by M J Dees
"Here let me help you," said Tori.
He grabbed Sevan, lifted him up and then lowered him over the side.
"For fushy's sake, what are you doing?" Sevan protested. "What the fushy am I supposed to do now?"
Sevan was being dangled over the side of the mast, next to the line.
"Take the line," said Tori.
"How?"
"Let go of me and take hold of the line."
"I can't."
"You can. Take hold of the line and let go of me."
Sevan summoned all the strength he could muster and reached out for the line. When he let go of Tori, he felt himself fall and grabbed hold of the line as tightly as he could. It swung from side to side a little but he held on.
"That's it," said Tori from above him. "Just lower yourself down."
"Just?" Sevan complained. Lowering himself down was no small task, in his opinion. He was struggling to hold on and he felt he might let go at any moment and plunge to his death.
Little by little, he lowered himself down the line until he could hear San and Ay-ttho offering him encouragement from below.
"Not far now," he heard San's voice.
"You are almost there, you could jump now," said Ay-ttho.
Sevan did not jump. He knew that Ay-ttho's idea of nearly there and his were different. Sevan continued to edge down the line until he felt himself standing on a firm surface.
He looked around at the desolate interior of the hull and at the faces of San and Ay-ttho looking at him with pity.
Tori slid down the rope and, with one movement, sent a ripple up the line which dislodged it at the top and sent it falling to the ground which it did not strike because Tori had somehow already wound it back into his utility belt.
"Come on," said Ay-ttho, setting off into the interior of the freighter, less impressed with Tori's skills with the line than Sevan was.
Sevan followed the others through the freighter which had been gutted of anything of any use, only the metal hull and partitions which would have secured items of use, remained.
Ay-ttho was heading straight for the opposite side and when she reached an opening which led out onto the sand, they stopped.
"With our diversion, we have bought ourselves some time," she said. "We must not let them know how many of us there are. I will walk across the sand. The rest of you should step in my footsteps, taking care to make no further indentations in the sand."
Before anyone could respond, Ay-ttho had set off across the sand and was standing in the hull of the next freighter before anyone else had taken their first step.
The others followed, and the procedure continued from freighter to freighter until Ay-ttho stopped them.
"It's just past the next freighter," she said.
"How do you know?" asked Sevan.
"I just know," said Ay-ttho.
She was much more cautious as she moved through the freighter and she was careful not to expose herself when she reached an opening at the far side.
The others crept up behind her and when she allowed Sevan to peer around the edge of the opening, he could see that the Mastery of the Stars was sat in the sand ahead of them.
"Wait," she said. "Look."
Through the open door of the Mastery of the Stars, Sevan could see a creature with a head not unlike the elongated head of the creatures who had tried to save him on the forested planet when the Alliance was battling the Republic. It had large hands with only three fingers, which each had a large pad, or ball, at the end of them. It was holding a maintenance hatch cover and looked as if it was licking the inside of the maintenance hatch until Sevan realised that it was using its tongue to strip out the wiring.
"Come on," said Ay-ttho and before any of the others could react she was charging across the sand, screaming like a fushy addict.
Tori was the first to follow and then San. Sevan brought up the rear.
CHAPTER 9: THE LOOTERS
As soon as the creature saw Ay-ttho charging towards it, it dropped the maintenance hatch, held onto a bundle of wires with its tongue and ran off on all fours emitting squeaking and clicking noises as it went.
"Bring back my wires you fusher!" Ay-ttho shouted after it but stopped when similar creatures began pouring out of every door and hatch, all of which seemed to have been opened on Mastery of the Stars.
Sevan and the others watched as they scattered in many directions across the sand.
"I guess we scared them off," said Tori.
"I don't think it's us they're running from," said Ay-ttho pointing out into the desert where, as the others turned, they saw that they were surrounded by a hoard of green eight-legged creatures with tails that held an assortment of weapons looted from Corporation or Republic ships.
Sevan noticed the sand seemed to vibrate.
"What the fushy is happening?" he said.
"I think they communicate by vibration," said Ay-ttho.
"That's right," said San. "They vibrate their thorax. That's how they communicate."
"You seem to know a lot about them," said Sevan.
"Not really. As a Corporation medic I've treated quite a lot of looter wounds."
"Looter?"
"That's what the Corporation calls them because every time they abandon a ship here they loot it."
"So, who were those creatures we saw stripping Mastery of the Stars?"
"I don't know."
"Stall them," said Ay-ttho. "I will see how Ron is and whether we can get the ship off the ground."
"Stall them?" ask Tori. "How?"
"Use your charm."
Ay-ttho ran off towards the bridge.
"What do we do now?" asked Sevan.
"There's not a great deal we can do," said Tori. "They outnumber and outgun us. We wait."
They stood and stared and the creatures, whom they imagined were staring back. The ground shook with the vibrations of their chatter.
When Ay-ttho returned, she did not look happy.
