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Chapter 17. Home Is Where A Wolf's Heart Is

The warm light of Kothalos shone down on the two as they exited the research facility. It was sitting high in the sky, approaching midday, reminding Sarah how long they'd been there. When they got just outside the building Storm led the way down a path in a different direction from that of his home. Sarah attempted to remain oriented with where she was by thinking about the paths they'd walked earlier in the morning compared to their current direction.

"Is this the direction of where we landed earlier?" she asked.

"Yes, you are correct," replied Storm, "but that is not where we are going. Ajagi lives near there. At least one of his mates should be at home."

Sarah thought about all their local travels of the day. "Do you walk everywhere? I mean, I haven't seen even one ground vehicle, and you described your parents as living a nine day walk from here. Why not take a car?"

"It is how we have always done things," replied Storm. "Our bodies are fit and healthy, so it would be a waste of energy and resources to travel in such a way. We do have ground transport vehicles but those are only used for very great distances, loads of cargo greater than what can be carried, or when time is critical and arrival must be as quickly as possible."

Sarah pondered his reasons. "I guess you aren't in a hurry when your life span is unlimited, huh?" she said.

Storm responded, "Yes. There is rarely a time when a long travel time would be 'too late' for arrival."

"What about a bicycle?" asked Sarah. "It's a machine we have on my planet that is driven entirely with the body, usually the legs. That would get you around quicker, not be wasteful of energy, and is great exercise for keeping the body fit and strong."

"That sounds like a splendid machine," said Storm. "You will have to show me a memory picture of one sometime, but it sounds similar to a machine we have that is powered by body strength. There are some around here but I do not have one."

The two exchanged greetings with a small group of three other Arfurans going the opposite way who they passed as they approached the forest. "Do you have any body-powered flying machines?" asked Sarah.

"No, we do not," replied Storm. "We have made them in the past and tested them with some of our strongest people to power them, but it is too inefficient and the strength required exhausts the operator very quickly. Even the best designs required too much energy from the body. The only ones of our people who are able to fly are those who have wings like the halpanie and similar creatures. If the rest of us want to experience such flight we must use a device that attaches to our bodies and contains its own energy."

Sarah asked, "What, like a jet pack?"

"I do not know what that would be," said Storm. "The device I am referring to has a propulsion system similar to our larger air and space transport vehicles, but it is much smaller and has simple controls held in the hands. They carry one person and are only used for fun."

"That does sound fun," said Sarah. "Look in the air, it's the flying fox!" Storm just smiled and laughed softly.

The midday star light was streaming down through the forest canopy creating spots of light on the trail under their feet. As they walked Sarah and Storm picked more berries to munch on, sharing with each other as each one gathered a handful from different plants. The dirt path was firmly packed from years of countless local residents walking its length, but it was smooth and not uncomfortable under Sarah's bare feet.

With the much brighter daylight compared to their morning walk Sarah was able to see many more handmade homes in the trees and on the ground, and was much more able to see and appreciate the grand size of the trees. During their travels through the forest they came across more Arfurans out working at various tasks--building a new home, gathering food, collecting fire wood from a fallen tree--as well as people playing, reading, and swimming in the abundant water resources. Everyone they met gave them both a friendly greeting and welcomed Sarah to the planet.

The forest was aglow with green from the day's light hitting the leaves of the plants and trees. The air carried a scent of blossoms and plants that was stronger and sweeter than it was early in the morning, aided by the warmth of the day and the humidity of the air. Sarah didn't know where they were going on the new path but knew how to get back to places she was familiar with. She felt comfortable as she was led by Storm that she would not get lost, and once again held on to his hand when her hand was free of any berries. Her fingers slid through the fur between his fingers and squeezed onto the back of his hand. He smiled lightly and did the same, but the bobbing of his tail as they walked concealed the gentle wagging in the tip.

As the trail curved around a bend the trees thinned out to reveal the landing site a few hundred yards away. Sarah mapped the large triangular path they'd walked in her memory and felt quite familiar with the locale. The bend in the path straightened out into a direction she felt was opposite that of Storm's home and continued on into the trees. Sarah noted in her mind how the forest looked wild and untouched, yet neat and manicured. The tall trees had no dead branches down low, the lower bushes didn't grow out of control to hide the residential mounds, and the grasses below them were fairly uniform in thickness. There were also flowers growing on and around the dirt mound homes, hinting they were intentionally planted there.

