She didn’t want to tell him that, but it wouldn’t be right to let him go on thinking rescue was coming any day. Still, his look of disappointment crushed her.
“Besides, if I told Stepper, he’d tell the Huantag and they’d take the comm-unit from me. Seeing as it’s the only line of hope we’ve got, I can’t let that happen, not until I’m sure.”
“How’re you gonna get sure?”
Janlin just shook her head, unable to answer.
Gordon sighed. “None of this seems right to me,” he said. Then he straightened up and turned to face her. “Will you help me with something?”
“Sure.”
“I want you to take me into the city to meet Falco. Let me sit and talk with him, reason things out in my own way. You know how persuasive I can be.”
Janlin knew what Gordon would be asking. “Isn’t that the same as Stepper telling them? What if it doesn’t go over well?”
“I won’t tell them about Anaya. All I want to do is ask them to help me go looking for the Hope on my own.”
Janlin had her doubts, but what could it hurt? Maybe they could get help, get out into the solar system again, maybe even meet up with Anaya and be able to help her. Maybe they could find out the truth of what was going on out there.
“If we could get out there and find Anaya, we could help her secure the ship. Once we return, we would be on much better ground for bargaining with the Huantag.”
Gordon sat straighter, his old spark back. “Sounds like a plan B to me. If the Huantag won’t listen, won’t help, then we could say they’ve forced our hand, right?”
“Right. Okay, we’ll go for a visit right after flight training tomorrow.”
Gordon squeezed her arm. “Thanks, luv. And listen, if you need me to tell that wanker to leave off . . .”
Janlin laughed. “I can handle that wanker just fine, don’t you worry.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
JANLIN PACED THE floor as Gordon pled his case. Falco went on about the Huantag philosophy of not leaving the planet once again. Still, something about it didn’t ring true to Janlin. As much as any religion could be dogmatic and stubborn, for some reason this just seemed too . . . practiced. There was no passion behind the belief. These folk said they would be doing the humans a great injustice if they let them leave the planet, but Janlin didn’t buy it.
“See, I left my own wife back there,” Gordon said, indicating Falco’s mate. “We want children, but if I can’t get back, show her that we can travel to other planets, find a new home . . .”
Falco rustled his wings. Was it agitation? Or just getting comfortable? It was so hard to tell.
“Others have promised to stay, to honour our ways.”
“Others?” Janlin said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Like who?”
“Many agreed. Many more will soon.”
Janlin and Gordon exchanged a look. “When did these agreements take place?”
Falco met her challenge with his expressionless gaze. “During the flight training. Soon you will all have your own suits, and everyone can be free to fly as they wish.”
“That’s all very nice, but are you also saying we’re not free to try and return to our original home? If you truly believed that people should stay close to their homes and care for it instead of always moving on when they’d ruined the land, then you should be happy to help us return to our home. Maybe you could help us repair our planet like you did here. There’s so much we could learn from you.”
Falco stared so long Janlin fidgeted. “You challenge our belief, Janlin. I must think about this, discuss it with others. In that time, I will not tell the others your actual desires in order to keep you safe. Try to forget them if you can. Live in peace. Choose a new mate.” This last he directed at Gordon, who shot to his feet.
“I will not!”
“Gordon, hey, take it easy,” Janlin said, tugging on his arm. He’d gained weight and muscle here on Huantag, and her tug was like trying to move a boulder.
“Please try to understand our beliefs too, Falco,” Janlin said, her voice harsher than she meant it to be. “We don’t take new mates easily.” Falco waved his mate to withdraw, and stood to meet their protest.
“This is the way of us. If you wish to share our home, then you must honour it.”
“Bloody hell,” Gordon said under his breath.
“You honour us with your kindness,” Janlin said, jumping in over Gordon’s cursing. “Thank you. Please think about what we have said, and how you can truly help us in the best way. Okay?”
Her little speech seemed to agitate him further, so Janlin made excuses for them to leave immediately, not staying the night as originally planned.
“Back to plan A?” Janlin asked just before they launched.
“Plan A it is,” Gordon said. “And Janlin? Thanks for not trusting the bastards too quickly. You were right all along.”
She nodded in acknowledgement. Maybe she was also right about Anaya, since her instincts seemed to tell true. Maybe the Gitane were on their way to them right now, and their desperate plan was more than necessary.
Or maybe she and Gordon would need a plan C, one where they would have to get off the planet, find the Imag, and steal back the Hope all on their own. Only time would tell.
She didn’t mention her fears to Gordon.
“I BARELY REMEMBER any of this,” Janlin said as they studied the landing complex.
Gordon chewed his moustache for a bit before answering. “You had other things on your mind.”
That she had. Now, though, they needed a way off the planet, either to disable the shielding from the orbital or go out from there to find the Hope.
“So, what do they look like?”
Gordon gave her a blank look.
“The shuttles, dimwit. What are we looking for?”
Gordon looked back at the complex. “It’s shuttle, singular, and it’s right there in front of you.”
