Designing by Viola Grace

Chapter One
     
     
    The heap of leather and metal on the table was drawing a lot of speculation as to how a primitive with limited resources managed to repurpose an instrument of torture.
    “I cannot understand how the Gaian understood the tech, let alone reprogrammed it.” The head engineer of the Nine warship scowled and prodded the leather. It contracted immediately.
    “She has a talent for it, much as the other men and women who have been coming to our attention. I wouldn’t put anything past the Gaians at this point. They are surprising us at every turn, Father.” Deniir laughed.
    “I want to talk to the engineer who created this. This is an amazing work of design and practicality.”
    “That will be difficult, Father. She has retired from active use of her talent and has withdrawn to the cliffs. She sees no one.” Deniir frowned. “She has even cut herself off from her friends.”
    His father shifted his shoulders restlessly. “How do you know that?”
    “I asked. Cavos’s mate is a friend of the designer. She is the one who used to wear the harness. Her spinal cord had been damaged, and yet, this woman rigged the straps to keep her friend upright and mobile for years before it failed.”
    “Extremely impressive. For a primitive to take apart and reassemble Tokkel technology is a feat that deserves to be investigated. I would like to interview her.”
    Deniir frowned. “She will not leave her home. Even her friends do not have permission to visit.”
    “Then, you will have to convince her that she needs to take a tour of our facilities. I believe that the opportunity will entice her. She can have full run of a design station and access to all our tech. That has to be tempting, even if she is in retirement.”
    Deniir looked at his father. “You can’t be serious.”
    “I am very serious. A mind like this needs to be encouraged, not allowed to hide in the darkness. Bring her into the light.”
    He straightened and made a formal bow. “Yes, Master Engineer Darthuun. I will bring this woman into the light, whether she wishes to be here or not.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “Are you sure this is her home?” Deniir turned to ask the woman who had escorted him up the mountain.
    Niika smiled. “It is where she lives. This is as far as I will take you. Whether you succeed or fail, you do it on your own.”
    He frowned. “You don’t visit her?”
    “Of course I do. The third day after the second moon is full. We have a schedule but that isn’t suitable for your timeline, and she can see us from here, so you had better stop looming over me.” Niika grinned at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
    Deniir snorted and turned to Niika’s mate. “Cavos, can’t you do something?”
    He grinned. “I am doing something. I am letting you take my mate away from our restoration of the underground Stone Folk city. We have a life to begin, Deniir, and while I respect your mission, it is yours and not mine.”
    Deniir stared up at the small door set into the side of the mountain, and he nodded. “Thank you for your assistance. I will take it from here.”
    He shifted his cloak around him and made his way up the narrow path that led to the door in the stone. To his shock, he caught the gleam of small monitoring cameras as he progressed toward the entrance.
    He stepped on the doormat laid out and knocked on the door in the cliff face. He heard rustling inside and the top half of the door swung open, and a woman with pale skin and crimson hair faced him. “What do you want?”
    “Greetings, Ularica. My name is Deniir, and I am an engineer of the People of the Light on the Nine mother ship.”
    She stared at him impassively and blinked slowly.
    “Uh, well, you are invited to the mother ship in an effort to get you to tour the engineering department.”
    She nodded. “Not interested. Please leave.”
    To his surprise, she shut the upper half of the door, and he could hear her footsteps receding