Ranh

by Ian J Miller

  "They might be bribed, they might be frightened, maybe they don't care, because the real objective has nothing to do with the crime," Methrell shrugged.

  "That scenario implies they are trying to take me out of the picture," Kazyn said, "and the only plausible reason for doing that would involve my being unable to help the Terran delegation."

  "In some ways all this doesn't matter. The simplest explanation is that it's some stupid crime to get rid of that jackass and get revenge on you and Tes," Zakryn said, as he looked at Kazyn. "If that's all it is, sorting this out can wait. The alternative is that it's got something to do with the arrival of the Terrans, or it's a power struggle. You, Kazyn, are the only one who can really help sort this out."

  "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

  "Hide from the authorities. Let this develop."

  "And hope they don't catch me," Kazyn muttered.

  "Indeed!" Methrell grinned at him. "You can demonstrate how clever you are at hiding."

  "Methrell!" Zakryn shook his head. "I told you to stop that. No, Kazyn, I think we can hide you somewhere where they won't find you."

  "Oh good. Where?"

  "Here," Methrell grinned again, "where I can tease you unmercifully."

  "Leaving aside the temperature," Zakryn said simply, "leaving you here might sort out one question."

  "Did they know I was here?"

  "Yes."

  "Not necessarily," Kazyn said. "If they're good enough to put this together, they're probably good enough to wait and see what happens."

  "You can't stop the opposition doing well," Zakryn shrugged. "If they do, you have to do better. We'll give you a room, and you can get some sleep."

  "And you would do well to get lots of it," Methrell said simply, "because if we don't resolve this, you may yet be running."

  "Just what I need to know," Kazyn growled. This situation was getting difficult. He strongly suspected that something additional was going on, but he had no idea what that was.

  Chapter 10

  "So," Lucilla said softly, "things are developing. Kazyn gets accused of some horrible murder, he disappears, then after our having waited for weeks, we get invited down the next day. Don't you find this sequence rather strange?"

  "Kazyn has been framed," Natasha replied. "Strange is not quite the word for that."

  "You're sure he was framed?" Gaius asked.

  "I can't see any alternative," Natasha replied. "This is just so stupid, and so convoluted. To kill someone he had already humiliated and store the carcass uneaten in a larder is just too ordinary."

  "I'm sure your nestling will be pleased to hear about the faith you have in him," Lucilla smiled.

  "And assuming he was framed, that raises two further questions," Gaius said. "The first one is, why, and the second is, since, as far as we can tell, the carcass was discovered soon after the kill, how did whoever frame him know he was out?"

  "Perhaps they saw him go out," Lucilla offered.

  "Possible," Gaius said, "but unless they followed him, they couldn't tell that he wasn't going to have an iron-tight alibi, or, for that matter, he wasn't going next door and would be right back."

  "So it must be someone who knows his movements," Lucilla said.

  "Which gets back to why," Gaius said. "Since Kazyn was going to introduce us to the Space Curia, this could be aimed at us."

  This thought lead to a general silence, as the consequences of that being right were very difficult to evaluate. Finally, Lucilla broke the silence with, "Which leaves the question, what now?"

  "Natasha and I go down," Gaius replied. "Someone has to stay here to watch over the ships, and that somebody has to be you. Natasha has to go because she's the official Terran representative, and she can't go alone."

  "It's risky," Lucilla pointed out.

  "That's why I have to be the other one," Gaius said simply. "If anything were to happen to either of you, it might be an unfortunate accident, but with my rank, an attack on me is an automatic declaration of war on Ulse. My guess is that they'll try to avoid that."

  "Don't worry," Lucilla said. "You're welcome to go. Actually, I am far from convinced there's any real danger, because I can't see what could be achieved that couldn't be achieved by other means. I think our arrival is more or less irrelevant, other than through providing a focus. I think the real attack down there is on the Kuyrills."

  "A sort of clan power struggle?" Gaius asked.

  "Or a Curia power struggle," Lucilla added.

