Secrets of the Horizon (The Union Stories Book 1)

by Lesa Corryn

  “Don't make me lug you up, not on this leg,” grumbled Allouette. An ember hopped from the fire and onto my cheek, shaking me awake.

  Allouette's hand was outstretched before me, while Flik and Teshe carried Gin on a makeshift stretcher of branches and blankets.

  “What's going on?” I muttered. I pulled myself up on my own, ignoring Allouette's hand. Soon the wave goggles were back in place and the dark landscape became lit with an eerie glow.

  “Corporal Teshe has taken refuge in the village ahead,” said Allouette. She turned from me, her face reddened, perhaps by the fire, and wobbled over to Teshe's side. “They have supplies there, we can treat our wounds and nurse Gin back to good health.”

  They began to move forward, but my feet stayed planted by the fire.

  “Can we trust this village?” I asked, my question directed to no one in particular.

  “Yes, that's why I've been living there for the past three days,” said Teshe. The roll of his eyes was apparent even in the darkness of a lavender moon.

  “Ok, so tell us who to expect. What are we walking into? Is there really a native race here?” Questions poured from my lips as I joined the rest of our party. Flik shifted his weight beneath the stretcher and a pang of guilt bit at my stomach.

  “We don't have time to waste with these details,” said Teshe in his traditional monotone voice. His eyes stared ahead beneath the wave goggles. I didn't need to see exactly where they looked to know that Teshe was hiding something.

  “Corporal, I too would like some answers before we head out. If there is a native race on this planet, they may be the ones attacking Union ships and colonies. How are they to be trusted?” Allouette questioned.

  “Fine.” He lowered the stretcher, Flik fumbling to follow suit, and turned towards Allouette.

  “The village is under developed. Their technology is rudimentary and medieval by Earth standards. They aren't capable of being the ones that shot us down. Is that satisfactory?”

  Our words overlapped each other, Allouette affirming, I negating. I stepped closer to him, brushing past Allouette and squaring my shoulders before him.

  “No, you are not telling us something. We should be prepared for the culture we're going into. Why won't you tell us more about them?”

  “Because you already know their culture, they are Bendalurians.” Again I couldn't see well beneath the goggles, but it was clear Teshe rolled his eyes before reaching down to raise the stretcher.

  “Bendalurians, but how?”

  “They are the closest system,” said Allouette. Her words and shoulders lowered as she moved forward to follow Teshe.

  “But this not known planet. Bendalur not register it,” said Flik.

  “They're probably just marooned explorers from centuries ago,” said Teshe. He turned to glare at Flik who found the energy to follow behind Teshe's stride and carry the stretcher forward.

  “But their ship would still contain the technology of their home planet, the means for communication, why wouldn't they have worked to fix their ship and leave the field? Why didn't they seek help?” I said, determined not to follow until my answers were met.

  “What part of centuries ago, didn't you understand?” Teshe's voice didn't break his calm demeanor, it never does. Any anger, any frustration, never showed in his eyes or quaked in his voice. But I felt it, I felt the secret beneath his stare. “I can't theorize what happened that long ago. You have concerns, then figure them out when we get there, but right now the woman who once carried my child is on the brink of joining the stars and all you can do is ask questions. I'm not going to answer them for you.”

  Teshe pushed forward and Flik struggled to keep up. Allouette stepped ahead, but looked back for a moment. Her face rigid and her posture straight, balancing herself against her walking stick. Time faded in and out like the stars, but soon she turned and followed. For a moment before she turned I saw a soft sadness in the pale glow of her cheeks. Only for a moment.

  I grabbed as much supplies as I could carry and kicked dirt onto the fire. Their footsteps rang clear in the forest. They'd be easy to follow. The town must be close though to take such a risk. I knew I would not be the only one able to track their path. But the blood of the fallen was still fresh in the soil and the legs pierced the sky with their jagged silhouettes. Teshe knew the risk, just like Allouette and Flik. He knew their slow but noisy trek would draw attention. But they also knew the risk of staying. And that weighed far more than the other. They knew that. But yet again, I was blind. Gin's life fading in and out like the stars and my words searched to find fault in Teshe.

