by Bill Nolan
The evening of their arrival was a blur for Jane. They went from ship to ship, visiting all the Tocals, and Jane was sure she hadn’t heard her middle name used so many times in the entire rest of her life. Every one of the groups receiving them on the other ships began with a formal apology to Robert. Jane was glad her language “feedings” were done. She could now speak and understand both the To’Ach’an language and the Standard language spoken throughout the Galaxy.
Every ship had a banquet, and Robert had told her to eat only a bite or two of each dish. He said everybody knew they were attending nine banquets in about as many hours, so they wouldn’t be offended. Even so, she was stuffed to the gills by the fourth or fifth stop. She and Robert were almost never together, as she was whisked off on ship tours wherever they went. The people were wonderful, and Jane had the best time she had ever had at any party. For the first time, Jane felt like part of a group, instead of an outsider looking on.
About half way through the evening, Robert told her they were having everybody to their place for dinner in four nights. Jane was appalled. Their ship had a total complement of three To’Ach’an and eight Tovena, and they hadn’t been to a grocery store since Robert had gone for dog food. Robert said it wouldn’t really be everybody, just a hundred or so from each ship. When they got back home, Jane asked Shanna what she should do to get ready for 1200 dinner guests.
Shanna just laughed, and said, “Don’t worry, Jane. It’s all taken care of. Each ship is sending a skipper tomorrow morning with a bunch of people and plenty of food. It’s kind of a potluck. You won’t have to do a thing. Karlona has it all organized. Just save room. You aren’t going to believe the quantity of food you’re going to see. Besides that, by then the business will all be done, and we’ll have a much larger company on board. That party will likely last two or three days. It’s like a housewarming.”
The next day everyone met on the surface of the planet. Since this was a place often used for these gatherings, there was an area with several large halls and open-air pavilions. The first item of business, at Robert’s insistence, was a meeting of the council of Tocals. Robert had told Jane that this council, made up of all Tocals, loosely governed the To’Ach’an. Robert was not yet a Tocal, and so had no vote, but she learned he did have a function. To be voted in officially, she had to have a champion. She listened as Robert challenged anyone who doubted her worthiness to come forward and fight him to the death. Nobody did.
All the rest of the time on that beautiful world was spent interviewing people. As the only three To’Ach’an on Shanna, Robert, Jane, and Kysandra had to interview all To’Ach’an who wanted to join their ship. In addition, Robert and at least one other of them had to interview each of the Tovena. They decided that they would just all interview everybody.
Robert told Jane that she just needed to spend a few minutes with each person. “Just long enough to get a feeling, that’s what you’re looking for. Just enter a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each person. Then we’ll get together later and see how we compare. Don’t try for a certain percentage on either side. Just let them fall how they will.”
They interviewed about 250 people, including about 40 To’Ach’an. Jane marked down no’s on 8 To’Ach’an and about 20 Tovena. When they got together, they found few differences. Robert had rejected 5 of the To’Ach’an, as had Kysandra, and all of their rejections (though not the same) were also on Jane’s list. The lists of Tovena weren’t quite so close, but were still pretty much in accord. In the end, they invited 32 To’Ach’an and 165 Tovena to join the ship.
Early on the morning of the banquet, the new people started moving on board. It was a madhouse at first, but most had brought help, and Shanna quickly got things organized. By noon, everybody had living space, and their stuff was in their space, even if it wasn’t unpacked.
Right after lunch, Kysandra called a meeting of all To’Ach’an on board. Jane was told that any To’Ach’an could do so, at almost any time. Kysandra opened the meeting as soon as Shanna told her everyone was there.
“Attention! There is only one item of business at this meeting. We need to elect a Tocal. I suggest Robert Allen. Are there any other suggestions?” Nobody spoke. “Alright, all who want Robert Allen stand up and shout!” Instantly, the room was filled with standing, yelling, waving, jumping, pandemonium. “OK,” Kysandra shouted above the bedlam, “Election done, meeting over. Shanna, notify the other ships.”
