Arthur and the Andarran Rescue

by Craig Speakes

  ‘The Spice Sea?’ asked Margot. ‘I didn’t think there were any oceans or seas on this planet.’

  ‘Then ask yourself – where does all the water go?’ he replied, looking up at her and pausing briefly before returning to his map.

  ‘One of those questions I must’ve forgotten to ask myself,’ said Margot to Sky, trying to sound upbeat. They both grinned.

  ‘Is it far?’ asked Arthur. ‘To the sea, I mean?’

  Yan scribbled something down on a notepad he had taken out of his jacket pocket. ‘As far as I can tell, it’s going to take a week by foot to the sea, and then from there we’re going to need to find a way to get over it. There may be some kind of boat or something.’

  ‘Passage may be found aboard one of the trading vessels that operate there,’ came an unexpected voice. Everyone looked up. It was Char. He was standing there with several of his fighters. Seeing that Luca was still alive, Arthur smiled warmly at her.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Yan, lifting up the holographic map. ‘Any chance you can tell us the best way to get there?’

  ‘I will do better: I will take you there myself.’

  ‘Take us there?’ said Arthur, suddenly picturing Char aiming his rifle at him during the battle. The Major also looked uncomfortable at the sudden act of friendship.

  ‘That is very gracious of you, Char, but I think we’ve outstayed our welcome with the Argon brigade,’ said the Major.

  ‘That is true,’ replied Char. ‘But Sorin has chosen to send myself and my fighters with you. You may consider it a parting gift for being guests on our planet.’

  ‘The more the merrier, is all I can say,’ put in Margot, who hadn’t yet been told about what had transpired between Arthur and Char the previous evening. Char looked at her and smirked.

  ‘Your chances of staying alive are greatly increased if you accept our help,’ he said, now talking directly to Arthur.

  Sky frowned at Arthur. She, too, hadn’t been told about Char, and she sensed that Arthur was keeping something important from her.

  Reluctantly, the Major agreed when Char made it clear that if they accepted his offer, then their little expedition would be provided with all the clothing, equipment and supplies it required.

  ‘Walk with me,’ said Arthur to Sky when Char had gone. ‘We need to talk.’

  As they walked slowly about the entrance area inside the tunnel, Arthur, speaking in whispers, told Sky about what had happened during the game of Kerrenga and what Char had threatened them with if Arthur didn’t agree to play for the Arnac.

  ‘So that’s why you looked so pale on the wall before Char shot the Solarian! You thought he was going to shoot you?’

  ‘Yes I really think he was considering it. He was so angry when he lost.’

  ‘Okay – but he didn’t do it, and he saved your life.’

  ‘Yes, I know, but…’

  ‘But if he’d wanted to kill us, he could’ve easily done it when we were in the base. His men outnumbered us and no one would have seen it happen. Anyway, I don’t know… I’m not trying to defend him – he gives me the heebie-jeebies – but we don’t have anyone else lining up to help us.’

  The group rested there in the tunnel for the remainder of the day, prior to leaving the following morning. Arthur found it hard to sleep again that night as he replayed the events of the day over and over in his head. Yan, Margot and Sky all seemed to be feeling the same, each lying there with open eyes, staring silently at the roof of the tunnel. The cat, too, was strangely restless.

  Eventually, exhaustion overcame Arthur and he fell asleep. That night he dreamed that they had all arrived back on Earth. His father was with him but the flat that he’d lived in was no longer there, it had been destroyed along with most of the city… the city was empty… the Earth was at war… the Solarians had come.

  4

  Where Merlocks Roam

  The base at Rybok marked the outer edge of the Andarran network of tunnels. The group had no choice but to leave the safety of the tunnels and proceed out in the open through the mountain ranges of the northern part of the Central Zone. Compared to the warmth of the Nira valley, a week’s march behind them, the mountains were bitterly cold. Arthur shivered as he remembered how he’d been sitting in the warmth of the tunnels, foolishly wondering how it was possible that anyone could need so much clothing and equipment.

