“You are dead!” the Harbok spoke, looking at Greg. “I saw the recording.”
Greg lifted his head and said, “Yes, I am dead. May we come in now?”
The Harbok looked from Greg to Arlynn and back to Nancy, clearly confused and uncertain.
Nancy stepped in front of the Harbok, pushed the blaster aside, and forced the creature backward. He moved reluctantly and awkwardly, maintaining his balance with judicious use of the cane. He banged his head on an overhead beam, but his gaze did not leave Greg and Arlynn.
“This is my home,” Nancy said, speaking harshly to the Harbok. “You are a guest here. Behave yourself and put the gun away. It won’t kill you to be in the presence of one An’Atee for a little while.”
The Harbok sneered, but he complied as he backed awkwardly away. Then he turned and thumped his way back to wherever he had come from. Nancy, pale and frightened, pleaded with her eyes for Greg and Arlynn to remain civil. Then she stopped and turned to face them with tears in her eyes.
“The Harbok told us you died in a great space battle.” She threw her arms around Greg again, saying, “Welcome back from the dead, big brother.” She invited Arlynn into the threesome, and a subdued Jim joined them, though the moment remained awkward.
“What’s a Harbok doing here?” Greg asked bluntly.
“No, Greg!” Arlynn interjected. “All conversation must take place in the presence of the Harbok or he will remain suspicious.”
Greg nodded, saying softly, “This changes everything. It’s a disaster.”
“It’s an opportunity,” she responded emphatically. “Come.”
She led the way into the house in search of the Harbok. He wasn’t hard to find, having returned to the dining room table to finish his meal. A specially made chair had been installed to support his tremendous bulk.
Nancy made introductions. “Greg, Arlynn, meet Ollie. That’s short for something unpronounceable. Ollie, meet Greg and Arlynn.”
Ollie returned their stares with a look of disdain. The word “An’Atee” rumbled from his chest, and he looked as if he had eaten something that disagreed with him. Arlynn stayed in the background, knowing that now was not the time to demonstrate her usual assertiveness.
Greg stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ollie. I think,” he added softly, looking directly into the Harbok’s eyes.
The Harbok looked at Greg’s hand and returned the stare with indifference. Then a massive hand reached forward to grasp Greg’s hand with a surprisingly light touch. This Harbok knew humans enough to appreciate his own strength in relation to theirs.
“A worthier opponent than we presumed,” Ollie intoned in his gravelly voice, though Greg detected a hint of respect in his eyes. “You killed Harbok,” he stated. “You are my enemy.”
“Not true, Ollie. Harbok died as a result of my actions, but I have never knowingly killed a Harbok. The same cannot be said of the Harbok. Your brothers went to great lengths to kill me.”
“With excellent purpose,” Ollie replied. “I have seen the recordings. I watched you die. How did you escape?”
“I activated a secret An’Atee weapon. I’m sorry Harbok died as a consequence, but they were doing their best to kill me at the time.”
Ollie responded instantly, “The An’Atee have no secrets from us, certainly not any secret weapons.”
“Want to bet?” Arlynn broke in.
Ollie’s eyes shifted to her and flashed as he met her direct gaze. “An’Atee,” he stated again in that disdainful tone. “You are weak. There is no place for you in this.”
Arlynn kept her gaze locked on Ollie’s. “We are weak where you are strong. We are strong where you are weak. Each of us has a place in this.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ollie replied with a shrug, breaking eye contact.
“I guess it makes complete sense for us to continue with our secrets, to continue down the separate paths each has chosen for the other, never reaching out for the synergies that would result from combining resources.”
Ollie shook his head, suspecting he had missed something but not knowing what it was. His disdainful expression remained in place—he had no time for the An’Atee. Arlynn backed off, suspecting the intent of the look, though she had never personally experienced such complete dismissal.
“How did you get here, and why did you return?”
