KARRIN: Warrior Woman (Excalibur Saga Book 4)
Page 10
Lurga chuckled at her reaction.
Karrin glanced at her grandparents, who grinned back at her. “This planet is overrun with the hairless Peenas you seek. Trade with the Omars fairly, and I will give you the other ship.”
“There are no such things as hairless Peenas. They must all be shaved. This is why most merchants will not trade with Ispepyein for Peenas. They become rather ruthless if their food is shaved incorrectly.” He nodded toward Lurga with deference.
Excalibur laughed with gusto. “Then, you will enjoy Switch. This place is overrun with the small critters. Just make sure you’re fair in your trades with the Omars, or you will rue the day. A Shalit can be a formable enemy. See, there are some, now.” He pointed toward a large herd of hairless Peenas that came scampering down the cliff and ran between everyone’s legs.
Karrin lifted a foot as a few tried climbing her leg. She shivered. They reminded her of hairless mice.
Lurga bent and snatched two as they ran by and held them to his nose. He sniffed deeply and smacked his lips as he tipped his head back. He opened his mouth wide, to stuff them inside, when he caught Karrin staring at him.
She gagged like she was ready to puke.
With a sheepish grin, Lurga shrugged and dropped them to the ground.
After their initial shock, the Senods took off to capture the fleeing merchandise.
“Stop,” Karrin yelled. “Those are for the Omars. You must trade for them. Otherwise, leave.”
The contingent of Senods conferred for a few minutes, then proceeded to try and get the attention of the Omars. However, they were busy chasing down one of their favorite food sources, too. As fast as they caught the small critters, they disappeared in their mouths.
Karrin shuddered again when one of the fatter Omars stuffed three of them in its mouth, blood dripping down its chin. “The way they’re eating, there may not be enough for trade.”
“Don’t worry,” Pam responded with a laugh. “We can always make more.” Taking Excalibur’s hand, she strode off toward the silver ship with Karrin and Lurga right behind them.
CHAPTER NINE
Back inside the ship, Excalibur said, “Sorry to put a damper on our party, but the time has come for us to go. You ready, Lurga?”
Lurga bared his fangs and opened his arms to Karrin. With a cry of anguish, she flung herself into his embrace. As they clung to each other, a shower of sparks flew from his body.
Pam and Excalibur quickly backed away from them. *Whoa, what the hell?* Pam remarked telepathically to her husband. *Our granddaughter possess more power than I imagined.*
A rain of silver sparks fell on the silver floor and sizzled into hard, little lumps of ore.
Lifting Karrin’s chin with one clawed finger, Lurga growled, “No crying, now. Good Battle, Warrior Woman Karrin.” Sparks flared when his own tears touched his force field.
The young woman stared into the eyes of the man she loved. Swallowing her fear of losing him, she stepped back and held her fist out, then palm up, and opened her hand. “Good Battle, My Lurga Pukani.”
The words scarcely left her lips when all three disappeared in a flash of white, silver light.
Alone in the ship, Karrin looked sadly around. What am I to do, now? What if he never comes back? All she wanted to do was cry her eyes out. It was tough keeping a brave face when no one was there to recognize her fear.
“You are not alone,” came Weesa’s voice. “Come, sit and relax.”
One of the four chairs swiveled toward her. As she sat, a unit next to the chair beeped.
“Open the door, child.”
Karrin opened it, not at all surprised the inside was the same silver color. She reached in and removed a silver cup full of warm silver liquid. Next to it sat a smaller glass of libation.
“The cup is hot coffee, and the other is brandy. Arthur enjoyed drinking them together when he was Human. As did Pam and Cal. I believe ingesting the combination is a trait that runs in your family.”
Holding the cup to her nose, Karrin took a deep sniff and smiled in anticipation. The coffee smelled delicious and like nothing she drank before. However, when she took a tentative sip, she grimaced. The flavor was bitter and made her tongue curl.
Karrin picked up the smaller glass, took another sip, and gagged when it burned her mouth and throat. At least, it got rid of the terrible coffee taste. She dumped the rest of the glass into the cup of coffee and stirred the mixture with her finger. Taking a breath, she took a sip. Together, they were better than alone, but not by much.
“I’m sorry, Weesa, but I’d rather drink the water from Switch.”
