Arnica

by I. Christie

"Lady Alexandra?" a soft voice called.

  Alexandra reached through the crack of the door and dragged a startled soldier into the room. She was too young to have seen much action.

  "You are living dangerously, soldier," Alexandra said, frightened for the soldier's sake.

  "Commander," the woman gulped as she straightened her uniform. "Cpl. Wetfoot, reporting. Lt. Mcarn is looking for you. DS reinforcements are arriving, we need to vacate the premises…" She stopped when she caught sight of the prisoners. "You!" Her voice indicated it was not a pleasant discovery.

  "Let's get out of here. Time for hellos later." Alexandra lifted the injured woman to give Vanstar a rest.

  "Lead on Lt. Vanstar," she ordered.

  A door clicked open, after checking the darkened corridor, Vanstar gestured to the others to enter. They all had to duck as they moved into an anteroom. While the three soldiers had goggles the three men used the sides of the corridor to guide them. As they turned the corner to their exit a loud boom rolled down the tunnel. Instinctively, the three women flattened out on the tunnel floor, pulling their rescued prisoners with them. The building shook and the air that whooshed above them had heat to it.

  "Holy Virgins!" Wetfood whispered. "That's one of their fireballs."

  "What's a fireball?" Vanstar asked.

  "A breakable container filled with flammable material. Stick a wick in the container and light it, give it a toss, and you have a fireball."

  Vanster found the door and opened it a crack. She quickly closed it shut. "Looks like a patrol and not from our side. What do you suggest, Commander?"

  Alexandra eased her burden onto the floor. "Let's wait a while and let things settle down a bit. It'll give us a chance to see to these people's injuries."

  The three soldiers promptly pulled medikits from their packs.

  While they rested, Alexandra remembered the tunnels behind the rooms in the clan castles. Meant to be used by the cleaning staff during the daytime, at night they became places for lovers not wanting to be seen, children wanting to pull a prank, and not very good spies prowling around. If the head housekeeper was good, night usage of the servants' passageway was kept to official business. All clan children spent a season working with the cleaning crew in the house and one season with the outside staff. She found both hard work but entertaining being paired with a cousin who found it difficult to stay out of mischief. Lady Evaline. She was the first person Alexandra had fallen in love with. Eva was everything she was afraid to be. Bold, brave and so smart in getting out of the trouble she created. Hadrie had told her that she married and joined the foresters. Eva was not anything like Zohra. No mystery, no passion about righting wrongs, and no interest in being involved with a sensitive that did not finish her training. Alexandra wondered why she could not be bold and brave. Maybe that was why she decided to join the military academy. Or, maybe it was just to get away from clan expectations.

  Three stan hours later Evanstar nudged Alexandra awake.

 

  Alexandra slipped her goggles on. The prisoners they rescued were leaning against the walls, sleeping. She looked toward Cpl. Wetfoot who was standing guard.

  "Corporal?" she whispered.

  The dark figure moved cautiously toward her, stepping over sleeping men's legs.

  "Wake the others. Trouble in twos, heading our way."

  "I'm awake," Vanstar's voice whispered from the other side of Alexandra.

  With everyone huddled around her Alexandra began, "We're going to cross the moat."

  The three men shuttered as if they had personal experience with it already.

 

 

  Vanstar opened the door and the three looked for patrols. Alexandra lifted the goggles from her face for another perception.

  "We're going to go right into that area there," Alexandra signaled with her hand.

  Vanstar turned back toward the tunnel. They all could hear footsteps heading toward them.

  "I'm leading this one, Lt. Vanstar."

  Vanstar nodded uneasily. She lifted the sleeping woman. They had given her a sleeping herb to so that she would not cry out in pain. Cpl. Wetfoot took the tail end.

  Alexandra stepped out of the building, staying low to the ground. The solid ground changed suddenly with loose gravel sliding under her feet nearly taking her over the edge of the moat. Unnatural shapes moved around in the shallow pit that ran around the castle walls, tinged with colors that caused headaches and stomachs to retch. She moved toward the space that was darker than the rest of the area, weaving in and out when she spotted some colors from the ground that looked foreign to the planet.

