Kasun wore a black vest over his classical Sinhala clothing of a white cotton long shirt with a sarong below his waist. Open-toed slippers buffered his feet from the cold of the metal floor. His personal weapon was a stave with a curved steel blade on the upper end. He smiled at Jack.
“Do you think we will need to use our personal weapons?”
Jack shook his head. “I doubt it. But you’re a Belter. You’re just being prepared. Like the rest of us.” He looked to Minna.
The woman’s two blond braids were pulled to the back of her head. Petite and pale despite her rad-tan, she wore a fluffy blouse embroidered with Spring flowers. Her Kevlar vest covered most of the embroidery. Her long pants were of brown cotton with lacing at the shins. At her waist hung her long steel sword with wide blood runnel, both edges sharpened, a curved crossbar and a round pommel. It resembled some of the early Viking swords that Jack had researched.
“You gonna check me out, youngling?”
He turned to face his elder and mentor, Maureen O’Dowd of Éire. Jack grinned.
“Yup, you look hot! Too bad there aren’t any unattached human males who could show you a good time!”
The woman, who always looked twenty years younger than her 78 chrono-age, gave him a grin. Then she nodded to Nikola. “You’re doing well on the compliment training. Good luck on training him to bribe you with jewels, perfume and an FTL-going telescope!”
Nikola laughed. His ship captains, Blodwen and Denise joined that laughter.
In truth Maureen looked murderous. She wore a Kevlar vest over her green wool bodystocking, and carried two Smith and Wesson revolvers on her gun belt, one on each hip. Plus she wore a smaller Viking sword on her back. A steel-pointed javelin spear crossed the sword and was snugged into its own scabbard. Hunting knives adorned each thigh, brown leather straps holding them in place. What other weapons she might have hidden out of sight he knew not. He just knew the woman would always cover his back.
“Onward.” He stepped forward and tapped the inner hatch. It opened with a hiss.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The inside of the habitat dome resembled the rugged African brushlands he had seen in nature AVs that he and his sisters had studied through Remote Tutors. The ground on which he and his people walked was a mix of sand and raw dirt, while small gray boulders looked to be everywhere. The landscape was rolling, though not hilly. Three small creeks meandered here and there. Small green bushes that resembled the juniper trees of the American Southwest grew on the rolling slopes. A few green-topped trees that resembled Australian boab trees spotted the landscape, their fat trunks pale brown and smooth. They could see the far side of the habitat dome with no trouble. Overhead, at the top of the dome, there shone a brilliant light globe that threw yellow-white light across every part of the dome. Jack pointed at a small pond whose blue waters were spotted with green lily pad-type growths.
“Let’s head over there. Ladies,” he said to Blodwen and Denise, “you can dump that cold locker beside the pond. Everyone else, let’s sit atop that small mound that overlooks the pond. It’s clear of brush and the boulders there look comfortable.”
With many looks around and holding out of swords and Kasun’s sharp-bladed stave, they walked the forty meters to the spot Jack had targeted. Turning around, he sat down on a flat-topped boulder, shrugged off his backpack and laid Old Roy across his jumpsuited legs. The hatchway entrance from the airlock was in full view.
Maureen pulled out her two revolvers, opened their cylinders and began double-checking that each chamber was loaded with hollow point bullets. “This place looks like a predator’s hunting paradise,” she muttered.
Jack had been thinking the same thing. The only question left was . . . what got hunted here? He tapped on his shoulder comlink. “Elaine, you picking us up? You seeing what we see? Over our vidcams?”
A second passed. “Got you!” came his sister’s relieved voice. “Yes, I’m seeing and hearing everything. Got thirteen image icons up on the front screen. Plus the ship is on Combat Alert, thanks to Max.” She paused and Jack heard the bonging of a ship alert tone. “Oh, there’s a Nasen lander leaving one of the javelin ships. It’s heading down to the habitat.”
“Good,” Jack said. “We’re ready to meet them. But you and Max, stay alert! Let me know immediately if other ships blip jump into the space around Hot Blood.”
“Will do. Stay safe, brother!”
“Thanks. I will. Off comlink.”
