[Acorna 08] - First Warning: Acorna's Children (with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough)

by Anne McCaffrey

  “No!” Jaya said. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because if you don’t, I will start by killing Hellstrom, who had a close encounter with a spanner I just happened to be holding at the time. No, don’t shriek, he’s fine. Or will be when he comes to, if you all cooperate.”

  “And if we don’t?”

  “Then I will grab little friend here”—he squeezed Khorii’s shoulder—“and take the biggest shuttle to the surface. Once we won’t get caught in the fringe of the blast, I’ll set off the detonator that will explode this ship and all of you with it. And that would be a shame because, like I said, it has all these half-empty cargo bays just waiting to be filled. But there are no doubt other ships docked down there. Khorii can decontaminate one for us to fill with treasure, then she and I will continue on our merry way to Dinero Grande and who knows after that? You lot could come in handy, but you’re not really necessary.”

  “You’re hijacking us?” Jaya asked. “You’re hijacking my ship?”

  “Not yours, little girl. It belonged to the Krishna-Murti Company, but probably most of them are dead. So it will be the flagship of my new enterprise, and you are all on the payroll, figuratively speaking. Now then, Captain Bates, you take over the helm again and put this bird into orbit around Rio Boca. You’ll stay here with Hellstrom, but don’t think you can plot anything. I’ve got him locked in the engine room, and I changed the pass code.”

  “And you think we’re going to do what you say just because you claim to have set explosives here?” Jaya said. “Puh-leeze.”

  Frowning, Captain Bates said, “I think that’s what we’d better do, all right, kids.”

  Marl smiled, showing lots of teeth. “Good for you, Captain. Did your research on us students, didn’t you? Saw my background with the Cholaran Resistance Movement? They hated to let me go, you know. I’m sure they still miss my talent with fireworks.”

  “I still don’t believe you, you nasty boy,” Sesseli said. “If you’ve really got a detonator, let us see it.”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, chicklet? Then you could snatch it out of my hands, couldn’t you? What you and Khorii, great telepaths that you are, failed to notice is that old Marl has a bit of a gift, too. So I’m on to both of you, so don’t try to be cute. Just be useful, and we’ll get on fine. Now, then…I wonder how much cargo you can lift with that tiny mind of yours? Could be quite useful. Ah, ah, don’t even think about trying to pick me up and throw me across the room—you might set the detonator off accidentally, and wouldn’t that be too bad for poor Hap.”

  Khorii wondered where Elviiz was. As if he could read her mind, Marl said, “Oh, don’t go looking for help from your pet android, Khorii.”

  “What did you do to him?” she demanded.

  “Not a thing. Not a thing. He’ll be a lot of help when it comes to loading my cargo, I figure, once you tell him to do exactly as I say. I gave him a bit of a brain teaser to figure out, and I think he’ll be chewing on that until I require his services.”

  “Think again, sucker,” Elviiz said, in a low, menacing voice, not unlike one Marl himself used from time to time.

  “Stop him, or I’ll make you dismantle him piece by piece yourself,” Marl said to Khorii.

  “Elviiz, stop,” she said.

  “He asked me some ridiculous riddle about some stupid polygamous man who carried his many feline companions in sacks and expected me to ponder it!” Elviiz said. “Father warned me about that sort of thing. He was trying to trick me.”

  “Yes, I was,” Marl said complacently. “And it worked long enough to accomplish what I needed it to. Now be a good little android and go stand next to Jaya.”

  “We’re entering Rio Boca’s orbit now,” Captain Bates said.

  “Great. Let’s all go down to the shuttle bay then.”

  “Not until you let me look at Hap’s head,” Khorii said, folding her arms across her chest. “I won’t leave without knowing that he’s not going to die while we’re helping you steal from dead people.”

  “You’re in no situation to demand anything, missy,” Marl said.

  “I think I am,” Khorii replied. “I am the only one on board this ship you really need to carry out your plan. What I am asking is reasonable and not difficult to do. You should consider what might happen if you do not have my cooperation for decontaminating your precious treasures before you threaten anyone else or refuse to let me see Hap.”

