Star Chaser- The Traveler

by Reiter

  Danatra started to speak but Laylaria had already lifted her hand in a manner that all in the family were accustomed to seeing… and obeying. “There is no intrusion, Old Traveler,” she said as she approached the kneeling Vinthur. The tone of her voice gave sign that she was indeed surprised by the unannounced visitation, but it was also stately, as a courteous representative of the Malgovi race should speak. “The Stars and I welcome you, and I ask you to stand before us.”

  “Many thanks,” Nugar replied as he stood up straight. “I fear my range of courtesy these star-terms is retarded by my age.” Saru and Laejem entered the room and they were both quick to cast their eyes over the chamber and the two female Malgovi therein. Both looked over Laylaria, saw her seal and were immediately impressed. Danatra was the next to receive their inspection. Laejem smiled at the young Malgovi female and the blue streaks in her long brown hair, but it became clear to him rather quickly that her gold eyes were locked on Saru and his saytrah was all too eager to return the gaze.

  “Hardly,” Laylaria smiled brightly. “You honor the Stars and my family, Old Traveler. But to what do we owe this visitation?”

  “The gallantry of your Vu-Khan,” Nugar said in a lower and calmer tone. It was warm and wise, embracing everyone in the chamber.

  “Oh my!” Laylaria said, taking a step back. “Has word of my Gantee’s ability reached the K’Dalkian system? These are his first Games, but he has yet to be marked for his skill with iro.”

  Nugar frowned and nodded as his head tilted to the side. “Then you have been blessed with three wonderful children by my count. For the Vu-Khan I speak of is not a participant of the Iro-Games.

  “Are you, boy?” Nugar asked, turning to face Dungias who had just managed to make his way into the room.

  “I am not,” Dungias replied, making his way around his new friends to deliver the tray of refreshments to his mother and Vi-Prin.

  “Ah, you see, not a Gamesman,” Nugar confirmed, slapping Dungias on the back. “… but a hero nonetheless.”

  “Dungias?!” Danatra barked, drawing the gaze of Nugar to her eyes.

  “He saved my life,” the old Vinthur attested as he nodded toward Danatra.

  “Dungias?” Laylaria called to her Vu-Khan as he placed the tray down on the stand next to their seats.

  “An exaggeration, my Vi-Zai,” Dungias was quick to reply. “It was a very simple matter of activating his elixir capsule.”

  “You know of these things?” Laylaria asked, looking at her eldest boy as if she had never seen him before.

  “Something I read some time ago, my Vi-Zai,” Dungias answered.

  “Well, it was reading well-applied!” Nugar spoke loudly again with a big smile stretched across his face. “Imagine where I’d be had he skimmed that section!” he laughed as he slapped Laylaria’s shoulder. The moment the contact was made, Laejem and Saru jumped; their bodies stiffened and they braced for the worst of reprisals.

  “We would all be at a loss,” Laylaria said with a gentle smile as she stepped back, ushering the Vinthur to the chairs. “Old Traveler, could I interest you–”

  “Don’t mind if I do!” Nugar snapped as he stepped forward and quickly took the best seat in the room… Laylaria’s. He leaned forward and looked down into the arena with an anxious face, like that of a child visiting the spectacle for the very first time. He brushed back his thinning and very long gray braids. “Where’s the drin– ah, here they are!” Nugar helped himself to the drinks Dungias had been carrying as Laylaria sat in the chair beside him. “There’s not enough for everyone!” he declared.

  “Dungias,” Danatra barked. “What are you waiting for?”

  “Obviously he is waiting for my ward to demonstrate her manners,” Nugar said as he looked back at Saru. “Go with him! Four hands can carry more than two.”

  “As you wish, Gemnur,” Saru said as she bowed to Nugar and then turned to face Dungias, waiting for him to show her the way. Dungias was a few tanku slow on the uptake, but he quickly realized what he should be doing and walked out of the room.

  Laejem took the seat closest to Danatra and set his eyes upon her. His were of a rust color, much like Laylaria’s, but mixed well with his orange-streaked black hair.

