by Lionel Law
“The guy was speaking Iovan,” Katrina replied sheepishly. “Our link isn’t quite strong enough to catch everything yet.”
Da’al nodded, then chuckled. “Don’t think we have time for another go around before the meeting starts, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
They waited inside the shuttle until the hovercraft cleared the trees (as Katrina suspected, it was one of the high performance models, able to get up to five hundred feet above ground level if needed) and settled to the turf of the meadow. The two crafts pointed at each other for long minutes, until Katrina decided to take the lead. “Pop the side door,” she said. Looking down at her clothes, she sighed. “And remind me, if this becomes a regular thing, I need a uniform or something. Human society places a lot of emphasis on outward displays of authority. This jumpsuit screams powerlessness.”
“So noted,” Da’al said. “When we get home, we’ll get something made. You need some new clothes anyway.”
The casual normality of his comment made her smile, calming her and letting her focus. “Okay. You go out first, I want my presence to keep being a surprise as long as possible.”
Da’al stepped out, spreading his arms wide to show he was unarmed before crossing half of the meadow to stand in the grass, waiting. The cockpit to the hovercraft opened and a helmeted passenger got out, striding confidently towards him. Katrina waited until he was about twenty meters away from Da’al until stepping out. It took the human a few moments to realize she wasn’t an Iovan, his step faltering for a moment before resuming its normal stride. She hurried, and was almost all the way to the meeting point before the man spoke. “You have kidnapped one of our people,” the man said, leaving his helmet on, to Da’al. “She should be returned to us if you expect there to be peace between our peoples.”
“I am here of my own free will,” Katrina replied. The two groups were about ten meters apart, close enough that they didn’t have to yell over the whine of the hovercraft’s turbines, but they still had to speak loudly. “And have been asked to represent the Iovan government in this meeting. My name is Katrina Cole.”
The man pulled off his helmet, revealing a blond crewcut and green eyes along with his dusky skin. He looked familiar, one of the ship’s crew, but she didn’t know his name. “Ah, I know that name. Lieutenant Rodriguez’s missing Dirt.”
“Lieutenant?” Katrina asked. “That’s quite a tumble in rank in just a few weeks. And you are?”
“When he couldn’t keep track of you or take care of ship’s property, the Captain relieved him of his rank, although he has been allowed to keep his house,” the man replied with a sneer. “I think he’s working night shift now, city security. Should I pass along your regards?”
“No. But you still haven’t identified yourself.” Katrina took a moment to read his collar rank, and saw he was a Lieutenant Commander. She thought about using his rank, but decided against it. She could not give any sign of subservience to him, or else he would never listen to what she had to say.
“Lieutenant Commander Harrison Youngblood,” the cocky man replied, not offering his hand. “You know, there’s a reward out for your capture. You caused quite a stir among the Dirts.”
“I am no Dirt, nor am I a Peer,” Katrina replied, keeping her voice tight and her temper in check. “I am a free woman. What is your business in this area, Youngblood?”
“Scouting for potential expansion of the colony,” Youngblood replied. “Do these aliens claim ownership of this land?”
“The Iovan people lay no claim to the land at all,” Da’al said. “That is not the way our people think. As to usage, it has not been an issue for our people until then. Do your people lay claim to this land?”
“We laid claim to the entire planet when we landed,” Youngblood challenged. “Do you dispute this claim?”
“The Iovans were here prior to humanity’s arrival,” Katrina replied. “So yes, your claim is disputed. Iova City is five thousand people. Youngblood, the Iovans number in the millions. Do you really think your forces could challenge the Iovan rights to their area even if you wanted to?”
Katrina knew she was lying. In her head, she could feel Da’al knew the same thing. The fact was, she had no clue how many Iovans there were. She knew the city was pretty large, and there were some smaller towns that were developing in their own right, but she had no clue how many there were, nor what defense capabilities the Iovans had. She just had to trust in her understanding of psychology, and hope her bluff wasn’t totally empty.
Whether she was lying or not, her words gave Youngblood a reason to pause. She could see the silver shine of the earpiece in his left ear, and knew that just as Da’al was linked into the pilots, Youngblood was linked back to the human government. He nodded once, his eyes taking her in for the first time as an actual person and not just a Dirt. “It seems you have a point. The people of Iova City do not wish open conflict at this time, it wouldn’t be beneficial to us or to the planet. Therefore, we would like to instead open communications with these….. you used the term Iovan?”
“Yes. Their native language includes sounds humans cannot replicate, so they have agreed to use the term Iovan when speaking with us.”
Youngblood shrugged, not really caring. “Okay. Iovan. Well, I’ve been authorized to say we would like to open communications between humanity and the Iovans.”
“That’s agreeable. I can say that the Iovan government will be pleased to hear that. How would you prefer these communications take place?”
Youngblood paused again, listening to his earpiece. “Okay, yeah, got it.”
The cockpit of the hovercraft opened again, and another crewmember got out, carrying a case in his right hand. “It’s a standard long distance radio from one of our military survival kits. Ten channel capable, preprogrammed, and can be bounced off the ionosphere. We’ve tested it at ranges up to ten thousand kilometers, so wherever your people are, you can probably still contact us.”
