by Thomas Stone
"Computer," he said, "open a new window on my monitor and rerun the last thirty seconds of telemetry sequence."
"Working," the computer replied.
"Got something?" asked the doctor.
"I don't know. Let's take a look."
The video replay played back through Harry's monitor. When the pyramid came into view, Harry slowed the motion. When the northeastern corner came into view again, he slowed the action even more until each frame froze for a fraction of a second.
"There," Harry pointed, "see that move?"
"Yes, but it's just a shadow. Some kind of animal?"
Harry shrugged and looked at the video again. This time he stopped each frame and took a good, long look as the mysterious image moved from the pyramid into the surrounding bush. Something was odd about it. It seemed to move on legs, but he couldn't be certain because it seemed to change color. In the brief moments it was caught in the eye of the telescope, Harry counted three changes in color. There was nothing subtle about it. Whatever it was changed from blue to yellow to green, all in the course of a few seconds. Very curious, thought Harry.
"What do you think, Commander?"
"I think it might be the wiser course to obtain more information. So, we land and make contact with the natives. Learn what they know. Ion trail ends here, so we have to look sharp. Stay in touch at regular intervals."
"By the book," added Burke.
Chapter 19
Tringl bent over his grindstone and pressed the end of the hard wood against the rotating cylinder. After putting the final touches on the point, he stuck the spear into his small fire and seared the tip. The wood blackened but did not catch flame. Tringl, the craftsman, removed the wooden shaft before the fire could eat its way into it, but not before the wood was baked into a hardness that could compete with pounded bronze.
He would have preferred working with metal, but bronze was difficult to come by and Tringl was poor. Still, he could easily sell the wooden spears and arrows he manufactured if he set up his merchandise outside the gates of the Tetrarch's palace. He didn't like going to the palace. It was a rough place and the guards always tried to cheat him. Unfortunately, they were the only ones who had anything of value to trade.
He placed the spear to the side, alongside the others, and looked across the field that bordered the hardwood forest. The land was once worked by farmers from the city, but had fallen fallow, the soil used up. The farmers had moved on. Now, what remained was the creeping encroachment of jungle.
Standing, he stretched his arms and tried to straighten his bent back. His fire was dying, but that was all right, he was finished for the day. In the morning, he would wrap up his merchandise and take the items to the city.
The day's light faded as the sun dipped toward the western horizon. It was a good time of day for Tringl, a time when he could relax and rest his aching back. He rummaged among his few personal items and dragged a gourd from his animal skin pack. Removing the stopper, he raised the gourd to his lips and took a long pull. Although it had been kept in the shade, the beverage was warm, not how Tringl preferred it. It really didn't matter. It wasn't the taste of the liquid so much as the effect.
He took another long drink and leaned his back against a tree, waiting for the narcotic to fill his head. In a few minutes, he felt better.
Closing his eyes, he dozed.
The wind roused him. Thinking it might bring rain, he stood and gathered his gear. Only then did he notice that although he could hear the wind, he couldn't feel it. It was odd and he paused.
Night was upon him. To the west, the remains of the sun were a red glow on the horizon. Nothing moved and yet the sound of the wind grew louder. At that moment, Tringl noticed the yellow light descending from the heavens. He took a step backward until he was once again under the tree and he stared at the light as it came closer.
It grew in size and Tringl finally saw it was emitted from an object that looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. The sound of the wind came from the thing. In fear, the Malaaz craftsman trembled and crouched beneath the tree.
The noise grew louder until Tringl's ears hurt. He covered them with his hands and watched in terror as the object approached the open field, slowed, and finally rested upon the ground. He felt heat upon his face as he watched the light disappear. Simultaneously, the sound of the wind ceased.
The thing looked like a great insect squatting in the middle of the field. Tringl was afraid to move for fear the creature would see him and decide to make a meal of him, so he remained motionless, squatting on his heels and watching the monster closely.
Its eyes glowed, but it did not move. Tringl waited.
*
After the landing, it only took seconds for the proximity scan to locate the lone native. It was important Harry initiate contact quickly and that he present himself positively. The greatest danger at this point was that the native might be overcome with fear and run away. Information about the energy source and any leads as to Fagen's whereabouts were crucial.
Utme accompanied Harry to the airlock, but that's as far as she went. The plan was for her to remain behind, out of sight, unless Harry told her otherwise. If needed, Jareem would back her up while from the bridge Burke kept a watch from the perspective of his monitors.
Harry punched a button and the outer hatch slid open. As he stepped through, he wondered how he must look to alien eyes. Foregoing the body armor, Harry instead opted to wear the less bulky Corporation tunic and trousers. He stepped slowly, almost casually into the night. One of the three moons was high and another was just peeping over the eastern horizon, already giving off enough light to illuminate his steps.
Although the alien was concealed by the shadows, Harry knew exactly where he was and strolled in that direction. Harry's headset kept him in constant touch with the others and, if he wanted, he could use the night visor to see better. He elected not to because the visor covered his eyes and when he made contact, he wanted the alien to see his face. The translator was pinned to his lapel with a velcro binding, but at this stage it was used as a recorder only, feeding linguistic data to the ship's computer where it could be analyzed. When it had sufficient understanding of rudimentary words and sentences, the computer would electronically feed the proper algorithms back into the translator.
