The Dave Brewster Series

by Karl Morgan

  “Honestly, I think you are both full of crap,” Lok Zul laughed. “Your sentiments of altruism are heart-warming, but I am not a young schoolboy. It doesn’t matter today whether I know your real intentions. It may be that you want to destroy those others so you have the only real power in the galaxy. Or you may think you will ultimately rule all of us with your Hives or mind control.” He waved his arms at the others in the crowd. “Each of us will make our own determination. For now, I will support you, if you can help me overcome the flaws in our plasma bomb device.”

  “I have to agree with my most hated friend,” Kolu Inzaka replied. “While he and I have been sworn enemies all of our lives, I will make two pledges today. If all goes well and we succeed with our plans, I will graciously welcome our fellow maklans, the Predaxians, into our society. My other pledge is that if and when either of you turn on one of us, I will immediately join with Lok Zul to destroy you utterly.”

  “And you, Fongula?” Fola asked the Palian. “Will you join us or will you make your report on this meeting to the Free Society?”

  Fongula laughed. “We already had this discussion, Fola. As I said before, Hive agents might already be here, so it would be a waste of time for me to make any report. As for joining you, I will have to think about that. We Palians are caught between the Galliceans and the Predaxians, both of whom have been friends or enemies at different times. So, it is not easy to pick one or the other to ally with. I hope you understand.”

  “I must agree with the Field Marshall,” Premier It Ka-la said. “My society is a single planet. We have little to offer this alliance. Each of us will make our decisions after consulting with our people. I want to thank you all for this meeting, and especially Altamar Zendo for visiting my planet. It has been very informative.”

  As the group filed out of the room, no one noticed the four crystal maklans clinging to the ceiling. After the last people left, they glowed blue and disappeared.

  Chapter 24

  Dave, Odo, Fa-a-Di, De-o-Nu and De-o-Pa were standing near the water’s edge near Zee’s residence. Darlene rushed over and kissed her husband one last time before they headed back to the Sojourn. Then she stepped back and joined Zee and Loni. The Galliceans had donned their breathers and checked the settings. They would have enough air for two days, even though the shuttle could refill them for months if necessary. “Let’s get this over with,” Fa-a-Di barked. Loni touched a contact on her earpiece and spoke to the other Chief Engineer. In an instant, the others were gone. A shallow wave rolled onto the beach and erased the footprints where they had been standing. Darlene, Zee and Loni walked back toward the house.

  Dave and the others were standing in a small clearing surrounded by very tall pine trees. The air on the planet was warm and full of the scent of trees and flowers. The Galliceans were back to their normal size and towered over the two men. “This is quite a beautiful place,” Odo said. “It reminds me of Nan in many ways.” He turned to Dave and said, “Do you remember the forest near my home, Dave? This looks very similar to me.”

  “You are right, Odo,” he replied. “It’s almost like we’re standing on Nan, except I think the trees are much taller here.” A gravel path cut the clearing in half, and led out into the forest on both sides. The sound of falling water almost covered the chirping of small birds in the trees.

  “Okay, brother, where do we go now?” Fa-a-Di asked De-o-Nu. “You love this place. Show me the way.”

  De-o-Nu was laughing. “Brother, I never said I love this place. I love Gallicea, but this planet is frightening to me too.” He looked both ways to find recognizable landmarks. “The uphill path leads to the campsite, as I recall. The other will lead us to the temple and sacred river. What do you think, Pa?”

  “That’s right, Nu. I recommend we go to the camp and check on the shuttle and our accommodations,” his brother replied. “Follow me.” He started following the uphill path and the others fell in line behind him.

  The incline of the path was gradual, with the dense forest backed up against it. After a few minutes, the trees began to thin and the slope became steeper. After twenty minutes, De-o-Pa stopped to catch his breath. The clearing where they arrived could be seen below them as the trees were quite sparse at this level and they had climbed about two hundred feet in altitude. The forest stretched out to the horizon around them. A wide river could be seen cutting through the trees heading quickly toward lower climes. The group sat down to relax. Odo sat next to Fa-a-Di, saying, “General, are you going to try to breathe the air here without the mask as Zee suggested?”

