08:02 11/04/2587 –(8734/666/29/86)
“Make sure you keep it on whenever you are on deck,” Gabriel said as he fastened Pista’s lifevest; she insisted he did it.
“What’s on deck?” she asked, running her antennae over Gabriel’s suit.
“Didn’t you pay any attention to the captain?” Gabriel asked, tapping the girl on the head.
“They were boring,” Pista replied.
Gabriel sighed, “stay with mommy, me, Erilur or Risoti all the time, don’t lean over the side of the boat, and no flying.”
“I can’t fly; grabity is too big,” Pista replied.
“Is the young sailor all shipshape?” asked Captain P’yo’tala. They were a species of quintapeds from the moon Oalobrereiuntec. Two and a half metres tall at the shoulder, with multi-jointed legs, giving them unusual flexibility for a lifeform with a skeleton.
The face was birdlike, and their massive beak was strong enough to crush hard nuts and seeds like paper. Despite the avian face, they had no feathers or scales but rather a short and dense covering of soft, velvety fur.
The first two legs had fingers, while the rear three had hooves, making them adept runners in the hilly terrain their ancestors had called home.
“About as good as we are ever going to be, though we will probably have to keep an eye on this one,” Gabriel replied, patting Pista’s head.
“Don’t worry, I’m used to rambunctious children; never had a fatality yet,” P’yo’tala said, making a complicated motion with their hands.
“I would certainly hope so,” retorted Gabriel.
“Now, who wants to help me get this vessel out of port?” P’yo’tala asked Pista, crouching down to Pista’s level.
“Hur, Hur,” Pista replied, dashing to the helm.
“No idea what that means,” P’yo’tala said before following the young girl.
“Don’t press anything unless Captain P’yo’tala says so!” Nish commanded from the deck.
“Ok,” Pista replied, turning the wheel back and forth.
P’yo’tala’s boat, Faithful Steed, was a sailboat, forty feet in length; the amenities were functional but limited. The whole purpose of this voyage was to be on the boat itself. They would sail along the coast towards Brectju, spotting local wildlife and getting hands-on with the vessel's running.
They were still passengers, though, and any work was entirely optional.
Gabriel sat down on the deck; the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight; he supposed that was good sailing weather.
“Are you going to be alright?” asked Nish, it was aimed at Gabriel, but the question was also for Erilur.
“Yeah, we have got a private bathroom, so if I need to get out of the suit, I can always go there,” Gabriel replied, as the P’yo’tala unmoored the ship, wrapping the rope around that hook thingy Gabriel did not know the name of.
“What about you? You seemed less than thrilled about the idea of being at sea,” he asked, standing up and watching the harbour mouth. Bordering the northeastern side was a lighthouse; Gabriel could see people standing at the top, watching him just as he watched them.
He waved at them, and after a few seconds, they waved back, though Gabriel got the distinct impression that they were slightly confused by the gesture.
“My people don’t do well in the water,” Nish replied, getting up herself and waving at the people, though it felt strange to do it as a greeting and not to say sorry.
“I read somewhere that Tufanda float very well, even with waterlogged wings,” Gabriel said, looking at her.
“Yeah, that’s the point, we just float there, like a… Dreamer,” Nish explained, using an analogy Gabriel would understand.
“Pista swam when she was in the enclosure,” Gabriel countered, pointing at the girl currently steering the boat, carefully observed at all times by P’yo’tala.
“I would hardly call that splashing swimming,” Nish stated, surprised by how casually she mentioned it. She was recovering well from the stress, though she still got the occasional nightmare.
On the other hand, Pista refused to sleep alone; it was OK for now, but as she got older, it might present a problem. She would discuss it with Erilur if she got the chance.
“I can see how that would be distressing,” Gabriel replied.
“Distressing, talk about terrifying; Tufanda are meant to move; a stationary Tufanda is a dead Tufanda,” retorted Nish, turning her back to the sea.
“Where’s Erilur and Risoti anyway?” she asked, looking up and down the deck.
Gabriel repeated the action and said, “Not sure, I have not seen them since we boarded, and P’yo’tala gave us the safety rundown.”
Nish buzzed, “I think I know why she was so keen to be at sea, and it wasn’t to observe the ocean or the wildlife within it.”
Gabriel looked at her but said nothing. “She wanted to join the mile-out club,” Nish added, trilling as she did.
“Couldn’t that bloody woman at least wait until nighttime,” Gabriel said, shaking his head, “Sometimes I wonder if that’s all she thinks about.”
