It didn’t help that he was fully conscious while the procedure was being carried out. He could feel the slick fibers sliding smoothly into his ear, past the tympanum and farther into his head. Again, there was no pain, only a faint coolness. There was no feeling of being "plugged in." But when the tendrils had ceased moving, the throbbing voice returned.
"I sense your unease," Azure murmured. "There is no reason for such discomfort. The plug is there because it is meant to be used."
"I know a surgeon who'd like to talk to you about that."
"A surgeon? You mean, a physician? Perhaps you can talk to mine."
Evan was immediately interested. What revelations could a silicate shaman provide? How did one go about repairing damage to creatures composed of silicon and beryllium and boron alloys?
"I have never encountered anything like you," Azure said.
Evan smiled slightly. "I have a number of acquaintances who've said more or less the same thing to me."
"You must come from a place," and here he (Evan had come to think of his friend as a "he," though from all indications thus far Azure was quite asexual) used a term which did not translate well, "far away."
"Farther than you can imagine." Finding a comfortable place, Evan sat down and did his best to explain himself, his origins, and his reason for being on Azure's world.
The alien responded quickly when Evan had finished. "Fascinatinger and fascinatinger! You must come hack to the Associative with me and tell all this to the libraries."
"You have more than one?"
"Certainly. Ours is a progressive Associative."
"You must have acquired a lot of books."
"What are books?"
Now it was Evan's turn to be confused. "Books, and tapes, and related storage materials are what go into a library."
"Storage materials. That much I understand."
"I can't go with you just now, Azure. Much as I'd like to, I can't." He displayed his wrist, with the steadily glowing beacon. "I have to try and find this other human. I told you about that."
Azure considered. "But you are not certain as to your colleague's location?"
"No. I can only use this to take me into her general vicinity. Then I have to make a visual search and hope I get lucky."
"Perhaps we can help. There is nothing unusual about the frequency of your little broadcasting unit." He indicated the beacon with a pair of legs. "Come back with me and I will put your problem to our talkers. They can accurately locate anyone broadcasting."
Evan frowned. It seemed highly unlikely that Azure's people possessed anything as sophisticated as a directional locator- hadn't he already confessed an ignorance of tools? And what was a talker? Still, if there was anything to what his friend claimed, it could lead him directly to Ophemert's body and save him days of wandering around in the glittering, hostile forest.
"All right. Let's see what these `talkers' of yours can do.
"Excellent! Most pleasuring." Azure gave a twist to show his delight. The bright green eyes passed several times over Evan's form. "But first we must do something about your vulnerability. We must try to get you an exoskeleton of sorts. You cannot go walking about as you are, soft-bodied and defenseless. You say that your own exoskeleton, this suit or whatever it is, is now of no use to you?"
"I'm afraid so. With its systems dead there's no way I could move it under my own power."
"Another strange concept." He rose on his rear six legs and surveyed the surrounding flora, finally gesturing with his mouthparts. "First we must do something about your sensitive vision. This way."
Evan followed the alien a short distance into a thick clump of trees. They halted before a growth almost worthy of the name. Brown globes grew directly upon a gray brown trunk. There were no leaves or branches, but neither did Evan see any of the ubiquitous photoreceptors. This was a carbon-based structure, the nearest thing to a real tree he'd seen since setting down on Prism.
A mound of broken globes had accumulated around the base of the tree. "Kneel, please," Azure said. Evan did so. As he bent, the alien reached up and pulled the strip of flimsy plastic from Evan's eyes.
"Hey, I need that!"
"Not any longer, I hope." Azure disconnected, still holding on to the plastic film, and dropped to the ground.
Already Prism's overpowering light was starting tears from Evan's eyes. He squinted hard, trying to follow the alien's actions. "Come on, give it back." Useless admonition. He was unplugged.
Azure appeared to be doing something with the silicate debris, glancing occasionally back at the crouching human, then sorting through fragments of shattered globe. Eventually selecting a couple of choice shards, he began trimming and adjusting them. Evan watched as the alien's mouthparts cut through the tough material as though it was paper. He could easily imagine what they could do to his own flesh if Azure took a sudden dislike to him.
More speculative glances in Evan's direction. The globular fragments had been cut and glued into four sections, two straight and curved, two round and bubblelike. These four became one under Azure's skillful claws.
