I breathed deeply, buying myself a short period of time in which to collect my thoughts.
‘And I used to work out where the best places to display these adverts were. That whole thing used to be a lot harder, and then we left the GMU - which was significant because it meant our laws changed. Suddenly we could start using data collected by console to target our ads.’
I noticed that Te’rnu’s eyes had glazed over.
‘So… if I was on Terra and was talking with someone about how I didn’t like how I had got this new mole on my trip to Turknan, ‘cos the sun there is so strong, then I might start seeing ads for UV protection injections, or replacement skin grafts. You see?’
Te’rnu paused for a moment. ‘And why did you cease doing this?’
I shrugged. ‘When Leya disappeared it stopped seeming important. I guess maybe I knew it wasn’t important all along, but while it was paying the bills… I didn’t mind the harm it was doing. But then, when I lost someone… I dunno, I guess it seemed like the galaxy had enough people making people buy things they don’t need and not enough people helping people find the things they do need.’
There was another moment of silence. It felt as though Te’rnu considered himself out of his depth. Soon his mouth opened once again.
‘If you stopped studying a few years ago, then how old does that make you?’
‘I mean… it’s rude to ask a woman her age, and all, but… I’m twenty-four.’
‘Twenty-four?!’ he repeated, absolutely astounded by this concept. ‘You Terrans can live that long?’
‘We live up to around, like, a hundred and ten, Te’rnu.’
‘A hundred and-,’ he started replying, mouth agape. ‘Maybe Ur’tna was on to something…’
Before I could get a chance to ask him what on Terra that meant, there was a scream from one of the buildings.
Te’rnu’s head spun to face the source of the noise, and his face turned glum.
He looked at me, pain in his eyes, and said, ‘You wanted to know why we pay tribute to the Iyr? It looks like you are about to find out.’
A crowd was quickly amassing about the entrance to one of the huts, everyone in it wearing a frown upon their faces. From inside, the groans and screaming continued. It sounded as though someone was being tortured in there.
Elder Ra’ntu arrived in the doorway, having presumably been checking on the screaming Arellian, and gave a nod. Upon receiving this signal, a member of the crowd rushed to the Iyr antenna, and pushed the red button.
The system produced a few beeps, and soon, a countdown appeared on the screen.
‘What’s that mean?’ I whispered to Te’rnu.
‘That is how long until they get here,’ he replied.
‘Who?’ I asked.
‘I think you know the answer to that question,’ replied Te’rnu. He was right; I most certainly did.
Sure enough, the Iyr soon arrived. A small shuttle floated down from the sky, landing just outside of town. The exhaust from the vehicle scattered the remaining bowls and food from dinner, but none of the Arellians seemed to care about that at this moment.
Two Iyr jumped off the back of the ship as it landed and strode towards the group of Arellians. One of them noticed me, a Terran, standing among them, and turned their head to stare at me as they walked - but said nothing.
The crowd parted for these two Iyr, allowing them access to the house, and even Elder Ra’ntu stood aside.
The Arellians clustered back together, blocking my view, so I stepped onto a rock for a better look at what was going on. Inside, the two Iyr crouched down beside the screaming Arellian. They looked at one another, nodded, and then picked the local up by the arms, dragging them back outside and towards the ship.
The other locals, as the screaming Arellian was dragged through them, came together in a hum. It was an almost religious response to the situation, as though it was a ceremony.
‘What’s happened to them?’ I asked Te’rnu.
‘They are twenty-one,’ he replied. ‘They are dying.’
Suddenly I understood why the Arellians were almost childlike in innocence. Even at their oldest, they were barely out of their teens. They didn’t even have the chance to develop cynicism, or bitterness, or anything of the like. They were a pure species, and their limited lifespan was the very reason why.
The Iyr loaded the dying Arellian onto the ship - and the engines whirred into life once again. As it took off, the remaining villagers watched him go.
‘So… that’s it? You never see them again?’ I asked. ‘No… no more ceremony than that?’
Elder Ra’ntu appeared at our side, and with a hand held to their heart, spoke. ‘Once it begins, there is no time for any formalities. They must go.’
‘Once what begins?’ I asked.
‘The Mutation,’ Te’rnu replied.
That doesn’t sound particularly promising.
Elder Ra’ntu explained, ‘As an Arellian grows older, their chances of beginning the Mutation get greater. It happens to all of us.’
‘And what exactly is this Mutation?’
‘The Arellian’s loins begin to change. They swell, and they clench. It causes them huge pain.’
‘Hence the screaming,’ I added.
‘Yes. They say that only the Iyr ever experience that amount of pain. Only they can understand what we Arellians go through. That’s why we send our mutated to them; they relieve the pain for the dying Arellian as best they can. As soon as the process begins, we summon them, and pray that they do not take long to arrive - for the dying’s sake.’
‘That is why we send tribute,’ Te’rnu added. ‘Supposedly.’
Elder Ra’ntu ignored this last word uttered by Te’rnu. ‘They are our saviours. Some would do well to remember that.’
Te’rnu, incensed, continued, ‘How do we know this? How do we know they are doing anything at all to help our dead? We have no evidence!’
‘No, Te’rnu,’ Elder Ra’ntu replied, raising their voice for the first time in my presence. ‘We have faith!’
‘Faith?’ Te’rnu
