Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition

by Moulton, CD

  "It doesn't make any damned sense! Look at you! Look at what you've already done to this world in the name of hiding from the emperor! What right do we have to destroy this race before they ever get started?"

  "Wait a damned minute!" Kilk shouted. "We've been more than careful not to do one thing to hurt them! We haven't done one single solitary thing to hurt the natives! They even SLEEP with us, for the cosmos' sake!"

  "Yeah?!" Z shouted back. "You told me you tried to make slaves of them – beasts of burden – and failed! Then you talked about using them for cattle! Breeding them for slaughter! Just who in hell do you think you're fooling with that 'we aren't hurting them' crap?! There are hundreds – thousands – of worlds we could use where we wouldn't hurt anyone! You tell ME what part of your mind you've had removed that will allow you to overlook little things like the destruction of a race that you also say you like!

  "I came here thinking this would be a possible thing. I came here thinking I could be part of it and, just maybe, we'd grow up enough in six hundred years to be deserving of rule, but you talk of using people for food! I can say flatly that I've reconsidered my position. I can't believe anyone could be so callous!"

  "They aren't people!" Kilk shouted in return. "They're simple dumb animals! I like milkbeasts, too, but I also like steak!"

  "Milkbeasts aren't going to evolve intelligence and you know it!" Z snapped back. "This isn't even in the same general area of discussion."

  "You'd turn your back on your own race?" Kilk snarled hotly. "You'd sit back and let your own race become another used puppet of the Maitan Empire? And you have the gall to accuse ME? Just who the hells do you think YOU are?!"

  "The only puppets in the Maitan Empire choose that role," Z argued. "Any race with the drive to become something DOES become something! I've been traveling for fifteen years. I've been all over the empire. Where the hell have you been? Here?"

  "The Maitan Empire let's any race advance to the point where it's most useful to THEM!" Kilk argued. "Zeena makes the ships and stuff, Feach gives them medical crap, Ternz makes moders, Chee-il has gincha. It's all for whatever is good for the empire, not what's good for Zeena or Feach or Ternz!"

  "So you prefer to have Jorn known for NOT producing anything worthwhile?" Z asked. "I see you left out New Zule – the most respected of all of us. They do produce the best electronic and monopolar equipment there is, though. What about Parf? Just how is art so important to the empire? No matter where you go if you're a Parf you have automatic deep and honest respect.

  "Have you ever seen a Parf? They're about the weirdest looking things imaginable, next to the Zulians. Have you ever even SEEN a Zulian? They look like tube worms with tentacles, yet every race that comes in contact with them loves them! I've met more than one of them! I know! I've met a Parf and I've met Feach and Zeenans. I've met Acnians!

  "You want a crazy feeling? Look into those compound eyes, knowing the thing there can hypnotize you with a glance!

  "They run the fleet – but only because the emperor asked them to. They're known and respected more because they're the first to offer aid to any race anywhere who needs it. THEY control the military strength in the empire, but they're not going to sink to the level of the Immins! Why do YOU want to be thought of in the same thought as Immins?

  "I didn't feel this way at all until I came here."

  Kilk turned and stamped angrily out of the room, slamming the door behind himself. Z heard the bar drop and knew he was trapped by his anger. He'd gone too far.

  Well, he let his temper get the best of him again! He never learned! He had no way to call TR or the robots or Maita or anyone so he could hope Kilk wouldn't decide to get rid of him inside the caves. If he were taken outside one of the floaters would be watching and he could signal for help.

  It would be most interesting if Kilk tried to board TR. Maybe that would be the thing that would rescue him. TR would think nothing of putting Kilk on the probe and that would be that!

  He checked over the room, which was hewn out of the rock of the cavern wall. It was toward the back of the cavern so had a whole mountain between him and freedom. He wasn't going to get out of there easily.

  There was electricity for the lights and there were sockets to plug into. The wires were inside steel conduit. There was an intercom unit, but he certainly wouldn't be able to call anyone.

  Damn! There had to be some way to get out or to get a message out!

  He went around this tiny room he'd been assigned. There was a mattress and springs on six short wooden legs. There was a lamp on a small wooden table and the main fixture in the ceiling. There was a rug of sorts. There was the intercom. There was a ventilator – he could get a hand in there, but not much else. There was a chair with cast iron legs and back and a padded seat. The table was put together with long woodscrews.

  That would do. He took the cord from the lamp and cut it close to the lamp base, then used his pocketknife to work one of the screws from the table. Maita would have floaters monitoring for this sort of thing. He just hoped the Jornians didn't do wide range monitoring themselves.

  Wrap one side of the lamp cord around the woodscrew for a few turns and the other side around the leg of the chair. Plug in the cord and throw a spark across the wire ends.

  Dit! Another, Dit!

  It would work – if he had time.

  *

  Kit separated from Tab and moved far up the stream, checking to see if there were more installations of any type, but found nothing. There was a mine not far from the creek that was using a cave in the rear of the mountain for a refinery.

  Well, maybe he would be accepted here as he had been back at the encampment. There was only one way to find out!

