Close Encounters (17 page)

Gradually, the sheer face of the cliff gave way to sloping inclines strewn with boulders and rubble as we left the jungle. I wasn’t an expert at geology, but I’d had some training, and something struck me as decidedly odd about the terrain.

Pausing halfway up a steep hill, I turned in a complete circle, this time really looking at the surrounding area.

That’s when it hit me.

There was no plant growth on the slopes.

Oh, there were patches of straggly grass here and there, but no trees. It looked like someone had drawn a line of demarcation, and everything on this side had been chopped off. The trees marched in a straight-edged, unnaturally even border for as far as I could see.

Stooping, I carefully examined the ground. Most of the rocks showed evidence of great heat, some to the point of having been melted.

“Interesting, isn’t it?”

The sound of a voice speaking Galactic Standard sent the dragon birds still with us diving for cover and had me spinning around to stare at the woman leaning casually against a boulder. Quilla Dorn.

Ghost and Poe must have spotted her the instant she came into view. They were standing protectively between us, watching her warily.

She continued as though it were the most natural thing in the world for her to be there. “I noticed it the first time I came up here. My theory is that in the not-so-distant past, a meteor mowed a path across the edge of the jungle. Since no impact crater showed up on the initial scans, it would have come in at a very low angle from that direction.” Pushing away from the boulder, she tilted her head toward the east. “It probably stayed just above the surface until it buried itself in the side of that mountain.” She gestured in the general direction of the cliffs above the Buri settlement.

“There’s an eighty percent probability that her theory is correct,” Max whispered in my ear.

Which raised some interesting possibilities. Could this be what had wiped out most of the Buri? It was something to think about. Later. Right now I had more pressing questions that needed answering.

“What are you doing out here, Quilla?”

“Waiting for you.” She stepped over a pile of rubble and made her way down to my level, ignoring the Buri. “Jon mentioned you were going to do some mining today, so I thought I’d offer my services as a guide. I’ve got a six-month head start on exploring these mountains, so I know them quite well.”

Translation: There were places they didn’t want me nosing around, and she was here to make sure I wouldn’t stumble across them. Well, I could learn a lot from where she
didn’t
steer me.

“Works for me.” I adjusted the weight of the knapsack. “But out of curiosity, how did you know I’d be heading this way?”

Her gaze shifted to the Buri, and she smiled. “It’s the only way they’d let you go. I’ve made several attempts to go farther to the northwest, and no matter how I approach, they always stop me.”

That caught my attention, since she was right. “Max, do you see anything to the northwest of the village that the Buri might want to protect?” I spoke aloud this time so Dorn would understand that I was in constant contact with my ship, and any funny business on her part would be noted.

“Not really. There’s nothing but a few fields and more mountains.”

“He says only fields. Maybe they don’t want anyone trampling their crops.” And maybe I had an even better idea of what they were hiding that I wasn’t going to share with Dorn. After all, those extra Buri had to come from somewhere, and there were plenty of caves in that direction.

“Possibly.”

“Well, lead on.” I raised a hand to indicate she should go first.

She glanced over her shoulder as she started up the hill. “What are you looking for?”

“Random samples of ore and minerals.” My shields were all the way down, and the only thing I picked up from her was a mild curiosity. If there was something she wanted desperately to keep me away from, she was doing a great job of hiding it.

“There’s a warren of caves about a mile to the north of here.” She moved without effort in spite of the increasing rise of the hill. “Or, if you’d prefer, we can go due east. There are some interesting canyons in that direction.”

Okay, the woman was obviously smarter than I’d given her credit for. By leaving the choice to me, she had effectively shut off any information I might have gleaned from where she led me. “The caves will be fine.”

“This way.”

I spent the walk watching Dorn as we made idle chitchat. There was something about her that bothered me, a niggling at the back of my mind. But I couldn’t figure out what it was.

Poe wasn’t helping my concentration. He stayed so close to me that our arms brushed with every step I took. Even in the places where the path was so steep and narrow that we had to go single file, he never let more than two inches separate us.

Ghost was almost as bad. He didn’t crowd me, but he made sure he was always between Dorn and me. By the time we reached the caves, both his face and Poe’s were filmed with sweat and their breath came in short puffs.

We’d climbed steadily the whole way, so our elevation was well above sea level, and it showed. The canyon, its walls riddled with dark fissures, was a rocky place, the ground dry. A few scraggly trees clung to its walls, their foliage limp in the arid heat.

A scurrying sound caught my attention, and I glanced at a pile of rocks in time to see a neon-red reptile dart into the shade, change colors, and vanish into a hole.