After what felt like about five more minutes of walking, Sarah saw a home mound that had several beds of red and yellow flowers around it--an Arfuran variety she was not familiar with--and a sign next to the door opening with four short lines of the native text on it.

"We have arrived. This is Ajagi's home," said Storm. "Gradoga! Hello!"

From her perspective Sarah couldn't see who Storm was calling out to. Out from behind the home emerged the face of Ajagi's mate Gradoga, covered in black fur with white on top of her head that extended down the back.

"Storm!" she said, setting down the project she was working with to run out from around the flowers. "It is so wonderful to see you again!" Following closely behind her was what appeared to be a female lion. She quickly ran up to Storm and threw her arms around her old friend, giving him a tight hug with nuzzles to his neck and licks to his muzzle. He responded with the same greeting, happy to see her as well.

"Hello Storm!" said the lioness happily as she pounced the pair to join the greeting, nuzzling and licking his other side.

"Hello Drasi, I did not see you back there. It is wonderful to see you both as well," said Storm. As they shared their happy greeting Sarah noticed the white fur from Gradoga's head extended down the middle of her back and to the tip of her tail. With wide eyes she stood there silently with a bashful, uneasy smile.

Once the greetings broke Storm said, "I would like you two to meet my friend Sarah. She transferred here to help with our weapons project, and is our guest on Arfurah to help build the idea she devised."

Ajagi's mates released Storm from their embrace and gently approached Sarah with soft smiles. "It is our pleasure to meet you, Sarah," they both said.

Seeing the friendly smiles put Sarah instantly at ease. "It's my pleasure to meet you both as well," she said in reply. With arms open she invited Gradoga and Drasi to share the traditional Arfuran greetings. As she gave each a kiss to the cheek Sarah was pleasantly surprised to find Gradoga didn't smell like the skunks she knew from home.

"Senassa, come out! Storm is here," Gradoga called out. After a few seconds the face and body of a possum appeared at the door of the home. Without hesitation he ran up to the group, pouncing Storm with his usual friendly greetings.

"Storm, I am very happy to see you again," said Senassa. With another sniff to Storm's fur he added, "I can still smell Ajagi's scent on you."

"I am very happy to see you, too," replied Storm. "I would like you to meet my friend Sarah." Senassa let go of Storm and turned to face Sarah.

Drasi said, "Sarah is here to help with the defense project."

With a smile, Senassa walked up to Sarah and said, "I am very happy to meet you. Thank you for helping us." Opening his arms he moved to hug Sarah just as she did the same.

"I'm very happy to meet you too," she replied. After letting him sniff, nuzzle, and lick her, she gave him a kiss to the cheek and said, "I might have Ajagi's scent too. I hugged him shortly before we left the ship...vehicle, I mean."

"Yes you do, but not as strongly as Storm does," said Senassa.

"As we speak Ajagi's name," said Storm, "I am reminded of our primary reason to visit. I am here to deliver Ajagi's love to you all personally, as he is unable to be here himself. He speaks nearly every day about how much he loves all of you, and how much he misses all of you. After speaking with you through the communication connection two days ago he was very happy to have shared the time with you, but also sad because he could not be back here with you."

Sarah added, "We just came from the research facility where we were talking with him on the...communications thing. He mentioned you all again, and he was looking quite well."

Ajagi's three mates all gathered together to embrace each other in his absence. Their faces showed the same combination of happiness and sadness from the message they had received. After several seconds they released their hug and moved over to Storm, hugging him together with them as a substitute for Ajagi. Sarah thought of mentioning how emotional Ajagi was before he contacted them two days ago but decided to remain silent so she wouldn't interrupt.

"Thank you for delivering his message to us, Storm," said Gradoga. "Please bring the same message to him from us."

"We will, most definitely," said Sarah, feeling a need to participate.

"Thank you," Senassa said as he looked toward Sarah. "I know he will welcome all the hugs he can get."

Drasi looked back at Storm. "How has he been? I know he misses us but I hope he is not sad all the time."

"He is doing very well," replied Storm. "He spends much of his free time with me or his other friends. Sometimes he will go to be alone...I do not know if he is more tired or just wants to think about all of you. The rest of the time he is quite happy, and I pounce him every day to make sure he remains so." Storm added a smile with the emphasis on his daily pouncing.

