An authoritative warble rang out, and the Alsoo warriors slithered backward a meter. Another Alsoo warrior slithered toward them. He carried a spear that held the dead hawk. He started warbling to the warriors. One by one, the warriors grounded their spears and looked at Shadowed Heart and the Alsoo hatchling.
“See/me all,” came the translation as the warrior spoke. He raised the spear with the dead hawk. “Sky eater/he hunt/he hatchling,” he said. “Split-tail/he—” he pointed to Shadowed Heart. “Cover/he hatchling. Save/he hatchling.” He pointed to the hawk. “Spear/mine, sky eater kill/he me.” He slapped his chest. “Truth/oath.” He slithered to stand between Shadowed Heart and his fellow Alsoo. “Kill/you he. Kill/you me,” he declared. “Speak/me Fifth-Son-Eighth-Born.”
“There will be no killing,” Captain Kasumi ordered sharply. She strode forward. “Fifth-Son-Eighth-Born speaks the truth,” she said. “Forgive us for trespassing, but as you can see, Shadowed Heart would defy anything to save even one Alsoo hatchling.” She waited as her Torque translated, as best it could, her statements into the Alsoo warble.
Another authoritative figure came over. This time it was the Alsoo speaker First-Son-Second-Born. “Kill not,” he ordered. He slithered over to Shadowed Heart. “Big/Big good/all, split-tail.” He warbled, and another Alsoo slithered over. This one was accompanied by a small clutch of five Alsoo hatchlings. She chirped to the hatchling still held by Shadowed Heart. ‘Hatchling/mine First-Daughter-Second-Born/she,” she warbled.
The hatchling in Shadowed Heart’s hand warbled back and wiggled. Shadowed Heart lowered his cupped hand, and the little hatchling wiggled off and wriggled quickly toward her mother. The fuzzy little hatchling was mobbed by her mother and siblings.
Kasumi raised a hand, and a medtech hurried over. “I leave Shadowed Heart in your care,” she said. “I expect a full recovery.”
“So do I,” the medtech returned tartly. “Don’t worry, our hero will be properly taken care of, Captain.”
Kasumi briefly covered her eyes. “I apologize for questioning your competence, medtech,” she said contritely.
The medtech nodded and then leaned over. “Sun-Warmed Boulder, may the spirits shun him, would never have apologized,” she said. She covered her own eyes briefly and then turned her attention to treating Shadowed Heart.
Shadowed Heart looked up at Kasumi. “I’m sorry for causing all this trouble,” he apologized. “But …” He stopped when the Alsoo female and all her hatchlings, including First-Daughter-Second-Born, slithered over. The Alsoo female placed a stubby-fingered hand on Shadowed Heart’s knee.
“Long time mothers/they two hand, three hand eggs have/they. Eaters/they two hand, three hand hatchling/eat they one hatchling, two hatchling live/they.” She warbled. “Bad time no hatchling live/they.” She placed a stubby hand on the head of one of the fuzzy hatchlings. “Long time hatchling/they die/they mothers/they cry/they.” She fluffed her feathers. “This time mothers/they cry/they not.” She herded her hatchlings closer to Shadowed Heart. “Protect/they long time split-tail/you pledge/oath question.”
Shadowed Heart slowly ran a finger over the tiny down-covered Naga-form child who he assumed was First-Daughter-Second-Born. The little hatchling warbled happily. A half-smile formed on Shadowed Heart’s face. He nodded. “I will protect them. Pledge/oath,” he vowed and slapped his chest.
YEAR 15
48
SAD SOUL
Captain Kasumi went over the final checks before departure. “Engineering,” she said firmly. “What’s the status, Franklin?”
“Singularity generator is humming away, Captain,” Joseph Franklin reported cheerfully. “We’ve got power enough and to spare,” he said. “Thrusters are ready. Hyperdrive is ready.”
“Weapons,” she said next. “How are we doing, Mel?”
“Franklin was right. There was a misaligned energy feed,” Mel replied.
“Told ya,” Franklin broke in.
“I just said you were right,” Mel shot back. “Some people just can’t help themselves,” she complained lightly. “I got the Terrible Three working on it,” she said. “They should have it clean and green by the time we get to Zaski space.”
“Plus it will keep those three out of trouble in the meantime,” Kasumi said in an undertone.
