“Do you wanta hoist Kay up first?”
Despite their present state of danger, she flashed a quick grin. “Don’t have to – Kay can climb ladders.” Deck sped up the rungs and ran out onto the roof, Kayatennae following and Con close behind. She and Con dodged around the Intabet ship and raced to the edge. They started contemplating their best chance of making a safe landing on one of the nearby roofs.
“Jump, tuck, and roll onto that one.” Kennedy pointed to the building on their right.
When Kayatennae started barking ferociously from the other side of the ship, Naiche looked over her shoulder, shouting, “No, Kay. That’s not how we’re getting out of—” She was arrested mid-sentence by the sight of two peerazu bearing down on them at a furious pace. “Holy fucking shit! Get back in the building!” she screamed.
The three of them rushed over to the roof access hatch; Con slid down first and Deck followed clutching Kayatennae in one arm since the dog couldn’t climb down a ladder – not quickly, anyway. Veritable seconds later they heard the thump-thump of the peerazu landing on the roof. “What’re we gonna do?”
“I don’t know – I’m out of ideas,” Kennedy admitted. “You?”
Plaster was falling onto to them in great clumps as the ancient building rattled and shook, making it difficult to remain upright. Despair closed in on Decker. “I got nothing.”
She thought she heard Tal’s voice crackle out her comm-link, saying, “They still don’t copy but we’re within visual range.”
Slapping her forehead, Naiche groaned, “Great, now, I’m hallucinating.”
Kennedy shouted, “No! I heard that, too.” He hit his comm-link. “Jacoway – is that you? We copy!”
“Thank God. Looks like the cloak finally went off-line.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in the L2 nearing your location. Get back out on the roof – I’ll pick you up there.”
Deck barked, “We can’t – there’s two peerazu out there!”
“I know, I’m on it. I have ‘em distracted – get out here, now!”
“If you say so,” Con said. “It beats staying here.” He turned and headed back up the ladder.
Deck and Kay followed him and they all stared at the sight of the two peerazu in a furious battle with the L2 shuttle. Jacoway was expertly dodging the saliva streams while pelting them with particle blasts. Naiche admired the extreme piloting talent on display, declaring, “No other pilot in the galaxy can fly like that.”
With a laugh, Kennedy nudged her shoulder. “I know for a fact there’s at least one other.”
Jacoway blasted the head off of one peerazu, as the other began scorching the shuttle with a stream of destructive saliva. The shuttle spun around and fired in the peerazu’s open mouth – it plummeted onto the roof not far from the huddled group awaiting rescue. The resounding thud of its landing shook the already unsteady rooftop.
Naiche and Con were relieved to see the L2 shuttle swoop in and hover over them. The back hatch opened and Bayer dropped three lines out. Decker immediately fashioned a harness for Kay out of one end and lashed him securely into it; Bayer hoisted him up while Kennedy and Decker climbed nimbly up theirs.
They ran to the front of the shuttle and Naiche was about to throw her arms around Tal when the sight of five peerazu bearing down on them ended all thoughts of celebrating.
Con said, “Out of the smoke, we jump straight into the flames.”
“Same as it ever was,” Deck answered.
While wheeling into an evasive turn, Jacoway barked, “L2 to Aurora. Brodie, do you have that sonic pulse data ready? Now would be the time. I have five of ‘em swarming.”
Bly’s voice could be heard exulting, “I’ve got it! Sending transmission now.”
Bayer had resumed her place in the co-pilot’s seat. Jacoway said to her, “Put that data stream on broadcast.”
“Broadcast? What kind of weapon works on broadcast?” Deck got no response since neither pilot had band-width available – Jacoway busy dodging the peerazu throng and Bayer engrossed with the data transmission. Naiche said to Kennedy, “Are you sure this isn’t a hallucination?”
“No.” They both watched in amazement all as five peerazu suddenly tumbled out of sight though no blast had landed on any of them. Con said, “Okay, now I’m convinced it is.”
