Jansha also walked away without saying a word.
“Everyone is a bit testy, especially us old curmudgeons,” Peyton said. “Now about meeting Bertrand, you can leave his boat here at the dock. I will walk you over to his home. It is up by the Okrug.”
Peyton stepped out of the boat and only then did the others realize that one of his legs was mechanical. The pants covered most of it, but the foot was visible and not covered in a shoe of any kind. It was a high tech prosthetic device that functioned well.
“We truly appreciate your help,” Brinley said as she put on her own backpack.
Peyton stepped over to Brinley and placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered to her, “Well, it is not every day we have Free Rangers coming to our town using one of our citizen’s boats, especially as of late.”
Brinley stopped short.
“Oh yes, my eyes may be old, but I remember and I know about things,” Peyton continued as if he had not said anything unusual to Brinley. He did reach over and pull Brinley’s sleeve down to cover her forearm. “You folks from Murom may be used to the Savior Monastery where Constable Herric has his abode, but here in Kimry we too have special things. The Okrug for example, is where Governor Svoboda holds court, has the town guards and is also our school. The teachers must be told of these children who have died.” Peyton gave Brinley a quick and almost undetectable wink.
“Yes, Kimry is different than what I expected,” Brinley said rather noncommittally.
“As you know, the Outbreak hit very hard here. I was only a lad when that happened, but I can vividly recall the horrors of those days. Had it not been for the work of the Molokan Pastors of the town, we all surely would have died. They organized the teams to burn the bodies, as well as seal the exits near here, but you know what happened to them.” Peyton was thoughtful for a moment. “Our population has been rising, and today we have nearly five hundred souls living here. That is almost up to half of what we had when the infection came.”
She smiled at him as he spoke. Gretchen and Paul followed them. They walked about six blocks away from the sea, and could see that the town extended all the way to the side wall of the habitat. Brinley estimated that the distance between the habitat wall and the sea was roughly a kilometer. The houses in the town continued to vary in condition with seemingly no rhyme or reason. One would be in fairly nice shape, and next door to it was one without any door or windows, and which was just a permalloy hulk.
The central part of Kimry was where the Okrug was located. It was the largest building they had seen in the town, and the only permalloy one which was different in design. It was long and only a single story with a flat roof. Small rectangular windows lined one side of the Okrug. The far end had an entrance marks ‘Governor’ where several people in uniform stood outside. The closest entrance was marked ‘School.’ Both identification signs were in crisp white lettering on the light blue permalloy which made up the Okrug. There was no activity by the school.
A stream ran past it and into a small lake. The stream started at a fountain which spouted water up about five meters into the air. The areas around the stream and lake were well tended, including a playground for children, but the overall Okrug itself still had a sort of dismal look to it, although compared to the rest of Kimry it was in far better shape. It was like melancholy hung over the entire town.
“I brought you to this side of the Okrug to avoid the guards. They may frown on visitors, if you know what I mean. Bertrand’s home is just over here. Do you still want to see him?” Peyton asked. “Or is there another destination you desire?” He looked expectantly at them all.
Brinley whispered to him, “We are not here to trade commodities, but need information. Tragically, we do have to report that death of those children.”
“Oh dear,” Peyton whispered back. “I am badly mistaken. So you were not spinning a story? You are not here for trading? It has been too long and some things are getting in short supply.”
“No. We really do need to report this, and avoiding the Constable or the Governor would be appreciated.” Brinley looked Peyton deeply in his old eyes.
The old man began to weep. “So it must have been Bertrand’s children. What a sad, sad state. Oh and all I cared about was some trade goods. I was a fool, forgive me. Our children are our future, and with the trading stopped, I fear for what will become of us. That is Bertrand’s home.” He pointed his finger at the lower level of the house. His shoulders slumped and he started to turn away.
“We will tell him, but can you help us with another matter?” Paul asked.
Peyton turned to him and nodded.
“We need to find Klara. She sold one of the children a monkey’s paw,” Paul said. “Where can we find her?”
“Check the Purple Mugger. I know nothing else about her.”
“What is a purple mugger?” Gretchen asked.
“It is a tavern near the great wall,” Peyton pointed down the road toward the side of the town which sat against the wall of the habitat.
Gretchen pulled out several packages of food from her backpack. She gave them to Peyton.
“My thanks to you. I had hoped… I am just sickened about the children.” He shuffled away with his head down.
Bertrand’s home was unremarkable. It was not in disrepair, but not well maintained either.
Paul stepped forward, “I saw what happened to those children, I will tell him about it.”
Paul knocked at the door.
It opened quickly. “What is it?” the man said anxiously before he could even see who was there.
