The Fifth Civilization: A Novel

by Peter Bingham-Pankratz

  They’d have been more surprised to see Kotarans come through if one hadn’t arrived at the holding cell the day before.

  The warden swiped his key card on the side of a heavy door and it responded with clangs of unlocking. Then the door slid open laboriously—it had not been oiled in a long time. Though short for the Kotarans, they squeezed through the threshold just fine. At the other end was a desk, with a guard on duty watching a holorecording of an eating contest that had gained planetary renown (the champion had eaten his own fingers and not realized it). When the warden arrived, the guard switched it off and stood at attention.

  Grinek knew enough Bauxen to understand that the warden had caught the guard by surprise, and the officer wanted to know what these Kotarans were doing here. The warden explained that the prisoner was going to be released, and the guard sputtered a bit, but not before letting out his hand and showing the warden the way to the cell. The warden turned to Grinek, smiled and held out his fleshy hands, and slowly walked down the hall.

  Three cells sat in the darkened hallway. They were temporary facilities meant to hold prisoners before they were taken to the spaceport and then to their final holding destinations, whether on-planet or on another world. Through their transparent doors, Grinek could see that two of them, the ones on opposite sides of the hallway, held Bauxens that appeared to be asleep or moaning in drunkenness. At the end of the corridor was a third cell, which contained the man they sought. The warden slid his keycard in a panel on the wall and pressed a button, and the transparent door of the third cell opened. Sitting on his bench, facing the door and staring at those who’d come for him, was Specialist Roh.

  Grinek lifted his palm in the typical salute. “You are free, my friend.”

  Roh stood and walked out of the cell. He paused, glanced around the jail, and grimaced in satisfaction. Then he, too, raised his palm in a salute. “Commander Grinek,” Roh said, “It is an honor to see you again.”

  “Specialist Roh, have you been treated well?” Grinek saw that the prisoner stared intensely at the warden. “Don’t worry, he barely speaks Kotaran.”

  Roh snarled. “Not by the Earthmen, commander, nor by these slimy ingrates. They barely fed me.” Grinek looked over the prisoner, and was shocked to see that he was right: his muscle and body weight had degenerated over the course of the month. His ears dropped, and his tail was noticeably shorter and wrinkled. Roh was no longer the fearsome man he once was. Surely the Earthmen had tortured him by denying the nourishment he required.

  “We will deal with that, Specialist. Soon enough we will enact our revenge against them.”

  “They are still on this planet, Commander?”

  “Oh yes, and you are welcome to help in capturing them.”

  Roh laughed. “Yes, Commander. By the grave of Fox’Lo I will.”

  Grinek knew that Roh was a ghin and resigned himself to the man’s ignorance. But he was a grunt, and it didn’t matter what his beliefs were—in fact, perhaps being religious improved his ability to be a soldier. Passion and aggression had to come from somewhere, and if Roh was fearsome because of his religious fervor, than he was far superior to the weak rage of the Council and of Vorjos.

  Grinek motioned for his two flanking bodyguards to turn and they promptly did so, heading back to the exit. Roh stepped forward and passed Grinek, following the two bodyguards out to where their shuttle was waiting. As he left, Grinek wagged his ears at the warden, who smiled and muttered a badly-mangled thank you in Kotaran. Grinek then simply walked outside, past the Bauxens who paid the four towering aliens terrified grimaces.

  There was no way to free Roh without resorting to bribery, something Grinek didn’t want to do but what Vorjos commanded. Grinek had personally gone to the embassy in the capital to plead for an operation against the prison, but they too recommended bribery. Any violent incident against the authorities could collapse a Kotaran-Bauxen agreement on the supplying of lithium generators. So all it then took was a visit to Bauxen Chief Yohvin’s associates in Erwo Seg, who agreed to contact the people holding Roh and offer his release. They were political enemies of those who controlled the prison system and were happy to cause them some inconvenience. Of course, it took all matter of exorbitant bribes to free them—bribes to the associates, bribes to the bureaucrat in charge of the prison, and bribes to the warden who would have to say that his Kotaran prisoner got “lost” in transit. Hundreds of millions of terts were wasted, billed to the embassy, and Grinek knew he would eventually take the blame for all of that. Bribery was always much simpler on Kotara.

