Pawns and Symbols

by Majliss Larson

  "Lieutenant, what seems to be the trouble? What's this child doing here?" Kang stood regarding the scene with faint amusement.

  The Klingon saluted. "Commander Kang, the human refused to leave this girl at the experiment station so Commander Kasoth ordered me to bring her along. I'm to deliver her to the pens on my way back to H.Q."

  "You'll do no such thing!" Jean declared hotly. Then she turned to Kang. "Kang, please let her come with me—at least to Peneli. I promise you she won't be any trouble."

  Kang's face was unreadable. "My ship is a battle cruiser not a passenger liner."

  "Kang, I …" Aernath's hand on her arm stopped her.

  "The child is kin-reft, Commander. No Theld will own her," Aernath said quietly.

  Kang regarded Jean and the girl speculatively for a moment. When he spoke, it was directly to Tywa. "Can you name one way in which you would be useful to me on my ship?"

  She answered him with an ancient Klingon proverb: "The merest feather proves its worth when you need it to trim your arrow. I'm sure there are many ways I could find to be useful, but there is one thing, especially."

  "Well?"

  "It would make her happy. Would that not be useful to you?"

  Kang's eyes twinkled briefly. "What is your name, child?"

  Tywa's hand sought Jean's. "She named me Tywa, Commander."

  "Tywa. Wouldn't it frighten you to be on a battle cruiser?"

  "Of course, but less so than going to the pens."

  "Why?"

  "There is no higher honor than to serve on an Imperial Fleet ship. And if it comes to that, a noble death is to be preferred to an ignoble one."

  Kang nodded grim approval. "Fair enough. You may come as far as our next stop provided you prove useful and no trouble. Then you will be sent planetside again—permanently. Is that understood?" This last question was addressed to Jean.

  She nodded. "Agreed; if you vouch for the arrangements." Holding Tywa's hand firmly she followed Kang's already retreating back into the warehouse. But she didn't let herself believe it was true until they were actually beamed aboard.

  That evening, Kang summoned Jean to dine with him. She entered his quarters as he was finishing his nightly survey of the ship. Finally he called up the forward view, closed the wall panel and turned toward her. "Come here." He drew her into an embrace and protracted kiss. At length he pulled her head back slightly and chuckled. "I said you'd survive. Tell me, how did you find Klairos, my dear?"

  "Terrible," Jean sputtered. "That has got to be one of the hell holes of the galaxy. I don't care if …"

  Kang tightened his grip on her hair and shook her head lightly. "What? No talk of negotiation, cooperation, trust? What's happened to your human sentimentality?"

  "There's nothing wrong with my human sentiments. They're fine and flourishing, thank you. It's just, that those people haven't emerged from barbarity yet." She twisted her head trying unsuccessfully to loosen Kang's hold.

  "Such strong words from one whose own race practices the same patrilineal system. Come now." He was openly and amusedly baiting her now.

  "There's absolutely no comparison between the two. It has nothing to do with the family system. It's the … the … that damned Klingon mentality," she finished defiantly.

  "I could show you far 'worse' than Klairos. And how, my little human," he asked sotto voce, "would your Federation propose to deal with that?"

  Sobered by his change of tone, Jean relinquished her struggle against his hold. "I honestly don't know, Kang, but there must be some solution short of destroying each other. It's unlikely either of us will give up striving for new stars so we will simply have to work it out together. But I must admit," she added ruefully, "that I don't trust a Klairosian as far as I could throw him."

  Kang chuckled again. "It would seem the impression was mutual. And I hear you did more throwing than otherwise—accosting and insulting people, harassing them, physically assaulting an officer, engineering a guard's death, even threatening Tirax …"

  "Now just one minute," Jean protested, "it wasn't like that at all. Take Tirax. I only returned his favor." She recounted the incident of the snowbird, as well as Tirax's treatment of her later that night on the polder. "Not only would he welcome an 'unfortunate' accident to me but he made that abundantly clear to Kasoth and a number of others there. He simply won't accept any gesture of rapprochement from me at all."

