109
Jack’s goggles snapped to dark and he only had a moment of disorientation with the rapid change. With the lenses filtering the intensity he could see the vast plain of white before them. There were small posts sticking up out of the snow at set intervals and they followed them, just to the right side of each as they passed.
The sound of their tracks diminished considerably in the snow but the ride still wasn’t as smooth as it had been before. They went over a sizeable bump and their driver looked behind to see if anyone fell out of their chair. Jack was surprised to see his eyes were now almost completely black. It must have been some kind of protective membrane over the eye like a translucent eyelid. Built-in sunglasses.
The scenery was fairly stark until he realized the darkness on the horizon ahead of them, a darkness that began from the ground and climbed higher and higher wasn’t a build-up of clouds but the foothills of a breathtakingly tall mountain range. He looked left and right and realized the mountains ran in both directions for as far as the eye could see. It was difficult to comprehend what he was looking at.
“I didn’t think it was possible for mountains to get that big!” he muttered to himself.
The view captivated his attention for some time but after an hour the mountains seemed no closer. Bored, Jack looked over to Gee and Bal but they were sound asleep. The buses tracks were moving them quickly over the snow and the slight rocking motion was comforting.
Jack looked along the ridgeline once more, marveling at the sheer scale of the mountain range. It was definitely worthy of setting up a tourism package for off planet visitors. He’d meant to talk to Julli about that. An image of her trembling face between his hands invaded his mind making him jolt in his seat.
Dammit! What did he do at that party?
On second thought, he didn’t really want to know.
He closed his eyes and let the rocking settle his nerves.
Jack became aware of a difference in the sound of the tracks on the snow. They were working harder. Then he noticed he was leaning back in his seat. He glanced out the front window and realized he could no longer see the mountains as they were climbing into the foothills. He looked left then right and a shiver went through his body as he realized they were already quite a way up into the foothills. The ridge ran away in both directions. The slopes here would be incredible for skiing. You could ski all day and only do one run!
It wasn’t long before the land leveled off a little and lights could be seen ahead. The sun had recently disappeared behind the mountain peaks ahead of them and darkness was quickly covering the land around them.
“Boon Falls!” the driver called out as the bus turned a corner and lined up with an opening in the hillside. The bus bumped its way down a long ramp and pulled into a vast chamber carved out of what looked like the same white stone that Elleltris was.
The bus backed into a spot reserved for it and shut down. The driver popped the door open and a blast of cold air rushed in.
Jack looked over at the Altarians and saw them wincing. Gee glanced over at him with a grim look.
Their driver walked back to speak with them. “Not to worry, it’s just the garage that feels this cold. The doors at the top of the ramp broke. I picked up the part. Inside the village is much warmer!” he smiled at the Altarians then Jack. He nodded to Jack. “Your guide will meet you inside the village doors.”
“Thank you!” Jack said with a smile and the senior turned and headed out to open the cargo bay.
Stef moved past Jack’s seat the infant carrier in her arms. “Enjoy your stay in Boon Falls.”
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The two older males from the back passed without a word and left the bus.
Gee and Bal were next to leave and Jack brought up the rear. They collected their bags and skis and followed the locals over to the door leading further into the hillside. Gee and Bal ran around the others to get inside first. Jack felt bad for them once more. He wished he’d been able to get them to just stay home but they’d insisted on joining him. The longer he was on Chrystan he more comfortable he felt with the people and the more he realized he could have done this on his own.
He caught up to them inside, well away from the door, standing next to an exhaust vent for a restaurant. The heat coming out felt good and Jack could see the two agents soaking up the warmth. He was going to insist that when he went skiing they would remain inside.
“Ambassador Danner!”
Jack turned to face the source of the young voice and saw a dark furred young male Shreen rushing up to him. He had to be half Jack’s height.
“Hello. Are you my guide?” he asked.
“Yes! I’m Jett! I’ve been assigned to help you find your way to the resort and to see if there was anything else you need tonight.”
