Genus: Unknown Adaptation (26 page)

Lucky stiffened but held his ground, returning Ronan's feral grin with one of his own. "This is a bad place to consider what you're thinkin' about," he said. "We could take the discussion somewhere else if you want to. Me, I seen enough of the jail on this trip."

"We don't want trouble, Mr. … uh … Lucky," Kate said tightly. "I'm flattered by your offer, but as I said, we're together. I'm sure there are plenty of other single women that would be happy to consider your offer." Bullshit!

His smile that time wasn't pleasant. "Probably but I done seen what I want." He glanced at the guys.

"An' if you're still thinkin' about contractin' then nothin's settled. That's all I needed to know."

As he turned and swaggered off a wave of déjà vu swept over Kate. She tried to dismiss it but the abrupt certainty that she'd seen him before refused to be banished.

She'd already turned away from him when it hit her that she had seen him before-or was pretty sure she had.

No wonder he'd been staring at her! No wonder he felt so cocky!

He was one of the men that worked for the forger, Raphael!

A cold fear washed over her as that thought did. In the next instant, she realized that, even if she was right, he couldn't possibly recognize the guys. They looked nothing like they had when the four of them had gone to that awful place to get traveling papers.

She did, though, she realized in the next instant. And he recognized her. As gloomy as the interior of that building had been, she knew he did. She'd been too frightened at the time to really register what any of them looked like. She'd been too focused on the guns they were carrying to really look at the men holding them.

And he thought he could use that to blackmail her into doing whatever he wanted.

* * * *

Kate had been in favor of leaving the party as soon as Lucky Turner retreated. She was sorry she hadn't yielded to that impulse when the fight broke out.

She wasn't certain what started it, but she was sure the Sirians weren't involved-to begin with. Nerves were stretched pretty thin after the months on board, though, and when beer, wine, and hard liquor were added to the equation it spelled disaster.

Her first indication that they were all about to be embroiled in a battle of epic proportions was the sound of angry male voices raised above the general din of chatter of so many people and the sharp feminine gasps of alarm. Even as she craned up on her tiptoes and looked around for the source of the disruption, fists began flying. A wide circle appeared around the two men as those closest made room. A few seconds later, Kate was carried toward the melee by the surge of gawkers that rushed to watch.

The battle spread like wildfire as men who were either friends of the two fighters joined the battle or bystanders got caught up in the heat of the moment. What began with two became four, and then eight and then a seething mass.

Lucky, easily recognizable because of his bright hair, was in the middle of it. Kate had an uneasy feeling that that was what inspired Ronan, Dax, and Jarek to join the fight. She'd scarcely identified him when the trio surged past her and waded in to the middle of the battlefield before she even realized their intention.

She clapped a hand over her mouth when she saw it was too late to try to reason with them.

Sissy appeared beside her. "Oh my god! We need to get out of here!" she exclaimed, clamping two hands on Kate's forearm and tugging at her.

"I can't leave!" Kate gasped, struggling to free herself of Sissy's grip.

"The militia is on their way here to clear the riot! You do not want to be here when they get here!"

She didn't, but she didn't want Ronan, Dax, or Jarek there either! Ronan! She called out to him mentally when she caught sight of him.

He whipped his head in her direction and caught a fist to the side of his head that had been aimed at his face. He rocked back on his heels, drew his lips back in a snarl, and retaliated hard enough the man that had hit him cleared a path into the crowd as he flew backwards.

They're coming, for god's sake!

Sissy had started dragging Kate toward the nearest exit while she was distracted by her efforts to alert the Sirians to the danger they'd thrust themselves in to.

Who is coming?

That was Dax. She knew it. The militia! They're going to be tasing everybody to put down the riot!

Even as she struggled to warn them, the militia burst through the main entrance of the Rec room. Ronan, Dax, and Jarek whipped a sharp look in that direction and instantly broke off their fights, plowing their way through the seething mass of fighting men and then through the crowd of spectators surrounding the battle.

They morphed even as they moved away, arriving near the rear of the crowd as three different men than the ones involved in the fight.

