“That seems obvious, though. There are probably all kinds of minefields we need to avoid that we wouldn’t even think of. Like are they going to be mortally offended that I brought them a cheese box?”
“That does sound like a risk. Maybe we’d better eat it before we arrive on Pirr, just to be safe.”
Jack grinned. “Do you know what my mom would do to me if I showed up at someone’s house without a gift? I’d rather risk the Pirr’s wrath.”
“You’ve got a point—” Dante was cut off when the warning siren sounded. He went to the window that overlooked the hangar. A vessel no bigger than an Earth Fleet shuttle landed at the center of the bay. It was bathed in flashing red lights indicating the hangar wasn’t pressurized. The Pirr vessel wasn’t compatible with the usual airlocks, so they had to partially open the atmospheric shield to let the Pirr fly in.
When the pressure stabilized the red light flashed green, then returned to the usual white light. The Pirr ship didn’t react, not even to open a door and let the pilot out.
“Gentlemen. Let’s get you on board and on your way.”
Captain Fisher had entered the room while they watched the ship land. She took them through the airlock, then escorted them to the ship. There was still no sign of the Pirr within. As the minutes passed, Dante’s nerves ratcheted a few notches.
“Okay, is this weird, or is it just me?” he asked, after standing around awkwardly for far too long.
The hatch on the side of the ship hissed, then slid to the side, melding with the rest of the cabin. A short ramp extended from the new opening to the deck.
“Welcome, humans. Please come aboard.” The voice came from somewhere near the nose of the ship. It didn’t sound exactly like Commander Xoa, but the accent was the same.
Captain Fisher stepped forward. “Welcome, Night Thorn. I apologize for not knowing your name, pilot, but you are welcome aboard if you need refreshment or just want to stretch your legs.”
“Thank you for your offer of hospitality. It will not be necessary. I am required to convey the humans to Hoi with all haste.”
Fisher looked to Dante, eyebrows raised. “You’re the diplomat here,” she said.
“Do you want to come on board?” he offered.
“The passenger limit is two humans. Please do not exceed that number,” Night Thorn announced.
“I guess we better not push it. Good luck, gentlemen.” Captain Fisher shook their hands. “See you in six months.”
They grabbed their bags and boarded the Pirr ship. The access hatch took them directly into a small cabin area with a pair of low, comfortable-looking chairs with harnesses. Dante peered into the room beyond. There was no one in sight.
A door slid aside, revealing a compartment for their luggage. Dante put his bag in, followed by Jack’s, and the door slid shut again. When they turned away, the door to the outside had closed.
Jack took out his datapad and held it up, recording the room. “First humans on a Pirr ship, and there’s no one to greet us. What’s your first reaction, M1C Dante?”
“I was already on a Pirr ship once, so let’s say, second time in history.”
Dante went to the door at the front of the cabin and it slid away as he approached. He stepped into the cockpit, or so he assumed, but the seat was empty. It reminded him of a barber’s chair with a few dozen extra buttons and switches. Three screens hung in the air in front of the seat. Two of them closed when he approached, but the third stayed.
“Is that Pisces?” Jack was right behind him, still recording. “Did we just take off without knowing it?”
Dante leaned in for a closer look. The ship went on shrinking as he did, making it hard to read the markings, but now they could see the wormhole.
“Who’s piloting this thing?” Dante asked out loud. “Where are you?”
Night Thorn spoke, her voice projecting from every angle. “I am.”
“Are you the ship?” Dante looked for the Pirr behind the curtain.
“That is correct. My instructions are to rendezvous with two human Mystics at your mothership, then convey you to Hoi. A pilot is not necessary for such a simple transport mission.”
“Okay.” Dante tried to find the next words to say. He’d expected a lot more formality, for one thing. Either this was a giant slight from the aliens, or they were trying to impress the humans with their technology. “I guess I expected a live person.”
“If you wish to speak with someone, you may talk to me. I am fluent in English and Pirr, and have studied many human topics of interest.” Night Thorn’s voice sounded a little wounded at first, but by the end of the sentence, she sounded almost hopeful.
This had to be artificial intelligence. More than that, it was an AI with feelings that could be hurt. That was unheard of.
“I’d be honored,” Jack spoke up. “We’d be the first humans to have a real conversation with an alien AI. What do you want to talk about?”
At Night Thorn’s suggestion, they went to the cabin and the guest seats that had been installed just for them. Thorn wanted to talk about movies first, then they moved on to musicals. Dante joined in when he could, but mostly he was too off-balance to participate. Jack, on the other hand, was all too happy to talk about his culture.
Dante felt the same wonder, but his stomach had settled down by his knees. This had to be a power play by the Pirr. They were more advanced, and they wanted the humans to know it.
The feeling persisted as Night Thorn showed them the facilities, and provided them with a dinner that was close enough to beef and broccoli to fool someone who’d never had takeout. All through the meal and the trip to Hoi, the ship was ready to talk about anything at all, as if she were starving for conversation.
By the time they landed, Dante realized that even if the trip was a ploy, the ship herself was lonely. That became clearer at the end of the trip when Night Thorn said goodbye and asked them to come and see her if they had time.
