Echoes of Esharam

by Robert Davies

  “Don’t worry about that; they’re all inactive now. When we arrive, they’re going to take you to a hospital down in Aremor City so they can filter all the dead machines from your blood. It will take a few days to get rid of them completely, but you have to stay quiet and ride it out, all right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can’t get pissed off and start hammering people, understand? It’s going to be boring and frustrating, but you need to behave when they do the last part.”

  “I won’t cause trouble, Darrien, I promise.”

  Norris smiled and held her hand tightly in his.’

  “Damn it, Onallin, you scared the shit out of us; please never do something like that ever again, okay?”

  “Okay,” she answered softly. She leaned against Hesset, holding onto her as an anchor before looking at Norris suddenly.

  “Are you coming with me to the hospital?”

  “Of course!”

  Hesset spoke softly and said, “We will take turns, Onallin; one of us will be with you at all times until the treatment is complete.”

  Rantara smiled, but another thought intruded and she pulled Norris close.

  “Did you destroy the archives?”

  Norris nodded with a smile and said, “Theriani took care of that when we were leaving. She poured a bunch of those big plasma rounds into the place; there’s nothing left but a burning hole in the ground.”

  Rantara closed her eyes for a moment, relieved to know the Merchants were finished. Banen waited a while, but soon, he herded Norris and Hesset from the bay so that Rantara could rest. Hesset fussed about it but the doctor won out with a promise to let them back inside after an hour. They went forward to wait with Theriani as she completed the approach preparations and clearance through Anashi control sectors, but Norris didn’t notice. Rantara was safe at last and the terrible fear had been drained mercifully away. Hesset saw his shoulders sag under the fatigue and she went to him, wrapping him in an embrace, just for a while. With instincts only a mother can know, she kept him close, just as she had for Rantara and Norris felt himself go nearly limp. They were nearly there and his dearest friends had come through alive; it was all he could ask, but the moment meant more to him than he could describe.

  BY THE FINAL day of Rantara’s treatment at the university’s research hospital, the staff had grown accustomed to the sight of an imposing Khorran female who, despite her promise to cooperate, could no longer tolerate confinement and hour upon hour attached to the noisy filtration machine. At last, she pleaded with the attending physician, pointing to a normal temperature as an obvious sign the Velaspheres had been defeated. The doctor was unimpressed with Rantara’s clumsy attempt, reminding her the final scan results had not been delivered.

  “We have seen considerable progress in the last two scan results, Lieutenant, but you will stay where you are until we know with absolute certainty the invasive devices are no longer present within your body.”

  Rantara frowned with folded arms like a petulant child and Norris looked away quickly to conceal his silent laughter. When he recovered, he leaned close, pretending to adjust her pillow.

  “Doctor Veers and Qural are old friends, Onallin, she knows what she’s doing. Just sit tight a while longer, will you please? You’re almost finished!”

  She aimed a sidelong glare and said, “I’m going crazy just laying here all day!”

  “I know, but…”

  “You could call Qural!”

  “Why would I do that?” he asked, but the reason—and Rantara’s desperation to escape—was obvious.

  “Qural is an ambassador; she can make them release me any time she wants!”

  “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Can you ask her?”

  “No.”

  “Please?”

  “No.”

  “Darrien…”

  “The doctor has authority here, and she says you aren’t going anywhere until the treatment is finished. You can’t win this fight and Qural is not about to interfere. Just relax and let them do their jobs, okay?”

  She looked away in a sudden, absurd pout and said, “Thank you for being on my side, Darrien.”

  Rantara’s growing affinity for sarcasm made Norris smile, but he refused to take the bait.

  “It was my pleasure.”

  After an hour, the status display above Rantara’s bed brought final confirmation; the scanners could detect no more Velaspheres. Cast off from her tissues, the tiny devices floating free in her bloodstream had become ensnared in the machine’s filtration canisters at last. Doctor Veers smiled and pointed upward.

  “There, you see? The last three scans have come back negative.”

  “Can we take her home today, Doctor?” Norris asked.

  “Yes,” replied Veers, “but I want to see her once each morning for the next five days to ensure there are no side effects from the decay atoms.”

  “Every morning?” Rantara cried.

  “Yes, Lieutenant,” Veers replied blandly, “every morning. I will release you today, but follow-up visits are not negotiable; are we clear?”

  Norris leaned close and whispered, “Take the deal, Onallin; she could make this a lot harder if she wanted to.”

  “We’re clear,” Rantara grumbled, giving in at last to the inevitable.

  “Also,” Veers continued, “I have spoken with Doctor Oreil and he will monitor your recovery tasks between visits; I strongly suggest you follow his guidance and instructions, Lieutenant.”

  Rantara said nothing, but Norris smiled again, clearly amused by the sight of one so fearsome and powerful made silent by a few words from a doctor who cared nothing for the lethal nature of the patient in her care.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Rantara said with a scowl.

  “Now that you mention it.” He grinned.

