Pictoria (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 4)

Chapter 21

ARCAN DROPPED THEM directly into the first floor medical centre of the 367th skyrise, back on Valhai, and Vion 49 appeared in front of them, transported at the same time from Coriolis.

Vion didn't seem at all surprised to see them. He smiled around at them, both at the people he knew and those that he didn't, until he realized that Cimma was lying unconscious on one of the beds. His face fell. "What happened?"

Six, Diva and Grace looked at each other. Grace was the one to speak. "It is a long story, Vion. Basically she was under severe mental stress, and became unconscious." She wasn't sure how much more she should or could tell him.

The doctor was already checking Cimma's vital signs. "Hmm. Her constants are within acceptable limits. I need space here, though. Please all go away."

"All of us?" asked Grace, in a small voice.

He nodded. "You too, Grace. You are only in the way at the moment. I will let you know when Cimma comes around. Will you be in the 256th skyrise?"

Grace nodded, and they vanished, leaving Vion to tend to his patient. Arcan took them straight to the 21st floor of the 256th skyrise, and hovered as they sat down around the large table in the eating area.

The man who spoke to canths looked around the skyrise with interest, but was anxious to get back to the New Independence. "I should really get back to the ship now. The canths will need careful care if they are to get their strength back quickly."

"Then Arcan will take you back to them straight away," said Six. "Won't you, Arcan?"

Arcan shimmered. "I would first like to hear exactly what happened on Pictoria, if you don't mind, and then I will make sure that you all get back to where you need to be."

So they told him everything, one of them starting part of the story and then somebody else telling him what happened next. Most of them hadn't heard the whole story, so there were exclamations and gasps as the full details came out. Even Tallen and Petra chipped in with their own experiences, Tallen for once managing not to sound hostile. Arcan listened intently, light rippling up and down the shadowy figure. At last he was satisfied.

"Then we do not have to worry about the Dessites?" he asked.

"I think we do." Six was adamant. "They have just been worsted in a battle, but they will attack again, unless we can convince them not to."

"You think we should try to negotiate with them?" Diva raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Not necessarily. But I am sure they will be back, so in the end we may have to convince them – one way or another – that what they are doing will have no good consequences for them or anybody else."

"But for the time being they will stay on Dessia," said Arcan. "They cannot have come out of that experience unscathed. It will take them time to regroup, and to come up with new ways of attack. The canths have gained us time."

Diva looked curiously at Arcan. "Have you managed to make any progress on finding a way to escape those carbon nanographite traps?"

Arcan shook his head. "One thing at a time. At least now we know that the canths can combat the mental attacks."

Grace was worried about something else. "Who are we going to tell about all this? Do you think the whole Binary System should know?"

Diva shook her head. "Of course not!"

Arcan gave a shimmer of gold, a ripple of light. "I will not allow the safety of the morphics to be risked by telling the transients here about them."