Far Enough by Fletcher DeLancey

Author:Fletcher DeLancey [DeLancey, Fletcher]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw
Publisher: Heartsome Publishing
Published: 2020-11-24T23:00:00+00:00

4

Confession

Comfortably ensconced in the window seat, Salomen rested her back against the wall and propped the reader card on her bent knees. Andira had long ago installed a tiny program on this card that enabled single-tap calls. She tapped it now and waited, her heart beating at an unreasonable rate.

Andira appeared on the screen, a delighted smile already on her face. “Tyrina! You’ve had a good day.”

“I have.” She pressed a hand over her heart, hoping to slow it. “Dear goddess, it’s good to see you. I miss you.”

The smile grew. “I’ll never complain about that. You feel like you want to crawl through that reader card to get here. Should I go away more often?”

“Please don’t.”

She tilted her head, regarding Salomen thoughtfully. “What’s happening? All day long, I was enjoying your higher spirits. You’ve felt better today than since the whole mess began. Now something’s wrong.”

“Not wrong, just—I owe you an apology,” she said, rushing out the words. “I’ve not been fair to you. In my defense, I never really understood what it cost you, but—” She stopped, finally registering Andira’s rising confusion. “But you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“No. Tell me.”

“Well, you know I think better when I’m active.”

Andira nodded; it was something they had in common.

“I took Lhyn hiking today. Up to Tumalo Peak.”

“Salomen, that’s wonderful! You finally went for a real trail walk!” Her brows drew together, then rose as she laughed. “Hold on, you dragged our poor scholar up to Tumalo Peak? Is she still breathing?”

Her laughter was contagious, bubbling through Salomen’s body as well as the reader card. “I did tease her about that, but do you know what she said? She told me that when she goes back to Allendohan, she’s stronger than almost anyone there. Remember how Allendohan is on the low end of the gravity range for Gaians?”

This was one of the more fascinating aspects of meeting aliens: discovering that all planets seeded by Gaian life were in the same general range of gravity. A small difference in gravity made a big difference in physiology, and Allendohan had one of the lowest gravities in the Protectorate. Alsea would be considered slightly above the standard.

“She left when she was barely seventeen,” Salomen continued. “Her body wasn’t finished growing yet. When she started school on Dothanor Prime, she thought she’d die of exhaustion. She was completely alone, on a new planet, and adapting to higher gravity, all while taking advanced classes.”

Andira rested her chin on a fist, listening intently. “Why didn’t I know this?”

“Because she’d rather watch and learn about other people than talk about herself.”

“Words for Fahla. So she talked more about herself on the hike?”

In truth, they both had.

“She said that because her body finished maturing in higher gravity, she developed denser bones and stronger musculature. It would probably have reverted if she’d gone back home to live, but she never did. She’s just gotten stronger. When she visits now, she has the strength of a man twice her size. Better endurance, too.

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