Flinx Transcendent (38 page)

“That would be helpful.” She did not add that, given the obvious depth of feeling that existed between him and a female with whom he had evidently shared a great deal prior to meeting her, it was also helpful that Sylzenzuzex belonged to an entirely different species.

It was a long story replete with details that Flinx decided not to elaborate on until he had a lot more time in which to do so. It was enough that Clarity learned how, in the ongoing search to unravel the
secrets of his parentage, he and Sylzenzuzex had found themselves thrown together on the edicted world of Ulru-Ujurr, that they had struck up an enduring friendship with its extraordinary natives in the course of doing battle with unscrupulous exploiters and a distant relative of his, and that upon surviving numerous potentially fatal encounters they had subsequently gone their separate ways.

“It's all part and parcel of my long, strange, jagged journey,” he concluded. As he put a hand on the shoulder that was not occupied by the minidrag Scrap, the sounds of arriving skimmers drifted in to them from outside. “A journey that's led me to some answers, to more questions, to a lot of knowledge and maybe a tiny bit of wisdom, to a partial understanding of the monstrous thing that's approaching our galaxy, and most importantly of all—to you.” Leaning forward, he lightly kissed her upturned lips.

She was smiling when he pulled back. “If that ‘tiny bit of wisdom’ involves knowing how to properly conclude an explanation, I find I'd have to agree.” Pulling his head down toward her, she kissed him again; harder this time.

Sylzenzuzex looked on with the combination of tolerance and quiet amusement her kind reserved for much of what passed for intimate social interaction among their bipedal mammalian allies. As far as the average thranx was concerned this involved the exchange, in varying amounts according to the particular activity involved, of far too much in the way of bodily fluids. A delicate brush of antennae, a truhand caress, struck her as a far more sensible and civilized way to achieve a similarly intimate result.

It was all a matter of contradictory cultures, she knew. No doubt it had much to do with physiology as well. When pressed together, soft and flexible human flesh tended to meld, whereas performing the same action with part of a chitinous exoskeleton only resulted in potentially disfiguring blemishes and scrapes. Then there was the whole business of ovipositors versus … and … well …

The time available for such captivating speculation vanished as a team of alert and armed Church Security personnel arrived on the run. Identifying herself, she detailed the reasons behind her emergency call-in and explained what needed to be done. As a full padre, her authority to do so and to direct that the members of the Order be placed in custody
was not questioned. That could very well come later, but it was not a concern of the newly arrived security personnel. Instructed to ignore the sometimes passionate protestations of those being detained, they rounded up the recovering members of the Order with a proficiency and single-mindedness that was a credit to the Church.

As he watched his nemeses being led away, Flinx knew that in a couple of days, at least a few members of the Order were likely to be released. Formal grievances might then be lodged. But by the time the Nurian judicial system fully engaged with that of the local Church hierarchy and consequent summonses could be issued, he and his friends would be aboard the
Teacher
, far out in space-plus on a vector for deep into the Blight, safe from both the homicidal machinations of the minions of the Order of Null and the tentacles of meddlesome Commonwealth bureaucracy.

At least, he hoped so.

Flanked by two burly Church operatives, the portly speaker was being hustled toward the hallway that led to the villa's entrance. Now fully recovered from the bewildering effects of Flinx's emotive projection, he was visibly less happy than he had been when lying on the floor immersed in its influence.

“This isn't over!” Twisting in the grasp of his escort, he turned to shout back at Flinx. “There are more of us than you know, more than you can imagine! Others of the Order will find you. The Purity will arrive unhindered and the cleansings will be done! But first, you and those around you will be … !”

“Quiet!”
It was the Elder, roaring with surprising strength as he was ushered out ahead of the speaker. “You idiot!” the old man added for good measure. Thus chastened, the speaker lapsed into a petulant silence.

Clarity clung to Flinx, the two minidrags flicking pointed tongue-tips at each other from the shoulders of their respective masters, and watched as the rest of the trussed acolytes were led out.

“I know we'll be gone before they're released from detention, Flinx, but they still scare me.”

He shrugged, doing his best to make light of her concern. “Extremists are always frightening, Clarity.” He offered a reassuring smile. “With luck, though, we'll never see any of them ever again. It's a big
Commonwealth.” He turned to Sylzenzuzex. “Do you have to go with the security team, Syl? To make your report?”

Gesturing a negative, she skittered up alongside him. “I'll file it via my communit. What do you want to do now?” Thoughtfully, she leaned slightly to her right to make eye contact with the woman who was holding on to his left arm. “Both of you.”

Flinx considered. Though few preparations were required before he could leave New Riviera, some could not be avoided. The
Teacher's
AI could handle most of the necessary procedures. A couple of days were all it would take. Meanwhile …

“Why don't we have that reunion?” Reaching out with his right hand, he swept his palm across the middle of her antennae, bending them forward.

As they snapped back, Sylzenzuzex reflected that a male thranx who had done such a thing uninvited would have risked a swift strike to the b-thorax. Coming from a human, however, the gesture carried no such social baggage.

With a female on each arm, Flinx followed the last of the security team out of the villa.

Sylzenzuzex's Church-registered skimmer was far faster than Flinx's rented vehicle, so he instructed his skimmer to return to its base station on autopilot while he and Clarity joined the padre in returning to Sphene. For Flinx it was one of those rare journeys when he did not have to constantly monitor his course or destination, much less keep a lookout for private, government, or alien forces seeking his capture or death. He used the atypical opportunity to enjoy the views of the tranquil Nurian countryside with his companions.

