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Tinaya has done something unusual, but it’s not illegal. It’s a bit of a
gray area when it comes to her son, because he can’t consent to the link,
but as long as they don’t perform a medical procedure, there shouldn’t be a
problem. That’s how Tinaya and Arqut made their connection to each other.
It’s called a spatio-temporal tether, and just as it says on the tin, it
connects two people spatially and temporally. There are different kinds,
though. The two of them have the most intense version, and their respective
tethers to little Silveon are somewhere in the middle. If he’s ever lost in
space and-or time, Tinaya will automatically travel to that location with
him, no matter what method is used, even if he grows up, and does it on
purpose. Arqut, meanwhile, will know when and where they went, and can make
efforts to bring them back, should they need it. Or he can send himself off
to join them. If either Arqut or Tinaya is transported somewhere, the other
will become cognizant of their partner’s location for retrieval or reunion,
while Silveon will remain safely wherever he is. They obviously decided to
do this after Arqut’s disappearance, which neither of them wants to happen
again. But the rest of their family isn’t sure they agree with how extreme
they took it.
Arqut and Tinaya joined together in something called a lifelink, which
connects two individuals on a biological level. Not only will they always be
able to find each other across spacetime, but what happens to one will
happen to the other. If she gets a paper cut, so will he. If he gets the
flu, she’ll start to suffer as well. When it comes time for one of them to
die, the other will succumb as well, even if they are otherwise perfectly
healthy. This is a fairly rare dynamic that only the strongest of bonds—or
the most reckless of ones—have led to. You really only wanna do it if both
partners are at about the same age, and neither one’s daily life is
particularly dangerous. There’s also a rigorous evaluation process, which
even the Captain and Superintendent had to go through. They have chosen to
keep it a secret from the crew and the passengers for now, but everyone will
figure it out eventually when they keel over dead at the same time.
This is a risky situation, because it will leave their child alone,
regardless of the circumstances of death, which explains why they haven’t
told very many people about it. At the moment, should something unfortunate
happen while Silveon is still too young to care for himself, their families
will obviously take up the responsibility. The law will accept and honor
this. But it’s time for them to come up with a real plan, and select at
least one designated guardian. They actually have two in mind, but as these
two are not in a relationship with each other, it may take some convincing.
Arqut’s half sister is fully 29 years younger than him. His mom did not have
a tether to her husband, so after he died, she was able to live on, and fall
in love again. She and her new beau never got married, but they had a
daughter together. Zefbiri and Arqut are not the closest of siblings, due to
the huge age gap, but they love and trust each other. They’re just at such
different stages of their life, so she feels more like a daughter, or maybe
a niece, to him than anything. She’s currently unattached, though that could
change in the future. One reason they would like to select her as one of
Silveon’s designated guardians is that she already knows the truth about
Verdemus. While Omega and Valencia are both immortal, they are also really
busy and unreliable. A team has to be responsible for the Nexa at all times,
so knowledge of it must be passed down the generations, just like every
other system on the ship. Zefbiri is currently in the process of learning
every square micrometer of this building. She’s here now, doing her thing,
but she has time for a break.
“Have you met Niobe Schur?” They’re sitting in the Nexus cavity at the
moment for lunch. People aren’t really supposed to eat in here, but as long
as they’re not sloppy, it should be fine, or really even then. This machine
was designed to transport people across millions of light years. A little
salad dressing shouldn’t be able to do any damage.
“Uh, I’ve heard of her,” Zefbiri replies. “We’ve never met, though.” She
takes a second bite of her sandwich. She doesn’t know what this conversation
is about yet.
Tinaya switches breasts for Silveon, which she doesn’t typically have to do
this early in the feeding process. Hopefully there’s nothing wrong with her
supply. “Well, we would like you to meet her today. We’ve already time
mirrored her, but we were hoping to make a holo-call. I believe it’s her
dinner time.”
“Sure, that’s fine. The more the merrier, as the Earthans say,” Zefbiri
decides.
Arqut taps on the control tablet, and initiates the call. Niobe is suddenly
sitting next to them. “You started without me?”
“Sorry,” Tinaya replies.” Silvy was impatient.”
Niobe smiles. “It’s fine. So, what’s up?” She sits down at her own table
“Are you alone on your end by chance?”
“Vaska,” Niobe calls up towards the control room as she’s starting to
stretch. “Vaska!” She has her hands against the back of her head, and she’s
pulling her muscles apart as far as they can possibly go. “Get out!”