  Kang nodded. "But of course. You realize I pulled you out of there ahead of schedule. Tirai forwarded Kasoth's recommendation that you be removed as 'a threat to discipline and a menace to morale'. Kasoth said he could no longer guarantee your safety. Tirax concurred and asked to be relieved of assignment to you. I will detach someone else to accompany you to Peneli."

  "Well, that alone takes Klairos out of the category of unmitigated disaster," Jean commented drily. "I can almost say I look forward to Peneli in that case."

  Kang finally released her. "Let's eat before everything gets colder than a space probe." The food was excellent as was the Tahrnian ale. Kang extended his goblet to be refilled. "If my calculations are correct, this is the time of year when your people would offer a traditional toast." He raised the glass. "To your health, wealth, and a long life."

  For a moment Jean was puzzled. Then her eyes widened with delighted surprise. "The lunar new year!" Kang was referring not to an Aldebaranian or general human custom but something much farther back and specific to her Terran-Asian ancestry. She returned the toast with a touch of irony, "And may you also enjoy tranquility and honor as well. But how do you know about that bit of ancient folklore?"

  "A good strategist, my dear, always knows his opponent—and his playing pieces—well. I've been doing some reading. That heritage is an important part of your makeup, isn't it?"

  "I also carry the European heritage of my father but he was away a lot. My mother and my grandfather raised me. Yes, I suppose you're right," she mused. "Ngu phuc—the five happinesses. I remember grandfather teaching me them: phu, qui, tho, ninh, and khang—"

  "Kang?"

  She smiled. "No, khang, but it is similar, isn't it? It means health or physical strength. Not inappropriate I'd say, but the two alternate meanings fit you even better: to resist, and to be proud. Does your name have a meaning in your tongue?"

  "It's a particular type of granite outcropping in our mountains suitable for a fortification and hence, by derivation, a mountain fastness or fortress." He rotated the stem of his goblet slowly between thumb and forefinger watching the swirl of the dark amber liquid within. "Jheen … do you know what your name means in our speech?"

  "No."

  "It's a mischievous and sometimes vicious daemon or spirit who inhabits woods and wild places. She is capricious, unpredictable, and obeys only Cymele herself. 'Tis said that even Durgath can't command one save by Cymele's consent." His glance fastened on her. "Did you really attack the officer who was disciplining your little waif?"

  Jean felt the old wariness return. Beneath the casual banter was a shrewd and complex mind at work. One she did not fully understand. Whatever slim chance she had depended as much on his plans and his whim as on his word, she was convinced. "Yes," she answered carefully, "I did. Does that create problems for you?"

  "Problems?" He was still watching her, his expression unreadable. "None that I can't handle."

  "Actually; I got into several confrontations. Does that make you angry?" she probed tentatively.

  He grinned suddenly. "Angry? I'd have been disappointed in you if you hadn't. I said you wouldn't stop easily and you don't. You humans are tenacious but unpredictable adversaries. No, there's no harm done to let a few Klairosians get a taste of what they'd face in confronting the Federation. Individuals, like empires, can get soft and complacent unless they meet new challenges. That can lead to fatal miscalculations. The Empire must stay alert and strong."

  "Surely space exploration and colonization of worlds like Klairos present challenges enough to keep anyone from be
coming complacent. No need to go looking further for adversaries," Jean argued.

  "Quite possibly true," Kang answered sardonically, "unless they happen to be sitting across your space lanes. Or hadn't you noticed?"

  "There seems to be precedent. After all, you've reached an understanding with the Romulans."

  Kang shot her a suspicious glance. "And what, precisely, do you know of our relations with the Romulans?"

  "Nothing," she replied honestly, "except that you obviously have made contact and as far as we can determine are not involved in trying to exterminate each other."

  "Suffice it to say that that's a long story and a shaky truce. And not at all analogous to the Federation." He drained his glass and stood up. Jean followed suit and started clearing the table While Kang once again surveyed several key ship locations on his viewscreen. Satisfied, he lay back and lazily watched Jean at work. A faint smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "I'll say one thing about both the Romulans and the Federation. They make much better use of their people, by using their women more effectively. Take your little Tywa. There's an agile mind and an ardent spirit. A pity to waste it in the diving pens. Terribly inefficient."

