Catalina spent the next hour or so summarizing the events of the past several months, concluding with the Christa's taking control of the navigation devices, ceding control only after encountering her sister ship.
"We were astounded," Catalina remembered, feeling the smile tug at her lips at the memory. "Another Christa! We didn't know anything about our own ship-her appearance in front of our school was totally unexpected-so to find another one..." She trailed off, then took a final sip of sonja. Besides being delicious, it had a rather calming effect. Not like alcohol (she'd imbibed once during the Rejoicing Festival, on a dare from Thetia), as her senses were clear, but she felt herself relaxed.
Or, perhaps it was the relief of being alive, combined with Suzee's mother's arm around her shoulders. Catalina hadn't experienced as much as a hug since leaving for the Starcademy over a year ago. Suzee had given her the impression that people from Yensid were very physically demonstrative...
"Yes," Mourly agreed, with a light laugh. "It must have been quite a sight to behold."
"And your Commander and teacher made the decision to explore?" Forly asked, a small smile playing on his face.
Catalina nodded. "Well, not everyone. Ms. Davenport stayed behind, with Rosie and Bova. They're the youngest, and we needed someone to keep watch. But the rest of us went ahead. And the ship...the technology was pretty advanced, even more than the Christa. Things kind of went downhill fast. Warlord Shank was there, and he stunned us. Tried to get information from Harlan about our weapons, which we don't have." Sonic blasts didn't count. That was her weapon, not the ship's. "He got sick of it pretty quickly. If the ship hadn't been set to explode, we might have been able to take him down, and get more information. As it was, they barely escaped with their lives."
Mourly's hand pulled her closer, and Catalina took a deep, shuddering breath. She'd come close to death before, back in Luff, but Radu had managed to get the collar off in time. She'd thanked him afterwards, and while he'd shrugged it off, Cat could tell he'd appreciated it. Even Harlan had given him an easier time after that. Funny, because Radu had saved Harlan's life earlier in their journey, and that barely seemed to register.
But Catalina hadn't been saved by the crew. Not that she blamed them-how could they have known? In hindsight, they should have stuck together, or just not boarded the ship, but it wasn't like any of them could go back in time.
Suzee had saved her. Had brought her into her dimension. But the connection was gone, now, and while she thought she'd known if her best friend died...maybe not.
Catalina forced herself not to cry. "We found out pretty soon that the ship had been in a war with the Spung, that everyone had evacuated the ship. And they had set the ship to explode." She shook her head. "Ms. Davenport and the others had been the ones to see the message, and boarded to warn us. Shank was still on the loose, and everyone got out, except me. He held me back. The next thing I remember was Suzee saying I would be okay, that she'd pull me over when the dimensional fabric ripped. And...she did. Only, she pulled herself into my dimension when I came here. The last thing I heard from her was that the ship was crash landing on another planet. And I haven't heard from her since."
She stared down at her uniform, not wanting to face Suzee's father, but he just chuckled.
"Atmospheric disturbance," he explained. "It's quite common on planets in your dimension. I expect that the composition of the elements of the planet hinder your sonic connection."
"Is that common?" Cat asked, looking up.
"It's not unheard of," Mourly answered. "What you call invisible friends are not common on Yensid, but they aren't terribly rare. As of the last census, it was one in a thousand."
"How many people live on Yensid?"
"Fifty million, approximately."
Then, about fifty thousand people on the planet had contact with someone from her dimension.
As though reading her mind, Forly added, "But that's throughout the known dimensions. In yours, the number is far smaller."
"How much smaller?" Catalina asked, feeling deflated.
"Between fifty and one hundred," he answered. "The Science Hall contains the official numbers and relevant information as of the last year."
"Which reminds me, we'll need to update the information for Suzee and you," Mourly added. "It's fine for you to be on this planet, and we'll take care of you for as long as you're here."
"Of course," Forly agreed, as though this was a given. Catalina still felt as though a great burden had been lifted. She wouldn't be homeless. "We've heard so much about you over the years, Catalina. We feel as though we already know you."
