External Relations

by Pam Uphoff

  He depressed the gas pedal and peered into the night, hoping to spot the worst of the holes before it was too late to avoid them. And hoping the horses could hold on.

  Especially when they got to the river. They drove carefully over the first “bridge” two lightweight trusses a wheel base apart. He stopped and they both leaped out to each drag one and slide it up into the truck. “You drive, I’ll dump their trusses.”

  Fean had to rock the truck to get it moving in the rounded wet gravel. Two more bridges, with Ajha dropping off to kick them into the channels they spanned . Then they hauled the first trusses out to bridge the last channel. Ajha kicked them into the channel then grabbed the back of the truck as Fean gunned it up the steep bank.

  Ajha scrambled for something to grab. The horses stood as if their shoes were magnets.

  Comet Fall Horses. I need to do a study!

  He waited until Fean was back on the level road before he worked his way around the horses and through the open passenger side window.

  “Well, that might have slowed them down. Drive faster than you dare.” He grinned at her startled glance, and strapped himself in.

  Four hours later he was catching glimpses of headlights behind them.

  He spent five minutes staring at a rock, until they topped a hill and Fean spotted a grove of trees close to the road. Ajha opened his window and dropped the rock. Fean drove past the last tree, slowed and turned, turned off the headlights and bumped over rough ground. She crammed the truck into a gap between trees and drove in. Stopped and turned everything off.

  A big black angular vehicle crested the hill and roared onward.

  "What did you put on the rock?"

  "Umm, just a bit of concentrated anticipation. You know, 'there they are just going around the curve up there, hurry, we've almost got them!' Should hold for at least half an hour. Let's wait and see if they've got any friends along, then we can trail along at a sane pace." He stretched. "You can drive."

  "So you can sleep? Yeah, like I believe that. You'll be looking for an ambush, won't you?" Fean squinted through the trees as more vehicles rushed past . . . “Crumb, they’ve turned out in force!”

  "Never hurts to be careful. What do you think? Another two hundred kilometers to Cough?"

  "Something like that. But what do we do when we get there?"

  “That’ll depend on a number of things. Starting with whether there are any gates still up at all. That woman who got out of the truck felt like a Comet Fall Witch. If she’s ahead of us, we may not be able to yell for help.”

  “And they’re sure to have a roadblock.”

  Ajha jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “We just happen to have a pair of really good horses. We’ll go cross country and get around them.”

  “Stop grinning. This is serious and dangerous.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  6 Shaban 1408 yp

  Cough Town, Granite Peak

  “Young Lady.”

  Ryah stopped and turned back. “Yes, Grandfather?”

  “Before you disappear again, would you mind explaining a few things?”

  Ryah eyed the old man, and decided to answer honestly. “Maybe.”

  Cough Cough lowered his brows. “Depending on the questions, no doubt? Well, I heard the President of the Empire go out of his way to tell two of your pals that he thought they had a good idea. First, do you know what he was referring to, and second will you tell me. Oh, and third, where are you disappearing to? It had better not be with a boy.”

  Ryah failed to suppress a snicker. “I believe the group is up to fifty-two boys, at latest count. And . . . I think it’s about time we told the adults all about it. C’mon. Let me show you my world. Well, technically I only own twenty percent of it . . .”

  “What do you mean . . . world?” He followed her out the door and down the street. “Ryah!”

  The old Ugve barn was just round the corner. It was handy and not under observation from any homes. So they’d put the gate inside.

  “Evacuation World Number Thirteen.” Ryah grinned over her shoulder. “We’re still arguing over what to name it.”

  Grandfather stalked up and glared at the gate. “How . . . you can’t own a world.”

  “Twenty percent of it.” Ryah pulled out her little mirror and checked that the way through was clear before she stepped through the whirlpool. Why doesn’t anyone else have this problem, and why does the mirror show the other side, when all I see when I look straight at it is that darned white whirlpool?

  Cough Cough stepped out of the whiteness. “Where did you get this gate, and what makes you think you own the world?”

