New Dawn (Divine War Book 1)

by Tor, Magus

  “You think...?”

  Benho nodded. “I think that they're looking for that little furry creature of yours. And I think that if you don't know what’s going on, then you'd better find out, and fast.”

  Maicee jumped up from the table so quickly that he knocked his chair over. “I've got to go,” he mumbled.

  “Be careful,” warned Benho, but he was talking to his friend's retreating back.

  Now, he wondered, what was all that about? He looked at the half-empty glass in front of him and shrugged. Sometimes patience was its own reward. He took a drink and settled back into his comfortable chair. Whatever trouble it was that Maicee was in, he knew that he'd find out what it was sooner or later. Might as well enjoy the celebration while he could. He caught sight of Sa-li through the crowd and winked at her.

  *

  Pounding up the stairs to the apartment, Maicee waved his hand over the scanner lock, gasping deep, unrewarding breaths. The door sprang open, and as he slammed it closed behind him, he froze in astonishment at the sight of Kabi chatting amicably to the little Chamonkey at the dining room table.

  “Welcome home,” said Kabi with a grin. “You look stunned. This is Niku, and this, Niku, is Maicee, the surgeon who operated on you.”

  “My pleasure to meet you,” said the Chamonkey, bowing her head in appreciation. “And thank you for saving me. I hope it wasn't too much trouble.”

  Maicee's mouth flapped open and closed like a beached fish until he found his voice. “You can talk?” he asked incredulously. And then he had another thought. “You're the voice I heard in my head!” The high-pitched sound was unmistakable.

  Niku turned to Kabi, a look of confusion on her face.

  Kabi rubbed his chin, feeling the bristles and nodding. “You heard her too, hmmm. Not surprising, though, I suppose.”

  “Not surprising?” said Maicee, approaching the table. “Not surprising? I thought I was going mad! And then... and then...”

  “And then maybe you are, because there's a talking Chamonkey with telepathic abilities sitting in your dining room talking to your guardian,” finished Kabi, laughing.

  “Well... yes,” Maicee said, exhaustedly pulling out a chair and slumping into it.

  “Stop panicking,” Kabi told him. “Niku is no normal Chamonkey. She'd been genetically modified to have the ability to speak and to communicate through thought when necessary.”

  Maicee frowned at this. “But, but how is that possible? The Supreme Emperor outlawed gene modification long before I was born.”

  “I know my history just as well as you do, boy,” said Kabi, irritated. “And I know what was done because I'm the one who did it. I created Niku.”

  “You did what?!” Maicee sat upright in his chair and stared at Kabi, horrified.

  “I created Niku,” Kabi repeated patiently. “I made her about fifteen years ago now, as a present for my niece.”

  “Your niece? I didn't know you had a niece,” Maicee said.

  “Of course I do. Aren't you one of them?”

  Maicee shook his head. What? Kabi was his uncle? Where the hell had that come from? He'd had no idea.

  “Must have slipped my mind,” Kabi said, looking slightly abashed. “I'm sure I meant to tell you. Anyway, I have many relatives. Siblings, nephews, nieces...”

  Maicee stared hard at his uncle, the temperature in the room seeming to have dropped by several degrees. “You never told me,” he said coldly. “You never wanted to talk about your family, nor mine, who are apparently the same as yours. You never answered my questions, never replied though I pleaded with you. Never told me why I have to keep my secret. You, Kabi, never told me a damn thing.”

  “That's not true,” Kabi said. “I made an agreement with you.”

  “Which I hope you haven't forgotten,” Maicee said spitefully.

  “I haven't,” said Kabi. “I haven't.”

  And Maicee regretted speaking in such a fashion. Kabi might have kept things from him, but he'd taken care of him, raised him. Maybe he hadn't done the greatest job, but he'd done what he could. And he had made an agreement with Maicee, though he'd placed no time limit on when the agreement should come into effect, when Maicee could learn all he needed to know. He sighed, scrubbing his fists into his tired eyes.

  “By the way,” Kabi said casually, “Niku and I will be leaving on the next available ship.”

