Mal was close behindthem, his plate full but with more variety on it.
“You know there’smore than one thing to eat over there, right?” Frank asked Terry.
“Yeah.” Terry tooka skewer and placed it on Frank’s dish. “We stuffed ourselvesalready but then we found these. Can you believe it got missed atfirst?”
“They only just putit on the table,” Vikram added.
“Andmost of the folks here have already loaded up on other stuff,”Terry said, holding up a skewer toward Captain Hennessy who grinnedonce again andstuck out his plate.
“I’m not one forfish,” Terry admitted, “but look at that gorgeous color! Trythem; they taste even better than they look!”
RohanNaidu declined the offered skewer. “Thank you, no,” he said.“I’ve already had some.”
That seemed oddto Frank. If they were just put out, how did…That was when he noticed the proud smile on his fellow councilor’sface. He had some at home, before his family brought it tothe pavilion.
“Those aregood,” Mal said. “This is the first time I’ve had food createdby Humans.” He grabbed apassing comrade by her armored elbow and nodded at Terry’s plate.
She tried a bite, hereyes growing wide.
“Right?” Mal askedher. “I’d have come here just for the food. We get to livehere!”
“They havesomething called a kormaover at the tables,” she told him. “C’mon. You’ve got to tryit!”
Frankwatched the two weave their way through the crowd. “I think theylike living among wild Humans,” he said.
“There will bemore of them,” Sushil said. “Father Sulak said we would almostcertainly attract pilgrims from the republic – oracles hoping toexpand their horizons by exploring new faiths.”
“And there’sthe food,” Frank added.
Sushil nodded.“That pizza the Harrisfamily brought was delicious.”
“You atepepperoni, Sushil?” Frank asked him.
“Barbecue chicken,”Sushil replied.
“Just when you thinkeverything is going so well,” Frank said mournfully. “Thepeaceful start to our new world is shattered in its first day by MarkHarris, inflicting an unholy abomination on us…” He shook hishead. “Chicken on pizza.”
Bynow, it was understood that he was just joking and the folks aroundhim were beginning to laugh. Trisha approached with Mrs. Naidu, bothlooking quizzically at Frank who had now raised both his armsdramatically.
“Send us a sign!”he called up to the heavens. “Or, possibly, some fresh mozza?”
The laughter was cutoff abruptly, along with almost all of the conversations in thesquare. Everyone froze at the deep airy note that floated down tothem from somewhere up in the mountains.
“What the hellwas that?” Frank whispered in English.
“Some kind ofanimal,” Sushil replied in the same language but with his ownregional accent. His Imperial Standard, like every Human on Ragnarok,came from a training pod so they all spoke it with a Throne Worldlilt.
Everyone still hadtheir original accents for languages they already knew.
“There,” Mr.Naidu pointed up the mountain above the eastern wall. “See thoselights?”
So much for uninhabited,Frank thought. He was already attached to this place. He had a nicehouse, a beautiful town… He was watching the lights and imaginingtrouble.
“Someone alreadylives here?” a colonist asked behind him in Imperial Standard,voicing a concern that many probably shared.
Would they demand theHumans leave? Were they coming to attack?
Mal was directing hisgarrison troops, getting them up to the walls to mount a defense, ifnecessary.
Another call sounded,closer this time. It was deep but thin, somehow, almost reedy,insubstantial.
One of thesoldiers already atop the wallheld up a warning hand to the others and waved them into a crouchjust as a glow outlined him from behind. The crowd gasped as a largecreature undulated into view, gliding gracefully over thebarrier.
It was roughly the sizeof a whale and it was bio-luminescent, glowing a pale blue. Frankcould see the stars through the filmy creature as it swam through theair over the town.
It inflated apart of its lower body and emitted another call, haunting andbeautiful. Frank couldn’thelp but feel that there was no danger in the creature.
Sushil and Malseemed to agree. Having ordered his troops tothe wall, he’d subsequentlycome to find the chairman andit seemed they’d decided to give these creatures the benefit of thedoubt for the moment.
“They seempeaceful,” Frank suggested.
“We’re not seeinganything that suggests weapons,” Mal said, staring up at thecreature. “Close scans show no claws, no teeth, no evidence ofdangerous chemicals.”
“I wonder whythe previous scansdidn’t show these creatures?”Sushil said.
“Their density is toolow for the hull-mounted sensors to catch on high-speed passes,”Mal explained. “We’re picking them up now with the suit-mountsbecause we’re standing still and it’s almost close enough totouch.”
“How does it floatlike that?” a colonist asked.
“It’s mostly emptyspace,” Mal said, eyes scanning his suit’s holo interface. “Ithas some gas-bladders along the dorsal surface filled with hydrogenas well.”
“Hydrogen?”Frank blurted. “Where the hells would they get hydrogen?”
“Where do weget carbon dioxide or methane?” Mal asked in a way that clearlyinvited no answer.
“I think the light isattracting insects.” Sushil pointed. “See the little dark spotsbetween us and the creature?”
“Some of thespots are inside thecreature,” Mal said, frowning at his HUD. “They must come downfrom the highlands at night to feed. The colder air is denser, somaybe this isthe only time they can float.”
Thetroops on the wall lowered their weapons and the colonists in thesquare relaxed. The nervoustension was replaced by fascination.
They oohedand ahhed as thecreatures wafted overhead, calling to one another. Many colonists ranto the walls to watch as they drifted down the valley.
A little girl camedancing, twirling to a halt in their midst. She looked to be aboutfive years old. She glanced back uncertainly but saw her motherfollowing her and waved excitedly, dislodging one of the flowers inher hair.
Hennessy crouched topick it up. “I think you dropped this, young lady.” He held itout.
She took it from hishand and stepped closer to tuck it over his ear. She flashed him abrilliant smile and scampered off.
The captainstood again, smiling broadly. He reached up to the flower but hedecided to leave it there.
Frank wasn’t surewhen he’d put his arm around Trisha but it was a pleasant surpriseto find her there, smiling up at the sky. He lowered his hand to reston her waist.
“Well, you asked fora sign,” Sushil said, grinning at Frank. “It’s no mozza but Ithink we should look on this as a blessing, don’t