The friendly conversation of the group continued on like old friends having a reunion. Gradoga and Drasi showed Sarah and Storm around their flower garden, describing their project of removing the excess plants they didn't want there to relocate elsewhere in the forest. After smelling the flowers the group went inside the home. The furnishings were as simple as those in Storm's home but with more pieces for the additional residents. Senassa explained that the materials laid out on the table, borrowed from Drasi, were his ongoing project of advancing his mathematical knowledge.

While Storm chatted with their three friends, Sarah wasn't quite following the conversation and glanced around the home. She noticed it was quaintly decorated with flowers growing in the window openings and in a small pot on the table, and it was more spacious than Storm's home. She reasoned it was because of there being more people living in it. A single large bed filled one end of the room, and they had several small pictures of themselves and others on the walls. "Must be family and friends," Sarah thought to herself. She also noticed the walls were lightened with pale sand that was pressed into the moist ground that was used when the home was built. The effects made it rustic but very homey and comfortable.

"Did you enjoy it, Sarah?" asked Storm.

"Yes, that was a fun game," she replied, knowing they were talking about the game Pulkon which Storm had taught her. "I hope I get the chance to learn some of your other games, too." Sarah's talent for paying attention without paying attention kept her informed of what their conversation was drifting over. While it had served her well in the past, she did not want to display such disrespect for her new friends.

"I apologize, I wasn't listening very closely," she confessed. "My mind wandered as I was looking around your lovely home, but I happened to know what you were talking about."

"That is quite alright, and thank you for the compliments," said Drasi. "You are very welcome to join our conversation. Please tell us about where you come from."

"I'd be happy to," replied Sarah. "There is so much to tell...I don't know where to begin, and I can't believe I'm actually giving such a description. I'm from a planet called Earth in another galaxy. You should be able to see it in your night sky but I don't know when it's visible...now that I think about it, it should be visible in the middle of the night."

Sarah thought for a moment, trying to think what best to tell them. She enjoyed several minutes getting acquainted with Ajagi's mates and telling them about her home, her job, the other people, the similar plant life, and the animal life so similar to Arfurans. Sarah had been losing track of time as she talked with them before realizing at least an hour had passed since they went inside.

"Storm, I don't know what time it is," she said. "Should we be getting back? Ajagi said they would only need about a tar to get things done."

"Yes," replied Storm, "it is about the time we returned. Our friends will likely be finishing the program with Ajagi soon and need only a small amount of time to transmit their work to the control system. We will have a lot of work testing and adjusting the calibration."

Sarah turned back to their three conversation companions. "Would you please excuse us? We have to get back to work."

"That will be fine," said Gradoga. "If Ajagi has a connection established, we will go with you to visit with him again as soon as they are finished."

"That is a lovely idea," said Storm. "We will not have to transmit the new data to him until we are done late in the day. You will have plenty of time to visit without too much interruption."

The group of five piled out of the home in the ground to begin their walk back to the research facility. Sarah couldn't help smiling as she saw the happy excitement of the others as they anticipated seeing their beloved Ajagi again. His three mates walked at a faster pace than Storm and Sarah, not realizing they were creating a growing gap between them.

"They really love him, don't they?" Sarah commented as she took Storm by the hand again.

Storm smiled, looking down at her hand in his, and responded, "Yes. They all share a very strong love."

Sarah said humorously, "I'm glad Gradoga didn't spray me, since I'm a stranger."

"What do you mean?" replied Storm.

"Well...I don't mean to be in any way rude or disrespectful toward her," said Sarah, "but Gradoga resembles an animal from my planet that sprays an awful smelling liquid at any other creature that causes anger, fear, or surprise. The spray comes from glands under the tail."

"No, she does not do that," said Storm. "Such a defense mechanism has evolved away over time. Studies of her variety of Arfuran have found remnants of such organs under the tail, but they are inactive and dormant. Very rarely do they contain an unpleasant scent, and in those cases the organs can be easily removed. Gradoga has a very lovely scent."

Sarah thought a moment. "Now that you mention it, you're right...I remember that when she greeted me I didn't notice anything like that." She thought another moment and then let out a laugh. "I never thought I'd be sniffing a skunk...or kissing one on the cheek!"