  “No!” shouted Maicee, sitting bolt upright and remembering why he'd come rushing home. “You can't. The military are here. They're searching for it... er, her. They found the escape capsule and think the survivor was some kind of Ambassador or something.”

  Niku squeaked in fright, but Kabi looked thoughtful.

  “Shh, shh,” he quietened the scared Chamonkey. “They're faster than I thought. Hmm. It seems that we can't wait for the next transport ship. We shall have to find some other form of transport to get us away from Carooine.”

  Maicee looked from Niku to Kabi and back again, and then tilted his head back, closing his eyes. If Kabi was serious about getting out of here, then he supposed he couldn't stop him. And maybe it was better that he left with the Chamonkey before any of them got caught. He was, Maicee realised, an accomplice in all this after operating on Niku, and having the two of them off the island would be safer for everyone. Including him.

  “I think, Maicee,” said Kabi, interrupting Maicee's train of thought, “that it would be better if you came along with us.”

  Maicee's eyes snapped open. “No way,” he said quickly. “I've just been offered the chance of a lifetime, a job at the Carooine Medical Centre. No way am I leaving now.”

  Kabi smiled a little and patted Maicee's hand. “It's time,” he said simply. “Come with me, and I will show you your heart's desires. I will show you your family. This is all a part of your destiny, my child.” He shrugged. “It may have come sooner than I had expected, but nevertheless, you will have to face it sooner or later. It may as well be now.”

  He got up from his chair and stretched, reaching for his brown cloak and swirling it around his shoulders.

  “I am going to make arrangements,” he said. “I will tell you more when I return.”

  And he was gone, leaving Maicee staring at the little Chamonkey and puzzling over what Kabi had just said.

  “I want to know, but I want to stay here too,” moaned Maicee, putting his head in his hands.

  He despaired for a moment, then looked up to see Niku crawling into her basket and curling up, ready to sleep. She'd be fine. He needed a drink. And he needed to see Benho.

  *

  Benho eyed the military captain as he stood discussing something with Sansoe at the bar. After a brief conversation, the captain nodded and left again. He checked his chronos. Maicee had been gone for a while now. And it was odd that the military captain would come back like that after being so summarily dismissed by the Medical Director-cum-Governor. Benho pondered this for a moment, then beckoned Sa-li over to his table.

  The party was calming down now, the older professors having left, and some of the students much the worse for wear passed out in dark corners. Sa-li checked that there were no orders to be taken, then came over and pulled out a chair. She'd been on her feet all day, and her legs were aching.

  “What was all that about?” asked Benho.

  “Oh, the captain?” Sa-li said, surprised.

  Benho nodded.

  Sa-li shrugged. “He came back asking more questions. Wanted to know if there was any girls that had appeared around here about fifteen years ago. Seemed strange, but Sansoe couldn't help him. There's no girls around here like that, though. Everyone who came around then were boys, like you. In fact, you were one of them, weren't you?”

  “Yes,” said Benho, thinking back. “I came with a lot of others, right before the War started. But everyone I remember back then was male. And the only other kid around my age was Maicee, and we're both boys. I wonder who this little girl is?”

  “Wait, little girl?
Since when were you interested in little girls?” asked Maicee, having overheard part of their conversation on his approach. He grabbed a chair from a neighbouring table and swung it around, taking a seat.

  “I'm not interested in little girls; that military captain is,” said Benho, glad to see his friend back. “What about two more drinks, Sa-li?”

  The girl nodded and flicked her black hair over her shoulder as she stood, bending provocatively to push her chair in and give Benho a good look down her well-filled blouse.

  “So what's this about a girl?” Maicee asked impatiently as Benho followed Sa-li with his eyes, practically salivating.

  “Oh, that. Just gossip,” said Benho, tearing himself away from the sight of Sa-li and looking at Maicee. “The captain was here again asking if Sansoe knew of any young girls who came to Carooine around fifteen years ago. Weird question. Of course, all of us back then were boys, so...”

  He trailed off and saw that Maicee's face had paled slightly.

  “You don't know the girl he's talking about, do you?” he asked, confused by Maicee's reaction.