“That’s fine. You of course can expect us to scan and make sure the unit isn’t boobytrapped or tracked?”
“Of course. The standard tracking device can be disabled and the unit will still work. If what I remember of your wanted poster is correct, you should be able to do that yourself.” The crewmember handed the radio to Youngblood, who set it on the grass halfway in between the two groups, and stepped back.
Katrina cocked her head, perplexed. “Wanted poster?”
“Yes, wanted poster. You’re a runaway Dirt, Cole. You’re wanted for destruction of public property, violation of the Dirt living codes, and a few other laws that happen to slip my mind right now. Either way, there’s a price on your head. I’m not in a position to take you in right now, your boys outnumber me five to two. Regardless of what my scans say, I also know my eyeballs tell me your ships can fly higher and faster than I can in that bucket. So I’m not going to take the risk today. But someday, you will have to answer for your crimes.”
“Miss Cole will not be going with you now, or any other time,” Da’al interjected. “Regardless of your claims, she has been granted status within our society. She is under the full protection of our laws.”
Youngblood shifted his eyes from Katrina to Da’al and back, before a lascivious smile grew on his face. “So that’s how it is,” he chuckled. “And to think, the story was you ran away because you didn’t want to do it for Rodriguez. Some of the Dirts were saying you ran away for some human rights sort of bullshit. Seems they were wrong, you just had something personal against spreading your legs for Rodriguez.”
She felt like she had been slapped in the face. It was only a lifetime of controlling her temper that kept her from attacking Youngblood right then. Da’al also tensed, and took a step forward before she held up her hand. “Da’al, stop. He’s not worth it. What channel, Youngblood?”
“Channel 4,” Youngblood said with a laugh. “We’ll be in touch.”
*****
That evening, Katrina was sitting on a grassy hill
overlooking New Des Moines, her elbows on her knees. Youngblood’s threat and taunt played in her mind over and over. She knew his allusion to her being a whore was just lies, but it still bothered her. Deep in her mind, that nagging little question wouldn’t go away. Was she actually just being another form of a whore?
“No, I was living with him for weeks before we had sex,” she muttered to herself. “So what if we lived together for mutual benefit? There’s a big difference between that and being a whore.”
She grabbed a rock from the turf between her knees and tossed it away, watching it clack against a boulder about ten meters away. Digging her fingers through the tough dirt, she pulled at the roots of the grass, letting her frustration out on the turf. She didn’t know what to do.
She felt Da’al coming up behind her long before she heard him. “Is that going to be normal?” she said after a few seconds, when she could hear him approach.
“Feeling me approach? Yes, as long as we’re together,” Da’al replied. “The link fades after about a week or two of no contact, at least before a certain point. Partners who have been together for years can usually expect their bond to be lifelong, even if they stop being intimate.”
Katrina nodded, and looked out over the sunset. It was one of the things that was different from Earth, as it was invariably a brighter orange shifting to red before darkness dropped suddenly. “I see. Well, what did the government say?”
“They agreed with your assessment, that the radio’s tracker is disabled. They also contacted the human government. The communication did not go very well.”
Katrina laughed harshly and looked over her shoulder. “You don’t sound surprised.”
Da’al sat down beside her and shrugged. “I’ve seen them in person. I’ve seen your feelings. So no, I’m not surprised at all. As to your other question, no. You’re not a whore. I would have let you live in the house forever if you wished, if you did not want intimacy with me.”
“Do your people have whores?” Katrina asked, morbidly curious. “I mean, with the psychic connection and open relationships and all, I didn’t think it would be a profession with a lot of demand.”
“You’d be surprised,” Da’al replied. “There are always those who are interested in something different than what they have, and are willing to pay for it temporarily. As for the psychic bond, there are ways to prevent it. But that is beside the point. The point is, you are no whore.”
“Thanks,” Katrina said, leaning into Da’al when he sat down on the grass beside her. “So what happened in the communication?”
“Basically, the humans…. what’s the term? Oh yes, they freaked out when they realized just how much of our language they could not hear. They insisted our communication had undertones or hidden messages or something that could influence their thoughts. What was it one of them accused us of? Ah yes, Jedi mind tricks. What’s a Jedi?”
“Ancient story, I’ll tell you later,” Katrina said, waving him off. “So what was the end result?”
“They want you to be the ambassador.”
Katrina surprised him by laughing, her laughter proving infectious and growing in full on tears rolling down the face belly laughter hysterics for both of them. “Who requested it?” Katrina finally got out after her laughter died down. “Because if you say the humans, I swear I’m going to start laughing again.”
“No, our people did,” Da’al replied. “The human government was willing to work with that, provided when you communicate with them, there are no Iovans in the room. You know, to prevent those Jedi mind tricks. The colony leaders asked me to come and request you take the position.”
“Does it pay well?” Katrina asked with a sardonic grin. Da’al blinked, then grinned back.
“I’m sure it does. And it definitely comes with a nice new set of clothes.”
Katrina thought about it for only a second. “Deal. Tell the government I accept. But, they need to get me a staffer who is willing to learn English. You mind if someone hangs out in a spare bedroom while I sleep for a few nights?”
