Merkiaari Wars: 03 - Operation Oracle (21 page)

Gina nodded, but with shuttle and maglev transport universal on Snakeholme, anywhere on the planet would be close enough to the capital for Shan purposes. Varya was talking about appearances more than technicalities. This valley met the criteria for a new Shan colony, but so did the other sites they had surveyed. This one though, was the closest to Petruso, just over three hours atmospheric flight time from the base and it had mountains. Shan really liked that. They were very attached to their keeps.

“Are you recommending site five then? It’s nice here I grant you, but it will be bloody freezing in winter.”

Varya grinned. “We have snow in winter at home, Gina, not just rain. We might prefer milder climes, but Harmony is about balance in all things. This place feels right. I wonder what the harmonies would say to Shima about it.”

“Maybe you should ask her to visit and see before making your final report,” Gina said. She hadn’t experienced snow on the Shan worlds, but she’d nearly bloody drowned in the heavy rains there.

“I might do that I think,” Varya said packing the latest sample into one of the pouches on his harness. “She’s the closest thing to Tei we have.”

They moved on, Varya taking samples of the plants and checking for compatibility with Shan physiology. So far he hadn’t found anything startling. Nothing outrageously poisonous, just a few things that might cause mild irritation if it came into contact with skin, but Shan fur wasn’t just for warmth. It protected them against things like that and other things besides.

“About that,” Gina said, but needed to clarify when Varya looked at her blankly. “The Tei.”

Varya flicked his ears. “What about them?”

“I was wondering whether you know if Tei will be part of any colony here.”

Kazim kept filming but answered before Varya could. “A colony must be given every chance to succeed. That means balance in all things. Without balance, there can be no harmony. I would be amazed if all the clans, including the-clan-that-is-not, were not represented here.”

Varya flicked his ears in agreement. “As Kazim said, they will come. There are Tei in all the castes, leading our people and showing the way. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of volunteers.”

“Kajetan might have to restrict the number that applies,” Kazim added. “When our people see your world, Gina, everyone will want to come!”

She laughed. “Might be a bit crowded! Seriously now, you think Tei will come to stay?” Both Shan flicked ears in agreement. “Do you think they’ll ask Shima to join?”

This time Gina had managed to stump them, she realised. Varya looked at Kazim, who lowered his camera to look back. Ears waved and twitched, tails rose and gestured. None of it meant anything to the Humans. Finally, Kazim answered after turning his camera off.

“Shima’s mother’s sib is Tei. His name is Tei’Thrand and Shima told me he helped teach her when she was still a youngling. She’s strong in the harmonies, Gina, very strong. Easily strong enough to be Tei herself, but the-clan-that-is-not rejected her because of her eyes. I’ve never heard of them changing their minds once a decision is made.”

Varya flicked his ears in agreement. “Kazim is right, but Shima is a special case. She’s a hero. To us that’s a very special thing. She was rejected, that’s true, but The Blind Hunter hasn’t been. In a way she’s two people, and to reject a hero would be...”

“Unthinkable,” Kazim said softly, obviously shocked by the thought. His ears were back.

“Unthinkable,” Varya agreed. “That isn’t to say she would accept any offer the Tei made her. I’ve heard her feelings about them. I don’t think she likes the idea of leading others, and I know she doesn’t like being called a hero. Foolishness she calls it. It’s not, but getting her to agree would be hard.”

Gina nodded. “So when her eyes are fixed, she’ll probably leave?”

“We don’t know what her plans are,” Kazim said. “But I think she’ll go home with Chailen and Sharn. They’re all the family she has.”

“Before she goes then, I want you to help me out. She’s my friend, but more than that, I owe her for what she did that night at Charlie Epsilon. I know she wouldn’t agree, but I feel the debt between us. I want to help her make some good memories here on Snakeholme.”

“Honour debts must always be respected,” Varya agreed. “We will help you, of course we will.”

“Thanks. It’s important to me. When you guys go home, we may never meet again. I think a vacation out here for all of us would be a fun way to say goodbye.”

“Oh I don’t know about goodbye, Gina,” Kazim said. “If I have anything to say about it, I’m coming back for lots of visits.”

Gina chuckled. “Not sure what the General will say about that. Snakeholme is supposed to be a secret.”

Kazim flicked his ears. “From the Merkiaari, yes, but not from your friends.”

“Gina,” Cragg warned.

She raised a hand. “A secret is best kept by not telling anyone, Kazim. When you go, you must keep our secrets to yourself. The General will talk to you about this, but even our own people don’t know where we are. Only those who live here know.”

Varya and Kazim exchanged looks, but they flicked ears in agreement.

“Good. Let’s move on,” Gina said.

* * *

The tech centre, Petruso Base, Snakeholme

Shima awoke to darkness, she always did now, but... she had expected something else this time. She had gone into surgery, fallen asleep among Humans and their strange machines, and now awoken still in darkness. The disappointment was crushing.

“Are you awake, Shima?” Chailen said gently.

“I can’t see.”

“Shush my sib, all is well,” Chailen soothed. “The bandages cover your eyes to protect them from light.”

Shima tentatively reached up and felt her face. She was right. There were bandages holding pads of some soft material over her eyes. Her face felt numb. She couldn’t feel her fingers touching her head.

“I can’t feel anything.”

“That’s good,” Sharn said. “The nannies are still working. The surgery went well, Shima. The Human healers are very pleased with you. They told me the nannies help with the swelling and pain, but will expire soon.”

That’s right. The healers had explained the process. Nannies were the surgical nanobot machines they had used to cut her optic nerves and then connect them to her new eyes. She had new eyes! She wanted to rip off the bandages, her hands shook with the need, but she restrained herself.

“You swear it; on your honour you swear all is well?”

