found nothing.
The go-bot chimed as Polara finally caught it.
Kaia looked up, searching her mind. Polara squealed triumphantly and then
dropped to the floor to disassemble and reassemble the bot with the little
wrench set strapped to its back.
The baby looked dismayed that the chaos was over.
Watching Polara’s chaos seemed to be one of his favorite pastimes.
Kaia reached behind her ear and pulled off her
thought blocker, rubbing the callus where it belonged. Even it was sore today.
Suddenly, forcefully, a memory of Polara chasing
the go-bot a moment ago flared inside Kaia’s mind, unbidden. Kaia looked
around, confused. Was this some new trick her memory was playing? Boomerang
memories?
Another image, of the baby’s shoe, laced with a
feeling of frustration and intensity, entered her mind. She glanced down. The
child was looking up at her.
His name came to her just as the realization
dawned. Suddenly, Rigel’s struggles made sense. Kaia gazed at the little boy
and nodded.
“Ahh,” she said softly. “I know now. I know your
secret.” She looked into his eyes and thought carefully of a little treasure
box, imagining it opening. Inside was a bright stuffed bear like she had as a
child back on Earth.
Ri squealed with delight. His longing for the
bear washed over Kaia and she felt guilty for showing him something she didn’t actually
have to give him. She sent him a picture of a cup of milk, and his attention
shifted to that. That she could provide. She lifted him, crossing into the
kitchen and pouring a cup of sweetbean milk. She twisted a lid on and handed it
to him.
“How does your father not know this?” she asked
the little boy as he drank.
“Not know what?” Polara asked, tipping her head
to one side.
“Rigel has a gift,” Kaia said.
“I want a gift!” Polara was up and across the
room to the table in a flash.
Kaia gathered the little girl onto her lap. “You
have a lot of gifts, too, Polara,” she said, and she began to name them.
When Aria arrived that afternoon, Kaia asked her
in. Aria was brimming with news of a crop blight. She had used Ethan’s badge to
inspect the crops at the Saras Food Production Division.
Where did grit like that come from? Kaia
wondered. She couldn’t imagine the mother of two making the decision, sometime
that morning, to knowingly enter a restricted area while pretending to be on
official business. Kaia hadn’t seen any deception in her eyes when Aria had
dropped the kids off this morning.
Kaia felt a pang of worry. If Aria got caught,
what was Saras likely to do? There was only a small incarceration building in
Coriol, as most real criminals were shipped out to the prison in Minville, on
the other edge of the settlements.
Kaia felt her mind fogging as she tried to pull
her focus back to what Aria was saying.
“. . . some kind of herbicide,
maybe? Or pesticide? Neither make sense, but I just don’t have any other ideas.”
Aria must have sensed that Kaia had something on her mind because she asked, “How
was your day with the kids? Did they behave?”
Kaia pulled back to the moment. “Aria, there’s
something you need to know about Rigel.”
Aria’s green eyes grew scared. She glanced at the
little boy on the rug, assessing that he was all right before catching Kaia’s
eyes again.
Kaia hurried to reassure her. “Rigel is
telepathic, Aria. I’ve been having rudimentary conversations with him all afternoon.”
The fear in her eyes changed to confusion. “What?
Are you sure?”
“I am. He can receive and broadcast thoughts.
They’re pretty simple right now, though.”
Aria put her head in her hands. “Oh, no. One more
thing they’ll mark on his chart.”
Kaia took the younger woman’s hands in hers,
pulling them away from her face gently and looking into Aria’s eyes.
“But you see, all those things on his chart are
tied into this one.”
Aria’s face showed confusion.
“See, he doesn’t talk because he sends his needs
to
The go-bot chimed as Polara finally caught it.
Kaia looked up, searching her mind. Polara squealed triumphantly and then
dropped to the floor to disassemble and reassemble the bot with the little
wrench set strapped to its back.
The baby looked dismayed that the chaos was over.
Watching Polara’s chaos seemed to be one of his favorite pastimes.
Kaia reached behind her ear and pulled off her
thought blocker, rubbing the callus where it belonged. Even it was sore today.
Suddenly, forcefully, a memory of Polara chasing
the go-bot a moment ago flared inside Kaia’s mind, unbidden. Kaia looked
around, confused. Was this some new trick her memory was playing? Boomerang
memories?
Another image, of the baby’s shoe, laced with a
feeling of frustration and intensity, entered her mind. She glanced down. The
child was looking up at her.
His name came to her just as the realization
dawned. Suddenly, Rigel’s struggles made sense. Kaia gazed at the little boy
and nodded.
“Ahh,” she said softly. “I know now. I know your
secret.” She looked into his eyes and thought carefully of a little treasure
box, imagining it opening. Inside was a bright stuffed bear like she had as a
child back on Earth.
Ri squealed with delight. His longing for the
bear washed over Kaia and she felt guilty for showing him something she didn’t actually
have to give him. She sent him a picture of a cup of milk, and his attention
shifted to that. That she could provide. She lifted him, crossing into the
kitchen and pouring a cup of sweetbean milk. She twisted a lid on and handed it
to him.
“How does your father not know this?” she asked
the little boy as he drank.
“Not know what?” Polara asked, tipping her head
to one side.
“Rigel has a gift,” Kaia said.
“I want a gift!” Polara was up and across the
room to the table in a flash.
Kaia gathered the little girl onto her lap. “You
have a lot of gifts, too, Polara,” she said, and she began to name them.
When Aria arrived that afternoon, Kaia asked her
in. Aria was brimming with news of a crop blight. She had used Ethan’s badge to
inspect the crops at the Saras Food Production Division.
Where did grit like that come from? Kaia
wondered. She couldn’t imagine the mother of two making the decision, sometime
that morning, to knowingly enter a restricted area while pretending to be on
official business. Kaia hadn’t seen any deception in her eyes when Aria had
dropped the kids off this morning.
Kaia felt a pang of worry. If Aria got caught,
what was Saras likely to do? There was only a small incarceration building in
Coriol, as most real criminals were shipped out to the prison in Minville, on
the other edge of the settlements.
Kaia felt her mind fogging as she tried to pull
her focus back to what Aria was saying.
“. . . some kind of herbicide,
maybe? Or pesticide? Neither make sense, but I just don’t have any other ideas.”
Aria must have sensed that Kaia had something on her mind because she asked, “How
was your day with the kids? Did they behave?”
Kaia pulled back to the moment. “Aria, there’s
something you need to know about Rigel.”
Aria’s green eyes grew scared. She glanced at the
little boy on the rug, assessing that he was all right before catching Kaia’s
eyes again.
Kaia hurried to reassure her. “Rigel is
telepathic, Aria. I’ve been having rudimentary conversations with him all afternoon.”
The fear in her eyes changed to confusion. “What?
Are you sure?”
“I am. He can receive and broadcast thoughts.
They’re pretty simple right now, though.”
Aria put her head in her hands. “Oh, no. One more
thing they’ll mark on his chart.”
Kaia took the younger woman’s hands in hers,
pulling them away from her face gently and looking into Aria’s eyes.
“But you see, all those things on his chart are
tied into this one.”
Aria’s face showed confusion.
“See, he doesn’t talk because he sends his needs
to
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