Privateers in Exile

by Jamie McFarlane

  "Liam Hoffen." I gratefully lowered my pack and set it next to the path against a tree. The lights of the city in the valley were beautiful.

  "Thandeka," my companion responded, gesturing at the city below but not taking his brilliant green eyes off me. Apparently, I was just as interesting to him as he was to me.

  I tipped back my water pouch and drained half of what remained. I’d need a water source if I were to keep the pace we'd been on for much longer. I decided to try communicating again and thumped my chest as I said my name again. "I am Liam Hoffen."

  My companion nodded, accepting my words. "Hambo," he answered, mimicking my chest thumping.

  "Nice to meet you, Hambo," I said, placing my fist onto my solar plexus, a habit I'd learned from the Abasi cat people of the Dwingeloo system.

  "Eat … walk …" Hambo said, holding out a thin dry leaf about the length of my hand.

  I reached for my pack, misinterpreting his instructions.

  "No … eat …" he said, more urgently. The noise caught the attention of another in the group who had taken lead during our descent. After a quick series of tongue clicks and a hiss, Hambo ducked his head, bowing subserviently. Even as he did so, he continued to hold the leaf out.

  Accepting the leaf earned me a smile and Hambo pulled a second leaf from a pouch on his belt. Slowly, he pushed it into his mouth and made a show of exaggeratedly chewing, smiling broadly once he’d finished. It was all I could do not to laugh at his comical expression. I shrugged, hoping that I wasn't about to poison myself. The leaf was pleasant tasting, if not a little woody. While I had no idea how many calories it possessed, it was a kind gesture.

  From my own pack, I pulled out the last trail bar I'd received from Little Pete. According to Nick, the Scatters were vegetarian, so I figured I'd keep the trail-dried jerky to myself, at least until I saw them eat something similar. I broke off a portion and handed it to Hambo, who accepted it with an impish smile and ate it without complaint.

  "Go … walk …" Hambo said after we'd sat for no more than ten minutes. There was little moonlight and the sun had set an hour previous. I had no idea if the Scatters slept or if we'd keep walking until I fell over.

  "Low light overlay," I whispered to my AI, not wanting to earn disapproval from our grumpy leader.

  I'd taken care to use minimal functions on my grav-suit and had been breaking even at about four-percent energy stores. While that was more than enough to power the AI, the low-light enhancement would burn precious energy. I wasn't willing to go below two-percent, but I figured not falling on my face was important.

  After another ninety minutes, the two Scatters in the lead suddenly veered from the main path and I felt a hand on my arm, pushing me to follow them into the brush. The entire time, we hadn't broken from our initial formation of two in front and four in back. Hambo, one of the back guards who carried a bow instead of a shield, was always within a step or two of me. A quick glance told me that it was indeed Hambo who urged me into the woods. I didn't need much of a push, as I was tired and not paying a great deal of attention, automatically going wherever the figures ahead of me went.

  Chirps and trilled bug calls greeted us. I shook my head in late understanding. For the last few months, I'd constantly heard these noises when in the woods and believed they were the fauna of Fraxus. In fact, I'd been hearing the Scatters as they spied on us.

  I looked up to find the boughs illuminated like a star field. With my HUD's low-light enhancement, I discovered multitudes of narrow hammocks slung within the trees. Dozens of pairs of green, blue, and purple eyes stared down as we walked beneath the elevated camp. Without the AI’s amplification, even if I'd passed beneath the area in the pitch black of night, I would most likely have missed the scene entirely.

  "… stop … rest …" Hambo urged, placing a hand on the bark of a nearby tree.

  I looked at him and then at the tree. He seemed to be suggesting that I climb up. I smiled and shook my head. There was no way I had the energy to climb a tree, let alone try to figure out how to sleep in one.

  "I'll just unroll my bag down here," I said, pulling out the thin sleeping roll and fur covering I'd been using.

  Hambo clucked his tongue and his eyes darted to the side, apparently annoyed. The Scatter leader approached and the two had a conversation. Even though it was over in two minutes, it was the longest stream of Scatter speech my translator program had witnessed. In the end, Hambo bowed his head and climbed the tree, his fingers grasping the bark as if it were a ladder.