  But it didn’t matter. They would soon enough find it was all worth it.

  Roh, the bodyguards, and Grinek piled into the shuttle. It blasted off from the prison pad and headed out over the ocean. They were headed to collect a Bauxen ship that Chief Yohvin’s friends in Erwo Seg had provided the Kotarans with, free of charge. Since the Hanyek was forbidden by treaty from operating in Bauxa’s atmosphere, this ship would have to do for a raid on the Earthmen.

  It took yet another bribe to learn that the Colobus and the Earthmen had landed in the Port of Siy and were in the care of a royal, Prince Duvurn Dedro.

  Duvurn was a royal non-entity with a minor fortune and a tenuous claim to be the heir of a local fiefdom. Unfortunately for him, two other princes claimed themselves as heir. Grinek reasoned that if this prince were done away with the carnage could be blamed on any number of his enemies. So he proposed a strike team that he himself would lead. Vorjos disapproved, but what else was new? The embassy had told both Grinek and Vorjos that anyone who kidnapped a Kotaran officer must either be captured or disposed of. Grinek’s explanation that the culprits were on Bauxa had convinced the embassy that direct action was needed. And as the local diplomats, they overruled the protests of Vorjos.

  And thus, a strike team was assembled.

  After a few minutes of flying into a vast horizon of seawater—which bored Grinek to no end—they arrived on the continent of Yi Ree Rey. There were much more interesting landscapes here, including coastal villages and miles of factories, all to fuel the interstellar trade of the Bauxens. Grinek imagined how all these factories could serve to build a greater Kotara when they were inevitably brought under Kotaran control. He reflected on this until they reached the designated point, a reservoir on the outskirts of the Port of Siy.

  The port smelled awful, and Grinek reasoned it was because of all the animal rendering plants nearby. He ached to again sit in peace in the jungles of Degmorra, where the smell of the damp soil and the wind in the trees calmed him. But for now, duty called. Salutes greeted Grinek as he marched to the garbage scow, an elongated Bauxen ship with a rectangular midsection and triangular compartments on the sides. Grinek scowled as he remembered the type of vessel from his own time on Bauxa. Their operational ship, it seemed, would be a garbage scow.

  As if things could not get any worse, Captain Sisal was already there at the edge of the reservoir, his fist raised in salute.

  “Commander. I congratulate you on finding the prisoner.”

  Grinek did not return it. “Of course we found him! He was right where we knew he was.” Roh stepped up alongside Grinek, and the breeze from the reservoir flapped the man’s ears. To Grinek, Roh seemed to be savoring his newfound freedom.

  “Commander,” Sisal continued, “Observer Vorjos again requests that we return to the ship and remain content to follow the Earthmen to their destination. He says it will save us much trouble.”

  “Will it, Sisal? And what if we lose them? You are sounding very close to contradicting what the embassy has instructed: that we are to confront the people who kidnapped Specialist Roh. Do you not see Roh standing right in front of you—and you dare to tell him we should not avenge his captivity?”

  “Commander,” Sisal said, taking a step back but keeping his hands firmly behind his back. “I’m afraid we can’t do this. I must follow the orders of my superior—and Vorjos is my superior, Commander. You are the voice of G
rinek, and Vorjos is the voice of the government. That might as well be the voice of a god.”

  Grinek bared his teeth. “You forget, Sisal, that I am a god. When I decide a man must die, he dies.”

  The rest of the crew, standing outside the scow at attention, watched with interest. Grinek surveyed them, and they showed no sign of going along with Sisal. At the same time, Grinek knew their sympathies were subject to whoever was giving the orders. If Grinek let this stand, his authority would be compromised. It was actually amusing, really, that Grinek could use this opportunity to do what for so long he’d fantasized about.

  “Specialist Roh,” Grinek said to the alien standing next to him, who seemed revitalized by the outside air. Roh straightened his back. “If I gave you an order, would you carry it out unquestioningly, without haste?”