Returning to the previous line of conversation, Gabriel said, “So, I take it you won’t be joining Risoti, Erilur and me in the swimming portions of the trip.”
“I might dip my toes, but no, you can have all the fun to yourselves,” Nish replied, stepping back as an errant wave splashed the side of the boat, sending spray onto the deck.
***
“You could have gotten us a bigger ship,” Erilur said, lying on her bunk, in their shared bedroom.
“This was the largest one my packaged covered; I wasn’t splurging my entire compensation just so you could eat in a custom kitchen,” Gabriel replied, eating a premade sandwich P’yo’tala provided.
Though sandwich was not accurate, considering its materials were not Terran in origin. Still, it was the best fit, and Gabriel was not learning a million names for moderately different foods.
“You could have told me ahead of time,” Erilur protested, hunched over at the foot of her bed, eating a salad.
“If you had been with us instead of making out with Risoti, you would have known that,” Gabriel countered, shaking his head.
“You’re just jealous,” stated Erilur, shovelling more of her meal into her mouth.
“You are going to choke,” Gabriel said, glancing over at her.
Erilur hissed, but this was not a sign of aggression; instead, it was equivalent to a human rolling their eyes. Gabriel's prophecy came true, though, a chunk of meat went down the wrong hole, and Erilur began to cough.
“I told you!” Gabriel said, standing behind the Ponut’Kild and slapping her back. Luckily for Erilur, the obstruction was removed quickly, and despite the occasional coughing fit, she recovered.
“Quite the softy, aren’t ya,” said Erilur, clearing her throat. “I guess that’s what Nish likes about you, Pista too,” she added.
“I would hope so; one should always endeavour to be kind,” Gabriel said, sitting back down on his bed.
Erilur hissed again.
“What?” Gabriel asked.
“Remember when you asked how someone so smart could do something so stupid?” asked Erilur pointing at her leg.
“Yes,” stated Gabriel.
“Well, right back at you,” Erilur said.
“What are you going on about?” asked Gabriel. He liked people to be straightforward with their questions and statements, not to beat around the bush.
“I pretty sure Nish likes you, you know, like likes you,” Erilur explained, keeping it as simple as possible.
Gabriel stared at her for a few moments before replying, “Impossible; remember she told us that Tufanda do not engage in romantic relationships.”
Erilur snorted and said, “No, she said Tufanda males and females rarely partner, and your not a Tufanda male; I think.”
“Look, before we argue back and forth about technicality, let me shoot the whole thing down with one bulletproof point,” Gabriel said, folding his arms.
“Fine, fire away,” Erilur replied, taking another bite from her dinner.
“Let us just run with what you are saying is true. She is a paradiseworlder, and I am a habitableworlder; I cannot even kiss her without her going into anaphylactic shock. So how would any relationship work?” Gabriel stated.
“That’s that thing some species do where you put your lips together,” pushing her two index fingers together. “I'm sure you two could find a way,” Erilur said, pointing at Gabriel.
Gabriel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before replying, “Erilur, you are reading far too much into it, so just drop it, please.”
Erilur waved her tail from side to side and said, “fine, I’ll drop this conversation, but you can’t deny that you enjoy spending time with her.”
“I never said I didn’t, but that does not automatically make me attracted to her,” Gabriel responded. "You are quite the romantic,” he added; the atmosphere in the room settled quickly once Erilur stopped pushing.
“What can I say? I’m just a little princess who wants to meet my knight in shining armour, one with super smooth brow ridges,” Erilur replied, holding her tail up and chuckling.
“And just like that, you ruined it. I am going back onto the deck before you barrage my ears with more filth,” Gabriel said, finishing the last of his sandwich, getting into his suit and leaving the room to enjoy a relaxing period in decontamination.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
***
Once Erilur was confident that Gabriel could not hear her, she said, “Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel, what happened to you? Why don’t you like letting people in?”
Gabriel might have simply been an extremely private person, but Erilur was not so sure; he seemed to genuinely enjoy his days out with them, even if he was the introverted type. If Erilur was reading him right, Gabriel appeared to be trying his hardest not to get attached.
Not the most unreasonable response, Erilur supposed. There was a good chance they would never see one another after their time on Minagerad. Getting too attached could be painful. Though, judging from the bags under his eyes, there was more to it.
