by Eric Flint
So they did. And they found that it was true. At first all you could taste was the deliciousness of paratha. But, by the fifth bite, that had worn off.
CHAPTER 24
Lina had spoken at some length with the elders of the various Gyak tribes, and after the feast they set out for the place where the Lieutenants of the Gyak were laid to rest, the point being made that Pausert and his tribe—the easiest way of explaining the Venture’s crew—had had no chance to pay the final respects due to his father.
The alien structure was huge. The entrance, which was only one of the eight sides further round, took nearly an hour for them to walk to. It was a vast, cavernous opening, which would have accommodated several spacecraft. Goth reached out a hand and touched it…and pulled it away, hastily. “If you’re looking for where the Arerrerr is heading—this is it. It’s a pet shelter. They loved them a lot.”
“I think I will avoid telling the Gyak that,” said Lina. “They might not take well to finding out that this is a pucca house. From what I gather this is the only open one on the planet.”
Tippi had slipped out of the front of the Leewit’s shirt. And now stood up on its hind legs and faced them. “It is only open for the pet to come home,” the rochat said.
The Leewit stared openmouthed and incredulously at Tippi. They all did…but the Leewit’s jaw was almost dislocated. Finally she said, “You don’t have the brains to talk, Tippi! I’m a healer. I’ve examined you inside and out from head to toe. I had to work out what you needed, make sure I could fix you if you got sick. I love you but you don’t have that much brain. No speech center.”
“That is right,” said the rochat. “But I am not Tippi. I only speak through her—she is a conduit. We made them, because we do not move easily or fast. When your species came to our old worlds we modified them so that you would like them.”
“I don’t like what you’re doing with my rochat,” said the Leewit flatly. “Leave her alone.”
“She is the only way we can speak to your kind, unless you step into the time-dilation field. Then we could speak face to face. But it would be many years of your time before you emerged. We are very grateful. We have had our creatures search over and over for the little one we lost. We had found signs of her work but not her. We have watched how you have cared for her. But we long for her; we want her back. She will be happy to be back with us.”
The Leewit’s posture had eased slightly, but she was still suspicious. “Yeah? So why didn’t you just talk to us through Tippi ages ago?”
“Because we do not have the ability, outside of this structure. Time dilation barriers are difficult to cross. We did hire intermediaries who are outside the normal framework of time. They have worked on our behalf.”
“You hired intermediaries? Like who?” asked Goth.
“The creatures you call ‘vatches.’ They are not entirely of this dimension. We had considerable traffic with them, before the war. We used them to move across space.”
“That explains why I was relling vatch,” said the captain, relieved.
“They are extremely cautious around you. And, I am afraid they regard dealing with you as a game. A dangerous game, but one indulged in by the smaller ones. Apparently they discovered that you are able to manipulate force in a way that could even trap the small ones. They had been able to undo your earlier work. Now they cannot. So they have been pushing events, to achieve ends. They say they have learned a great deal from watching some human art form called a game…a ‘stage play.’ They have been making their own.”
“The big ones transport spaceships. Why didn’t you just get them to bring the Arerrerr to you?”
“Because she is made in such a way that the things you call vatches could not move her. We did this because they played certain tricks on our little ones. They could have moved in something. A spaceship, for example. Once she was in one, they could do so easily. But not yours. They won’t go near you. And the vatches—several of the little ones—assured us that you would be the best and most reliable and kindest transporters for our little lost one. They are correct. We have observed you through Tippi’s eyes.”
“You could still have sent us a note or something,” said the Leewit, grumpily.
“The concept of ‘writing’ is a new one to us. It was not how we recorded things. But we have tried to assist. We tried to cure your sister. We have modified the creatures you call ‘rochats’ to help with your species’ illnesses, as the pet you call the Arerrerr does with ours.”
“Just one question,” said Lina. “What happens once you get your pet in here?”
“That is sort of relevant,” said Goth. “We really don’t want the Arerrerr falling into the wrong hands again.”
“The unit will close,” said whatever was speaking through Tippi. “They are impermeable, the space-time barrier allows nothing in and nothing out. Nothing will reach within for a million revolutions around the sun of our world. Our calculations indicate that our old enemy will be dead by then. We believe you have had the vatch deal with their last strike against us, the Nanite creatures, but they may still endure. They breed and live much faster than we do. We decided to simply wait them out. Few species live as long as we do, and with time dilation, it is a short wait.”
“My man, my husband, is in here. I plan to join him,” said Lina. “If…if he can’t be cured.”
There was a long pause. Then an answer: “There are various members of your species here. We will retain them if it is desired. It is no inconvenience. You can join them. Time passes exceptionally slowly in this field. We are using massive high-speed computing to communicate across it.”
“Are any of them alive?” asked the Leewit.
“One,” was the answer.
“I’m afraid before we bring in the Arerrerr we’re going to have to look at him,” said the captain, keeping his voice steady.
“It is possible. There is a large paddle that was used to push him into the field.”
