The Exxar Chronicles: Book 03 - Acts of Peace and War

by Neal Jones

  But he stopped short, gasping an apology as he rose and bowed. The pair of soldiers and the Chief of the Royal Guard also bowed as Kk'Nm'Znn entered the room. The elderly monarch was seated on an anti-grav chair that hummed softly as he guided it to the space in front of the judge's bench. His thick, fur-lined robes rustled loudly as he leaned forward to speak.

  "Honored magistrate, please be seated. I apologize for the interruption."

  "There is no need, your majesty. My court is yours for as long as you need it. I was just about to pronounce sentence upon the prisoner."

  "Yes," the monarch intoned, swiveling his chair to face Thalor. "Much as I wish that I could allow you to continue, I'm afraid that Mister Grax will not be suffering any punishment for his crimes."

  "What??" the magistrate gasped.

  K'Lnn'tm, too, appeared shocked and was about to protest, but the monarch raised an upper hand for silence. One of his secondary hands steered the chair closer to Grax's table. He glowered at the Orethian with an expression of fury and distaste. "It seems that Mister Grax has already arranged the repayment of a life debt owed to him by my third cousin, the C'dd of Gg'ym'm. I have no choice but to honor this request."

  The judge stared at Grax, his eyes wide with astonishment. "My liege, this man has dishonored your family and your crown. If you'll forgive me, what sort of life debt is worth that??"

  "I have been told by Gg'ym'm that this prisoner saved the life of his daughter twenty years ago. If this life debt is not honored, Mister Grax has made arrangements with one of his accomplices to upload the details of the crown's theft and forgery to all major news feeds throughout the Nevala Sector and the Interstellar Federation." The monarch spit out that last sentence, his whole frame trembling with barely-restrained rage. "If a transmission code is not received eight hours from now, my family and I will suffer great embarrassment and shame in this manner." Kk'Nm'Znn settled back on his cushions, exhausted from his efforts. After a few moments, he continued. "I pronounce his sentence commuted, and the prisoner understands that if he ever returns to the Nevala Sector, he will face immediate arrest and the penalty of death. His execution and his crimes will be made public and will serve as an example to anyone else who would dare dishonor me and my crown." The monarch leaned forward once more, pointing a bony finger at Grax. "Is this understood?"

  Grax swallowed. "Yes, your majesty." He bowed his head. "I accept your terms."

  "Very good." The monarch sat back, sighing, and then turned his chair to face the magistrate. "These proceedings are closed, Lx'nn'trr. Thank you for your service in this matter." Another turn of the chair. "K'Lnn'tm, please escort the prisoner back to his cell. As soon as the authenticity of the crown is determined, you will transport him back to whatever ship brought him here, understood?"

  "Yes, your majesty."

  The monarch turned to face Grax one last time. "If the crown does not pass the authenticity scans, then this agreement is void, and your public execution will commence at dawn tomorrow in the capitol square." His upper arms settled themselves in his lap, while one of his lower hands guided the chair out of the chamber.

  As soon as the door closed, the magistrate rang the chime. "So ends this trial. Get him out of here." He threw one final, disgusted glare in Grax's direction before descending from the bench and disappearing through the rear door.

  K'Lnn'tm clamped a large hand around Thalor's arm. "Move!" he growled.

  ( 6 )

  "This is krak't!" Sesrin cursed, pacing the rear of the cramped bridge. "We delivered Thalor to them like they asked! What right do they have to withhold our payment and lock us in orbit?"

  Ghyl swiveled his captain's chair and pointed a stubby finger at the Orethian. "If you don't shut up, I'm going to leave you down there with your brother! Go pester someone else with your ranting!"

  Sesrin paused, facing him, her arms crossed over her chest. "You aren't the least bit bothered by this? I could be tried as an accomplice, you know! That's probably what he's doing down there right now – telling them all about my part in the forgery twenty years ago! That's why we're being detained!" She closed the distance between them, putting on her best sympathetic expression for her lover's benefit. "Please, Draussen? Isn't there anything you can do to get us out of here? I'm…I'm afraid. That's all. I just don't want to spend the rest of my life in one of those holo-cells. Everyone knows what the Sr'gg'nss do to their prisoners. They –"

  For someone as physically corpulent as Ghyl, he swung his fist with surprising speed. Sesrin never saw it coming, and the force of the blow knocked her flat. She stared up at him, shocked, as the taste of blood seeped into her mouth.