  “I—oh, all right. He’s all taped up, and he’s going to stay that way though, so don’t think you’ll get me to change that. Come along then. Just you. Captain Bates, you are a reasonable person. You know what will happen if any of you try to take control. Make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  She gave him a glacial look but nodded once, sharply.

  As Khorii followed Marl to the engine room, she wondered—he was so sure of her that he didn’t mind showing her his back—if he really had known she was reading him because he could read her, and had deliberately thought repulsive stuff make her back off. It had certainly had that effect. She had given up trying to read him, and therefore had seen none of his plan coming. She was disgusted with herself. It wasn’t the thoughts you read that could hurt you, it was the ones you failed to read. She was going to remember that from now on. She doubted, despite his boasts, that Marl had a great deal of psychic ability, but he was shrewd enough to use the small talent he had to his greatest advantage. And she’d fallen for it. Her doubts about his talents were confirmed almost immediately.

  At the engine room door, he input the new code. Apparently she was giving him too much credit to know how to block her from reading him, because she picked the code out of his mind easily. If she was such a good broadcaster that she could give her whole class test results, she hoped the people on the bridge could pick up this transmission, too—D.R.U. A.7. If nothing else, Khorii could send the code so Captain Bates could free Hap after the rest of them left. Although the teacher did not flaunt her abilities, as Marl had just done, Khorii knew she had them. She’d shared thoughts with her teacher on the day of that disastrous test.

  Marl stood aside with mock courtesy and motioned her into the engine room. Hap lay on the floor, his hands taped together with heavy utility tape, his arms taped to his torso, his legs taped together at ankles, shins, knees, and thighs. The side of his head was matted with blood, and a red patch had pooled underneath him.

  Khorii rushed forward and bent over him, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that he was still breathing, though very shallowly.

  “Do your thing, horn girl, and let’s go.”

  She laid her horn against the wound, bloodying its tip. At once the scalp wound stopped bleeding and the skin and bone knitted itself together. Hap’s eyes opened, and he started to say something, but Marl shoved Khorii aside and slapped another piece of tape over his mouth. Leaving Hap lying in his own blood, Marl grabbed Khorii’s arm and yanked her up and out of the room, the door sealing shut behind them.

  Marl dragged her to the docking bay door and flipped the toggle on the intercom. “Okay, you lot, get down here and let’s go get my treasure.”

  Chapter 26

  The Mana’s shuttle was the largest and roomiest of the transports that they had, with chairs for three people and a couple of jump seats, besides having a large empty space and nets for cargo.

  “Where are the maps I told you to get?” Marl asked Jaya.

  “They’re in the ship’s computer,” she said.

  “I know they’re in the ship’s computer,” he said, mocking her last three words, then shouted at her. “Where else would they be? Access them, you sniveling idiot, and let’s have a look.”

  A schematic appeared on the screen at Jaya’s fingertips. “Magnify the writing by each of those,” Marl ordered.

  She did this, and he looked until he came to the warehouses for the coffee cooperative, the precious gems and metalwork guild, and the herb and spice growers’ agricultural cooperative. He m
ade a pleased sound and stabbed his finger at the last one. “There. We’ll start there. Our beloved teacher forgot to mention that this region is one of the top producers of medicinal and recreational drugs in the entire Federation. Not that the Federation likes it, but they can only control the importing of this stuff, not the exporting from here. Those people on Dinero Grande didn’t get rich from hard work and saving their pesos, urchins.”

  “Did you plan this all along, Marl?” Captain Bates asked from the ship. “Is that why you really insisted on coming with me?”

  “I’d like to say I was that farsighted, Teach, but actually I have just been well trained to take advantage of strategic opportunities, and this is a huge one. I’ve been thinking about these warehouses since I heard about the plague starting in Solojo and taking out so many of those pesky Federation plods. And when sweet little Khorii healed my wound I began to realize what an asset she could be. With the Mana handily vacated of anyone who could be a serious deterrent to a rising entrepreneur, I knew that fate was in my favor, the Cholabrian gods of pillage were with me, and here we are.”

  “Touching success story,” Captain Bates said.

  “Oh, shut up and orbit,” he said. “And let me remind you not to try anything on the ship while we’re gone. I’ve also rigged my bomb with a timer that will go off if I don’t come back in time to deactivate it.”