  ‘About minus forty centigrade,’ said Yan, looking at his watch strapped around the outside of his coat sleeve. It was too cold to expose skin for more than a few seconds, so he kept the watch he had brought with him from Earth on the outside of his coat. The wind made moving forwards a struggle, and just to be able to breathe Arthur had to bow his head low, his face totally covered by his balaclava-like mask.

  Char had told them he would lead them along the path of Gartarran, which wound its way from the tunnels over the peak of Mara and down towards the neutral village of Sa on the edge of the Spice Sea. Sky asked how it was that the village was considered neutral and Char explained that the Solarians had chosen to trade with the inhabitants of the Spice Sea rather than try to conquer them. They were content to trade weapons or energy for the spices that were mined on the islands and not to try to mine them themselves. The fact that the sea was covered by a thick roof of ice no more than 300 metres above the water also made it too risky for them to launch an invasion. Their battle cruisers could easily be destroyed under roof collapses. So an uneasy understanding existed between the Solarians and the traders of the Spice Sea.

  As the light began to fade on the second day, and with the weather showing signs of getting worse, the group took shelter in a cluster of caves for the night. Arthur helped Luca set up the cloaking shields near the entrances to the caves. The rest of the group moved further down inside to stay warm.

  ‘Luca,’ began Arthur, not sure quite how to ask what he wanted. Luca looked up at him and smiled. ‘You have a question, Keeper?’

  ‘Um, no,’ he replied, suddenly changing his mind. He had had half a mind to ask her why Char had been chosen to take them to Sa, but in the end he decided that it might be better not to ask.

  She looked at him questioningly. ‘Well, when you’re sure about what you want to ask, then ask,’ she said and smiled at him again. As they walked back towards the others, Arthur saw Sky watching them.

  ‘Flirting with her again, were you?’ She asked when he had come back.

  ‘Flirting?’

  ‘Yes… making her smile… you know, flirting.’

  ‘Yes, I know what flirting is, but I wasn’t flirting. I was asking her a question, if you must know!’

  ‘Oh, and what were you asking her about?’

  ‘Well, nothing, actually. I decided not to ask her.’

  ‘Really! How about that, then.’

  ‘It’s not any of your business anyway,’ he said, suddenly feeling embarrassed at what Sky was getting at.

  ‘Fine! Then don’t ask me for my help again!’ said Sky, getting up and walking off.

  Arthur slumped down and watched her find a spot as far away from him as she could, wondering what had just happened.

  ‘See what happens when you make a girl jealous?’ said Margot, who was sitting nearby and had overheard their argument.

  Arthur frowned.

  ‘You didn’t know?’ She asked softly.

  ‘Know what?’ He asked, wondering if he really wanted to know.

  ‘Um… that the cat has been complaining your backpack is not well protected from the cold,’ replied Margot, sharply changing the subject.

  ‘What?’ He asked. ‘The cat?’

  ‘Yep, seems so,’ said Margot, getting up and also walking off to where Sky had just gone.

  Arthur might have wondered what it was that he had just missed, but all of a sudden he felt the floor of the cave shake. A few seconds later…
<
br />   ‘Avalanche!’ cried out Captain Schmidt as a dense cloud of snow burst through the entrance of the cave, knocking him off his feet. The air instantly became saturated with snow, making it hard to see and breathe.

  ‘The entrances are blocked,’ called the Captain, finding his feet again.

  ‘Everyone to the entrance,’ ordered Char’s voice from somewhere deeper in the cave. Arthur, no longer able to see any further than the length of his arm, grabbed a telescopic spade from the side of his pack and, using the wall as his guide, went to help. Soon the whole group were digging.

  Several hours later, they broke through the snow and ice and into the open air. By this time the mountains were cloaked in darkness and the temperature had fallen dramatically. Yet, for a time, even the freezing cold felt better than the increasingly suffocating atmosphere of the cave under the snow. Arthur turned on his night vision. The wind had dropped and he stood listening to the sounds of the mountains, the far-off rumble of perhaps another avalanche. There was also an unusual noise, something he, at least, had never heard before. He strained his hearing to catch it.

