Seers of Verde: The Legend Fulfilled: Book One (8 page)

7

The GEMS representative was not on board yet and already controversy had been stirred up. The official had requested space for six persons. Masat Ebber denied the request, refusing to even meet with the Syndicate people. The captain had been ordered to take one of the foreigners on his mission to find the missing Tanlian ship, Brak’s Revenge.

An hour later came a new request — permission for three GEMS representatives to board the ship. Masat refused again, his patience growing thin. He had received no new orders from the Tanlian High Council; the decision was his.

“Tell the Earther that this ship is leaving in one hour,” he said to his comm operator. “If he is not on board, we fly without him, and relay my orders to Tanlian command.” Barely ten minutes later, Tanlian command signaled Masat. None other than High Councilman Drace Halpan requested to speak to the captain.

“High Councilman, you honor us on our departure,” Masat said, not bothering to mask his concern. A smiling, almost grandfatherly Drace appeared on Masat’s private viewer. “Ah, Captain, it appears we have a situation with our Syndicate ally. The representative wishes to be escorted by traveling companions. They had not communicated this request before now.”

Masat folded his arms across his chest. “The original request was for one GEMS passenger to travel with us, High Councilman. We travel fast and efficiently. More than one stranger may complicate the ship’s operation.” Masat was disturbed by the benevolent-looking high councilman. The captain was accustomed to a scowling, irritable Drace, not the one who appeared to be sympathetic. “Captain, apparently it is a clan custom for them to travel with an escort, especially in special cases such as this. Would you kindly consent to two passengers?”

Masat was puzzled. The high councilman had said this was a special case. What did that mean? Seeing the look on the captain’s face prompted Drace to answer the unspoken question. “I might as well tell you now, Captain, to avoid more angry communiqués between us. Your primary passenger is a woman. She requires at least one male escort. Perhaps an aide, guard or someone else,” the high councilman said, this time breaking into a familiar sneer.

Masat was speechless. A woman with access to crew quarters and flight command? The only women “allowed” on Tanlian ships were trophies, and they were limited to the cargo holds or private quarters of officers.

“You would make a bad diplomat, Captain,” Drace said, his laughter booming through the speaker. “This passenger is important to the high council. She apparently is an expert on bio-form worlds and has knowledge of Colonization Alliance of Independent Nations activities. I want to know what happened to Yermak, Rolid, and the Brak’s Revenge, and I want to know quickly.”

Now the high councilman resembled the image Masat had expected — a scowling old man with little patience. Knowing he would lose this argument and perhaps have the ship taken away from him, Masat gave a perfunctory bow. “Tell the two Earthers we fly now . . .”

Drace interrupted him. “You will leave in two hours, Captain. It appears your passengers need the time to load their personal items.” The high council leader broke into a booming laugh at the look on Masat’s face.

¶ ¶ ¶

Masat’s ship had been on its mission for a week before he consented at last to meet the Syndicate passengers. He had politely refused their entreaties to a meeting before then. The Earthers had delayed his launch by almost three hours. They were subject to his rules now that they were on his ship. He had limited their access to the ship’s galley and navigation room. He was told the two were never separated. Four Tanlian “escorts” kept a respectful distance, but accompanied the visitors wherever they went.

Now his curiosity needed to be assuaged. The passengers had invited him to dine with them. They promised specialties from their home world of Kenyata. The opportunity to try new food was tempting — they had found his weakness.

Masat was warned the female was beautiful. His crew members were not bashful about casting admiring glances at the woman during her short trips through the ship’s corridors.The captain had not believed the descriptions of the Syndicate woman. Many of his Tanlian crew ogled any female they met on colony worlds. But Masat was struck almost speechless when he met Ismala N’pofu.

The tall woman was just shy of six feet. She could almost look him in the eye. Her dark complexion and coal black eyes were striking. Two large, black ringlets of hair rested on her shoulders. Something else about this woman was familiar. She reminded him of someone, but who? A second later, the thought shocked him. This woman looked like a combination of his two sisters. She could pass as a relative.

“Greetings, Captain Ebber, Shadra and I wish to thank you for your hospitality,” Ismala gestured toward her somber companion, who bowed to Masat. The captain stared at Shadra, who also could pass as a member of the Ebber clan. “We appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to meet with us,” Ismala said with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling.

Masat nodded, wincing a bit. His crew had tolerated the Earthers, but had shown the pair little hospitality. The captain studied the woman. Her smile seemed sincere. He sensed no mockery in her words.

