Chapter 6: First History

The next local day the two Ranger candidates both felt the need to back off and have some quiet time alone. So they spent time with different projects. Eliana spent hours familiarizing herself with the operations of the CAT garage, and Basel worked on clearing all the storage out of the Level-4 observation dome. They had agreed to turn the entire top Level into a combined observation / exercise / recreation area, and move everything else to the extra storage lockers on Level-3.

At 6 AM sharp, Eliana rode the elevator adjacent to the ladder well up to the dome from Level-1. In her hand was a small picnic basket. She found Basel standing at the southern end of the circular room, staring at the horizon. The outside weather was clear and much warmer than when they had arrived. It was currently -31C and the dawn looked seconds away from becoming reality.

Eliana stood by Basel's side for a long moment and admired the pristine countryside. "This is spectacular. And it's all real, not a hologram, right?"

"Oh yes. The Holy's truth, in all its beauty."

Eliana nodded. "How close?"

"The sun's due south right now, less than half a degree below the horizon."

"And how long?"

"Three more days." He pointed with his hand almost touching the transparent wall. "Right there. On January 16th, you'll see the very thin tip of the top of the sun from 6:02 AM to 6:08 AM. Assuming good weather of course..."

"Let the games begin..."

"Yeah..." Basel turned to her, nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "Have a nice morning?"

"Okay I guess. The CAT garage is laid out a bit differently than what's described in the texts. The Guild really should update their documentation."

"Not their strongest point. So, what's for lunch?"

"A cornucopia of vegetables and frozen fruit shakes for dessert." Eliana looked around. "You did a nice job here." She turned to the picnic table Basel had set up nearby and began setting up their meal.

They ate their lunch mostly in silence. Near the end, Basel looked up at Eliana and said, "It's amazing how much you and I are on the same wavelength. You feel it too, don't you?"

Eliana nodded. "It is amazing. I ask you very terse questions, and you know what I'm talking about. And now we're about to agree on something we haven't even verbalized yet. And yes, I do agree, we should slow down. Not change course but slow down. The isolation here could kill us if we rush headlong into something and then realize we feel trapped. Basel, I still mean everything I said last night. Let's just take it slowly."

Basel nodded his head. "So, who goes first?"

Eliana stretched and thought for a moment. "I feel like being a listener now."

"All right. Let's see, my life history, where to begin... I was born in Baalbek, near the west coast of North America. My parents are double-shifters and just moved there before I was born, so I spent my whole childhood there. I moved to Aleppo in 9555 when I turned 21. I registered for double shifts too, so Aleppo's been my township residence ever since. Been spending a lot of field time at Cairo of course. I haven't been back home in over a year."

"Aleppo and Baalbek huh? So you grew up with the photonics Guild. No wonder you're so good with holograms."

Basel stiffened and looked a little nervous. "What do you mean?"

Eliana paused for a moment and finally said, "Basel, don't worry. I'm just trying to show you one of the warts on my soul. Did you have anything to do with the Aleppo octopus prank of 9566?"

"How..." he whispered, "did you ever know?"

"Your body reaction when I casually mentioned it. I read your guilt." Eliana sighed. "I'm a trained Priestess Basel. That means I hold a doctoral license for reading and counseling people's emotions. I'm not bringing this up to embarrass you, and I have no intention of ever mentioning this to anyone. I just want you to understand the warts on my soul. Most men would find my reading ability to be a very ugly wart for a wife to have."

"Be afraid of it you mean?"

"Not just fear. Resentment and hatred. People don't like having their emotions read and understood so clearly. All my defenses are down Basel. I'm not going to hide anything from you. I can't bear to."

Basel stared at Eliana until he saw her lip quiver. He reached over and held her hand. "I understand what you're saying. My precious Eli. I still see only beauty."

"My love," whispered Eliana in return. "And I've never called anyone that before. I've been an awkward duck in dating my whole life."

"So have I. Maybe that's why this mallard finds your tail feathers so attractive."

She smiled. "Ah, thank you for telling me. Now all I have to do to keep your interest is to remember to bend over and shake my tail feathers for you."

Basel nodded playfully. "That'll do it; five to ten times a day would be nice."

"Basel, may I take you to the mat?"

"Another wonderful example of our rapport," thought Basel. "There are so many slang ways to interpret that request, yet I know exactly what she's asking."

He said out loud, "Eliana, I accept you as my counselor," giving her formal legal permission to practice. Eliana nodded in gratitude and stood up and offered Basel her hand. She led him to a thick Judo mat a few meters away.

"Here," she said, "take your shoes and socks off, like me." Eliana sat on the mat, backbone perfectly vertical, knees splayed out, the two heels of her feet almost touching her pubis. "Now lie on your back, use my feet as a pillow. That's right. Now close your eyes, relax your mind and body."

Basel nodded. Eliana thought his clean soft hair felt wonderful against the bottom of her upturned feet, and she started to pet his head affectionately.

Basel sighed with the pleasure. "Wow. If I had known counseling was like this, I would have sought help years ago."

Eliana laughed. "Right! My review board would probably go ballistic if they saw me practicing medicine like this. I'm allowed to touch my patients, even caress them under some well-defined circumstances. Touch is an extremely important tool for a Priestess. But here I'm expressing that you're being counseled by someone who loves you."

A quiet minute passed. "What are your thoughts Basel?"

"Oh, just drifting. This is the first time in my life I've been petted like this. It feels so good... And I'm thinking of the dichotomy. Your feet! So soft! You have them in a perfect position to support my head and neck. I could lie like this for hours in the pleasure of it. And the dichotomy! I've seen you work out, practice your punches and kicks. These wonderfully soft feet can kill, can't they?"