“We can take care of our own, now that we know we're in danger."
“Herin?” Bain slid off the examination table where he had been sitting, letting another medic work on the scratches and cuts he got diving into the street. “The Gen'gineers can't be here just to catch Leapers. It'd take them months to catch up with you, and you never told anyone what planets you were touring, did you?"
“No,” Herin whispered. Her frown turned from upset to curious and puzzled. “Do you have any idea, Captain, who were their first targets?"
“Well, it's only rumor...” Captain Klapman had the grace to blush. “It's rumored they were here to find remnants of Hoveni genetics in the resident population."
“It's possible,” Rhiann said. “If the legends said the Set'ri wanted to destroy the Hoveni because they were diluting the Human gene pool, then Hoveni would have to be able to breed with Humans, and their genetics would still be evident today."
“Hidden,” the peace forcer medic corrected. He shrugged and gave his captain a sheepish grin when everyone in the room turned to look at him. “Hoven history is my hobby."
“Thank you. Everyone,” Herin said, cutting off Rhiann before her sister could do more than open her mouth to speak.
Bain suspected Rhiann was about to engage the medic in a long discussion about the Hoveni, and Herin knew it and had acted to stop her.
“Come along, you three.” Herin favored Trinia with a nod, and the younger girl's face lit up.
“Captain Herin, may I ask what you are going to do?” Klapman asked. He stepped aside as Herin led Rhiann and Bain toward the door, where Trinia waited.
“I'm issuing an ultimatum to the investigative tribunal.” Herin very carefully didn't look at Bain as she spoke. “I am going to demand the truth about my mother's death and the situation here on Gemar. If I do not receive the truth, no matter how embarrassing or uncomfortable it might be for all sides involved, Leapers will leave this universe. I will recommend this universe be quarantined for all time.” She turned sharply on one heel and stalked out of the room as fast as she could while supporting Rhiann.
Bain and Trinia hurried to keep up.
* * * *
“Bodyguards? Us?” Arin Cain looked at his cousin with open-mouth delighted shock.
Bain, Trinia, Arin, Lissy Bolan and the Piller brothers sat in the crew's lounge on the Estal'es'cai. It had taken Bain nearly twenty minutes to calm down his excited team before they would listen to his explanation for why they had been invited on board.
A long table with stools on sliding tracks filled the room from end to end, with padded benches along the walls. Cabinets with sliding doors held reading screens and thousands of book disks, games and entertainment cubes kept ready for use. The short wall at one end of the table held dispenser slots where the crew could get hot and cold drinks, pastries, fruit and sandwiches at any time of the day or night. The table and stools were made of a golden-grained, genuine wood. The cushions were in a rainbow of colors and the flooring wasn't a carpet, but it gave under their footsteps like thick, bright carpeting.
“We proved we knew what we were doing,” Trinia said and shrugged. She fought to keep a nonchalant mask on her face, but it failed miserably in a bright grin.
“Herin trusts us,” Bain said. “She's impressed that we were able to spring into action and get so far in finding and rescuing Rhiann."
“You were there and saw what was going on,” Don Piller corrected him. He glanced at his red-headed identical twin and both young men grinned. “Luck."
“Spacers don't believe in luck,” Lissy said. She shook her head, her long, platinum-colored hair swinging like a curtain. “Everything is guided by Fi'in's hand, and we have to follow the eternal plan."
“Whatever,” Bain said, breaking in before the meeting devolved into a theological and philosophical discussion. “We were there, ready to help, and we acted as a unit. That's the first rule, understand? We all succeed together, and we all fail together. All right?"
“Sure,” Arin murmured. He gestured at the pile of glossy black, one-piece uniforms sitting on the table. “But us as bodyguards? For Leapers? We get real weapons? There aren't enough of us to guard all of them."