  Alexandra halted, turning to the others to see how they were doing. Cpl. Wetfoot, the three prisoners and Vanstar had grim looks on their faces. Alexandra turned back to the cloud and watched the roiling of black and gray energy parted to either side of them giving them a cleared way. Her connection with Evanstar wavered. The dark shadowy forms that kept a distance from them while Evanstar was vibrant, now came crowding around them. Alexandra recited protection spells she learned as a youth and after a few moments the dark shadows moved back.

  Lt. Mcarn along with some of his soldiers came hurrying to them once they climbed the out of the moat.

  "Lady Alexandra, you must keep moving. The DS are going to start launching poison gas from catapults. Our troop shuttle is over to the left where you can wait for us.

  Who do you have with you?"

  Alexandra sensed he was not happy about the prisoners being with them. His discreet hand signal to Cpl. Wetfoot was not missed by Alexandra or Vanstar. Her order was to remain with them. Alexandra accepted the new addition without telling him he would be losing a soldier for a few days or maybe weeks.

  "We freed them from the dungeon. We'll be escorting them back to their village,"

  she told him.

  "Lady…" he began.

  "Centurian Commander Montran from the Collective, to you, lieutenant," Vanstar reminded him.

  He hesitated. The sound of canisters being released from mounts decided for him.

  They could hear the whistle increase as the shot got closer. "Cpl Wetfoot will serve as your guide. Corporal, take the left road. You'll see the outline of a spire. That road is clear of debris," he said quickly, then added, "Keep us informed of your status, Commander. We're not welcomed on this planet."

  Alexandra set a fast pace to where Evanstar directed her, taking roads that wound around fields and sometimes cutting across them when a road or path went in the wrong direction. They had been traveling for three stan hours, with few breaks. There were many ghostly forms they passed at crossroads and some followed them for a ways.

  Alexandra believed she was the only one that saw them. Birds and bugs feasted on fruits and vegetables that grew in abundance in fields. Sporadically, they came upon turnouts along the road where equipment was clustered and clean cool water pooled. Alexandra wondered where everyone was, and made sure Vanstar, Wetfoot and her were vigilant during their rests. Not even a home showed amid the orchards and fields.

  The men traveling with them were more concerned with the ghostly forms that trailed them and offered little in the way of conversation. The spirit forms seemed to enjoy annoying the men with their nearness. Sooner or later she was going to have to make a decision about what to do with these four.

  As they moved on Alexandra's attention became more focused on the guardians of each area they passed through. She noticed that it did not take much of her concentration to bring to sight their apparition nor to communicate with them. They were given free passage with a warning to stay to the road. Some gave her additional information of whose land she was passing over. All of them alluded to the image of a young girl that Alexandra had yet to
get a name.

  Alexandra sat in the high seat of a harvester, taking pleasure in her heightened senses. This was their first real break and rather than be around the men whose energy she found disagreeable, she took the lookout post the furtherest from them.

  An angry curse and then rough laughter from the men was pushed further away from her awareness. She focused on the various spirit entities that were everywhere, sorting through types and duties of each that she had picked up on.

  Another string of curses had her turning to the noise. One of the men was picking himself up. His back showed stains from the fruit on the ground. The other two men were walking down the rows of grapes, pulling the small fruit off and tossing it at each other.

  A short ghostly figure was darting between the men, tripping one up. It was the spirit of the vineyard. Annoyed with the men Alexandra felt a sense of justice when the other two slipped and fell.

  Alexandra glanced at the woman whom Vanstar was attending. The bruises around her face had faded. She still had a slight limp. The few bruises on the men had disappeared completely. Alexandra looked at her HR, which had become ineffective. She had recalibrated the device a few times but each time it recovered it lost more of its functions.

