Halcyon Nights (Star Sojourner Book 2) (5 page)

I sat on an easy chair armrest and watched Lisa pull at the ribbon of the shell present. The armrest groaned as it tried to conform to something heavier than an arm. I closed my mind to any possibility of tel-reading her thoughts. There's such a thing as privacy, after all.

On the holo stage, bears twirled and sang against a backdrop of stars as they skated on beams of sunlight.

“Uh, Lisa?” I began. “Is it OK if I come and sit next to you?”

She looked up, a solemn expression on her round face, her blue eyes still mistrustful. “I guess so. You can sit there.” She pointed to a spot away from her.

I sat where she'd indicated, legs tucked, and put the other presents between us.

She played with the stubborn ribbon. “Mommy has lots of holographs of me and you and her, but Charles made Mommy put them all away.”

“Oh?” I suppressed a dark thought.

“Mommy says you were just sick and couldn't come home but that you still love me.” She tugged at the ribbon. “But Charles says you should go to a doctor if you're sick. Did you go to a pig doctor?”

“No.” I smiled. “But I do love you, Lis'. I always have.”

“Were you really sick? Sometimes Mommy tells me right lies 'cause she doesn't want me to feel bad.”

“I must've been sick if I didn't come home to you,” I said softly. “That's white lies, Lis'.”

She knitted her brows and watched me. “Sometimes Mommy looks at your picture and then she does this.” She shook her head from side to side.

“You, uh…” I shifted uneasily. “You want me to help you open that present?”

She scratched her cheek, brows still furrowed. “I can open it.” She got up and gave me the Cleocean. It had a sweet perfume aroma. From my experience with Cleoceans on Syl'Tyrria, rotted kelp would've been more authentic.

She sat closer this time and I waited quietly while she undid the ribbon and tore apart wrapping paper. She rounded her lips and drew in a breath as she uncovered the iridescent whorled shell. “Mommy and Charles took me to the beach.” She giggled, her tongue between teeth. “I went swimming and you know what?”

I grinned. “What?”

She clamped the shell to her small ear, more intricate than the calcified souvenir. “I can hear the ocean. Listen!” She came over on her hands and knees and shoved the shell against my ear.

I winced as it scraped, and listened. And almost shrank back from the memory that sound evoked. The echo of long waves hissing like virulent thoughts.

“You hear that? That's the ocean!”

“I hear it, Squiggles.” I pulled down her shirt, which had ridden up her belly, and extended my hands. “Can I have a hug?”

She looked toward the kitchen. “Where's Grandma?”

I lowered my hands. “She's in the kitchen, and Grandpa's – “

“Making link calls.” She pursed her lips and deepened her voice. “Hello Mister Secretary.”

She giggled as she got up. She sat on my crossed legs and leaned against me as she turned the shell over in small hands.

I put my arms loosely around her, gently kissed her forehead, and felt a welling of love, sudden and strong. This was my child. My Lisa. I stroked her fine light curls. This was my flesh. To love. To protect with my life.

She pressed the shell to her ear and I rocked her.

My Lisa.

“Daddy?”

I smiled at that. “Yeah, Lis'?”

“Are you gonna live with us?”

“No. But I'll…I'll visit you.” I hoped. “And bring you presents.”

“Are you gonna go away again?”

I swallowed to force down the tightness in my throat. “I might have to, baby.”

“Are you gonna get sick again?”

“No, I don't think I'll get sick. And this time I'll try real hard to come back and see you.”

She stuck a finger inside the shell, probing. “Can I come to pig Tartas?”

“Tell you what, someday we'll go to the beach and look for more shells.”

“On pig Tartas?”

“How about California?”

“OK.” She yawned.

“You want to go to bed? You can open the rest of the presents tomorrow morning.”

“Do I have to?” Her whine was well rehearsed.

I looked up and saw Abby in the doorway. “Oh. Hello, Misses Hatch.” I managed a smile. “How are you?” I started to lift Lisa off my lap to get up, but Abby motioned me down.

“I'm fine, thank you.” Her hair was a bit grayer, neat as ever. Her face showed a few more wrinkles. Same mild eyes and kind smile, though. The apron was tied around a waist as narrow as in the wedding portrait on the mantle. Abby was one of the few constants in a world sliding into decline. “How are you, son?”

God, I wished she hadn't called me that. It tore at my tenuous composure. “I'm all right, thanks. Uh, how are things at Bio Tech?” I knew she loved her work.

