thefiremargins

by Lisanne Norman

  "These are the details of the female Terran Telepaths. Out of sixty Terrans, we only have seven females. Apart from the fact there are so few of them, there is something here so obvious I'm missing it. With your knowledge of Terran culture, perhaps you can tell me what it is."

  "I hadn't realized there were so few," she said, leaning forward toward the control panel set into the desk surface. "May I?"

  "Please," said Konis, moving his chair back.

  She tapped a few keys, checked the files of the fifty-three males, then ordered the computer to find the common factors.

  "The females are older, their average age being forty-two, the males being only twenty-eight," she said. "Apart from that, I can't see any correlation beyond the fact they come from the major cultures on Earth."

  She turned puzzled green eyes toward him. "What exactly are you hoping to find? What did Jo tell you?"

  "She thinks Earth is still restricting the number of telepathic females they're sending to us. Why would they do that? You know more than any Sholan about the Human culture, even if it is on Keiss, not Earth. Can you think of a reason for them to do that?"

  "I wonder if age is a key factor," she said, pressing more controls. "There is a large discrepancy in the averages." Again she turned to look at him. "Being a shorter-lived species than us, they mature earlier. Clan units like ours don't exist, and they form a bond with one partner for life. They tend to remain possessive of their females, treating them almost as if they own them."

  "They're shorter-lived? I hadn't realized," Konis murmured. "What is their life span?"

  "Sixty or seventy seems to be the average for the males, with the females living for perhaps another ten years."

  Konis blinked in shock. "So short a time?" His thoughts hung loud and clear in the silence. Were his son, and Vanna, doomed to so short a life because of their Human Leskas?

  "We've changed, Clan Lord," said Vanna. "The Humans, too. Who knows how long either of us will live now? Only time will tell." She looked back at the screen.

  Konis refocused his mind on the current problem. "So what Carrie faced on Keiss is not uncommon among Terrans. The females are not perceived as equal citizens but as a form of property. Presumably they don't want them in situations where they can mix freely with males, so they prevent them from coming to us."

  "Perhaps they don't want them mixing with Sholan males," said Vanna. "We know they suffer from xenophobia to a greater extent than we do, so keeping them away from our males could be more important."

  "In my dealings with the Earth delegation, I found them more xenophobic toward each other than us, but it is part of the same pattern. What of the age factor in the females? Why do you think they're older?"

  They're too old for childbearing, came Brynne's thought. No chance then for any alien half-breeds. They'll leave that to the Sholan females. Then his presence was gone.

  Vanna looked acutely embarrassed, ears flicking backward despite her attempt to keep them upright.

  "My apologies, Clan Lord," she began, but Konis silenced her with a wave of his hand.

  "No need, Vanna. I know how difficult things are for you, and Brynne's insight has been most useful."

  She looked back to the screen. "Yes, Clan Lord," she said, her voice barely audible.

  Konis frowned at her. "You're forgetting my name," he said gently. "No more Clan Lord, please." He looked back at the screen. "It looks like Jo was right. The Terrans are restricting the Telepaths they send us." He leaned past Vanna to key in more data.

  "At least the ones we get here are in the main people with genuinely useful Talents," he said, reviewing the screen. "These are the ones that have been vetted on the Rhyaki before being sent here. I hear there've been a great many sent to the ship who've had only the delusion of having a Talent."

  Vanna looked questioningly at him.

  "Because telepathy isn't recognized on Earth," said Konis, "the people have developed a subculture of their own based mainly on their abilities to foretell the future or to contact the deceased. The Tutors on the Rhyaki complain that for every three people with a genuine Talent, they're sent twenty who have nothing of any use to us, far more than one would expect in a random sample. They feel sure the Terrans are aware of this."

  "It seems I've been too engrossed with our new Leskas," said Konis, his ears beginning to lie flat with anger. "It's time I involved myself more in Alien Relations. I think another visit to Earth is called for, one with full Ambassadorial status, to inquire into their selection procedure for suitable Telepaths. I'll speak to Commander Chuz and Governor Nesul about it today," he said, switching his comm off. "I want another batch of people sent out here as soon as possible, and it had better include more younger females! These Terrans are as devious as the Chemerians. Thank the Gods we are dealing with people we know on Keiss. That at least goes smoothly," he said, turning to Vanna.

  "Changing the topic completely, what's the state of the ni'uzu epidemic here? Have you managed to find a workable vaccine yet?"

  "Not yet. Since Carrie and Kusac first caught and mutated it, it won't respond to our vaccine. So far it only appears to be affecting the single telepaths. Existing Leska pairs seem to be immune, yet we can't find what it is that gives them the immunity. It's not just our Guildhouse either, the other fifteen Telepath Guildhouses have been similarly hit. In fact there have been several deaths directly linked to the new strain of ni'uzu."

  "Why only telepaths? I don't suppose it could be some Terran virus, could it?"

  Vanna shook her head. "Unlikely. The DNA mapping of the Humans is far enough advanced for us to rule that out. So far we can't trace the cause, but even when they've recovered, it's leaving many people weak and ill for several days."

