"It's probably simpler than that," Topaz said. "The Ancestor thought he was god and therefore perfect. That's why he put the breeding programs in place – to make everyone look like him. He was black, so he wanted them to be black. He was male, so therefore those who were male were
more
perfect, so he set them up as the priests."
"Yeah, well, here's what I don't get," Bradley started. He, too, had been listening to the native's story. "If Paul Arquette hated the Reliance so intensely, why did this people ever deem to trade with them? To even try to have friendly Relations with them?"
Jessit smiled. "Ah
. . .
because the King/God's spirit is said to move to the body of the Chosen. The King/God's have all taken council from the priests. At some point the Reliance sent ambassadors to trade with our people. The high priest's voices told him it was a good thing. The other priests agreed, and when they told the King what the gods had told them, the King gracefully agreed. Of course the King/God never reads from the book of The Ancestor, so he wouldn't have known about the real history. And you and I both know he really did not possess the spirit of Paul Arquette. So he had no real problem with the Reliance, and we needed replacement parts for the generators, light bulbs, metal implements and things the Reliance had in abundance and that we could not make."
"So
. . .
the priests are all schizophrenic?" Topaz said again.
"No," RJ said. They had walked up unseen on the group huddled around the fire, and they all jumped. "Sorry," she said with a wicked grin, then continued with her train of thought. "The priests are all telepaths, although I'm sure that being untrained as to how to handle the power they do go quite mad. Basically these people are the descendants of a deranged, armless black French human and criminal Argy telepaths who had been sent to this planet as part of their sentence. By the time the deranged, armless black Frenchman got here, the telepathic gene had been mostly bred out. Then by the time he bred in his own genes for several generations, the common Argy empathic trait all but disappeared. However the priests have a separate breeding program. One that ensured that the telepathic gene remained active. Although without knowing what it is, they believe that they are talking to the gods."
"Damn it, RJ," Topaz said. "I wanted to figure it out."
"Sorry, Old Man, but maybe now you'll be able to get back to work," she said looking at the hands and their apparatus at his feet
Topaz grumbled, got up and moved to pick up the prostheses from where he had laid them in the dirt. He turned to Taleed and shrugged. "Sorry," he apologized.
"I have gone a lifetime without hands; a few more hours aren't going to make a difference," Taleed said graciously.
RJ went over to the fire, lifted the skewer from the tripods, and pulled one of the fully cooked and steaming hot snails from it. She let it cool only a few seconds and then took a bite out of it. "Wow! These are really good! What are they?"
Taleed started to answer, and Levits moved quickly to put a hand over his mouth. "No. Don't tell us. I may actually enjoy it if I don't know." Levits let the boy go. He hefted the backpack from his back and sat down on the rock next to Taleed.
"Did you bring me anything?" Topaz asked looking at the obviously full packs on each of their backs.
"Some very heavy, horrid weapon RJ simply had to have. Nothing of any real value," Levits said glaring at RJ. RJ just smiled and returned the skewer to the tripods.
RJ looked at the strangers, sizing them up with a glance. One thing was obvious; they were afraid of her. She could feel their combined fear like a wave. They didn't know what she might do to them, but they were pretty sure they weren't going to like it, and just as sure that there was nothing they could do to stop her.
Of course they had a point.
"So
. . .
Who's in charge?" RJ asked of them as a group. They all looked at the biggest man in the group, as the native – who had no doubt come with them – struck a neutral pose as if to say he was with no one and knew nothing.
The big man turned and stared back at the woman. She looked up at RJ unblinkingly although her emotions gave her away. "Technically that would be me. Lieutenant Stratton, First Division, Space Force." She stood up and held her hand out towards RJ.
RJ stuffed the rest of the meat in her mouth, grabbed the woman's hand with her greasy one and applied just enough pressure for it to be uncomfortable. The woman's face didn't falter, even as the fat from the meat dripped out the bottom of their joined hands, and RJ let her hand go. She wiped the goo from her hand onto her pants leg and smiled. Then she turned quickly on the big man.
"But you're basically in charge now," RJ said noticing the way he jumped.
"I don't think any of us are in charge now," he said, quickly composing himself.
RJ laughed heartily as she helped Janad take the heavy pack off. "He's a smart man. Give him a gold star," RJ said smiling at Topaz. Topaz just shrugged as if to tell her that her little display of power was more irritating than it was amusing. She shrugged back, acknowledging his indifference and letting him know she didn't care what he thought.
"Do you have a name?" she asked their leader.
"Bradley. This is Jackson. Our wounded man is Decker, and the native is Jessit," he said.
RJ could feel his fear of her start to fade. He really was a smart man, and he knew that if she meant to kill them she would have done it already, and saved herself the trouble of getting to know them. "Levits, David and Janad," RJ said pointing at each respectively. "Apparently we are all on the same side, so as long as you do what I tell you, when I tell you, we'll be all right."
She spoke to Topaz over her shoulder, "Give them their weapons back."
"Oh, I don't think that's such a good idea," Topaz said quickly.
Levits dumped his heavy pack then grunted and walked into the brush.
"Who died and left you in charge?" RJ said angrily. Now was not the time to question her authority. Not in front of the new "recruits." She looked around, then looked at Topaz suspiciously. "Where is my brother?"
Topaz seemed to focus more intently on his work as if he hadn't heard her.
"Topaz, I asked you a question. Where is my brother?" RJ demanded.
"Ah
. . .
You don't have a brother. You have a sister, but
. . .
"
"Don't start your shit with me, Old Man," RJ hissed back. "Where is Poley?"