“They’re harmless,” Dorn said. “And almost as plentiful up here as those odd little birds are in the jungle. Have you noticed that most of the life on this planet seems to be reptilian?” Her gaze shifted to Ghost. “Except the Buri and those grazers out on the plains.”

I thought about the feline Crigo had shown an interest in. “Not all of it. I’ve seen other mammals, too.” Of course, I hadn’t examined the creature, so I couldn’t be positive it wasn’t a hairy reptile. Wouldn’t it put Crigo’s nose out of joint to discover he’d been mating with a lizard? I caught my snort of laughter at the last second.

Either way, I wasn’t going to share my theory about the Buri being descendants of an Ashwani colonization effort. If it were true, Chapter Twenty of the Equality Edict would be null and void. When it came to the colonization of a planet with no sentient species in residence, it was finder’s keepers, and the Buri had been here first.

“But not in the same proportion that you do on other planets,” she said.

“Maybe not. I’m sure the scientists will work it all out.” I selected an opening partway up the canyon and headed toward it, Dorn following.

“Yes, our scientists are chomping at the bit to get started.”

“Assuming Dynatec’s claim is valid.” I dropped my knapsack in the cave entrance, knelt and pushed the flap aside.

“Of course.” She chose a boulder to the left of the entry and sat down, watching as I took out my equipment. “Can I ask you a question?”

Stepping just inside the opening, I made a few quick cuts in the cave wall with the laser drill, and deposited the results in specimen containers. “You can ask, but I can’t promise to answer.”

“What was it like growing up in a government crèche?”

Surprised, I took a second to label the containers before I responded. “I really don’t have anything to compare it with. They didn’t beat us or starve us, if that’s what you mean.”

“But were they kind to you?”

“Kind?” What a strange conversation, one I’d never experienced before. Government crèches were so regulated it was a miracle they worked at all. But they did, and most Naturals had at least some knowledge of their operation. “I suppose it depends on your definition of
kind
. They employ the best psychologists in the world, and they kept us busy developing our bodies and our minds. We didn’t have time to be unhappy. Why do you ask?”

“Curiosity. I was raised by my father, you know, and he was overly protective of me. I saw a documentary on the crèches once when I was young. In a way, I envied your freedom from parental influence. It looked as though you had the best of all worlds.”

“It had its drawbacks.” I shrugged. “Is anyone ever really one hundred percent happy with the way they grew up?”

“If they are, I haven’t met them.” She smiled. “Don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical for the government to sanction their own creation of GEPs but ban cloning?”

I arched a brow at the comment and paused to put another sample of stone in the container I was holding. “Totally different proposition. With GEPs, you aren’t making a copy of another person, you’re making an entirely new being, so it’s less of an ethical dilemma. Besides, there wasn’t much choice. After the plague wiped out the population of Old Earth ninety cycles into the space colonization program, manpower on Alpha Centauri reached a critical shortage. With no replacements available from Earth, specialized workers were needed to fill jobs that were crucial for continued prosperity. And since GEPs mature faster than Naturals, and can be made resistant to the ailments Naturals suffer, it was cost effective for the government to set up the program.”

“Of course.” She nodded and rose to her feet. Immediately, Ghost and Poe moved between us again. “I seem to be making your escorts nervous. Now that you know where the caves are, I’ll be heading back to our camp.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the help.”

“Anytime.”

The two Buri kept a close eye on the direction she’d gone, and didn’t relax until fifteen or twenty minutes had elapsed. I used the time to continue gathering samples from the other caves. One in particular interested me, since large traces of quartz showed in the rock.

But I couldn’t get Dorn out of my mind. What was she up to? It had to be something. Putting away the last of the samples, I stepped out of the cave. “Max, have we heard anything from the boss about Quilla Dorn?”

“Not yet, Kiera.”

“Contact him and see if he can light a fire under his operatives. I want everything they can find on her, up to and including the color she paints her toenails. There’s something about her that gives me chills.”

“Did you pick up anything unusual from her?”

I lifted the knapsack to my shoulder. “No, and that’s one of the things bothering me. I didn’t pick up anything except a stray wisp of curiosity. It’s like she feels nothing at all.”

“Dr. Daniels always tells you to trust your instincts.”

“Oh, I trust them. I only wish I knew what they were trying to show me. I’ve met people I didn’t like, but this is different. She’s different. It’s…” I hesitated.

“What?”

My hands lifted helplessly. “Unnatural. She feels unnatural. I don’t know how else to put it.”

A second of silence passed before Max responded. “I’ll contact Dr. Daniels.”

“Good.” I glanced at the sheared-off jungle as we descended. “Any idea when that meteor might have come through here?”

