He was catching up to us as we stepped back on the street before the tavern and he said. “I am going back inside the Tavern to check on the others. I’ll call you tomorrow and give you an update.”
As I watched him go inside while we walked towards our shuttle parked nearby, I had to admit I was too uninformed and ignorant about the local conditions and I scolded myself for not doing more research before coming here. I came here thinking Itheamh was a solid and stable society, albeit oppressed and basically an outpost of the Karthanian.
From what Har-Hi and I experienced it was anything but stable and there was much going on. I promised myself never to set foot on a planet again before preparing myself with the necessary knowledge.
Before we could reach our shuttle, we were intercepted by two Ithe soldiers or policemen who stepped in our way and one of them said.
“The High Magistrate wishes that you remain for a few moments longer to witness what happens to those who aide and support terrorists.” They were very polite, but their stance and the way they held their weapons made it clear that this was more than a request.
I was more than just annoyed and on the verge of wrapping those blasters around the short necks of these potato faced natives and telling them just how much I appreciated the local conditions, but I tempered myself and my own impulsive behavior, knowing full well that this was the real reason we were still here and in this situation in the first place.
Har-Hi and I watched as heavy armored troop transporters rolled in on the road coming from the nearby city; unloading several platoons of armed soldiers. Hovering flyers bathed the area with glaring search and flood lights. The local troops broke into nearby houses and dragged civilians out into the street at gun point.
The Drak leader with the big medal appeared, now standing on a hover platform addressed the gaggle of frightened and dazed looking civilians, most of them in their sleep wear, with a stern and accusatory tone through a volume amplifier.
He said, looking into a hovering camera bot before him. “Citizens of Itheamh, you all know about the terrible crimes committed by Instigators and you know how many innocent workers died in their cowardly attacks!”
He made an artful pause and then leaned forward saying. ”Harboring, aiding and hiding terrorists is as much a crime as joining them.” He made a gesture towards a small group of Ithe locals. I noticed the Tavern owner among them and the High Magistrate said. “Thanks to the quick calls of outstanding citizens and the help of our brave security soldiers we were almost successful in capturing some of the most wanted terrorists. I, your chosen leader, am out here in the middle of the night to fight for your safety and it was during my tireless pursuit of peace and security when an attempt on my life was made.”
He raised his arms. “Thanks to my heroic struggle and the interference of Off-World visitors the foul attempt was thwarted. Several terrorist could be neutralized.” Now he pointed his finger towards the small crowd of locals that had been driven out of their homes. “I was chosen to lead our civilization and to guard it against all external and internal threats. Therefore I must make hard decisions to defend our way of life and make sure our Karthanian friends who are so close, know they can depend on us.”
He raised his arms in a theatrical fashion and his voice became thundering loud as he looked directly into the Cam bots. “These criminals you see before me have been found guilty of collaborating with the terrorists. What will transpire next must serve as a warning to all those who think about collaborating with the terrorists.”
I knew something bad would happen, and I prepared myself. My stomach cramped to tight knot as I saw the soldiers lining up women and children and after receiving a hand sign of the Magistrate, opening fire, shooting the helpless with their blasters. I saw women trying to shelter their children from the crackling energy blasts; heard the pleas for mercy and could smell the burned flesh as the smoke wafted into our direction moments later.
“I had prepared myself for something bad about to happen, but I never thought they would actually shoot, execute helpless mothers and children.
I felt dirty and as guilty as that murdering coward on that hover platform. I was there and I did do nothing to prevent the slaughter. I expected them to be arrested or punished in some form, but not this. Evil had taken on an entire new meaning for me and it had a face.
Numb with a new feeling of anger I watched on. The Drak soldiers had spared the lives of the men and despite their inhuman faces their faces were alien to me. I felt and saw incomprehensible agony as they had to witness their wives and children executed in such open brutality. No it was not a new feeling. I recognized that pain and helpless rage. I had felt it the night my father killed my mother.
The men were shackled and herded to a waiting transport. There were two Karthanians by the transport and with them was the Red Dragon. I was certain I knew where these men would go, to the Smelter Moons.
The Magistrate was still spewing propaganda from his hover platform and into the optics of the hover cams.
The old Eric Olafson would not have let this happen, he would have pulled that magistrate off his platform and tried to prevent the slaughter or avenged the deed by making them all pay. It was very likely the old Eric would have eventually been shot, maybe herded along with the other men to the smelter moons and most certainly compromised his mission. Now I stood there doing nothing, I wondered if my old ways weren’t preferable. They certainly would not make me feel as guilty as I felt now.
As I was thinking earlier, Har-Hi had no telepathic abilities but he was very intuitive as he said, “You haven’t changed all that much, we are here because a certain friend of mine had to run after some shadowy figures.”
“How could you know what I was thinking? I wear a mask and you can’t read minds.” I said to him.
“I can read your body language and I think I know you pretty well Captain.”
“You most certainly do.”
The soldiers that blocked our way to our shuttle stepped aside and one of them said. “It is nice to see Ithe justice done, is it not? That will teach those criminals a lesson!”