  The hand pulled back from the water, her feet no longer breaking the waves. She left me to drown. Perhaps it's for the best.

  Chapter 14

  Walls

  The magenta break of dawn pierced the hazy gray sky over the mountains. The village consisted of one meager street lined with rickety homes of wood and mortar. The lowing of some native cattle sounded from the fields beyond the tree line. I crossed through their spiked gate of sharpened branches and stones, giving a nodding glance to a Bendalurian guardsman. He eyed me up and down, but did not seem to question my presence.

  I expected the others to arrive about two hours before I did. I took my time in the brush, stepping with caution around each twig and bush. Not out of fear that I would gain the attention of some blasted spider beast but of those trudging ahead of me.

  Now in the street, Bendalurians wandered from building to building fulfilling their daily routines. They looked like any Bendalurian you'd find at a stellar port. Their manes were just as thick, their legs just as lean, their feet just as wide and long. I had imagined they would be somehow different from our brand of Bendalurian. Perhaps their claws longer for more rural living, their manes thinner due to the greater exposure to a violet sun, their fur pattern modeled after the coniferous surroundings. But perhaps the need was not as apparent as I thought, for they seemed to get by just fine. They bartered a wide range of fruit beneath a loose canopy; their children pranced down the dirt street, no fear of the beasts apparent in their wide eyes; and their clothes, composed of light cotton tunics and trousers, fitted nicely against their feline bodies.

  I scanned the buildings along the street. Somewhere, Gin struggled to regain her life and Teshe stood by her side. Were Allouette and Flik with him? If they weren't, they were not in the street. The town was not large, but big enough that not everyone's movements would be known to everyone in the town. But since we were such peculiarities amongst their people, I suspected that should I ask any of their whereabouts, I should get a fairly quick answer.

  To my left was an old Bendularian weaving on a small loom. Her eyes followed each pass of the shuttle. Her hands, though gaunt and haggard, moved with dexterous precision. Her fur coat was thin, but still had a sheen that reflected in the sun. All kinds of polished stones decorated the old woman, probably denoting her rank of an elder amongst the tribe. I dropped my bundle and approached her, careful not to startle the craftsman.

  “Excuse me, ma'am. Can you tell me the whereabouts of my kin? They carried in a sick human woman earlier. With them was one that is half you.”

  Her hand passed along the shuttle once more, lifting the loom to gaze at the thread with the sun shining through. Then lowering it, her eyes met mine. An icy blue, cooler than the grey of her fading fur. They peered right through me, her mouth set like stone, dark and unwelcoming.

  “Forgive me ma'am, I did not mean to disturb your work. I'll find another.” I began to turn when a gruff roll of growls came forth from the old woman's lips.

  “Grinbak su Terran ma vinlakek.”

  Of course. I rolled my eyes at my ignorance. If our predictions were correct, they have been on this planet for centuries. They would not know Galactic, they'd barely even understand who we were.

  My Bendalurian, unfortunately is no good. My appreciation for linguistics about matched my appreciation for Teshe. My life was to be working on
the innards of some fleet ship not gallivanting around some forgotten planet in the middle of an aster field. I could only hope my special circumstances would provide some ease of communication.

  “I look others,” I said in broken Bendalurian. I pointed to my eyes and gestured around the village. Then I pointed to my tunic which had my Union badge still pinned to it, though the silver bar was tarnished by blood and mud. Still pointing to the badge, I used my other hand to point to my eyes, again gesturing towards the village. It may have been my imagination, but the Bendalurian woman seemed to fight off an intense need to roll her eyes and began to gesture as well, speaking with slow words.

  “Mar,” she held up four fingers and pointed to my badge with her other hand. “Gish din bortha,” now she held up three fingers and pointed beyond me and down the street. I stepped out into the road and pointed to the third building down on the other side. Her eyes followed my finger and her head gave a slow nod, before scooping up her loom and continuing her work.