  “Gemnur,” Laylaria repeated, smiling at the complete lack of shyness in the young Vinthur eyeing her daughter. “You are her… oh, what is the word for ‘Vi-Zai’ again… uhm, her ishah’s nur?”

  “Nur’s nur, your Grace,” Nugar answered between gulps.

  “And the sash you wear?” Laylaria asked in K’Vo.

  Nugar knew well the language the female was speaking. She was an Iro-Gellvi and in obvious favor of the Royal House. There were things she would have either known before she took the post or taught soon after accepting it. Nugar put his eyes on hers and moved his hand to his sash, turning it over to show the accolades that had been pinned there.

  Laylaria looked at the small pins that were indicators of the old one’s prowess in a spacecraft. He was also a decorated soldier, accomplished in the wielding of the Osamu that was tucked into the holster at the end of the sash. Laylaria had not seen an Osamu in several orbi-terms, and she knew he was merely allowing her to see his.

  “You honor me,” Laylaria said softly as she gazed on the sheathed rod.

  “Your Vu-Khan has honored my life!” Nugar returned.

  Laylaria continued her inspection until she was halfway down the sheath of the powerful device. A symbol had been etched into the sheath and Laylaria quickly looked away as the Osamu and its housing returned to their invisible and intangible state.

  “You truly honor me!” Laylaria gasped.

  “Your Vu-Khan has truly honored my life,” Nugar insisted.

  “You suffer from the Hard Chest,” Laylaria said. “A common occurrence when the elder of each of our kind visits the system of the other.”

  “How kind of you to say elder and not ancient,” Nugar quickly returned.

  Laylaria allowed a soft smile as her head tilted in contemplation. “Are you here for the Royals?”

  “Should I be?” Nugar asked, again frowning. He was quite surprised by the question and more concerned with what the answer to his inquiry might mean for his visit.

  ** b *** t *** o *** r **

  “It should be just a little longer,” Dungias said as he led Saru through the crowd. They truly had their work cut out for them. The time for the Games to begin was drawing close and the flow of traffic was moving against them. Twice Dungias had to stop to make sure Saru was with him, which only meant he had to reassert himself to resume forward progress. Seeing the futility of their current approach, Dungias looked at the female Vinthur, swallowed hard and reached out his hand.

  “Stay with me,” he urged and without speaking Saru took hold of his forearm in a fashion that allowed him to grasp hers. He was quick to turn his head, hoping Saru would simply assume he was looking in the direction he was walking.

  The touch of her skin had sent a shudder through his body. There was a warmth and softness to the palm of her hand against his bare forearm. His thoughts were so focused on the tenderness of her flesh that he missed the strength of her grip altogether. As he pulled her along, her grip did not slide. A smile formed on Dungias’ face as he opened his eyes. In a very short span of time, this was the second occasion where she had been asked to trust him to perform. He was not about to fail her, but he was mindful of his size and strength and tried not to be rude. Malgovi, being a practical sort of people, did not take the time to argue the youth walking against the tide. He was large, quick of foot, and obviously determined. It was simpler to allow him a slight avenue of passage for whatever trek he was engaged to see through. When they reached the service point, the manager was switching off his dispensers.

  “Excuse me!” he called out to the older male Malgovi who could not help but hear his voice. He turned to see Dungias and the Vinthur female approaching. The former might have been cause for reconsideration, but
the latter only made him hasten his efforts to close. “Please sir, the only other facility is on the other side of the arena.”

  “And by the time you get there it too will be closed!” he barked. “The Games are about to start.”

  “I think we tell Gellvi her drinks bothers you!” Saru said firmly in her broken Liangu. Dungias turned his head in surprise to look at the person who had been walking with him. He then looked at the manager of the stand only to witness the effect of her implication. While the general perception of the Vinthur might have been of the unworthy sort, their veracity was hardly ever called into question. The likelihood the female knew an Iro-Gell was incredibly high. The man quickly stepped behind the serving counter and asked for their order. Not wanting to disappoint his Vi-Zai, and sensing Danatra was already in a mood, Dungias made an order that was much larger than he hoped he needed. He even helped pour the liquid refreshments while the manager brought out the confections.