  "That could well be the case," Gaius said, "but nevertheless we have to go down, and we should be very careful down there. Lucilla, you should oversee the companions organize the refuelling of the two ships, and I shall leave the Actium in geostationary orbit over Tukhranh, and get it refuelled as soon as I think I can afford it."

  * * *

  This plan itself had its difficulties because alien ships usually had to stay away from the zone that included geostationary satellites, but Gaius was adamant that this was going to happen. To the protests from Ranh when he raised the issue, he replied by asking did they really think that Ulsian technology was not capable of parking a ship in a zone and not interfere with satellites? To the response that it might interfere with their communications, there was the immediate response, how? The usual problems were with technology that was too primitive to understand the problems, but Ulsian technology did not fall into that class. There would be no accidental interference, and unless the Ranhyn Space Curia was accusing him of intending to deliberately cut such communications, which would be an act of war, there was no reason to prevent his ship from being where he could use its communications facilities. As he expected, a rather grudging permission was given.

  Accordingly, Natasha and Katya joined him on the Actium and they found their parking position. They then boarded a shuttle to make the descent to the surface, at which time Gaius ordered the Actium to make its star skim to refuel. By convention, the shuttle of another civilization was permitted to park at a position far from the rest of the spaceport, where, like around an embassy, there was a zone that nobody other than the aliens could enter. As Gaius and Natasha disembarked, a small vehicle approached that would take them to a transport tube. As Natasha remarked, this distance from anywhere might make it difficult for the Ranhynn to approach the shuttle by stealth, but it also made it difficult for them to make a fast get-away.

  "Not that we could run that fast here," she added. "The air seems so thick!"

  "There is a higher pressure," Gaius replied. "There also seems to be some additional inert gases like argon and neon."

  "Just what we need to help us escape," Natasha said. "A gas analysis!"

  "If we're in trouble and can actually make it to here," Gaius shrugged, "getting to the shuttle will be less difficult. Of course, getting the shuttle off the planet in one piece would be near impossible if they gave their defences the objective of stopping us, at least unless the Actium knocked out their defences." He paused, looked up, and said, "What do you think of the sun?"

  She looked up and gasped. The star was huge. That, she realized, was because it was almost as large as the sun, but they were only a bit over half the distance from it than Earth was. "It's spectacular!" she said. "And it seems the sky has a shade of green in the blue."

  "The star is cooler, hence yellower," Gaius nodded. He nodded towards the spaceport, and added, "Here comes the welcoming party."

  A small vehicle glided across the space towards them, then stopped. The door opened, and a Ranhyn in a dazzlingly green and yellow uniform stepped out. "Greetings!" Natasha's translator interpreted, "Welcome to Ranh."

  "I am honoured to be permitted to land and address the Space Curia," Natasha replied, and her translator made the appropriate noises.

  "Excellent!" the Ranhyn said. "You are most fortunate. To honour your arrival, you will be permitted to travel to the Curia on the surface, in the form of a ceremonial drive. Many from our planet will be interested to see you. If yo
u would please get in." As she got in, as if reading her thoughts, the Ranhyn added, "When we enter Tukhranh itself, we shall lower the roof, but in the meantime we shall leave it up to give protection from the star."

  "Thank you," Gaius said, then turned to Natasha and said, "The UV levels here are strong at present, and you'd get sunburn fairly quickly with simple exposed skin. It doesn't worry them so much," he said, pointing to the driver, "because their feathers offer such good protection."

  "It also explains why so many wear protective glasses," the driver added. "You will see from the variety of designs that fashion has a lot of say in their design, but they are all functional. Now, shall we start?"

  "Please do!" Natasha said.

  As they drove through the rural land towards the city in the distance, Natasha noticed how similar the vegetation was to that on Earth, except that the trees seemed higher. Then she gasped as she looked up. There was something so huge that was lazily flying towards the city.

  "You see something?" the driver asked.

  "It's eerie," Natasha replied. "It looks a bit like a Pteranodon. It's huge!"

  "Ah, that!" the driver said. "Yes, they're very large, and they're effectively what evolved from those dinosaurs after sixty million years of evolution."