Storm replied, "She probably never thought she would be meeting a creature like you either."

Chapter 18. Rain, Rain, What A Day

The sounds of activity echoed through the hallways and up through the building-high atrium that was overlooked by the multiple levels. The quiet facility of the morning had transformed into a busy center of research, learning, and communication for the benefit of defending the civilization. Just as Sarah and Storm arrived at the fifth floor of the research facility their coworkers emerged from the communications room to return to the roof. Bolgaras, Safan, Camash, and Russaf all had smiles on their faces from the excited happy sounds of Ajagi and his mates becoming reunited at the viewing console. The four shared a quick greeting hug with Storm and Sarah when they met at the stairs leading to the roof.

"I don't mean to be a bother but where could I get some water?" asked Sarah as she reached the top and stepped out onto the roof.

"There is a valve around the corner here," said Russaf, pointing to the wall on the outside of the stairwell. "Allow it to flow for a few tarenden and it will become cooler."

Sarah stayed behind as the others walked over to the wormhole project. While the water flowed out of the valve and onto the roof she noticed a large cup sitting on a ledge nearby. "Hmmm...must be a communal cup or something," she thought to herself. "Oh well, when inRome..."

She took the cup from the ledge and found it to have a small amount of water in it. Sarah didn't know if it was from an earlier use or the previous night's rain. She rinsed it out for any dust that may have collected in it, then let it fill. Tossing aside any related hang-ups she drank the water, finding it to be the same cool delicious water the river offered. "Good deal...no city water for them," she thought. After her thirst was well satisfied she refilled the cup and carried it across the roof to Storm.

"Would you like some, Storm?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you. I did not realize my thirst until you offered," he replied. Taking the cup from Sarah, he took a refreshing drink and then offered it to the others.

"I do not require any, but thank you," said Camash, declining the water as everyone else did. "We had things to drink when we were talking with Ajagi."

Storm took one more quick drink from the water and handed it back to Sarah. Before he released it from his hands he leaned over and gave her a wet nuzzle of thanks to her cheek. Sarah smiled and giggled, enjoying the moist attention from her friend. After her laugh subsided she took another drink from the water and set the cup on top of a nearby support column.

"The control programming has been integrated with the system," said Safan. "Please observe and we will show you what adjustments you have available to test."

Sarah and Storm stepped closer to the control console as Safan continued. "Ajagi and his colleagues determined what variables should control the location of the exit of the dimension vein," she said. "We have programmed an interface for you to easily adjust the variables. The power adjustment for the gravity cylinder has been made much longer to give you more precise control. They determined the distance between the two ends of the dimension vein is proportional to the amount of gravitation force. The power applied to the gravity cylinder affects the gravity in the cylinder at an exponential scale, according to the theory Sarah presented. This power adjustment has been programmed to automatically compensate so the resulting distance is proportional to the adjustment. It is currently set to the same power level as our earlier tests."

Bolgaras pointed to another set of sliders on the screen and took over the explanation. "These adjustments vary the power application to pulsate at a frequency you can alter for pulse speed and duration. This other adjustment allows you to control a second power application at the same frequency to alter its waveform against the static waveform. They believe the differing phase of the waves will alter some angular direction of the dimension vein exit but they will not know until you complete your testing. The earlier testing was done with a short solid current of power. It is unknown what will really happen when you rapidly alter it on and off."

Russaf took a turn at explaining the system, first by pointing to a circular control on the screen. "This adjustment allows you to alter the location in the gravity cylinder where the force is strongest. Moving this point in the center toward any point in the perimeter will adjust power in that direction by applying it more strongly to the gravity modules on that side. When the point is in the center of the indicator all the modules will receive equal power."

Camash added, "The force of the power is centered at the beginning of the cylinder to create the opening for the dimension vein. That adjustment varies power down the rest of the length of the cylinder to potentially alter another angular direction of the vein. Begin with small adjustments and remain cautious. Everything is theoretical."

"Thank you, all of you," said Storm. "We will be very careful."

Sarah smiled. "Yes, thank you all. Your expertise continues to amaze me."

"It is our pleasure to help," said Russaf. "Thank yourself. Without your knowledge we would not likely have built such a device."

"I'm just glad to be on the team," Sarah replied bashfully.