Khiann Xoa awaited them when they disembarked. She was out of uniform and wore a loose red toga with a collection of pins to hold it together. She had a long-handled sword on her back, like something out of a fantasy story.
“Greetings, humans. Welcome to Hoi.”
“Thank you. That’s quite a ship you’ve got.” Jack affixed a smile to his face and offered his hand. Khiann looked at it for a moment, then took it.
“I ordered it to keep you comfortable and entertained. Did it do so?”
“Yes, she was very knowledgeable about our culture. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Dante shook hands as well, then hefted his bag. “It honestly felt like talking to a person sometimes.”
“Then it followed my instructions well. If you will come with me, I will show you your quarters.”
“That’s a nice dress,” Jack offered. “Is that your planet-side uniform?”
From the way she stiffened, Dante knew that had been a misstep. He looked over at Jack, who’d seen it too. “I’m sorry, I assumed…I just think it is nice. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but this is not a uniform. It is simply appropriate dress for a civilian ambassador when greeting dignitaries from another planet.”
“Civilian ambassador?” Jack repeated.
“Yes. I am to accompany you in your first days and help you become acquainted with our culture. I am here to answer questions in our exchange of information. I have been authorized to answer any question you might ask.”
“Any question?” Dante wasn’t sure he believed that. There would be lines—like the one around the artifact they’d found on Amadeus. “This seems like a strange job for a space fleet captain.”
“It would be, yes. My path has changed since we last met. You may call me Khiann. Your version of my title is inaccurate, at best.”
“I see.” They lapsed into silence as she led them through the strangely silent compound. Not a single motor or Pirr-made sound intruded upon the serenity. Even the wildlife tem
pered their calls and cries. Dante looked for a question to break the weight of silence.
“Can you tell us about your Mystics?”
“We are known as Exalted. All are born with the gift. Those who have it strongly enough are trained for military or government service.”
Khiann led them past a building that overlooked the landing zone. It could almost have been a human building—there was only so much one could do with plain walls—but the proportions seemed off.
“Could you do something else, if you wanted to?”
“I had other choices, yes.”
“What about everyone else?” Dante asked. “Do they have a choice?”
“There are always choices, but all who are born owe a debt to the society that raised and protected them. We must repay that debt and more in our lifetime or be remembered in shame. The Exalted have a higher calling, but there is always work for the gifted.”
“And the ungifted?”
“They become wards of the Temple and are cared for all of their life.”
“So, you isolate anyone who isn’t born the right way?” Jack had his datapad out. Dante shook his head at him, but Jack ignored it. “That seems a little harsh.”
“They are honored in their own way.”
Jack frowned, clearly suspicious. “I’d like to meet one of these Temple wards…”
“What about the artifact from Amadeus?” Dante interrupted. “You wanted it so badly you tried to kill me. Why?”
“That was my mission. I no longer wish to harm you, if that is your concern.” Khiann stopped walking and turned to face them. “Your people are gentler than mine. Your desire for peace is a weakness, yet your Mystics are stronger. This should not be, but it is.”
“Do you just mean the Evolved? The ones who’ve bonded with dragons?”
Khiann’s lip curled back before she smoothed her expression. “No.”
“You don’t like dragons, do you?” Dante had been watching her closely, and her reaction had happened the moment he mentioned dragons.
“No. We do not like dragons. They have been an obstacle to my people through our recorded history. We do not have the strength to confront them.”
“That Amadeus dragon was keeping you from the gadget we found.” Jack grinned. “Then we came along and talked it into letting us land.”
“Yes. That is what happened.”
She turned her back and started walking again, her long strides forcing the humans to jog if they wanted to keep up.
“We don’t know your ways.” Dante was glad he’d started exercising again, but it was still hard to keep up with her. “If we ask something offensive, it’s because we don’t know.”
“The planet you call Amadeus was my first great failure. The second is why I am your host, rather than doing more important tasks.”
“What was the other one?” Jack asked.
“I prevented a war.”
The Mystics glanced at each other. When Jack and Dante locked eyes, he thought he felt some of Jack’s confusion, but it was faint. They didn’t have the same bond that Coraolis and Julia did. Dante decided to change the subject, but only by a little.
“Tell us about the artifact. You told me you weren’t allowed to before, but you just said you got permission to answer our questions.”
“Within my own discretion, yes.” She slowed her steps, allowing the Mystics to draw nearer.
Dante wondered again where everyone was, and if he should be worried. Earth didn’t expect them back for six months, help would be a long time coming if they needed it. “Why did you try to kill me for your artifact? It wasn’t even yours. That city was empty for longer than humans have been in space. At least. It couldn’t be yours.” Jack hadn’t even broken a sweat, Dante noticed. He was used to running every day.
“It is a sacred treasure of my people. We have been waiting for thousands of years to get it back from Ixhoi only to have humans defile the planet and take our treasure from us.”
“It’s sacred? As in, it has religious significance? Why didn’t you just say so?” Jack asked.
“Would it have made a difference if I did?”
