Darrell Bain

by The Y Factor (lit)

  "Firewood?"

  "I think it was someone's skull meeting yours, dear,” Jeri said. “Or ... maybe it was ersatz firewood, torn from some furniture. Anyway, it put you out for a minute while I was beating my way to you. Then I suddenly knew you were fighting for your life again."

  "Yeah,” he said. “Jeri was still tying up Kalki's perceptive sense but I was groggy. He tried to choke me to death and damn near succeeded. That's when I had to kill him."

  "How? It sounds like he had the advantage."

  "It's strange. Despite the beating I gave him, he still didn't realize how much Jeri had enhanced my body. He couldn't crush my trachea as he intended to, but it was a very near thing. I couldn't get my breath. That's when I used the last of my strength to poke my finger into one of his eyes and then the other."

  "You killed him by poking him in the eye? Come on, Kyle.” He had to be kidding me.

  "Well, I sort of kept poking. Y’ know?” He extended his finger straight out to demonstrate. “Right through the eye socket and into his brain."

  I tried to visualize it. “And that killed him?"

  "I wiggled it. Back and forth and up and down. I scrambled his brains until he let loose of my throat then I finished the job by crushing his trachea."

  I shuddered. “God, Kyle, that's ... gory!"

  "Yup, sure was. He deserved it, though. Even then, I might have stopped, but Jeri was real close and she suddenly fell. I couldn't waste any more time on him. So I gooshed him, but good."

  "So then what happened to you?” I said to Jeri. “I saw you fall but didn't know what did it."

  "Oh, I was so mad at myself. I misjudged Kalki, or the Crispy who became Kalki, and how thoroughly he had convinced some of the Crispies of the benefits of converting to human. I also never thought any of his converts would try to kill me while the elders were observing. Even after the fighting started, the elders knew I didn't want any killing, because they heard me say so. And finally, since he and his partner already had more than enough Lakshmi to satisfy their sexual desires, I was sure they would discourage any Crispy from converting to female. I was wrong and I almost died because of it. One Crispy had converted to human female and had subsequently had sex with one of Kalki's followers. That convinced her Kalki was right. Then when she thought her lover was dying, she went a little berserk. Uh, berserk-ER. She tried to kill me with a powerful surge of lethal perception. There were two things that saved me: one, that I already had my own perceptive sense at such a high level from fending Kalki off of Kyle, and two, I was furiously angry that Gene was dying and I couldn't help. Crispies, even Crispies in their new human form, aren't used to anger. She wasn't expecting it and it delayed her a second or two. Nevertheless, I was knocked cold."

  Christ! And I thought I had been in on most of the action, but it turned out I'd missed some of the most important byplay.

  "So what kept the Crispy from killing you once you were unconscious?"

  "Why, you did, Cherry!"

  "I did? How?"

  She stared at me as if I was crazy, and I was beginning to think I might be. I sure didn't remember any female Crispy. Oh! Memory loss from a Crispy. That had to be it. But...

  Jeri smiled and shook her head. “You were stunned when Gene killed the only other male Crispy and then was killed himself by the Lakshmi wielding that knife. You shot the Lakshmi first and then the female Crispy, both in the head. At the last moment the Crispy tried to prevent it by taking your short-term memory. She succeeded, obviously, but not soon enough. Your finger was already pulling the trigger."

  "But ... how did I know she was a Crispy? I know I don't go around killing women just for fun!"

  "Of course not, Cherry. But give that fine mind of yours some credit. She obviously wasn't from our ship, and she was near me when I fell. She also hadn't been human long and you subconsciously noticed the difference. You put two and two together and did exactly what you should have. Gene saved your life ... but you saved mine."

  I had to sit down. Everything that had happened surged into my mind at once. I didn't say another word until I had finished the “brandy” and coffee. It helped me sort out all the pieces and put them together in proper order. While I was doing that, Jeri had gone to report the events to Captain Becker.

  Kyle sat down beside me. I looked at him almost as if he were a stranger. He smiled gently at me.

  "What's funny?” I asked belligerently. No one should be smiling. Not now. Not after that massacre.

  "Nothing at all, Mai. I was just paying tribute to a warrior."

  "You were? Who?"

  "Why, you, of course. You've proven it over and over on this trip. If you weren't such a great geneticist I'd say you missed your calling."

  "I think I need another drink,” I said weakly.

  * * * *

  A little later we were told we could go back to our own dome. I went straight to my room and sprawled out face down on the bed. I cried for what seemed like an endless time, but finally the tears stopped. I got up and took a shower and changed clothes. It made me feel much better in an odd sort of way. I toweled my hair as dry as I could, then went back out into the lobby. From the looks of them, everyone else had damp hair, too. I couldn't blame them for wanting to wash off after the blood bath we'd been through.

  There was fresh coffee. I drew a cup but didn't add anything to it. Just coffee. I sat with some of the young marines for a while. I told them how much we all appreciated the way they had protected the civilians.

  "From what I saw and heard, I think you did a bit yourself, ma'am,” a corporal told me respectfully. Others of them nodded.

  "Third time,” I said. The remark came out of the blue.

