Dreams of Stars Part 30

Finishing yesterday's section, and one more.

      “You still haven't told me why,” Deborah said, her eyes starting to fill with tears as he spoke, so she brushed them away with her hand.

      “No, I haven't,” he said, moving back to his seat and sitting forward. “It was because of you.”

      “What?”

      “I saw you several weeks ago, working the street, watching for cop cars and such. I noticed it almost immediately, probably as quickly as Lakinde did. Your talent, your ability to see patterns in chaos. That would make all my ambitions not only that much greater, but easier too.” Ritch 'arrd took a deep breath. “I couldn't take you though. No matter how much I wanted to add that ability to the greater human race, I couldn't do something that was bound to fail to you. The scientists under my command are some of the best this world has to offer, but even they weren't ready to deal with you. So I went after the next available blood relative.”

      “Mama.”

      “Correct. The plan was to take her, let them play their genetic games, then use her genetic makeup as blueprint for the future. A failure that would lead to greater successes, as it were. She would be gone, and you would eventually fall into the child care system, where I would use my influence to get you sent to a wonderful foster family and give you a powerful education, and perhaps even bring you to me one day.” He looked up at L’lorne for a moment. “I underestimated you, and I failed to account for Lakinde.” He turned back to Deborah, a shade of shame on his face. “Amongst my people, where we hold the teacher as most important, the most important teacher is the first, the parent, and I took yours away from you for my own reasons and ambitions. Will you forgive me for it?”

      Deborah said nothing. She looked at him, still looking for whether he spoke the truth or not, but could find nothing that said he wasn't. Even through his odd, far too normal face and body, she could see something sincere, he really meant what he said. “Well, yeah, okay. I accept your apology.”

      “Thank you,” Ritch 'arrd said. “I know you still hurt, and it will fade over time, and you may even stay angry at me for a while, but thank you for however much it is worth to you.” He smiled and leaned back, looking at L’lorne. “So how much do you know about us Deborah? Our past and relationship.”

      “Enough,” Deborah said, still tearing up slightly as she spoke. “Delphi told me.”

      “Did it? I didn't think Lakinde would have let it. Interesting.” He trailed off.

      L’lorne, for her part, stayed quiet during the remainder of the exchange, but by now had put her cup down on the table and was staring at Ritch 'arrd rather intensely. “Why wouldn't I?” she finally said.

      “I would like to know though,” Ritch 'arrd finally started again, ignoring L’lorne's comment. “Why didn't you save Patricia's life?”

      Deborah shifted back, then snapped her head around to L’lorne, who hadn't moved in any form of a reply. “L’lorne?”

      “The genetic alterations weren't that great, you could have undone them, why didn't you?”

      “L’lorne,” Deborah said with more force. She could have saved her, but didn't? Because of what? Why? She wanted to ask, but L’lorne didn't seem to respond to either Ritch 'arrd or her.

      Then L’lorne began to shake.

      “Oh dear,” Ritch 'arrd said. Before Deborah could ask what he meant, she found herself in Ritch 'arrd's arms, and then on the other side of the pool from the small seating area.

      “What the. . .”

      “You need to hide, now,” Ritch 'arrd said in a serious tone that was completely unlike anything he had used up until this moment.

      “Why?”

      Ritch 'arrd turned back to where L’lorne was and Deborah followed his gaze. The chairs were on fire now, pieces of tile were breaking off and floating upwards around L’lorne, who was still seated on the quickly disintegrating seat. He turned back to Deborah and drew her eyes to his. “She's removed the block.”

      L’lorne screamed.

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      She screamed again, then began puffing and breathing in short bursts. Hermes buzzed around her and silently offered her a shot of pain reliever, which she refused. It was important to her to feel every inch of this, no matter how much it hurt. If L’lorne hadn't wanted to go through the pain, she had ways not to, but not this time. There would be no easy way out.

      “Give me one more push,” Mercury said from underneath her. L’lorne responded with a jarring scream. Hermes dropped down to join his brother and the two watermelon sized drones babbled at each other quickly.

      Suddenly all the pain stopped. L’lorne was about to lash out, but Hermes floated up holding a bundle in his antigravity fields. “It's a boy,” he said.

      L’lorne wrapped her arms around the child and pulled away the cloth wrappings. His face was bubbly and fast, skin wrinkly and hair matted and wet. He was crying, a sound that made L’lorne smile. “He's beautiful.”

      Ritch 'arrd came in, a proud smile on his face. “All done I see,” he leaned over and looked at the child. “Have you thought of a name yet?”

      “Mcorn Nesatil, he who is a child of the stars.”

      Ritch 'arrd nodded only and held out his hands. “May I?”

      L’lorne nodded, and wearily handed the boy over. “Nesatil, this is your father,” she said. “Say hi.” The boy cried, causing both to chuckle.

      “Come with me little one,” Ritch 'arrd said as he carried him out of the room.

      L’lorne leaned back and started reactivating her internal regulators. Hermes offered a chemical energy booster, which L’lorne did not refuse, allowing it to flow into her system. “He's my first,” she said. “Oh mother, if only you could see him.”

      “I'm sure she would be proud,” Mercury said as he began cleaning her up.

      “Yeah, she would be,” L’lorne said. It had been so long since she had thought of her mother that it seemed like another life. It practically was, another universe, billions of years ago now. She tried hard to remember her face, and finally had to resort to a genetic reconstruction in her mind just to get a sense of it. The image, as much as she wanted it to, didn't give her the feelings she wanted. It was just another face, the memories associated with it faded almost to the point of nonexistence. She'd have to rebuild them. . .

      Something was wrong. Her sensors still weren't a full capacity, but she could already feel it. Though her limbs were still weak, she managed to roll herself off the bed and activate a rough anti-gravity field to hold her up. Hermes started to protest, but backed off when she flew forward, through the nearest wall and down to Delphi's lower observation deck.

      Ritch 'arrd stood there, watching as she came in, the bundle in his arms. Nothing looked particularly amiss, except that something was missing. L’lorne's sensors were now activating in quick succession and she started to go grey at what she was getting. “No,” she managed to mutter.

      “He simply wasn't strong enough,” Ritch 'arrd said without even a hint of compassion or apology. “The next one will be better, I'm sure.”

      “No,” she repeated, more emphatically, and hurried toward him, her sensors transmitting what was now more and more obvious by the second.

      Nesatil wasn't crying.

      L’lorne screamed.

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Questions

1. What kind of person is Lcorn L'lorne? What does she look like (in your mind)?
2. What kind of person is the Deborah Ignigus? What does she look like (in your mind)?
3. What kind of person is The Ritch 'arrd? What does his human form look like (in your mind)?
4. Does the setting seem fitting? Would you like to know more?
5. Does it all seem justified now?