SWEET HOME ALLE BAMMA (SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA)

by Musser, Dale

  We had been following the trail for about an hour when we noticed the jungle foliage seemed to be thinning. We assumed we were arriving at another of the many lakes that dotted the planet; so we were somewhat surprised when we reached the edge of a large clearing. Several tall structures were spaced at intervals around the clearing; over which a tent of camouflaged netting was draped. Approximately 50 troopers could be seen moving about the area where about a dozen patrol ships and another dozen or so armored ground transports were parked. There was also one much larger ship that was about the size of a corvette but of a different configuration – the likes of which I had not seen before.

  “What kind of ship is that?” I whispered to Kerabac.

  “I’m not sure, to be honest, Tibby. It looks to be well armed, from what I can see of the torpedo tubes and gun hubs. It appears to be a new ship; so I would say it’s a new design by one of the non-aligned planets that specialize in arms manufacturing. It looks deadly, that’s for sure. It’s nothing that would be able to harm the NEW ORLEANS, but it could do serious damage to the ALI in a firefight.”

  “What do you think we should do?” asked Hotyona.

  “Well, for right now I suggest we move around the edge of this clearing and over to the other side to see what’s there,” I said.

  “I agree,” said Kerabac. “I think we need to see as much as we can before we make any decisions as to what we will do next.”

  We slowly began to work our way around the edge of the clearing, staying very mindful of the presence of Brotherhood troopers and guards. As we moved around the perimeter of the encampment, we saw groups of natives restrained by the electrified collars who were being forced to perform different tasks – carrying boxes, clearing brush and felling trees, and digging in the ground to prepare for enough foundation installations to support several structures, the functions of which we only could guess at. We reached the halfway point around the clearing when we noted a large building within the compound into which the enslaved natives carried bales of some sort of vegetation and then exited empty-handed. We also noted members of the Brotherhood in white lab clothing who came and went from this same building.

  “What do you think they’re doing in there?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Kerabac. “It appears they’re processing that plant material for something.”

  As Kerabac replied, several armed Brotherhood guards directed a single-file line of natives out of the building who were burdened with sealed shipping boxes, which they carried across the compound and into a small freighter.

  “I think we need to find out what’s going on in there,” I said.

  “If I knew what plant it is they’re processing, I might be able to tell you what they’re up to,” said Hotyona.

  “You two stay here,” I said. “I’m going to cloak and sneak into the building for a look. I’ll try to get a sample of the plant for you, Hotyona. If I’m not back in two hours, you two head back to the ALI and seal yourself inside until the NEW ORLEANS arrives. Don’t let them blow this base up with the natives inside.”

  Kerabac and Hotyona concealed themselves in the dense foliage along the clearing edge as I activated the personal cloaking device and jogged across the clearing to the far side of the building. As I moved along the side of the building, I passed some exhaust pipes that emitted strong chemical odors. The smell was overwhelming and left me feeling a bit light-headed until I was able to get past the last of them and pause to breathe in some clean air. I noted several locked doors as I made my way around the structure; but the one into which the natives were carrying the bales of leaves was standing wide open. There was a period of about two minutes between lines of natives where there was no one in the doorway and I used that as an opportunity to slip inside.

  Immediately inside the door I stepped to the side to let my eyes adjust to the darkness, after which I noticed the glow of artificial lighting coming from a corridor a few meters ahead. I followed the corridor a short distance to a larger room where the bales were stacked. A guard watched over four naked natives who dropped the bales into a shredding machine that emptied to a conveyor, which then moved the shredded material to another machine. Here the material was dumped into a large hopper that apparently squeezed all the sap out of the plants. The sap was collected in vats arranged on yet another conveyor that moved in a circuit to the adjoining room through a hole in the wall. I carefully snuck past the guard and opened the door into the next room.

  Inside the room I could see the vats moving along the circuit until they emptied into a larger vat. Two of the men in lab coats stood at a nearby banister, apparently making adjustments to some instruments. Under the watchful eyes of a guard, a small native carrying a container poured some powder into the vat. As the guard and native left, I quickly slipped through the door behind them and into yet another room.

  Here I could see more technicians in lab coats, this time taking samples from a tap on a line that came through the wall from the vat and subjecting the liquid product to various chemical tests.

  I heard one of them say, “Excellent. We should get top money for this batch,” as he examined the changing colors inside a test tube. “Those poor suckers on Sepra are so addicted to this juice that we’ll soon have all the wealth of that planet in our pocket. They’ll be so broke and addicted that they will do anything we ask for a fix. We’ll be able to use them for cannon fodder against the Federation while saving our troopers for mop up operations.”

  All the lab workers laughed.

