Earthrise by Craig Delancey

Author:Craig Delancey [Delancey, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Military
Amazon: B01N2MWMB2
Barnesnoble: B01N2MWMB2
Publisher: 496 Perfect Number Press
Published: 2016-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

“Speak,” the Rinneret said again.

Margherita could understand nothing about this. She didn’t know why the man was angry. She didn’t know what his “guest” was, or what “weaponized” meant, or what happened to Neelee-ornor. She was going to fail, and this dreadful shining Rinneret was going to deliver her over to a slow and horrible death as some kind of target practice.

“Why does the human speak of a reproductive emergency?” the red Rinneret asked. “This is what I do not understand.”

Margherita held her breath. Could she be that lucky? The Rinneret didn’t understand human swear words?

“It.” She coughed, took a sip from the water dispenser in her helmet, and started again. “It is a way of speaking. It does not refer to sex. To reproduction. Not really. It shows anger.”

“Sex is an angry act for humans?”

“No,” she said. “It’s just that....” But then she failed. Why did people talk about sex when angry? It really didn’t make sense. For the first time, humans seemed alien to her. “No. I guess it’s just... saying something that shouldn’t be said, to show anger.”

“Strange,” the red Rinneret said. “Listen to more.”

It played the rest of the message. The man on the screen raged, till finally his face did begin to turn red. Then the recording stopped.

“Explain,” Six Traveler demanded.

Her voice squeaked twice before she managed to say, stalling for time, “Can you tell me which part is, uh, which part is unclear to you?”

“Why does this human say that he will have sexual relations with me, but also tell me not to have sexual relations with him? Also, what is Oz? Also, why does he claim I have had sexual relations with him already? And, why does he claim that he cannot feel pain but that I can feel pain?”

Margherita stared up at the Rinneret a long time, her mouth hanging open. Finally, her heart began to slow, quieting from a fearful hammering to an urgent beat. Then she laughed. She laughed while she cried. The Rinneret didn’t need her to explain the stuff she didn’t understand. It needed her to explain the normal human stuff. She could do this. The Rinneret understood nothing about humans, about the simple stuff. What it needed to know were the things that even she could explain. She was going to be all right. At least for now, she was going to be all right.

“Explain,” the Rinneret demanded again.

“The man is angry. Sometimes, people use that word not just for... sex, but when they are angry.”

“What does it mean to be angry? It seems different for a human.”

“It means he feels... driven to... strike back at you.”

“But his claims are irrational. His interests will be hurt if he attempts to attack us.”

“Right,” she said. “But because he’s angry he’s not thinking of that. He’s thinking of getting back at you. Only that.”

“Yes. Understood. This is what he means when he says he cannot feel pain, but I can?”

“Well.... Yes. He’s saying, um, not really that you cannot hurt him.

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