Chapter 54
Diviana spied Maker at roughly the same time he saw her and made a beeline for him, striding past the others in their group without so much as a word.
“We gotta go,” she announced without preamble once she was in front of him, breathing hard and looking disheveled.
“What is it?” Maker asked.
“I’ll tell you on the shuttle,” Diviana said, glancing around in a harried manner. “Also, you need to get rid of this.”
Her last statement was made in a barely-audible whisper. At the same time, without looking down, she stealthily shoved something into Maker’s free hand, which he immediately recognized solely by its feel and shape: the gun he’d given her earlier. Without being told, Erlen appeared to inconspicuously lick the hand in question, and when he drew back, the gun had vanished.
“All right, let’s keep moving,” Maker said.
As might be expected, Skullcap, Browing, and Fierce had all stopped and turned as Diviana went by them. Although he wasn’t sure how much they’d heard, Maker was certain that they hadn’t seen the gun, which was his main concern. If they had seen it, however, no one mentioned it. Instead, they heeded his instructions to get moving, and in seconds they were once again marching towards the spaceport.
Diviana fell into step next to Maker, but as they walked, she kept glancing around, almost as if she had a nervous condition.
“What’s with you?” Maker finally muttered under his breath. “Did you go off and get high or something?”
“Funny,” she noted sarcastically. “No, I just had a little incident.”
“Incident?” Maker repeated. “What does that mean?”
“It’s kind of complicated,” she said, then glanced at the column of black smoke that Maker and the others had noticed earlier.
He followed her gaze, and then understanding dawned on him.
“No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Tell me you didn’t cause that explosion.”
Diviana winced slightly. “As I said, it’s complicated.”
Frowning, Maker was about to order her to expound when he realized that their group had come to a halt. Those ahead had stopped so quickly, in fact, that he almost bumped into Browing. He was about to ask what the issue was when someone shouted.
“Return my property!” bellowed a stern voice from somewhere ahead of them.
Maker looked towards where the voice had seemingly originated, but couldn’t immediately identify the speaker. Clarity, however, came swiftly as the crowd around them seemed to disperse in record fashion, as if someone had thrown a grenade in their midst.
Within seconds, Maker’s group found itself with a wide expanse of circular space around it – a startling contrast to the throngs that had hemmed them in just moments earlier.
“Return my property!” the voice yelled again, and this time Maker saw the speaker: a man-sized creature that seemed to be a cross between a millipede and a grizzly bear, standing perhaps thirty feet ahead of them. It was big and hairy, with a maw full of teeth and a multitude of legs on both sides of its body.
Correction, Maker thought. There’s a multitude of legs on the left side of its body.
On the right side of the grizzly-pede (as Maker thought of it), there was an appreciable gap between two of the limbs on the thing’s upper body. More to the point, Maker noted five stumps near the creature’s body wall that seemed to be oozing black blood. Obviously, the grizzly-pede had endured some kind of recent trauma.
“Return what is mine!” it bellowed, and at this juncture, Maker noted that it was not alone. There were at least three more of the grizzly-pedes around them – one at the rear and one on each side. They were surrounded.
Furious, Maker leaned forward and growled at Skullcap, saying, “I thought you said this alleged tracker belonged to you!”
“It does,” the Vacran muttered over his shoulder. “Moreover, the tracker doesn’t appear to be what he’s interested in.”
Confused, Maker glanced at the grizzly-pede and realized that Skullcap was right. It wasn’t looking at Maker or the tracker; it was glowering at Diviana.
“Did you steal something from them?” Maker hissed softly at her.
“No!” she shot back in a fervent whisper.
“Then what’s he talking about?” Maker asked as the lead grizzly-pede once again demanded its property.
As if reading Maker’s mind, Skullcap stepped forward.
“Honorable Xnjda,” the insectoid began. “We are newly arrived and have but one thing on our persons that we did not arrive with: a possession retrieved from the repository, which – as you surely know – is only released to the true owner. Thus, we are confused. What is this property of yours we are purported to have?”
“That!” the grizzly-pede insisted, pointing directly at Diviana.
Chapter 55
There was stunned silence for a moment (aside from Erlen softly growling), and then Maker practically shouted, “What?”
“The female is mine,” the grizzly-pede continued. “She was a fracg’l in my household before running away two weeks ago.”
“Fracg’l?” Browing repeated in a hushed tone to Skullcap, seeming to get the pronunciation correct.
“A pet,” the Vacran explained.
“Are you kidding?” Maker uttered.
“Unfortunately, no,” Skullcap replied, then turned his attention back to the grizzly-pede. “Great Xnjda–”
“Kpntel,” it interjected. “You may address me as Kpntel.”
“Thank you, great Kpntel,” Skullcap said. “With all due respect, I think you must be mistaken. This female and her male counterparts are my traveling companions. They are neither pets nor property.”
“Then I would counter that they must not have journeyed with you for long,” Kpntel stated, “for she only recently ran off.”
“I appreciate your position,” Skullcap retorted, “but – while it distresses me to do so – I must ask if you have proof of ownership?”