“Do you know children named, Anda, Bogdan, David, and Nevenka?” Paul asked.
“Yes. Anda and Bogdan are my daughter and son. The others are their friends. I do not know you.” The man already had a mournful look in his almond-shaped eyes. His skin was rough and the color of dirt. His thick, straight, brown hair was short and tousled in a severe way. His beard and moustache matched his head’s hair for color and length. His lithe build seemed tired.
“I saw them….” Paul began.
Bertrand put his large hands over his prominent ears. “Oh do not tell me they were arrested. They are good people, and do not intend to be spirited. Many children are spirited and energetic. Sir, I am sure you yourself were an adventurous boy.”
“They were not arrested,” Paul said.
“You are from Murom, are you not?” Bertrand said as he looked at Paul and then at Gretchen, and lastly at Brinley. “You two are armed, and that means you are with the Constable’s forces, right? Just tell me where my children are. I will find a way to pay the fine, or work it off for them. I offer my sincerest apologies for whatever mischief they have gotten into. Let me make it right, please?”
“They were in the sea, and they went under, but did not come back up. I am sorry,” Paul said abruptly.
Bertrand fell to his knees. He covered his ears even tighter, “No! I cannot hear this. Why? Why do you torture me so? Let me know where they are and I will pay you whatever you demand.”
“I am sorry, but they did drown,” Paul said. “I am sorry, they died.”
Bertrand tore his simple shirt apart. “You have killed my children! It would have been better for you to kill me than to kill my children! One day you and your Constable will go too far! We are simple people, but you cannot push us forever. Oh, no, no no! Oh! Anda! Oh Bogdan!”
“It was in the sea… there was…” Paul tried to explain.
Bertrand yelled in his face, “May Baldwin’s ghost haunt you every night in your sleep! May a Roe take you! Away from me!” He slammed the door.
9 The purple mugger
“That went rather poorly,” Paul said as he stared at the closed door.
“You think so?” Brinley replied. “Of course it did. The man lost his children.”
“He did not want to hear the details,” Gretchen added. “He blamed the Constable of this habitat. Are all Constables cruel and violent?”
Brinley
pulled them away from the door. “That poor man assumed we were from the Constable. That makes sense and explains why the people here have avoided us. Except for Peyton, most everyone has given us a wide berth. Have you been to a town where people avoided you? Oh, wait; I forgot who I was speaking to. Sorry.”
“So do we search for this tavern, the Purple Mugger?” Gretchen suggested.
“If we can find Klara, we can see if she really has the location of the scout ship,” Paul said.
“And we can find out if she told Larissa. First, let me try Tiffany again.” Gretchen put her had to her ear, “Tiffany? Please respond.”
There was no response.
“That old man said the Purple Mugger was this way,” Brinley pointed.
They walked away from the Okrug and toward the side wall of the habitat. As they approached, they could see that the sidewall reached far into the sky and then arched to meet the sky tube. There were few signs it had been rain day, just the puddles in the street and the dampness on the scattered trees and bushes around the houses.
They walked the few blocks up the slight incline on which the entire town sat. The side streets all looked the same.
“So how do we find this Purple Mugger?” Paul asked. “Do we search door to door? All these places look pretty much alike.”
“A tavern will be marked. Trust me,” Brinley said.
When they got to the sidewall of the habitat, the sky tube was fading and the habitat was moving into twilight. At the wall there was a narrow alley which ran along side of the wall. Here all the houses were abandoned, and none were maintained.
They turned to follow the alleyway and only had to walk a short distance until they found their destination: a very different looking small building with a display screen mounted outside it, above the doorway. The display screen was operational and on it were moving images. The building was tucked in behind two abandoned houses, but was made from some kind of natural woods. It was only one story, without any windows. The entrance was a wooden door. The place had a peaked roof, and sturdy tables in front of it.
On the display screen was an animation of a purple animal. The animal was long and low to the ground with four stubby legs, a long tail, and a very large mouth with lots of white and sharp looking teeth. In the animation, the animal walked on all fours, then came to a table and chairs, and climbed up on the chair, and sat like a human. It then picked up a mug of some kind of liquid and drank it down with much splashing and slurping of the drink. The animation then repeated itself looping through the same sequence.
A few people were sitting at the outside tables, drinking and eating, but when they saw Paul, Gretchen, and Brinley, they gathered their things and slipped away quickly and quietly.
“I think we found the Purple Mugger,” Brinley said. “Will you please let me do the talking this time? I know we need to find Klara, but we will be more successful if we do not just barge in.”
“Is that a real kind of animal?” Paul asked and nodded toward the animated display screen which was repeating its sequence yet again. “Or is it a fantasy creation or symbolic?”
