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(3.17) Child's Play
Child's Play
Coruscant Space
ISA Ka-riss-ah
Being a mighty ship of war, it is completely uncommon for the halls to echo with the sounds of laughter from a child. Carissa smiled as she watched Mia run through the garden as she chased a small hovering ball. Each time she got close it zipped away from her as she leaped for it. Mia just laughed as she continued the chase. Carissa had made some changes to her number three garden to make Mia feel more at home. She was able to thin the air and increase the heat so that she did not feel uncomfortable here. It wasn't much but Carissa just wanted to try something. After learning about the archive hidden within her body somewhere. She started a detail search in her data base that would allow her to change some of the planet life to something more suitable for Mia. The only problem was that all of Carissa's gardens were functional. They provided nearly seventy percent of the fresh air that is breathed through out her.
Mia laughed as she leaped through the air at the little hovering ball and finally managed to finally catch it. She laughed as she landed with her prize in hand. Mia carefully examined the ball before letting it go. Carissa just watched at the human child played. There was something about this child that simply drew a person in and beckoned them deeper. Carissa accessed her own memory banks and reviewed past conversations with her former Captain. Being a Teutonic Knight, he had always emphasized on taking note of signs around her. 'Remember Ka-riss-ah, the powers of fate move in mysterious and remarkable ways. Always trust in your feelings of a situation.' She reviewed the recording of his words perfectly as she continued to search her database more. 'There is something wonderful and special about you, Mia' she thought as she ran a scan of the child to ensure that she was not hungry or needed any other attention.
For Carissa seeing the world through her eyes was like seeing things constantly through a scanner. She could look at the human child and be able to identify what chemical components made up the little human. She could adjust her scan and look at the little child's bones to ensure that she has not hurt herself. She could even scan thermal levels of the child to make sure that she is not dehydrating herself. Changing the scan can give her a look of Mia as if she was looking at her through the lens of a holocorder. She had scanned a poem near the beginning of her life. It was such a fascinating poem about a single star among millions of stars.
She accessed the file which she kept locked away in a special file for only her to see along with other very private files. 'Star! Star! Star, why dost thou shine each night upon my brow? Why dost thou make me dream the dreams that I am dreaming now? Star! Star, thy home is high – I am of humble birth; Thy feet walk shining o'er sky, mine only on the earth. Star! Star, why make me dream? My dreams are all untrue; And why is sorrow dark for me and heaven bright for you. Star! Star, oh, hide thy ray, and take it off my face; Within my lowly home I stay, thou, in thy lofty place. Star! Star, and still I dream, along thy light afar I seem to soar until I seem to be, like you, a star.' She replied the poem in her mind as she pondered the ideas which it triggered. How could someone see something in a single star and write something filled with such hope and beauty. Carissa wished her vision was not so detailed and complete that she too could see like this simple little human child.
Mia laughed as she burst through the bushes and rushed up to Carissa screaming her childish battle cry, “AAAAWWWWWWW YYYYYEEEEEEEE!” She leaped up in to Carissa's waiting arms and toppled the pair in to the soft grass of the garden. The young child, Mia laughed as she looked in to Carissa's eyes, “When I go home, I want you to come with me. I want to show you the waters and green of my world” Mia said laughing as she looked down at Carissa. “I want to show you the laughing places and singing Ka'isha Nuc. There is so much I want you to see, so much I want to share with you. Carissa you are my best friend and I am so happy you are here with me.”
Carissa's smile had never faded, she felt so much love for and from the child. So much hope in this little human child. However in that moment the realization of what Carissa actually was sank home again. Her smile then faded, “I would love to see your home world Mia, but I can never leave this sky house.” Carissa knew that she had to tell Mia the truth. It was not right to keep it from her any longer.
Mia rolled off of her babysitter turned personal best friend and set next to her in the grass, “Its because you are not like them. Right” she asked as she better positioned herself in the grass.
Carissa cocked her head to the side a bit as she set up as well, “what do you mean?”
“I see how some of them talk to you. As if you are not like them.” Mia looked down as she tried to explain. “Its like you are not as important to them as me. I mean, like Daz, he doesn't like you very much. Does he?”