***
“Are you sure it’s safe just to go swimming in the middle of the ocean?” Nish asked, looking at the water and feeling a faint flush of panic over her. She could not see past the waves, and having no knowledge of what was down there, was unnerving.
“I’ve never had any problems before,” P’yo’tala replied, checking the ladder and ensuring it was firmly attached to the boat.
Pista did not share her mother’s concerns and was already equipped with her life jacket and a ring floaty. The Captian tied the floaty to the boat, as Pista was just as inept at swimming as her mother, and it was best if the girl did not float away with the current.
“Never been swimming before,” Pista trilled excitedly, bouncy up and down.
“How do you people wash if you don’t like getting wet?” asked Risoti, doing some stretching before she took the plunge.
“Sand and salt baths,” Nish replied, once again peering over the edge before immediately looking away.
Gabriel was standing behind them when he suddenly got the urge to be spontaneous, rare indeed for him. Giving himself a good stretch, Gabriel ran to the side deck and leapt into the ocean, shouting, “CANONBALLLLLLL.”
Pista squealed in delight while Risoti, Nish and P’yo’tala were astounded that someone so small could make a splash that big.
Erilur gazed out at where Gabriel had made contact with the water. He was under the water for just long enough that Erilur started to grow concerned when he popped up a few metres to the right.
Gabriel looked at Erilur, noticed her body language, and said, “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just, I didn’t know you had it in you; I’m impressed,” Erilur replied, raising her eyelids and lifting her tail.
“Me next,” Pista squealed, trying to copy Gabriel, but Nish grabbed her arms and insisted that she take the ladder.
Pista groaned but knew better than to argue. Gabriel swam towards the ladder to meet her, “Are you sure you can still breathe in that thing?” asked Risoti as she took the plunge.
“Yeah, it’s designed for torrential downpours, not necessarily for salt water, but so long as I don’t spend all day in the ocean, it should be fine,” Gabriel explained, holding out his hand. Pista took it and slowly slid into the sea.
She froze briefly, unsure what to do; this was only the second time she had been in water deeper than her heels. Kicking her legs and feeling the ocean's resistance, she started to trill and splash happily.
“Look, mummy! I’m swimming,” Pista cried, splashing all the more vigorously.
“Very good, Pista,” Nish replied, it did look fun, and she could not deny a small part of her was curious, but it was overwhelmed by the terror.
Erilur joined them in the water, and as she slipped into the blue, Gabriel said, “No petting.”
“What do you take us for?” asked Erilur.
“Horny young adults,” deadpanned Gabriel.
“He’s not wrong,” Risoti told Erilur.
Turning away from them, he asked Pista, “Want to go for a ride around the boat?”
“Yeah,” Pista cried, and Gabriel began pushing her.
“Was the water why you were so excited to come to the beach?” Gabriel asked while Nish watched the whole thing from the boat.
“Umm, yeah,” Pista replied; Gabriel suspected that she had no real reason for her excitement other than that it was new. Kids rarely knew the reasons for their feelings.
“Just like adults,” Gabriel mused.
After making a complete orbit of the sailship, Gabriel looked up at Nish and asked, “care to join us?”
Nish did not respond; she just repeated her glance into the big blue and immediately looked away.
“Come on, Mommy,” Pista called, splashing with all four arms.
Nish did not budge, so Gabriel suggested, after recalling Nish’s earlier statement, “you can always sit down on the swim platform and dip your legs.”
That sounded better; keeping most of her body dry was better and made the whole prospect tolerable.
Nish took a few breaths and very slowly descended the ladder. She could do this; she wanted to do this; that way, Nish could say she had been in the ocean, and all her friends and colleagues would be jealous and impressed.
She would probably leave out the part that her fourteen-year-old daughter had done it before her without a twinge of fear.
Once she was halfway down the ladder, Nish froze; all she could think about was how helpless she would be in the water. Evolution had driven an almost instinctive fear of open water. No Tufanda was born with it, but all it took for a phobia to develop was one moderately bad experience, and you never want to go near the ocean, a lake or river again.
Nish did not know how Pista had escaped the fear once she had fallen into the Vetoru enclosure.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Gabriel reminded her.
“No, I want to,” Nish replied, barely above a whisper.
Gabriel made a decision and hauled himself onto the stern and held out his hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, Nish took it, and she realised that someone could and would help her if she did fall in.
While it did not diminish her fear, it did make it more manageable, and Nish finally reached the bottom and sat down, letting her legs dangle over the swim platform.
“There, not so bad is it,” Gabriel said, returning to the water.
