To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) (16 page)

A beam of light played through the trees. The brothers instinctively crouched. Arai pointed and Kretin followed his gaze. Both melted into the shadows, waiting and watching as the light came closer.

At first, Arai thought it was the night creatures. Goosebumps marched along his spine as he remembered the too-close encounter the night before. But the night creatures did not make light.

Kretin and Arai crouched behind a tree as the light danced upon the trail where they had stood only moments before. Something was coming. To Arai's trained ear, it sounded like three separate animals trying to walk quietly, but their size gave them away. Whatever they were, Arai guessed they weren't accustomed to traveling through the forest.

Arai shifted and positioned himself under a giant fern, still within reach of his brother.

The three creatures stopped directly in front of him. A scant two feet from his face was the strangest leg he'd ever seen. It was smooth and shiny, thick and round like a spear, except much larger. It had no toes, instead it ended in a point that entered the ground and anchored each step.

The things spoke incoherently in clicks and hoarse coughs. One of them shined the beam of light first one way, then another. Arai had no doubt these were the creatures who were the murderers of his father.

They stood on the trail, towering over the brothers in the dim light. The creature in the lead pointed the beam of light upward and it danced through the trees, displaying the lower branches. Up close, the things made a sound like blowing air and water through a hollow reed. It sounded like the noise his aunt had made when she became ill from the winter wind two seasons ago and died choking on her own phlegm. Arai hoped the monster was sick and that it would die painfully. Briefly he wondered if the tip of his spear was strong enough to pierce the smooth skin of these monstrous devils.

He debated whether or not to rush from his hiding place and drive his spear deep into the creature as it stood there looking stupidly up at the trees. His common sense prevailed and he remained where he was. In a few moments, the creatures moved down the trail. Kretin and Arai waited until the beam of light disappeared before they stirred.

Together, they squatted on the trail and poked their fingers into the indentations left by the pointed legs of the creatures.

Arai looked at his brother in disbelief. "One of these creatures is large enough to make two of you. Did you see, as they walked, how they ducked their heads to avoid the branches that I cannot touch even by jumping? See how deep the prints are? As if each was carrying a load of game on their backs. I know it is dark, my brother, but it is still light enough to see what is important."

Kretin continued to stare in the direction the creatures had gone. He squinted into the darkness.

"They return. Quick, into the trees." Arai reached up, grabbed a limb, and pulled himself up. The light came their way again. Arai climbed higher with Kretin following closely behind.

As they settled into crooks in the tree, the creatures passed underneath. This time they didn't bother to look up.

Kretin and Arai remained where they were for the remainder of the night. Twice more, they saw the light dancing along the trail at a distance. As Arai drifted off to sleep, he thought about how the creatures wandered in the forest, almost as if they were lost.

He awoke in his perch early the next morning. The forest was still and the air was heavy with morning dew. He turned his head to look at Kretin, who slept on. Arai reminded himself of what a good hunter Kretin was and that he was very lucky to have such a fine brother.

He tossed berries at Kretin and they stuck in his hair. Kretin's face twitched, and gradually he stirred and opened his eyes. As was their custom when hunting, they said nothing to one another upon awakening. Game, or something worse, might be lurking below.

Kretin sat up and stretched. He discovered the berries in his hair and picked them out one by one, popping them in his mouth. Something rustled below and both boys looked. A boxdeer quietly grazed on the ground foliage. They watched the animal and admired its delicate beauty. Neither of the two had killed one of these animals, although the opportunity had presented itself many times in the past. They were too beautiful and too kind in appearance. Once, Kretin had approached a boxdeer while it watched with its large, soft eyes. He fed it from his hand and in turn, it allowed Kretin to stroke its fur-covered head. It had been a good sign, and Grandfather said that in return they should avoid killing the boxdeer.

A sound faintly reached Arai: a low, whirring tone that grew closer with each passing second. The boxdeer froze and raised its head, looking for the source.

A wind passed through the trees and a shadow passed overhead as the sound rose in volume. Kretin and Arai looked up and saw a large object floating past, just clearing the tops of the trees. It was different from the one they'd seen the day before. This one floated on rotating blades, causing a mighty wind to press the branches down and whip the treetops from side to side. They covered their eyes in protection against the wind. Kretin peeped through his fingers and caught glimpses as it slowly floated away.

The brothers scrambled down the great tree and chased the object, taking care to stay under cover. They didn't have to run far before they found the thing sitting in a clearing. The two maintained their distance and stayed out of sight.

Like the creatures they'd seen the night before, the thing was smooth and appeared to be highly polished. It was big and rested on thick legs that looked nothing like the legs of the beasts they had encountered. One end was pointed but the opposite end was blunt, ending in a great hole large enough to walk into. Perhaps it is a cave, Arai considered.

A sound came from the thing and a panel slid open. To Arai's amazement, people stepped from the craft. He looked closer. Maybe they weren't people. First, they were oddly dressed, obviously from a distant place. Second, they had no tails. What strange looking creatures, Arai thought.

One of the strange beings turned in Arai's direction and gazed at the trees. Further amazed, Arai saw that it had no fur upon its face. The young Bedoran wondered how they could balance themselves without the aid of a tail.

There were three of them now. They made odd sounds and looked as if they had never seen trees and grass. Kretin exchanged a bewildered look with his brother.

"Are they gods?" Arai asked Kretin.

Kretin shrugged and watched as the beings pulled objects from the craft and placed them upon the ground.