Later, while Flinx lingered near the rear of the craft, entertaining Pip and Scrap, Clarity wandered forward to take the seat alongside their driver. While Sylzenzuzex straddled the familiar thranx bench, Clarity availed herself of a standard human-conforming chair. It felt strange to be snakeless. Though she missed the familiar weight on her shoulder, she understood her pet's desire to spend as much time as possible with his often absent parent.

“You could not have timed your arrival much better,” she murmured in symbospeech by way of opening conversation.

Since the skimmer, once programmed, more or less flew itself, Sylzenzuzex was able to turn her attention away from the height-adjustable console and to her passenger.

“So it seems to have been.” A foothand gestured toward the back of the craft. “From the time we first met, it struck me that there existed a more than casual bond between us.”

“I can empathize with that. Because Flinx and I are also deeply bonded.”

What am I saying?
Clarity found herself thinking. Was she jealous? Because Flinx had known and bonded with Sylzenzuzex before he had known her? That was absurd! Their timely rescuer was a
thranx
. Clarity knew she should be feeling nothing but gratitude. Or was female jealousy something capable of crossing species?

You
, she told herself quietly,
are being a world-class fool. Rectify it
.

“I haven't had a chance to actually thank you. For saving us.”

A thranx could not blush, but the padre made the equivalent gesture. “Flinx saved my life. I suspect he would have survived this time even in my absence.”

“How can you know that?”

Antennae fluttered gracefully. “Because according to my esteemed Eighth, he always does. For example, despite the many difficulties and concerns that are unique to him, the many curious challenges and dangers and personal troubles he has endured, he still somehow managed to find the time to find you.”

Now Clarity not only felt like a prize fool, she was ashamed.

“He's been out of my life more than he's been in it.” She looked toward the rear of the skimmer. A brilliantly hued minidrag on each shoulder, Flinx was staring out the transparent canopy, enjoying the view as the skimmer entered Sphene proper. Despite his height, his appearance and manner were still boyish. One got that impression whenever one was around him, she knew. Provided you didn't look too deeply into his eyes.

“I'm sure he hopes that will change.” Click-whistling to the console, Sylzenzuzex made a minor course adjustment. The skimmer obediently turned slightly to starboard.

“We both do.” Clarity came to a decision without even realizing she had been debating the issue. “I know you two go back a long way, and I know you must have a lot to talk about. If you'd rather converse in private …”

The thranx looked over at her. “Wouldn't a private conversation automatically
include Flinx's prospective mate as well as him? Or are your prenuptial standards so very different?”

“No,” Clarity murmured in reply. “No, I guess not.” With that classically cogent observation by Flinx's old friend, the last vestiges of incongruous resentment on Clarity's part vanished completely.

The sprawling extended-stay residence had been designed and built to accommodate, insofar as it was physically and socially viable, visitors to New Riviera from as many worlds as possible. Mindful of traditional thranx tastes, some of the facility was located belowground. It was in a spacious habitat on the third subterranean level that they reunited with Tse-Mallory and Truzenzuzex.

After formally greeting his young and suitably deferential female relative, the esteemed Eint walked over to Flinx. Having to bend low to clear the ceiling when he walked, Flinx had taken a seat on a floor cushion of a type designed to provide visiting humans with some degree of anterior comfort.

“My boy, you invite trouble,” the thranx muttered, “the way a distillation of pheromones attracts the sexually vigorous.”

“With consequences that are significantly less gratifying.” Tse-Mallory was seated cross-legged on the other side of the room.

“It's not by choice or by design, as you both well know,” Flinx responded glumly.

“No, no, of course not. You are just unlucky,” the Eint observed with characteristic sarcasm. Turning to face the watching Clarity, he executed a bow whose grace belied the absence of a flexible backbone.

“I am very relieved to see that you suffered no harm, my dear. Bran and I blame ourselves for not keeping closer watch over you. Especially since Flinx's return.”

She smiled and shrugged it off. “Even the most attentive of nurses can't keep watch every minute of every day. Forget about it. I'm fine, Scrap's fine, and Flinx is fine.”

“And we will be more fine,” Flinx added, “once we're safely off New Riviera and in space-plus.”

Sylzenzuzex gestured agreement coupled with understanding. “I've insured that those who abducted Clarity and desired to kill Flinx have been removed from contact with them and with society for at least a couple of days.” The sardonicism in her voice reminded Flinx immediately
of her older Eighth-relative Truzenzuzex. “My report insists that their detention is vital to the continued public health.”

“Clarity and I being the public,” Flinx concluded with satisfaction.

Tse-Mallory eyed him from where he sat. The old man was nearly as tall as Flinx and much heavier of build. Even with his legs crossed in front of him, his closely cropped white hair nearly scraped the slightly concave ceiling.

“Flinx, while you were gone on the
Teacher
, Tru and I were kept busy not only looking after your enchanting lady but monitoring the progress of that evil that threatens to devour all. As it draws nearer the galaxy our contacts in both Commonwealth and Church Science Central have been able to track its direction and progress to a degree that is as increasingly despairing as it is increasingly precise.”

“It continues to speed up,” a somber Flinx guessed.

Tse-Mallory nodded grimly. “According to the latest report we've received, last month the leading edge of the darkness made contact with the very minor star cluster known as MC-3048b. Hardly worthy of the designation ‘cluster,’ the grouping in question contained eight stars in four single and two double systems.” He paused for emphasis. “All but one of the binary systems has since disappeared.”

A new voice interrupted, the bemused clicking of Sylzenzuzex. “Would it be too much, venerable Eighth, to ask what you are all talking about?”

“Yes,
csillkk
, it would,” Truzenzuzex told her brusquely. “All will be explained in due course.” She went silent as he turned back to his lifelong companion. “Continue please, Bran.”