“No clue, Stu.” Barcus smiled.
“Also, based on packet envelope data, it looks like three of the original thirty-two sats are not routing traffic.”
“Does that mean three of them have fallen?”
“Fallen, destroyed, malfunctioning or turned off. That doesn't help or hurt the decrypt effort. Just thought you'd be interested.”
“Thanks. Let me know if you find any other weirdness.”
***
By the time Par reached the STU, it had begun to snow. Light amplification cut through the darkness as they pulled up to the opening ramp in the front of the STU, under his chin of a pilothouse. The shuttle seemed huge to Barcus now. It always looked so tiny compared to the Ventura, when they used it for exterior maintenance support. The ramp closed behind them as soon as they were clear, and then the interior lights came up. The hold was bright, white and clean.
Par walked in and “parked” in the dock designed for the Emergency Module. The dock was a recess in the ceiling that left maximum space on the floor for cargo. The spider’s legs folded perfectly into the infrastructure, and when the hatch in the back opened, Barcus made his exit.
As Barcus moved to the narrow staircase that led to the bridge area, Em transferred the inventory list of needed items to his HUD. They were sorted by location now.
“Traveling by Grav-foils alone will require you to be strapped in, Barcus.” He knew this already but said nothing as he opened the hatch to the main bridge.
He should have stayed inside Par.
He had forgotten about all the blood. Chen's blood. It was dried now. But the metallic smell of it lingered despite the circulation of the air. He knew he would have to clean it. He went to the command chair, center, down front - Chen's chair. It had blood on the left side, but he ignored it and sat. The round saucer-sized buckle slid up between his legs and the fifteen-centimeter wide strap extended thirty centimeters. An adjustable shoulder harness was buckled in on each side for the full five-point harness.
“Ready to go Stu. Full ship HUD please.” The HUD snapped on, including several status windows Barcus didn't understand, that were intended for pilots. “Take us to Foxden, Grav-foils only.”
“And we're off!” Stu said. “This will feel odd because the inertial dampeners will not function when moving like this.”
Suddenly it felt like the ship was upside down and tilting forward. Barcus’s body pressed against the straps, and then he felt like he was in an elevator that was falling. The ship was, in fact, in freefall, just not directly toward the planet.
They were in the clouds now, all gray and darkness. Watching the tactical was more productive. What had taken them forty-five hours over land would take them just under three hours in freefall.
The ride was uneventful, but the further south they got, the thinner the clouds were. They landed with the STU’s nose directly over the door to the Foxden.
“We need to get this all offloaded and the STU into the lake before dawn,” Barcus stated flatly.
It was all a snap except for the ammo. Chen had a ton of it, literally. There were four types, all caseless. Big .50 for Em’s main gun, 5.56mm, 9mm, and 12gauge. Barcus decided to keep some in the STU, stow some inside Par, leave some at the Foxden cache and take the rest back to Whitehall. He also stashed a handgun, rifle and shotgun with the cache at Foxden, taking three just like them with him.
They finished two hours before dawn. Barcus rode inside of Par as the spider backed down the ramp. They parked near the rocky shore to watch as the STU flew over the lake then threw up a fountain of water into the sky as it descended. As it settled into the water, the lobster sections collapsed again, shrinking it to the smallest size possible.
It disappeared into the water and the tumult ceased, returning the waters to their normal calm.
“Bye, Stu. Keep in touch,” Barcus said.
“Will do, boss.”
“Par, let's go home. We might be in time for breakfast.”
“Yes, sir.”
Barcus stretched out his legs and leaned back, hoping for a couple hours of sleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Em sitting in the other seat next to him.
“That went better than I expected. I am speculating about a few things based on the data we have already collected.” She crossed her legs. “I am really beginning to wonder about the competence of the people running this planet.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, let me throw a few things out there.” She loved ticking off fingers. “No search parties. Not at the crash site. Not in the surrounding area. We know they have ships. We've seen them.”
She ticked off a second finger. “These raiders, these soldiers, they lost two Keepers. Ruling class members I presume. Still no searching.”
Third finger. “They are destroying productive, self-sustaining villages and towns. Why? The Keepers know. It was their idea.”
Another finger. “They seem incompetent regarding their own technology. Their operational security is bad. You'd think they would have had some kind of innovation in 200 years. There is nothing.”
One more finger. “Why the fuck do they adopt this backward culture? Create new religions and caste systems? What the hell? It's like they want the middle ages.”
She fell silent.
“We just need more information. I will have a lot of time to talk with Olias and Po over the winter. You see what you can find out with the BUGs and the surveys with Par and Ash. Eventually, we can tap into their traffic, but for now this will have to do,” Barcus said.
“I think we should do a few more supply runs to Greenwarren. I want Par to take Olias on the next run. Par needs hands and feet to do a proper job,” Em said.
Barcus looked at Em then with a questioning eyebrow.
“I think he will be fine with Par. He is fine with Ash already. They are becoming friends, I think. Olias likes it. He will take Par in stride when he knows she belongs to you. Remember, you're a Keeper, Barcus.”
