Close Encounters (30 page)

“The swords are our primary weapon,” he told me absently. “But we normally keep them in storage because they aren’t needed on a daily basis.”

Taking a drink of wine, he leaned back, resting an elbow on a bright yellow pillow. “Our lifestyle is from choice, mate, not necessity. As you will learn if you let me continue.”

Chagrined, I zipped my lip and nodded.

“My people are an ancient race. Some of our scholars believed that at one time we were as small as your people are, and that we lived under a different star, a brighter, warmer star. I only know that we lived long cycles without knowledge of the crystals, and that the facts of their discovery and learning their uses are lost in the past.”

He took another drink of wine, his gaze distant, as though he were seeing the things he told me. And, I realized, I could see them too, through the mind bond. Mesmerized, I closed my eyes and let the images roll through me.

“But use them we did,” he said. “And the power they gave us was unimaginable. With them, we built a technology that ruled our world. Great cities sprang up everywhere, and our population exploded. Life was good. Until our growth began to outstrip our resources.

“Even then our sun was weak and dying. The planting seasons were short, the cold intense. And as the cities grew, they took more and more of the land once used for crops.”

This time, he gulped the wine, and I didn’t blame him. I’d caught a glimpse in his mind of what was coming. Silently, I refilled his glass, and then closed my eyes again, the better to see what he was showing me.

“We call it the Age of Darkness.” His voice was low and deep, as if it hurt just to say the name. “The crystals were turned into weapons of horror as people fought for every scrap of ground, every morsel of food. Families turned on families, brother against brother, and sister against sister. It was during this period that the great ships were created. From above, they rained down fire and ruin. The cities were destroyed and our blood soaked the places where they had once stood.”

From down the hall, I felt a sudden pulse of something I can only describe as remorse from the Limantti, and I blinked in surprise. Apparently the stone was eavesdropping on our conversation. The intrusion reminded me of something, and I opened my eyes to gaze at Thor.

“I thought you told me the Limantti had never hurt anyone before?”

“It hasn’t. What occurred was due to our own innate greed, our need for power. We didn’t even know the Limantti existed. And while the Limantti knew of us, it was alien. It didn’t understand what was happening, how the crystals were being used.”

From the little I knew of the Limantti, that made sense. It was the most alien intelligence I’d ever encountered before, and working for Alien Affairs, I’d encountered a lot. “So what happened to change things?”

He sighed and gazed down into his wine. “A young girl, badly wounded in battle, escaped from the fight and sought refuge in a cave out of sight from those hunting her. She had lost her whole family, and the pain from her burns was so great she merely wanted a quiet place to die in peace. Instead, she found the Limantti.”

Thor wasn’t the only one I was getting images from now. The Limantti showed me a young Buri female, blood and debris coating her ebony hair. Her dirty face was streaked with tears and it was obvious she was in shock from the horrible burns covering her body. Slowly, every move a study in agony, she dragged herself into the welcoming darkness of a small cave, where she collapsed and went still.

And then her wounds began to heal. Gradually, at first, as if the Limantti wasn’t quite sure of what it was doing, then faster as the stone learned.

Several days went by, but eventually the girl woke, whole and completely healed. At least she was physically healed. It wasn’t until she touched the stone that the Limantti discovered the extent to which the crystals had been used, the pain they had caused. What the stone considered a gift had been employed as tools of destruction, and the Limantti was appalled.

Immediately, the Limantti took back control of every crystal on the planet. From that day to this, she made sure the crystals could only be used on a small personal level. Never again would she allow one of her colony to become a weapon.

Thor was watching me, and I knew he’d shared the information the Limantti gave me. The image of the girl stuck with me, and I realized she was one of only a handful of Buri I’d seen with black hair, if you counted the ones on the tapestry.

“She was your ancestor, wasn’t she?”

“Yes.” His lips curved in slight smile. “She was our first Shushanna. When the crystals stopped working and the bloodshed ended, she gathered what was left of our people and they began anew. It was then, in disgust and pain over so many unnecessary deaths, that we swore an oath to never again use weapons that could kill from a distance. We also decided to keep our lives simple, to concentrate on preserving our planet for future generations. And, except for the Rellanti, we decided not to use the crystals at all.”

Curious, I tilted my head to one side and studied him. “Did you have a lot of children in those days?”

