The Adventures of Deacon Coombs (52 page)

Back in the solitude of his quarters, Deacon’s packing was disturbed by an awkward moment. “I noticed that your plans to Medulla excluded me. I just assumed that I would continue to be part of the group. I can make research contributions on this journey. I really didn’t want to remain here just to be a communicator. Or did you make this decision based on emotions?”

“Honestly, yes, I did make the decision based on my emotions. I sense the trip to Medulla could be dangerous. I know that Urzel has spies everywhere, and it won’t be long before he finds out that we are at Medulla. I won’t risk you, Lyanna. You are the dearest possession that I have in my life. You shall remain here. In addition, I need you here. You are the only link to Asianda if something should happen to Goharn’s child or our plans. Events could also transpire here on Earth that I must be apprised of.”

She pouted. “I had a penchant for this trip because I wanted to be with you to help you gather facts. I will do as you request though. I accept my responsibilities here—reluctantly, but I accept them.”

Lyanna wiped a solitary tear that rolled down her cheek. “Please be careful, Deacon. You have been a short-term event in my life. I don’t want to lose you. Please come back.”

Deacon responded immediately by hugging her. “Didn’t we just have this conversation on Brebouillis?”

She smiled. “I’ll help you pack.”

“I will return, my dear. This adventure has given me the thirst to live and the determination to close this chapter. Urzel has spies everywhere, as witnessed by Rande’s betrayal. Trust no one until I return. I would bet that he has allies on Earth other than Rande.”

“Deacon, I thought that while you were on this mission that I would inquire about a posting here on Earth so we could be on the same planet. Schlegar gave me the names of a few doctors to present my credentials to. Would that suit you?”

He embraced her and held her tightly again. “My dearest Lyanna, I took a giant step by saying that I love you, so an assignment on Earth would be a wonderful present for the both of us.”

Jim appeared as they were about to kiss. “Ahem, Master, we await you at the metro car. Toad, Schlegar, Chubby, and Xudur have already departed for the
G’uillger
.” As they embraced, Jim restated his ahem. The Owler moved forward as Deacon opened one eye and frowned.

“Did you find him, Jim?”

“Whom, sire?”

“The detective who melted from love? The one that you said you would scour the files of literature and history to find?”

Lyanna laughed as Deacon waved good-bye to her. “I also look forward to seeing you again, Miss Lyanna,” said Jim. “Perhaps we can play dress up again as in Ketapongo?” Lyanna doubled over and laughed.

“Jim,” Deacon said.

“Get out of here, Jim,” Lyanna said as the weepiness in her eyes increased. She stood in the middle of the hall until the gray doors had closed and she was all alone with the creaks and groans and loneliness in the abyss of the archives.

On the Planet
of Medulla

On planet Medulla

Deacon used a sharp blade to scrape the gummy orange mud from the sides and bottoms of his heavy skin boots. The entire troop knew that it was imperative to minimize the exposure to the natural atmosphere. Gem lugged the oxygen cylinders as Deacon gasped for more precious air from the hose connected to him. Looking through his protective goggles into the purple fog, he spied more of the same muddy soup. Ahead in the distance, less than two hundred feet away, the dim, massive outline of Xudur was barely visible.

“Gem, signal to Xudur that she must wait for us.” As Deacon spoke, he glanced behind to find Schlegar struggling as the smooth bottoms of his feet provided no friction in the slick silt. Twice he tumbled, splashing his fur with sticky, repulsive orange soil. “Schlegar, we are very near the structure.”

“Yes, don’t wait for me. I will arrive in my own time. Get going. Get us out of this slop. I can’t understand why they didn’t permit us to land the
Heritage
closer.”

“I told you to wear protective footwear.”

“It is too late to revisit that error, so move on.”

Deacon paused to wait for Schlegar and then the two trudged on together, with Schlegar’s arm locked in Deacon’s. Xudur was now out of Deacon’s sight.
Some
bodyguard
, he thought. The incline suddenly became steeper. As Deacon lost his footing, they tumbled and scraped their knees against knife-edged rocks shallowly hidden under the muck. As they fell, the air hose became tangled. Finally, blue lights broke the ghostly mist and a cluster of white-domed buildings came into view, each identified by peculiar blue markings.

Xudur summoned them from the entrance to the largest building. “Here, Coombs! Follow my voice.” They had trekked less than a quarter mile, but it seemed forever from where the
Heritage
had docked. As they entered the dome, Deacon and Schlegar discarded the cylinder connections and their helmets to inhale the aromatic oxygen-rich air. Schlegar moved to a foot bath to cleanse his fur and inspect the scrapes on the bottom bones of his feet.

They were in a circular compound furnished only with four benches, a screen, and one very large stone table to seat twenty. There were three bathing units and a foot shower. Liquids to drink and solid brown strips of nutrition lay on the counter. “Gem, have the Medullans initiated the force fields to isolate us from any gravity and magnetic fluctuations of the planet?” asked Deacon.

“Master, this artificial environment is one of three houses on the planet that are immune to the rapid changes. We are safe here, just as Phendal Lok was. Xudur, Schlegar, Deacon, my sensors are registering an incoming energy disturbance that invades our premises. It must be the arrival of the Medullan spirits.”

