Close Encounters (13 page)

The Buri was growling at him again when I interrupted. “Mind if I make a few suggestions?” I didn’t wait for an agreement, but turned to face Junior. Holding my arms straight out from my shoulders, I twisted from side to side. “Try this.”

They all looked at me blankly, and I cursed. How could I teach them the right way if they didn’t understand a thing I said?

I thought hard for a second, then picked up two short sticks and gestured the Buri closer. All of them gathered around except Brownie, who marched off in a huff of temper.

Ignoring his exit, I held one stick out, horizontal to the ground, and then tried to balance the second stick on it. Only, instead of placing it so its middle was poised on the first stick, I moved it toward its end. Naturally it fell off.

The group looked even more puzzled, so I held up a finger. Wait. Retrieving the fallen stick, I placed it on the horizontal one again, only this time I put it in the exact spot that would allow it to balance perfectly. I pointed at that spot, then at my own center, then at Junior’s.

They got it. All of them were smiling and nodding, and gesturing for me to show them how to find the spot again. I obliged them and then motioned for Junior to try it.

Junior shot a glance at Thor, and then complied with my request. It only took once for me to locate his center. I placed my hand just above the rim of his loincloth. “This is where your leverage needs to come from, not your stomach. See?” I replaced my hand with his, then had him lean front-to-back and side-to-side. “Feel that? It’s the point your whole body revolves around, the place your balance comes from.”

By the time I motioned for his instructor, all the Buri were smiling at me. Teacher moved closer, and I glanced at Junior. “Now, I’m going to do this slowly, and I want you to pay close attention to this part right here.” I patted my abdomen. “Don’t watch the moves, watch what my body does.”

Grasping the instructor’s forearm, I turned my back to him and pulled his arm over my shoulder, sliding both hands down to grip his wrist. Then I hooked my right leg around his, pulled his foot out from under him, and very gently flipped him over my hip to the ground.

I brushed off my hands and placed them on hips as I smiled at Junior.

Junior watched the whole thing intently, a smile on his lips. When I finished, he nodded in reply, and I stepped back.

Teacher had regained his feet. He gave me a bow and then, with no perceptible warning, rushed Junior. The youngster was ready for him, though. In one smooth move, he grabbed, turned and flipped.

“Excellent!” I laughed and applauded. “I think you’ve got it.”

Thor had moved to my side, and we watched as all the males twisted and turned, trying to find their center of gravity. It looked rather like an aerobics class on Primus Centauri Four, with the participants in desperate need of some good spandex body suits.

I smiled at Thor, only to discover he was frowning at my jumpsuit. “I’m on my way to my ship,” I explained, pointing in Max’s direction while sending Thor a visual image. “I’ll change into the kechic when I’m through there.”

His gaze lifted to mine. He studied me for a second, then growled something at Brownie and picked up his spear. Okay. It looked like he was going to tag along with me and Ghost.

“Max, we may have company on board. Thor is with me, and I don’t know if he’ll come inside or not. Better lock up everything you don’t want damaged, just in case.”

“Yes, Kiera.”

To my surprise, Thor followed me up the ramp as though he’d done it all his life, while Ghost remained at the bottom, eyes alert as he scanned the horizon. I went straight to my terminal, already preoccupied with the information Max had prepared. “Make yourself at home.” I waved vaguely toward the back of the ship as I sat down, and heard Thor move away.

“Okay, Max, what do we have?”

A holo came to life in front of me. It was a planet, but hard to see because it was surrounded by darkness. “Ashwan,” Max announced. “The world was discovered two hundred and fifty cycles ago by a scientific exploration team that was doing research on dead stars. When they realized the planet had once been inhabited, they called in a group of archeologists.”

“Good.” A sound came from the back of the ship, and I paused. “What’s Thor doing?”

“Trying to figure out how the saniflush works. He also seems rather taken with the mirror.”

I grinned. If I were male and looked like he did, I’d be taken with the mirror too. “Print me out the plans for an old-fashioned gravity flush sanitary, will you, Max?”