“If we’re lucky,” Mel replied with a laugh. “Now let me get back to work.”
“Tactical,” Kasumi said.
“Sensors are hot,” Morning Mist replied. “Shields are online and solid. I’ll see them long before we need the shields,” she said in assurance. “And those shields should handle anything we’ve seen to date.”
“Weapons control is on line,” David Eisenstadt broke in. “Bridge is go.”
“Bridge is go,” Kasumi responded. “Earth Command, this is Nieth.”
“This is Earth Command, Nieth,” came the response.
“Request permission to disembark,” Kasumi requested crisply.
“Permission granted, Nieth,” Earth Command replied. “Good hunting.”
“Thank you, command,” Kasumi replied. “Nieth out.” She turned her head to look at the man in the seat next to hers. “Take her out, David.”
“Course laid in,” Eisenstadt replied. A huge grin appeared on his face. “Engage.”
“One day you’re going to have to explain why you and Mel think that’s so funny,” Kasumi grumbled good-naturedly.
“Don’t tell Crystal, but damn, it’s good to be deployed again,” Captain Hendriks said to his diminutive though lethal Rynn partner.
“Yeah, and in three months, you’ll be wishing you were home,” Captain Cool Evening Breeze replied. She grinned at her human partner and core brother. “And in Momma’s arms,” she chittered. “Or maybe Burl’s.”
“I wouldn’t talk, Feather Head,” Hendriks shot back good-naturedly. He tapped his Torque, and he and Cool Evening Breeze watched a 3D recording of the last time they were with the rest of their core. Crystal was nursing baby Sofia, with 3D3B sitting on her shoulder and singing softly. Seven year old Jesse was sitting at her feet. Burl could be seen setting the dinner table. And Cool Evening Breeze and Hendriks were sitting next to each other on a sofa. The two fighters had matching contented expressions on their faces.
Hendriks and Cool Evening Breeze exchanged a look that said, This is what heaven looks like. This is what I fight for. This is what I will die to preserve.
Hendriks tapped his Torque, and the recording stopped and vanished. He tapped his Torque again. “Ape Squad, Bird Squad, inspection in ten minutes. Snake Squad, you have the gym for the next hour. Hup.” He tapped his Torque again and stood. “Zaski, huh?” he said.
“Zaski,” replied Cool Evening Breeze.
Emily Fields, Morning Stars Fade, and Shadowed Heart entered the gym. “I still don’t know what we’re supposed to do on this trip,” complained Shadowed Heart. “We’re not marines. We’re not part of the command crew, engineering, science, or anything. We’re just … passengers.”
“I’m sure the Teacher had a good reason for insisting that we go,” Morning Stars Fade replied. He gave Shadowed Heart a lopsided grin. “I just wish I knew what that reason was.”
He stopped speaking as he realized the gym was already occupied. Twenty-one Alsoo warriors were going through a series of drills. They too had stopped when the three had entered. Morning Stars Fade covered his eyes briefly. “Please excuse us. We did not realize the gym was in use,” he said. “We can come back later.”
One of the warriors slithered over and then rose up on its tail. “Know/me you.” He pointed to Shadowed Heart. “Hatchling/she save you.” He slithered closer. “Hatchling/my save you.”
“You’re First-Daughter-Second-Born’s father?” Shadowed Heart said in surprise.
“Hatchling/my,” repeated the Alsoo. “Fifth-Son-Eighth-Born/me.”
Shadowed Heart briefly covered his eyes. “Greetings, Fifth-Son-Eighth-Born. I am Shadowed Heart,” he said.
“Save hatchling/my question,” said the Alsoo.
“Question?” Shadowed Heart echoed in confusion.
“I think he wants to know why you saved his hatchling,” Emily suggested.
“Save hatchling/my question,” repeated the Alsoo.
Shadowed Heart looked down at his feet. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I just had to.” He took a breath. “She looked so scared,” he said. “It’s how my face must have looked,” he said in a near whisper.
The Alsoo waved his hand in the Alsoo equivalent of a nod. “Spirit Speaker/he say/he, seek/we sad soul split-tail. Sad soul split-tail trust/we.” He ruffled his feathers. “Hard trust/we split-tail.”