  "Commander?" Lt. Vanstar called. She flicked a fruit pit to the dirt looking irritated. It hit the ground where one specter was hovering.

  "Yes, Lieutenant?"

  "Cpl. Wetfoot said if we keep going this way we're going to be entering the Holy Grounds protected by the Salukis. Are we going any place special?"

  "What are Salukis?" Alexandra asked.

  "Warriors that protect the Holy Grounds." Vanstar's lips turned up at the mention of warrior.

  "What happens if we enter this sacred land?"

  "We fall under a barrage of little pointy darts. Looks like not everyone practices the '"Do no harm,"' Commander. Cpl. Wetfoot said the darts won't go through our equipment and we need to cover exposed skin."

  "She knows this by her own experience?"

  "Yes, Ma'am. One of those guys," she nodded to where the men were throwing fruit at each other, "led a scouting party from Emperors there. He encouraged them to keep moving since the darts weren't lethal. Her sergeant major thinks they were being used as decoys so his party of six hunters could get by. That's one of the reasons why Emperor's crew is not welcomed on Arnica. Various visiting parties repeatedly ignored the locals' rules. One of them was killing animals for food. Killing any creature on this planet, per Wetfoot, is not done."

  "This is a vegetarian society?"

  "She's doesn't know. They haven't been invited to any official eating functions, much less to a meeting."

  Alexandra reviewed her options and decided Evanstar was priority. "I'm going on.

  They can make their own way back to their colony with you and the corporal protecting them, or you all can come along with me."

  Vanstar studied the land that was before them. "May I ask the reason for the deviation from our assignment, Commander?"

  "Another job."

  Vanstar pursed her lips in thought. "You aren't going anywhere without me, Commander. Besides, it's not like they're going to disappear."

  "No, not likely." Alexandra was grateful Vanstar did not ask further about the detour. She could feel a deep sigh from Vanstar. Colors whirled around her indicating something was aggravating her.

  "Something else need saying, Lieutenant?"

  "Yes, Commander. It's this planet. It's not that illness the Admiral mentioned,"

  she hurriedly said, "but this place reminds me a lot of walking around a cemetery at night."

  Alexandra did not expect that from Vanstar. Before she could comment Vanstar went on hurriedly, "Have you noticed those three guys when we're on the trail? They keep looking around furtively, jumping, and rubbing their arms like someone was touching them. I'm not saying I see anything or think anything is touching me, but I do feel like we're being watched."

  "Intuition can be as handy as a pocket knife in a soldier's kit if used right."

  "I've been talking to the corporal about what's what with the Emperor's crew,"

  Vanstar said. "She said the Emperors crew that were planetside from a day to a week either became psychic about things, or they got sick, so sick that they were put into sleep pods. She thinks it was a combination of something they ate and breathing in the air."

  Vanstar's tone of voice was noncommittal which led Alexandra to believe that her opinion was not quite formed.

  Of course, she knew that to become in tuned to a planet, eating produce from its soil quickened the process. But she had not eaten anything from the planet and the moment she had landed in the castle courtyard she felt charged and not just energy wise.

  What she used to have to quiet herself and focus to see or hear, she now could do by wanting to see or hear something on other levels. Her head turned to a bird that soared over them. Just by focusing on it, she picked up its desire for a twig to build a nest.

  Turning her attention back to Vanstar she wondered how Vanstar was handling the increased energy that would enhance one's intangible senses.

  "That's what's different about Arnica."

  Alexandra beamed when Vanster nodded as if she had heard her and went on,

  "There's some religious personnel aboard that find this planet offensive and how people are changed if they spend too much time here. They've been harassing those that were identified as being psychic. It's split the crew into warring parties. Sounds like divide and conqueror, Commander. It doesn't make sense considering that a third of the species on the ship are telepathic."

  "That does explain a lot. Divide and conquer. Those that aren't telepathic have always been jealous of those are. I would image their senses became heightened when they touched planet side." She became quiet as she thought of her own feeling of being overwhelmed and if it had not been for Evanstar she would have been over reacting to things emotionally.