When he was finished the result was handed to Evan. It was a remarkably polished piece of work and might have come out of a machine instead of an alien mouth. Evan slipped the straight bars over his ears and hooked them together in back of his head. The twin hemispheres they were connected to in front fit neatly over his eyes. They were a bit large and probably gave him the aspect of a giant bug, but he wasn't much interested in appearances.
The brown silicate screened out most of the sun's rays and the painful reflections of the surrounding growths. For the first time since he'd been forced to abandon the
HW, he could see clearly and without difficulty. A light, warm rain began to fall.
"How did you know?" He bent again and allowed Azure to climb back onto his shoulders and remesh. "How did you know?"
"The purpose of the thin material wrapped around your face was self-evident and obviously inefficient," Azure replied. He gestured toward the strip of plastic now lying crumpled on the ground. "I thought pieces of Eria fruit would serve better. It is better?"
"It's wonderful. Can't thank you enough." He surveyed the terrain, luxuriating in being able to open his eyes fully for the first time in days. "Which way now?"
"We are not finished here yet."
"Whatever you say." What else did Azure have in mind for him? Another pair of glasses, perhaps, fashioned from some darker material?
Azure directed him through the forest until they were confronted by a small pool. This one stood by itself, with no visible outlet. As might be expected, the water was murky and rich with diatomous swarms.
"Get in," Azure told him.
"What?" Evan eyed the soupy broth uncertainly.
"Immerse yourself-and be sure to keep your head above water."
"Why? What's the danger?"
"No danger. Just a precaution a soft form needs to take."
Evan leaned over and tried to penetrate the mystery of the pool. "What's going to happen to me?"
"You need protection. The pool will provide it." When Evan continued to hesitate, Azure added, with a hint of exasperation, "Have I done anything to cause you harm?"
"No-o-o-o." Evan considered. It was only water. He could always get out fast if that seemed necessary.
He stepped in and slowly assumed a supine position, his head resting on the dry bank. Warm water began to leak in around his light clothing. Something began to irritate his legs.
He reached down to scratch but was forestalled by Azure, who had crawled onto the shore near his head, still plugged in to his tall soft friend.
"Don't do that. Relax and let the froporia do its work."
Evan did as he was told, though the crawling sensation intensified and it was an effort to keep his hands at his sides. It wasn't painful; merely uncomfortable. He lifted his head to look down at himself.
A thin layer of silica was forming on his body. As it took hold, his clothing was split and torn from beneath. The loss of the light undersuit didn't upset him too much. It was frayed and torn already anyway. The process was fascinating to observe. Millions of microscopic creatures were cementing themselves together no more than a centimeter above his skin, in much the same way corals form barrier reefs, only the process was occurring infinitely faster.
He twisted and turned slightly. Where there was resistance, the froporia allowed more room for movement. He began to work his way down his own body, moving the thickening formation farther from his skin at joints and creases, flexing his muscles individually where possible. When the coating was a centimeter or so thick, growth ceased.
Obeying Azure's instructions, he lay as still as he could for several hours, whereupon his friend said, "You may get up now."
Evan glanced down at the creamy white wrapping encasing him, tried to bend his legs. The formation was as unyielding as metal. "How?"
"How indeed? I forgot."
"You forgot?" Evan fought to keep any suggestion of panic out of his thoughts. If he'd been deceived all this time and had gone and packaged himself for leisurely consumption . . .
Azure trundled forward and grasped Evan by the shoulders. With unexpected strength, he pulled the encased human clear of the pool. Then he began working on Evan's body, cutting and secreting fluid at the joints. As soon as Evan divined what he was doing, he offered 'suggestions and instructions.
First the right arm was loosened at shoulder, elbow, and wrist, then the left. The fingers were last and Azure moved on to work on the torso. Eventually the work was completed and the alien resumed its position on Evan's shoulders.
"I'm going to stand up now," he informed his segmented friend. It took a little work, as stiff as his new suit was. Prism had provided him with new armor. It was creamy white and light as a graphite composite. He wondered if it was as tough as it seemed.
"The froporia are strong indeed," Azure assured him. "That is how they protect themselves, by encasing those who would eat them. Out of the water, they die. We have fashioned you a new exoskeleton out of many smaller ones."
A walking graveyard, Evan mused. Not a pretty thought, but he wasn't about to give up his new armor out of sorrow. Besides, the pool appeared as full of life now as it had been when he'd first lain down in it.