“From the new growth, I estimate it happened ten to twenty cycles ago. Long enough that there’s no sign of burning left, but not long enough for the trees to reforest the area.”

“And if a Buri village were in its path, there wouldn’t be much left of it. That could be what happened to the Buri’s families, Max.”

“It’s possible, but not probable. Unless the meteor landed on top of them, there would still be some signs of the buildings, even if only a few ruins. Stone and adobe, both of which the Buri are proficient in using, don’t burn easily.”

“Maybe it did land on them.” I was reaching for straws, and we both knew it. “Okay, forget it for now. I’ll drop these samples off for you to analyze before I head back to the village.”

“Speaking of the village…”

“Yes?”

“There is a ninety percent probability that they are preparing for a celebration of some type.”

Since I’d reached the same conclusion earlier, I smiled as the Buri and I reached the edge of the jungle. The dragon birds met us, scolding loudly because they’d been left behind. “What led you to this supposition?”

“The level of activity for one thing. It’s increased dramatically. As has the amount of food being brought to the village. Several Buri have been fishing in the nearby lake most of the day.”

“Are they catching anything?”

“Yes, a fishy-looking creature with legs and big eyes.”

I made a mental note not to try any of those. “Where’s Crigo? He’s not getting in their way, is he?”

“On the contrary. He helped a group of hunters bring down two of the herdbeasts. They seem very pleased with him.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” I glanced at Ghost and Poe. My conversation with Max had been on a subvocal level again, but somehow, the Buri always knew. Ghost was used to it and paid no attention. Poe continued to give me wary looks from the corners of his eyes.

I shot him my biggest grin. “Gentlemen, let’s drop off these samples and go party. But I’m warning you now, I don’t know how to waltz.”

T
o my disappointment, the fun and games didn’t start that night. Instead, the Buri decided to torture me. Since I’d slept through breakfast, and only had a few cups of the red stuff for lunch, my stomach was eagerly looking forward to the evening feast. What I got was a bowl of weak broth and a tiny glass of something fruity. Neither my attempts at looking pitiful nor the loud rumbling of my stomach garnered me more victuals. My only consolation was that Thor and Junior were in the same predicament.

The three of us sat sequestered at one end of a table, guarded by Elder and Auntie Em, and watched the rest of the tribe nibble at an unusually light meal. But at least they got meat and bread, and my stomach growled ominously at the scent drifting from the other end of the table. Thank the Goddess I had my stash of supplies back at my quarters. I’d just wait until the village was asleep and then sneak a few snacks to hold me over.

Resigned to a few more hours of starvation, I glanced at Thor. He sat to my right, the heat from his big body warming my side. Junior was to Thor’s right, and Elder was next to Junior. Auntie Em sat to my left, watching every move I made, and I had the distinct impression she was waiting for me to commit a faux pas so she’d have an excuse to pounce. Only it turned out to be Thor who drew her wrath.

He’d finished off his broth in two swallows, and then occupied himself by chatting with Elder and Junior. But when I glanced at him, he turned to look down at me, and our gazes locked. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and the buzzing in my head increased to a roar. I was barely aware of Thor’s hand lifting, sliding under my braid to cup my nape. When my stomach clenched, it had nothing to do with hunger.

My lips were trying to issue an invitation to go for a stroll in the jungle when Auntie Em brought the proceedings to a crashing halt. She did it by the simple expedient of reaching around me and whacking Thor upside his head. Then she delivered a tirade that had Junior and Elder grinning, and Thor scowling. After that he avoided direct eye contact with me as though his life depended on it. And from the glares Auntie Em was giving him, maybe it did.

Damn.

Was I really as desperate to jump Thor as I felt? Oh, yeah. And for some odd reason, either lack of food or something in the juice we were drinking seemed to amplify our mental connection. I could feel his desire like a tangible thing, and it increased my own. Between us, out of Auntie Em’s sight, our hands touched and I broke out in a light sheen of sweat.

I was in the process of frantically devising plans that would get me alone with Thor at the soonest possible moment when Auntie Em stood and pulled me up with her. Thor hastily let go of my hand. The other Buri took her movement as a signal. All conversation stopped, and everyone rose to their feet. The females slowly gathered around me and Auntie Em while the males joined Thor, Junior and Elder.

All the males except Brownie. I hadn’t noticed his absence until he suddenly appeared in the doorway, a spear held menacingly in his hands, his bulk blocking the exit. The determination he’d felt this morning had doubled and was now flavored with desperation.

Around me the Buri froze into immobile statues, a feeling of dismay rising from the group as they stared intently at Brownie.

