Planetbound by DM Arnold (best contemporary novels TXT) 📕

“You felt bad for what you did and then you felt even worse for enjoying it.”

“Yes...” she sobbed.

“Suki, I know this is a part of your makeup ... and I know it's a part of you I can never fully satisfy. If you can find something with Andra that does ... I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather you find it with. It pleases me beyond expression.”

She held onto him. “I won't stray, Nykkyo. I promise.”

He held her face and kissed away her tears. “You weren't straying, korlyta.”

“I can't believe it's all right.”

“It's more than all right. You were doing a Floran thing ... and a good thing. You and Andra are now amften -- dear friends.”

Suki sniffled. “She did mention that. I didn't quite comprehend.”

“I've told you it's how friends bond on this world.”

“It's one thing hearing it ... and another experiencing it.”

He kissed her head. “Feel good about it. Okay?”

“Okay...”

Andra stepped, nude, from the shower pulling her fingers through her hair. She approached Suki, held and kissed her. “All right -- are you?”

“I'm fine,” Suki said and kissed Andra's cheek. “I'll take my shower, now.” Nyk watched her as she walked away.

“I'm delighted you and Suki are getting along,” Nyk said to Andra in his native tongue. “You two communicate well.”

“Given my grasp of Anglixa and hers of Lingwa -- yes.” She poured a cup of tea. “I feared I made a mistake with her. I sensed she desired intimacy. Afterward, she seemed to feel regret.”

“She's learning our ways. You made no mistake. I'm pleased you feel so fond of her.”

“I'm in awe of her, Nyk. She's just a woman, but in her womb is the key to our people's existence. I'm beginning to understand.”

“Can you love her?” Nyk asked.

“I do already. You and I are bonded as friends-for-life. A love of yours IS a love of mine.” Andra sipped her tea. “She's a troubled woman, isn't she?”

“What makes you think that?”

“One of the skills we were taught at the academy was how to evaluate another. It's a useful political skill, and we were being trained for political assignments. I'm amazed I can read an Earth woman so easily -- there are really few differences between our peoples. She is troubled, Nyk.”

Nyk nodded. “I never expected the mother of the man who founded my family to be so ... so needy, emotionally.”

“Yet, you love her despite her faults.”

“I love her because of her virtues and her shortcomings. They're what make her, her.”

“Why are you so sure she's your purpose?”

“Destiny traces a path for us. Suki's path is to bear the child who's the root of the Kyhana family tree.”

“You can't mean you believe Destiny intended your paths to cross.”

“Absolutely not. I believe it's possible for some outside event to interfere with one's destiny. I believe I have so interfered with hers. Destiny intended her to bear the child, no doubt. But Destiny also intended her to have a man in her life. I'm the one guilty of temporal interference -- my friendship with her disrupted Destiny's plan. Now, I must put it right and replace the man who was to be in her life. Her child needs a father.”

“And you must never reveal your true nature to that child.” Andra shook her head. “It's almost too much to fathom. I think I believe you. Such a load you two are bearing.”

“We support each other -- it's why Destiny gave us our love and thrust us together.”

“Yes -- I do feel the truth in it. I admire your courage, Nyk. You won't have an easy time.” Andra stood. “I'll dress now. I should go to the research center.” She headed up the stairs to the third floor.

Nyk turned to his vidisplay and scanned through Koichi's journal. The vidisplay began flashing an incoming call. “Andra,” he yelled. “Vidphone call for you.”

The call indicator went dark and Nyk scrolled through more of Koichi's writing. “Nyk,” Andra shouted. “It was Senta. She's coming to Sudal!”

He stood. “When?”

“She's leaving on the next train. She'll be here mid-afternoon.”

“Suki and I must find another place to hide while she's here. Did she say how long her visit will be?”

“Two days -- she's here to review the progress of the new sequencing labs. Nyk, I know where you can stay -- somewhere Senta can't find you. You and Sukiko must come to the research center with me.”

“It might be a good place to hide the shuttlecar.”

Nyk pulled the shuttlecar into a shed outside the Sudal University sea research center -- a makeshift building on the coast south of the city. He opened the passenger door and helped Suki out. Andra popped open the cowl on her groundcar.

“We hide out here?” Nyk asked.

“No -- I'll take you to the research platform. It's about a half-segment skimmer flight from here. Sudal University is on mid-term hiatus so the place will be deserted. There are sleeping quarters on there -- you'll be safe.”

“You're a skimmer pilot, Andra? Don't tell me that's something else you learned at the academy.”

“No, I learned it here.” She directed Nyk and Suki to a skimmer parked near the research center. Nyk grasped the handle and swung the door up and open.

Andra climbed behind the controls and activated the craft. It lifted off the ground. She manipulated a navigational display and pointed to it. “There's the platform.” With a push on the stick she piloted the skimmer toward the open sea. The craft headed out over breakers turning into swells as the coastline fell behind. “The platform's about a hundred kilometres from Sudal,” she said.

Sudal's tallest buildings fell below the horizon. “This is what most of Floran looks like,” Nyk said. “A larger percentage of the surface is covered with water than is Earth. We know little of the life in our sea. The majority of the population here cares not for the ecology and geology of the planet that's hosted us for five millennia, and I think it's a shame.”

