Алан Дин Фостер - Relic

“But you were outside, and at night .” Bac’cul could not keep the astonishment from his voice.

“The best knowledge is always local knowledge, I suppose. Once we managed to make our way some distance from the outpost—farther than I would have liked, I have to admit—we spent the rest of the night buried in the mud on our backs and being very, very still. For all I know, a hundred predators could have taken our measure and decided that we weren’t worth the trouble, or that we were too alien to be considered digestible prey.” He turned to Cor’rin. “Having spent more hours than I care to remember immersed in alien muck, I suppose the three of us should be checked for possible contamination, although I would think a human body would be an unsuitable host for local parasitic organisms.”

“Still, a reasonable precaution,” she agreed.

Bac’cul gestured uncertainly. “Excuse me, Ruslan: the three of you?”

Once more the human nodded in the direction of the wholly preoccupied girl. “To contribute to the juven— to Cherpa’s mental health, you should at every opportunity treat her doll, the small human effigy she is never without, as a ‘real’ individual. She sees it as such. It’s a function of a lingering traumatic childhood. It’s also the only family she’s got.”

Cor’rin gestured understanding. “The information will be posted forefront in her records.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of the director. It was shocking, Ruslan mused, how fundamentally Twi’win’s attitude toward the visitors had changed since their discovery of Cherpa. It would have boded well for the future development of human-Myssari relations on Daribb… had there been any other humans on Daribb for the Myssari to relate to. Or any humans anywhere else, for that matter. Rejoining them, she settled herself down against a narrow Myssari seat. Her eyes were bright, her speech rapid.

“Details of the Vrizan intrusion have been reported to the appropriate authorities. There will be repercussions, albeit on a modest scale since no one was harmed, no permanent damage was done to the facility here, and nothing—such as invaluable live specimens—was taken.” She glanced in the direction of the happily playing girl before turning to the attentive Ruslan. “Arrangements are in motion to get you and the juvenile off Daribb and to a Myssari world as quickly as possible.”

“And Oola,” Cor’rin added. “Do not forget Oola. She is human family as well.”

The director gave the researcher a hard look but decided to seek explication later. “Ruslan, will you make ready the juvenile? Daribb being the only world she has ever known, it may well be that some significant mental preparation may be required in order for her to acquiesce comfortably to the departure.”

He looked past the sharp-featured alien to where a delighted Cherpa was busily rearranging landscapes on the far wall. “I think your apprehension may be misplaced, Twi’win. She strikes me as extremely adaptable. She’d have to be, to survive here alone for we don’t know how many years. Don’t worry, though. I’ll make sure she isn’t going to throw a fit moments before we board for orbit. She’ll be ready. I know I’ll be.” The unwanted attention of the Vrizan aside, he couldn’t wait to get off this inhospitable, empty planet. He rose.

“In fact, I’ll get started right now.”

Leaving the four Myssari to their consultations, he walked over to where Cherpa, with the use of one finger, was presently sliding mountains into place to serve as the backdrop for an alpine lake. He studied the resultant vista.

“That’s very pretty, Cherpa. Where is it?”

“Planet Here.” She grinned and tapped the side of her head. “I’ve had lots of time to imagine places I’d like to be. This is one of them.”

Unexpectedly, he felt his throat tightening as he surveyed a scene reminiscent of the mountains of Seraboth, and hastened to change the subject. “We’re going to have to leave this place. Leave Daribb and go somewhere where the Vrizan people who just came for you and me can’t find us.”

“Okay.”

So much for the need to prepare acquiescence and ensure mental stability, he thought dryly.

“You’re sure you’re all right with leaving behind… everything?”

“There isn’t everything.” Her tone was somber. “There’s nothing. Not here. There are only things that want to eat you. I’d be real happy to go someplace where nothing wants to eat me.” She hesitated. “Only one thing’s-a-thing elsewise to take along though, maybe, perhaps.”

Another toy to bring, he decided. Or a favorite piece of clothing, or some physical reminder of her family. He waited for the details. They were not what he had been expecting.

“Maybe we should bring the other person, too.”

Confusion swirled his thoughts. “Another? There’s another person?” Realization made him smile. “Oh, you mean Oola. Of course we’re taking her with us.”

Cherpa tucked the doll tighter against her. “Not Oola. Pahksen.”

Pahksen? This was the first mention of any “Pahksen.” Bearing in mind the girl’s fragile mental state, Ruslan found himself wondering if the other “person” she was referring to might be imaginary. It was almost to be expected that someone her age in her condition would have invented an imaginary friend for company. Given ample time, he would have slowly and gently confronted her with the likelihood. With them waiting to be called for departure at any moment, he had no leeway for patience. He asked her straight out.

She shook her head and made a face. “Pahksen’s not imaginary. Though lots of times I wish he was.”

For a second time since he had arrived on Daribb, the faint stirring of a long-held hope was swiftly whisked away. “He,” she had said. Ruslan set about questioning her further.

“Let me make sure I understand, Cherpa. You’re saying there’s another live human here?” It was not impossible that she was referring to a dead body she had named. An isolated child, much less one forced to endure her circumstances, could conceivably make a “friend” of anything. But she nodded affirmatively and without hesitation.

“But,” he continued, “neither I nor any of the Myssari ever saw this person. If there’s just the two of you left, I would think you’d try to stay together and help each other.”

“I guess that makes sense,” she admitted. “Except I don’t make sense and Pahksen doesn’t make sense and if you put the two of us together you’d have double nonsense, wouldn’t you?” The face she had made earlier returned. “I don’t like him and he doesn’t like me, so we didn’t spend much time together. Only when we had no choice. The difference is that I like lots of things and Pahksen, he doesn’t like anything . He’s nasty.” She hugged her doll. “He said for someone my age to keep Oola with me all the time was stupid. Stupid! ” She stared up at him. “You don’t think it’s stupid, do you, Bogo?”

“No… of course not.”

Nasty or not, he thought furiously, the existence of a second surviving human would only further confirm the previously underappreciated work of the outpost’s automatic scouts. When informed, Bac’cul and Cor’rin would be delirious with joy. The costly journey to Daribb could be classed as doubly successful. As for this as yet unmet Pahksen’s purported irritability, as someone who had been known to suffer from bouts of unpleasantness himself, Ruslan was confident he could deal with him. What was critical now was to find and recover the second survivor before the Vrizan could do so.

“I’m guessing you and this Pahksen crossed paths in Dinabu, right?”