Solbidyum Wars 3: Pirates of Goo'waddle Canals

by Dale Musser

  I took one of the small peach-colored fruits, about the size of an Earth grape, and put it in my mouth. Sure enough, it popped when I bit into it – and just a bit sooner than I expected, causing some of the juice to squirt out through my lips.

  Both Tanden and Jenira jumped back, laughing hysterically. “See, I told you,” Tanden chided. Tanden was right; the juice in these small fruits was incredibly delicious.

  “I think those are bowaban fruits,” Kerabac said as he popped one into his mouth. “They are originally from my home world and are highly prized there.”

  “They sure are good. Do you have these on your planet and your estate, Tibby?” Tanden asked. More and more, he had been asking questions about my estate, since I had told him that he and his family could come and live there until his father could get himself back on his feet.

  “To be honest, Tanden, I don’t know if I do or not. We have many trees and plants on my estate from all over the galaxy; I have no idea what all is growing there. We also have plants growing on my ship, the NEW ORLEANS, but I don’t think we have any bowaban trees. Maybe we should have some planted in one of the atrium gardens.”

  By now, we had reached the inner canals and were pulling up to a docking area where all sorts of luxurious boats were tied. Several armed Ruwallie Rasson guards appeared at various locations about the docking area, all of whom dropped to one knee and saluted Padaran as he disembarked.

  “Welcome, Dormon Padaran, to your home. We are your servants and guards,” one of the Ruwallie Rasson men said. It appeared he was in charge of those at the docking area.

  “Dormon is a title that means ‘Leader’ or ‘Lord’ in the Rasson language,” Kerabac explained.

  The kneeling guard continued. “I am Right Man Neugalie. I see to all security here on your calgana.”

  “A ‘Right Man’ is a rank, like a Captain in the Federation,” Kerabac whispered to me.

  “Rise, Neugalie,” Padaran said. “I want you to discuss security with my man Marranalis here. He is a prized warrior, and he may want to test some of your men’s combat skills and provide some training, if necessary.”

  “I assure you, Dormon Padaran, my men are the most highly skilled and trained that there are; they will need no other training.”

  “Hmm.” Padaran hummed as he looked about at the guards. “Which of these men are the best? Besides you, of course.”

  “That would be Sondan,” the Right Man stated, pointing to a tall muscular Ruwallie Rasson not too far away.

  “I see,” Padaran said coolly. “Have him bind and remove my man Marranalis…if he can.”

  The Right Man started to sweat; but he nodded to Sondan, who strutted forward with a determined look on his face. He grabbed Marranalis arm — which was totally the wrong thing to do — and instantly Sondan was flying across the dock and out into the canal.

  Padaran feigned a sigh. “I fear your guards will need additional training, if that is the best they can do.”

  By now, the Right Man was in a full dripping sweat and horror showed plainly on his face. Whether he thought he was going to be punished or he was simply terrified at seeing one of his best so easily and quickly defeated, I did not know.

  Marranalis had moved to the side of the dock and was helping a very embarrassed Sondan up out of the water, just as Tondor came walking hurriedly toward us from the house.

  “What happened? Neugalie, you didn’t allow one of my men attack these people, did you? Padaran is your new Dormon and these are his servants, as are you all now. Kerabac is the Dormon’s business partner. You cannot be attacking them.”

  “My apologies, Tondor, but I only did as the Dormon asked. He wished to test the skills of our guards and, alas, it didn’t go well. It would appear the gods have decreed that we have much to learn, and they are most displeased with us.”

  “It’s quite alright, Tondor,” Padaran said. “I did indeed make the request that led to the event. No harm has been done, but we know now that the guards here will need additional instruction.”

  “As you say, Dormon. Please, allow me to show you your new home.” And with that Tondor turned and began to lead us into the huge house that was built in much the same style as what was called ‘Mediterranean’ on Earth.

