CHAPTER 7
“What do you mean, there are three new Buri? That’s impossible.” I stood and rummaged in a knapsack, looking for my prism torch. “And don’t you dare tell me nothing is impossible or I’ll have to hurt you.”
“Kiera, I scanned the entire planet. All the Buri that were here when we landed are accounted for, and their medical information stored. These three have arrived since the first day you visited the village.”
I pounced on the torch, adjusted it to its weakest setting, and flicked it on. The dim glow filled the shadowed corners of the room, and by its light, I pulled out two Zip Bars. Unbelievably, I was hungry again.
Mouth full, I paced the confines of the room. “So what you’re telling me, Max, is that three full-grown Buri fell out of the sky. Or maybe they popped out of a hole in the ground.” I swallowed and took another bite. “You must have miscounted.”
He sniffed. “I didn’t miscount.”
“Okay, then the only other explanation is that they were somewhere else and you mistook them for another species. You said yourself, there’s so much life on Orpheus Two and the climate is so hot, it’s hard to get an accurate thermal reading.”
There was a moment of silence before he answered. “I suppose it’s possible.”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. And if there were three we didn’t find, there could be hundreds more.”
“I’ll start another scan immediately, on the night side of the planet. If they’re there, I’ll find them.”
I popped the last half of the second Zip Bar into my mouth and walked back to the sleeping platform. “Good. Let me know if anything shows up. I’ll be back tomorrow to look over the information on the Ashwani.”
Knowing Max, it would take him three or four days to do the scan. He really hated missing something and would be extra thorough this time around. Unfortunately, I had a feeling he wouldn’t find a thing. There was more going on here than Dynatec’s larceny. The Buri were up to something too, and I had a sneaky suspicion Thor wouldn’t tell me what it was even if we could understand each other. Not yet, at any rate. He might be attracted to me, but I was still a member of the enemy species.
Maybe he’d trust me in time, but I couldn’t wait. The longer I was here, the more nervous Frisk and Dorn would become. They were counting heavily on the two-month time limit to keep me from doing any in-depth studies. And Frisk in particular was just stupid enough to try something desperate if he thought I was close to discovering the truth.
Stripping off my kechic, I doused the torch and settled back onto the sleeping platform. Did Dynatec know what was going on, or were Frisk and the Dorn woman working alone? I really needed to speak with Claudia Karle again, but it had to be where no one on the Dynatec crew would know. I didn’t want to put her in any more danger than necessary.
With a yawn, I stretched, tendons popping as I pointed my toes, then relaxed and closed my eyes. Tomorrow, when I wasn’t so sleepy, I’d figure out a way to get her alone. Right now, I was too tired to think anymore.
I only woke one more time that night, when Crigo slipped into my quarters. He made sure it was me on the platform, and then flopped onto his back, paws splayed as snoring erupted. I could feel his repletion all the way across the room.
Damn. It was bad when you were jealous of a rock cat. If he ever found out, he’d gloat for weeks.
Forcing my eyes closed again, I did some deep breathing exercises to relax. And when sleep claimed me once more, I dreamed.
Thor was standing beside the black crystal building, beckoning me closer, and I knew the two were inexplicably linked. Yearning swept over me, painful in its intensity. Everything I’d ever wanted was there, waiting for me to take it. I tried to walk toward him, but my feet refused to move.
Tears trickled down my cheeks as I struggled ineffectively. Suddenly the boss was in front of me, blocking Thor from my sight. His expression was one of ineffable sadness. “I’m sorry, Kiera. We can’t let you go. We need you too much. You’ve never appreciated exactly how unique you are.”
“But I don’t want to be unique!” The anguished words were torn from deep inside me. “I just want to be normal.”
“No, my dear.” His voice, full of sympathy, dropped a level. “You want to be happy as you are. There is a difference, Kiera. You won’t find what you truly seek until you can accept yourself.”
Before my startled gaze, the boss transformed into a dragon bird and shot away into the trees. I turned my attention back to the clearing too late. Both Thor and the crystal building were gone, and I was left alone with a hollow ache in my middle.
