Deluge

CHAPTER 2

TIKKA FOUND THEM. Though she was not as friendly with Murel and Ronan as she had been before the sharks killed her brother Jeel, Sky was still very much in her favor, and the two otters departed for the sliding areas that were built into the city.

Kushtaka’s people were much like regular otters and seals in that they ate when they were hungry, not at fixed mealtimes. The fishing beam the twins had seen Mraka and Puk operate gathered many fish before the journey. Murel didn’t know where the fish were stored, but they were almost as tasty as fresh caught.

There were chutes in many places throughout the city where the otters could summon a snack, as Ronan and Murel had seen several of them do.

But although anyone was free to eat at any time, the twins’ hosts seemed to prefer to dine with convivial company.

First Mraka and Puk, then Kushtaka and a few friends, and finally Tikka and Sky, gathered together while Mraka operated the chute.

During a previous encounter with the two fishers, Ronan had taught them to balance fish on their noses and to juggle them. Now Mraka flung a fish to Puk, who caught it and quickly tossed it so Ronan caught it on his nose. The three of them juggled more and more fish, gathering a crowd that seemed to have nothing better to do than watch a couple of big otters and a frivolous seal play with their food. Sky ran from one to the other, wanting to catch a fish for himself, but he couldn’t leap as high as the jugglers could throw. Finally, Murel had had enough and joined in the juggling circle to show them how it was really supposed to be done.

Every third catch, she threw a fish to one of the other onlookers so that the meal was being served rather than wasted.

There was no night or day in the flying city either, but the twins in seal form weren’t especially disoriented by that. Piaf and Versailles Station both had waking and sleeping watches during which individual quarters or sections could be darkened or brightened to simulate dirtside conditions. However, deep undersea it was all much the same. The twins had learned that in seal form their eyesight, including night vision, was exceptionally good, besides which they had sonar. The city’s lights were bright enough to see everything they needed to, and if they wanted to sleep, they had only to go into any of the rooms. The city had far more rooms than it had citizens, so although some of the deep sea otters preferred certain rooms, or dens, as Sky said, many just ducked into the hole nearest wherever they happened to stop when they were tired.

Most of the twins’ hosts had specific duties. Some were particularly skilled at a particular function of the city, but all at least took turns doing most tasks.

The twins observed their hosts in several of the jobs but were never invited to help. They had tried asking tons of questions, but finally Kushtaka had asked them not to, because they were interfering with the work. Murel told her that they only wanted to know about the jobs in case they could help, but Kushtaka pointed out that as seals, they would find working many of the controls difficult, if not impossible.

When Murel and Ronan first arrived in the city, they were surprised to find that they did not change into human form. Kushtaka had explained that it was due to the extreme density of the air in the city-ship.

Both the alien “otters” and the twins could breathe it as well as swim in it: although it contained enough oxygen to sustain them, it was “wet” enough that the twins retained their seal form while within the city’s bubble and did not change as they normally did when out of the water. They didn’t fully understand her explanation, but as long as the unusual atmosphere kept them alive, that was all that counted. However, not being able to help out was rather dull, so after the novelty of living as seals in a bubble in space wore off, the twins slept a lot, unless their particular friends among the alien crew were available.

The deep sea otters’ city-ship must have been much faster than the Piaf, because it seemed to take them far less time to reach Versailles Station than when they’d traveled with Marmie on her ship.

The station looked just as it had when they’d first arrived. Like the deep sea otters’ vessel, it had lights, but instead of swirling in spirals, they were gridded and symmetrical. They knew the top level was Marmie’s main home, with its comfortable mansion, adjustable climate, and the artificial river and pool she had installed just for them. It was hard to imagine going back there and seeing the place without Marmie, Pet, or Johnny.

How are we going to dock? Murel asked.

We can’t dock in a dry place, Mraka told her. But our hunting device is actually a modified transport beam. We have reconfigured it to perform its original function, so it can insert you into the station once the hatch is open.

If we can get them to open the docking bay, Ronan said. One thing that made this whole mission so awkward was that the city-vessel was truly alien in a galaxy whose people and technology all reflected post-Terran human colonization. The deep sea aliens couldn’t communicate with regular humans, and had no devices that would allow the twins to do so either.

They are your species, are they not? Kushtaka said. Can you not speak to their minds and tell them you need access?

We don’t do mind control, Murel said indignantly. We only use telepathy to talk to other creatures when we’re in seal form.

You are now in seal form and they are certainly other creatures, Kushtaka pointed out. I see no problem.

We haven’t tried to use telepathy with other humans except Da and sometimes Mum, Ronan told her. Usually we just talk to them. I suppose it’s worth a try, isn’t it, sis? If you and me and Sky and maybe even Kushtaka’s people focus on the idea of the hatch opening, maybe someone will decide it’s time for routine maintenance.