Barcus rolled his eyes. “Okay. Let me know when Po is awake.”
A window opened that showed Po was already awake. She was sitting in the center of the bed with the Plate open in front of her and all four of the books on the bed by her knees.
“Call her, audio only.”
The Plate chimed and startled her. It chimed again and she picked it up.
“Good morning, Po.”
“Good morning, Barcus. I can hear you.”
“You don't need to shout, Po. I can hear you very well.”
“Oh, I'm sorry, my Lord.” She blushed deeply. Her head bowed forward, and her hair cascaded around her face.
“No need to be sorry. We will use these a lot. You'll get used to them.”
“Barcus, I have been reading, just as you told me...asked me too. I am doing so much better! We have a book here that is all about bees. It IS magic! When I master these arcane symbols and can read this whole book, I will know how to care for bees and harvest honey in safety and know all sorts of things to do with the honey!”
Barcus was smiling at her enthusiasm.
“Barcus, all four of these books are IN the plate! Others too!”
“Po, we will have lots of time this winter to teach you to read. I look forward to it.”
He could see her, but she didn't know that. There was a flash of concern on her face for a moment as she looked at the books surrounding her.
“Po, I will be back in a few hours, in time for breakfast.” Her face brightened.
“I will have it ready for you.” She started climbing out of bed.
“Po, one more thing.” He paused. “The spider, Pardosa, is bringing me. Don't be afraid.”
He saw her hand go to her mouth.
“We will be ready,” she finally said.
“See you soon.”
She climbed out of the bed, gathering the books and the Plate. All of the books went back on the shelf. She kept the Plate out. She added logs to the two fireplaces, grab
bed a clean tunic from the peg and put on a cloak. As she stepped her feet into some newly salvaged dainty slippers, very unlike her, she raised up the Plate and said, “Light.”
The plate glowed as a bright white panel, lighting the way for her as she opened the door and went across the fountain yard to the stables. She tossed two logs on that fireplace grate and went up the spiral stairs. The hall was long here and well swept. With the Plate lighting her way, she ran the length of it and then up more stairs and onto the wall. She followed the wall around to the last stairs before the breach. She was down those stairs when Barcus finally knew where she was going.
The Plate lit her way perfectly as she approached what they had begun to call the “Keeper’s bath.” There was still a full bed of glowing coals in the fireplace, but she got more wood and put it on the fire. Then she hung her cloak up on a peg. In one swift motion, she unbuttoned the single button on her tunic at the nape of her neck and it quickly puddled about her ankles.
Barcus didn't try to look away or close the window.
She went to the edge of the tub and swung first one leg over the edge and then the other. When she turned toward the light, he saw it. There was a scar, a brand mark, just above the left breast. It was an old scar, many years old from the looks of it.
He watched her lower herself slowly into the huge tub, all the way into the water until her head was completely under. He watched her wash her hair with a bar of soap and rinse it under the steaming waterfall. She scrubbed her body with a fibrous ball of string that had a bar of soap in the center. He could see the soapy water drift away toward the overflow drain at the other end. She sat and soaked for a while after she was done scrubbing. When she climbed out, she simply stood before the fire, air drying. She combed her hair straight and shining and rapidly braided it, securing it with a simple string. She put on a clean tunic and then her cloak. She added another log before she left by the light of the Plate again.
It was still only 4:30 a.m.
Barcus closed the window and closed his eyes. Em promised to wake him before they arrived.
It seemed like only a few minutes before Em turned on the HUD, allowing in the full morning light. It was 7:40 a.m. now, and Barcus recognized the quarry road as they moved by it. The trees had all been removed from the road. It was easy going. He could see the wall of The Abbey as they approached.
He was planning on walking Par directly over the broken section of the wall and directly into the compound.
He asked Ash to announce their arrival.
Po and Olias saw Par climb over the breach in the wall and then over the inner walls to the kitchen yard. Par lowered the ramp and Barcus jumped out.
When he rounded the side, he saw that both Olias and Po had their heads downcast and eyes averted. He walked up to them and placed hands on their shoulders. “It's all right. She won't hurt you. Her name is Pardosa.” They looked up nervously at his smiling face.
“I'm starving,” Barcus said as they smiled back. They cast dodging glances at Par as she backed up to unload by the outdoor kitchen.
If they decided to tell him about the tub, he knew that he would take a bath right after breakfast.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ash the Stone
“The Emergency Module kept him busy and distracted.”
--Solstice 31 Incident Investigation Testimony Transcript: Emergency Module Digital Forensics Report. Independent Tech Analysis Team.
<<<>>>
Breakfast was wonderful. There were pancakes with syrup made from diced dried apples stewed in honey. And there was real bacon. It was served on beautiful earthen plates with matching mugs for tea and cups for warm cider.
Olias was eating gleefully and in quantities only a young teen could manage. Po was unselfconscious as she ate more than she usually did. Olias encouraged her to eat more.
