“When I am among my kind, I am a Peacemaker.” He hesitated to say warrior because he wasn’t sure how the Lodaanii would respond. “My duties often take me far away. One time when I was away from home, my wife and my daughter were traveling to a race being held in another land.” Colt halted. How could he explain they were flying in a shuttle that crashed? “There was an accident and many members of the party were killed. My wife and daughter were among them.”
Colt could see the shock in Ramaanii’s face despite the species differences. “That is very sad,” she said.
###
The following morning while Colt was sitting outside the hut, a young Lodaanii ran into the village. Between gasps for breath he shouted something that Colt could only interpret as “others” and “attack.” The youth ran up to the hut of the chiefs, Malaakii and Lodaro. Malaakii caught him as he collapsed at the door. It was only then that Colt saw the arrow protruding from the youth’s back. Malaakii shouted, “Others! Take cover!” as she lowered the young Lodaanii to the ground.
A male villager walking by the bell in the center of the village grabbed the rope and began ringing it frantically. When a blaster bolt sprayed off the bell, leaving a red glowing circle, the villager dove to the ground. Almost immediately the air was full of arrows and blaster fire.
Colt rolled into the depression beside the entrance steps. Peeking over the edge of the steps, he scanned the forest for movement. At first he saw nothing. Then he spotted one Lodaanii behind a blaster flash and another when an arrow took flight. The Others were apparently another tribe of Lodaanii. After a moment he could count twenty-three of them. He also noticed that so far, there had been no return fire from the village.
Another volley of fire sprayed the village. A blaster bolt glanced off the side of the hut, raining small chunks of hot stucco down on him. He looked up at the spot. The bolt had been incredibly weak. If the stucco hadn’t already been cracked, it wouldn’t have been harmed. With the next volley he noticed that the blasters and arrows weren’t directed at Lodaanii. Instead they were bouncing harmlessly of walls and trees. Except for the youth who brought the warning there were no casualties among the villagers, and Malaakii had moved the young Lodaanii into her hut out of harms’ way.
An amplified voice boomed something from the forest. Colt recognized a few words, including the name of Malaakii’s mate, the other chief, Lodaro. He guessed that the voice demanded surrender. The village answered with a volley of its own weapons fire. Colt watched the Others drop to the ground as blaster bolts and arrows glanced off the trees and rocks around them. Again, he was surprised at how ineffective the effort was.
He heard the sound of someone running up behind him, but before he could roll over to check, Uujii plopped down beside him. She was breathless from running. “Colt, you are still injured. You should be inside where you won’t be hurt again.”
“Uujii, what is going on?” Colt asked.
“Others have captured Lodaro. They will take whatever they want from the village and give him back.”
Suddenly, a Lodaanii, splendidly dressed in a brightly colored feather costume, appeared on the main trail into the village. He was surrounded by Lodaanii children, and he walked straight ahead as if there were no fighting. Colt realized it was the doctor. He walked straight to Lodaro and Malaakii’s hut. None of the blaster fire or arrows came anywhere near him. The children followed him inside. Apparently the doctor was immune to the fighting and was there to treat the injured Lodaanii.
A moment later Malaakii came out wearing a dark, formal robe. “Malaakii will surrender village now,” Uujii said.
“Isn’t there anything she can do?” Colt asked.
“If the village had a warrior, he could fight with a warrior from the Others until one of them gave up. If our warrior won, they would return Lodaro to us and leave. If their warrior won, the village would surrender.”
“Where would they fight?”
“Our warrior would choose.”
The firing had stopped when Malaakii came out, so Colt worked his way to his feet. He was leaning on his crutches as Malaakii walked past. “Malaakii, wait!” he yelled. “I will be your warrior and fight for your village.”
Uujii stood shocked, almost unable to translate.
Malaakii turned to him. She was angry. “Cote, please do not joke!”
“As a Peacemaker I have been trained to fight, and even on my crutches I believe I can at least try to defeat their warrior, especially if I choose where we fight.”
