by Thadd Evans
Chapter Twelve
In front of me, fog dissipated, revealing a forty-foot diameter open space, a spot that was surrounded on three sides by a rocky slope. On the opposite side of the space, the rest of trail curved to the right. I peered over my left shoulder, wondering if there was another route. At the top of the slope, a three-foot tall Dwate growled and ran at me. I flinched.
To my right, the sound of approaching footsteps became louder. I glanced in that direction.
Beyond a nearby snowdrift, Bemme raised the barrel, glaring.
A beam hit the Dwate. It fell and collapsed into the snow.
She took a few steps, picked up the carcass, then bit off a paw, smiling.
Although I wanted to take the gun away from her, she was too far away. She could kill with me with one shot to the forehead before I reached her.
As blood dripped off her teeth, she pivoted, and aimed the gun at my face. After swallowing, she stuffed the rest of the paw into her mouth. Moving slowly, she backed away from me, making it harder to grab the L21.
While cold wind howled louder, lumps, chewed food, slid down her throat. Near the middle of her bulging stomach, droplets of blood fell onto the charcoal gray leather jumpsuit. Bemme spit out bones. “This Dwate’s meat is stringy. In a few days, I’ll blast Yar, and eat her.”
Guessing she might shoot me, I inched backward. Beyond my left shoulder, an animal, one I couldn’t see, growled. Nrrrrr.
Wondering what made the noise, Bemme looked up slope, and aimed her L21 in that direction, her eyes wide. “Fuck!”
To my left, a four-foot tall Dwate sprinted past me—jumped on Bemme’s chest, knocking her down. “Yeeee!” A shot from Bemme’s gun missed the creature.
Bemme got up, barely balanced, scowling.
The Dwate bit her knee.
Bemme screamed, “Oiwww.” At the same time, she fell backward. Then she sat up and fired.
The beam went over the creature’s shoulder.
She stood, rising fast. “I’ll get you!”
It bit her ankle.
Bemme tumbled, ending up on her side. “Oiwwww!” She dropped the L21 and punched the Dwate’s head.
It jumped back, growling louder. Errrrar!
Bemme rose and looked down, trying to find the pistol. “Shit!” She glanced at the Dwate.
It lunged forward and bit several fingers of her left hand off. She tripped over a rock and fell backward over the edge, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Doiwwwwww!”
The Dwate took a couple of steps and peered over the edge, searching for her.
I glanced at its feet, my mind racing, but didn’t see the L21. I reached for my tablet and peered down, looking for the weapon.
Next to the creature’s foot, the L21’s pewter colored handle was sticking out of the snow.
The Dwate backed away from the edge, then spun around, its fangs bared, snarling at me. Rarrrrrr!
I blurted, “Proj.h.dif.3.” A 2 D life size holographic image of me, one created by my tablet appeared, several feet behind the Dwate.
The creature peeked over its shoulder, saw my image, and twirled around. Without warning, it lunged at the hologram and bit into empty air. Rarrrrr! Much to my surprise, the Dwate leaped backward, staring at the 2 D projection, confused. Suddenly, the creature pivoted and inched toward me, both claws extended, ready to tear out my intestines.
I glanced to the right, searching for the L21, my adrenaline pumping.
The weapon’s handle was just over two feet from my boot. I reached for it and announced, “Proj.h.dif.3.” Another 2 D life size hologram of me materialized in front of the Dwate, halfway between us.
The creature hesitated, salivating, both claws extended.
I grabbed the pistol, my stomach muscles tensed up. Near the top of the barrel, small maroon panels, meaningless displays, began flashing. I aimed, squeezed the trigger.
A laser beam hit the Dwate’s stomach—the creature ducked, trying to avoid the next blast. After baring its teeth, it rushed at me. Graaaaar!
I fired at a blurred figure, a fast moving shape.
A beam hit its chest—the Dwate brushed against my left leg and veered to the right, headed toward the top of the slope, screeching in pain. Eeeeeee!
I looked up, searching for the creature.
At the top of the slope, there were several boulders, no Dwate. It had either run away or was close by, hiding behind a cliff or a boulder.