Janlin scanned the area again in confusion. A large building built of the same reinforced mud-brick as their village huts stood by the blackened landing area. On the edge of the site towered a featureless plug of shiny steel . . . or what she thought must be steel. She had hoped the building, which boasted large doors on one side, held a shuttle she could steal and fly out of here. Now Gordon said only one shuttle existed, and it stood before her.
“No way . . . that alien barn silo?”
Gordon snorted. “Call it what you like. The exterior is some bio-tech material they engineer, much like our nano-tech hulls. It’s tough enough for re-entry, yet Earth friendly.”
“You mean Huantag friendly.”
“Details. Anyhow, this is the only one, at least at this compound. I would imagine there are other landing sites, but this is the only one ever seen around here.”
“Space me, I really don’t remember much of our arrival. Where are the thrusters? The landing gear? The hatch, for crying out loud?”
Gordon opened his mouth to answer, but a movement to the south made her grip his arm. They lay still under the shelter of the scrub brush, eyes tracking the approaching Huantag.
They’d chosen their spot to avoid the most obvious flight path from the city, and rolled in the pervasive tan dust to camouflage their clothing. Their efforts seemed to work. Huantag circled in and landed without giving the ridge a second glance.
“Watch this,” Gordon breathed in her ear.
The aliens pressed hand controls and the featureless tube blossomed like a steel flower. Ramps appeared, openings were revealed, and the Huantag moved in and out, adjusting the controls both on the machine and on the handheld controls.
“I think we need us one of those remote controls,” Janlin said. “Think you can figure it out?”
“Bloody right I can,” Gordon said. “I figure out the rigging, you sail, remember?”
“Don’t get huffy . . . that’s exactly what I keep you around for you know.” She grinned, and he grinned back. This was way mo
re fun than sitting around waiting for some alien to come rescue them.
“You’d be lost without me, luv.”
“You know it.” Janlin wished she had some binoculars. “So, how do we get one?” She didn’t relish the idea of violence, if it could be done some other way.
They watched for a while.
“What do you figure they’re doing?” Janlin asked.
“Maintenance? Prep for launch? Hard to say,” Gordon said, never taking his gaze off the scene below them. “But if it’s a launch, I’d sure like to be aboard.”
“Stowaways, or . . .”
“A hijack situation,” Gordon finished.
“I love the way you think.”
They watched and waited, hoping for an opportunity to appear.
Then the two aliens disappeared into the compound.
“This is it,” Janlin said, already up and moving. Gordon matched her pace, gaze never leaving the doorway of the building.
A hundred meters. Heat sucked at Janlin’s energy, but she didn’t break stride. The open shuttle beckoned, just asking for passengers. Seventy meters. She blinked blinding sweat out of her eyes. It felt so good to take matters into their own hands. Forty meters.
“Janlin!” Gordon grabbed her arm, swinging her around as he pulled her to a stop. Huge shapes dropped out of the green sky to land in swirls of dust all around them. Janlin cursed, covering her face with her arms.
Huantag. A dozen of the largest specimens of Huantag she’d seen yet. One was a golden eagle to Falco’s peregrine falcon.
The force of their cries made Janlin cover her ears.
“Restricted!”
“No honour!”
“Broken promises!”
The two aliens at the compound appeared in the doorway, calling out orders.
“Take them to the Council, and double our watch.”
Janlin sputtered, wanting to argue that she’d made no promises, but two of the huge Birdfolk stepped forward and pointed at the sky. There seemed no way to politely refuse.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“WE PROVIDE YOU a home, food, safety. You promise to stay. Why would you now try and take our ship, break your promises?”
They faced Aquila, a massive dark eagle that Falco said was their leader in all, and his council, all Huantag of significant size.
“The promises of one are not the promises of all,” Janlin said. Her whole body trembled with fatigue from all the flying . . . and from the fear of facing what could only be a large nerve whip aimed at her side. Still, she would not smother what needed said. “If you held true to what you profess to believe, you would do everything in your power to help us return to our home planet.”
The challenge took them aback. She could tell by the shifting wings, the puffed head feathers. Maybe she actually could learn alien body language.
Gordon stepped forward. “We left loved ones behind. How can you expect us to just forget them? We were supposed to find help, not abandon them forever!”
“It’s not that we have no honour,” Janlin continued. “It’s that we have too much honour to not try getting home again. Seriously, can you blame us for that?”
Falco stepped out of the shadows of the cavernous interior room. Janlin sucked in a breath at the sight of him, wondering if he came to help or condemn.
“You must tell them the truth,” Falco said, drawing the attention of the entire room. He ruffled his feathers, nearly doubling his size in his agitation.
Janlin grasped at this straw. “Yes, please tell us the truth.”
This caused quite a stir, and the two Huantag that had accompanied them here appeared on either side of Falco.
“Leave him be,” said Aquila. The big aliens stepped back, and everyone quieted. Falco stepped forward.
“The humans have proved to be more than the Imag ever admitted. They have a right to question. They have a right to know why their desire for home is forbidden!”
This caused another uproar, but Aquila stretched his wings, something Janlin had never seen a Huantag do inside before, and this caused instant silence to fall over the crowd.