“Crocodiles are real enough. I have traded some of the things made from them, but have not seen a live specimen,” Brinley replied. “They are not purple.”
They walked up and opened the door and entered the Purple Mugger.
The inside was dimly lit. The sound of something hard smacking and cracking against something else was heard followed by some muffled thumps. There was a cacophony of voices coming from the tables around the inside. A woman was standing behind a counter against the far wall behind which was a large stock of bottles and jars. A sliver automacube was moving slowly from one table to the next, a platter of foods held by its manipulation arm. The woman behind the counter met their eyes as they walked in. She did not looked happy, nor even tolerant to see them enter.
At the back of the tavern was an extension area partially obscured by a sheer of drapery. The shadowy forms of two people were seen leaning over a long rectangular table of sorts. They each held long, thin sticks in their hands. The cracking sound had come from that direction, and a thunk was heard as one person there stroked the stick horizontally across the table.
The murmur of voices died down as people turned and looked at the newcomers. Many got up and began a steady flow of people departing the tavern. They did not make eye contact with Paul, or Gretchen, or Brinley as they walked briskly past them to the exit.
Klara was not among the people who had walked out.
The woman at the counter poured out three glasses of some kind of drink and said in an overly loud voice, “Welcome to the Purple Mugger! Come in and have a drink. No charge for first time customers. Shall I also get you a free meal?” Her eyes did not match the heartiness of her greeting.
“Hello,” Brinley said and walked over to the woman.
The woman snapped her fingers and the silver automacube rolled over and presented the platter of food.
“Please take a seat. I will bring out your drinks, and my servant will supply you with food. Take any and all that you want,” the woman said and motioned to the automacube. The machine backed up a bit and placed the entire platter of food on a table.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Brinley said as she sat down. Paul and Gretchen followed.
The walls of the tavern were covered with printed images of beasts. These were real life pictures of the same kind of animal which was on the animated display outside the tavern. Except these beasts were greens and grays and real world colors, not purple like on the display.
“I am Delaine-Moe, again welcome to the Purple Mugger.”
“What are those,” Paul asked, as he pointed at the printed images on the walls.
“Ha! A trick question. Well, those are muggers. Mugger crocodiles are skillful hunters and vicious predators, sort of like our own Constable Herric, if I do say so myself. No offense intended, it is a compliment, high praise for our brave Constable! I named this tavern myself after the muggers who inhabit the lakes and stream nearby. But I babble too much, you must be the visitors who brought such bad news to our friend Bertrand. A terrible tragedy it is. How may I help you?” The woman had wide set slate-gray eyes, which only partially hid her distain. Her thin ruddy brown colored hair was tightly curled around her head and even more fizzy than Gretchen’s. She looked at them trying, but not succeeding, in being businesslike and a practical hostess. She was short and her wardrobe covered most of her body in its simple style of purple, yellow, and red.
“Thank you for the food and drink,” Brinley said. She took a drink and grabbed a piece of still warm bread.
Paul and Gretchen also took some food from the platter, a piece fruit for Paul, and some grapes for Gretchen.
“Eat your fill my friends,” Delaine-Moe said and gave them a frosty smile. “There will be plenty to eat for all who remained here.” She walked away and returned to behind the counter.
“Paul, please do not ask questions like that,” Brinley said quietly. “We need to find out information, and most everyone here has left. That woman may be the only source we have, so let me do the talking.”
Paul ate in silence for a while, Gretchen and Brinley spoke a bit, but they too were intent on the meal.
The sheer drapes rustled and a woman said, “So which of Constable Herric’s troopers are here? Perhaps we can shoot a game of pool?”
As the woman opened the sheers, Klara walked out from the back room. She had been one of the two people playing billiards.
Her face took on a look of astonishment. “You are alive?”
Gretchen was first out of her seat and sprang up next to Klara.
“Yes, we are alive! Why are you so surprised?” Gretchen had physically grabbed Klara.
Klara’s deep-set chestnut eyes had real fear in them, but only for a moment. She pushed back against Gretchen who was a bit taller than she was. Klara then tried to pull herself together. She straightened her shirt and put her ha
nd through her fine, curly, brown hair which was very long.
“I thought… well… I suspected you were in the massacre or shuttle crashes I heard so much about.” Klara was quickly regaining her composure. “Many Free Rangers died, I assumed you did too. I was just so startled to see you here.” Her eyes were now just mysterious with the touch of dishonesty Paul remembered. She tried a smile, but it looked out of place with her crooked nose and small ears. “It is good to see other Free Rangers.”
“No, we did not die in a shuttle crash,” Brinley added as she joined Gretchen next to Klara. Klara’s companion slipped quietly away and sped out the door of the tavern.
The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle Page 74