From the proximity scan, Harry also knew the approximate weight of the alien to be on the heavy side, well over two hundred pounds. Harry hoped it would keep its cool. Anything that big could be dangerous.
He peered into the shadows and saw the dark form squatting next to a tree trunk. A chill passed through him as he realized the alien watched his every move. In an instant, Harry saw himself through the alien's eyes and in that moment, he knew what to do.
He stopped some twenty feet away and the creature rose to its feet. As Harry watched, it raised a spear and cocked its muscular arm. Without a word, Harry squatted on his haunches and rested his elbows upon his knees, palms outward in the Malaaz posture of obeisance.
The Malaaz male didn't move, but continued to watch, keeping its spear at the ready position.
Harry forced himself to relax and waited for the creature to make the next move. All the while, bits of the Malaaz's thoughts came through. The alien was curious and not a little afraid. From what Harry could understand, it was trying to figure out what sort of animal would ride around in the belly of another animal. Not surprisingly, it was far more afraid of the ship than it was of Harry.
After a time, it rocked back on its heels and barked a question at Harry. When Harry didn't answer, it stamped its feet and shook its spear in mock display. Harry remained calm and let the creature complete its show.
When Harry didn't respond, it took a few steps forward for a better look. It was Harry's first look at a Malaaz male and it was difficult not to be amused by the alien's appearance. Harry noted it wasn't a particularly handsome creature, nor did it look to be very intelligent. From the thoughts Harry picked up, he surmise
d correctly that the native was primitive, practically in a Stone Age mindset. Even so, beneath its dull exterior, there was intelligence at work. Harry knew he must be careful and not allow its appearance to mislead him.
Tringl bared his teeth and took another step forward. He now stood over Harry, spear still raised in a threatening manner. With his free hand, he reached out and felt the hair on Harry's head, then moved to Harry's tunic. Two fingers felt the fabric and inspected the translator. When the hand moved to the stunner dangling from Harry's belt, Harry pushed it away.
Tringl glared and threatened with the spear again.
Harry held up his hand and pointed at Tringl's chest. "Tringl," he said.
Harry could feel the creature's thoughts. Presently, the alien was confused and wondered how Harry could have known its name. It hadn't gotten around to considering the possibility that Harry was a god, but Harry knew eventually the thought would pass through its mind.
Harry pointed to his own chest. "Harry Irons."
Tringl babbled a long string and finished by slapping his belly three times. Harry understood that the alien recited his lineage, adding that he was of royal descent, which was, of course, a lie.
By then, Tringl had lowered his spear. Motioning for Harry to stand, he set the base of the spear on the ground and leaned against it. Harry stood and allowed the alien to check him out further. When Tringl was finished, he pointed at the shuttle.
Harry followed the pointing finger and understood that Tringl thought the ship was Harry's parent.
Using perfect Malaaz speech taken from Tringl's mind, Harry said, "No. It is my slave. I am its master."
Tringl thought it over and finally asked what Harry wanted.
"Knowledge," said Harry.
Tringl trilled his tongue in what Harry took to be laughter. The alien spread his hands. "I know little about anything except the wood that grows in the jungle. Perhaps you should go to the palace and ask the Tetrarch for advice."
"Who is the Tetrarch?"
"He is the leader of the Malaaz." Tringl thought about it for a moment, and then added, "The Tetrarch is powerful. He has magic."
"Will you take me to him?"
Tringl took a step backward. "No."
"Why not?"
"His consort is disagreeable. She may not be pleased. Besides, I do not often go to the city."
Burke buzzed in Harry's earpiece. "What's going on?" Harry ignored him.
"What if I paid you for your efforts?"
Tringl rubbed his chin. "Perhaps. What do you have for payment?"
"What do you need?"
The alien considered the question. His thoughts drifted through Harry's mind like a laundry list. "I would like cloth like that you have so I can fashion robes, and I would like metal to bend into points."
"Anything else?"
Burke's voice came through again. "Commander?" As before, Harry ignored him.
Tringl jumped at the opportunity. "Yes. I would like to be Tetrarch, and I would like..."
Harry stopped him. "Some things are not within my power. I can offer you..."
Burke interrupted. "Commander? If you can hear me, be advised I'm getting additional motion readings. Looks like some more of those things are closing in."
Harry looked past Tringl and saw the first Malaaz warrior as he stepped from the bush into the moonlight. He was big, bigger than the one who stood before Harry, although it looked as though the bulk of its additional weight came from fat and resided around its ample belly. Another stepped forward and joined the first.
Tringl followed Harry's gaze and saw the warriors. He became scared and Harry felt his fear. Without saying anything more, Tringl turned and took a few steps toward the warriors. A third stepped from the shadows.
They cocked their spears at Tringl, halting him. Excitedly, Tringl started talking to them.
"Commander?"
"What is it, Burke?"
"Is everything all right?"
"Yes, I think so. Another party has come out of the jungle. Tringl's talking to them."