If Kate hadn't been staring straight at Ronan she wouldn't have seen the transformation it had been so smooth.

She hoped to god nobody else had seen it!

A mixture of relief and horror flooded her-briefly-before she and Sissy were carried away by the tide of people fleeing the riot with more enthusiasm even that they'd shown in rushing to watch the fight. Every exit was instantly clogged with people trying to get out before the militia could get to them.

"Where did they go?"

Kate shot a sharp glance at Sissy. "I didn't see," she lied.

* * * *

As anxious as everyone was to reach their destination, including the crew, it had been decided not to risk the maximum speed the ship was capable of on their voyage. For people who'd never been in space for more than the occasional pleasure cruise or work assignment on one of Earth's outposts-and the vast majority hadn't even experienced those short trips in space-even the four month long cruise to reach their colony planet was almost too much for taut nerves to endure. As huge as the colony ship was, it was also stocked to the gills and packed with colonists in accommodations even more cramped than those they were accustomed to dealing with on Earth.

Having only recently finished a long tour of duty on the space station, Kate thought she fared better than most and even she was sick to death of the ship and a bundle of nerves besides long before they began the final approach to Sirius.

The circumstances were entirely different, of course, and that played a significant part in her anxiousness to be off the ship and on world. Her research on the space station had been tedious at times, but her mind and hands had been fully occupied with tasks that were familiar even if her particular project hadn't been.

The fear that someone would discover the Sirians-or the Sirians would give themselves away-had totally wrecked Kate's nerves, however, and the riot in the Rec Room did nothing to allay her fears. No one had seen the progress through their new solar system for the simple reason that everyone on board had been under 'house'

arrest after the celebration party and thus didn't have access to the viewing ports. The ban was only lifted a matter of hours prior to landing when the announcement was made over the ship communications channels that colonists were to begin preparations to deboard the ship.

Kate's belly instantly knotted when she heard the announcement. Trying to ignore her jitters, she focused on packing up her belongings and then searching for her claim tickets for her belongings in the hold. Relieved when she found them after only a short, frantic search of her purse, she secured the bags she'd packed in the lockers for landing and settled in the easy chair her cabin boasted that doubled as a landing/takeoff seat, fastening her safety harness. She'd already been seated and strapped in a good fifteen minutes before the announcement was made to prepare for landing.

She hadn't felt their entry into the planet's gravitational pull, but then they had slowly been acclimating to Sirius' gravity and atmospheric pressure throughout the voyage. It wasn't a great deal different from that of Earth, but it was different and it was far better to arrive conditioned for the difference and prepared to set to work than unprepared and in need of months to adjust.

Not that they wouldn't have some adjustment issues anyway. They hadn't been born on Sirius. The denser gravity and air pressure was going to be a challenge even as slight as it was. They'd been acclimated as much as possible by the shipboard artificial gravity, but none of them had actually worked as they would have to to build the colony.

She was still trying to calculate what she would weigh on the new planet as opposed to Earth when she felt the uncomfortable jolt that told her the ship had landed. Almost immediately, instructions began to flow through the communications speakers.

Her quadrant of the ship was to be allowed to exit last, she discovered in dismay.

And the quadrant where the Sirians were housed was to be first.

Throwing off her harness, Kate got up and began pacing her small cabin nervously while she waited. It seemed an hour dragged by before she heard the announcement that the passengers in the next quadrant could begin to exit. Each time the announcement was made, the colonists were instructed to gather their belongings from their cabin and take them to the temporary shelters they were being assigned to.

Depression settled over her, ousting the jittery sensation in her belly, replacing the nervous energy that had set her to pacing with exhaustion. She finally plopped down on her bunk, staring at the floor and trying to empty her mind of the troubling imaginary scenes that kept materializing one after another.

She was worried about how Ronan, Dax, and Jarek were handling their release from the ship without her there to explain everything to them.

A faint flutter in her rounded belly distracted her. She held her breath, focusing on the point where she'd felt it, wondering if it was her imagination that made it seem … detached from her. She'd just begun to think it was nothing more than her own body when she felt a similar flutter in another region of her belly. That time it was more pronounced and impossible to explain away as body function.