Jacoway announced, “The infrasound pulse worked! All five neutralized and I’m bringing Kennedy and Decker to the Aurora.”
From the comm, Ricci responded, “Good job, Commander. Excellent work all of you – we’ll meet you at the Aurora.”
Tal signed off and said, “Bayer, take over.” He jumped up, and turned to Naiche, pulling her into a hug.
She readily returned the embrace, asking, “What the hell just happened?”
He drew back slightly, answering with a grin, “Isn’t it obvious, Decker? I just saved your ass.” He leaned back in and whispered in her ear, “And what a great ass it is.”
Chapter 20
The Journey That Matters
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness
When they’d settled down in the passenger seats of the L2 shuttle, Decker had the presence of mind to ask Jacoway, “How did you know we were in trouble? And where to find us?”
“Aqila figured it out—”
“She did?! How?” Kennedy interjected.
“She was examining the DNA data for the peerazu and noticed the same kind of mutation as the one in those worms – only this time it was triggered by sound, not heat.”
“Oh,” Naiche said, “that’s the weapon that you used against them – it was sound-based.”
“Yes. It took some work, but Brodie was able to calculate the infrasound frequency that triggers paralysis in the peerazu.”
Con learned forward, elbows on his knees, and shook his head. “But I still don’t understand how any of that let you know we were in trouble.”
“Aqila knew that two mutations like that couldn’t possibly be a coincidence – it meant someone had bio-engineered those animals. The logical suspect was the Intabet. When Lindstrom couldn’t reach you two, right after you said you were heading back, they did a long-range sensor scan of Intabah.”
“They must’ve noticed the cloaked area,” Kennedy ventured, “and used the re-configured sensors on it.”
“Not only that, but Brodie figured out a way to get through to your comm-links. The problem was, we could hear you, but you couldn’t hear us.”
“We?” Decker asked.
“Yeah, by that time the Lovelace was in range and we were all listening in – trying to devise a rescue plan.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “As soon as Captain Ricci realized that you were trapped in that chamber, he sent us in – before the Lovelace was even in Tolu’s orbit.” Tal swiped a hand across his damp brow. “When I heard that rock give way and knew I still too far away to do anything….” He shook his head and couldn’t finish his thought.
Deck patted Kay’s head. “It’s okay. This guy came through.”
“I know.” Tal laughed, “Maybe we should name our first-born child, ‘Kayatennae’.”
In a warm tone, Naiche said, “Our child that we’ll raise in the Centauri settlements.”
“No, I decided a while back that we’ll go to Chiricahua territory – I even told your dad so.”
“Hey, I just said I was willing to—”
“Well, I’m more than willing – I want to do it your way.”
They continued to gently bicker back and forth until Kennedy waved his hand between them. “Stop. Maybe you two love-sick fools can come up with some kind of compromise that makes you both happy. What do you think?” After smiling sheepishly at each other, Naiche and Tal agreed that was a great idea.
By that time, the shuttle had landed and they disembarked to a rousing welcome. Naiche was thrilled to see that the L1 shuttle had already brought
her father to Tolu and she rushed over to accept his captainly greeting – knowing a more personal reunion between them would have to wait until later. With a smile, she watched Aqila and Con’s immediate and extremely personal reunion and recognized that it would take a few minutes before Lateef could accept Decker’s abundant thanks. She then looked for Brodie but saw that she was engrossed with Bayer.
Tal swung an arm around her shoulder. “Soon there’ll be another married couple on Lovelace – yes?”
“Assuming you mean us – yes. Bly started dating Kaplita last month, so she and Evelyn are just friends.”
“Of course, I meant us.” Tal laughed, “I’m not that interested in Brodie’s love life.” He moved so they were face-to-face and took her hands. “I want you to know – I never doubted your love for a moment. Something that strong could never be hidden.”
She leaned towards him until their foreheads were touching, whispering, “I’m glad.”
After they broke apart, Tal said, “Naiche, I’m pretty sure I knew that you loved me before you did.”