  "Have you got all the facilities and staff you need?"

  "Yes, Clan Lord."

  Konis frowned.

  "Yes, Konis," she amended, feeling self-conscious at the use of his personal name.

  "Right," he said, getting up. "Keep me informed, Vanna. I want to know if there are any more deaths due to this virus and if it leaves those who've contracted it with any enhanced abilities or altered genetics. I need to go and see the Governor now."

  * * *

  After more than two decades of life in the military, Kris, the telepathic member of their team, came as something of a shock to Jo and Davies. The shoulder-length fair hair held back by a plain suede headband, the T-shirt and jeans, and the bare feet in open leather sandals all firmly proclaimed him a civilian, despite the Sholan uniform jacket he carried. However, as their days at the Warrior Guild merged into weeks, they realized the differences between the soldiers that they were and the Warriors they needed to become.

  This Guild had never turned out obedient ranks of soldiers; traditionally they fulfilled a totally different role. They trained males and females to fight with any available weapons, including their natural ones; to search out the enemy's weaknesses; to assess and plan tactical advantages; to survive and ultimately win in the most extreme circumstances. In short, unless they were Warrior-trained first and foremost, there was no way junior officers could gain access to the upper echelons of the Sholan military.

  The three of them found that they were expected to be able to act independently of each other yet mesh instantly into a tightly knit unit when the need arose. Without a conscious decision having ever been made, Jo found herself being regarded by the two males as the natural leader.

  Their training included not only the traditional Sholan swords and daggers but also modern energy weapons. Unarmed combat, too, both Sholan and Human style. The knowledge of the existence of new martial arts had caused an immediate demand— diplomatically rephrased as a request by the Alien Relations Department— from the Warrior Guild for practitioners to be sent to Shola. They had not been long in arriving.

  Though Jo and Davies had years of experience in guerrilla warfare on Keiss, Kris had more than a head start on them at the Guild, having been training there re
gularly since he had arrived on Shola some five months earlier. Despite his time still being divided between the Warrior and the Telepath Guilds, he never completely lost that lead. By the end of their three weeks on Shola, the bonds of trust that had been forged between them were strong and they knew they were as ready as they would ever be for their mission on Jalna.

  * * *

  Almost before they realized it, they were at Chagda Station, boarding the Summer Bounty, the Chemerian merchant ship of Chijuu Liokso. Like all Chemerian vessels outside their home worlds, it was run by the Sumaan, the only species the Chemerians trusted, and then only because the heavy worlders and they had no common needs.

  Jo and Davies didn't meet the last member of their team until they were ushered into the lower level crew lounge. Because of the fever still raging through the Telepath Guild, the Clan Lord, Konis Aldatan, had delayed his choice until one of those he had short-listed for the mission had recovered.

  Vyaka was her name. Of average height for a Sholan female, she was stockily built with an air of competence about her. Her coloring was light gray with dark bands round her tail and tipping her almost-tufted ears. The hair between her ears was dark and worn short, the military style fitting in with the sleeveless Forces jacket. Unusually bright green eyes regarded them steadily while Kris and Jo felt her feather-light mental touch at the edges of their minds.

  She held her palm out toward Kris in greeting. "You must be my contact on Jalna. I'm Vyaka, from Alien Relations. The Clan Lord thought someone with my background would be best suited to your needs." She turned to the other two. "You must be Jo, and you, Davies," she said, offering her palm to Jo who hesitantly returned the gesture, knowing that her Talent had been acknowledged by the Sholan female. To Davies, Vyaka inclined her head.

  "I'll show you to our quarters," she said, walking past them to the door. "This level is the one used by Chijuu, the Chemerian. We have the two passenger cabins."

  The three Terrans followed her back out into the corridor, past the lift shaft to the two cabin doors. Vyaka stopped, turning to Jo. "I thought you'd prefer to bunk with me. The Terran females I met at the Guild were no different from us in enjoying some time away from the company of the males." Her mouth opened in a broad Sholan grin.

  "Sure, suits me," said Jo, smiling back.

  "In which case," said Vyaka turning to Kris, "that's your room next door. You'll find the toilet and shower through the door at the rear. We'll meet you back in the lounge in five minutes." She placed her palm on the door mechanism.

  "Oh, no," groaned Jo as she looked in through the open door. "Now I've seen it all! First it was curved beds, now it's bowls in the floor!"

  "You haven't seen the crew quarters," said Vyaka, making a noise Jo recognized as a laugh. "They sleep on heated sand. At least we have covers and a padded mattress. As for Chijuu, wait till you see his suite. He rarely leaves the Summer Bounty so his quarters approximate how he would live planetside." She waited for Jo to enter.

  "What are they like?" Jo asked, unslinging her bag as she headed over to the ubiquitous drawer unit near the unused bed.

