Suddenly Mike spotted a commotion about twenty meters in front of him and heard shouted protestations in languages too numerous to be translated. It was Votana, hurrying back toward Mike, pushing through the crowd without regard as to whom he might anger, his plain blue robes flapping behind him. So far the Sobrenian was outrunning those few beings insulted enough to pursue him, but Mike could tell a Kanandran was about to catch up to him. Mike backpedaled, but found his back against the booth belonging to the Cetronen arms dealer. And Votana and his pursuers were about to catch up to him.
Dammit, dammit, he thought. He dropped the stasis case and pulled his stunner as Votana rushed past him. The tripedal Kanandran came under his sights, and he fired. The Kanandran's wide bulk tumbled, unconscious, toward the booth as Mike dove out of the way. The Kanandran struck one corner of the booth, hard, and it collapsed, sending disruptor grenades, disruptor pistols, and energy rifles flying.
As he raised himself up off the deck, Mike heard a myriad of sounds—safeties disengaging, shells slamming into chambers, targeting chips and energy packs powering up.
Votana returned to Mike's side and picked up the stasis case. “Stupid Human,” he said. “Now we may never escape this place."
We have just a few moments, Mike thought, while everyone tries to figure out who we may be aligned with and if they want to take the chance of making a lethal enemy. He grabbed Votana by the arm. “C'mon,” he said, “let's get some distance between us and everyone you pissed off.” He nearly had to drag a squirming, protesting Votana into the crowd, out of the transit area. “Calm down now. What's this about never getting out of here?"
Votana wrested his arm from Mike's grasp. “That Kanandran you shot was the captain of the freighter that was to take us off this station!"
Mike felt as if his head were spinning. “What the hell was he doing here?"
"We were late because of the time we've spent trying to avoid Urtogen. He'd heard of disturbances in part of the station involving a Sobrenian and a human and came to investigate."
"So what were you arguing about?"
"He was delaying taking me to his ship. He wanted to prowl the marketplace in search of new weaponry."
"Or so he said."
Votana asked, “What do you mean by that?"
"None of what you just said made a lick of sense, do you realize that? How did one Kanandran just happen to find us in a ten-K-long space station? Either he's the luckiest son of a bitch I've ever heard of, or he's been shadowing us so he can sell you out to Urtogen."
"He wouldn't! I've paid—"
"What one person can pay, another can top."
Votana said, “All this is irrelevant now. That Kanandran will never take us off this station."
They were headed into another ravaged section of the station. Mike ducked beneath a jutting beam. “Then we'll just have to hire someone else."
"I paid the Kanandran in advance. I have no more assets. What do you have, Human?"
"Me? I'm from a replicator economy, not a market economy."
Votana huffed his displeasure. “Meaning you have no assets."
Mike halted and tapped the stasis case in Votana's hands. “Something tells me what's in that case might be valuable. What if we traded it in for passage to a nice safe world where I can catch a ride to my ship, or at least to human space?"
Votana held the case close to his chest. “Unacceptable! Bringing this case along is the entire point of my journey. I must not be separated from it."
"What's in there, Votana? I'm not taking another step until you tell me."
"Then you will not take another step. I, however, must stay ahead of Urtogen. Good-bye."
* * * *
Mike watched as Votana started walking down a dark, damaged corridor that had noxious fumes drifting down it. Water dripped rhythmically onto the floor, which was strewn with debris. But Votana didn't seem to be in any hurry.
Mike said, “Urtogen could have docked at the other end of this station, you know. He doesn't have to be behind you. He could come at you from any direction."
Votana stopped walking. He stood stock still for about three water drips, then slowly turned around. “We are bound together, you and I, it seems.” He walked back to where Mike stood. “Returning to you is my only concession. It supersedes your request to learn what is in the stasis case."
Mike shook his head in frustration. “Then I guess I can take that other step. Where should we go?"
Votana pointed down the dark corridor. “We will continue the way I'd started. I spoke with several people before the Kanandran's attack. We should find a transport tube at an intersecting corridor."
