Kali's Fire

by Craig Allen

  “Is everything all right?” Cody let a hint of irritation enter his voice, though a flier might not have noticed nuances in human speech. “We missed you at the rendezvous. What happened?”

  While the fliers could understand English, which they had learned from the survivors who first crashed on Kali ten years before, they couldn’t hope to speak it. They didn’t have mouths. Instead, they had a conical snout that remained retracted until it was time to feed, a sight that was unappetizing, to say the least.

  A claw appeared as the flier started entering a message. Cody recognized him at once. Most fliers looked alike to human eyes, but the one on the viewing globe had a strange stripe-like discoloration along the fur on top of his head. Most marines referred to him as just that: Stripe. He had become the spokesperson for his people.

  As with all creatures of Kali, the fliers’ bodies were asymmetrically pentapedal. For the fliers, that meant they had two small legs, two wings, and a single arm that protruded from the center of the body. It was a mystery why the fliers and so many other creatures had the same sort of central arm even though they were so different from one another in virtually every other way.

  Regardless, the single arm meant one of them had to hold the viewer while the other, Stripe, tapped out a message. His mood was indistinguishable. Flier and human physiologies were just too different. To Cody, all the fliers seemed to have the same facial expression. Likely, the fliers thought the same of humans.

  Soon, a message was transmitted and appeared under the Stripe’s image.

  A violation has happened one you said you would not do.

  “I don’t understand,” Cody said. “What sort of violation?”

  The loud beasts came close knowing it hurt us.

  Cody leaned back. All pilots had specific orders to avoid the island where the fliers had been relocated. Given how the engines of the hoppers affected the inhabitants of Kali, a no-fly zone was in force over the area within two hundred kilometers unless specific orders to approach were given. Granted, the regulations had been instituted as a courtesy to the fliers for being the main go-betweens with other species on Kali. The consequences were less about the fliers’ reaction and more about not violating Rodriguez’s orders.

  Rodriguez shook his head at Cody. No one had flown near the fliers.

  “I assure you it was not us,” Cody said.

  Stripe’s head twisted a few times, as did those of the other fliers nearby. They were likely communicating through the metallic plates that grew on their bodies, using them to manipulate the magnetic fields all around them. Most creatures on the planet communicated with each other in that fashion, even across different species. The drawback was the magnetic waves given off by the hopper’s gravity drives often overwhelmed Kali natives, just like a piercing shriek would overwhelm a human.

  Underwater there have been such loud animals. Do not deny.

  “Underwater?” Rodriguez stepped around to the front of the desk so the flier would see him, but it didn’t appear to react to the presence of another human. “Our vessels, the loud animals, we haven’t used them in the water near your home without warning you first.”

  Your kind defy he who rules. Your kind lie to you.

  “No,” Rodriguez said. “My people won’t violate my orders. They respect your people and the harm our technology does to you.”

  That much was true. The fliers had a strange, almost hideous, appearance, but not liking them would’ve been hard. They had a sort of innocence about them. Even Admiral Rodriguez, who despised the planet, respected them.

  “You’re saying a vessel of some kind came near your home,” Cody said. “And did so underwater?”

  Many, circling island today so loud we not leave to see you. You ask us to help and then deny us from leaving.

  That explains why they didn’t meet us. “It was not us. We wouldn’t do that to you, especially when we wanted your help in uncovering the technology we discovered.”

  You have not hurt us and brought your vessels close by?

  “No.” Cody did his best to keep from sighing. Stripe was pretty adept at interpreting human body language, which was why he had become the main contact with the fliers. “What did these vessels look like?”

  Stripe swiped his claw across his viewer, and a recording was transmitted to Cody’s station. The image wobbled so violently Cody couldn’t make out anything but the high-pitched whine of gravimetric engines.

  “Banshees,” Rodriguez said.

  The image stabilized and showed the yellow sky of Kali. Black shapes zoomed past, and the viewer followed them. The image froze on one of the black shapes. The outline was clearly that of a hopper.

  Cody lowered his head. Admiral Rodriguez, along with the top brass, suspected the toads had hidden technology from humans, but it was assumed they had kept Gauss guns. If they had managed to hide hoppers from them, or even ships in the design of the UEAF Kali, the United Earth Treaty Council might order a retaliation that could harm the fliers.

  “I’m sorry that happened to you, but it was not us. We respect your people too much.” When Stripe didn’t respond, Cody went on. “Have you heard about what happened to us on the planet?”

  Stripe reappeared on the viewing globe as he entered a message.

  Yes so many speak of it and soon all will know.

  “I see.” Cody had the feeling Stripe was still not happy. “What happened to our people? It was like the ground swallowed them.”

  Stripe’s head twitched before he answered.

  We not know but will say if we see them.

  Cody wished someone had told the fliers what had happened. “There were toads there, when our friends vanished, along with blobs and many other creatures. I’ve never seen those different species gather in one place like that without fighting.”

  Stripe blinked his dual eyelids for a moment before responding.

  Creatures like us who feed on those gone saw what happened and told us but they know as little as we. No one else speaks to us as we are not people.

