AKLESH (Under Strange Skies)

by Samuel Jarius Pettit

  There were hundreds of more important news stories in the galaxy worth covering. A treaty with Drogenfiest and Kel had been signed and ratified by both those governments just that day. Years of strife and bloodshed had been brought to a peaceful end. An illegal drug vessel had been apprehended coming from a restricted Galactic Protectorate with the crew telling stories of being caught in a tribal uprising. This had taken some of the attention off the royal family, but not much.

  The media would not stop feeding off her brother, who wasn’t even there.

  Her only solace that evening had been the poor doctor who was completely out of sorts by all the attention on the red carpet. The lovely young woman had not cared that her brother, the prince, was a rake.

  Thankfully, Dr. Hines had been able to take some of the unwanted focus off of her. She felt a little bad for using the poor doctor in such a way, but their brief moments in the lobby of the grand theater had been her only respite in a completely disastrous evening.

  Not to mention the none-too-subtle warning from the Prime Minister, which had been totally out of line. And having to deal with the carnivorous aristocrats who preyed on scandal was a testament in royal patience. Taken all together she’d quickly reached her limit.

  It was quite possible those creatures were the worst. They all stood around in small circles whispering sly comments and biting wit around Gar’s social fracas, then laughing at his ludicrous behavior and their own stunning intellect. Of course, when she passed by the malicious comments ceased and they were nothing but smiles and excessive compliments. But Gweni knew exactly how it worked. They would never tear down her family to her face.

  They would do the civilized thing; wait till her back was turned and mutter in dark corners.

  She was beginning to see why Gar had such a problem handling it all. Perhaps if she misbehaved and caused a little row it would make her feel better too.

  Gweni cursed herself for getting involved in what she now viewed as a petty political intrigue.

  Regret had been her escort that night and the date had gone accordingly. As the princess retired to her chambers and the doors closed behind her she hoped with all her heart that somewhere her brother was still alive.

  And that he might one day forgive her.

  CHAPTER 15

  The big surprise for Gar that morning had been the hovervac left over from the battle.

  Cho and the twins had taken it upon themselves to transport the cumbersome air vehicle back to the Keep. It had taken all three of them, two carts roped together to create a flat carrying surface, two Phontas to pull the cargo and over a day to bring it there.

  To hear Cho tell it, the whole thing had apparently been quite the ordeal.

  They had placed it in a small clearing about half a mile back from the Keep. The location was near enough that it was accessible but not overtly in the way. It appeared that technology from the Sky Tribes was not favored by the Aklesh people in general.

  But, if the council knew about it, they weren’t saying much. Gar had assumed that the lack of comment was on his account. As long as it was relatively hidden away there didn’t seem to be a problem. And besides, precious little hovering was being done since it had arrived with a large spear jutting out of the primary mechanism.

  This was how Gar had seen it when he had been presented with the machine. It was a clear, beautiful day as the four Aklesh stood before it, bursting with pride at having managed to transport such an unwieldy load so great a distance.

  So they weren’t prepared when Gar bust into laughter when he first saw it.

  “What’s so funny?” said Cho, slightly annoyed.

  The

  twins

  exchanged

  curious

  expressions.

  “You don’t like it?” asked Kai.

  “I’m sorry,” said Gar, finding it hard to control his laughter. “It’s just…I mean…look.” He indicated the weapon, which stuck out at a very odd angle from the control. The prince ignored the stains on the spear that were obviously from blood. The weapon had gone through someone before it had ended up in its current home. They hadn’t removed the spear for fear of damaging the machine, but they had moved whatever had been on the other end. The unpleasant thought ran chills down his spine.

  “Can it be fixed?” asked Kai.

  Gar inspected the hovercraft.

  It was basically designed to be a souped-up air skiff meant to tow small loads. A good half of the steering mechanism had been broken off, probably during the fight. That would have to be replaced somehow, but that was nothing.

  Basic controls were in the front as well, just below where the missing handle had been, although that was where the large weapon was sticking out of. The rest of the vehicle was designed to hold about four people if it was moving slowly. But, unfettered by any cargo and with only one or two passengers, it could achieve a pretty good speed.

  He then climbed aboard and grabbed a hold of the spear with both hands and, bracing his foot against the consol, pulled it out with a solid yank.

  There was a small green spark of energy that popped from the resulting hole. When it did this the Aklesh jumped.

  The spark was a good sign. It meant the power coupling hadn’t been damaged. Some severed wiring had probably been what brought the vehicle down. That and its driver who had most likely been skewered and couldn’t steer the damn thing.

  He threw the weapon to the ground by the Aklesh. Chi picked it up. It was the twins opinion that there was no need to waste a good spear. Gar hopped down as well and put his hands on his hips.

  “I don’t have any tools,” he stated bluntly.

  At this the twins smiled. They ran around to the other side of the hover craft and came back holding a red mat. It was loaded up with knickknacks they had scavenged from the fallen mercenaries. These they presented to Gar who looked through the mess.