“No.” He straightened into an upright position and put his glass on the table. “During the Age of Darkness, females fought just as fiercely as males. Bearing children interfered with their ability to wage war, so they used the crystals to inhibit the process. By the time it was over, it was too late. None of our females was able to conceive, and the knowledge to change them back had been lost. Only through the Limantti, with the Shushanna’s help, were the females able to bear young. Since then, a new Shushanna was born during each generation, and so it continued until our sun began its final death throes.”

I leaned across the table and took his hand. “You revived one of the ships.”

“There was only one left.” He toyed with my fingers as he spoke. “The others had drifted from orbit and were pulled into the sun. With the Limantti’s help, we restored it, but there was only room for three thousand. It was decided that only the youngest and strongest would go, with a few elders who were in good health to serve as teachers and advisors. I was named by the Limantti to be leader.”

He took a deep breath. “As the day of our departure drew nearer, more and more of my people chose to die so there would be enough food for our families to see us on our way. By the time we left, most were gone. I can still see my sire and dam, standing together as Churka and I boarded the last shuttle to the ship. I knew that as soon as we were gone, they would return to our home and end their lives, but they were smiling, happy that their children would be saved. It was the bravest thing I’d ever seen, and it broke my heart. Not just for them, but for all my people who sacrificed so much to insure our continued existence.”

Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks as his emotions swept over me.

“Now do you see why I cannot wake the rest of my people?” His ebony eyes were intense as he looked at me.

“Their future, their very lives, was entrusted to me. I can do no less than our parents to protect them, even if it means some of us must die.”

I wiped my cheeks dry with the backs of my hands, and then stood and moved around the table. With a soft
plop
, I landed on his lap and put my arms around him, my head resting on his chest. “Of course I understand. And I don’t suppose it really matters. They’ve been asleep this long, a few more days won’t hurt them. Once the troops arrive, they’ll be able to verify my report with their own eyes and document the ship’s existence. When you feel it’s safe, then we’ll wake them. No matter what else happens, this is your world. As its leader, you can handle this any way you want. But I hope you’ll decide to join the Galactic Federation. They could do so much for your people, and you have so much to offer them in return.”

His head dipped down to rest on top of mine, and I felt him smile. “First I must understand what this Federation is and how it works. Luckily, I have you to teach me.”

“Thor,” I leaned back enough to see his face. “You know I’ll do what I can, but I probably won’t be allowed to stay here long, whether I want to or not. Alien Affairs owns my indenture and I don’t have the money to pay it off. Until I do, I have no choice in the matter. I’ll have to go where they send me.”

“Then I will go with you, as I said I would.”

Slowly, without breaking eye contact, I shook my head.

“You have to stay here.”

He started to protest, but I put my fingers against his lips. “Don’t. We both know you can’t leave. These are your people, and they need you. More now than ever before, since the Federation will be involved. If you left with me, you’d spend all your time worrying about them. And sooner or later you’d start to resent me for forcing you to choose me over them. I couldn’t live with that, Thor, especially when I can pick up everything you feel.”

His arms tightened around me convulsively, and moisture filled his eyes. “And how am I supposed to live without you? How can I stand and do nothing while I lose someone else I love? Wasn’t once enough for a lifetime?”

“I’m sorry.” I choked, my voice nearly a sob. “I’m so sorry.”

“It won’t happen,” he whispered fiercely. “I won’t let you go. Somehow, I will find a way—”

His mouth crashed down on mine, and I lost myself in the kiss, barely aware of him standing, carrying me to the sleeping platform. If my time with him was coming to an end, I would make the most of it.

Considering the desperation we were both feeling, I expected our lovemaking to be wild and hard. Instead, it turned slow and sweet, with each of us giving everything we had to give. For the first time in my life, sex wasn’t about self-fulfillment. It was about bringing the greatest amount of pleasure possible to the one I loved and valued above all others.

It seemed to go on for hours, each of us reaching peaks we’d never touched before, then descending slowly, only to begin the climb anew.

“Tell me,” he growled near the end.

I knew instantly what he wanted, and knew I shouldn’t. It would only make it harder for us when I left. But I couldn’t deny him, or myself.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“Again.”

“I love you.”

His final climax was explosive, and triggered my own. Together, we rode the crest of the wave until it faded into quiet repletion.

Afterward we lay exhausted, wrapped around each other tightly, each hanging on as though our lives depended on it. And maybe they did.

