Chapter Two #2
Chloe snorted. “Tell me that again when you are watching the Pericoff elders fuck. Life finds a way, but some ways you don’t wanna watch.”
Skylar cackled with laughter, Birun grinned, and Trin covered her eyes.
She smiled and began to send Birun the specifications the tree had given her.
Birun said, “How did you learn all of this?”
“Their sacred tree is lonely, and I spoke to it, touched it, and told it I would help if I could.”
Birun paused. “They said it was a cultural significance, but I didn’t imagine how. They didn’t say, and their minds were blank.”
Chloe sat up. “That’s it. That describes the situation. The survival of their tree drives them. They are symbionts.”
“How will new genetics influence that?”
“It will gradually make them more interactive with each other and the world around them. I hope so anyway. I won’t be around to see...” She paused. “Or maybe I will.”
Skylar chuckled. “You and me both, beeotch.”
They continued talking to Birun while he prepared files and made inquiries. The big thing he needed to know was how many male and how many female colonists to ask for.
Chloe smiled. “When I know what the breeding population looks like, I will let you know.”
He nodded. “I will await your contact.”
Chloe nodded. “Now I have to go commune with some moss. Thank you for speaking with me, Lord Birun.”
He inclined his head. “Thank you for acting on behalf of my people.”
She inclined. “Thanks for not mentioning my haircut.”
Trin snorted. “It’s not that bad. What is the colour?”
Skylar smiled. “She’s fire opal; I am dark opal. I am wondering if her skin is going to fade as well.”
Chloe muttered, “I can’t really be paler. I am nearly translucent.”
“But not completely. You still have something to shoot for.” Skylar patted her shoulder.
“Asshole.”
Skylar sang out, “Scaley asshole.”
Trin was grinning and started laughing. Birun looked confused, and Trin said, “I will explain later, Birun.”
Chloe smiled. “Okay, I have a few hours before we go back, so I need to rest and recharge.”
Birun nodded. “Thanks again. I will find out what I can and create a genetic program to favour the Pericoffs.”
She smiled. “Okay. Here we go.”
She disconnected, leaned back, and then got up and hopped back to the main green space. She dropped to the mossy bed and exhaled.
Skylar said, “Why are we wearing the robes again?”
“They are xenophobic. Anything different is bad. We are wrapped in gauze to respect their culture. They can clue in to the fact that we are not a threat.”
“Cool.”
“Now, hush. I am communing with the ship.”
Skylar put the staff in her hand. “In case you can talk to the tree.”
“I can, but it hasn’t been spoken to and is eager for conversation. I guess I have a nap buddy.”
She curled the staff against her and smiled as the flower bloomed. Chloe lay back and let the tree tell her stories of the past and hope for the future. They talked about the options, and finally, one came to them.
Chloe considered the options, and she whispered instructions to Skylar. Skylar got back on the coms, and Chloe returned to her rest. It wasn’t sleep. She didn’t sleep. It was something else.
She sat up, and the blooming staff helped her get to her feet. “How much time do we have?”
“About half an hour. The town is filling, and the elders are speaking to them.”
Chloe listened via the tree. They were being told that life and death had come to see if they wanted to flourish or fade. There were many who asked questions and others who remained silent.
When the escorts split from the main group and approached their shuttle, the ladies got their coverings on and prepared to talk to the population about whether they wanted to be one of the last generations on this world.
The tree had already cast her vote. She wanted to continue if Chloe would help them find a caretaker for her.
She got her robes fluffed out, made sure Skylar was covered, and Gertrude opened the hatch. They walked out to their honour guard.
Chloe limped, and Skylar glided, then they went to the village to find out what the species wanted to be remembered by: fighting or fading.
Chloe was leaning heavily on her staff when the final vote was held. Folks had consulted their ancestors, and those who hadn’t had a child in the last ten years were excluded from the vote. The younger citizens’ bodies were at stake, so they got the vote.
Chloe waited, unmoving. She didn’t tell them that the sacred tree had an alternative plan; she didn’t tell them that Birun could move in colonists to the other side of the world anyway; she didn’t tell them a thousand things. She waited.