“Yes! We make a point of honoring others’ beliefs. If you’d said it belonged to your religion and asked for it, Cor and I would have handed it over right then and there. There’d be no need for pirates or whatever else you’ve got up your sleeve.”
Khiann stopped to stare at Jack, her face working in a way that made it look as if she were on the verge of either tears or a fit of rage. She produced a small square object and slapped it into Jack’s hand.
“This is the key to your rooms. It will guide you.”
She began walking away.
“Wait! What did we say?” Dante jogged after her and put a hand on her arm.
She stopped to look at him. “You are trusting fools, you and the rest of your race. You let dragons into your souls, and you would…you have the comprehension of an infant! I cannot believe you got off your own planet without assistance.”
Dante stepped back, surprised. Before he could say anything to smooth this over, she spun on her heel and walked away, vanishing into a nearby building.
“I think we made her mad,” Jack observed. “Did I miss something?”
Dante shook his head, just as confused as his partner. “No idea. But, as long as we’re unsupervised, what do you say we do some exploring?”
Jack grinned. “Buddy, you just read my mind.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Pirr settlement consisted of clusters of buildings separated by fields or stands of forest. Jack and Dante chose to go in the opposite direction of the landing field, but soon their steps were pulled a different way. Their dragons whispered to them, but not so much in words.
Jack had a strong feeling of déjà vu. The shape of the buildings seemed familiar, but it took the first building with glyphs on it to be sure. The structures resembled those on Amadeus and Geneva. That confirmed the Pirr’s claim on the artifact, he supposed, but Khiann’s reactions worried him. She should want the treasure back. But when they said they’d support giving it to her, she called them idiots.
“What do you think? Did she get kicked out of the alien navy for making those promises?” Dante asked.
“Seems reasonable. She said something about a title, so I’m guessing they stripped her of her rank, but they could only go so far. She’s probably a noble or something like it.” Jack held up his datapad, recording each of the buildings as they passed. “Too bad we can’t get someone to translate these runes.”
“Right now, that’s the least of my worries.” Dante stopped and grabbed Jack’s arm. “Do you hear that?”
Voices. Jack pulled Dante against the wall, then focused. His will covered them both, rendering them invisible. It had proven to be useful more than once, but Jack still didn’t understand where it came from, and why the other Mystics didn’t have the same ability. Maybe Isabel would eventually find that answer for him.
Two Pirr in military black turned the corner. Their faces were masks of discipline, and their voices were devoid of emotion. Jack tensed when their eyes passed over him and Dante, but neither of the soldiers reacted. He didn’t release his death grip on Dante’s jacket until the pair vanished from sight and hearing.
“Okay, so not everyone has disappeared,” he murmured. “We’ll have to be careful.”
They kept going in the same direction, but now they paused every dozen steps to listen. Jack cast his senses out, trying to detect their presence, but the effort felt clumsy. He didn’t want to warn any Pirr in the area, so he stopped, and went back to following the dragons’ guidance.
Their path took them through a dense forest with trees that were as smooth as green twigs and nearly as thin. A winged creature swooped by his head. He ducked, covering himself with his arms. When it didn’t come back, he and Dante stood to move on, watching the air above as much as the forest around them.
“How much farther?” Jack ask
ed his dragon out loud.
Dante put a finger to his lips and shook his head. “I think we’re close.”
Jack paused to listen and realized Dante was right. What he had taken for wind in the trees sounded more like music. There was humming, too, with dozens of voices in harmony. The voices broke into song. Jack couldn’t understand the words, but the reverent tone was unmistakable.
Both Mystics crouched low as the forest thinned, urged on by their dragons and their own curiosity. A break in the trees provided them a glimpse of a stone tower rising above the treetops. As they came closer, Jack took in the beautifully intricate carvings on the walls, as if all were created from one solid piece.
They neared the grounds surrounding the tower but didn’t break through the treeline. Instead, they crept around the perimeter, following the sound of the voices. Neither Mystic spoke. They were trespassing on a ritual they knew nothing about, but they did know the Pirr were prickly. They couldn’t afford to get caught.
The back of the tower came into sight, and they stopped. A balcony jutted out over the courtyard. An elaborately-dressed Pirr male stood on a dais. Hundreds of aliens were gathered in the courtyard below, their gazes fixed on the robed figure as he chanted. They hummed in time to his words. When he paused, they knelt on the ground in unison.
The priest—he had to be a priest—stepped back. A pair of acolytes appeared from within the tower, dragging a man in Mystic robes between them. He didn’t fight but seemed so dazed he couldn’t quite get walking right. The priest spoke, exhorting the crowd about something Jack couldn’t follow.
“That’s Dawkins.” Jack knew the man. He’d thought the guy was dead, shot out an airlock or something by the pirates. Instead, he was on the Pirr homeworld, being strapped into a device like a giant sextant.
The priest shouted again. Dark smoke rose from the floor of the balcony, meeting in an arch above Dawkins’s head. Instead of rising further, the smoke came together to create a dark cloud over the balcony. Its shape bulged and stretched, growing wings in one place and a long, sinuous tail in another. Claws and a mouth bristling with fangs came into being.
Dragon Wave Page 22