  “Yes, Commander, of course.”

  “Good. In lieu of his blatant insubordination, I order you to kill Captain Sisal immediately. Use your bare hands if you still have the strength.” There wasn’t even a moment’s pause, as if Roh had anticipated the order. Grinek had just enough time to turn his head see Sisal’s expression, which was one of absolute fright as he reached for his holster. He was foolish not to have a weapon at the ready. Roh pounced on him, tumbling to ground and pinning the captain’s arms under his knees. Sisal cried out, but Roh silenced him by grabbing his snout. Then he twisted the captain’s head to the right, and then left, and then the right again until a snap was audible even over the breeze of the reservoir.

  Roh stood, and Sisal’s eyes were still moving, searching around, but this might have been involuntary. There was a long sigh from his mouth as the last gasp of air escaped, and then the captain lay there, motionless.

  “Excellent,” Grinek said. “I see your strength has not completely disappeared. Thank you, Roh.” Roh bared his teeth and stepped away from the body. All of the crewmen were now focused on the body of their former captain, some wide-eyed in terror, but all silent.

  “Are there any other inquiries about the Observer? No? Good, then we can continue with this strike. If the coordinates are all uploaded to this Bauxen piece of shit, then by all means let’s get underway. We are to maintain strict radio silence. No one is to contact the Hanyek.” Grinek looked down at the body of Sisal, and had a brief moment of regret that he didn’t kill the captain himself. Ah, it was always more enjoyable to watch such things, anyway.

  “You and you,” Grinek commanded, pointing to two men. “Dump Sisal’s body in the reservoir. The Bauxens will be drinking him in no time.” The two frightened crewmen immediately ran to the body and hoisted it up, carrying it down to the water’s edge. “You are ordered not to bring up what happened to Sisal unless asked,” he shouted to the crew. “Let his disappearance speak for itself!” Amid acknowledgements from those assembled, Grinek took Roh by the shoulder and led him to the scow. They were going to have a nice chat about strategy.

  Chapter 24

  “You told him what?” Kel screamed.

  “I didn’t think I had a choice!” Roan tried his best to keep his voice down, lest any Bauxen in the foyer below hear them arguing. He’d found Kel in the same plush bedroom where she’d fallen asleep the day before, exhausted from a month of space travel. She was just waking up, and when Roan entered she clutched the covers close to her naked chest. It was not the kind of situation where you told someone bad news, such as the compromising of your quest.

  “What was Duvurn going to do to you? Kill you? I don’t think he can afford to kill foreigners right now. And he doesn’t just turn people over to the Kotarans. That was all an idle threat to get you to talk.”

  “Kel, I don’t respond well to threats. Sometimes I give in.” Roan walked a little closer, and Kel pushed the covers closer to her body. At any moment she looked as though she might start kicking and send him reeling out the door. “Look, let’s just go to breakfast, and we can talk about it with Duvurn then. He offered us some men, Kel. Don’t you think we might need a bit of a crew before we trade one godforsaken rock for another?”

  Kel clenched her teeth. “I was going to ask Duvurn for some manpower, but I didn’t want to tell him the whole story. Now we have no choice.” She gently let the covers fall a little, so that her clavicles were showing. But that was all. The tension was slowly evaporating from her. “Breakfast is going to be real fun, I can guarantee. Now if I can just get dressed, Roan, that would be stellar.”

  “Kel, I’ve seen you—”

  “Please, Roan. Before I throw a lamp at you.” That was not an idle threat, if a little extreme. He left Kel alone a lot on this trip. Or at least, he was asked to leave her alone. Confronting her now wasn’t going to do any good. So he threw his hands up and ducked out into the hallway.

  While bouncing down the staircase to the ground floor, Roan noticed David wandered in from the outside. He’d lost sight of the Nyden the previous night and wondered where he’d slept, if anywhere. David titled his head up as Roan approached him, then deeply nodded in greeting.

  “What’s outside that’s so interesting, David?” Roan asked, stepping onto the foyer floor.

  “Good morning, Mr. Roan. I was just walking through the Garden of Life. You should really do that yourself, in fact. It is quite enthralling. I never realized the level of dedication some Bauxens have to the natural world.”

