good storm would finish us.”
“Sounds like it wouldn’t react well to the cold, either.”
“That’s not a factor. No planetery atmosphere is colder than space. But the movement and
variation of the wind and moisture would make it difficult. We could take off and land
someplace quickly, maybe, if there was a known destination. I could make some calculations.”
“Never mind, Vin. I didn’t really want to risk the ship.”
“It might be useful to create a matrix of the ships outward capabilities in extreme scenarios.
I’ll make some calculations.”
“Go ahead. Let me know when you’re done.”
“I will.”
And I left him to his work, happy that I’d given my droid, at least, some level of emotional
satisfaction. I wandered back towards the aft of the Jones where the sleeping quarters lurked. It
was time to discuss the day’s work with the Faces.
{Heh.. The Faces. That’s funny}
Oh, you’re back.
{I never left. But I know what you mean. Yes.}
Good, because I’m going to need you.
I knocked, and this time Dark-Face answered. Pale-Face was sitting on the side of the bed,
and the girl was lying on it. He was chanting in a language I did not understand, and the girl was
chanting right along with him, with her eyes closed. I watched them go through whatever
mantra/prayer they were intoning, and after a while it became clear that this wasn’t invoking
anything, but almost… programming. Norl helped me with that intuition.
{Really, I just helped draw it out. You were already having it.}
Stop.
{Stop what?}
Being all agreeable, it’s unnerving.
{Okay, if you want…}
Never mind.
I looked at Dark-Face, but he seemed entirely drawn in to the ritual, mumbling with his lips,
eyes glazed upward. How he had opened the door while continuing to incant seemed very
mysterious, but on a moment’s reflection, and possibly at Norl’s suggestion, it seemed like the
sort of thing these star-cult-mentalists would of course be able to do. So what they’re doing now
- this weird mind washing on this barely-growing girl - is of course the sort of thing that they’d
do. And yet…
I walked up to Pale-Face, waved my hand in front of him for a moment, and kicked him in
the shins. Hard.
{Hahahahahaha!}
Funny, right?
{I did not see that coming. And I’m in your head.}
Not as well as you could be.