  "Not leave," the leader said.

  "Liam Hoffen," I said, patting my chest.

  "Lee-am-haw-fen not leave," he answered, repeating my name several times under his breath until it sounded smooth.

  "Liam Hoffen not leave," I agreed, rolling my eyes at his unwillingness to share his own name.

  At some point, sleeping on the ground is just something you do. It's never comfortable, but the body can get used to many things and discomfort while sleeping was one of them. I hadn't slept long when I felt a light brush against my cheek and heard a quiet, high-pitched giggle. Through bleary eyes, I saw two small figures disappear into the brush, giving surprised squeaks after seeing I was awake.

  Apparently, I'd slept longer than expected and the first rays of the sun were piercing the top of the forest's canopy. Sitting up, a long golden-brown feather fell into my lap, rolling off my chest. I smiled, knowing, I'd had help waking up. A soft rustle in the grass caught my attention. I hadn't heard his approach, but Hambo stood next to me.

  "Liam Hoffen … ready … walk?" he asked.

  I pulled out my water skin and held it up to him. "Good morning, Hambo," I said, standing. "You guys don't rest much, do you?"

  I’d been distracted by Hambo's arrival and didn’t notice the feather falling as I got up. The movement hadn’t escaped Hambo's attention and he reached down to pluck it from the ground, offering it to me. I wasn't sure of the significance, but I accepted the feather, sliding it behind Nick's knife where it would remain straight.

  "Water," Hambo said, clucking his tongue, making a sound I had learned to recognize as a suggestion to follow. I grabbed my pack and lumbered after him, my legs unhappy with the sudden movement. We came to a small stream, only a few meters across. My presence attracted the attention of the small group of Scatters gathered at the edge of the water. I heard a familiar giggle and located two young children, one a girl and the other a boy, both with mischievous grins on their faces. As I knelt and filled my water skin, I withdrew the golden feather and held it up, showing it to the kids. They exchanged pleased looks and disappeared into the woods.

  "… blessing …" Hambo said, nodding at the feather.

  I smiled. I wasn't sure what kind of blessing a feather might represent to the Scatters, but I counted the kids’ acceptance of my presence as a blessing of its own. The watching adults all smiled at the kids’ antics and at my response.

  A strange whistling high in the trees made me jump. I looked up in time to see several dark shapes pass only a few meters above the tops of the trees. My AI, sensing interest, offered a replay. I blinked at the prompt and was amazed to see four giant golden eagles swooping in, the morning sun glinting off their feathers. I almost cheered as I saw that two of the eagles bore Scatter riders, both of whom had their eyes locked on my position.

  "That's amazing," I said, standing.

  "Qinani," Hambo said. "Come, Liam Hoffen."

  I struggled to shrug my backpack onto my shoulders as we ran beside the stream through the forest’s undergrowth. Hambo left no trace and barely made any sound. I felt like a hippopotamus in comparison. After half a kilometer, we reached a fallen log that crossed the stream. Hambo skittered nimbly across and turned, looking back at me expectantly. I'd be dishonest if I didn't admit that I used some of my grav-suit's power to keep me from toppling into the stream.

  The idea of meeting the golden eagle riders was exciting and I wondered if they'd brought someone important
from the city to talk with me. I breathed heavily as I pushed through the trees, anticipating an opportunity that might change our circumstances.

  An angry squawk greeted me as I emerged onto a broad rocky shelf protruding out from the side of the mountain. I froze, recognizing that I was only ten meters from the large birds and had attracted the unblinking attention of at least one of them. Majestic in size, the eagles' feathers gleamed in the morning light, reflecting a multitude of colors as the great birds moved. Significantly, the giant eagle that seemed annoyed by my presence scratched at the ground and shook its head in challenge, rattling the leather reins around its neck.

  Two tall pale-skinned Scatters had dismounted, standing proudly next to the birds they'd ridden in on. They each wore crystal swords at their sides and bore decorated leather armor that was significantly more ornate than any I'd seen so far.

  "Welcome, Lifa," Hambo said, bowing deeply. A smile crossed the rider's face.