"Tringl? That's the first one's name?"
"Yeah."
There was a pause from Burke's end. Finally, his voice came through the earpiece again. "Commander, how were you able to establish communications so quickly? The computer is still doing the linguistic analysis. Your translator's useless and yet you're talking to this thing. What's going on?"
"This isn't the time, Burke."
Tringl turned and led the others to Harry.
"Utme, are you there?"
"Affirmative."
"Move down the ramp and come forward, please. Stunner prepared, if you don't mind. Might be getting sticky soon."
Burke buzzed at Harry's ear again. "Commander, the translator's online."
When the Malaaz saw Utme coming down the ramp, they slowed. The big African woman was an impressive sight in her full body armor and in the low gravity she could cover a lot of ground very quickly. She stepped out into the moonlight and stood some twenty feet behind Harry.
It looked as though the warriors were intent on investigating. That is, before Utme showed up. Now they paused, a little uncertain as to which course to take. They conferred with one another and finally sent Tringl forward.
"They're warriors from the palace," said Tringl, "they want you to come with them."
"As a prisoner?"
Tringl didn't know what to say.
'Tell them I will accompany them. But not as a prisoner."
"That's not a good idea," started Tringl.
"Tell them."
Tringl turned and went back to the three warriors. Whatever he said didn't sit well with them. They beat the ground with the butts of their spears and made unpleasant sounds. One of them, apparently the leader, pushed Tringl aside and stepped forward. He leveled his spear at Harry and motioned for Harry to follow.
Harry didn't move. He watched the lead warrior closely and waited.
When he took another step and pushed the tip of the spear against Harry's chest, Harry wasted no time in grasping the shaft and snapping it into two pieces. In reaction, the other two warriors came forward. The lead warrior dropped the remains of his spear and drew out a fair-sized knife. He waved it in the air and chattered to Harry.
"Whatever you are, you will die for your insolence."
One of the other warriors told his comrade not to kill the stranger, but the warrior in charge ignored him and inched toward Harry, his knife pointing the way.
Utme's voice sounded in Harry's earpiece. "Shall I fire a warning shot?"
"Not yet," said Harry.
The tip of the knife was inches from Harry's chest. The other two warriors moved closer and now stood to either side of Harry. One watched Harry while the other kept an eye on Utme.
The knife rose until it was just under Harry's chin. Harry had been patient and hoped things wouldn't come to a violent head. Unfortunately, the three warriors were a little too full of themselves as well as with the power of their authority. Harry looked into the eyes of the lead warrior and saw that indeed, the creature intended to kill him.
Harry grasped the Malaaz male and, bending the wrist back, forced the knife down. The warrior struggled, but in the low gravity, Harry's strength was impossible to overcome. The warrior dropped the knife and was forced to his knees.
The other two started to come to his aid, but a warning shot from Utme's stunner hit the ground in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.
All three beat a hasty retreat back to where Tringl stood. After several minutes of gestures and arguments, Tringl was once again pushed forward.
"All right," he said, "they will accompany you to the palace, but without that." He pointed at Utme. "They will not allow that thing into the palace grounds."
"Tell them I am prepared to leave whenever they are ready."
Burke buzzed at Harry's ear again. "It'd be better to wait until morning, Commander. Also, it's not a good idea for you to go alone..."
/>
"Time is a luxury we don't have. If they insist on leaving now, we have no choice."
When he started out behind the warriors, Tringl lagged behind. Harry noticed and asked Tringl what he was doing.
"The Tetrarch's guards will take you to the palace. You no longer need my assistance." Harry could tell he was disappointed.
"I still want your help," said Harry, "and like I said, I'm willing to pay."
Tringl brightened.
"Come on."
Tringl picked up the spears and arrows he'd fashioned, as well as the few personal things he had, and followed the three warriors and the stranger from the sky.
"Commander," cautioned Burke, "we should give this some thought. I just don't believe you should go off on your own like this. Commander?"
Although Harry could plainly hear his Co-commander, he chose not to answer. In another minute, he passed into the jungle, beyond the sight of his crew.
Chapter 20
The palace gates were constructed from timbers, the walls from adobe. As his party approached, Harry looked up and saw more warriors watching from the ramparts. There were too many to count and none looked any too friendly.
Harry felt the relief of the three warriors who led him. They were afraid of him and now that they were surrounded by others of their own kind, their bravado reappeared. In front of the watching crowd, one of the warriors gave Harry a push. Tringl walked behind and said nothing.
Harry was taken through the open gate and made to wait in the open, outside the largest building. Torches burned from staffs set into the ground, illuminating the compound. Keeping their distance, a crowd of Malaaz gathered and stared at the strange newcomer. They edged up to Harry and reached out to him, feeling the fabric of his clothes and touching his hair.
Tringl pushed them away, almost getting into a fight with one.
The translator had gathered enough data and was working almost as well as Harry's enlightened mind. Additionally, Harry was in constant contact with Burke back at the shuttle. Even so, with the crowd of aliens pressing in, Harry was more concerned with what lay beyond the entrance to the adobe building. He sensed another crowd waiting inside.