  The building she directed me to was the tallest along the street. About three stories high and plenty wide. Could it be an inn, I wondered. But I dashed the idea away about as quickly as it had popped into my head. Flik hadn't seen any village except this one. Given he could only see as far as the mountains, but still if villages were beyond the mountains, it was just as good as being hundreds of miles away. Unless they've developed tunnels, which I doubted given their technology.

  I headed in, passing a few more Bendalurians working along the porch of the building. They too, did not give me much notice. Inside the building I found a small lobby. Though it was only about a third the width of the whole building, it had no doors to other rooms apparent along the walls. A young male Bendalurian flipped through a book at a large wooden desk next to the entrance. He didn't seem to notice me, so I took the chance to look around the room.

  The lobby consisted of the desk, a staircase that led to the next floor, and chairs that lined the walls. Their seats worn smooth, they sat empty and waiting for their next customer. There was a small table in the middle of the room, but it lay low to the floor and had very little usable space, most of it being used up by a basin full of wild flowers and herbs. I ran my hand across the wood wall. The boards fit together tightly and were finely cut by skilled hands. Too skilled, I thought. The buildings outside did not show even a fraction of the care that went into the paneling of this wall. My fingers continued to ride along the surface, my mind recalling the nights in the cell searching for the hidden dents in the dark. Where is the fault in this wall, my mind questioned. Where?

  There. My finger found a raised edge against the impossibly smooth walls. I turned to find the Bendalurian still pouring over his book, his bony shoulders hunched so that they ran parallel to the table top. I looked back to my find. I found something. I didn't know what I found or why there was even something there to find, but something was wrong and this raised edge held the secret.

  “Irr van yelri skik var,” growled a deep voice.

  My arm froze and I wrenched it down to my side. Why was I so tense, what was it about this wall? I turned and the young man shook in his seat, clutching his book against his chest. Before him was a Bendalurian that rivaled the great lions of old Earth Terra. His mane of hair grew thick around his neck and crowned in a large arch above his head. His great pointed ears, pierced through the red mane and turned every once in awhile at the slightest sound in the distance. His eyes were large brown almonds like Allouette's but the curve in his face was more distinct and his nose flatter and wider. He wore a wool cloak around his thick neck and a sleeveless tunic. He probably couldn't have had sleeves if he wanted to. His arm muscles bulged without being flexed and his legs were just about as bulky.

  Whoever this man was, he ranked high amongst the village. Stones and jewels of rich blues and reds were strung through his mane, so that they hung down on to his shoulders. Around his neck were strings of carved stones and polished bones. His belt buckle was made of one of the spider beast's eyes encased in glass. My arm grew tenser.

  “You, one soldier,” said the Bendalurian in Galactic that was only slightly worse than Flik's.

  “Yes,” I returned.

  “Others up. I Bunchankar,” I could not tell if Bunchankar was a name or title, “I take up.” He began up the steps. Fortunately for him, like the walls, the stairs did not belong in this place. They did not shake, they did not quake with his thunderous footfalls, and neither would I, but for now I followed.

  Chapter 15

  Truth

  The room above the lobby appeared to be the correct size for the building. The stairs led to a small hallway that opened up into a large room overlooking the village. Bunchankar continued on to the room, bypassing a few closed doors along the hallway. As I passed, I heard no noises coming from within. This floor at least appeared to be just a simple village home.

  In the room three large windows lined the wall and the midday sun washed the room with a soft glow. A hide from some native creature blanketed most of the floor. Furniture like bureaus, small tables and chests were found along the walls. In one corner was a large bed built of sturdy, polished logs of wood, with a headboard carved with figures hunting and gathering. Beneath the layers of wool blankets and soft animal hides was a pale woman, Gin.

  “Is she okay?” I asked, not stepping too far into the room.

  “Does she look all right?” said Teshe. He stood by her side, holding her wrist between his fingers and watching a clock hanging on a nearby wall.

