The cat had sprawled on his bed. Both eyes watched him with interest. One tufted ear twitched forward. Behind the beast, GEA-4 stood silhouetted by the morning light from the window; her back to the room and her face to the sun.
Larwin remembered where he was.
The kazza studied him, while the black shaggy tip of his tail tapped out a nameless tune. Larwin squared his shoulders. The beast extended its claws and yawned wide enough to swallow the worthless android.
“GEA-4, I thought I told you to stand watch.”
“I am.”
“Then why is this creature here?”
“It slept here.”
“It what?” Only a lifetime of military service enabled him to appear composed. Of all the malfunctioning programming he’d ever heard of; she’d allowed the carnivorous creature to sleep in his room. On the bed. With him. “That’s your procedure for guarding me?”
“It is not hostile. Probabilities indicate the kazza is housebroken.”
Larwin wanted to shred every circuit board in her body and reconfigure her into a sculpture. No, then he’d have her around as a visual reminder. Was any revenge adequate for forcing him to sleep with an animal, especially one that size? The creature must out-weigh him three times. One, which had teeth and claws that could probably rip the flesh from a madrox. As he watched, the cat retracted its claws, stood and lazily stretched every sinew of its body. Then it twirled its whiskers and opened its mouth, again. The cavity expanded wider and wider until every huge glinting white spear-pointed tooth was exposed. Larwin’s heart fluttered.
His own mouth went dry.
He moved into a defensive stance, but feared the huge cat would be too much for him to defeat in hand-to-hand combat.
Why hadn’t he slept with a weapon?
The kazza stood up and the fur on its back rippled. Then it leaped.
Larwin prepared to flip the beast.
Kazza landed next to him. Though the floor trembled, the creature totally ignored him. Instead, the cat sniffed the air, walked to the door, and opened it with the flick of a claw. A moment later, it disappeared down the outside passage.
Larwin’s heart continued hammering long after the door swung shut. When the sound of padded footfalls dimmed, Larwin went to his haversack, removed his laser-cutter, then cautiously approached the door. Nothing lurked in the passage except the aroma of more mouth-watering food.
At least he thought it was food. It smelled too good to be anything else. He swallowed the welling saliva. Tempting as it was to immediately follow the scent, he paused to hunker down and inspect the door.
There were numerous round indentations in the wood. This wasn’t the first time the animal had let itself out of this room.
Or into it.
Had the kazza been sent as a guard? That didn’t make sense. What sort of jailer left the moment the prisoner awoke?
But, he wasn’t a prisoner, was he?
A frown creased Larwin’s brow. He studied the strange organic-looking chamber. The whitish-bark walls were curved instead of straight and the room’s rafters were tan, bark-covered limbs, big as his thigh. The furniture was made from more branches, these were dark as night. Several overlapping golden hued mats covered the floor. Piles of ancient bound volumes massed on one of the woven mats, and more were heaped on the two chairs. Larwin gazed at the books. Which were the old fashioned sort and made from plant matter. In one corner, three towers of them reached to the rafters. Why would anyone need so many books? While they were something familiar to anyone who liked museums, as much as he did, he’d never imagined such a collection simply being strewn over a room.
How much would artifact collectors pay for this assortment?
Shelves along one wall had an odd variety of items. Larwin wasn’t sure what they all were, but he recognized some of the stones because Tem-aki had collected them since she was old enough to walk. It hadn’t surprised him when his little sister had been assigned to learn geology. He went to the shelves and picked up a whitish stone. While it looked pretty, it had no mineral worth. In fact, none of the collection had value, except to someone, like Tem-aki, who loved stones for their beauty as well as resource-value.
The fact that none contained precious minerals was disappointing.
Larwin took a moment to collect his thoughts and wished he didn’t feel so disoriented. He massaged the bridge of his nose. His head felt as if he’d been subjected to a night of psycho training instead of sleep, but winners didn’t quit just because of a headache. There were many things to do, if he was to head an invasion into this geode. “Today, we have a two-fold priority. First, we need to learn the language. Second, we need to compile a list of assets. Start by listing the botanical wealth. From what I saw, there are enough natural organisms here to buy me at least two promotions.” Maybe even a governor-ship. Gooseflesh rippled at the thought. His stomach growled. “You can recharge outside, while you compile a list of the plants.” Cautiously, he peered out the door. The aromas had strengthened so much that the air seemed edible. Larwin stepped into the hallway then stopped and looked back.