  “I’m not certain I’m ready to die just yet, Odo,” Fa-a-Di chuckled.

  “I hardly think one breath would kill us,” De-o-Nu answered. “But I’ll have to get my nerves in check before I try it.” Before he could act, De-o-Pa pulled off his mask and took a deep breath. “Pa, what the heck are you doing?”

  De-o-Pa took a second deep breath and then a third. “Apparently, I’m still living, brother.” He continued breathing normally. “The air here is sweet and full of energy. It reminds me of flying through a thunderstorm in a Dar-Fa.” As they gained confidence in their eyes, first De-o-Nu and then Fa-a-Di removed their breathers and were astounded to be breathing a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere.

  “Well, I’ll be damned!” Fa-a-Di laughed. “Our people have been coming here for thousands of years with pressure suits or breathers. If anyone had ever tried this, no one would have believed them.” He clapped Dave on the back and said, “You have to teach me a lot more about Hives, my brother.”

  At that moment, Jake and two other maklans popped in sight and landed on the three Galliceans. “What’s going on here?” Jake shouted. “We’ve been monitoring your breathers and the signals went crazy. Are you okay?”

  “It would appear so, little brother,” Fa-a-Di laughed, “although I wouldn’t have believed it if someone else said they did this.” He stood up and breathed deeply. “This is great. I hate breather air. It’s always so stale. Let’s get to the camp. I’m sure we are going to be the hit of the century when they see us walk in like this.” As the group continued, Jake told them about the report from the team that witnessed the conclave on Panzak. No one was surprised by the circumstances; however, Fa-a-Di was shocked that the Palian premier would consider such an act. After ten minutes, the path leveled again and they approached the massive encampment. A line of twenty shuttles clung to the edge of the camp, and hundreds of small cabins filled the center.

  Fa-a-Di was right about the commotion caused by their appearance. It was very rare for such celebrities to come to this place, but even more so since they were not using breathers. The initial shock turned to curiosity after De-o-Nu brought out twenty cases of whisky from the shuttle and began to pass bottles around. Soon all the Galliceans had tossed their breathers aside and were singing and drinking as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. Platters of food were passed around and the crowd was having a wonderful, drunken time, which was a rare pleasure on this planet. Usually, the Galliceans were very reserved here and made their penance as quickly as possible and left, grateful for another ten years away from this place.

  De-o-Pa was feeling the burn in his face when he asked the crowd to open a large circle in the center. A bonfire was started there and the Prelate began to lead the crowd in traditional folk dancing around the fire. Even the High Commissioner was drawn into the celebration and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. The three maklans swooped through the air, dancing in their own way.

  The party continued well into the night. As the temperature began to fall, the dancing became more frenetic and singing filled the air. Dave grabbed a couple of blankets and offered one to Odo Pak, and then sat next to him at the edge of the crowd, well out of range of the dancing Galliceans. Each held a glass of whisky in their hands and sipped it gingerly. “Dave, I must say that your friends do not seem so reserved for a religious retreat.”

  Dave laughed. “I know. Fa-a-Di has been dreading thi
s visit for so long. Now it looks like he’s having the time of his life. This is wonderful, although I’m not so sure they’ll be feeling well tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I must say this Gallicean whisky is too strong. I must limit myself to only two or three more glasses,” Odo smiled wryly. “And how do you feel, Dave?”

  “I feel great,” he replied. “But I can’t explain that. Half of the galaxy wants to kill me. And it’s not that they want to kill humans or defeat the Free Society. They want to kill me personally. But right now, I don’t care.”

  “Perhaps your death may serve the greater good,” Odo said. “Much the same way as my apparent death is.”

  “Are you suggesting that we fake my death too?” Dave asked.

