by Lesa Corryn
“You are surprised by what you see,” said Edel. We had just entered the town and several pedestrians slowed to get a better look at the strange group, especially eying Shanka, but most kept on with their day.
“Your ships that we've fought have appeared very advanced.” I tried to word myself in a way that was not insulting to his people. “But your town's structure does not reflect that.”
“Our people have long been one of the land. We worship it, respect it, for all the harvests it has granted us. Technology is useful, especially concerning medicine and communication, but we don't wish to hurt the terra. We only created the ships and weapons to fend off the furred ones, before then we had no need for such things.”
We walked close to the kiosks, allowing traffic to move through the streets unhindered. As we moved further into the crowd, the disinterest began to wane and the villagers whispered and hissed as Shanka became more noticeable. He stirred, his hands rubbing against his arms and the hair raising along his neck. Flik grabbed onto Shanka's arm and smiled, telling him, “Soon all set right.” Edel's antenna clicked though he did not turn to offer Shanka comfort.
In the middle of the town was a large stone structure, nearly six stories high. The stone was pure white and reflected the sun like a shimmering beacon for the town. At the very top, clock faces for a time system I did not recognize ticked. A canopy encircled the base, supported by thick stone pillars carved with the same flora and fauna designs I saw on Edel's armor. Several of Edel's kind lined the entrances, dressed in similar armor and armed with a polished spear.
“This is where the elder lives. It is also where we handle any altercations that arise. I imagine you will also find your Lieutenant here.”
“Where is your medical facilities?” interjected Teshe. His head craned around, searching the streets for some sign of a clinic or doctor.
“Certainly, Corporal Teshe, forgive me.” He sprinted up to one of the guards, his long and powerful legs carried him over in only a few bounds. Soon he returned with the guard. He looked much like Edel, his shell the same dark, dull surface, his eyes the same violet, his arms and legs just as strong and muscular. I hated to admit it, but should Edel stand amongst his people, I'm not sure I could pick him out. “This is Captain Oak, he will guide you to our hospital and prepare an immediate dispatch of technicians and supplies. We do have a few military vehicles just for cases like this. They should get you back in only a quarter of the time it took us to get here.” Teshe gave a short nod and ran off with Captain Oak towards a street to our left.
“Shall we,” said Edel gesturing towards the entrance.
The first floor was grander than I expected. The stone tiles on the floor glistened with veins of some mineral, similar to the marble from Earth Terra. Windows lined the walls, light streaking in and reflecting off the tiles and sparkling on the ceiling. Potted plants and small flower beds dotted the floor. There was no inherent order and our way to the attendant in the center of the room was like following a maze. Edel moved with ease, his feet weaving around the plant life like it wasn't there, while Flik, Shanka and I, stepped carefully, following the marble path.
Edel arrived at the desk and stood waiting for us to catch up. At the desk, a smaller version of Edel sat. He or she had a slightly paler shell and a softer violet reflecting in their eyes. Around them draped a lose cotton tunic and the only adornment was a brown stone carved with simple etchings, hanging loose around their neck. I assumed that the attendant was either a female, due to her size, or young. However, Edel's kind did seem to stem from insect ancestry and I know many insect species on Earth Terra have larger females than males. I decided it best not to make any assumptions.
Edel strung together a pattern of clicks and whistles while the attendant listened. The attendant pushed a com link and spoke with someone, though none of us understood what was being said. Edel exchanged a few more words and then he ushered us to the stairs.
“Edel,” I said, once I felt far enough from the attendant and those below. “I don't wish to be rude, I'm just curious about your kind, but how do you distinguish genders and ages in your people?”
“I imagine this is difficult for you since your kinds are recognizable mainly by physical features. We however are distinguished by scents. Our antenna have what you call noses. That is how we smell, though ours are not quite as obtrusive as yours. There are slight physical differences. The attendant below is a young female. Her shell color shows her gender and her size shows her age. Our males and females grow to be about the same size. There are other things, but they are not things you would naturally notice.”
