The mother started to bounce the baby on her knee, trying to get the child to stop crying. The baby, apparently a boy by the dark blue jumper that he was wearing, screamed in the manner of all babies. Alvin reached across the seat and tapped the woman on the shoulder. He remembered the days when Alice was teething and how Dana tried everything to make her stop.
“I’m pretty good with babies, ma’am.” Alvin said. “I could give it a try.”
Alvin knew that he was not a classically handsome man. The offer to take the child would have been awkward in the best of circumstances but he saw the relief on the woman’s face as he smiled to her. He had put on a few pounds and his blond hair was thinning, but he still controlled the charm that helped him win cases in his youth. The woman shifted the baby and handed Alvin the blanket. Alvin placed the fabric across his knees and held his hands out to the woman. She extended the child to him.
Alvin had always been good with children. When he was in school, he had helped with the nursery facility on the bottom floor. After Dana had given birth, he had spent the full four weeks helping her take care of Alice before returning to work. Holding the little boy on his lap brought back more of the regret that was feeling since leaving work. After making a few cooing sounds, Alvin patted the child lightly on the back. The boy expressed surprise as a milky burp popped out of his throat. Alvin used the corner of the blanket to wipe the child’s face.
“That’s all it was,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to get it all off your chest.”
The mother looked at her son with disbelief. Alvin assumed she had been trying to calm the child for some time before handing him over. Alvin’s skill with babies was probably more about the mother’s exhaustion and less from experience. After wrapping the child in the blanket’s dry side, Alvin lifted the baby and returned him to his mother. The woman thanked him and began to rock the boy in her arms. It took only moments for the child to nod off to sleep. Alvin envied him.
The lift slowed again and the mother stood and gathered her belongings. He waved to the child as the woman stepped into the transit stop. The doors closed and the melancholy returned. The last time he had seen his own daughter was when she was dragged away by some dark-suited bureaucrat. She had cried but he had been too far gone to go after her. It was a miracle that the addiction had left him with any memories of that time at all. Sometimes he wondered about his dreams and whether they were actually memories that couldn’t find a proper home.
One of the men across from him began to yell as the com network failed entirely. He turned to the other man who was also slapping his wrist in frustration. Alvin wondered what had been so important that they had to be so upset. Experience had taught him that anything so important as to need immediate action could not be accomplished over the com. The men settled into a sulking mood and looked out the tube.
The city had suffered from frequent earthquakes throughout its history. The car ran through a section that had collapsed nearly a century ago after a massive tremor had shifted the entire area four meters closer to the ocean. The area had been rebuilt as a model of gravity technology. The new buildings were taller than any on the Pacific coast. Alvin had worked on one of the newest that stretched five-hundred meters. The technology that kept the buildings from swaying too far also made them flexible enough to withstand major quakes. Now held up from the top, architectural limits had been pushed beyond anything his Midwestern grandparents could have dreamed.
The car slowed again and Alvin prepared to leave. The two men continued to smack their wrists against the seat rests. He knew that they would get their reception back soon. He smiled about the bruises that the men would have and how they would explain it to their high-powered partners. As he stepped into the transit stop, he heard the men start to yell at their coms again. Without witnesses, the men were reverting to a more primitive state where yelling solved most problems.
The transit stop was a small building near the Hollywood hills. Alvin’s apartment had been built before the quake but had managed to endure it with minimal damage. He walked the three blocks to his home and reviewed his life and how he redeemed himself. Construction was not as mentally stimulating as practicing law, but it was honest work that helped humanity. He earned enough to live comfortably and had even begun to see a woman from the nearby store. He weighed the idea of dropping in to see her but decided to go home and shower first. He still carried dust and sweats from work and did not want to offend her so early in the relationship.
As Alvin stepped into the half-way house, he pulled his identification card from the pocket of his worn denim jeans. An elderly woman at the door scanned the card and smiled. She was the landlord of the facility and kept a watchful eye on all of her charges. He smiled back to the woman as he passed the checkpoint. At his back, he heard the sound of a passing ship from the nearby spaceport. It was unusual to hear one pass by so close to the facility as the normal flight path took ships over the ocean.
Alvin took the elevator to the fifth floor and stepped into a carpeted hallway. Doors lined the hall at regular intervals with a few of the nearest open. Alvin waved to his neighbors as he passed. Several of the men on the floor had stayed at the same rehab facility. Upon arrival at the half-way house, they had all found each other and exchanged success stories. Alvin reached his door at the end of the hall and palmed the lock open.
His apartment was not large. It contained very little in the way of personal effects and demonstrated to Alvin a clean slate. He had furnished it with a low couch and comfortable reclining chair as well as a bed in the next room and small kitchen. A window looked out to the hills and he could just make out an arriving ship as it descended to the landing area. He stepped into the bedroom, tapping the com screen on a low table and stripping off his soiled shirt. A blast of static drew his attention. He returned to the living room and stared at the screen. There was only white noise as he tried several networks. It seemed that the signal interference that had upset the men in suits extended to the holo-nets as well.