"All right, let's go."
Mike led the way down into the dark corridor. He coughed violently as he passed through a cloud of fumes. Holding his hand to his face did little good. Once I get back to the Asaph Hall, he thought, I'm going to have a detailed bio-scan. I don't trust my personal med-tech to compensate for everything I've been exposed to.
After several minutes of walking, Mike ducked his head to avoid the sharp edges of yet another twisted frame of metal and walked through another cloud, this one thankfully only of water vapor. A couple more steps, the vapor dissipated, and Mike realized he and Votana had reached an undamaged section of corridor. Undamaged and apparently unoccupied. Another corridor formed an intersection just ahead.
Votana said, “The transport tube should be to the left."
From the corridor behind them came a loud crash of metal against metal. Mike whipped his head around and, through the vapor cloud, could just make out a small silhouetted form advancing toward them.
"It's Urtogen!” Votana said, grasping his stasis case closer to his body. “Hurry!"
Mike pulled out his stunner as he ran fast as he could behind Votana. He can get up a pretty good head of steam when he's frightened enough.
Votana rounded the corner just ahead of Mike, who had just stolen another quick glimpse of Urtogen, gaining only an impression of a vaguely humanoid shape about Votana's height. As Mike slipped around the corner, he nearly ran Votana down. “What the hell—?” Mike began, then he fell silent. One look at the large transport tube, and he understood why.
Garotethans surrounded the tube entrance, making chittering sounds and jumping around as if in ecstasy.
"Vermin,” Votana muttered. The Garotethans were about three-tenths of a meter tall. Their skinny brown bodies were covered in dirty rags rather than the Sobrenian-style robes Mike had seen them wear while serving as ancillaries aboard Sobrenian starcraft. Several Garotethans jumped on top of cargo containers lined up in front of the pod and taunted Mike and Votana. In all, about two dozen of them were between them and the transport pod that they had to enter—quickly!—to escape Urtogen.
"It's a trap,” Mike said.
Votana asked, “What do you mean?"
Mike pointed toward the transport pod and raised his voice to speak over the Garotethans’ chittering. “They're in with Urtogen. Remember the first time we saw them in one of those damaged corridors? That was just before the Kanandran found you. They've been keeping tabs on us the whole time."
Votana's eyes swung independently in their sockets, one glaring at the Garotethans as the other gazed at Mike. “Then our choice is clear. We're trapped between the Garotethans and Urtogen.” Votana placed the stasis case under one arm and pulled his disruptor from his robes. “The Garotethans are the less formidable adversary.” Votana started down the corridor toward them.
"Wait a minute—” Mike began, but shut up when he realized he didn't have an alternative to suggest, and Urtogen was surely right on their heels. He ran to catch up. I really don't want to see anyone else die, he thought, even these distasteful Garotethans. Mike stepped up his pace and drew his stunner. Which means I'd better start shooting first.
And he did, rushing past Votana and squeezing the stunner's trigger until he'd cut down most of the Garotethans who'd been taunting them from on top of the
cargo containers. They fell limply to the deck as Mike dove behind those containers.
The remaining Garotethans pulled out small stunners of their own and began firing back at Mike as he hunkered down behind the containers. Part of a beam caught him on his left shoulder. Mike groaned against the pain, but the shoulder quickly went numb. He could barely move his left arm, though.
The Garotethans’ chittering came from close by, and one of them jumped up on the cargo container and pointed a stunner at Mike. He tried to get his own weapon to bear, knowing he'd never make it, when every atom of the Garotethan's body was swept away in a blinding flash of energies.
Votana and his disruptor had saved him. Votana switched his aim to the rest of the Garotethans next to the transport tube and began destroying them without hesitation or mercy. The Garotethans turned their fire toward Votana, and though their aim was often wide individually, collectively they fired enough stunner bolts that Votana went down.
And around the corner came the humanoid form that Mike knew must be Urtogen.
Who was another Sobrenian.