“Already done,” Shanna said. And that was that. Everyone went back to unpacking.
The dinner that evening went off without a hitch. Shanna seemed surprised at Jane’s concern. “What are you worrying about, Jane? People know how to eat. Everything will be fine.” She was right, of course. Jane was used to organizations where 10% of the people did 90% of the work. She discovered that among the To’Ach’an, everybody tried to make sure they did more than their share. It was amazing, and Shanna was wrong for once. The party lasted four and a half days.
During the four days it took to get to Melia’s planet, Bainto, Jane was struck by how much livelier the ship had become. There were several areas on the ship where people met, kind of like coffee houses. Each had a different character, and each seemed to attract some regulars. Before, these had been empty, but now there were always people around them. It wasn’t as though the ship was crowded. Shanna could hold 50 times as many before that would happen. No, it was more like there were finally enough people on board to form a community.
Robert was busy setting up schedules, settling disputes that arose, and generally getting everything on the ship running smoothly. By the end of the second day, everything was getting well organized. Command structure was pretty undefined among the To’Ach’an. They didn’t have rank as much as they had a sort of inner circle. Robert was clearly in charge, but he was now developing a circle of advisors, and these people also seemed to chum around together. Jane thought of it as government on the good old boy system, but she knew it was closer to feudalism.
Jane and Ky were part of the core group. Another was Podara, one of whose special talents was healing damaged minds. She would work with the healers on board. Chofma was a warrior, born and bred. His love was battle, and his life was preparation. He had told Jane during the interview that he just wanted a chance to share the same ship with Robert Allen and Kysandra.
Miko loved ships. He spent most of his time with Shanna, learning the systems Robert had installed or upgraded. Each of these, except Kysandra, also had a chosen, and these mates also formed part of the ship’s inner circle.
As they neared Bainto, and the confrontation with Horru and the Empire, Jane could feel an electricity in the ship. She gradually understood that these people didn’t mind fights. They simply weren’t pacifists, and while they weren’t looking for a big fight, they wouldn’t go out of their way to avoid one, either. Most animals and most people are prey, but these people were the predators, and she found she enjoyed their company.
On the third day out from Caimerce, a bit after lunch, Jane was in her office. She wasn’t sure why she had an office, but it seemed that all of the people in Shanna had been assigned one. Robert said that when you lived in a ship, there was a need to separate your work time from your own time. Jane found she enjoyed having a place that was all hers. She had been working with Shanna for about an hour, studying the early history of the Empire, when Shanna announced, “Ky is on her way to see you.”
“Why does she want to see me?” Jane answered.
“I don’t know,” Shanna said, “but she’ll be here in a minute.”
Ky came in, and Jane asked her if she wanted to sit down and have something to drink. After they both had a soda, Kysandra got right to the point. “I know you don’t like me, Jane, but I don’t know why. I think it’s important that we get along, so if there’s any misunderstanding between us, let’s clear it up now. I’m Robert’s friend, and I’d like to be your friend, too.”
“I think you’re a little too friendly w
ith Robert,” Jane replied. “I have the feeling the two of you are ready to hop into bed together, if you haven’t already.” Suddenly Jane realized she was crying. Ky tried to take her hand, but Jane pulled it loose and slapped Ky hard across the face. Ky saw it coming, of course, but decided not to block or duck.
“Come on, Jane,” Ky said. “Robert and I have not had sex, not ever. He has never asked me to.”
“But if he did ask you, you would, wouldn’t you?” Jane spat.
“Yes, I would. I would do anything he asked me to do, anything at all. Is that so terrible?”
Jane just stared at her, unbelieving. “How can you ask that? You say you’ll take my husband away anytime he’s willing and you expect me to think it’s OK?”
“Jane, listen to me. I can’t take him away from you. He isn’t your husband. You two are chosen. Haven’t you learned what that means? You will always be chosen, and nothing that I or anyone else could do will affect that in any way. That’s why the To’Ach’an aren’t ever jealous. To us, sex has nothing to do with the love and loyalty between two people who are chosen. It’s recreation, like a hand of cards.”