  "Oh, yes. Twya. I wanted to ask you about her." Jean approached the bed. "What do you propose to do about her?"

  "We'll be stopping at Tahrn on our way to Peneli. How about sending her to the ag-station where you were?"

  It was news to Jean that Tahrn was their destination but she felt this was no time to haggle. For reasons not entirely clear to her, Kang had been most indulgent in this matter so far. She had no intention of pressing her luck. "The ag-station? Perfect. There's a woman there, Tsuyen, whom I think would take her in. Could you arrange it?"

  "I guess I'd better if I don't want to get attacked by her protectress," he replied humorously. With a sudden effortless movement he swept her down, pinioning her to the bed beside him. He took her dagger and waved it in front of her face. "So on Aldebaran you would doom me to celibacy, would you? Care to challenge me to a match?"

  She made a wry face. "You know you'd win. All my life it's been my fate that when I teach someone something, my students end up outdoing their teacher."

  Kang chuckled appreciatively. "Do you know what they nicknamed you after that episode in the bar?"

  "No."

  "'Princess Daggertooth.' No, I made no mistake in bestowing consort status on you. You've proved worthy of the position. It's a pity you're not a Klingon. Still and all, as a human you're a valuable cami."1 Laying aside her dagger, he slid his fingers along her jaw and drew his thumb gently over her lips in his characteristic gesture. "It's fitting that you should be my instrument of aid to Peneli. Even Mara should appreciate the irony." Jean suppressed a shiver. The fierce emotion in his eyes at the mention of Mara did not match the smile on his lips. It boded ill for Mara, she was sure. Then it was gone and his eyes mirrored only her face looking up at him. "And since we are not on Aldebaran, there need be no question of celibacy. . . ." He inserted a finger in the catch and slowly unseamed her tunic.

  1 An extremely versatile piece in the Kilogon game of tsungu.

  Nine

  KANG'S MELLOW MOOD lasted until Tahrn. However, when Kang beamed back aboard from Tahrn, his manner was taut and his orders curt. They departed for Peneli almost immediately. Dinner was a silent affair. Jean cleared the table while Kang impatiently checked their progress with the bridge. Then he turned to her. "We'll orbit Peneli tomorrow morning. You and Aernath will remain on board until I summon you." Without further preamble he claimed her roughly and at length. When he was finished, Jean fell asleep too exhausted to puzzle further over what new dilemma might be driving him now.

  Aernath also had returned from Tahrn more preoccupied and withdrawn than ever. Jean was able to draw out of him that Tsuyen had agreed to look after Tywa and that all seemed well at the station. Beyond that she could get no details. Finally she hazarded a guess, "Did you hear any new news from Peneli? How are things going?"

  Aernath was re-potting some of his collection specimens as part of the general catching up after their absence on Klairos. At her question he made a startled gesture, knocking a pot to the floor. With a muttered oath, he bent to pick up the pieces. As Jean knelt to help him, he asked, "What made you think I had news from Peneli?"

  "Well, you seemed so preoccupied, I thought maybe you had heard something new."

  "Oh … I did hear grim talk though I gather it's not as bad as on Klairos yet. It may be before we catch up with it—unless they find some way to stop the Tseni virus. There's no breakthrough with their work there. In retrospect it seems so obvious and stupid. We thought we were being so efficient to develop uniform hybrids of our two main food grains. But it left us like sitting riverbirds when that blight hit. Now they're starting to produce some of the old wild strains for seed at the station but …

  Jean frowned as he chattered on. He spoke quickly, nervously, but it was all tangential. Something else was bothering him. She couldn't figure out what it was and his stream of words gave no clues.

  By mid-afternoon they had everything ready to go planetside, but no word came from Kang. Aernath, apparently finding the constraint of waiting in the lab too much, went off to Security to see what he could learn. Jean settled down to review tapes of Penelian flora. Peneli was a rich, fertile planet especially by Klingon standards. The main continent was located primarily in the equatorial zone and had a tropical to subtropical climate. She became absorbed in the endless proliferation of new plants that she would meet just on that continent alone.

