Vai

My father waited for us. He was not happy. He shifted his expression to a somewhat smile when the Brist shifted from foot to foot by my side.

"Warpaint," my father said with that strained smile, "tell the Brist we are happy to welcome him aboard." My father paused to let Warpaint translate to the Brist. The Brist relaxed. "Tell him, we would like to give him a tour of the museum before Lieutenant Tanpo takes him home." Warpaint relayed the words.

My father was only barely containing his rage. My father had been angry with me countless times, but I couldn't remember a time like this when his fury stretched out in sightless waves to touch everyone around him.

None of my fellow students could look at him. In fact, Teacher Miller couldn't look at him. Only Lieutenant Tanpo willingly looked at him and she had done her job well. I doubted my father's anger was directed at her.

How much authority did my father have? Could he have Teacher Miller fired? Nothing that happened was her fault. I thought my father had overstepped his authority many times that day, but Lieutenant Tanpo had seemed to defend him when Teacher Miller brought it up. I wondered what the other shuttle pilots had thought when my father commanded them to rescue us. And I was sure it was at his command.

The Brist hopped once when Warpaint finished speaking with him, but it wasn't the frantic hop that happened when the Slpsis and black creatures were coming at us. This seemed excited.

"Good," my father said without waiting for Warpaint to translate. "Vai."

I stood up straighter. It was uncomfortable being under his sudden attention.

"Go with Warpaint and take the Brist on a tour of the museum. Then you can bring him back here so Lieutenant Tanpo can take him back home. Warpaint, be cordial with our guest and remember to translate correctly."

"Lieutenant Commander," Teacher Miller found her voice, "a mechatronic and a boy are hardly the diplomats for . . ."

My father looked at her. She looked at her feet.

"Yes, sir," Warpaint said.

"When you are finished with that task, Vai, you may eat at the Museum Delectables before returning to our quarters."

There was a long pause. "Yes, sir," I finally said.

My father's smile disappeared and his voice went low and gravelly. "Get going then."

I didn't wait for Warpaint or the Brist. I hadn't heard my father use that tone. It was terrifying. I did turn when we reached the docking doors to make sure Warpaint and the Brist were with me. They were. The Brist had a strange expected smile as he looked up at me. I tried to smile back down at him, but was distracted at how my father silently stared down my fellow students and teacher. Was it really okay to leave them? On the other hand, I didn't want to be in the same room when my father was so angry.

"Let's go," I said.

I didn't say anything as we made our way to the museum. The Brist talked constantly and pointed at different things on the ship. Simple things like the lights. Warpaint spoke to him. I wasn't sure if the Brist was asking questions and Warpaint was answering or if they were just having a casual conversation. Warpaint didn't translate for me and I didn't really want to know. Teacher Miller was correct in that neither I nor Warpaint were diplomats. Then again, the Brist was a driver. I doubted he was a diplomat either.

"Well. Here we are. The museum," I said when we arrived.

Warpaint said something to the Brist. The little alien replied enthusiastically. I assumed Warpaint had relayed what I just said, but I wasn't sure since Warpaint wasn't translating to me their conversation.

"Let's go in then," I said. I swept my arm out wide indicating the museum doors. I retracted it quickly because it seemed excessive.

The Brist walked towards the doors. They slid open with a whispered swish. The Brist made an, "oo," sound like he had with all the doors on our way here. Maybe they didn't have sliding doors on Brist. I tried to imagine it, but couldn't imagine how a door would open otherwise.

Warpaint and I followed the Brist inside. He made another, "oo," sound and ran to the first display in the middle which held the old captain's uniform.

Come to think of it, I hadn't been back to the museum since the first time I met Owen and the captain. I smiled. Owen flirting with the captain. I hoped my father wasn't yelling at the other students. It wasn't their fault either. I didn't think he was though. And I didn't think he'd yell at Teacher Miller in front of my fellow students. I wasn't sure about that.

The Brist moved on to the first display on the right. It held an ancient musical instrument the Bundu-jo had been generous enough to donate. It kind of resembled Earth's old musical instrument, the French Horn. I wondered if they sounded similar.

The Brist did his little excited hop and said something to Warpaint who answered. The Brist stopped hopping, his shoulders sagged slightly and he walked slower to the next display.

I imagined the conversation to be something like, "Can I play it?" "No."

The next few displays were down a different aisle. We turned to go down it and that was when I saw her. She wasn't going from display to display like the Brist. She didn't read the plaque that was at the display she was at. She just stared at what was inside almost as if it belonged to her. The Brist went on to a different aisle. Warpaint started to follow until he saw that I wasn't.

