Earth-Thunder

by Patrick Tilley

  Fran greeted the suggestion with a scornful laugh.

  As he emerged from the Simulation Room, after another day-long session of computerised war-games, Steve was intercepted by one of AMEXICO’s female staff-officers and taken via a backstairs route to Karlstrom’s office.

  Karlstrom introduced the senior officer who rose to meet Steve as he was ushered in. ‘This is Tom McFadden, Deputy-Director of AMEXICO.’

  ‘How d’you do, sir.’

  ‘And your escort was Jo-Anne Casey. One of his assistants.’

  ‘Ma’am.’ AMEXICO’s addiction to secrecy required all staff to remove the Velcro name-tags from their uniforms while working within its sealed headquarters.

  Karlstrom left his imposing desk and invited everyone to take one of the armchairs set around a low table in a corner of the room. Jo-Anne poured out cups of Java from a heated jug and handed them round.

  ‘So … did you enjoy the train ride?’

  ‘Yes, sir. It was very instructive. Gave me a chance to see how the other half lives.’

  ‘And what exactly do they want you to do in exchange for the Commander’s fair hand?’ Karlstrom smiled as he saw the question hit home. ‘Just a lucky guess. It would be counter-productive to bug the train.’

  ‘And next to impossible,’ said McFadden. ‘It’s swept for bugs every time it goes out and their security screen is tighter than a gnat’s ass.’

  Steve turned to Karlstrom. ‘So how did you know they’d made me an offer I couldn’t refuse?’

  ‘I’ll ask the questions, Brickman.’

  Steve gave them a blow-by-blow account of his meeting with Bull Jefferson, but concealed his knowledge of the facts surrounding his son’s birth. Karlstrom pulled and pinched his nose – which was no doubt the reason why it was long and thin. The others just sat back and listened. As he neared the end of his account, Steve produced the tape streamer device and pushed it across the table. Karlstrom gave it a cursory glance then passed it on to Casey and McFadden.

  ‘My first job is to pull out the list of files and programmes held on AMEXICO’s data-base. And they’ve provided me with a copy of your ID card and your access codes, sir.’

  ‘Fine.’ Karlstrom stifled a yawn. ‘Give them whatever they want.’

  Steve couldn’t believe it. ‘But, sir –?!’

  Karlstrom snapped back to life. ‘Brickman! How many times do I have to tell you? The world doesn’t revolve around you This is a big organisation! At any one time we’re running a hundred field-ops and scams like this. Maybe not at this level, I grant you, but we know what we’re doing.

  ‘It was only a matter of time before Bull Jefferson tried to get a foot in the door. Everything’s set up. They’re going to get a long list of files and programmes – but it won’t include everything and you won’t get it all on this.’

  Karlstrom picked up the tape-streamer and passed it across to Steve. ‘You’ll need several bites at the cherry. Which is good, because we need to put certain counter-measures in place. So spin it out over the next few months, and build in some suspense. Make them appreciate the effort you’re making. The danger, the difficulties, the constant fear of discovery – you know the kind of thing. If you get stuck, Jo-Anne will provide you with a scenario – and she will also be your contact from now on. She’ll give you the details of a video-terminal you call up when you need to make contact.’ He stood up. ‘That clear?’

  Steve jumped to attention. ‘Yes, sir!’

  ‘Good. Well done.’ Karlstrom skirted the table and gripped Steve’s left arm briefly. It was the first informal physical contact he’d ever made, and its warmth took Steve by surprise.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Clearwater’s return in exchange for Fran gave Cadillac an immense amount of satisfaction. It could not have been achieved without Roz’s help, but if he had not ignored her initially scornful reaction to the idea, Clearwater and her child would still have been prisoners of the Federation. Knowing that he had also stolen a feather from Steve’s cap made him feel even better.

  All his rival had to do now was save himself – assuming he still wanted to. In the past Steve’s true motives had been open to question, but Cadillac was now more than ready to give him the benefit of the doubt. Roz’s unshakeable faith in her kin-brother and the conciliatory mood of his last meeting with Brickman, had caused him to take a hard look at himself. For the first time in his life, he was now able to admit that his own peculiar blend of pride, arrogance, insecurity and vaulting ambition had been the root cause of much of the trouble between them.