  "Hambo …" he responded. The rest of his response was unintelligible, reminding me that my translator still lacked sufficient information.

  I felt a hand at my back, pushing me forward. "Lee-am-haw-fen walk." I didn't need to look around to know it was the lead guard from the previous day's hard march. Even a good night's sleep hadn't improved his disposition. I warily eyed the eagle that still seemed to be challenging my approach. After tossing its head in my direction as I moved, the bird chose to stay put. So far, it had decided not to make good on its implied threat. Apparently, I'd been sufficiently cowed.

  "Liam Hoffen fly," Hambo said cheerfully, walking along with me.

  "I'm getting on one of those?" I asked, pointing to an eagle. "I've never … I have no idea …"

  "Liam Hoffen, I am Lifa," the flyer greeted me as the three of us approached. "Hambo …" He spoke to Hambo with words I could not understand. Holding out his hands, he accepted Hambo's right hand, closing on it briefly as both men bowed slightly.

  "Greetings, Lifa," I said, bringing my right fist over my solar plexus and bowing, as was the Abasi tradition. The move earned me a small smile and a nod of his head.

  "Liam Hoffen … negotiate … leader," Lifa said. "Eagle … fly."

  "Yeah, I don’t think so,” I said reluctantly.

  Lifa approached and reached past me, tapping my pack. I pulled it off and set it on the ground.

  "Qalani," he said, nodding at my pack.

  The dour leader of the guard bowed slightly at what was apparently a command. He reached for my pack. I tried to stop him, but he shook my hand off.

  "I'm going to need that. Hambo, help?" I said.

  Lifa answered. "Liam Hoffen, talk leader," he said. "Hambo, Qalani walk. Liam Hoffen safe."

  I nodded. I knew I had to trust the Scatters, but letting go of the pack that held the tools of my survival was hard. On the other hand, Qalani had no such issues. He pushed me aside, lifted the pack with some difficulty and walked off.

  "What could go wrong?" I asked, ironically.

  "Liam Hoffen, fly," Lifa said, gesturing to one of the two eagles that had arrived riderless.

  "I don't know how," I protested while allowing myself to be led to the bird.

  Lifa extracted and shook out a hooded cloak that he held out to me expectantly. I frowned and grumbled, but put the cloak on. Taking my acceptance of the cloak as agreement, Lifa took a long scarf from the same pouch and pulled on my shoulder so that I would lean over. With deft movements, he wrapped the scarf, first around my neck and then around the top of my head.

  He continued to dress me, next pulling a small, tight set of crystal glasses over my head. The straps had already been lengthened but the lenses were small for a human. Finally, he pulled the cloak's hood over my head. It dawned on me that he was disguising me, which made me wonder what or who I might be hiding from.

  "Liam Hoffen, ride," he said, pushing me gently toward the giant eagle who, so far, had done nothing more provocative than shake its head.

  "I'm not sure you can just tell someone to do this and expect good things," I said.

  "Safe." He pushed a tuft of feathers back, exposing a bronze stirrup.

  With help from my grav-suit, I stepped into the stirrup and threw my leg over the back of the bird. I relished the heat emanating from the eagle's body as I worked to seat my foot into the other stirrup.

  Lifa gestured, urging me to lean into the bird. My compliance earned me a quick smile and a nod of approval. "Stay. Safe," he said.

  I just didn't think Lifa and I had the same definition of safe.

  With practiced ease, Lifa ran to his eagle, leapt into the air and landed atop it lightly. With a whoop of excitement, Lifa's eagle ran forward and jumped off the cliff, dropping from view.

  "Oh, frak," I cried in alarm, looking to Hambo. His face broke into a broad smile as the eagle I sat atop lurched forward. "Noooo!" I found myself unable to stop screaming as the world rushed by and my eagle careened unevenly toward the cliff's edge. The bird might be a graceful flier, but it ran like a wounded duck. "How much energy is required for an emergency landing?" I demanded, knowing my grav-suit couldn't possibly catch my fall off the thousand-meter-high cliff.