After several minutes of translating he finally convinced her. She turned to another dark robed Lodaanii stepping out of the forest. “Jontaro, my warrior would challenge your warrior.”
“And who is your warrior?” Jontaro asked.
Colt was able to follow the conversation. He swung forward on his crutches until he stood in front of Malaakii. “I am the warrior,” he said in Lodaanii.
Jontaro bent in a spasm of what had to be laughter. When he recovered, he turned angry eyes toward Malaakii. He said, “Do not treat me like a fool, Malaakii.”
“Are you afraid to accept the challenge?” Colt asked.
Jontaro walked up to Colt and stood for a moment looking into his eyes. He then looked at Malaakii. “Is this being serious?” he asked her, in a cold voice.
“I am serious,” Colt answered.
“I did not ask you, small mouth!” Jontaro growled. He swung a back hand blow at Colt’s head. Colt parried with a crutch. Jontaro grabbed his arm in pain. Without waiting, Colt swung his other crutch around, knocking Jontaro’s legs out from under him. He fell with a thud.
Gasps came from the surrounding crowd.
Shifting his weight to one crutch, Colt reached down to Jontaro, took his uninjured hand, and hauled him to his feet. “I challenge your warrior.”
Jontaro was seething, but he said, “Choose your fighting place.”
Colt used his free crutch to point to a small island in the middle of the stream. “There.”
“What? That is not a fighting place.”
“It is the place I choose.”
“Lodaanii do not fight in places like that!”
“Why not? Is your warrior not brave enough to face me at a place of my choosing?”
Jontaro sputtered, “That is in water! Lodaanii do not go into the water!”
Colt looked at Uujii. He caught the subtle indication of a smile that said she knew what she had to do and would do it.
On his crutches Colt hobbled across the open space to the stream. All the village followed behind him. Colt stepped into the water, Uujii hesitated momentarily but clamped her mouth closed and warily put first one foot and then the other into the stream. Doing her best not to show her fear, she followed Colt to the island. At one point the water reached her knees and to fight the current she had to clutch Colt’s arm. Then she continued on without help.
When they had both reached the island Colt turned and looked back. Malaakii and Jontaro had followed them to the edge of the stream. “Where is your warrior, Jontaro? Surely, if a child is this brave, your warrior is as brave.”
Uujii poked him with her elbow. “Child?” She asked, under her breath.
“I’m still learning your language,” Colt replied.
Jontaro tried fruitlessly to convince one of his warriors to step into the water. Finally, he drew a sword and threw it down. Colt watched with satisfaction as Jontaro stormed off, a proud leader who was thwarted because his warriors had refused to do what a child did. In a few minutes Lodaro, unharmed, walked back into the village.
Colt leaned down to Uujii, “You did well, little one. Shall we go back to shore?”
###
That evening Olowan had prepared a special meal, and both Ramaanii and he wore bright, festive clothes. As they and Colt ate they frequently looked at him with what he had come to interpret as smiles. In fact, he thought they practically beamed. They talked excitedly throughout the meal, and Colt could only understand part
of it. His best guess was that they believed he had done something special for them although he had no idea what it was. He finally understood that they were having some kind of special ceremony the next evening and he was to be their guest.
###
At Uujii’s insistent urging Colt struggled to his feet, leaning on his makeshift crutches, and hobbled out of the hut toward the village commons. If he understood correctly, Ramaanii and Olowan were celebrating because he had brought them some form of kismet. Uujii walked at his side, chattering incessantly in English. “This is great moment,” she said. “Ramaanii and Olowan happy you decide to come. Even Chiefs Malaakii and Lodaro will be there.”
In still hesitant Lodaanii Colt said, “This Rahana-Nikohbi dance does not happen often?”
Uujii giggled at his accent, “This is first time for Ramaanii and Olowan, and they have been mates for four years.”