"As though you're another daughter to us," Mourly emphasized.
Catalina couldn't hold back the tears. "Thank you. Grozit, thank you so much."
Mourly gently turned her around, and gave Catalina the first real hug she'd had in years.
They spent the next hour showing her around their house. It wasn't nearly as large as the Christa, but the technology certainly required a lot of explanation and help in order to operate. Some of it was easy enough, like using a shower and a sink. Other parts were trickier, and Catalina wished that Suzee was there so she could ask her questions. Realizing that Warlord Shank's arm was on the floor of the room she'd arrived in-it must have come with her to Suzee's universe-she awkwardly picked it up.
"Er, sorry about that. When Suzee transported me here, I guess Shank's arm must have come with me.." She trailed off, eying the Spung arm with disgust.
Forly and Mourly glanced at it with some interest.
"So, this is what a Spung arm looks like! How very...green," Forly chuckled. "Are the rest of their bodies that same color?"
"Mostly," Catalina recalled. "Elmira had read hair, but she was definitely green."
Mourly looked over the arm. "You know, Catalina, this would make an excellent purse."
"A purse?" Catalina echoed, trying not to break out into laughter.
Definitely failing.
"It would be quite stylish," Mourly insisted. "I know someone who makes excellent purses from reptilian creatures. Would you like me to bring it over to her?"
"Uh...sure," Catalina agreed. "Will there be any charge? I don't have money or anything."
"She'll likely want the meat of the arm to feed to her pet Murf," Forly offered. "Murfs are particularly fond of reptile meat."
Catalina nodded, wondering what in the world a Murf was, and figuring she'd find out sooner or later.
They continued the tour, giving Catalina some pointers on their technology, but Suzee's parents seemed very surprised with how much she already understood. This made Catalina wonder if she really had a knack for Yensidian technology, or if their view of what people from other worlds knew was that low.
Which made Catalina question...what would happen with her education? Suzee read a lot, but she certainly had time to talk to her. Was school less standardized on Yensid, after you reached a certain age, or was Suzee so smart that she had finished early? Ms. Davenport would probably be happy to have at least one student who could pass her impossible tests.
Then again, if even Suzee couldn't pass, would she realize just how difficult they were?
Catalina tried to recall the early days with Suzee. Yes, there had been other kids there, all with short hair that contained maybe one other color. There had been older people, probably the teachers, with tunics of varying colors, hair past their waist, and the individual colors in varying types of braids.
After Suzee's parents showed her the kitchen, promising her that everything they ate was edible for her, she decided to broach the subject.
"Um, excuse me? Uh." She paused, realizing she didn't know what to call Suzee's parents. Sir and ma'am? Madam, which is what everyone (including teachers) called the headmistress of the Staracademy? Mr. and Mrs.? But no, that was only used for people with last names, and neither Catalina nor Suzee had one. Well, best to address the missing wires in the engine room, as the saying went. "I'm sorry. What should I call you?"
They both gave her broad smiles. "Our names," they answered, in unison.
Oh. Grozit. Should that have been obvious?
It was a good thing that Saturnians couldn't blush, because her face would have been as red as Rosie's.
Best to own it. Catalina gave what she hoped was a sheepish smile.
"Thanks, Mourly and Forly." At their smiles, she went on. "I was just wondering. How does schooling work on your planet? And, uh, do I go to school while I'm here?"
"Kids go to formal school until they're ten, and then learn independently for the next ten years. At that time, there's an examination, during which they are provided guidance for a career path," Forly explained.
"Ten of my years?" Catalina asked.
"Mostly. Your years are three hundred and sixty-five days. Our planet takes three hundred and sixty to go around our three suns," Forly said, "but while your days are twenty-four hours, ours are twenty-three and forty minutes."
Catalina calculated the mental math. Suzee was fifteen, just like her, only with a shorter calendar year, this meant that her friend was seventy-five days younger. Well, actually, no, she was only thirty-five days younger. Their birthdays fell within forty days of each other. Of course, as Yensid's days were shorter...