"We must attend to other tasks," said Safan. "If you require any further adjustments to the program or the control system, please call for us and we will return immediately."

"Very well," replied Storm. "We will inform you of the results we observe."

"Thanks again," said Sarah with a smile. As each of the four shuffled past, they received a thankful hug and lick from Storm and a hug and kiss on the cheek from Sarah.

"They're all really sweet people," said Sarah as the group disappeared down the stairwell.

"Yes, I agree," Storm replied while smiling.

Sarah looked back at the control system. "Well...let's get to work, Mr. Fox. How can I take notes as we test it?"

Storm smiled after hearing the nickname and replied, "The control system will maintain a collection of data from all the equipment and detectors. You may keep additional notes with this screen." Storm tapped a couple of symbols on the holographic screen to bring up a large square area within an outline. "Use your finger to mark your words, just as you did on the work table in the transfer room."

"Ok, I remember how to use that," said Sarah.

Storm tapped the control symbols to charge the gravity cylinder power, then discharged it into the system. "The dimension vein detectors are indicating the same results from before," said Storm. "I will reduce the power slightly and test again." He moved the power slider slightly closer to the zero end, charged the power unit, and discharged it into the cylinder. Data streamed across the screen from the detection units.

"Ajagi was right," said Storm. "The exit of the vein is now closer. It was detected just over 2,000 ber away in the same direction. I will try again." Storm then repeated the cycle as methodical as the most dedicated scientist, each time with lower power settings. Sarah scribbled her notes as quickly as she could with each test.

"That power level placed it at twelve ber away in the same direction," Storm said.

"I wonder if we will be able to see it," said Sarah.

"I do not know," replied Storm. "I have not been looking. I will test again." Sarah looked up above the gravity cylinder in the direction she expected the wormhole to appear. With the triggering of the power system, she saw the view of the clouds above ripple for the briefest of moments.

"I think I saw it!" exclaimed Sarah. "I think it was about 20 feet up...I mean, make that...just over three ber."

Storm smiled at her excitement and said, "This is very interesting. I will reduce the power again to bring it closer."

As he was working with the controls, Sarah slowly wandered around to the other side of the incredible piece of machinery, just beyond the end of what would be the laser's barrel. "Hit it again, Storm," she said with excitement.

Storm tapped the symbol to discharge the power source into the gravity cylinder. In the same instant that Sarah felt the usual static-like tug of gravity, a few feet above the cylinder she saw a bright ring of light surrounding a pitch black center. It lasted the same brief moment as all the others but the effects to Sarah's mind were profound and long lasting.

"I saw it, Storm," she could barely say. "I saw it...I saw a wormhole..." Her words trailed off as she slowly shifted her eyes down toward her vulpine friend. In a burst of excited energy she ran over and pounced Storm with a blissful hug. "I can barely believe it...I'd been working on that theory for years and here I am not only testing it, but seeing it."

Storm closed his eyes with a happy smile as he warmly hugged Sarah in return. "I am very happy for you, Sarah. I do not know such a feeling because I have never created something this complex myself. Instead, I am happy to see you experience such an event."

Sarah released her hug from him after several seconds and looked up at him. "Turn the machine around so it faces you and you should see it too. It's incredible to see." Storm returned to the controls and did as she suggested, turning the mechanical base so the laser unit pointed in their direction, and triggered the unit to discharge. The same ring of light surrounding black appeared briefly above the gravity cylinder as it did before.

"That is very impressive to see," said Storm. "It is quite an achievement. The vein should easily be large enough for the energy of the light weapon to pass through."

Sarah thought about her accomplishment for a moment before remembering the task at hand. "As much as I'd love to keep playing with this thing, we should get back to work with the tests. The scale of power compared to distance should allow us to set a zero point on the power adjustment. Let's get it back up there a ways and test some of the other variables."

"I understand what you mean and I agree," said Storm. As much as he disliked having to create weapons, he knew the importance of his duty to create and test them. He turned the unit back in its original direction and adjusted the power slightly stronger to get the wormhole safely away from them. He tested the gravity cylinder again to establish a new base line, then began his tests on the other adjustments with the laser set to a very low, but observable, setting. Sarah returned to her note screen, writing down all the results in her own words.

