![\"\"](\"https:\/\/buber.net\/Basque\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/maite-and-kepa-v3b.png\")
Kepa looked nervously into his own cup, the swirls of brown espresso mixing with the creamy milk. For a moment, he hoped that if he stared hard enough at his coffee, he might find answers. But, nothing came. He sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll I know for sure,\u201d he said, looking across at Maite, sweat upon his brow, \u201cis that I want to be with you. Beyond that, I have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite smiled at him. \u201cThat\u2019s enough for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you know where you will go to school?\u201d asked Kepa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking Donostia. They have a good physics program there. What do you say? Do you want to move to Donostia with me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Surprisingly, given how close the city was, Kepa had only visited a handful of times in his life. He remembered the beaches, and the multitude of people in their swimsuits. He remembered the Parte Vieja and the rows upon rows of bars with the most wonderful pintxos. He wasn\u2019t used to such a big city, but what he remembered was overall positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think I could do that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d need to visit ama often\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs would I, visit my parents I mean,\u201d interjected Maite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kepa smiled. \u201cOk then. Let\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about the zatiak?\u201d asked Maite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d asked Kepa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI mean, do we try to search them out, or do we just let things happen haphazardly like we\u2019ve been doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou want a more systematic approach, I assume?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell,\u201d began Maite, \u201cif we are going to make any real progress, I just think we need some kind of plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow are we supposed to do that? We don\u2019t know anything about where, or when, the zatiak ended up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d said Maite with a mischievous grin, \u201cbut I know have this supercomputer in my head to help us figure it out, to look for any patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she spoke, Maite felt a grumbling in the back of her head. She almost thought that Garuna snorted mockingly at her. But then it settled down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan you control it like that?\u201d asked Kepa. \u201cWill it do what you want it to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t know, but there is only one way to know.\u201d For no real reason, she sat up a little straighter. Her voice became a little more formal. \u201cGaruna,\u201d she said in a somewhat demanding tone, \u201cwill you help us find the zatiak?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs that how you talk to it?\u201d asked Kepa. \u201cOut loud like that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite giggled as she shook her head. \u201cNo, I can talk to it in my head, but I wanted you to hear at least one side of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite felt Garuna rumble again. \u201cWhy?\u201d was all it asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at Kepa with her shoulders hunched a bit and in her regular voice, almost a whisper, Maite said \u201cIt asked why.\u201d Again sitting up, she replied \u201cBecause, we need to prevent de Lancre from collecting them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d came the reply in her mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite sighed. \u201cIt asked why again. I swear, it\u2019s like talking to a toddler. Ahem,\u201d began Maite, again reverting to her formal mode before Kepa interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan it hear me, if I\u2019m speaking?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d replied Garuna in Maite\u2019s head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Maite whispered back to Kepa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, then,\u201d continued Kepa, \u201cif de Lancre recovers the majority of the zatiak, he will gain untold power and reshape the world into his own twisted vision. You came from the future, you know our history. Does it ever turn out well when any one person can shape things at that scale, much less one who has bad intentions like de Lancre?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was silence. Eventually, Maite heard an \u201cEz\u201d echo in her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite, looking at Kepa, shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d replied Kepa. \u201cWe can\u2019t allow a madman like de Lancre have free reign over the rest of humanity. Who knows what he will do, but I would guess he reshapes his own time to reflect his deepest desires, and that will ripple throughout the timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut,\u201d repeated Maite as Garuna spoke in her head, \u201cit would simply be a bubble, which could eventually be burst.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kepa shrugged. \u201cMaybe, but if he has that much power\u2026\u201d Kepa looked deep into Maite\u2019s eyes, trying to find Garuna in there somewhere, \u201cmaybe he could make the bubble permanent, and pop the rest of the timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n