The following day, Rayne studied ESP. Tallyn gave them access to the data web through the web line screens in his house, where they found a treasure trove of information. Rayne was a little surprised when Tallyn revealed that he was a telepath, and that most Atlanteans were, to varying degrees, but none had the awesome power of the Shyanese. Rayne added the Shyanese to her list of interests, and Rawn shared her curiosity. A vast amount of information was available from the technical library. Rayne knew that even if she lived to be three hundred she would never learn all it contained, even with their enhanced abilities.
They learnt how to operate the gravcar, and Tallyn brought one for them to use. With this, they visited the local library, where they found extra facilities for studying the store of knowledge. They often spent the whole day with the crowds of students that attended the various lectures and demonstrations.
Time seemed irrelevant, and Rayne was surprised when six months passed without her noticing. The Council seemed content to let them live with Tallyn, and he appeared to enjoy their company. Rayne asked him if he had ever had a wife, and he told her he had made contracts with four women, two of whom had borne his children. He explained that Atlanteans made temporary contracts of a few years, during which time they might have children.
When the couple terminated the contract, the children stayed with their mother and the father supported them. To Rayne, it sounded a lot like a human marriage, only all parties knew from the outset that the end would come. Tallyn saw his children once a week when he was on Atlan, spending a day with each of them.
Tallyn explained the semi-defunct Atlantean caste system, which was a casual ranking based on hair colour. In the past, it had been an important part of Atlantean culture, and only those of high caste were allowed to hold high office. Now it was a symbol of status, but its use to advance careers was frowned upon.
The more diverse an Atlantean’s hair tones were, the higher status he or she held. Tallyn was therefore exceedingly well bred, which he admitted was the reason for his many contracts. The same rules precluded him from making a contract with a woman whose hair tones were insufficiently dissimilar, however. The whole thing sounded rather cold-blooded to Rayne, but, from her experiences with Tallyn, Atlanteans did seem to be a reticent and undemonstrative race.
Meanwhile, the seduction of knowledge continued to enthral her and Rawn with its bounty of discoveries waiting to be plumbed. They seemed to have no other purpose than to wait for the prophecy to come true, so they studied alien cultures, languages, space flight, ships and technology.
When Rayne checked the calendar again, nine Atlantean months had passed. The summer warmth faded as the planet moved away from its sun on its shallow elliptical orbit. The nights grew chilly, and they spent many pleasant evenings in the heated pool. Tallyn invited his friends over, and Rayne asked him to introduce her to more aliens. He took them to a crowded bar hidden deep in the jungle, where they met a bizarre collection of aliens.
Sseth, the owner and bartender, was a burly reptilian with a huge, frog-like mouth, four bright yellow eyes and red-gold skin that gleamed like wet silk. Rayne asked permission to feel it, to Sseth’s delight, and found it as rough as sharkskin. Four sturdy legs supported his three hundred kilos of muscular bulk. He also had two pairs of arms, one pair long and delicate, with four-fingered hands, the other short and powerful with stubby hands.
Sseth grinned at Tallyn as he poured their drinks, parting his lips to reveal several rows of pointed teeth. It was the best he could do, since his mouth was rigid. He and Tallyn were old friends, and he seemed pleased to see the Atlantean commander again. The alien band was an amazing collection of strange beings that seemed totally out of place with the sweet music they made. The flute player must have weighed several hundred kilos, and rested his huge tusks on the floor to hold up his head while he played the flute with tiny hands.
Rayne turned her attention to Sseth when he said, “I hear you’re building a fancy ship, Tallyn.”
“Your ears been flapping again, Sseth?”
Sseth grinned at what was clearly an old joke, since he had no visible ears. “I hear a lot of things behind the bar, like, for instance, that she’s going into Quadrant Forty-Four.”
“Who told you that?”
Sseth shrugged. “Don’t remember. Alcohol loosens a lot of tongues. I just flap my ears.” He made a hissing, grating sound that passed for laughter, Rayne assumed. “Besides, people have been wondering what’s in there for centuries.”
Tallyn frowned, finishing his drink, and Sseth poured him another.
“What do they say is in there?” Rawn asked.
“It’s just a lot of tall tales,” Tallyn said. “No one knows.”
“Oh, yes, most of them are,” Sseth agreed. “Like beautiful space sirens luring men to their deaths, and mysterious forces tearing ships apart.” He leant closer. “But the latest one is interesting. There’s supposed to be an ancient machine, left by some long-gone super race, which guards the quadrant.”
Tallyn snorted. “That’s a load of rubbish. How can you repeat such nonsense?”
Sseth wiped the counter. “Some people believe it. They like to hear stories.”
“And tell even bigger ones.” Tallyn turned away.
“Could there be any truth in it?” Rayne enquired.
“Nobody knows what’s in there,” Tallyn said. “These are just stories that people with nothing better to do make up.”
“What harm can it do?”
“Lots. Some poor sod might believe it enough to go in there, thinking he can make contact with this robot ship, or whatever it is, and live to tell the tale. There are a lot of would-be heroes around.”
“Is there a fancy new ship that’s going to explore the forty-fourth quadrant?” she asked.
“That’s classified. Personally, I think it would be a waste of time going in there. Ships cross it all the time. It’s only explorer ships that vanish. Whatever is in there doesn’t want to be found, and when it is, no one lives to tell the tale. Does it sound like a good idea to go and look for it?” He sipped his drink. “Plenty of probes have been sent in there, and none of them returned either. It’s a waste of money and men.”
“Could it have something to do with the prophecy?”
“If it does, we’ll find out when the time comes.”
Rayne shivered. “I’d rather stay away from Quadrant Forty-Four, and whatever’s in it.”