Surf

[Light?based names. If it helps, you're 23–17–83RGB Fading Reverse whereas I am 61–40–240RGB Brightening Center.]

“I'm honored,” Bari said, hoping she was.

<Your price. We near Beserai. You wish to surf with us?>

“Oh, I do.”

<It is, we would expect, lethal for non?Rooan.>

“My suit will hold.”

<As you wish. We draw close. >Turquoise's massive body shuddered, and long vents opened in his sides along his entire length.<We will not be able to talk again until the far side, so please fasten yourself to a vent gill with something heat- and stress?resistant, but also preferably not itchy. >

Bari pulled a harness out of her pack, then let the pack float away into space. It would not survive the trip, and she would not need it on the far side, where she had a small ship of her own waiting and ready. It took several long minutes to attach and seal the links across her torso and legs, until she felt almost a prisoner in the tight bindings. Then she looped the remainder around the vent gill. “I'm ready,“ she said. “Omi?”

The silver ball drew near, and she plucked it out of space and tucked it down inside a pocket along the front of her suit. [The indignity!] Omi said, his signal weak.

“Oh, shut up,” Bari said. Looking ahead, the bright crescent edge of a blue?white planet loomed near.

The vent gill closed again, holding her fast. She put her hands to her sides and ran through a precise sequence of control gestures with both hands. The straps shrunk, tightening. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs and expanding her chest, then completed the last gesture. The Dzenni suit, technology far beyond human, hardened into an immoveable shell. She could no longer feel the straps, only the unyielding foam that the suit extruded around her. Her faceplate was clear, bright in the light of the planet.

The Rooan herd hit the edges of Beserai's thermosphere, riding the curve of the planet like surfers riding a wave, seeking the mesopause. She caught her breath as noctilucent clouds spread out in wisps below her, then held it as Turquoise's entire back half split asunder and a million thin, iridescent threads tumbled and waved behind, tasting and collecting the rare bounty of elements and ice crystals they passed through, saving and storing them for the long cold ahead.

<Your price. We near Beserai. You wish to surf with us?>

“Oh, I do.”

<It is, we would expect, lethal for non?Rooan.>

“My suit will hold.”

<As you wish. We draw close.>Turquoise's massive body shuddered, and long vents opened in his sides along his entire length.<We will not be able to talk again until the far side, so please fasten yourself to a vent gill with something heat- and stress?resistant, but also preferably not itchy. >

Bari pulled a harness out of her pack, then let the pack float away into space. It would not survive the trip, and she would not need it on the far side, where she had a small ship of her own waiting and ready It took several long minutes to attach and seal the links across her torso and legs, until she felt almost a prisoner in the tight bindings. Then she looped the remainder around the vent gill. “I'm ready,” she said. “Omi?”

The silver ball drew near, and she plucked it out of space and tucked it down inside a pocket along the front of her suit. [The indignity!] Omi said, his signal weak.

“Oh, shut up,” Bari said. Looking ahead, the bright crescent edge of a blue?white planet loomed near.

The vent gill closed again, holding her fast. She put her hands to her sides and ran through a precise sequence of control gestures with both hands. The straps shrunk, tightening. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs and expanding her chest, then completed the last gesture. The Dzenni suit, technology far beyond human, hardened into an immoveable shell. She could no longer feel the straps, only the unyielding foam that the suit extruded around her. Her faceplate was clear, bright in the light of the planet.

The Rooan herd hit the edges of Beserai's thermosphere, riding the curve of the planet like surfers riding a wave, seeking the mesopause. She caught her breath as noctilucent clouds spread out in wisps below her, then held it as Turquoise's entire back half split asunder and a million thin, iridescent threads tumbled and waved behind, tasting and collecting the rare bounty of elements and ice crystals they passed through, saving and storing them for the long cold ahead.

So much beauty and wonder. Tears streamed down her face and were quickly wicked away by the suit, leaving only a tickling hint of their passage across her cheeks. As they picked up speed, stealing velocity from the planet as easily as they swept up elements, the Rooan began to swing out again on a new trajectory, the solar wind from Beserai's star now full at their backs. And every Rooan began to flash, in sequence with each other, patterns within patterns. They're singing, she realized.

Bari smiled and wondered what Cardin's computer would have made of that.