Aquari

by DD White

  * * *

  Oldo’s Uranians decided to take Eromot south to the city of Dogolas because the Aungtalli saucer had been seen patrolling the highway between Keshdesh and Gulfang. Volock had also pounded on a few farmer doors looking for Eromot. Eromot’s new friends had purchased a train ticket for Eromot from Dogolas to Gulfang, which departed the following morning. Arnoediad told his followers that time had been running short. The Aungtalli were closing in on their forbidden religion, and fate had wrapped hope around this impending doom by joining their cause with the rebel scientists. The leader of the hearers told them that the scientists would help them if they helped Eromot.

  They dropped him off near a motel that they purchased for Eromot for the night. The two hearers that were sent to accompany Eromot were very careful to keep Eromot’s identity out of any purchases. They seemed all too familiar with the abilities of the powers that be to trace Uranians to their purchases in this electronic value based economy.

  Eromot, while still nursing an arm in a sling, thanked his companions for all their help before they were to return on the journey 500 miles north to their home near Keshdesh. “I thank you my friends for all that you’ve done.

  The trip was hard but it was also fun.”

  The day had been breezy with the smell of ocean since Dogolas had been a rocky southern harbor town that served ocean commerce needs for that part of the planet. It had been a colder town than what Uranians are more used to in the north. In Earth terms it could sometimes dip to maybe as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Aungtalli energy ran trains that linked the Dogolas harbor commerce to most major cities, and they also served passenger needs.

  “Take care yourself Eromot be careful.

  Don’t drop your guard because it becomes dull.

  They are out there and they are after you.

  They won’t stop till they know your life is through.”

  So with that comforting farewell Eromot returned to his room to get some rest before the morning train. His companions returned to their vehicle to drive the 500 miles back to the farms of Oldo’s Uranians where the ancient religion of the hearers was still practiced.

  The old woman that ran the motel gave Eromot a suspicious eye as he approached the door to his room.

  “Those that run from the law or evil do

  will have others purchase with their value.”

  Eromot resented the allegation. “It is not the suspicions you savor.

  Those two were just doing me a favor.”

  The old woman just continued glaring at Eromot as he went inside and closed the room door on her. He just wanted to stay here and hide where it would be safe.

  Later that night the covers over Eromot’s back were still not enough to keep him warm. There had been no heat coming from the heater. It had been turned on, but it wasn’t doing anything. Eromot then became annoyed to the point of visiting the mean old lady at the front desk to get that heat turned on. The main door had been open for nighttime business, and all the lights were on, but no one stood at the front desk. Eromot pounded on the counter. “Is anyone there? Hear this sound I beat.

  The room purchased for me does not have heat.”

  A noticeably annoyed old lady waddled into the room from a doorway behind the counter. “You have your room till morning, all paid for.

  The terms clearly state for heat you pay more.”

  Eromot stood with hands on the counter amazed because, as a northerner, he had never heard such a thing. He started to regret causing the commotion. “I can’t purchase that. I’m not with ID.

  I guess I want heat only if it’s free.”

  She grabbed one of Eromot’s hands and placed it on a biometrics reading pad that became popular those days in many areas of Urania for value purchases. “Have yourself some heat, yours for the taking.

  We read fingerprints for purchase making.”

  It suddenly became too late for Eromot to stop her so he ended up just returning to the room, playing it down, and now enjoying the comfort of a room with heat. He hoped that little purchase would just be an invisible blip in the system. Purchases aren’t automatically reimbursed to businesses these days. Are they? Sleep would now be warm enough, but it didn’t come easy because of the newly revived worry.

  Grega’s girlfriend tore herself from Grega’s pecking on the shoulder and neck when a light on one of her tracking programs started chirping and blinking.

  “Breftada darling, what’s so important

  you go back to work so pecking we can’t.”

  Breftada said, “Calm Grega boyfriend, I’ll tell you what is,

  this indicates an Eromot purchase.

  Not just card ID fraud, but the real deal.

  Eromot’s alive, he can think and feel.

  This shows he’s south in Dogolas city.

  Must have ran for his life says my pity.”

  Grega then had to get this information to Eistia so he called him. Eistia answered in a whisper that Grega could barely hear. He already knew why Grega called, and didn’t want Grega to talk much.

  “I thought you’d be calling Grega I know

  about Eromot’s purchase where I go.

  Volock also saw what that value got.

  He flies now to there with me also brought.”

  Grega ended the conversation, and explained to Breftada what Eistia told him. Then he admitted that Eistia had always been one step ahead of Grega’s investigations. That had been why he became the lead investigator of the team. That would be as long as this courageous Uranian move of his didn’t get him killed along with Eromot.