  ‘There it is again!’ He whispered to himself. Arthur raised his hand to attract the attention of Luca and Char, who were standing near the entrance, and waved them over.

  ‘Listen,’ whispered Arthur before they’d had a chance to ask him what he wanted. ‘What’s that sound?’

  The three of them quietly listened and waited, Char raising his rifle in readiness. A sound like the cry of a frightened cat broke the silence.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Arthur again.

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied Char slowly, walking forwards and engaging his night vision. Arthur moved with him.

  ‘Walk in my steps, Keeper, the snow here is still unstable after the avalanche.’

  The thickly snow-covered slope dropped steeply away from the mouth of their cave. The noise, louder this time, filled the air. Char stopped and raised his rifle.

  ‘A merlock!’

  Arthur took several steps forwards so that he could see the creature. There, perhaps a dozen metres in front of them, something very large and very black was lying in the snow. As he stood there, the creature turned itself crookedly towards them, crying out as it moved, one of its enormous wings outstretched and limp.

  ‘Be careful, Keeper! Its wings can cut you in two!’

  ‘I didn’t think that merlocks hurt Andarrans – at least, that’s what Finna told us,’ he said.

  ‘This bird is injured, so it may try to protect itself,’ Char explained. ‘It would be best if we end its suffering quickly and go back to the shelter.’ He flicked his rifle into active mode.

  ‘No, wait!’ cried Arthur. ‘I don’t feel that he wants to hurt us. Please, ask your medic to bring whatever she can – this merlock needs our help.’

  ‘Keeper, I strongly advise against this foolishness. You are new to this planet and have no idea how things are here.’

  Arthur stepped between Char and the giant creature, looking at the soldier straight down the barrel of the rifle he was pointing at it.

  ‘Char, trust me: this merlock will not hurt us. It needs us to help it.’

  Char stared at him doubtfully.

  ‘I have never heard of such a thing,’ he said. ‘But you may risk your life if you wish,’ he added, turning and climbing back up the steep slope to the cave.

  Once Char had gone, Arthur tentatively faced the merlock, taking a small step towards it. The giant bird watched him, motionless.

  ‘My name is Arthur,’ said Arthur, not sure if he should try to talk to it or not.

  The bird opened its beak and then closed it. Encouraged, he took another step. Still the bird didn’t move. Arthur could feel his heart pounding as he got closer to the huge beast, which half resembled pictures of dragons from storybooks back on Earth and half resembled a giant eagle.

  ‘I am going to try to help you,’ he said, struggling to keep his voice calm.

  Arthur held out a trembling hand and slowly touched the creature’s beak, gasping in relief when it didn’t try to bite his hand off or worse. He stroked the merlock along the side of its neck, with no protest from the creature. Suddenly it flinched and Arthur stepped back quickly in alarm. It was looking towards the slope that led from the cave. Char, Sky, Suza the medic, Luca and several others had appeared. Arthur signalled for them to stay where they were and not to move.

  ‘Suza – please, he will not harm you,’ called out Arthur, trying to keep his voice calm.

  Suza slowly and carefully approached the giant bird.

  ‘It’s okay,’ whispered Arthur, stroking the side of the creature’s long, thick neck. ‘She isn’t going to hurt you.’

  Suza took out several objects from her bag and proceeded to scan it.

  ‘His right wing is damaged and fractured. He may have been caught by the avalanche, or else he was already injured.’

  ‘Can we do anything to help him?’ asked Arthur.

  ‘I can mend the fracture, but I can’t heal the muscle; that will take several days.’

  ‘He won’t be able to fly?’

  ‘I do not think so, no.’

  Making slow and deliberate movements, she attached one of her devices to the injured wing. The merlock swung its huge neck round and opened its beak at her. Arthur saw Char and several others raise their rifles.