She'd need her compupad to do the math. Only, she'd left it on the Christa. Well, it didn't matter.
With Suzee being five years into an independent study, Catalina hoped that her friend would not fall too far behind. Maybe, if it took that long to switch them back (provided it was even possible...), she'd end up doing even better.
"I'm about the same age as Suzee. Do you know what they will expect from me?"
"We'll find out tomorrow when we take you to the Registration Hall," Mourly promised.
"Okay. Thank you."
Mourly put a hand on Catalina's shoulder. "I'm sure this is all very strange, and perhaps a bit scary?" Catalina nodded. "You don't need to worry. I promise. Visits from people from other worlds are quite common, and as long as we get everything settled, there's no need to worry."
Catalina nodded. "Okay," she repeated.
After showing Catalina where they slept, and letting her know that she could knock on their door if she needed anything (which she promised she wouldn't do unless it was life or death, and if Suzee couldn't help, assuming they got their mental link back...), they showed her the remaining bedrooms.
"Carmee and Mizee like to share a room. But Suzee asked for her own when she was eight, because that's when she found you, and she didn't want to wake up her sisters," Mourly explained, her voice taking on a gentle manner. "We never got rid of the third bed. We have another bedroom, for visitors. Where would you like to sleep, honey?"
Not for the first time, Catalina was taken aback. She'd always shared a room, first with her sisters, then the large dormitory at school, and finally the smaller (but still spacious) bunk room on the Christa. Privacy was never something she had, nor something she had ever wanted to have. Sure, it could be annoying to have to whisper to Suzee, but her sisters had been sound enough sleepers that she never worried about waking them up. She tried to keep her conversations in the dormitory on the shorter side, because they already thought she was crazy for having an "imaginary friend," and Rosie never seemed to notice. Anyway, the beds could go into the wall, and Rosie always utilized this for extra warmth.
Her own room? Or staying in Suzee's room?
Something about the first felt horribly lonely, and the second like an invasion of her friend's privacy. She wondered if Suzee would be slightly in her bed, using her blanket, wearing her clothes. How she would feel about this.
"I'm not sure. I never had my own room before. If Suzee's sisters don't mind, I think I might want to stay with them," she said, carefully.
"They won't mind, but they will talk your head off," Forly laughed. "No matter the universe, teenage girls will be teenage girls."
Cat had to laugh a bit at this.
Mourly studied her, or rather, her uniform. "You're Suzee's size, I would guess. It's rather difficult to get fabric this time of year. The plants don't grow as easily. Do you mind wearing her clothes?"
Catalina shook her head. She'd seen her best friend's gorgeous, colorful outfits. They looked so comfortable, too. Had secretly longed to try one of them on.
No, she wouldn't mind having a new wardrobe during her stay on Yensid.
Author's note:
A fan site I visited recently, possibly Space Cases TV, mentioned that Catalina made a purse out of Warlord Shank's natural arm, which had travelled with her to Yensid. I don't expect that the Saturnian was particularly crafty, and a project like that would need to be performed quickly because of the flesh involved. So, I took some liberties with HOW it would become a purse.
I've read a couple of fics where Catalina sleeps in Suzee's room during her time on Yensid. While that might occur in a later chapter, and I certainly don't fault any writer who chooses to make that creative choice, I rather think that Catalina would want to be close to others after sharing a room with Rosie, and likely a dormitory with other girls at the Starcademy. Besides, as we see in "Long Distance Calls," at least a part of her wardrobe consists of her best friend's clothes.
I don't know if there's any length of time given between Catalina's appearance on Yensid, the episode where she and Suzee can chat via the device, or how long before they leave Kareesh 9. In light of the absence of factual information, I'm going to guess, and say it was one month before Cat and Suzee spoke, and another month before the Christa is back in space.
If you're enjoying this, I'd greatly appreciate a few words of feedback.