The troika bounced and jostled as it sped toward the trees.
A small child emerged from the clump of trees, and his voice called out, “Gran-ma! Gran-ma!”
Bigelow halted the horses and dropped their leads. He leapt from the troika and rushed toward the child. Jerome and Cammarry jumped off and followed.
A second child came out from the trees, and on small legs ran after the woman. He too cried, “Gran-ma!” The woman refused to turn around. The first boy suddenly fell backward and landed on his butt. He began to cry, his arms outstretched toward the receding figure of the old woman. Both little boys had nearly white blond hair, white shirts with red collars, and red shorts. The second boy wailed, “Gran-ma!” and stopped his motion forward. The boy pulled at something behind him, but kept looking at the woman who was now running away.
“You come back! You are a disgusting and vile woman!” Bigelow yelled. “You worthless pile of horse droppings!” Bigelow swore and cursed as he reached the children.
Jerome and Cammarry were right behind him. Jerome was recalling the definitions of many of the curse words Bigelow was using, some of which he had only seen in books, and had never heard expressed. Some of the other words were obviously profanities, but were new to Jerome. Then he looked more closely at the children.
One of the boys, the one sitting on the dry ground, had turned and his eyes were wide with terror as he gawked at Bigelow. Jerome saw that there was some kind of small wire wrapped around the boy’s waist which extended back to the trees, restraining him from going any further. Looking at the other child, who was identical to the first, Jerome saw a similar wire tied around that boy’s waist as well. The wires were far too strong for the little hands of the boys to untwist. They were trapped.
“I hope all your water is gone when you get back!” Bigelow screamed in frustration, anger, and vengeance. “May you dry up you old hag!” Interspersed in his words were more graphic and colorful profanities.
“What is going on here?” Jerome asked as he squatted down next to the first boy. He tried to make his voice calm, but it was difficult with Bigelow ranting, and the other boy crying. Using his hands, Jerome tried to force the wires to unwind, but it was difficult, and the wire tip bit into his hands.
“That cursed, crusty, crone has abandoned these beautiful children to die!” Bigelow swore. “And just before night! The animals come out then, what a horrible, wretched….” He then caught himself and stopped his invective of profanity. He lowered his voice. “I should not yell at her, it only scares these little ones, and her kind will never change.” Bigelow pulled a small flask from his pocket, it was not his wine bottle. He sympathetically squatted down, unscrewed the cap, and offered the first child the bottle.
“Wa-wa?” The little boy asked through his tears and snuffles. He could barely speak, through his cracked and parched lips, and due to his young age.
“Yes, beautiful boy, yes, sweet water for you and your brother.” Bigelow helped the little boy to get a drink. The other boy saw that and stepped toward him. “Me too?” Bigelow nodded and the boy reached out, dragging the wire behind him.
“That woman abandoned these children to die?” Jerome said in revulsion as he looked at the sweet little children. He glanced up at the sky tube and it was becoming twilight. “Really? They are less than two years old.”
“Yes, probably the two leftovers of a set of triplets.” He tipped the bottle up for the second boy to get a drink. “See for yourself.” He gestured to the grove of trees.
There were several other wires which were tied to the trees, and trailed off a ways. Some ended in empty loops, but one of those wires led to a small pile of ragged clothing covered by dust. As Jerome stared at it, he realized it was not a pile of clothing, but rather the remains of a dead child.
“Golden jackal probably, they do not leave much. I doubt the big cats come this close to town, but maybe,” Bigelow said with disgust. He rubbed the side of one boy’s face tenderly as the child drank more water.
Piff! Piff!
Jerome and Bigelow looked up at the strange sounds.
Cammarry was calmly standing there, left leg in front of the right, the Willie blaster pistol aimed purposefully with both hands.
Bigelow and Jerome looked at where she had aimed. The old woman lay sprawled on the edge of the road. Her left leg was kicking feebly as her arm flailed to the side.
“You shot her?” Jerome asked in shock.
“You did well Cammarry. Thank you for listening to me,” Shadow whispered into her mind.
“Yes.”
Bigelow grabbed the two young boys, and quickly pulled out a tool and snipped the wires, then unhooked the boys from the restraining wires. Picking them up, one under each arm, he turned them away from the grizzly sight.
“Cammarry? Why?” Jerome asked.
“I wanted to.”
Bigelow hastily carried the crying children back to the troika. He set them in the back and gave them the water bottle. He looked over at Jerome, and Cammarry. She was still aiming the weapon at the woman’s body which now was not moving at all. Bigelow swallowed hard.
“Good bye my friends. I will take these children somewhere safe. The town of Seron is just ahead, and I hope you find your friends, and everything is a success for you.” His words poured out too quickly. His smile was forced and as wooden as the animals on his carousel. “Fare you both well. Here are your supplies, and gear. It has been a pleasure, yes a distinct pleasure to get to you know both.” He bowed lowly, but his eyes were warily narrow as he set their backpack on the ground.
