War Orphans (The Terra Nova Chronicles)

by Robert Dean Hall

  “How a civilization treats those who fail or transgress reveals much about its true character. The majority of my people don’t have the advantage of being able to speak with Terrans individually, as I do. Their impression of you has come from our media coverage of your treatment of the colonists and the felines, whom they are familiar with. That treatment has given those who criticize my government for its lack of wariness in our dealings with you a much louder voice. You should explain that to Wilkes.”

  “I’ve tried. He tells me the orders to prosecute come from above him. He won’t back down. That makes it my problem.”

  “Wilkes is an excellent diplomat, Vijay. Even though it looks like he’s deferring to those above him, he still has some control over this situation.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “You have some control also, even though you’ve failed to exercise it before now.”

  “I have no idea what you mean, Azir.”

  “You’re forgetting this isn’t only about ethics and legalities,” Buzami explained. “It’s also about diplomacy and the ability to exercise hegemony without arousing antagonism. Wilkes needs you to find someone to take the fall for the botched invasion. Find that someone. He or she must be here or, at least, Wilkes believes so.”

  “I’ve been through the records of all the colonists. Not one of them has a criminal history or displays a pattern of irresponsibility or malice I can exploit. These people are unblemished.”

  “Just as all sacrificial lambs should be.”

  “What are you getting at, Azir.”

  “I have both military and diplomatic experience. I took the lead during our negotiations with the colonists. I know things about some of them you may not.”

  “Have you seen prior military records of any of the colonists?”

  “No, but I have talked with some of the ex-military ‘off the record’. Is that how you say it?”

  “Yes. Go on. Get to the point.”

  “Some of them knew they would be required to incriminate themselves later if they failed to subdue and occupy this planet until your government could get here.”

  “Wilkes has told me as much, but I’ve failed to get any of them to confess to taking part in the massacre of your people. They are willing to admit to anything else. It’s obvious they took the greenhouse by deception, but for me to prosecute them on that alone opens up the door for introduction of motive and unless I can prove they came here with malicious intent, any hack lawyer could turn this into a media circus and focus attention on the wrong things.”

  “My answer to that would be two-fold, Vijay,” Buzami said. “Firstly, my people handed out our justice to those we felt were responsible. We helped the felines overthrow them and put the more neighborly of the colonists in charge of keeping them in check. My people are not vengeful. We only wanted to stop the bloodshed and ensure the peace.”

  “That bonding you’ve done with the felines and colonists makes this even more difficult. Can you not see that? I would have reasonably expected a populace experiencing the type of massacre yours did not to be so forgiving. Your government has even gone so far as to claim the colonists are now citizens of your planet and you’re fighting their removal to Earth.”

  “That brings me to the second part of my answer,” Buzami replied. “The colonists who are still living, including many who were part of Yuen’s revolt against John Chamberlain, are people of principle. They came here because they believe your planet is in its death-throes and saw it as the only way to perpetuate your civilization. Most of them were never told Yuen’s orders included genocide. They would have been more than happy to find a diplomatic solution if that choice had been open to them. Not only can I understand why most of them refuse to accept blame for such a one-sided war against my people, but I, and my people admire them for having the courage to join our stand against Yuen and, if I may be so bold, those of you who would come after. You should think about that when you consider how you should proceed.”

  “If none of the conspirators left alive are willing to take responsibility for the massacre, how do I proceed? My government has already promised you we wouldn’t try to prosecute the felines, even though no humans were with them when they set foot in any of the cities.”

  Gupta exhaled heavily and lay back on the bed again. He pressed his fingertips to his temples and massaged them.

  Buzami stood, expecting he’d need to walk to the bed to help Gupta sit back up upon asking his next question. “Is it possible, Wilkes gave you this assignment knowing full well it could not be accomplished to the satisfaction of those who are making the demands?”

  “Do you believe he’s setting me up to fail?”

  Gupta remained on his back so Buzami sat back down.

  “Not necessarily, Vijay. It may be, for some unknown reason, he needs you to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt there’s no way out of this situation other than to admit Terran and Ekkidan involvement.”

  “Perhaps you’re onto something,” Gupta said. “This wouldn’t be the first time Drew had allowed me to exhaust all my options and then changed his tack.”

  “Of course, it’s too bad you can’t move forward on that assumption with certainty.”

  “I understand, Azir, and neither of us is that foolish. There is another possibility.”

  “What would that be?”

  “There’s a Judas goat hiding among the lambs and Drew believes forcing me to perpetrate what amounts to malicious prosecution will anger him enough to draw him out.”

  Chapter 44

  Date Unknown

  War Council Gathering, Feline Sector, Terra Nova.

  “Are you certain you want to proceed with this,” Falling Eagle asked. “Night Hunter and his followers still have the right to give input on these matters. Their seats on the council have not been revoked and their delegations still have votes.”

  “They could have shown up here this evening,” November said. “They haven’t been told to stay out of the moderate zones, even though for us to allow them to come and go as they please is causing us difficulty with the Terrans.”

