Spears of the Sun (Star Sojourner Book 3) (15 page)

Sye Morth, a friendly Loranth, was capable of those spirit flights. He told me how he got caught in a supernova during a flight and almost lost his kwaii in that incredible furnace. I'd assumed that leaving the body was a Loranth ability, since they're all telepaths, but suppose…just suppose…

I laid back on the cot, closed my eyes and gathered my tel power. This time, instead of throwing it to influence a subject, or probing for information, I pictured it encompassing my own mind, my feelings, my experiences. All that I am.

I heard the hall door slam. “Time for breakfast,” a Vermakt voice snapped. The forming image dribbled out of my ears.

“Just leave it,” I told the husky guard. He had outgrown his uniform. The blue shirt was stretched across his belly. His jowls hung like layers of gray pancakes.

“Can't do that.” He unlocked the barred food slot and pushed through a covered tray. “Have to stay and watch you eat. Take away the tray. And the utensils.” He lifted gray-furred brows.

“Take it away now. I'm not hungry.”

“Can't do that either.”

“What the hell can you do?”

“Stay and watch –”

“Me eat! Is your boss afraid I'm going to starve myself to death?”

“General Rowdinth is not afraid of anything, especially depraved Terrans. He will give you your orders after he returns from important business with our Vermakt villages. Now eat.”

Probably more campaigning
, I thought. “If I do, will you go away?”

“It will be my pleasure.” He twitched his graying snout.

I swung off the cot, sat at the table and lifted the cover off the tray. Some kind of cereal mush and a cup of red liquid. “Will you join me?”

“That is Terran food.”

I tried a spoonful, hoping I could eat again and get rid of him. It tasted like shredded cardboard. “Where'd you get this food, the local hospital?”

“No. Alien Health: 'We Serve the Stars'.”

“Figures!” I rubbed my eyes. “I can't eat this.

“Reason?”

“I'm allergic to cardboard.”

“Eat it anyway so I can leave.”

“You want to leave?”

“Did I not just say that?”

“Let me oblige.” I picked up the bowl and threw it at him. The bowl bounced off the bars, which dripped mush cereal, as did the guard. I picked up the cup of red stuff. “Care for dessert?”

He got up without wiping off the mush, took out a key and unlocked the cell door.

Uh oh.
I backed to the cot.
Do not harm my captive telepath,
I sent.
That is an order from your General and Master.

He swayed. “You're doing that! I was warned.”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to scare me!”

“Why would I want to scare you?”

“So I won't smash in your flat, hairless face!”

“General Rowdinth would not take kindly to damaging me any further than I already am.” I touched the lump on my temple. “Suppose I lose my tel powers because of you? His sharks look hungry.” I shook my head.

He growled something in Vermaktese, turned and stomped out of the cell, then remembered and turned back and locked it.

Dammit!

He jabbed a pudgy finger with a ragged claw at me. “You will only get solid food at your next feeding! Terran cat!” he muttered, brushed off his uniform, picked up the tray and strode down the hall.

Keep going,
I sent. He hadn't locked the food slot and I knew from a past escape that I could fit through it. I closed my eyes.
Keep going!

He paused, turned, and strode back, still holding the tray. “The Altairians are correct,” he said. “You Terrans are all pritculls!” He slammed the bar shut across the slot and locked it.

I returned to the cot and laid down, my hands behind my head.

Now where was I?

Oh, yeah. Floating off-planet.

I gathered my powers again, encompassed my own mind, and pictured myself lifting, breaking away from my body. All it did was make me dizzy. This was not going to be easy, if possible at all. But I had one thing going for me.

Time. I hoped. While the master was away.

I spent the day, without interruption of lunch or supper, my punishment, I guess, trying to break the connection between mind and body. Finally, I fell asleep.

And dreamed.

I was drifting above Fartherland's night beaches. Below me a convoy of unmarked military jeeps plowed through the sand from the direction of the spaceport, their headlights bouncing. I watched armed Terran and alien soldiers in ragged ghillie suits for camouflage as they jumped out of the vehicles, armed to the teeth, and threw sand-colored tarps over the vehicles. In the sky above them, light military starships circled.

Was that Joe, with Shelley and Chancey, running from a hovair to meet the them?

Something flew past me with great wings flapping. Drackin! He had seen the arrival of the Shaka teams and was on his way to report it to Rowdinth.

Joe
! I called in my dream and followed Drackin.
Joe,
he's going to warn Rowdinth. Get him!

In a jeep's headlights, I saw Joe look up and point at Drackin. He said something to the captain of a team. The captain lifted his weapon to fire but Shelley knocked it aside.

Shelley! Why?
I thought.

Drackin plunged below the cover of high dunes and glided toward the citadel.

Chancey hit Shelley across the face and she fell.

