Shima’s whiskers drew down as if tasting something noxious. What could the elders realistically do? The Merkiaari were here on the surface in force, which meant the Fleet had been defeated already. That left only those in the warrior caste chosen to protect their people on the ground, or the permanent forces assigned to each of the keeps, to fight on. Shima had no doubt that everyone, adult or child, would fight when the time came, but that didn’t make them warrior caste. They had their beamers and the training to use them, but no experience. Real warriors trained constantly and fought each other in huge complex mock battles. Warrior caste lived for the time they would be called upon to fight for real.
“Well, this cycle might seem like a dream come true for them, but I doubt they will think so tomorrow,” Shima said to herself. She took a last look at the charger’s progress, and left the room.
Shima found little that she wanted to take with her. She could hunt for food once out of the city, so she made no effort to gather some to take with her. Instead she gorged herself upon the bounty of Shkai’ra she found in the cold room, putting some aside for Kazim to eat later. The tender meat was one of her favourites, and together with fresh fruits and vegetables made a feast. She forced herself to eat more than she normally would, gorging until uncomfortably overfull. She had burned a lot of her reserve fat since coming back to the city and needed to replenish it. If she didn’t eat more than her usual amount over the next few cycles, she would lose muscle mass. It was inconvenient but part of what it was to be Shan.
Her people had evolved to survive lean times in a number of ways. One was by consuming vast amounts of food in good times and building a reserve in the form of fat, the other way was a type of hibernation. Shan did not sleep like Shkai’lon did in winter, but they could slow their metabolism so much that the difference was hard to determine. But there was a difference and an important one. Shkai’lon were completely vulnerable while they slept the winter away, Shan were not. With their bodily functions slowed, it left their minds free to ponder the Harmonies and allowed their senses to wander far afeild. Hence they were forewarned of approaching danger. The ability was how so many Shan had survived the last Merkiaari invasion.
Shima spent the remainder of the cycle resting, readying herself for night and her escape from Zuleika. She forced herself to drink a lot of water and even managed a few more morsels of food when Kazim awoke to join her. She made him stuff himself and drink lots of water, and would not hear his complaints that he would not be able to run with such a full stomach. He would learn as she had just what a terrified Shan could accomplish when necessary.
In the end the only things Shima decided to take were her weapons, her harness, and a small water bottle she had found in one of the rooms. She didn’t need anything else to survive the journey to the mountains, and if Kazim stayed with her, he wouldn’t need anything either. She could hunt for two as easily as for one.
Shima was sitting quietly in the main living space in the trance-like state her father had taught her to use before a long hunt, when darkness fell. It was the best way to attune oneself with the Harmonies, and made her gifts easier to use. Stronger too. Her senses were always at their strongest when used this way. She noted the sleepers in the park and other nearby buildings were stirring, readying themselves to leave. Kazim had some ability with the Harmonies, enough to notice the exodus, but Shima said no when he suggested they go.
“Not yet, they are too many and might attract attention. We will give them a seg to clear our path.”
“We don’t know where they are going.”
“True, but they will head for a keep and the nearest is in the Kachina chain. It’s safer for them and us if we spread out. The gunners on just one of those grav sleds could kill us all in two bursts if we don’t.”
“Are you sure you’re not warrior caste, Shima? You sound just like those I have met.”
Shima noted Kazim’s camera was active again, though he had tried to be discreet by holding it low in his lap. She said nothing. If his work comforted him, who was she to say no? She could wish for some comfort herself, but a gardener like her wouldn’t be needed for a long time to come... or ever? Shima shook off the sudden chill that came over her. She was a scientist not a superstitious fool who feared gloomy thoughts would encourage them to come true.
“Not a warrior, sorry to disappoint. I’m a gardener.”
“That’s not all you are. There’s more.”
Shima’s tail gestured a shrug and her ears flicked agreement. “There’s always more. Scientist, agricultural geneticist, hunter, daughter of Tahar, sib to Chailen... the list is extensive for any of us.”
“Interesting that you list hunter before daughter,” Kazim said. “Why is that?”
“Tahar, my father works—worked on Hool Station. We spoke just before...” she waved a hand around. “All this. He was trapped up there with the others.”
Kazim’s ears struggled half erect. “I am sorry.”
“So am I, he was a wonderful person and father. Many fathers died when the Murderers came. I’m not the only one to lose family.”
“No, but sadness is not lessened by having company.”
Shima agreed.
Kazim shifted and raised the camera. “Do you mind so very much?”
Shima felt like asking what he would do if she said that she did mind, but perhaps he was in the right with this. If her people survived the Murderers a second time, wouldn’t it be a good thing to have a record of events? She couldn’t see how her actions could contribute to Kazim’s historical record of the second alien war, but who was she to say? Her youngling lessons had included trips to places like the Markan’deya where she was shown lowlier things than Kazim’s recordings. Perhaps in the future his films would be played in the Markan’deya dedicated to this new war, and younglings would watch and learn about the true horror of war.