“I want to tell you a story, Jane. Will you listen? I think it’s time you heard it.”
Shanna chimed in. “Robert won’t like it, Kysandra. You know he won’t.”
“I know that, Shanna,” Ky answered, “but I think she needs to hear it. Tell Robert if you want to.”
“Go ahead,” Jane said, “tell your story.” She had a feeling she knew what story it was, and she did want to hear it.
“It was before the two of you met. Robert had come out of nowhere, literally. As you know, he built a starship when he was a teenager, attached it to an asteroid to get the mass needed to jump, and went exploring. He had been one of us for something over three years, but he wouldn’t say where he had come from. Nobody really cared. He was the golden boy. He was the best warrior any of us had seen, and it looked like he would lead the To’Ach’an one day.”
“We were having a gathering at Caimerce, the planet we just left. It was a new-ship gathering, and everybody was there. The old Empress decided it was a good chance to cut our heart out, so she sent her fleet to attack Gometty, where much of our manufacturing capability was located. As soon as we got word, all of our warriors headed out to intercept.”
“Robert was with me, playing some game or other, when some other warriors came to tell him what was happening, and to get him on one of the warships. Remember, he is an awesome pilot. There were four in the group that came to get him. Bainthe was young, and hadn’t made much of a reputation yet, but she was considered outstanding with a force blade. You’ve seen them – like a sword, but the blade is an invisible energy plane.”
“Anyway, Tocal Kolan was known as a good pilot and a man to count on. Then there was Jaymey, something of a hothead, but he always meant well. Marcea was a healer as well as a warrior, and everybody liked her.”
“Robert said he wouldn’t go. Just like that. ‘I won’t go.’”
“They were shocked. Tocal Kolan thought he had heard wrong and asked Robert to repeat it. He did. Marcea asked why, and Robert told her it was a trick and nobody should go. Bainthe asked him how he knew that, and Robert didn't answer. That’s when Jaymey asked Robert if he was afraid to go.”
“I was only nine years old, but I remember it like it was this morning. I swear to you that the birds stopped singing, and even the insects. If there had been a stream nearby, I believe it would have ceased to flow, waiting to see what would happen. Robert looked right at Jaymey and just smiled, and I saw Jaymey go pale. I promise you that if Robert Allen ever smiles at me like that, I’ll go pale, too.”
“Then Robert looked at each of the others in turn, and when he had, he said ‘Since nobody has objected to Jaymey’s question, I must assume that all of you concur.’ Nobody said anything. ‘Fine,’ Robert said, ‘go fight your ships. If we all live through this, we’ll settle up when it’s over.’ Then he turned and walked into the forest.”
“Marcea said it was wrong to let him go like that, and Tocal Kolan ran into the forest after him, but he was gone. He couldn’t have covered 30 feet, but he was just gone. The four had no choice but to run back to their skippers and join their ships. It wasn't ten minutes later that the ships all headed out. An hour after that, they jumped.”
“I was left behind because of my age. All the warriors had gone, and only the children and Tovena were left. I was hanging around the comm center like a lot of people, waiting for word, when the Empire fleet appeared on the screens. They came out of jump about 50 minutes away, and it was obvious we were the target. It had been a trick, after all.”
“I was only nine, but I was still To’Ach’an bred and raised. I looked at that screen and saw death coming. Then someone noticed that a ship was coming in to land. It was the new ship, the one we had just built, not yet bonded, and with most programming incomplete. We didn’t know why it was landing until we saw Robert running out into the middle of the big field.”
“That was an impressive sight. It was Shanna, of course. She settled down to about 20 feet from the ground, and then extended a ramp for Robert. A ship 3000 feet in diameter hovering 20 feet above the ground is amazing. It was dark under her. We couldn’t see the ramp or Robert until she illuminated for him. He entered the ship – this ship – and then she closed the ramp and lifted.”