One of the Shaka soldiers pointed his weapon at her still form.

No!
I cried.

He fired. Her body jerked and lay still.

Oh, God. Shelley!

I heard myself moan in my sleep.

Then I was flying above the holo-shielded citadel while Fartherland's moons lit my way. I watched Drackin land, fold his wings and lope toward an entrance.

Rowdinth's holo camouflage shield above the citadel faded to reveal heavy beam missile sites.

Uh oh!

I drew in a sharp breath and sat up on the cot. I was back in the cell, alone. It was night. A bare bulb lit the room with deep shadows. What was that tapping sound? The drip of water from the old sink.

Shelley… Had it been just a dream? I'd never had such a vivid dream.

If it were real, then Rowdinth had already warned the scientists to activate the defense systems, whatever those systems were, or just take their project on wheels and run like hell.

I laid back and rubbed my eyes. No. This hadn't been a dream. Unless all of life was a dream.

I closed my eyes and sought the beach image again, formed it like a mind painting with sand and pebbles and reeds. I brushed in military jeeps and soldiers running across the dunes in flapping ghillie suits.

The painting took on life and I knew I was looking through some warp in space at the real beach.

Shelley… Her body lay abandoned on the dark sand.

Why, Shelley?

Was it the money? Or had Rowdinth managed to threaten her with death, or the death of someone she loved? I'd never know. I said a prayer to Great Mind, asking for Shelley to have a good renewal from geth, and turned my attention to the coming battle at the lab.

I saw Joe jump into the lead jeep to direct the teams to the lab. Chancey slid into the back seat. Plumes of deep sand sprayed in their wakes as the jeeps tore in the direction of the lab, between the two hillocks.

This elite force would not let anyone or anything stand in the way of their mission to capture or destroy the weapon. I wondered how tough and well-trained were Rowdinth's soldiers, or if they feared their own master more than they feared the enemy? Cell living wasn't so bad after all, I thought and folded my hands behind my head. It was kind of like playing hooky from life. At least for a while. For a while I could tarry.

I swung off the cot and stood as the hall door slammed open and booted feet marched down the metal floor. Four Vermakt Elite Guards came to my cell door in their black and silver uniforms, like rats in Sunday dress. One unlocked the door.

“Time for supper?” I said, though fear said otherwise, just when I was getting used to the security of the cell.

A Guard came in, grabbed my arm, and yanked me through the cell door. He said something to the others in Vermaktese, and they all wagged their heads and snorted. They guided me down the hall and the tunnel beyond, and outside the citadel.

I squinted in the harsh headlights of an idling hovair that whined as the pilot checked the engines. A cold sea breeze with a bite to it salted the air and rifled through my hair. A chill went through me, and I zippered my jacket and turned up the collar.

“Get in,” a Guard ordered and shoved me toward the hovair's door.

I boarded the craft and sat down, flanked by Guards. What devious scheme had Rowdinth conjured? Did he think to use me as a shield at the lab so the Shaka teams wouldn't enter? I thought of Shelley's cold body lying in the sand.
I wish you luck, General,
I thought. “I guess there's no use asking,” I asked, “but where are we going?”

No answer.

I stared at the sky as the craft lifted. The stars that waited for me. Willa…?

The pilot banked toward the lights of Gorestail, the town that never sleeps, where miners enjoyed the varied and not always ethical forms of entertainment. But some came with their families to shop and take in a holo from their home worlds.

Oh, God.
I sat up straight. Why hadn't I thought of it before? I wasn't to be a shield, but an ultimatum. If the battle went badly for Rowdinth, he could play his ace card and threaten to blow up Gorestail unless the Shaka teams backed off. Would Alpha sacrifice Gorsetail to help save Earth? No contest!

The craft landed in the town square.

“Get out,” a Guard ordered.

I did.

And was escorted by three of them to a bench near limestone statues of aliens from all the known races, lit by a fountain that sprayed water through colored lights. Clustered around the square were the hotels, restaurants, recharge stations, the medical center and shops; the heart of Gorestail.

One Guard had remained inside the craft, probably to keep in touch with the Vermakt ground troops in the battle that must be raging by now at the lab.

Another Guard motioned for me to sit on the bench.

I sat down and stared at the town square. But the general had a pair, a pair of aces, that is. If the battle went badly, and he fled off-planet in his private ship with his prize weapon-on-wheels, then his reasoning would be that he would blow up Gorestail, and the Shaka teams would turn back to help the survivors. The fact that Vermakts lived among alien neighbors in town would mean nothing to Rowdinth. What he didn't know was that the teams would never abandon their primary mission.

I stared at the gathering crowd and bit my lip. I never thought I'd root for Rowdinth to win a battle, but it could save Gorestail. And my ass. Some of the people held children in their arms or by the hand as they walked into the square.