They had reached the commons, and Uujii looked around excitedly. She spotted another young Lodaanii, Esok, sitting by himself. “There is place by Esok where we can sit.” She hurried over to the young male and spoke to him. He looked back at Colt who was working his way slowly toward the spot. Esok smiled. He climbed to his feet as Colt approached. “Welcome, Colt,” he said in Lodaanii.
“Good fortune, Esok,” Colt replied. Uujii and Esok shared a glance that Colt could not identify, but Uujii didn’t giggle.
Esok and Uujii helped him get seated. Almost as soon as he had put his crutches together at his side, the crowd noises subsided. The two chiefs, Malaakii and her mate Lodaro, strode to the center of the dance circle. Malaakii carried a small torch, but Lodaro spoke. “Good Fortune, my children,” he said. As he spoke, five of the village youths ran to the center of the circle carrying loads of dead branches, which they piled to form a council fire. Lodaro turned to look directly at Colt. “And Good Fortune to you, Colt. It is because of you that we have council fire to honor this Rahana-Nikohbi for Ramaanii and Olowan. Thank you.” With that he bowed, and Malaakii threw her torch into the branches.
The villagers gave out a collective cheer, which took Colt by surprise. From the council hut on the far side of the dance circle Ramaanii and Olowan emerged, and again the villagers cheered. Ramaanii was resplendent in a ceremonial garment covered with multicolored feathers and a silver headband, while Olowan was equally striking in a skin tight jump suit of a shiny silver and black material. Once again Colt was struck by the inconsistency as he realized that the clothes were machine made, not skins or even rough home-spun.
As Ramaanii and Olowan approached the center of the dance circle, someone on the far side of the fire began a light, steady rhythm on a drum. They bowed toward each other, and a clay flute began to play. They began circling, bodies and feet moving in time with the music. A harp-like instrument joined in. They drew closer as they circled. With each step the music swelled. The tempo grew stronger. Soon many of the villagers joined in, clapping in time to the music.
Ramaanii and Olowan touched. Instantly the music stopped. For a moment they swirled in silence, dancing to their own inner music. Olowan touched something on Ramaanii’s costume and it fell to the ground. A moment later Ramaanii touched Olowan’s costume and it too fell to the ground. Then they separated.
The drum started up again, quietly and in time with their dancing. Part way around the circle another couple had joined the dance. They too bowed and began circling. Somehow their movements became part of the music without interfering with Ramaanii and Olowan’s dance. Once again Ramaanii and Olowan came together. This time they held each other close, writhing sensuously as the music grew to a crescendo again and stopped. Colt was so entranced by the grace and beauty of the dance that he didn’t realize what was happening until he heard the villagers gasp and then cheer. In the brief silence that followed. Esok leaned over toward Uujii and whispered to her. She giggled and turned to Colt. “Esok say he is looking forward to seeing a human mating dance.”
Colt found himself with his mouth open and his face turning red. The whole village had turned out to watch Ramaanii and Olowan make love. He was glad Uujii couldn’t read his expression very well. Still, if this was the way they did it, he wasn’t going to judge a non-human culture. Surely, they did some of it in private.
As Colt continued to watch, three more couples joined the dance, smoothly flowing into the music. Colt himself could feel the attraction. The music’s simplicity and subtle beauty were hypnotic. He found his head whirling with the dance. He lost track of time, unable to turn away. Then he realized it was over. And he had witnessed the whole thing, had even felt like a part of it.
The music slowly resumed, still intoxicating, but somehow different. Now the rest of the villagers got up from the grass and joined the dance. Uujii and Esok looked at each other, then at Colt. He realized they wanted his permission to join the others. He nodded. Uujii’s smile would have been obvious even if he hadn’t been observing her since he came to the village.
The dance continued until the sunrise began filtering through the trees. Somehow he had stayed awake through the whole event, never even feeling sleepy. Now, as the sun rose, the villagers began drifting away – dancers and musicians – a few at a time. Uujii and Esok walked back to him. “Good fortune, Colt,” Esok said. “I must go home and rest.”
“Good fortune, Esok.”