“It's good work you're doing, Andra,” Suki said in Floran.

“Denke -- thanks. You well with Lingwa do.”

“It's an easy language to learn. I just need some practice.”

Andra pulled back on the control and switched the navigational display to short- range. Nyk could see the platform -- a house-sized structure floating on the surface of the sea. The skimmer hovered over it and set down on the deck.

Andra shifted into her native tongue. “I'll show you around. The platform has its own power plant and inertial sink. Even in rough seas, the platform's stable.” She opened a hatch and led Nyk and Suki inside. “Here's the galley, and here are the cabins. There's no one out here right now, so you'll have the place to yourselves.” Andra opened a hatch. “This is our lab.” On benches were tanks of seawater. “Watch this...” She passed her hand over a proximity pad and the lights extinguished. A purple glow came from the tanks.

“Bioluminescence,” Nyk said.

“From creatures living near the bottom.”

“I've seen patches of them at night -- they come to the surface.”

Andra led the way to another room appointed with upholstered benches. “This is the lounge. Over here is the escape capsule. It has its own power cell and inertial sink. Once activated, it heads for the Sudal coast.”

Nyk followed Andra to the platform deck. He looked toward the east and saw a line of grey clouds hugging the horizon. “It looks like a storm's brewing. I thought the surf looked rougher than normal.”

“You'll be safe here,” Andra replied. “We had researchers out here during that category-four storm earlier this year. It didn't even disrupt their research. No one will bother you. I'll be back for you after Senta returns to Floran City.” She hugged and kissed Nyk, embraced Suki and climbed into the skimmer. Nyk watched it speed toward the west until it disappeared against the horizon.

Nyk climbed down from the deck and secured the hatch. “You're about to experience another of this planet's phenomena -- the tropical storm. From the looks of it, it's only category one or two -- it should blow over in a day or so.”

“I remember being in a hurricane once.”

“We should be safe here -- if what Andra says is true. Some researchers rode out a category-four storm without even feeling it.” A flash of light came through the viewports, followed by a loud boom. “The storm's here now. In a couple hours it'll hit Sudal.” He stood by the viewport. “Come look.”

Suki stood beside him. The level of the sea rose and fell, alternately putting the platform under water and leaving it high and dry. “This is giving me vertigo.”

“But, we feel nothing. It's the inertial sink -- it's absorbing the movement, as if this platform were on solid rock.” More lightning flashed and thunder boomed. “The storm's really raging, now. Listen to that thunder.”

“There's an old saying -- it's better to be on land wishing you were at sea than at sea wishing you were on land. I wish I were on land.”

“I think there's something romantic about this. Outside's a primal force of nature. Here we are -- warm, dry and secure.” He sat and slipped his arm around her. “I think we should check out the bunks in the cabins.”

“You can't be serious. You can't be thinking of lovemaking at a time like this!”

“Why not? We're safe ... we're here for the duration ... and, there's not much else to do on this platform -- unless you know something about bioluminescence.” He coaxed her to stand. “Come, let's look in the cabins.”

He led her toward the sleeping quarters and opened a cabin door. “This must be the captain's cabin. Very accommodating.” He sat on the bunk. “Definitely wide enough for two.” He stretched out and patted the mattress. Suki lay beside him and he stroked her face.

“Being with you takes away the hurt and fear. I'm beginning to believe everything will work out.” Nyk leaned toward her and met her lips with his. He felt her fingers caressing the back of his head.

An explosion rocked the platform. It listed, throwing Nyk onto the floor and Suki on top of him. She screamed. “What happened?”

“I think we were struck by lightning. It must've knocked out the inertial sink.” The platform was tossed about by the storm. Nyk struggled to his feet and worked his way to the cabin door. “Hold on -- I'll try to get the inertial sink back on line.”

Holding onto bulkheads and fixed furniture, he edged his way toward the control panel. He began pressing controls to restart the inertial sink. It failed to respond. The platform creaked as it was tossed by the storm. A bulkhead joint split open and seawater began gushing in. “Suki!” he yelled. “The platform's breaking up! Quick -- the escape capsule!”

She struggled to make her way from the cabin. Nyk held open the capsule hatch and looked in. “Take a seat and belt yourself in.”

The platform lurched and Suki fell across the cabin. The bulkhead separated further and more water poured in. Suki climbed to the capsule and held on. Nyk lifted her, pushed her in and climbed in himself. He slammed down the hatch, secured it and belted himself into a seat.

He reached for the trigger and snapped off the safety cover. With his palm he pressed the initiator.

“Nothing happened!” Suki screamed.

Nyk pounded it again. “Maybe I'm doing something wrong.” He unhitched his safety harness and reached for a circuit panel.

With a roar the capsule ejected. Nyk was thrown backward, his head hitting the aft bulkhead. Then, they were still. He sat up and rubbed the lump on the back of his head. “The capsule's inertial sink must've kicked in.”

“Now what?”

“Andra said the capsule will head on its own toward Sudal. At what speed, I don't know. The platform's about one hundred kilometres offshore. It could take half a day to reach land.”

“What if lightning hits us now?”

“This capsule's a much smaller target. Even my luck isn't that bad.” He looked