This is getting just a little too goddamn complicated, Mike thought. He reached around the storage container and picked off a couple more Garotethans with his stunner. About four were still standing. Then Mike ran for Votana, aware every instant of how likely it was that he could find himself stunned, lying next to his reluctant companion.
He stunned another Garotethan who got just a little too close, then dropped his stunner and picked up Votana's disrupter. He aimed, not at the Garotethans, but at the ceiling just in front of Urtogen, and fired. A huge section of ceiling exploded downward and Mike held his uninjured right arm over his eyes against the flash, flames, and debris.
A pretty good distraction, if I say so myself, Mike thought. With his left arm nearly disabled, it was quickest for Mike to stuff both Votana's disruptor and his own stunner into the Sobrenian's robes. Under cover of the clouds of smoke roiling down the corridor, Mike scooped Votana up as best he could with his one good arm. He hesitated only as his gaze fell upon the stasis case. Dammit. If I don't take it, he'll insist we come back for it.
It took all of Mike's strength to hold Votana in his right arm and kneel to pick the case up with his partially paralyzed left hand, but he managed it. He started down the corridor as quickly as he could carrying a limp Sobrenian and the stasis case. In just a few steps, he'd outpaced the residual smoke and fumes from the damage he'd inflicted upon this area of the station.
Which left him no cover or concealment when dozens of additional Garotethans scurried from behind him out of that smoke and fumes and surrounded him, all pointing their tiny stunners at him.
And each dressed in smaller versions of Sobrenian-style robes.
Following the Garotethans out of the smoke was a Sobrenian male just a little taller than Votana and a number of years older. He'd retained the thick body typical of a Sobrenian, though, and in the way he moved, Mike sensed that he'd retained the formidable muscles of a younger Sobrenian. He wore robes of blue and green, made of fabric that also had lines of yellow and red running through them. This Sobrenian has a lot more status among his people than Votana, Mike realized. Those robes tell the tale. He also wore a control bracelet similar to the one Votana had given him momentarily to operate the lifepod.
Mike slowly placed Votana onto the deck, and his fingers slid over the disruptor and stunner hidden within the Sobrenian's robes. I'd be foolish to go for either one of them with the Garotethans covering me, Mike thought. Wait. Mike placed the stasis case next to Votana's still form, then stood and faced the older Sobrenian. “Urtogen, I presume."
"You are correct. I've been closing on you from the first moments you docked at the northern port."
Mike tilted his head toward the still form of Votana. “Why have you been chasing him?"
Urtogen looked down his snout at Mike, both of his eyes staring at him from their independent sockets. Beneath that searing gaze, Mike felt as if Urtogen were trying to discern the quality of his character simply by staring hard enough. He wondered how much this Sobrenian even knew about human body language and facial expressions.
Urtogen said, “Lesser beings shouldn't hear this conversation."
For an instant, Mike feared Urtogen was speaking about him, and his body tensed in the futile hope that he could protect himself from Urtogen and all these Garotethans. Instead, at a gesture from Urtogen, it was the Garotethans who scattered in either direction down the corridor and even up its walls and into the jagged hole Mike had blasted into the ceiling.
Urtogen pulled a disruptor from his robes and said, “Don't think to assault me. Besides being armed, I can call my ancillaries back at any time. Though they made most irritating company aboard the Moravek, my ship.” He looked down at Votana. “Ah, he awakens."
Votana slowly lifted his head off the deck. He blinked several times, then his eyes opened wide. His voice was nearly a whisper. "Father."
Mike shook his head. Had his datalink malfunctioned? “Excuse me, did you say—?"
Votana held the stasis case close to his chest. “Yes, Urtogen is my father."
"I thought he was your employer."
Urtogen said, “I am both. But I would've thought ‘father’ would have been the more relevant description."
Votana sat up and coughed uncontrollably.
"Lie still,” Mike said, kneeling next to Votana and placing his hand on the Sobrenian's back. His fingers brushed the outline of the disruptor and stunner beneath Votana's robes again. “You're still recovering from the stunner blast."