“I trust you are comfortable and have everything you need?” Masat asked, allowing himself a moment to glance around the pair’s cabin. To his surprise, the cabin had been transformed with soft cane furniture and a wide-leafed plant that looked like a fan filled a corner. A large vid screen covered one wall. It displayed the ship’s present course in the center. Plot marks spread out in five directions, ending at five CAIN worlds.

“Yes, Captain. We are quite comfortable and have everything we require,” Ismala said. “We are ready to dine at your convenience.” This was all very strange to Masat — a woman inviting a stranger to a meal. Tanlian women were always subordinate. Many females on his world had arrived as trophies plucked from other worlds or were descended from trophies.

Masat's eyes drifted to Ismala’s companion, who had not said a word but stood nearby attentively. “My apologies, Captain. May I present my brother?” Ismala said, noticing Masat’s interest in Shadra. “It is Kenyata tradition for our women to travel with escorts, preferably male relatives. He is my protector.”

Masat cast a wary look at Shadra. The well-muscled Kenyatan was taller than the captain by several centimeters. He would make an imposing foe. “You will not have to defend your sister on this ship, you have my word.” Masat smiled at Shadra.

Shadra’s eyes were wide with surprise at being addressed. He looked at Ismala, who nodded slightly to him. This exchange was not lost on Masat.

“Thank you, Captain. That is most reassuring. I have sworn to defend my sister to the death,” Shadra said slowly in a baritone voice. Masat nodded, understanding the other man’s serious tone.

Tanlians had built their reputation on plunder, especially of women. This Kenyatan would not relax on this ship of trophy hunters. “Permission?” Shadra said, again looking at his sister.

“Speak freely here, Shadra. Their customs are different than ours,” Ismala said.

“Captain, if I may be so bold, you appear to share common blood. You could pass for a Kenyatan,” Shadra said, studying Masat. The smile faded from Ismala’s face as she glared at her brother. Masat threw back his head and roared with laughter. It was the first time on this voyage the captain had enjoyed himself. Ismala and Shadra were startled.

“You echoed my thoughts, Shadra. Both of you could pass for Ebber clan, even siblings of mine. We obviously share common heritage. Tanlians are descended from Earthers of all origins. We are not ashamed of that.”

Shadra and Ismala smiled. First contact had gone much better than both hoped. “Thank you, Captain. It is an honor to be hosted by a distant cousin,” Ismala said, smiling and breaking into a soft laugh. “I assure you, Captain, we intend to be perfect guests. Our only interest is to help find your missing ship. If by chance we get an opportunity to visit several CAIN worlds, so much the better.”

Masat smiled. Ismala had laid out her plans. The Earthers were not interested in the goings on of the Tanlian ship, but had their eyes on bigger prizes.

Walking to a comm next to his guests’ door, he typed in the code for an all-ship broadcast. “This is Captain Ebber. All Tanlians under my command are ordered to show our Kenyatan guests every courtesy. I believe they feel comfortable enough coming and going. No escorts are necessary. I will personally deal with any incidences of misconduct.”

Ismala bowed to Masat and thanked him. This meeting had gone better than she had hoped. Seeing the captain’s renewed interest in the table full of food and native Kenyatan wine, she gestured for him to sit.

8

Lar Vonn tried to keep himself busy helping the other colonists. Several weeks had passed since he and his four companions had returned from their unsuccessful climb. The trip had been a disaster. Not only had they not come close to scaling the mountain and reaching the colonists on the other side, but also one of their party had been killed by a large cat.

After hearing the story of the ill-fated attempt, Lar could get no one to agree to even talk about trying to climb the mountain again. His friend and fellow climber, Neb Klinfer, was sympathetic, but not eager to try that adventure again any time soon. The colonists stranded in this wild and treacherous valley were concerned about protecting themselves from future Tanlian attacks.

Geologist Wald Bergmann and security officer Riss Nels had supervised the building of nine additional shelters, sites cut out of rock or expanded cave systems. Some of the new sites were several kilometers away from each other. Even in his dark mood, Lar had marveled at Wald’s workmanship. Tunnels and rooms for dozens of people had been carved out with care.

Using survival training, the colonists agreed to multiple living sites. The Tanlians perhaps could attack one group, but the others would have an excellent chance of escaping. The six hundred colonists already were divided among the sites. Leaders had been chosen for most of the groups.

Lar had been given first choice to lead any group, but he chose to stay at the original landing site. If the Tanlians returned, it was likely they would be attracted to this spot again. The security chief was not afraid to be part of the first line of resistance against any attacker.