It was only because Har-Hi actually held me by the shoulder and used his Dai strength to pull me back, that I didn’t kill that soldier right there and then. The soldier took several steps back.
Even though I was wearing a mask, the solider must have seen my feelings in my eyes and he backed up even further saying, “We don’t like off-worlders making trouble or collaborating with the terrorists, this was meant as a warning!”
Har-Hi said with intense urgenc., “Captain we need to go! This has nothing to do with us and is a local affair. You are needed on the ship right now.”
“Yes, you are right of course. I had seen all I want to see of this miserable place.”
While I followed Har-Hi to our shuttle, I wondered if there was a nice, normal planet outside of the Union at all. So far every place I visited outside Union space so far seemed variations of Hell and severely flawed.
Har-Hi pulled me back to reality as he opened the air lock to the shuttle and whispered to me. “There is someone or something hiding underneath the shuttle. It moved as we approached.”
All I could think off was that someone was attaching something nasty to the shuttle hull. I dropped to my knees drawing my weapon at the same time ready to make this the last moment in that someone’s life.
There between the landing gear of the shuttle huddled an Ithe female with two children. Even though they had non-human faces, I could clearly sense their fear.
At the same time I heard the crunching sound of soldier’s boots coming closer. There was no way I would let them be captured and shot, even if it meant to risk the mission, my career or my life. I got up and turned toward the soldiers approaching with their weapons ready and I was ready to kill them when Har-Hi said to me: “Did you find that Polo coin you dropped?”
I relaxed my stance and acted as if I had something in my hand and said. “Yes, a
nd it was a Full weight too.”
This again showed just how well Har-Hi knew me.
The Soldiers however lowered their guns and one of them said. “A Full weight is a Full weight and worth picking up.” His partner nodded and they went on walking past us.
I said to Har-Hi quietly. “There is a mother and her kids hiding.”
Har-Hi pushed the contact to lower the short access ramp and said. “How do we get them in the shuttle without anyone seeing them? There are still lots of soldiers around.”
Looking around I said, “We need some sort of diversion.”
He smiled. “I think I can manage that.” My Dai friend raised his arm and a short barrel popped up from his wrist gauntlets. A sharp plopping sound was heard and a heartbeat later the Arti-Grav of a security skimmer about 200 meters away exploded, sending the skimmer crashing to the ground. The soldiers and pretty much everyone else was looking or running towards the burning wreck. I dropped to my knees and said. “Woman, take your kids and enter the shuttle as fast as you can. Don’t hesitate and don’t ask questions if you want your kids to live.”
I don’t know if she understood what I said, so I yelled again and pointed by gun at her.This time she reacted and crawled from underneath the shuttle. After a second of hesitation, she rushed inside, dragging her kids along.
Har-Hi and I were right behind her, I yelled. “Get us out of here as fast as you can, Har-Hi.”
My friend started the engines and flooded the Arti-Grav cushion before he was even completely seated.
One of the soldiers had turned and I was certain he had seen the woman getting in as he raised his weapon. I fired and my blast nailed him right between the eyes.
Seconds later Har-Hi pulled the shuttle into a steep climb into the sky. I was holding onto the frame of the still open air lock, having my blaster in the other hand ready to fire at anyone else trying to prevent us from leaving.
The climb was sudden and steep, the woman must have lost hold of one of her kids as it tumbled past me. I already saw it falling to his death. I was unable to prevent the fall, or reach it fast enough. The kid slipped across the edge of the ramp, less than a centimetre from my outstretched hand. I could not let this happen, not another child, then suddenly I could feel the small body of the child as if I was holding it, yet I was not touching the child. Whatever it was, the child stopped moving right past the very edge of the boarding ramp.
I dropped the gun and activated the closing mechanism. The ramp came up and I lurched forward to grab the child. Holding the little being with one hand, I held on to the edge of the ramp with all the strength I could muster, both the acceleration and the gale force wind tried to brush me off.
Only after the ramp finally sealed with the hull of the shuttle did I let go. I leaned against the ramp and took a deep breath. The woman was on her knees, holding her second child with one arm. Her alien eyes were wide open her other arm still stretched out for the other child.
I got up and handed her the sobbing infant. She embraced it and buried her face in the bundle crying and sobbing hysterically. All I could think of doing was putting my hand on her shoulders.
Cateria, with a totally uncharacteristic warm smile on her face, handed the older kid a sparkle bright candy.
Only after the big-eyed mother nodded did it take the offered candy and unwrapped it.
My CMO had a reputation of being unable to show positive emotions and many considered her arrogant and cold. I knew she could have that effect, especially since she considered almost everyone primitive and far below Seenian development. Once I got to know her better, I knew much of her Seenian arrogance was gone, but she kept a small remnant of it to remind her of her own long lost civilization and perhaps as a shield to not let anyone get too close to the vulnerable woman she was underneath it all.