  “So far there hasn’t been a single attack against a Terran facility in New Phoenix,” Falling Eagle said. “We keep an eye on them when they’re here. They only seem to be coming in to frequent the pubs and consort with surrogates. None of them have gotten within one-hundred meters of the rebuilt mercantile.”

  “There’s still the possibility they’re gathering intelligence. We’ll have to deal with that soon, but it isn’t why we’re here. I want a vote on the permanent hospital now.”

  “I’m afraid if we allow this without having any of Night Hunter’s votes present, he will try to block it later,” Falling Eagle said. “Suppose he succeeds and all we have for our efforts is an empty building?”

  “Then we’ll enjoy the added employment and commerce that comes with the construction and find our own use for it later,” November replied. “Besides, I think he’ll be pleased when we tell him Morning Grass will be working there.”

  “The humans know her history. They’ll never agree to put her in a position of responsibility, no matter what uniform she wears.”

  “I can’t tell you what’s happened to her,” November said, “but, I don’t think it’s a deception. I truly believe she has a changed heart. I think it’s a sign.”

  “A sign from who, November? I can’t go before the council and ask them to vote on this citing divine providence. Our creators were flesh and blood.”

  “Perhaps then the reason Morning Grass has joined the Terrans is because she feels she owes them a debt,” November replied. “I don’t know. Teacher told Calf Stealer and me she was at the verge of death after losing two of her limbs, then I saw her in a Terran uniform, healthy and whole, as if she were never injured. That makes me want to know what else they can do for our people.”

  “I’ll allow you to bring it to the floor for a vote,” Falling Eagle said, “but, only because you feel so strongl
y about it, not because I believe some deity is urging us on. If there are not enough votes to carry, will you drop this?”

  “I will,” November said. “I promise never to bring it up again.”

  “Then we should go back to the meeting place. Hopefully, nobody has grown tired of waiting on us and left.”

  Chapter 45

  Gupta’s head throbbed as he sat up to look for his alarming locator. He couldn’t remember everything that went on the previous day, but was certain his distress began when he decided he should take an afternoon nap upon consuming nearly the whole bottle of Scotch he purchased for Buzami.

  Later on, over dinner Buzami mentioned he had a surefire hangover cure. Gupta was skeptical when Buzami mentioned it involved consuming more alcohol, but he followed through, anyway.

  Gupta’s chronometer indicated it was still the wee hours of the morning and he had been to sleep for barely an hour. He would have muted the locator and lay back down if he hadn’t seen it was a call from Wilkes.

  “What is it, Drew? I told you the last time you called, I had no real progress and didn’t expect any before the first of the week.”

  “Don’t sound so happy to hear from me. This isn’t about the tribunals.”

  “What, then?”

  “The feline war council just contacted me. They’ve agreed to let us build the hospital in New Phoenix.”

  “That is good news. Did they explain their change of heart?”

  “Not to my satisfaction, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get.”

  “I wish you were being that magnanimous about the tribunals.”

  “Sorry, but I have no leeway there. I need your opinion on something.”

  “Certainly, Drew. What is it?”

  “The felines are making the construction of the hospital conditional.”

  “Upon what. How can beggars be choosers?”

  “They’re asking for final say in the staffing of the hospital.”

  “That sounds reasonable,” Gupta said. “What can it hurt?”

  “They want Captain Morning Grass assigned to the hospital permanently. They don’t want her rotated in and out.”

  “Did you tell them you had reservations about that?”

  “I gave them the whole list. They insisted. No Morning Grass, no hospital.”

  “She’s still in her probationary period. Use that.”

  “They know about that and they know about our discomfort with her separatist ties.”

  “Yet, you had no difficulty allowing her to join up, even after my stern objections.”

  “That was a necessary evil, Vijay,” Wilkes replied. “I wasn’t one hundred percent behind it, either, but it made some things easy. If she washes out, her ass is ours, anyway.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. There was one more demand. I don’t know what to make of it. It may be of no consequence, but they are just as insistent. They want my goddaughter, Dawn Marie, to administer the hospital.”

  “Did you tell them she doesn’t have the required experience? She’s barely out of her RAMs.”

  “I have Peggy Stiles talking with Elder November about that, right now. She’s the major’s direct superior and the Chief of Astronautic Medicine for this mission. She has the authority to offer suitable candidates. I felt it would be improper for me to get into the difficulties.”

  “Is this also a deal breaker?”

  “Yes. Vijay, I need you to find out from Calf Stealer what the Devil this is about. My superiors tell me this hospital is imperative, but they’ll have my ass if it turns out the separatists are able to use it against us.”

  “Just why is the hospital so important, Drew,” Gupta asked.

  “Need to know.”

  “I thought as much.”

  Chapter 46

  “You asked to see me, Captain Leland?”

  Eagle Chaser barged through the door without knocking. Once inside, he closed it behind him.

  Leland sat studying her tablet and didn’t look up. “Set your ass down, EC. We need to talk.”

  “You still haven’t found a way to get your hooks into Teacher, have you, Claire,” Eagle Chaser asked. “It’s really bothering you. I can tell and I find it amusing.”

