“I do not believe that,” Regi said. “However, Vk abandoned her home world because among her people partnerships are mandatory and she did not wish to enter one. I would never dishonor her by even having a discussion about the subject.”
Minait relaxed. “So it is respect for her rather than distress over her form.” She nodded. “I apologize for the misunderstanding. Yet I find myself grateful that we are able to have it. I have missed you and have worried about you for many years, my son.”
Regi's feelings are more complex than just missing his parents. He had missed them. With a deep and aching pain, he had missed them. But he'd also wanted to escape their judgment, and he had hated that he'd always felt as though he was not a priority, and now he felt guilty that he hadmisunderstood his mother in such a fundamental way. He offered the only truth he possessed. “I'm glad we're back in touch.”
His mother smiled.
A temple exalted ran across the uneven ground, almost tripping over a tuft of grass before calling, “Exalteds, you must come.”
Minait’s voice was sharp when she demanded, “What is it?”
“I'm not sure, but all the exalteds are asked for. There is something wrong with the ship we pursue. The captain has ordered silence on the comms for fear of panic. Some whisper treachery and others of the gods' blessings. Come quickly.”
Regi bolted toward the debating rooms. Minait followed, and other exalteds rushed in the same direction.
Unsurprisingly, the largest room—other than the one reserved for voting—rang with voices, and Regi hurried inside. He knew very few of these exalteds and liked none he knew by name so he asked a random Kowri standing near a viewscreen, “What's happening?”
The Kowri gestured to the viewscreen with the unfamiliar Kowri equations. It took Regi several minutes to realize Bekdi’s ship had slowed to a dead stop and several of the readings suggested massive energy expenditures.
Jeheni a’Gavd charged up to him, his hair standing on end. “Did you say that your goddess navigated you toward a black hole?”
The question sent a spike of fear through Regi. He studied the equations floating atop a chart with symbols for various planets and asteroids and magnetic fields, but he could see no black holes. The fear eased enough for him to answer, “I did. That is where we found the ship that the Coalition crew navigated to the Kowri world. Our original ship was pulled into the black hole and utterly destroyed.”
“She is the goddess of poisons. Death is her domain,” one of the other Kowri said.
Jeheni whirled around, and Regi thought he might yell at the one who had said that, but he charged out of the room with the demeanor of a freio, albeit a rather old and lame one.
Minait came to Regi’s side. She whispered to him, “Some of the others are speaking of a terrible danger, but I cannot read star charts. What's going on?”
“I'm not sure,” Regi admitted. Ter would be much more competent when it came to reading an unfamiliar star chart using uncommon scientific notations. Regi barely remembered his star navigation classes during his Temple years, despite being diligent in his studies because he planned to serve Gavd. “It's as if they are shunting energy the way one might shunt heat if the engines were overproducing.” Regi froze. He studied the numbers again and then reached for his communicator before he remembered that Vk had been denied a communicator because she was not Kowri.
He grabbed the first Kowri who lacked the sacred animal insignia to mark them as an exalted and ordered him to get the outsider with the very large nose and bring her.
The Kowri, barely old enough to be out of his Temple years, looked at him in shock. “An outsider? Here?”
“Divashi is involved, and Kowri lives are in danger. Get her. Now.” Regi gave the messenger a push toward the door, and the young male sprinted out. Regi had to hope he would follow orders because Regi had no time to fetch Vk. He had to get to the captain, and he needed his mother's assistance to convince the captain they were all in grave danger.
“Who is in charge of operations?” Regi asked his mother.
“Jeheni,” Minait answered.
Regi winced. But wishing did not change the nature of the universe. He had to move forward with the reality in front of him.
“Where would he be during this crisis?” The numbers from the ship suggested they had very little time, and it appeared this ship had increased its velocity, meaning they would soon be in the same danger.
His mother took one look at his face and pulled him through the crowd of Kowri studying the various screens and debating what madness might inspire the captain of Bekdi’s ship to engage in such behavior.
Sprinting, Minait headed down the corridor leading to various temple offices to the end where an orange door marked a critical section with limited access. She pressed her hand against the scanner and said, “Minait a’Otutha de Rioa a’Setir qee Qinqa e Cinkegu with critical information regarding the will of the gods. I am demanding access.”
She didn’t request access; she demanded it. Regi knew enough about etiquette on Kowri ships to know that would be an abiding insult if her suit was judged less than vital. Hopefully Jeheni would not choose to take offense.
The door clicked open revealing a bridge not dissimilar to one might find on a Coalition ship. The duty stations were smaller because they did not have to accommodate the massive size of some aliens, and there were far more stations, but that was the only functional difference. However, the room was, like most of the ship, decorated with carvings of sacred animals and vines. In the center of the room was the central common station with holographic displays tracking equations and charts.
“Why are you here?” Jeheni demanded from the command station. He kept his gaze on the central display which appeared to show the declining energy readings for Bekdi’s ship.
“We believe we know what has happened to the other ship,” Minait said, and then she ceded the floor to Regi.
Regi squared his shoulders. “There is an enemy of the Coalition known as the Belfin Realm.”