“As much as your words hold sense, Falco, we made an oath to the Imag not to speak of it,” Aquila said.
“Why? Why would we hold to such a demand? I think the Imag fear these tiny beings more than they even fear us. I also think the Imag will bring war upon us even if we do keep our oaths.”
Now the noise level rose higher than ever. Aquila seemed lost in thought, and let it ride out naturally. This had to be why the philosophy felt false. At least she could take some comfort in knowing the Huantag had more than just religion backing their refusal to help.
“Falco makes sense,” Aquila said as the noise trailed off. “I cannot see why telling this will cause war.” He turned to face Janlin and Gordon. “The Imag made us promise that none of you would ever leave this planet. They also demanded we never tell you of this, but because we will ensure the first promise is kept, they will never know of the second being broken.”
Janlin swallowed her shock and fumbled for something to keep the conversation going. “They must fear us to demand such promises of you. Why did you agree?”
“The Imag build a new warship, and our shields will only stand against so much. All we wish is to be left alone. When we learned of you, we decided to buy you from the Imag in return for their promise to leave us be. We did not think that making these promises would cause you harm, but instead help you get away from their cruelty while ensuring they would not attack us.”
“Don’t get me wrong, we are incredibly grateful for you taking us away from them,” Janlin said. “But these Imag are bullying you even as you hide safely away from it all. Think of what they might do to others if they master the Jump technology and leave this system. You have to reconsider and let us go try and stop them.”
“We cannot,” Aquila said bluntly. “A human leaving this planet will be seen as an act of war. We will not put our people at such risk. The shuttle will be guarded even more closely now. You must accept that this is your home now, and let things be.”
Gordon surged forward with a cry of rage, but all the Huantag spread their wings with their own cries, and presented nerve whips. The air crackled, and the smell of burnt ions filled the room. Gordon turned in a slow circle, his fists clenched, his face twisted in powerless anger.
“Come on, Gordo,” Janlin said. “We’re done here.”
“This won’t be the end of it,” he warned them. Janlin shushed him and pulled him out of the room. They walked slowly down the long corridor to the launch ledge. Janlin struggled for every step, unsure if she would be able to do much more than coast to the ground and curl up in a ball.
“Janlin!”
They turned to find Falco approaching. Wary guards watched from the council chamber, but did not follow.
“I am sorry, Janlin, but at least you understand why we restrict you,” Falco said. He tipped his head, his black eyes studying them both. “You must be very tired from so much flying today. Please, stay with me for tonight and rest. It is the best I can do to show you my friendship.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
GRIEF WAS A funny thing, Janlin found, rearing up to crush her at the strangest times. But today, as she sat in the sun and shelled a legume-type vegetable that resembled a cross between a pea and corn, she felt . . . resigned. Resigned to her loss, resigned to Anaya’s continued silence, resigned to possibly living out the rest of their lives here.
Tyrell and Teardrop went by, so lost in each other they didn’t even notice Janlin. She smiled, wistful. Was it any surprise that she wanted to say yes to Stepper’s request?
Shouts echoed through the community. At first, she stiffened, listening hard, but soon she realized the calls were filled with excitement. Curiosity roused her, and she left her work in the shade to walk down and join the growing crowd by the cook hut.
Inaba climbed onto a bench and raised his arms.
“Bef
ore rumours get right out of hand, let me say this as simply as I can.” He couldn’t help but beam at everyone. Still, Janlin wasn’t at all prepared for the enormity of his announcement. “The Birdfolk have announced that they can reprogram our nano-contraceptives.”
A general uproar followed this, and Janlin immediately scanned for Gordon. This would be yet another blow for him.
Inaba went on. “I’m not sure when, but they will choose two or three people, volunteers of course, and take them to their city for the procedure.”
“We should celebrate!” Tyrell shouted, holding a glowing Teardrop in one arm. Shouts of approval met his suggestion.
Janlin sucked in a breath. Excitement and frustration warred within her. To stay and bear a child in this paradise of clean air and water and abundant food . . . how could she possibly consider laying this place open to the Imag? At the same time, how could she not hold up her end of a plan that might take them home to Ursula with plants and ideas in hand?
Anaya’s silence was deafening, and most of the engineers had agreed that the Imag would not be successful in manipulating the Jumpship by themselves. Either that, or Fran had taken them on the Jumpship Hope, and there was no safe home to return to anyway. Steve had agreed that if Fran did cave to the Imag, the ships were pre-set to return to Earth’s solar system, and Fran wouldn’t be able to change it. So really, would it be so bad to stay?
The arguments went around and around in her head. She stared at the sky while people laughed and cried and danced around her in the face of their new hope for new life.
Someone squeezed her shoulder, and she looked around to see Gordon, his face at odds with those around him.
“Nothing yet?” he asked. Every day, he asked. Janlin sighed and shook her head. She only turned the device on for a little while at a time, but it was hard not to keep checking.
Gordon gave a decisive nod. “So be it.” He turned away, as if to leave, but then turned back. “You should tell them . . . all of them.”
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