“Yanna?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t mean to be rude or to offend anyone, but can you tell me why these boys are following you?”
Yanna shrugged. “They are of age and are in training.”
“Training?”
“Yes. It’s the same for all Maldonian males who meet the criteria.”
“Criteria? I amsoconfused.”
Yanna laughed, a bright, young and cheerful sound without a care in the world. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Zoldana will explain it all. She’s marvelous. A fantastic overseer. You’ll see.”
Olivia glanced back at the boys quietly following them, backs straight and attention focused on her young guide. “I guess I will.”
They walked a short distance then stepped on a section of the walkway that was slightly glowing an off-pink color. They lifted off immediately and began moving. Apparently, this was a barely visible people mover of sorts, and it whisked them several hundred meters in no time at all. As with the rest of the impressive tech, Olivia didn’t feel a thing, as if she’d not moved at all.
“This way,” Yanna urged, guiding her guest into a slender, tall building.
They stopped in the middle of an illuminated circle. Olivia had a pretty good idea what this was before it lifted them off the ground and carried them up to the upper level, the ride in the clear-walled structure affording them a lovely view the whole way up. This wasn’t the tallest building by a long shot, but it wasseparated from the other larger structures by a bit, affording a clear view in all directions.
Yanna stepped off the disc and led the way to the only door on the topmost floor. It wasn’t really a door, but more of a colored section of wall that simply vanished when the young woman held her hand to it.
“Ah, Olivia. Please, come in,” Overseer Zoldana called out to her guest. “Thank you, Yanna. That will be all.”
“Overseer,” she replied with a little bow, then turned and left, her entourage close behind.
Olivia stepped inside, the door sealing behind her. It was a bright, open space, the ceiling and walls all seeming to be non-existent, though she knew they appeared solid from the outside. Zoldana was seated in a large, comfortable chair, a bowl of fruit in front of her, including one that looked familiar, akin to a clump of berries pressed together. Zoldana followed her gaze, picking one up and offering it to her guest.
“Boodzin pod? They are quite restorative.”
“I’ve seen those before,” Olivia replied, accepting the tart fruit. “I found some near a water source.”
“Yes, one of the species the Dotharian Conglomerate has seeded on inhabitable worlds.”
“Seeded?”
“I forget, this isallnew to you. There is much for you to learn. For instance, the practice of establishing nutrient-dense crops on all worlds capable of supporting life. While not all may excel in their pursuits, it is a core tenet that none should go hungry. Thus, anyone can gather enough food for sustenance if they but put in the effort.”
“Surprisingly noble of a government. Back on my world, you can’t get anyone to do anything that might help someone with different beliefs, even if it hurts your own constituents.”
Zoldana chuckled. “Yes, lesser governments throughout the galaxy behave as such. Factions are nothing new. This world is a prime example. A way station with settlements of dozens of races, each separated, though most do interact peacefully. Still, there are some rabble rousers amongst them willing to cause a stir at the slightest provocation. They are ruled by an awful sort of governance, but above even them is the Dotharian Conglomerate, and they dare not run afoul of them.”
“What is the Dotharian Conglomerate, exactly?”
“A powerful, benevolent oversight governance that encompasses many hundreds of inhabitable systems, along with hundreds of thousands that are uninhabitable but contain resources in the form of raw materials. All worlds within that space must abide by Dotharian laws. Such as the one dictating all must possess the requisite runes, which you will be receiving from our Skrizzit shortly.”
“The man I met yesterday, right? Niyellow?”
“Nijello,” Zoldana corrected. “Yes, he is the one in charge of applying the Dotharian runes.”
“Well, I suppose alien ink will make an interesting story if I ever get back home,” Olivia said, accepting her fate. She’d have new tattoos, and alien ones at that.
“Oh, it is not ink. It is a living, symbiotic pigment. One that has absorbed the power of the stars and been condensed and purified until ready for application. There are a variety of colors and potencies, some exceptionally strong.”
“Hang on.Livingink?”
