Pictoria (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 4)

Chapter 9

THEY WERE CLUSTERED around a bunk in one of the individual cabins on the Independence, staring at a rather wan Ledin. He was smiling, though he couldn't hear them. He had been left deaf by a nearby lightning strike, which had hit the rock face just above him. That had caused a blast wave, which had detached him from the cliff face, and sent him hurtling down to the ledge. He was lucky to be alive. The flash had caught him all of four metres above the ground, yet on a superficial examination they could only find severe bruising. Arcan had already checked some of the medical treatises on Valhai, which suggested that the deafness should only prove temporary, and that the pounding headache should dissipate shortly too, though he would need to be examined properly by a qualified doctor to make sure there were no complications.

Ledin looked over at them all and smiled, and then winced. Both the bruising and the headache were clearly very painful.

"We have to get him to a medical facility," said Grace. "He needs immediate treatment. What if Arcan is wrong? He has only got his information from reading about it. We need a proper doctor. Why don't you bring Vion over?"

"NO!" Both Six and Diva spoke at once, and then grinned at each other. Six gestured to encourage Diva to explain.

"Grace, we don't know if Vion would tell the other Sellites about Pictoria. We have to protect this planet – there are the morphics to think about now. Pictoria is not our secret to share ... it is theirs. Even if we did have to tell somebody else about the planet, they should never know exactly where it is. To other people we should always call it 'the avifauna planet'. That way nobody will be able to guess its position."

The Arcan trimorphs chattered amongst themselves, and then flashed around the room.

"We do not want anybody else to come here," they said in unison. "If the ortholiquid is disturbed then our future becomes very bleak. There is nowhere else that can sustain us, as far as we know."

"But Vion would never dream ..." said Grace. "How can you think ...?"

"I don't think he would." Diva nodded her head. "But it is just too risky. We should keep Pictoria's secret between those of us present here. There are the canths to think about, too. The lost animas have been waiting millennia to find Pictoria again. How can we risk all that now?"

The twins iridesced in violet tones. There was no doubt how they felt about this.

Grace made a face. "All right," she said. "But we have to get Ledin somewhere for treatment."

"Let Arcan transport us to Kwaide," suggested Six. "We can take him down in a shuttle, and he can go into the medical facility they have just built by the black peak."

"Ye-es, but will there be doctors?"

"Vion has trained up several of the no-names, and we can call him over from Coriolis if necessary. Arcan could always transport him to the orbital station, even though he promised the Elders never to transport anybody directly into New Kwaide."

Grace had to be satisfied with that. Ledin, who hadn't been able to follow any of the conversation, was still smiling rather inanely, so she shrugged and then gave a reluctant nod. "Very well."

Arcan conversed silently with the visitor and the trimorph twins. There was much flashing and some darkening as they obviously argued about what was going to happen. Finally they all returned to their normal colours.

"It is agreed," Arcan told them. "The morphics will all remain here. It is too dangerous for them to travel far away from Pictoria just now. We cannot be certain that the Dessites will not somehow attack the planet."