piece of string she found in a drawer and when she got dressed, she left the wet braid hanging down her back. She put the wrap tunic and trousers back into place and arranged the cowl over her head as quickly as she could.
Randr was ready and wearing a matching outfit. “Are you ready?”
“I am.”
He held out his hand and they used the energy of their imperative to step through space and time.
“Why are we sent to some places and not others?”
“The Orb is trying to get an image of all living experience from what we can tell. It wants to see all pivotal points in time—where destinies were changed and lives took a different path.”
She nodded and they joined the crowd slowly working its way toward the centre of town. It was a modern city, but everyone was on foot and not in the conveyances that were parked on the sides of the streets.
Aura asked him, “Does anyone ever notice us?”
He nodded. “Every now and then there are individuals who can see us for what we are despite the cowl. It is how the Nameless got their names. Others call us the Sentinels.”
At his speaking those two titles, a few local folk looked at them before shrugging and looking away.
“They don’t want to see us, do they?” Aura was catching on.
“We don’t belong here, but we are not to be feared, so they try and look past us.”
“Why do we wear the blades?”
“Blades are used for defence on almost every world at every point in history. It is the easiest weapon that we can carry and not make a scene or draw attention.”
He didn’t have his arm around her, but he was as close as the crowd would allow. None of the people they walked with were touching and it was a telling point. No sense breaking taboos and bringing attention to themselves.
They walked and Aura looked at as much as she could. She had no idea what the moment they were supposed to be watching was, so she was going to take in everything.
A podium had been assembled in the middle of the square and as they watched, a male strode to the centre of the elevated space and addressed the crowd.
“Men and women of Tival, I am here to spread the news about a strange find at one of our satellite outposts. We have proof of life from beyond our world and it has made a request. Two thousand of our people are to be offered to them to test our suitability to join their Allied worlds. If our people can blend in, they will be welcome and we will experience the benefits of increased technology.
“Meetings such as this one are occurring all over our planet. If we agree, we will see some of those visitors and they will begin an interview process for our Volunteers.”
The crowd murmured, a voice called out, “What if we don’t want it?”
“Our government has already decided that the benefits far outweigh the displeasure of the people. We managed to expunge the psychic gene in our species, because it was not wanted. Now, we have the chance to use the advanced technology for our own advancement without the aid of genetic tampering.
“The representatives will be arriving soon and they are to be greeted with cordiality and polite respect, no matter what they look like. We need this, we need what the Alliance can give us and anyone who interferes with the process will be incarcerated. This meeting was just to make sure that everyone was on the same page. Gathering dismissed.”
Just like that, the Tival gathering broke up and folk started to leave.
A voice called out, “Where do we volunteer?”
The crowd froze.
The man on the podium scowled toward the speaker and Aura looked at the man in the crowd, still facing the podium.
“I don’t think you understand. Our volunteers will be hand selected. They are volunteers in name only. Now, disperse.”
The crowd turned and dispersed, leaving Aura, Randr and the man who had wanted to volunteer.
He looked at them with surprise and Randr inclined his head before he opened a portal for anyone to see and pulled her back
Randr was ready and wearing a matching outfit. “Are you ready?”
“I am.”
He held out his hand and they used the energy of their imperative to step through space and time.
“Why are we sent to some places and not others?”
“The Orb is trying to get an image of all living experience from what we can tell. It wants to see all pivotal points in time—where destinies were changed and lives took a different path.”
She nodded and they joined the crowd slowly working its way toward the centre of town. It was a modern city, but everyone was on foot and not in the conveyances that were parked on the sides of the streets.
Aura asked him, “Does anyone ever notice us?”
He nodded. “Every now and then there are individuals who can see us for what we are despite the cowl. It is how the Nameless got their names. Others call us the Sentinels.”
At his speaking those two titles, a few local folk looked at them before shrugging and looking away.
“They don’t want to see us, do they?” Aura was catching on.
“We don’t belong here, but we are not to be feared, so they try and look past us.”
“Why do we wear the blades?”
“Blades are used for defence on almost every world at every point in history. It is the easiest weapon that we can carry and not make a scene or draw attention.”
He didn’t have his arm around her, but he was as close as the crowd would allow. None of the people they walked with were touching and it was a telling point. No sense breaking taboos and bringing attention to themselves.
They walked and Aura looked at as much as she could. She had no idea what the moment they were supposed to be watching was, so she was going to take in everything.
A podium had been assembled in the middle of the square and as they watched, a male strode to the centre of the elevated space and addressed the crowd.
“Men and women of Tival, I am here to spread the news about a strange find at one of our satellite outposts. We have proof of life from beyond our world and it has made a request. Two thousand of our people are to be offered to them to test our suitability to join their Allied worlds. If our people can blend in, they will be welcome and we will experience the benefits of increased technology.
“Meetings such as this one are occurring all over our planet. If we agree, we will see some of those visitors and they will begin an interview process for our Volunteers.”
The crowd murmured, a voice called out, “What if we don’t want it?”
“Our government has already decided that the benefits far outweigh the displeasure of the people. We managed to expunge the psychic gene in our species, because it was not wanted. Now, we have the chance to use the advanced technology for our own advancement without the aid of genetic tampering.
“The representatives will be arriving soon and they are to be greeted with cordiality and polite respect, no matter what they look like. We need this, we need what the Alliance can give us and anyone who interferes with the process will be incarcerated. This meeting was just to make sure that everyone was on the same page. Gathering dismissed.”
Just like that, the Tival gathering broke up and folk started to leave.
A voice called out, “Where do we volunteer?”
The crowd froze.
The man on the podium scowled toward the speaker and Aura looked at the man in the crowd, still facing the podium.
“I don’t think you understand. Our volunteers will be hand selected. They are volunteers in name only. Now, disperse.”
The crowd turned and dispersed, leaving Aura, Randr and the man who had wanted to volunteer.
He looked at them with surprise and Randr inclined his head before he opened a portal for anyone to see and pulled her back
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