Not that he doubted Azure, but he was curious to see just what his new suit was capable of. He found a rock that weighed a good five kilos and with some trepidation dropped it on his right foot. It bounced off without so much as scratching the smooth white surface. A good beginning. He picked up the rock a second time, raised it over his head, and slammed it down on his big toe as hard as he could. His wince was purely mental. Once again the rock bounced harmlessly away. Whatever the white substance was composed of, it had very little give. He stared down at his uninjured foot, wondering what other surprises his primitive friend held in store. Perhaps even something like a "talker" that could pinpoint the location of the Ophemert beacon. He fingered his new silicate sunshades and grinned.
Inside the safety of a suit again Evan felt more like his old confident self, even if that suit had been grown in an alien pond by diatomous fauna instead of having rolled off the assembly line of one of Samstead's factories.
"There are those dangerous creatures which can penetrate a froporia shell," Azure informed him, "but they are not common. I regret having to leave your head exposed, but being a soft thing I assume you require the constant ingestion of gas to sustain life."
"I have to breathe, if that's what you mean." He tapped his armored chest. "This will do nicely, thanks."
He flexed his left hand, enjoying the free play of his fngers where Azure had softened the joints. Having destroyed his original suit, Prism had thoughtfully provided him with a new one. Best of all, after the dark brown sunshades Azure had fashioned for him, were his pure white "boots." Now he could stride with indifference through piles of razor-sharp silicate fragments and swordlike growths.
A part of his anatomy higher than his feet gave a twinge, warning him of one area that still had to be dealt with. He explained it to Azure, who listened thoughtfully. After all, he was familiar with waste products even if his were of afar more solid composition than those of purely organic lifeforms.
Disconnecting temporarily, he made the necessary modifications. Evan experimented with both and was relieved to find that they worked as smoothly as the rest of his suit, and he marveled yet again at the tower of bright golden crystals which sprang from the ground several minutes after he'd concluded.
The patient organisms living in Prism's soil had pounced upon the unexpected uric bonanza to utilize the valuable salts contained therein. The delicate crystalline structure which had risen in the wake of his twinge was the result.
He rose and let -Azure plug in. "Let's go find your village and see what these `talkers' of yours can do."
"It is not a village, if I understand the term correctly," Azure replied primly even as he gestured to the west. Evan started off in the indicated direction, striding confidently through the glittering forest. "It is an association of free specialized individuals. An Associative."
"All right then, an Associative." As he walked, Evan searched the forest floor for something that would make a better weapon than his silica staff. "Tell me something. You're completely independent. You get your energy directly from the sun, so there's no need to cooperate in hunting. Why bother with an association? Seems to me that you don't need anyone but yourself. Why live together with others of your kind? Just for company?"
"There are many reasons for emphasizing gregariousness over solitude. Surely as an independent organism you must recognize some of them yourself. There is more to life than food gathering. For example, there are common dangers which can better be dealt with on a cooperative rather than an individual basis."
So even as seemingly indestructible a creature as Azure felt threatened by the unseen and still unexperienced dangers of the forest. That was a sobering thought for something as fragile as a human being to mull over. Perhaps Prism was home to things even more lethal than the acid spitters and ultrasound generators. The course of adaptive evolution on Prism had run no more smoothly or politely than on any other world, for all its divergence into the world of silicon.
He looked down at the bubble grass crunching beneath his feet. Here even the simplest, lowliest lifeforms sported protective shells. Where did something like Azure fit into such an environment? Were his kind at the top of the food chain? But photovores stood outside the food chain, independent of it. Yet he had expressed fear of attack. It distressed Evan to think of larger, more powerful creatures preying on a being as intelligent and, yes, sympathetic as Azure. But hadn't there been a time, eons ago, when man himself had been forced to settle for a position in the middle of the food chain? It gave him plenty to ponder as he carried his newfound friend through the forest of wonders and astonishments.
The whole world grated on his senses. Wherever he looked were hard, unyielding shapes. Beautiful and exotic they might be, but there was no tenderness to any of them. Even the silica fibers which simulated the appearance of plant fronds and stems were rough to the touch and would cut bare skin if pressed against it. He thought again of the syaruzi and how easily they had pierced his fresh and was more grateful than ever for the armor which Azure had provided.