Neb and Riss had been chosen to lead different groups and were busy settling in and establishing defenses. Wald declined the offer to be a group leader. He opted to stay with Lar in the first cavern maze he had designed.

Now the situation arrived that Wald had been fearing for weeks. His excavating machines were almost out of fuel. Even the laser cutter power packs were running low. At Lar’s request, all ten group leaders met at the security chief’s site to discuss what to do.

“Once these machines are out of fuel, what can be done with them?” Wald asked. “Should we shelter them somewhere in hopes we someday may be able to use them again?”

Lar smiled. The idea of doing anything but preserving the geologist’s beloved machines broke Wald’s heart. The others kept their silence as they sat around the fire. Neb drew circles in the dirt with a stick, something obviously on his mind. After spending weeks with the hunter, Lar had gotten to know him well. “What do you think, Neb?”

The hunter stopped drawing and looked at each leader. “How will we defend ourselves once the power packs are drained and all the bullets have been used from the Earth rifles?” he asked. “It could be years before any rescuers could reach us. We may have enough weapons to ward off one more Tanlian attack, but what if they return more times?” The other nine shook their heads, but kept their eyes on Neb. It was clear he had an idea. The hunter pulled out his archaic bow, unslung the arrow quiver from his back, and also pulled out a knife. He held up his weapons of choice.

“These do not need energy packs or powder projectiles. We can make hundreds, perhaps thousands of arrows that can be used for many years. And knives are very effective from close range, especially in the caves.”

The other leaders all started arguing at once, contradicting Neb and pointing out the benefits of their favorite weapons. However, no one had a solution to the problem of what to do when the rifles ran out of bullets and powder and the energy weapons ran out of power. This stranded group of colonists did not have the equipment that could manufacture ammunition for the tech weapons.

Neb said nothing as he drew his designs in the sand. It did not take long for the others to come to realize their modern weapons would be useless shortly. All eyes stared at the patient hunter.

“How do you propose we make your weapons?” Wald asked, fearing he knew the answer.

“We have plenty of metal available to us and enough power packs to run the laser cutters for weeks,” Neb said looking at the geologist. “If your machines are out of fuel for years, what good are they to us? Their metal may save our lives and be useful for many years.”

Wald started to object, but he realized he could not refute Neb’s logic. The flickering firelight made his frown look ominous. He would be lost without his machines. Useless. The diggers and the rock carvers were Wald’s poetry. He could use them in dozens of ways to be beneficial, whether it was unearthing valuable minerals or boring shelters and tunnels for habitation. But, now they sat quiet. The dribble of fuel left would barely start the machines.

No one said a word to Wald. All realized they owed their lives to his efforts and ingenuity in carving protection for them out of the rocks. Lar took out a flask of his favorite Siriusian whiskey and took a sip.

“Got any left to share?” Wald asked. “It’s been months since I’ve had anything stronger than citrus tea.” The security chief placed the cap on the sliver flask and tossed it to the miner. Wald took a long draw and smacked his lips, much to everyone’s surprise. Most had figured the little man for a no-nonsense type — someone who was only happy when he was working, and who never relaxed.

After a long pause, Wald looked around the fire. He had never been the generous type, but he had rushed to save these people and now he faced another decision. “I suppose we can’t throw the damn diggers at the Tanlians, can we?” he said with a half-sneer. The other nine roared with laughter. The uncomfortable silence was broken.

“We can drain all the energy packs to power the cutters. I can even build a smelter that will speed things up,” Wald said. Then he turned to Neb. “Hunter, I will make you knives that will cut through bone like soft cheese.”

¶ ¶ ¶

Lt. Uri Navrakov was not happy with the colony’s defenses in the large valley. Only two laser-guided missiles were left. Twelve launchers had been built and placed in strategic locations throughout the mountains overlooking their shelters, but only four missiles had been transported from the
Colonia Nueve
before the first Tanlian attack. The only two activated missiles had been fired.

His security force had energy-pulse rifles, and their power packs were charged, but they would empty quickly if used in a battle. Almost all the colonists had been issued hand-held energy pulsers. If the Tanlians avoided the pair of missiles, there would be bloody hand-to-hand combat.

He wondered how much the invaders would want to fight. Tanlians were opportunistic raiders. They usually liked to pounce on a defenseless village and escape without suffering losses.

The colony’s most potent weapon, however, might be a small red-haired woman — Taryl Bryann. The Seer had confused two Tanlian pilots, making them crash into the mountain. Uri smiled, despite himself. No one would have guessed the person who was almost left off the colony ship may be its most valuable member.