  The mob lord leaned forward, scowling. "I said shut up. What part of that did you not understand?"

  Sesrin scrambled to her feet, glancing around at the bridge crew. They, of course, were smart enough to make themselves busy with their respective tasks.

  "Get off my bridge," Ghyl ordered, turning his back on her.

  Sesrin was about to step into the PTL when one of the crew spoke up.

  "Sir, we have an incoming transmission from the planet. They're requesting a transfield linkup."

  Ghyl's thick forehead wrinkled even further as he swiveled to face the communications officer. "Do it. Patch it directly to the bridge. You two" – he pointed to a pair of thugs at the rear of the bridge – "stand by."

  They raised their weapons as a transfield materialized next to Sesrin. She stumbled backwards, startled, as Thalor was shoved through the field by K'Lnn'tm.

  "You are free to leave orbit," the chief snarled at Ghyl. "Full payment for the bounty has been transferred to your account. If I were you, I would never return to our systems again."

  The field vanished, and Sesrin knelt by Thalor. She gasped as she turned him over. His face was swollen and bruised, and blood oozed from a cut on his lip. There was also spatters of blood on his shirt. "My gods, Thalor," she whispered.

  "Get us out of here!" Draussen barked to his helmsman. "You two help her get him off my bridge!"

  ( 7 )

  The only sensation was pain. It lanced, and bounced, and swam through every fiber of his system, especially his head. He groaned, and that caused even more slivers of sharp needles in his jaw and lips.

  "Thalor?"

  He groaned again, forcing his eyelids apart. His sister was a blurred, emerald shape above him. He blinked, clearing away fresh tears of pain.

  "Don't try to sit up. They fractured your jaw and broke your nose. I've already initiated the regeneration process, but you need to lie still until it's finished." She placed a warm cloth on his forehead. "There's also some internal bruising of your liver and kidney. What the krak't did they do to you?"

  "Isn't it…obvious?" Thalor quipped.

  "Yes, but I mean why? I thought…" she hesitated. "Well, you know…"

  He nodded. "You thought you'd never see me again."

  "Yes."

  "I told you. I always…have a backup plan." He winced and coughed. "So…what now? Where are we going?"

  "We just left the Mr'gss system. Draussen has agreed to take you to Shel'Belard. Most of your injuries should be healed by the time you get there. I've already booked you passage on a liner that will take you outside the sector border to the Minraf system."

  Thalor nodded weakly. "Thanks."

  "Just rest. I'll be back later." Sesrin checked the bio-monitor's readout, and then the IV. "I'm sorry, Thalor," she said quietly. "For everything."

  He waited until he heard the door close behind her. "Yeah. Me too," he muttered, closing his eyes.

  Chapter 19

  ____________________

  ( 1 )

  The door slid aside to admit Kravis, and Kiran sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bunk.

  "Did you sleep well?"

  Kiran shrugged. "I guess. Are we there yet?"

  Kravis nodded. "We'll be landing in twenty minutes." He pulled out the desk chair and sat. "You were right. The loca
l authorities quarantined Kirndun City a week ago. Apparently Nanr'o Caush's wife and daughter finally succumbed to the virus. Caush is the commanding officer of the Ulno'n here on Dakthar. The latest word from our sources in Kirndun is that he defied orders from homeworld against the quarantine."

  "So where are we landing?"

  "Slarth. It's a village in the Drest mountains, on the other side of the planet. Because this world is so sparsely populated, there's several villages scattered throughout the main continents. As long as all citizens swear allegiance to the state, the Ulno'n pretty much ignores them. They do occasional security sweeps every few months, and the last one in Slarth was just two weeks ago. So far, only Kirndun has been hit with the plague."

