“A gift? I mark the truthbehind these words. You found means to slay loerna. We hold knowingthat your fellows accorded the same to peerazu, upsetting the orderordained of nature. Do you claim fellowship with the peerazuslayers?”
“Yeah, we do. You mightsay that we’re very closely associated with them.”
Tievas bared a set ofpointy teeth at them, seeming to catch Kennedy’s meaning. “Soproudly you claim this offence. Do you mean never to leaveTolu?”
“Actually, we do,” Conanswered. “In fact, we plan to leave quite soon. But first wewanted to see if there was some knowledge you possess about thepeerazu which might help the Featay and Maykure – help them avoidthe attacks.”
“The knowing we hold isthat Tolu is become the realm of peerazu. The Featay and Maykureshould have embraced this truth, long since.”
Deck asked, “Why shouldTolu belong to the peerazu?”
“They endured thestar-burst times and grew mighty. They claim Tolu as their prize.We accord to them homage and all else they seek as theirdue.”
“You accord them theirdue?” Con looked from Deck back to Tievas, disbelief plain on hisface. “What does that mean? You let them kill you?”
“We embrace their claim onIntabet lives. It is the order ordained of nature.”
“And what do you get inreturn?” Decker asked.
“Those who endure mayshare the realm of such creatures, mighty and awebringing.”
Kennedy observed, “Fromwhat we’ve seen, not many of you survive. Your numbers aresparse.”
Hands folded in a gestureof supreme serenity, Tievas calmly acknowledged, “It is so. Tolusoon becomes a world for peerazu solely. Intabet embrace thistruth.”
“The Featay and Maykuredon’t accept that,” Decker retorted. “I don’t believe they everwill.”
“There lies the root oftheir misery. Homage of peerazu lends to we peace and is all theknowing the Intabet have to share. Carry that word to thelow-landers.” Deck glared down at the Intabet elder in mutefrustration – a quick sideways glance at Con told her he was doingthe same. Neither could easily accept that their ordeal had such adisappointing payoff. “I command you go – leave Intabah, leaveTolu. Make no return.” Tievas headed back towards the alcove,pausing to reiterate, “Leave Intabah directly. Here, peerazuslayers are unwelcome, in measure great.”
Moments later they werestanding in the empty street; Decker stared back at the gloomybuilding with a frown and then turned to Con. “How about that? Youwere right aboutthe blood sacrifice thing. Looks like the Intabet areall…crazy.”
Kennedy scratched the backof his head, answering, “As the proverbial shit-houserats.”
He contacted Lindstrom onhis comm-link to give him a summary of their encounter. Afterhearing Kennedy’s report, the first officer said, “I hope yourjourney back is less eventful and I sincerely regret sanctioningthis utterly worthless mission.”
“Sir, in hindsight, itdoes look worthless, but Decker and I are still glad we tried.”When Naiche mouthed, “We are?” at him, Con shook his head at her,while assuring his CO that, without any additional misadventures,they would be back to the Auroravery late that evening. After signing off, heasked, “Do you remember how to get back to the tramstation?”
“No, this maze of a townhas defeated even my sense of direction.” Deck looked down at Kay,“How about you, buddy?” Since his only answer was an uncertain tailwag, she surveyed an area map on her scanner. She pointed away fromthe direction they’d come, saying, “It looks like that street mightbe the quickest route back to the station. Might as well takeit.”
“Sounds good – we can’tleave this place fast enough for me.”
***
On the way to the tramstation, Decker asked Kennedy’s opinion on what had led to such asad state of affairs among the Intabet. He suggested a case ofTraumatic Bonding between the Intabet and the peerazu. Con wasreporting on what he remembered about the subject from hiscoursework at The Rock, when Kay started barking furiously. The dogmade a sudden, mad-dash away from them towards a nearbybuilding.
Decker muttered, “What thehell?” and took off after him. Before she caught up, Kay slidnimbly under the locked metal gate and pawed at the ancient woodendoor until it opened. Ignoring Decker’s calls and whistles, the dogdarted inside.
Kennedy jogged over,asking, “What’s going on with Kay? What’s he after?”
While contemplating howbest to follow, Naiche explained, “Someone must be in trouble inthis abandoned factory. No other reason an S and R dog would actlike that.” She rattled the gate a few times and stated, “Only onething to do,” before using her pulse pistol to bust the lockopen.
Decker and Kennedy raninside the building and were immediately assaulted by the cacophonyof machinery. As they followed the sounds of Kay’s barks down astone corridor, Deck shouted, “I guess it’s not actuallyabandoned.” When they finally caught up with Kayatennae, he was ina high, extremely narrow room, barking at an apparatus lockedsecurely behind an enormous, heavy metal cage.
Deck peered in, asking, “Issomebody trapped in there, Kay?” The only thing she could see wasan immense anti-gravity sled. Both Con and Naiche jumped insurprise when a door opened up in the ceiling over the sled and aload of massive rocks came tumbling onto it, gradually filling thesled.
On a hunch, Decker scannedthe rock; she stared down at the result, blinking in shock. Overher shoulder Con read the data and said, “It’s kiatilium! How thehell is that possible?”
While they were stilltrying to make sense of what they were seeing, a red EMR pulsescanned over the chamber contents, then a computer terminal next tothe cage lit up with alien writing, causing panels at both ends ofthe sled chamber to slide open. The loaded-down sled moved forwardthrough the opening, as an empty one smoothly took its place.Kennedy stared at the now closed panel into which the full sled haddisappeared. “That’s at least a hundred-times more kiatilium thanwe got on Saclaten-c. In that one sled.” He looked at the emptysled now being similarly filled, observing, “And more to come. Thismountain must be loadedwith it.”
Deck asked, “Why wouldn’tthat much kiatilium have shown up on our original scans of thismoon?”
“I don’t know. Unlessit’s….” Deck watched as Kennedy checked his own scanner. “I can’tread anything outside the immediate vicinity. This building andsurrounding area is—”
“Under some kind ofcloak,” Deck finished. “Like the Maykure’s city.”
“Yep.”
“Do you think that meansthe