The babies were stirring, she realized, feeling both a sense of exhilaration and fear wash through her.

She hadn't realized until that moment that she'd almost convinced herself that there was nothing there at all, despite the undeniable changes she'd noticed in her body-the thickening of her waist and the noticeable, to her at least, bulge her lower belly had taken on.

Was she confusing gas with foreign, purposeful movement, though?

It hadn't seemed to be her at all.

Could she really tell the difference, though? Even if she was pregnant, they couldn't be very big at all-certainly not if there actually were three.

She was so focused inwardly on trying to identify the source of what felt like movement that the announcer was halfway through the spiel about deboarding before she realized it was the cue she'd been waiting for.

It was her turn to get off the ship and see her new home for the first time.

Getting up shakily, she gathered her bags and exited her cabin, squeezing into the corridor that was already clogged with people slowly shuffling toward the lifts, stopping to wait for the return of the cubicles carrying those in front down to the hanger level and then shuffling forward a few more feet.

It wasn't until she finally managed to squeeze into one of the lift cubicles and felt the motion as it carried her down that she realized why depression had settled over her.

Would Ronan, Dax, and Jarek be waiting for her, she wondered? Or would they, as she'd envisioned when they began to trek back to their world, have rushed off already to explore their home and find the rest of their clan?

Kate couldn't decide whether anxiety or excitement was most dominant as the lift descended toward the hold where the colonists for the new world were disembarking. Both emotions crested, however, as the lift doors opened and she caught a glimpse of Sirius through the open bay doors. Smells she was completely unfamiliar with wafted to her on the air that gusted through the opening. The natural light of the system's red dwarf battered her along with the myriad of scents and she found herself so overwhelmed by the assault to her senses that for some time she was completely focused on trying to sort and catalogue the unfamiliar.

The unnamed fears that had besieged her before as she paced her cabin awaiting her turn to disembark returned when she finally neared the gangplank, however, overshadowing the excitement still threading her veins.

Everything was new and different and that thought was as frightening as it was exciting, promised as much danger as pleasure in discovery.

She had no home.

This was her home.

Everything familiar was gone.

A whole new world of possibilities had opened to her.

She was pregnant and would have the family she had always wanted and knew she would never be allowed to have.

She was carrying the unknown and would very likely have a battle on her hands for that reason alone.

And the chances were probably very good that she would have to face it alone.

Even as that frightening thought settled over her, though, her gaze was snagged by the trio of men standing near the foot and to one side of the gang plank. Her heart leapt at the sight of them. She'd been certain they would immediately strike off to explore their true home and abandon her! Relief flooded her. She was shaky and weak with it by the time she reached them.

Ronan's gaze was piercing and she knew he at least sensed her doubts and was offended.

Kate! They are saying we cannot choose our own place, Jarek said indignantly.

Relieved at the distraction, Kate smiled at him instead of reminding him that he needed to verbalize. We were told that during orientation, but of course none of you were there. We'll be assigned temporary quarters until the colony is lain out. Once they finish the survey, though, we'll get to draw for a quadrant of land. It's the only fair way to do it.

Draw? Dax asked suspiciously.

They'll number each quadrant and then we'll pick the number at random. Otherwise people might fight over specific pieces, you know?

Why would they fight when there is all of Ra?

Kate looked at Ronan when he spoke. "I didn't mean that literally," she said a little testily. "I meant argue over the best spots. The council decided drawing for land lots would prevent disharmony. We'll need to work together to make the colony a success."

Several people nearby glanced at her when she spoke and then looked at the men curiously. Uneasiness flickered through Kate when she realized she'd responded out loud to a comment no one had heard but her.

"Have you guys been assigned temporary quarters yet?"

"We wait here for you," Ronan said.

"You haven't even looked around?" Kate responded in surprise.

"Stand here look around," Jarek said.