“Probably – I’m not great about acknowledging my emotions.”
Ricci had moved near enough to overhear that last statement. “She gets that from me,” he said to Jacoway. “Along with half of her reckless and cocky genes.”
Naiche clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. “Oh, shit! You heard that.”
“I certainly did. As did everybody else.”
She stiffened her spine as she faced her father head on. “When is the court-martial?”
“There won’t be one. Consider yourself lucky.”
“That you’re so forgiving?”
“That I’d never court-martial someone for telling the truth.” While Naiche and Tal were laughing, Ricci said, “Come on, now. Doctor Clemente wants to examine you and Kennedy. Then the two of you need to get cleaned up – Captain Maddox is throwing a celebratory dinner in your honor.”
“Oh, no,” Decker quietly groaned. “I’ve tasted their food. It is not….”
“Good?” Tal suggested.
“Not really food. I’d rather eat ash-mice.” She looked at Ricci. “Do I have to attend?”
“Yes. Consider it your punishment for shooting your mouth off. Or would you rather be court-martialed?” When she didn’t respond, he said, “Well?”
“General court-martial or special?”
Ricci didn’t answer but gently propelled Decker towards her fate, with Tal and Kayatennae following close behind.
***
The next night the Featay and Maykure got together to throw a much more satisfactory banquet in honor of the departing humans. For the honorees, the feast, while much appreciated, wasn’t the highlight of the evening; the long-overdue reunion of the two Tolu communities was their greatest source of happiness and satisfaction.
Dozens of long tables were placed in the fields near the Aurora and the food spread upon them bountiful – the best of what Tolu had to offer in that season. For the first time in Tolutay memory, there was no worry about peerazu, thanks to the Aurora broadcasting Brodie’s infrasound frequency. There were plans in place to use the signal to humanely execute the remaining peerazu as soon as possible.
The Featay and Maykure leaders, Ixnea Rijal and Kinlea Cassay, informed Ricci that they had jointly seized the current store of kiatilium and wanted to gift a significant portion of it to him in gratitude for what his crew had done.
With Lindstrom by his side, he said, “I assure you, this is not necessary. However, if you’re looking to sell it – that’s another matter.”
Displaying patient good humor, Ixnea insisted, “This same hour, our gift you keep possession of. Some portion next, you pay. And pay much.”
Matt laughed heartily before agreeing, “In that case, I gratefully accept – and thank you on behalf of the Uniterrae Defense Corps.” He then asked about their plans for dealing with the Intabet – especially after the leader, Purt Cassay, returned to Tolu.
Kinlea informed him that discussions on that subject were on-going. At present they were still grappling with the extreme shock of learning that all their suffering had been engineered by the other Tolutay community – the gravest betrayal imaginable. Kinlea said, “In seasons past, the Intabet kept use as the miners of Tolu. Tievas Galloo pelted we with words of grievances ancient, that Intabet worth was marked as small and lowly by Maykure and Featay.”
“Is that true?” Lindstrom asked.
“It is so, I hold fear,” Ixnea admitted. “Wrongs from seasons past, cast shadows of length mighty.”
Ricci said, “Still – not an excuse for what they’ve done.” He rocked his head back and forth a few times before acknowledging, “Even if their scheme started with vengeance, it certainly ended in greed.”
Matt was then free to join the banquet and took a seat near Naiche and Tal. Their attention, along with the rest of that end of the table, was completely absorbed by a short, red-headed teenager who made up for her lack of stature by her extreme volubility. Ricci was quickly to learn that her name was Moira Finnegan when she introduced herself and spoke at some length on – well, everything. The topics ranged from her admiration for his crew, her experiences on Tolu, her feelings about leaving Jileesa behind, and her plans for the future, including a reunion with her parents. At last, she was called away by Sanaa Jallow to join a group at another table and silence reigned for a moment.
Kennedy looked at his captain. “In answer to your unspoken question – yes, she always talks that much.”
“Is she serious about joining the UDC?”