“I do not mind,” Shima said, “But we must find you a beamer. I would give you one of mine, but I suspect you would be too busy recording the aliens killing you to use it.”
Kazim laughed. “You are right. When I heard what was happening I fetched my camera first thing. I did not even remember my beamer until after my car blew up.”
Shima was secretly appalled by Kazim’s admission. How any Shan could be so lax when the Merkiaari breathed the same air with him was frankly incomprehensible to her. Everyone was taught Shan history. No one could be unaware of what a fresh incursion would mean to them, their families, and their clans.
“I see I have shocked you.” Kazim said ruefully and Shima agreed with a flick of the ears. “Tell me the story of our meeting, Shima. Tell me of your father and how you heard about the murderer’s return, and I promise to kill the next alien I see before trying to film it.”
Shima did.
* * *
22~The Wilderness
Zuleika and environs, Child of Harmony
“... and we stopped here to await the night,” Shima finished her recitation of events noting how dark the room was. “And now we go, Kazim. It’s full dark, time to leave the city.”
Kazim did something to his camera and rose to his feet. “Do you think the others are far enough away?”
“I hope so. I will look ahead when the time comes and steer us away from anyone I find.”
“You are strong in the Harmonies, Shima. I noticed before but didn’t want to ask.”
Shima knew what he wanted. “No, they did not invite me. My uncle is Tei, but my eyes...” Shima gestured ‘what can you do’ with her tail. “The clan-that-is-not has certain expectations and standards I do not meet.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s an old hurt, but seriously, I’m not sure what I would say now if they did invite me.” Kazim regarded her sceptically. “I mean it. I love my work; I would not want to give it up.”
“You wouldn’t have to. As Tei your choice of profession is yours to make and no other can gainsay you, not even the elders have that right.”
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“Oh I don’t mean that, of course I would follow my heart and stay in my caste. No, it’s the expectation that as Tei I must lead the others. I would have no time for my own research projects.”
“Hmmm,” Kazim said sounding unconvinced.
Shima wasn’t surprised. Tei were honoured and held up before all as the epitome of ambition. But she had secretly held the view for quite some time now that it must be a very tiring way to live. People’s expectations could be draining. It would take a very strong person to live that way, which was yet another reason to admire them and venerate them. The word Tei meant ‘one who leads’ but the true meaning was farther reaching than that. Being Tei meant leading others by example, motivating others by one’s own actions to strive, to be better than they think they can be. The clan-that-is-not held a special place in Shan society, one that even the council of elders did not equal.
“It’s time we were gone,” Shima said leading the way out the back and into the night.
Shima didn’t hurry into the park. Stealth was preferable to speed now. She used all her skill to move silently amongst the trees, and tried not to sigh audibly when Kazim made a noise. He wasn’t loud but compared to her silence he seemed it. Her skill was her father’s, taught to her from almost the moment she could balance on two legs. Kazim could not be blamed for being lesser in this. He was competent, no worse than average, and all Shan were hunters by instinct. It was just that her instincts and skills had been honed to a fine edge.
She said nothing.
“Sorry,” Kazim hissed under his breath, sensing her tension. “It’s been a while for me.”
“Nothing to be sorry over,” Shima whispered back. “I hunted often with my father.”
“You are very good at this, all of it I mean, not just the silent stalk.”
Shima did not answer. She supposed she was good at it in a way. She did not doubt her ability as a hunter, for her father would be remembered by his clan as one of their greats despite his demurrals, and she took for granted her harmony given gifts would not let her down. They never had before so why would they now? No, Kazim was right, but being good at it did not mean she liked the necessity right now.
They travelled through the park and beyond into the last district of the city. Fires illuminated the streets, and revealed only the dead. The Merkiaari warriors had swept into the city via this district using the road from the port to speed their way. They had destroyed many of the buildings, though not all, and their targeting puzzled Shima. The buildings had no strategic value that she could see, they were just simple homes.
Kazim was grim as he used his camera to record everything they saw. He almost seemed to will Shima to comment on the massacre of their people. She walked amongst their dead and said nothing. What was there to say? Should she say it was horrible? It was, but saying it did not change anything. Should she point to this or that person, this or that dead youngling... and say what? Vow vengeance maybe. Perhaps Kazim was silently vowing it now, calling upon his ancestors to witness the oath. Swearing by his clan name even. Shima said nothing and vowed nothing, but she knew deep in her heart there would come a reckoning. Once Chailen was safe, surely it would not offend her father’s kah to come back and claim a little justice for his death. He would not approve of anything that put her in danger of course, but surely he would understand her need to fight. Any Shan would.
“We need to move, Kazim.”
Kazim nodded. “There is nothing we can do for them and there are too many to send to their ancestors properly.”
“They will find their way to them, the Harmonies know their own.”
Kazim followed as Shima chose a path. “You truly believe that?”
“Yes. The ceremony is for those left behind, not the one journeying on. My father is with my mother and our ancestors now. I know it.”