  "Third time what?” the corporal asked, confused. I looked at his name tag. It read Miller.

  "That this little Smith and Wesson has saved my life,” I said, patting the side pocket of my windbreaker.

  "May I see?"

  I ejected the cartridge, removed the clip and handed it over.

  He examined it with a professional interest. “Nice."

  "Mai?"

  I looked around. It was Jeri.

  "Come on. The tender is going back up and Captain Becker wants to see some of us in person."

  I retrieved my weapon and stood. “Nice talking to you, fellows,” I said and waved goodbye.

  * * * *

  An hour later we were on the way to the Galactic. It made me realize I had forgotten all about what our friends the Snappers might have been up to, but I didn't ask about them. I didn't want to know. What I wanted to know was what the Crispies had decided. Since I was sitting with Kyle and Jeri, it was easy to find out.

  "Some factions of the Crispies aren't very happy with us, but the majority are prepared to work with us,” Jeri told me.

  "In what way?"

  She sighed. “It's not easy to explain. Whenever I've had time I've talked to friends I had here before I left on our spaceship. They are intrigued at the change in my ... not attitudes but..."

  "Point of view?” Kyle offered.

  "Something like that, but more.” She looked pensive for a moment, almost guilty. I was just getting ready to ask her what was bothering her when she let it out.

  "I can tell you something now that I couldn't earlier. Do you remember those three Crispies who were present for the, uh, meeting?"

  "Some meeting!” Kyle interjected.

  "Yes, dear. Anyway, those three were not only elders, but three of the most powerfully perceptive Crispies on the planet. They had learned both Indian and enough English to get along in it beforehand. You know how quickly we pick up languages. Anyway, they were observers but were also ... merged ... with many more Crispies who were, in turn, following the proceedings through them. Our audience was much bigger than you knew. The only other person I told was Kyle."

  I stared at him. “And you attacked Kalki when you knew those supermen were observing every little emotion and intention?"

  "It didn't g
o that deep, Cherry. We can't read minds any more than you can. Even when removing short-term memory we don't know what the person was truly thinking. It's just a process. No ... oh, never mind that. Kyle knew he was being watched but he also knew they were watching Kalki even more. Kalki didn't realize it, but he hadn't made a very good impression on most Crispies, or he would have had more than just those three converts. Anyway, Kyle wasn't taking orders, even from me. He just did what he felt was the right thing—and they could sense that. On the other hand, they could sense that all Kalki wanted was power.

  "While they can't feel deep emotion, they can sense how it works for me, like how much I love Kyle, for example, or how deeply troubled I was at what the Indians were doing here. They've also been speaking with Gordon through one of the gizmos they put together and wired into our com. Between him and me, we've about convinced them that being human is something very good indeed, if gone about in the right way. And Cherry, I told them how you figured that out. You've got a fan club here."

  "What!?"

  She laughed merrily. “Uh-huh. Not really, of course but there are quite a number of Crispies who would readily convert to human so long as you were in charge of the proceedings."

  "Hmm. I don't know how to take that.” I really didn't. And I didn't know how it was going to affect me yet, either.

  "Just take it as it comes. Captain Becker will have more to say after we arrive."

  "I'll bet!"

  I spent the rest of the trip to orbit wondering exactly what the outcome of all the happenings on the planet was going to be. I also tried to imagine what kind of impression we'd made on those three old Crispies with the super perceptive sense. God, what they must have been thinking! And how on earth did they stand to perceive all that violence when they weren't used to such? I was ready to barf, and I'd already experienced two battles with the Snappers.

  And come to think of it, Jeri still hadn't said what they wanted from us, if anything. Or whether they would cooperate in some things we wanted, like preparing a defense against the Snappers or giving us the means to either outrun them or destroy them so we could warn Earth.

  Shucks, I still didn't know what they intended to do with the Indians, either. Or the Chinese, if they showed up. I didn't give the Islamic Confederation much chance of building an interstellar ship even if they did still have one Crispy.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Dianne found me almost as soon as I cleared the tender bay.

  "Miss Trung, the captain wants to see you in his cabin in one hour. I have some coffee waiting on you in your stateroom and made sure you had clean clothes ready."

  "Dianne, you are a wonder. That's not even in your job description, but thanks. Thanks a lot, and I mean it."

  She smiled prettily. “Your image reflects on me."

  "Sure it does. I'll tell you about our trip when I get a chance."

  "Please!"

  I laughed ruefully and hurried off. Now what? Becker surely must already know everything important that had happened, so what could he want me for? Were the Snappers acting up again? No, or I would have seen signs of general quarters. I shrugged and went on about my business.

  Dianne had laid out a trim pair of red slacks and a white blouse. They were fine. What really needed attention was my hair! Evidently one of the Indian Amazons must've gotten a handful of it at some point, and it was a wreck, broken and torn. My scalp felt bruised, too. I spent most of my hour trying to get my locks back into some semblance of repair.

  When I reported to the captain's cabin there were others present, but not many. XO Edward Prescott was one. Jeri was there, but not Kyle. Gordon was sitting in a relaxed attitude and looked happy for some reason. A couple of others.

  Becker stood when I entered the room. He reached across the conference table to shake my hand.

