Free Nomad by William Alexander Page B

role.
    â€œAdequately,” Gabe agreed. “My very first treaty still holds, and no one is actively trying to kill me.”
    â€œFew forms of life can ever say the same,” Protocol told him. “I hope that you savor your relative safety.”
    â€œI’ll do my best,” Gabe said. “And thank you for your help.”
    â€œYou are most welcome, Ambassador. But please inform your Envoy that it should invest more time preparing its charges prior to their entanglement.”
    Gabe saw himself frown in the mirror, and tried to smooth it out into a neutral expression.
    â€œI will,” he lied politely.
    â€œProceed, Ambassador.”
    The door slid open. Gabe proceeded.
    The Chancery stretched out in front of him. He set off for the lake, but he soon got distracted by a new game. It looked like some massive version of tag. Dozens of ambassadors chased dozens more across the open hills. Their clothes turned white whenever they got tagged.
    One of the kids in white paused when he noticed Gabe watching. “Want to play?”
    â€œWhat’s the game?” Gabe asked.
    â€œOutlast.”
    â€œHow do you play?” Gabe asked warily.
    â€œYou run,” the other ambassador told him. “If they catch you, you die. Then you have to play for the other side. The game ends when everyone loses. When only the Outlast are left. It always happens eventually.”
    Gabe watched some of the players get caught. They died with drama, loud and flailing. Then their clothes turned white, and the Outlast spread.
    It looked like fun.
    Omegan of the Outlast stood on a distant hilltop and watched, just as he always did.
    â€œNo thanks,” Gabe said.
    The other ambassador dashed off to rejoin the game.
    Gabe found Kaen waiting on the lakeshore, impatient and annoyed.
    â€œSorry,” he said. “Couldn’t fall asleep.”
    â€œI asked you not to talk to anyone else here,” she said.
    Gabe wasn’t sorry about that part. “Someone came and talked to me. I couldn’t ignore them.”
    â€œWhy not?” Kaen asked. “You can always pretend that you don’t understand.”
    â€œWe’re standing in the middle of a massive and universal translation matrix,” Gabe said. “How can I possibly pretend that I don’t understand?”
    Kaen shook her head. “No translation is completely universal. Just remember that I’m responsible for you.”
    â€œSorry,” Gabe said again. He tried to be sincere about it. He did try. “So where can we find Sapi?”
    Kaen pointed at the lake. “Down there. At the very bottom.”
    Gabe considered the thick and viscous lake water. “Really? She strikes me as a more arboreal type.”
    â€œReally.” Kaen walked down the sand bank and into the surf.
    Gabe went with her. The water felt cool, but not cold. “How can we breathe down there?”
    â€œEasily,” said Kaen. “You really do need academy lessons. Your actual lungs are almost thirty thousand light-years away from here.”
    â€œI’m aware,” Gabe said.
    â€œSo just dive down. Your projected self will acclimate to the new environment. This place would be less useful if we only ever spoke to ambassadors who happened to thrive in the same sorts of habitats. Here we can breathe underwater.”
    Gabe glanced at their soaring colleagues overhead. “Does that mean we can fly, too?”
    â€œOf course,” said Kaen. “Haven’t you tried?”
    â€œNo. We’ve been busy.”
    â€œYou should. But right now we need to swim.”
    She dove under the surface without bothering to take a breath first.
    Gabe hesitated. The lake was deep, dark, and full of aliens.
    He dove down.
    *  *  *  *
    Breathing underwater is difficult when your body insists that it shouldn’t be able to. Gabe hovered just under the surface, closed his eyes, and argued with his