Designing (3 page)

Research and development on the mother ship of the Nine was a wonderland of half-finished inventions that left Ula’s mouth watering. She wanted to dive in and finish everything.

“Master Engineer Darthuun, this is Ularica Forniel, Master Designer of Gaia.” Deniir smiled as he made the introductions.

Ula winced. “We don’t actually use titles like that.”

Darthuun looked at her with a calculating smile, his golden eyes were measuring her. “Are you the one who repurposed the torture straps?”

“I am.”

“Then, you are a Master Designer and that is how you will be addressed during your stay on the mother ship. Has Deniir taken you and shown you your quarters?”

“He has. They are very suitable. I only need a place to sleep after a day’s hard work. With no sun to tell me what time it is, I am depending on you and Deniir to tell me when to stop and sleep. Is that acceptable?”

Deniir nodded. “I will maintain a schedule for you.”

Darthuun looked between them. “Deniir, take her on a tour and find out where she would like to start while she is here.”

Deniir winked. “Yes, Father.”

He jerked his head and she pattered after him, ready for her tour of the wonderful works that were coming together on all the workstations.

“You have no interest in weaponry, do you?”

She shook her head. “That is not an area I have any interest in.”

“Right. We will show you the healing units and move on from there then.”

She grinned and rubbed her hands together. It was time to play on a scale she had never imagined.

The man working with the healing units smiled. “Welcome, Master Designer. I am Engineer Trull.”

She kept her hands at her sides and inclined her head. “Pleased to meet you, Trull. What are you working on?”

“A portable tissue regenerator that can tell the difference between muscle and veins. So far, I am not having a lot of success.”

“May I have a look?” Ula was fighting the urge to go up on her toes to look over the man’s shoulder. Trull had all the charm of a block of granite, so Ula was guessing that stone had something to do with his people.

Deniir cleared his throat. “We will complete our tour first, and then, you are welcome to choose any project you wish to work on and whatever you need will be brought to your workstation.”

She perked up, “I have a workstation?”

“As you mentioned, it is not really common for the sexes to mix within the ship. We have prepared a station where you can communicate with the engineers and still remain free of any…interference.” He twisted his lips.

Engineer Trull nodded. “Sound thinking, Master Deniir.”

Deniir continued on their tour. They saw propulsion units, survival kits, emergency limb replacement as well as food-service equipment and prep units. There was literally something for every mood, and Ula couldn’t wait to get started.

Her stomach growled and Deniir grinned. “Thank goodness. I was beginning to suspect that you didn’t eat. You seem indefatigable.”

She snorted. “No, just very excited at the prospect of working on something without having to scrounge for parts. Where can we eat?”

“My father is making dinner for you. He wishes to speak with you at his leisure, and since you are staying with us, it will make for an entertaining evening.”

Ula sighed and curled her itching fingers into fists. “Wonderful. Can I get a notepad and a pen or something to start making notes?”

“Of course. Would you like to change for dinner?”

They were walking out of the research and development centre and back in the wide hallway.

She blushed. “Um, all my clothing is like this. I don’t live in a place where dressing for dinner is required.”

He blinked and inclined his head. “Of course. We will make a quick stop before going home then.”

“Why?”

“So we can obtain a gown for you.”

“I don’t have any currency.”

His lips twitched. “Actually, you do. We opened an account for you for the reworking of the torture harness. The modifications you made are going into some of those portable splints that we viewed earlier. They are all based on your designs, and there are already orders for the splints and braces on all of our Nine resident worlds.”

“So, I have an account?”

“You have a patent that is worth quite a lot. The pre-orders are being divided between you and the current team off shooting your work. You each get five percent of the pre-orders. It is more than enough for some new clothing, but as it is our silly tradition that requires it, my father and I will pay for your formal clothing. You are welcome to pay for as much casual clothing as you like.”

Ula was stunned. Back on Gaia, she had been paid with nothing more than the satisfaction she had been helping people. Here, she had earned money just for helping a friend in need, years earlier. The mother ship was truly a different place.

The dress shop was peculiar. She stood on a platform and a beam of light took her measurements. After that, racks of clothing in her size eased out and she noted that they all had a similar vein of style. The backs were all designed for wings.

A shadow eased forward. “Greetings, lady.”

“Um, hello.”

“I am sensing that the formal gowns of the People of the Light are not to your liking.”

“Well, I don’t have wings, so…”

“I can seal the backs easily. Will that help?” The shadow dipped and was obviously bowing.

“It will be helpful, thank you. I will take this one and this one.” She pointed to one in white and one emerald green. Both colours looked amazing with her hair and were not too heavily jewelled.

“I will make the alterations and be back in a moment.”

She smiled and inclined her head. “I was wondering if you had anything more practical?”