  There was a flash pistol, which he though would be good to have around, just in case, as well as three wrist coms. He knew he could use some of the components of the coms as replacement wiring that might be needed. There were a few other helpful hand tools, some survival gear, a laser scalpel and a few metal pieces that must have belong to something bigger. After the battle several of the warriors took to decimating everything that had belonged to the others. Gar had not been able to stop them. But from the collection he saw in front of him there was some hope. And anything else he needed could be built in a make shift sort of way. The project would take a while.

  He made a decision.

  “Well,” he said, winking at the twin’s then addressing Cho and Kai as well. “It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do.”

  ***

  The next few days Gar spent tinkering with the hovercraft.

  The damage wasn’t terrible but unfortunately the working conditions weren’t optimal. One of the days there had been an unexpected storm.

  Thankfully from the top of the Keep incoming weather was noticed well in advance of its arrival.

  Both he and Kai were able to cover the machine in time.

  It felt good working with his hands. Shuttles and air craft had always been something Gar could really sink his teeth into, a place where he could forget himself. Of course, the small hovervac was a trifle compared to the one-of-a-kind, luxury vessels in his collection. It was like a glass of water next to a fine wine, but any distraction that reminded him of home was a good one.

  Gar would go to the clearing after he and Kai had done their mind exercises. Kai would come and watch for a while after he’d done whatever was required of him at the Keep. Kai didn’t really understand a lot of what Gar was doing and never asked any questions. All he understood was that the machine was a broken thing and Gar was fixing it. Sometimes he’d bring some food for them to eat.

  When the sun started to set Gar would finish what he was doing and Kai would appear, somehow knowing he was ready to stop. Gar didn’t mind the company so much. He had grown accustom
ed to their little schedule.

  Finally it came time to fix the steering mechanism. There was nothing that had been left over from the attack that would do it, so the conclusion they came up with was to have it made, most likely out of wood.

  Gar was amused by the idea of a hovercraft that you turned with a wooden handle.

  Cho had elected to take Gar to the person in the tribe she thought would be able to meet his needs. The next day they went and Gar was introduced.

  She lead him near the outskirts of the lower village to a series of three small huts joined together. It was easy to see why whoever lived there chose to be near the edge of the community.

  More space.

  There were many pale white and grey wood fragments scattered on the ground and some wooden figures laying about in various states of the creative process.

  The prince marveled at the sight.

  Something you would never see on Orestus was a man who worked with wood. The only trees on Orestus were in nature walks, arboretums and city parks. The concept of having so many trees that you could actually make things out of was a fascinating one for him.

  “Hatha’ghal, are you here?” called Cho.

  There was some noise from one of the huts and a man about ten or so years older than them appeared. He casually brushed wood chips and sawdust from his hands and arms which were wrapped in long pieces of leather up past his biceps. He was tall and strong like most of the men in the tribe but instead of the usual stripe of matted white hair on top of his head he was completely bald.

  He smiled. Gathering from the deep lines that appeared around his mouth it was an expression he did a lot.

  “You are the stranger,” Hatha said in a frank and friendly manner then looking first at Cho then back to him. “I was told you were coming.” Gar thought he might have been mistaken, but he could have sworn that Cho blushed when the man had addressed her. Or at least her skin changed tone, especially her round cheeks, in what Gar assumed was the Aklesh equivalent of blushing. That was interesting and he made a mental note before he returned his attention to the man named Hatha.

  “Most people just call me Gar. I was told you might be able to make something for me.”

  “Sure, I suppose,” he said, brushing wood chips from his large, rough hands. “What do you need?”

  Gar spent the next half hour explaining as best he could what he was looking for. Hatha had his arms folded across his chest and nodded while Gar spoke and drew diagrams in the dirt with a stick. Eventually they came to an understanding.

  Hatha repeated it back to make sure he’d understood.

  “So, it is like a yoke, but smaller and smooth?”

  “Yes. And I should be able to grip the sides,” Gar replied, demonstrating in the air. “Like this.”

  Hatha pondered the request for a moment. “I think that would be easy enough. What is it for?”

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  The wood worker seemed content enough with this answer. “You can pick it up in two days.”

  “Great,” said Gar. “We’ll see you then!”

  “Yes, two days. Till then,” Hatha replied.

  Although the farewell was a general one he looked at Cho when he said this and put on one of his well used smiles. Cho said nothing but blushed again.

  There was a pause.

  No one said anything. Gar went a little crazy mentally. He knew exactly what was going on.

  “Say ‘good bye’, Cho,” he coaxed.

  She blushed again, but much brighter so that the light blue on the sides of her face became almost cobalt. “Good bye,” she said quickly and walked abruptly away. Gar followed after her.

  “So, what’s his story?” Gar asked while they made there way back to the tree.

  “Story?”

  He couldn’t tell if she was playing dumb or didn’t actually understand his meaning.

  “I mean,” he continued. “Is he single? Married?

  Crazy? What?”

  “Oh,” said Cho, catching on. Her expression changed to one of sadness. “Hatha’s Joined died.

  He is in mourning.”

  “That’s terrible,” said Gar. “How long ago?”

  “Five years.”

  Gar stopped in his tracks. “Five years?”