  By this point I estimated I had been cloaked for about twenty minutes, so I needed to start making my way back to Kerabac and Hotyona before the cloak expired. Getting out of the building was not as easy as getting in. Just as I arrived at the exit, a large group of natives and their guards arrived with bales of plants. I had to retreat back into the bale storage room and squeeze myself into a corner where I would not be bumped by anyone as the natives filed in and out of the room. To make matters worse, the natives stacked several bales in front of me, virtually trapping me in the corner. Realizing my cloaking device might fail before I could get out, I turned it off. I was concealed behind the bales, so I wasn’t concerned about being seen. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait too long before I saw the top bale begin to move away from the stack and I quickly reactivated the cloaking device. It took another few minutes before all the bales were cleared away and I was able to make my way to the exit. Even then it was a close call, as another group of natives bearing bales were almost ready to enter the building. Once outside, I stopped briefly to wait for the last native to approach the entrance before plucking a leaf from the bale he was carrying. The guard stood at the opposite side of the native, so there was no risk of him seeing a leaf suddenly leave the bale and vanish into thin air.

  As I approached Kerabac and Hotyona, I spotted several troopers sneaking up on them. It was obvious that the troopers planned to capture the pair; otherwise they could have shot them from where they stood. Kerabac must have heard a noise or noticed something that clued him in to their presence, as he suddenly turned to see three Brotherhood troopers with guns trained on him and Hotyona. Both Kerabac and Hotyona raised their arms in surrender, while I quickly moved up behind them. With a swift series of martial arts blows I took out two of the troopers. The other was distracted stunned long enough at the sight of his partners dropping to the ground to allow Kerabac to lunge forward and knock him to the ground. Unfortunately the sound attracted attention of other troopers in the clearing, who turned all at once to see the scuffle. Kerabac rendered his opponent unconscious with a solid blow to the jaw as I uncloaked and told both Kerabac and Hotyona to follow me.

  We sprinted into the jungle in a direction away from our ship. Behind us we could hear yells as an alarm was issued and more troopers joined in the chase. When we reached a large I’aban tree that had roots sloping up to the trunk like a set of stairs, I quickly led the others to the top and then instructed them to cloak and rem
ain still. Just as we cloaked the first of the troopers in the pursuit appeared below us. We were standing on a branch just a little above the troopers head height; and had we not been cloaked, we would have been in plain sight. As it was, we were able to remain in this obvious location, invisible and ignored, as the troopers scoured the dense vines and brush beneath the surrounding trees. Eventually they all moved off deeper into the jungle, reporting to the other pursuers that the area was clear.

  I was beginning to worry, as I had no idea how much time I had left on my cloaking device. We uncloaked and descended to the jungle floor to head back toward the compound in the direction of the ALI, all the while keeping an eye out for Brotherhood troopers. As we approached the clearing we had to cloak twice, as we spotted small bands of troopers heading in the general direction of the first group of pursuers.

  Just as the last of the troopers receded from view, my cloak failed.

  “I sure hope we don’t encounter anymore of the Brotherhood before we make it to the ALI,” I said. “My cloak has used up all its power.”

  “Once we get around the compound area we should be free of them, unless they sent out troopers in all directions,” said Kerabac.

  Just as we made it past the clearing, one of the daily showers broke loose with a vengeance. The rain was pouring down so heavily that our visibility was restricted to only a few feet. There was simply no way to clearly discern our heading and we soon faced a greater chance of getting lost than finding the ship. The hammering of raindrops against the jungle canopy was so loud that we couldn’t even communicate with each other. As we passed by the base of an I’aban tree, Kerabac grabbed both Hotyona and me by the arm and nearly dragged us into a space between the large roots at the base of the tree. Suddenly we found ourselves standing in a large and surprisingly quiet room-like space inside the tree.

  “I think it might be wise for us to wait out the rain here,” said Kerabac. “If we try to continue traveling in this storm, I’m afraid we will get turned around and end up wandering right back into the Brotherhood camp.”

  “Thanks, Kerabac,” I said, truly grateful to be out of the torrent. “I have to agree with you. I think if I’d have stayed out there much longer, I’d have started to grow gills.”

  We stood quietly for a moment, each of us appreciating the relative dryness of our refuge as we shook the sogginess from our clothes and hair.

  “Oh, before I forget, Hotyona, I believe you want to look at this.” I reached into my vest pocket and pulled out the leaf I had taken from the bale and handed it to him.

  Hotyona showed great curiosity as he took the leaf and walked over near the entrance to our root shelter where there was a bit more light. He looked at it briefly, first one side and then the other, then he sniffed it before tearing off the tiniest bit and putting it in his mouth. He only held it there a brief moment before spitting it out.

  “It’s very alkaline,” he said.

  That was the last intelligible utterance that came from him for several hours, as his head suddenly began to bob and sway. His eyes expanded and pupils dilated and his jaw hung open loosely as he began to drool.

  “Um, Hotyona, are you okay?” I asked. Hotyona turned his head toward us and grinned. Then his gaze drifted off as though he were watching something floating by.

  “Oh, shit,” said Kerabac. “I don’t know what the scientific name is for this plant, but I know what the street name is. I remember the scientists on the expedition team discussing it when I was here years ago. The natives use it in their religious practices. Its sap is highly hallucinogenic. The natives will only use it under the supervision of their shaman – and then only once or twice a year because of its additive properties. Persons who become addicted will literally starve themselves, taking more and more of the drug without eating, until they finally die.”

  “That would explain what I saw and heard in the lab,” I said. I related to Kerabac the comments I had overheard and what I saw inside the processing plant at the compound.

