| Science Fiction |
| Chrysalis |
| Kahryai narrowed her dark eyes in concentration. She glanced up at Eldian—the corners of his mouth turned up in that familiar arrogant smirk—then back to the game. Carefully she drew a steel pin. She held it, studying the structure. There were several places she could easily set it, but Eldian would have the upper hand, again. Kahryai cleared her mind and envisioned other possibilities. Most would collapse the fragile structure. One seemed promising. She followed through it with her mind then discarded it. Almost immediately she picked up another, toying with it. It was chancy, daring. She went for it. Eldian laughed as it crumbled. His amusement, though, turned to shock as it reformed into a complex networking. Kahryai grinned broadly. “I told you,” she commented, “I said I’d best you some day.” Eldian shook his head in wonder. “Ryai,” he whispered. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just made?” Kahryai’s eyebrows furrowed as she regarded the new structure. Finally she shrugged. “Something that won.” “Ryai, look at it, really look at it.” She studied it once more but still was eluded by whatever significance Eldian saw in it. “It’s just a Krityc structure, Dian.” “No,” Eldian insisted. “A Krityc structure is just a bunch of pins held together by balancing magnetic currents.” Kahryai awarded him with a silent gesture of “and your point would be?” Eldian grasped one rod in his fingers. He hesitated long enough for her to note that it was a key piece. If he pulled it the structure would fall apart. But as he raised his hand the entire network lifted, intact. “It’s fused,” he stated. “This structure is one whole piece.” Kahryai sat back, dumbstruck, and watched her creation dangle from Eldian’s hold. “I wonder what I did,” she mused at last. “So do I.” Kahryai went to her room shortly, reflecting. Was it possible for the game to do that? She pulled out a science book and turned to the section on magnetism. Despite several hours of study, she still couldn’t find an explanation. She closed the book in defeat and stared at the wall in front of her. An idea came to her. She sprang to her feet and ran outside. Quickly she made her way to the observatory then, taking the stairs two at a time, stormed into the star lab. “Professor Vindrell! Professor Vindrell!” “Yeah,” he responded gruffly. “What do you want?” She walked to the desk he was bent over. “It isn’t possible to fusion a Krityc game, is it?” “No, it isn’t possible.” “But I did it. Just this morning.” Professor Vindrell brought his head up quickly, regarding her sternly. “Kahryai Valfarax! There are severe penalties for such tales. Go home before you sink into further trouble.” Kahryai was undaunted. “What if I bring it to show you?” “Go home, Miss Valfarax,” he insisted. |
| Kahryai set her jaw and glared at him. Seeing she wasn’t about to give up, Professor Vindrell clicked the intercom button on the edge of his desk. “Security, there’s a disruptive youth up here, violating curfew…” He let the rest hang, glancing at her pointedly. Her eyes widened then narrowed. “Fine,” she spit out. “I’ll find out on my own.” She spun and bolted for the stairs. On the way down she sidestepped the security guard, who wasn’t expecting her flight. He turned, chasing after her for a quarter mile before giving up. She continued to the spaceport, crying in anger. Access to the spaceships was forbidden to middle-class citizens, but Kahryai didn’t care. Her curiosity wouldn’t let her give up and they were her only way to find the answer. Besides, this was her chance to get away, have an adventure. She wouldn’t tell Eldian of course—he would try to stop her. She studied the grounds before returning home to pack. Kahryai rose an hour before dawn. She used the cover of darkness to sneak onto the port grounds, then over to one of the giant ships, the Archot. Throwing her duffle-pack across her shoulders, she climbed one of the steel cables that anchored it. Her muscles strained from the exertion. When she reached the landing deck, she thought her arms would fall off. Kahryai rested for several moments then, crawling over the grate-metal flooring, found an alcove to hide in until out-flight. She waited seven hours after the Archot’s light-jump to explore the new ship. Kahryai couldn’t enjoy the tour completely—she had to hide each time crewmembers came her way. She was in the middle of a long corridor the next time she heard footsteps. The maintenance shaft wasn’t close enough. She hesitated a moment then took a deep breath and darted through the nearest doorway. “Excuse me, miss, could you bring me that wrench?” Kahryai jumped at the rough masculine voice. The man who belonged to it was building, or repairing, a smaller transport vehicle. “Miss?” Kahryai quickly lifted the wrench and handed it to him. He accepted it with a nod of thanks. “What brings you to the Archot then?” “I, uh. Wanted to, um. Do you know anything about Krityc Structures?” “A bit. Why do you ask?” “I fused one.” Kahryai bit her lip, waiting for the inevitable explosion. The mechanic turned to study her. “Did you now? Let’s see it then.” She gasped in surprise but complied quickly, fumbling with her bag. He accepted it gingerly, looked it over for a minute, then handed it back. “You’ve got a nice one there. It’ll sell for good coin in Krimsmar.” “But I don’t understand, how did it fuse?” He smiled at her warmly. “The way the currents flowed through it heated the metal to melting point. Once it was fused the magnetic field was disrupted and quit, leaving a sculpture instead of a game.” Kahryai laughed at the simple answer. She wondered why Professor Vindrell couldn’t have just told her. She guessed he was just like the others, all about the rules and controlling others. She didn’t want to live like that. “Do you really think I could sell it?” “We get to Krimsmar in two days. You can see for yourself.” “Thank you.” Kahryai smiled. She was going to like space. |