“Sad soul split-tail?” Shadowed Heart repeated quietly.
“That sounds like you, Core Brother,” Morning Stars Fade said. “The Teacher has given you a difficult task, Core Brother.” He turned to the Alsoo warrior. “Yes, he is a sad soul.” He waited for the Torque to warble in translation. “His soul is sad because he saw so much pain.” He looked at Shadowed Heart for a moment and then looked back at the Alsoo. “He knows your pain, warrior.” He slapped his chest. “Truth/oath.”
Again the Alsoo waved his hand in agreement. “Hard trust/we split-tail. Trust/we sad soul split-tail/he.” He slapped his chest. “Pledge/oath.”
Shadowed Heart hesitated for a moment and then slapped his own chest. “Pledge/oath.”
“They want what?” exclaimed David Eisenstadt.
“They want the Terrible Three to train with them,” Mel said. “Apparently, Gramps had something to do with this.”
“Of course he did,” agreed Kasumi in amusement. She ran her long-fingered hand through her crest. “What is he thinking?” she asked no one in particular. “They’re starting to show initiative; that’s good. But why did he point them to those three?”
“Knowing Gramps, he must believe that there is something to be gained.” Mel pursed her lips. “Morning Stars Fade is one of Gramps’ special students,” she pointed out. “He never said so, but I got the impression that Gramps played matchmaker and got those three together.” She shrugged. “I really can’t think of a good objection,” she said. “Not to mention it solves the problem of what to do with them.”
“Morning Stars Fade, Emily Fields, Shadowed Heart,” Captain Hendriks said sternly. “As of this moment, you all have the brevet rank of ensign,” he said. “That rank will become permanent if Captain Kasumi is satisfied with your actions during this voyage.” He paced in front of the three. “Much as I do not approve, the three of you will train with the Alsoo—and, in the event there is military action, you will muster with the Alsoo,” he said sternly. “Are there any questions?”
Morning Stars Fade, Emily, and Shadowed Heart exchanged looks. “No sir,” Morning Stars Fade answered for all of them. “Thank you, sir.”
“Thank me if none of you get yourselves killed,” snapped Hendriks. “From 0900 to 1200, the three of you are going to be taking classes on tactics. You will train with the Alsoo from 1300 to 1500. From 1530 to 1800, you will report to the bridge as observers,” he said. “The rest of the day is yours.”
He blew out a breath. “Listen, you three, this is serious business. The Alsoo expect to fight, and now they expect the three of you to fight with them. Tell me now if you can’t do this.”
“Sir,” Morning Stars Fade replied for the three of them. “We wondered why the Teacher insisted we come; we had no role, no true reason for being here,” he said. “I don’t know if this is what the Teacher had in mind, but I feel that it is so.” He briefly covered his eyes. “We will do the best we can—that we can promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Ensign,” Hendriks replied. “Dismissed.”
He watched the three newly commissioned ensigns leave. He shook his head. “Whatever your plans are, old man,” he said quietly, “I hope you are right.”
“They still act more like individuals than a fighting force,” Morning Stars Fade commented.
“They’re too brave for their own good,” Emily agreed.
“Brave?” Morning Stars Fade replied. “They’re anything but,” he said. “What they are is driven,” he corrected. “You saw the recording of that fight against the Polig-Grug unity.” A unity had become the accepted term for a linked group of Polig-Grug. “They were in a berserker rage,” he pointed out. “The speaker died because he was too frightened to think straight.”
“He didn’t look frightened,” Shadowed Heart disagreed. “He looked …” He paused. “Well, maybe he was frightened.”
“‘Scared stupid’ is how the Teacher would describe it,” Morning Stars Fade said. He briefly covered his eyes. “Somehow we have to get them to keep their heads while in battle or none of them will survive.”
“Why don’t we just tell them the ‘spirit speaker’ wants them to … no, that wouldn’t work, would it?” Shadowed Heart said. “He’s not here.”
“And he wouldn’t and couldn’t order someone to be brave,” Emily agreed. She pursed her lips in thought. “The Teacher already figured out a way to make them … man up,” she said. “So how do we build on that?” There was a thud, and a book appeared in front of them. They looked over to where Captains Hendriks and Cool Evening Breeze were standing. “Sirs?”