Jack’s stomach took that moment to grumble as he’d only had a stupid ration bar to eat today. “I’m very hungry. Is there a restaurant we could stop at for a meal?”
“The resort has the best restaurant in Boon Falls. I’ll take you there now,” Jett answered.
Jack nodded and with one more glance at his thawing friends he set off after Jett who was leading the way. Gee and Bal left the comfort of the exhaust fan to rush after them.
The walk was fairly lengthy as the resort proved to be on the far southern edge of the village. Along the way they saw shops then went through a large residential area and here Jack saw children. Lots of children. They were all amazed to see the tall, horned stranger walking through their neighborhood and it was only the presence of their guide that eased their nervousness. If anything, seeing Jett walk with them made them bolder. Crowds of the small Shreen followed them chattering and squealing until a few terse words from their guide sent them back to their homes.
Finally the dwellings dwindled and they were walking through a long corridor. Jack looked around but there were no openings in the carved tunnels here to indicate anything behind the walls. The ever present plant life adorning the walls kept the air fresh but the temperatures were just a little cooler than they’d been back in Elleltris.
They heard music up ahead and Jett smiled back at Jack. “We’re almost there. They have a band playing tonight in the bar. Local artists. They’re pretty good!”
Jack smiled back at the youth.
The corridor started to curve upwards and then they could see the entrance to the resort. The music got louder and Jack could see Jett getting excited. The tips of his ears were trembling.
Their guide took them in the wide front doors of the resort and up to the reception desk. He spoke softly to the female behind the counter who nodded and turned her smile on her new guests.
“I’m going to leave you here in the capable hands of Mara, the owner of the resort. I hope you enjoy your stay in Boon Falls!” Jett said and with a quick nod to the Altarians he made a bee line for the entrance to the bar to listen to the band.
“Ambassador Danner, Altarian friends, welcome to South View! As Jett said, I’m Mara, the owner. I’m the one you should ask for if you have any questions or concerns. I live at the resort as well so you can find me here at all hours.”
“Thank you! I understand you have a restaurant, best in the village Jett said?”
She smiled, “A little hungry after your long journey?” At Jack’s emphatic nod she chuckled. “The mayor asked me to let him know when you arrived so that he might join you for dinner this evening. Would that be alright?”
“Sure!”
“Excellent! He and his wife are just inside listening to the band so I’ll get you settled into your rooms-”
“Room,” Gee interrupted gently.
“Room?” Mara blinked. Jack looked at Gee in surprise as well.
“We will sleep with the Ambassador. He is very warm.”
“Oh! Certainly,” Mara said smiling at the two Altarians and glancing happily at Jack as she made an adjustment on her computer. His face flushed.
“You have our best room. The view south over the valley and the ridgeline is the best in the village,” Mara said with a grin. “Our hot spring is down at the far end of this corridor,” she said pointing to the left. “The bar is through those doors and is open from 4PM until 3AM. The restaurant is down at the end of the hall there and opens at 5AM for breakfast and closes at midnight. I’ve reserved a table for you during your stay which I believe is for three days?”
Jack nodded with a smile.
“If you could touch the pad here I’ll key the door to your biometrics,” Mara said gesturing to the edge of the counter. Jack touched the reader as did the agents and Mara nodded with a smile. “Ok, you’re all set. I’ll let the Mayor and his wife know you’re on your way. They’ll meet you at your table when you’re ready.”
“I’ll be right back then,” Jack said with a grin.
Mara smiled back and gestured for a young female to guide them up to their room. They took an elevator at the back of the lobby and went up two floors. The female led them down the hall and Jack opened the door. He saw it was roughly similar to the floorplan of the royal apartment. A popular design! The foyer had a large bathroom to the right and lead to a round living room with a sunken pit of cushions with a windowed wall on the opposite side. To the right was a door leading to the bedroom. Lovely furnishing and art on the walls. It was too dark outside to appreciate the view.