  The first thing I noticed on entering Tondor’s house was that he apparently had a fondness for dark purple and green — or there was some significance to these colors in Ruwallie Rasson culture — as the two colors dominated everything from wall coverings to furniture. The floor was a dark green marble-like stone; most of the walls were painted a dark purple and dark green drapes were mounted in tracks on the ceiling so they could be pulled across the length of any room to divide it into smaller spaces. The precise reason for this was not clear to me and I made a mental note to ask Kerabac about the significance of it later. Statues and various sculptures carved from a black onyx-like stone and inlaid with gold were mounted on small pedestals and in small alcoves in the walls about each room.

  A number of people were assembled in the great room; Tondor introduced them as the house servants. He immediately emphasized that all were now free and no longer slaves, and that he, personally, had seen to each of them being paid generously for their services. He also indicated that, now that Padaran was the new Dormon, it would be his responsibility to pay them, should he decide to keep them on. Tondor informed Padaran that it would not be necessary for him to learn the names or duties of each servant, as he himself would be serving as the head servant in accordance with the dictates of his defeat by Padaran. All desires and wishes should be conveyed to him and he would see to it that the servants carried out those orders.

  Padaran appeared to pay only the slightest attention to Tondor as he casually strolled about the room, running his fingers over objects as though he was checking for dust. I glanced at Kala and caught her trying to suppress a grin as she watched Padaran’s performance.

  “It will do, I suppose.” Padaran sighed. “Once we have settled in, I will need to meet with all the Ruwallie Rasson leadership here to discuss some of the changes I expect to see implemented. Make arrangements for them to meet with me here in about four hours.”

  “Yes, Dormon, it shall be as you request,” Tondor replied.

  After Tondor set off to make arrangements for Padaran’s meeting, we continued to look about the house. It was large, though nowhere nearly as large as my estate back on Megelleon. Nevertheless, it was a small town unto itself. Servants busied themselves and they scurried hither and yon, doing whatever it was that the servants of a Ruwallie Rasson do. Kala and I found a very nice guest suite inside the estate that we claimed as our territory. Marranalis situated himself in a smaller room just across the hall that had an adjoining bedroom that Tanden and Jenira would share. Padaran, of course, had the master suite in the house, and Kerabac and Endina both selected rooms nearby, where Padaran could quickly reach them to get advice for his dealings with the Ruwallie Rasson — not that he needed any, as it seemed that he had already amassed a plethora of knowledge about the Ruwallie Rasson ways.

  “I swear,” Kerabac said when we were alone later, “that boy really does know more about the Ruwallie Rasson history and customs than I do.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Kerabac, what’s the deal with the purple and green decor? Is it just a preference of Tondor’s or is there some other significance to it?”

  “There is definitely significance to it; and if Padaran is going to affect any influence in his role as Dormon, he’s going to need to dress in those colors. I’m sure you noticed when we first saw Tondor at the estate house that he was wearing these colors. When we arrived today, he was dressed in green and black. Green and black designates him as being in charge of the house and estate — his new position now that Padaran has defeated him. Normally he would have worn the outfit of a slave, albeit one of status under Padaran, but since Padaran abolished slavery for the Ruwallie Rasson, Tondor is allowed to wear black and green as house master.”


  “I see. Do you think Padaran is aware of this?”

  “Look for yourself,” Kerabac answered as he pointed down the hall. I looked to see a lavishly attired Padaran approaching from the distance — the purple and green attire of the Ruwallie Rasson Dormon.

  “What do you guys think? Not exactly my favorite colors — still, I think I look pretty dashing.”

  Kerabac and I both laughed, but neither of us said what we were really thinking.

  “Kerabac, I need you and Endina to be with me for the meeting with the Ruwallie Rasson this afternoon. I will be relying heavily on both of you in these negotiations. Tibby, I will need your input and guidance as well, but I think perhaps it best if limit my advisors in the room to just Kerabac and Endina, at least for now.”

  “I can fully understand and respect that,” I said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be difficult enough for them to accept you being there, even if the gods dictate it.”