  “Welcome!” Dungias could hear the announcer as the people cheered. “Welcome one and welcome all!” A frown formed on the face of the young Malgovi, silently calling into question whether or not he was actually welcome. “By the Light of Zurmanro Vi-Gan Galvastus, for whom our Royal Family was named, I welcome you to the Iro-Games of TehShagu!” Dungias leaned against the wall and waited, choosing to think of other things… simpler things… things that actually made sense to him. The young Vinthur female watched him for a moment. He did not act like so many other Malgovi her age. He was not obsessed with the Games at all – that made him seem almost alien.

  “You not seem pacing for time,” Saru observed.

  “In truth, I am not,” Dungias answered, confused as to why he felt dizzy. “The beginning of the Games is more of a showcase than competition. I have seen my Vu-Prin all his life. Watching him walk in a large circle does little for me.”

  “Your Vu-Prin?” the food facility manager said. “Which Gamesman is your Vu-Prin?”

  “Z’Gunok Tel Gantee,” Dungias replied.

  “You are of the House Z’Gunok?!”

  “Kith Z’Gunok,” Dungias corrected.

  “Your Vu-Prin is the local favorite!” the manager shouted with a bright smile. “I will help you carry your refreshments.”

  “That will not be–”

  “Thank you!” Saru said quickly, flashing a bright smile. Before long the three of them were making their way back to the Z’Gunok box and Dungias’ Vi-Zai was introduced to yet another impromptu guest.

  “You missed the procession!” Danatra snapped.

  “Gantee will walk around once more when he has won the Games,” Dungias argued as he set down the drinks. He handed one to his mother, who had lost hers to Nugar and had not taken the one meant for Danatra.

  Laylaria looked on her son as she received her glass. She nodded at the food facility manager who was boasting about how much special attention he had paid to the blend, making sure not to add too much foam. But hers was quite foamy, just the way she liked it, and her cup was very neat, precise…

  “Exact!” she thought as she nodded to the falsely bragging Malgovi. Her eyes never left her Vu-Khan, though. He served everyone else in the room, including the loquacious Malgovi, before he took one sip for himself. “He is nothing if he is not exact.”

  “It is amazing what we sometimes miss, is it not?” Nugar whispered to her.

  “More amazing is what we choose not to see,” she replied, taking a healthy gulp of the foam without swallowing. The beverage fizzled, tickling the roof of her mouth, and it tasted sweeter as she swallowed. “It is not by chance that you are here, is it?”

  “There is little chance to speak of in the Stars, blessed Iro-Gellvi,” Nugar replied. “It is simply not in in their nature. What little chance they possess comes from that which we have given them. Perhaps that is why they keep us around. But that is not to say that–”

  “Old Traveler, remember your place and I shall remember mine!” Laylaria interrupted. “I may have wandered far and wide from the trek of a good mother, but that does not remove me from the potential course correction.”

  “No, it does not,” Nugar agreed. “Still, the Stars have yet to show me why I am here. I only know this is where I have felt myself led.”

  “Led to a place which might have killed you had it not been for my child,” Laylaria countered. “How much more of a sign do you need?”

  “Which of us are you posing that question to?” Nugar asked. “I remind your ladyship, you are an Iro-Gellvi! It would be a transgression between our peoples to interview your child without the permission of his parents.”

  “But he is shay-spawn,” Laylaria said.

  “Yes,” the old one agreed. “But that is hardly all he is, dear Lady.”

  “They’re beginning!” Danatra yelled as she left her seat. She was tired of the whispers between the old Vinthur and her Vi-Zai. Though it did not happen often, Dungias found himself in complete agreement with his Vi-Prin. Not because he wanted to see the Games, he truly believed his Vu-Prin had everything he needed to walk away victorious, but because Dungias was uncomfortable with his Vi-Zai speaking to the old Vinthur as if she knew him. Yes, she was well-traveled, her position demanded such. But her duties usually pertained to the militia and the training of their elite officers. What that had to do with the aged Vinthur Traveler escaped Dungias. He was not accustomed to confusion, and it did not sit well with him.

