Divine Evolution (2021 Watty Awards Shortlist)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

She'd never been one to lie around brooding for long. Life in the fishing village wouldn't allow it, and there was never enough time. It didn't matter how unhappy she'd been or how ill—although she'd never been sick and healed more quickly than anyone in the village—there was always some household chore needing attention. Working for the village herbalist also had the added responsibilities of keeping his workspace spotless and endless hours weeding the garden.

So once Niko left, she made another attempt to eat the food. Then she cleaned up at the washing station and looked for something else to wear. Everything was a dull gray and didn't fit, being either too big or too small. At least it was clean. After tidying the room, Cyann sat at the desk and decided to get familiar with her new memories.

Using the techniques Reeva taught her, she pictured a lock and a key and pulled up the menu. The words shimmered in her mind's eye like something tangible she could pluck out of the air, if only she could get her hands on them. Should she do what Niko suggested and research the origins of his people? No, I've already learned more than enough about myself for now. I don't need some other horrible truth popping to the surface.

What she needed to do was concentrate on the task she'd been Chosen for. In two days she would be dropped on an unknown world and she needed to be ready for that. She focused on customs, food, clothing, names of places and people of significance, weather, and environment. She tested her grasp of the language and her pronunciation. Though all the words were already in her head, she suspected she might struggle until she used the language on a regular basis.

It seemed that Niko had tried to integrate his first Chosen into the spiral world's society as seamlessly as possible: He'd placed Cheza in a pre-existing position—one of significant power and influence, that could affect the most people. At the same time, he collected detailed information on the planet's people using a complex satellite system placed around the planet. The data was processed and stored by the sibyl system, then accessed by the Primary and fed to the Chosen through their link. Based on his research—and she couldn't help but marvel at how extensive it was—the world was quite primitive and its people blamed events in nature on powers beyond their understanding, labeling them gods. Much like her fishing village, Cyann realized.

The role she would play fit into the scope of that world-view. People would come to her with questions, and she would fall into a trance and answer them, based on advice given by the 'gods'. However, the trance was actually a hallucinogenic state caused by a gas known as ethylene. And in her case, she would be drawing on the Dragoron memories and the data Niko had collected, using both to lead the people toward inclusion in the Galactic Homogeny. Although, Niko speculated it might take the world centuries, if not millennia, before they were ready to join. Any attempt to unduly interfere in the native species' development would go against the Creators' mandate to preserve the natural order. Odd, considering how much they'd interfered with Niko's people. Perhaps the Creators had taken the lessons learned from their own attempts of creating life and applied them for the rest of the universe so as not to repeat their mistakes. While that was great for the rest of the universe, it didn't help the Dragoron. They would always be shackled by the Creators' rules.

Except for me. The abomination. 

No, she had to stop thinking like that, and come to grips with who she was and what that meant. Was she a horrible monster who shouldn't be allowed to live, or someone who could change Dragoron society? Until she could sort her own thoughts and feelings, she couldn't deal with the rest of the baggage.

By the time Cyann surfaced for air, she was mentally exhausted. She had the beginnings of another headache and the room felt stuffy and cramped. A time-check showed nearly six hours had passed. Six hours without doing much of anything except reviewing her thoughts. No wonder she was starving and her body ached from being in the same position for so long.