by Thomas Stone
Harry set up a work table and helped to wash and clean the slabs before he stopped to take a closer look at the inscriptions. If it hadn't been for the occasional curving stroke, the characters would have looked similar to Korean, or Chinese, characters. The letters were arranged in columns, separated by a thin line. Harry searched out characters that were frequently used, looking for anything that could be punctuation marks, direction minders, plurals, numbers. He counted the number of different characters, coming up with forty-four.
"Well?" said Burke.
"It's going to take awhile. I need a computer."
"You don't have one in your vehicle?"
"Wouldn't work here, you know that." Burke was being a pain the ass again. Harry took a deep breath and relaxed. The familiar feeling crept over him and Burke's thoughts started up. Behind the flat-top, Nazi image was a busy boy. Burke watched Harry, listening for a cue that would allow him to step forward and assume command. Burke had been told that Harry might be mentally unstable and he expected to cash in when Harry went over the edge. All for the sole reason of gaining stature within the Corporation. His steam-rolling style of ambition was disgusting and Harry once again found himself loathing the man.
Harry didn't know if he could decipher the alien text. Under similar circumstances, in the old days on Earth, it often took linguists years to interpret a discovered language. Advances in computer technology along with new approaches to language interpretation had come a long way and Harry was a well-known expert on alien languages, perhaps the most well-known. Given enough time, he was certain he could do the translation, but without a computer to assist him, it could take weeks, even months. He hated the thought of asking for help from Blane and Minerva. Besides, it would only cause Burke to ask more questions.
Utme made a hissing sound and Harry looked up from the tablets. She pointed to the wall at the far end of the field. "Something's moving up there."
Harry looked, hoping and half-expecting to see Yoni, but nothing showed.
"What was it?"
"I'm not sure. I only got a glimpse. But whatever it was, it stood upright and walked on two legs. It wasn't the Bedoran boy."
Burke walked to the camp perimeter and looked toward the bushes at the top of the far wall. Over his shoulder, he called to Bobbie. "Ms. Long, bring your weapon and come with me."
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to do a little hunting." Burke looked at Harry. "That is, with the Commander's permission."
"Just be careful," said Harry, relieved by the prospect of getting Burke out of his hair for awhile. "Take Tringl with you, he can find whatever it is faster than you can."
"I doubt it."
"Take him anyway, maybe you'll learn something."
Gruffly, Burke agreed and left the camp with both Tringl and Bobbie. Utme turned on the power to the fence and kept watch as Harry returned to his translation.
Chapter 27
Tringl sniffed the air. He expected to catch the alien boy's scent, but instead he caught an unexpected odor, the newly acquired human odor. At the top of the wall, he found a fresh path through the brush. Burke ordered him to wait, but Tringl went ahead anyway. Burke wore a translator and when Tringl didn't stop, he assumed the instrument was faulty.
Burke tapped on the device before remembering it wasn't going to work. When he looked up, Tringl was gone.
Bobbie circled around from the opposite direction. There was no path to speak of, just tangled undergrowth that grew over everything. Like the others, she half-expected to find Yoni wandering through the brush, so she was surprised when she stepped under the shade of twin trees and saw a figure lying on the ground. Immediately, Bobbie knew it wasn't Yoni. Whoever it was wore clothes, not animal skins.
She approached the figure carefully. He had his back to her and lay unmoving upon the ground, knees drawn to his chest. Picking up a stick, she prodded the man in the ribs. When he showed no reaction, Bobbie knelt by his side.
He was breathing, but otherwise unconscious. From the looks of it, he'd had a rough time. He was cut across the forehead and the blood had dried on his face. Bobbie wiped some of it off but he groaned and she stopped.
The man moved and briefly opened his eyes, locking them onto Bobbie. They were a light blue, like a washed-out version of a summer sky. He stared for a moment, said nothing, and closed his eyes again.