  "Where's it going?" Natasha asked. "From its size, if it were carnivorous…"

  "It is!" the driver added gleefully.

  "It could be dangerous!"

  "They've been tamed," the driver explained. "That one will be heading towards the zoo. If it does a bit of circling, and so on, it gets fed."

  "How do you tame something like that?" Natasha asked in surprise.

  "Over millions of years," the driver said, "certain behaviours desirable for survival get wired in. The ones that behave breed, the others get culled. If you wish to see really wild ones, you go to the inner planet."

  "I suppose the next thing I'll see is a sauropod," Natasha muttered.

  "They became extinct," the driver said. "What happened seemed to be that with the lower gravity they got even bigger, but they also got more cumbersome, and needed even more vegetation. They got so big they effectively evolved down a dead-end path. Nevertheless," the driver added brightly, "if your political troubles suggest you need a thick skin, we can show you something to do the job."

  "What's that?" she asked curiously.

  "What evolved from your ankylosaurus," the driver chuckled. "They're covered in a really efficient plate mail of bone and other material."

  "You think I'm going to need that?" Natasha smiled.

  "Your arrival's going to be the only thing that's happened in anyone's living memory that's different from the usual plodding grind," the driver said. "Nobody has any idea what those incompetents will do about you."

  "That's encouraging," Natasha muttered.

  They drove along a road completely free of traffic that wound through a forested zone. This, she was told, was a favourite scenic drive. There were places where vehicles could leave the road, park, and the occupants could wander through the forest, but all such activities were prohibited today. For security reasons, she had this road to herself.

  The vehicle slowed, so that she could see the massive moss-covered trunks stretch upwards into a tangle of vines and small green leaves. Ferns were growing from trunks, drooping downwards to meet the tangle of shrubbery growing upwards. An awkward place to walk through, Natasha thought, until she saw some brown and green that suddenly showed pink, with vicious white teeth. Standing taller than any lion, with a mouth the size of a crocodile, there was a perfectly camouflaged feathered therapod. Fleeing into the countryside if things went wrong would not be without risk.

  They continued until the foreground began to lighten, and the giant trees gave way to impenetrable shrubbery that was still over ten meters tall. Then the road turned yet another corner and rose up onto a small bluff. There before them were colourful sheets of wall tens of meters high, masses of glass embedded into the walls, and a great avenue, with brightly clothed Ranhynn lined up along each side. There was no doubt that her arrival had generated interest, as shown by the Ranhynn embedded in trees, leaning out of windows, and occupying every available site. Everywhere there was a sea of colour, as each Ranhyn tried to gain more attention to themselves.

  "The two of you should stand up," the driver advised.

  They nodded, stood, and as the vehicle made its way down the avenue, great roaring noises erupted. Gaius and Natasha waved back in the pre-approved fashion.

  "I guess by now everybody knows we're here," Natasha muttered

  "The sort of alibi your feathered friend needed," Gaius countered with a grin.

  Finally the vehicle drove into a gigantic square, with a massive fountain in the centre. At the far end was a building that, as Natasha said later, was a rather strange hotchpotch of architecture, with columns, balustrades, weird figures, oddly shaped windows . . . The lines of Ranhynn that formed a pathway to it left little doubt that this was their destination.

  "This is the meeting place of the Space Curia," the driver said, then added, "What do you think of it?"

  "It's . . . big," Natasha replied.

  "Ha! Applied diplomacy!" the driver snorted. "It's a monstrosity! Some worm-brained idiot decided that there should be features on it to remind all visitors of the significance of their home world . . ."

  "From which I gather our world is not very significant," Gaius noted.

  "Oh, it's significant," the driver said, "but we don't get many visitors from it."

  As Gaius was to remark later, at this point he felt quite pleased that Lucilla was not with them.

  The vehicle stopped, and the two got out and were escorted to the main door. The driver produced a large stone, and struck the door three times. There was a pause, then the door opened, and a Ranhyn dressed in brilliant purple robes stood before them and yelled so that all in the square could hear, "Who strikes the door of the Space Curia?"

