T Southwell - Prophecy

They learnt how to operate the gravcar, and Talon brought one for them to use. With this, they visited the local library, where they found extra facilities for studying the store of knowledge. They often spent the whole day with the flocks of students that attended the various lectures and demonstrations.

Time seemed irrelevant, and Rayne was surprised when six months passed without her noticing. The council seemed content to let them live with Tallyn, and he appeared to enjoy their company. Rayne asked him if he had ever had a wife, and he told her he had made contracts with four women, two of whom had borne his children. He explained that Atlanteans made temporary contracts of a few years, during which time they might have children.

When the couple terminated the contract, the children stayed with their mother and the father supported them. To Rayne, it sounded a lot like a human marriage, only all parties knew from the outset that the end would come. Tallyn saw his children once a week, spending a day with each of them.

Tallyn explained the semi-defunct cast system, which was a casual ranking based on hair colour. In the past, it had been an important part of Atlantean culture, and only those of high cast were allowed to hold high office. Now it was a symbol of status, but its use to advance careers was frowned upon.

The more diverse an Atlantean's hair tones were, the higher status he or she held. Tallyn was therefore exceedingly well bred, which he admitted was the reason for his many contracts. The same rules precluded him from making a contract with a woman whose hair tones were insufficiently dissimilar, however. The whole thing sounded rather cold-blooded to Rayne, but, from her experiences with Tallyn, Atlanteans did seem to be a reticent and undemonstrative race.

Meanwhile, the seduction of knowledge continued to enthral her and Rawn with its bounty of discoveries waiting to be plumbed. Since they seemed to have no other function than to wait for the prophecy to come true, they studied alien cultures, languages, space flight, ships, and technology.

When Rayne glanced at the calendar again, nine Atlantean months had passed. The summer warmth faded as the planet moved away from its sun on its shallow elliptical orbit. The nights grew chilly, and they spent many pleasant evenings in the heated pool. Tallyn invited his friends over, and Rayne asked him to introduce her to more aliens. He took them to a crowded bar hidden deep in the jungle, where they met a bizarre collection of aliens.

Sseth, the owner and bartender, was a burly reptilian with a huge, frog-like mouth, four bright yellow eyes and a red-gold skin that gleamed like wet silk. Rayne asked permission to feel it, to Sseth's delight, and found it as rough as shark skin. Four sturdy legs supported his three hundred kilos of muscular bulk. He also had two pairs of arms, one pair long and delicate, with four-fingered hands, the other short and powerful with stubby hands.

Sseth grinned at Tallyn as he poured their drinks, lifting his lips to reveal several rows of pointed teeth. It was the best he could do, since his mouth was rigid. He and Tallyn were old friends, and he seemed pleased to see the Atlantean commander again. The alien band was an amazing collection of strange beings that seemed totally out of place with the sweet music they made. The flute player must have weighed several hundred kilos, and rested his huge tusks on the floor to hold up his head while he played the flute with tiny hands.

Rayne turned her attention to Sseth when he said, "I hear you're building a fancy ship, Tallyn."

"Your ears been flapping again, Sseth?"

Sseth grinned at what was clearly an old joke, since he had no visible ears. "I hear a lot of things behind the bar, like, for instance, that she's going into Quadrant Forty-Four."

"Who told you that?"

Sseth shrugged. "Don't remember. Alcohol loosens a lot of tongues. I just flap my ears." He made a hissing, grating sound that passed for laughter, Rayne assumed. "Besides, people have been wondering what's in there for centuries."

Tallyn frowned, finishing his drink, and Sseth poured him another.

"What do they say is in there?" Rawn asked.

"It's just a lot of tall tales," Tallyn said. "No one knows."

"Oh, yes, most of them are," Sseth agreed. "Like beautiful space sirens luring men to their deaths, and mysterious forces tearing ships apart." He leant closer. "But the latest one is interesting. There's supposed to be an ancient machine, left by some long-gone super race, which still guards the quadrant."

Tallyn snorted. "That's a load of rubbish. How can you repeat such nonsense?"

Sseth wiped the counter. "Some people believe it. They like to hear stories."

"And tell even bigger ones." He turned away.

"Could there be any truth in it?" Rayne enquired.

"Nobody knows what's in there. These are just stories that people with nothing better to do make up."

"What harm can it do?"

"Lots. Some poor sod might believe it enough to go in there, thinking he can make contact with this robot ship, or whatever it is, and live to tell the tale. There are a lot of would-be heroes around."

"Is there a fancy new ship that's going to explore the forty-fourth quadrant?" she asked.

"That's classified. Personally, I think it would be a waste of time going in there. Ships cross it all the time. It's only explorer ships that vanish. Whatever is in there doesn't want to be found, and when it is, no one lives to tell the tale. Does it sound like a good idea to go and look for it?" He sipped his drink. "Plenty of probes have been sent in there, and none of them returned either. It's a waste of money and men."

"Could it have something to do with the prophecy?"

"If it does, we'll find out when the time comes."

Rayne shivered. "I'd rather stay away from Quadrant Forty-Four, and whatever's in it."

Rayne glanced up as Tallyn entered the sun-warmed morning room, casting her his usual stilted smile. Returning it, she continued to eat her breakfast, trying to ignore Rawn slurping his porridge. After four years, they had settled into a comfortable routine in Tallyn's house, although he remained distant. Still, he showed them great kindness and consideration, and many of his friends had become theirs.

Oddly, his crew were not numbered amongst his friends, so she had not met any of them. She and Rawn spoke fluent Atlantean now, and spent more time on recreational activities, especially Rawn. He had several friends and often went out, but she disliked the social circles. All too often, her possible identity as the Golden Child either intimidated or alienated potential friends and admirers.

Tallyn interrupted her reverie. "I've spoken to the council, and they've given me permission to take you back to Earth, to see it, if you wish."

Rayne gaped at him, her spoon poised before her mouth. "Why?"

"Well, when we left, you said you wanted to see your world from space, and were somewhat annoyed at the speed of our exit, if you remember. Until now, the council forbade any trips into space by the two of you. But the members have grown more lenient, especially since I explained how much you've been studying it. Perhaps they underestimated your intelligence, but now they've relented."

Rayne glanced at her brother. "Has it changed a lot?"

"Our scouts have reported its progress, which is as we predicted."

"And how are things progressing?" Rawn glared at his porridge.

Tallyn shrugged. "The cloud cover has increased, and the surface temperature is now in the hundreds. Probes show that the seas have dried up."

"Sounds wonderfully depressing."

"I understand if you decline, but I thought I'd make the offer."

"Big of you," Rawn said, putting down his spoon.