Kate hesitated, but the processing looked to be something that would take hours and nobody would be assigned to work details until living arrangements could be made. She was already among the last to leave the ship and the guys, too, since they'd waited for her. Why wait in line when they could be exploring?

"Why don't we look around a bit? We probably shouldn't go far, but it will give us a chance to begin acclimating to the environment."

The three exchanged a look that Kate had a hard time deciphering and then looked around. Shrugging inwardly, she scanned the area, as well. Spying what looked to be a stream not too distant, she dropped her carryon bags and struck off in that direction.

It wasn't easy going. Despite the efforts to help everyone acclimate to their new home, she very quickly began to feel the strain of breathing Sirius' atmosphere, pressure, and gravity. Beyond that, although the ship had landed at the chosen site-a fertile valley thick with low growing vegetation-the 'low' growth was waist high on her and grew thick enough that moving through it was like slogging through a bog. The temperature was a bit warmer than she'd grown accustomed to on the ship, as well.

There were others who'd opted to do a little exploring. Most of them seemed to have headed toward the stream as she had, but she saw and heard others who were examining the variety of vegetation and collecting specimens. She paused to catch her breath after a little while and turned to study the activity behind them. It surprised her to discover that they'd been steadily climbing as they progressed and that the landing site was now below her. The valley they'd chosen for their settlement seemed to be roughly bowl shaped.

It made her feel somewhat better, though, to know that there was an excuse for her breathlessness beyond simply walking through heavy brush.

You are tired? Ronan asked, studying her with a frown.

She couldn't decide whether the look denoted concern or if it was disapproval. "Just wanted to catch my breath. The atmosphere is … heavier than I'm used to."

It is not because you are breeding?

Dax's comment seemed more concerned, but she still wasn't convinced there wasn't a touch of disapproval. She smiled faintly in appreciation anyway. "I'm not that far along. I mean, this is new to me, but I wouldn't think that it would have that much effect on me."

I will carry you and then you can rest, Jarek volunteered.

Kate chuckled. "I don't need to be carried! I thought we'd just wander around. Are you in that big a hurry to explore?"

Some emotion flickered across his features-disappointment, she thought. You do not want me to carry you?

"Do you want to carry me?" she countered.

Ronan slipped his arms around her and lifted her against his chest. The moeth grows too high in this valley, he said, resuming their trek toward the stream.

Kate blinked up at his face in surprise. "What does moeth mean?"

Ronan frowned but in a moment his brow cleared. "Brush."

"Oh. I thought, maybe, it was a name for the plants in your language."

It is a name, Dax countered, amusement threading his voice.

"Yes but …." Kate broke off when she met his gaze, realizing he'd been teasing her-she thought. "It doesn't have an actual name? Or you just don't know it?"

Something flickered in his eyes.

We do not need to name everything as you do, Jarek responded cheerfully.

Kate was almost as surprised by his shift in mood as she was the comment. He hadn't seemed happy at all when Ronan had nixed his offer to carry her. "There's a reason we name everything," she said pointedly.

"What is this?"

Dax, she saw when she turned to him, had plucked a branch from the vegetation and was holding it up.

She frowned at him. "We haven't named it. We just got here," she said dryly.

He lifted his brows at her.

"We give everything names to help identify them," she said a little testily. "It's especially important with plants. Some can be eaten and some are dangerous-or poisonous."

He stuck the vegetation in his mouth, chewed it experimentally, and spat it out. Not good to eat.

Kate couldn't help but chuckle, but it also unnerved her a little. "A lot of plants are poisonous! At the very least they can make you sick. At the worst-well, they can kill you-and often in a very unpleasant way!"

We identify what is safe to eat by the smell, Ronan said, sounding downright indulgent.

"Well, if it's all the same to you I'll stick with the food we brought until the botanists have had a chance to analyze the local vegetation!"

The sound of machinery caught their attention as they finally reached the bank of what was, Kate discovered, far too large a body of water to refer to it as a stream and Ronan set her on her feet. Distracted by the noise, she glanced back toward the encampment and saw that the heavy equipment had been brought from the ship to begin clearing. She studied the machines for a few minutes and finally turned her attention to the water they'd discovered.