Feeling the warm water lap against her zygodactyl toes, Nish found that deep water was not all bad. She still wasn't going to look at it or swim in it, though, not a chance.
Gabriel saw Pista’s safety line become taught, and he pulled her back to the boat. Rather than be disappointed, she trilled and said, “again.”
Thus began Pista's new favourite game. Gabriel would push her away, and once she reached the maximum extent of the rope, Gabriel would pull her back as hard as he could.
P’yo’tala watched it all from the helm, ensuring his passengers did not do anything stupid. It was not a significant concern, but you could never be too cautious.
Checking the time, they realised it was time to log their position with the coast guard. It was a simple safety procedure but vital if anything should go wrong.
Once they were done, P’yo’tala noticed a dozen objects steadily approaching the boat on the sonar. Checking their laptop, he logged onto Minagerad’s animal tracker. This worldwide system allowed the tourism industry to either find the animals or steer clear of them in the case of more sensitive species.
Once they realised what was coming, P’yo’tala let out a whinny. They removed a bucket from the cupboard they kept near the steering wheel. With their tool firmly in hand, they approached the deck and said, “We’ve got Re’t’gel on the way.”
Gabriel was intrigued about what a Re’t’gel was, mainly because the T in the middle was pronounced with a click. It sounded so exotic.
“What’s that? What is it?” asked Nish, panic creeping in. She removed her feet from the water and sat as far away from the ocean as she could on the swim deck. “Pista, get out,” she told her daughter.
“Don’t worry about it; they're harmless,” P’yo’tala explained. “Better than harmless, very gentle and helpful, known to rescue people lost a sea,” they added, checking that the bucket was full.
“But what if they bite by accident?” Nish countered, tugging on Pista’s safety line, though it was far harder than Gabriel made it seem.
“Wouldn’t matter, they’ve got no teeth, and their jaws couldn’t crush paper,” P’yo’tala replied, mixing the tiny baitfish and small protein blocks in the bucket. If all went to plan, the tourists would get to feed the animals, swim with them, and P’yo’tala would get a five-star review.
“Erilur, Risoti, get over here. You’re not gonna want to miss this!” P’yo’tala cried, trying to get the two lovers back to the boat.
They were in their own little world. However, P’yo’tala tried again, but their voice would not carry far enough to notice.
“Erilur! Get your backsides over here!” Gabriel screamed, causing Nish, Pista and P’yo’tala to cover their ears.
“Coming!” Erilur called back.
“Where did that come from?” asked Nish; how by the desert could someone so small make a noise so big? Every day with this man just gave her something new to be in awe of. She was not sure if it was incredible or exhausting.
Gabriel just shrugged in response; Nish had learned it meant either ignorance or apathy, sometimes a mixture of both.
“Again,” Pista said with a trill.
Gabriel shook his head and replied, “no, it hurts my throat.”
“What? What’s so important?” Risoti asked, bobbing up and down.
“We’ve got visitors coming,” P’yo’tala explained, climbing down the ladder to the swim deck. It was some sight watching a person with five legs move vertically, like a machine moving in a jerky yet precise fashion.
“And there they are,” P’yo’tala added, pointing to a sparkle on the horizon. Gabriel looked; it was hard to tell at first, but the spark grew closer, and he realised that Re’t’gel were leaping from the water, and Gabriel immediately thought of dolphins and porpoise.
As the shapes became more distinct, it was clear they were no dolphins. Over six metres long and nine metres wide, they were more like giant manta rays, their wings allowing them to glide, however briefly, above the waves.
Their skin was counter-shaded, a pale cream underneath, while the upper half was a gorgeous light blue with distorted dark stripes running from wingtip to wingtip.
“They're approaching very fast,” Nish said, edging towards the ladder; Pista, Risoti, and even Erilur and Gabriel were unnerved. Gabriel held onto Pista’s floatation ring, ready to put her on the swim platform if need be.
He did not doubt P’yo’tala’s claims but an animal as large as that did not have to want to hurt someone to do it. Even Gabriel would need to be careful; these Re’t’gel outweighed him by some margin.
Once the animals were about twenty metres from the boat, they stopped leaping and sank beneath the surface. Gabriel dove to get a better look; they circled the vessel, steadily getting closer with each rotation.
It was strange the motion reminded him of sharks while the Re’t’gel themselves were so much like rays that Gabriel's brain could not decide where it was cute or frightening. One of the beasts broke away from the pod and swam directly at Gabriel.