We arrived on the fifth floor. The next floor housed the clockworks and the ones below were a series of offices. The third floor however, had no windows and no adornment like the others. I felt certain Allouette sat somewhere in there. However, I knew now was not the time to ask. First, a few things needed to be cleared up for our sake and for Allouette's.
Two guards greeted us as we entered the fifth floor. The floor was completely open, a wide tiled room sparkling in the sun that shined through the many windows. Plant life filled this room as well, but there was more of a pattern. All the plants radiated from the center, where a low pedestal stood. Upon the pedestal was a very large person adorned with only a long beaded necklace and a thick cotton robe. Chairs built from the same stone as the tiles sat before the elder. We would be nearly level with the elder, practically face to face. It was a little unnerving to see how unconcerned they were about guarding such a figurehead.
Edel gestured for us to stop before the guards and he stepped past them and approached the elder. He bowed and spoke in his native tongue before signaling us to join him.
“I informed her of who you are and why you're here. She has graciously accepted your company and is pleased to see that this battle may end. I have also asked that we proceed in Galactic tongue since all of us can speak it.” He paused and glanced up at the elder. She gave a slight nod and he continued. “May I present to you elder of Evergreen, Madame Glade.” We bowed in our own ways. I tucking my arm beneath my stomach, the other behind my back and bending forward. Shanka making his fists and placing them together before bowing. While Flik crossed his arms across his chest and bowed his head. Then we took our seats.
She was large in size, nearly twice the size of Edel. Her proportions were no different from his. Her thorax was just slightly bigger than her abdomen. These were joined by a tiny waist. Her robe hung loose around her and her sleeves swayed with each subtle gesture of her arm. The light from the tiles glowed against her soft shell and the glittering veins in the stone sparkled in her eyes.
“You,” she gestured to Shanka, “come to speak of peace.” Her voice was lighter than Edel's but still deeper than I would expect from a female. But as Edel said, their words were only able to be heard thanks to the resonating in their chests. And she certainly had a large chest. She continued, “For this I am thankful. May we find terms to stop the bloodshed that taints our land.”
“We apologize for what has transpired here. Our nation is at fault, for this we admit, but we were not a willing party. The citizens of my planet knew nothing of this secret army until we were forcibly enlisted and sent to this planet. Our livelihoods depended on following their orders, our families essentially held for ransom. We did not know what else to do.” Shanka's hands shook and his eyes darted back to the guards.
“Do not worry, your gesture has been recognized and word has already been sent out to our government. Soon attacks should stop on your domestic villages, though we will still defend ourselves from your military units.”
“That is understandable Madame. We are all thankful for your people's kindness. I promise those here will make every effort to help right the wrong my government has committed.”
“So will the Union,” I said jumping in. “The Bendalurian government has broken Union law and our army will not let that go without proper prosecution.”
“The Un
ion,” Madame said turning to me, “so it is not all the furred brethren?”
“No, Madame, it is compiled of many different races and hundreds of planets and colonies. The Bendalurians have acted independently of the Union's wishes.” I paused, not sure how to proceed. The light reflected off the Madame's eyes and her head cocked, her hands nestled in her lap. “As such, I would like to request your people cease and desist their attacks on Union ships.” I took a deep breath as if I just rose from beneath water.
“We lost many though we never knew why. We only fight to defend self,” said Flik. “Our battles in space not necessary. We not know you and you not know us. Now we see each other, we know truth, we must stop other deaths.”
“That is most strange,” said Madame. She looked to Edel and then looked out the windows. “We will certainly work to stop the fighting in space. But it is strange for you to tell us that we have been fighting your people.”
“What do you mean,” I asked.
“We were informed that all those who wore the Union insignia were the furred brethren, the Bendalurians.” She looked back at us and cocked her head. “We were told the Union was not on our side and that they will make sure the Bendalurians succeed in their plan.”
