Context by Deborah Walsh

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Context (2/20)
by Deb Walsh

So, she had learned to live outside the tribe. She knew that she could join the Eden Advance group any time she wished; they would not turn her away, Yale had said so. Perhaps it was because she had that option that she elected not to exercise it. Mary needed to learn who Mary was, in and of herself, not as part of another tribe. Perhaps, she sometimes thought, this was not so much a punishment as a test. And if it was a test, she was determined to pass it.

When the tribe had exiled her, she'd lost her lightning stick. She couldn't call lightning anymore to protect herself, nor to hunt. Everything she'd known was closed to her, even the land had become strange and unknown as she'd travelled behind the Eden Advance crew. She had followed the Edenites, studying what they chose to eat, and had mimicked their example.

Sometimes she found the food they chose bitter, unpleasant. At others, she was delighted with the new tastes and sensations she discovered as a result of their experiments. She bore the days in silence, watching, learning, experiencing. There would come a time when she would join them, but that time was not yet here. She would come to them, not in need, but at peace. Until then, she followed.

She had watched them bury the dark-haired woman in the earth of the cliff overlooking the valley, her body swaddled in fabric. The woman had not swum up from the earth, and Mary assumed that this was death. Death like her mother and father. She supposed that one day she would be planted in the earth, and she would not return. She believed that day to be far off, though, and gave it little thought. There was today, and the day after. And the day after that.

Then she had followed them, out of the range of their strange devices, toward the ship. She had observed them entering the ship, and recognized it for what it was. She had realized with a start that her parents had come here, to this place, in a ship much like it.

But she had been born on this planet. And so, when the others had fallen ill, she had watched in silence, but not in pain. Not like the others. She wondered briefly if it was because of her link to the Terrians, but then she saw that the boy, Uly, had also become sick. She decided that it was the planet that kept her healthy, especially when the strangers from inside the ship got sick and died. She wondered if ships carried disease, and with that fear, concluded that she would not go anywhere near the ship.

And now they were gone. But they'd left someone behind. She remembered the woman who led them, with respect and something akin to fear. She wasn't used to such strong emotion; she had known nothing of emotion for most of her life, and Devon Adair bristled with it.

She was curious as to why they would have left Devon inside the ship, and wondered if she'd been wrong about ships and disease, but her curiosity wasn't enough to risk contagion in case her first guess had been correct.

She stood on the ridge, watching the last stragglers of the Eden Advance party disappear over the next ridge.

She shaded her eyes against the sunlight, charting their course in her head. She could not swim the earth, but she was still one with it. She would skirt around the valley of the ship, and catch up with them in the next valley. She was not burdened with unwieldy vehicles that could not pass through tiny crevices and narrow passes. She was one, healthy and whole, while they were many, weary and weak. Something like a smile touched her lips as she turned away from her perch and made her way to follow them. Always beyond their sight.

***

Baines had gone ahead in the DuneRail to scout out a possible camp for the night. Danziger knew that they wouldn't cover much ground today, but at least they'd passed beyond the valley where the ship lay. He felt a little better having it out of sight, although part of him longed to race back there and pound on its hatch until Adair awoke. As they'd filed over the crest of the ridge, he'd felt as though a long-held breath had been released. Not so much a lessening of tension among the group, but a shift in ... balance, he supposed. He had no doubt that Devon was in everyone's thoughts, but out of sight, out of mind had its uses.

With the ship obscured from view, the group had stopped glancing back at it, and they'd actually begun to make better time. New Pacifica still lay months to the west, but he'd heard Yale murmur something about a journey of a thousand miles starting with a single step, and he'd approved the sentiment. Unfortunately, their journey was closer to two thousand miles, but still, they were on the move.

As he walked alongside the TransRover, he took stock of their motley company. Spirits were low, and he wasn't at all surprised. For all the arguing Devon could inspire, she inspired loyalty as well. Few people could have held this group together this long through all that they'd been through. He'd never known anyone possessed of such sheer determination. With the possible exception of his daughter. He smiled slightly at the thought - and wondered briefly just why it was that he seemed to surround himself with such strong women. Elle had certainly been no shrinking violet, and True was a reflection of her mother. And Adair?

Well, hard-headed was just one of the adjectives that sprang to mind.