She thought at first that it was a lake, but as she strained to make out the far side and the perimeter, she decided it was a river after all-far larger than any that were familiar, but it seemed to stretch too far into the distance to be anything else-and it seemed to be moving water. She discovered when she glanced at Ronan that he-actually all three-were still watching the clearing.

And not happily.

She cleared her throat. "It has to be cleared before we can begin building."

Ronan met her gaze. There will be no plants for food.

Or for shelter, Dax added.

"We'll build shelters and plant food," Kate pointed out.

And waste what is already there and provided by Mother Ra, Ronan said grimly.

"It won't be wasted … exactly," Kate said a little defensively. "We don't waste things. They'll gather up the vegetation and use it." She frowned. "You … your clan doesn't clear vegetation and build structures to shelter in?"

Ronan's lips tightened. We do not build … cities as humans do.

Surprise flickered through Kate. She'd thought they didn't build at all. They had certainly not discovered any signs that they did, but what he'd said seemed to imply that they did build rather than support her assumption-everyone's assumption that there were no beings on Sirius that had anything approaching civilization. "But you build?"

Ronan frowned thoughtfully. We are what you call nomads. Ra provides … usually, in times when shelter is needed from the wrath of Ne when she brings the ice storms. When she does not, then we construct shelters.

A jolt went through Kate and then embarrassment that they'd overlooked such a simple explanation for the lack of any evidence of higher life forms. It was human arrogance all over again and an inability to see past their own sphere. There had been-still were-nomadic peoples on Earth. Nobody in the 'civilized' world thought that they were terribly civilized, but they certainly weren't considered lower life forms!

Something still didn't fit, though, she realized. "But … you don't nurture your young."

She could see immediately that she'd managed to piss all three men off.

The father's nurture, Ronan said tightly.

She didn't see much point in arguing about that! Their father, or fathers, certainly hadn't! "I didn't mean it that way," she lied uncomfortably. "I'm trying to understand the mating and breeding process. The three of you were left in a nest …. And there wasn't a sign of any adults around at all."

Life is hard on Ra, Dax responded. Better the weak die quickly than to endanger others, weaken the clan with their seed, or die slowly because they are too weak and sickly to survive.

Kate's hand went instinctively to her belly where her own babies rested. It was a protective gesture and one she was hardly conscious of. "If you loved them you'd want them to survive even if they needed help. You don't feel things like we do!"

In these forms, we feel everything that you do, Ronan said tightly. And it is very little different than the things we felt before we took these forms. Your clan does not observe the same traditions as other clans on your world. Do you think they do not feel things as you do? Just because they have different beliefs?

Discomfort wafted through Kate and not just because she knew he was right-everybody thought the way they did things was the 'right' way. But also because, once again, she had judged by her own ruler. "I'm just trying to understand," she said unhappily and somewhat defensively. "I'm not trying to make judgments, but I can't understand if you don't tell me and explain. Put that way, I can see your point and I'm not saying our ways are better-just different.

"And don't tell me you haven't been doing the same thing-comparing your ways to ours and passing judgments!"

He studied her for a long moment and turned to survey the river and the banks on either side. She thought he was simply enjoying the view as she was.

Your people chose a very bad place to build their city, Dax commented after a few moments.

Kate looked at him in surprise. "It looks like a good place to me. It's clearly a very fertile valley if the growth is any indication and it's close to a good water source …. A very good one. We'll be able to use the river for power, not just for water."

And when the river floods? The water will flow toward your settlement, Ronan said grimly.

Fear rippled through Kate. She studied the river and the terrain with dismay then, not the appreciation for its beauty that she'd felt a few moments before. "You think it'll flood?" she asked doubtfully.

There is nothing here that has grown for more than one or two seasons, Jarek pointed out. The older growth is there, along the ridge, and even at that many of the trees growing lower on the slope are dead. There is a very good chance that that is because they have drowned. If it were anything else there would not be a line of dead trees that follows the edge of the jungle in that way.