  "Insufficient energy," my AI informed me as the eagle's wings unfurled and we dove off the edge. The bird did virtually nothing to slow our rapid descent beyond angling away from the cliff. We were quickly leaving behind all chances of an emergency landing on one of the many rock outcroppings littering the steep slope. As I took in the landscape far below, I was afraid the eagle was unwisely doubling down on the distance we would fall if it didn't get its shite together soon. I panicked when we didn’t level out at all, thinking the bird must not be able to take my weight. I used the grav-suit to reduce the burden, a move that earned me an angry squawk as the bird looked over its shoulder at me.

  "Frak, just tell me you've got this," I complained as the wind rushed by, eating my words. I stopped adding lift with my grav-suit.

  The eagle turned back and pulled its wings in so we accelerated even faster. I closed my eyes, giving myself over to the moment. A lifetime later, my stomach flip-flopped as its wings fully unfurled and I could feel the strain in the bird's frame as it fought against gravity. I opened my eyes and discovered we were only forty meters over the forest and still falling.

  I didn't realize I was screaming until our flight leveled out. Not even remotely embarrassed, I closed my mouth and looked around, still hugging the eagle. According to my suit, we were moving at thirty-five meters per second and following the curve of the mountain below us. A strong wind blew into my face and I realized the eagle was using the updrafts and thermals on this warm, sunny side of the mountain.

  "You're all right," I said, patting the glossy feathers beneath my right hand. The eagle didn't answer, but that was okay. I was alive. At our current pace, we'd arrive in the city within the hour, saving me untold days of walking.

  I finally relaxed, allowing myself to get lost in the experience. I was amazed at the sense of wonder and awe I had. I was a pilot. I’d flown many different ships and even rocketed to Earth in a mech-suit, but there was something different about flying on the back of this majestic bird with no technology to save me if things went wrong. Surprisingly, the trip turned out to be far too short and the sparkling city appeared before I was ready to complete the ride. I sat up and looked around. Lifa was trying to get my attention.

  He gestured, urging me to pull up my hood, which had been thrown back by the stiff breezes. I shrugged and grabbed the cloth, drawing it over my head.

  My AI created a map of the city as details became available. Scatter architecture was much different than anything I'd seen before. Long slabs of crystal grew upward from the ground. The individual pieces seemed to be locked together by clever positioning more than any mechanical fasteners. The fact was, at our current speed, it was hard to see enough detail to identify exact construction techniques.

  The city had been built on top of the delta where the mountain river slowe
d and joined with the ocean, its narrow buildings arranged in blocks beside wide canals. Brightly colored boats moved along the water’s surface, ferrying passengers to their destinations. My eyes strained against the bright morning sun, which reflected off every surface. At some level, the city reminded me of Puskar Stellar's market with all the bright colors and busy determination of the inhabitants.

  The scene was as idyllic as it was fantastic, which is probably why I was so surprised when several charged particle bolts ripped through the air only meters in front of our group. The blaster fire so startled the eagle I was on that it careened hard to starboard, rolling to the side and tossing me from its back.

  I twisted, trying to get an idea of where I'd land and how far I had to drop. I pushed my grav-suit to catch me and it responded, momentarily interrupting my fall. A red pulse was the only warning I received when the suit lost energy.

  Chapter 11

  God Humor

  I flailed, trying desperately to straighten out. Zero-g is a lot like falling, but this time the wind whipped past me and the ground rushed up to greet me. I hit the surface of one of the canals at a speed well in excess of anything sensible. My suit, devoid of energy, refused to stiffen and I heard a great snap. Pain shot through my arm. I tumbled on the surface, taking water into my lungs. Then I sank.

  I tried to push against the water to swim toward the surface, but my right arm wouldn’t respond. I'm not a fantastic swimmer, but I worked admirably against the water, given the fact that I had no sense of up or down. I'd lost access to my HUD when the goggles had been ripped off and water had interrupted the projection from my earwig.

  Not panicking was critical, so I tried to calm myself, but it was a losing battle. I desperately needed air. Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped tightly around my chest and jerked me in a direction I hoped was up. Seconds later my head was out of the water. I gasped and wheezed, my body involuntarily spasming. Even though I was above the surface, more water found its way into my mouth and down my windpipe. My body was wracked with spasms as the vicious cycle of expulsion then water-laced intake of air occurred.