She tilted her head, nodded in a familiar gesture that made me yearn for times lost. “Politics and poker, as usual. Did you have supper? There's mock stew and fresh rolls. Wouldn't take me a minute to fuse it.”

“No thanks, I've eaten.” I lowered my gaze. I always do when I'm lying. I had given my burgers to Tickbag.

She glanced down the hall. “Joseph's busy making calls. But he'll be going out to buy a newspaper. Our text transmitter went down. I can't understand it, we just had it serviced.” She looked from Lisa to me. “Well, help yourself to some cookies, Jules. They're still hot.”

“Thanks.”

Abby has the non-judgmental nature of a Buddhist monk. I guess she lied too, about the transmitter. I figured she wanted to give Lisa and me some more time alone. I never deserved this family. I guess I only deserved losing it.

“All we can get is the price of hogs from Arklahana,” she said with a smile. “I'll just go along and keep Joseph company. We'll be back in twenty minutes.”

“OK.”

”Nice to see you, Jules. You're looking well. A little thin, but well.”

”You're looking well too, Misses Hatch. It's good to see you, too. Abby?”

“Yes, Jules?”

“Be careful walking out there.”

She nodded and thickened her Southern drawl. “Ah have always depended on Joseph an' the kindness of stinglers.” I knew she carried a snub-nosed flashrod in her purse. We laughed and she turned and left. I heard her in the hallway, talking to Joe in subdued tones. “He's her father, Joseph. And it's only for twenty minutes.” Joe's deep voice rumbled something. ”Oh, for heaven's sake, you've been a government agent for too long,” I heard Abby say. “Sometimes you just have to use your good judgment. He was never abusive or unpredictable, Joseph. Don't you remember how gentle and loving he was with Lisa for those first five months?” A point in my favor. His answer was indistinct. ”Yes, Joseph,
before
he left.”

Joe mumbled something.

“All right, irresponsible, true,” I heard her answer as the front door closed behind them. I mentally wiped away my one good point.

Lisa giggled at me as though we shared a secret. She held the Cleocean at arms' length and talked to it. “Now, Ab,” she imitated Joe's deep voice, “there's no need to go walking around those dangerous streets spending money on pig stuff.” She giggled again and I hugged her close.

“Grandpa's newspaper pig thing is broken.”

“Oh?” That was not the only thing that was broken. I could not shake the sadness in me. Lost years of not being part of my daughter's life.

She gazed up, her smooth cheeks pink in firelight. “Can I open the rest of the presents now?”

“Sure, Squiggles.” I stifled a yawn.

“You want to go to bed, Daddy?”

“Do I have to?” I used a whiny voice.

She stared at me in surprise, then laughed.

“I think I'll stay up late.” I stroked her hair. “And watch you open presents.”

She handed me the Cleocean again and tore into the boxes. A miniature hovair; a stuffed white rabbit and the black box with our galaxy and a protruding zoom lens that could home in on all known star systems with inhabited worlds. Cube recordings gave information on each planet. I couldn't resist adding that educational toy.

On a hunch I lifted the box, adjusted the lens to my eye, and went through the toy's itinerary of newly discovered planets, searching for Halcyon.

A green light beeped when I found it.

I lowered the toy, smiled at Lisa as she looked up from opening the last present, then I went back to the box and turned on the cube.

“Halcyon is the second world of the four-planet Demeter System. Demeter is a Class G star slightly above the galactic plane. Halcyon was discovered on January 6, 2127, by a Borzian probe. Since the planet was suitable for human habitation but not for Borzian habitation, the Borzians graciously gave it to Earth as a gift of their friendship.

“The planet was explored by NASA and rated CW for colonization world. Four years later Halcyon was named and settled by a group of environmentalists called GreenWorlds. GreenWorlds strongly believes in not harming the land, water, air, animals or plant life of any planet. They have named their Halcyon colony Laurel, because the Laurel plant and wreath symbolize honor and achievement.

“If you wish to learn more about this world, ask your parents or teachers to check out cubes for you about Halcyon.”

A small revolving planet holo showed an Earth-like gem of a world with forests, mountains, plains, deserts, and seas too blue to be believed. Lush white clouds swirled.

Zooming closer I witnessed a parade of alien life forms, none amorphous or silver. The holo paused on a group of natives standing before the stone portal to a cave. The aliens were tall, humanoid, with skin like yellow and orange crepe paper.

