Chapter Two
Chloe looked at Skylar. “You look impressive.”
“You look like mist on a sunny day. The ship had those robes all the time?”
“Sure, but they aren’t Gertrude’s size, so she just kept them.”
“You are a smartass.”
“Yes, yes, I am.” She looked at the city and the group of Pericoffs that were approaching them. “Shall we?”
Chloe walked with a hand on Skylar’s arm. Her leg wasn’t reliable. She looked at the group of armed males approaching them, and she sang out, “We need to speak to your elders, we need to speak to your holy ones, we need to speak to your women. We need to speak.”
Skylar sang out, “We need to speak to the lost, we need to speak to your ancients, we need to speak to your eldest dead.”
The men looked nervous. Their gold skin and pale white fluffs of hair reminded Chloe of geese. Their clothing was long and concealing.
One of the men picked up his radio and spoke into it. He got an answer, and the six men divided to give them a path to the city.
Chloe watched the nearby trees and smiled. She was welcome here.
They walked slowly to the city and to the central space. The locals were gathering, while the elders stood in the central space, looking curiously at them.
Skylar followed their plan and sang softly, “Elders, would you allow my friend the touch of the tree? She was wounded and needs the support.”
The elders frowned and separated. Chloe let go of Skylar, and she walked slowly toward the tree.
One of the elders moved to block her, but the tree swept her aside and let Chloe come.
She touched the bark. It was dry and smooth where it should have been rough.
“Oh, dear little one. They haven’t been treating you right. ”
She leaned into the tree, and it whispered about what it needed. How a maiden had tended it, and it made its people flourish, but then the people died, and the maiden died, and no one could hear it.
“Skylar, please ask the very dead about the maiden and the tree.”
Skylar nodded and said softly, “We are here to learn if the Pericoff wish to survive or fade. To determine the basics, I need to speak with your dead. Where do you keep them?”
The elders blinked. “Who are you?”
Skylar chuckled. “I am the ghost of memory, and she is the seed of life. We simply want to know if your time in the universe is over, and the memory of you will fade, or do you want to fight to remain and make your mark?”
The elder blinked, and a young woman said, “Mistress, this way. We keep our dead at that wall. I will show you.”
Skylar nodded and followed the woman to the wall.
Chloe continued to touch the tree, and it shivered. “Who is in charge of the tree?”
The elders looked at her. “What?”
“The tree. Who takes care of the tree?”
“No one. Nature. The wind, sun, and the rain.”
She stroked the bark. “You poor baby.”
The tree shivered.
“Does someone have a notepad or tablet? The tree needs nutrients and water and love. This tree needs love. It needs a friend.” She looked at them through the gauzy drapes she was wearing. “You need to have a mention of a maiden with the tree. I need to see those records.”
She shifted and staggered to one side. The tree produced a branch that stood next to her, and she leaned against it. It separated, and she chuckled. She stroked the tree softly, and it bloomed. The elders gasped in shock. Beautiful, rich brown blossoms covered the tree.
“I need to make that list if these are to become fruit.”
She looked around and took a step using the staff to help her balance. “While you get me that list, I am going to summon some pollinators. I can feel birds nearby, so this could be messy.”
She continued walking, and the tree shivered in excitement. A hum filled the air, and the elders ran while what looked like fist-sized hummingbirds came toward the tree.
The birds dove beak-first into the flowers, shook their heads, and headed to the next bloom. There were only a dozen birds, but they were going nuts for the sacred tree.
One of the elders said, “What are you doing? Why are you letting them attack the sacred tree without stopping them?”
Understanding dawned. “How long have you been keeping them from the tree?”
“Fifty years, perhaps a hundred? The tree stopped bearing fruit, so we thought the birds were to blame. When the few blooms start, we guard the tree and send the birds away.”
“That stops the fruit. The flower blooms, there is pollen, and the birds bring the pollen from one flower to another. That fertilizes the flower, which creates the fruit. That is the basic description.” She looked at them.
“If the tree had a maiden to take care of it, there would be more fruit, and your population would have expanded instead of nearly collapsing to nothing.”
The elders looked at her. “What can we do?”
“First, you call a meeting, and we get information about what you are willing to do to keep your people alive. We need everyone to vote on if you live or die because living is going to be harder.”