  “We went to Disco and asked how to get our own world. We told Dr. Quicksilver we’d get as many of us to move as we could. Oners, Halfers, Nomads, Miners and even Earthers. And then we said you old guys could either come or stew in your stubborn grudges without us. Q talked to Director Izzo, who talked to the President. And they all agreed to give us this evac world.” Ryah pointed. “There’s the land office. We’ll sell anyone a 2k by 2k plot with or without squishies for five hundred rials. We have payment plans. We’re using the money for equipment that can be borrowed by anyone. So far we have four tractors, with post hole augers, deep plows, cutters, rakes, and balers. Of course most of the kids are borrowing their parents’ or grandparents’ equipment.”

  “You . . .” Cough Cough staggered over to a log that was shaved down a bit for a bench. “You went and . . . got a world.”

  “Yeah . . . Are you all right, Granddad?”

  The old man swiped tears off his face. “You found a world. For all of us. Where I can bring Kelanna. Flu, you are brilliant.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  7 Shaban 1408 yp

  Gate City, One World

  Mushy looked at the insane Princess and wondered what to do.

  "He's been missing for days. He's probably in trouble. I'm going to go find him." Wizzy looked at the trio of males. "You boys want to come, or stay nice and safe at home?"

  He and Whipper exchanged glances.

  Hob just snickered. "Love the appeal to our masculinity. Luckily for you, I just checked on Ahja. He's still missing over there as well. So I'm all packed and ready to go."

  "Ajha's over there?" Mushy squirmed. My pain in the ass cousin-turned-philosopher. "Umm, yeah. I mean Izzo's got El Zero. But Ajha might need help."

  Hob scowled "But how are we going to get there? The gate guards aren't going to just let us stroll through because we want to. Wiz? Have you even got a Secure Gate Area pass?"

  The girl sniffed. "Of course. Because I have to follow Izzo everywhere. Mostly." She started scowling. "When he lets me."

  "Good. I've got passes for several places, but not Granite Peak."

  Mushy grinned. "We've got passes for Embassy, and from what I've heard, Disco's got two gates to Granite Peak. One to the Earther colony, and one to our town. And . . . what the hell, I never wanted to live forever."

  "Good. Now, which of you is the best driver? Ordinarily I'd drive, but I think it might look better if I was chauffeured." She led the way out . . . to Izzo's limo.

  "Does Davi know you're borrowing . . . never mind. I don't want to know." Whipper gulped. "And . . . I had no idea you had so many guns."

  "They were in the trunk." Wizzy waved a casual hand. "I thought we might need them closer to hand."

  Mushy edged toward the driver's door.

  "Nope." Hob grinned. "I think you'd better let me do the driving. Really. I've driven gates and . . . well, everything."

  The electronic checks green lit. One live guard leaned down and frowned. Eyed Wiz and shrugged.

  Because the Director's Princess can go anywhere? Or is he thinking how tacky it is, her running off with her two or three boyfriends? Mushy subdued an urge to grin. Or maybe run and hide. Are there any rumors out there, about that party? Surely not with my name attached.

  Hob cruised confidently through the Embassy gate, turned out the
gates of the Oner Embassy and onto the ring road around the central plaza. "So, any of you have any idea just where the gates to Granite Peak are?"

  "In front of Disco, of course." Wizzy frowned and peered. "Is that Dr. Quicksilver looking at . . . maybe the gate we need to go through?"

  A long silence.

  Then Gee Wiz grinned. "Pull up beside her, please, Hob."

  Mushy exchanged glances with Whipper. "Err . . . "

  But Hob pulled to a smooth stop and Gee Wiz jumped out.

  "Excuse me, but are you Dr. Quicksilver? I'm Director Izzo's Princess . . . What is happening over there?" She walked toward the gate.

  The young woman in grey eyed the Princess. "Yes, I am. And unfortunately I can't see through the gates. Someone closed the other one, to the Earth settlement on Granite Peak. What's the problem with this one?"

  "The Director crossed over three days ago and hasn't been heard from since and . . . That looks like a rather rowdy crowd. I think I'll just . . . "

  Mushy gawped as she walked right through the gate. The infamous Q trotted right through behind her. "Hob, follow them! Quick, she didn't even take a gun!"