“Like what you are wearing?”

“Yeah, a bodysuit where nothing will get in the way.”

The shadow turned to the back with the gowns and returned with a glittering deep amethyst bodysuit, complete with a hard sole for the foot. “How is this?”

“A little girly, but I will take it.”

“Wonderful, lady. I will package it with the others.”

Deniir came over and asked her, “Have you made your choices?”

“I have. The proprietor is making some slight alterations. I am not a huge fan of having my back exposed when there is no reason for it.”

Deniir blushed. “No, I suppose not.”

The shadow appeared with a parcel held forward. “Here you are, lady. Thank you for your business.”

Deniir moved forward and extended a small object to the shadow. A slight click and the shadow retracted.

“Have a good evening.” He disappeared into the back of the shop, and the clothing in Ula’s size followed him.

Ula blinked and looked down at the parcel. “Oh, I owe you for a bodysuit.”

“I am sure you will have plenty of opportunity to pay me back. I will get you a credit chip tomorrow so you can access your accounts.”

“Is that what you just paid with?”

He nodded. “We don’t use hard currency unless we are on the surface of our own worlds. Here on the ship, we use electronic funds.”

It made sense, but it was beyond what she was used to on Gaia.

They returned to the VIP area and Deniir’s quarters.

The scent of cooking food made Ula’s mouth water. Darthuun was in the kitchen with an apron tied around his waist and his wings tightly folded to his back.

“Good evening, Master Designer.”

“Please, call me Ula, Master Engineer.”

“Ula, call me Darthuun. Feel free to refresh yourself before dinner.”

Ula looked at Deniir and gave him a knowing look. “I suspected you would say something like that. I will be out in a moment.”

She took her bundle to her assigned room and headed for the en suite lav.

A quick light shower and some hair brushing later, she was ready to try on one of the dresses.

The white dress was her choice for the evening, but it didn’t go with her hair being down. Sighing, she twisted her hair up into two buns, one on either side of her head. It exposed her neck and gave her better presentation.

With the dress hiding her bare feet, she tiptoed out into the common area where she was treated to the sight of two men in the kitchen and a platter of small bite-sized items on the table in the conversation area.

“Is there anything that I can do?” She offered it even though she had no clue what was going on in that kitchen. Utensils that she had never seen before were being flipped around casually.

The two men turned and looked at her before Darthuun quickly turned back to the meal. “No, Ula. Please have a seat and a snack. Deniir will bring you something to drink. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.”

She went to the comfortable seating area, and she took a position that would allow her to watch the goings on in the kitchen. Two men with wings were making her dinner and one of them was pouring her a drink. She was going to wake up anytime now.
What a pity.

Sitting and enjoying the appetizers while the food was under a heater nearby was peculiar. Generally, Ula ate as soon as her food was hot.

“So, what do you think of our little facility?” Darthuun munched at one of the vegetable and cheesy appetizers.

“It looks well organized, and I can hardly wait to play with some of the designs that I came up with today.”

Deniir blinked. “Damn. I forgot. Just a moment.”

He disappeared into his quarters and emerged with a flat screen. He slid a stylus out of the side and settled next to her on the backless couch she was sitting on.

He ran through a quick tutorial, and when she started to make notes, he nodded with approval. “You catch on quickly.”

“Well, I am reading this in Gaian, so it makes it easier.” She bent her head and made a few more notes.

When Darthuun’s laughter reached her, she looked up and blinked.

“I don’t understand. What was funny?”

Deniir’s cheeks took on a darker colour. “Nothing. My father is simply very old and rather insane.”

She looked back to the data pad and flicked through until she saw what she was looking for.
A Gaian Guide to the Nine
.

She flicked past the other members until she found the mating habits of the People of the Light.

Her hands tightened on the data pad, and she heard it protest her grip. “I see. So, I am not reading this in Gaian. I am reading it in Nine Common.”

Darthuun was still amused. “Apparently. I have been speaking our tongue to you since you arrived this evening. My son seems to have invaded your mind.”

“My speech centre, certainly. I did wonder why all the engineers were so easy to understand when Deniir had made it clear that they hadn’t learned Gaian yet.”

“It is understandable. I didn’t know, nor did he, that a bonding could happen with casual contact.”

Ula frowned. “We haven’t had any contact. Not even a handshake.”

Darthuun blinked. “Really?”

Deniir nodded. “Really. Ula made it very clear that she was aware of the dangers of contact with our kind, and we maintained a circumspect distance.”

Darthuun frowned. “That is unusual, but her ability to use your linguistic skills is proof that there is a bond.”

“But, the bond will be broken when I return home, correct?” Ula’s voice was firm. She wasn’t leaving room for anyone to disagree.