The sound of childish laughter woke me, and I sat up and reached for my jumpsuit. Early-morning sunlight beat down on the window coverings, but it was still relatively cool inside the adobe building.
“How’s it going, Max?” I asked as I dressed.
“Nothing yet.” He sounded preoccupied. “I’ve finished downloading the information on the Ashwani, but it will take me a few hours to go over it and prepare the highlights for you.”
“Okay. That will give me time to take care of a few things here first.” Like unpacking. I finished the job quickly, making use of the shelves that lined the walls, then combed and braided my hair.
The laughter came again, piquing my curiosity. Selecting a piece of fruit from a bowl, I strolled to the door and stepped outside. Brownie and the Buri I’d saved from the sled stood nearby, Brownie’s hand resting on the hilt of the knife I’d given him.
I followed the direction of his stare and smiled. Crigo was sprawled under a tree, Brownie’s little boy clambering all over him. At my appearance, the rock cat rolled his eyes and his side lifted on a deeply indrawn breath of disgust, but the show was strictly for my benefit. The damn cat was actually enjoying the attention.
When I glanced back at Brownie, his hand tightened on the knife and he shot a heated glare in my direction. Apparently his attitude hadn’t softened toward me yet. With a gesture to the Buri standing beside him followed by a low growl, he turned his back and ignored me.
I widened my smile and nodded at his pal, who was staring at me in awe. “Hello there.”
The newcomer had different-colored hair from any Buri I’d seen so far. It wasn’t the rich auburn shade that Junior boasted, or the deep chocolate color of Brownie’s. It was somewhere in between. Dusty, I decided. The name suited him.
His smile was shy as he extended a handful of flowers. “Shushanna.”
They were brilliant red, veined with gold in a lovely filigree pattern, and a heavenly scent rose from the petals as I took them.
“For me?” I buried my face in the bouquet and inhaled. A perfume made from these flowers would cost a fortune in the civilized portions of the Federation. Not to mention, any horticulturist worth his salt would kill to add a specimen to his collection. It seemed everywhere I looked, there was a potential source of trade on Orpheus Two. If the planet were ever opened to commerce, the Buri would be one rich group of people. At least, they’d be rich if they were lucky enough to have an honest, intelligent director to oversee their interests. One who cared more about the Buri than his or her own credit balance.
I sighed. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”
He bowed, murmured something to Brownie, and headed across the clearing toward the new building. Brownie gingerly collected his son from Crigo’s back and departed in the opposite direction.
“Max, that wouldn’t be one of the new Buri, would it?”
“Yes. The only male. The other two are female. I saw them go into the communal kitchen earlier.”
Munching on my fruit, I watched as Dusty reached the edifice and delivered what sounded like a few curt orders. The other Buri immediately got to work on the structure. It didn’t take long to figure out that Dusty was a master when it came to building with stone. Which led me to only one conclusion.
Wherever he’d been, he had returned to oversee the new construction. I arched my brows. How in the thirteen hells had he become a master stonemason when there were no stone buildings in the Buri village except the one he was working on now, and no sign that there had ever been any?
Giving a mental sigh, I took the flowers inside my quarters and put them in water, then went behind the building and sorted through the crates of supplies. Selecting two that contained easily prepared foodstuffs, I stacked them on top of each other and hoisted them in my arms.
The weight didn’t bother me, but I was having trouble seeing around them, stumbling over tree roots several times before I made it to the front of my quarters. It came as a relief when someone plucked the top crate off, and I smiled as Ghost growled a question.
“The kitchen.” I tilted my head toward the building.
He led the way, and I looked around curiously as we entered. I was in no condition to pay attention to my surroundings the evening before, and other than the new stone structure, this was the largest of the Buri buildings.
Six long tables were situated in rows on my right, running from the front of the room to the back, with just enough space to move comfortably between them. Elder sat at one of them, a cup in his hands.
On the end wall was the cooking area. It comprised a fireplace—flames banked low under a large iron grille on which rested several pots—and four ovens set into the wall, two on either side.