I leaned forward. “Get away from here!” I shouted to them. “The Guards are going to explode a nuclear bomb!”

A Guard hit me across the face. “Shut up!”

He grinned as he ambled toward the people. “Don't listen to him, my friends. He's just trying to scare you.” He waved toward me. “He's a
criminal
. Of the worst sort. He stole gold from the mines.
Your
mines! We are awaiting a security taxi from the spaceport to pick him up and take him to a starship and an Earth jail.” He shrugged broadly. “We have no jurisdiction over Terrans past the borders of our town district.”

I wiped a trickle of blood from my stinging lip. It would do no good to try to convince the people, Terrans or aliens. The Guards would just shut me up. Were they on a suicide mission? Or had Rowdinth convinced his elite force that Alpha would recall the Shaka teams if he threatened to blow up Gorestail? If the Guards believed that, they did not understand Alpha, and we were all doomed.

The Guard who stood beside me took out a pair of old handcuffs and clamped my wrist to the bench's armrest, then slipped the key into his shirt pocket.

I stared at the night sky and had a bit of an epiphany.
You don't want to die, Jules
, the fear at my throat told me.
You don't want to find your lost love in some alien form on some alien planet
. No more than I wanted these people surrounding us, Terrans, aliens, and even the misguided Vermakt Guards, to be blown away.
Play the hand you've been dealt.

I lowered my head. Great Mind, by way of Spirit, was right. Life was a gift, given by the universe, to be treasured. I realized I was trembling with fear and took deep breaths to relax. It was no use attempting to influence the minds of the Guards. They would have been warned to beware of my mental intrusions.

What was happening at the lab? Could I throw my tel powers, as I had in the dream, to influence Rowdinth from here? Even a sensitive could be taken by surprise.

I attempted to open my mind to the events at the lab. An image of the two hillocks began to form and –

“Hey, criminal!” a teenaged Altairian boy called from the crowd and shattered my concentration. “Where's the gold you stole?” He thumped his tail to draw attention to himself. “Did you use it to import some dreamy dream crystals from Halcyon?” He turned to the crowd. “Now those crystals, tags. Now there's some real gold!” He did a dance, clapping his hands and thumping his tail. Other Altairians, and Terrans too, laughed and cheered him on.

I lowered my head again and closed my eyes. That inner eye we call imagination began to expand. An image of the two hillocks formed behind my eyes. Flashes of hot beams crisscrossed the dark knolls, defined by stars and moons. Spotted flames marked the trees they had hit and set ablaze. A firefight raged between Shaka teams and Rowdinth's forces.

“We're not winning!” the Guard inside the hovair called from the door and jumped down.

I was pulled once again from the projected image.

He shook his head as he approached his companions. “Our leader has the weapon onboard his private starship!” he whispered to them.

Uh oh,
I thought.

“Does he intend to leave us here?” another Guard asked.

“Don't you get it?” I said. “You tags are expendable! Your leader's probably got his handpicked officers onboard with him. The rest of you will be fried in the nuclear blast.”

The Guards glanced at each other and I saw the eyes of one go white. He said something in Vermaktese and slammed his fist into his open palm.

The others nodded.

“What?” I asked.

One of the Guards approached the crowd and shrugged broadly. “We just got word that the spaceport's security taxi has engine trouble.” He studied a limestone tower with clocks set to all the inhabited star systems. “We have to return to our posts, friends. We're already late! We'll leave the Terran criminal here for them to pick up when they can.”

Nice going, crotefucker!
I thought. He'd see all these people killed as they stood around and waited for a security car that would never show up.

“Now listen to me, my friends,” the Guard called loudly, “it is against the law to converse with a criminal awaiting extradition.
Please,
do not approach him or attempt to interact in any way.” He waved toward me. “This human is dangerous.”

He got that right. But only the Guards knew just how dangerous. I licked my dry lips to work some moisture into my mouth and touched the raw spot behind my right ear.
Spirit?
I sent and held my breath.

No answer.

The four Guards walked nonchalantly to their hovair, boarded, and slammed the door shut.

It leaped into the sky and raced, full bore, away from Gorestail.

When the ship was gone, I stood up, feeling numb, someplace beyond fear. “Listen to me, please!” I called. “You have to leave Gorestail. Take your children and go! Get them as far away from town as you can, and warn anyone you meet to get out too.”

“Why?” a Terran woman called. “So you can make your escape when we're gone?”

“General Rowdinth's your enemy. Not me. They've planted a nuclear device and they intend to detonate it. Get your kids
out
of here!”

A Terran miner, rough-hewn and dark-bearded, stepped forward, still wearing his miner's helmet. Behind him a slim woman carried a toddler.

“We're not fond of the general around here, tag,” he called to me, “but why would he blow up his own town?” He glanced around. “Why would he want to do that?”