  “No, not at all,” Odo replied. “And I am definitely not suggesting you actually die. That would be terrible for the entire galaxy. I’m just reminding you to focus on what’s important to you. Even if your death would benefit the Free Society, it must still be avoided at all costs. There is nothing greater in the universe than life. You best serve the Free Society by serving your family and friends. But I think I’m rambling now. I’m sure I’ve told you that a hundred times.”

  “It always helps to hear it again, Odo,” Dave said as he put his arm on Odo’s shoulders. “I am so happy you are here with us now. I must confess I’ve been miserable since I heard your health was failing on Nanda.”

  “Thank you for that,” Odo smiled. “But you shouldn’t worry. As you now know, my relocation was part of a larger plan. But it was not my plan. I am just a servant of the Source. It led me to Nanda. And now it has led me to two Hives, which have reinvigorated me. I am feeling like a young boy again. I owe that to you.”

  De-o-Nu rushed up to them and sat heavily on the ground. His eyes were almost closed and his voice was slurred. “You two aren’t having any fun! Come dance with us,” he commanded. He grabbed the whisky bottle Dave and Odo had been drinking from and took a long drink.

  “Not a chance of that, brother,” Dave laughed. “Here we are the size of little children. That drunken mob would step on us and crush us like bugs.”

  De-o-Nu frowned at them. “You know, you guys are just boring.” He scowled and tried to get up to leave. Instead, he rolled over and passed out next to them. Dave grabbed another blanket and covered his friend as best as he could, and then sat with Odo again.

  “Yes, Dave, I love your friends too,” Odo said looking at the snoring Gallicean. Looking around the camp, it was clear that most of the crowd had gone back to their cabins or passed out on the ground. A single Gallicean woman turned off the music and stumbled toward her cabin. “Quite a party, don’t you think?”

  “Yes it was,” Dave smiled. “I was just thinking we don’t know which cabin is for us. I guess we all sleep out here tonight.”

  “Not just yet, Dave,” Odo said. “I think our night is just beginning.”

  “What do you mean?” he replied.

  “You didn’t notice the others watching us?” Odo asked. “I suppose not. You certainly remember the Nan are called the invisible people in the home galaxy? Apparently, Nan settled this planet as well.”

  “There are Nan here?” Dave asked. “I haven’t noticed anything. What do we do now?”

  “Just lay back and close your eyes, Dave,” Odo said as he lay down. “Pretend you are trying to sleep and let’s see what happens. And don’t be frightened. I sense no danger from them.”

  “How many do you see, Odo?” Dave asked.

  “Hundreds. But please be quiet,” Odo demanded.

  Dave lay quietly with his eyes closed for several minutes. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he feared a mob could come and kill him before he could act. He tried to push those thoughts out of his mind, but Odo’s comment about his death was still vivid in his thoughts. Perhaps these Hive guardians sensed the threat to their safety he posed and were here to eliminate it. He squeezed his eyes tightly and tried not to think at all.

  Suddenly a gag was pushed into his mouth and several hands were holding him down. He felt ropes being wrapped around him. After a few seconds, he was lifted off the ground and carried away. His eyes were open and he could see several others ahead of him carrying Odo. He couldn’t move his arms or legs. He saw Fa-a-Di’s sleeping body as they rushed across the opening and into the forest again. Looking around he could see dozens of others running along with them. Every few minutes a different group would take over for the three carrying him and then they would continue. He could see the forest was denser here and surmised they were headed downhill. After another ten minutes, he was lifted into a boat of some kind which set off across the broad river they had seen earlier in the day. It took another ten minutes to cross the river and then the group moved back into the forest. It was just a couple minutes later when he found himself in some kind of rig that was being pulled upward. When it stopped, he was pulled out and carried through a door and set into a chair. His limbs were freed momentarily and then he was tied to the arms of the chair.