A shadow passed over Bobbie. In reaction, she tumbled to one side and rolled, firing a shot as soon as the muzzle of the stunner was pointed in the right direction. The beam flashed out and missed Tringl by a good foot. He stood ten feet away, looking surprised.
"Oh, sorry," said Bobbie. She lowered the weapon and took a deep breath. "I almost shot you."
Tringl stared at Bobbie, then shifted his gaze to the man on the ground. He hadn't regained consciousness.
"Let's take him to the camp." Bobbie pulled on the man's shoulders until he was in a sitting position. His chin rested on his chest. She looked at Tringl and motioned that he should take the man by the legs. Tringl understood, stooped, and gripped the man's legs. Together, they carried him away.
Burke met them on the way down. "Who is it?"
"I have no idea."
Burke took a look. "Whoever he is, he's a real mess. Does he have anything with him?"
"Nope."
"All right, come on, let's get him to the camp." Burke reached for the man's shoulders, but Bobbie held on, saying, "I've got him, no problem."
Burke shrugged and led the way back.
When they entered the camp, Harry was still bent over the two slabs. Sheets of crumpled paper surrounded his feet. As Burke approached, Harry crumpled up another sheet and looked up.
"I'm running out of paper. What did you find?" Harry looked past Burke and saw Bobbie and Tringl taking the man to the cots. Harry stood up. "Who is it?"
"Who do you think? I mean, who else could it be?"
For the first time since Harry had known Burke, the Co-commander smiled. It was a sly, knowing grin, not the kind born of compassion.
Harry didn't answer. Instead, he walked to the tent to see for himself. As he approached, he heard Bobbie speaking to the man. He replied in a hoarse voice.
Harry stopped beside Bobbie and looked down. She'd cleaned the blood from his face and, although he was older, Harry recognized his old commander. Bobbie finished cleaning around his eyes. Fagen's eyelids opened. Upon spotting Harry, slight wrinkles formed at the corners of his mouth and eyes. In a coarse whisper, he asked for water.
Bobbie helped him to raise his head and held a water bottle to his lips. Fagen drank and then rested his head. "I should have known it was you."
"Who did you expect?"
"Nobody."
"What happened to you?"
"You haven't run across the Krits yet?"
"As a matter of fact, they got one of my crew."
"Then you know." Fagen tried to raise himself up. "They could be right beside you and you wouldn't know it." He fell back and closed his eyes.
"He needs rest," said Bobbie. "He's exhausted. Probably received a concussion from the blow that cut his forehead."
"Let him rest then. We'll talk later. Might be a good idea to give him a booster inoculation and some vitamins."
Burke came up and stood at the foot of the cot, arms folded. Harry turned away and went back to the tablets.
"So?" Burke said to Bobbie.
"What?"
"So did they talk like long lost buddies?"
Bobbie shrugged. "Well, sort of, I guess."
"I knew it! It's Edward Fagen, that's who he is. And his ship is around here someplace too! This is what we came for."
"So what if it is Fagen? He's hurt."
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing. But, well, I mean, Edward Fagen is famous. Why, he was the first to..."
"The first to become a space pirate. He's not famous, he's infamous. There's a huge bounty on his head."
"By the Corporation
, not the government."
"It's the same thing, Ms. Long. Don't be so naive. Keep a close watch on him." Burke turned away and went off to confer with Utme.
Bobbie looked back at Fagen. She thought he was handsome. The old scar on the side of his face was the same as it had been in the photo journals. His clothes looked fresh, made from a tatter-proof material she'd never seen before. He must have been close to fifty, but he certainly didn't look it. She wished she would have the time to get to know him before the Corporation did whatever to him.
*
The sun set and the first two moons crept into view. Harry hung lights over his work table and continued to tackle the translation problem.
Harry struggled with the possible meanings of the letters. Because the tablets were so well preserved and unlike anything else found so far, he wondered if they had anything to do with the pyramid at all. They were found, so Burke said, very close to the pyramid door. Because of it, he assumed the tablets had something to do with the ghlowstone, or the pyramid. The markings, so far, remained a mystery.