Darthuun shrugged. “I do not know. I have never heard of a spontaneous link in the last five generations.”

Deniir rubbed the back of his neck. “This is going to require some research.”

Ula frowned. “Should I stay somewhere else?”

Both men said, “No!”

She jerked back at their vehemence. “Um, okay.”

Deniir spoke more calmly. “I mean, it would be awkward for you to be in the home of a mated couple, and that is the only safe place for you right now.”

Ula was about to say something, but Darthuun got to his feet. “Dinner is ready. You have to let it rest or all the juice runs out when you cut into it.”

Ula shrugged and rose to her feet, lifting the hem of her gown as she crossed to the dining table.

Deniir held her chair out, and she settled carefully on the narrow-backed seat. When Deniir took a seat to one side of her and Darthuun took the other side, she had the feeling that she was the guest of honour.

Dinner passed as each food was described and a small portion was put on her plate. She used the eating prongs in the method that Deniir showed her, and soon, she was making inroads into the food that Darthuun had so carefully prepared.

“So, Ula. How long have you been a designer of the useful and fascinating?”

She blinked. “Since the Tokkel raids. When the first scout landed, a friend of mine was injured and that was when my mind sort of split and the images started to appear.”

Darthuun blinked. “Not before then?”

“There were a few small creations before then but nothing on a truly useful scale.”

Deniir spoke quietly, “You mentioned that your parents had passed on.”

Ula focussed on her meal. “They were taken in one of the first Tokkel ships, along with twenty others that we can pinpoint. They are presumed dead.”

The two men with her paused. Deniir asked, “Didn’t any of your people go looking for them?”

She snorted. “We don’t have space technology yet. There was no way for us to find them, and by then, the other attacks started and they were simply casualties of the Tokkel.”

Deniir winced. “Of course.”

Silence fell and Ula took pity on them. “Don’t fret about it. It isn’t something that most people know. Even on Gaia, everyone forgets the first few to disappear.”

“Do you think that they could still be alive?” Darthuun’s tone was soothing.

“I doubt it, but anything is possible. If there were a way to find them, I would be on it immediately.” She blinked. “Do you have gene trackers?”

Deniir blinked. “Only for short distances.”

She lifted the data pad and scribbled more notes for the morning before she tucked it back under her chair. “I apologise, but I wanted to make a note to look into the gene trackers.”

Deniir nodded with a smile. “As long as it doesn’t involve fire suppression, I will help where I can.”

She snorted. “I don’t think fire suppression will be needed, but there may be some propulsion required.”

He chuckled and inclined his head. “May I add that you look lovely this evening. That gown suits you.”

“Thank you. The ways of buying clothing amongst the Nine are peculiar, but I am sure I will adapt. Dinner is wonderful by the way.”

Darthuun blushed and his feathers fluffed up. “Thank you. Your compliment is well received.”

She sipped some of her beverage and nibbled on a few more morsels from her plate. It was a good meal, but then, any meal she didn’t have to make for herself counted in the plus column.

She asked Deniir, “How is it that your wing can be used as a weapon? It looks so soft.”

Darthuun looked at his son, “Yes, how are they used as weapons?”

“Well, there are tendon struts that stiffen when we need to defend our…friends or family. We can spike an opponent to the wall, using the tip of the wing as a stabbing weapon and the flexibility inherent in the rest of the wing makes it a multi-directional weapon.”

“Ah, that would explain it.” She smiled, and she placed her eating prongs carefully on the edge of the plate. A yawn was inside her, trying to get out. She blinked furiously trying to stay awake.

Deniir suddenly noticed. “You are tired. I am so sorry. I am a horrible host. Please, get some rest.”

“Is it all right? I mean, I could help with dishes.”

“Go and rest. Tomorrow, we intend to work you until you fall asleep at your workstation.” He winked at her and inclined his head.

She rose to her feet. “Thank you for a lovely meal and interesting conversation, Darthuun, Deniir. I am going to do some homework and then get some rest.”

Ula slipped past them and headed for her room with the data pad in her hand. She had some research on the bonding of the People of the Light to do. Finding out that mates shared a mind across distances was something that scared her. No wonder Darthuun was so calm at leaving his wife. They were still inseparable.

Ula rubbed her forehead. She didn’t feel different, but then, she hadn’t felt first contact with Deniir either.

She shook her head and made notes on a gene tracker coupled with a Tokkel tracer. If she could find the parts, she might be able to locate the retreating Tokkel who might still have some Gaians on board. It had been years, but there was still a chance that there were marks in space that would allow the lost to be found. It was so thin a chance as to be ephemeral, but she had to take it.

Ula was going to make a tracking beacon, and if there were any of her people out in space, she would know. She would finally know.