  The destruction of The Lady from Louisiana and Roz’s arrival had marked a new beginning, a chance to remake himself from the inside out. And despite the occasional twinge of jealousy, Cadillac had made remarkable progress. In expressing the hope that Steve would find a way to rejoin them, he was being perfectly sincere. Steve was, after all, the fourth Chosen One. Despite the arguments and the bitterness they had proved they could work together in the past and they would do so again. Only this time their relationship would be on a different footing. The sheer brilliance with which he had conceived and executed the plan to destabilise Ne-Issan would force his longtime detractor to accept him as an equal.

  At the beginning of their relationship when they had used bits and pieces salvaged from wrecked Skyhawks to build the powered hang-glider on which Steve had then taught him to fly, there had been a period of real rapport. It was Steve’s involvement with Clearwater which had sown the seeds of distrust. In the interval between that painful episode and now, Cadillac had come to understand that the betrayal – in which his ex-soulmate had been a willing accessory – was part of a larger pattern of events; a pre-destined step along The Path which had led to Clearwater’s journey into the Federation and the appearance of his true life-partner – Roz.

  Bringing the four of them together was more than a question of simple symmetry. Despite the bitter words that had passed between them, Steve was the only close male companion – apart from Mr Snow – that Cadillac had ever had. The ‘otherness’ of his straight-boned body and unblemished skin, and the fact he had been chosen as the next wordsmith of the M’Calls, had always distanced him from his clan-brothers. They had shown respect for his status, but his peer group had cruelly mocked his appearance as a child and later, on entering manhood, they had treated him with benign disdain for not being a true warrior.

  Brickman had been no better, but in a different, more exciting way. Having expressed his gratitude for being pulled from the burning wreckage of his Skyhawk, he had proceeded to show him absolutely no respect at all. He had challenged every assumption, questioned every decision, demanded endless explanations – and had even muscled in on his own pupil-teacher relationship with Mr Snow.

  Cadillac had borne all this – though not always nobly – because he regarded Brickman as his intellectual equal. A stimulating companion and thorn in his side, whose own courage and daring had set the standard by which he now measured himself. The loving partnership with Roz had given him a new assurance and sense of completeness, but there was still a gap which only Steve could fill: the deep-seated bond between male warriors who have faced danger and death together.

  A similar bond united Roz and Clearwater. A bond which went far beyond the spoken word. They were soul-sisters, twin spirits united in mind and body by a shared destiny and the pain and joy of motherhood. Clearwater had given birth to a child she would never see, the dark star whose life-task was to destroy the Federation from within, and now Roz carried the other half of this cosmic equation, Talisman, the Shining One, who would become the saviour of the Plainfolk.

  For the moment, this knowledge was theirs alone. Cadillac did not know that Roz was pregnant, or that Sand-Wolf was not Clearwater’s true son. Which was just as well, because he had more than enough to occupy his mind – namely when they should leave Ne-Issan, what they should demand by way of payment, and how they should deal with any attempt by the Yama-Shita to double-cross them.


  Given the services they had rendered to the Yama-Shita, they should have been able to sleep easily in their beds, but Cadillac did not wholly trust their hosts, or any dead-face for that matter. His familiarity with their language and customs had enabled him to detect a subtle shift in their hosts’ demeanour since returning with their grisly trophies from the Summer Palace, and it had made him realise – more forcibly than ever – the unbridgeable gulf that lay between Iron Master and Mute.

  They might have made him an honorary samurai, but it was nothing more than a convenient device to circumvent protocol and facilitate face-to-face discussions on how to remove the Shogun. In all other respects, he, Roz and Clearwater were still regarded as non-persons.

  The Iron Masters’ sense of superiority did not flow from their territorial conquests or their social pre-eminence. It sprang from an inner certitude, and was so deeply engrained in their psyche, it could not be eradicated by a military defeat. When the Plainfolk finally became a nation and their warriors swept into the Eastern Lands to liberate the Lost Ones, the Iron Masters would die with a contemptuous sneer on their lips rather than submit.