They'd chosen a place to spend the night and Evan had drifted to sleep when he was awakened by a soft buzzing in his right ear. Dancing jewels darted about overhead, though not in the profusion of several nights before.
The buzzing came again. He sat up and stared into the darkness, all of Azure's warnings coming back to him with a rush.
"There's something moving out there," he thought to his friend.
"I know." The reply was slow and sleepy, as though Azure couldn't shake himself awake. Come to think of it, he'd never discussed the matter of sleep with the little alien.
He wasn't going to now, either. He was too busy trying to penetrate the surrounding darkness. The moonlight added eerie shadows to the already disquieting silhouette of the forest. Other night sounds filled the air. They weren't loud enough to drown out that steady, monotonous buzzing.
"I don't see anything."
"Nor do I," Azure murmured. Why did he sound so tired? Evan wondered. Hadn't he ridden all day on Evan's shoulders?
A form separated itself from the trees and came toward them. It was slightly larger than a dog and took the shape of a smooth hemisphere that traveled on four stumpy brown legs. A pair of bright red eyes peeped out at the world from just beneath the fore edge of the glassy dome. There were two more eyes on each side and a pair facing backward, but he didn't notice them until later. It was moving with ponderous deliberation, displayed nothing in the way of fang or claw, and looked anything but threatening.
Azure saw it and panicked.
"A busck! I have to disconnect. Run, Evan, and don't look back! I will try to find you later."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Evan shouted, but Azure had already pulled the communications tendrils free from his ear and dropped to the ground.
The busck continued to lumber toward them at glacial speed, buzzing excitedly. Evan was convinced he could outrun it by hopping on one leg, much less two good ones. He studied intently, searching in vain for any sign of offensive armament. If it was an acid-spitter the telltale hypo organ was completely hidden from view. In any case, Azure had assured him his suit should be capable of resisting the effects of all but the most powerful acids.
He reached down to try and restrain his friend, for the first time feeling awkward and alone during a disconnect. But Azure seemed interested only in flight.
Maybe the approaching creature outmassed him, but not Evan, who was several times its size. "What's wrong? It doesn't look very-"
The ball of light that filled the campsite was as intense as it was unexpected. It was as if someone had set off a dozen magnesium flares at their feet. Evan was temporarily blinded, having doffed his sunshades for the night. The effect was magnified by the reflective surfaces of the forest growth.
He staggered backward, rubbing at his outraged eyes with both hands until he bumped into the solid mass of a big condarite. Instantly the trunk behind him began to vibrate and he stumbled away. Through vibration, a condarite could generate quite a bit of heat. It was a defensive reaction designed to discourage browsers, whose conductivity would be thrown off balance by the internal heat. It's hard to gnaw on something if it burns your mouth.
Gradually the plethora of tiny novas began to disappear from the backside of his eyelids. Just as he was able to see again the burst of light was repeated. But this time he was turned away from the busck. Shielding his eyes with one arm, he felt of his supplies until he recovered his sunshades. They should offer some protection.
He was able to time and thus forecast when the busck was going to flare, since its pulses came at regular intervals. It had started toward him, but when he'd backed away it had turned its attention to Azure. To Evan's shock and surprise, instead of fleeing as he'd announced his intention to do, the little alien was standing motionless where he'd landed.
"Azure, run! Why don't you run?" Idiot! he admonished himself. You're not plugged in. His companion's lack of movement was a complete mystery.
Especially since it was quite clear that the busck was snaking straight for him. As it drew near it slowly began to rise on its four legs. They seemed to extend themselves like hydraulic pillars instead of unfolding or unwinding. Every couple of minutes it would generate another intense flash of light, the hemispherical body acting like an enormous omnidirectional lens.
You didn't have to be a biologist to divine the predator's intent. It was going to lift itself until it was high enough off the ground to clear Azure's body and then drop down to cover him completely. Evan didn't care to visualize the sucking, tearing mouthparts that must be concealed beneath the glassy dome, mouthparts which would rip Azure apart at their leisure.
Still his friend didn't move. Logic drew a quick connection between Azure's immobility and the periodic bursts of light. The wavelengths involved were of a type sufficient to paralyze his companion, penetrating the silicate optics to numb the brain beyond. Evan had heard of animals which could paralyze by the use of sound, but this was the first time he'd encountered a predator which employed light to immobilize its prey.
