31. Outside the Dome
"Outside the dome, there are incontestable rules. Everyone follows them without exception. If you don't, you, or somebody with you, could die."
Clad in snow suits and masks, carrying small packs of survival gear and armed with rifles, Nikos and Avocato felt as if they were back on the academy parade grounds as Kedi's second eldest brother, Kiev, prepped them to go beyond the confines of the settlement. They instinctively stood at parade rest, and Kiev was as thorough as Drill Instructor Tomkin conducting a uniform inspection. He scrutinized their cold-weather gear critically, checking the seals and the polarity on their masks, grunting in approval at his younger brother's choice of snow suits, and delving through their packs to be sure they had everything they needed for the excursion.
Kedi had been the one to get them the gear, ordering it a few months prior along with boots and helmets and countless other accessories they needed. Knowing the trip had been planned for over a year, Catowba had arranged to pay for all equipment, supplies, and travel as a nineteenth birthday gift for his younger brother. He gave Kedi free reign to purchase anything he wanted, for himself as well as Avocato and Nikos, his only stipulation being that Avocato came back in the same condition as when he left Alfitrix. Knowing better than to get anything but the very best, most efficient equipment on the planet, Kedi had bought top of the line gear and sufficient clothes for all of them, doubling up on the layers for Nikos.
"First, you listen to the leader and obey without question. In this case, Kotikat is in charge. He has the green helmet. Radios are turned on and stay on. Keep the cursing to a minimum. No roughhousing while on the move.
"Second, you go nowhere alone. Someone else must always be in sight. You have to pee? Two of you go. You are never alone, and you go nowhere without a comm unit. The light on your helmet stays on the whole time you're outside the mountain. Unless you're stalking frost lizards. Understood?"
They nodded in speechless agreement, praying they didn't meet any frost lizards. The gigantic beasts were positively terrifying.
"Third, every time we stop, you drink all your water. When it's time to eat, you finish every scrap of food. Even with these suits, your body will burn more calories to keep warm than you can consume in a meal. Add on any activity, and you'll burn through your reserves. And you two," he snapped, pointing an accusing finger, "have no reserves. Especially you, Nikos."
"So I've been told," Nikos conceded.
"If you get tired, say something. We might not be able to stop, but you must let the leader know. If anything hurts or gets wet, say something. You get a blister? You tell us.
"Your greatest enemy is the weather. The wind can kill. Snow can crush you. The cold will steal your strength. Luckily, the weather does nothing without warning, so we can be ready. The next greatest enemy is stupidity. Don't be stupid."
That was all. Kiev strode off, leaving them to process all he'd said in stunned silence.
"Well," said Avocato, "you heard the man, Nikos."
"Don't be stupid. Roger that."
Kedi strode up to check on them, handing each of them a piece of jerky to gnaw on while they waited. "Kiev done frightening you?"
"I honestly can't answer that," Avocato said, and wrestled with the chunk of dried meat.
Kedi chuckled, then pointed out the rest of his brothers milling about. "So. Kotikat has the green helmet. Kiev is gold. Keya is blue. I have lighter blue. Kochet and Keyvish both have orange. Nikos red. Avocato black. Keep a count, keep together. Kotikat will go first, Keya will bring up the rear."
"Where are we going?" asked Nikos.
A wide grin split Kedi's face. "We're going to teach you how to run on ice."
Avocato leaned close to say, "In other words, he's getting his revenge for us making him learn to swim and dance."
"At least he earned it."
"So did we."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Outside the dome, the bright lights of the settlement were soon left behind and even though it was morning, the sky sparkled with stars. Avocato was surprised that the darkness of a sunless world was not complete. What little light there was – starlight, mostly – was reflected by the hard-packed snow beneath their feet, casting the landscape into strange blue shadows.
"Look," said Kedi, striding up to reach Avocato. He pointed just as an aurora, green with hints of red, rippled across the sky. To Kedi's satisfaction, Avocato gave a little gasp of awe, momentarily overwhelmed at the sheer beauty of the display. "Now, shh. Listen."
Nikos joined them, watching the ribbons of light. "They hum?" he asked in astonishment, his blue eyes wide at the unexpected sound.
Kedi smiled, waxing poetic. "The night sings in the north."
"And shrieks at the equator," said Nikos.
They laughed, remembering how the jungle had never been quiet, and seemed to grow louder at night when the big predators stalked the trees.
"What does it do in the south?" Kedi asked Avocato.
"The band plays on until dawn, of course," was the easy answer.
"Of course," they agreed, thoroughly amused.
"Moonrise in half an hour," Keya announced as he reached their little group. "We'll have three moons today. Plenty to see by."
"What's the hold-up?" came Kotikat's voice over the radio.
"Tourists," Keya responded with a grin, waving them on. "You stopped. Drink up."
They obeyed, pulling out their bottles and drinking the cold water as they walked.