  "The Chemerians? Difficult is the best word to describe them. The ones we meet, like Chijuu, are the gregarious ones, misfits in their society because they are willing to actually meet aliens face-to-face and trade with them. Don't worry, though," she reassured Jo, "we'll probably only see him a couple of times during the trip. He'll keep to his quarters because of the gravity. The Sumaan worlds are heavier even than Shola, and since the Sumaan run the ship ..."

  "Sounds like a fun journey," said Jo, putting the last of her possessions in the drawers.

  "It shouldn't be too bad. The Sumaan will probably set their gravity nearer ours for our convenience, they're good that way."

  "How do the Chemerians cope?"

  "They've developed a device that allows them to have their own gravity in their quarters. No one knows how it works, and they aren't telling us. They won't even discuss it, let alone allow anyone else near it. Pity, the medical benefits alone would be worth almost any price they asked. Ready?"

  Jo nodded and followed Vyaka back to the lounge area. Kris and Davies were already there. The Sholan went over to a hatchway in the far wall while Jo sat down on one of the couches.

  "This area has been set up for passengers," she said. "This is the food and drink synthesizer. It works on a similar principle to the Sholan ones. It's been programmed with ten dishes which have proved popular with your people as well as several drinks, including your coffee. The menu is here," she said, pointing to a display panel above a row of recessed buttons. "Press one of these and your choice will come on the screen; press this one to confirm your selection. I take it you all want coffee?"

  "Please," said Jo.

  As they sat down with their drinks, several loud clanks and booms reverberated throughout the craft.

  "We're under way," said Vyaka, taking a sip of her c'shar. "I think now is the time for your final briefing." She put her mug down on the low table in front of her.

  "When we reach Jalna, we'll all transfer to the cargo section control room and travel down to the planet's surface. Jalna has no space station so trading takes place planetside in the spaceport. Once we've landed, the Captain will request an unloading team. They'll be Jalnians who have passes allowing them into the port area. The whole spaceport is rigidly controlled by the Port Lord, Lord Bradogan, who restricts the flow of off-world goods onto the planet. He also restricts the movements of the natives and the spacer crews. No aliens are allowed to go outside the Port town perimeter."

  "So how do we get out?" asked Davies.

  "We have a fake ID for each of you," she said. "While the Jalnians are unloading, I will attempt to link in lightly to one of them, then you, Kris, will link with me and hopefully be able to pick up all you can about their language and culture." She frowned briefly. "I know you've been practicing this particular skill. You Humans seem to have a talent for it. Hopefully the combination of our minds should be enough. Really we needed Carrie and Kusac for this, but it wasn't to be," she sighed. "We have to have this information or the mission has little chance of success."

  Jo hesitated. "If you can give me what you do pick up, like we were given a knowledge of the Sholan language and culture on the Khalossa, then perhaps I can make some sense of it."

  Vyaka looked at her in surprise.

  "The Clan Lord said my Talent was with languages," Jo said quietly.

  "Of course, you're the Keissian expert on the Valtegans! That will certainly give us the edge we need," said Vyaka.

  "Vyaka," said Jo worriedly, "There isn't a problem with Carrie, is there? I thought she was doing well. She seemed all right when we spoke to her a couple of weeks ago."

  Vyaka raised an eye ridge. "You were lucky to be allowed to speak to her. Since she lost her cub, no one has been allowed to contact them. The Clan Leader has been most protective."

  Jo and Davies exchanged a glance.

  "You didn't know?" said Vyaka in surprise. "It was widely publicized on Shola. The genesis of a new species is not something that can be kept quiet, especially when the heir of the largest Telepath Clan is the father."

  "Carrie and Kusac?" asked Davies, frankly disbelieving. "That's impossible."

  "Not with the mixed Leskas. Somehow a genetic drift was initiated in both of them until they were compatible. Kusac's child would have been the first but Carrie lost it when she was injured in the Challenge. Now it'll be Vanna's cub."

  "Not the Vanna we know? The medic?" asked Jo incredulously.

  Vyaka nodded.

  "But she's not a telepath!"

  "Oh yes, a wild Talent to be sure, but a Telepath nonetheless, and one with a Terran Leska."

  "Good God," said Jo, still stunned by the double shock of the news.

  "How many more pairs are there?" asked Davies.

  "I think another two or three. But enough of that," Vyaka said, picking up her mug again. "Back to the mission. Once
we've managed to pick up something of their language and culture, you'll mingle with the Jalnians in the hold. When they leave, so will you. According to the Sumaan, the guards only glance at the Jalnians' cards, they don't do a head count so they shouldn't notice there are three more of you leaving than arrived." She took another drink.

  "Once outside, you'll make your way to the crash site in the nearby hills. We'll return to Jalna every week, so I'll contact you as soon as we arrive and you can pass on any information you have. Luckily there's some in-system work we can do over the next couple of months or so, trading directly in space with the other species. When you're ready to leave, you make your way back to the native shantytown outside the spaceport perimeter and we'll pick you up the same way we dropped you off. Any questions?"

  "How do we find this crashed vessel?" asked Davies.