  The Iro-Games were indeed beginning, and Gantee was among the first forty to compete. The First Round focused on the level of control a Malgovi could demonstrate with their iro. The arena floor had been partitioned off into twenty sections of three smaller chambers, each containing a pair of machines which would serve as tests. The first was a very simple anti-gravity generator that had been modified to be powered only by a direct feed of iro. Contestants needed to channel power to produce an anti-gravity field strong enough to displace the one hundred olig-gere mass loaded on top of the generator. The mass lifted, the time it took to displace the mass, and the height of the lift were put into a formula to calculate a final score. That part of the contest would go to the contestant with the higher score, provided their challenger surrendered the point. If the point was not surrendered, the participant with the argument would then have to perform the lift again and either tie or beat their opponent’s earlier score. Second attempts were always easier for the Malgovi to generate, but in the long run it also depleted their reserves more quickly.

  The Malgovi going up against Gantee received Dungias’ immediate sympathy. He had bright red hair and was more developed physically than Gantee, but that would not matter in the First Round. His body, his clothes and his stature told Dungias this young competitor was not from the megaplex; he was probably the son of a miner or forge-master and following in the footsteps of the family trade. Those who lived in the more rural locations seldom reached the Games; the qualifying rounds usually saw to that. But this young one was obviously exceptional; furthermore, it was instantly clear he had not been properly trained for the Games. While he may have been ready to face Gantee, the boy was unaware of the third opponent of the two-party competition, the one component which could be made to serve for or against any contestant: the crowd! It was clear Gantee was a favorite the moment he came out…

  “Without his uniform?!” Dungias thought as he leaned forward in is chair. “Oh, this is not good! I feel my Vu-Zai’s influence walking with my Vu-Prin.”

  “Something trouble you, boy?” Nugar asked.

  “My Vu-Prin is not wearing his Iro-Suit,” Dungias said softly.

  “He doesn’t need to!” Danatra cheered, drawing the attention of everyone, but her concentration was set solely upon her youngest sibling.

  “I take it you do not agree?” Nugar inquired in a voice loud enough for Laylaria to hear.

  “It is one thing to be confident,” Dungias replied, his voice barely containing his disgust. “It is another thing entirely to be arrogant. He has no cause fo
r this. And I do not see any advantage it will serve in the foreseeable future.”

  “Perhaps it will intimidate other competitors,” Laylaria offered. She was now as curious about Dungias as Nugar was.

  “There is a slim chance of that,” Dungias admitted as he stood up and approached the glass. “But anyone who is here to claim the championship will not judge what he wears or does not wear. They will judge what he can do. If his performance does not meet the pinnacle he has assumed, he will have only served to give his opponents a means of beating him before they even compete!

  “Why are you doing this, Vu-Prin?” Dungias asked, his fists pounded at his leg.

  “Just to be sure,” Nugar whispered to Laylaria. “Is your perception of Dungias mirrored by the rest of the family?” Laylaria did not speak as she lowered her head and closed her eyes. Nugar was quick to take a firm grip of her hand. “Easy now,” he said softly. “Had you been able to speak your answer, then the course, truly, would have been lost.”

  “Old Traveler, what have I done?”

  “Nothing so great it cannot be undone, I’d say.”

  “But so much time–”

  “Which would have given him fair opportunity to hate, would it not?” Nugar asked as he pointed at Dungias. “There is your portrait of hatred.”

  “Do you have your answer yet?” Laylaria reminded Nugar.

  “Not as of yet, but if I were the betting sort…”

  ** b *** t *** o *** r **

  Gantee walked out from the preparation area, smiled, and waved to the crowd. They cheered even louder and while Gantee soaked it up, his opponent was very much distracted. He looked more at the people in the stands than he did at the equipment which caused him to stumble, drawing their laughter, worsening the larger one’s position. Gantee inserted his hands into the generator and looked only at the Judge who would signal the beginning of the event. The crowd settled a bit as the red-haired Malgovi took his position and signaled he was ready. The Judge waved his hand and both young men focused their talents. As the contest had been proven unsafe many orbi-terms ago, there was an upper force screen in place, in case the weights came off the generator too fast. On Gantee’s side, the weight rose quickly and touched the top barrier. His opponent struggled to lift his weights half as high and quickly conceded the first event of the round.