“I just came to visit. We arrived two months ago and will be leaving soon. I’m leaving with them. Do you have a problem with that?”
“That depends on your purpose. If you came for a visit, why wait all this time before visiting your sister?”
Greg did his best to keep from getting shifty-eyed. How much did this Harbok know or suspect? The plans for the Alliance were dangerously close to exposure, and that would be the end of things.
“The An’Atee pursued their own interests before allowing me the freedom to move about. I’m lucky they’ve given me any time at all.”
Ollie stared into his eyes without a hint of what was going on in his mind. “You may leave provided you do not interact with the locals. If I see any hint of noncompliance, you will not leave alive.”
“Fair enough. Actually, An’Atee plans and your own might coincide this one time. The An’Atee are gathering up all their belongings here and pulling out for a while. It has something to do with an ultimatum they received. They told me they will bring a very large ship on their next visit in order to pick up all their supplies and people. They’re not certain they can sneak it in without detection. Please don’t shoot it down.”
“How big a ship, and how many people?”
“They call it a prime ship. I hope I’m not revealing any secrets when I tell you they will be picking up a couple of thousand people.”
The leathery skin on Ollie’s forehead wrinkled as his eyebrows lifted and his eyes widened. “We had no idea the An’Atee had such a large presence here. To what purpose?” he demanded of Arlynn.
“We seek understanding, knowledge. Isn’t that purpose enough?” she replied innocently. “Our purpose is honorable. What of yours?”
Ollie lifted himself from the huge chair to tower over them. “This meeting is over.” To Arlynn, he said, “Bring your prime ship and be quick about it. This world will be better off without you. I am leaving now,” he said turning to Nancy and Jim.
“We understand,” Jim spoke up for the first time. “We’ll be in touch.”
“Must you leave?” Arlynn asked with concern. “We could begin something good here.”
Ollie ignored her. He just turned toward the back door and lifted a communicator to his lips.
Greg spoke softly, as softly as he could in the Harbok’s own guttural language. “You can’t protect them with just a few ships, Ollie.” He heard gasps from Nancy and Jim, but Greg’s attention was only on Ollie.
The giant froze, then he lowered the communicator from his lips and shifted his cane. He twisted his upper body around so he could look at Greg. “You speak my language?”
“A little,” Greg replied in passable Harbok.
The giant held motionless and silent for a time. “Protect who from what?” he finally demanded.
“I might be ignorant, but I’m not stupid, Ollie,” he said, switching back to English. “It’s quite clear what you’re up to here.” Had he given away the store? He fretted, but he was not willing to pass up the opportunity Ollie’s presence offered. Here was a chance to learn more about the Fourth Race and the Harbok than the Alliance’s entire intelligence operation had so far gathered.
“You don’t have to go it alone, Ollie,” he added.
The giant remained mute, just staring in confusion at Greg, then he turned and faced him squarely. He leaned forward slightly and asked with narrowed eyes, “Who are you?”
“Greg Hamilton, Earthman. Who are you?”
“Your sister will no doubt inform you that I am the base commander here, not that it is much of a base
. This is not the most glorious assignment. There’s not much other use for me with only one leg. You killed the man I replaced.”
“I’m sorry,” Greg said, and he meant it.
“How is it that you speak my language?” Ollie demanded.
“The An’Atee study you just as you study them. And I study both of you.”
Greg watched Ollie’s expression turn to stone as he thought hard. He had to know that their codes were unbreakable, that there was no way the An’Atee could have deciphered the Harbok language. Had Greg revealed too much? What were this giant’s thoughts? Would he take his blaster out . . . and use it?
The fingers of Ollie’s free hand twitched as he watched Greg’s eyes, but then he shifted his gaze to Nancy and the twitching stopped. He returned a penetrating gaze to Greg. “Do not underestimate me,” he said in warning. “Were it not for the friendship of your sister and her husband, you would be dead now.”
