Tally Road Original Story- Chapter 28

You couldn't really grasp the scale of the Grand Promenade when approaching it.

The approach to Delmas was in itself deceptive. From a distance, Delmas somewhat resembled a planet in its roughly spherical shape, but there was something cloudy about it. At the same time, bits of detail would be apparent here and there in a tantalizing way, suggesting something a lot more complex than a simple ball of gas.

As you got nearer it became apparent that you were nearing a vast, tree-like structure, dense with ever-tinier detail that never entirely obscured the very largest trunks. Instead of descending to a ground level, it was barely possible to see the trunks clustered ever more thickly as they converged on a central point. As they did, they became foliage on the scale of planets and stars, viewable only from planetary distances, fogged over by the fine detail of the outer growth.

Dene was wide-eyed as they approached the Grand Promenade. It seemed to her that the Aintar of Delmas were duller colors than those she saw on the space station. They seemed to sit very still.

When she realized it was cities and arcologies she was seeing, she whimpered a bit. Rai said, "It's all right. When we touch down you won't even know you're on a tree trunk. Do not try to go near the edge, 'aons."

"Edge?" replied Dene a little hysterically. "More like the side!"

"Even so. Please do not venture out to where it is steep."

Dene nodded vigorously and gulped, not wanting to contemplate the idea. She glanced down while she could still see under Grand Promenade, and indeed there was nothing under there but more 'down', and progressively huger trunks descending to the heart of the Ainte. You'd fall for minutes before hitting anything. Even then, you'd bounce off a nearly vertical wall that no longer even resembled a vast cylinder.

The cities were a bit larger now. The dull color turned out to be a blend of very bright, glaring colors that contrasted in every possible way. Aintar were great fans of the Runge industrial capabilities for creating pigments and paints. Any new color, especially the most intense ones, would be a prime status symbol. Aintar would paint a wall, or a building, with artist's pigments at full strength. If they couldn't afford that much of the paint, they'd paint a smaller object rather than weaken the color.

"Where do you think he is, Rai?"

The small black Nerre continued looking out the window, and flicked an ear. "Ask me again in a few hours, 'aons."

"We'll find him that quickly?"

"This isn't a world for the likes of us, Dene."

Before long, Dene learned the literal truth of that, climbing awkwardly up to the entrance of an Aintar house. It was painted a vivid turquoise of a color intensity to sear the eyeballs, and was far enough off the ground to worry her. Above her, Rairate climbed lithely, glancing down from time to time in concern. "Are you all right, Denenke?"

"Just keep going- let's not stop here!"

The bright yellow head of an Aintar peered out of the entrance, and the avian stepped back but watched curiously as first Rai and then Dene pulled themselves over the edge and into the house.

"You've certainly got convenient stairs!" remarked Dene, earning her a cautioning glance from Rai.

"It slows you creatures down a bit." said the Aintar.

"What, you think we're going to chase you?"

"You all could use slowing down a bit."

"Have you seen," said Rairate, "a Runge here who needed slowing down a lot?"

"Oh, you mean Finn?" said the Aintar.

Rai and Dene glanced at each other excitedly, which interested the yellow avian- it glanced quickly back and forth between them and made some quiet musical sounds, almost too high for Rai to hear.

"Where is Finn, 'aons?"

"Oh, he's around." said the Aintar.

"You've seen him recently?"

"No."

Rai blinked. "Then how do you know he's around?"

"Oh, I don't. Why would I know that?"

"But you said it!" protested Dene.

"He was around when I saw him." said the birdlike creature imperturbably, and made some more melodic tweetings.

Rai thought for a moment. "When was it that you saw him?"

"Oh, a while ago."

"How long is a while?"

"I don't know." said the Aintar. Dene was getting fed up. "You're trying not to help us! Is he here?"

"Gently, 'aons! Friend, if you wanted to meet Finn now, where would you go?"

The bird thought. "I would go and look for him."

"Where would you go, 'aons?"

"I would go out my door and look around, for a start." said the bird happily.

"And if you didn't see him?"

"Then I'd go and look somewhere else."

Dene was now fed up. "Great idea! Let's do that." She started to leave, grumbling loudly. "...retarded birdbrained circuitous useless..."

Rai let her go, and politely followed her. When they were on what passed for level ground if you didn't mind the distressing horizon, he caught up, and chided her gently. "I would suggest that you are being unfair, 'aons."

"Well, he wasn't helping!"

"I think he was, Dene. They are not stupid, but they are very simple. He would have done just what he said. Did you know they don't keep track of time?"

"What, not at all?"

"No. Ainte don't rotate, you know. There are no days for Aintar. They sleep when they're tired, wake up when they are not, they do work when it's needed. I believe Ka is unusual in that she can tell time."

"I think Ka is unusual in a lot of ways."

"How so?" asked Rai.

Dene quirked an ear, thinking. "Well, her way of thinking. She'll suggest we do something, like watch the station entrance for Finn, and it won't bother her at all when it doesn't happen. It's like she accepts what's happening, right away. I was getting really frustrated, and she's just sitting there calmly."

"That is not in itself unusual for Aintar, Dene. What is unusual is how patiently she waited. ...chos!"

"What?" said Dene, but Rai didn't answer- he just looked, aghast, at the thing leaning against a blindingly red Aintar house. Delicate struts, twin ducted fans, here on the Grand Promenade of the Ainte.

Kitty flitty. Nerre personal air transport.

Finn could be anywhere.

"What is it?" asked Dene, alarmed. "Are you looking at the... oh!"

Rai nodded, dejectedly. "If he's on one of those, he can fly. Very well, I would think, as this is a low gravity world. Chos!"

"Well, wait a minute- how much fuel can you put in one of those?"

"Um! Thank you, Dene! Not more than twenty minutes, as a rule. He'll be within a couple miles."

"Where can you go within..."

Rai was thinking fiercely. "Except, not within a couple miles, as he must get back. He can't refuel, either. At least, I don't think he could."

"These people don't look like they're all about setting up truck stops and fueling stations." said Dene. "If they did, they would paint them even brighter than usual, but forget to get any gas."

"Ungenerous, Dene, but perhaps still true... if you were fleeing, from here, where would you go?"

Dene didn't even have to think. "Up."

"Why?"

"Because if I ran out of gas maybe I could glide back down."

Rairate quirked an ear. "You might think so, but if a personal transport runs out of gas it falls. Ducted fans don't glide when they stop."

"You're kidding. You put people on those things? Isn't that pretty irresponsible?"

"Really, Dene! An alarm sounds! Anyhow, nobody would fly one irresponsibly. These are the craft of our home world Ause- we don't export them."

Dene looked at the out-of-place kitty flitty, and then she looked up at the bewildering geometry of the Ainte as it arched and branched overhead.

"It looks like they get around anyhow, Rai."

Rairate was thinking. "Perhaps your mistake is not uncommon. Might Finn make the same assumption? Let's inquire about borrowing this vehicle, and I can go looking for him."

"But whose is it? You can't be sure you can just borrow it. It might be someone who doesn't want to give it up."

"And if it is Finn, our search becomes that much easier. Come..."

...

Far from the search, Siertes was listening carefully.

"And what, exactly, do you want me to do?" she said.

"Just try. I know it'll be difficult, but I don't have to tell you of the possible benefits."

"You're crazy." said Siertes flatly. "He's sharp. He'll catch on."

"Please." said Voustrets Talanstre Laimontre.