The Time Surgeons

That student’s name was Arragath, and at the moment he was chewing distractedly on a bun stuffed with hot minced cow, lettuce, tomatoes, beetroot and pickles in a savory sauce. The complete balanced diet, he thought, when he bothered to think about his dinner and the glass of cold, frothed flavored milk that accompanied it.

He was staring into nothing when the direction of his stare was eclipsed by a young woman, another student by her clothing. He vaguely recognized her; was sure he had chatted to her on occasion, though he could not remember what occasions. His work was his passion and he did not really care about other people.

It was not that he disliked them, just that neither their existence nor their opinions were central to his consciousness. He was complete in himself.

Sure, he had friends, or people like friends, with whom he would meet and eat and chat; even play, on those occasions when his brain needed rest, or perhaps room to rummage around in his subconscious. Sure, he sometimes indulged in physical pleasures with women, but what meeting of minds there had been had not reached the delight of their meeting of bodies; and while he might sleep with them once, or twice, or even a few times more, none approached the meeting of souls which could have led to a more permanent union.

But tonight he hoped the girl would drift out of his gaze as quickly as she had drifted into it, like two asteroids briefly passing, barely influenced by each other’s presence. Then she smiled and asked if she could sit with him.

Pachmeny had been relieved when she had spotted Arragath sitting on his own at a table by the window. If she hadn’t found him she would have done what she could and faced Shemsak tomorrow with whatever she had – the only thing worse than telling him a half-baked theory would be hiding a theory from him once she’d thought of it. But if Arragath would help her, all the better. So she walked up to him and smiled.

“Hello. Do you mind if I join you?”

He looked at her, and she could tell from the look in his eyes that he would rather she didn’t. But she knew that despite his coldness, which some interpreted as arrogance or malice, he was beneath it all both fair-minded and curious. She hoped his curiosity about her approach would defeat whatever he was thinking about.

After a moment he nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

She noted that he didn’t ask her name but nor did he greet her by it, and she wondered if he remembered or cared. “Hi, Arragath. I’m Pachmeny, we’ve met before.”

“Yes. Hi Pachmeny.”

She sat down and started wolfing down her own food, at a pace that looked calculated so that she would finish around the same time he did. Arragath occasionally studied her as they ate, wondering with a single quantum of curiosity why she would sit there and not say a word, just eat at him.

He glanced around, noting that the place was far from crowded at this time, which was later than the peak dinner period. “Did you want something?”

Maybe I want you, she thought, but decided against saying it. Don’t play games and don’t bug him off by being too coy. Or you surely won’t get him, now or ever.

“Yes. But I’m also hungry, and you’re eating too. So it can wait.”

But she betrayed herself. As she was finishing off her meal, she could contain herself no longer, and started speaking around the food still in her mouth.

“I’ve found something interesting. As in weird. But I’m not sure. I’d like to get your opinion. It’s on celestial mechanics.”

Arragath gave her an interested look, then downed the last of his milk with a sucking sound as he vacuumed the dregs through his straw.

“Oh? What is it?”

“I’ll have to show you.”

“Sorry Pachmeny, I know I don’t look busy, but I am kind of occupied on my own stuff. Ask your Sage tomorrow. I hope you’re not trying to impress him or her with my work.”

“No! I mean, I don’t want to go to Shemsak with a half-baked idea, but I also find it exciting enough I want to be sure in my own mind first. Can you help me? Please? It won’t take too long. If it’s nothing, it’s nothing. If it’s something, I’ll give you full credit for your part, believe me.”

Arragath sighed, tapping his fingers in a complicated rolling pattern, as if her request were a question of higher mathematics. “I’d help you if you’d thought to bring it with you, but did you say Shemsak? That means you’re a bit of a detour for me. So sorry, not tonight.”

“I’ll pay you.”

Arragath looked surprised, looked more closely at her. “I think I’m richer than you are, Pachmeny. I don’t think you can afford me.” But at least he finished it with a faint smile.

“I think you’ll find it interesting enough to be worth your while. How about if you help me, but it’s nothing, I give you a gold Hawk for your time?”

His eyebrows went up a notch. “You’d really give me a Hawk just for helping you with a puzzle in celestial mechanics? You’d better be careful, or people will think you’re weirder than I am. But my time is more precious to me than your money.”

“What if I offered to sleep with you if it is a waste of your time?”

He looked even more surprised, but could not tell from her expression whether she was serious or he’d better avoid her in games of bluff. Then he laughed, a short, sharp exhalation. “I cannot tell whether that means you are supremely confident or just trying a very roundabout way to get me into bed with you.”

What possessed me? Gods of Fire! But when you have the wolf by the tail…

She smiled, hoping it came across as mysterious. “Some people say you’re arrogant. Perhaps they are right!”

“Do you think you should insult me when you’re asking for my help?”

“What makes you think I intended it as an insult?”

He looked at her speculatively. “You are a strange person, Pachmeny.”

“Is it my turn to be insulted?”

He smiled. “What makes you think I intended it as an insult?” he said in the manner of a quotation. “All right Pachmeny, you win. I am intrigued. I will help you, if you grant me the right to choose which if any of your offers I take in recompense.”

She hoped the sudden quiver of flame in her lower abdomen didn’t show in her eyes, as she replied ambiguously, “Thank you, Arragath. I am sure it will be worth your while.”

So they finished their meals and left together, heading off to Pachmeny’s work space.

“Watch,” she said when they arrived, directing him to her viewer. “These five images were each taken a month apart. See how the two faint stars move relative to each other? I’m not going to prejudice you with what I think, but don’t you think it’s odd?”

Arragath studied the images, repeating the playback several times. He pursed his lips as he did so. “Get me something to write on,” he said. “What’s the scale on this thing?”

He sat there for a few minutes, taking measurements, doing some calculations. Then he stared into space for a long minute, and looked back down at his work, as if rechecking it. Finally he looked at her.

“Damn.”

“Damn?”

“Damn. They’re too fast. Either they’re both much heavier than they look, so their gravitational field is stronger than it should be, or they’re crazy close. Celestially speaking, I mean. To have that orbital speed, at that angular separation, they must be only eight, ten light years away, maybe less depending on exactly how big they are. Hellfire! How come nobody ever knew about them before now?”

“Would you notice them against a starfield that dense when they’re that dim? Especially before we could make images this sensitive and sharp? I’m not even sure they’d be visible. And I don’t know that anybody would notice them if they weren’t moving like that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. Then he stood up, as if unconsciously, staring into space with excitement in his eyes. He looked down at her. “Wow. OK Pachmeny, you win this one. This is big. They must be two dwarf stars, two white dwarfs, orbiting close to each other, practically in our own back yard!”

She couldn’t help herself. She reached up her hand to his face and touched him on the cheek. You idiot, she told herself when his face jerked at her unexpected touch. Now is not the time.

But apparently now was the time, for Arragath put his own hand over hers, and the look in his eyes took on a different intensity.

“About that offer…” he began.

She pulled his head down and kissed him, and the night became perfect.