  "Thanks for coming, Mai. We'll get to business in a moment. For now, would you like a drink? Coffee?” He raised his brows invitingly.

  "Both, sir. About one third brandy if you have it and two thirds coffee."

  In a minute there was a big mug in front of me, steaming faintly. It was topped by whipped cream. The aroma was magical. Jamesons, maybe? The captain had good taste. I wasted no time sampling it and it tasted as good as it smelled. I made a note to myself not to drink too much of it because there was a miasma in the air, as if I was being offered a last indulgence before being made to walk the plank. The café royale was so good that it might have been worth it, though.

  "Now then.” Becker crossed his legs and leaned back comfortably in his chair. “The Snapper ship has retreated to the edge of our ability to monitor it. We don't know what that means other than they aren't a concern to us right now. That gives us time to relax and enjoy a congenial drink while we discuss other subjects of importance.

  "I've been told that some Cresperians are interested in converting to human and going back to Earth with us. That alone would constitute a successful mission for the Galactic. However, our time is limited. Our primary mission was to find Cresperia. We've done that, but now we've unintentionally been given another mission, that of warning Earth of inhospitable aliens."

  He stopped to make sure we were all following him. I was, so far, but still didn't know what he was leading up to. Seeing that no one intended to comment, he went on.

  "I'm hoping the Cresperians will agree to retrofit our ship with better weapons before we leave if they can. I'm not counting on it, though. They didn't seem too interested when Jeri approached them."

  "They still might, Captain. I think it depends on what else the Snapper ship does.” Jeri tried to look hopeful.

  He nodded. “Yes. Well, we'll see. I said that some Crispies wanted to convert to human and go home with us. Alternatively, I'm told one faction of them would like some humans to stay here and help others in converting to human. They would provide very reasonable living conditions for what would certainly be a long stay."

  He paused to sip at his drink, which gave me a moment to consider what he'd said. I began to get the idea about the time he resumed speaking.

  "They insisted that one of our human Crispies stay as well, so that they can be certain the conversions go smoothly. Gordon Stuart has very kindly volunteered to fill that position. However, I also want someone down there who is familiar with the intricacies of Crispies converting to humans, particularly to human males."

  He was looking directly at me. Curiously, so was Gordon, who was sitting next to him. I met Gordon's gaze first. He was relaxed and his smile was clearly meant for me. All at once I knew what he wanted, not only now but in the future. Had he been pining away for me all this time? I didn't think so—hadn't thought so, anyway—but I could see the desire in his damnably gorgeous bedroom eyes now. They seemed to see right through me. While no one else was looking at him, he winked at me. I almost burst out laughing, and might have, had the situation not been so serious. Instead I turned to Captain Becker.

  "I assume that's me you're talking about, sir."

  "Yes. It is you. I don't want to order you to stay here, but it would certainly be for a good cause. You could repair some of the damage the Indians did, and at the same time, begin forming Crispy humans who would share our world view."

  I could understand that. It was important. But ... “How long are you thinking of, Captain?"

  He shrugged. “At least until General Haley gets his ship back to Earth and another ship comes this way. I passed on to him the direction we intended to go and we didn't deviate too much from it even while trying to outrun the Snappers. I'm sure the government will send more heavily-armed ships in view of what he ran into. I'll be taking the Galactic directly home, of course. That way, another mission can get back here sooner."

  There was one little factor he wasn't saying anything about. Sure, General Haley probably got the Zeng Wu back safely, but there was no guarantee. Another Snapper ship could have followed him, for all we knew. It was a sure bet so
far as I was concerned that they wanted to find our home world. I was pretty sure they could have wiped out either ship if they'd wanted to, but they chose to let them go. Also, there was no guarantee he would get the Galactic home safely, either, better weapons or not. So what it came down to was that if I stayed I might be marooned for a long, long time. I glanced at Gordon again. He seemed to be musing now and wasn't aware of my look unless he was using his perceptive sense. Maybe marooned, I told myself. No, be honest. Not maybe. If I stayed, probably marooned. At the very least I would be looking at a long stay on Cresperia.

  "What about the Indians, sir?” I said. It was a sudden thought.

  "They're gone. Home to Earth, presumably, with the remainder of their crew. And much humbled, I believe."

  "Tail between their legs, you mean,” Prescott muttered under his breath with no little satisfaction. The corners of Becker's mouth quirked briefly.

  "I need to think about this, captain. How long before I must make a decision?” I asked, thoughts whirling almost as badly as my emotions.

  "There's still lots to talk to the Cresperians about,” Jeri said. “There's also going to be a couple of more shuttle trips to get everything down that needs to stay with the colony here."

  "Who else besides me and Gordon?"

  "Eugene and Margie Preconder have volunteered. Some of the few marines we have left will be staying; a couple of officers. A physician."

  I figured he deliberately didn't tell me who each person was so that it would seem more casual; there was, I decided, some probability that a few had been ordered, rather than volunteered. I hoped not, and knowing the captain, he wouldn't have done it unless he'd had to, to ensure an appropriate number of defenders.

  I nodded silently, then added, “I ... give me a bit of time to think."