He climbed onto the driver’s seat, keeping his eyes on Cammarry who remained as she was. He took up the reins. “Anika, move us now!” He snapped the reins and quickly got the horses trotting, then cantering, back in the direction they had come.
Jerome’s eyes were wide as he looked at Cammarry, and then back toward the dead woman.
“We need to find Khin,” Cammarry said. Unruffled she placed the Willie pistol back into her holster and walked over to where Bigelow had placed the backpacks and gear. She waved toward Bigelow and the fleeing troika. “Thank you for your service. I will remember what you did.”
Bigelow’s fleeing form in the troika did not acknowledge her words.
“Cammarry, I do not know what to say,” Jerome murmured.
“Say nothing then. We will leave to find Khin soon. Never fear.” Cammarry walked over to the clump of trees, and stood for a moment and smelled the white flowers. She then gathered up all the wires which were anchored to the trunks of the trees, wound them together into a single loop, and then set the loop on the ground. She took out her molecular torch, and severed all the wires from the tree trunks, being careful not to let the heat damage the trees. She then switched the torch to welding. A moment later, the loosely wound loop of wire was melted into one unusable misshapen oval. She causally toss it way from the trees where it landed with a thud and a puff of dust.
“Now we can find Khin,” Cammarry repeated. She walked toward the body of the old woman. “It will be dark soon, and we need to get to the town.”
Jerome followed. “Cammarry I am dumbstruck.”
“Planet-fall. That was what I thought was important,” Cammarry light-heartedly remarked. “You may as well just quote some old book, or play. You are very good at arcane things. Just babble on about nothing, I have work to do.”
As they approached the dead woman, Jerome remained silent.
Though the light was fading, and the sky tube was taking on a silvery gleam, there was enough illumination to see that the woman had been struck by the high speed projectiles twice in the back, one high on her left shoulder, the other low on her right. Her body was covered in blood which was seeping off the roadway and down into the cracks of the dry ground. Cammarry looked her over, but said nothing and just walked past.
They walked in silence toward Seron.
12 nighttime in seron
The sky tube was just a s
ilvery slice across the top of the habitat as Jerome and Cammarry walked into the streets of Seron. The spot far overhead where it abruptly ended against the habitat wall was still glowing and reflecting that dimming light.
“We have come about two kilometers from… from where Bigelow left us.”
“That seems about right.” Cammarry led on. The land around the town was cultivated, and there were plumbing pipes whirring along as they pumped water into the fields from out of the river. The road led to a wide, roughly triangular shaped, bridge which spanned where the river divided to become two branches. One branch was the river they had followed, the other the second river which led away. The combined river flowed out form its source somewhere upstream in the town. Walking up and over that unusual bridge, Jerome tapped his hand on the rail of the bridge. He opened his mouth to speak several time, but uttered no words. Thoughts of fairytale trolls, and other poems about bridges flashed through his mind, but after looking at Cammarry and remembering what she had done, his lips remained together. His thoughts were his own.
“There are a few lights in some buildings,” Cammarry observed as she led them over the bridge and down along the path, the town before them, the combined river to their side. “We will stay on the right side of the river, since we came up along that flow. How long until we can speak to Sandie again?”
Jerome pulled the com-link out and looked at the small box which the roustabouts had installed. “About an hour or so.”
Cammarry turned to him. Her eyes wide in the twilight. “Jerome, we need to survive. Will you work with me to survive?” Her voice was sweet and innocent, without any trace of malice or anger.
“Of course, Cammarry. We are in this together. I just…” Jerome’s words trailed off. “That old woman died. There is a law: blood spilt upon the ground cries out for more.”
“Another old quip? Yes, blood was spilled. Like the blood of the slaves in Alpha? Or the blood of Dome 17’s people?” Cammarry asked. “Or the blood of these children which the people here abandon to be eaten by animals? Or to die of dehydration? Which blood spilled out first? How much more blood until something is done?”
“I am not sure…” Jerome hesitated. “I do know that I am with you, and we will survive. We must work together to survive.”
Cammarry pulled him close, and kissed him passionately. As she pulled back she said, “Yes, we will. No matter what. Now we find Khin, then get our data sticks repaired, and learn about the Ferryman. Maybe not in that order, but that is what we are here to do, and we will do it. No one gets in my way. Not again.”
Jerome stepped back, and touched his lips before he spoke. His eyes were looking down. “In Wolf City, that last time we visited a town on the Conestoga, we wore our RAM suits. One person called them costumes. That turned out poorly. Is it time for a change?”
Cammarry stepped up and grabbed Jerome’s face, and lifted it to meet her eyes. Her smile showed even in the night. “I like what you are saying. This time we blend in, and find out what is happening. Camouflage. Where do we get clothing to cover ourselves?”
Jerome looked away and stepped back. “I am not sure.”
“I will find it then.”