  THEY WERE WAITING when the shuttle landed twenty meters from Qural’s patio. Norris held Rantara’s hand and guided her gently from the hatchway. She needed no help, but it was pointless to expect he would do otherwise. Each of them took their turn, hugging and smiling at her, but Qural seemed unwilling to let her go for a time. The embrace was more than a welcome; the two had seen their friendship grow from unlikely beginnings into a shared experience that would last a lifetime. Although Norris would always be their common bond, Qural and Rantara had forged their own with a warmth no difference in race or culture could dull.

  As they fussed and presented her with small gifts and tokens to signal they were unified and strong once more, Rantara noticed at last a lone figure standing near the glass doorway beyond. She walked to where Marelle stood beside Rez and the others fell silent as they, too, lingered in a very special embrace. Hesset waited a moment before leaning close.

  “While you were recovering in Aremor City, Haleth returned Marelle’s memories,” she whispered, “just as you promised we would.”

  Marelle held Rantara’s hands tightly in hers, but she had changed and the effect was powerful.

  “My sister told me what you did, but also the injuries from that bomb on Esharam.”

  Rantara smiled and said softly, “It was worth it.”

  “I do not know how I could ever repay each of you for giving me back what was stolen; for returning to me everything I was, and…”

  “I didn’t know you then,” Rantara said, “but what they did to you had to be repaired and it was an honor to have a part to play.”

  Marelle’s smile faded suddenly and Rez held her close.

  “They told us what happened after—what you did to him. I know it sounds horrible, but I am grateful to you for doing to Eru Toa what we could not. When he died, Marelle’s life could begin again.”

  Rentha stood at her mother’s side, delivered from a terrible wound now mended. It would take time to allow the necessary adjustments to settle, but time was no longer working against them. Qural turned again to Norris and Rantara.

  “Thank you for this,” she said.
<
br />   “It was a privilege, Qural, you know that,” Norris said. “Like Onallin said before we left, it had to be us.”

  The Saroqui memories were safely stored within the Transceptor, now returned to its place in the laboratory chamber below and they had survived Esharam alive and well. The first phase in their historic mission was complete, but each understood the next would bring challenges and uncertainty. Worse still, they knew Norris and Rantara alone would make another journey and they would do it alone. Tindas and Haleth were waiting when they made their way at last to the chamber.

  “Haleth has some good news for you, Darrien,” Tindas said, ushering them to a display screen alive with undulating, tubular shapes that seemed more like abstract, dynamic artwork than the miracle of physics each represented.

  “This is the last of three consecutive Hyperthreads that pass very near the Plexus in the system where you lived, Darrien; it is the tunnel network that will take you first to SLC-28, and then on to Earth.”

  Norris nodded, but Rantara pointed to where she knew the frozen planet waited and said, “Why can’t we go directly to his home world?”

  “It will be better if Darrien makes contact where his people saw him last, Onallin,” Tindas replied. “Remember, you will be the first alien on Terran soil; the event will be historic for them and it is crucial there are no complications. Knowledge of your presence must, for this first occasion, be kept to a minimum in order to avoid causing problems for Darrien’s leaders.”

  She nodded and said, “I understand, Professor.”

  Norris looked at the diagram in the display.

  “This is going to be a trick, Professor,” he said. “Just knowing I’m still alive and kicking will be huge news, but when they get a look at her…”

  “I know, Darrien, but there is little choice.”

  “I’ll start with the Administrator at Station 8,” Norris decided; “he has friends in the Colonial government and with any luck, I can get in to see the Governor. If that goes well, his influence should be enough to arrange a meeting with the Congress.”

  “Remember, you are bringing ample evidence that should wash away any of their doubts. We realize the position this puts you in, but there is no other way.”

  Norris stood for a moment, making in his mind an inventory of what lay ahead and his best chances for success. He had never held politicians in anything resembling high regard, but their involvement was necessary.

  “They said Onallin should be fit to travel in a few days?”

  “Doctor Veers wants to see her one last time,” Haleth replied, “but I think she regards the visit as a formality.”

  He brought up an isometric diagram of a small scout ship from the holo-display.

  “The vessel you will pilot has been prepared with improved transition generators. It may seem a bit crowded, but the machine is more than capable of sustaining up to ten occupants comfortably for a considerable length of time.”

  Rantara looked away, but Norris saw it at once.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing—I was…”

  “You had a weird expression just now; is something wrong?”

  She fidgeted, knowing what Tindas’ words meant.

  “This ship is identical to those our scouts flew when they captured you on Karroba.”

  Norris waved a hand and said, “I know, but it’s okay; after all we’ve been through, I’d rather be inside one of them this time.”

  Haleth continued.

  “We have enhanced the weapons capabilities for this design, Darrien, in the unlikely event you are ever forced to defend yourself. I hope nothing arises to that purpose, but there are no vessels in Earth space that can match your speed; a retreat will be effortless simply by accessing the nearest Hyperthread where they cannot follow.”

  “We’ll be fine, Haleth.” Norris said with a grin.

