To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) (36 page)

"We have taken the life of the outer creature. Should we not make the inner creature suffer slowly?"

Kretin paused. It was not a bad idea.

Arai crouched and pointed. "Another comes!"

Both Kretin and Harry looked. Sure enough, some distance away they saw another alien advancing between the trees.

"Quickly," Arai urged.

Without another word, the two natives raced from the tree, careful to keep the giant conifer between themselves and the enemy. Harry picked up the strange, gasping alien and followed, dropping and leaving the weapon in the process.

Chapter 30

Fagen waved to Parker and the doctor limped past the laser cannon to the open hatch.

"Is it clear?"

Fagen nodded. "I think so. Let's check."

"How did it get open?"

"Don't know." Fagen lifted himself through the hatch and took a quick look around. Everything was in order. Other than the open door there was no sign anyone had been there.

Fagen shouted down at Parker. "Keep a watch on the forest. We may have to get out of here real fast. It's clear inside."

Parker didn't say anything. The doctor was busy tending his wound. At first, he thought it was a simple puncture, but it appeared to be reddening and swelling. "I think I've got an infection," he said through the open hatch.

Fagen tossed down a medical kit. "We should have some antibiotics in there."

While Parker probed and mumbled, Fagen switched on the radio and called the Magellan. Bonner responded immediately.

"Fagen? Where've you been? We were about ready to light the fires."

"Don't do that just yet. What's the status on the alien ship?"

"It's still where it was."

"Well," Fagen spoke into his mike, "that may be changing. We've had some problems." Fagen gave Bonner a quick rundown of what had occurred, ending by telling him that now Harry was missing.

Nadine interrupted, her voice filling the shuttle cockpit. "So what's the score, Mr. Fagen? Don't you think maybe we should start thinking about going home?"

Fagen sighed. His patience with Nadine was growing thin. "Soon, Nadine."

"When?"

"When we get things wrapped up here. Dr. Parker’s been injured and I need to get him back to the Magellan. We'll wait for Harry for an hour. Haven’t seen any sign of Kathleen. I am commencing the pre-flight checks for the shuttle. Anything else?"

Bonner's voice came back. "Uh, yeah, one more thing. I'm afraid it's not very good news. Seems like we've got full-fledged pre-nova activity in Volans. It's Gamma-2. She's getting ready to blow her top. All radiating activity is up. We've been on a rollercoaster ride for hours."

In the background, Fagen heard Nadine say something about Blane, but he wasn't able to catch it.

"What was that about Blane?"

"Well, he's been acting a little weird."

"So what's new?"

"He's been plugged in down in the lab since you left. He's not answering us anymore."

"Well, go check him out. If he's having a bad time, give him something to make him sleep."

"Uh, right. We'll try that."

"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll see you in about an hour and a half. I'll give a call before lift-off. This is Fagen, out."

"We'll be expecting to hear from you. Out."

Fagen turned from his console and shouted toward the hatch. "Did you hear?"

"Yes," Parker answered. Fagen turned back to the console and entered a code into the keyboard. Lights came on across the instruments. The monitor informed him all systems were starting their initialization sequence. Fagen got up and climbed back down to the doctor.

Parker was wrapping a new bandage around his foot.

"How is it?"

"Infected."

"Did you take the antibiotics?"

"Yes."

"So don't be so morose about it. What's a few alien microbes, anyway? Don't worry," Fagen patted Parker on the shoulder, "the company's got a great medical plan."

*

By the time Harry caught up to Kretin and Arai, the captive alien had stopped gasping for breath. It showed no fear, instead it coldly eyed Harry. It looked like a little, wrinkled, old man with sickly skin and a nasty disposition. It had no ears or lips, but its eyes were wide with slitted pupils, like an octopus.

Kretin stared at the alien and made a motion as if to strike it.

"No," Harry said using the Bedoran tongue, "hold your love of blood for a time."

Kretin looked suspiciously at Harry and spoke to his younger brother.

"Do you see how he speaks? Perhaps he knows more than he lets on. If he is to go with us, we need to perform the ritual. We cannot trust him otherwise."

Arai nodded. "That is what Grandfather would say." Then he stared upward through the trees. Harry could see the aborigine's eyes welling with tears. He started to moan, softly at first, but then it began to rise and he varied the rhythm. It was a sad, mournful song.

Kretin shushed him. "Now is not the mourning time. Your wails will bring the beasts."

Arai stopped crying and looked at his older brother. "You will be the next leader, Kretin."

Kretin waved his tail in the negative. "It is too high a price. Just be careful with this one until we can perform the ceremony."

"He will want to find his friends. They are not far away. We could take him there."

The alien began to struggle so much Harry had to set it down. It stood on its stumpy legs and gazed defiantly at the three of them before spitting a ball of mucous at their feet.

Arai raised his spear, "I will kill it now!"

Simultaneously, Harry and Kretin said, "No!" Kretin gave Harry a sidelong look before speaking to Arai. "I think we have out-distanced the others. We should perform the ritual while we have the time."

Arai still had the tip of his spear aimed at the alien's chest. It jutted out its boney chest, daring him.

"What shall we do with the devil?"

"Throw a net upon it."