The crowd became silent as they awaited my answer.

“Because he's nuts!” I said, though it sounded lame. “He lives for war and power.” I looked around for people who might support that conclusion, but saw none who seemed to agree. “Right now he's developing a weapon to make war on Earth.”

“I think you're nuts,” a Terran woman shouted. “I think you're a criminal who wants to escape before the security police come for you.” She glanced around with a smug expression. “That's what you get for stealing our gold.”

“Think a little further, lady!” I held up my manacled wrist. “Where's the key?”

A murmur went through the crowd.

“He's right!” a Terran woman said and picked up her crying infant from a carriage. “They didn't leave the
key
.” She patted the baby's back.

“It ain't worth the chance.” The burly miner turned to the crowd. “If Rowdinth's police can't hang around long enough for port security to show up, what the hell are we doing here?” He took the toddler from the woman behind him. “C'mon, Laura. Let's get the hell outa here.” He paused and looked back at me. “What about you, tag?”

I shook my head. “You can't help me. Save your family.”

He gave me a strange look, nodded and left, followed by Laura.

A few people walked away. More followed, until the crowd broke up and people trotted to their vehicles.

The square was empty. The only motion and sound were the hiss and spray of fountains lifting and falling back. I sat down and stared at the tower clocks, each one ticking away its own minute, hour, day and year. There was Earth's clock, resembling London's Big Ben, ticking away the seconds.
Home is the hunter
, I thought.

From behind the tower, tangled among stars, the lights of a hovair swooped down and circled the square. The large vehicle bounced to the ground, spraying dirt, and skidded toward me sideways, too close for comfort. I stood up and tried to back away, then remembered that my wrist was clamped.

Stupid bastard,
I thought. Whomever was flying that craft could've used some time in a rehab flight school.

The hovair finally plowed to a stop. I coughed on sprayed dirt and brushed off my jacket. It was Joe's rented camper, I realized. The door swung open and Huff leaped down to all fours and loped up to me.

“Huff!” I clenched my fists. “Christ and Buddha, you almost ran me over. Wait a minute. You can't stay here.”

“Why a minute?” He stood on his hind legs and looked around, for all the world like a Polar bear searching for seals.

“Never mind,” I said. “The bomb, Huff.” I caught my breath. “They're going to explode it!”

He cocked his head. “Never mind the bomb? Jules, my Terran friend.” He lumbered closer and smiled. Sharp canine teeth protruded from beneath his lips. “It is fine snow cones to see you alive and well.”

“Get out of here, Huff. Rowdinth intends to blow up Gorestail.”

“Yes, that is his intend.” He sat on his haunches and fished around in his belly pouch. “I have something for you.”

“What happened at the lab? The Vermakt Guards said Rowdinth took off in his starship with the weapon. Where's Shannon? Is she all right? And what about the community of dwarfs?”

He shook his head and continued to fish. “I know I put it in here somewhere.” He pulled out a candy bar wrapper and tossed it away.

“Huff!”

“Oh, yes. I will start at the bottom of your questions. For the last thing, the dwarfs like to be called little people.”

“Goddammit!”

Shannon is mostly all right but she mourns the death of six of her family at the little graves.”

“Oh.” I sat down heavily. “That many?”

“Six,” he repeated on a sad note and dug arm-deep into his pouch.

“She's with her people,” I said and bit my lip. “They'll comfort each other.”

“She isn't seen among the dwarfs, and she stands up.”

“You mean stands out.”

“The probable is that she went off to console herself with natural scenery, as a Vegan would do. Perhaps she went for a swim in the ocean.”

“Yeah. Perhaps.”

He fished out a gold coin and grinned. “Always useful to have.”

“What the hell are you searching for? You can't
stay
here!”

“Yes, my Jules friend, but first I must find it.” He pulled out a wrapped sandwich with the store's name stamped on it. Alien Foods: We Serve the Stars, and extended it.

“I'm not hungry.”

He sniffed the sandwich, then tossed it away. “Neither am I. But the something I have for you is in here somewhere. If only I could find the where.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened at the lab?”

“Why wouldn't I? Rowdinth escaped with ten of his elite Vermakts officers and the two Terran scientists on his own private starship.”

“With the weapon?”

“Yes, with the weapon.” His eyes widened and he stopped fishing in his pouch.

“Christ and Buddha, how did the Shaka teams let them get away?”

“It happened without their let. Also without Christ or Buddha. Here it is!” He yanked and pulled out the detonator. “This is for you, my Jules Terran friend.”

I sat there, shocked. “It's…it's – “ I pointed to it.

“Have you forgotten the name? This is called a detonator.”

“It's… Is it disarmed?”

His shaggy brows drew close together as he studied the unit. “Never do I think it had arms. Why are you Terrans so difficult to convert with?” He handed me the detonator. The red light was out.