Reaching to his arm, Alvin tapped a sequence into his com and tried to recall the messages he had received from the investigators. He let out a relieved sigh as he saw the message saved on his backup drive. He had learned during his recovery to save everything in case he lost the memory of the experience. It had served him well in the years since his release. He tapped the recall and watched as a small figure was projected above his arm.
“Mister Bennett,” said the image. “We tried to contact you at home but were unable to find you. I’ve got good news. Our investigations have found your daughter! It seems that she shipped out with the cruise liner Terran Hope recently and will back home in one month. We have sent her contact information to your wrist and you can contact her when she returns. Congratulations from our CFO and your case worker. Your most recent payment will help fund other investigations for folks who are less fortunate. Thank you for using Ganigan Investigation Services.”
The image flickered away and Alvin sat down. After so many years of not knowing about his daughter, he had information. His head spun as he thought about contacting his daughter. Although the investigators had assured him of their success, he had never really thought he would see her again. He tried to imagine what he might say to her. He wasn’t sure he had the right to ask for her forgiveness.
A thunderous sound brought Alvin back to reality. He looked from the window to see a bright cloud of red energy filling the sky. The ground began to shake under his feet and he wondered if the explosion had been caused by another big tremor. As he watched the fire spread across the sky, he realized that the energy was coming from above. He lost his footing as the tremors grew much stronger. Alvin fell hard on the chair and winced as his shoulder popped against the back. He howled in pain as the floor vibrated under the energy.
The fall had activated his wrist com and a small projection leapt into view. The last request he had put in was for information about a baseball game. The headline hovered in his b
lurred vision and he struggled to bring the image into focus. He could see the clouds outside turn a hellish orange as the sky caught fire. He blinked the pain away and looked back at the headline.
“Dodgers beat Giants 16 – 14”
As the floor gave way under his body, Alvin Bennett relived his day. He had worked a good day and done good work. His daughter had been found and would be coming home soon. His team had won against their rivals. The final thought as the building collapsed upon him was about his wife. Dana would have been proud of him and that made him happy.
16
Now
Gomus City
“Lot 421,” announced the voice of the auctioneer. “Consisting of indigo cattle and feed stocks for sale. Seller has announced no reserve, fellow creatures, so it is going home with you if you can pay the price.”
Lee held up the arm extensions and opened the elongated fingers. He had worn the identity of Brother Woolaf. He had used the disguise once before in a rescue attempt nearly a year ago. Since he had not had his identity scanned or revealed on that mission, he chose to make use of the religious man again.
The Order of the Priory of Eventime was infamous in the galaxy for its policies towards non-religious creatures. The Order had been founded centuries ago by a xenophobic prophet who believed that time would end when all other life forms converted. Since the priests of the Order rarely ever made the offer of brotherhood to others, the galaxy was safe. The Order employed thousands of slaves to work underground mining the rare minerals required for M-space engines. The death rate was high and a new supply was always needed so the identity was safe and anonymous.
Lee wiped the sweat from his forehead with the prosthetic fingers. Gomus City sat on the high plains of the southern continent of the planet. It was a massive continental city that was used primarily for the salve trade. Lee was appalled by the auction and its patrons and how food stocks and people were sold together. The auctioneer began to rattle off figures as the bidders negotiated for the best price. The cattle resembled Terran cows from the hind quarters but the dark blue coloring and extra horns separated the species from anything on Earth. Lee remembered the sounds of a ranch and how they made him long for home.
The auctioneer slowed his patter and finally declared an auction winner. Lee was not interested in the cattle for sale today. He had travelled to Rashano’s system to find the Ch’Tauk. The plan was to follow the slave ship back to its home world and record the location for the Alliance. Once the home planet of the enemies of the Alliance was found, Lee hoped that Commodore Chang would order a fast strike. He hoped that whoever had fired the shot that had killed Alice would be there so he could destroy the bastard himself.
“Captain, I don’t think they’re doing humans today.” Wellick said. He was wearing a monk’s habit as well.
“The schedule shows the auction will move to slaves after this lot,” Lee replied, looking down at the porcine officer. “My title is ‘brother’. We don’t want to draw attention here.”
Wellick looked up at the disguised human with irritation. He looked foolish in the heavy robes. Lee had insisted that the guard wear the costume over his customary weapons belt and armor to keep from attracting notice. Wellick had responded by saying that two-meter tall alien priests being accompanied by a short, fat pig would be covert enough. So far, he had been proven wrong. The auction seemed to attract every race the galaxy had to offer and the robes were barely noticed.
“Sorry, but you don’t look anything like my brother.” Wellick said. “He’s short and fat.”
Lee looked to his companion with a smile. He had not known the little guard very well before embarking on this mission but now found him to have a strange sense of humor. The porcine man pushed his way further into the crowd as the next auction began. Lee had discovered that the man’s brusque manner made his undercover work easier. Rather than distracting people, the shoving tended to make people ignore them. He followed the guard closer to the auction stand. A herd of some sheep-like animals were brought to the platform.
“Woolaf!” A voice erupted from behind the captain. “Is that you, brother Woolaf?”
