Ascending - James Alan Gardner [98]
“Lajoolie,” I said, “please carry my jacket for me; I do not wish to wear it now, but I shall put it on before we make contact with the Cashlings.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Aarhus asked. “Cashlings are quick to take offense, and we really don’t want to piss them off. Maybe we should let someone else talk to them.”
“If you are afraid to confront them,” I said, “you may remain behind. I can find the rear transport bay without your assistance; I have been there once before.”
Aarhus made a face. “All I’m saying is that talking to these guys will take tact and diplomacy.”
“I am excellent at tact and diplomacy. Let us go.”
I strode off down the hall with dauntless determination. Lajoolie fell in behind me, and Nimbus drifted along as well, nestling baby Starbiter in the midst of his mist.
With a heavy sigh, Sergeant Aarhus joined our little procession.
19
WHEREIN I ENCOUNTER MORE ALIENS…AND THEY ARE NOT NICE
The Drawbacks Of Photosynthesis
Moving through the corridors was a Buoyant Experience. At first, I thought this was simply the result of renewed health and purpose; but then I realized my step was lighter because I was lighter. Gravity aboard the ship had begun to diminish…and though I could not leap impossibly long distances, I certainly possessed more spring than usual. This was a most interesting experience, and it kept me amused (bounce, bounce, bounce!) all the way to the transport bay.
By the time we got to our destination, Festina had arrived too. This is an excellent trait in a Faithful Sidekick: anticipating where you will be and attending upon you. Of course, Festina feigned surprise to see me, and pretended she had merely come to await the people who had taken Hemlock in tow…but that is what she had to say, because an important navy admiral cannot admit she feels lost and lonely without her very best friend.
Uclod was in the transport bay too, which meant that he and Lajoolie found it necessary to have a tender reunion. Their whisperings and touchings proved most vexatious, so I turned my back on them in a very pointed manner; but Festina, Aarhus, and Nimbus were no more amusing than the Divians, because Festina wanted to be told how Nimbus had induced baby Starbiter to cry for help. This led to much repetitious talk about outreach crusades and why it was not at all wrong for the cloud man to tickle his daughter…which was very quite boring, because I had heard it already.
My only recourse was to walk around the bay on my own, occasionally muttering in the hope someone would ask if I had achieved a brilliant insight. No one took notice at all, which made me annoyed and irritable…but just as I was about to berate them for their churlish lack of attention, the heat of my anger turned to spinning dizziness and I sat down hard on the floor.
Oof.
Living on light is a fine thing indeed, but it is not enough to sustain substantial activity. This explains why plants do not perform hand-springs. (That and the fact that plants have no hands.) I still carried an armload of glow-wands, but the energy they provided was not enough to keep me going if I persisted in moving about.
“Are you all right, Oar?” Festina called from somewhere behind me.
“I am fine,” I said, forcing my voice to be strong. “I am simply…” For a moment, I could not think of a suitable excuse why I might have thumped down hard on the deck; but then I caught sight of the rainbow-colored hemlock tree painted on the wall not far from me. “I am simply contemplating the art,” I said—because I did not want the others to treat me as a tottery invalid who could not participate in important activities.
“All right,” Festina called. “You enjoy the art.”
That is easy for her to say, I thought. The tree on the wall was not enjoyable in any way. For True Artistic Merit, a painting should have dried globs of pigment protruding from the surface so that viewers can pick