Again, he studied the door’s delicate perforations and recalled the creature’s sinister-looking claws. The kazza was a contradiction that appeared ferocious, yet it seemed friendly and thus far, it had only consumed items his analyzer determined to be grain-based. Larwin frowned. Perhaps this geode-world did not have the combination of predator and prey found on most worlds. Larwin decided his hostess would be insulted if he appeared carrying a weapon. Feeling slightly foolish, he went back into the room and slipped the las-cutter into his haversack.
Mouth salivating more with each step he took down the endless stairs, Larwin followed the appetizing aroma to the ground floor room. He passed the table and paused, startled to see the splint lying at its center. With a shake of his head, he went on. He detoured around the spot where the older woman had tuned white as a quasar. Skin prickling, Larwin hoped the behavior wasn’t some sort of alien greeting.
Larwin rounded the curve and studied the part of the room, which had previously been concealed by the curving shape of the odd chamber. A large patchwork window composed of many oddly mismatched bits reminded him of the amber Tem-aki collected. A wide plant-covered counter lay beneath the window and sturdy pottery laden shelves flanked it.
The enticing scent came from a black pot, which sat near the open flames of an old-fashioned hearth. Larwin picked up a crude wooden spoon and tentatively stirred the reddish, lumpy mixture. He sniffed the spoon and sipped the concoction. It was some sort of consommé, but he’d never seen any soup with green, white and orange lumps. He placed the spoon in what he hoped was the sink and decided the area was some sort of cooking zone. His stomach rumbled in agreement.
Turning his back on the savory pot, Larwin forced himself to wait until he was certain the brew was edible by humans. He studied the room. It didn’t look like any sort of galley he’d ever seen. There were no cupboards, nor sleek plastoid cabinets or stainless steel counters. Here, things were either wood or glazed ceramic and placed on open shelves.
Larwin picked up a thick-bodied bluish mug and studied it. Where a leaf had been pressed into clay, the color in the imprint was deep cerulean. He placed the two-handled mug back on the lower shelf. The most disconcerting thing was the way potted plants seemed to occupy every spare nook and form a hanging ceiling.
“This room reminds me of a potting-shed exhibit I saw in the National Museum. I can’t believe how primitive this race is—they use fire to cook food—at least I’m assuming its food. It tasted good,” he muttered aloud. “They’ll be a snap to conquer.”
“The inhabitants of this abode might not be a true representation,” GEA-4 said.
“Point taken.”
Larwin studied the strange wall above the longest counter and wondered if the hodgepodge of yellow-toned, semi-translucent window was an expensive work of art or the product of an incompetent glassmaker. He could only see clearly through four of the fifty
or so odd-shaped panes. Tem-aki would love to own it. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure my future. I can’t afford to be overly confident or take chances.”
“True, others could head the invasion and claim the resources.”
His jaw clenched. “Not if I present a complete listing of the planet’s reserves when I initially return to Guerreterre. If I have a complete list of the planet’s biological and mineral resources prior to the assault, I claim it.” He turned to GEA-4. “I’ll also need to be familiar with the demography so I know how many troops to requisition.” This discovery was big enough to net him a major promotion and a bonus liberal enough so he could live all his dreams. The enticing aroma emanating from the pot made it difficult to think. “No time like the present to start the lists.”
Larwin opened the thick, round door to a view of valuable vegetation shimmering in a haze of dewy sunlight. The fortune hadn’t been a dream. He inhaled deeply; the thick, earthy scent of wealth rivaled the aroma from the pot.
He squared his shoulders and vowed not to lose his focus. “Come on,” Larwin said.
He stepped into the humid air. “Last night I was so tired, I didn’t realize how isolated this place is. Nimri, must be very wealthy to have such a secluded, exotic home.”
“Probabilities indicate this world has a low population and unlike Guerreterre, ground is inexpensive.”