His mind kept drifting back to Fagen. After all the years, he'd finally tracked him down. It was something Harry had waited, planned, and plotted for a long time. A milestone in his life that should have made him feel good. Instead, he only felt tired. There was no satisfaction. Perhaps when they were safely docking back at City Two, maybe he'd realize what he'd done.
Around midnight, Harry turned off the lights and went to the tent where Fagen lay. He had not reawakened. Bobbie slept in the next cot. Harry lay on an empty cot, hoping to catch a few hours sleep.
Less than an hour later, Harry awoke with Tringl's hand on his chest. The alien gently shook him until he was roused enough to sit up.
"What is it?"
"Something's outside the fence."
Harry moved without saying anything more. He shot a glance at Fagen, noted that he was still asleep, and woke Bobbie. They took their weapons and went out under the moonlight.
Burke sat in a shallow trench, watching the darkness beyond the fence. When Bobbie and Harry came up from behind, he hardly shifted his eyes.
"Something's out there," he said, "heard them moving through the brush."
"All right," said Harry, "Bobbie, go around and watch the back of the camp. I don't think anything can get through the fence, but I don't want to take any chances. If you see something, hold your fire. Remember, Yoni's still out there somewhere."
Bobbie nodded and went to take her position.
Harry peered through the darkness at the open field. "Where did the noise come from?" he asked Burke.
Burke jerked his head toward the right. "Just outside, at the edge of the field. No more than five minutes ago."
They watched in silence for a full minute before Burke spoke again. "Maybe I should turn on the perimeter lights."
"No, leave them off until they're necessary. If it's Yoni, he knows where we are. If it's something else, there's no sense in giving away our position."
Burke glanced back at the tent where Fagen slept. "It's him, isn't it?"
Harry couldn't lie about it. "Yes, it's him."
"Where's the ship?"
"Not far, but let's take one problem at a time. The ship isn't going to be as easy to take as Fagen. We've still got a reason to be here."
"The energy source?"
"Right."
"Why bother with it now that we've got Fagen?"
"Because it might be worth ten times what Fagen and the ship would bring."
"We don't even know what it is. It might be worth nothing."
"Maybe, but I don't think so."
A loud pop accompanied by sparks came from the fence on the left. Immediately, both men shifted position. As soon as their attention was drawn to the left, a shower of rocks and sticks rained down on them from the top of wall. The rear of the camp took most of the barrage and Harry ran to Bobbie to reinforce her position.
He was pelted by rocks, but none of them hit hard enough to injure him. Bobbie was a little rattled but otherwise all right. Another pop issued from the fence directly in front of her position. The fence swayed momentarily as if something pushed against it, all the while static discharges sounded and the smell of ozone filled the air. Something was trying to get through.
Harry shouted for Burke to switch on the lights. In seconds, the area outside the perimeter was fully illuminated. The discharges from the fence ceased and all was quiet again save for the slight electric hum from the fence.
The sound of Burke's stunner suddenly issued forth, breaking the short-lived silence.
"I got one," shouted Burke.
Harry waited for an assault that never came. After a time, he ran to Burke's position. The Co-commander pointed. "I saw something outside the fence and took a shot. Whatever it was, I'm sure I hit it."
Tringl padded up beside Harry. "Krits," he said to no one in particular.
They watched for an uneventful hour before Harry asked Burke to turn off the fence. "Leave the lights on and keep me covered," said Harry, "I'm going to take a look."
After switching off the power to the fence, Harry and Tringl climbed out of the shallow trench and carefully moved forward until they were just beyond the camp perimeter.
Harry felt the tension in the air. Something was out in the darkness, hiding, waiting for an opportunity. Why had they stopped their attack? Apparently the fence had done its job. Harry walked around the perimeter, looking for anything that might show who or what they were up against.