Slowly he straightened, his chin rising in a gesture of defiance. Before I had time to blink, he drew his arm back and let the spear fly. It landed in the floor at Thor’s feet, the deadly point buried in wood, the shaft quivering from the force of the throw. Sounding very formal, Brownie uttered a short phrase.

Thor answered in the same tone and added a regal nod to the mix. He hadn’t flinched or even blinked as the spear landed inches from his buckskin-clad toes. As soon as he finished speaking, Brownie turned and left the building, the other Buri rushing to follow, taking me along in their wake.

I had a horrible feeling that something violent was about to occur.

As soon as we reached the clearing in the center of the buildings, the Buri formed a loose circle with Thor and Brownie in the middle. Pushing my way to the front, I chewed my lip in worry, wishing I could do something to stop the battle that was coming, knowing I couldn’t. The tension between Thor and Brownie had obviously been brewing for a while now. Even if I did interfere, it would only delay the inevitable. “Max, record,” I told the ship.

“Recording.”

The late-evening sun sent a shaft of brilliance to spark off the gold bracelets both males wore as silence descended, broken only by the inquisitive
cheep
of a dragon bird. But even that was cut off abruptly as they began to close the distance between them.

Unconsciously, my muscles tensed in sympathetic readiness, and my breath caught in my lungs.

With minimal warning, Brownie rushed Thor, jamming his shoulder into Thor’s chest and driving him back several steps before he caught his balance.

The clench continued for an agonizing second before Thor threw him off. Then, with blinding speed, he retaliated. In a blur of motion, Thor hit Brownie, lifted him from his feet and slammed him to the ground. Before Brownie could move, Thor was on top of him, pinning him to the clearing floor.

A grunt of approval came from beside me, and I cut my eyes sideways to see Poe watching the action, a feeling of vindication coming from him. For that matter, all of the Buri around me were feeling the same thing.

They wanted Thor to best Brownie once and for all.

The waves of emotion radiating from the group suddenly made me realize this wasn’t merely about Brownie objecting to Thor’s acceptance of my presence. This had been a long time coming, and it was more than just a personal quarrel. Brownie was challenging Thor for leadership of the Buri.

I turned back to the action, heart in my throat, just in time to see Brownie’s torso heave and toss Thor to the side. There was no doubt in my mind what would happen if Brownie won. I’d be banished from the tribe, which would result in failing to save the Buri from both Dynatec and their low birthrate.

As though sensing my turmoil, Poe reached over and patted my shoulder. His faith in Thor was absolute, and reinforced my own. Of course Thor would win, I thought, just as Brownie got him in a headlock and fell backward, taking Thor with him. And if by some quirk of fate Thor was badly hurt, I’d kill Brownie myself. I wasn’t done with the big guy yet and didn’t appreciate the idea that he might be put out of commission for the fun and games I was plotting.

Frowning, I watched the muscles bulge in Thor’s arms as he pried Brownie loose. They weren’t using fists, I realized, as the two males rolled on the ground. Squeaks erupted from the few females on the other side of the circle when their feet were almost swept from under them by the furiously rolling bodies.

The wrestling match seemed to go on forever, with first Thor on top, then Brownie, and my admiration for the Buri, especially Thor, increased with every passing minute. Their strength was awesome and their beauty without match. And their stamina was nothing to sneeze at, either. Natural human males would have collapsed in exhaustion by now.

Abruptly, Thor surged to his feet. Brownie rose in front of him and I could see the desperation in his eyes. He was losing the challenge and he knew it. He hadn’t come close to pinning Thor.

Not good. Desperation made you reckless, made you take stupid risks.

Accompanied by gasps from the horrified tribe, Brownie clenched his fist and swung at Thor’s jaw. But Thor wasn’t there. In a blur of speed that took me by surprise, Brownie was suddenly flat on the ground with Thor holding his shoulders down. The big guy murmured something, and Brownie nodded, his eyes closed in defeat.

While the tribe cheered, Thor stood and held his hand out to Brownie, pulling him erect when the other Buri accepted the gesture. For a minute longer, Thor held on to him, talking to Brownie in a low intent voice. A feeling of resignation settled over him, and he finally acknowledged whatever Thor was telling him, but I knew he still didn’t like it. When they were finished, Thor thumped him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture and then turned to the others and gave a short command.

Every womanly instinct I had was screaming at me to go check Thor for injuries even through I could see he was fine, but the females immediately moved to surround me as the males clustered around Thor. With the division of the sexes once again established, my entourage exited the clearing, taking me with them as I cast longing glances over my shoulder at Thor. Not only was he sexy and gorgeous, he was honorable, and my traitorous heart went pitter-patter just looking at him.

