[b][u]Silentium: Rebirth[/u][/b] [b]REBIRTH[/b] By Erik Bear & Greg Bear ------------For a moment after Riser awoke he thought he might be in the land of the dead. Everything was dark and cold, and he could not move. Tiny lights winked on one by one, encircling his field of vision. Then an invisible hand loosened its grip and he could move his arms. He sat up, bumped his head, tensed all over then layed back again. This made him flick[?] the whites of his eyelids and growl a threat way back in his throat. But nobody could hear him. He was lying alone in an enclosed bed. Lifting himself up a bit, through the hard clear canopy he could see hundreds of other beds in rows, and around them a great long chamber. Cold, and blue, and dark. What he could see confirmed that these hard prison beds were occupied by Hamanush and Chamanush still asleep, Riser was awake. ------------Slowly, reaching where he could to scratch, checking out skin, and fur, and ribs, and upper limbs[?], he remembered where he was: in the belly of a Forerunner skyboat. Forerunners took us from the Great Ark, said it was the only way to save us, to save everything. "How do you feel?" A voice asked. He jerked, then looked to his left and saw a female Forerunner. She bore some resemblence to the Lifeshaper who came in dreams, but she was not [i]that[/i] one. No one else could be the lady. ------------The canopy of the bed opened. Riser climbed out slowly, with great dignity. This was serious. He had to show strength and calm. He had to be careful. Like all Forerunners, this female was much taller than the little Florian, taller by several hand spans than any Human. Her armor was decorated by silvery tassels that sparkled at her slightest move. Shimmering like rain over a campfire, she reached out to him. He drew back, but she was quick, from her hand flowed a bright, pulsing liquid jewl pattern. She manipulated this radiance with the sixth finger of her other hand. Riser looked around, eyelids flickering, but saw no way to escape. Establishing this as a fact, he decided it might be time to learn why he was alive, why all these Humans were alive, who was here, and who was not. There had been the garden, the reunion, the seperation, the pain, everything in[?] pain! But enough of that. He stretched his joints and rubbed his arms. His fur was clean. Too clean. They had done things to him! The Forerunner watched him closely. He did not like the scrutiny of larger animals. Steff[?] he complained in a measured testing tone. Threats and bluster were useless here, he could see that. "The stiffness is to be expected," the Forerunner said, speaking his language as if born to it. Riser's fear grew. He did not want Forerunners to pay attention to him again. He wanted to leave. ------------The chamber reminded him of the ghost gallery on the Halo. Too cold, too clean, no smell. The Forerunner's arms bristled and he backed away from the tall female until his feet came to the edge of the platform. The Forerunner drew in closer. From what little he understood of Forerunner expressions, she appeared concerned. Perhaps she meant to be kind. He did not trust any of that, not yet. He knew all too well what Forerunners were capable of. They had once reduced humans to near extinction. What cruel fate might they bring this time? "You are Riser," she said. The radiance flowed up and around him. His body was soothed, but his mind recoiled. This was the name his friends used, but he had not given her permission. "I have sad news Riser, we have saved only a few of your kind, Chamanush." She did not use that word properly if most of his kind were now dead, or lost, or away from any spiritual center. Names had to change to reflect such loss. If so many of his people were dead, their name would now be [i]Ke-[/i]Chamanush. So the female Forerunner did not know everything. Chakas would have understood. Any Human on Erde-Tyrene would have known how to voice respect for those now gone. But how far away gone? To far to reach? If he died on this skyboat would he ever find the dead again? He shrugged out his arms. "We were never many," he said looking around with a squint, "How many now?" At the female's direction the chamber's lights glowed brighter. He saw the other Forerunners were examining the sleepers, mostly bigger humans. He tried to count, but they too were not many. And these Forerunners were all Lifeworkers, there were no fighters, none like the Didact. So few of [i]anybody[/i]. "How many are left of your people?" Riser asked in a low voice, not sure what he wanted to hear. She did not tell him that. Perhaps the truth was not good for her. Perhaps she did not know. "My name is Grow Through Trial of Change," she said. "The one known as Riser may call me Trial." Now atleast she was trying to follow the forms. He pursed his lips. "Trial," he said managing that name well enough. He raised his right hand and held out his fingers for her touch. She smiled. That she could smile struck him as [i]odd[/i]. He never saw the Lady smile, not in his dreams. The Didact had never smiled. Bornstellar, however, had been capable but kind of twitch out the lips. This one, Trial, might be young then, like Bornstellar. She might not know much, but she was apparently in charge. ------------After some hesitation, she cautiously extended her fingers to brush his own. With a grimace and clack of teeth, he grabbed her wrist and quickly scratched the back of her hand with one thick nail. The Lifeworker did not flinch, did not react at all. Not at first. The scratch quickly closed, but for a moment Riser smelled her blood. Her skin was cool, even cold. But she was flesh, not a machine, not a spirit. "There are words and ideas you need to know," the Lifeworker said, only then withdrawing her hand. She gave it a little shake which gratafied him, and he curled his lips. Then she looked somber. [i]Uh-oh[/i], he thought. "You already have some knowledge," she said, "A new kind of geas. Here is more." The radiant jewl grew. He tried to fend off its light, but something held him in place. He looked up at her steady, ernest face and forced himself to surrender without a scrap. Things were very different now as in other hard times he would have to be smart, and flexible, and think for all his people. ------------The Jewel's light drew up around his head, entered his eyes and ears, spread down through his neck, chest, and body. He lifted his arms and saw his veins glow. There were so many, so alive, beautiful! And Riser was not afraid. The glow faded, his flesh turned opaque again. He stretched. He was different, but only a little. He did not remember the pain as sharpely. That worried him. What else would he forget? "Where are we?" he asked. Trial sadly closed and sealed the empty prison bed as if she knew this is the last time it would ever be used. "We are in a medical facility high above the second Ark, far outside the galaxy," she said, "A safe place. Humans will stay here for a time whie we make preparations. Then, you will be returned to Erde-Tyrene." "And where will Forerunners go?" Her sadness deepened. "We will soon wake the rest of the Chamanush and prepare them as well. Please come with me."