  “Yes, I think you’re right, Tibby,” Kerabac interjected. “Padaran, you can count trying to convince the Ruwallie Rasson to change any of their practices, even if they are accepting you as Dormon at the moment. There may be a way, though, that Tibby can at least witness what takes place at the meeting. My grandfather had been a Dormon back on our home world; and when I was small, I discovered there was a secret panel in the wall where one could hide and spy on meetings among Ruwallie Rasson leaders. He told me once that he used it when he needed someone else to secretly listen to meetings, and more commonly as a place where his guards could watch and listen in case of trouble. He said all Dormons had such places in their houses. I’m betting that Tondor has just such a place here. We just have to locate it.”

  “Just what do you plan to do when you have this meeting?” I asked Padaran.

  Padaran grinned. “I have a plan that may help us in more ways than one, and may give the Ruwallie Rasson a bit of a step up in this sector, as well. It’s widely accepted that the Ruwallie Rasson and the Brotherhood do not like each other; but so far, they have tolerated each other, even though the Brotherhood treats the Ruwallie Rasson like offal. We also know the Ruwallie Rasson did not like having to give up their slaves. What I plan to do is to tell them that it’s OK for them to raid and take the Brotherhood members as slaves, so long as they free any slaves that the Brotherhood is holding. The Ruwallie Rasson will not be allowed to take or have any children as slaves — any child slaves of the Brotherhood must be freed to be cared for and restored either to their original parents or placed with a caring family. But the Brotherhood members who were their masters can be placed into slavery and made to serve the Ruwallie Rasson.”

  Kerabac and I looked back and forth at each other. “How did you come up with this idea?” I inquired.

  “Well, to be honest, it wasn’t my idea. It was Tanden’s.”

  “Tanden’s?”

  “Yeah. On the way here, we passed a calgana filled with child slaves harvesting for the Brotherhood. When Tanden saw them, he got upset and said he wished he could set the children free and make the Brotherhood slaves as punishment. It got me thinking – why not? It will actively set the Brotherhood against the Ruwallie Rasson; and if the Brotherhood wishes to maintain their presence in this sector, they’ll need to keep a sizeable army stationed here, which will divide their forces between here and the Federation.”

  “Yes, but the Brotherhood has the Ruwallie Rasson out-classed, in terms of weapons and ships,” Kerabac began. “I don’t think the Ruwallie Rasson have enough ships or sophisticated enough firepower to successfully fend off the Brotherhood here in this sector, much less dominate them.”

  “Hmm. You’re right. I’d not thought about that.”

  “But what if they did have ships of equal force to the Brotherhood?” I asked.

  “No offense intended, Tibby, but I don’t think you can buy and have built ships fast enough to supply the Ruwallie Rasson here in the time Padaran needs,” Kerabac stated.

  “I wasn’t thinking of buying ships or having ships built; I was thinking about acquiring them from the Brotherhood, so to speak.” Both Kerabac and Padaran looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

  “And just how do you plan to do that?” Padaran exclaimed.

  “For the time being, that’s my secret. When the time comes, I will let you know.”

  “But what am I going to tell the Ruwallie Rasson when I present them with my plan? I can’t tell them that they are going to have Brotherhood ships. They’re going to wonder where I plan to get such ships and arms for them,” Padaran asserted.

  “Tell them the gods will supply the ships and that you do not expect them to do anything until they do. Now, let’s see if we can locate a secret viewing place in the main hall where the meeting is to take place,” I said.

  “If it’s anything like what my grandfather had, it will be positioned someplace in front of the room near or behind the Dormon’s seat. The secret space in his meeting hall was behind an unusual dragon carving motif that was mounted on the wall, behind which one could look out through the crystal eyes and listen through the open mouth, which was shaped in such a way to amplify the sound.”

  “There’s a huge ornament of three men standing about a jewel-encrusted orb mounted on a pedestal behind the Dormon’s seat in there,” Padaran said. “I noticed it when Tondor was giving me the tour. I’ll bet some of those crystals are clear, also. There’s no one in the room now – shall we see if we can find the entrance into it?”

