Stellarnet Rebel by J.L. Hilton

Author:J.L. Hilton
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2012-10-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“If you ever get lost… Belloc? Belloc!”

“An—” Belloc stopped himself from speaking Glinnish and replied, “Yes.”

“I said, if you ever get lost,” Duin tapped the wall, “touch anywhere, like this.” A map of the colony appeared. “You understand maps, don’t you?”

Belloc was trying to watch J’ni and listen to Duin at the same time. He wasn’t doing either very well, because the humans kept distracting him. There were so many. He thought the Glin were numerous on Wandalin, but that was a trickle compared to the ocean of beings here, pouring past him, moving, swirling, rushing around him. Many had pictures on their skin and clothes, and to Belloc’s wonderment, some of the pictures moved. And their colors—they weren’t patterned like Glin, but their hair, eyes and clothing were every color he’d ever seen, and some he hadn’t. A few had clothes, hair or skin designs that were the same color as Belloc. No Glin was his color. Not even his mother.

Duin punched him in the arm to get his attention.

“Guh?” Belloc said, and heard the translation from the device tucked into the front of his suit. He repeated the Earth word. “What?”

“Do you understand maps?” Duin would only speak to him in English. He said Belloc would learn faster that way. “I know you can’t read this language, yet, but you can use the translator if you need to. Look here.”

Belloc stared at a human who had several silver spikes sprouting from his face.

The elder Glin grabbed Belloc by the back of the head and shoved his nose to the wall. “That little blue dot is where we are standing in relation to the rest of the colony.” Duin pointed at the dot on the wall, near the tip of Belloc’s nose. “These lines are the hallways and thoroughfares, and this square is the Colony Square. See these here? Those are the letters and numbers of the sectors and blocks around us.”

“There are so many,” Belloc said in Glinnish.

“Yes, well, that’s why I’m showing this to you. One thoroughfare looks much like another. I didn’t know how to use the walls when I first arrived and I spent a lot of time being lost. Look, you can also do this—” he moved his fingers over the wall, “—and get a keyboard and a prompt. Type my name or J’ni’s to contact one of us. I’m spelled D-U-I-N. She is spelled G-E-N-E-V-I… never mind. Just remember D-U-I-N. Go on, touch the letters.”

Belloc touched the symbols on the wall as he was shown and Duin’s bracer chimed. When Duin lifted his forearm level with his face, an image of him also appeared on the wall. Belloc touched the picture of Duin. The picture moved when Duin moved, which surprised Belloc and he pulled his hand away.

“My bracer has a camera.” Duin pointed to a spot on his device, and for a moment his image disappeared from the wall. When Duin moved his finger away, his image reappeared.

“Camera.” Belloc repeated the Earth word.

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