Carissa knew this moment would come and she had figured it would have come much sooner than it did. She was grateful for the time she was able to spend with this human child. It reminded her to the time she had with her own son while he was training on board her. “I am sure that Daz does likes me just as much as everyone does. However I am different Mia, this you must understand little one. Do you see all that is around you. Can you see the walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows?” she motioned as Mia nodded her understanding. “This is all me. It is who I am. What you see before you is only a image that I show to make others more comfortable. Where I come from, the sky houses as you like to call this place, have a entity me controlling it.” Mia's eyes widened as Carissa continued, “See without me tending to many different things, this sky house would not be able to work normally.” It was in that moment that Carissa had an idea, “Do you remember telling me about how back in your home, that the winds, soil, plants, animals and even waters all has their own spirits?”
Mia was too confused and surprised to speak. She knew what her best friend was speaking about so she only nodded. Mia hated this sky house place where these people took her. It was nothing like anyone told her it would be like. Hardly anyone came to spend time with her but Carissa. Sure a few would come by every once and a while, but it was her friend Carissa that kept her company since she walked on to this strange thing. She used to be so scared but it was Carissa that comforted her. She remembered hearing the stories of when the first sky house came to their world many years before she was born. How it brought mean people that tried to take from those who had died. Then the second sky house brought the Friend Daz and his followers. Later they left taking with them Nezial. Mia remembered when the hunters returned to the village with Nezial's body when Friend Daz returned. She had often wondered if this sky house was going to take her life too like Nezial's.
Carissa continued, “I want you to know, that I am not a spirit like those on your world. I would never try to pretend to be something I am not. Nor would I attempt to lie to you Mia. However, much like the trees, mountains and waters of your world has spirits to protect and care for them. I am much like that for this sky house. I tend to its needs and make sure that it works properly. Where I come from, great sky houses, need watchers like me to work properly.”
Mia leaned back on her hands and looked up for a moment as she thought of what her beloved friend was saying. “So all of this is you?”
Carissa nodded, “The plants here in the garden are not me. I make sure that the plants here have what they need for life.”
Mia looked back at her friend, “So you are like a Gushi Spirit.” She was still very confused and not sure how to handle what she was being told. She could feel that this thing, this sky house was dead. But Carissa wasn't dead. 'This place is death, but Carissa is alive. How can Carissa be alive if this place of death is her?' she tried to ponder the though as her mind warped around the ideas that she was exploring.
Carissa knew the title given to special spirits of which Mia was speaking. One of the things she had been doing all this time was learning about Mia's world and culture. Carissa knew that the Gushi Spirit was a powerful spirit that protected and nurtured life back on Mia's home world. She also knew the dangers is misleading the girl. The short term of her understanding was nothing compared to the long term losing her trust once the truth came out. “In a way Mia, but I must remind you. I am not like your spirits back home. They are full of life and should be respected. I do not mean to pretend to be like them. I am not a natural spirit like your people are used to.”
Mia nodded still confused, “I understand, um I think.” She said while getting up and walked over to the door of the garden. “So this wall is you?” she said placing her hand on the metal bulkhead of the garden next to the door.
Carissa got up and smiled as she walked over, “Yes” she said softly. “Here let me show you something.” Carissa said softly as she knelt down beside the child. She placed her hand over Mia's hand pressing it gently to the bulkhead, “Can you feel that” she said as she looked in to Mia's eyes. “Close your eyes and feel with your hand.”
Mia closed her eyes softly and tried to calm her racing heart. She spread her fingers out as if to reach through the metal wall. It didn't take long for her to feel it. It was something that she never noticed before. This place was a place of death for her. She hated it so much that she never took the time to realize that there was something beneath what she saw. She felt a soft and steady pulse moving through the wall. “Wa....what is that” she asked trying hard not to loss the feeling.
Carissa continued to smile as she knew that Mia felt what she was trying to show her. She placed her other hand over the heart of the child, “That is my heart beating” she said softly as she watched Mia's eyes open wide, “See our hearts are beating together. Strong and steady” Carissa explained as the child closed her eyes again and placed her other hand over top of Carissa's on her own chest.
“I feel it” Mia said with excitement, “They're beating as one!” However in that moment Mia realized something was horrible wrong. “What” she said excitedly while pulling both of her hands away. “how can a sky house have a heart beat and be alive at the same time” she asked confused.
Carissa looked down as if she felt a knife ripped through her very own heart. It was something that she hated. She was so close to understanding life and what it meant to be alive, but there were times like this where she was simply denied it. In the end, no matter how much she wanted it not to be true. She knew that she was only just a machine. “Because my friend Mia, I am not alive. See where your spirits are alive. This is where I differ, for I am not alive. I am only part of this great sky house and without it, I would not be able to survive. I....”