  “Yes,” said Cho. “It’s very sad. My heart goes out to him.”

  That much was perfectly clear. In Gar’s opinion Hatha didn’t seem very sad.

  “Do you think he’ll ever move on,” he asked, trying to probe gently. “Five years is a rather long time.”

  Cho sighed as they began to walk up the long stairway.

  “Who can tell?” she said wistfully as they ascended. The smitten young woman was getting lost in her own thoughts. Gar was certain they were all about the woodworker.

  “Who can tell?” she repeated lazily.

  Gar could tell.

  ***

  Tyro’s hunting group was sent away the next day with several others which left only Gar and Kai to retrieve the commissioned piece from Hatha. On the way there Gar confided in Kai his suspicions about the woodworker and Cho.

  Gar found Kai’s reply amusing.

  “No! That’s not possible. He’s in mourning.” The young prince let the topic rest.

  When Gar held the Hatha’s handy-work in his grip he knew it would be perfect. Cho and her brothers were interested in the seeing hovervac in action, but Gar didn’t want to wait for them. When they returned he would be happy to show them how it worked, but at that moment he was eager to try it himself.

  They both rushed to the clearing and, using a very sturdy rope, attached the wooden handle to what remained of the steer shaft. It didn’t fit perfectly, but it fit well enough. Gar knew that he had gotten the vehicle back online, but without a way to guide it the effort would have been pointless.

  It was a hot day and Kai rested lazily in the grass.

  He watched as the young prince worked obsessively, his grey shirt off and tucked into a back pocket like a rag. Gar fiddled with the wiring one last time before he shoved it rather indelicately back in the hole the thick spear had made. He then cracked his knuckles and looked at Kai, sweaty but determined.

  “Wish me luck,” he said and attempted to activate the craft.

  There was a small shaking from the vehicle, then a green spark shot from the hole. At this point Kai had gotten used to the green sparks, having seen then many times over the past few days.

  Nothing more happened before the craft became silent.

  Gar scratched his head perplexed and looked at Kai again, who could only shrug his shoulders.

  The prince thought for a moment then gave the consol a good whack with his hand.

  The hovercraft surged to life and rose about three feet into the air. It made a vibrating noise that filled the space around them with static.

  Gar let out a loud whoop and Kai was instantly on his feet. Gar shifted a gear and took off around the clearing, the craft obeying the rotation of the wooden steering device. He did a few laps then pulled up beside Kai.

  The look on Gar’s face was one of exhilaration and elation. Kai was sharing these emotions as well, but he didn’t have to read Gar’s mind to know how thrilled the stranger was.

  Gar eagerly held out his hand to Kai, motioning him to climb up with him.

  “Come on!” he said.

  Kai instantly grew dubious at the thought of rushing through the air. Gar rolled his eyes at the native’s trepidation. He was eager to be zooming through the air.

  “You’ve already been on bigger ships, Kai,” the prince reminded him.

  This was true. Kai had encountered two flying machines already that month, but had not been on neither of them when they were actually off the ground and besides, one of them had come crashing into the earth. The idea of floating through the air on some sort of invisible legs made him very nervous.

  Gar reached out his hand more insistently this time.

  “Take a chance,
Kai. I won’t let anything happen.” After much internal debate the tribesman decided to join the stranger on the hovercraft, even though it scared him to death.

  But, before he took Gar’s hand he tested the skiff section, pressing down firmly with his good hand. It seemed solid enough. With Gar’s help he climbed on and warily stood up behind him, making sure not to use his bandaged hand for support lest he injure it again.

  “What do I hold on to?” he asked, feeling extremely awkward.

  “Me!” shouted Gar, who revved the hovervac and took off.

  Kai had barely enough time to grasp hold of Gar before they sped away at an alarming speed, the shock nearly knocking the wind out of him. They circled the clearing a few times while Kai got his bearings. It was like riding on a Rasclaan’s back but much more exhilarating. Once he got over his initial fear Kai really began to enjoy the experience.

  Gar stopped and looked over his shoulder at Kai to check that his riding companion was alright.

  They were both smiling. Somehow it felt better to share his minor achievement.

  “You should see the collection I have back home. It makes this thing look like a child’s toy.” Then he started it going again. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Before Kai could even muster the air to reply they took off, but this time jutting into the trees on the far side of the clearing away from the Keep. At first Kai was certain they were going to die and inadvertently squeezed Gar tighter than he intended, which made the prince cough. He loosened his grip.

  Kai winced, feeling at any moment they would collide with a low branch or overgrown bush but Gar weaved through the trees with expert precision, avoiding any downed ones or large natural obstacles. The young native focused on Gar’s confidence in order to supplement his own.

  “How far are the plains from here?” Gar asked.

  “Nearly five miles in that direction,” replied Kai, letting go with one arm only long enough to point.

  “Easy,” said Gar. There was an edge to his voice and Kai could feel the eagerness emanating from him. The feeling bled to him as well. They took off in that direction and zoomed quickly through the forest. With all the rapid turns and swerves Kai was glad it had been a while since he had eaten.