  "A representative from Ulse, and a representative from Earth!" the driver responded.

  "Then the representatives should enter!" the doorman said.

  They slowly marched forward and bowed to the doorman, turned and bowed to the crowd, then they turned and marched towards the main room. They entered, and although Natasha had been told what to expect, the sight still took her breath away. The main part of the room was surprisingly dark, and on each side of a wide aisle were banks of benches, with brightly coloured Ranhynn, who were seemingly illuminated by small lights in front of them, staring at them. At the far end was a brightly illuminated circle, and on the far side, what was effectively a throne. Behind this were massive abstract carvings that were supposed to have religious significance, and which Natasha found to be quite unusual and fascinating, although she could not make up her mind whether they were supposed to represent anything specifically.

  They marched forward, and came to a halt before the circle, then they bowed. Gaius then looked up, and called loudly, "May the blessings of the Creators be upon the Tenzat, upon the members of the Curia, and upon all Ranhynn!" He then bowed his head again.

  "And who wishes to address the Space Curia of Ranh?" came a voice from one side.

  "I am Gaius Claudius Scaevola Plotkynnius, Marshall of the fleets of Ulse, and representative of Ulse."

  There was a hush. While everybody present knew that the reason the delegation was there was to receive a representative from Earth, by presenting in this order, the presentation had the priority of the Ulsian government, and the Ulsian military.

  "And what do you wish to raise with the Space Curia of Ranh?"

  "I wish to announce the termination of hostile military activity in this zone," Gaius said formally. "As you are aware, a hostile force presented itself, and as you are allies of Ulse, it is my duty to inform you that that hostile force has been removed."

  Tenzat Tergyn stared balefully at Gaius. Protocol was clear. Before anything else could happen, he had to acknowledge this statement. "R
anh is eternally grateful to Ulse for removing the problem," he finally managed to say. "Are there further issues?"

  "I have a number of minor matters to raise, but I shall raise those with officials of the Military Curia," Gaius said. "However, I have one major matter to raise with this Curia. You stated that you were eternally grateful to Ulse, however most of the fighting was actually carried out by the people of Earth. I have with me, and I present to you, Natasha Kotchetkova, the then Commissioner for Defence, and effective leader of the Terran Federation during this period."

  Tenzat Tergyn now stared balefully at Natasha. Finally, he said, "Unless there are objections, the Curia recognizes the Commissioner from Earth."

  "Are there any objections?" the voice from the side called.

  "I object!" came a call from behind them. They turned to see one Ranhyn standing, and waving a document, but also turning to ensure the cameras got a full view of him or her.

  "In the name of the Creator, give the grounds for the objection."

  "Natasha Kotchetkova is dead! She is a fraud!"

  Natasha stood impassively, as instructed mentally by Katya, who was monitoring proceedings.

  "Well?" Tenzat Tergyn finally said.

  "Tenzat," Natasha finally said, "I am alive, and given the blessing of the Creator, I hope to stay that way."

  "She may be alive, but she is a fraud!" the Ranhyn persisted.

  "That is a lie," Natasha replied simply.

  "You call me a liar!" the Ranhyn shrieked. "I am dishonoured!"

  "Either you know I am Natasha Kotchetkova and I am alive or you do not," Natasha replied. "If you know, you have deliberately lied because I am, and if you do not know, you have lied by giving the impression that you do know."

  "You repeat the insult," the Ranhyn cried out loudly. "I demand you apologise at once, or face challenge."

  Gaius looked at her in concerned way, but she mentally told him she was following Katya's instructions, and he relaxed a little.

  "As you wish," Natasha replied calmly, "however I should caution you regarding clause 37 (b) (ii) of the Ulse-Ranh treaty, which would permit me, provided I have given you fair caution, which I now do, to substitute a companion for me. I am also required to caution you, which I now do, of what the companion will do, assuming the companion prevails. I have instructed her to fully pluck, to sever the tail, which will have to be done by force as she does not have adequate teeth, and finally she will pull out all your claws, to ensure nobody else has to put up with your antics."