  “It’s only a matter of time. We’ve been on lock down for well over a month, and if you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t any feline surrogates to be found.”

  “He’s squeaky clean, Claire. Bear and I worked him over good the first couple of weeks and got nothing. Now that he’s settled in and part of the gang, he feels comfortable sharing, but nothing has slipped.”

  “A man will tell his lover things he wouldn’t dare tell his closest buddies. Leave him to me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Eagle Chaser said. “He’s always where he says he’ll be and I’ve seen all his communications to the outside, myself. He’s no mole. Hayes certainly has no problems with him. He’s been promoting him like clockwork.”

  “Hayes isn’t Operational Intelligence. I am. Teacher may have charmed him, but it hasn’t worked on me.”

  “I see what this is,” Eagle Chaser said. “Damn it. I have a whole new respect for Teacher.”

  “Whatever do you mean, EC?”

  “This is about you wanting something you can’t have.”

  Leland laughed. “Oh, really? Well, I guess you would know more about that than I would, EC.”

  Eagle Chaser gritted his teeth at Leland’s insult. “You’re wasting your time, Claire. The man isn’t interested in you at all. I think you may even be driving him farther away.”

  “I haven’t tried the direct approach, yet.”

  Eagle Chaser laughed. “You mean what you’ve been doing up to now has been your attempt at subtlety? You must be joking.”

  “Lock the door, Eagle Chaser.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Lock the damned door.”

  Eagle Chaser quickly turned to the door and pressed the lock lever. By the time he turned back around, Leland was standing and opening her uniform jacket.

  “What are you doing, Claire?”

  “I think you may be a bit jealous, EC,” Leland said as the jacket fell off to expose her white sleeveless tunic. “We can’t have that. Come here.”

  “Back off, Claire. This isn’t the time or place.”

  Leland barged into Eagle Chaser’s personal space and the feline stepped back until he was against the wall.

  “Are you sure,” Leland asked. “I can’t think of a better time or place.” She pulled her tunic over her head and dropped it on the floor. She then closed what little distance there was between the two of them and placed her hands on Eagle Chaser’s hips.

  “Are you sure you want to do this,” Eagle Chaser asked.

  Leland smiled and backed away a couple of steps. She started laughing and said, “No. You’re right. This isn’t the time or place. Get out of my office.”

  Eagle Chaser lunged toward Leland and grabbed her by the throat. “Don’t play with me, Claire.”

  “How do you intend to stop me?” Leland could barely speak with Eagle Chaser squeezing her throat, but she didn’t look afraid.

  Eagle Chaser released Leland and stepped back to compose himself. “Put your clothes on.”

  When it was apparent Leland wasn’t going to comply, Eagle Chaser approached her again and cocked his arm, ready to give her a backhand. “Do it, now.”

  Leland stood defiantly and smiled. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  Eagle Chaser lowered his arm but remained angry. “It is for now. You should be careful in the future. I may not show as much restraint.”

  “If you ever get another chance,” Leland said, “and I’m not saying it will happen, I would hope you didn’t.” She laughed at Eagle Chaser again and reached down to pick up her discarded clothes. “It was nice talking with you again, EC. You can show yourself out.”

  “One of these days you’ll go too far, Claire. You’ll piss off t
he wrong person and be taken down hard.”

  “If I do ever get taken, EC, it’ll be by someone who isn’t afraid of me.”

  A newly angered Eagle Chaser watched Leland closely as she bent over to retrieve the tunic and jacket. Feline passion scars covered her back. Eagle Chaser inspected them with morbid curiosity, wondering which of them had been left by Bear Killer.

  Before Leland could raise back up Eagle Chaser had burried his claws into her hips.

  Part VI—Dreams and Nightmares

  Chapter 47

  Date Unknown.

  On board Chamberlain’s Ark.

  “Hold on to my hand. It’s dark and I don’t want to lose you.”

  The middle-aged human female thrust her hand into the darkness. When she felt the feline child’s hand touch hers she grasped it firmly.

  “It’s okay, Mom,” the child reassured her. “I can see in the dark.”

  The woman smiled. “Sorry, dear. I keep forgetting.”

  The two stood quietly in the shadows. The child, also a female, wasn’t fidgety. It was past her bedtime and she was sleepy, but whereas a human child might have been cranky and impatient, the feline wasn’t. Her human mother, however, was becoming very impatient and jittery.

  “He should have been here by now,” the woman said. “It’s not like him to keep people waiting.”

  “Who are we waiting on, Mom?”

  “I can’t tell you now, Sweetie, but it’s someone I think we can trust. Remember what I said before? You can’t mention our little trip with John to him or anyone, no matter what they say or do. I can’t tell you how important that is.”

  “I won’t tell anyone. I promise,” the child replied.

  They stood with their backs against the wall in a hatchway off the main corridor to the hangar deck. Every so often the woman would lean out of the shadows to peak around the corner and then straighten back up to be swallowed by the shadows once again. The feline child was actually much better equipped to serve as a lookout, but she would not have recognized who they were looking for.