Chapter 11
BUK
Just as Briar slides the door shut, the tarp opens, and in walks HaL, a huge crate sitting effortlessly on his shoulders.
“Brother, I did not mean to frighten the small female, but I am glad to see you are both well. ANDI was extremely concerned about your welfare.”
“Your timing could have been better brother, but I am still glad to see you. I never considered ANDI reaching out to you, but the Lord of Light knows there was no one better suited than yourself to be out roaming around in this cold.”
“Ahh, it is not cold out, just a little chilly! But you might want to put on some warmer garments until we get this place sealed up better. I will return as I have several crates to bring in.”
HaL ducks under the tarp as I start shifting through the blankets that Briar had piled over us. “Briar, have you seen my pants?”
She sticks her head out of the refreshing room, looking around before emerging.
Her small frame is practically swallowed up in her new thick coverings.
“They were wet, so I threw them over in the corner with the rest of the cold things. There’s another set just like this on top of the crate you nearly died going to get. ”
Turning, I find them and without thinking, I drop the small rug I had tied around my waist. When a sharp whistle suddenly surrounds me, I jump — practically falling over as I am trying to get my large feet through the bottoms of these weird garments. The tic I have them over my hips, I hear Briar.
“It’s really a shame to cover up something that fine.”
Confused at what she is referring to, I see her smiling at me mischievously until a large white hand pushes back the tarp.
Briar lets out a screech, and the next thing I know, she has tucked herself behind me.
“God, if he says, ‘I want to hold him and squeeze him and call him George, I’ve heard it all.”
“What nonsense are you mumbling now?”
“Nothing, it’s an Earth thing once again. HI, Mister Abominable Snowman!”
“Good rising, earthling. There is no reason for you to hide. I am harmless.”
“Yeah, said every eight-foot snowman, never.”
Laughing, I pull her around in front of me, and she backs up against my chest. I take a moment and try to look at HaL from her point of view, and he is a little overwhelming from her slight height.
“Briar, this is my brother, HaL. HaL, this is my Briar.”
She waves, as if she has not already been talking to him.
“Sorry that I screamed when I saw you. I wasn’t exactly expecting company in this weather.”
“You soft-skins and the cold. I will never understand why you chose to live in these locations if your bodies cannot sustain themselves. I know my own limitations and would never move to a warm, sunny climate, as it would be unbearable in both of my forms.”
“HaL, we sure could have used your assistance half a tic ago. We both almost perished obtaining the heating cubes and a few items MeK was able to send our way when the cargo bot got stuck in the snow.”
“I passed the bot on the way here, Brother.
I believe the intense cold may have put it out of commission permanently.
MeK sent the extra crate ANDI packed for him, along with some temporary sealant, when he realized I had not been here yet.
He said they had plenty of provisions, and for me to bring his here.
I would have come here first, but something told me to check in on the guards, and it was a good thing I did, as the heat in their enclosure had shut off due to a frozen fuel line, and both of them were in pretty rough shape even though it took me a tic to convince the main guard, Rick that I was not an enemy.
Once we secured and locked down the outer fences, I then helped them move into a closer pod, with an older female and one they called James. ”
“Have you been to each pod?”
“Yes, you were the last, and if it makes you feel better little Briar, you were not the first scream I have received this rising. Apparently, I favor what you call a monster on your home planet.”
“Well, I don’t know if it was a monster; it seemed more like folklore than anything else. I don’t really think anyone on Earth has ever seen anyone like you HaL, unless you’re Bugs Bunny. Now that I’ve seen you, I may want to watch out for the Tasmanian Devil.”
“Briar, are you feeling alright? Your words seem even more odd than usual.”
When she turns toward me and I see the tears in her eyes, I panic. Picking her up under her arms, I bring her face up to mine. “What is causing this leaking? Are you hurt?”
“I’m sorry, just a little overwhelmed. The last few hours have been intense, and my mind is just crashing for a second. Please, just put me down and act like I’m not here for a few minutes.”
Hesitantly, I set her back on her feet, but I pull her in close. HaL looks concerned, and I shrug my shoulders as I genuinely do not understand, but she will tell me when the words need to come out.
“HaL, how was ANDI able to contact you if the mass is blocking all correspondence?”
“A brave and beautifully bright human female sent out a signal on the emergency channel, and I came straight away. I did not realize so many of her kind had been relocated to this area, or I would have informed ANDI and father about the instability of the Nebula. We fight these obstructions on Hallister more often than we would like, being this close.”
“SCOUT was the one who found Ethra, and it is not like him to miss such occurrences if this is a common thing.”
“When you get larger satellites in the atmosphere, you will have more of a warning and be better prepared next time. Ethra will recover quickly since it is used to the constant temperature fluctuations. Fortunately, the dwelling pods MeK installed here can withstand most weather conditions, and once we get this one properly sealed, you two can relax and enjoy some rest. BuK, you have some very deep abrasions on your arms. I assume they were caused by exposure and require attention. I believe there is a healing kit with some skin spray in one of the crates. Since it is a little warm in here for me, let us get the pod sealed and you two settled. I need to locate KyT as well, then do a final check before returning to Hallister.”