  "Okay," Kiran said, nodding. "So after we land, then what? We just sit and wait for a week, two weeks, a month? It's been two days since you transmitted the ransom message, right?"

  "Yes. And I don't know what the next step is, Kiran. We're taking this one day at a time."

  "Yes, I know," Kiran snapped, standing. "And my future is the one that's in the most jeopardy right now! What happens if the Ulno'n detect my bio-net?"

  "We neutralized it."

  "For now, yes. But if I end up stuck here for the next month, I can't keep taking that neutralizer. I'm already starting to feel nauseous because of it. You're either going to have find something else or risk detection from a security scan."

  "We'll deal with that after we land," Kravis sighed, rising. "Right now we have to pass the orbital scan, and I need you to give you this." He held out a hypo-needle.

  "What is it?"

  "The sedative I told you about yesterday. It's designed to make you unconscious and then masks your bio-signature by slowing your vitals to an almost cryotonic state."

  Kiran stared at him. "You've got to be joking!"

  "I'm not. As far as the Ulno'n are concerned, there are twenty-seven registered crew members on this ship. If the orbital scan detects twenty-eight, then we will stopped and searched. You will almost certainly be discovered, and then your future will be in even more jeopardy than it is now. Not only that, but you're bio-signature is only going to register as half-Mykahrian. That in itself is enough to raise the Ulno'n's suspicions. Now give me your arm."

  "No." Kiran stepped back. "Kravis, you have no idea how that sedative might react with my bio-net. What if it's fatal?"

  "You don't have a choice. If the Ulno'n find you, you're as good as dead anyway. We already talked about this yesterday. Now hold out your arm!"

  "You didn't tell me exactly what it was you were going to do to me!"

  Kravis' fist slammed across Kiran's jaw, knocking him against the wall. He slumped to the floor, stunned, his head drooping. Kravis knelt down and pulled up Kiran's sleeve.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered. "There's no other way."

  Kiran could only mutter a garbled protest as Kravis pressed the needle against his skin.

  ( 2 )

  The Drest Mountains were bathed in a blue mist that made them appear as if they were underwater. Slivers of sunlight poked their way through the overcast sky, occasionally winking and flashing off the hull of the ship as it descended to the copper and emerald earth. The village of Slarth only had one shuttlepad, and it was barely large enough to accommodate courier vessel. As soon as the landing was complete and the main engines shut down, Kravis returned to Garret’s cabin. He pressed the hypo-needle to Kiran’s neck and then passed a medscanner over him. Satisfied with the readout, he sat back and waited.

  It was several minutes until the EarthCorps officer stirred, blinking, and then coughed. He turned his head, looking at Kravis.

  "Here." Kravis handed him a bottle of water. "Don't try to sit up just yet. And drink slowly."

  Kiran grimaced as he sipped, and then coughed again. He drank some more and then sat up. "I assume we've landed?"

  "Yes." Kravis scanned him once more. "Your vitals are stable. Everything looks good."

  "How lucky for you," Kiran muttered.

  "Would you rather spend the rest of your time in here, feeling sorry for yourself, or would you like a real bed and some fresh supper?"

  Kiran glared at his uncle as he stood. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" He paused, wincing, and leaned against the wall to steady himself.

  "Here. Sit. Finish the water before you get up. I need to tell you a little bit more about this village and its people before we disembark." He helped Kiran to the desk chair and then sat across from him on the edge of the bed. "There's only about two thousand people here, and Negara's family is among them. It's her house that you'll be staying at."

  Garrett nodded weakly as Kravis continued.

  Later, however, he remembered very little of Kravis' report. As he stepped onto the hard earth, he paused, looking across the valley to the sprawling village below. It appeared like something from a past era, a time before the space age and all the technological advancements that came with it. The color of the earth was bronze, and the trees of the forest around Slarth were an odd shade of copper and blue. They appeared to be growing upside down, narrower at the bottom and broader near the top. Through the clouds, a predator bird dipped and glided as it scanned the forest for prey, and the call of something else echoed down the dark slopes from the mists high above the valley.

  "Not quite what you were expecting, eh?" Kravis appeared at Kiran's elbow.

