THE EDEN DILEMMA by Tucker Spolter
Chapter 17
In rapid succession, Krista was surprised twice. First, Aven and Nos knew exactly where the shuttle was hidden. Once she agreed to show them her shuttle, they led her up a path on the far side of a cove that led directly to the top of her waterfall shower. Then, with Moogy leading the way, they descended to her pond on a path Krista had never noticed before.
The second surprise happened when they crossed the small stream to her original
campsite —- It was gone! And what had been a thin veneer of flowery vines cascading over the cliff covering the entrance to the shuttle's grotto – had become a dense curtain of vegetation. A waterfall of greenery. There was no longer any evidence of the grotto or the shuttle within.
“Ste did most of this,” Aven said pointing to the wall of camouflage.
Nos nudged Aven. “We helped.”
“We did help. But, Ste did most of it.”
“Ste? The man who built a sled and pulled me up the Sling River to your village?” Krista looked from Aven to Nos. “The magician?”
Aven and Nos nodded. “The volcano man.”
“But why?”
Aven shot Krista a ‘you-have-to-be-kidding look.”
Moogy watched Krista, Aven, and Nos push through the shield of vegetation, turned, and bounded along the shore and into the high grass.
Inside the shuttle, Krista and Nos watched Aven as she opened a medical crate and almost danced as she fingered through the medical supplies. She eagerly inspected a ceramic tray of vaccines and vials. Nos followed her step for step. For the first time, Krista realized Nos was completely smitten with the young woman. And Aven knew it. She was gentle with his feelings, pointing to this and that enthusiastically and explaining some of the instrument functions in the simplest of terms.
Nos shared her fervor for a while, but Krista noticed his mind was drifting elsewhere.
“Nos?” Krista asked. “How would you like to see the control room?”
Nos beamed and took off through the shuttle's storage bay weaving in and out of the PAGE 83 remaining supply crates.
Minutes later, Krista buckled him into the pilot’s chair. “How about flying us up to one of our moons, Captain?”
“Which one?” Nos asked with a serious demeanor.
“How about the small one.”
“Dawa?”
“Yes, Dawa.” Krista made a mental note to add the moon’s name to her report.
Nos leaned forward and pretended to touch several buttons and toggle a few switches, then turned to Krista pleading, “How do you do it?”
“I get it, Nos. You want to fly her.”
Nos smiled hopefully. “Of course.”
“Maybe someday.”
Nos's disappointment was palpable.
“I'll make you a deal.”
Nos swiveled the pilot's chair halfway around to face Krista. “A deal?”
Krista nodded. “Next time I take her out . . . And if it's at all possible . . .And it's okay with your parents . . . I'll take you along.”
Nos leaped from the chair and pulled Krista into a tight hug, then just as quickly stepped back. “Can Aven come too?”
Krista grinned. “Sure. Every shuttle needs a medical officer.”
Nos beamed.
“And I’ll need a co-pilot . . . Would you like a flying lesson?”
Nos was back in the chair and facing the control panel in an instant.
“Basically, shuttles fly themselves.” Krista pointed to a large, perforated button on the panel. “Push that and it will kick in the gyro — that will start the engine.”
Nos held his hand above the bluish button and nodded.
“Okay, you're up and running. Now take both hands and put them on the lever.”
“Why both hands?”
“The great shuttle pilots do it mostly by feel. The shuttle is programmed to respond to every touch. Push or pull too hard and you're in trouble. . . Okay?”
“Okay.” Nos gripped the lever.
“Gently. You want to barely feel it in your hand.
Nos made several adjustments and then looked over his shoulder at Krista.
“Much better.”
Nos’s gray eyes sparked.
“Ease back gently on the lever and your vehicle will rise.”
Nos eased back the lever.
“Push forward to descend . . . ease left to go left . . . and right to go right.”
“How do I make her go faster?”
Krista stifled a laugh. I was waiting for that one, Krista thought. “Can you feel the nub on the front of the lever?”