"I can't reboot Ron," she said. "They've done a lot of damage. It will take a bit of work to get the systems back up."
"What do we do now?" said Sevan. "This lot has been just standing there chatting to each other."
"What are they waiting for?" asked Tori.
"The thing is," Ay-ttho continued. "We will need to replace some components they stole before we can take off. We don't have any spare. Somehow, we will need to recover the parts."
"Oh for fushy's sake," Sevan cursed.
The vibration between the creatures became stronger and Sevan surmised that the creatures were moving aside because someone or something was arriving.
The expected arrivals soon came into view and Sevan noticed that there was a large group of the creatures escorting someone who looked not unlike San, he could have been a Corporation official except that what used to be his uniform was tattered and torn.
Sevan glanced at San who looked very concerned as if he might recognise the individual.
"Who is it?" Sevan asked.
"I can't be sure," said San. "But..."
San fell silent as the vibrations reached an unprecedented level of frenzy before falling silent.
"They would like to know why you come here," the individual spoke.
"This is our ship," said Ay-ttho. "We wish to recover the missing components so we can repair it and return to our world."
Sevan realised the individual had some kind of contraption which he used to create vibrations of the kind the creatures made. When the individual had finished operating the contraption, the creatures began to vibrate with fervour.
"They say that they may help you recover your components but they expect something in return. You must help them."
"What do they want?" asked Ay-ttho. "And how do we know that they will give us the components we need?"
"They can get any component that is known on this planet," said the individual translating the vibrations as quickly as he could. "What they want is for you to help them. They
are asking whether you are hungry and whether you would like to eat with them."
"Yes," said Sevan. He turned and whispered to Tori. "I'd rather eat with them than be eaten by them."
"Good. That is a wise decision," said the individual. "Their encampment is close to here. They will lead you to it."
The creatures began to scuttle away from the Mastery of the Stars and into the desert. Sevan, Tori and Ay-ttho followed them, walking alongside the individual.
"What us your name, friend?" asked Tori.
"Do not mistake me for your friend," the individual warned. "Daphnis is a cruel place and you must be prepared to do terrible things to survive here."
San looked uncomfortable.
"How did you end up with...these?...." Sevan struggled to put a name to the creatures.
"The looters? I am a linguist and I came to Daphnis to study their methods of communication. I created this device to translate their vibrations into a form I could understand. When the incursions began to happen, the looters kidnapped me and held me prisoner so they could communicate with the Corporation."
"Sounds terrible," said Tori. "If you help us get the parts we need we could smuggle you off Daphnis in our ship. We are taking San with already."
The individual looked at San with suspicion.
"What are we supposed to call you?" Sevan asked.
"You can call me the professor. I had a name but I don't wish to use it anymore."
"Why not?"
"It was given to me by the Corporation, I do not wish to use the name they allocated. I no longer wish to be associated with them."
"Why?"
The professor looked at them, examining each one of them.
"You," he said, looking at Sevan. "You are from one of the mining concessions but not the one here on Daphnis."
He turned his attention to San.
"You were created here on Daphnis but not to be a miner, you were created by the corporation to be used in other ways," he then looked at Tori and Ay-ttho. "And you two, you were probably created here too but not to be miners."
"It is true then," said Sevan. "Barnes created us all to work for him as slaves."
"It has its bonuses."
"How do you mean?"
"Have you not noticed how you never get old? Barnes isolated the ageing gene and eliminated it from your dna when he created you."
"You mean we can't die?" Ay-ttho asked.
"Oh no, you can die. Without a doubt. But you won't die of old age, only if you are killed in an accident or someone kills you."
"But I've seen workers who looked older than me."
"The process is not perfect. Other genes can also affect ageing but you have to admit, his creations are impressive."
Their arrival at the looters encampment interrupted their conversation.
The camp comprised large sheets of fabric strung across large poles. Under each construction they had covered the sand with more fabric. They led the group under one of these constructions and the professor showed them where to sit.
The constant vibrations which emanated from the looters now changed in dynamic and the professor began to translate using his device.
"They say that their kind have lived on Daphnis for millions of solar cycles, since before the planet was called Daphnis. When they came to Daphnis, the miners took away everything the looters relied on for their livelihood. The looters survived by stripping the old machines the miners threw away and trading the parts for the goods they needed. The miners have grown tired of the looters and consider them a nuisance. The Corporation makes incursions into their territory and they have information that the Corporation wants rid of them altogether. Not so long ago, a freighter arrived with a shipment of weapons, among the consignment was a device which they intend to use to sterilise this whole area of disused machines and spacecraft. The device will destroy what little the looters have left and, if rumours are to be believed, the device may even liquidate the looters themselves."
Tori, Ay-ttho and Sevan exchanged glances.
"If this is true, the bomb will destroy the Mastery of the Stars," said Ay-ttho.
"If this is true, then President Man has sanctioned the eradication of a species," said Sevan.