"Leave a mouthful or two in the bottom," said Kedi, showing them how to repack the bottles with snow. "The snow will melt faster in water."
"Aren't they heated?" wondered Nikos, stowing the bottle in his pack.
Kedi grinned. "Yes. But nature will always trump technology. Always go for the sure thing, Nikos."
When the moons rose, the reflected light that accompanied them bathed the Far Reaches in a weird, unearthly glow that was almost as bright as daylight. The three moons – Thea, Urd, and Trex – were named for Ventrexia's three eldest daughters, the goddesses of valor, death, and soldiers, gleaming gold and white and gray in the sky. Thea was the only one of the three moons with an atmosphere and rings, and Avocato, born and raised on the far side of Ventrexia, had never seen it before. Pictures and vids did not do her justice, just as the stark beauty of the landscape and the dazzling sky could not be adequately captured, only experienced.
"Well," Nikos conceded, his hushed tone betraying his awe, "you told me I'd see, Kotik. This is unexpected."
Another hour of walking through craggy passes brought them to a wide, flat expanse. Behind them, they left the low, rocky, snow-covered hills. Before them, separated only by a curved slope of ice dropping down a few meters, the horizon stretched as far as the eye could see, a smooth, white plain that turned gray and then black with distance, until earth and sky became one.
"What is that?" exclaimed Nikos, his voice rising in a squeak.
"The ice fields of the Great Northern Sea," Kochet replied, excited. "Come on!"
He and his younger brother let out happy whoops as they slid down the icy slope on their rumps. They collided at the bottom and lay in a heap, laughing and calling for their brothers to join them. Nikos, meanwhile, enjoyed something of an existential breakdown by being confronted by so much solid water.
"The sea is ice?" Nikos demanded in shock, not moving.
"Nikos, everything is ice here!" Avocato replied. "What did you expect?"
"Water. I expected water, Avocato. It's a sea. There should be water. Where is the water?"
"That gigantic sheet in front of you! Ice is water!"
Stubborn to the last, Nikos insisted, "No, it's not."
"About eighteen meters down once you get past the drop-off, the water turns liquid again, Nikos," Kedi said casually, trying to reassure his friend. "About two kilometers off shore. Everything here is solid to the bottom."
"That's so wrong, Kedidi."
Avocato grinned. "Just think, you can tell Mrica and Miryalu that you ran on water."
At the edge of the sea, they sat down on the rocky beach to eat before the lesson began. The Kotik brothers were as sympathetic as they were amused by Nikos' reaction. They had been incredulous as he when they saw pictures of the towering trees and colorful birds and flowers from the Answaar Region, and had been gobsmacked at the notion of a house open to the air and weather. While the food was heating, Keyvish, Kedi's youngest brother, took Nikos to the edge of the ice field to see how little difference there was between earth and water here.
"Ready for this?" Kiev asked Avocato as they worked through bowls of steaming chodee stew.
"I don't think it will be as bad as swimming," he replied with a smile.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
He was wrong.
It was worse.
Infinitely worse.
"What?" breathed Avocato in horror.
His heart was racing. His mouth went dry. He could not believe what he was being told. What he was seeing. It couldn't be real.
He was expected to run on feet and hands? On all fours? Like - like an animal?
Crouched before his friends, Kedi demonstrated the use of the heavy clawed gloves they now wore. He spoke so matter-of-factly that it was clear playing at chodee beasts was a common occurrence in the Far Reaches. Avocato was so taken aback that he couldn't hear a word of what was being said to him, couldn't process anything save the fact that he was being asked to set aside every social norm, every rule of etiquette and comportment that had been part of his life since birth and crawl around like some savage hund. This was . . . this was the sort of thing you might imply your worst enemy did. Even murder ranked above this sort of conduct, because at least murder could be justified. Going on all fours . . .
No. He couldn't. He was descended from kings. His mother was an imperial princess. His father was the grand lord of House Cato. He was a Blue Imperial, a cadet at the Royal Academy. If they ever learned he'd done something so lowly, he'd be a social outcast. Disowned. Shunned. An exile. He'd never be able to show his face again. He -
"Cato?"
"Avocato? Are you alright?"
"I think . . . he's hyperventilating?"
"What? You broke my roommate, Kedi!"
Avocato hit the ground with a thump, fighting to control his breathing. Nikos and Kedi knelt beside him, concerned.
"Cato, breathe. Breathe. What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"I-I can't," he gulped out, shaking his head.
"Can't . . . ?"
"Can't. No." He stripped off the clawed gloves, dropping them on the beach. He felt utterly wasted and useless and a disappointment from every possible direction.
"Can't run the ice?" reasoned Kedi. "Why?"
"I can't . . ." He gestured at the gloves.
"Run on all fours?" suggested Nikos.
They were relieved when Avocato swallowed and nodded, his breathing calming a bit.
"But with your height and strength, you'd be the fastest of us," argued Kedi. "And it is thrilling."