The light of Kothalos on its downward trek was becoming obscured by a thick overcast of clouds that glided silently across the sky with the day's wind. Whenever the balmy breeze caught Sarah's attention she smiled in enjoyment of its sensation on her skin. The fluffy hair on Storm's body ruffled in the breeze that also made his whiskers dance and tail sway. While he may have felt it, he gave no indication that he paid any attention to it.

Another hour of time passed as they tested the system with variations to the frequency of the power application, then tested it when combined with variations of the power level.

"This may be tedious work," said Sarah, "but I do like it better than the kinds of experiments I usually do at work. This has results that can be directly observed or detected instead of forming a hypothesis that is derived from data that indirectly hints at it."

Storm asked, "Are all areas of science like that in your world?"

"No," Sarah replied. "There are a lot of things to be studied in the physical world that can easily be observed. It's the theoretical things like this that we can't observe. You should see the size of the machines they make to observe the particles that make up the protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom. As huge as they are, the particles can only be indirectly observed from their effects on other things."

Storm stopped and stared at her silently for a moment. "I do not mean to offend you, but at that rate of advancement how will your species ever see the smaller particles that make up those particles, and the particles that are still smaller?"

"No offense taken," replied Sarah. "I agree, it'll be a while." As she turned back to her note screen she stopped, thought, and turned back to Storm. "Wait a minute...those subatomic particles are made up of smaller and smaller particles? And your people have studied them?"

"Yes," said Storm. "If we are able to look at a later time I will show you some of the research."

Sarah stumbled over her words as she turned back to her notes and said, "Yes, that sounds...wow...that sounds great...holy crap..."

Storm smiled and resumed his work at the controls. Just as they were beginning to test the circular adjustment to control the balance of gravitational power in the cylinder, Sarah felt rain drops begin to hit her skin. Looking up she noticed how dark the clouds had become, indicating they were quite heavy with the afternoon rain. "Looks like we'd better hurry up," she said.

"We still have very much testing to do," replied Storm, paying no attention to the weather. He continued with his tests, making slight adjustments to the power balance in the cylinder and collecting the data of where the laser light appeared. A few more minutes passed before the clouds opened up and a steady heavy rain began to fall.

"Alright, let's go," said Sarah as she turned to start jogging toward the stairs. "We'll have to finish this later."

"Why?" asked Storm.

"Because it's raining!" Sarah called back.

"Why does the rain chase you away?" Storm asked, puzzled by her behavior. "It is water."

Sarah stopped in her tracks and looked back at Storm. "You don't care that it's raining?"

Storm replied, "It does not bother me and we always welcome fresh water. Why does it upset you?"

Sarah thought silently for a moment. "I don't know...habit, I guess. So you really want to stay out here and keep working at it?"

"Yes," replied Storm. "We have much to do."

"Huh..." Sarah quietly said to herself as she stared at him, a slight smile forming on her lips. With another moment to absorb the situation she walked back over to Storm, her hair becoming as matted down with the rain as his fur. "What about all this stuff? Doesn't it matter that it's getting wet?"

"No, the rain will not affect it," Storm responded while continuing to work at the control console. "We construct our devices to not be harmed by water or any weather conditions."

Sarah felt slightly confused as her mind wrestled with the contrast between her human habit of getting inside out of the rain and the logic behind the Arfuran acceptance of it. As she stood there she took in the sensation of the falling rain hitting her skin and flowing down, a situation she'd never experienced to such magnitude. She watched Storm as his fur became completely drenched and matted, and the rain drops ran down his whiskers to drip off the tips.

"The temperature of the rain feels pretty good...it's refreshing," Sarah said to him. "So much for the idea of taking a shower later."

Storm looked at her and replied, "Yes, it is pleasant to me as well." A moment after looking back at the controls he pointed his nose up in the air and started to rapidly twist his head side to side. As the shaking flowed down his body to finish with a fast whipping motion of his tail the water flung from his fur and sprayed in all directions. Sarah giggled with amusement from his cute action.

"On the plus side," said Sarah, "I don't have glasses to get fogged up and blurry from the rain."

"Yes, that is a benefit," Storm replied with little emotion.

When Sarah returned to her note taking screen she coyly looked back over at Storm and said with a smile, "I hope you don't get that 'wet dog' smell."

Storm stopped to look at her, cocked his head slightly to the side, and replied, "Dog? You said I am a fox."