Kpntel nodded at one of his fellows standing to the side of Maker’s group, who stepped forward and pointed some type of device in their direction. Maker’s initial fear that it was a weapon vanished as the object suddenly broadcast a broad beam of bright light that immediately crystallized into an image.
Hologram projector, Maker realized.
The image it showed was of a young woman – obviously human – dressed in drab clothing and sitting at the feet of Kpntel. (At least, Maker presumed it was Kpntel in the hologram, but truth be told he wasn’t sure he could tell one member of the species from another.) The grizzly-pede was stroking the woman’s hair, essentially petting her.
Maker felt himself growing angry as he watched the scene. The notion of human beings as pets was something he hadn’t really considered before, and the thought of it disgusted him.
“That’s not Diviana,” Browing whispered to Skullcap. “They look nothing alike.”
It was indeed a true statement. They both had dark hair, but that was about the extent to which Diviana and the woman in the hologram were similar. For instance, whereas Diviana was exotically beautiful, the woman being shown was incredibly plain.
“You need to understand,” Skullcap explained. “To most other species, all humans look alike.”
Maker was rather taken aback by this, but didn’t have time to comment as Kpntel started speaking.
“As you can see,” the grizzly-pede said, pointing to the hologram, “the female is a fracg’l that belongs to me. Moreover, they are rare creatures, so it is unlikely that this one” – he gestured towards Diviana – “is not the one I owned. Moreover, she is half of a breeding pair, whose offspring command enormous prices.”
Maker’s eyes went wide at Kpntel’s last statement; it was all he could do not to have Erlen cough up the gun again so he could shoot the grizzly-pede dead. More to the point, it was looking like things might head in that direction anyway, as some of Kpntel’s cohorts were now holding daggers of
some sort, and Maker – still holding the tracker in one hand – didn’t fancy getting into a knife-fight with someone who could wield ten blades at once.
“I’m afraid you are once again mistaken,” Skullcap said to Kpntel. “Before descending to this planet, I was on a ship full of this species, so their rarity is a thing that is debatable.”
“A ship of them?” Kpntel muttered almost to himself, then glanced up at the sky.
“Yes,” the insectoid stressed. “I travel with them at present as a guest on their vessel.”
“Then they have duped you,” the grizzly-pede said, “because they do not have the innate intelligence to operate a spacefaring vessel. That said, they are excellent at mimicking the behavior of more advanced species, and can pantomime not only languages, but skills such as piloting.”
“Wait a minute,” muttered Diviana to no one in particular. “Is he basically just calling us glorified parrots?”
Ignoring her, Skullcap addressed the grizzly-pede, saying, “Your words carry weight, but I would be remiss if I did not–”
“Enough!” roared Kpntel. “I tire of this banter. I will take my property now, and I would advise any who hold their lives dear not to interfere.”
As if on cue, the grizzly-pedes around them began closing in, each carrying at least a half-dozen blades. Even worse, there were at least ten of them, as more had arrived to support Kpntel while Skullcap had been conversing with him.
Almost on instinct, Maker’s group – including the Vacran – reconfigured itself into a small circle, with their backs to each other, at the same time pulling out their own weapons. Knowing that they needed an advantage, Maker was about to put his hand towards Erlen’s mouth when suddenly the Niotan, who had stayed near him but outside their circle, let out a deafening roar.
It wasn’t the loudest sound Maker had ever heard from Erlen, but it reverberated in a way that made it appear to last longer (and therefore seem more sonorous) than it actually was. More importantly, it seemed to have a chilling effect on just about everyone except Maker, causing Kpntel’s cohorts to cease their advance.
While everyone was still frozen, Erlen dashed towards a metallic pole located a few feet away. It was about ten yards in height, perhaps a foot in diameter, and – in Maker’s opinion – resembled a streetlight to some extent. The Niotan swiped at the base of the pole with his paw several times in rapid succession, an action that was accompanied by a tinny, high-pitched ping in each instance.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. After a few seconds, however, an ominous metallic groan began to emit from the pole. As Maker watched, the metal post began to lean forward like an oversized flower bending in the breeze. However, with the metallic groaning escalating in volume, it only took a moment for him to recognize that the pole was actually falling. (He also understood what had happened: Erlen, in fury, had sliced through the metal post with his claws.)
In addition, although he’d later wonder if Erlen had done it on purpose, Maker realized that the pole was falling directly towards Kpntel. More to the point, the grizzly-pede still appeared frozen by Erlen’s roar and simply stood there, staring, as the metal pole fell in his direction.
However, just before the pole struck Kpntel (and it surely would have bashed his brains out), it stopped. Amazingly, Fierce had stepped in and caught it, and now held the post (which must have been incredibly heavy) above his head like a powerlifter hoisting weights. And then he unexpectedly, but easily, bent the pole in half with no more effort than Maker would use to fold a piece of paper. When finished, Fierce flung the reshaped piece of metal to the ground near Kpntel’s feet.
Chapter 56
Maker couldn’t really read his expression, but it seemed to him that the grizzly-pede was dumbfounded. Kpntel’s eyes seemed to dart randomly back and forth between Erlen, Fierce, and the bent metal post. At the same time, his mouth seemed to work but no sound issued forth. His fellows, meanwhile, seemed to be waiting for some kind of direction with respect to what to do next.