  The toads had sought to hunt the fliers to extinction. Though the toads no longer held sway as they once had, many other species feared to cross them. The only thing keeping the fliers alive was the fact that they were regarded as the personal messengers of the humans. At the same time, that position within the extended hierarchy of the planet’s different species made the fliers pariahs.

  Before Cody could ask anything more, Stripe tapped out a message.

  We have found an object you made.

  Cody almost laughed. They had gone down to the planet initially because the Washington had detected something on gravimetrics, but they found nothing and lost a hopper and her crew in the process. Then the fliers found something purely by chance.

  He leaned closer to the viewing globe. “What did you find?”

  What we find is not loud but not of our home and is not a weapon or vessel.

  The flier held up a silver-colored ceramic-steel object in its central claw. The fact the flier could lift the half-meter-wide sphere with one claw was impressive. Indicator lights danced across its surface.

  Though Cody couldn’t tell what it was, Rodriguez groaned. “Oh, Christ.”

  We find far from here on land.

  When Cody raised an eyebrow, Rodriguez explained, “It’s an ex-mat pod. A functioning one, from the looks of it.”

  “So it contains exotic matter?” Cody asked.

  “We’ll have to have an engineer examine it to know for sure.” Rodriguez rubbed his chin. “That’s damn peculiar. We accounted for the ex-mat pods from Spinoza’s and Kali’s engine cores. And the Kali vessels we fought in orbit didn’t have any.”

  “If Kali species have ex-mat, can they make a functioning Daedalus drive?”

  “Very possible.” Rodriguez crossed his arms as he leaned against the desk. “Traveling across space at many multiples of c isn’t easy. The calculations and the engineering required to create a shell of negative energy a
round the ship are complicated.”

  Cody wasn’t sure if he wanted an answer, but he asked anyway. “If they had a functioning drive, how long would it take to reach the nearest habitable system?”

  “A few months. Maybe weeks.” Rodriguez shrugged. “Depends how well they understand the technology in the engine core of the UEAF Kali. Without it, it would take centuries.”

  Cody felt every part of himself get very heavy. Many species on Kali were violent, so violent they had stolen technology out of the old UEAF Kali and forced the two surviving humans to teach them about it under pain of a very agonizing death. The fact they didn’t have ex-mat, the catalyst necessary for faster-than-light flight, was the only guarantee they wouldn’t extend that violence to the rest of the universe, and that fact had just changed.

  Rodriguez faced the flier on the viewer. “Thank you for acquiring the technology. We’ll come and retrieve it. Please prepare for our arrival. Also, please arrange a meeting with the toads. We have some questions for them.”

  Stripe’s head bobbed.

  “And we’ll also monitor your home for any vessels.” Cody glanced at Rodriguez, hoping he wouldn’t mind, and he only nodded. “We’ll see you soon.”

  Warn us before you arrive so your machines do not harm us.

  The viewing globe switched off before Cody could smooth things over. He’d never seen the fliers so upset with humans before.

  Rodriguez spoke. “I hope that pod is empty. Christ, I’m too old for this shit.”

  Cody chuckled. The admiral did appear middle-aged, which was what it was called long before. That meant the rejuv treatments weren’t working well and last call was around the corner, when the drugs would fail altogether. That time awaited everyone. For Cody, that was a long way off, fortunately.

  “How long before they place a permanent station here?” Cody asked.

  “Another month, probably longer.” Rodriguez forced a laugh. “Damn. This is not how I wanted to spend the end of my career.”

  “They don’t want to leave the planet alone, do they?”

  “Not even for a short while. They might still have technology, and they are just waiting for us to leave. God knows what they’d do next. So the Washington is staying here until a more permanent station can be manned and maintained.”

  “But after the station gets here,” Cody said, “you’ll be heading home.”

  “Likely.” Rodriguez exhaled as if he had the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Some higher echelons in the military would claim that was the short description of being an admiral. “To be honest, Doctor, I can’t wait. I should be commanding a fleet, not commanding a single ship while babysitting one goddamn planet.”

  Rodriguez was there for a good reason, though. He was pushing two hundred years. If something went wrong on Kali, the brass would blame it on senility on Rodriguez’s part and declare their collective asses covered. Cody didn’t like that arrangement at all, but Rodriguez never complained. He was too professional for that sort of thing.

  Cody wanted to leave Kali, frankly. Two things kept him from that: his duty as an ambassador to the creatures of Kali, and Sonja.

  “Speaking of a fleet.” Rodriguez swiped his hand over the desk’s holoconsole, activating the viewing globe once more. “This message was sent to the UET Council three days ago.”

  The message appeared on the desk’s viewing globe: Given unfolding circumstances on the new world, we recommend our aid. Proceeding at once to take initiative to prevent situation from escalating beyond capabilities of your species or ours.

  Cody’s mouth fell open. The tone of the message was easy to spot, given he had done translations for the species during the war ten years before. That war had been the worst war humanity had ever seen, and the idea of working side by side with their former enemies still gave most humans the chills.