I had no idea how the mind bond worked, what would happen if Thor and I were separated. Would it stretch over such vast distances, or would it break? And what would happen to us if it broke?

Thor seemed to think the only way to end it was death, which didn’t bode well for our chances. I turned to ask him about it and realized he was asleep.

Maybe I could coerce the boss into giving me jobs that kept me in the vicinity. And if I pulled a lot of overtime, I might be able to pay my indenture off faster. Plus, Dr. Daniels was always after me to take more vacation time, which I could spend anywhere I wanted. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was better than never seeing Thor again.

Thinking about the boss reminded me of the news I’d sent earlier. “Max, have you heard from Dr. Daniels yet?”

“Yes, just a few minutes ago. He’s very excited to hear the Buri are colonists from Ashwan. Unfortunately, the news reached him too late in the day. The court is closed and won’t open again until morning. However, he said to tell you he’ll have all the documents ready to go first thing. By tomorrow afternoon, Dynatec will be notified that their Chapter Twenty has been denied and they’ll be ordered to vacate Orpheus Two.”

“Excellent.” I let out a loud yawn. “Let me know when they’re about to get the news. I want to be in their camp when Dorn and Frisk find out.”

I was already asleep before he had time to answer.

I
woke to a strange sensation the next morning, and it took a second for me to realize the pressure on my bottom lip was, in fact, due to my own personal dragon bird. He was right in my face, gripping my lip in one small talon for balance.

While I blinked in surprise, he trilled a happy greeting, and then glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a chuckle.

“He likes you.”

I rolled my eyes toward Thor and spit out the tiny foot. “Ya think?” Reaching up, I dislodged my new alarm clock, depositing him beside me on the sleeping platform. “Have they ever shown any interest in the Buri?”

“Not to this degree, although they are curious. There’s always a flock around watching, as if they don’t understand what we’re doing, and want to figure it out.” He tilted his head toward the foot of the sleeping platform.

I looked in the same direction as two more of the small creatures, apparently inspired by mine’s bravery, strutted across the bed, chittering quietly to each other as they eyed Thor. One of them, a brilliant scarlet lady, was feeling quite possessive toward him.

“I suspect they’re fairly intelligent, in a dragon bird kind of way,” I told him. “At least, I can pick up elementary emotions from my guy and some of the others.”

From outside on the terrace, a loud squawk sounded, and all the dragon birds in the room took to the air in a whirring rush of wings and feathers. A second later, they all swooped through the open doorway and were gone.

They had barely disappeared when the reason for all the excitement stalked into view. After a quick glance into the room to assure himself I was there, Crigo commenced pacing the length of the terrace, an occasional rumble issuing from deep in his chest.

I frowned as I watched him. The big cat was feeling distinctly uneasy about something, and seemed almost hyper-alert. His tufted ears were erect, swiveling constantly to catch any unusual sound.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed aside the light covering and rose to look outside.

“Is something wrong?” Thor questioned, joining me.

“I don’t know.” Quickly I scanned the village, but nothing looked out of place. Two of the Buri were bathing in the pool near the waterfall, and across the clearing Poe sat, sharpening his spear, Junior beside him, watching and offering the occasional comment. From down the hall, I could hear giggles as Lurran and Churka tried to design clothing Claudia could live with, and the scents of breakfast cooking drifted in on the air from the communal kitchen.

All in all, it looked like a typical peaceful morning in the village. And yet…

“Something’s made Crigo nervous, and I trust his instincts. Let’s get dressed and check the village, just to be on the safe side.”

We dressed in record time, and I finished off my braid as we went down the hall. Pausing at Claudia’s door, I stuck my head inside and surveyed the chaos of material littering the sleeping platform. The two Buri females had Claudia decked out in a lemon-yellow kechic that did wonders for her skin tone, and a matching strip of cloth, fastened in front with one of the wooden clasps.

“How do I look?” She held her arms up for my inspection.

“Great. But it would look better with your blaster.”

“My blaster?” A startled expression crossed her face.

“Yes. Do me a favor and keep it close.”

“Sure, if you say so.”

Good enough. I trotted on down the hall to catch up with Thor. Crigo was inspecting the edge of the jungle as we stepped outside, and both Thor and I stopped to look around. It was still peaceful, but by now I’d caught the cat’s nerves and it felt like ants were crawling over my skin.

“You go that way, and I’ll go this way,” I gestured to Thor.

“We’ll meet at the kitchen. And don’t forget to check back into the trees.”