A group of Buri females looked up and smiled at me from some smaller tables where they prepared food. Lurran and Auntie Em were with them and I carried my crate to the older woman and deposited it on the floor.
While Ghost put his crate next to mine and stepped back, I pulled the top off and extracted a sealed packet. The contents looked like nothing so much as dried dung, and all of the Buri watched me warily.
Taking out my knife, I slit the packet open and moved to the fireplace to peer into the pots. Good. One of them contained boiling water.
I returned my knife to its sheath and upended the parcel into the water, then stood back as the Buri females gaped in surprise. The dehydrated food soaked up the water and swelled until it filled the pot, the delicious aroma of fruit compote pervading the room.
When it was done, a matter of a few seconds only, I took an implement from a table, dipped it into the compote, and spread it on a chunk of the round Buri bread. Before anyone else could move, Auntie Em lifted it from my hand and took a bite. A slow smile spread across her face, and she nodded. Immediately, the others dove in. There was a wide variety of food in the crates, all with pictures on the front of the packets. I hoped they would at least be able to get an idea of what was inside.
I left them to it and turned toward the other side of the room. Since there were so few females in the village, it was easy for me to recognize all the ones I’d met on my first trip. I’d never seen the two who were sitting at an odd-looking contraption, watching me while they worked levers and pedals. They both smiled and gave me the short bow when I approached, but they never slowed in their movements.
The darker-haired woman was operating something that reminded me of a spinning wheel. But instead of sitting and winding thread around a spool, she was feeding it to the wooden frame the other female was working. It was a loom, I realized, as I stared down at the material growing under her hands, the exact length and width of a kechic. Only the cloth was like none I’d ever seen before.
It resembled silk, but was finer, almost gauzy in appearance, as though they’d taken the webs from a thousand spiders and woven them into a fabric that was blinding in its beauty. The piece in the loom danced from shades of indigo to emerald and to amethyst in the sunlight streaming through the windows.
I reached out to touch it when a flash of brilliant red drew my gaze to the table beside them. Half a dozen kechics made from the shiny material, complete with belts, were neatly folded on its surface. They ranged in color from vibrant yellows to deepest purples, but it was the red one that held pride of place.
Awestruck, I gently lifted it and felt it slither in my hands as though it were sentient. Like a living flame, it shifted colors from red to orange to yellow, then back again. It was with a sense of regret that I refolded it and put it back on the table.
Yep, something was going on. First Dusty shows up to erect a huge stone edifice unlike any the Buri had built before. Then we have these two new females who were busily creating clothing that no woman with an ounce of estrogen in her bloodstream would wear for everyday.
Was it possible the Buri were preparing for a party? Maybe a dedication ceremony for the new building.
“Kiera, the information on the Ashwani will be ready by the time you reach my location,” Max said, knowing my need for more information.
“Okay, on my way.” With a smile and a nod at the two new females, I walked toward the door, Ghost following closely on my heels.
Other than the males working on the new building, the village seemed deserted as I walked through it. “Max, where are all the Buri?”
“Most of them are in the fields, tending crops, but some of the males are practicing warfare skills in a cleared area behind the village.”
I stopped so fast Ghost bumped into me. “Warfare skills?”
“So it seems.”
This, I had to see. Turning right, I made my way between two buildings. It didn’t take long to find them. The grunts and growls were audible even over the racket the dragon birds made.
The males were divided into two groups, one doing target practice with their spears, the other engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Thor stood to one side, hands on his hips as he watched a Buri with light brown hair square off with Junior.
Hesitating at the edge of the clearing, I watched as Junior sailed over his teacher’s shoulder to land on the ground. The Buri pulled him to his feet, growled at him for a second, then acted out the move he wanted Junior to accomplish.
For the second time, Junior flew through the air. Well, of course he did, I thought in disgust. His instructor was going about teaching him the maneuver all wrong. Junior was both shorter and lighter than the adult male, which made his center of gravity different.
The Buri was growling at him again when I interrupted. “Mind if I make a few suggestions?” I didn’t wait for an agreement, but turned to face Junior. Holding my arms straight out from my shoulders, I twisted from side to side. “Try this.”