On the other side of the cabin, three or four sheets of tough laminate paper ejected from a slot.

“Thanks. Now back to Ashwan. What did the archeologist find?”

“Not much at first. The environmental conditions were extremely harsh. The planet’s atmosphere was gone, and it was covered in a thick layer of ice. The only reason they knew it had it once supported life was because the very top of one building protruded from the ice.”

“Did they do a spectral analysis?” I glanced around as Thor came back into the cabin. He grunted and gestured toward the hatch. Guess now that his curiosity had been satisfied, he was ready to leave.

I shook my head. “I’m not finished here. Have a seat.” I pointed at the other command chair, and mimicked sitting.

He approached it gingerly, and eased his bulk onto the seat. Then promptly grabbed the arms and growled when it automatically adjusted to his size and weight.

“Max, run
Holovid 101
for him. That should keep him occupied for a while.”

Holovid 101
was the standard introductory vid for new races. There was no narration, only images that depicted the history of the human race. It started with a shot of Old Earth taken from the moon, went through all the evolutionary stages of man, continued through our first meetings with other species and the exodus into space, and ended with Alien Affairs helping other races to join the Galactic Federation.

When the first image materialized in front of him, Thor jumped, then slowly lifted his hand to poke it with one finger. His hand went completely through the holo, and he yanked it back. But it didn’t take long until he was absorbed in what he was seeing, and I returned to the information on Ashwan.

“Spectral analysis,” I reminded Max.

“Yes, they did several.” The holo changed to a vid of the surface, floodlights illuminating the terrain. The scientist had erected a biodome near the building they’d discovered. It was both living quarters and a place where they could work without the pressure suits that supplied oxygen and protection from the cold.

Max continued as the vid camera panned left to show the rim of a stone structure, the blue-white lights casting eerie shadows on its crevices and ridges. “The spectral analysis showed that beneath the ice lay the remnants of a huge stone edifice. Most of it was destroyed by the weight of the ice bearing down on its walls. Only the tower remained intact. It took them almost two cycles to gain entry, but when they did, it was well worth the effort.”

The view changed again, this time to a room inside the tower. It looked as though the occupant had just stepped out and was due back any second.

“The cold preserved everything in perfect condition,” Max said. “And the scientists learned quite a bit from what they found.”

“Such as?” I prompted.

“The Ashwani had a feudal culture, similar to that found on Old Earth during the medieval era. Large areas of land were ruled over by a king, with a nobility swearing fealty to him. In turn, they were allowed portions of the kingdom, with peasants to work the land. But unlike Old Earth’s feudal structure, the dividing line between the nobility and the peasants was almost nonexistent. From the drawings they found, everyone did what they were good at. One showed a king’s daughter going to work in the fields, and another, a nobleman baking bread.”

“Interesting,” I commented. “How about weaponry?”

“The most advanced they’ve found are swords, and only the soldiers used those.”

“So they did have warfare?”

“No sign of hostilities were found, but with their societal structure it would have been inevitable. Especially after their star began to die. Once the exploration team knew what to look for, fifteen other castles were discovered under the ice, and even now, scientists aren’t sure they’ve found them all. Land for crops to feed everyone would have been at a premium with their world dying around them.”

I nodded. “Any images of their weapons?”

The view changed to what looked like a small arsenal. Shields hung on one wall interspersed with spears and swords. Leaning forward, I peered a bit closer at the spears. Bingo. The Buri’s spears had triggered my memories of the Ashwani, and I was staring at the reason why. I’d seen these images before, and the spears were flat black metal with odd markings inscribed on them, just like the Buri’s.

A feeling of satisfaction flooded through me as a piece of the puzzle clicked into place. All my instincts were telling me that the Buri were descended from, or related to, the Ashwani. Now I had to prove it. Not to mention figure out a few incidentals like how they got to Orpheus Two and how long they’d been here.

I chewed on my lip for a second before addressing Max again. “What about their clothing? They didn’t wear kechics and loincloths, did they?”