“Ground is always expensive.” The robot stared at him with her odd, silvery eyes. Larwin paused and considered GEA-4’s conclusion. While it was nearly impossible to understand how a culture could thrive without putting a premium on the ground and its resources, he had come across planets that viewed gold as worthless because there was such abundance. On Tribulck, the natives thought sand was valuable, because of its scarcity. “Okay, you may be right.” The concept seemed as bizarre as this place, but the more he considered it, the more GEA-4’s observation became obvious. That irritated him. So did the rhythmic thumping in the background. Turning his back on GEA-4, he studied what seemed to be a maze of paths winding through planting beds. One well-worn path formed of flat rocks led toward the drumming sound. How was he ever going to manage to categorize the wealth of this one space, let alone the entire world without the instruments in his ship? He needed access to a supercomputer.
“There is a wide assortment of chlorophyll,” GEA-4 said.
Was he listening to a cadenced beat of a thousand marching feet or some sort of archaic mechanism? He hoped it was the latter. Where there was one machine, there were generally others. “I hear equipment running,” he said. “Let’s follow this path. We can see how advanced their machines are.” His mind boggled at the thought of the technology required to create a lush world inside this burned out husk.
“I detect no machines.”
“Definitely faulty scanners.” Larwin rubbed his temple as he passed a patch of velvety silver-leafed plants.
The path meandered across the flat yard, past several plant beds, many of which seemed unable to contain the plants. Larwin inadvertently stepped on a purplish leaf. Mint fragrance engulfed him. He bent down and studied the pungent leaf. Who would have thought that the essence of his favorite liquor came from a plant?
As he moved toward the sound, he passed numerous shapes, colors and sizes of vegetation. Was this world truly as primitive as it seemed or were the leaves created by some unknown type of technology? He pinched a waving frond and sniffed his fingers. Again, there was an aroma, but this was not mint. He frowned as he tried to put a name to the spicy aroma.
Abruptly, the path made a turn and veered down the precipitous side of a chasm. Larwin stepped on a round rock. It moved. He stumbled and fell toward the abyss.
A hand grabbed his forearm and jerked him back to safety. Then, the artificial clouds parted and light bathed a nearby portion of the garden. GEA-4 released his arm and went to stand in the center of the beam. Larwin looked down for the rock, hoping to kick it. It moved away, its pointy tail stiff with irritation and the leathery nose held high. He gulped.
Larwin stood, knees trembling and glanced at a large, craggy boulder, wondering if it, too, was alive. Unbidden, the word tortoise came to mind and he recalled a myth about the rock-animals.
To think they existed.
The farther he went down the trail, the louder the drumming became. Larwin wondered if it was his heart or if he was close to the machinery. He studied the rocky trail hoping for a second glimpse of the wondrous rock creature, but only dense vegetation and a smoky haze were visible in the basin. Smoke meant an old fashioned factory, yet the smoke didn’t smell like burning wood or petrol products. He’d hoped for something high-tech, perhaps he was looking at the results of a mist emitter.
Larwin concentrated on his footing and followed the path downward. He rounded a boulder, ducked under the boughs of a tree and squinted through the patchy vapor. A large black rectangle lay on a narrow beach next to the path. His skin prickled as he tried to grasp why the geometric shape had been placed there. A breath of wind cleared away some of the haze. Beyond the peach colored sands glistened a secluded pool filled with turquoise water.
Breath caught in his throat as Larwin took a step backward and leaned against the boulder for support. Never, even in his wildest dreams, had he dared believe such incredible riches as an actual pool of water existed.
The path continued on, over a rustic bridge made of twisted limbs that were rough to the touch. He paused next to a clump of tall feathery plants, where the trail split: one part turned sharply toward the water; the other, more heavily traveled section, veered downhill. Several additional clumps of the plume-like plants were scattered around the pool. In fact, vegetation abounded, taking up every millimeter not occupied by rock. Knees trembling, Larwin hunkered down, until the weakness passed. Out of habit, he pretended to study the ground. Even as he gave the impression of fitness and productivity, he noticed that tiny lace-like plants grew on the boulders.