“Not at all….. if that’s all they do,” Da’al teased. Katrina leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, and the two held each other as the sun went down.
Chapter 8
“Hello, my name is Brynnda,” the busty woman said, surprising Katrina when she walked into what was supposed to be her new office.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. How long have you known English?” she asked, setting her backpack down and smoothing her hands over her new jumpsuit. It was cut tighter than her old work jumpsuit she had from the Glorious Enterprise, and the fabric, while silky soft, was too breathable. She felt like she was wearing a light netting, and her skin was exposed or something, even though her eyes told her she was covered from neck to ankles.
“Hello, my name is Brynnda,” the assistant said again, shaking her head and following up in some Iovan. Katrina understood the situation. Brynnda was what she was coming to term as a third generation learner. Da’al and a few others, mainly government and academic officials she had spent significant amounts of time with, had been able to learn English directly from her to various degrees. Some, such as Da’al, had been able to absorb almost perfectly from her sleep. Others had only learned through short naps and when she had consciously relaxed and tried to let them learn, and had lower levels.
From that first generation of perhaps a dozen, a second generation had learned from them, using the much faster and efficient Iovan to Iovan psychic links. Even still, the second generation tended to make more mistakes, especially with idiomatic language, although she had been impressed when she met one of the wives (?) of a sociology professor she had spent significant time with. In the course of only knowing and talking directly with her for two hours, she had gone from stilted, overly academic language to flowing and natural speech.
Brynnda was one of the third generation, she thought. Knowing only a few phrases, she had met them increasingly over the past week, as news of her appointment as “Ambassador” spread. Thankfully, she knew within a few days Brynnda would be very fluent, and communication wouldn’t be a problem any longer. “Well, don’t worry,” she said, pointing at herself and then at her desk. “We’ll get by today, and then tonight if you don’t mind you can come by our place, and you’ll be doing better soon enough. In the meantime, I guess I should read your personnel file.”
Brynnda at least understood the word file, and nodded helpfully. She picked up a thin flexible piece of plastic Katrina knew was used for temporary file storage, yet could contain as much data as a human data terminal five times as thick, and handed it over. She went back to her desk and sat down, picking up a cup of Iovan coffee and taking a sip. Katrina watched for a moment before going over to her desk and sitting down. While she was officially an Ambassador now, her office wasn’t glamorous in any way. The office was small, maybe forty square meters, and her desk looked pretty normal, not much different than the other desks she had seen in her time in New Des Moines. “Well, at least Da’al was right, I did get a salary and a spending account,” she said to herself.
It was too bad Da’al couldn’t come with her today, she thought, he could have spent a half hour with Brynnda and gotten her to at least basic conversation level. However, his work (which she had finally figured out had something to do with experimental propulsion systems, although it was so far beyond her understanding of physics that she was blown away the one time he tried to explain it to her. The best she had been able to figure out, it had something to do with slipstreams or wormholes) was at a critical stage, and he had to be in his lab for an important test. Still, she missed him when he was at work, since she knew he could sometimes get caught up in his work to the point that he would come home close to midnight. Thankfully, those days were few and far between.
As she looked over Brynnda’s file, she was impressed. A graduate of the Iovan colonial university, she had the equivalent of a Master’s Degree, and had worked for another governmental ministry
for the past fifteen years. It wasn’t until she looked over the file again that she thought something must not have gone correctly through the translation matrix on the plastic. “Brynnda?”
“Hnnn?” Brenda said, looking up, before blinking and smiling. “Yes?”
Well, at least she knows more than just how to say her name, Katrina thought, before waving her over. She pointed at the file, where is said how old Brynnda was. “OK?”
Brynnda tapped the upper left corner of the display, and the text shifted over to Iovan. Brynnda glanced and nodded. “OK.”
Katrina set the display back to English, and looked at it again. Brynnda was eighty years old, according to the display, yet she looked no older than thirty, maybe a well kept forty in human years. Katrina had felt strange taking a job as an Ambassador when she was barely twenty five herself, but to know her assistant was old enough to be her grandmother? Weird.
The day got stranger when the radio terminal in the office buzzed soon after lunch. It was Iova City calling. “Brynnda? Please make sure you’re out of sight, and be very quiet,” Katrina said, holding her finger to her lips for silence. Despite what the humans may have demanded, she wasn’t going to send her assistant out every time they wanted to talk.
Pulling the terminal in front of her, she made sure the only things on the screen were her upper torso and the shot out the window of her office (which only looked over a rather standard garden and office park, the sort of place it would be nice to have lunch when the weather was nice). Everything in place, she tapped the control, and the face of a man she hadn’t expected to talk to filled the screen. “Captain? I’m surprised to get a call from such a high ranking person.”
“Ambassador Cole,” the Captain said, smiling even though she could hear in his voice that he didn’t want to use the title. “It’s actually Governor now. Iova City had an election, and I accepted the office of Governor for the next Iovan year. By the way, a new law went into effect, making voting mandatory. With your new status, you need to cast your vote on some important matters concerning Iova City and the human colony on Iðavöllr. You don’t want to be in violation of any more laws, do you?”
