Planet B-17: The Beginnings

Chapter 16 - The Crater: Part 9

"We're contradicting one another and holding ourselves trapped in here," Gre told Meknáni as Uiio was explaining to Sla what sensitivity is.

"We've reached the point of action," Meknáni agreed. "But what is it? Where to?"

Sla was nodding in understanding. "I see," they could read on her lips.

"What's missing?" asked Gre, and Meknáni turned to see him.

"What do you mean?"

"What don't we have that traps us?"

Meknáni thought about it. "Usually, what hinders must exist, otherwise how could it hinder?"

Gre was gazing ahead, idly. "Not here, something tells me." Then turning to Meknáni, "What's your dominant sensation about this place? In one word."

"Clustered," came the white tiger humanoid's instant response.

"Clustered," repeated Gre. Then addressing Umbe, "What's your dominant, one-word reaction to being here?"

Voices were fading. Heads were turning.

"I'm... afraid, slightly."

"Clustered, afraid." Looking at Menior, "One word. Describe your feelings related to this place."

They all drew near Gre.

"Relaxed," said Menior.

Indeed, he was the calmest.

"What about yours, Sakna-Sa?"

"Trustful," she revealed.

"Umbe, go sit next to Sakna-Sa, please," Gre asked him.

"What experiment are you conducting?" Sakna-Sa beat everyone to the question.

"My own emotions have been shifting in response to the emotions of whoever was closest to me," confessed Gre. "Let us reach consensus of prevailing emotion. Emotion clouds judgement, when unbalanced."

"Balance one another," Uiio said.

"What's your feeling?" Gre asked her.

A bit hesitant, she said, "Doubtful."

"Sakna-Sa is trustful. Stay in her proximity."

Uiio silently agreed and moved by the Savier's side.

"Let us form groups," continued Gre, "and stop trying to find a way out."

Many looked confused.

Gre explained. "What does urgency grant us?"

"Heightened emotional instability," said Menior calmly.

"That's our missing link," Gre retorted. "We are off balance and cannot function as a group in this new type of reality. It is clear that the pit responds."

"And it might mirror back more than thought – emotion as well," completed Menior.

"Pre-action coordination," mused Meknáni.

Assenting nods.

They formed groups, inquiring about feelings, going in circles, reassuring each other as well as themselves.

"Freedom," came Meknáni's voice. "That's the shift from feeling clustered, isn't it?"

"Talk to us about the time you've felt the most free," Sakna-Sa asked. "Share with us your freedom."

In the silence that had ensued, Menior was heard: "Share it with our surroundings."

Meknáni began, "It was the winter of Ta-ala, the Fertility Celebration on Planet Kaas, occurring every 12 years. Fertility, for an Oombyr, goes beyond its sexual component, into all aspects of our lives. It is a time when a boy becomes a man, and a girl, a woman, by going through quests that challenge their prowess. They become, as the Legend says, part of the force of being. Each experience is unique, and every time we take part in the festivity, a new dimension is added to our manhood or womanhood, respectively – true stealth and courage, challenging physical and mental limitations and, at the end, we emerge victorious.

"I was racing past the icy slopes of Bezor towards the blue field of Mn, with no one around me, because I had outrun them all. The air was crisp, and a ray bounced off from ahead into this bluish, fleeting light that I was running into. I took a leap and landed on thick ice, hearing its soft screech below, and kept on going. With each new leap, I was feeling more and more alive and ready to confront whatever came my way. There was a feeling as though I were floating, barely touching the surface of the frozen sea, an effortlessness because all of my senses were focused upon one task, and that was winning the race.

"There I was, miles from the finish line, ahead of all, the force of my ancestors alive through me, racing alongside me, propelling me farther, leap after leap, the ice creaking beneath my feet, my spirit soaring. I was"–he inhaled–"elevated. I had reached the state of Ta-ala! Seen and unseen, galloping through me. Felt and unfelt, all amassed. Ahead. But not alone, for I was one, one with Kaas, with all of the Oombyrs who had walked before me, from the distant and immemorial past. And I was weightless. I crossed the finish line already a victor. And looking around, when my brothers came, I noticed some were victors as well – though they had lost the race, they'd been elevated into Ta-ala!"

Umbe's eyes were gleaming with strength.

"The touch of eternity," said Menior. "Non-linear time frame."

"Connection to all time," added Arít.

"Home," said Gre.

"Action!" responded Meknáni.

They all took deeper breaths, almost in sync.

"Does this place feel lighter to you?" asked Uiio.

"We are moving!" Umbe exclaimed.

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