I made sure to not be looking at the Third Squad captain by the time Lohn and Maze got back with the drinks, but I wondered if I’d earned myself an enemy because Maze handed me a drink and sat beside me and smiled and said I had to concede that this was better than a long walk occasionally hitting little balls, which is how I’d described golf. It’s hard not to enjoy it when someone so gorgeous and nice pays me attention. But even though it’s only six or seven years' difference, all the people I know on Earth who are in their mid-twenties are teachers, so I do feel out of place around First Squad. I’m fairly sure Maze doesn’t mean anything, is just being kind and thoughtful. And there’s a sense that underneath it all, he’s unhappy. I keep feeling sorry for him.
When I was delivered back to my box, I was on enough of a high to not let the Fourth Squad captain’s psychological aspects drown out my thanks. I think they all enjoyed themselves too and were genuinely curious about Earth, so it wasn’t like the excursion was a total pity party. And then I napped for what was left of the day and woke up in the middle of the night and really I have the weirdest life right now.
Tuesday, February 5
A very busy day
I had an early appointment with Sa Lents. And I knew about it beforehand! I had a further boost of my interface functions, and found I have an appointment calendar. I can look forward and see what they’ve scheduled for me for the rest of the year. I literally do have appointments an entire Taren year ahead. Almost all medical examinations. I don’t know if the increase in function is down to Zan, or Maze, or even the conversation I had with Ista Tremmar, but it’s a relief to almost be a person again.
The appointments with Sa Lents are always uncomfortable. I ask about Nenna, and he assures me she’s improving. She only wrote to me a couple of times, and then didn’t reply to the last email I sent and I tell myself that she’s probably in a lot of pain and not exactly in a chatty mood. It’s hard to imagine Nenna not being chatty though, and whatever else happens, I’ve changed Nenna forever and I think about that all the time when I’m talking to her father.
I tried to hide it by pressing him comparing dates on Earth to the things that are supposed to have happened on Muina, and he conceded that it sounds like Earth is very atypical. I think Earth is beginning to make him really uncomfortable. It’s one thing for him to document another lost world which fits the known pattern, and something altogether more difficult to try and fit a pre-dispersal settlement into the mix. Especially when I gave him my theory for Muinans originally being Earthlings.
Tarens clearly resemble both Asian and Caucasian people – or what you’d get if Asian and Caucasian people had babies for a few thousand years. Some people with pink skin and round eyes. Some people with skin in golden shades and epicanthic folds on their eyes. And pink-skinned people with epicanthic folds, golden-skinned people with round eyes, or blue eyes, or darker skin, and every combination you can think of. I tried explaining to Sa Lents that he looks Japanese or Korean, but gave up the attempt because my language skills just aren’t up to it, and he was smiling politely and not believing me at all. I’m not sure Tarens even have the concept of race as we do on Earth. Sa Lents acted as if I was explaining that red haired people were a distinct species from blonde haired people.
I don’t know. If the Muinans really come from Earth, why isn’t Earth full of psychic people? Or why doesn’t Earth have stories of cultures ruled by psychics? The Egyptians had their god-kings, true, but they weren’t like those on Stargate. Hm – must watch Tarens carefully in case their eyes flash mysteriously.
After Sa Lents, it was my regular session with Zan. If possible, she was even more formal and correct than ever, and not at all communicative. I thought about trying some personal questions afterwards, while we were eating lunch in the canteen, but there were a fair few Setari there and though I never saw anyone actually looking at us, I felt very centre of attention, so I played obedient student and asked what few questions I could think of about the training she was giving me. I don’t know whether to feel sorry for Zan or not. For all I know she’s done something to deserve people being nasty to her. But I don’t see any reason to give them any ammunition.
Next up was the big test chamber, this time with Zan, all of First Squad, and an in-the-flesh bluesuit, a man named Sur Gidds Selkie. Bluesuits definitely seem to be the military people in charge. Sur is his rank. Squad captains are "See". Lots of ranks and titles start with an S sound but with just the faintest z overtone to it. Now that I can display names (title option on) again, I see I’ve been spelling them wrong. Not an s or z, so much as ts. Tsa, Tsur and Tsee.
Tsur Selkie was a slender, quite short guy who could probably do a great Clint Eastwood imitation if he had any idea who that was. All the wrong colouring and everything, but a totally chipped from flint attitude. And I think he’s the one making most of the decisions about me. First Squad were really correct around him, though not nearly as formal as Zan, who scaled new heights of expressionlessness. He didn’t speak directly to me at all.
This was the first serious testing of the effects of my enhancement since my health break. They started out with Zan, and I had the distinct impression that there was something about Tsur Selkie personally observing which meant they expected to get more information from watching her again. Once Zan had picked blocks up and moved them around for a while, they swapped to Maze doing the same thing. Then they very warily had Zan and Maze touching me at the same time, and using Telekinesis at the same time. I didn’t feel anything, as usual, but Tsur Selkie seemed to find something significant in it all, because he nodded and said:
"The best analogy is an amplifying container. A limited number of talents fit into the container without any particular effect. Too many, and the container is torn. The different sizes of the talents also appears to be relevant. Until further notice, multiple contact is forbidden absolutely. Surion, your squad will move on to testing the effects of enhancement upon each individual talent available to First. A controlled test within the Ena of that category of skills will be arranged. Namara, Twelfth Squad will cover First Squad’s previously scheduled assignments for this rotation. Briefings have been transferred to your mission file."
They all saluted, hand to chest. I just watched. Military equipment doesn’t salute. After he had left, closely followed by Zan, everyone relaxed and Zee surprised me by hugging me and saying: "Now I don’t have to be so anxious about accidentally killing you."
I was glad for once that I was so bad at talking, since my immediate reaction was a sarcastic one about irreplaceable equipment, and First Squad don’t deserve that kind of attitude from me. I was really relieved I’d been assigned to work with them, rather than Twelfth Squad. Zan I think I like, or would if she’d let me, but that Lenton guy isn’t exactly high on my list of desirable people to be around.