  Cody pressed his lips together. “So the Spicans are coming.”

  “I’m afraid so.” Rodriguez gestured at the viewing globe. “It sounds like they’re not happy with how we’re handling Kali.”

  Cody leaned back in his chair. “This doesn’t look like a translation.”

  “It isn’t. They sent the message in English.”

  Cody chewed his lip for a moment. “Spicans aren’t terribly convinced we can translate their written language easily. If they sent it in English, that means they’re serious.”

  “Seriously angry,” Rodriguez said. “I advised the UET Council to keep the Spicans out of the loop, but they rejected my opinion. Interstellar cooperation and all that. They’ve done nothing but express their dissatisfaction at the situation since.”

  Cody read the message. The Spicans tended to make decisions quickly and rush right in to act upon it. “They’ve never been here before. There’s no telling how they’ll react to the locals or how the locals will react to the Spicans.”

  “That’s what worries me.” Rodriguez rubbed his brow. “Shit. With the Spicans here, their erratic behavior could destabilize things fast. Looks like we’ll need your skills as a translator after all.”

  Cody had arrived two months earlier on the Spinoza under the assumption that Spicans who had not heard about the armistice would be there. He had been the premier Spican translator during the war, a job for which he had a knack, and that had made him an expert on not only their language but their behavior as well. The job wasn’t awful, and he didn’t want to make it his life’s work, but it had to be done, and he was the best at it.

  “I’ll do my best, Admiral,” Cody said.

  Rodriguez rubbed one temple. “Will they turn against us?”

  “No, Admiral. They still feel a tremendous amount of guilt for the war. It’d take a lot for them to—”

  A crash echoed through sick bay. Cody jumped to his feet even as Rodriguez was already on his way out of the office. Cody followed him then ducked as a small table crashed against the far wall. Ann was in a corner of sick bay, holding a chair in the air. Nearby, another chair had been demolished.

  One midshipman had his coil pistol drawn.

  “Hold your fire!” Dr. Donaldson reached for an injector. “Don’t hurt her! Just hold her down.”

  The man holstered his weapon while Sonja and Bodin tried to reach her. Ann swatted her chair at them, hyperventilating like a trapped animal.

  “Wait, wait.” Cody took a step toward Ann, his hands up. “Ann, easy, all right? It’s us. You remember?” He pointed at Bodin and Sonja. “We were together, remember?”

  She stared at Cody for a moment, just enough time for Bodin to grab hold of her. Sonja rushed in as well, knocking the chair from Ann’s grasp. Ann howled like a trapped animal.

  Sonja shouted over her shoulder, “Doc, if you’re going to do something, now’s the time!”

  Dr. Donaldson rushed in, the injector in hand. He jammed it into Ann’s thigh, and it clicked as it shot whatever substance it held into her system.

  Ann struggled for a few seconds, then her arms went limp. Bodin and Sonja dragged her to the nearest examination table and laid her on top of it. Ann moaned for another minute, then her eyes closed. A nearby scanner hummed to life and hovered over Ann, sending readouts to a nearby viewing globe.

  Dr. Donaldson examined the readouts. “She’s fine now.”

  Rodriguez glanced at the broken table near the wall, unperturbed by recent events. “What happened, Doctor?”

  “Obviously, one of the images triggered her.” Dr. Donaldson tapped at some holocontrols, and the readouts from the hovering scanner replaced images of the interior of the UEAF Spinoza. “It was this image that made her become violent.”

  The image showed a sea of red grass, the red reeds, swaying back and forth under a yellow sky, the classic view of the surface of planet Kali.

  Chapter Five

  Cody sat quietly in a seat behind the pilot’s seat. Admiral Rodriguez had ordered them to head to the planet immediately. Loose ex-mat pods made everyone nervous, and being the planet’s ambassador, Cody
had to go. Besides, the fliers respected him more than other humans.

  He leaned forward again to watch as Sonja guided the hopper in, under the supervision of the pilot who evacuated them from the planet earlier, Lieutenant Hayes. Cody wanted to ask how he’d gotten the call sign of Sleepy, but pilots were notoriously irritable about that topic.

  Behind Cody in the hopper’s bay, a squad of marines sat, their legs sprawled out. Most of them were sleeping.

  Sonja turned her lips inward and focused on the passive-sensor readouts on her holocontrols, ignoring Cody. He leaned back again, wanting to talk to her about what had been bothering her recently, but not in front of Hayes.

  The dark-yellow clouds parted, and the island appeared. The whole island was a good hundred kilometers across and had rolling hills, a swamp in one part of the island, and interestingly enough, no red reeds. No one fully understood why the reeds stayed away. Deep scans managed to reach only a few meters before being blocked by heavy ores. Then again, that might have been why no reeds grew there. They couldn’t penetrate the rock itself. It all added up to the island belonging completely to the fliers.

  Marines called it Monster Island. The fliers had been relocated there after the toads had attempted to attack the humans—and failed. The fliers actually had many such homes across the globe, mostly isolated islands and high mountain peaks, all inaccessible by toads and most creatures on Kali. Monster Island was their main home, though.