"We have to find this bomb and disarm it," said Tori. "Where is it now?"
"Their spies tell them they have taken it to the concession to be assembled. There is one whom they call...the nearest translation is... a walking phantom. It is he who is responsible for all their problems; he created the mines and brought the workers and now he intends to destroy everything."
"Barnes?" asked Sevan.
"Could be," said Ay-ttho.
"But then President Man is in league with Barnes. Seems unlikely."
"But first you must eat," said the professor.
The looters were bringing bowls under the canopy and set them in front of their guests.
Sevan looked at the bowl in front of him. It looked like it was covered in mould.
"It looks like mould," he whispered to the professor.
"Indeed it is mould. Very nutritious mould. You get used to the taste. The looters don't use bowls or spoons. They can only ingest liquids so this mouldy soup is ideal for their needs. There are very few creatures left for them to hunt in the deserts of Daphnis now."
"We saw some things with long tongues and big feet," said Ay-ttho.
"Ah yes, the pillagers. The looters have been known to eat them from time to time but they tend to trade with them more often than hunt them."
The professor scooped up a spoonful of the mould from his bowl and ate it with relish. Sevan observed him with horror.
"Mmm, delicious," said the professor as some mould dripped from his mouth. "Try some."
Sevan had to suppress the urge to retch but his hunger was greater than his revulsion and he forced himself to sample some. To his surprise, the mould did not taste bad at all, it was different to the flavours he was used to but it was by no means disgusting. He glanced over at Tori and Ay-ttho who had both almost finished their bowls; the professor had finished and only San appeared to be playing with his food.
"If you agree to help the looters, we must leave soon. The Corporation could sterilise this area at any moment."
"Why don't the looters go and destroy the device themselves?"
"They can't get anywhere near the concession without being fired upon with heavy arms. They hope you might be able to get past the security because you look like those in the concession."
"But they shot us out of the sky," Sevan complained.
"Yes, sorry about that," said the professor. "They asked me to apologise, but I forgot. You were flying a Corporation shuttle, so they understandably assumed you were with the Corporation.
"We need to repair the Mastery of the Stars and get out of here," said Ay-ttho. "I don't see we have much choice. We have to stop them using the device or there will be no Mastery of the Stars to leave on."
"There will be no us to leave," Sevan observed.
"That's settled then, we leave now," Tori got to his feet.
Ay-ttho and the professor followed Tori while Sevan shovelled the last few spoonfuls of mould into his mouth. Only San left his bowlful half eaten.
"What is the quickest way to the concession from here?" Ay-ttho asked.
The professor pointed to a distant sand dune where a dozen looters looked as if they were struggling to control a large ferocious looking beast with some kind of contraption strapped to its back.
"You don't expect us to climb on the back of that," asked Sevan. "Do you?"
CHAPTER 10: A WALKING PHANTOM
The looters tried to pacify the beast long enough for the party to climb on board. The professor handed them a hand held weapon each.
"I will come with you to show you the route to the concession and to return this thing to the looters," he said, as he sat at the front of the contraption from where long reigns stretched to the terrible mouth of the beast.
; "You can still come with us," said Ay-ttho.
"No thank you. My place is here with the looters."
Sevan sat down and held on, expecting a bumpy ride. He was right, when the looters let go of the harness, the beast reared up and sped off at a gallop across the sand. The professor strained at the reins and hardly appeared to be in control. Sevan gripped the contraption as tightly as he could but still found himself thrown from his seat.
They passed an ocean of wrecked freighters which looked like they could stretch on forever but after a while Sevan could see something other than wrecked ships appearing over the horizon. It was the Daphnis concession, first the homemade containers which littered the outskirts and then, above them, the tops of the taller buildings in the centre began to come into view. They began to disappear almost as quickly, as the walls of the concession loomed higher.
The professor somehow stopped the beast some distance away before they had passed the last of the wrecks.
"I must leave you here," he said and Sevan noticed a tone of regret in his voice.
"Come with us," said Ay-ttho. "If not now, then help us fix the Mastery of the Stars and come with us then."
"May the Giant Cups be with you," said the professor.
Sevan looked at the professor and followed his eyes up to the darkening sky and could not believe his marbles what he saw there.
"The Giant Cups?" he wondered out loud as he stared at not one but two silvery disks, one even larger than the one he was familiar with and the other much smaller.
"Think about it," Ay-ttho told the professor. "Come on."
Tori followed the Ay-ttho across the sand; Sevan followed Tori but turned when he heard a noise from behind. It was only San emerging from behind the freighter where the professor had dropped them all.
By the time Sevan reached Tori and Ay-ttho at the foot of the concession wall, San had caught up with him.
"How do we get in?" asked Tori.
"Follow me," said San. "I know the concession well. I know an entrance we can sneak through unseen."
They followed San around the foot of the wall until they reached an entrance which looked as if no-one had used it in many solar cycles.
"In here," said San.