  "But not why Mcarn hasn't been able to put a lid on it. He's been around sensitives and shamans throughout his life. I don’t know much of the Admiral but I had thought he was a Brother of the Shadow. They have shamans and the likes among their members.

  What's your take on this planet besides being creepy?"

  "I hope that psychic thing isn't catchy."

  Alexandra grinned at her. "So what did the men say about being followed?"

  "They're a superstitious lot. Muttering fools' curses and the like."

  "So far, we haven't run into any problems. And as long as we don't violate anything, like breaking, cutting, or removing something without a silent thank you to the spirit that protects the place, I don't see us having problems." In fact, Alexandra liked the feel of the planet. Aside from the disturbing energy the men gave off, Arnica was a pleasant experience.

  "You see them?" Vanstar's aghast look quickly turned to a grimace. "Sorry, Commander." "Of course you do."

  "I can see and feel them. It's just like on any other planet, Vanstar."

  "Other planets aren't this creepy."

  Alexandra was not sure what bothered Vanstar more, acting as an aide to a sensitive or being followed by things she could not see...or maybe she could see them and that was what bothered her. Alexandra decided Vanstar's dislike for the two were even.

  "Well, let's see if they want to go back to their village on their own." Alexandra hopped down from her seat.

  "Greetings," she nodded at the colonists. "You're originally from GCFC space?"

  "The four of us. My name's Amonic, this is Jer, and Sys'mara …" Anonic moved his head a little in the direction of the woman that was sick, "E'l." His voice and body language changed with his mentioning of E'l. He did not think anything that Alexandra could pick up, but the colors around him changed to a darker color without becoming black. She had avoided speaking with them at earlier stops due to the energy they were putting out. Originally she had thought it was from them being prisoners, but now she was certain it was their own selve
s.

  Alexandra nodded. "This is Lt. Vanstar, Cpl. Wetfoot, and I'm Alexandra."

  Amonic smiled, though there was nothing friendly about him. "You seem to have a lot of names…and titles?"

  "So, what happened?" Alexandra purposely left the question ambiguous to see what the colonists would offer.

  "We got picked up on a raid," Amonic said.

  "I'm going into the Holy Grounds. You can come along or return to your village.

  Do you feel you need an escort back to your village?"

  Jer snorted in disbelief, looking at his companions, then in contempt at Alexandra.

  "We'll come along," Amonic quickly answered. "We'll make sure you don't get bothered by the citizens."

  If he spat on the ground after the word citizens, Alexandra would not have been surprised. It was an all together different emotional tone than what he showed toward E'l.

  Alexandra glanced at E'l. Her eyes were closed as if she were napping. Alexandra could see she had a healthier glow than their first stop. When she looked at the men, she knew they were up to something menacing.

  "So, what's dangerous about the darts?"

  Amonic, their spokesperson shook his head. Alexandra doubted their ignorance.

  "The tips are coated with solanaceae, Commander," Cpl. Wetfoot reported.

  Alexandra chuckled.

  "Commander?" Vanstar asked.

  "It's used as an aphrodisiac on Rouen. There's seven hundred different species that are sensitive to it and maybe the same amount immune."

  "So, is it going to be a problem of waking up with our hands pleasuring ourselves?" Vanstar asked.

  "No. However, if potent enough, it will put us to sleep. If we had some betel pepper, that will neutralize the sleeping side of it."

  "What does this pepper look like?" Amonic asked.

  "What difference does it make, Amonic?" Jer demanded. "You're not a farmer and neither are we."

  Ignoring Jer, Alexandra told Amonic, "On Rouen, it's about this long, green with orange spots, and grows on a vine usually in forest areas wrapped about tree trunks. But, if solanaceae grows around here, the betel pepper may also. People usually get the two seeds mixed up because they're similar. It's when they're a few days above ground you can see the difference in the leaves. One is flat and the other curled."