They reached the first rows of saplings that would someday be new home-trees, as Krachi had called them. Despite being young compared to the mature plants, these were hundreds of years old, and already taller than virtually every tree on the planet where Eva had been born. The smells of fresh, slightly salty ocean yielded to the briny soil from which the trees grew, and then as they rose, to a blend of mossy and sappy and floral and even spicy scents from the various plants sprouting from the branches and trunks of the massive home-trees themselves.
As quiet as the vehicles were, the xana who glided along the increasingly ubiquitous ziplines were even more silent, reminding Eva of her former merc buddy comparing them to ghosts. Their Attuned made the most noise, chattering or whining or hooting amongst themselves, and the number of wild creatures grew the deeper into the forest they went. Some flew, others climbed, and still others exclusively clung to their xana the way Mala was latched onto Min’s shoulder. Not every critter was Attuned, or the kind that could become that, and the ones who weren’t seemed to instinctively avoid the ones who were . . . not special, but different, possessing that extra psychic anatomy that endowed them with the necessary abilities to connect with the xana.
Eventually, Krachi moved them onto a thinner cable, one with far fewer cars. “First, I will take you to a designated Communal Center,” he said, his psychic tone suggesting they should all be very excited. “There you will witness many Rilians and their Attuned engaging in typical activities such as socializing; trading or training their Attuned; collecting food rations; and receiving unparalleled medical care.”
“That’s a lot for one place,” Pink said. “What are your medical facilities like?”
Krachi stroked his tail nervously. “They are unparalleled.”
You already said that, Eva thought. Maybe they really were, but it certainly sounded more rehearsed than true.
Min took a break from staring slack-jawed out the window to ask, “How do you train your Attuned?”
“It is different for each of them,” Krachi replied. “You will have the unrivaled pleasure of observing our traditional practices when we arrive at our destination.” His psychic tone remained positive and cheerful, but a quick spike of fear escaped his control, and for a moment everyone in the cable car tensed.
No one seemed inclined to speak after that, and even Krachi’s chatter fell away as they entered a deeper, older part of Rilia. The trees were like Eva remembered—massive, the bark consisting of overlapping growths like stained glass, their trunks broad and their leaves big enough to serve as parachutes. Despite the translucence of the buildings clinging to the drooping branches, it was darker in this place, less sunlight making its way through the many layers above to reach a level that, while nauseatingly high off the ground, was toward the lower middle of the home-tree. As their guide had suggested, pieces of the plant had been carved out so that small gardens could be grafted on and cultivated inside them, sapping nutrients and fluids from the larger host. A few xana were actively tending these as they passed, but most of the people they saw were resting or preparing food or quietly engaging in other relatively mundane activities. Even the children played in near-silence, occasionally emitting excited trills as they chased each other around a building or from one branch to another.
At some point, Mala left Min’s hood and clambered onto Eva’s shoulders, settling there like a furry collar. Eva almost grabbed her by the scruff to toss her back at Min, but Mala started purring, so Eva turned the grab into a pet.
Fucking psychic cats, Eva thought, sighing. Knowing Mala, this meant Eva was wound as tight as a spring and needed help.
Their cable car detached from its line and drifted over to a large building: the Communal Center, spread out between multiple branches and at least five stories tall given standard xana heights. Its walls and floors were all varying shades of green, and each level seemed devoted to a different purpose, as Krachi had described earlier.
At the top, a gym-like area took up the entire floor, and Attuned engaged in not only different forms of exercise, but what looked like mock battles with each other. “That is where the Attuned are taught new skills and tested,” Krachi explained, his psychic tone one of unfeigned pride. “It is a great honor to prove one’s abilities against other xana, for only the strongest trainers may advance to the Tournament in Spectrum City.”
“Tournament?” Min asked. “What’s that?”
“A great competition among the Attuned, who use their skills and talents to subdue each other until only one remains.”
Mala gave a low growl in Eva’s ear, so Eva poked her gently to stop her.
“That sounds violent,” Min said.
“No Attuned are harmed during our trials,” Krachi insisted, his psychic tone soothing. “They are provided with special medications made by our expert physicians, to ensure they are not pained by their injuries, and they are immediately treated to ensure their health is undiminished.”
“That doesn’t sound like no harm,” Pink said, raising an eyebrow. “That sounds like lots of harm that gets fixed in a hurry.”
Krachi’s tone gained a thorn of irritation that he quickly suppressed. “All Attuned are exceedingly happy and well cared for in every way possible, and only the willing participate in the trials that lead to the Tournament.”
Eva knew what Pink was thinking, and why, and frankly she thought it sounded like cockfighting, too. But she wasn’t here to get into it with their tour guide over local customs, especially ones she didn’t fully understand because she was an outsider.
“What’s on the other levels?” Eva asked, to move the conversation along.
Krachi’s tone evened out, back to excessively friendly and positive. “The medical facilities are located below the training and testing grounds, so that all may access them with great ease. The physicians treat both xana and their Attuned.” He paused, his huge eyes taking in his passengers again. “They are also very capable of treating virtually every other species in the universe, thanks to our excellent educational resources and government-supported extraplanetary experience missions.”
Multiple rooms were arranged on the interior of that level, with xana and their Attuned engaging in what Eva assumed were technologically assisted examinations of patients. Pink stared at the operations to the extent that they were clearly visible from their car, through the translucent walls.
“I can’t connect to their internal network,” Pink muttered. “Probably not set up for non-xana at this location.”
“There is a public network available at all Communal Centers,” Krachi said, then added quickly, “but you may want to experience the more private local network possibilities for an additional fee, as they are part of the truly immersive experience offered especially by this excellent tour.”
A slow smile spread across Eva’s face. She’d been wondering when the grift would start. She knew from her research that the government tours were supposed to be free, so she had assumed Krachi would either low-key try to charge them at some point for the trip itself, or start loading on extra costs for random stuff.
“That could be fun,” Eva said, earning another raised eyebrow from Pink. Eva winked at her with the eye facing away from Krachi.