Deep inside the twin organic brains that made up the Weesa, Emera asked, *Are you sure she’s related to you, Arthur?*
*Maybe we should analyze the water,* Arthur replied, making his other three shipmates laugh.
*Done,* said Daisy. *It appears to contain different components than what you would consider as H2O. Of course, each planet’s water has its own chemical compounds. The narcotic property of Switch’s waterways is due to the high levels of carbonation and alcohol content. It should kill her just to drink it.*
Arthur chuckled. *Aha. She is my bloodline after all. Too bad I didn’t find this place when I had a body. Imagine, a planet with alcoholic water.*
*Hmm. According to the medical readouts from Karrin, she’s totally unaffected by the caffeine or the brandy,* Daisy relayed. “The water she’s used to drinking is one hundred times stronger, yet, her organs show no signs of alcohol poisoning.*
*You know, a person could get rich selling this stuff to the Senods as an alcoholic beverage,* Arthur observed. *The water would need to be diluted for consumption, but the seller would never worry about running out.*
*Leave it to you to come up with some type of scheme,* Olso responded. *While you discussed your latest enterprise, Karrin fell asleep. We shall let her rest, for she will need all her energy when she awakens.*
With that, the overhead lights dimmed and the only noise heard was Karrin’s soft snoring.
The sound of chittering awoke Karrin from her sleep. She smiled. Brownie came back. Opening her eyes, she discovered two Omars sitting in a chair next to her. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
Memories of what happened the previous day came back, and her heart clenched with sadness. Oh, right. I’m aboard the Weesa, and Lurga’s gone. She punched a button on the chair she’d been reclining in, and it sat up.
“Good Morning, Karrin. How did you sleep?” asked Weesa.
“Fine, but I’m stiff and sore. Guess I’m not used to sleeping in a comfortable bed.” She pointed at the noisy duo next to her. “What are the Omars doing here?”
“They’ve been at the rim and called me with updated news. The Omars say they’ve learned the time when the old race re-seeded the planets. Unfortunately, I am unable to make any sense of what they are telling me.”
A silver screen flicked on and displayed a star system unfamiliar to Karrin. They were orbiting a huge green planet.
“While you slept, the Omars led me here. They swear this is the planet the ancients live on. They, also, tell me the old race lives everywhere. According to the Omars, this unknown life-form uses a mental network to communicate. Regrettably, they are unable to explain how this network works.”
Karrin noted a touch of frustration in the usually calm voice.
“My scans indicate the planet we orbit holds no dominant intelligent life form. Only a lower class of rodent, which is barely smart enough to eat and survive. Yet, these two Omars insist the ancients live here. They saw them in the time-slip. After you eat, perhaps you can question them and, together, we might make sense of all their gibberish.”
Karrin was busy eating a silver concoction that came out of the silver unit. “What’s this called? It tastes delicious.” She licked the last drop off her spoon, wishing there was more.
“Arthur calls it oatmeal. It’s full of nutrients and healthy for you. How was the water?”
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“It tasted fine. Eating and drinking everything in silver color is a little strange, though.”
“Watch the screen, and I’ll show you the conversation I had with the Omars so far. Be warned, don’t link with their minds. You’ll end up confused and with a headache. Their next breeding cycle dominates the Omars thoughts. They have a hard time thinking past them.”
Karrin read the screen, trying to understand the interchange between Weesa and the Omars. She rubbed her head. She already had a headache. “This conversation makes no sense to me. Can I ask them questions instead?”
“Certainly. I will interpret for you. I am speaking telepathically with the Omars as it’s the only way I can override their intense breeding instincts. Please, go ahead.”
Karrin scratched her chin. “Well, let’s see. What I wanted to learn since yesterday, after you recruited me, is who are the old ones?”
After a slight delay, words appeared on the screen. “Ancients. Always here. No race names.”
“That was no help at all. Let’s try something else. Where are the old ones, now?”
“Here and everywhere and nowhere.”
Karrin blinked at the answer. That was damn cryptic, she thought in irritation. “Are they on the planet, now?”
“We know of no planet, Now.”
Karrin sighed and rubbed her forehead again. “No, I meant are they on the planet below us at this moment?”
“The Ancients are here, and not here.”
Karrin grimaced. “The Omars are talking like children. Okay. Where on the planet are they?”