Lee turned to see a dark-skinned alien approaching. The creature seemed to be neither male nor female and had a wide smile across its asymmetrical face. Lee panicked as the creature wrapped its four arms around him. He felt trapped by the embrace as it held him for longer than he was comfortable with.
“Woolaf, you old beast.” The alien said, releasing the hug. “Don’t you remember me?”
Lee had adopted the identity after the real Woolaf had wandered into the path of Resolute during a rescue mission. The priest had been near death when the ships had crossed paths. Lee had tried to assist the man but the priest had howled when the human doctor treated him. He was terrified that he would become infected by an inferior life form. In the end, he died gasping for air in the landing bay of Resolute. Lee adopted the identity with regret, but needed someone who could move through the underworld with ease.
“Get off of me you filthy creature!” Lee cried to the alien. “How dare you touch a senior member of the Order.”
The four armed alien looked at Lee with confusion. It was obvious that he expected a warmer reception. Lee tried to find a way to recover the situation without giving away his secret. The four-armed creature began to laugh. He wrapped his arms around his upper body and held his sides in mirth.
“Woolaf, you are a son of a kintark,” The alien said. “We battled over that load of Terran females on Hisler Four a while back. I thought you were going to have my throat slit for winning.”
Lee’s mind raced for a response. He wondered if the creature was trying to trick him into revealing something. He noticed the other bidders looking at him from the crowd. He did not need to draw any notice on this mission.
“I remember winning that bid,” replied Lee with an arrogant scowl. “You ran out of money before the auctioneer had even finished describing the slaves.”
“You won the last bid, Woolaf,” replied the creature without menace. “As I remember you went back to the Priory with the scrawniest subjects I have ever seen.”
“I think you have spent too much time under this accursed sun,” replied Lee. “You remember things backwards. Go bid on the cattle and leave me alone, heretic.”
The creature looked back at Lee with narrowed eye-sits. Its pale skin darkened and Lee felt he might be in physical danger. He glanced around to see where Wellick had gone but did not see the little guard. Lee dug his heel extension into the ground and prepared for a fight.
“You may be right, Woolaf.” The creature said. “It is far too hot for this kind of argument. Let’s see what kind of war we can fight today. I am in the market for Terrans again, Brother. I think the Priory needs more worlders as well.”
“The Order needs no unbelievers, my friend.” Lee replied to the creature. “We need only the unwashed to labor for the Order.”
The creature began to laugh again and slapped Lee on the shoulder. For a moment, Lee thought the prosthetic might come loose under the punishment. He held his space as the alien wandered off through the crowd. Lee reached to his shoulder and checked the harness that held his arm on. Everything appeared intact on the device. He looked back over the crowd for any sight of Wellick.
“Brother,” Wellick’s voice came over the crowd noise. “I think I got us a spot up front. I had to knock a few people down, but they promised afterwards to hold our place.”
“Brother Wellick,” said Lee in his holiest voice. “I think the devil has a hand for you.”
Wellick smiled up at the disguised captain. The little guard’s face appeared to have a bruise growing on the side. Lee wondered just how much knocking the man had needed to do to hold a space up front. He had learned not to ask the man about these things, though. The two moved through the crowd again towards the auction stand. The sheep creatures had been sold and the auctioneer was changing for the slave auction.
“
We will have a moment to change before the next auction, buyers.” The auctioneer said to the crowd. “Open your wallets and be ready for the highlight of the sale! We have fresh Terrans straight from the home world. The Ch’Tauk are bringing a shuttle in as we speak to sell. Have your debit chit ready for this one.”
Lee sent a scowl at the boisterous man who made the announcements. He had met several of the slave trade’s enablers over the years and found them all to be without conscience. He watched as the man stepped from the stand and into a small tent set up behind.
There was a landing field several meters from the stand where cargo vessels could load and unload merchandise. The cattle ranchers moved off the pad and a team of workers moved out to clear the area. Lee wondered if these workers were also slaves. The workers spread a thin layer of cut grass over the landing area. He realized that they had not done this for the cattle.
A roar from behind the crowd announced the arrival of a Ch’Tauk transport shuttle. The ship was shaped like most of the alien fleet with overlapping bands of armor. Lee could see the small projections that extended from the underside. From experience, he knew the knobby areas were projectors for M-space. In atmosphere, they made the ships clumsy and difficult to fly. This ship seemed to be flown by an expert hand and smoothly halted over the landing area. It settled down onto extended skids. A plume of steam erupted from the ship’s hull as the engines blew out excess pressure.
Lee prepared for the upcoming auction. He could see the new auctioneer step to the podium. The creature was jet-black from head to toe and wore a long robe in the same color. Lee thought he looked as if he had crawled from hell to attend the event. The auctioneer turned back to watch as the Ch’Tauk ship opened and a ramp extended from the bow. A single Ch’Tauk warrior stepped from the ramp and onto the landing field. The armored warrior wore no clothing but carried a vicious looking rifle over one shoulder.
Resolute Uprising (The War for Terra) Page 13