In the few moments of his check-in with Elaine his fellow ship captains had dropped their own rucksacks or backpacks, pulled their swords or other weapons, and now formed a protective half-circle in front of him, Maureen, Nikola, Denise and Blodwen. It reminded him of how they had done the same thing during the trek through the Gathering Hall on Sedna. Jack stood up, lifted Old Roy and laid its tip against his left shoulder. He rested his right hand on the butt of his Teflon-coated revolver.
“They’re coming. As you all heard.”
Nikola nodded slowly, her hands holding her Roman short sword in front of her. “This acting like a predator about to jump on a gazelle and tear into its hindquarters is a bit silly. To me.”
“But necessary,” Denise said from nearby. She too held a Roman sword in front of her, its tip uplifted so she would not poke the backs of the front line of captains. “These Nasen are Tech-savvy with starships and a totally integrated home system. But their nature is still that of a social carnivore predator. They evolved to be this system’s keystone predator. At first. Now, like us, they are its apex predator.” She paused, perhaps listening for the hiss of the hatch opening. “Any lifeform that shows weakness, or fear, is automatically marked as a Meat meal. Or as a ‘subject people’ like the Nuuthot and Mikmang.” She hummed. “But like humans, they are greedy. And they are curious, based on what Hilok’s daughter said. We can count on that greed and curiosity. So long as we never show any personal weakness!”
A hissing sound drew Jack’s attention.
The airlock hatch slid open. Inward came thirteen Nasen wolf-giraffes, their movements so fast their legs were a blur. A combination of jumping, cantering and then slow walking brought them to within ten meters of Jack and his team. Three Nasen had boxes riding on their backs. Every Nasen wore body straps that supported tool loops, shiny devices and a jeweled strip that ran over their shoulders and under the flexarms that sprouted from each chest. One Nasen showed the red welt of punishment from its parent. The largest Nasen stood at the front of the Pack. Its yellow eyes fixed on him.
“I am Hilok of the Northern Pack. You are Pack Leader Jack Munroe of the Human Pack. Greetings,” it said in a low-toned snarl. Its words were in English.
“Greetings to you, Hilok of the Northern Pack. And to your fellow Pack members.” Jack scanned the faces of the Nasen who formed a shifting group of wolf-giraffes. Most showed intense focus on Jack and his group. A few showed white saber-like teeth as their mouths opened wide in a wolf-like snarl. “This is your Home Range. We are Trade visitors. We have food, devices and information to share, in return for the same from you. Our comlink devices speak in your tongue of power. Will your Pack accept Trade?”
Hilok flared his white-tufted tail, then growled at those Nasen showing toothy snarls. “Enough! These Humans show respect to the Home Range! They are new to the Great Dark, but they are Hunters like us. Accept!”
Every Nasen, including the snarling son of Hilok, closed their jaws and moved behind their Pack Leader. Who grunted, then fixed on Jack. “Shall you and I meet at your cold box? To discuss Trade?”
Jack stepped forward and through the encircling arc of weaponed ship captains. “Yes! My Pack accepts your Pack. It shares its scent with your scent. Let each Pack member visit as they choose while you and I decide what to exchange.” He gestured to Nikola. “This is my Chief Astronomer. She will accompany me down to the cold box. So that we may understand your stellar information.”
Hilok cantered forward, his movements casual ev
en as long sinuous muscles moved under his red and yellow-banded hide. “My daughter will also join us. Stellar bodies and the nature of space-time are her areas of knowledge.”
“I will be just behind you,” Maureen said.
Jack had no doubt of that. “My allies, stay close. But feel free to visit with these Nasen as you wish. Follow the buddy rule! No one goes off alone.” Jack smelled the wetness of the nearby pond. It was a better smell than the dry dustiness of the raw soil that surrounded them. He wondered if the Nasen home world had no grass. Or had it just not been added to the habitat’s biome? He stopped with the cold box in front of him. Nikola halted to his left. Ahead loomed Hilok, flanked by his daughter. The shoulders of each Nasen were as high as Jack’s head. The two gave off a wet leather smell. Both looked closely at him and Nikola, their noses sniffing.
“Hilok, do your people enjoy the odor of artificial scents? Odors that some consider attractive?” Jack said. Both Nasen leaned their necks forward. “If so, my Pack member Denise has some to exchange. We Humans call it perfume.”
