“Indeed, finding out how those children got here will be helpful,” Larissa said.
“Not just how did they get here. Why they are here is more important. What terror are they fleeing?” Paul asked. “Why did we have to talk to that alien thing?”
4 In the canyon and on the hunt
Hugh stood for only a moment as he surveyed the ranch before him. The homestead was on a section of land where the evergreen forest had been cut back. There were paddocks, and some small farm fields, but the whole place was still encircled by the forest.
The ranch house had been constructed from logs taken from the forest. The front door was standing open. A body was sprawled across the threshold of the door.
“Cveta!” Hugh yelled and rushed over to her, drawing his revolver.
She was dead. She had been horribly mutilated.
Hugh looked around and saw that there were none of the ranch animals he expected. No donkeys, or cows, or cattle, or goats. None were around. The paddock fences were smashed open, and the rails were splintered and scattered about.
Hugh rushed into the ranch, and did a quick assessment of what he found. There were no other people inside, nor any additional bodies. There were several trails of blood which showed where something had been dragged to windows or doors, but no other evidence. He found a small communications room which held a display, a gravity manipulation conduit, and a workshop. He tried the equipment, but none of it was fully functional. The best he got was on the display screen. There he was able to access some power which came from the ranch. The display showed symbols for the various places in the habitat, but all were in red outline, and he could not make a link to anywhere else. Nor could he put out a distress call, even though he entered the trooper emergency override code he had memorized.
“Miass is closer than Orsk,” Hugh said as he walked out of that room of the ranch. He came to the front door and he stepped back over the body of Cveta. He knelt down and carefully stroked her face. “I am sorry. You will be missed my friend.” He considered burying her, but then rejected that as taking too long. He took her supply of ammunition, and the food supplies she carried which were still intact in her pack.
Hugh looked around at the forest he had known as long as he could remember. It now looked sinister and foreboding. It was not the place of mystery and wonder he had known. He heard no animal sounds. There were no birds flying by. The insects he normally ignored were now conspicuously absent. He decided to head for the town of Miass.
He started to depart, but then took the body of Cveta and placed it inside the ranch, on a couch in the front room. He closed and locked all the doors and windows as quickly as possible. He felt badly about not doing a burial, but he knew too much was at stake to waste any more time. At least scavengers and other animals would not easily find the body now. He also hoped that by placing the body inside the ranch, the child he had spoke with would not come across it. He made sure to lock the doors as he closed them so, hopefully, only an adult would be able to enter.
As he walked away from the ranch house, he passed a small shack. Inside he could see it was for tack; saddles, harnesses, and other equestrian equipment was stored inside of it. He regretted not having a mount, but none of the ranch animals were anywhere to be found.
Setting his mind to the task, he began a steady jog along the trail. As he moved he sang a child’s song he recalled from his youth. He set his steps to be in cadence with the song playing through his mind. He passed a small lake which fed a stream. There had been ducks on the lake when he and Cveta had hiked past it previously. There were no waterfowl anywhere near now.
The trail divided at the lake’s tip. A small footbridge crossed over to the other side of the stream, while the trail continued to follow the stream toward the center of the habitat. That had been the way Cveta and he had journeyed. Now he crossed over the footbridge and continued to travel toward the long end of the habitat. He knew that Miass was located on the edge between the highlands evergreen forest and the canyon known as Velky Weap.
Hugh slowed his trot to a steady walk as he was not sure how far from the town of Miass he actually was. He still kept his eyes open for the child who had spoken to him, although he now had serious concerns for the welfare of that child. Whatever had been able to butcher Cveta could easily kill a child. He shifted his thoughts to Larissa and the stories he had heard of her disappearance into the Velky Weap. Many thought she had died, as there had been vicious fighting along the waterway of the canyon previously, and there were still vodnee automacubes which went missing in the river system there. Hugh was unconvinced. He knew just how tough and wily and resourceful Larissa was. She had previously returned from being kidnapped by the creatures called Jellies. She had been nearly killed in an assassination attempt, and yet survived and recovered. Hugh doubted Larissa could be taken unaware, and believed she was virtually indestructible. He also knew she had left with the smuggler Brinley. That troubled him, but from what the other smugglers, or as they like to be called, Free Rangers, had said, Brinley was above reproach.
As the day wore on, Hugh continued to note the near absence of any animal or bird. He had seen one stag running far ahead, and a few birds which darted past, but that was all. Normally he would have seen an abundance of animals, birds, and especially rabbits and squirrels. The lack of animals did make the forest seem creepy and surreal.
As the sky tube was beginning to dim and dusk was settling in, he walked out of the highlands evergreen forest and onto a small plain which was set just at the edge of the canyon. He knew he needed to turn to the right and head more toward the central habitat where the river and the town of Miass were located. He estimated that he would reach the town in only an hour or so.