He reached back inside the building and picked up the spear he’d leaned against the wall. “Be careful.”

“You too.” I started a slow walk in my chosen direction.

“Max?”

“Yes, Kiera?”

“Is there anything going on at the Dynatec camp?”

“Not really. Most of them went out with the survey team early this morning. There are only a few crew members left in camp, and they appear to be playing cards.”

A sudden chill crawled over my skin. “Dorn and Frisk?”

“They went with the survey team.”

That was so out of character that my alarm increased to a new all-time high. “Can you see the survey team?”

He hesitated a split second before answering. “Not really. The satellites that usually cover that area are the ones I’m having problems with.”

“You haven’t had any luck fixing them?”

“No. I need to go up and replace them as soon as possible.”

Abruptly, I had a quandary. I really, really needed to know exactly where that survey team was located. But that meant sending Max into space to replace his eyes, and he was our best defense. I wanted him close enough to help if it became necessary.

“How long will it take you?”

“A few minutes to get there, a few more to place the new satellites in the correct orbit, and then a few to get back. Maybe ten minutes total.”

I had to make a decision, and I had to make it fast. “Okay, go, but do it as quickly as you can. Something’s up, Max.”

“I’ll leave now.”

The words were still echoing in my ears when I saw a streak of gray flash across the blue sky above the treetops. I watched until he was out of sight, and then continued checking the perimeter of the village. So far, so good.

Thor, have you seen anything?

No. Everything is quiet. Almost too quiet. Even the dragon birds are silent.

He was right, I thought, glancing around the village. Normally, flocks of the small creatures darted in and out of the waterfall at all hours of the day, not to mention the bunch that stayed near me. Now, there wasn’t a jeweled form to be seen.

Two doors down, Redfield stepped out of his quarters, one hand clutching his head, eyes so red it looked like they were bleeding. He was wearing his blaster. Unlike Claudia, he was a GEP, trained to never let his weapon out of his sight.

“Who won?” he asked when I got close enough.

“Brownie—”

A strange crackling noise erupted from the implant behind my ear and my entire body went tense. “Max?”

His reply almost deafened me. “Pirates! Under attack! Mayday, may—”

The words were cut off mid-broadcast, and my blaster was in my hand so fast there wasn’t even a blur. Mentally, I grabbed every strand of life force that wasn’t connected to a Buri in deep sleep, and gave them a hard yank. From all over the village they spilled into the open, and I spotted Thor charging out from the trees.

“Into the caves! Get them into the caves! We’re under attack!”

Roaring orders, Thor sent the Buri scrambling toward the jungle edging the sheer bluff wall, but it was already too late. From above, the air groaned with the high-pitched whistle of a laser cannon.

Going into overdrive, I grabbed Redfield, took five running steps, and threw us both to the ground, covering his body with mine. I’d barely completed the maneuver when the house he’d just exited exploded. Dust and debris shot everywhere, and I felt a hot stinging in my shoulder. I ignored it, knowing any wound would heal faster than I could check for damage, but I dropped back to normal speed in order to conserve energy. Then I was up and moving again.

Claudia. Damn. She was nowhere to be seen, so I swerved toward the stone building, screaming her name at the top of my lungs.

She came out at a run, blaster in hand, and I pointed toward the fleeing Buri as another building, this one on the far side of the village, disintegrated. “Go!”

By now, the first Buri had reached the trees, but there seemed to be some confusion. Those in the back were milling but going nowhere, and I saw Brownie’s mate looking frantically for her child, her face etched with fear as she screamed his name.

The blue of a crew uniform caught my attention and I looked around in time to see one of Dorn’s men step from the protection of the trees. A blaster was in his hand, and it was aimed right at Brownie’s little boy while the child stood frozen in fear.

I wasn’t the only one who’d seen them. Both Brownie and his mate were charging in their direction, but they were too far away. There was no way they could reach him in time.

Anger mixed with fear went through me like a nuclear flash fire, and before the emotion could settle, I was in overdrive, passing Brownie as though he were standing still. I could literally see the man’s finger tightening on the firing mechanism; see the hazy beam of energy erupt from the end of the blaster. And I knew there was only one thing I could do.

With an unprecedented burst of speed, I put myself between the child and the blast, felt it sear my side right above my hip. Then I was on the man, my fist hammering into his unprotected throat. The flesh gave, then the bones beneath as I crushed his windpipe.