Acting more on instinct than rational thought, Gabriel swam to the surface. Only to find that he did not need to; the Re’t’gel positioned itself underneath him and gently pushed him back to the surface.
Clicks and squeaks erupted from the pod, and they all drew closer. The one that had helped Gabriel surfaced beside him, and Gabriel noticed that it had four eyes, two on the top of its head and two more facing forward.
It was odd, these animals were not predators, or rather they were not active predators, being filter feeders. So why would they have eyes on the tops of their heads rather than underneath to watch for threats?
Even in low gravity, no flying creature would be big and strong enough to haul them out of the water. The Re’t’gel seemed to be able to read Gabriel's mind as the eyes left the body and were now supported on long stalks.
“Retractable eyes, they can be tucked in for efficient travel and extended when looking for something,” Gabriel said as the whale-sized animal started to gum his arm gently.
“Got it in one; you’re quite the detective Gabriel,” P’yo’tala said, throwing a handful of feed into the mouth of one of the animals. “Everyone grab a handful and feed their favourite Torejulk,” they added.
“Our what?” asked Erilur.
“It’s what the Re’t’gel are a type of torejulk,” P’yo’tala explained as Pista grabbed some feed from the bucket.
“Oh, like how a lion is a type of cat,” Gabriel said with a nod. He also took some baitfish and placed them into the mouth of the Re’t’gel that had been kind enough to help him. Its maw was filled with what looked like baleen but was far softer.
“Not sure what a cat or a lion is, but I think I get the principle,” Erilur replied, thinking about some of the animals native to Bosd.
“They’re native to your homeworld, aren’t they?” said Nish, inching closer to the water’s edge. All her previous concerns started to melt away as Nish looked into their adorable eyes; she even took some feed and gave it to the smallest of the pod.
“Another person with a brain in their head,” P’yo’tala said, lying down, stroking one of the Re’t’gel’s heads.
“Got any facts?” asked Risoti, a warm fuzzy feeling welling up in her when she learned the Re’t’gel she was feeding loved to be stroked at the base of the eyestalk. It let out a honking click sound, closing its eyelids in joy.
“They’re invertebrates, got no backbone, though they do have a semi-rigid plate in their torso, sort of like an internal shell,” P’yo’tala explained, trying their best to recall all the facts they gave to tourists.
“Very clever, live in multi-generational pods, led by an alpha male and female who are almost always the eldest, the alpha’s don’t have sole breeding rights. Pods break up when they visit the shallows so they can do some exploring, but they always sleep together,” P’yo’tala added, listing off all the facts he knew as quickly as possible and without much flair. It was evident that they would have made for a poor presenter.
“How long do they live?” asked Erilur, who was attempting to edge her way onto one of Re’t’gel’s backs. It was having none of it, though, every time she got close, they would tilt their whole body, and she would slide right off.
“Don’t pester them; they’re not here to entertain us,” Risoti told her girlfriend, slapping her on the back. She then let out a sigh and added, “I’m starting to get tired. Think I’ll join Nish; she’s got the right idea.”
Risoti struggled to climb onto the swim platform; her little foray into the big blue had taken more from her than she realised. The Re’t’gel were quick to act, however, quicker even than Erilur, and with a gentle but firm push, she was back on dry land… sort of.
“Thank you,” Risoti said to the animal that had helped her, and the Re’t’gel squealed in response. “Can they understand us?” asked Risoti; the answer had been near perfect, if unintelligible.
“No,” replied P’yo’tala, “they're just used to dealing with people. When you say something to them, they just make noises back, look.”
P’yo’tala then strung some random words together, and just as they said, the Re’t’gel replied with more clicks.
Gabriel spent much of the day in the water, interacting with their guests, and to his surprise, the Re’t’gel remained long after the food had run out.
They seemed to enjoy the company of the land dwellers and, considering they were about as intelligent as dolphins, without the psychopathic tendencies. Gabriel guessed it was not unreasonable.
Only when the sun began to set did Gabriel realise he had been in the water for over six hours. With that realisation came his hunger, and he reluctantly hauled himself from the ocean. As he looked back to the Re’t’gel, who Gabriel could have sworn looked disappointed he was leaving, but perhaps he was anthropomorphising.
As he climbed the ladder, he realised something else as well. Gabriel had had fun, not just entertainment or interest; he had been genuinely happy for the first time in who knows how long.
And it disgusted him.