  He climbed the bank to lay for awhile in the sun. He knew he'd been seen. Some of the people there – there were six he could see – waved at him. There seemed to be only males, but the information pod about the Jornians said the females didn't do physical labor to a great extent. That was common among mammalian societies.

  Kit searched around for the plants that were a favorite of the Shar and ate a few tender shoots. The fruits weren't set to any extent yet, much less ripe, so he carefully avoided picking them. That was a thing the Shar had learned.

  After a time he went to watch the men pushing the carts loaded with poor grade ore along a track to the main refinery area. He went to walk along beside two at one point and to touch them. One of them laughed and bet his fellow worker he could get the "Pad" – their name for the natives – to push the cart. He used as many signs as he could think of to no avail (Kit knew the Shar understood the obvious signs, but didn't do what the Jornians wanted because it didn't make any sense to them so he ignored it).

  They reached the cave mouth and Kit stopped to sit on a warm rock. The Jornian who made the bet turned to make another sign for him to come into the cave and slipped, catching his foot in the rail. The cart, which he pulled sharply to keep from falling, stopped, then began to roll back off the little rise they were pushing it up. It was too heavy for the one person to stop and was slowly forcing the leg back. It would mangle it in very few seconds. Kit jumped up without thinking and shoved the cart with his shoulder, stopping it. He then pushed steadily until it was off the leg. Then he went to sit on the rock again.

  "Er you all right, Yeld?" the second Jornian asked. "Bedamned! I'll bet the Pads knows 'xactly what we mean with tha signs! They jist don't wanna push tha damned carts sos they don't push tha damned carts!

  "Is yer leg broke? Should I call Lesh?"

  "I'm okay," Yeld replied. "It hurts like unholy hell, but it SHOULD be torn OFF! OW! DAMN! It's sprained sure as hell! I'll have to wrap it.

  "Help me in. Lesh can soak it and wrap it for me.

  "Hey, Pad! I owe you a right leg! I wish I could say something you understand, pal! Anything in this galaxy I got you can have! I'd give you my mate but I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy. You done ME a favor! Besides, you guys don't like our women
.

  "Listen to me! This must have affected my brain! Uhn!"

  He passed out. Kit went to stare down at the prone figure. The second Jornian patted Kit and kept saying it was shock and that he'd be all right. "We won't neither one fergit the favor ya done us, Pad. No sir!" he said. "Anythin' we kin do fer ya, jist find a way ta let us know! Any favor! It's yorn!

  "Thank ya, Pad, thank ya. Doan worry none about old Sech! Jist shock! He ain't hurt bad, thanks ta YOU!

  "Crazy Pads! We doan fool none a ya fer one bit! I think yer probably smarter'n us by plazsis!

  "Hey, Lesh! C'mere! Ya got a job! Lesh!"

  Kit cocked his head to the side and pushed the cart over the little hump in the tracks it had rolled back on, cocked his head to the side again, then went on down to the stream and dove in. Let that jerk who was talking to Z at the camp tell these two he wanted to use the Pads for food!

  He got back to the encampment to see Tab by the rock with two of the women trying to get him to respond to their blatant sexual advances. The way they were grabbing at him couldn't possibly be misunderstood.

  Tab suddenly stopped and pushed them away, staring at the encampment. He started raising and dropping his arm in a funny pattern. It was obviously some sign to Kit, but what?

  Then Kit heard the radio internals. Dit! Dit! Dit! Dah! Dah! Dah!

  It was a signal Tab understood so it was from Z – but what was it?

  *

  Tab went near the encampment as Kit went upstream. He was sure Z wanted to report on some of this and maybe he could get close enough when no one was around, though the one Jornian didn't seem about to let Z get alone and unwatched. There were two of the women who had made bets (The Jornians seemed to like to bet on anything) with others that they could seduce a Pad, which was what they called the Shar.

  One thing was certain. If he decided it would be a good idea to let them be successful it was going to be an experience they'd never forget! It would either cure them of ever messing with the Shar sexually or make them even more aggressive!

  The Jornians didn't bother him in any way except to come close for the identification ritual. He was sure they did it because they liked being so intimately caressed.

  Well, he did, too! If he could avoid those two women he might get to Z. It would have to seem a logical meeting though. With Z's inhibitions it would be great fun to hang on him and feel him in that manner! Particularly with him knowing it was Tab! The best part would be that Z would have to return the petting ritual. It was fairly certain the Jornians had explained that.

  This wasn't the time for fun and games. TR was right there in the open and would be the most likely place for Z to come if there was some native poking around so he went to stare at the ship. He walked all the way around it and then stood to stare again. He saw several Jornians watching him so he went to the ship and put his hand on the rim. TR was waiting and made a short, intense burst-communication directly. He absorbed the three millisecond input, then stood back to look at the ship and go through the information.

  "Z's inside the cavern and is upset by something Kilk said. There's no danger from the phase disruptors because there's no generation yet. The Jornians are being careful not to harm the Shar in any way. You know that. Maybe you'll be seduced, Boss!

  "Maita sent floaters to me several times. It's with Thing at the mines over the fumaroles. T Six has put a Shar on the probe and finds they're far more intelligent than the Jornians know, but they're happy with things as they are. Not much else."