“What’s happening?” Maker finally whispered to Skullcap. “Is he in shock or something?”
“At a guess,” the Vacran replied, “I’d assume that the actions of the Senu Lia and your subordinate have caused Kpntel to reassess the strength of his position.”
“So as far as he knows, all of us can bend steel with our bare hands,” Browing surmised. “He’s worried that he’s bitten off more than he can chew.”
“In essence, yes,” Skullcap confirmed. “Presumably he is reflecting on some manner of resolving the current conflict without losing face.”
“Hmmm,” Browing droned. “Maybe I can help.”
With that, Browing took a few steps toward the grizzly-pede leader, while Maker and the others quickly closed the gap in their circle caused by his departure.
“Great Kpntel,” Browing began, “allow me to apologize for the distress we have caused you and offer our sympathies for the loss of your property. Although our companion is not the female you seek, our preference is to resolve this encounter without either violence or incurring your wrath. To that end, I would propose that we offer you recompense for your, uh, losses.” He glanced momentarily at the grizzly-pede’s missing limbs. “Is there a price you will accept?”
Kpntel seemed to contemplate for a moment, then said, “Considering the rarity of my fracg’l – not to mention my injuries – I had not pondered the notion of a price.”
“Then we would be pleased if you would do so,” Browing stated. “Although we must continue on our journey, our colleague, the Vacra K’nsl” – he gestured towards Skullcap – “will vouch for payment.”
“The Vacra K’nsl?” the grizzly-pede repeated, looking at Skullcap. “You are he?”
“I am,” Skullcap confirmed. “I hereby confirm my comrade’s statements, and will provide you with a point of contact so that we may converse once you have settled on an asking price.”
Kpntel seem to consider the proposal for a moment, his eyes shifting between Browing and Skullcap as he contemplated the matter. Maker, quite certain that they were still going to have to fight for their lives, instinctively shifted his weight to the balls of his feet as they waited for the grizzly-pede to make a decision.
Apparently sensing that Kpntel needed an extra incentive to arrive at the right decision, Erlen coughed and then spat a bluish-green compound in the direction of the grizzly-pede. It landed on the pole Fierce had bent, and a moment later the air was filled with an angry hissing as the sputum began to dissolve the metal, emitting an ominous gray vapor in the process.
Kpntel’s eyes went wide for a moment as he watched the metal post being eaten away. He then let out something like a sigh and stated, “So be it. I accept your offer.”
Chapter 57
With their offer accepted by Kpntel, Maker’s group hustled back to the spaceport and a short time later was headed back to the Nova. The return trip, however, was an exercise in frustration for Maker. He was dying to debrief Diviana (who was again piloting) in order to find out exactly what had happened, but was adverse to doing it with Skullcap present. Aware that he’d have to wait to get Diviana’s story, he settled instead for quizzing their insectoid guest.
“So, who was that guy?” Maker asked Skullcap shortly after they left the planet.
“His race is the Xnjda,” the Vacran explained, “and judging by his bands, he is a member of their aristocracy.”
“Bands?” repeated Browing.
“Metallic rings worn on several of his limbs,” Skullcap explained. “With all the excitement, it’s possible you may not have noticed them.”
“I certainly didn’t,” Maker admitted.
“How much is he likely to demand in payment?” Browing asked.
“My hope is that he will ask for nothing,” the insectoid answered. “The Xnjda are a vainglorious people, for whom pride is practically a necessity of life. After ordering an attack on us, Kpntel could not stand down without experiencing shame, but a de
feat at the hands of ‘pets’ would have been almost as bad.”
“And he felt his side would lose after seeing what Erlen and Fierce could do,” Maker concluded.
“Correct,” Skullcap affirmed. “We offered him a resolution that would not cause a loss of prestige.” He turned to Browing. “It was incredibly shrewd of you to make that offer.”
Browing shrugged. “After what you said about him losing face, it seemed like the best option. After all, making that concession to him meant nothing to us, although I apologize for putting you on the hook for payment.”
Skullcap made a vague gesture. “It was the proper strategy. However, I must admit my surprise at hearing you converse with him directly, as his language should have been foreign to your translators.”
“We modified them,” Maker admitted, “adopting some of the technology from yours.”
“I see,” the insectoid said flatly. “In essence, you have been able to understand every word spoken during this jaunt.”
“More or less,” Maker confessed.
“I applaud your ingenuity,” Skullcap remarked in an emotionless tone. “But as I was saying, Kpntel is unlikely to seek redress because we allowed him to save face. With most Xnjda, that alone would be enough to assuage any wounded pride, as they would recognize it as the gift that it is.”
“And if he wants restitution anyway?” asked Fierce.
“Then I will pay him,” Skullcap stated with finality.
Chapter 58
The rest of the shuttle flight was made in general silence. Under other circumstances, Maker might have taken the opportunity to catch a quick catnap, but not with Skullcap on board. The Vacran had undoubtedly been on his best behavior throughout the course of the mission, but Maker was not about to be lulled into a false sense of security.
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