  "It's bigger than you described. How many people did you say?"

  "About two thousand. Come on. Negara has a grav-car waiting for us."

  The trip into the village took less than ten minutes, and Negara's house was at the opposite end from the landing platform. Her parents smiled as she introduced them, and then a teenage boy appeared from a back room, his face and hands smeared with dirt.

  "That's my brother Jirone," Negara said. "He's been working in the garden."

  "Sorry," Jirone said, wiping his hands on his stained shirt. "Fertilizing the fruit plants."

  "It's good to see you again," Kravis said to Negara's family. "I'm going to check in with Keltor and then I'll be back in time for supper." He turned to Kiran. "Get some rest. We'll talk again later."

  "C'mon," Negara said, motioning to the nearby stairs. "I'll show you to the spare room."

  "Nice meeting you all," Kiran said before following her.

  "It's a bit small," Negara apologized, "but you have a nice view of the mountains."

  Kiran nodded. There was barely enough space for the single bed and a narrow chest of drawers. He felt awkward, not sure what to say. "Thanks."

  Negara looked him up and down, frowning. "Have you been wearing that uniform since the Xaric took you?"

  "Since they kidnapped me, yes." He glanced down, running his hand over the grimy fabric. "I suppose I could use a change."

  "Stay here. I'll be right back."

  The view of the mountains through the window caught Kiran's eye, and he stepped closer for a better look. Negara was right, it was a nice view. Since her house was at the far edge of the village, there was nothing behind it but the copper forests sloping upwards into the mist.

  "It's peaceful isn't it?"

  Kiran turned, startled. "Oh. Yeah. It's…different."

  Negara laid the clothes on the bed and then joined him at the window. "You can't see it from here, but there's a trail that starts over there and goes up into the forest a ways. If you're feeling better tomorrow, we can go hiking if you want."

  "Um, sure." Kiran turned away, unzipping his uniform jacket. "Do you have a latrine?"

  Negara looked at him, puzzled, and then nodded. "Oh. You mean a cleansing room. Yeah, down the hall, last door on your left. We have to ration our water here, so if you take a shower, make it a short one."

  "Okay."

  "Come downstairs when you're done. I'm sure mother will have dinner ready by then."

  Kiran nodded, and Negara shut the door behind her. He sat on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes, but then his gaze was drawn once more
to the window and the sight of the mountains beyond. His mother had described the colony on Callistar for him many times when he was a child, but she had brought back no holo-sims of it. The Mykahrian government had forbidden the medical team to use any recording devices of any kind during their mission there. For all of his life, Kiran had only been able to imagine what his father's homeworld looked like, and since Amelia had spent most of her time sequestered in a laboratory, her descriptions of Callistar were woefully sparse.

  Dakthar wasn't the Mykahrian homeworld, but it was still one of the planets in the home system, and Kiran stood for nearly an hour at the window, absorbing every detail of the landscape beyond it. Despite his fatigue, he felt a sudden urge to go running outside, to find the trail that Negara mentioned and get lost in the alien forest. He longed to feel the earth slip through his fingers, to examine the trees up close. Would they feel the same as the Eucalyptus trees back home? What creatures lived in this forest? As a boy, Kiran had hunted foxes and other small game with his cousins and uncles in the Outback, but never in a forest like this one. He pressed the comm panel next to the window and waited for the pane to slide open. He leaned forward to breathe in the cool, crisp air, as well as the dozens of alien scents that were carried upon it. High above, somewhere in the blue mists, the call of the wild bird echoed once more. Moments later, something else called back.

  Kiran closed his eyes and smiled.

  ( 3 )

  Ben sighed as he flopped onto the sofa in the doctor's lounge. Doctor Rayburne glanced up from the other side of the room where he was perusing the food dispenser's menu.

  "You want to split a club sandwich?"

  "No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

  From the other side of the closed door came the murmured babble of patients, nurses, and EMTs. It was a typically busy day in the ER.

  "Not that I don't appreciate the extra help, but is there a reason you're pulling another double today? It's your third one this week."