"He's watching them
. . .
You told me to have him watch them," Topaz defended.
"Watching them do what from where?" RJ asked hotly.
"Watching the camp, watching the prisoners
. . .
"
"Prisoners?" RJ asked, her patience wearing thin.
"Well, you're the one who always says you can't be too careful, and I was in charge
. . .
"
"Who said you were in charge? Why would I leave you in charge? You're crazy; you know that. In charge of what?" RJ said hotly. "Of in case of any Reliance defectors should happen to land a ship in our camp? Give me a freaking break!"
"I'm pretty sure you left me in charge, RJ. And, yes, in case something just like this should happen
. . .
I mean someone has to be in charge," Topaz defended.
"Well, no offense, but it wouldn't have been you," RJ said with a sigh. She mentally counted to ten. "Now, what the hell have you done with my brother?" RJ demanded, taking a menacing step closer to him.
"I had him walk up on the little hill over there and keep watch. I figured he could see the whole camp, and if any of the prisoners
. . .
"
"Oh, just shut up, Topaz," RJ looked up at the hill, focused, and saw Poley. She waved at him and said, "Poley get back down here."
She heard him answer, and then saw him start to run down the hill.
A few moments later Poley seemed to appear out of thin air. The four newcomers seemed a little shocked at the speed with which he had returned, and from the look on Bradley and Stratton's faces they had already come to the wrong conclusion. "He's not, you know," RJ told them.
"Not what?" Stratton asked.
"A GSH
. . .
He's not," she said simply. "However, he
is
my brother."
"Did you leave Topaz in charge?" Poley asked immediately, not allowing Stratton to respond to what RJ had said.
RJ sighed deeply. "Of course not, Tin Pants."
"Then it was just more of his crazy ramblings," Poley said matter-of-factly.
Topaz's head jerked up. "Crazy ramblings! Crazy ramblings! How would you like this little metal arm shoved right up your little metal ass?"
"I wouldn't like it," Taleed said. "I would like to use the hands."
Just then Levits walked back into camp. He had his under wear on, but he had the top of his pants wadded up in one fist and they were hanging around his knees. His other hand was cupped very close to his groin.
"What's wrong?" RJ asked with a sigh.
For answer, Levits started to laugh hysterically. "Wrong? What's freaking wrong? Oh, nothing's wrong. My life's perfect – couldn't get any freaking better. I'm stuck on this floating turd of a planet with you bunch of lunatics, and now
. . .
." He moved his hand away to reveal a small lizard about an inch long and almost as wide stuck on his leg. "What the freak is this thing, and is it going to move?"
"A vampire lizard," Jessit said moving forward. "It won't move until it's finished eating. It makes a hole in you and sucks your blood out through its tube-like mouth
. . .
"
"I don't want to know it's freaking life cycle! I just want it off of me!" Levits hollered.
"Can you get it off?" RJ asked the priest.
He nodded. "Yes, but it hurts."
"It hurts now," Levits said. "Just get the bastard off of me. I'm
using
my blood, I
need
it."
Jessit nodded, walked over to Levits and smacked the lizard hard with the palm of his hand. Levits let out a scream, and the lizard fell to the ground hissing up at them. Jessit picked the little beast up by its tail and tossed him into the fire where he made a satisfying little popping sound.
"Now we have to suck the poison out," Jessit said moving to do so.
"Poison!" Levits screeched. Then he grabbed the native's head. "Wait! Wait a minute. How bad is the poison?" he glared at David, who was trying hard not to laugh, but not really succeeding.
"It won't kill you, but it could make you very sick."
"Probably infection caused from the bite itself. Sucking on it probably removes the impurities," RJ said. "Better let him do it."
Levits looked at her appealingly, then looked to the spot where the bite was.
RJ looked at Bradley and Stratton. "So much for making a formidable first impression," she said. Rolling her eyes she grabbed Levits' arm and started pulling him towards the area behind the ship. "You are such a big baby."
"You know what, RJ? Just once I wish something like this would happen to you," Levits said, and then they were out of sight.
David looked at Bradley and smiled. "I'm not an empath, but I know what you're thinking," he said.
"What would that be?" Bradley asked.
David smiled more broadly and answered, "How the hell did this band of lunatics beat the Reliance?"
Bradley smiled then and relaxed for the first time all day. "Wow! You read my mind."
Even shut up on the bridge he could hear the screams of the prisoners in the brig, although he wasn't quite sure whether the noise was real or imagined. He was spacing them as quickly as possible to make sure they didn't escape again. He had no qualms about executing the prisoners, he just wanted the job to be over so that the station could get back to business.
What a mess! Whatever happened to dying with dignity
? he wondered.
"Could you please
. . .
" Briggs took a deep breath before looking back up at the screen and continuing. "I have told you that everything here and on the station is well under control. Please just dock and do the repair work as you have been ordered."
"You're correct. My orders are to fix the ship. But I am not required to put myself, my ship or my crew in jeopardy to do that. To the contrary, unless you are in immediate danger, my first priority is to ensure the safety of my ship and my crew. The patch on the station is holding, therefore you are in no immediate danger. Your job is to make sure Pam Station is secure enough for my people and I to dock safely and make the repairs. You do your job, and I will gladly do mine
. . .
"
"How dare you tell me what my job is, you glorified mop jockey! Listen to me! Dock that ship and get to work before I write you up!"
The overweight man in the work coveralls looked at him and smiled broadly. "What's that, Briggs? I can't hear you; we're breaking up. Must be that damned magnetic pulse."