She was an excellent physician, trained and educated by the Seenian Civilization, and everyone aboard respected her deeply but she rarely smiled. To see her stern features transformed like that was a little side note in the current events but I found it noteworthy nevertheless.
The Ithe woman had so far not spoken a single word and only after several assurances by Cateria that she would not harm her children, did she let go of the small one so my CMO could examine the infant. While I knew next to nothing about the Ithe, I estimated the bigger child to be around four or five years old and male.
He stood next to his mother while a Med bot hovered overhead weaving a new layer of skin over a cut on his mother’s arm. His eyes on short stalks moved independently. As alien as his face and appearance was, I could no longer see him as an alien as I noticed him clutching a little stuffed animal.
She turned to me and said, “Physically there is nothing wrong with them, save for a few scrapes, small cuts and superficial bruises. Generally speaking they are all a little undernourished and suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I cured a range of allergies and hypersensitivities in all three of them, but emotionally and psychologically they are in shock; their world as they knew it is gone. They had been simple workers till yesterday and now they are homeless and state enemies. As they are supposed to be dead, they can’t go back to their homes. At least in the case of the female I would suggest some psycho surgery, but of course I can’t do that on Non Union citizens and without their consent.”
“No Cateria, not this time.A Togar warrior is one thing, a mother with children another altogether.”
The white furred Togar female, another one of those we collected along the way fussed over Har-Hi, tending to the many little cuts he had received. Cateria noticed my glance and her lips curled to a faint smile. “Jolaj learns very fast and she is working full shifts. Our Togar snowball is very popular especially among the human male portion of our crew for some reason.”
Despite my growing comfort being female, this was not a mystery to me. Aloud I said. “I guess we need to make her an official member after all, send me your recommendations.”
“She already takes Union class with SHIP.”
It was only about 30 minutes since we had returned to the Tigershark. Cateria insisted on scanning and examining me too, especially after it turned out that the biting bugs had done more than just bite, but also deposited eggs into the wounds they caused. Har-Hi was his stoic self as the beautiful Togar told him he was infested with with thousands of alien bug larvae inside him, but I too knew him well enough to see the disgust in his eyes.
Cateria pushed the med scanner up and said. “There is nothing wrong with you, Captain. The Micromesh prevented the bugs from hurting you. I still suggest a hot shower and a change of clothing. There are hundreds of dead larvae sticking all over your suit. There is an auto dresser in my office you can use.” She did not have to ask me twice.
After a refreshing shower and getting a new suit I returned to the treatment room. Cateria was checking on the infant while she was closely observed by the Ithe women. Her little boy stood forlorn in the middle of the room.
I went over to him and he backed off hugging his stuffed animal even tighter. So I went to my knees and said as soft and friendly as I could. “What is the name of your friend there?”
His stalk eyes focused on me and he said with a weak voice, “Crancy.”
“Do you have a name too?”
“Crancy is very afraid and I am Drenc.”
“I don’t think Crancy needs to be afraid, he is safe here.”
He looked around. “Is this where you have taken Daddy too? Can I see him?”
“No your daddy is not here, but we will look for him.”
The mother finally spoke. “You are from the Union are you not?”
I got up and said to her, “Yes we are.”
She too looked around, moving her eyes without moving her head, and said, “It is all so bright and clean. You help me but why don’t you help us? Why don’t you do something for all of us?” She spread her arms. “We are simple people. I am just a Seamstress working on sewing machine 3454 in fa
ctory 865. My life partner was a pattern cutter in the same factory. We know nothing of galactic politics. It is forbidden to know anything about other worlds. It is forbidden to ask questions.”
I sighed. “Lady, I know very little about the conditions on your world. We are quite distant from any Union Outpost or planet. What are we are supposed to do?”
She cried while she pointed her finger at me. “It is all true, what the Instigators say. The Union is clean and mighty and powerful and cares little about others. Do you know how many Ithe died or disappeared just because they listened to the Instigators and their dream to join your shiny Union?”
She sobbed and looked at her children. “Now my partner is on his way to slowly die as a slave on the Smelter Moons on drummed-up charges to appease our cruel true masters, the lords of Karthania.”
She gestured over her children. “What will become of them?”
She put her hands over her stalk eyes and whispered, “What will become of me?”
I asked her, “Is there a place you can go?”
She uncovered her eyes and said, “I think I could find shelter with my grandparents. They have a small Nuktur farm in the mountains, the gray leather coats of the Drake rarely go there.”
I said, “Okay then that is where we will take you as soon as possible.”
She looked at me. “Rench, my partner, said there is a secret community of the Instigators and those who want to fight against the Karthanian oppressors and their puppets are welcome there.”
Her tone of voice changed and there was an edge. “I never wanted to have anything to do with them, but now I want to fight. Make them pay for what they did to us, but if I fight what will become of my children?”
The little boy held out his Stuffed animal and said to me. “Crancy is hurt too; can you make Crancy well too? Daddy said I must take very good care of Crancy.”
I smiled and took the stuffed animal. “I am sure we can.”
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series) Page 140