I listened more closely.
Suddenly, a chunk of ice, a fragment that had just fallen off a cliff, hit a boulder. Crack!
I winched, surprised by the sound.
Would the creature come out from behind one of boulders and attack us? Perhaps it was on the opposite side the slope, waiting for the right moment. If it couldn’t hear us, it would assume we were asleep and attack.
I aimed at a boulder, my thoughts racing. If the creature returned, could I kill this speedy animal?
Nothing budged.
I raised the barrel. Snow fell off a cliff. I exhaled, relieved.
The Dwate had left. I walked in another direction, toward the gorge. Bemme might have fallen several feet, ending up on an overhang.
I peered over the edge. About thirty feet down, there were only rock facets, no ledges for her to land on. Ninety feet below the facets, mist thickened. It was impossible to see any ledges.
Behind me, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. I glanced over my shoulder, the gun aimed in that direction, terrified that the Dwate had returned,
After stepping over a bloody paw, Yar raised a trembling hand and wiped sweat off her face. “Jason, are you searching for Bemme’s body?”
I told her I was.
Behind Yar, Yeliv, Paley, Greg and Tia kept staring at me, shocked expressions on their faces.
Greg glanced to the right and left, scowling. “I can’t see the Dwate.”
I squinted, trying to see more clearly. “Good.”
Yeliv took a step toward me, a worried look on his face.
Everyone else remained silent.
I moved away from the cliff, a couple of steps. “Do any of you know if Bemme could survive this fall? According to my tablet, the Dseo’s eyes don’t lift out of their heads. Unfortunately, my database identified her as a member of that species.
Tia frowned. “Years ago, an Etite man told me that the Cre, a humanoid species, have long fingers. After they fall off a cliff, they grab onto it, and crawl back up. Fortunately, they aren’t cannibals.”
Yeliv raised his tablet, studying its screen. “She might be a Hunet. Nineteen years ago, while I was passing through Bavi, a village that was in P L Five’s southern hemisphere, a Glemal woman told me that several thousand Hunet men, women and children, a race of beings who lived close to her, killed Amboa men, women and children and ate them.”
I hesitated, pondering his comment. “Did this Glemal woman ever meet any Hunet men or women?”
Yeliv shook his head. “No. A friend of hers did.”
Yar rubbed her fingers together, trying to warm up. “Four years ago, when I visited the Leis Institute, a school that is near P L Five’s south pole, I overheard rumors, stories. According to an Aito man named Knom, a student, if a race of humanoids, beings called the KR, are hungry for more than a month, they resort to cannibalism.
“All five thousand of them live in Skiel, a continent in M Three’s western hemisphere. That is all I know about them.”
“Does anyone know if there are any Dseo cannibals?”
Everybody responded, saying he or she wasn’t aware of any.
I glanced down. Directly beneath me, mist dissipated, revealing burnt-red rock facets. There weren’t any ledges. Not wishing to fall over the edge, I lay on my stomach, peering into the Bae Dy.
Far below the facets, fog glided over narrow ledges. There was no sign of Bemme anywhere. After aiming the tablet’s telescopic lens straight down, my screen brightened. At the top of a screen, near the middle of a
ledge, there was a stick-like silhouette. Could it be Bemme’s body? The silhouette, about two hundred and thirty feet below me, a blurred shape, enlarged.
It might be a body or a tree trunk.
Soon fog obscured the blurred shape. At the bottom of the screen, I noticed a stick form, perhaps a severed leg. The image wouldn’t enlarge—it was too far away. “Damn!” I aimed the device to my left, searching for any sign of her.
In the corner of the screen, an ebony- colored ledge, a location covered by umber rocks, got bigger. Bemme’s severed head or leg wasn’t on it.
I rose to my feet. “Yar, did you see the body on any ledges?”
“No. Although I scanned most of the gorge, I didn’t see any sign of it.”
I heard ice cracking and glanced at the top of the slope, concerned that the Dwate had returned. A rock, one that had fallen off a cliff, started tumbling down the slope.
I said, “We need to keep going. Is everyone ready?”