Morale had been a problem in the past, yet Adair had always found a way to lift it. She was a natural leader. Maybe there'd been some chroma-tilting in her background, skewing her toward leadership like Julia's had toward medicine. He, on the other hand, was a doer, not a leader. He fixed things, he didn't deal with people. After all the bizarre and unpleasant things they'd learned about the Council since Eden Project launched, he wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Council'd had a breeding program to design their society from the genes up. Yet everyone in the Eden Advance group looked to him to fill the void left by Devon's illness. He knew she'd relied heavily on Yale's advice, and he didn't count himself too proud to do the same. When they camped for the night, he'd talk to the tutor, and see what he had to say.

In the meantime, they could put some ground between them and the ship before the vehicles needed to recharge, and no one was clamoring for decisions right now, so he could allow himself the luxury to observe their party. Some of what Devon had done for the group would have to be parcelled out to the others - he certainly couldn't shoulder it all himself. And responsibilities would probably help keep their minds off their loss, at least for a while. Yeah, he'd ask Yale for his recommendations, as well. Maybe Julia, too - after all, she was their doctor, and she'd been close to Adair. It certainly couldn't hurt.

So much to learn, so much to do. And so many miles to go before he could hope to return here for her.

***

The sun was still high in the sky when Danziger called a halt to recharge the vehicles. Julia took the opportunity to check everyone's vitals, moving from person to person with her diaglove. She wasn't surprised at the dejected faces that turned apathetically toward her as she worked; she shared their feelings. But she was pleased to see that everyone was still recovering nicely now that the biostat chip malfunction had been corrected. That the malfunction had been corrected by revitalizing Reilly/EVE, the orbiting Council computer, concerned her, but that was a problem for another day.

She'd saved Danziger for last, since she knew he'd want to know the results of her examinations.

"How we doin', Doc?" he asked as she pressed the diaglove to his neck.

"Everyone's tired, but we're all recovering," she answered as she studied the readouts on Danziger. "We shouldn't put in a full day on the road, though - everyone's going to need extra rest for the next few days while our bodies recuperate. Our water situation is good enough that everyone can take in extra fluids.

We should see what we can do about getting some extra protein, though - that would help everyone build up."

"Good thought. Any ideas?" Danziger demanded.

Julia pulled the glove off and studied Danziger for a moment before replying. She smiled slightly as she realized that it was John Danziger, leader, asking the question, not John Danziger the man with whom she'd almost shared starvation. "Well, on Earth, some species of beans provided almost complete proteins - soya, for example. We have some in the seed supplies.

I wonder if there's some way we could start some sort of mobile hydroponics."

"How much water would we need for that, Julia? And how would we transport it? And how would we be able to set up enough seeds to make it worthwhile?"

Julia frowned and shook her head. "It was just an idea," she sighed. She brushed her fly-away hair back from her face. "It'd be nice if we could find another of the cargo pods."

"That would be nice any time," Danziger agreed sourly.

"Well, let's break out the semolina for now. Think we can last another couple of days without added protein?

I'd like to put some more distance behind us before we break long enough for foraging parties."

Julia nodded. "Yeah. I guess so. I don't envy you, John," she added, her face sympathetic. He grimaced in reply. "Sorry."

"Yeah," he said. "I'm gonna check on the vehicles, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, and watched him move off. She shook her head sadly at the sight of Danziger, usually so full of energy and spark, dragging himself off to the TransRover.

***

"Hey, sport, wanna help me check out the vehicles?" Danziger asked True as he climbed up onto the TransRover. She still sat next to Yale and Uly, toying listlessly with her semolina bar.

"Do I have to?" True inquired disinterestedly, shading her eyes from the sun.

"No, you don't have to. But I could use the help.

What d'you say?"

"Okay," she sighed, and started to scramble out of her seat beside Uly.

"What about you, Uly? Wanna help?"

Uly snuggled closer to Yale and shook his head. "No, Mr. Danziger. I'll stay here with Yale," he replied, reaching for the tutor's hand and twining his small hand with it.

Yale glanced at Danziger and quirked an eyebrow in his direction. Then he put his arm around Uly's shoulders and squeezed gently. "Why don't you go along, Uly?

Everyone should learn about the vehicles - Mr. Danziger could use another apprentice."

"That's okay," True interjected. "My Dad doesn't need another helper while I'm here."

"I can help, too," Uly protested, rising to True's bait. True argued further, and the more she argued, the more Uly wanted to help. In the end, the two children raced each other for the Rail, each claiming greater expertise than the other. The sounds of their disagreement brought a sense of normality to the scene.