“There is no ‘They’. The Ancients are only one.”
“Then, how can they be here and other places, too?”
“Because they are.”
Karrin threw her hands up in the air with frustration. “Oh, brother. So, are you able to communicate with them? How do they communicate with each other? Did you see them talking to each other?”
The screen remained blank. “Sorry, the Omars had an overload,” Weesa explained. “They can only handle one question at a time.”
Karrin nodded, wishing for some water from Switch. “Okay, so we’ll take this slower. How do the Ancients communicate?”
“As we do?”
“They telepathically speak to each other?”
“No. Ancients are one.”
“Ancients don’t speak to one another?”
“No. Ancients are one.”
Karrin sat silent for a moment, drumming her fingers on the armrest as she processed the answer. She snapped her fingers. “I got it. I think they mean the Ancients use a mental network similar to yours.” She squinted at the two Omars, who were intently watching her. “Are they telling the truth? Could they be lying?”
“Omars cannot lie, Karrin, as they have no concept of what a lie is,” Weesa replied. “They only speak what they observe or understand.”
The teenager stared up at the ceiling. “I feel like I’m talking in circles. Okay, one more time. The Ancients are here?”
“They are everywhere.”
“Are the Ancients alive.”
“No.”
“Are they dead?”
“No.”
“You saw them in the time-slip?”
“Yes.”
“They were here?”
“They were here and not here.”
“Aha. I think I finally understand. The Ancients are all over, but mind-linked, so they can be everywhere, and nowhere, at the same time.” Karrin chewed on her bottom lip as a plan formed. “What do they look like? Can the Omars send you an image of the Ancients?”
“Fantastic idea, Karrin, Weesa praised. “I never thought of that.”
Inside the twin silver, organic brains which made up Weesa, the Arthur part said, *That’s my girl.*
The Omar’s answer came back. “We cannot.”
“You can’t show us their physical shape?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Unknown.” A short pause. “Prevented.”
“I knew it,” Karrin exclaimed with excitement. “They’re alive. Do they know we’re searching for them?”
“Yes.”
“Are they keeping you from showing them to us?”
“Yes.”
“Are they violent or aggressive?”
“No.”
“Then, why are they preventing you from showing us their appearance?”
“Because, they are.”
“Great.” Karrin slumped back in her chair, arms crossed. “Just when I thought we were making some progress, we’re right back to the circle, again.” She huffed to herself, eyeballing the Omars. They seemed as frustrated as her. “What if I want to speak to one? How do I find it?”
“They are everywhere.”
“Have you seen them?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see them in places besides the time-slip?”
“Yes. Ancients are everywhere.”
Karrin jumped from her seat. “Weesa, we need to land ASAP.”
“We have landed,” Weesa acknowledged.
“Really? I didn’t feel any movement.” She turned toward the Omars. “If we open the door, can you take me to one of the Ancients?”
“Yes.”
“The oxygen is low here,” warned the ship before opening the doors. “And, the planet is wracked with severe storms. Every place we scanned on this world is exactly the same.”
As soon as the door whooshed open, the two Omars leaped from their chair and scampered outside. Karrin right behind them. When she stepped through the doorway, she was shoved sideways by the buffeting wind. In seconds, she was soaked to the skin, the heavy rain flying by laterally.
Holding a hand over her eyes, Karrin squinted, trying to find the Omars in the darkness. She caught a glimpse of them as they jumped up on a rock and sat there, chittering at her. The young woman hurried over to them, ducking her head from the pounding rain. It thundered against the rocks and ground.
*I don’t know what wild goose-chase the little imps are leading you on, Karrin, but I can only find you three with my scans. There isn’t anything else alive around you,* Weesa said in her mind.
Karrin clutched at the rock the Omars squatted on as the wind kept trying to tear her away. She wiped rain-soaked hair out of her eyes. *Ask them where the Ancients are. The Omars are sitting here like they’re waiting for me to discover something.*
She shivered as the cold rain trickled down her neck. Huddled against the boulder, she waited for a response. Her eyes opened in surprise when she answered her own question. Of course. The rocks.
She held her palm against the surface. A slight warmth radiated from the boulder. It was too dark to see the color, but she was darn sure this was one of the Rock People Lurga told her about from Switch.