“There don't have to be,” Rhiann said, coming into the room. When Arin and the Piller brothers leaped to their feet, she grinned, looking much more like her old self than she had been three hours ago. “Herin and I will be the only ones to leave the Estal'es'cai in less than groups of ten. Our people know how to defend themselves. We'll all be in dress uniforms, with ceremonial knives at our waists. I'm sure even the most desperate Gen'gineer won't take a chance of someone getting through to them with that knife, let alone any hidden weapons."
“What hidden weapons?” Don wanted to know.
“That's just it—they won't know what is hidden and what is in plain view. Psychology is a better weapon than anything made by Human hands.” She sat down next to Bain. “Please, you six and Lin are the only ones we know without a doubt we can trust. Even if you don't feel up to the duty, no one else will know that. I guarantee those uniforms will make you look very intimidating."
“It's our chance to prove ourselves,” Bain said. “We've already taken the first step. If we pull back now, will we have the courage to take the step some other time?"
“If we mess up, they'll never give us a chance,” Lissy said, her excited smile fading a little.
“If we mess up, they'll write us off as a bunch of silly kids. If we succeed, we'll impress them so they'll have to listen to us when we want to expand the Scouts to the whole Commonwealth,” he insisted. “I'm doing it. How about the rest of you?"
He raised his arm high. Rhiann watched him, holding perfectly still, the slightest smile of confidence touching her lips.
Trinia raised her hand first. Then Don. Then Lissy. Then Arin. Dan raised his hand last, after exchanging glares with his twin for nearly twenty seconds.
“Thank you,” Rhiann said. “We'll provide you weapons, and training in using them, and communications links with our ship-brain, Watcher. You'll be able to talk with each other no matter where on the planet you go, instead of having to go through your own ship-brains. But first—” She walked over to the pile of uniforms and picked up the top one.
Unlike other Leaper uniforms, these were solid black. No rank pins. No piping. No trim. Unrelieved, glossy black one-piece suits with utility belts, boots that rose over the calf but didn't reach the knee, and helmets.
“You need an insignia, so people don't mistake you for Leapers. The Scouts need to be a separate, distinct entity from the very beginning.” Rhiann handed the uniform to Bain. “It's all up to you now, Commander.” She didn't smile as she saluted and left the room, but Bain thought he saw a glimmer of mischief in her dark eyes.
An hour later, they had their emblem, a symbol of their hopes and ideals and dreams for the future.
An old-fashioned cutlass lay across a nautical compass, in royal blue and bright green.
Bain gave the emblem design to Rhiann when she came back to the crew lounge. She took it to her sister, who ordered the emblems manufactured and attached to their uniforms.
* * * *
“Be careful,” Lin said. She rested her chin on her interlaced fingers with her elbows propped on the table.
Dark smears of sleeplessness under her eyes only accented their bloodshot whites. Her hair was pulled back in a tight, single braid down her back. She wore her pseudo-uniform of black pants and white shirt and green vest, with her collar link prominently displayed.
The Commonwealth Council representative had given Lin all the computer access she wanted, and set her up in a long room with more space than the cargo hold and bridge of Sunsinger combined. She had two tables flanking the one where she sat, covered in report papers and flimsies and data screens. For the moment, no one was in the room with her and the six young Spacers.
“We've been practicing with every weapon we could get hold of,” Bain hurried to say. “You
know that, Lin."
“I'm not talking about weapons or handling yourselves in dangerous situations.” She managed a smile as her eyes roamed over the six Scouts in their new uniforms. “When did all of you grow up?"
Her comment earned a few grins from the six.
“No,” she continued, “what I'm talking about is the reaction you're going to get. Some people will take you seriously, and you won't have to worry about them. Others will think you're just children playing a game. If they leave you alone, you can ignore them. The ones I worry about are those who will mock you and try to embarrass you in public, discourage you and get in your way. You might think they'll give up if you hold true to those codes and standards you've been devising with Gorgi Cole all these years. Most of them will. The ones who don't are the ones who take you seriously in a dangerous way."
“But that doesn't make sense,” Arin said, frowning.
“Yes it does,” Bain said. “They take us so seriously, they'll try to get us out of the way before we figure out what they're doing, and try to stop them."