  At the end of one tape Jean suddenly realized it was quite late. Aernath had not returned. He wasn't in his quarters or the science mess. There were several areas of the ship she avoided; one was Security. If he was still there, she wasn't going to go find him. Kang had not returned either so she ate a solitary meal and spent the evening on more tapes. There was still no sign of Kang when she went to bed.

  The next morning she found Aernath in the lab. "Well, what's the news?"

  "No word yet. Kang, Tirax and the others are still down there."

  "What's taking so long? What's the problem?"

  "I can't say. All we can do is wait." It was clear that waiting was even more chafing to Aernath than to her. He drifted nervously from one task to another, then finally left muttering something about helping Zelasz get his specimens transported. Zelasz was the xenozoologist from Peneli. Jean continued her study of the botanical tapes. Shortly after lunch Aernath called her on the intercom. "Come on down to the cargo transporter a minute, will you?"

  "Sure. I'll be right down." She was feeling restless, too, and welcomed a break. The cargo transporter room contained a welter of cages and specimen jars and a rather abstracted Zelasz but no Aernath. "Where's Aernath?"

  "Huh? Oh, he just went to get something for me. He'll be right back." He turned to the console. "Now watch it with the next batch. They're live specimens."

  Jean watched the cages disappear in the flashing transporter beam. At a sound she turned to see Aernath enter. He was wearing his cloak. "Guess what? We're going down now."

  "Now? Great! Let's go get the stuff."

  "Never mind that. It can come later. Right now it's just us they want. In fact, Zelasz can beam us down from here, can't you?"

  "What? Sure, if you don't mind walking a bit."

  "No, the exercise will do us good," Aernath responded.

  "But what … Why do they just—" Jean began.

  Aernath was clearly impatient. "Come on." He grasped her arm and urged her onto a transporter pedestal. "I'll explain it all as we walk. Ready, Zelasz."

  They materialized in a busy warehouse and Aernath steered her out the door with an air of urgency. As they stepped outside they were met by a rush of warm moist air carrying a profusion of scents and sounds. Ship time was not synchronized with planet time and here it was nearly dusk. Jean stopped and took a deep breath, reveling in the fragrant spicy odor of the flowering bushes beside
the building. She turned to Aernath. "It's beautiful!" The breeze caught his cloak blowing it back. He was wearing a sword. She had never seen him wear one before. Startled, Jean glanced at the weapon, then at his face. "Aernath! What's going on?"

  "This way," He led her across the street and then into a narrower one perpendicular to the first. Even as she followed the quick pace he set, Jean was taking in the sights and sounds around them, from the small iridescent jadebirds to the ivy festooning a nearby wall. "The negotiations are taking longer than expected. They are still haggling over the terms."

  "Terms? What do you mean?"

  "Kang is offering seed grain and your services. The price," he paused and faced her soberly, "is Mara."

  Jean gasped, remembering the look on Kang's face when he last spoke of Mara. She should have guessed it. "Mara! Oh no. There's no telling what Kang will do to her if he gets his hands on her. I can't let that happen. You've got to help me."

  He gave her a strange look. "Why do you care what happens to Mara?"

  "She's pro-Federation from what you tell me," Jean replied. "I don't want to be responsible for putting her in Kang's power, and I don't want to have to work on Peneli as a result of such a bargain. You once said that her brother wouldn't hesitate to turn her over to Kang if it was expedient so there must be compelling reasons why he hasn't done it if that's Kang's price. Do you have any idea why he hasn't agreed?"

  They had turned into a broader avenue with a landscaped median strip. Jean inhaled a fresh heady fragrance from the blossoming trees there. Aernath continued to urge her forward briskly. "Mara's movement has gained a great deal of support. Turning her over to Kang at this point might precipitate open rebellion among her followers. Hard-liners like Tirax would love a chance to jump in on the side of the anti-Federation forces and wipe out the underground."

  "Could they do that?"

  "Largely depends on the political situation on Tahrn, and on Kang. I suspect he wants to weaken Mara's movement just enough so that he can control it himself as a counterweight to those who want to attack the Federation now. I'm sure he doesn't want an interplanetary war right now but he's juggling a tricky bunch of balls."