  “That’s great, David. Listen, you haven’t seen Duvurn, have you?”

  David nodded. “In fact, I was just speaking with him in the garden.”

  “Were you?” Roan listened closely and could hear the tap of the Prince’s cane on the gravel path outside the front entrance. Duvurn was, indeed, not far behind. “Did he ask you about where we’re going? Aaron’s planet, I mean.”

  “Yes, Mr. Roan. In fact, I’m afraid the Prince knows our purpose in coming to Bauxa.”

  So Duvurn had told David, too. At least the Nyden didn’t seem too angry.

  “Actually, Mr. Roan, I am quite glad he knows. He is willing to sponsor this last leg of the voyage. He will provide us with more crewmen to aid in the operation of the Colobus. Prince Duvurn is a most generous Bauxen.”

  “Indeed I am!” The voice came from the steps, which Duvurn was now climbing to the palace doors. He was followed by the same bodyguard present during his night visit with Roan. “Generosity is something we royals are good at. Perhaps it is because we have so much money that we feel good spreading it around for a change.” The Prince stopped in front of the two offworlders, scratching his side as he approached. “Ah, that feels much better, doesn’t it David? Nothing like talking business during a morning walk. Makes me look forward to breakfast.”

  David nodded, while Roan looked back and forth between the two men. They sure as hell acted like old friends, but Roan wasn’t sure that’s what they considered each other.

  “Nicholas Roan, since you are all dressed and well-rested, perhaps you can join me for breakfast? David has expressed an interest in trying our cream-of-swamp soup. You’ll love it! And we can continue to talk business.”

  “Um…I’d be honored.”

  “Good!” Duvurn let out a wave to someone behind Roan. “Ah, there’s your former lover now!” Roan turned to see Kel coming down the staircase, dressed in navy blue coveralls and wearing a cap with the Colobus name emblazoned on its front. She looked quizzically at the strange collection of men assembled at her feet.

  “I’m sorry,” David whispered, “I told him you and the captain were once intimate.”

  “I figured.”

  Kel folded her arms as she arrived on the main floor. “Were you all waiting for me?”

  “No, but it’s fortunate you came,” Duvurn said. “We are going to have breakfast and then discuss business. Somehow I think you all will want to leave here as soon as possible. Come, please!”

  “Well then,” Kel said, “Looks like we have no choice but to eat.”

  Duvurn smiled and motioned to the door to the fining hall. Something very good was on t
he other side, judging by the smell wafting through. Roan’s stomach growled in anticipation. Anything would be better than duc.

  “Where’s the rest of the crew?” Kel asked. “Can’t you wake them?”

  “I could get my ‘bots on it,” Duvurn said. “But your crew has been through one hell of an ordeal. Why not let them sleep? My servants will bring up some elzen for them to have later.”

  They were almost to the dining hall doors. David had ambled alongside Duvurn. “Tell me, are baked kidneys still part of the traditional Bauxen first meal?”

  “Oh yes,” Duvurn said. “That and more, in fact. My chef has some surprises for us.”

  Roan thought that sounded utterly—

  A tremulous roar and then the whole palace shook. Kel and David instinctively threw their hands to their ears at the intense noise. Roan thought something had exploded, but the noise was still present, just growing softer. He put together what it was quickly: a sonic boom, or at least something flying at very near the speed of sound and passing right over the palace. In a few seconds, the roar returned. Grew louder.

  “Dammit!” Duvurn shouted. “They rerouted traffic over my palace again! I told them, I don’t want any of the blasted ships ruining my quiet!”

  “That’s not traffic!” Roan screamed. The palace shook again, and the lights flickered. Splintering appeared on the glass pillars containing the fish, who were swimming frantically in circles, startled by the tremendous noise. Roan ran to the front entrance to see if he could see the culprit, and saw the backside of a slanted vessel as it turned to make another pass. It was Bauxen. The ship was descending rapidly now, appearing to aim for the courtyard in front of the palace, amid the fountains and the hedges. Dust and debris from its updraft blew through the front doors.