  It was good to know the disruptors weren't ready. The fact Z knew that and hadn't acted to call Maita in now meant there was more to this than met the eye. The Jornians were trying very hard to not damage the Shar in any way? But they would use them for food?

  Maybe the one, Kilk, TR had called him, wasn't representative of the others here and that was why Z wasn't acting. That meant by inference that Z was in danger.

  Tab walked around the ship again then went to touch it, giving it a burst about what he'd done and what the conversation with Z was by the rock. He added he still wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to allow himself to be seduced by those Jornian women. He included everything they'd found in their travels along the little stream and said Kit was exploring farther up right now.

  He stepped back again, shrugged and went into the encampment. He stayed long enough that Z would be there if he was coming. Tab felt the Shar would avoid going into caves so stayed well clear of the entrances. He stopped to share the petting with two of the Jornians and was thinking it must be very true that Kilk wasn't really representative of the people. If it weren't for the danger of biological contamination and the ideas of militarism of the Jornians this would be a colony that could flourish. It could be good for both races. That must be the conclusion Z had come to and what he was working on. That Kilk character was one who could make him lose his temper though and that was still a dangerous thing to do. Kilk would be the head of this so he would be followed.

  The Jornians were a relatively young race and could grow up nicely here. This was a true paradise world despite its extreme weather. Technology could be used to make a comfortable place for the Jornians in these mountains or on the plains where the Shar didn't go much. There was plenty of room for both races except that these Jornians were here for strictly military aims or were they? Were part of them here as a colony who didn't know what was going on?

  Tab headed back toward the stream where he played awhile. The water was a bit too cool for the Jornians yet, but would soon be pleasant. Tab didn't doubt for a minute the Shar and Jornians played together in the times the water was a proper temperature.

  He went to lay on the warm rock after awhile. It was pleasant in the sun and he still felt like a native. Kit would be back soon and they could head back downstream to wait for Maita to send a floater with instructions when anything came up. Maybe they could go to T6 and could meet Maita in the trench – but Tab would much rather go back to the lake and spend a few million years among the Shar there.

  Then the two women came. They had, as Z would say, pulled out all the stops (Where did he get those sayings? What did it really mean?). They were rubbing all over him and openly and obviously offering themselves.

  Well, why not? No other Shar would be under any obligation to respond. Things could get back to normal – except that he was damned well going to give these two women an experience they wouldn't forget!

  The Shar didn't move much during the act. The male's organs were internal, but were extended when he became excited. He could make the experience less than pleasant and maybe that would put an end to it. Maybe if.... What was that? Dit? On a wide static frequency? It was three steady, pulsed bursts. Dit! Dit! Dit! And a longer one. Dah! It had to be a signal and it had to be from Z!

  Tab stood to face the camp and caught the sight of Kit coming down the stream toward them. He gently pushed the two women aside and signaled for Kit to follow the code by moving his arm in sequence with it.

  Morse code! Z had told about using it in some of his earlier adventures with Maita! It would be in English, but Tab didn't know what the various patterns meant. He and Kit both recorded the full message in both runthroughs. TR would be doing the same, but Tab dared not go to TR again.

  The women were puzzled by his actions so he turned back to them as Kit came up. They petted a bit and, through direct touch communication, decided to go for the obvious when Kit saw the floater obviously trying to get their attention. Tab turned to see it when Kit signed to him so they suddenly left the women there and dove into the stream. They turned to stare at the women, who they knew weren't about to come into the cold water. Tab waved at them and floated up to indicate he was ready for sex. For a moment he thought they might brave the cold, but they talked each other out of it. Tab saw then they were afraid. They had made those bets fully believing it couldn't happen and were scared now that it almost had.

  Tab made the growling laugh and dove. Kit followed. Th
ey made their way downstream as quickly as they could, dove over the falls and wrestled for a moment when they saw several Jornians watching, then went on downstream. As soon as they were fully out of sight of the camp the floaters came to pick them up and to take them quickly to T6.

  "TR sent a message via floater that it had received a message from Z," T6 said. "I'll give it to you verbatim: guys I am being held inside of cave second door from right in rear drop bar on door outside kilk dangerous but others not problem here not serious if few removed good for both races z'

  "You'll have to get him out. This Kilk is the leader if what we interpret is right. Input everything you have since Tab spoke with TR. I need everything from you, Kit."

  There was a silence as the machines traded their information in milliseconds.

  "We'll go back, but we can't go into the cave," Tab said. "It would be out of character."

  "Neither of us can go as a Jornian because we'd be spotted immediately," Kit said. "They all know each other by sight. Can you get a floater in there?"

  "No," T6 replied. "I don't know how we'll do this. This is the kind of thing Z's so good at, but he's the object this time."

  "I may have an idea," Kit said. "Get Maita to come here. Send a floater or something.

  "You reported they'd fastcommed in code to Grlaq? Or the area, anyhow?"

  "Maita said they did," T6 replied.

  "We won't know 'til we try!" Kit agreed. "I think those silly women taught me a lot about Jornians!"