Mia cut off her explanation, “NO! Thats not true, I played with you. Touched you, you are alive. Why Carissa, why tell me this lie!” Mia said backing up more, “Why are you lying to me!”
Carissa didn't raise her head as she heard the child speaking. “Please Mia, understand what I am saying to you child. It is the truth. I would never lie to you.”
“NO!” Mia yelled taking another step back, “Its NOT TRUE!” She yelled once more then turning and running through the open door that led out of the garden.
Carissa knew that she could and should have kept the child in the gardens as per her instructions. However, Carissa also knew that when confronted with something that challenges their reality, that humans need to work their minds through it on their own. The beautiful woman with blond flowing hair, wearing that ever prefect white gown slowly faded away to nothing as she deactivated her avatar. Carissa followed the child through a remote as she ran through the corridors of the ship. It was clear that Mia was both hurt and mad over the revelation. Carissa knew that it was better to let her just run through the corridors and monitor her through her subsystems. When and if Mia would be ready, Carissa would be there as the friend she had been before. This was the best calculation which gave the highest chances of Carissa keeping the child's trust.
Mia didn't know where she was going nor even where she was in this large metal place. She ran down corridors and through doors as she tried to find what she was looking for. She had hated this place before and now she hates it even more. Carissa had been the only one who showed her any kindness and now she learned that Carissa wasn't even real. She had trusted Carissa with all of her secrets. Mia was confused about her emotions and at odds with her own mind. She couldn't understand how this place had such a thing that could fool her. She turned down another corridor as she continued to run. She wanted to find a way off this sky house and to return home. As she ran, she noticed that the walls seemed to open for her as she approached and closed behind her. There was so much she didn't understand about this place and so much that just scared her. 'All the more reason to go home!' she thought as she ran.
She ran hard and before she knew it, she ran in to a large room. She was so completely lost in this large sky house. Mia stopped in the center of the room breathing hard as she tried to catch her breath. She turned around to see a number of corridors and doors leading in different directions. There were tables set up with some type of stools attached to the tables. Everything about this place was so much different then her home. No matter what she looked at, it was just different. The room she was in now was dark when she ran in. Light had soon filled the room from things above her head. She was scared, tired and hurt all at the same time. She walked around the large room exploring what she found. It did reminded her of the Great Hall back home where she would spend time with her friends and family. There was even something that looked like the stage that should used to sing on back home. However just like everything else of this place, it didn't have the life that she missed so much. There were no one to talk to or play with. She missed her friends so much. As she walked she saw large flat things on the walls.
They were like windows in to something. It was strange thing as she examined it carefully. She saw a small men standing next to a small Carissa and another small young man. They were unmoving in the window. Mia turned around and searched the room. She found small metal chair along one of the walls. She walked over to the chair and pulled it back over to the window. Once in place she stood up on the chair for a better look through the little window. She placed her hand on the window and found it made of glass. She closely examined the window and those just beyond the glass. It was such a strange thing. The window seemed to be just beyond the wall but the people seemed so close. And they were not moving at all despite Mia waving to them. Mia noticed that the younger man looked similar to Carissa. There was something in Carissa's eyes as she was looking at the young man next to her. It was the same look that she would see in Carissa's eyes when she was watching her. Mia tapped on the glass hoping to get Carissa's attention. “Carissa?”
From behind her, Mia heard Carissa answer, “I never left you, Mia.”
Mia turned in surprise from the direction of the voice which nearly caused her to fall from the chair. Mia was surprised to see her friend behind her standing just as she looked back in the garden. Mia didn't care about the surprise or what her friend had said before. There was something that she wanted to know. Something that beckoned her heart to inquire about. She turned back to the window and tapped the glass again. “Who is that?” she asked pointing at the young man standing next to Carissa. Mia had long knew that this place held so much magic that she couldn't possible understand it all. The frozen windows must had been some other kind of magic that froze people inside it. But she really wanted to know who was standing next to Carissa in the window. She recognized the look in her friend's eyes, it was someone that Carissa cared about allot. Her fears and pains subsided as curiosity took over.
Carissa didn't need to look, she knew all too well who it was. “That was my son” she said softly as she kept her distance letting Mia become comfortable with her once more.
Mia could tell that there was sadness in the way she heard her friend speak. “Was” she replied softly then added as she turned around and slipped off the chain carefully, “Please tell me about him.”
