Chapter 12

“What are those?” he asked.

The capillaries looked as very thin hollow tubes ending in needles, and using magnetic resonance they could see how they branched out into an intricate system through the plant, all the way down, ending in a chamber.

‘Interesting’ said Jeff’s suit

“You see the valves” he asked Royal

‘Yes, they only move to the chamber”

“What?” said Janelle

“They only allow one way transports, to the chamber” Royal explained

“normally a capillary network works both ways, out and in. But this one is more like?” Here Royal stopped.

“What do you know.” he exclaimed wonderingly

“It’s a vacuum.”

The thin hollow tubes indeed was devoid of an atmosphere. It was only their thinness, relative the walls strength, that stopped the tubes from compressing.

“what a strange flower” Janelle said wonderingly

“Well, the whole planet is strange” muttered Jeff, then he got an idea.

‘What would happen if I touched it?’ he thought, unable to stop himself he did it.

Both Royal and the suit stared at it as they saw it suck a sample from Jeff’s finger, transporting it through those different branches down to the chamber. There it seemed to disappear.

“A laboratory?” Royal said to himself

“Is that possible?” unbelivingly

“I need to reset” mumbled the suit

Walking away Thomas congratulated himself on his guile. He suddenly stopped, turning at Eleonora.

“Want to do something fun?” he asked

“Weren’t we going to the viridarium?” she asked

“That’s boring.” he said distastefully

“How about us having a ride instead?”

“On what?”

Thomas, who suddenly realized how that might sound looked away somewhat uncomfortable. Then he looked back and laughed.

“Well, not me.”

Now it was Eleonora’s time to to look away. Not that she had thought about it that way but, as he said it, the implications became obvious.

Feeling herself blush she said.

“Sir, your manners.”

“Come on, please Eleonora, I was only kidding.”

“You better be.”

Now, as they both played their conversation back, neither of them could banish it fully from their minds. At last, Mentally shrugging it of, Thomas remembered his initial idea.

“I was thinking of us hitching a ride to the portal.” he said

“Isn’t that forbidden?”

“Not for the guards.”

“But those are automatic systems.” Eleonora said. Thomas was impressed, so she knew something at least.

“Yes, they are, here. But normally they are manned by three. There is ample room for us, and I know how to get into maintenance. You up for it?”

Was he serious? It was strictly forbidden, she knew that. And then, what about the time? On automatic mode they were gone for at least three days.

“I think my mother would worry if I disappeared for days.”

“I know how to fly it.”

That was a fib even though he has flown them in his latest game. But virtual reality didn’t mean he had flown them for real. Then again, he wasn’t really planning to take one any way. He was just curious how far he could take it, and find out what she was made of in the same time.

Eleonora who knew a lot more about them than what he thought saw him in a new light. So this was her betrothed? He did have a nice smile, and he had made her laugh. She knew he couldn’t possibly have flown one. They were military equipment, restricted property. ‘He wants to impress me’, she suddenly realized. ‘Hmm, let’s see how far he will take it’.

“Oh, in that case.” She smiled at him, a wide trusting smile.

Now it was his time to look at her, a little worried.

This could be getting serious.