They responded, saying they were.
Chapter Thirteen
Snowflakes drifted in front of my eyes as Yar and I went around a steep bend.
Yeliv’s voice, a distorted sound, came out of my HMR. “Jason, Paley and I want to thank you for your hard work. Also, please tell Greg we appreciate his efforts.”
“You’re welcome.”
Now it was late afternoon. I flexed my cold toes, trying to warm them up.
Across the gorge, a rumbling sound, the start of an avalanche, became louder. Soon, boulders tumbled down. Suddenly, one of them flew into the air, headed my way. Then it struck the cliff, a few feet below me.
I glanced over my shoulder. Behind me, not far down the trail, Yar kept watching the spectacle, a stunned expression on her face.
Much to my relief, the avalanche ended.
“Yar, are you running out of bottled oxygen?”
“I only have about three hours and six minutes left. Fortunately, I don’t need to use it every minute. And when my body acclimates, within a day or so, I won’t use the stored oxygen.”
I nodded. “Is your face numb from the cold?”
“Yes.”
“So is mine.” I grinned faintly, making a subtle joke.
She grinned. “Sy oh.” The Niil phrase meant she liked my comment.
I raised my eyebrows. “Sys.” My comment was a thank you response, using her language.
“You enunciated both words perfectly on the first try. You’re the only alien I’ve ever met who has accomplished that. Somehow, you uttered all eight clicks at the correct pitch. That’s amazing because most races can’t hear them.”
“I do my best.”
At dusk, we reached a narrow segment of the trail. I spoke into my tablet, telling the others it was time to bed down for the night.
Everyone else responded, saying they agreed.
“I’ll come down in few minutes to see how everyone is doing.”
I looked up.
Close by, Yar removed lines from her bag. At the top of them, anchors started rotating. She pushed them into the cliff.
I grinned. “You’re an experienced camper.”
“Yes. A few years ago, on one of many camping trips, several Biologists and Archeologists, and I went to Dyb, a moon near Litor.”
“Why did you go with them?” I listened carefully.
“Because Dr. Curi, an old friend, a man who knows I’m interested in Petroglyphs, asked me to.”
“Did you find any?” Petroglyphs, prehistoric carvings, intrigued me.
“Yes. After studying them for several PL Five orbits, Dr. Curi along with his colleague, Dr. Eiag, discovered that the symbols referred to the Nyo, a humanoid race. According to the symbols, eleven centuries ago, air borne bacteria, an organism that was similar to listeria, destroyed most of the Nyo.”
I nodded. “Keep going.”
“However, the remaining Nyo evolved, turned into a porpoise-like species. At the same time, they changed their language, one called Ouus, because water distorted it. If the Nyo didn’t alter their speech, they couldn’t talk to each other.
“The changed vocabulary, one consisting of squeaks and clicking noises, sounds uttered at different pitches, worked. Eventually, the Nyo added more words, using louder and softer tones.”
I smiled. “Amazing.”
“Yes.”
Chapter Fourteen
After stepping over Tia’s sleeping bag, I spotted Paley. As my tablet hummed louder, he peeked inside his backpack.
I crouched next to Paley. “I’m sorry about Palk’s passing.”
“Orvet. Uuin nooos eete. Amaii riii.” He kept talking, his sad eyes staring at the ground.
A translation came out of my earplugs. Palk was the last member of my Tay. I am alone. I hope to meet friends on Icir. All one hundred twenty members of my Tay, my extended family, have perished.
I frowned, shocked by his story. “What happened to you on P L Five?”
“Oot. Nonom nomon aan. Raot omo.”
A text translation scrolled. My house exploded. I ran outside, sprinted around the corner, opened the kitchen door, and smoke poured out. Although my wife and three daughters were inside, I couldn’t help them because the smoke was too thick. Then an LN ship dropped another bomb and I left.
After reaching an intersection, I saw Palk and we ran toward the mountains. Now I have nightmares of that burning house.
I spoke into my tablet, knowing it would translate my speech. “Despite your loss, I’m glad you survived. I hope your future will be better.”
