hill on his right, the one that bordered the long, white plain, that was where Kai was!
He knew this to be true as surely as he knew he was one of the best damn pilots in the Galaxy.
It had been an accident, but Gar had
‘reached’ and had found the shell.
CHAPTER 7
Kai sat alone in the cell, tired and alone. He had wanted to sleep but was scared that if he closed his eyes, he might never open them again.
The woman with the brown skin had gone away and there was only silence and the occasional buzzing or beeping of the machinery in the dark room around him. The objects in the lab were foreign to him but not entirely unfamiliar. He instinctively knew what some things were, while other baffled him. His partial knowledge was due to the connection to Gar, he was certain of this.
The two of them were now starting to subconsciously share simple things, innocuous things from both of their cultures. This was common with joining.
But, it appeared more had passed between them when Kai joined their minds. The prince had gifts of his own to give.
It was subtle at first. When Kai was listening to the Others that were watching over him, he could not understand what they were saying. They spoke a nonsensical language from the Sky Tribes.
But, as they continued to speak, the meanings in their words began to clarify. It was as if he’d been under water hearing them speak and his head was brought to the surface. Finally, when he was alone and the woman had spoken to him he fully understood her language.
A phenomenon like that among the Aklesh had never occurred, even if those who were joined were from completely foreign tribes. There was something else at play. Another thing that astonished him was when he opened his mouth, he could speak their language as if he had always known it. To be able to use their own words was as much a surprise to Kai as it was to the woman he now knew to be named Jenna.
A word he’d heard from Gar, but did not understand drifted through his memory; nanites.
As he sat pondering these mysteries, a sharp, familiar sensation nabbed his attention, starting from his head and then coursing through his whole body. The last time he had felt something like it was when his father had been looking for him when he was younger.
This time it was someone else.
He felt many things in that moment, fleeting images and feelings, but the primary presence was of Gar. It was faint, but there all the same. Gar was
‘reaching.’ The young tribesman assumed Zaela must have shown him how. His people had not given up on him, and it was possible they might even know where he was. Having been surrounded by the cold and smooth alien environment, it was a relief to feel something from his world, even if it was from a stranger he hardly knew. And the sensation was not the same emotions he had been assaulted with while dealing with Gar in the previous two days, those of bitterness and resentment. This time it had been something else, more like…triumph.
It gave Kai cause to hope.
Mere seconds had passed from him receiving the signal and Jenna bursting into the room. She immediately went to Kai’s cell. Her manner was tense and she kept looking over her shoulder.
“You’ve used your telepathy?” she stated more than asked.
Kai nodded. Jenna looked nervously over her shoulder then back at him.
“I told you not to. I told you what would happen.”
“Someone contacted me,” said Kai.
She had not been expecting this response and the idea unintentionally made her jump inside with excitement.
“Your people?” she asked earnestly.
“Yes. Sort of.”
Kai had told her about the stranger from her world falling from the sky, but it had not held much interest for the doctor. A crashed pilot who could barely help himself had no baring on the situation she was currently trapped in.
Jenna became serious, her voice an intense whisper. “Well, the communication registered on our equipment. Using your
He knew this to be true as surely as he knew he was one of the best damn pilots in the Galaxy.
It had been an accident, but Gar had
‘reached’ and had found the shell.
CHAPTER 7
Kai sat alone in the cell, tired and alone. He had wanted to sleep but was scared that if he closed his eyes, he might never open them again.
The woman with the brown skin had gone away and there was only silence and the occasional buzzing or beeping of the machinery in the dark room around him. The objects in the lab were foreign to him but not entirely unfamiliar. He instinctively knew what some things were, while other baffled him. His partial knowledge was due to the connection to Gar, he was certain of this.
The two of them were now starting to subconsciously share simple things, innocuous things from both of their cultures. This was common with joining.
But, it appeared more had passed between them when Kai joined their minds. The prince had gifts of his own to give.
It was subtle at first. When Kai was listening to the Others that were watching over him, he could not understand what they were saying. They spoke a nonsensical language from the Sky Tribes.
But, as they continued to speak, the meanings in their words began to clarify. It was as if he’d been under water hearing them speak and his head was brought to the surface. Finally, when he was alone and the woman had spoken to him he fully understood her language.
A phenomenon like that among the Aklesh had never occurred, even if those who were joined were from completely foreign tribes. There was something else at play. Another thing that astonished him was when he opened his mouth, he could speak their language as if he had always known it. To be able to use their own words was as much a surprise to Kai as it was to the woman he now knew to be named Jenna.
A word he’d heard from Gar, but did not understand drifted through his memory; nanites.
As he sat pondering these mysteries, a sharp, familiar sensation nabbed his attention, starting from his head and then coursing through his whole body. The last time he had felt something like it was when his father had been looking for him when he was younger.
This time it was someone else.
He felt many things in that moment, fleeting images and feelings, but the primary presence was of Gar. It was faint, but there all the same. Gar was
‘reaching.’ The young tribesman assumed Zaela must have shown him how. His people had not given up on him, and it was possible they might even know where he was. Having been surrounded by the cold and smooth alien environment, it was a relief to feel something from his world, even if it was from a stranger he hardly knew. And the sensation was not the same emotions he had been assaulted with while dealing with Gar in the previous two days, those of bitterness and resentment. This time it had been something else, more like…triumph.
It gave Kai cause to hope.
Mere seconds had passed from him receiving the signal and Jenna bursting into the room. She immediately went to Kai’s cell. Her manner was tense and she kept looking over her shoulder.
“You’ve used your telepathy?” she stated more than asked.
Kai nodded. Jenna looked nervously over her shoulder then back at him.
“I told you not to. I told you what would happen.”
“Someone contacted me,” said Kai.
She had not been expecting this response and the idea unintentionally made her jump inside with excitement.
“Your people?” she asked earnestly.
“Yes. Sort of.”
Kai had told her about the stranger from her world falling from the sky, but it had not held much interest for the doctor. A crashed pilot who could barely help himself had no baring on the situation she was currently trapped in.
Jenna became serious, her voice an intense whisper. “Well, the communication registered on our equipment. Using your
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