  Hob gunned it through, turned and stopped on the edge of a rough-looking crowd. Farmers, laborers, not cleaned up from a hard day's work, stirring restlessly.

  The guy up on the platform making a speech had his tie loose, his shirt sleeves rolled up. Trying to be one of the hard working fellows? He needs to apply either mud or grease to pull that off.

  Mushy climbed out of the car. “I really prefer my crowd scenes happy . . . this looks like trouble and I don’t see either Izzo or Ajha.”

  Chapter Thirty

  7 Shaban 1408

  Cough Town, Granite Peak

  ". . . with no interference from the Empire ever again." Governor Arry swept a hand through the space that had formerly held the gate to One World. Wgli stood to his left, and Ebko to his right. The news vids were rolling and everyone, every One on the planet, who wasn't seeing this historic moment live, was watching on his home screens. And popping out of their homes and coming to witness in person.

  "We will no longer be held back by the chokehold the Empire used to control our exports. Finally we can trade openly with the other worlds of the Multiverse. This is the start of the One truly moving into the Multiverse. World-by-world, independent and free."

  The Earthers and the Halfers and the Miners will be free as well. Not that they counted.

  His militia, two thousand strong, stood by to deal with the few who couldn't see the advantages of an independent world. Wgli had brought his people, two hundred strong, Ebko had brought in three teams from Gate City, and Iqne had rolled in with all the rest of the Action Teams. He’d opened the corridor himself and brought the Earth Merc here, escorting the Fallen witch.

  She'd closed the gate to One, and was circling the growing crowd to get closer to the gate to Embassy, in case they needed to close it as well.

  No one can stop me now.

  "Chokehold? If you had anything to trade, it would come to the One World free of any tariff or barrier."

  Arry jerked around at the sound of that irritating, overdone Parisian accent. "Izzo! What are you doing here?" Then guilt drained away and his eyes narrowed. Ha! The fool had a single man at his back. Icing on the cake, getting rid of Izzo.

  "Taking a look around. Having a chat with the Chief. Funny, how he's quite sure his people aren't doing any raiding." Izzo's head turned abruptly.

  Arry followed his gaze. Two people riding black horses, swinging down to the ground and with a quick gesture, surrounded by women and children . . . oh shit, was that . . .

  Monia turned and focused on him. "You piece of shit. You sent a bloody Action Team to kidnap me? You . . . yeah, well, guess what, Lover, now you're going to acknowledge your daughter, and then I'm going to beat the shit out of you before I have you arrested."

  "Yeah! Those Action Teams grabbed us too!" One of the other women.

  "They hit my little girl!"

  Oh shit. How many women did the teams kidnap?

  "As if we couldn't see their faked buckskins and wigs!"

  And that damned Izzo, projecting his voice. "Ebko, tell me, what were your Action Teams doing, dressing up like Nomads and raiding farms? Governor, you were bitterly accusing me of incompetence because of my inability to capture the raiders. Well, what a surprise, you were actually sponsoring them. Whipping up support for your little independence movement. Murdering your own people, moving the wives and girls to your rape camp in the south."

  Arry shot a look at the vid cams.

  Wgli spun a spell out and the broadcast lights dimmed.

  "And what are you going to trade for the goodies you want? Grain? Now, I'll blame my predecessors, and most especially the Council for not getting the machinery the Earthers destroyed, fixed. All well and good for them to pursue reparations from the Earthers, but the money seems to have wound up in the wrong pockets. In fact, a great deal of it seems to have gotten into your pockets, and disappeared."

  Arry wiped sweat from his brow. "Great causes need great sacrifices."

  "Do they? Do your citizens agree? Or would they rather have repaired their machinery five years ago and got on with reclaiming their fields?"

  "And no one's been murdered." Arry started grinning. "Yet."

  "Indeed. Enough of this." Ebko stepped up and pointed at Izzo. "Kill him!"

  "Subdirector Wgli, I remove you from duty until an investigation into your department's financial affairs is completed. Subdirector Ebko . . . "

  Arry smiled in anticipation as Ebko whipped a nasty spell at the Director. His smile faltered at the ease with which the Director shrugged it off. Wgli joined the fight, crisp spats of spells flying.