“The Kubraens are a gentle, almost timid non-technological people,” the narrator continued, “who depend heavily upon fibrin trees and gathering native roots and tubers for food, and clothing, which is woven from shredded fibrin. These vegetarians are peaceful by nature and non-territorial, with a strong belief in the oneness of all Kubraen villages. The closest Kubraen village is twenty kilometers northwest of Laurel. With few predators and no wars on the planet, this placid race never developed the concept of weapons.”

I put down the box. If there were a telepathic race on planet Halcyon, the new probes, improved after the originals had missed the Loranths of Syl' Tyrria, would have discovered these silver beings. Wouldn't they?

Lisa turned the miniature remote hovair in her hand. It could hover and dart to treetop level like a humming bird, while you saw what the tiny plastic pilot saw, from a ground screen. Expensive, but what are creds for?

She set it down, guided it erratically toward the cat by remotes, and giggled as the animal arched its back and spat. The cat swatted at it, leaped up and made an undignified exit on the polished floor.

“It's an outdoor toy, Lis'. It's not to be used on anything alive.”

Her cheeks reddened. “Uh huh.” She picked up the pink whorled shell, held it to the Cleocean's head and enlightened the stuffed sea-goer as to ocean waves and how they chased you to the beach, where sand castles…

I leaned back against the chair. The vid was a monotonous drone. The smell of warm cookies lingered. A bell from the unit announced that the cookies were done.

I blinked at the fire, soothing with its heat, its dance of flames that ate nothing.

Halcyon…

Dammit, I wasn't going off Earth to fight a battle for some arrogant alien. Let him contact Interstel if he had a problem with a ravager, whatever the hell a ravager was! I would remain on my homeworld and at least have visitation rights with my kid.

“You want a cookie, Lis'? They're ready.”

“Uh huh.” She continued to lecture the stuffed Cleocean.”

I got up and went into the kitchen. The green light on Abby's bake'n-proof system blinked READY! I pressed the button and the system plunked a batch of chocolate chip cookies into the wide slot. I cradled a few in my hands and started back to the den.

And heard Lisa scream! I ran, and saw Lisa stumble away from the shell, which rocked as though she'd suddenly dropped it.

“Daddy!” she shrieked. She held the front of her shirt up to cover her face and shrank back into a corner.

”What is it?” I dropped the cookies and scooped her up. I looked around. “What
is
it, Lisa?”

She wrapped her arms and legs around me. “Throw it away!” Tears ran down her flushed cheeks as she glanced back at the shell. “Throw it away! Please, Daddy!”

I held her tight. “It's all right, baby, it's only a shell, but I'll throw – “

“No. No!” She pummeled my sides with her legs. “It's bad. Throw it away!”

“OK, Lis'.” I patted her back. “OK,” I said softly. “Daddy will throw it away where you'll never have to see it again.”

I tried to put her down but she clung. ”Don't go away, Daddy!” She sobbed against my chest. “Don't go 'way. Please! I want grandma.”

“I won't,” I said. “I won't leave you, Lisa. I promise.” I lowered my shields and flooded her with a wave of love and soothing feelings. “Lis, what happened?”

”It said bad things to me,” she whimpered. “It was gonna… Like that!” She pointed to her Cleocean doll and I restrained a gasp. The toy lay behind a chair, stuffing strewn around its gutted belly. The Siamese cat hadn't come back.

My first thought was Tickbag. How had he gotten inside? An open window? Or – Or the alien?

Oh my God.

“Listen to me, Lisa.” My voice was hoarse. “Was there a dog in here?”

She shook her head, sniffed as she stared at the shell, her body still trembling.

“The shell did
this?
” I nodded at the ruined Cleocean doll and felt my cheeks drain of blood. “Are you sure, baby?”

“Throw it away, Daddy. I'll just keep the other toys, OK?”

“Sure, Lis'. OK.” I carefully probed her thoughts. The shell, lifting…suddenly flung by some invisible force…ripping the tough material of the doll's belly with its sharp edges! My God! An image of a silver amorphous being… I backed out of her thoughts as her defenses and fear pushed against my mind.

“When's Grandpa coming home?”

“In a little while. I'm sorry this happened, baby.” I wiped her face with the back of my hand and kissed her cheek. “I'm sorry. I'm going to pick up the shell now, and I'm going to throw it down the garbage chute outside where it can't hurt you. Then I'll stay with you until Grandma and Grandpa come home. OK, baby?”