“Daughter?”
The young female, whose body resembled her father’s in every detail except for size, touched a small bag that hung from her chest strap. “My Pack knows me as Nalik. And yes, females who have yet to breed do enjoy exchanging such scents. Perhaps your Denise can share those scents with me. After my Pack Leader’s exchanges are made.”
His lifemate leaned forward. “Nalik of the Pack, my Pack mates know me as Nikola Rádsetoula. Which in my home talk of Czech means ‘likes wandering about’.”
Hilok whinnied lightly. “Your name fits you, Nikola of the Uhuru.” The Nasen glanced aside. “Daughter, activate your imagery. Let our Trade visitors see what we can offer concerning the stars and Hunt territories of other Hunters of the Great Dark.”
Nalik touched a round knob hanging from the jeweled strip that ran across her chest. Multiple light beams shot out to form a holo nearly as tall as Jack. He was still standing, like Hilok and his daughter, even as other Nasen now moved around them to engage in talking, mutual smelling or just looking at Jack’s battle mates. He focused on the holo star imagery.
“This portrays the part of space which you Humans call the Orion Arm,” Nalik said, her yellow eyes looking at Nikola. “As you learned from the HikHikSot pack leader Menoma, it is traversed only by fellow predator Hunters like us. Our records, based on several generations of Trade with other Hunters of the Great Dark, document the presence of 113 predator species within this space.” Jack blinked as purple dots suddenly appeared across the 8,000 light year long reach of the arm. “These dots are the Home Range systems of each predator species. The size of their Hunt territory and their subject peoples star systems varies.”
Jack nodded. “Nalik, can you transmit this imagery and all subsequent data to the datapad of Nikola?” He touched Nikola’s shoulder. “Bring out your datapad. Show it to . . . your fellow astronomer.”
Nikola reached into her rucksack and pulled out her device. She laid it atop the cold box that lay between them and the two Nasen. “Nalik, your parent has seen such devices from his time within our system. If you do not have a record of its operating system, I can provide it to you.”
“Not needed,” Nalik said, pulling an oblong device from a tool loop on her body strap. “I acquired such data from my progenitor during our trip out to Hot Blood. Your information system is very similar to what we Nasen use in our system-wide data linkage.” The Nasen pointed her device at the yellow datapad. Then she looked over at Nikola. “All data transmitted. Do you have specific requests?”
“Yes,” Jack said. He gestured at the glittering holo that held hundreds of thousands of stars. “Can you cause your holo to highlight the subject peoples’ star systems and which systems belong to which predator species?”
Nalik’s yellow eyes blinked, her long black eyelashes moving in a blur. “Done. There are also 14,317 star systems in Orion that are occupied by juvenile species who have not yet reached their outermost planet. Thus they are not part of any predator territory. Do you wish that data also highlighted?”
“Yes!” cried Nikola, her brown cheekbones darkening with her excitement. “Amazing! We Humans knew there were many habitable planets throughout our galaxy. But we had no idea so many of them were occupied by intelligent peoples.”
“They are juveniles,” Hilok said in a bass growl. “Their degree of intelligence is yet to be known. Until they face a Challenge to Combat, they may be inferior subject peoples. We have found that the ratio of predator species to subject peoples is at least one to ten.”
“Interesting,” Jack said. He looked at the younger Nasen. “Daughter Nalik, can you close in on the space and stars that are within two hundred light years of our Sol star? We wish to know the stars, names and Hunt territory boundaries of those predator peoples who live . . . near to us. Like you Nasen and the HikHikSot.”
“And also include the stars of juvenile peoples,” Nikola said hurriedly. “My research includes the study of life-supporting stars. In addition to the study of neutron stars and Dark Matter.”
Nalik whinnied like her parent. “Easily done. Observe. Your Sol star blinks.”
The holo image enlarged, enlarged again, then stopped. Within it shone hundreds of stars. Sol blinked at the center. Jack realized the young Nasen had chosen to show stars lying within a radius of 200 light years of Sol. Which made for a 400 light year wide image.