What were these odd creatures? Arai couldn't imagine. Perhaps they were aligned with the monsters that had killed his father. Without a word, Arai shimmied down the tree and dropped to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Kretin whispered.

"Going to take a closer look." He moved closer to the clearing.

"Come back here," Kretin urged, but Arai ignored his brother's advice.

Chapter 14

Kathleen shielded her eyes from the brilliant rays of Miaplacidus. "It's so bright!"

"Pull down your visor. Miaplacidus is bigger than Sol."

Harry placed the motion detector on the ground and pulled a seismometer from the storage compartment. He passed the package to Kathleen. She hefted it in the crook of her arms. "Man, this is heavy; but it's nice to be on solid footing again, huh?"

"It's not so bad." Harry's legs felt like rubber, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. "Edward says we'll adjust quickly," he added.

"I don't know. I feel tired. This stuff," she looked at the equipment lying on the ground and a waved a hand at it, "it's so heavy."

Wearing a backpack and bushman's hat, Parker stepped down from the hatch. He skipped the last step, misjudged the extra weight he carried, and stumbled. His hat fell off when he hit the ground. Harry saw he wasn't hurt and carried on, setting up gear.

"Are you all right?" asked Kathleen.

The doctor got to his feet and brushed himself off. "Yes. Quite all right. Feels like I'm carrying lead weights. Are you ready?"

Kathleen motioned at Parker's headset.

"What is it?" said Parker.

"Your intercom," Kathleen said, "turn it on."

"Of course. There. Is that better?"

Both Kathleen and Harry winced. "Turn down your gain."

"These damn things get in the way."

"Fagen says we have to use them."

"It's not Corporation policy."

"Doesn't matter. It's Fagen's call."

"All right. Let's go then."

Kathleen and the doctor started toward the nearest tree which was, Harry reckoned, about fifty meters away. Keeping an eye on the pair, Harry continued to set up the gear. From inside, Harry heard the sound of a dropped wrench. He looked up into the hatch.

"Edward? Commander? Do you need some help?"

"No, dammit!"

Well, all right. Harry turned away. He couldn't really blame the guy. There they were, first landing on a new planet, and the head man had to work on the vehicle.

Parker and Kathleen collected samples under the branches of the great tree. To his delight, Parker first found an ant, then something that resembled a beetle. He shared each discovery with Kathleen. "Look at this," he said, "A magnificent specimen."

"Looks like a poop beetle to me."

Harry grinned at Kathleen's euphemism and looked at the towering conifer. Big just wasn't the right word. If there weren't so many others just like it, it would have been monumental. But this, this was awe-inspiring. He spied movement among the branches and saw a small creature scamper across a branch. He called to Parker and pointed.

An animal the size of a housecat jumped from a branch onto the side of the tree and clung to the bark a hundred feet over their heads. It looked something like a opossum except for its two, large unblinking eyes. Harry wondered if it was nocturnal and if the roar of the shuttle's jets might have roused it from its daylight slumber. Clinging upside down, the creature remained where it was, staring at the humans.

Then, as Harry watched, it changed colors, taking on the same reddish-brown shade as the tree.

Parker saw it too. "I'm going to take a closer look."

Harry walked along after him, to lend support, if necessary. The camouflage worked so well, neither Harry nor the doctor could see the animal anymore.

While Parker started taking videos, Kathleen went to the trunk. "Looks like tree bark," as she pulled off a small piece and put it into a baggie, "except for this spiraling effect. It would be easy to climb." She stepped on one of the circling ridges and tested it to see if it would hold her weight.

Parker spied another one of the opossums and excitedly turned his camera toward it.

Harry watched until he was satisfied that the things didn't offer an immediate threat and went back to the shuttle. He pulled an antenna out of the motion sensor, connected a power feed from the shuttle and turned it on. When it came online, a set of coordinates appeared on its display.

Harry frowned and re-ran the routine.

Parker stopped his picture gathering for a moment. "What's the matter?"

"Uh, just a minute." Harry punched at the keys. "I don't know if this thing's working right."

Parker looked around. "Where's Kathleen?"

"I don't know, she was beside you just a minute ago. Kathleen!" Kathleen answered as she stepped around the tree. "You don't have to yell. I'm right here."

Harry relaxed. "Don't wander off like that."

"I didn't. I was right there."

Parker frowned and went back to his work. "Keep us posted."

Kathleen stepped behind the tree again.

The sensors emitted another alarm. The monitor correctly indicated a form behind the giant tree. For an instant, the display showed two forms, one slightly smaller than the first located up in the tree. Then the display scrambled and both forms disappeared altogether.

Harry turned the motion sensor off. "Well, it's not working at all," he said to no one in particular.

He couldn't see Kathleen, so he walked toward the tree and rounded the trunk to the opposite side.

It was cool in the shade. The ground was soft, like a carpet, because it was covered with a build-up of pine needles that muted his steps. Kathleen stood with her back to him. She stooped to look at something while simultaneously scribbling notes onto an electronic pad.

"What did you find?"

She jumped and turned around. "You surprised me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to. What are you looking at?"

She pointed toward the base of the tree. "Fungus. Rather like a common tree fungus found on earth. Here, let me get a sample." She bent at the waist and picked a small portion of the growth.

"There," she said, straightening, "that's plenty."

"You know, it's not safe to walk off by yourself."

"Harry, the shuttle is on the other side of this tree!"

"I know, it's just that we shouldn't get out of one another's sight."