“That is absurd,” I shouted. The guards rustled behind me, but Edel stretched out his hand, telling them to stay at ease. The Madame stayed still, her eyes watching me.
“Truly I believe you, this is a mistake that must be corrected. We have for a while been doubting the words of our contacts. We have picked up a few transmissions from our battles with your Union in space. We have not had enough to analyze them completely but we noted the range in dialects. This seemed strange but we assumed that the Bendalurians lived on many planets and had developed such accordingly. But certain words confused us because they were not used in any of the transmissions we had picked up here. We generally assumed them to be names and again thought perhaps due to the dialects words came out different. But the differences were so strong we certainly had doubts.”
“Who were contacts,” asked Flik.
“That is difficult to say,” said Madame. She again looked to the window. “I'm just an elder of a village, the contacts have never spoken directly with me. It is something our government would know.” She looked to Edel and said a few things in their native tongue before looking to us.
“There is much to do. I will have word sent to our government about these recent developments. Perhaps we can establish contact with your kind and stop the war in space. I will also request information on our contacts. This will take time though. Until then I wish to further speak with the young Shanka about peace terms. Also Captain Edelweiss has informed me that the one we captured in the recent skirmish is a friend of yours and a Union soldier. We apologize for the confusion. We thought she might have been a leader for the insurgents here. The guards will take you down to see her now.”
Chapter 28
Strawberries
“Who you think spy?” said Flik on the way down to the third floor.
“Don't know.” I cast the words off as if Flik's question was a nuisance, but the question bubbled inside my head as well. Were the contacts for or against the Bendalurians? It seemed like an obvious answer, but was it really? If the Bendalurians were planning war against the Union, why not convince the Agerians that the Union was the enemy? Since the Agerians only knew of the Bendalurians, it might make them more determined to fight if they thought all of the Union was Bendalurians. But this seemed like a stretch.
“It had be someone on Hera,” mused Flik. He rubbed his chin and gazed out the windows along the stairwell.
“Why?”
“Lieutenant assigned task to handle new enemies in Sector L-47. That when these kind start getting better.”
“Before Allouette started arranging the battle tactics they were losing?”
“Lieutenant,” Flik grunted, though not as adamant as he used to be. “Yes, we begin to lose when she began to provide tactics.”
“How do you know this?” I stopped in the stairwell and the guard waited patiently for us to finish.
“Gin told. During fever. She worry Lieutenant losing skill but certain that could not be true.”
I continued down the stairs, following the tall Agerian guard. Flik didn't seem to understand the weight of his words. The first major attack was the L-47 incident. Before then, it had been random hits on passing ships and local colonies. Those attacks were usually successful but only because the ships and colonies were unprepared or not well guarded. Hera was sent to deal with the recent attacks. No one expected anything more dramatic than a band of raiders, but they were caught off guard and nearly half the crew did not survive. It was then Hera flew to the Academy to regroup and Allouette took on the role of head tactician against the new race. If her taking on the battles coincided with when the Agerians began to predict our movements then...
“You of all people to think that way,” said Flik.
“What?” I snapped back from my thoughts.
“You think Lieutenant responsible.” We arrived at the third floor and the guard led us down a hall lined with metal doors.
“I think that the coincidence is something that can't be overlooked.” The guard gestured towards a door at the far end and tapped a panel on a wall to unlock it. He then bowed and returned to his post. We walked up to the door and into the white chamber.
The walls, floor and ceiling were completely whitewashed with only a single light in the ceiling. In a corner looked to be a toilet chamber and a slit in the wall revealed a fold down mat. Other than that, the room was bare. On the far wall Allouette sat slumped, her head bowed and her hand running up and down her arm like a nervous tick. Her knees pulled in tight, her face hiding behind them.
“Lieutenant,” murmured Flik. At first it sounded like sobs, mournful and slow, but the pace quickened and her voice raised. Laughing, laughing like a sword had just been thrust in her gut and she knew of nothing better to do than laugh.