Votana lowered himself to the deck again and told Urtogen, “I do not justify myself before this presentient—this Human."
Mike said, “You can't be telling me that I'm stranded on this station, that beings have died all because of some family spat!"
Votana said, “My father is a torturer."
Urtogen said, “My son has no appreciation of rare art."
Mike nodded toward Votana. “It comes back to the stasis case, doesn't it?” The tips of Mike's fingers tingled as he waited for an answer; he'd held that case more than once in the past day. What did it contain? A bomb? Rogue nanotech?
Urtogen said, softly, “Show him."
Votana lifted his head from the deck. “I promised myself I would never look upon her again. Until..."
Her? Mike thought. What the hell is in there?
Urtogen said, “Show him. I don't care that he's a Human. We respect all life, even the presentient."
Votana sat up again and fumbled at the latches on the stasis case. He said, “You don't respect the life that's hidden in here."
"That's different."
Votana gave Urtogen an angry glare that Mike interpreted as No, it's not, but opened the stasis case.
It seemed as if the entire station grew still as Mike looked down at the case's contents. He couldn't perceive at first exactly what he was seeing—the case had a shimmering energy field protecting its contents. The case looked as if it were filled with some sort of organic matter. Mike knelt next to it for a closer look and thought he could perceive features of some sort within that mass—Sobrenian features, nearly in profile, with a snout even blunter than was typical and skin even rougher than the norm. The mass of flesh below the head looked as if it had melted into folds and flaps of skin resembling a Sobrenian's robes. Mike saw no evidence of arms or legs.
Urtogen asked Mike, “Do you enjoy abstract art forms?"
Mike looked up at him, then at Votana. “Is that what this is supposed to be?"
Votana said, “It's organic art."
Mike's eyes widened. “I've heard of this among some human cultures.” He glared at Urtogen. “It's not generally approved of."
Urtogen said, “You should not condemn what you do not understand. A living organism designed as an art form—it grows into shapes that cannot be predicted, which adds to its appeal."
Votana gently closed the stasis case and held it agains
t his chest again. “It's sentient. Its cries for help, its appeals for someone to kill it are considered ‘found art.’ You told me you are an artificial human."
"Yes,” Mike said. “But I wasn't created for anyone's enjoyment or entertainment."
"All the same, you should be able to appreciate how casual cruelty toward this being is only acceptable because she is different."
Urtogen said, “You should be able to appreciate the artistry! My son helped me develop this technology, but he became squeamish. And he became a thief! He stole this subject from me, forcing me to pursue him and retrieve it."
Votana told Mike, “One other thing you should know. This ‘subject’ is my sister."
Mike, in turn, glared at Urtogen, who said, “I used the genetic material at hand—my own and that of my mate, Otana."
Mike pointed at the closed stasis case. “To create that?"
Votana said, “She would only be the first. He would create an entire portfolio of such beings, for others’ pleasure and his own enrichment. He's been developing this technology in secret, on the colony world Pride of Artonoran. I wanted to take her to our home world and send this case plunging into the atmosphere, so she could die peacefully, so her ashes would settle onto what should have been her home. I knew my father would try to intercept me."
"That's enough,” Urtogen said. He told Mike, “Give me Votana's disruptor.” As Mike reached into Votana's robes, Urtogen told him, "Carefully."
The fingers of Mike's right hand eased past his own stunner and grasped Votana's disruptor, for two reasons. First, this wasn't the time to make a move, with Urtogen's weapon pointed right at him, and secondly, he intended, when he did make his move, to use the stunner. The very idea of using the disruptor brought up the image of the burning, screaming Jenregar queen. Mike lifted the disruptor by his thumb and one finger and placed it on the floor.
Urtogen kicked the disruptor away and asked Mike, “Where's your stunner?"
Mike blinked as he realized he'd come this close to an involuntary glance at Votana's robes. “Lost in the battle."
"You should know—my clients indicated an interest in such an art form. Therefore I created one."
Analog SFF, May 2008 Page 10