“No. The climate was far too cold at the end. The garments the archeologists found were heavy and warm.”

“Any bodies?” I crossed my fingers. DNA samples of the Ashwani could very well link them to the Buri and prove they were the same species.

“None, but you have to remember, the Ashwan star died long before the planet was discovered. The population probably starved to death many cycles before the end.”

A sigh expanded my chest. “Damn. I guess that blows any chance of proving the Buri were a colonization party sent out by the Ashwani. At least for now.” I glanced at Thor. He was riveted by an animated holovid of
Australopithecus africanus
, one of the first apelike men to use tools and walk erect.

“Given the level of technology the Ashwani achieved, it’s not likely they were capable of space travel anyway,” Max responded.

I leaned forward and propped my elbows on the console. “Did they find
anything
that would give us a clue to the Ashwani’s physiology?”

“Oh, yes. Numerous things. Their clothing and tools indicate they were larger than humans. And since the planet is twice the size of Earth, the gravity would have been greater, making their bones denser. Dried plants and herbs were also found in sealed jars, and after extensive testing, it was concluded they all had medicinal properties compatible with human physiology.”

An idea hit me, and I straightened abruptly. “They have the DNA for these plants?”

“Yes, of course.”

“The Buri have crops. Max, what if they brought seeds from their home world? That would make sense, wouldn’t it? I can gather samples of the Buri plants and run DNA tests on them to see if they match the ones on Ashwan. That would help prove our theory.”

“I’ll have to request the DNA analysis from the archives.”

“Do it, and put a rush on the order.”

Max hesitated. “Kiera, the probability that the Ashwani and the Buri are related is extremely low, in spite of the similarities.”

“How else do you explain those similarities? Haven’t I taught you there’s no such thing as coincidences?”

“It could be parallel evolution. I know it’s very rare, but it has happened before.”

I shook my head. “Not this time, Max. I’ve got a gut feeling about the Buri. I don’t know how or when, but they’re descended from the Ashwani. I’d stake my reputation on it.”

“And lose it if you insist on making this part of the record without proof.”

“Oh, I’ll find proof. If it takes me the entire two-month time limit, I’ll find it.” I leaned back. “But first, I have to find out what Dynatec is after and why the Buri aren’t reproducing in higher numbers.”

That statement reminded me of Claudia Karle. “Max, is Second Lieutenant Karle keeping her comm unit with her at all times when she’s in the field like I asked her to do?”

“Yes, as do all the members of her mapping party.”

“Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Wait until she’s out of hearing range from the others and then change the frequency on her unit remotely. Tell her I need to speak with her privately, and ask her to join me for dinner at the Buri village the first opportunity she has.”

“Yes, Kiera.”

A tingle of satisfaction went through me with that problem out of the way. “Now, let’s see some of those drawings of the Ashwani you mentioned.”

“There is one particularly vivid tapestry they found that you might be interested in.”

The image in front of me vanished, only to be replaced by a holo of a large wall hanging. It depicted a table loaded with food, around which a dozen or more Ashwani gathered, eating, drinking and laughing.

The Ashwani in the center of the group was an elderly male, his dark hair streaked with white. Around his forehead was a circlet of gold. But it was the younger man next to him that made me gasp aloud. Except for a wider brow and a scar on one cheek, it could have been Thor.

Before my brain had time to really register what I was seeing, Thor moved. With a deep growl, he lunged out of his chair and grabbed at the image. When his hand passed through it, he flung his head back and let out a roar so full of anguish that it froze me in place.

I was still sitting there as he spun to face me. His fists were clenched so tightly he was in danger of snapping his spear in half. And from the expression on his face, I was in danger of having that spear used on me. Eyes narrowed to glittering slits, he stared at me for what felt like an eternity, then turned and stepped through the hatch.

Finally, I started to breathe again. “Max, did you see that?”

“It was rather hard to miss.”

“Damn it, there was something about that tapestry he recognized!”

“Or maybe he was reacting to what he perceived as the presence of another, threatening male.”