Before he turned, he walked to the edge of where the Velky Weap canyon started. The canyon was beautiful. He gazed out and could see all the way to the end of the habitat. From the vantage point he had he could see the sky tube far overhead. It stretched out in a straight line right to the end of the habitat. At that short end, the sky tube butted up against the wall. There was a rounded glow about its end which was golden colored as the sky tube’s light faded out. Hugh had seen dusk at the other end of the habitat, on beyond Orsk, but had never seen dusk over the canyon.
Looking down into the canyon, he saw the countless spires and buttes and bluffs which rose up like centipede legs from the floor of the canyon. They were every color of brown, tan, rust, and even some stripes of maroon and white. There were greens mixed in with the other colors. Those were the trees and plants and bushes which grew among the spires of Velky Weap.
The canyon was gorgeous and Hugh fantasized about standing there with Larissa next to him. He imagined reaching out and holding her hand and watching the dusk settle. In his mind he could feel the warmth and firmness of Larissa’s grasp. They would watch together as the colors of the Velky Weap faded into nighttime. He could think of nothing more romantic than standing there with the women he adored. His heart yearned to live out his romance with her, and somehow he was convinced that she too would enjoy being there.
The sky tube had nearly faded out, and night had begun, when Hugh heard a voice.
“Remember Larissa? She needs your help, not just dreams,” a child’s voice said from behind him.
Hugh whirled around.
Lennie was standing there, still dressed in red, and still with the same kind of odd look on his face.
“Oh! I am glad you are safe. Did you follow me all the way here?” Hugh asked. He then recalled what Lennie had said about yucky animals or sullied animals. He then though of Cveta’s body. “Lennie? Did you see the ranch?” Hugh was gentle in his question.
“Yes, I am sorry about your friend. The sullied animals are not listening to me. The yucky bad animals are here and they are doing really bad things,” Lennie replied. “Even worse than at that ranch.”
Hugh stepped toward the child. “Lennie, what you saw was terrible, but you can come with me to M
iass. There will be people there who can help you and keep you safe.”
“You do not need to worry about my safety. It is too late for that,” Lennie replied.
“Oh dear boy! You really were from that ranch,” Hugh said. “I am sure it was terrible for you. How did you escape? Come let me walk with you to Miass.”
“Larissa needs your help. You must go into the canyon, and take that path downward,” Lennie said and pointed. “Larissa is in great need, and only you can help her in this way.”
Hugh looked to where Lennie was pointing. There was a small footpath that led down into the canyon. It was rocky and steep but obviously well used. “Do you have family down in the canyon?” Hugh asked. “I could help you find them, but I do not know the canyon myself. I will protect you if you know the way.” He then turned back toward Lennie.
Lennie was gone.
“Lennie?” Hugh called out. “Lennie! It is getting dark. I will take care of you. Lennie?”
“Go and find Larissa,” Lennie’s voice came out of the darkness. It was wistful and far away sounding. “Go down into the canyon.”
Hugh looked toward the lights which indicated the town of Miass in the distance. He then looked around the area again. He could just make out the path that Lennie had pointed toward. With almost no hesitation, he started walking toward that path. It led downward along the side of the canyon, but became fairly wide. The canyon did not drop off as a vertical cliff, but rather as a slope filled with bushes, short shrubs, and tough grasses. Hugh’s eyes were adjusting to the night time illumination, and he could make out the pathway fairly easily if he walked slowly. If he stumbled off the path it would mean a fall down the slope, but not a drop into oblivion.
As he reached the bottom of the canyon it was darker with more shadows and less visibility. Hugh was tired and hungry. He found a place near a rocky outcropping that offered a partial shelter. He squatted down and considered his options. The regimented training he had received as a trooper told him to head back up the path and make an official report at Miass. The romantic flame in his heart told him he should pursue Larissa wherever she had gone. The reports said she was last seen entering Velky Weap Canyon. That desire was also confirmed by the child Lennie who had kept saying ‘Larissa needs your help’ and things like that. Hugh wondered if Lennie had family in the canyon who knew what had happened to Larissa. ‘Was Lennie a relative? Perhaps a nephew or cousin? Had they had been waiting for a trooper to come by so they could make a report?’ Hugh pondered.
Times had changed dramatically since the Jellies had attacked. Hugh set his mind to finding Larissa and helping her. The child had been insistent and usually children were reliable reporters on important matters.
Hugh brought out some food and consumed that. He ate quietly and carefully being concerned that the smell of food might attract animals. He had seen so few animals that day, yet he respected the skills he had acquired and was considerate with how he utilized his food. The canyon was not familiar to Hugh and so he wondered about what kinds of fauna would be around. He heard no sounds, but considered that perhaps the canyon was like that at night. He also knew he needed to sleep to be effective, and as a trooper he had learned how to sleep under most any conditions anywhere in the Wilds. His training allowed him to sleep, but be alert at an instant’s notice. He pulled himself back against the shelter of the rock and dozed off.
