Redemption Song
Page 44
One Alsoo warrior started warbling a familiar tune, one that the fighters—Rynn, human, and Alsoo—had adopted as their semi-official camp song. It had dozens of verses, and humans and Rynn had started adding their own. Despite the verses, though, the chorus was the same: “Cry/we. Die/we. Short time sing/we.” Though it was not always sung in the same language.
“Okay, ladies,” Captain Hendriks said as the shuttle landed. “It’s showtime.” He waved over Cobra and Cool Evening Breeze. “Cobra, I need your boys to set up a perimeter. Nothing gets within twenty body lengths without you knowing about it,” he ordered. The Alsoo warrior waved his arm in agreement and turned and side-winded back to the Alsoo centurions.
The Naga-forms slithered out. Hendriks watched them go for a moment and then nodded. “Looks like they’re settled down,” he said in approval. He turned to Cool Evening Breeze. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’ll cry later,” Cool Evenng Breeze replied.
“You and me both,” agreed Hendriks. “We got a job to do.”
As news of Jeremy Blunt’s death spread, the world held its collective breath, wondering what the Rynn response would be. To the joy of most of the world and the profound disgust of much of the rest, the Rynn declared their intention to continue their technological transfer.
By tradition, Rynn funerals were quiet affairs. Family, friends, and—especially in the case of a clan leader—notables would come to pay their respects and provide some anecdote about the deceased. There was no viewing of a body or gathering around a grave. But like humans, Rynn needed to gather together, share their grief, and provide support.
Mel and Kasumi went to the cabin and spent the evening together, just the two of them. They sat on the porch next to Jeremy’s chair and watched the sky slowly darken. Mel reached into her tunic and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one and placed it in the ashtray next to the chair.
“Thank you,” Kasumi said quietly. They waited until the cigarette burned out on its own, and then they carefully made sure it was completely out before placing the butt into the can under the chair. Kasumi looked at Mel. Mel smiled and nodded. Kasumi cleared her throat. “Good evening, Grandfather, Grandmother,” she began. “It looks like the South is starting to settle down, but there are still a few hot spots. We sent the entire Zoo to deal with the worst ones.” Kasumi, with Mel adding comments every so often, recited the news of the day. After which Kasumi sang.
Glossary of Rynn Terms
Alsoo: an owl-faced Naga-form alien
associate: an interim, temporary, or conditional core brother or sister
clan: the basic Rynn socio-economic-political unit. Rynn clans are a collective, led by a hereditary clan leader who acts as CEO, spiritual leader, and political leader.
core: Rynn are polyamorous and normally form unions of three adults, though cores of four or more are not unusual. Members of a core are referred to as core brothers and core sisters.
Graz’to: secretive alien race that corresponds to the Grays that humans have reported seeing.
kip: the round and concave Rynn bed
Light: an Alsoo day
Omiset: Rynn biological treatment capable of forcing the body to repair itself at high speed
pedin: a Rynn standard distance measurement; approximately half a meter
Polig-Grug: a carnivorous alien that has characteristics of insects and lizards; aka bug-lizards
Rynn: a birdlike spacefaring race
spirits: Rynn do not have religion as humans understand it but are very spiritual.
sun step: a Rynn hour, approximately the same as a human hour
sun walk: a Rynn day; approximately 26.5 hours
sun path: a Rynn year; approximately 330 days
Torque: Considered the ultimate Rynn technological achievement, it is a high-powered computer, analytical, communication, and diagnostics system. It is a toroid that is worn around the neck.
Zaski: carnivorous alien species that resembles mushrooms; actual biological classification unknown