They all looked at me blankly, and I cursed. How could I teach them the right way if they didn’t understand a thing I said?
I thought hard for a second, then picked up two short sticks and gestured the Buri closer. All of them gathered around except Brownie, who marched off in a huff of temper.
Ignoring his exit, I held one stick out, horizontal to the ground, and then tried to balance the second stick on it. Only, instead of placing it so its middle was poised on the first stick, I moved it toward its end. Naturally it fell off.
The group looked even more puzzled, so I held up a finger. Wait. Retrieving the fallen stick, I placed it on the horizontal one again, only this time I put it in the exact spot that would allow it to balance perfectly. I pointed at that spot, then at my own center, then at Junior’s.
They got it. All of them were smiling and nodding, and gesturing for me to show them how to find the spot again. I obliged them and then motioned for Junior to try it.
Junior shot a glance at Thor, and then complied with my request. It only took once for me to locate his center. I placed my hand just above the rim of his loincloth. “This is where your leverage needs to come from, not your stomach. See?” I replaced my hand with his, then had him lean front-to-back and side-to-side. “Feel that? It’s the point your whole body revolves around, the place your balance comes from.”
By the time I motioned for his instructor, all the Buri were smiling at me. Teacher moved closer, and I glanced at Junior. “Now, I’m going to do this slowly, and I want you to pay close attention to this part right here.” I patted my abdomen. “Don’t watch the moves, watch what my body does.”
Grasping the instructor’s forearm, I turned my back to him and pulled his arm over my shoulder, sliding both hands down to grip his wrist. Then I hooked my right leg around his, pulled his foot out from under him, and very gently flipped him over my hip to the ground.
I brushed off my hands and placed them on hips as I smiled at Junior.
Junior watched the whole thing intently, a smile on his lips. When I finished, he nodded in reply, and I stepped back.
Teacher had regained his feet. He gave me a bow and then, with no perceptible warning, rushed Junior. The youngster was ready for him, though. In one smooth move, he grabbed, turned and flipped.
“Excellent!” I laughed and applauded. “I think you’ve got it.”
Thor had moved to my side, and we watched as all the males twisted and turned, trying to find their center of gravity. It looked rather like an aerobics class on Primus Centauri Four, with the participants in desperate need of some good spandex body suits.
I smiled at Thor, only to discover he was frowning at my jumpsuit. “I’m on my way to my ship,” I explained, pointing in Max’s direction while sending Thor a visual image. “I’ll change into the kechic when I’m through there.”
His gaze lifted to mine. He studied me for a second, then growled something at Brownie and picked up his spear. Okay. It looked like he was going to tag along with me and Ghost.
“Max, we may have company on board. Thor is with me, and I don’t know if he’ll come inside or not. Better lock up everything you don’t want damaged, just in case.”
“Yes, Kiera.”
To my surprise, Thor followed me up the ramp as though he’d done it all his life, while Ghost remained at the bottom, eyes alert as he scanned the horizon. I went straight to my terminal, already preoccupied with the information Max had prepared. “Make yourself at home.” I waved vaguely toward the back of the ship as I sat down, and heard Thor move away.
“Okay, Max, what do we have?”
A holo came to life in front of me. It was a planet, but hard to see because it was surrounded by darkness. “Ashwan,” Max announced. “The world was discovered two hundred and fifty cycles ago by a scientific exploration team that was doing research on dead stars. When they realized the planet had once been inhabited, they called in a group of archeologists.”
“Good.” A sound came from the back of the ship, and I paused. “What’s Thor doing?”
“Trying to figure out how the saniflush works. He also seems rather taken with the mirror.”
I grinned. If I were male and looked like he did, I’d be taken with the mirror too. “Print me out the plans for an old-fashioned gravity flush sanitary, will you, Max?”
On the other side of the cabin, three or four sheets of tough laminate paper ejected from a slot.
“Thanks. Now back to Ashwan. What did the archeologist find?”