“Got it!”
“Ease it up to go faster. Down to go slower and left to hover.”
“That is so chuffy,” Nos cried out.
“Chuffy?”
“Great. Neat.”
“Okay, co-pilot Nos, call me before you set down on Dawa.” Krista gave Nos a snappy salute. “I'm going to check on our chief medical officer.”
Nos did not return the salute. He was lost in his own universe playing with the biggest toy he’d ever had.
Krista slipped away quietly and rejoined Aven who was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the shuttle bay. In her lap was a stack of medical journals. Krista watched silently as she turned pages rapidly, then stopped abruptly to read a paragraph or stare at a diagram or picture.
“We didn’t know if you folks had the technology for our current vis or audio so we brought paper,” Krista said softly.
Aven never looked up. She continued to flip pages lost in wonderment. Krista’s eyes welled with tears as her mind flew back to the Erebus and medical school. How Lynette had encouraged her. Her patient instructions and wise advice. Lynette would have loved to take Aven under her wing. Lynette would have loved Aven and Aven would have loved Lynette. Could I teach her? My teaching skills might be better than my observation skills. I missed a lot during my first few days.
Krista thought back to the years of study it took to become a certified Observer. An observer of people. Their mores. Their lore. Their music. And this certified Observer hasn't made one addition to my supposed daily journal. Admittedly l haven't had much of an opportunity to make a report.
It wouldn’t be professional to omit the fact that this Observer has been schooled by two young people. They, and a few others, pointed out the flyers eggs, fish, insects land creatures that for two days I never noticed. In my defense, she thought, the creatures of Iuama have an uncanny capability for camouflage.
Krista looked down again at Aven and said with a bit more volume, “You can have any of those books you want.”
“Really?” Aven looked up with a smile of gratitude.
“Really.”
Aven withdrew four journals from the pile and rose to her feet. “Where’s Nos?”
“Somewhere between Dawa and Iuama. I believe.”
“Have to see that,” Aven laughed and headed for the control room almost colliding with a metal cabinet strapped to the wall of the shuttle. The cabinet had seven thin drawers. On top, a chrome tray held rows of sealed glass vials trapped in rubber clamps.
“Keep your shuttle doors locked.” Aven flicked the tray with her finger. “Feris bugs will make a snack of this and a feast out of the whole cabinet.” Aven laughed.
“Feris bugs? They eat metal?”
“Didn’t you notice everything in our village is Tineke, reed, clay, wood, shells, or stone?”
“Wake up Krista!” Krista said aloud. “Of course, that explains so much. No steel buildings. No metal weapons, knives, forks, or even fishing hooks. Where have I been?” Krista said weakly. “Just between us women, I’m beginning to suspect my arrival on Iuama has affected my brain functions. But─” Krista twisted a vial from the tray and handed it to Aven.
“Is this for me?”
“What was the name of your friend with the new baby?”
“You mean Xeko?”
Krista nodded. “That's for her baby. She has a rash on her scalp. This will cure it.”
Eagerly Aven accepted the vial. “I think your brain is functioning fine,” Aven said then took a slow look up and down the tray and a longer look around the shuttle bay. Her green eyes flashed a plea. “Will you teach me?”
“I would be honored.” Krista took Aven into her arms for a hug. “Let’s go shopping.” Krista opened the top drawer of the metal cabinet and handed Aven a folded pair of pale green scrubs. “And you’ll need your own medical kit. . . But first and most important . . . You’ll need. . . ” Krista handed Aven a stethoscope and pointed to the circular diaphragm. “Lesson one the stethoscope. This part is ideal for hearing high-frequency sounds, like heart murmurs and respiration problems. The cup-shaped bell is for low-frequency sounds.” Krista slipped the stethoscope around Aven's neck. “You are now the chief medical officer of Erebus space shuttle B203. Let's go see how our co-pilot is doing.”