“Iay rein.”
Text emerged from a background. Jason, your concern eases my sorrow. He rubbed two fingers against each other, an Aito gesture, one expressing deep sadness.
I walked off, going down the trail.
Beyond a snowdrift, Yeliv sat in a chair.
I offered him wafers and water.
He accepted both with a weak smile, a fatigued expression on his face.
“You speak to Paley all day long.” I blinked. “How is he taking Palk’s death?”
“As well as can be expected.
“In the meantime, there is a bigger concern. This morning, Paley told me that both of us would have to learn how to speak Etite more fluently because there are millions of Etite on Icir.
“Also, after we arrive there, finding a place to live and getting a job is going to be hard because neither one of us has ever been there before.”
“Understood. Does Paley talk about his Tay?”
“Yes. Very sad.”
“What about your family?”
“My wife and two sons died on P L Five. I couldn’t reach them because I was working.
“While I was at my desk, a mortar shell hit the building. I jumped out the window and five of us escaped. Later that day, I received an email, a message that was sent by a neighbor. According to it, my family ran out of the house because they heard explosions, and LN robots shot them.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
Yeliv nodded. “I am tired. It’s time to eat.”
“By the way, in a few minutes, please go about ten feet down the trail and place this ACD motion sensor in the snow.” I handed the tiny cube to him. “I’ll switch it on in twenty minutes. If the Dwate comes within two feet of it, the device will beep loud enough to wake us up.”
Yeliv aimed the palm of his hand toward me, a gesture that meant he understood. He began examining the ACD.
I hiked up the trail.
Chapter Fifteen
Tia and Greg, two dimly lit silhouettes, sat in chairs, and stuck their legs over the edge. As the icy wind blew harder, they both opened their food containers and ate.
I paused. “Does the Goi meat taste good?”
Greg sighed. “It’s salty.”
I nodded, continued up the trail, and went by Yar. Then I placed the ACD sensor in the snow, and started down, moving toward my sleeping bag.
Yeliv’s voice came out of my earplugs. “Jason, the sensor’s
PHT conduits may be so cold that the beeper won’t activate.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s hard to say. I’ll examine its circuits more thoroughly. I’m familiar with nine computer operating systems and five photonic languages, but yours are unfamiliar. If I find any problems, I’ll call you.”
“Understood.” I sat next to Yar.
She rested a laptop computer on her knees. Next to the device, a floating screen lowered. Close to the edge of the screen, magenta letters came into view. Hu, ah, na. She touched them. Azure ones replaced the letters. Iet, hos.
“Yar, what are you reading?”
“Just a minute. Let me finish this.”
I nodded and hiked toward my sleeping bag. It was time to rest.
The next morning, after sleeping for several hours, I stood. Either the Dwate hadn’t set off the ACD’s or the device was broken.
I looked down.
Yar was still inside her bag.
I started up the trail, advancing toward the ACD.
After stepping over a crevice, I picked up the device, and shoved it in my pocket. Then I glanced down, searching for the Dwate’s footprints. Fresh snow covered any tracks that might have been visible.
I spoke into my tablet. “Yeliv, are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“Have you seen any Dwate footprints?”
“No.” He mentioned that the freshly fallen snow hid any footprints.
“Please remove the ACD and hold onto it. This evening, when we bed down for the night, put the ACD in the snow, next to you, at the bottom of our campsite. Otherwise, I’ll have to carry it.”
“No problem. I can do that.”
Just before noon, I heard a faint roar, a jet engine, a distant sound. I peered over the edge.
An eighty foot long gold spheroid interstellar craft, a vessel partly covered by silver panels flew out of the haze. It kept rising and vanished, obscured by fog.
I grabbed my tablet and aimed it at overhead mist. I blurted, “Ret.sig.allbandwidths.”
My screen appeared. Near the center, dots began pulsating. … The craft didn’t respond to my signal.
I spoke into my tablet. “Greg, did you send them a message?”
“Yes. I transmitted microwave signals at eight hundred, nine hundred and nine hundred eighty megahertz and sixty variations in between, but they didn’t reply.”