  “No, no,” Maicee said hurriedly. “Like you said, we were all boys.”

  “So what's wrong, then?” asked Benho. “You look troubled.”

  “Er, yes, yes,” said Maicee, blinking back to attention. “Kabi has just announced that he's leaving Carooine on the next ship, and he's asked me to go with him.”

  “But you won't, right? I mean, you're going to stay on here at the Medical Centre, aren't you?” Benho said, looking at his young friend curiously.

  Maicee sighed. Yes, he had been. But not now. Not after what he'd just heard. For whatever reason, things were getting hot around here, and he didn't think he should wait and find out why. The decision that just a few minutes earlier had seemed impossible had now been made for him. There was a fair chance—no, an excellent chance—that the military were now looking for him. And whilst he didn't think anyone knew his secret, he didn't want to risk anything. No. He was going with Kabi.

  “I don't know,” he said slowly. “Maybe it would be better to see a little of the world before settling down. I think I might take Kabi up on his offer. I can always come back to Carooine later.”

  “Then let's enjoy each other's company whilst we still can,” said Benho. “I'm going to be on the next ship out, myself.”

  He paused while Sa-li came over with their drinks, then went off to take an order.

  “To us,” he said, raising his glass and studiously avoiding looking at the beautiful waitress.

  Maicee shook his head. Knowing Benho, he wouldn't even tell Sa-li he was leaving. The poor girl. But he raised his glass anyway.

  “To us,” he repeated.

  Taking a sip of his sweet drink, he wondered what the hell he was letting himself in for. But the dangerous tingling feeling he had let him know that he had no other choice but to leave Carooine.

  Chapter Four

  Squealing laughter rang through the dining room. The first rays of a wet grey dawn were sneaking through the shutters, making the light of the lamp seem dim. Niku scrabbled and escaped once more from Benho's tickling fingers, scampering up onto the dining room table, sticking her tongue out and daring the man to chase her again.

  “Catch me if you can!” she giggled.

  Benho laughed. “Niku, you're too fast for me.”

  “I'll give you a head start,” she said pleadingly.

  “Okay, go!”

  As he jumped up from his chair, Niku fled, running deliberately slowly so that he stood a chance of catching her. She liked this teasing boy in the same way she would like a brother. And his strong fingers knew exactly the right places to tickle her little body without hurting her.

  When Maicee eventually exited from the shower room, rubbing his wet hair with a towel, he found Benho and Niku lying exhausted on the floor, the little Chamonkey still convulsing a bit from laughter.

  “I didn't invite you here to tease Niku,” he said, throwing his towel over the back of a chair.

  “You didn't invite me here at all,” Benho pointed out.

  Maicee groaned. His head still ached somewhat despite the pain shot he'd taken when he’d awoken. “I know, I know.”

  “He was so dead drunk, I had to carry him up those stairs,” Benho told a giggling Niku. “And the stench of him, you wouldn't believe it. You're lucky that you slept through the entire thing. And you,” he said, looking sternly at Maicee, “need to learn how to hold your liquor better if you're going to drink. I'm not always going to be around to roll you home.”

  Maicee poured a glass of water from the large jug on the table. “Never again,” he said before chugging it down.

  “That's what I always say too.” Benho grinned.

  Maicee was about to protest that, unlike Benho, he actually meant what he said, but then the hand scanner beeped and the door opened, revealing a dripping Kabi.

  “Damn rain,” he grumbled, fumbling to take off his cloak without shedding too much water onto the rush floor.

  He brought with him the deep, succulent smell of tropical rain, a smell that reminded Maicee of summer days when the heat built up until it exploded into a storm, making him feel reborn and new.

  “Hey, Kabi,” said Benho, getting up to take the man's cloak from him. “It's been a while.”

  He delicately hung the brown cloak on a hook next to the door. He liked Kabi—he was one of the few decent people Benho had met on Carooine, though he had little idea why. Kabi just seemed to exude a sort of trustworthiness and steadiness.

  “Hmph,” grunted Kabi in reply, trying to brush rainwater off his grey stubble hair.