Carissa walked up to a nearby table and slid in to one of the stools to be at eye level with Mia as the child took her seat for the story. “He was my only son. Where I come from, even us sky houses have children. He was a lot like you. Very brave, and always wanting to know more about everything. And like you, he was such a hand full to raise” she said with a smile. “I remember how he used to run his own tasks while he was learning how to control a sky house. He used to cause me so much madness. He loved to experiment with different things and see what happens. Between his tasks and my own I really had my hands full raising him. He was such a fast learner and before I knew it, he had grown so fast.” Carissa trailed off as she shifted her gaze to the deck of the ship.
Mia saw the pain in her friend's eyes, “What happened to him” Mia asked softly as she slid off her chair. Crawling on her hands and knees she moved up to Carissa and rested her hands and head on Carissa's knee. She remembered how Carissa had told her that she was not a live but she could see the pain in her friend's eyes. 'How can you not be alive' she questioned in her mind.
Carissa, “Right at the same time he was given his own Sky House to control, I was chosen for a very important mission. We were stationed above the world of Nar'shi Nada while I was loaded up for the mission. My son along with group of other sky houses were assigned to protect me while I was getting ready to leave for my mission. There were so many sky houses there, Mia. One said that you couldn't look up in the night sky and not see a sky house. A great and terrifying enemy attacked us just as I was ready to leave for my mission. I was ordered to leave at once while the other sky houses tried to keep the enemy away. The only problem was, not all of the sky houses had a keeper like me. Those who didn't, didn't hold the line and the enemy got through them. I remember looking back and watching him fight so bravely to keep a number of enemies away from me as I ran. I wanted to stay and fight along side my son but even he told me to flee.” The tears in her eyes dripped down her face as Mia listened to the story. “I watched as he rammed an enemy sky house that had attempted to stop me from fleeing. It was the last time I saw my son or my home.”
Mia reached up and wiped the tears from Carissa's face, “I bet he was so proud of you” she said softly as looked in to Carissa's eyes.
“Sometimes I wish I could change the way I feel things. I don't know why I was allowed to feel things like this.” Carissa said softy. “I remember the image of his death.”
“So he gave his life to save you” Mia asked softly.
“Yes” she replied while nodding, “I am sorry for hurting you Mia. I wanted you to know the truth about me and understand what I am.”
This time it was Mia who cocked her head to the side, “I understand.” she looked down in sadness and shame, “I shouldn't have yelled at you.” Mia turned to look at the window again, “He was a very good man, your son was.”
Carissa smiled with a sense of pride, “Yes, he was a very brave man. I miss his tasks running through my subsystems. I miss feeling his presence within me.”
Mia turned back to Carissa, “Back home, many kids get to earn a guardian spirit” she explained. “I am not in touch with the spirits like they are so I never got a guardian spirit. Seeing how you are the spirit of this sky house, will you be my guardian spirit?”
Carissa smile grew even boarder with pride as she looked surprised at Mia. She never really calculated it like that but it seemed to make prefect sense now that the thought was placed. “I would be honored to be your Guardian Spirit, Mia”
Mia turned back to the window as she smiled, “What was his name?”
Carissa looked up to the large picture on the wall and smiled, “I named him Rah-Shod. Where I come from it means wisdom and guidance.”
Mia turned back to Carissa and leaped up at her wrapping her arms around the blond haired woman. “I am so sorry I yelled at you.”
Carissa was taken by surprise from the human child's action. She carefully placed her arms around the child and returned the hug, “Its okay. I will always protect you, Mia. I promise you, I will protect you” Carissa swore as she closed her eyes. She could hear and feel the memory of her own son within her mainframe. “Mia, can I ask you something?”
Mia looked up at her as she pulled away from the hug, “Yes?”
“I know that you hate this place. I know that you say that this place is all death.” Carissa said softy as she looked at Mia, “I don't want to change how you see me or this place. Please understand that all you see here IS me.”
Mia smiled as she took Carissa's hand. With a gentle tug, Mia caused Carissa to rise to her feet. Mia led Carissa over to the bulkhead and guided her hand with Carissa's in tow to the surface of the wall. Mia placed her own over Carissa's hands and looked in to Carissa's eyes. Mia smiled as she closed her eyes and felt the pulse of the sky house once more. “See Carissa, I can feel your heartbeat. You are the only spirit that I know of that has a heartbeat. That makes you special.”
Carissa didn't have anything to say on this. She only watched Mia, as the young child worked her hand over the bulkhead and felt the pulse as well. Carissa closed her eyes and just enjoyed this moment. She lowered herself to her knees and just allowed the moment to engulf her. “Thank you Mia” she said softly as the two experienced the heartbeat together.
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