The busck had reached a position immediately above the senseless Azure and was beginning to descend. Like its walk, the descent of that glassy dome was slow, so slow. The bursts of light hurt, but Evan's optics were not as sensitized to their wavelength as were the inhabitants off this world. He moved fast.
Feeling uncomfortably like someone sticking his hand beneath a hydraulic press, he reached forward between the busck's legs. Grabbing Azure by two of his ten legs, he pulled him clear. The busck made no attempt to interfere with this brazen rescue effort, though for all Evan knew it might be emitting screams of outrage on frequencies beyond his range of hearing.
What it finally did do was cease lowering its body toward the ground, turn, and start stalking the bipedal interloper, pulsing intensely. The light had no effect on Evan at all.
He had plenty of time to pick up his staff and pack and walk away into the night. Turning occasionally he could still make out the intermittent pulses of light the pursuing busck was generating. It continued to follow even after Evan was safely beyond its range, unable to believe its prey had escaped. Evan sympathized briefly with its confusion. It wasn't designed for chasing but rather for making a leisurely meal of completely paralyzed victims, the way a starfish would digest an oyster. Evan's flight was beyond its experience.
Despite its demonstrated snaillike gait, Evan didn't pause until the last vestige of light had been swallowed up by the forest behind him.
Azure hadn't stirred during the escape. Not knowing what else to do, Evan set him down gently and sprawled out nearby to wait. He couldn't very well pick up the curled communications tendrils and insert them in his own ear any more than he could administer first aid. For that matter, he couldn't tell if his companion was paralyzed or dead. All he could do was wait, hope, and provide residual heat.
He tried to sleep but could not, and his patience was rewarded the following morning when first the legs and then Azure's mouthparts began to move. So that his friend would not have to make the considerable leap from ground to shoulder, Evan moved as close as possible to the limp silicate form.
The tendrils uncurled and extended toward his head. Halfway inside there was a sharp stab of pain, but Evan ground his teeth and held his position. A moment later and the mesh was complete again.
"I hurt you," were Azure's first words since the night before.
"It's all right, it's nothing." Evan ignored the few drops of blood that spilled from his ear.
"What happened? When we did not run in time I thought all was lost. Busek light penetrates even solid lids." He blinked by way of emphasis. "I did not expect consciousness to return."
"It didn't affect me the same way," Evan explained. "It blinded me for a moment, but there was no paralysis. It was just about to start dining on you when I yanked you clear and walked off into the forest. I didn't have to move very fast."
"The busck does not rely on speed."
"Conveniently. Don't worry. It's a long way behind us now."
"Yes, it is easy to run away from the busck. The danger lies in its seeing you before you see it. I owe you my life. If not for you I would be powder by now."
Azure's effusive thanks didn't embarrass Evan. He thoroughly enjoyed such accolades, whether they came from colleagues or a silicate alien lifeform.
"You've done a lot for me. I'm just glad I was able to repay the favors."
"To be unaffected by busck light. That is a fine ability to have. It compensates somewhat for your delicate body. If you will excuse me, I must now..."
"I know." Evan smiled. He made himself a quick breakfast while Azure lay in the sun recharging his severely depleted system. The reason for his friend's unaccountable exhaustion the night before was brought out in discussion when Evan mentioned the business of sleeping.
It developed that Azure did not "sleep" in, the same sense as a human being did. The state was more akin to hibernation. As its supply of solar energy was depleted, a diurnal lifeform like Azure gradually shut down all internal systems save those required to maintain memory and other brain functions. In such a state it was at the mercy of nocturnal organosilicate predators and scavengers, who instead of the sun relied on a round-the-clock production of chemical energy. No wonder Azure had taken the time to seal himself in the cave he'd shared with Evan.
Evan did not go on to explain that he was as able as any busck to function continuously during the long Prismatic night. Let Azure surmise what he might about his tall companion's sleeping habits. Despite all the alien had done for him, Evan still couldn't bring himself to trust it completely. No doubt he was being unfair to Azure, but when one's very survival is at stake it's not the time to make assumptions about the motivations of aliens or to take chances. So that one little secret he kept to himself, for the time being.
Nothing else sprang out at them to interrupt their journey, and they reached Azure's Associative the following day. It was not what Evan had envisioned. He'd imagined Azure and his friends living in a larger cave or some kind of crude stone enclosure or community hut. He certainly didn't expect them to dwell within a cathedral.
Much less a living one.