  Volock’s flying saucer arrived at Dogolas within minutes to land silently on the one-story motel roof; its hum drowned out by the sound of the ocean raging against a rocky shore. It had been late at night and nobody seemed to notice the amazing spectacle of a flying saucer landing.

  Volock emerged with a purpose, and seemed to know exactly where he was going. Volock had been genetically bred to be stronger than an average Uranian, and his casual leap from the roof to the ground demonstrated that. He went right to the apartment where Eromot made the value purchase for heat. His superior strength simply pulled the locked latch-lever till the lock shattered and the latch lifted. The noise caused a moment of worry that got put at ease when Volock cracked the door to see that the victim still slept. Volock silently, but with a purpose, entered the room.

  The surprise advantage of stealth was still on Volock’s side, and he entered the room to find Eromot perched in the bed sleeping with his back to the door. Volock recognized a rare opportunity to savor his kill at close range. At first he thought it sporting to use just bare hands, but then realized no, this one had to die. So Volock then produced a long sharp knife blade.

  The point of the blade approached Eromot’s throat, which wheezed away the breath of deep slumber. Just then Volock’s knife hand got jerked away sending the knife flying across the room to slam bluntly against the wall.

  Volock suddenly became in a wrestling hold by Eistia who had stowed away on the flying saucer earlier that day on a hunch that Volock would soon lead him to the missing Eromot.

  “I followed on your saucer as a guest.

  Caught now in murder, you’re under arrest.”

  Volock replied, “Eistia you fool. He’ll now get away.

  You’re gonna die. I’ll hunt another day.”

  Superior strength broke Eistia’s wrestling hold with a savage chirp. Volock then threw Eistia like a football across the room into the wall.

  The crash looked painful, but all Eistia could do was ignore the pain, and roll right back to his feet. Police on Urania didn’t carry guns as a rule because they were supposed to employ less-escalating means to resolve situations, and keep the peace. That had been no help for Eistia now. Military personnel were known to intervene in times of civil unrest, and they carried guns. Even regular citizens were free to own them, but the police wer
e expected to be above the need for murderous defense. In spite of the illogical irony of an armed populace, and a disarmed police force, this arrangement worked surprisingly well on Urania, and police were well trained to not need weapons of murder.

  Eistia wasn’t without a weapon however, and he produced the Club Incapacitating Device, which all Uranian police were to carry and train with, to use in thousands of ways with a sophisticated fighting style as graceful and deadly as kung-fu on Earth. Eistia lunged at Volock who didn’t get over his surprise fast enough that Eistia had got up at all after the throw across the room.

  Volock felt the club break a rib. Then before Volock realized anything, the Club Incapacitating Device choked him. The broken rib didn’t seem to diminish his strength at all, and he flipped Eistia over from behind to the ground in front of him.

  Eistia gracefully rode back on his feet using the momentum of his fall. He fought in good form as his training took over to sweep the club under Volock’s feet to send him to the ground.

  The Club Incapacitating Device could also render an unruly opponent unconscious when applied with sufficient force to certain areas on the back of the head near the base of the neck. One such swing of the club failed to do that to Volock who then shook off the effects of the blow when Eistia then succeeded in rendering Volock unconscious with a second blow to the back of the neck. Eistia then looked around for Eromot who was nowhere to be found.

  After that Eistia called Grega and arranged transportation with Dogolas police to extradite Volock back to Keshdesh for prosecution of murder, and attempted murder. The Dogolas police applauded Eistia’s brave police work, but insisted that this had been all Eistia’s responsibility, and that he would probably get in trouble for trying to arrest the Aungtalli Bishop’s right hand man. Nobody knew what to do with the flying saucer. Nobody had been able to fly it, but arrangements were being made to impound it back to Keshdesh from the motel roof it became left parked on top of. In the meantime, crowds were sure to gather about the motel to view the rare sight of an Aungtalli saucer. That would probably have annoyed the old woman running the motel, but as it turned out, business had been up ever since. Eistia just felt he did his job investigating a serial killer that had been after Ministry of Science scientists. He wasn’t going to lose his job for doing his job, and his comrades applauded the heroics.

  As for Eromot, the Ministry scientist who once again evaded Volock’s murderous pursuit, he had been nowhere to be found after the scuffle between Eistia and Volock became finally over. Basic deductive reasoning concluded that he might be catching the train at Dogolas station to somewhere the next morning. All Uranians boarding the next day however, were inspected, and Eromot turned out to not be among any of them. Eistia had to drive a transport vehicle back to Keshdesh with a pissed off Volock tied up in the vehicle, but without Eromot. It was going to be hard to prosecute attempted murder without a victim.