“Exactly.” Lin nodded. “Be careful, all of you, and know that you have my full support, too. If someone causes trouble for you, call either me or Captain Herin. We're the authorities granting you your mission and your power to act. Don't badmouth anyone. Don't resort to weapons except when your lives are in danger. Be bigger than reality. That's the only way you'll survive this."
* * *
Chapter Eight
“What kind of uniform is that?"
The words were familiar, even if the voice was new. Bain sighed and looked to the other side of the wide doorway of Lin's office. Lissy stood straight and tall, staring straight ahead, ignoring the speaker without even blinking.
There were only three strangers this time and only the woman spoke. Bain supposed that was an improvement. In the last two days since putting on their modified Leaper uniforms with their new Scout emblems, they had been jeered and questioned and scrutinized by seeming mobs. Bain imagined for a while that people were deliberately coming down this hallway in the Commonwealth building specifically to see the ‘children playing at being soldiers', in the words of one especially loud, fat mocker.
“It's the new Scout uniform, Ma'am,” Bain said.
At the beginning, they had all agreed that when people made fun of them, or even when they just asked questions, the oldest or most experienced Scout present would be the only one to speak. Here at the beginning of the organization, they had to look more professional than the professionals, more spit-and-polish than career warriors. It was the only way to stare down the bullies, in Arin's words.
Bain walked over from his post, nodded to Lissy, and stepped into her place when she moved aside. She hurried over to take his post. Bain nodded respectfully to the three. From their clothes and accents, he couldn't tell if they were merchants or natives of Gemar.
“What are Scouts?” the woman asked, after glancing at her two male companions.
All three looked enough like, they could have been siblings, or very close cousins; dusty brown hair, pointed noses and chins, hazel eyes and bushy eyebrows. They even dressed somewhat alike in loose jackets and trousers and ankle boots. The colors were different enough they didn't look like a uniform. Some merchant fleets had established uniforms, so they could find their people in crowds more easily.
“We're a proto-military organization, dedicated to peace and exploration, giving aid in emergency situations and investigating trouble spots. Ma'am.” He nodded again and prayed silently that she would take the hint and leave. Bain didn't have much more of his researched speech left. He would have to make up something or start repeating himself.
“What are you two doing here, in front of the tribunal's office?” the man in brown asked.
“Aren't you a little young to be any kind of military?” the man in green asked at the same time.
“We're on bodyguard duty, sir. And no, sir, we're not too young.” He permitted himself a little smile. “The Rangers take cadets as young as fourteen Standards."
“You knew that, Arno,” the woman said. She stepped back and looked Bain up and down. “So, what do we have to do to hire some Scouts of our own?"
“We're not for hire, Ma'am."
“Oh, come now, those flashy uniforms can't be cheap to keep up.” She smiled and stepped closer. “Tell me—"
The door slid open and Herin stepped through, accompanied by Dr. Haral. Both wore their dress uniforms. By this time, someone on Gemar would have to be living in total isolation not to know what a Leaper uniform looked like. The three strangers stared.
Bain swallowed his grin of relief and stepped into his place in front of Herin. Dr. Haral walked next to her, carrying a datapad. Lissy took her place behind. Both Scouts walked with their hands resting on the grips of their multi-darts, with the straps of their holsters loosened and the little crimson ‘ready’ light flashing for everyone to see.
The three strangers watched, mouths hanging open, as the Leapers left with their bodyguards. From the corner of his eye, Bain saw Herin nod politely to them and then walk past. He counted the steps until they were in the lift car and riding down to ground level.
“More detractors?” Dr. Haral asked. The somber lines of his mouth relaxed into a tired smile.
“Not quite there yet,” Bain said, echoing the smile. He waited until Herin looked at him. “Any news?"
“Lin hasn't been keeping you up to date?” Herin tsked. Her mouth stayed in its tired droop, but a hint of mischief sparkled in her eyes.
“I hardly ever see her. We're either drilling or working on our bylaws or the proposal for the Commonwealth Council, or I'm out guarding Rhiann while she's doing her research or I'm sleeping.” He groaned and sagged against the wall of the car.