As they walked along, they skirted the better lit streets. Some permalloy buildings had a lamp on the front giving light to their entryways. A few people were walking about, singly or in pairs, but none called out a greeting or even seemed to notice. Each building looked the same as the others, with four windows across the front with a door at the center. Trees and gardens were around the structures, but in the night it was hard to tell how much those were suffering from the drought.
The town was built with a grid pattern of streets, with the river flowing through the center. Small foot bridges spanned the river at regular intervals. Those footbridges were only about two meters wide, and were lit by lamps every five meters or so. Twice they saw automacubes, a green one and a yellow one, roll across the bridges. Each time, Jerome and Cammarry tried to hide or be inconspicuous in the shadows.
As they got further into the town, they drew closer to the end wall of the habitat. There they saw a multistoried building built against the wall itself. Lights were shining in various windows.
“Ten levels, above. Could be some below.” Jerome stepped over toward the edge of the sidewalk. The building overlooked a round body of water which was the source of the river.
“Wolf City had a river flowing around it between the wall and the domiciles. Here we see the housing complex built right against the wall, and the river comes up or out of that pond.” Jerome followed a sidewalk which curved around the pond. The dark water reflected the lights from the tall building. The ripples of its flowing water were seen in the distorted reflections.
Two people were sitting on a bench overlooking the water of the pond.
“I have an idea.” Cammarry grabbed Jerome’s shoulder and halted his walk. She then slowly walked over toward where the couple were sitting. With great stealth and care, she crept up behind the bench without them noticing.
“….school classes will be completed. The best thing would be if they just went away. I hear down by the sea there are better conditions.”
“We hear lots of rumors, but what ones are true? Here at least the pipes still flow.”
“But for how much longer? My parents says there are already too many people in Seron, and it does seem like more come here all the time. Will you run away with me? I know there must be a better place somewhere.”
The male wrapped his arms around the female and they kissed.
Cammarry was squatting down right behind them. Her body was still, and her form was hidden by the nighttime shadows.
“Jerome? Cammarry?” Sandie’s voice pierced the quiet and came from the com-links.
“Who is there?” The female called out.
“Get away from us!” the male stood up and stepped in front of the female. His voice quaked a bit, revealing his age as mid-teens.
“I am going to ask you some questions, and you will answer me.” Cammarry stood up and stepped toward the male.
“Sandie is calling!” Jerome reminded her.
“Quiet!” Cammarry then turned back toward the teenagers. “Now you two will tell me where I can go to find elevators up to Reproduction and Fabrication.”
“Spelunking? That is a waste of effort and time. Why would you want to do that?” the teenage girl responded.
“I have a lost friend. I must find him. I need to go and find him. Your help would be appreciated, and if voluntary, that is even better.”
“Voluntary?” The teenagers glanced quickly at each other, and looked at the sidewalk which led away. Cammarry was in their way. The pond behind them, Cammarry on the sidewalk.
“Yes, you may cooperate with me. If not, one of you will answer my questions.” Cammarry placed her hand on the holster, and tapped her fingers. “Obstreperousness will not be tolerated.”
“I do not know much. I have heard the old folktales about Reproduction and Fabrication. Some mythical place used back when the ship made planet-fall. No one goes there, if it even exists.” The male stepped back a bit, but the female nudged him.
“Hamir, do not push me into the pond!”
“Sorry, Cecilia, but she has a weapon, I think.” Turning to Cammarry he said. “Terraforming is said to be in there too, somewhere, and you know the stories about that fiasco.”
“Jerome? Cammarry?” Sandie’s voice was urgent. “Contact time is limited.”
“Sandie, what do you have for us!” Jerome stepped back but kept his eyes on Cammarry. He focused in the weapon in her holster.
“You are directly below where I conjecture the vehicle which took Khin stopped,” the AI replied. “I am running conjectures on….” The com-link made a negative function sound and a crackle of static.
“Indulge me with a story or two. My friend likes old sagas and tales of wonder.” Cammarry nodded toward Jerome.
Hamir looked around again.
He stood up as tall as possible, making him a few centimeters taller than Cammarry. He glared at her, but his lanky body was trembling a bit. “Everyone knows terraforming was a flop. Utter failure, and useless. Doomed us all to live in Beta forever. Never will the people have lebensraum. We will just go round and round forever, never getting anywhere. No breathing space. Nowhere to expand. All the old ways are dead ends. Everyone knows the stories. The main entrance is in the wall behind the apartment complex. No one goes there anymore. Sometimes automacubes go in and out, but not normal people.”
“Crazy spelunkers go there. There is nothing but endless corridors and hallways. Waste of time.” The female peeked out from behind the male, her hand was on his arm. “Waste of time to go in there. No one can carry enough water to get anywhere that way. Not that there is enough water out here, but at least we know where what little there is still flows.” Then she bit her lip for a moment. “I am sorry your friend is lost. That is a bad thing, a very bad thing. But Hamir and I cannot tell you anything more.”
The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books Page 73