After swallowing a mouthful of grilled vegetables, Decker answered, “Yes, she is. She’s hoping to join this year’s class.”
“I should give Lieu a heads-up,” Ricci mused, referring to the commander in charge of cadet admissions.
“I wouldn’t worry, sir,” Brodie offered. “I’m sure he’ll hear her coming a kilometer away.”
Lateef said, “I think admissions for this year are closed, anyway.”
“Well,” Naiche drawled. “I’ve been thinking about that. I plan to offer Commander Lieu a deal. I’ll do a belated intro session for cadets from the Independent Communities, if he’ll give Moira a chance at late admission. I already promised to coach her for the entrance exams.”
Tal asked, “You’re gonna have time to do all of that – and help me plan two weddings?”
“Two?” Ricci said. “Who else is getting married?”
Decker smiled and put her hands on the table near her father. “No one. We’re getting married twice.” Before Matt could ask why, she added, “I want to get married in Chiricahua territory and Tal wants to get married in The Rock’s chapel.” She winked at Con. “So, we’re gonna compromise. Do both.”
Tal explained, “We’d have to petition to have the Chiricahua marriage recognized by Uniterrae anyway – why not just get married again?”
Kennedy beamed at the happy couple. “As long as I get to be the Man of Honor for both ceremonies, that sounds like a great idea.”
“Of course!” Naiche said.
Matt leaned back in his chair and gave his daughter an indulgent smile. “When are you planning to throw these dual festivities?”
Laughing, she answered, “Don’t worry – you don’t need to save up any money. We’re paying for everything.”
“Oh, I wasn’t offering.” With deceptive nonchalance, he said, “I just want to be sure my dress uniforms will be back from the tailor by then.”
Naiche looked him up and down. “Why? Did you lose some weight?”
“No – but shortly after we get back, I will be sending them off to get another row of gold braid added.” Ricci thoroughly enjoyed the looks of surprise around the table. “Yes, I’ll be taking the commodore quals and accepting that promotion.”
Blythe Brodie was the first to respond and did so with outsized gladness. She clapped her hands together and bounced in her seat. “Congratulations, Captain. That’s such wonderful news, sir.
I’m so happy for you!”
He turned to Jacoway with a raised eyebrow. “I think I figured out who won that pool.”
“You told him?!” Brodie glared at Jacoway. “You big-mouth!”
Ricci bestowed a look of mild disapproval on the science officer. “Exactly how much money will you be collecting, Lieutenant?”
“Not much, Captain. Just a few unnos. It was all in good fun.”
“Since it was just for fun – I’m sure you won’t mind donating those winnings to the UDC War Orphans fund. Isn’t that right?”
Bly looked completely crest-fallen but said with a reasonable amount of grace, “Of course, sir. It would be my honor.”
Aqila put a comforting arm around Brodie’s shoulder. “Chin up, Bly. I’m still putting you in for a commendation for your work on this mission.” She looked up at Ricci. “A very successful mission, wasn’t it, sir?”
“I should say so. We’re heading back to Uniterrae with an unimaginable haul of kiatilium – soon to be followed by thousands of humans, who are finally coming home.”
Leaning forward, Lateef quietly asked, “Has the Aurora crew been informed about what happened on Jileesa? In particular…do they now understand the truth of their origins?”
Ricci glanced around to ensure the subjects of the discussion were not within earshot. “Clemente and Uddin have both advised against telling them the whole story, especially about Millua’s plan, until we can get them to Uniterrae. The doctors want counselors available to help these people deal with the inevitable emotional fallout.”
“I see their point,” Kennedy said. “It’ll be interesting, seeing the Children of the Valiant on Uniterrae. They have so much to learn.”
“Especially about food,” Decker observed.
Recognizing the undeniable truth of that statement, Matt chuckled and then turned his attention to his own dinner, which had begun to grow cold. While eating, he surreptitiously watched Naiche and Tal chatting quietly about their bright future and glowing with happiness. It had been a most successful mission, indeed.
The Risks of Dead Reckoning Page 23