  Banen motioned with a silent nod in Rantara’s direction it was time for her to return to their quarters and rest. Tindas asked Norris to stay a while longer, simply to show him the information orb and its reader, describing how to access and operate it for the day Earth’s leaders would come to see its contents. When he turned to join Rantara in their quarters, Norris looked upward and nodded; in another day, the next step would begin.

  ONCE MORE, THE isolated comm channel beeped to announce an incoming message from Belex. He keyed in the encryption code and waited as it went through an exhaustive confirmation series. At last, she appeared.

  “I see from Tindas’ latest message to Embree they’re nearly ready,” she said, “but it took entirely too long to receive the information burst.”

  “Their channels are becoming more difficult to break, but my security people are investigating other options,” he replied.

  “Anonymity is essential, but we must not lose the ability to monitor their conversations.”

  “I agree, but the time is fast approaching when the aim of their activities will become public knowledge; when it does, security protocols will understandably lessen and the need for invasive hacks will no longer be required.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “The Lieutenant is recovering nicely and they will be inside a Hyperthread for Earth in a few more hours. My agent informed Shillik his services will not be required; everything is proceeding according to plan.”

  “Norris will be a focal point, simply by the news of his survival and return, but he will present to his leaders the first alien visitor to their worlds.”

  “The mission will make him a celebrity among his people one day, but for the moment, his status as a former military officer should be enough to convince them.”

  She leaned close to her display.

  “A former military officer who was forced out by what they mistakenly believed to be a mental illness? I am not overflowing with confidence.”

  “I understand your concern, but keep in mind, those who did so will have many new things to consider when Norris introduces the Lieutenant. As stupidly as they once behaved, none of them will have a convenient explanation for her.”

  “Yes, but we both know how that could end if the humans react poorly. Rantara seems to understand the goal well enough, but I have known one other in my lifetime with Jodrall’s Condition. Tindas’ research has shown the humans can become disturbed very quickly; if she sees a threat, especially to Norris, her response will be automatic, immediate and very bloody.”

  “Perhaps, but Kol and her assistant are confident the Terrans will embrace what they must do. It is unusual in the extreme to meet a new species under so grave a circumstance, but the Ambassador’s method has, at least to this point, been successful.”

  “You have always been an optimist, my friend.”

  “I suppose I have, but I seem to remember your own faith and patience helped us both to look past our differences long ago, did it not?”

  She laughed and said, “I very much look forward to a day when that truth can be revealed without inviting the nightmare of an inquest and mandatory executions!”

  “At least we are no longer faced with the dilemma of Norris’ bereavement and its possible jeopardy to the mission, now the Lieutenant is safely past her injuries. His affirmation of her Life Choice was certainly good news.”

  “In the days following their escape from that wretched prison, I wondered by her subsequent behavior if the Tepseraline was flowing; now we know.”

  “They are quite suited to one another, as odd as that might sound.”

  “I would never have thought so in the beginning, but it seems obvious now.”

  “We are almost there; soon, we may yet be able to breathe free again.”

  “Please alert me when they depart Fells Moll.”

  “I will. Be safe.”

  “And you, my friend.”

  BANEN WAITED AS patiently as he could while Haleth made the final adjustments to the Transceptor. Norris and Rantara stood near him, waiting for a promised explanation.

&nb
sp; “What are we doing, Doc?”

  “Just another moment, Darrien; Haleth is nearly finished.”

  Norris shrugged, but Tindas and Qural smiled from the corner, betraying a surprise Banen could barely restrain himself from revealing until everything was in place. At last, Haleth nodded and Qural stepped forward.

  “Haleth has been working very diligently on a special project that will make things much easier on the next phase of your mission. This has been done for both of you, but Haleth would like to begin with Onallin.”

  She motioned Rantara onto the machine’s pedestal.

  “It will be no different than any other session; simply relax and allow your mind to clear.”

  “What is the purpose?”

  “You will see,” she replied with a grin.

  Rantara grasped the smooth metal globes at her fingertips and waited, although Tindas’ incessant foot-tapping had become a distraction. After a moment, the familiar tone sounded in her ears as the connections were made once more. The emitter above showed the usual, swirling colors, yet nothing felt any different. After a few minutes, Rantara spoke over her shoulder to Haleth.

  “Is there anything in particular you want me to remember?”

  “No,” he replied. “The Transceptor is ready to begin the upload.”

  “Upload?”

  “Yes. In a moment, you will begin to feel drowsy, Onallin; don’t fight it.”

  Norris had watched from the edge of the pedestal, but Haleth’s words tugged at him and it showed in the sudden, worried expression.

  “It’s all right, Darrien,” said Tindas. “She will lose consciousness in a moment, but it will feel like a dream for a short while.”

  He looked again at Rantara where she dangled only centimeters above the pedestal.

  “Onallin, are you…”

  “I’m fine, but he’s right; my vision is…it’s getting…a little fuzzy now…”

  He heard the slur in her voice as her eyes narrowed and in seconds, her head tilted upward and her mouth went agape. When Norris began to pace, Qural walked to him.