As the birds, mammals, reptiles, and other creatures filed out of the vast theater, the visiting Lyceum members sat quietly, most of them slowly becoming aware that they had just witnessed something greater than anything that had ever happened on their little planet.
The older ones, and Brother Chad, pondered the beauty and grandeur of the music and dance they had beheld with their own ears and eyes.
Kenneth and Marsha continued to hold hands, and even though they wouldn’t claim to understand what they had just seen and heard, they knew, looking into each other’s eyes, that something wonderful had just begun between them.
The young ones all sat with thoughtful expressions, sometimes frowns, slowly realizing they had glimpsed things that didn’t fit into their previous assumptions about the universe.
Malcolm was tired and ready to go home.
The quiet was broken when Mati and Rini, laughing and chatting, entered the visitors’ box from the rear and immediately grabbed plates and began picking over the goodies on the tables.
The other members of the crew rose and joined them, happy to be all together again. That prompted Ashley, Sarah, Shawn, and Liberty to do the same. Soon everyone was milling about, nibbling on finger foods or sipping fruit juices.
Several Lyceum members put questions to the tall, golden-haired man, or
NEBADOR Book Seven: The Local Universe 231
to Ilika and his crew.
In reply, they received only smiles.
As Boro munched on some tasty snacks and listened to others talking, he noticed that none of the Lyceum people ever mentioned the thousands of colored lights, or the little white light.
The return journey to the Lost Forest Heliport was quick and easy, piloted by Mati, with Rini glad to be back at his watch station. Night had settled over the land, and the pathway lights sparkled in every garden.
After saying good night to their thoughtful passengers, the crew settled around the table. Ilika quickly made six mugs of tea.
“That little white light,” Boro began, “that was Jenny, wasn’t it?”
Mati and Rini both nodded while sipping tea.
“Too bad we couldn’t bring her back with us,” Kibi said.
Ilika laughed. “She has another path now.”
Mati nodded. “Coming to that performance was a special deal, only possible because . . . you know . . . she wrote it.”
Rini chuckled. “Even though she was brand new there, it just wouldn’t have been fair to not let her attend.”
Boro took a moment to compose his question. “Ilika . . . why couldn’t they see . . . Jenny and the other spirits?”
Their captain took a slow breath before he answered. “By living and working in Nebador, we are being changed, Boro. We are gaining abilities that are extremely rare among people who live on planets. I think Rebecca, Rachael, Sarah, and maybe Malcolm, caught some glimpses. Lyceum is the natural gathering place of the gifted and talented on this planet. Even so, Arantiloria had to help them see the little gifts of light that Jenny gave them.”
Everyone fell silent as they sipped tea and pondered Ilika’s words, the sights and sounds of Jenny’s symphony, and their first visit to Kerusemia, the local universe capital.
Eventually Boro yawned. “Can we go home now . . . I mean . . . maybe after a good night’s sleep?”
“No,” Sata replied.
Everyone looked at her.
NEBADOR Book Seven: The Local Universe 232
“I noticed on my console on the way back, something’s been added to the mission. We have to pick someone up in three and a half days. I haven’t looked up the coordinates, but it’s on this continent.”
Kibi looked at Ilika.
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind three more days at Lyceum.”
“Swimming pool!” Boro declared.
“Gardens!” Rini chose.
“Library!” Sata added.
“Right now, I’m sleepy,” Kibi announced.
“I’m
with
her,” Ilika said.
Mati laughed and started collecting empty mugs.
The crew of the Manessa Kwi didn’t awaken in time to have breakfast with the members of Lyceum, but eventually made their way along the carpeted, glass-walled corridors toward the cafeteria.
They were almost to the main lobby when a familiar face approached, going in the opposite direction, with a small duffle bag over one shoulder.
Make-up hid most of her scars.
“Hi, Ilika!” Ashley greeted. “Hi, everybody!”
The crew gathered around her. “Where are you headed?” Boro asked to make conversation.
“I
finally don’t have any medical check-ups for an entire week, so I’m going home to visit my parents and friends, see how Jenny’s mom is doing, stuff like that.”
“We have to go in three days,” Ilika informed her.
Ashley’s face became sad. “So . . . this could be the last time I see you guys.”
She set down her travel bag and hugged each of them, Ilika last and longest. When she finally stood alone again, her face was wet and her make-up ruined. “Please come back and visit when you can.”
“We will,” Ilika assured, “but it might be a while.”
“Our missions are getting harder . . . and longer,” Sata shared.
Ashley nodded, picked up her bag, and continued on toward the heliport.
Kibi took Ilika’s hand and squeezed it. “She’s a strong one.”
NEBADOR Book Seven: The Local Universe 233
“Yes,” he agreed, watching Ashley walk with confidence into the crowded lobby of the recreation center. “Shall we . . . go find some breakfast?”
The following day, Ilika and Kibi were strolling, hand in hand, along one of the trails through the woods, when two people appeared ahead, jogging toward them.
Kibi
grinned.
Liberty, in the lead, began walking to slow her breathing. Shawn did the same at her side.