***
Meanwhile, not too far away, in a different part of the canyon, Kaye was cooking a meal in her home. It was cozy and comfortable, with two rooms, the front had a table and chairs, a cooking area with sink, and a bed in the corner. Powered illumination was present as well as an oven, refrigeration unit, and several monitor displays. A toileting and bathing room was at the rear of the house. Kaye stood before the counter and chopped some vegetables which she had harvested from the garden behind her home.
“Come in child,” Kaye said. She was on the short side with a wide stance and long gray hair. Her ruddy complexion and rounded nose suited her, and even while doing the menial task of food preparation, she had a dignified manner.
The front door of the cabin opened silently. “How did you know I was here?” a girl asked. Her voice trembled a bit and her deep brown eyes darted back and forth. She brushed her long, black, and silky hair out from in front of her dark face as she stepped inside. The gray robe she wore hung from her shoulders. The door shut behind her without a sound.
“Ask me no secrets and I will tell you no lies,” Kaye replied as she continued to chop the carrots and then began on the beets. She was slicing them into bite size pieces. “Sigmond is out in the back. He is watching the night and wondering why he is here. He is ready to hear your message, Irina.”
“Are you sure?” Irina replied. “He needed much healing.”
“My sister Brenda told me the same before she departed,” Kaye replied. “I know my own time is short, but I have done what I could for Sigmond. He is still brooding over what has happened, but he has been spared for this.”
“Then I will finish my role as a messenger,” Irina said.
“He will not want to hear that message, but it must be done,” Kaye replied. “You and I both know that.”
“Yes, we do.”
“I am thankful you have come. I am so tired. Yet I have finished the race,” Kaye said as she stopped cutting the vegetables. She placed them all into a sack and then placed it next to a folded cloak and a small tool belt. She stepped across the room and sat down at the table.
Irina left the house and walked around it. The house was made from permalloy but was covered in thick vines. Unless someone knew right where it was, the house looked more like a small and dense grove of trees and plants than it did a building. Even in the dimness of night, Irina did not stumble as she soundlessly walked around the flowerbeds and the ornamental plants.
“Sigmond?” she asked.
“Who is there?” Sigmond inquired. By chronology he was a young man, but by experiences he was far older, and not in a good way. His brown hair was shaggy. His dark eyes were weary. His skin was pulled taught over his face.
“I am Irina. I am no threat to you,” the girl said. “Peace be upon you.”
“What do you want?” Sigmond was leery and suspicious.
“I need to deliver a message to you. May I approach and give it to you?” Irina asked with a quiver in her voice. “It will be hard for you to hear, and even harder for you to do. I understand that.”
“What could a child understand?” Sigmond said with a sneer.
“I understand you did an act which should have ended your life, but it did not,” Irina stated. “You were given a reprieve, and yet you still await the executioner. Every night you wonder if it is your last. You thought I had come as that executioner.”
“How did….?” Sigmond stopped before he could say more. He had been thinking those exact thoughts.
“I am calming your soul so you can hear what I say,” Irina said. “Please just deep breathe for a moment.”
Sigmond took some slow deep breaths.
“There is a man not far from here named Hugh. He is a trooper. He needs your help,” Irina said.
“A trooper?” Sigmond was instantly distrustful. His heart raced and he began breathing faster.
“Peace be upon you,” Irina said. “Hugh is not here to hurt you.”
“He is a trooper,” Sigmond replied, but his pulse was coming down. Irina’s presence made him feel something: a soothing sensation, a hope, a dream of a different fate.
“Yes, he is a trooper, but he is a good and stouthearted person. He needs your skills to fly him to help others,” Irina said.
“He is not here to arrest me? Not to take me back to face Larissa and judgment?”
“The judgment on your attempt to kill was already passed,” Irina said. “You were released from that by the victim. That is over. Hugh needs your help. You two must work together to reach a distant goal.”
“Victim? Larissa
was hardly a victim! She is a butcher.” Fear and anxiety swelled up in Sigmond’s chest. He could feel it starting to squeeze him.
“Peace be upon you,” Irina repeated.
Sigmond took a few deep breaths and then blew out a long exhalation.
“I have the message for you. It is very important,” Irina said. “It will involve a journey, and your piloting and mechanical skills.”
Sigmond relaxed a bit more. “How far must we go?”
“The distance is great, the danger is greater, the goal is the greatest problem you will ever face,” Irina said.
“I have faced many….” Sigmond began, but was interrupted.
“You saw your friends slaughtered. You saw grief, gore, violence, and atrocity. You saw your way of life destroyed. You saw pain, anguish, and suffering,” Irina said. “You feel betrayed and abandoned by your friends. You feel remorse and regret for the loss of who you once were.”
The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle Page 173