“We could watch on our screens as Robert and Shanna headed out to meet the Empire fleet. There were 64 ships in that fleet, and we all knew that Robert, fighting in a single, unprogrammed ship, had no real chance. As soon as the Empire ships had been spotted, we had recalled our own fleet, but they were going to arrive at least 45 minutes late. Robert and Shanna looked like a speed bump that the Empire fleet would bounce over on their way to destroy us.”
“As he lifted to meet them, he was on the comm telling us his plan was to slow them down until our fleet could arrive. He was busy, and accidentally left the comm link open, so we overheard him as he sang his death song. I can still hear it.”
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.
As Kysandra sang the words to the song she had heard so long before, she started to cry, and that was something Jane had never expected to see.
“The Empire ships had to get rid of Shanna. If they got too far into the gravity well, Shanna would chew them up. A ship above you in a gravity well has a huge advantage, so they had to kill her before they could press their attack. Robert’s plan was simple. He would jump – short jumps of a few hundred miles – and then attack, attack, always from a new direction. He jumped every few seconds, so they didn’t have time to concentrate their fire before he was gone. Our ships are so superior that only combined energy from several Empire ships can hurt one.”
“Shanna’s weapons were fine, and they were scoring. In five minutes, she and Robert had destroyed 4 Empire ships, but they had also jumped 15 times. We knew they were almost finished, and Robert would pass out any moment from the jump sickness.”
“Only he didn’t. He just kept jumping and fighting, over and over and over again. He kept it up for nearly an hour, and almost 200 jumps. He had destroyed 37 of the Empire’s ships when the rest of our fleet came out of jump right into the middle of the battle, and that was that. A few minutes later it was over. About 10 ships got away, and we killed 54, counting the ones Robert and Shanna got.”
Robert didn’t answer our hails, so a team took a skipper over to Shanna. Robert was on the control console, and he was still fighting the battle. His hands were moving over the controls, and he was still calling out jump numbers. Shanna knew better, and had quit responding. Our people went over to him and grabbed his arms. They said he looked at them with a surprised look, and then passed out.”
“And I mean he passed way out. It was like a coma, and oh, the shape he was in.
He was covered in vomit, and had lost nearly 25 pounds in less than an hour. Our healers know all about jump sickness, and how to treat it, and they started right in on him. They got his body stabilized, but his mind wouldn’t come back from wherever it had gone.”
Shanna broke in, “I was so scared during that time. I couldn’t talk to him. I couldn’t reach him at all. I thought I’d lost him.”
Ky continued, “I sat by his bed the whole time. I just held his hand and kept begging him to come back. I kept telling him not to leave me.” Ky was rocking back and forth in her chair, sobbing. “He wouldn’t come back.”
Shanna took over the narration. “She talked to him for almost two days. At the end, she was so hoarse you could barely hear her whisper, and then I felt him coming back. It was slow at first, but he was coming back from that faraway place. Kysandra was the only one with him when he woke up, and I bet everybody on the planet heard her scream.”
Ky said, “I admit it, I was happy. He was back. The healers took over, and in a couple of days, although he was still weak, they pronounced him able to get up and around. Everyone had been waiting for that, because they had a special celebration planned. Everybody filled up the big amphitheater, and then they escorted him in. I was so proud. He was my big brother.”
“Tocal Lemant led the meeting. He announced that the To’Ach’an people had awarded Robert the medal of valor. Keep in mind that ours is a warrior tradition, and we expect courage as a matter of course. We don’t have different levels of awards. There is just the one, and it requires the unanimous vote of all the To’Ach’an. Robert was the eleventh person in our entire history to ever be awarded the medal of valor.”
“I was right in front, and I could see that Robert was crying as he walked up to the podium. I can tell you exactly what he said.”
Kysandra’s face got quiet, and Jane could see her reaching back into her memories. Then she repeated his speech from that day.