In a last attempt to communicate, Harry showed his palms to the alien, one of the gestures recommended by the corporation, but in return it only spat at him again. Harry backed away and didn't object when Arai threw a net over the creature.

Kretin took the Earthman by a forearm and pulled him away as Arai tied down the ends of the net, effectively ensnaring the hissing alien.

Kretin straightened and stood on his toes so that he could look closely into Harry's eyes. "Do you understand me?"

Harry gave the appropriate positive response.

Kretin backed away and made a circle in the forest floor by dragging his foot through the fallen pine needles.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

Kretin looked at him sideways.

Harry wasn't sure what Kretin said.

"How do you speak so well?"

Harry understood that. "I listen. I watch."

Kretin nodded and pulled Harry to the center of the circle. "Remain here."

"Why?"

"It is important. Stay still and watch." Kretin stepped beyond the edge of the circle. Arai joined his brother. The creature fought its restraints, but was too weak to do anything more than hiss and spit.

And this thing is supposed to be a higher life form, Harry thought. How ironic he was getting on better with the primitives than with the more advanced species. He still didn't know what the aliens were doing there, other than murdering the wildlife.

Harry asked permission to speak. Kretin agreed and Harry looked up. "I would seek my companions."

Kretin leaned to his brother. "Do you hear? It is as you said. He seeks his brothers."

Harry took a step forward, but Kretin gently pushed him back. "We must do something first. Please stay where you are."

At that, the aborigine began to hum in a soft voice. He ignored the ugly sounds emitted by the alien and swayed to his own rhythm. He tapped the top of his head with his tail as he simultaneously rolled his hips and tapped both feet.

Arai began to hum along and he too, patted the top of his head with a furry-tipped tail.

Kretin reached into the pouch hanging on his belt and withdrew the sunstone. It was already glowing and warm in the young man's hands.

The alien saw the sunstone and stopped its struggles.

"What is that?" asked Harry.

The two aborigines ignored him and continued to hum the aimless notes. Kretin set the stone in a leather sling. Then he held the sling aloft until the stone held itself in the air. He pulled the sling away and the stone spun of its own accord, in the air, emitting colors and beams of white light. Harry felt heat pouring off the rotating gem.

He'd never seen anything like it. As far as Harry knew, such a thing didn't exist. The air rang as the gem generated invisible fields of power. Harry wondered where the aborigines had found such a thing.

Kretin stopped humming and admonished Harry to tell the truth. "Otherwise you will die. Do you understand me?"

Without blinking, Harry said, "Yes."

"Are you an outsider? A stranger to the Bedoran lands?"

"Yes."

"Are you a devil?"

"No."

"Do you harbor evil thoughts against the Bedorans?"

"No."

"What is your name?"

Harry pronounced the name his father had given him and elicited a laugh from Arai. "It sounds like dung-foot!"

Kretin gave the boy a stern look. Back to Harry, he said, "Where are you from?"

Harry pointed up. Both Kretin and Arai craned their necks and looked up into the trees.

"Not the trees," Harry said, "the stars."

Kretin looked incredulous. "That is insane! You want me to believe you came from the stars? Madness!"

Arai reminded his brother that Harry was testifying within the confines of the ceremony. "If he lies, he dies," the boy pointed out.

Kretin shrugged. "How did you come to be here?"

"It's a long story." Harry wasn't sure if he used the correct words, but the natives seemed to understand. If he told them everything, he was sure they wouldn't understand. Besides, he wasn't eloquent enough to say too much.

"Are you an enemy?"

"No," Harry replied, "I am your friend."

The stone continued to spin. A little faster now, Harry thought. The heat from it began to make Harry uncomfortable. The alien watched everything, but was more interested in the stone than anything else.

"He is a friend," Arai repeated. "That is what we wanted to know."

"Two more questions." Kretin looked at Harry.

"Are your companions our friends also?"

"Yes."

"Then will you help us to overcome our enemies?"

This time Harry didn't understand what was asked.

Kretin repeated the question.

"We did not come to fight. We came to see things unknown to us. We come to understand."

With the tip of his spear, Kretin tapped the stone and it fell to the ground.

"You have fought against our enemies, at our side. This is good. You have told us the truth. Perhaps not everything, but enough. We will take you to your companions."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Kretin poured water over the stone and handled it delicately, wrapping the gem in a thick piece of leather and slipping it back into his pouch.

"What is your name?"

"I am called Kretin." He turned to his smaller brother. "This is Arai."

"Kretin, I have a request."

"What is it?"

"Allow me to take the creature with me."

"The creature?" Kretin looked at the alien with disdain. "Why?"

"To study it. To find out why it kills."

"It is of no consequence to know. It belongs to its tribe and we belong to ours. It does what it does and we do what we do. It is our enemy and it is not meant to be understood."

"What will you do with it?"

"I will give it slow death and my Grandfather will have the final victory."

"Give it to me instead. It will harm you no more."

Kretin snorted and looked at the captive alien. "I do not believe it can harm us any longer."

"Perhaps its companions will return."

"Then we will kill them as we killed the others."

"May I take it with me?"

"No."

It seemed to be the final answer. Kretin stepped up to the alien and rolled it up in the net until it was completely immobile. It could still spit and hiss and did so with a renewed vigor. Kretin hoisted the bundle over his shoulder.

"Let us seek out your companions. They are not far."