Kushtaka’s people weren’t interested, however, and weren’t sure what was being asked of them. Ronan and Murel tried to concentrate, but it gave them a bit of a headache to try so hard to send to some unknown person over what was still a considerable distance, through the city’s force field and the space station’s hull.

Sky sat on his hind legs, shifting his upper body from side to side as he peered at the closed hatch, watching it closely to make sure it didn’t open without him seeing it do so.

I hope nobody sees us and decides we’re hostile and fires on us, Murel said.

I don’t think they have any long-range weapons on the station, Ronan told her. If they do, nobody mentioned it. And if they send a shuttle out to investigate, we may be able to use telepathy on whoever is aboard.

Or wave at the robot cameras in a friendly fashion at least, Murel said, flapping her flipper up and down. Yoohoo, we’re sentient seals lost in space and could use a lift, thanks ever so much. I don’t see how we’re to manage this one.

You need not concern yourselves over that, Kushtaka told them. We have been cloaked since we first approached. Unfortunately, this does make it difficult to convey to the space station that we require them to open their shell so we can deliver you. Perhaps if we could take you somewhere that had a sea like our own? We cannot linger here long.

Alert! The otter in the sursurvu announced to the city at large, All personnel return to your duty stations. Another vessel approaches.

IT PROVED TO be a large luxury liner, and it sailed right past the hovering home of the deep sea otters.

They could not intercept the communications between the new ship and the space station, but as soon as the ship was in position to dock, the hatch opened to admit it. The city-vessel followed right on the liner’s tail, ready to insert the twins and Sky into the hatch with the whirlpool hunting/transport beam.

Couldn’t you just zip past the other ship and enter ahead of it? Murel asked nervously. The idea of riding the beam seemingly unprotected through open space alarmed her.

There are several reasons why we cannot, Kushtaka told her. We would have to accelerate in order to pass the ship but would have insufficient time and space to decelerate for a safe landing. Even if that were not a problem, there is the difficulty that the ship might ram us or land on top of us, though we would have to decloak when we land. But last and most important, if we go inside the station with the large ship behind us, we will be trapped there. The beam is the only way we can effect your entry.

But how can it work? Murel wondered. With no gravity or suits or anything? Won’t the water freeze in space?

The beam was originally designed for space, as we told you, sister seal, Puk assured her. Our people use it all the time-or that’s what the stories say, at least.

You do understand we’ll die if it doesn’t work? Ronan asked. I wouldn’t like to be the main late lamented character in the story you tell later about how it didn’t work after all.

It is a slide, Sky told him, his sleek body quivering with anticipation. Slides always work.

We have to try, Murel decided. We can’t come this far and then give up because we are too scared.

Marmie may not be scared, but I bet the little kids from Halau are.

Too bad Kushtaka doesn’t have a normal com system here that people could understand, Ronan said. We could just hail the station, tell them what’s happened, and go home.

As they spoke, they were positioning themselves close to the pool of what looked like ordinary water.

That was where the beam would start once Mraka and Puk activated it.

The new ship is entering now, Kushtaka told them. This is the proper time. Mraka, Puk, now!

The pool emptied into a swirling light-filled column that snaked past the hull of the other ship and into the station’s docking bay. It looked extremely insubstantial.

Count to three, Murel said.

You going first or shall I? Ronan asked.

A sleek brown form shot past them both. Hah! Sky cried. Good sliiiiide!

Ready, set, go! the twins said together, and jumped into the beam after him.

It had its own gravity and its own temperature control, and was overall a much more complex instrument than the tame whirlpool it seemed back on Petaybee. It supported them until they slid onto the deck, wet from the beam, bumping up against Sky, who had slid to a stop next to an already docked shuttle.

In the center of the bay, only one technician saw them as they flopped across the floor on flippers and belly to cover, where they could change into their dry suits.

He blinked once, then was called to task by a coworker and returned his attention to helping the big ship dock.

Peering around the docked shuttle, Murel saw Sky watching the big ship get berthed. Once more the little otter stood on his hind legs and did his cute back and forth examination of the people who had finally come to look at the adorable otter. He kept saying “Hah! Hah!”

That was when the twins decided to run out into the bay yelling, “Sky! There he is! Bad otter, Sky, running away from us like that.”

“You kids need to get yourselves and your animal out of here,” the bay chief told them, striding up. “This is no playground.”

“We know that, sir. Sorry, sir.”

“They got the otter, sir, but what about the seals?” the technician who had seen them asked.

“What seals?” his boss demanded. “This is Versailles Station, Conrad. Not Sea World. Get a grip.”

The chief walked away shaking his head over the way some people let their kids run wild, but Conrad watched Ronan and Murel suspiciously as Sky hopped onto Murel’s shoulder and they headed for the nearest com room to carry out their mission, rushing too fast to note the designation of the new ship or to see the first of the company brass disembark.