The sun descended, and finally, there was a consensus.
A young woman looked at Chloe earnestly. “Blessed seed, we will fight to survive. What do we need to do?”
“We are bringing you partners who will be given Pericoff genetics so that while your breeding partner looks different, your child will not be. They will be like you, and they will give you a stronger population. More of them will have their own city on the other side of the world, and during breeding season, they will come here to help you build numbers.”
The woman blinked. “Breeding with those outside our community?”
“Community is those who live among you. The children of those unions will be among you, part of you. They will become part of you and part of the sacred tree.” She said, “They also know how to tend to the tree, to help it bear fruit, and if it bears fruit, so shall you.”
“But... how do we breed?”
Chloe paused and then said, “The tree will tell both of you, as it did before. In an effort for numbers, when the fruit first appears, you will share it with your partner, and when you are carrying, the fruit that ripens as you do will be split once again to help you through the final months. The Hmrain who owns this world will make sure that medical care is available on your birthing days. He wants you to succeed. He has left this world unoccupied but for your people, and he has waited. The waiting is over, and this world needs a population that will help it thrive.”
They began to smile cautiously at her.
“The tree is excited and will do all she can to make sure that you flourish. Birun is bringing an attendant for her so that you and yours will not forget her again. Like you cannot bear without her, she cannot bring fruit without attention. If all goes well, one of your children can take over the care in the next generation.”
She bowed. “We will return in a few weeks, before the fruit has ripened. We will bring the new population here, so we ask you to prepare quarters for fifty people to live.”
The elders nodded, and Chloe smiled behind her veil. “I thank you for being able to consider this solution. We wish to see Pericoff to be a name that extends into the future.”
There was a chatter of excitement. The ladies smiled, and as she dismissed them, they ran to get the housing together.
Chloe smiled and said their farewells to the elders, giving Birun’s com ID for any questions they may have. She was going to fix her leg. She would be much more mobile when they saw her next.
“You require healing?” One of the elders was surprised.
“I am alive. I can be hurt. I will recover, but the injuries still occur. Someone bound me, and I wish to have my recovery accelerated so that I can return and move with ease.”
“Will you leave your staff?”
Chloe paused. “Not yet. It was given to me to communicate with the tree. When the communication is no longer required, I will return it to the tree.”
“Thank you, Seed of Life.”
“You are welcome, Elder Ptwee. Look forward to change. It is frightening, but it can move you to places you will be excited to be.” She nodded to Skylar, and they both made their slow way to their shuttle.
Skylar said softly in English, “Do you think they will go for it?”
“If they want life, yes. Did you find what I thought you would find?”
“Oh, yeah. Dead on. Congrats. You nailed it.”
“Oh, thanks.” They got into Freedom Break, and she staggered to the controls. “Okay, Gertrude, we need to pop in on Birun and Trin and then off to Aten.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Skylar settled, and they both pulled their veils away and then high-fived.
Chloe sighed. “You finally found a soul who would talk?”
“Yeah. They are the same. It was a race thing. Each thought they deserved to be the custodians of the great tree, and when illness swept the land, the Pericoffs stole a sapling, and when they were collected, they declared themselves a separate species. It was a lie, but it stuck, and they were kept away from the others.”
Chloe stretched. “Right. One lunatic in charge and a bunch of folk willing to follow, and you end up slowly dying centuries later. The tree got chatty as you reminded them of something. People talk a lot when it is only a tree that is listening.”
Skylar nodded and sat back as they lifted off the surface and headed out to Sanctuary Base. “Do you need to rest?”
“Not until I get my leg fixed. I can make do with moss naps.”
“Why are we going to Birun and Trin’s?”
“Oh, they are in this system, and right now, they are between Aten and us, so they may as well be the next stop.”
Skylar grinned. “Well, then, let’s get there, Captain.”
“Gertrude, up, up, and away!” Chloe chuckled.
“I am already out of orbit,” Gertrude spoke. “Now go sit in your moss.”
Chloe laughed and got up, using the staff that came to hand to help her to her moss bed. The robes flowed around her, and vines wrapped her neck and wrists. Settled and getting strength from the greenery around her, she rested.