea that another talent had warped her mind to force her into exposure of a talent she didn’t know she had was shocking. Naka had felt the aged, worn feeling of Resicor, but it was barely balanced. It was a world that was always tipped just to one side, never quite in harmony with the creatures that had evolved upon it.

Running along the beach was her closest memory to harmony with the planet. The ocean was where her world had felt the most calm. Resicor knew its oceans, controlled them and rejoiced in them. The proof was in the balance and energy that poured from the coastline and disappeared over the watery horizon.

Staring out the front screen, she saw stars and worlds that had their own balances. It was amazing to her that she was being assigned her own world to check on.

After two hours of trying to figure out where to start, she blurted out, “How many moons?”

Viiko jumped visibly. “Pardon?”

“Piq. How many moons does it have?” She fidgeted in the large chair.

“One large, two small and a few orbiting bodies. I will get you the file when we have come out of jump.”

That one word had the effect of terrifying her. Chilled sweat poured out of her. “Another jump?”

“Yes. But this time, you are going to be sedated.” His expression was kind. “I reread your file. Were you really a botanist?”

“I graduated with a botany degree, but I never used it. I applied for several postings but eventually had to head home and simply live my life.” She shrugged. “How am I going to be sedated?”

“You have a choice, gas or hypo.”

“Gas.” She said it without hesitation. Inhaling anaesthetic was easier for her. It cleared out of her system faster.

“Fine. We will be at the ship within the hour. I will get you the mask, it will fire automatically.” He nodded and got to his feet.