“Not much at first. The environmental conditions were extremely harsh. The planet’s atmosphere was gone, and it was covered in a thick layer of ice. The only reason they knew it had it once supported life was because the very top of one building protruded from the ice.”
“Did they do a spectral analysis?” I glanced around as Thor came back into the cabin. He grunted and gestured toward the hatch. Guess now that his curiosity had been satisfied, he was ready to leave.
I shook my head. “I’m not finished here. Have a seat.” I pointed at the other command chair, and mimicked sitting.
He approached it gingerly, and eased his bulk onto the seat. Then promptly grabbed the arms and growled when it automatically adjusted to his size and weight.
“Max, run Holovid 101 for him. That should keep him occupied for a while.”
Holovid 101 was the standard introductory vid for new races. There was no narration, only images that depicted the history of the human race. It started with a shot of Old Earth taken from the moon, went through all the evolutionary stages of man, continued through our first meetings with other species and the exodus into space, and ended with Alien Affairs helping other races to join the Galactic Federation.
When the first image materialized in front of him, Thor jumped, then slowly lifted his hand to poke it with one finger. His hand went completely through the holo, and he yanked it back. But it didn’t take long until he was absorbed in what he was seeing, and I returned to the information on Ashwan.
“Spectral analysis,” I reminded Max.
“Yes, they did several.” The holo changed to a vid of the surface, floodlights illuminating the terrain. The scientist had erected a biodome near the building they’d discovered. It was both living quarters and a place where they could work without the pressure suits that supplied oxygen and protection from the cold.
Max continued as the vid camera panned left to show the rim of a stone structure, the blue-white lights casting eerie shadows on its crevices and ridges. “The spectral analysis showed that beneath the ice lay the remnants of a huge stone edifice. Most of it was destroyed by the weight of the ice bearing down on its walls. Only the tower remained intact. It took them almost two cycles to gain entry, but when they did, it was well worth the effort.”
The view changed again, this time to a room inside the tower. It looked as though the occupant had just stepped out and was due back any second.
“The cold preserved everything in perfect condition,” Max said. “And the scientists learned quite a bit from what they found.”
“Such as?” I prompted.
“The Ashwani had a feudal culture, similar to that found on Old Earth during the medieval era. Large areas of land were ruled over by a king, with a nobility swearing fealty to him. In turn, they were allowed portions of the kingdom, with peasants to work the land. But unlike Old Earth’s feudal structure, the dividing line between the nobility and the peasants was almost nonexistent. From the drawings they found, everyone did what they were good at. One showed a king’s daughter going to work in the fields, and another, a nobleman baking bread.”
“Interesting,” I commented. “How about weaponry?”
“The most advanced they’ve found are swords, and only the soldiers used those.”
“So they did have warfare?”
“No sign of hostilities were found, but with their societal structure it would have been inevitable. Especially after their star began to die. Once the exploration team knew what to look for, fifteen other castles were discovered under the ice, and even now, scientists aren’t sure they’ve found them all. Land for crops to feed everyone would have been at a premium with their world dying around them.”
I nodded. “Any images of their weapons?”
The view changed to what looked like a small arsenal. Shields hung on one wall interspersed with spears and swords. Leaning forward, I peered a bit closer at the spears. Bingo. The Buri’s spears had triggered my memories of the Ashwani, and I was staring at the reason why. I’d seen these images before, and the spears were flat black metal with odd markings inscribed on them, just like the Buri’s.
A feeling of satisfaction flooded through me as a piece of the puzzle clicked into place. All my instincts were telling me that the Buri were descended from, or related to, the Ashwani. Now I had to prove it. Not to mention figure out a few incidentals like how they got to Orpheus Two and how long they’d been here.
I chewed on my lip for a second before addressing Max again. “What about their clothing? They didn’t wear kechics and loincloths, did they?”
“No. The climate was far too cold at the end. The garments the archeologists found were heavy and warm.”
“Any bodies?” I crossed my fingers. DNA samples of the Ashwani could very well link them to the Buri and prove they were the same species.
“None, but you have to remember, the Ashwan star died long before the planet was discovered. The population probably starved to death many cycles before the end.”