“Was it bad today?” She looked at Lissy, including the girl in the conversation.
At the best of times, Lissy Bolan was a quiet girl. She still had a hard time getting used to being around Leapers and being treated as a friend and equal. Lissy was a crack shot and a smart tactical thinker, but she tended to fade into the background when in groups of more than six people.
“Someone told us we weren't allowed to play soldier,” Lissy half-whispered, “and that impersonating an officer was illegal."
Dr. Haral sighed. “So, it's gone from teasing to trouble-making already."
“We're not impersonating officers, though. Bain's our commander, but even he doesn't have a rank.” A tiny giggle escaped Lissy.
That earned a chuckle from Herin. The weary tension in the car broke and all four sagged against the walls, just as the car stopped its descent and the doors slid open. They reformed into their ‘parade’ order and crossed the lobby. More stares and whispered comments followed them. Bain knew the whispers were about the Leapers, not him and Lissy. When Leapers were around, the Scouts could be invisible for all the reaction they received. He supposed they should be grateful for that. He also knew that the acceptance by Leapers of the newly formed Scouts gave them legitimacy in the eyes of people who would otherwise dismiss them as children playing at war games.
Outside the building, an enclosed transport cart waited. It was security sealed, with Bain and Herin's fingerprints needed to open the door and start the engine. The four climbed in and Bain took the driver's seat. Herin sat in front next to him. She smiled when he gave her a concerned look.
“The front viewport is made to withstand launch velocity pressures and explosions,” she said. “It's also polarized, so no one can see me here to take a shot at me."
Bain shrugged and pressed the buttons to seal the door. He wasn't about to argue. Part of the Scouts’ temporary by-laws said that ranking figures had authority over the Scouts guarding them.
“I thought I should fill you in on what Lin and I discussed today,” Herin continued. “We've been using quite a bit of the information on Gemar's history that you and Rhiann have dug up."
“It's really helping?"
; “Don't sound so surprised.” She smiled a bit more, but the expression didn't wipe away the weariness. Bain had a hard time remembering she was only two years older than him. Becoming captain of the Estal'es'cai and seeing her mother die had aged her.
“It's just that we're ... we're having so much fun exploring all that history. I didn't think it would be all that useful."
“Useful enough, Commander Kern.” Herin winked, making the formal address somehow affectionate and approving, taking away the stinging mockery someone else had given the same two words earlier that day. “Lin and my father and I have decided there have been similar incidents in Gemar's history, from people trying to force Gemar to leave the Commonwealth and rejoin the Conclave. Lin is going to put in her report to the Port Authority and the Commonwealth Council, that secession forces used the war with the Mashrami to interfere with Gemar's functioning during the war. They deliberately hurt the people of this planet to make the Commonwealth look bad. False alarms which lead to the destruction of property and lives are offenses punishable by confiscation of all property, expulsion from the Commonwealth, and even death when the loss of lives has been large enough."
“That solves those accusations, but what about Captain Lorian and Marlin Feris?"
“It was an accident. There was no way anyone could know my mother would be at that restaurant that particular day with enough lead time to make that attack. It was a calculated ploy, using a recognizable Spacer ship, to drive a wedge between Gemar and the Commonwealth. Lin believes that, and so do I. Quite frankly, I'm relieved. For the sake of my mother's dream, I want Leapers to make their home here in our ancestors’ universe.” Herin reached over and rested her hand on Bain's shoulder, squeezing to put emphasis on her words.
“I'm glad. Dying in an accident seems so senseless, but the alternative is worse.” Bain concentrated on the street as he drove the transport cart toward the spaceport. He thought the words made sense, but he wasn't sure Herin would take them that way.
“No one has found Marlin Feris’ ship yet,” Dr. Haral said from the back seat he shared with Lissy. “The question remains, how did it escape so quickly, with no trail, unless the attack was planned far in advance?"
Gemar [Sunsinger Chronicles Book 9] Page 7