I waved him on to follow the Brist. He took a step towards the direction the Brist went, but hesitated. The little Brist came back from the aisle he was just on and took Warpaint's oversized right hand in his two little hands and tugged at him to follow. I waved him on again. Warpaint went with the Brist, but I knew he wouldn't let me get too far away from him.

I went and stood behind the mystery girl who wasn't a ghost, but possibly - according to Owen anyway - a wizard. Her head came up to about my shoulders. She didn't turn to look at me, but she shifted slightly. I was sure she knew I was there.

In the display was part of an ancient wall found on a K'thaktra colony during the war. What made it special was the writing on it. It was so ancient not even the K'thaktra remembered what it was. I got all that from reading the plaque next to it - the plaque the girl ignored.

"K'thaktran," I said.

"If you say so," the girl replied.

"It isn't? Do you know more than the scientists who found it and studied it? Do you know more than the K'thaktra?"

She turned to look at me. Her eyes were a light brown, slightly darker than honey. Her skin was olive toned. Her hair was dark brown, but she had dyed streaks of pink into it since the last time I saw her.

"In some ways yes. In some ways no."

"What a cryptic answer." I paused, but she didn't say anything. "My friend finally agrees with me that you are not a ghost."

"No? Maybe I am." Her eyes looked passed me. At nothing. Beyond nothing.

"You can't touch a ghost," I said. "He said he grabbed your wrist."

Her eyes drifted back to me.

"What does your friend think of me then?"

A short laugh escaped me. "He thinks your a wizard. He thinks you touched him on the forehead and made him forget."

I thought she'd laugh with me, but she didn't. If anything, her lips turned down slightly. She was quiet.

"Wizards don't exist," I said.

"There are many things that aren't supposed to exist," she said.

"Like what?"

She turned back to the exhibit with the strange writings. "Like this."

"What is this?"

"Sir," Warpaint said.

I hadn't realized he and the Brist were back on our aisle.

"He's seen everything and is ready to leave."

"That quickly?"

Warpaint nodded.

"Guess I have to go," I said turning back to the girl. But she wasn't there. She wasn't further down the aisle either.

"She left while we were talking," Warpaint said.

At least I didn't make her up then. And she didn't just disappear like a wizard might. Whatever she was, she was strange. When we got back to the docks, Lieutenant Tanpo was ready to take the Brist back. There was no sign of Teacher Miller or the other students.

"All right then," Lieutenant Tanpo said, "let's get you home. Come on board."

"You're not going to do your whole speech?" I asked.

She shrugged. "He wouldn't understand it anyway."

Warpaint said something to the Brist. The Brist walked onto the shuttle.

"Make sure you go to the Museum Delectables," Lieutenant Tanpo said. "The Lieutenant Commander needs some time to cool down."

My head bobbed up and down in accord. I waited until the shuttle door closed before leaving - Warpaint by my side.

The food at the restaurant was good. Much better than the algae food anyway. And they had chocolate for dessert. I got a piece. It was expensive, but my father didn't seem to worry about money so I decided not to as well. I was used to Warpaint staring at me as I ate, but we got strange looks from the other patrons.

We left and went back to our quarters. I wondered if Owen had found out anymore about Thrissko. I paused when I opened the door to our quarters because I heard my father's voice. It wasn't nearby. It sounded like he was in his bedroom and had left his bedroom door opened - which he never did. It was even stranger because my father wouldn't have anyone to talk to. At least that I knew of.

"He could have died."

"But he didn't," a female voice said. It was mechanical, but familiar.

"And that is the only reason I didn't kill her then and there."

"You can't kill another person," the voice said.

"I could when it comes to...my son."

"You are needed for so many reasons. No one knows all that you do." I realized why the voice sounded familiar. It was the computer voice. My father was having a conversation with the ship's computer.

The hair raised on the back of my neck. Anyway you looked at it, it wasn't normal.

"I'm back," I said loudly. I didn't want to hear anymore of that conversation. I didn't want to know my father conversed with a computer. My father's bedroom door was slightly ajar. He came out quickly. He barreled across the living room towards me and crushed me to him in a hug. I was too surprised to react.

"You did well."

At first, I thought he was speaking to me, but then Warpaint said, "Thank you, sir," and I realized otherwise.

"That's the last time you go planetside," my father said. He drew away from me.

"That's not normally going to happen," I said. "That was a freak situation."

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted.

My hands curled up into fists.

"You almost died," he said quieter.

"But I didn't."

"It doesn't . . ." his voice grew louder again, but instead of finishing his sentence, he pinched his eyes shut and let out a low sigh. "It was my mistake to let you go in the first place. I won't make that mistake again."

"But father, I . . ."

He walked to his bedroom and slammed the door.