A sigh expanded my chest. “Damn. I guess that blows any chance of proving the Buri were a colonization party sent out by the Ashwani. At least for now.” I glanced at Thor. He was riveted by an animated holovid of Australopithecus africanus, one of the first apelike men to use tools and walk erect.
“Given the level of technology the Ashwani achieved, it’s not likely they were capable of space travel anyway,” Max responded.
I leaned forward and propped my elbows on the console. “Did they find anything that would give us a clue to the Ashwani’s physiology?”
“Oh, yes. Numerous things. Their clothing and tools indicate they were larger than humans. And since the planet is twice the size of Earth, the gravity would have been greater, making their bones denser. Dried plants and herbs were also found in sealed jars, and after extensive testing, it was concluded they all had medicinal properties compatible with human physiology.”
An idea hit me, and I straightened abruptly. “They have the DNA for these plants?”
“Yes, of course.”
“The Buri have crops. Max, what if they brought seeds from their home world? That would make sense, wouldn’t it? I can gather samples of the Buri plants and run DNA tests on them to see if they match the ones on Ashwan. That would help prove our theory.”
“I’ll have to request the DNA analysis from the archives.”
“Do it, and put a rush on the order.”
Max hesitated. “Kiera, the probability that the Ashwani and the Buri are related is extremely low, in spite of the similarities.”
“How else do you explain those similarities? Haven’t I taught you there’s no such thing as coincidences?”
“It could be parallel evolution. I know it’s very rare, but it has happened before.”
I shook my head. “Not this time, Max. I’ve got a gut feeling about the Buri. I don’t know how or when, but they’re descended from the Ashwani. I’d stake my reputation on it.”
“And lose it if you insist on making this part of the record without proof.”
“Oh, I’ll find proof. If it takes me the entire two-month time limit, I’ll find it.” I leaned back. “But first, I have to find out what Dynatec is after and why the Buri aren’t reproducing in higher numbers.”
That statement reminded me of Claudia Karle. “Max, is Second Lieutenant Karle keeping her comm unit with her at all times when she’s in the field like I asked her to do?”
“Yes, as do all the members of her mapping party.”
“Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Wait until she’s out of hearing range from the others and then change the frequency on her unit remotely. Tell her I need to speak with her privately, and ask her to join me for dinner at the Buri village the first opportunity she has.”
“Yes, Kiera.”
A tingle of satisfaction went through me with that problem out of the way. “Now, let’s see some of those drawings of the Ashwani you mentioned.”
“There is one particularly vivid tapestry they found that you might be interested in.”
The image in front of me vanished, only to be replaced by a holo of a large wall hanging. It depicted a table loaded with food, around which a dozen or more Ashwani gathered, eating, drinking and laughing.
The Ashwani in the center of the group was an elderly male, his dark hair streaked with white. Around his forehead was a circlet of gold. But it was the younger man next to him that made me gasp aloud. Except for a wider brow and a scar on one cheek, it could have been Thor.
Before my brain had time to really register what I was seeing, Thor moved. With a deep growl, he lunged out of his chair and grabbed at the image. When his hand passed through it, he flung his head back and let out a roar so full of anguish that it froze me in place.
I was still sitting there as he spun to face me. His fists were clenched so tightly he was in danger of snapping his spear in half. And from the expression on his face, I was in danger of having that spear used on me. Eyes narrowed to glittering slits, he stared at me for what felt like an eternity, then turned and stepped through the hatch.
Finally, I started to breathe again. “Max, did you see that?”
“It was rather hard to miss.”
“Damn it, there was something about that tapestry he recognized!”
“Or maybe he was reacting to what he perceived as the presence of another, threatening male.”
“I don’t think so. It may not be incontrovertible scientific proof, but it’s good enough for me. The Buri are descended from the Ashwani, and what’s more, Thor knows it somehow.” I jumped to my feet and headed for the hatch. “I have to find him.”
But by the time I reached the bottom of the ramp, he was gone, the only sign he’d been there the swaying of a few branches at the edge of the jungle.