Page 61 of Music of the Ocean

Their fingers interlaced for a moment before Indigo released his grip and turned toward the alcove’s entrance. The kelp curtain parted as they approached, and they stepped back into the corridor.

“The planet provides via the cities,” Indigo said as he moved toward the thoroughfare, which had grown busier. “Citizens barter for things here, including services.”

“Huh. That’s interesting. Few societies use that now.”

“It is one of the oldest forms of trade, used long before the invention of currency. It works here very well,” Indigo said.

Citizens moved in both directions, some carrying bundles, others engaged in conversations that drifted through the water in fragments of sound.

Indigo led the way, pace steady. They passed a junction where three corridors converged. A holodisplay hovered at the center, projecting a rotating map of the city’s sectors. Indigo didn’t pause, but Saxby’s gaze lingered on it for a moment before he quickened his stride to catch up.

The corridor narrowed, then widened again as they approached a set of double membranes reinforced with bands of dark resin.

Two guards stood at attention on either side, their posture straight, their hands resting on the hilts of weapons that looked grown rather than forged. They nodded at Indigo and stepped aside, the membranes parting to reveal the chamber beyond.

Saxby stopped at the threshold. The room was vast, its ceiling arching high above in a dome of living coral.

Dozens of screens lined the walls. Each displayed a different feed—orbital trajectories, oceanographic data, thermal maps of the planet’s surface, and what looked like real-time surveillance of the coastline.

At the center of the chamber, a circular platform rose from the floor, its surface alive with projections that shifted and reformed as it sorted through data.

Saxby stepped inside. The water here felt denser, charged with something that hummed at the edge of perception.

He moved to the platform’s edge and looked up at the dome, where a holographic representation of the planet rotated slowly, its oceans rendered in shades of blue and green, its landmasses picked out in brown and gray.

Indigo joined him, standing close enough that their arms touched.

“This is it,” Indigo said. “The nerve center.”

“I thought you were the nerve center.”

“I am tied to the actual structure, and the structure is tied to me.”

“Yeah, you said that before. And as I said, that’s amazing and actually quite scary,” Saxby said, letting his fingertips drift along Indigo’s arm. “It’s funny you used the word tie. Because that’s what this is. It’s a symbiotic relationship between you and this planet. It’s no wonder the Federation wants to understand this world and you.”

“The Federation would like to understand it, yes. And then, they would like to control it.” Indigo lips pressed together into a thin line. “I cannot blame them for being fascinated, but it changes nothing.”

“The machinery in here looks organic,” Saxby said, changing the subject. “A lot of stuff in the city looks that way.”

“That is because it is.”

“Again, that’s absolutely amazing. So? Where to now?” Saxby asked as they left the communications hub, the membrane sealing behind them with a soft hiss. The corridor outside was less crowded now.

“I thought you might like to see the residential quarters,” Indigo said.

Saxby raised an eyebrow.

“See it, not stay in it,” Indigo clarified.

They swam in silence for several moments, the corridor widening as they headed into another building. The architecture here was softer, with more curves and alcoves built into the walls.

Small clusters of citizens gathered in doorways, their conversations creating a low hum that filled the space.

“This section is for newcomers,” Indigo explained, stopping before an open doorway. “The rooms adapt to their needs. They are welcome to say as long as they need.”

Saxby peered inside. The room was small but comfortable looking, with a sleeping alcove similar to the one in Indigo’s quarters. A table grew from one wall, its surface flat and smooth. Light filtered through the ceiling in a soft, steady glow.

“It’s nice,” Saxby said.