  Allouette, who stood at the foot of Gin's bed, glared at Teshe, but chose not to comment on his retort. “She is stabilizing,” she said, not looking at me. “But she's not going anywhere anytime soon.”

  The air wafted in like cool breaths through the windows and the sound of rustling curtains filled the silence that hung heavy in the room. Bunchankar stood in the shadows of a distant corner, his eyes reflecting the little light that reached him. Teshe and Allouette made every effort to look away from me, while Bunchankar, I could feel him watching me.

  “Is there anything I can,” I started.

  “No,” said Teshe. I saw the sweat bead on Gin's face, I let Teshe's response go.

  “Where's Flik?” I asked quickly.

  Allouette looked at me from the side of her eye. “Somewhere in the village, he's scouting.”

  A growl sounded from behind us and I swung around to find Bunchankar as stoic as I left him.

  “Hari quin trar vek zin?” asked Allouette. Her syrupy voice now rolled together like a soft continuous purr. All the other Bendalurian I'd heard that day had been gruff and even hostile. But Allouette's, her’s was sweet and soothing. I didn't think the language could sound beautiful until then.

  “Farz ikek zin,” he responded.

  I turned to Allouette hoping for a translation. If Teshe had any interest in what was going on, he didn't show it.

  “I asked if anything was wrong,” said Allouette. She turned her attention to soaking a rag in a bucket of water by the bed. Wringing it out and moving to the bedside, dabbing Gin's brow.

  “And?” I asked.

  “He said, nothing's wrong.” Again she looked over out of the corner of her eye, but this time she looked past me and into the corner where Bunchankar stood. The boards creaked as he shifted his weight. Allouette looked down again and back at Gin.

  “I'm going to find Flik,” I said. I paused before heading back down the stairs. No one said a word. Teshe wrote down notes on a data pad, Allouette busied herself with comforting Gin, and Bunchankar stood as a gargoyle watching over us all. I did not like the feel of his eyes, but I liked their silence even less.

  I hurried down the stairs and out the door. Flik wasn't hard to find. He sat on an abandoned porch not far from the fruit stall. His head bowed so that his curls curtained his face. He held two balls in his hands, examining them, rolling them from one hand to the other.

  “Flik,” I called out. As I approached he hid the two
round objects behind him with clumsy movements, frantic that his query not be seen. I slowed as I neared, not certain I should bring up the objects. I had many other questions though, and for now I knew Flik was the only one who would answer them. The balls could wait.

  “Hey Flik, how are things?” I asked, hoping he'd think I never saw the two round objects.

  “Jek, why act so?” he said shaking his head.

  “What?” I asked. I took a seat beside him, trying not to turn my gaze to the objects hidden behind him.

  “Things bad, how you act not so?”

  “Well, I'm not stuck in some spider beast's pincers and we're with a race we at least know of. I'd say things aren't so bad.” Flik smirked, but not in the reassuring way.

  “Teshe tell us,” he said looking up at me. “We know what really happen with Yanda.”

  “What?” My voice barely made it out of my throat and I could feel my jaw slipping down, almost unhinging itself.

  “We know her death, you take fault.” His head tilted towards the ground, his foot pushing dirt, his words like whispers he only hoped for the air to hear.

  Yanda. For six months I tried to put her death behind me. For six months I tried to fight the guilt that told me to quit the fleet and live a life in solitude. It would be what I deserved. It was my fault. Teshe never let me live that down. Tech Admiral Erins, my adviser at Academy, and Teshe, the med tech that administered to me after the accident, were the only ones that knew what truly happened. I failed Yanda. I murdered her.

  That day, she wanted to do most of the work. To prove to Erins that she deserved to graduate a year early. I was happy to let her. It was just a damaged reactor core, nothing too difficult. At least it wouldn't have been had I paid more attention.

  “Know what you are doing?” I had asked her. I stood watching over her shoulders as she brought up the stats for the coil.