“There’s still time to kill me. What’s the hurry?” Greg asked the giant bluntly. “Why don’t we sit down and talk for a while?”
Ollie considered his request, then he turned his disdainful look on Arlynn. “I am willing to talk privately,” he stated with finality. “You may join me in my quarters in the barn.”
“So that’s why you moved out here?” Greg asked Nancy.
“We’ve been working with Ollie and his staff ever since they rescued us,” Nancy told him. “It’s an interesting story, as I’m sure yours must be. Arlynn can stay here with us. Go on.”
Greg stepped up to Arlynn whose eyes were wide with fear for him. He gave her a hug, then a kiss and whispered into her ear, “We can’t pass up this opportunity. I must do this.”
She nodded, but so deep was her fear for him that she could not utter a reply.
Chapter Six
Greg followed Ollie out to the barn which had been renovated into an office with a few private sleeping areas walled off on the far end. Ollie pulled out a huge chair tucked under an equally huge table, then he motioned for Greg to climb up into an elevated chair more suited to his size. Ollie picked up a large bottle of red wine which looked tiny in his huge grasp, pulled the cork, and silently offered the bottle to Greg.
“Dare I risk it?” Greg queried. “My life is on the line here.”
“We Harbok know honor. In honor of your sister, you are in no danger. Nancy taught me the proper protocols, which we now observe. Besides, I like the flavor and the effect.”
Greg sipped, wondering what would come next. In the space of a few minutes, he had met his first Harbok face to face, not part of his plan at all. Kannick would be green with envy, though on second thought, he realized that Kannick would not be part of this conversation any more than Arlynn was. How did these things happen to him?
“I’m honored with your invitation, Ollie.”
“I would be more honored if you had not appeared with the An’Atee female. I sense a special relationship there. Have you gone over to her side?”
“Definitely not, in more ways than you would believe. I have not taken sides in this war, yet I am not neutral either. I support the An’Atee who I have learned to know well, and I support the Harbok.”
“Why would you support us?”
“A good question. You are the first Harbok I have met personally.” He paused, then decided to dive in. “Ollie, I have studied everything the An’Atee have on you. As you can imagine, I see things from a vastly different perspective than they do. On the surface your actions are hateful and belligerent, and that’s what the An’Atee see, but I discovered your true intent.”
Ollie jerked back in surprise. “What? You can’t possibly know our plans.”
“I don’t have to know the specifics to know what you’re up to. Let me just say this: though I do not judge, I want to say thank you.”
“For what?”
“Do you plan to keep this conversation private, or will you report back to your superiors?”
“I would ask the same of you.”
“I have no superiors, Ollie. I’m just a small fish in a big pond. Let’s keep it simple: you don’t tell, and I won’t tell.”
“Acceptable. It is just the two of us. I agree only because I sense something here that I cannot touch.”
“Why are you here on Earth, Ollie? Specifically, why are you here on Earth with such a small contingent? What good can you do? You’re fighting a Fourth Race. Without knowing the gruesome details, I’m fairly certain you’re losing the war.”
He looked hard into Ollie’s eyes and added, “I know you’re helping the An’Atee despite themselves. I even suspect that you are trying to teach them to fight in an attempt to prepare them in case you succumb.” He paused, then added softly, “You will not succeed. We both know that.”
Ollie’s mouth hung open for a few heartbeats, then he recovered. “You learned all that from the An’Atee?” he asked.
“It’s just the two of us, remember?” Greg answered with narrowed eyes and a look that suddenly belied his feigned confidence.
Ollie stayed silent for a while, sighing occasionally. When he decided to speak, he surprised Greg. “Your perceptiveness intrigues me. You cannot have all the facts, yet you are close to the truth. Let me put it bluntly. We cannot protect Earth. To do so would require resources we cannot allocate to your world. We decided on a different approach. My assignment is to prevent this Fourth Race you refer to from discovering Earth. We do not need a large contingent to accomplish that.”