  Niku scaled Benho's legs, jumping up into his arms to get a closer look at Kabi whilst avoiding getting wet.

  “You look frustrated,” she told the older man.

  “Hmm,” he grunted again. “Sorry, it's good to see you, Ben.”

  He too liked the boy. Maicee had always been a small child, and Benho had saved him from a lot of the bullying that he'd have otherwise suffered on the streets of Carooine City.

  “Watch out for Niku,” he said, smiling at the Chamonkey. “She's got a nasty bite when the mood strikes her.”

  To prove his point, Niku nipped at Benho's fingers, not breaking the skin but with enough pressure to let Benho know that she could really hurt him if she chose to. He looked down at the little grey fur ball with renewed respect.

  “Be nice to him, Niku,” said Kabi with a laugh, pulling out a chair to sit tiredly at the dining table. “He did help save your life, after all.”

  Niku snuggled against Benho's hand and softly licked the place where she had bitten, and Benho carried her over to join Maicee and Kabi at the table.

  “Can I ask you something, Kabi?” said Benho, placing Niku down carefully on the table top before taking a seat.

  “Sure,” said the older man, reaching into his pocket and finding a paper-wrapped package of Sigars.

  “How did you create Niku?” the boy asked curiously. This had been bothering him since Maicee had drunkenly spilled the genetic secrets of the Chamonkey the night before. “I mean, gene modification has been banned for as long as I can remember, so we're not taught anything about it. And, well, I'm interested. Interested in the theory. I understand the basic concept; I just don't understand how it's done.”

  Kabi stood and lit his Sigar from the hanging lamp before sitting and drawing a satisfied mouthful of smoke. “You won't find any information in that medical library of yours,” he said, knowing full well that Benho hated a mystery and once sparked, his curiosity would drive him to find answers. “Much of the related information has been deleted from records, and what remains is highly classified.”

  “So how come you have the information, then?” said Benho.

  Kabi laughed. “That's a story in itself. But I've made a solemn oath not to tell it.” He eyed Benho and grinned maliciously. “I could tell you...”

  Benho's eyes lit up at the thought. />
  “But then I'd have to kill you,” finished Kabi.

  Benho wasn't amused. He might enjoy teasing others, but he wasn't always so great at being teased himself, Maicee knew. It was one of his friend's few flaws.

  “Is it because of the Supreme Emperor's laws?” Maicee asked Kabi. “I mean, why we can't practice genetic modification anymore.”

  “No.” Kabi shook his head. “This law is far older than the Supreme Emperor's reign. The decision was made many centuries ago. Maybe one day I'll tell you the whole tale. For now, though, I've got other concerns.” He sighed.

  Niku made her way over and rubbed her head against his hand. “What is it, Kabi?” she asked gently.

  Kabi sucked at his Sigar, releasing a large plume of smoke before answering her. “What worries me most is trying to get you home safely,” he said finally. He scratched his nose with one finger before adding: “It looks like all the pirates and smugglers of Carooine sailed off into hiding when the Imperial Navy dropped anchor in harbour. Can't blame them, I suppose. But I've been trying to find a way for us to get out of here all night, and have found exactly nothing.”

  “You want to smuggle Niku out of here before you and Maicee go off on your around-the-world trip?” Benho asked, curiosity once more piqued.

  Kabi glanced at Maicee, glad that the boy had decided on his own to come, though Kabi would have forced him if necessary. He wondered what had persuaded him to come along, but decided to let the issue lie. He'd got the outcome he'd wanted, and questioning it would be foolish. Something that a lot of other people could profit from learning, he mused.

  “Yes,” he said shortly, in answer to Benho's question.

  “Hmmm,” said Benho, thoughtfully, then nodded. “Maybe I can help.”

  “And how would you go about doing that?” asked Kabi, a glint of interest in his pale blue eyes.

  “I could tell you,” Benho said, then shrugged. “But then I'd have to kill you.”

  Maicee laughed, joined by Benho, and even Kabi smiled.

  “Fine, have your secrets. Every man must,” Kabi said, when the boys had settled down again. “But you'll have your price, because every man must have that too.”