And she believed it to the core of her being. Tahar’s body would never be ritually cleansed or placed in the clan’s grove for three cycles to free his kah. He would not receive the honours due him, nor would his ashes be mixed with the ashes of their ancestors. None of that mattered. Shima had seen death; she knew Tahar’s kah would not really have been released by the rituals. Her gift had shown her they moved on very quickly after the mind glow dimmed, not lingering for even a single cycle let alone the three cycles bodies were customarily laid in the grove. Tahar was with her ancestors now, watching over Chailen and her. She knew it beyond question.
Shima and Kazim studied the empty road from concealment of the trees, but there really was no option but to venture out and cross over into the country on the far side. It was a bit of a stretch to call the land there wilderness—the word seemed to conjure an image of a barren land, which this was not, but it was wild in the sense it had never been settled or cultivated. There were no cities or even large towns between Zuleika and the mountains, so it was in its natural native state; heavily forested with open plains far to the south. A good thing, because the native wildlife was extremely tasty to hungry Shan, and there should be plenty on the hoof for a hunter to track. The road led to the spaceport where she was sure the Murderers would be doing alien things that made sense to them, but no sense to anyone sane. She wanted nothing more than to be far from there and under a trillion cubic tonnes of rock in Kachina Twelve, but that would take a few cycles more and some careful work on her part. Kazim was a good sort, but obviously needed care. Shima would provide, who else was there?
The Harmonies revealed Kazim’s anxiety. He had been like that since discovering the massacred people. She thought until then Kazim had been treating the new war as some kind of adventure, exciting and possibly a way to advance in his clan, but now the reality had him by the tail. He had realised that labelling events as the end times didn’t make them a neat and tidy thing. There was blood, and there was pain, and there was death. A great deal of death.
There was no choice, Shima decided. The Harmonies assured her no one was close, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Her gift could reveal living things, but it could not show her devices or tell her if the area was being observed from a distance. With the Merkiaari in control of the orbitals, if any of them had been spared, they could have surveillance of anywhere on the surface they wished. Even if they had destroyed everything in orbit, a situation Shima deemed likely, the Murderers still had their ships watching. Still, how likely was it for two people to be detected from orbit way out here?
Shima would have been very surprised to learn it was in fact highly likely, because the Merkiaari were already tracking various groups leaving the cities and had set a continuous over watch of both inhabited planets. It was standard doctrine to track vermin migrations to aid in extermination missions.
Shima did not know anything about Merkiaari standard doctrine or procedures. She simply had the Harmonies and her instincts. She felt uneasy, but had felt that for most of the cycle and so dismissed the unsettling feeling as her imagination. Besides, even if the Murderers appeared before her on the road in plain sight, it didn’t change her need to head toward the mountains. She was sure to feel better once deep into the trees and hidden under their concealing canopy.
“I’ll go first,” Shima said. “Don’t follow me right away. Wait and watch half a seg before leaving cover. I will wait for you.”
“Half a seg! Really? Don’t you think that’s over the top?”
Shima hesitated and then reluctantly agreed. Her paranoia was getting the better of her. They really did need to vacate the area. “Let’s say... a tenth seg then?”
“A tenth it is,” Kazim said.
“If something happens, run Kazim. I will find you.”
Kazim’s ears went back briefly at the thought of running away, but then he agreed with the necessity. He was armed with a knife and nothing he could do would help Shima if she was seen.
Shima crept into the open on four feet, keeping her tail tucked and her belly low to the ground. It reminded her of past hunts with her father, and she could almo
st see him in her mind’s eye, his translucent kah just ahead leading the way. Right fore-foot left hind-foot and pause. Left fore-foot right hind-foot, and pause to listen. She kept her head held low between shoulders, ears swivelling listening for any sound, muscles taught with tension ready to launch her into a sprint in any direction. She lowered her face to the road and breathed in, rolling scent markers over her tongue and the glands at the back of her throat. A growl rumbled deep in her chest, but the stink of Merkiaari was old. She raised her head as tension eased a little, and with more confidence, she trotted across the road and into the trees. She allowed herself a sigh of relief, and lowered herself to the ground in some brush to watch Kazim’s crossing.
As planned, he waited a tenth and then crept out into the open. She watched with her eyes and the Harmonies, but as far as she could tell, Kazim was safe. He did all the right things, and it wasn’t long before they were moving together under the safety of the trees. Shima only looked back once to see the red glow in the sky as Zuleika burned.
They stayed on four feet that night, ready to flee at top speed on the instant; besides that, it was easier to negotiate the wilds that way. Shan had evolved to walk upright yes, but they were still at their physical best on all fours. It allowed them faster responses, allowed them to use sensitive noses and glands in the throat to snuff the ground seeking scent trails. Even their tails became what they were meant to be rather than just another appendage for gesturing. A Shan’s tail was quite muscular but hadn’t evolved to hold things, though it could do that in a clumsy way. It was for balance. When a Shan ran at high speed and needed to change course abruptly, something hungry Shan in the past often needed to do while chasing canny prey, the tail became a way to help balance and steer.
Merkiaari Wars: 01 - Hard Duty Page 29