Danziger looked up at Yale and smiled. "Thanks. Just what I need - dueling helpers."

Yale smiled back in return, understanding Danziger's genuine gratitude. Uly's despair could only communicate itself to the group, and make John's job harder. A little competition between the children couldn't hurt. "You're doing fine," Yale commented softly.

Danziger pushed back his hair and sighed. "Think so?

Tell me that in a week, okay?

"Don't worry, John - I will," the tutor told him seriously.

***

Morgan Martin leaned in the shade of the TransRover fiddling with a device. Bess leaned over and glanced at it, assuming it was Morgan's ever-present VR gear, and was surprised to notice it was something she'd never seen before. "What's that, Morgan?"

He started guiltily, and looked up from the device.

"Receiver," he answered cryptically.

"Receiving from what?" she pressed. His edgy response set off warning bells in her mind; she loved Morgan dearly, had even entered into a lifetime marriage contract with him, something unheard of on the stations, but she knew her husband too well. He was up to something.

"The ship," he replied shortly.

"The ship? The ship where Devon -"

"Shhsh!" he warned, pressing a finger to his lips. "I don't know how Danziger'll react."

"React to what? What have you done, Morgan?" she demanded, moving around to stand in front of him, hands on hips as she glared up at him.

"Nothing," he said, a whine entering his voice. "I just ... I just did a little reprogramming on the computer is all. So that EVE can't control the ship's functions. And I set up a beacon, and this thing picks up the signal."

"Why?"

"So we can monitor the status of the ship," he answered, cringing as he expected a tempest.

Instead, Bess grinned widely at him. "Morgan, that's wonderful! You have to tell Danziger -"

"Tell Danziger what?" came a gravelly voice laden with the promise of menace from the front of the TransRover.

"Morgan's done something wonderful, John. Tell him, Morgan," she urged, stepping back so that her husband could take center stage with Danziger.

Bess was unaware of the source of the animosity between Danziger and her husband, but she was certainly sensitive to its existence. She placed her hand proudly on Morgan's upper arm and nudged him forward encouragingly. "Go on, Morgan," she said.

"Yeah, go on, Morgan," Danziger prodded with a faint sneer.

"Well, I, ah, that is ... I was concerned that leaving the ship unguarded, with EVE operational again, might, well ... ah, put Devon at risk."

Danziger's face drained as the meaning of Morgan's words hit him. It was obvious from his expression that he hadn't considered that possibility, but once Morgan mentioned it, the possibility was all too real. "And?" Danziger prompted urgently.

"So I ... did some work with the computer last night to lock EVE out. After you and Alonzo were finished.

Changed the access codes." At Danziger's immobile face, Morgan shuddered, and offered, "I have the codes - they're stored in here. I also wrote them down, there's no worry they're unavailable to us, I just didn't want to leave EVE the ability -"

"Well, I'll be damned, Martin. You actually had a good idea," Danziger breathed.

"See, Morgan?" Bess praised, smiling broadly at her husband. She turned toward Danziger and beamed with pride.

"Yeah," agreed Morgan, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. Bess couldn't understand why her husband was still discomfited, and felt her spirits sink.

"And?"

"And ... I activated a ... beacon," he explained, licking his lips, "so we could monitor the status of the ship." He thrust out the device in his hand toward Danziger, and the mechanic glanced at the readouts briefly. "Everything's fine. See?"

"Yeah ... so why are you so nervous, Morgan? Sounds like a great idea to me. Unless there's a problem ..."

"Well, there is the _slight_ possibility that someone else could pick up the signal," Morgan suggested uneasily.

"Someone. Like?"

"Well, anyone who has a device capable of reading the signal."

"Like penal colonists."

Morgan nodded miserably.

"Or an incoming Council ship," Danziger guessed.

Morgan nodded again. Danziger looked at him for a long moment, as though enjoying drawing out Morgan's agony.

Then he shrugged. "The same is true of any of our pods. EVE already knows the location of the ship.

Locking out its control of the ship is a plus. Being able to monitor the status of the ship will ... well, it'll put our minds at ease, I guess, unless something happens to it. Solace checked the security on the hatch - no worries there. That hull could withstand just about anything anybody could throw at it. Power source is self-regenerating. What's the range on that thing?" he asked, nodding toward the device.

"I don't know. At least a couple thousand miles."

"So we could monitor it all the way to New Pacifica.