  It was a pity. Putting his taste for sake on one side, there were many positive and pleasureable aspects to Iron Master society that he was loth to abandon. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Clearwater and Roz. Both were anxious to return to the Plainfolk, and the combined pressure was irresistible. After spending weeks in alien environments in constant danger of one kind or another, they longed for the moment when they could let their minds relax and their guard drop – secure in the knowledge that they were among their own kind.

  Flying north with Sand-Wolf, knowing that she would soon be gaining her freedom, had been a wonderful moment for Clearwater. No one had told her she was to be handed over to the Yama-Shita family at the borders of Ne-Issan. Finding herself a house-guest in the Sarakusa Palace had been the second unpleasant surprise. In setting up the exchange, Cadillac had completely overlooked the possibility that someone might recognise Clearwater as the ‘white witch’ who had killed Lord Hirohito Yama-Shita and dozens of his compatriots at the Heron Pool, just as Lord Min-Orota had eventually seen through his own disguise.

  Karlstrom had provided her with a set of body dyes and a spare pair of hands to transform herself back into a painted Mute before leaving the Federation, but this had merely compounded the danger because her skin markings now matched those she had carried on her first visit to Ne-Issan. It was only after Clearwater had voiced her concern that Cadillac made all the connections and realised he had seen officials in the palace who had been part of the original reception committee which had grilled them before passing them on to Lord Min-Orota.

  Officials who had seen Clearwater painted up just as she was now.…

  The flight from Wyoming to the domain of the Yama-Shita had taken place over two years ago, but in view of what had happened afterwards, this particular set of Iron Masters were unlikely to forget. If just one of them made the connection, or Lord Min-Orota decided to drop in to offer his congratulations, it could make life extremely complicated.

  But not dangerous. Despite the nail-biting uncertainty attached to summoning, the combined power of Roz and Clearwater over mind and matter made them virtually invulnerable to any form of violence. Cadillac’s optimistic assessment of their situation was short-lived. Clearwater made it quite plain that he need not expect any awe-inspiring displays of earth-magic from her while she was carrying a babe-in-arms or from Roz – who chose that moment to tell Cadillac he was going to be a father. It was up to him to protect his brood, and the best way to do that was to take them home. Now.

  Unbeknown to Cadillac, their principal host, Aishi Sakimoto, Acting Regent of the Yama-Shita, was working on the same problem. He and the other leading members of the family had wanted the Shogun and the Lord Chamberlain removed, but their pleasure was marred by a lingering dissatisfaction which stemmed from the fact that the murders had been engineered by grass-monkeys – albeit with their full support and the direct involvement of Lord Min-Orota.

  Even though it was Yoritomo who had killed Ieyasu, and Lady Mishiko who had poisoned her brother, the knowledge that it was Cadillac who had removed the Shogun’s head left several members of the family council feeling that the honour of the nobility had been besmirched. Witchcraft might have achieved what a brave and selfless band of samurai could not, but in their eyes, it was an unwholesome and unacceptable way of achieving power which demeaned the warrior ethic and should not be pursued further.

  Sakimoto himself was privately unrepentant. The deed had been done – and not one of the ‘purists’ now expressing reservations had raised this issue before the Mute witches had been despatched. What they wanted was to have their cake and eat it, but Sakimoto – who did not enjoy the same autocratic power as his predecessor – could not afford to alienate them by pointing this out. To maintain the unity needed to win the war against the Toh-Yota, he agreed to dispense with the services of Cadillac and Rain-Dancer forthwith, and reduce the lavish reward they had been promised to a minimum.

  All of which was easier said than done. The friendly demonstration of the grass-monkeys’ magic had been alarming enough. What hellish creations might they unleash if they became angry?

  With Clearwater and Roz demanding action, Cadillac knew he had to move fast, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to cut through the swathe of officials and gain an audience with Sakimoto. The Regent, who blamed the current civil unrest for his unavailability, was always courteous and deeply apologetic for the brevity of their meetings, but kept evading the question of the promised reward each time it was raised. Cadillac realised he was being given the runaround but he was determined not to leave empty-handed.