There is no way to know if Vaska really has left, or if anyone else is
lurking. A crowd of a dozen people could be watching them in secret from
outside the perimeter of the cavity, and as long as they stayed quiet, the
people on the call from the ship would never be able to tell. They have to
trust Niobe, which is why they’re here. Tinaya leans her chin forward like a
baby bird so Arqut can slip her some soup. She likes to keep hold of her
baby with both arms while he’s nursing. “Listen, we brought you two
together, because we ain’t gettin’ any younger. Arqy used to be older than
me, that’s how crazy the world we live in is. Anything could happen at any
moment. Zef already knows this, but I need to explain to you, Niobe, that he
and I are linked. We will both die at the same time, and since we had this
little guy when we were so old, there’s a chance that he’ll still be quite
young when that happens.”
“You two are also young, but old enough to care for a child,” Arqut
continues. “The only question is if you would be willing to take on that
responsibility, should the need arise within the next couple of decades. We
would like to ask you both to agree to be Silveon’s designated guardians. I
know it’s a lot. How do you feel about it?”
Niobe was setting up her meal, but she stops short. Zefbiri stopped eating
when Tinaya started talking, but she still had the sandwich in her hand. She
unwittingly loosens her grip too much, and it falls to the floor. She
doesn’t notice it right away, but then she looks down, and freaks out. “Oh
my God. No, I’m sorry.” She desperately reaches down, and begins to put the
pieces back together. “I promise, I would never drop your baby. Oh my God,
no!” She’s even more desperate now, trying to wipe up every bit of mustard.
“Zef. Zef.” Arqut gently takes her by the wrist, and lifts it up.
“The sandwich isn’t a metaphor for our baby. It’s all right. Relax.”
“I’m sorry,” Zefbiri still isn’t really getting that the food accident has
nothing to do with their decision.
“Really, don’t worry.” Arqut pauses for a moment. “So, is that a yes? Do you
want to be Silveon’s guardian?”
Zefbiri looks over at Niobe, who is still in shock. “Are we a package deal?”
“No,” Tinaya answers. “We wanted to ask you together, but if only one of you
wants to sign the papers, that’s okay. Please look into your own hearts, and
decide for yourselves.”
Niobe lets out a prolonged squeak, like someone with sleep paralysis who’s
screaming in their head, but barely audible in the real world. “I would be
honored,” she finally manages to articulate.
“Yeah!” Tinaya shouts. She high-fives Arqut. “One down, one to go! Give me
some soup.” She accepts another sip off the spoon.
“Okay,” Zefbiri begins. “I don’t want this to sound like I’m being
ungrateful, or anything, but if she and I are going to be in this together,
then I think it only makes sense that we meet each other for real. I mean,
when something happens—if!” She corrects herself. “If something
happens, then either I’m going to move to Verdemus, or—”
“You’re going to move to Verdemus,” Niobe decides without discussion.
Zefbiri turns her head back away from her, and tries to work it out in her
head. “Right. I would move there,” she agrees, seemingly not knowing the
logic in that, but not wanting to be a contrarian.
“Actually, Niobe,” Tinaya says. “As complicated as it is with you not being
on the Extremus manifest, we could figure out how to swing that. What we
can’t do is let the dead Captain’s son mysteriously disappear forever
without an explanation. You would have to come live here instead. Given this
clarification, if you feel the need to change your answer, we totally
understand. We chose you both...despite your current interstellar
disassociation, because we love and trust you both. That was our only
concern when we were making the list, who do we think could handle this
responsibility? Others fit the bill, and live at the same place, but
the problem with them is that they’re...”
“Of the older persuasion,” Arqut finishes her thought for her again.
“Exactly,” Tinaya confirms. “You two are of the perfect age.”
Niobe stands back up, and starts to pace around, occasionally stepping out
of the bounds of the holographic cameras. “I’m still in,” she eventually
says, “but if that’s a requirement, then I think I should just move here
now, and establish myself as preexisting member of society. We wouldn’t want
me to show up on day one, and have the Extremusians question who the hell I
am, and where I came from. Like you said, we would need to make an identity
for me, but that’s better done now than later.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Arqut replies. “We just didn’t want to throw too
much at you. We’re already asking so much.”
“No, it’s everything I ever wanted.”
They all look back at Zefbiri, who has yet to give them an official answer.
“Okay, so I thought I would feed two birds with one worm, but I
still...I...”
“What is it?” Arqut asks.
“I’m still hoping to go to check out Verdemus. I’ve always wanted to go.”
Her gaze switches uncomfortably between Tinaya and Arqut, and the floor.
Arqut chuckles. “I think that can be arranged, sister.”
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