  A flying wedge of Oners shoved through the crowd. Izzo's single guard stepped in to . . . knock the first one flat, spin and kick . . . Then he was surrounded. The first man past him leaped for Izzo, and went flying. Damn it, Ebko said he was a fencer.

  Then his militia captain charged in, two of his bullies half a step behind him.

  A slender figure, a girl, ran forward, a flying drop kick, and the captain was down.

  "Dammit, everyone's got shields, we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way." Ebko drew his pistol and took aim at Izzo. "Hit him with mental and energy spells!"

  Ah, good idea, it's hard to hold two shields at once. So you make him shield against mental and energy attacks. He drops his physical shield, then you shoot him. I'll have to remember that trick.

  Sudden confusion caught the corner of his eye and he whipped back to see Ajha jumping onto the platform, fist drawn back . . . Ebko flew off the platform. Ajha cradled his hand. "Oww, damn."

  Monia shoved past him, looking like hell, madder than hell, but she was just a woman . . . She drew her hand back to slap him.

  He stepped closer to block it and she grabbed instead, her other clawed hand going for his face. He shoved her away, but she clung like death. "I don't have time for this!" He threw a stun spell and staggered as it bounced. "You can't have a shield!"

  "Says who?" She kicked, tangled his legs and he fell backwards.

  He threw the bitch aside and climbed to his feet. The fight was one big free for all, all over the plaza.

  There was Izzo, still on his feet.

  Four of the Militia officers were writhing on the ground. The other Militia were backing away. A big black goat was stumbling around bumping into people. No, a lot of livestock had gotten loose.

  And . . . Oh crap. Tell me that woman in the dark suit isn’t . . . Q! “Get her! Quick! Hit her, don’t let her concentrate and get any spells off!”

  "Hurry! Don't let any of them throw any more spells!" Not that they could hear him, half the people seemed to be screaming, yelling, roaring . . .

  Some stalwart lads from the back pressed forward, charging the platform.

  Split and went around the platform.

  Dogs, goats, ponies and large pur
ple bunnies were chasing them. Or perhaps fleeing with them. Four goats were struggling to get out of Militia uniforms.

  Goats. My men have been turned into goats. Just like the former Interior Director and his guards. And where the hell are the rest of them?

  Arry spotted the Earther Merc and his witch and threw himself off the platform to grab the man. "What is your witch doing? I thought you were certain of her loyalty."

  "I am." The man looked behind him. The Witch was crouched in terror at his back.

  "We should run. Fast. Disco is here. Someone is bubbling troops." Her voice was high and hysterical.

  "Then. Close. The. Gate!" Idiots!

  "Right." The Earther reached and grabbed her, and hauled her away with the fleeing animals.

  The Governor climbed back onto the platform to see what the hell was going on . . . three women, just THREE figures following the rout of his Militia. He waved down the Action Teams rushing the platform and pointed. "Get those women!" The Teamers charged the three attackers. Two of them turned to deal with the Teams, the third directed a spell at the platform as he leaped off to tackle her.

  She hit the ground with an explosive grunt, then hit him with an elbow, rolled, and a spell net closed down on him. His body spasmed and she scrambled away.

  Funny, he couldn't hear any more shots being fired, must be the pain locking up all of his limbs. He could see the teamers—they were all rolling on the ground with him . . . looking odd and purple . . . he looked at his own hand . . . paw . . . and tried to scream . . .

  ***

  Izzo rubbed his arms uneasily. "A blue rabbit? No offense meant, Dr. Quicksilver, but isn't that a bit silly? Girlish?"

  "Sorry. When I hit the ground that spell just sort of splattered everywhere. Luckily it's not one of the really complex changes, so I could reverse it quickly." Her eyes twinkled. "Silly, yes, but it has a major panic component to it, when applied to a big strong man. Even though a hundred kilo bunny is a rather dangerous critter. So, how many of these people do you want changed back, and do you want me to leave the Chain spells on them?"