  Removing the Shogun and Ieyasu had not been the only reason for coming to Ne-Issan, but it was the stunning success of that venture which now hindered his hopes of concluding an agreement on trade and cooperation between the Yama-Shita and the She-Kargo.

  Aishi Sakimoto repeatedly assured him of the family’s desire to maintain trade-links with the Plainfolk, but explained that the bulk of their energies and resources were now being poured into the armed conflict with the Toh-Yota and the handful of domain-lords who had rallied to their defence.

  The giant wheel-boats used on the Great Lakes trading expeditions were needed to ferry troops and to act as mobile gun-platforms in the river war now being fought along the navigable length of the Hudson, and around the island garrisons – such as Mana-tana, Sta-tana and Govo-nasa that controlled access to the sea, to Aron-Giren and the coastal domains further south.

  Sakimoto also pointed out – with a remarkable lack of rancour – that the present shortage of suitable vessels had been aggravated by the loss of five large wheel-boats at the hands of the She-Kargo. He accepted Cadillac’s assurance that he and his two female companions had taken no part in that particular battle, but – as his honoured guest must surely understand – there could be no further trading expeditions until those vessels had been replaced and the present conflict had been resolved.

  In other words, ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you!’ Cadillac knew the Regent was bluffing. The Yama-Shita were pretending they didn’t need the business in the hope of wringing concessions from the Plainfolk. The family needed to trade; opening up the Great Lakes route to the Western Lands had boosted their wealth and power. But they could afford to wait – and get even at the same time. Having squeezed the Mutes dry for years, they had a layer of fat to live off until their raggedy-assed clients became so desperate, they’d cut each other’s throats in order to be first in line to do a deal.

  Just like it was before.…

  It didn’t seem a good time to tell Sakimoto that the new Plainfolk Council had decided to shift the trading post inland to Sioux Falls, or that from now on barter rates on all goods would be fixed collectively by the Plainfolk and – best of all – none of the clans in the She-Kargo faction would be sending any
more journey-men down the river to fill the slave compounds and the dreaded Fire Pits of Beth-Lem.…

  It was a frustrating time, but Cadillac refused to give up, and finally managed to pin Sakimoto down on the question of the reward and the provision of a suitable conveyance to take them to Du-Aruta. Sakimoto promised to do his utmost to find a seaworthy vessel – not easy in these troubled times. As for the reward, Cadillac should submit a list of goods which, in his estimation, would be fair recompense for his praiseworthy efforts. The list, added Sakimoto, should not be too large, since it would only be a small boat.

  Okay, thought Cadillac. If it’s a list you want, that’s what you’re going to get.…

  The next time he appeared before Aishi Sakimoto, Clearwater was at his side. They both knelt on the appointed spot, touched their foreheads to the floor then, as they sat back, Clearwater rekindled the blue-ice fire in her eyes and speared the mind of the unsuspecting Regent just as she had caught and controlled Nakane Toh-Shiba, the Consul-General of Masa-chusa and Rodiren.

  Sakimoto found himself seized with an overwhelming desire to grant these grass-monkeys whatever they wished. He tried to fight it off, and was struck with a blinding headache. Yes, yes, of coursel What was he thinking of? He wanted to help them. It made him feel so much better! Two scribes? He sent one of his secretaries to fetch them. The leading members of the family? An aide was despatched to summon all those within the precincts of the palace to the council chamber. As they arrived, Clearwater transfixed each of them in turn with the same electrifying stare, leaving them with but one thought burning in their brain – to show their gratitude for what their honoured guests had achieved by an unmatched display of generosity.

  Cadillac dictated the list of items they required, the scribes wrote them down one by one, the Yama-Shita family council nodded approvingly then added their signatures and seals to both copies.…

  At the beginning of March, 2992, when the heavy rains unleashed by the eruption of Mount St Helens had given way to wind-driven snow, a hunting posse of San’Paul Mutes from the Clan Shawnessee were alarmed to see a ghostly white wheel-boat moving across the Great River towards the site of the vanished trading post.