But whatever was happening to me was happening to him, too. The much larger contingent of males escorted him from the clearing in a different direction from where the females were ushering me. Not until he was out of sight did I finally start paying attention to my surroundings and my still empty tummy.

In the last rays of the setting sun, the women led me north, into the jungle. More than a few of them carried bundles, and Auntie Em carried a sheaf of torches. Okay, looked like we were going someplace dark.

We walked for almost an hour, paralleling the cliff face. By the time we reached an opening in the solid wall, night was upon us.

“Max, mark this location. There’s a cave, and I might want to come back later.”

“Yes, Kiera.” He sounded distant, as though most of his attention was focused elsewhere.

“Something wrong?”

“A minor problem. One of my satellites on the far side of the planet is experiencing a technical glitch. I’m afraid a sensor is going out.”

“Can you fix it?” I watched Auntie Em light a torch from a small fire that burned near the opening of the cave and then distribute more torches to the others.

“I’m trying, but I’m not sure yet. The images it’s sending are flickering in and out. I may need to replace it.”

Max’s satellites were his eyes. If any of them went out, it left him with a blind spot, something that made us both very nervous.

“Okay. We’re going into the cave now. If we get very far from the entrance, you and I won’t be able to communicate, but I’ll give you a report when I get out.”

I wasn’t thrilled about taking a stroll through a cave when time was running out. There were only six weeks left to learn about the Buri culture and figure out why they weren’t reproducing, so this seemed like a waste of valuable time. On the other hand, you never know what small thing might be the turning point for completing the mission before the two months were up, so I’d go along with the side trip.

Before I could follow Auntie Em inside, Lurran shoved a torch in my hand and gestured to the fire. “If I’d known we were going spelunking, I would have brought my prism torch,” I told her. “It gives off a lot more light than these things.”

She merely shooed me inside as though I hadn’t spoken. Come to think about it, none of the females were indulging in their usual chatter. There was an air of solemnity about them that made me sit up and take notice. Whatever we were doing was very important to the Buri. Could this be the cave others of the race were hiding in? Was I going to meet them? Or would I have to jump through a few more hoops first?

The group paused in the entrance, waiting until all the females held lit torches, then Auntie Em headed deeper into the cave. With Churka on one side and Lurran on the other, I tagged along, observing how the wavering fires created moving shadows on the rough walls. A natural cave, then, as opposed to man-made.

We traveled approximately one hundred yards before the tunnel branched. Taking the left-hand passage, my group continued onward. At the next branch, we went right and I observed a subtle alteration in the atmosphere.

All my experience with caves to the contrary, the deeper we went, the warmer it got. The rise in temperature wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was noticeable. At the same time, the humidity increased and the air took on a slightly astringent quality that stung my nose. Five more steps and my skin began to tingle as though I’d stepped into a field of static electricity. When I glanced down, the fine hair on my arms was standing erect.

Okay, this was just not a good example of hidden living quarters for a bunch of Buri. That hair-on-end thing would get annoying really fast. I couldn’t picture having to put up with it for ten or more cycles.

I’d barely registered this phenomenon when Auntie Em stopped and placed her torch in a bracket mounted on the cavern wall. The flames lit a fissure just big enough to allow one person at a time to pass through, and even then it would be a tight fit.

Before I could move, she took my arm and tugged me to her side, then gestured to the other females. Churka went first, picking her way delicately through the opening. Midway, she began an atonal chant that sent chills racing down my spine.

One by one, the others followed her, each repeating her actions, until only Auntie Em and I were left in the tunnel. When the last female had cleared the opening, Auntie Em pushed me forward. Tentatively, holding my torch high, I walked into the fissure, sending up a small request to the Goddess that they wouldn’t expect me to sing. The sad truth is that the geneticist who spliced and diced me hadn’t considered a pleasant singing voice necessary to my job qualifications. As a result, I couldn’t carry a tune in a stasis box.

Sure enough, halfway through Auntie Em poked me in the back. With a wince, I sorted desperately through my mental archives and came up with something that might work. “Ohm,” I intoned. It seemed to satisfy her, because she stopped poking me.

I kept it up until I reached the end of the fissure, ducking to clear the shorter exit. My lips rounded to emit another hum as I straightened, but the sound never made it out. Instead I plowed to a halt, my jaw dropping.

Holy shit! What I’d entered was the biggest freaking geode in the universe. Or at least the biggest I’d ever heard of. My stunned gaze ran up the walls to the domed top, eyes blinking as the light from the torches reflected from millions of crystals in every shape and color known to man. It was like being inside a rainbow.