Deacon, Xudur, and Schlegar quickly donned protective eyeglasses to shield them from the hideous sights of the disturbing Medullan apparitions, although Gem had been granted a rare opportunity to capture footage of the alien contact.

Deacon, sensing a disturbance, nervously said, “Nedilli?”

“Welcome, Deacon Coombs,” replied Nedilli. “Welcome Schlegar. Welcome Xudur. And to you, Owler, your presence is permitted, and you are allowed to record the proceedings.” The voice was soft, soothing, soprano-pitched. It pronounced each syllable succinctly with melodious overtones.

“On behalf of the Alliance and ourselves,” said Schlegar, “we wish to thank you for the opportunity for this meeting. We realize and respect your privacy, so are grateful to meet with you.”

Deacon waited until Schlegar completed the pleasantries and then expressed his gratitude with “Villya.” Behind him, Xudur egged him on to commence business.

Deacon seized the conversation and explained that Schlegar and Xudur and he, with Owler support, were conducting an official investigation on behalf of the Alliance into the deaths of statesmen Como and Geor, and he then elaborated on the details of the invasion of Jabu by Nicosian savages. Deacon had in his possession a miniature energy recorder, and as he cast a downward glimpse to the dials and screens from underneath his hood and opaque glasses, he discovered, as he had suspected, that the presence of the Medullan was not registering as an interruption to the continuous energy phase. Schlegar also had an instrument that showed similar results. When the lengthy tale of Deacon’s travels to Brebouillis, Nix, and Asianda concluded, and he had answered all Nedilli’s questions about his adventure, Deacon broached the delicate subject of their mission and the power that Urzel was exerting to create chaos.

“Nedilli, Medullans have historically been isolated from the rest of the Alliance. Your son, Urzel, is the first of your kind to venture beyond the planet. By monitoring him on Nix and observing him from the ships
Heritage
and
Sleigher
, we have determined not only that the Medullan race is spiritual, but also that your energy patterns denote that there is a dimension you occupy that we cannot comprehend or detect without your assistance.”

Hearing no response, Deacon said, “Nedilli, are you there?”

Gem indicated that the Medullan had departed and then warned of the return. Nedilli explained. “I must apologize to you. There are times when we Medullans have to retreat to a more favorable environment. I shall give you warning when the next uncomfortable episode commences.”

Silence prevailed, so Xudur initiated contact again. “Nedilli, we accept your apology as the host. Let us commence into more serious matters. Urzel, your son, has become the most dangerous creature in our worlds. We have confirmed his actions as hostile to the Alliance, as witnessed by the recent invasion of Jabu. We need the cooperation of the Medullans and your personal assistance to arrest his destruction. Please acknowledge this.”

Deacon wrestled the conversation from Xudur to diplomatically inform Nedilli of a piece of the tale that was unknown to her—that her son Urzel had decoupled into two entities, one an Earthlike, corporeal, and sickly child residing in Asianda with Goharn Lok; the other a Medullan spirit, insane, vindictive, and powerful, presently engaged in directing the conquest of planet Jabu. He reinforced Xudur’s immediate concern for the safety of the Alliance against the unleashed forces of Urzel Lok, the Medullan spirit.

Nedilli finally responded. “We, the Medullans, knew that with the placement of Urzel Lok outside Medulla’s environment we were actualizing the risk of Urzel’s interfacing with other races. We, the Medullans, also recognized that one day he may escape Nix and venture into the spaces of humans. We, the Medullans, realized that we could not keep secret forever the nature of the unusual dimensions that we now inhabit and that Urzel may ultimately be the messenger of this.” Gem was transferring every word and vision spoken to Rodan, who was on the
G’uillger
in orbit around the planet, while also instantaneously translating every word for the group.

The voice faded as Nedilli apologized and receded to her habitat to seek relief from the planet’s forces. As she did so, Gem issued another liquid dose of the potion to help the threesome withstand the extreme gravitational rigors.

“Ach! Horrible stuff!” said Schlegar.

Xudur didn’t appreciate Schlegar’s reaction. “I find the taste and odor quite pleasant, Schlegar. It reminds me of battlefield potions on Zentaur.”

Nedilli returned to interrupt Xudur. “Again, I apologize; I am sorry to interrupt our session with these frequent disappearances.”

“Understood,” Deacon said.

Xudur then said to the Medullan, “We have so much to discuss with you, Nedilli, about your son. We must understand the nature and breadth of the powers of the mind that Urzel possesses if we are to defeat him.”

Nedilli unexpectedly left the space and then returned. “Do our physical appearances repel you as well as the natural environment?” Deacon asked. Xudur scoffed at this suggestion.

“Yes, both are repulsive,” she replied. “Our spirits cannot tolerate any sustained periods in contact with human forms in which we contact the soiled air that is expelled from your contaminated body cavities. We find this expelled air repulsive. It is also your strange looks, the funny hearing organisms, the beaks that you use to breathe, and your offensive voice tones, but mostly the disgusting habit of allowing the exhaled air to be breathed in again by another body.”