Tringl slapped his belly, drawing Harry's attention. The Malaaz male pointed to the ground. Harry looked but saw nothing.
"What is it?"
"There," said Tringl, "look there."
Harry looked closer at the spot. At first, there was nothing, then a growing sense told Harry that indeed something was lying on the ground, something that showed itself only by an occasional shimmer of color. He felt with the muzzle of his rifle. At a certain point, the muzzle rested against something, something unseen.
"Krits," Tringl repeated.
Harry reached down and felt a body that could not be seen. When he touched it, another shimmer of color passed through it, outlining the curvature of its body. It was about the size and shape of a man. No other details could be made out.
Harry slung his rifle over his shoulder and felt along the side of the creature until he found what seemed to be a lifeless arm. He got a grip on the thing and lifted it to his shoulder. As he carried it back inside the fence, he felt its legs as they bumped into his back.
Once they were inside, Burke applied power to the fence again. The electric hum started up. Harry laid his invisible burden outside the tents and bent to inspect the creature.
Occasionally, rainbow colors passed over the surface of the thing's body. Whenever it happened, it offered a fleeting view of the alien. Details were limited to a general form containing two arms and legs. The arms ended in something similar to hands. The feet were wide and toeless. No facial features could be discerned and its skin felt smooth, without wrinkles and totally unflawed. Harry put his head to the thing's chest and detected a heartbeat. He placed his hand on the spot and allowed his mind to enter the mind of the alien.
It was unconscious, knocked silly by the electric discharge from the power fence. In such a state, Harry was unable to detect any higher brain functions. Still, the lower functions told him plenty about the Krits, much that he had begun to assume already.
It was a creature without conscience, serving a single purpose: to protect the Lost City at any cost. Where it came from remained a mystery.
Chapter 28
"Is it dead?" asked Burke.
Harry shook his head.
"I've never seen anything like it."
A flash of color rippled across the alien's body.
"Somehow its skin refracts the light. Amazing. We need to ice this thing and get it back to the Grunwald."
"It's still alive. Get some straps and bind it by
its wrists and ankles before it wakes up. We'll never find it again if it gets up and starts walking around."
"Yes, sir," said Burke.
It was an hour before his turn at watch, so instead of going back to sleep, Harry went back to work on the tablets. He made some progress in the translation when he determined which symbols represented numbers. The columns of glyphs were separated numerically which, Harry hoped, indicated that the text might describe a series of steps. If he was extremely lucky, perhaps they would tell him how to get inside the pyramid.
By morning, he hadn't gotten any further and he knew a decision had to be made. They were wasting time. Soon, Serge and Doc would become alarmed and come looking for them. If he could get a message through, he'd save them a trip and perhaps prevent Minerva from taking action against his crew.
He also needed help with the translation and a computer could do the various lingual permutations far faster than he ever could. It was then he decided to risk a trip to Minerva. Somehow, he had to find a way to gain control over the ship.
Harry started to the tent to see if Fagen was awake. He intended to tell Burke he was taking Fagen to the ship. Burke would have something to say about it, but there was no other way. At the very least, Harry would get the help he needed for the translation. Tringl was nowhere in sight. Harry correctly surmised he was scouting outside the camp perimeter again.
He stepped inside the tent and saw that Fagen was sitting up, talking and laughing with Bobbie. When she saw Harry, she jumped to her feet. "Good morning, Commander."
"Morning," said Harry. Looking at Fagen, he added, "You look comfortable."
Fagen looked around. "Well, the accommodations are not exactly what I'm used to, but," he said, looking at Bobbie, "the company is good."
Bobbie blushed and stammered, "I, I need to relieve Utme." She ducked out of the tent.
Harry turned to Fagen. "You making time with my crew's time?"
Fagen grinned. It was odd, Harry had never seen Fagen smile so genuinely. Fifteen years out among the stars could do a lot to a man.