  When they had docked where he told them to, he said, “Khorii, you first, my dear. Make the atmosphere safe for us all. Android, you get us inside. Then Khorii will do her thing again and decontaminate all my souvenirs.”

  Khorii left the shuttle, but she wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do out there. She saw none of the specks that had vanished before her horn in contaminated areas of the past. Of course, it might be a good thing if Marl imagined the very atmosphere was deadly without her. So she held her head up and walked a zigzag path to the door of his chosen warehouse, and touched it briefly with her horn. Then looked back to the shuttle and nodded.

  Elviiz in the lead, the others emerged from the shuttle and joined her. Marl came last. “Do it, droid,” he said. “The rest of you stand back and give it room.” He said the “it” with enjoyment, speaking of Elviiz as if he were a thing.

  Khorii looked at her foster brother’s stoic face and rolled her eyes. The sides of Elviiz’s mouth turned up slightly, and he waved her back. He put his hand on the lock and, with rapid calculation, computed the code key and opened the lock, then the door.

  “You are no fun, monster,” Marl said. “Khorii, debug it.”

  Khorii stepped forward, but Elviiz pushed her back and stepped in front of her, striding through the door.

  Something inside exploded, and Elviiz staggered back into the street and fell, a huge hole in the skin of his chest revealing the metal shell underneath.

  Khorii rushed to his side, and lowered her horn to the wound. Marl stepped across Elviiz’s legs and grabbed Khorii by the arm, jerking her to her feet.

  Sesseli screamed, her high, piercing cry echoing in the sudden silence.

  A man’s voice called out from the warehouse. “Niña?”

  With one fluid move Marl swept the little girl into his arms, holding her tight to him. She tried to turn and glare at him, but the older boy grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at the warehouse.

  “Hey, you, in there! I’ll kill this little girl if you don’t throw out your weapons right now!”

  From inside, heavy footsteps stumped toward the entrance, then they all heard a string of profanity as two pistols flew over their heads and landed in the street beyond them.

  Sesseli’s face twisted with rage, and Marl suddenly let go of her, his arms flung away from the small child. She turned back toward the warehouse and ran past all of them, crying.

  Seeing her chance, Jaya snatched both pistols up and pointed them at Marl as he rushed after Sesseli through the doorway. The man shouted, then let out a yell that ended with a loud crash against something at the opposite end of the warehouse. Jaya reflexively pulled the triggers of both guns, but the bullets burrowed harmlessly into the side of the building, and Jaya herself flew backward and hit the side of the shuttle, sliding down to the ground unmoving.

  “The force of the recoil of the Colt 54 Alhambra model pistol is exceeded by the velocity of the projectile by a mere fifty percent,” Elviiz said to no one in particular.

  Khorii had pulled away from him as Jaya shot and now ran back to help the other girl. She was stunned but otherwise uninjured. Khorii picked up the pistols with two fingers of each hand on each barrel and flung them across the street. They might have come in handy, she could almost hear Hap saying, but she felt a racial revulsion inherited from generations of pacifist Linyaari forebears. Handling firearms was definitely ka-Linyaari.

  “You coming, Khorii?” Marl asked from the doorway, apparently unfazed by recent events. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you that little girls shouldn’t play with guns?” He sounded amused rather than threatened and when she drew near him, shoved her forward into the warehouse.

  “Purify the loaders over there and start on the stacks,” he told her, then stepped back through the doorway.

  A figure lay sprawled against a pile of cartons and Khorii ran past the loaders to it. An old man looked up at her, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Still she saw none of the plague aura, as she had started to think of the tiny specks associated with it, surrounding him.

  He had a big white mustache and thinning hair on top and looked very angry. “This is ours,” he was thinking, though he did not speak.

  “It will do you no good if you’re dead,” Khorii told him in thought-talk as she lowered her horn to heal his wounds. “The boy you shot and all of us girls are innocent and mean you no harm. But the tall boy in the doorway is a looter and possibly a killer. I do not know how you survived the plague, but I advise you to run away or hide quickly, before he uses your own weapons against you.”