  ‘Wait!’ He said, trying to keep his voice steady.

  ‘She is not going to hurt you… she is going to help you,’ he said, stepping between Suza and the beast and once again stroking its beak. The merlock made a sort of faint squawking sound and allowed Suza to continue. Her hands were shaking violently as she placed another device on the bird’s wing.

  ‘Will it be okay by itself?’ asked Sky, who had been slowly edging towards them. ‘I mean, if we treat it and then leave?’

  ‘Perhaps,’ said Suza. ‘I cannot say for certain. Merlocks have few natural enemies – any more than that, I cannot say.’

  ‘Then I’ll stay with him,’ said Arthur. ‘I’ll catch you up in a few days.’

  ‘What makes you care so much for this merlock?’ asked Luca in surprise, still keeping her distance from it.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Arthur, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I just have this feeling that I must try to save him. Is it so bad?’

  ‘No, Keeper, but it is very unusual that you should feel that you must heal such a creature.’

  Suza stood back from the giant bird.

  ‘Now you must wait – but not here, the temperature will soon get too low for you to be outside. The merlock will be fine; it has adapted to the climate, and there is nothing more we can do for it now.’

  Arthur agreed. He was already feeling the cold through his thick clothing.

  ‘I’ll come back in the morning,’ he whispered to the merlock and turned to go. The merlock leaned forward and nudged Arthur’s face gently with the side of its head. He smiled and understood in that moment that they had become friends.

  Arthur returned to the cave with the others and settled down in the relative warmth. He ate what Captain Schmidt and one of Char’s fighters, named Faron, had prepared for everyone. He smiled to himself when he saw the Captain and Faron laughing about something. Luca came and sat down nearby, her pale eyes glowing with the reflection of the heating devices that the Andarrans used in such cold weather.

  For the rest of that evening, Arthur sat by himself and tried to take his mind off the heavy feeling of how much he missed home. It was the first time since he’d been on Andarra that he’d felt it so strongly. The fact that Sky was ignoring him seemed to make it worse. Only the cat, who was sleeping, reminded him of the better times.

  The next morning, Arthur got up at first light and left the cave to check on the merlock. Heavy snow was falling as he picked his way down the slope, stumbling sev
eral times as the snow gave way under him.

  At first glance, it looked as though the merlock was no longer there. Everything was white and smooth where he had last seen it. As he shuffled closer, he heard a sound like a horse snorting.

  ‘Merlock?’ He whispered, not wanting to call out loudly and disturb the early-morning silence. No response.

  ‘Merlock?’ He whispered again.

  This time the giant bird raised its head up out of the heavy blanket of snow it had been lying under and shook itself.

  ‘Hello, boy,’ said Arthur, edging over to the dragon-like creature and stroking its neck. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘How do you know it’s a boy?’ asked Sky unexpectedly, making him jump.

  ‘Where did you come from?!’

  ‘I followed you down here. You would have noticed if your head wasn’t so full of thoughts of merlocks and certain other creatures,’ she said, doing her best to sound indifferent.

  ‘What?’ He asked, again feeling as though he wasn’t understanding something. ‘Certain other creatures?’

  ‘Yes, well, I suppose she is attractive in an Andarran sort of way, but I think she is too old for you if you want my honest opinion on the subject.’

  Forgetting about the merlock, he turned and stared at her.

  ‘Sky, what are you talking about?’ He asked, suddenly realising what Margot had told and not told him the day before.

  ‘Me? Nothing, what you do with your life is your business… Nothing to do with me, right?’

  ‘Well, yes, but what have you got against Luca?’

  ‘I don’t have anything against Luca. As I said, I think she’s quite attractive, don’t you?’

  ‘Me? Well, I suppose so. I hadn’t really noticed.’

  ‘Really?’ said Sky, forcing a laugh.

  ‘Yes… what?’

  ‘Nothing. Are you going to tell me how you know?’

  ‘How I know what?’

  ‘The merlock! If it’s male or female.’