Another gust revealed the far side of the pool; a waterfall plummeted down a sheer rock wall, creating fog where moving water melded with the pool. As he stared at the incredible sight, Nimri and the kazza emerged from the mist and swam across the turquoise water. She laughed, and then she was gone, seemingly swallowed by another bank of fog.
Larwin wondered if Planetary Sovereigns commanded enough wealth to afford such riches.
Plants, water and living stones and food worthy of the gods.
Perhaps he had died and gone to his reward.
He stood up and stepped to the edge of the pool. Heart hammering, he knelt and touched the water. It felt wet. He tasted the droplet on his finger. It tasted real. Perhaps this was not an intricate illusion, after all.
And that meant he was rich, rich, rich!
Unable to contain himself, Larwin let out a war-whoop of victory.
~0~
Nimri’s morning swim was special because it was the second time in her life that she’d had the luxury of floating in sunlight. Rolf had gotten so angry the one time he caught her that she had pretended to avoid the water afterward. Today, as she climbed the trail to her garden, the sun felt wonderfully warm as her thoughts veered to the two strangers and she wondered what she was meant to learn from them.
Initially, she had resented the way they refused to communicate with her, but then, she had realized how much concentration she was using to understand their reasoning. Lack of verbal communication surely made one think and she suspected that could be their method. Perhaps, when she learned whatever they were trying to teach her, they would speak to her, which was exactly the opposite of the way her grandfather taught.
She was so lost in thought at the difference that she strayed near a yucca’s spiny tip. Her dappled aqua-toned towel snagged.
When she tugged at the soft fabric; the undulating hues reminded her of rippling water. Unbidden, she remembered her youthful nightmares and the pervasive fear that water would yank her beneath its surface and smother her in its depths.
Since getting past her inexplicable childish phobia, she and Kazza had developed a ritual of starting the day by sneaking out of the house in the dark, swimming until light began to wash the sky, then sitting on a boulder and watching the sun rise over the rim of the gorge as they shivered and dried in the growing light.
The fabric ripped free, leaving a finger-long rent that reminded her of Rolf’s furious expression the only time she’d let him know she’d floated in the pool. He had stood on the precipice, and raised his staff. His voice thundered as he’d ordered her away from the water. She had never understood why he had been furious. She’d expected him to be happy for her, as Larwin had been. With Rolf gone, she’d never know why he’d been angry when she confronted her fear, yet ridiculed her for crying over it. She shook her head and wondered if her grandfather was particularly difficult or she was missing something.
For months after her great-grandfather’s threat, Nimri had been terrified of losing her life, but the pool’s enticement was stronger than the fears it had helped her conquer. Though she’d tried to stay away from the water’s lure, she couldn’t. Sneaking out for a predawn swim seemed to strengthen her for the day. By the time Rolf’s death was certain, she and Kazza were swimming every day before dawn.
Too bad learning to love the water was her only achievement.
Nimri looked upward to the spot where Rolf had dashed her arrogance. Anthropoid stood, still as a statue in the middle of her chamomile patch, just behind where her grandfather had been. The sunlight reflected off Anthropoid’s strange eyes. Nimri winced and wondered why the odd little woman tortured herself for two or three hours every day.
A movement beneath the ginkgo caught Nimri’s attention. She shaded her eyes and saw Larwin twirling a fan-shaped leaf. Ginkgo was powerful medicine, but surely the resurrected Guardian knew that. Had she just discovered his secret for longevity? Did he contemplate the plant’s memory value? Or did he suffer from ringing ears? Perhaps he was considering giving it to her for some reason. But why?
From the half-open kitchen door, Kazza mewed a plaintive reminder. Nimri pushed aside her unanswerable questions and headed for the house. She ladled minestrone into Kazza’s bowl, then leaned against the counter and studied Anthropoid through the window. On the trail, Anthropoid hadn’t touched a bite of food or a drop of water. Nimri wondered what terrible deed Anthropoid must have done that required her to stand still and stare into the burning rays of the sun each day. She also wondered why poor Anthropoid neither tanned nor burned.
Star Bridge (Chaterre Trilogy Book 1) Page 8