As she began to stand to collect the plates, Olias got up first and started with Barcus right behind him. They carried the plates to the basin in the open kitchen. Olias commented, “She is still uncomfortable with us taking her work away. You may not realize that this makes her feel, how does she say it, inadequate.” Olias was chewing unfamiliar words. Em was translating for Barcus. The boy shifted back to common. “She does not know how to think about any of this really. But she will be fine.
“She said that you control her dreams. She never has nightmares if you are here. More magic.”
“Nightmares?”
“Horrors have been done to her. They return and haunt her, dreams of reliving it.” Em’s translation of common seemed too short. Olias was saying far more words than the translation allowed.
“Her life. It has been... difficult,” Olias said. “She has never had so much sleep or so much food.” He paused, deciding something. “She sees things that need doing. She does not want to tell you what to do in your own house. She just does them or asks me to. She has started asking Ash, but only about firewood. He can carry a lot.”
She came out just then with a few more dishes, and they fell silent. They went back in to get the rest of the dishes, and there were no more.
“I will clean this up. Olias, please show Barcus the surprise we have for him.”
Barcus knew what the surprise was already.
“Let me get a fresh tunic before we go.”
Olias's eyes went wide, thinking this was more evidence of Barcus’s magic powers. Barcus was amused by his reaction. Olias was still frozen in shock. So Barcus grabbed a fresh tunic and led the way up to the new bath.
***
Soaking and scrubbing in the sunken tub was far better than he had expected. The stone tub was deep in the center and had built-in benches all around. One side had a couple of steps up to floor level. The wall at the end opposite the spigot was slanted so he could stretch out if he liked after he was done scrubbing and washing his hair. That was exactly what he did.
He let the water’s heat soak into his bones. The slow but constant flow of the water swept away all the suds as well as the dirt in the water, even the dirt that sank to the bottom somehow. It was a brilliant system, based on the same technology as the floor heating systems. He was considering a reassessment of The Abbey to look for other innovations when he heard someone add logs to the fire.
“You don't need to do that, Po. I'm almost finished.” She was once again shy, averting her gaze. The fireplace was the only light in the room, and the shadows were deep in the dark stone tub because it was sunken low in the floor.
She slid a three legged stool out of the corner and looked at the fire as she spoke. “Olias and I have been talking about how we should behave here. With you.” She swallowed hard, “Did you know I should be bathing you? This is a Keeper’s bath. Bathing is a Keeper’s sacrament. I don't think you know that. Just as you didn't know you should not sleep alone.”
“That's right. I knew none of these things, and much more I expect,” came his measured reply.
“I have never eaten at the same table as a Keeper or any man for that matter. I have only served. I have never been allowed to eat the same food as the men, not to mention a Keeper, not even the scraps. I have seen women beaten for simply tasting uneaten food that would have gone to the pigs.”
“That will never happen under this roof,” Barcus said.
“I know.” There was incredulity in her voice.
“I will never eat anything better than you, or better than anyone else under this roof,” Barcus vowed.
“I have never been allowed to speak unless spoken too,” she continued, head bowed.
“I expect you to speak when you wish or need.”
“Every sentence out of my mouth before now always ended with the words ‘my Lord’ for Keepers or ‘sir’ for men of age.” She paused. He waited.
“Keepers would have killed me by now for daring to read. Or any of these other things I just spoke of. I have been raised to obey and nothing more.”
“I know you are strong enough, Po, to treat me the way I ask
, to make decisions, to act. I've seen it. If you are ever unsure, ask.
“Please understand you can say ‘no’ to me at any time,” he stated and then paused.
“Do you want me to bathe you?” she asked.
“I can bathe myself.” He watched her head bow a little more, as if in disappointment.
“What do you want me to do?” she offered.
“I want you to eat three meals a day and become strong,” he said.
She glanced up at him, and he caught and held her eyes.
“I want you to learn to read and help me understand this world. I want you to be my friend, not my possession. I want you to do only the things that YOU want to do. I want you to be free, just like me.”
She looked away from him, looked down at her hands.
“May I please still sleep in your bed?” she asked.
“Yes, Po. But, only if you want to.”
“Do you want me to?” she asked. It was almost a whisper.
“Yes. But only if YOU want to.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, clenching her hands together. “What sort of magic is this?” She rushed out.
“Em, please follow her. Make sure she is okay.” A window popped open that showed Po moving up the stairs to the wall. She went toward the North Tower, entered quickly and sat on the steps, hugging herself.
“I'll watch her and keep you informed,” Em said in a sympathetic tone. The window closed as he got up out of the tub, feeling truly clean for the first time in weeks.
***
Po sat alone on the steps in the tower, trying to sort out what she was feeling inside.
“You know you saved him, saved his life.” The voice was a deep low rumble. Po turned her head and saw the deepest blackness in the shadows move, just enough for the outline of Ash to be revealed. “That first night of fire, you saved him.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“And that night in Greenwarren, he almost lost you again. You saved him again that night. You saved this entire world I think.” Ash said.
Solstice 31: The Solstice 31 Saga, Books 1,2,3 Page 14