  We all headed into the room. Marranalis stayed by the door on lookout for anyone that might come by as Padaran, Kerabac and I searched for the hidden chamber and the access to it. It was only logical that it would be Kerabac to find the hidden release to the small room behind the wall. It was concealed behind a column-like structure that was designed to appear as though it was embedded in the wall. Once the release was activated, the column shifted inward, revealing the access into the room. Inside, we discovered two chairs. Once seated, each viewer would be at eye level with a pair of crystals in the motif that allowed for observation of the entire room from a point just slightly above the head height of the Dormon seated in the chair at the front of the room. The acoustics in the meeting hall very effectively focused the sound into the room through two air vents near the ceiling.

  The inside of the room was painted black, so anyone looking closely at the crystals from the outside would not be able to discern any movement or space behind them. At the far end of the secret room was small tunnel behind yet another wall and room and, again, a peephole with a crystal that looked out into that room. The tunnel continued on to two more viewing rooms, each with a spy hole. Along this passage we also located another secret door that opened into a remote and concealed area of the gardens. The tunnel terminated at yet another hidden door that opened into the Dormon’s room which, in this case, was now Padaran’s room.

  “Well, this is good,” Padaran exclaimed. “Now at least there is a way for you to get into this tunnel without having to do so from the master hall.”

  “You don’t think Tondor will have any of his men stationed back here during the meeting, do you?” I asked.

  “I doubt it,” Kerabac said. “Anyone he might want to listen in will be attending the meeting directly; so there would no need for someone to hide back here, from his perspective. I think you’ll be quite safe during the meeting.”

  We emerged from the passageway and closed the secret door and were just making our way down the main corridor of the house when Tondor found us. “Ahh, there you are, Dormon,” he began. “I do hope you are finding everything to your satisfaction.”

  “Indeed, Tondor, I find this house quite adequate.”

  “I am most pleased to hear it, Dormon,” Tondor answered. I was surprised at the humility and civility this man was showing since his defeat by Padaran the day before. Either he sincerely believed his defeat had been the will of the gods or he was a very convincing liar.

  “Dormon, I have made th
e necessary arrangements for you to meet with the principal Ruwallie Rasson leaders this evening here in the great hall. I trust this is to your satisfaction.”

  “It’s later than I had hoped for, but I think that will suffice, Tondor. Please see to it that refreshments are made available for our guests both before and after the meeting.”

  “It shall be as you wish, Dormon.”

  “Pardon me, Dormon,” I interjected. “Perhaps this is a good time for us to excuse ourselves to finish our earlier conversation.”

  Padaran immediately picked up on the reference to my earlier hints as to how we would acquire Brotherhood ships to fortify the Ruwallie forces and he promptly dismissed everyone from our company so we could speak privately.

  It was a little while later that Kala and I found ourselves seated by a reflecting pool in the garden behind the main house after exploring more of the estate on our own. I guess I had been quieter than usual, because Kala asked, “What’s bothering you, Tibby? I haven’t ever known you to be this quiet or reserved before.”

  “I don’t know, Kala. I feel totally out of control here. I’m supposed to be in charge and I feel like everyone else is more in control than I am, including young Padaran.”

  Kala moved closer and put her arm around me as I continued. “Since we arrived here, it seems like everyone but me has contributed to this mission; and Padaran, who I probably rated the least important person on the mission, is turning out to be its champion. I have no clue what he is doing or where things are going. Kerabac is the glue holding things together; you and Endina are the ones who have been making all the arrangements and taking care of the fine details.

  “I look at Tanden and his sister and, Kala, I’m telling you, it makes me want to cry. What has happened to them is terrible beyond all comprehension and it totally disgusts and enrages me. I feel utterly helpless, knowing that it is going on with thousands of others all around us and I can do nothing to stop it. I only hope we’re able to get Logden and the solbidyum off this planet soon. I feel totally useless. I didn’t realize how dependent I’ve become on the strength and security of the NEW ORLEANS and my ships or the ability to call on my security forces at a moment’s notice. I fear that this mission is beyond me and that we’ll fail.”