Skylar came back with some faded Pericoff ghosts. “Hoo, boy. This is messed up, but it is a helluva story.”
The birds were crapping up a storm, and the elders looked alarmed.
Chloe laughed. “Leave it, mince some plant matter, and lay it over the roots in a thin layer. The tree will be expending a lot of effort to make the fruit, and this will help keep it healthy. One single layer will do for this season, and put a light layer of dirt on top of that to keep things healthy.”
The elders nodded.
“Plant matter only. Minimal fruit. Grain and grass stalks are best. A thin layer. Not heavy. Less than a finger width in, just enough to cover the surface.”
They nodded.
Skylar said, “I need to write down some ancient stories about the tree and mating.”
“I need to look up compatible species. I think Birun has looked some up.”
She turned to the elders. “We are going to our shuttle to do research. When can you have everyone together?”
They looked at each other. One said, “Four hours?”
“Good. We will be back, and we will sing for entrance once again.”
They nodded. “We will have an honour guard waiting for you, Seed of Life.”
Skylar nodded and said, “There are tales to be told of the ancients. I need someone to record them.”
The elders nodded. “We will have scribes waiting. Thank you, ghost of memory.”
Skylar nodded, her robes shifting.
They left and walked back to the shuttle.
The moment they were inside, Chloe peeled off her hood and sat at the terminal.
She made the call, and a few minutes later, Trin was looking at her.
Chloe said, “Not meaning to be rude, but I need to talk to Birun. This is all history, and he’s an old dude, plus he imported these morons.
I also need a list of compatible species for them.
They are stupid and won’t last another two hundred years without intervention. ”
Birun appeared on a split screen. “You are there? They spoke to you?”
“They spoke to us. We sang our requests, and they were too stunned to say no.”
Skylar laughed behind her. “Chloe figured that out from the initial files you sent. Singing goes straight to their limbic system.”
Birun blinked. “You know why their offered companions chose to die?”
Chloe looked at him and sighed. “They have no sex drive. They are stimulated breeders. They eat fruit from the sacred tree and have an orgy. The population expands. When the tree gets strong enough, it has a shoot that is taken to a new settlement, and their population expands again. They never got beyond the first tree. The two companions you got honestly didn’t know what to do with a male.
The tree hadn’t told them because they hadn’t eaten the fruit. ”
Birun’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“They get sex-ed from the tree. They eat it again when they are pregnant, and it helps them get to term.” Chloe rubbed a hand over her stubbled head.
“In case you wonder, the tree told me. I am currently helping it get a health boost, but they are going to need another set of stimulated breeders who respond to plant hormones.”
Birun nodded. “I can think of three, but I will have to see what is available.”
Skylar said, “They also need a proper archivist. I can anchor some of their elders to some stone, but it is weird working with non-human species. They feel lighter. That means they won’t be around long.”
Birun nodded again. “I have sent queries.”
“Do you have images?”
“Of course. They should be on your tablet.”
Chloe looked at the species and flicked, “No, no. Yes. The Lhinok. They are the closest biologically, and they will respond to the hormone bomb. They are also similar in physical description. They won’t be too much of a stretch, and if the locals can’t, then I am going to make a new ritual that is a little embarrassing but should be effective. ”
Trin asked, “What?”
“Colourblind orgies. Seriously. This population is collapsing.”
Birun asked, “You think they will agree?”
“What are the chances of getting the Lhinok? About fifty to start? Will they take the bond for land and the possibility of family with a strange species?”
Birun cocked his head. “They are overrunning their original world, so yes.”
She chuckled. “Well, send the Pericoff specs and ask if the Lhinok would mind getting some alterations that would make their children Pericoff.”
Birun’s dark eyes widened. “That would solve the problem, or it would help.”
Chloe nodded. “It would. If the first fifty blend in favourably and learn Pericoff ways, you could save a species. A stupid species, but a species. Oh, and we need a maiden to take care of the tree. She would get a spot on the council, a nice house, and some spiffy robes.”
“Noted. Will you be there to help with this?”
“Sure. Why not? Skylar needs a lift to either Aten or Orex when this gets underway. She wants her own ship.”
Skylar chuckled. “I could get into the buddy trip thing. This is fun.”