I came out of overdrive as he collapsed to the ground, hands clutching his throat as he gasped for air and died, wondering why I wasn’t on the verge of shock from so much expended energy. And then realized the Limantti was feeding me a steady stream of power.

Grateful in spite of my previous reservations concerning the massive crystal, I turned and scooped up the child, ignoring the trickle of blood staining my jumpsuit crimson. I wasn’t dead, so I knew it was only a matter of time before the wound closed.

That didn’t stop it from burning like hell, though, and the soothing noises I made were almost as much for my own benefit as they were for the child, who clung to me so desperately.

All my protective instincts on high alert, I held him tightly until Brownie arrived, then winced as I handed the child to his father and pressed the heel of my hand to my side. Clutching his child forcefully to his chest, Brownie’s eyes widened as he took in the blood on my clothes. His head dipped in a bow, and even over the din of battle I heard his murmured “Shushanna.”

Didn’t look like Brownie would be giving me any more trouble, assuming we all lived through this attack.

I was turning to help the others when, out of the blue, Crigo streaked by us, gave a mighty push with his powerful hind legs, and went airborne. When he came down inside the jungle, I heard a man scream. I knew that voice. Crigo had finally taken his revenge on Frisk.

The sound of the man’s death broke off as quickly as it had started, but it told me what I needed to know. The survey team was blocking the Buri’s exit, keeping them pinned in the village so the pirates could finish the job for them. There was no other choice. We had to fight.

Thor had reached the same conclusion. Over the melee, I heard him shouting directions, and suddenly it seemed as if all the Buri were holding spears or swords.

Well, almost all. A man wearing the Dynatec uniform staggered from the trees and fell, an arrow embedded in his chest.

A blaster beam flickered from behind a tree, and the Buri holding the bow screamed.

Again, I reacted instinctively. My blaster was aimed at the tree before the Buri’s mouth opened, and I pulled the trigger. The laser drilled straight through the bole and nailed the man behind it.

All around me the fight degenerated into small islands of chaos as the Buri engaged the crew members one on one. Why the hell hadn’t Dynatec stayed in the trees and picked the Buri off one at a time? I paused to break the neck of a man about to plunge a knife into Junior’s back, then kept going, doing what I could for the Buri, who were weakening.

It had to be because they weren’t expecting the Buri to charge into the jungle so quickly. And they wouldn’t have, if not for Max’s warning.

Grief, hollow and black had welled inside me since the ship’s abrupt silence, but there was no time to mourn. I had to protect the Buri, if possible get between them and the crew members still taking cover in the jungle. They were the ones capable of doing the most damage with their blasters.

I fought my way closer and closer to the trees, noting both Redfield and Claudia were making good use of their weapons. Claudia was using hers to disable; Redfield was gleefully shooting to kill. Crigo was doing his part too, picking his targets and then pouncing before they knew he was there.

But the Dynatec crew members weren’t the only ones dying. I’d already felt two life force strands wink out, and others were weakening rapidly.

Dropping the woman in front of me with a well placed blow, I dove into the jungle. Where the hell was Thor? His strand was intact, but I realized I hadn’t heard or seen him in a while now.

Stay back.
His voice echoed in my head.
It is a trap. The Dorn female is waiting for you. There are three males with her.

Yeah, like that would slow me down.

Tell me exactly where they are in relation to you.
I’d already pinpointed his approximate location from his life-force strand, and began to move stealthily in his direction.

The Dorn is behind me with a weapon pointed at my back. She is as fast as you, wife.

That’s impossible. She’d have to be my kind of GEP to move like
—

A buzzing filled my head. Sweet Goddess. She wasn’t merely a clone, she was a GEP.

As I crept closer, circling to get behind them, I did the math. Zander Dorn had ordered her cloned through the black market. If there were enough money involved, Gertz would have jumped at the job. And there had undoubtedly been an obscene amount of money offered.

Add that to the file she kept on him, and I’d bet dollars to donuts Gertz had created her. And he wouldn’t have stopped at making her a GEP. The man was constitutionally unable to leave well enough alone. He would have tinkered with her DNA, just as he had mine.

This meant I had no idea what she was capable of doing. She was at least ten cycles older than me, though, so I could only hope Gertz was still perfecting his technique when he made her.

Where are the men?
I asked Thor.

Hiding in the jungle around us
. He sent me a mental image of their approximate locations.