Uujii lay down on her back in the grass. “I will rest here,” she said. “Good fortune, Esok.”
She rolled onto her side and looked at Colt. “Olowan and Ramaanii were very happy that you came,” she said. “They will name the child after you.”
“How soon will they know if they will have a child?” Colt asked.
Uujii looked obviously puzzled. “How could they not have a child?”
“Among my kind mating only causes children once in a while. That is not the way with Lodaanii?”
“Why would you mate if not to have a child?” Uujii asked.
Colt almost tried to explain but decided the question was rhetorical. Besides, he’d already embarrassed himself enough for one night. “So, when will the child be born?”
“In 293 days.”
Chapter 15
“Good morning, Colt. Are you going to sleep all day?”
He opened his eyes and found Uujii peering down at him. “What time is it?” He asked.
“The sun is above the eastern ridge. The entire village is up.”
Colt tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness overcame him. Putting his hands close to his shoulders, he pushed himself upright. “Whew! I’m a little dizzy this morning.”
“Are you not feeling right?” Uujii asked.
“I don’t hurt very much, but I feel very weak.”
Before he could say any more, Uujii had run from the hut. Colt didn’t have the energy to call after her.
He forced his head clear. “Why am I so weak?” He asked out loud. He drew his crutches to him and with an effort made it to his feet. The room whirled about him, then slowed and steadied. As he stood there, he took inventory and decided he was definitely getting weaker.
Moments later Uujii returned with the doctor, and Colt told him of his concerns. “My bones and wounds appear to be healed, but I’m weak and dizzy.”
The doctor gave the equivalent of a human nod. He ran the med-scanner over Colt, chirping disapprovingly at times. When he finished, he spoke slowly to Uujii who translated for Colt. “Doctor says little machines have fixed as much as they can. Now they are eating … something I cannot translate … from your blood.”
Colt said, “Red blood cells?”
“Doctor says you must go to a human doctor very soon.”
The doctor got to his feet and hurried out of the hut.
“Doctor is going to get volunteers. He says you must go now.”
The whole village volunteered. The doctor picked a few stronger males and females, relenting when Uujii demanded to come along.
The trip down the valley felt much more pleasant than his first ride
on the travois. They stopped at the edge of the forest, where a local farmhouse stood off in the distance. Colt tottered to his feet. One by one his escorts grasped his arm and said their farewells, disappearing back into the forest, until only Uujii remained.
Colt looked at her. Even though the Lodaanii faces were still difficult to read, he knew she was upset that he was leaving. He got down on the knee of his unbroken leg so he could look her directly in the eye. “Uujii, I’m not sure what is going to happen over the next several days, but I do know that if I can, I will be back. I have made many friends among your people and I am sad to leave them. Let me show you a gesture that we humans use to tell other people we care about them.”
He gently reached his arms around her, and she hesitantly put hers around him. As he pulled her to him, for that moment he held his own special little girl. When they separated, he realized he had tears in his eyes. “I’m coming back for you, Uujii.”
He carefully used his crutches to get back on his feet. He reached out and touched Uujii’s cheek. “Good-bye for now, little one.” He turned and began walking toward the open field, leaning heavily on his crutches.
The farmhouse sat across a narrow dirt road and a cleared field, about half a kilometer away. The way he felt, it would be tough, but he thought he could make it. Fifteen minutes later he was beginning to wonder. After half an hour he felt ready to collapse, but he made himself drag one foot after the other. Just a few more steps and he crossed the boundary between the crops and the house yard. He staggered and almost went down.
“That’s far enough!” A woman wearing a worn, denim jumpsuit and a battered straw hat stood on the porch cradling a 16-gauge shotgun in the crook of her left arm.
“Looks like you’re right,” he managed to say, before he pitched forward into darkness, his face landing in the cool grass of the yard.
###
Colt stirred to the feel of soft clean sheets.
“It seems your guest is back among the living,” a woman’s voice said.
Peacemaker: The Corona Rebellion 2564 AD Page 11