Deacon was curious. “Why did you find Phendal Lok tolerable and attractive?”

“Yes, I seem to have contradicted myself. Ah, my Phendal, I never knew such arousal before. I just finished telling you about the repugnant contact with other races, but that is only because of our present state. This is the very dome in which he resided permanently. I visited him many times as he taught me welding techniques, and we spent many hours together, and I grew to respect him. Strangely I found that I could tolerate long periods of his presence, but then he was a humble, graceful creature. Then, accidentally, we interfaced with one another one day when I moved into close proximity to his flesh. My molecules were spread thin, and he found the experience exhilarating and expressed as much to me. I, surprisingly, thought the same and eventually returned the compliment. He wore a recycling mask connected to his cylinder apparatus, so I felt not and smelled not his stench of breath during that interface.

“His feelings for me completely swept away any morsels I had of ill-feelings toward his presence, dispelled all the foul tastes for flesh. Our excitement soon elevated to sexual arousal for each other. Phendal loved me. He told me so often, and I felt the exhilaration of our love. Our love grew so strong that eventually it could not be ignored or reversed. Because of this, I went to our elders and asked permission to become the first Medullan to make love to another species.”

After a brief interlude in which she departed, Nedilli returned with joy in her tone. “We asked for artificial insemination exchange, and the elders granted it. Our conception was sanctified by the Alliance quickly, much to the surprise of Phendal and me.”

As Nedilli deliberated about her next words, Xudur whispered to Deacon, “I am disgusted at the last comments, as I recall Landrew’s ill-fated decision. And now to discover how quickly it was granted.”

“Hush,” Deacon said to Xudur.

“Our fates were sealed, and I was as happy as I have ever been. My Phendal. My love.”

The being departed as Xudur leaned to Deacon to say, “On Zentaur, individual races are not allowed to inbreed.”

“Quiet, Xudur, this is not Zentaur. She may still be able to hear your disrespectful comments.”

“Xudur,” said Schlegar, “love takes many forms. It does not surprise me that you cannot comprehend feelings between two beings of different races. Please, let our hostess dictate the pace of disclosure.”

Xudur spat. Then she said, “Such a putrid taste in my mouth. We are in haste. Please convey to her our urgency when she returns.”

Suddenly Deacon felt a grip in his stomach and chest. Schlegar expressed alarm. Gem spoke. “There is a strong, sudden quiver in the gravity field. Breathe slowly, all of you. Even though this building has some insulation from the effects, you will still feel slight sensations in your body. It will pass.”

Deacon’s veins in his arm felt as if they would pop, but just as that sensation culminated, an icy numbness crept up his spine. “I don’t know how Phendal managed this every day. And this compound minimizes the effects.”

Xudur said, “I ignore these sensations, for they are not life-threatening and are harmless. Be brave like me, Schlegar. Where is that confounded Medullan?”

A different sound paged them. “Deacon Coombs, Xudur, Schlegar, my name is Falthorpe. I am the elder for this region and one of the senior members of the elders. Schlegar, your reputation precedes you, as I have heard of your valiant research efforts. I have overheard all that you have spoken with Nedilli and feel deep regret that Urzel Lok was not put to death years ago as your leaders instructed us to do.”

This voice was monotone, sounding much like a mechanical drone. Gem indicated to the group that Nedilli was present with Falthorpe now. Falthorpe continued.

“However, we could not kill this child or any child. Killing is unknown to us. We have had no use for such an act since we left the body, and historical records on Medulla indicate that our ancestors eradicated crime millions of years before we became spirits. Therefore, we planned to abandon the child on the desolate planet that you refer to as Nix.”

Xudur asked, “How did you manage to keep the child docile during the voyage? We are interested in how to subdue a spirit.”

Deacon complimented Xudur, but there was no reply. Gem said, “They have left.”

“Xudur, I think they debate on how to answer your query.”

“Force them, Coombs!”

“Not advisable. They will tell us of their own free will and in their own time.” As the two conversed further on other issues to raise with Falthorpe, the Medullans returned.

Nedilli spoke. “Urzel is my child. It was I who convinced the elders of this region to disobey the direct orders of the Alliance, and it was I who convinced others in the region to help me transfer him from Medulla to Nix. I located traders who would help in exchange for some valuable materials. We controlled Urzel by placing him in a pressure vessel of a trading ship with a powerful force field around the container. I, as his mother, lured and enticed him into the chamber. As we left Nix, we discontinued the force field and opened the chamber by a timer. We had departed from the area by the time the lock was released.”

Falthorpe interrupted. “The love affair between the welder and our own Nedilli brought much joy to our race initially. We, the elders, recognized that this love could represent an achievement that would bring us closer to all the races of the Alliance. The aspirations of obtaining corporeal phase, an aspiration shared by all Medullans, fell on the shoulders of these two lovers.”

Nedilli was sad in her comments. “History tells of our proud ancestors who realized that evolution would have to take the path where bodies would be discarded. In those days, the bodies were infested with disease, boils, skin cell deterioration, open sores. The Medullan race was doomed.