Taryl’s pregnancy had slowed her down. Most of her energy was devoted to the unborn baby. Sometimes it was days between her meditations. She could see through Lar’s eyes and was able to tell the colonists how their counterparts were faring on the other side of the mountain.

Uri was surprised Security Chief Lar had allowed the second group of colonists to be split up into so many small units. The lieutenant preferred to have the colonists under his protection in one spot, rather than be separated and picked off.

Each colonist also carried a personal comm. This made it easier for groups searching for food or exploring the countryside to keep from getting lost. However, those comms would make it easy for an enemy to key in on the colony’s coordinates.

To prevent this from happening, Uri had established a warning system. A high-pitched blast lasting five seconds was the signal for complete comm silence, no exceptions. The security lieutenant made it clear that anyone breaking the silence during an attack would be treated as an enemy.

This is all we can do for now
, Uri thought.
We will keep building permanent structures hidden in the rocks and trees and be prepared. If the Tanlians come, we won’t be easy targets. I hope Lar and the others fare as well.

The lieutenant’s musings were interrupted by Ilysa Grohweg, one of his mate’s med aides. The young woman was breathless and could hardly speak she was so excited. “Franca says it’s time,” the aide blurted. “It’s early, but everything seems fine so far. She wanted me to find you.”

“Is something wrong with Franca?” Uri asked, looking puzzled. His mate had been well when he left her this morning. They had shared first meal, and she had scolded him for all the things he had left undone, as usual.

The aide, a tall blonde who reminded Uri of a river willow, stared for a moment and squealed, “No, not Franca. It’s Taryl. The baby is coming.” Now Uri understood what all the excitement was about.

Taryl was in labor, about three weeks earlier than expected. This would create an uproar throughout the colony. The first baby born on Verde Grande and of course it would have to be the venerated Seer’s baby. Taryl had been unsuccessful at convincing the other colonists she should be treated the same as anyone else. It seemed the harder she tried, the more the other colonists grew in awe of her.

“Does anyone else know about Taryl?” Uri said, gripping Ilysa’s shoulders. “Did you go screaming through the encampment about the baby?”

“No, no, sir,” the girl blinked almost in tears, surprised by the painful grip. “Franca told me to tell you and no one else.” Uri relaxed and apologized for scaring her.

“Thank you, Ilysa. The last thing Taryl needs is for a crowd to gather during this time. She is uncomfortable with the attention from the others. The most important thing for her now is to concentrate on the baby.” The lieutenant smiled. “What an honor for you, Ilysa. You will help deliver this world’s first human baby. We had better return to camp and see if we can help. Let’s try to act like we’re late for second meal. We’ll be less likely to draw a crowd.”

¶ ¶ ¶

Ismala N’pofu studied the scans of planet WN-588. The Tanlian ship had orbited the world for four days. They had found nothing. The Syndicate woman was dubious this was the world they had been searching for. The planet was only reaching its second stage of bioforming. It was barely habitable for humans.

The Tanlians found no signs of colonists or even a scientific study team. The planet was quiet. They monitored no communications. Scout ships searched any reasonable hiding place — nothing.

Captain Masat Ebber stood nearby, also studying the readings. “I had my doubts about this place,” Ismala said, looking at Masat. “But it was the closest CAIN world. It was interesting to see an early bioform planet. I have to admit the Alliance is adept. Their worlds are ready to settle almost fifty years faster than ours.”

Masat smiled. “I’m glad you are able to garner scientific information, but we can’t afford to linger much longer. I am ready to depart this world. We have two more planets to scour for our missing ship.”

Ismala nodded in agreement and studied the star chart on the large vid screen in her quarters. “The next planet is XR-309, a fully bioformed world. However, it appears the Alliance may have abandoned it. The planet has been ready for at least fifty years. It is eleven years away from the nearest CAIN colony. Perhaps you Tanlians have frightened the Alliance away. It would make a perfect addition to the Syndicate.”

Masat laughed. “It’s about time CAIN realizes we Tanlians rule space travel. But perhaps they think we have forgotten about this planet, too.”

Ismala’s fingers flew across her keypad. A line appeared on the screen and inched its way to XR-309. “I estimate about twelve days’ travel to the planet,” she said.

Masat agreed after studying the giant chart. “If nothing else, this planet may make for interesting study. It also appears to be a likely place where my men can recreate and hunt. My crew likes good sport when they get the chance.”