“That is a book on Roman battle tactics. Read it,” Hendriks ordered. He and Cool Evening Breeze turned and left before the three could respond.
Emily picked up the book. It wasn’t that thick—at most a hundred pages—but the print was small. She leafed through the book. “It has illustrations,” she said. “They were probably listening in and decided to give us a hint,” she said to Morning Stars Fade.
“That would be the logical assumption,” agreed Morning Stars Fade. “I still think humans read minds.” His amused chitter was echoed by Emily’s and Shadowed Heart’s laugh. He pointed to the book. “Let’s see if there is anything in there we can use.”
49
CENTURIONS
“Warriors/you hear/you me,” Shadowed Heart’s translated voice said to the assembled Alsoo warriors. “Warriors/you truth/oath,” he said. “Short time warriors/you centurions/be.”
“Centurions question,” asked Fifth-Son-Eighth-Born.
“Big/big warrior centurion/be,” replied Shadowed Heart. “Sprit Speaker/he say/he Alsoo tall/be.” He waited as the sudden ruffling and warbling greeted his words, and the Alsoo warriors rose higher on their tails. “This time, warriors/you learn/new warrior/think.” He tapped his Torque, and an image appeared on a large monitor. The image was of a Polig-Grug unity. “Learn/new attack/you strong hand fight.” He raised his right arm. “Warrior/you speak/you ‘Strong hand fight.’”
“Strong hand fight,” the Alsoo warriors repeated dutifully.
The image, which turned out to be a computer-generated animation, started to move. A double squad of Alsoo warriors formed into a triple phalanx in front of the unity. One CGI warrior shouted, “Strong hand fight!” and the right-hand phalanx suddenly broke off and attacked the unity’s left side. As the unity turned to face the threat, the remaining warriors charged. The Alsoo warriors watching warbled in excitement as the CG warriors overwhelmed the unity.
Shadowed Heart repeated the animation several times. “Warriors/you learn/you strong hand fight,” he said. “Warriors/you be/you centurions.” He slapped his chest. “Pledge/oath.”
“Pledge/oath,” responded the Alsoo warriors.
Captain Kasumi chirped in approval. “That was good thinking, Hendriks,” she said. She had watched the Alsoo training through her Torque.
“Thanks, Captain,” Captain Hendriks replied. “They call him protector, you know.”
Kasumi nodded. “I heard.” She leaned back in her chair.
“Well, that will keep all of them occupied,” she said. “In the meantime, Meadow Flower, we will be making our closest pass to the Polig-Grug home system in two sun steps,” she said.
“I have five probes ready to go at your command, Captain,” Meadow Flower replied. “Spirits willing, I will get at least one into the territory held by the unknowns.”
“Good,” Kasumi replied. “You were wasted as a budget analyst,” she added. “The more I live around humans, the more I am reminded of the First Teacher’s story of the farmer’s daughter who wished to be a stone artist.” She briefly covered her eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if she was speaking to us today and not to her followers in the past.”
“Sometimes I wonder if the Teacher Jeremy is in truth the First Teacher reborn,” Morning Mist replied. She and Kasumi briefly covered their eyes.
“Probes away,” Meadow Flower reported.
“Anything from the Polig-Grug?” asked Captain Kasumi.
“No response,” Morning Mist replied. Her crest lowered slightly. “Correction. Polig-Grug fighters have moved to intercept.”
“Franklin thrusters activated,” Meadow Flower said in response. “Probe shields up.”
“Polig-Grug are firing,” Morning Mist reported.
“Captain, something is happening on Polig-Grug Megastructure One,” Mel reported.
“The unknowns?” Kasumi asked.
“Probably,” Mel replied.
“Polig-Grug fighter destroyed,” Morning Mist said in excitement. “Some kind of beam weapon from the megastructure.”
“I think someone wants our probes to make it through,” Kasumi said.
“Second Polig-Grug fighter destroyed,” Morning Mist reported.
“Probes are about to enter megastructure atmosphere,” Meadow Flower reported. “Probe One in atmosphere, probe braking.” Her crest lifted to its fullest. “Telemetry coming in,” she said and chirped to her Torque. Immediately, everyone on the bridge could see the relay from the probe via their Torque. “Something is coming up to meet the probes,” Meadow Flower said, and the viewers could see three objects approaching.
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