"It's not done," he choked out. "It's not!"
"Ah," said Nikos. "It's not done in your circles."
"Never!" snapped Avocato.
Kedi and Nikos exchanged an understanding look. They would not, could not tease him for such a reaction. Despite being well traveled and well educated, both Kedi and Nikos knew Avocato's life before the academy had been very sheltered, with strict rules of conduct one did not question. In many ways, they were far more adaptable to change than he, and had far more freedom. Their own upbringings allowed them to try and fail and make mistakes. Growing up on the fringes of the royal family, one had to be perfect. Always. And so he was.
But there was a price for that gilded life, and once again, Avocato was paying it. The expectations of society were too ingrained for him to set aside so easily. Learning to swim had been one thing. This was more than he could manage.
They settled down on either side of him, sitting close to their younger brother on the shore of a frozen sea. Avocato drew a shuddering breath.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I should have better control."
"You are allowed to have feelings and reactions, Avocato," Nikos reminded him firmly. "So, the notion of running on all fours . . . ?"
"Scandalous beyond description."
"Why?"
That gave him pause. He had to think for a long moment to find the reason and the words. "It's a reminder of a savage past. Uncivilized. Uncouth. One the court wants to leave well behind. Most people I know don't even want to admit they have claws. Some even have them removed."
"Ew." Nikos shoved his hands into his hands beneath his armpits in horror.
"Savage, eh?" asked Kedi, liking the notion. "Up here, we can't forget we're apex predators. Those who do, perish. Ventrexia gave us claws and teeth, cunning and senses. They are gifts to be used, not hidden."
"Agreed," said Nikos.
Avocato considered. "I suppose as soldiers, we should live a similar philosophy."
"But we're going to be officers," corrected Nikos.
"Meaning?" asked Kedi.
Nikos smiled. "We need to be worse." He shifted to look at both his friends. "Can I make a confession?"
"Always," Kedi invited grandly.
"I had similar - though not as extreme - misgivings at Catomar's wedding. In the Answaar, a young man does not dance with a young woman he does not intend to marry. When I said I couldn't remember how to dance, I was terrified to image what Cordell might expect of me. Should I propose? What if she proposed? I was too afraid to ask. When she wanted to dance again, and I realized that was all she wanted, I was so relieved that I could have danced all night."
"You did," said Kedi. "My turn. Master Ronco and his fascination with eating bugs. There's more to the story than you know."
"Oh, do tell, Kotik."
"Well, just as they don't scamper around like snow crabs in Alfitrix, anyone who eats insects here in the Far Reaches is considered . . . mmm, at least mildly insane."
Nikos let out a small wail and clapped his hands to his head. "Oh, Starsh! And I said they tasted good!"
"In your defense, as a foreigner, you are allowed, even expected, to be weird. You don't disappoint. Either of you. Plus, most of the bugs here in the Far Reaches are either poisonous or venomous or hallucinogenic, so we avoid consuming them." He chuckled. "So. I explained to my mother in a letter that we ate bugs three times on our visit to Vel Pitten, and that not only were they tasty, but everyone ate them."
This was enough to partially jolt Avocato out of his state of shock. "What were the other two times?"
"Do all the children in your family think we're out of our minds?" demanded Nikos, ignoring Avocato's question.
"And they admire us for it. So, Little Cato, do not feel badly. Yours is a world of many restrictions and expectations. If you don't want to run, then don't. Nikos can join Keyvish and Kochet, and we'll stay here."
Avocato closed his eyes. He knew what their stories represented, why they shared them, and he knew they would not judge him if he did not run the ice. He would judge himself, because that did not change the fact that his friends had each been tossed into the fray. They had overcome their own customs and social norms and fears to engage fully with societies they had visited. Even enjoyed them. Could he do less? And why did this matter so deeply? Why did he care so much?
Because he had been told it mattered. He had been conditioned to care, and to judge, and hold himself superior to anyone who would do this. And to fear the censure of the people around him. It had not been his parents to instill this so much as his schools and teachers, his so-called friends, peers and servants and yes, even his brother Catomar that had taught him to do this.
And when he was an officer, responsible for the lives and welfare of his troops, would he be like Basmet and look down on those not cut from the same cloth as he? Would he dismiss input from the likes of Nikos and even Kedi for the word of the Chausettes and Kitners? Or would he be like Cataloupe or Lyn, who cared for the men and not the opinions of the people who looked down upon anyone not exactly like them?
He knew what he wanted, and who he wanted to be.
And he would not be ashamed, or made to be ashamed, for being the best he could be.
"No," he said, his voice hoarse. He swallowed, then said again, clearer, "No."
He reached out and picked up the discarded gloves, working them back over his snow suit and sealing them in place. Then he stood, tall and determined. He was descended from kings. The son of an imperial princess and a grand lord. A future officer in the Ventrexian military. It was time he defined exactly what that meant.
To himself and to the world.
"Let's run."