“How can you prevent Earth’s discovery with all the radio waves they generate?”
Ollie glared at him and asked, “They? You use the word ‘they’ instead of ‘we,’ yet you call yourself an Earthman? Which is it?”
Greg squirmed in his seat, then he delayed by taking a sip of wine. “I am . . . changed, Ollie. I am somewhere between being an Earthman and something else. Can you look at me as something in between, as perhaps a third party who would like to help both sides?”
“Only losers straddle the fence.”
“I’m definitely not sitting on the fence, but I am walking a fine line every day of my life. My doing so offers benefits to both sides.”
“There is no middle ground with this Fourth Race, nor with the An’Atee.”
“Concerning the Fourth Race, I agree. Concerning the An’Atee, you’re wrong. You just haven’t found the middle ground.” Ollie started to retort when Greg leaned away from him, nodding and holding up his hands in defense. He knew where Ollie was heading.
“The An’Atee did not open their files to me without good reason. I made an arrangement with them: I agreed to help them provided my help does not cause harm to the Harbok. I make the same pledge to you, whether you accept or not. I will help you in any way I can provided it does not cause harm to the An’Atee. Can you see that with me in the middle you have a mechanism for beginning something that’s better than all of us?”
Ollie leaned back in the great chair and rubbed his face with both hands, a trait that Greg found entirely human. Ollie was human, of course, despite appearing vastly different. He might not even know, Greg surmised in surprise.
“If only life could be so pure, Greg. It is not. Life is a struggle, a constant struggle. And you are wrong. We are not losing the war against the Fourth Race.” He watched a look of surprise dawn on Greg’s face, then added, “We’re not winning it either. The outcome is in doubt. One side or the other will make a breakthrough, then the tide will change. Until then, stalemate.”
“How long has this war been going on?” Greg wondered aloud.
“Two thousand years.”
Greg looked up, horrified. “Two thousand years! At what cost?”
“I can’t answer that. Not because it is a state secret but because I do not know the answer. My people have been totally engaged in this war for many generations. What life was like before the war began . . . I can’t even imagine. Probably a little like life on Earth now. For most Harbok, existence is a daily chore to be gott
en through, but predictable despite that. It’s not at all like here where for a few privileged millions life is a game, a delight, a never-ending source of challenge and enjoyment. Life with Nancy and Jim is like that.”
Greg found himself at a loss for words. What could he say? Ollie had just described life on Earth in its truest form. For most of humanity, life was a struggle.
“But Ollie, even our poorest here find love and some level of happiness in their existence.”
“So do we. But all our efforts are directed toward the war. We are in a life or death struggle for survival.”
“That’s why you have people living on planets completely wrong for their comfort.”
“Yet, as you say, they have their routines, they have their loved ones, they survive,” Ollie rebutted.
“What happens when it’s all over?” Greg wondered aloud.
Greg’s question caught Ollie by surprise. “I don’t know!” he said without thinking. Then he shrugged and said, “A novel thought, but who has time for novel thoughts?”
“Ollie, nothing would please me more than to help the Harbok find that time. I have pledged my life to that effort whether you accept the pledge or not.”
Ollie lowered his glass and looked at Greg in astonishment, unable to fathom the concept. “Even my Lor does not reach for such lofty goals.”
“Lor?”
Ollie frowned impatiently. “You would call him King.”
“So how does your small contingent here on Earth hope to prevent this Fourth Race from discovering Earth?”
“Earth is far, far from the frontier, Greg. It’s not difficult. Your puny radio signals do not give you away, they simply become lost in the background static of the universe. With only one or two exceptions, radio signals are not our concern.”
“Then what does concern you?”
“Space travel,” he replied without hesitation.
“I see. What can you do about it?”
“As much as we choose to do about it. I have complete freedom to act. We’ve taken out a few of your long-range probes. Certain missions to other planets have failed for no apparent reason, meaning the reason is not apparent to you.”
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