“We hear . . . you guys are . . . leaving soon,” Shawn said between gasps of air.
“Yes, in two days,” Ilika confirmed.
They all found tree roots or rocks to perch on.
“This girl is so good for me,” Shawn began. “Can you believe . . . I have never gone running, or camping, or anything else challenging, with my dad.”
Ilika chuckled. “Your dad doesn’t seem like the kind of person who likes challenges.”
“He likes to be in control! ” Shawn verified.
Kibi blinked. “I heard he might go to prison.”
Shawn nodded. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but . . . I think it might be good for him.”
After a moment of silence, Liberty spoke for the first time. “Thank you, Kibi.”
“Um . . . you’re welcome . . . for what?”
The taller girl smiled. “For loving Ilika, so I’d realize that Shawn was the best possible boy for me.”
Kibi nodded with sparkling eyes.
“When the evaluation week first started, and I saw that Shawn was, you know, all goody-goody, studying religion and stuff, I didn’t think that would work for me, even though he’s cute.”
Shawn
blushed.
“But the more I got to know Lyceum, and started seeing larger purposes in my life, then Shawn’s big break with his father, my father being killed, and finally Jenny’s music and that trip . . . it all started to fit together.”
NEBADOR Book Seven: The Local Universe 234
“We were just talking about that,” Shawn began, “before we went jogging.
We know we can never just tell people about that trip, and the musical performance, and all those . . . different kinds of people . . . without it sounding like complete fiction . . . or getting us thrown in the loony bin . . .”
Liberty laughed. “But it’ll really help us to spot when someone . . .”
“Like my father,” Shawn interjected with a grin.
“. . . is, you know, full of . . .” She paused and looked at Shawn.
“Bullshit,”
Shawn
finished.
Ilika and Kibi both howled with laughter.
At lunch with the Lyceum members, on the crew’s last full day without any mission responsibilities, Mati and Rini heard a voice in their minds. Me and Rachael are getting together in the Cedar Garden for some . . . you know . . .
telepathy time. Want to join us?
They both looked toward the source of the message. Sarah was just one table over, and was looking at them, but her lips weren’t moving, other than to chew a bite of her sandwich.
The couple mentally nodded to each other, then projected their answer to Sarah.
Sarah continued chewing as she reached for the mustard jar.
Sarah and I meet once a week to talk about whatever’s going on — I’m her mentor, every Lyceum member has one — and we usually do it completely unshielded, but you two are welcome to keep your minds on the public level.
Yeah, Rini began, there are things we’re not supposed to share. People on planets like this have been misunderstanding glimpses they get of . . . the universe . . . since the beginning of time!
So . . . Sarah pondered for the other three to hear, why were we able to go to that huge, beautiful theater to hear Jenny’s song?
Mati thought for a moment. Even though glimpses of star stations and local universe capitals easily lead to confusion, they’re important to the growth of every planet with people. We once parked our ship somewhere the priests would see it because Mel . . . the one in charge . . . knew those people
NEBADOR Book Seven: The Local Universe 235
needed to see how bad their priests were.
They tried to burn the ship, Rini explained, but to Manessa, it was like warming her toes at a campfire.
The other three laughed.
So can you give us any advice, Rachael began, about what we should or shouldn’t do with our glimpse of the universe, to avoid confusion and misunderstanding?
Rini and Mati pondered the question for a long minute, sharing some thoughts just between them. Eventually they nodded at each other.
Try to think of it, and remember it, as a personal experience, Rini said, not as something you should tell the world about.
It’s okay to let it inspire you, Mati added, but you’re on thin ice if you write some holy book about it, or start a new religion or political party . . .
That evening, Boro and Sata were exploring Lyceum corridors and lobbies they had not yet seen, when they came to an open door.
Sata read the sign on the wall. “Recording Studio.”
They peeked in.
Brother Chad sat in a chair, tapping at a computer keyboard. A large display screen showed musical notes as they were written on that planet.
“That’s five,” he mumbled to himself. “About a million to go.”
“Hi,” Sata said softly.
He looked. “Come in, come in! I was just entering my most recent revelation.”
“Are you writing a . . . song?” Boro asked, coming close.
“No, no, this is Jenny’s symphony. As soon as we got back, I started wondering if maybe I could get it properly synchronized so it can be played here someday. And in a dream that night, I saw a little section of the score. It was the first time I’ve dashed to the studio in my pajamas!”
Sata and Boro chuckled.
“I’m getting one or two more bits each day, sometimes when I’m awake.
This one came while I was washing dishes. At this rate, getting Jenny’s symphony all properly scored is going to take years, maybe the rest of my life.”
NEBADOR Book Seven: The Local Universe 236
Boro blinked. “Wow.”
“It’ll be worth it. It’s the . . . most important thing . . . I’ve ever been able to do. And when I get chunks of it in shape, I’ll have the others, who were there, listen to it to help me spot problems.”
Sata remembered the reptiles they had helped to resettle on a jungle planet, and Silmula Sorafax telling the crew they’d be involved with that project for the rest of their lives.