  A number of lights were turned on and he clenched his eyes from the brightness. When he was able to look, he saw Odo tied to the next chair and at least fifty humans in the large room. Most of them were women and all were around four feet tall. One of the women approached them and smiled. She was young and very shapely. Her face was clean and quite beautiful with bright green eyes, framed by flaming red hair. She came to Dave and kissed his hands, speaking a language he could not understand. Then she went to Odo and did the same thing. Odo began to talk back to her, which clearly shocked her deeply. The others moved back in fear.

  “What is she saying, Odo?” Dave asked. “And how do you know her language?”

  Odo smiled at Dave, saying, “She is speaking the ancient Nan dialect. I have had that language added to our database. Let me talk some more to her. If I can get my hands free, I can upload it to your communicator.” He turned to the woman and spoke some more. Her expression softened into a smile. After a couple minutes of conversation, she untied Odo. He explained carefully what he wanted to do. The woman came over to Dave and gingerly pulled the communicator from his ear and gave it to Odo, who tapped it against his own. Then he asked the woman to reinsert the device in his ear. After she did so, she kissed Dave on the cheek and said, “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

  “No, not at all,” Dave replied. “Thank you.” She looked blankly at him.

  “You can understand her, but she has no communicator,” Odo said. “I’ll do the talking.”

  Odo talked to her some more and she replied giggling, “No, Elder Pak, we are not the guardians, although we serve them. They told us of the visit by you and Admiral Dave and asked us to welcome you and take you to meet them. I must apologize for the use of force, but the other creatures are very bizarre and we fear them.”

  Odo spoke some more and the group of Nan were hanging on his every word. After several minutes, the bindings were released and each of the Nan hugged both Odo and Dave and begged their forgiveness for the rough handling. The woman came to Dave and said, “Admiral Dave, I have been asked to take you to meet one of the guardians tonight. She asked for you personally. My only concern is I cannot understand your language. If you have a problem, I won’t know what to do.”

  Odo laughed and joined them. He pulled the communicator from his ear and slipped it into hers. He spoke to them in the ancient tongue, “There, you should be able to understand each other.”

  Dave said, “Can you understand me? I don’t even know your name.”

  She blushed and replied, “I am Dar Lini, and yes I can understand you now. Thank you Elder Pak.”

  Odo was laughing. “Did you hear that Dave? Her name is Dar Lini. It sounds like Darlene, doesn’t it?”

  “Let’s not go there right now, Odo,” Dave answered. “Okay Dar Lini, take me where you want me to go.”

  “Just call me Lini, Dave,” she replied. “Dar is my family name.” She took his hand and led him back out of
the room and into the rig that lowered them back to the forest floor. Other homes were built into all the surrounding trees. All were dark at this late hour. There must have been hundreds of tree houses in this part of the forest. Dave wondered how the Galliceans had never noticed this before. Lini was very sure footed on the dark path and Dave struggled to remain standing and not fall too far behind.

  After several minutes, she stopped and came back to him, taking his hand again. “I’m sorry Admiral Dave. I forgot you are not one of us.” She led him down a narrow trail that ended at the edge of the river which moved slowly around a wide bend. The two moons of the planet illuminated them and the water like a full moon on Earth. She motioned him to stop and wait. She pulled off her clothes and set them in a neat pile. She pulled Odo’s communicator from her ear, set it on her clothes, and then walked over to Dave. She took his hands and he tried not to look at her naked body. “You wait here, and I’ll be right back.” She kissed his hands and waded out into the river. When the water was waist deep, she dived in. Dave sat on the river bank watching the water and the thin clouds drifting by above them. Here he was on a strange planet with a beautiful young woman, wishing he was somewhere else. He thought about running away, but in the night, he had no idea where he was or how to get back to the camp. Why wasn’t Odo here to keep him from himself. He heard a splash and saw Lini coming out of the water, with rivulets of waters pouring off her hair and down her chest and thighs. He wanted to look away but could not force his eyes to move. She smiled at him as he stood to greet her.