Thanks," Danziger added, putting out his hand. Morgan stared at the hand a moment, then realized that Danziger was asking for the unit. He balked briefly, then turned it over with a sigh. "Good work, Martin.

Next time, check with me first, okay?" With that, Danziger turned and stalked away.

Morgan let out a long breath and sagged against the side of the TransRover. Bess hugged him enthusiastically, murmuring, "That was a wonderful idea, Morgan!"

"Yeah," was all he could say as he closed his eyes with relief.

***

Baines met them on the trail an hour later and reported a suitable campsite several kilometers ahead.

"Is there a freshwater source nearby?" Julia asked after Baines had passed on his information.

Pulling off his headgear and scratching at his scalp, Baines nodded. "Freshwater, yeah - a stream. Some of those berries you said we could eat, some other stuff that looks promising. Looks like a decent place to camp, maybe even for a coupla days."

"No," Danziger replied emphatically. "One night, then we're on our way."

"Well, John, maybe if this site has edible foodstuffs, we should spend some time there replenishing our stocks." At Danziger's shaking head, Julia added, "John, we're getting low on fresh food. It's not healthy. No one's at 100%, not after the feedback virus from EVE. I understand your reasoning for leaving the area of the ship - as a doctor, I think I have to agree with it in terms of morale. But John, these people need to rest, to recharge. This valley sounds ideal - out of sight of the ship, but the right kind of environment for us to grow stronger. As your doctor, John, I'm recommending -"

"Okay, okay, Heller. Give it a rest." Danziger turned impatiently toward the others, stepped out of the tight circle he shared with Baines and Julia, and announced that the group was moving out. "We'll stop tonight at the camp Baines found. If it checks out, we may stay there for a couple of days and restock our supplies.

Now, everybody - let's go!"

Grumbling and groaning answered Danziger's announcement, but the group fell in behind him with a semblance of enthusiasm as Baines climbed back into the DuneRail and swung around to face down the trail.

***

It had been weeks since Alonzo had last walked the dreamplane, but he slipped into it as though he hadn't left. The bleached out light surrounded him, and he turned, trying to see where the Terrians had brought him this time. The cave was unfamiliar, its walls pocked and scarred, gnarled roots jutting out from its surface at irregular intervals. It looked no different, really, from any other Terrian cave he'd seen, except for the fact that it was empty.

Abruptly, a Terrian swarmed up through the rough dirt of the cave floor. Then another. Rank after rank of them shot up out of the ground, like stalks of wheat.

Alonzo whirled, taking in the numbers of Terrians that erupted out of the floor around him. It was as though he were suddenly surrounded by an army of the tall, cadaverish aliens, their misshapen mouths working silently. He had never seen so many Terrians at once, not in all his months of dreaming with them or in personal contact. This had to either be a very large tribe, or several tribes combined. Although the Terrians did not war among themselves, such direct cooperation among different tribes was not common.

"What's going on?" Alonzo demanded, dropping into a defensive posture. Where the Terrians were tall and muscular, he was slight, not small for a human, but dwarfed by the aliens. Although he was in excellent physical shape, here on the Dreamplane, physical prowess meant nothing; one's ability to perceive and interpret the dreamscape was everything. Alonzo didn't have a sense of personal menace; the Terrians had rarely shown any sort of antagonism toward him. But he had a feeling of confusion, or discord, emanating from the numerous Terrians that encircled him.

A single Terrian stepped forward, separating out from the mass of beings. It held its lightning stick upright, and stopped right in front of Alonzo. Tilting its bullet-shaped head to one side, it trilled a question.

Alonzo straightened slowly, tilting his own head as he absorbed the question. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

The Terrian stared at him for a moment, then pointed with its staff. The wall in front of Alonzo seemed to disappear, melting into a scene from the camp around the ship only the day before. He saw Devon observing them pack up the camp, and he was surprised to realize that she'd looked sick even then, as the rest of them had been rejoicing in their newfound health. She smiled sadly, then walked around the tent and collapsed. He saw them all hurrying to her, Julia frantically trying to revive her, the anguished faces of the Eden Advance team peering down at her, Uly pushing his way through the crowd to reach for his mother. And finally, he saw himself and Danziger placing her into the cryo-tube, surrounded by the rest of them. He watched, a tear trickling down his cheek, as Uly placed his makeshift Terrian staff against the glass of the crypt.

Alonzo turned away from the scene to look at the Terrian again. "Yes, we grieve," he said softly. "She means so much to all of us. Can you cure her?"

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