FALAHA'S JOURNEY 2: Graveyard of the Gods

Episode #13

After a filling meal and a loud greeting party I sneaked away from everyone to meditate on the unfolding events, to think and to communicate with a person who could help me untangle our current situation. At times like this I preferred the solitude of the hull of my ship, especially if it was deep space. But since we were still on the planet's surface, I had to do with what I had. I didn't bother with a spacesuit, and slipping into my Baali form, I sat on top of my ship, arms and legs crossed, enjoying the night that befell this desert world. Soft wind caressed my bare body, rustling my long silky mane. Eyuran knew where to find me on such instances, but he never disturbed my contemplations without a valid reason. After Tabiru with the little Maok I inherited some of the traits of those beings but learned to filter the constant information stream from the environment surrounding me. Being unprepared one could easily drown in the ocean of sensations, and it was quite overwhelming at first. But as years passed, I learned to control this feature, making my raging passions serve me and not the other way around.

The person who usually joined me in my silent contemplation was little Nayat. The Baali girl was quite wise despite her young age, and we enjoyed sitting side by side when sometimes she would surprise me with her sudden enlightening revelations. She was curious and smart beyond her status of a small child, demonstrating truest Avlaora Baali qualities. So I was quietly waiting. It didn't take long for her to slip away from her parents and dive on top of the hull. She approached me and sat by my side, copying my pose.

Leru treated her daughter like a kid, being a Medan and having a hard time imagining her offspring being something else yet, but Nayat was already much more than just a kid. As a Baalat, her development was quite different from our people. So she confided in me, a being similar to her. Her father approved my mentorship of his daughter, since he believed she would learn important things from his Yajur Sangu. As for Leru, we three haven't let her in on our secret meetings yet, mostly because I had no idea how to explain to her whom she had given birth to from Tagai.

Leru was my friend, but she was also a bloody stubborn woman. She hovered over her child and was terrified of anything that might endanger the girl. My constant reminder to her that Nayat was a carnivorous predator was ruthlessly ignored. Leru was a good mother, but she was way overprotective of her daughter. Tagai loved her a lot, so he never argued with Leru or interfered with her way of parenting. But he also understood the difference between our kinds, so it fell upon me to take care of this business.

"When your mom finds out that I've been training you, she will pull my hair out," I said, grinning. "And Tagai will get his share of hair-pulling as well."

"That's what you get from a mixed family," Nayat said quietly. "Mom is also wary of the new people you brought to your ship, Falaha Yajur Sangu. She believes they are dangerous to us. There are so many of them, and so few of us. What if they will try to drain our blood by force?"

"Are you afraid?"

"No, I want to find a way to help them."

I nodded. "Don't worry, I won't allow any carnage on my ship. You have my word on it. Besides, if they try something they will only save themselves in the short run. If they will try to drain us all, there is only this much blood you get. And then... what?"

"True," Nayat said, nodding. "Also, what Mom doesn't see is that they are not very strong to hold us by force to harvest our blood in the long run. So I believe they truly count on your help, Falaha Yajur Sangu."

"Which brings us to the topic of my current contemplation," I said. "While we were dining, I tapped into Beren's soma. That sip of blood I shared allowed me to bypass Shaamta's shadowing. What I found there goes beyond a simple fix. But Shaamta wouldn't have been Shaamta if his mess had been so easy to untangle. So I won't be fixing what he broke. I shall replace the old system with a new one. However, it will take more time than simply fixing the broken one. But it will be the safest route."

"I wonder if the blood of your people can be used as well," Nayat said, looking at me. "After all, it's sangaru they consume, not just any blood."

"I'll leave it to Orewen and Neve to figure that out. You, on the other hand, will help me design a new template for the soma terminal. The one Surani could use. For that, we'll need to make a little trip into the depths of their soma and their memories. How much do you know of their bloodfeeding practice?"

"Not more than what I have in my memory space, Falaha Yajur Sangu. But I have yet to study the history of our species in full."

"I see. I never delved into this part of our past myself save for what I had learned from your dad and what I had briefly touched on long, long ago. There are so many things to learn, yet I have so little time to process everything. I wonder if I will need a life as long as Shaamta's to grasp all of those things. I barely began to dig through Somg's memories in search for the hints for where to look for the Nest."

"We must figure out this Surani blood issue first, right, Falaha Yajur Sangu? They are running out of time, and the Nest has been there for eons and is not going anywhere. We are not in the imminent danger, so that adventure can safely wait a bit."

I nodded. "Indeed." I loaded my soma interface. "So, shall we start then?" And got an incoming connection from the little Baalat.

"Ready to dive," the girl confirmed.

And so we were on our way beyond our time and place to the roots of our current problem.