“All is well as far as we can tell, Shima. I swear it,” Chailen said. “Sharn, call Healer Devaraja.”

Shima heard Sharn leave. She reached a questing hand toward her sib. Chailen took the hand and squeezed. “Did you see them, my eyes?”

“I saw. They’re your eyes still, Shima, don’t worry. They look the same. They
are
the same but cured.”

That is what the Humans promised. They said they would be identical down to the genetic level, but would be modified to remove the defective genes that caused her poor sight. She had trusted, but to hear from her sib’s own lips that all was well did reassure her. Her imaginings painted some strange pictures in her head. She had imagined her face with alien eyes peering out at the world, Human eyes with their odd colours and round pupils. To see again, she would have accepted even that, but to have her own eyes restored was a dream come true.

The harmonies warned her that Sharn was returning with a Human in tow. Shima squeezed her sib’s hand, and then let go. The door opened and she turned her attention to the healer.

“How are you feeling, Shima?” Devaraja said. “Any nausea or pain, any light headiness?”

“Nothing like that, healer. My face is numb, and my scalp is just starting to tingle a little.”

“Ah! Good good. That means the nannies are beginning to expire. Feeling will return to your face quite soon. This is the third day since the surgery in case you wondered. Everything went as expected.”

Three days asleep! She hadn’t thought to ask how long she’d been under. She’d just assumed it was the next morning.

“Lights, two percent illumination!” Devaraja ordered and the room darkened. “I’m going to loosen the bandage but I don’t want you to move. It’s dark in here now, but there’s enough light to see by. I’ll uncover only one eye for now.”

“I understand,” Shima said, hardly able to contain her excitement.

“Don’t move now, and keep both eyes closed.”

Devaraja eased the padding away from her left eye. She felt the cloth stick a little, but he was very gentle and it was finally uncovered. Shima felt the healer gently touching her face around the eye, pressing very gently, manipulating the flesh.

“The swelling has reduced very well, Shima. What there is should go down as you heal naturally. Keeping your right eye closed, can you open the left?”

Shima swallowed and tried.

At first, the lid didn’t want to open, but she rolled her eyes and the moisture seemed to unstick the lid. The eye opened and she saw something without the aid of the harmonies for the first time in well over a year. The room was very dark. She blinked a few times and turned her head toward Devaraja and Chailen. Sharn was on the other side of her bed, on the right. She focused upon her sib. She was as beautiful as she remembered.

“Glad to see you again, my sib. It’s been a long while.”

Chailen covered her mouth and burst into tears. Sharn rounded the bed to comfort her, and Shima smiled. They looked so right together. She looked up to find Devaraja beaming a happy Human smile down upon her. Toothy smiles weren’t aggression in Humans, she knew that, but it was still startling seeing those very white but blunt teeth so easily displayed. Shima reached a hand up, he did likewise, and she pressed her palm to his.

“Thank you.”

Devaraja took back his hand and inclined his head. “You are most welcome, Shima. We have learned a great deal about Shan physiology doing this for you. If payment had been necessary, you have more than covered any cost. It has been a fascinating journey, simply fascinating.”

“I’m glad,” Shima said in amusement. “Can I try my right eye now?”

Devaraja shook his head. “In a few minutes. Let me examine the left first.”

Devaraja used a device he had in his pocket to measure the dilation of her eye as he raised the level of light in the room. He was very careful to ask if she was in discomfit at every stage, but Shima wasn’t and just wanted the test over with. Finally the healer uncovered her right eye, and tested dilation in the same way before pronouncing himself satisfied.

“Congratulations, Shima. You have twenty-twenty vision... that’s another way of saying your eyes are perfect. They’re pretty too!” He said and chuckled as her ears flicked in surprise. “I’m sure Chailen can find you a mirror later, but for now, you’re free to go. Contact me if you have any problems. Any at all, all right?”

Shima flicked her ears and then nodded in the Human manner, though Devaraja was familiar with Shan by now and understood. Shima suspected her people would develop and combine mannerisms more and more as time went on to deal with the Humans. Already she used nods and headshakes with them without thinking most of the time.

“Thank you, healer, I shall do that,” Shima said as she climbed off the bed and joined her sib. She couldn’t wait to get outside. “Chailen will make sure I do.”

Chailen and Sharn laughed, their drop jawed laugh making Devaraja grin. Humans for some reason found Shan laughter fascinating and contagious.

No longer needing Chailen’s arm, but still needing her to show the way, Shima navigated the sprawling tech centre’s corridors listening to them discussing events. They were happy together, and Shima was happy for the first time since her blinding. All was right in her world for the first time in so long. She wanted to get outside and run, and just revel in the light.

“...and Varya made it sound perfect for our people. Kazim let me see some of his recordings, and you know how he can be about that. He hates letting anyone see his work unedited.”

“Wait, what’s that about Kazim?” Shima said.

Sharn answered. “He and Varya are out exploring the colony sites they chose. Gina went with them.”

Shima flicked her ears in acknowledgement. She had known they were getting ready to go, but they must have left while she was in surgery. That hurt a little. Surely Kazim had wanted to know she was all right? Well why should he wait? They weren’t family or clan to each other. Still, she would have waited if their places had been reversed.

“Hmph. He could have waited for me. I would’ve liked to see too,” Shima grumped.

“Don’t be angry with him, Shima. Tei’Burgton asked Gina to begin right away. He’s very eager to start building, and it will be two or more seasons just to get word to the elders and their answer back.”

“I suppose,” Shima grumbled, but it did make her feel less aggrieved with Kazim for going without her. “And we didn’t know my eyes would work, not for sure.”

“True,” Sharn said. “But we did trust the Humans to make it work somehow. Viper eyes are amazing technology. It must be like having a microscope in your head.”