A few minutes later, Pausert got to look at his father’s face. And to see the man’s eyes open and take in both his son’s face, Lina’s.
“Lend me strength, Captain. Goth,” said the Leewit, and knelt to work. Tippi looked on. So, presumably did something else.
After a few minutes, the Leewit stood up. “Push him back. Quick,” she said.
So they did.
The silence hung for a long time. Finally Lina spoke, tears streaming down her face. “It’s too late, isn’t it?”
The Leewit stood there, obviously looking for the right words to say. Eventually she said, “Sort of.” And sat down.
Pausert put his hand on her small shoulder. “You did your best.”
“Yep. But he was much farther gone than Goth. The poison I have stopped. I started some repair work happening in his liver. But I can’t keep him alive.” She took a deep breath. “He needs…something to breathe for him. He needs his blood replaced. And then he needs several organs, either grown new ones, or replaced. I can’t do that. We can’t do that.”
“But they used to,” said Goth. “They used to. You know, that terrible reading I had in the old colony ship. That…room. That was the ship’s hospital. I read…I read of them trying to do that. Trying to do what could be done back where they came from. They sent me into the past to meet you, Captain. Can we send him into the past? Down the Egger Route?”
The Leewit shook her head. “I can’t. It’s too far and too hard on his body in the state it is in. And I ’member Toll saying there are all sorts of difficulties going back before you are born. I know we did it by accident, but I don’t know how. He hasn’t got long to live. Take him out of that field, and he’s going to live maybe half an hour. Even in the disminded state Olimy was in…it is not going to work. Take him down the Egger Route and he’ll just die. It takes a lot of power to jump that far around time. Something like Old Windy could do it…”
The captain straightened up. He looked at the watching Tippi. “You said you were
grateful to us for bringing the Arerrerr home. That you would reward us.”
“Indeed. We are aware of what your species considers treasure and we will heap it on you. Our plants were made by us to extract metals. We have many shiploads of your precious metals for you.”
“We weren’t looking for a reward, you know. But the best reward is that which the person you reward wants. We’re giving you something you love. Can I ask that you give us help with something we love?”
There was a longer silence. Then the voice that was not Tippi spoke: “This seems right and fair. We would. But we cannot cure the human. We are genetic engineers, not xenoveterinarians. In some ways our species is ahead of yours, but in the medical and technological area you often surpass us. We have made some small changes. But they will only help his offspring.”
“It isn’t medicine I want help with. You have some deal with vatches. We need something from them. And they won’t come near me.”
There was an even longer silence. “You wish the human transported to where he can be helped. The great vatch says it can be done, if you will promise not to attack it. It also says…”
Pausert was suddenly aware of relling a vast vatch, close. And…Little-bit, the tiny vatchlet that had taken delight in playing with the Leewit, a thing almost seen, the sound of scent, the smell of a touch, an awareness for which he had no proper words: Hello, big dream thing. We led you in a good play. We can take him. But we cannot bring him back. We can transport one way only, for dreamstuff. It would break you if we did. But you are not to use your vatch-hooks. They hurt the big ones. You are not to put me in the hard vatch-egg stuff.
“Agreed,” said the captain. “What do we need to do?”
He will need something for us to transport him in. He needs to breathe and be protected from the space between that we move through.
“What is going on?” asked Pausert’s mother.
Captain Pausert realized she could hear his half of the conversation, but all of this would be unfamiliar territory for her. “You’ve heard of Karres, Mother?”
“The witches of Karres. Yes. It was a rumor, a story to be laughed at. I gather it isn’t. I gather Vala and her sister are from Karres, that they are what have been called witches, and are tremendously powerful in ways I had no idea were possible. It seems my wayward Uncle Threbus was one too, for all that he came from Nikkeldepain.”
“So am I, for all I also came from Nikkeldepain. And I’m using that power to arrange for Father to go back in time, to old Yarthe itself, to a time before the first Empire, when they could treat the problems the dart caused. The Leewit has dealt with the poison, but she can’t keep him alive long enough to heal him. They can. But it is a one-way trip.”
She nodded. “Can I go with him?”
“We can’t bring you back.”
“I know,” she said calmly. “But we’d be there together. And he will need me to get medical help to him in time.”
“I’ll ask,” said Pausert. What else could he say?
Two is as easy as one. But what will you send them in? Which ship? We must take it straight to place of healing.
“I could send them in the Venture,” said the captain.
Your ship has traveled in time before. Not good. And the other one is bigger. Make a ship for them that is the right size.
“Make a ship?”
An egg-stuff hard case. You could show me how to undo it, said the little vatch, doing her best to sound artless, and failing.
Pausert had to laugh, despite the circumstances. “Thereby stopping you having to worry about what I can do to you in the future. Right. I’ll make one and take you through undoing it. If you can follow what I do with the klatha forces.”
Of course.
So the captain did.
Simple really.
“When you know how.”