  The man thought about it only a moment, then flipped himself onto his hands and feet and made a stooping run behind a row of stacked crates. She did not know if he was still there or if he fled through another exit. However, he was not in sight when Marl dragged Sesseli with him by one arm and Jaya by the other. Jaya’s right eye was blackening, and her mouth was bleeding. It had not been a moment ago. Khorii regretted throwing the guns away. He was not going to let them go ever, was he? They were going to be his slaves, his minions to create his own little empire, stealing things that belonged to the dead and selling them to anyone who had the money to meet his price, she supposed. Since the Federation forces had been hit very hard by the plague, there was no longer anyone to oppose Marl and people like him. No one but she and a power to heal and purify that, unfortunately, didn’t seem to extend to the evil part of human nature.

  If her parents were there, she knew they’d think of something clever to do, something Marl wouldn’t be expecting. She wished they were there to take charge. This adventure had ceased being fun when Marl had hijacked the ship. Better yet, she wished she were with them and nowhere near Marl Fidd. If she weren’t here, if he hadn’t figured out her secret, he wouldn’t have dared to exploit the plague as he was doing. Maybe she could convince Marl to go to Paloduro. Then he’d be sorry he tried to use the Linyaari to help him carry out his illegal, immoral, and repulsive scheme.

  Meanwhile, she went through the motions of purifying the loaders and the stacks of cartons of drugs he pointed to. Actually, they did not appear to be contaminated, showing none of the plague aura. But she pretended to cleanse them and helped stow them on the shuttle anyway.

  “Snap to it, kiddies. This is just the first load. There’s a lot of room in the cargo bays for valuable stuff like this. I want as much of this warehouse as you can fit in those cargo bays.”

  “It will go faster if you’ll let me repair Elviiz,” she said. “He’s very strong.”

  “Fine, but try anything, and we’re going to have to load up another s
hip because the Mana will go nova.” Marl lorded over them with a superior smile on his face, like a man who held all the cards. Right then Khorii knew that, pacifist nature or not, she would do whatever she could to make sure he didn’t get away with his despicable plan.

  Khiindi was right where he wanted to be, but now what was he going to do? He sat down and thought about it for a while and caught Hap’s thought, “Come on, kitty, it’s you and me, why don’t you help me?” It wasn’t that Hap knew what Khiindi really was, or that the cat could understand his thoughts. Hap was simply in the habit of talking to, and thinking at, his friends who were gifted with more than two legs. Khiindi considered the situation.

  Stupid boy. He was nice enough, but how had he managed to get himself so thoroughly taped up anyway?

  Unseen, Khiindi had managed to slip into the engine room behind Marl and Khorii. His original impulse was simply to go where Khorii went since he did not want her anywhere alone with Marl. Unfortunately, there had been no opportunity to slip out of his hiding place before Marl sealed the door again. Not able to reach the control panel set into the wall, Khiindi could not open the door himself. He thought about leaping at the control panel in an effort to open the door, but the nearest counter was several feet away, and while he could cover the distance, the chances of his hitting the correct button were very small, while the chances of him bashing his head into the wall were fairly high. Captain Bates was on the bridge and was the only other human aboard except for Hap. She was much too far away to help and even if he went to the intercom, what was he going to do? Mew at her? He doubted she’d get the point. Besides, even if she did come down, she couldn’t get through the locked door either.

  No, the hapless Hap was his best hope for release. He was not about to gum up his fangs with that vast amount of tape binding the boy, however. Maybe the hands. That was where those handy thumbs were located. He slid in close to Hap’s fingers, which automatically moved to scratch his fur. In spite of himself he purred, but then set to work on the tape. It was not that difficult to puncture, but Khiindi found that he could not position himself properly to tear it away. He stood with one hind paw between Hap’s hands and the other outside, while using his jaws to try to rip the tape away without ripping Hap. Hap, ungrateful lout that he was, kept complaining that Khiindi’s tail tickled his nose and ouch, he felt that. So Khiindi then tried it from the other direction, back paws on the deck, forepaws and teeth working at the tape from between Hap’s wrists. It got too slippery from blood to be of any use, and Hap’s mental cursing offended Khiindi’s pointed ears. He was just trying to help after all. His claws and teeth wouldn’t be any good to Hap if they weren’t sharp enough to pierce a little flesh. Some humans were entirely too delicate.