“He was not with Vedece? They normally spend the majority of their days in the forest looking for plants. Vedece is trying to see which ones she can use for healing.”
“I do not recall hearing that name, but when I inquired about his whereabouts, most were not concerned as he has his own shuttle on site.”
“KyT may have his shuttle, but I know he prefers to sleep in the Timbers. I am sure they warned him about this cold before it hit. They are more than likely staying in his shuttle until this passes.” Reluctantly, I move Briar to the chair, tucking the blanket around her, concerned about her unusual quietness.
“Will you be alright while I get things sorted?”
“Yes, I’m just gonna sit here out of the way for a few minutes. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
I place one of the heating cubes closer to where she is sitting before joining HaL on the other side of the tarp. The sharp coldness is apparent the moment I step past it, and a shiver runs through my entire body, making HaL laugh.
“It is only negative thirty-five, little brother. I have no idea why you soft-skins are reacting this way. There is only a slight chill out, and I would consider this a warm rising on Hallister.”
“Until this happened, I had taken the warmth on Ethra for granted, something I will never do again. I wish I could have had your extra insulation earlier. The cold nearly claimed mine and Briar’s lives when I went out to retrieve the crate from the cargo bot MeK had sent.
I truly owe her my life and if not for her quick thinking, I would have been lost in a whiteout.
I do not remember much once we got back.
Briar must have started the fire cubes and taken off our wet clothes.
Now that I think about it, that might explain why we both witnessed that strange reaction from her.
The rising started beautifully, only for us to be on the brink of freezing to death half an hour later.
We were mere moments from you finding our corpses.
After that scare, and simply by the favor of the Lord of Light, we woke up warm in each other’s arms with hopefully no permanent damage.
Finding her in my arms, I finally gathered enough courage to tell her how I feel, and then you showed up, scaring the life out of her.
I think she needs a moment to process everything. ”
“I apologize for the unnecessary horror I caused BuK. The pod was dark, and I was not sure if I was at the right one, so I pulled myself up to look in the viewer. Imagine my surprise to find my little brother in a state of undress, when I was told that getting warm garments to you was crucial.
Even though I am teasing you at the moment, I do not make light of your sensitivity to the frigid temperatures.
It is not often I am on the other side of these occurrences, as most of you live in climates I find hard to visit without getting sick in either of my forms. ANDI told me on the way down how unprepared you all were when the Nebula spit out that chunk of rock floating above us.
I am simply glad that I was able to get here and help before things turned deadly.
The Lord of Light knows all things BuK and never puts more on us than we can handle. Come, let us get that viewer sealed and the larger heat source activated so that your remaining time can be spent exploring this new bond I am sensing between the two of you.”
We unpack the crates, and I can tell much thought has gone into these provisions as we quickly turn the once frozen pod into a comfortable and well-stocked living space. Pulling down the last of the tarps, I find Briar organizing the food.
“Is it smart to take them all down?”
“This heater is large enough to heat the entire space with ease and look at this.” I hold up a compressed square.
“What is that?”
“A proper sleeping platform, so no more hanging off the end.”
“Bummer, I had gotten quite attached to that small space.”
Kissing the top of her head, I bring the remaining items into our main living area. Then she yells out, “BuK, do you want me to open up the other doors?”
“No, I think we will stick to heating this immediate area in case the temperatures keep dropping.”
HaL walks into the sustenance room holding two cans in his large, furry hands. “Here is an extra tube of sealer in case one of the other viewers fails, but I believe you two should be quite cozy in here now. It is almost too hot for me already.”
Briar turns, looking up at HaL, who towers over all of us in this form.
“HaL, thank you for leaving your home world and getting here so quickly to help us. It’s nice to know others care, and I know I’ve said this before, but please forgive me for screaming earlier. You’ve done more for us than most would.”
“Little human, you are most welcome, after all … family takes care of family. I need to get going as I still need to find KyT. BuK, MeK was working on planet-wide communications, so I am sure you will be hearing from him soon. His mate was truly worried about both of you, and we all know he will do whatever it takes to keep her happy.”
HaL nods to Briar before turning away. I walk behind him to the lower level where the wind is so strong, it feels like it is going to cut me in half.
He grabs me in a big hug, completely engulfing me in his massive frame, then pats me on the head before walking out like it is a lovely spring rising.
Closing the door behind him, I seal it shut the best I can since I broke the locking mechanism earlier.
Making my way back upstairs, I find Briar looking out at the viewer, holding a steaming cup in her hand, as she watches HaL effortlessly make his way down the path.
I fight the urge to walk over and pull her close. Since things were interrupted, I am not sure what to do now. “Briar, are you alright? Your tears worried me earlier.”
“I made you a cup of hot chocolate and it’s sitting on the crate. You and I need to talk.”