“Predator stars are denoted by a black claw,” Nalik said, her tone matter of fact. “Subject peoples stars show a blood-red slash. Juvenile people stars carry a yellow bar. Our star Zeta Serpentis glows white. The HikHikSot Home Range star Delta Boötis B glows blue. Does this suffice?”
Jack sucked in his breath. The amoeba shapes of Alien Hunt territories covered one-third of the 400 light year space. Those shapes ranged from the three stars of the Human territory, now including Epsilon Eridani and Omicron2 Eridani, up to twenty-one systems marked by the blue of the HikHikSot. He noticed that the Nasen Hunt territory boundary ranged from ten to thirty light years out from Zeta. It included six other stars, the closest of which lay just nine light years away from Zeta.
“Very sufficient.” He looked to Hilok. “Your daughter Nalik is remarkably talented. Perhaps she will be interested in the neutron star and Dark Matter research data compiled by my lifemate Nikola?”
Hilok glanced aside. “Daughter?”
“Yes!” snarl-grunted Nalik, her tone sounding eager. “Such stellar objects and conditions have long fascinated our stellar observers. Including myself. My research area includes supermassive spinning black holes, and the question of whether a wormhole is associated with such singularities.”
Nikola whistled. “Outstanding!” She reached down, picked up her datapad, tapped on it, then looked up at the young Nasen. “Daughter Nalik, I have opened my primary file on my research. Can you access it with your device?”
Nalik’s yellow eyes blinked rapidly. She glanced up at her parent, then back to Nikola. “Of course it can. It just did. But why did you touch your device? Do you not mind-talk to it?”
Jack woke up at the comment. “Mind-talk? We interact with our devices by speech and by touch. Also by specialty programming which is injected into the devices. You do something different?”
Hilok whipped his tail over to lay atop the back of Nalik. “Daughter, let me.” The leader of the Northern Pack fixed on Jack. “Our mind-talking to our devices is what your Human researchers call neurolinking. Except we rely on small implants to give direction to our devices, rather than flexible linkages such as those used in the biomedical research of you Humans.”
“Wow,” said Nikola. “Would love to just mind-talk to my giant reflector scope on Mathilde. Or the one on the Uhuru.”
Jack felt a chill run down his back. Their scan of the Nasen system after their arrival had documented a system filled with EMF transmissions, emissions and linkages. He had assumed it was all done the human way. Either
by speaking to voice-activated expert systems like Autonomous, or by tap-activation of icons on control panels. Clearly these Nasen did it differently. It made him wonder if they also used this mind-talk to control their weapons rings.
“Hilok, as you say, we Humans are developing such neurolink control systems for our devices. It seems we are a bit less accomplished in this than you Nasen.”
The Alien’s two furry ears curved forward. “My fellow ship commanders and I had wondered why your ships still used the ancient fusion pulse ship drives. Gravity-pull is much more efficient. And it allows for a transit speed far faster than fusion pulse allows.”
Jack leaned forward, showing his teeth. “Primitive it may be. But such drives served as a fine defense against neutral particle beam attacks from the ships of Hunters who came to Sol system!” He paused, looking beyond Hilok and Nalik to the other eleven Nasen who were scattered around their part of the habitat. The Pack leader’s son, the Nasen with a red welt on one shoulder, stood alone but within hearing distance of their talk. Its yellow eyes were fixed on him and Nikola. And its long white teeth snowed as its purple lips pulled back. “But we Humans were able to defeat every Hunter of the Great Dark who came to make Combat Challenge to us. And when the HikHikSot returned with a colony ship, we destroyed it. And its guardian fleet.”
Hilok grunted. “But the neutrino link among ships and stars says three HikHikSot ships escaped your system.”
Jack felt surprise at the Nasen’s detailed knowledge of the Second Sedna Battle. “We let them escape, with a warning to leave our system. Or face death if they stayed. We killed what mattered.”
Nalik’s gaze shifted from Nikola to Jack to Hilok and back to Jack. “Remarkable it is that our astronomy work is so similar.” She fixed on Nikola. “Chief Astronomer Nikola, your research on neutron stars and Dark Matter is a welcome addition to our Nasen knowledge base. Progenitor, how do you apportion its value against the stellar data I have shared with this Human?”
Humans Vs. Aliens (Aliens Series Book 2) Page 21