Harmony of matter and energy

Dance lesson

A beautiful night and dancing.

Despite the advanced hour, the air was warm and humidly heavy. The starched collar clung to Boone's neck in the steam, the bow tie strangled him, and his wrists were sweaty from his shirt cuffs. He could talk for hours about how uncomfortable the lacquered shoes were, even if they were exactly tailored.

But two things were not so bad.

The CVI seemed to be able to arrange for the ubiquitous mosquitoes and other stinging insects to leave him alone. And then the starry sky, here in the Congo Basin, so different from the ones he saw at home in Washington. The visible arm of their home galaxy had a completely different shape here, and the purple nebulae it was used to from America was rather blue. Beautiful view. As always, he thought, and then he had to stop at what he took for granted, especially considering that he was born into the filthy late twentieth century, when the sky over most of the Earth was covered with smog so dense that one often did not see not a month.

Another of the things the Taeloni took care of was almost a snap. It only took two years and their bioactive air purifiers to make the planet's air almost as clean as before the Great Industrial Revolution. And the reactors they helped design produced clean electricity from a fraction of nuclear fuel rather than obsolete human power plants.

So only thanks to the Taelon could he look at the beautiful, purple-blue cobwebs stretching across the sky, which were...

An unconscious smile lifted his lips as he remembered that the cosmic nebulae looked very much like the excitement and enthusiasm of the sparkling webs of energy pathways that alternately adorned his Taelon's face throughout the evening's performance. Da'an was enchanted by the indigenous folk music of the locals, more than how he had been abducted since the unfortunate incident with Elyse... or whatever her name was.

This event was the last thing he wanted to think about in connection with Da'an. Especially today, even without CVI, he would remember vividly how long, slender fingers flickered eagerly in the air, even before the music began to play. Or how a wave of blue glow crossed each exposed part of the skin every time the sounds of the drums reached their peak. At that moment, it was difficult to take my eyes off her or, perhaps, for God's sake, to devote oneself to the music itself. He could only see her.

"I missed you, Commander," came a voice behind him.

He turned and stared at... Da'an. She stood... no, he stood, correcting himself. He stood at the now-closed glass door, his head tilted to one side, his hand raised above his waist, and his fingers pointed at Boon.

"I was just checking security," he replied in partial truth, straightening his jacket in a slightly nervous gesture. The other half of the truth was that he didn't want to go back inside, so he left the watch of Da'an to Sandoval and the Volunteers they had brought with them.

Da'an slowly closed his eyes, a knowing smile on his lips, then opened them just as slowly, staring at Boone with sparkling blue eyes.

"I'm sure the embassy's security is doing a good job."

"It never hurts to check it," he replied.

Taelon said nothing, just turned his gaze up to the stars and walked slowly to the railing, where he finally laid his hands lightly. Boone glared at them. They were tiny, pearly shiny even in the light of the stars and the moon, and at the same time shone soft blue. They were beautiful.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he quickly looked away from Da'an's hands and preferred to look up as well.

They remained silent, standing very close together, but still not so close that it was easy to touch Da'an, which Boone liked. If he had just placed his palms on the railing to be close enough to touch, he would do it. Even if he could only touch with his little finger before Da'an dodged his hand. Just to feel the vibrating presence on his skin and mind, at least for a while.