“Allouette are you okay?”
“Who do you call by Allouette?” she growled. “You don't know me.” She was right I didn't and her actions proved my theory more and more.
“Did they do anything to you?”
“Besides keep me in a white lit room for who knows how long.” She looked up, her eyes bloodshot and her face pale. “Other than that it has been dandy.”
“Things clear now, you can leave,” said Flik, his voice small in the desolate room. She didn't look at Flik, her ears twitched as the words hit them, but her eyes stared at me.
“You have something to say.”
“I,” my words stumbled, “I need to know about your intentions.” I couldn't find the right words without outwardly convicting her.
“Jek,” said Flik. Neither of us took notice.
“My intentions,” giggled Allouette. “Towards who?” Her words cooed like a dove, but left a chill in the air.
“Towards the Union, towards these people, towards the Bendalurians.” I stepped forward, my face growing red. I didn't want to believe she had anything to do with this. Her words. Her words, saved me from the darkness, pulled me to my feet. Were they all in vain?
“Who am I?” she laughed. She's mocking me. She stands at the shore watching me drown. Laughing as I gasp for breath.
“Are you the spy?”
“Ha.” Her voice echoed, bouncing off the walls of the small chamber, bombarding Flik and me. “Spying for who? Weren't you the spy?”
“You were the one who accused me.”
“Psh.” She curled tighter and turned from us. “Who am I a spy for?”
“The Bendalurians. They want to make war with the Union, though I don't know why. They are trying to steal this planet and use the natives as a scapegoat for war. They asked you, since you were to be the tactician in the upcoming front against the Agerians, to communicate with the natives, allow them to win, and weaken the Union force.” The words spilled out of my mouth. I
wanted to stop, I wanted to take it all back. I didn't want to believe any of it. My arm, a pain shot through it, starting at my fingertips. It hasn't hurt in so long, why now?
“Why,” she asked rising to her feet. “Why in the stars, would I want to help the Bendalurians?”
“Because they are your people.” For some reason I regretted the words the minute they left my lips. Flik stepped back, peering out the doorway as if he sensed trouble rising in the air.
“My people,” she laughed.
“I didn't mean it, I...”
“My people.” In a flash her hand swiped against her exposed arm, her face tight, her teeth bared. She thrust it before me, three lines of blood etched in her forearm, trickling down her skin and staining the white floor. “This blood belongs to no people. I am not Bendalurian, I am not Earth Terran. Do not say I do anything for my people. No such people exist.”
“Then perhaps it wasn't for the Bendalurians, but because it was against the Union.” I knew her history. I didn't want to admit it. It, well, did not cast me in the best of lights, but she captivated me while at the Academy. Her strength to persevere despite her conditions gave me hope. “It's okay if that's true. I know what's happened and I admire you for it, that's why I stayed in the service.” Flik backed from the door, I felt his eyes burning into me.
“You know what's happened.” I could not tell if it was formed as a question or a statement laced with malice, but I felt my good intentions missed completely. “Do enlighten me Thurman, what was it that happened to me?” Her use of my last name cut deep but calling her out like this, I deserved it.
“The students hated you,” my voice quaked, her eyes piercing me. “You got there under special scholarship and you reigned at the top of your class all four years. But you were an abnormal sight. You were a half blood. Something, I know the male cadets found to be an exotic treasure. I don't know the details except that three males were discharged from the service after assaulting you. My guess is they weren't just looking to beat you up, though the report did not say.” My eyes shot to the ground, how could I say such things to her. I waited for her to respond, for Flik to step in, but the room stayed quiet. My unease needed to fill the silence. “It must have been so traumatic and disheartening to know that your fellow cadets would treat you like that. But you kept going and that's why I admire you Allouette.” I looked up hoping to see pity in her eyes. For her to break down and tell me everything. I'm such a fool.