Then it was time for practical preparation. Inevitably, it was Me’a who came up with questions like What will you do to communicate? and What will you do for money? She had the Leewit dictate a message onto a message cube she had with her, in the language of the old ship, giving all the symptoms and requirements. She also produced a pouch of gold coins. “They usually have value,” she said, handing them to Lina.
Then…it was time for farewells, for Lina to bid a tearful farewell to her son, and give her blessing to Goth and Pausert’s impending marriage. “I can’t be there. But you’ll be happy, both of you. I…was. Will be.”
Lieutenant-Commander Kaen was drawn from the slow time anomaly again, to have his wife lie down next to him. His eyes opened, seeing her, and then blinked at his son, standing there with Goth.
“Better go quick, Captain,” said the Leewit, gruffly, touching Pausert’s father. “He’s counting down in minutes now. I’ve done what I can.”
So the captain knelt and kissed them both, quickly. Goth, he saw, did the same.
And then he wove the cocoon…
Which, in the relling of the presence of the massive vatch, vanished, leaving them standing in vasty emptiness.
Pausert took a deep breath. “Right,” he said. “We’d better bring the Arerrerr in. That’s going to be a bit of a job”
“There will be no need,” said the alien speaking through Tippi. “We will have our carrier fetch her, if you will go outside. If you call your ship and have the hold opened.”
“If you give me Tippi back,” said the Leewit, before the captain could get himself to call Vezzarn.
“Of course. We give her and their kind into your care. Once we have our lost one back we will no longer use the energy required to keep in contact across time.” And the rochat, nonchalant as always, walked over and climbed into the Leewit’s shirt, and snuggled into her.
There was nothing more to do but to instruct Vezzarn and to walk out into the harsh sunlight of an alien world.
There was a sudden sharp hiss and, turning around…the huge door wasn’t there anymore. Just, as with the other walls, a smooth oily-looking surface.
“Well,” said the captain. “I guess we can go home now.”
* * *
Back at the Venture, sometime later, the captain found himself sitting with Goth, looking at the octagon wall and the forest. The others were doing various tasks, and the two of them were alone. He sighed and turned to Goth and said, “It would seem that I just found my parents again…to lose them both again.”
Goth squeezed his hand. “It had to be done, Captain. She’d come so far and risked so much to find him. She wasn’t ever going to let him go again. And, in a way, a piece of both of them is with us. Always. I don’t think I’ll ever let go of you either.”
* * *
It had been a while developing, but the Leewit had finally reached her decision when she saw Goth and the captain kiss Lina and Kaen farewell. They were couples. She wasn’t. It was time…and there was a galaxy full of Karres work, and healing to do. Now she just had to organize the practical details.
* * *
Even with the Arerrerr restored to her owners, there were still some matters to attend to. The Bolivar, the few surviving smuggler prisoners, and, of course, what to do next. “Home to Karres,” said Goth firmly, when they met to decide.
“I’ve made up my mind,” said the Leewit. “I’m not going back to Karres with the Venture. You go, Goth. I’ve got a perfectly good ship.” She pointed at the Bolivar. “It just needs a bit of cleaning. I’ve got Me’a as a pilot, and Ta’zara for crew. I might even recruit a few of the Gyak. We’ll be coming and going from here. Me’a has some ideas about some trade for them, and we’re also going to be following up on the database of the Karoda slaves. Me’a downloaded it when she penetrated their systems, before you blew the place up.”
“You can’t cure them, Leewit,” said Goth.
The Leewit smiled sweetly. “No. But I can give their ‘owners’ the same problem. I can duplicate what the slave feels for the master in them. They might not be nice people, but they will spend the rest of their
lives loving and looking after their slaves. Being slaves…to their slaves. It’s the best answer I can come up with.”
The captain knew he’d been entrusted with the care of what had been the three witches of Karres, then the two…and then the one, because honestly, Goth did as much caring for him as he did for her, and now the Leewit was stepping up to that responsibility too. It was something he’d seen coming, and it was time. “Very well. The Venture will always be your home if you need it or want it, Leewit. But…well, you must take Vezzarn too. He’s as near to an engineer as we’ve got, and you will need him more than I do. But I’m going to miss you.”
She jumped up and hugged him. “I will miss you too, Captain. And I’ll remember to wash behind my ears. Always.”
EPILOGUE
Some ship-time later, back on Karres
“The Leewit will be returning to Karres soon with her new ship, and crew,” said Pausert. “I think we can rely on Me’a to see that the ship’s registration and origins are suitably adjusted. I suspect that she’ll see to it that it remains a profitable ship, not that the Leewit hasn’t got a firm grasp of the value of a mael. And while it is less fun than the circus, I think it will be good for her.”
He and Goth sat on the porch of his Great Uncle Threbus’ cottage on Karres, talking to Toll and Threbus. “Of course, we can’t know what happened to my father and mother, but it seemed like the best choice to make.”
Threbus nodded. “Indeed. We all have to make these decisions from time to time, and we make the best ones we can.”
“Yes. Well, sending us into Karoda with a bomb could have been ugly. Especially one large enough to be seen from space,” said Goth, with a slight edge to her voice.