  “I’ve heard in recent years that there was a new drug sweeping some of the outer worlds and that it was becoming a real scourge that caused its users to spend or surrender all their assets just to get more of it. The name of this drug on the streets is God’s Sweat. If that’s what this is,” Kerabac said as he gestured toward Hotyona, who was now reaching and gesturing in slow motion toward something visible only to him, “no one has ever figured out where it comes from, until now. God’s Sweat is illegal on all Federation planets; however, on some of the non-aligned worlds it can be purchased anywhere legally. Even with the laws against it and a very stiff penalty for peddling it, the demand for it in the Federation by drug users is high.”

  At this point Hotyona’s head had dropped to his chest and he was swaying from side to side mumbling and humming.

  “How long before it wears off?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Kerabac. “Aside from what I just told you, I know very little about the drug. I would say, based on his appearance now, that it will be hours at best.”

  I looked outside. The rain had not let up and I could see it was beginning to get darker; the sun was setting and it would only be minutes before it would be too dark to travel.

  “It looks like we will be here for the night,” I said. “Is there anything we need to know or prepare for?”

  “I saw a few reeds just before we entered the tree that I believe have a high oil sap content. The natives burn them like candles. If we can collect some and get them lit, it will at least provide us with some light, and the smoke may keep most of the rubloids out, or at least prevent them from biting us. I think it’s safe to go out to gather some reeds. I don’t believe the Brotherhood will have anyone out looking for us in the dark. The smoke won’t travel far in the humid air; and the opening to this tree is narrow, so unless someone is standing in just the right location, I don’t think the light can be seen either.”

  Just then I felt something bite my neck and I swatted it. The small, dead creature on my hand was about the size of my little fingernail. It was sort of soft and had an iridescent pinkish green color.

  “There, that’s what I’m talking about,” said Kerabac. “Once the sun sets, there will be swarms of those little vermin all over the place. They are repelled both by light and the scent of the oil sticks.”

  The bite was still stinging and burning when I replied, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get ourselves enough to last us through the night.”

  Collecting the plants was not difficult as they seemed to grow abundantly in the area around the tree roots. We tried not to take too many from one spot, electing instead to pick one here and there, so as not to make it obvious that they had been harvested and give away our location. Fortunately, the rainfall had slowed somewhat, enough to make it a bit easier to see and complete the task. By the time we ran out of daylight we had a large stockpile of the plant piled up in the back of the cavity under the tree. Kerabac stuck five of the reeds in the ground across the entrance and, using a device he pulled from a pocket in is uniform vest, he lit the ends. At first the stems didn’t seem to want to burn. Then, slowly, a flame began to grow on the end of each reed and before long there was a row of beautiful yellow flames casting light into the space. Black oily smoke curled from the flames, spiraling upward and spreading out like a small cloud throughout the tree cavity. The accumulating smoke had a rather pungent smell that was not unpleasant to breathe; but it was a bit uncomfortable on the eyes, as it stung and made it difficult to see. Once Kerabac was certain that the reeds were burning well, he stripped off his shirt and twisted it to wring out the water.

  “I would suggest you wring as much moisture out of your clothing as possible,” he said. “While you won’t be able to get completely dry, you’ll be a bit more comfortable.” In the light of the reeds Kerabac’s white teeth seemed to be accented by his black flesh as he smiled broadly.”

  “Thanks for the suggestion. I couldn’t get any
wetter if I jumped into the lake.”

  As we stripped and wrung our clothing out as best we could, I commented with praise for the scientists who developed the textile used to make our uniforms. The fabric didn’t hold much moisture and, under normal circumstances, probably had wicking properties that I had not appreciated until that moment. After dressing again, we both looked at Hotyona in his soaked clothing. He was still humming and rocking gently, oblivious to our presence.

  Kerabac said, “I don’t think it will make any difference to him. He’s off in another world someplace and not feeling anything here.”

  It had been our intent that we would take turns sleeping during the night so one of us was always on watch. As we settled in, we found ourselves caught up in conversation. I told him how much joy it brought me to hear him sing at the lounge; and then I taught him another Nat King Cole tune. He later shared more of his adventures on some of the worlds he visited as a trooper, stories that I found enlightening and intriguing.

  We replaced the burning reeds with new ones only once during the night. It was obvious that we had picked way more than we actually needed. The smoke from the reeds seemed to hang within our space and add to the fatigue we felt from the eventful day. Without realizing that it was happening, we both fell asleep.

  Once again I dreamt of Thumumba. In my dream this figure stood beside me with one hand on my shoulder. We seemed to be standing on a large branch at the top of an I’aban tree looking at the ground. The trees in the area around us seemed to have their leaves removed, allowing us to see the ground clearly. Thumumba pointed out certain features with the free hand while keeping the other hand on my shoulder. My vision seemed to zoom to a magnified view of whatever I was directed to observe. As we surveyed the jungle floor from our lookout, Thumumba directed my attention to a nearby clearing. It was then that I recognized we were looking out over the Brotherhood’s compound. Thumumba pointed out a large, low building.

  “There is where my children are held as slaves. You must free them.”