Peace World Page 19

  As any good engineer would, Gee put his mind to thinking about weapons that could be created using simple items. He didn't begin with the notion of needing a weapon, just with a question of "what are the possibilities?" It did not take him long to come up with an idea, and he requested some simple items be delivered to his room. Thirty minutes later, Gee had turned them into passable versions of what he envisioned. Pleased that the idea was sound, Gee waited anxiously for the next sparring session. The following morning, he got his chance.

  He sat quietly as Arok and Teng went through their daily training rituals. This morning's class was on the use of their feet as weapons. After an hour of back-and-forth sparring, with oversight provided by their mother, the boys finally finished. Satisfied that their session was concluded, Gee politely asked Rala if he could show them what he had been working on. The Minith mother quickly agreed.

  As the three aliens watched with attentive silence, Gee laid out a long, thin, flexible staff made up of a native wood. Beside the long staff, he laid out three shorter, slimmer versions. When the staffs were arranged, he drew a thin cord from his pocket and attached it to one end of the long staff. Once the cord was attached, Gee placed the tied end on the ground and bent the staff as far as the flexibility in the wood would allow. He then attached the cord to the other end. In this manner, he created a crude, but effective, bow.

  Gee then pointed to one of the cactus-like plants that surrounded the sparring field and notched one of the shorter staffs onto the cord of the bow. He pulled the cord back and aimed carefully at the plant. When he released the cord, the makeshift arrow flew quickly in the direction of the plant. It missed the mark by several feet, but the show impressed his audience. Teng and Arok stomped their feet and shouted.

  Rala, however, was less than happy, and when Gee picked up a second arrow, she interceded.

  "Stop!"

  After years serving the Minith as a slave on a mothership, Gee was familiar with the tone they used to convey an order. He immediately ceased nocking the bow and turned to the alien mother. Despite the boys' apparent glee at his demonstration, Rala's body language showed anger, worry, and a hint of fear.

  His initial moment of confusion was suddenly overpowered by a touch of clarity. He was a human. He had a weapon in his hands. A Minith mother and her two offspring were within striking distance. He dropped the bow and arrow as if scalded.

  The arrows weren't sharpened; they were basically just sticks that could be fired from the bow. And his attempt at shooting the plant showed how inaccurate they were. On top of that, the thought of shooting at the Minith had never occurred to him. The idea, now that it had been put into his head, both appalled and frightened him. But Rala could not know that.

  She had quickly dismissed him, but demanded he leave the bow and arrows behind. He had slouched away, certain that his actions had just committed him to never leaving his room—his cell—again.

  That had been ten days ago, and to his disbelief, he had been invited to practice the very next day. The surprises continued when, at the conclusion of the practice, Rala asked him to work on the weapon, perfect it for her sons' use.

  A week later, the improved bow was finished and both boys had incorporated it into their personal arsenals and their training. Unfortunately for Gee, the boredom returned with the weapon's completion.

  Now, waiting in his room to be summoned to the day's lesson, he wondered what else he could do to fill the empty hours.

  * * *

  Rala marched confidently down the corridor to the outer courtyard. This was the best part of her day—being with her sons as they trained to become warriors. Planning how to wrest control of their race from the incompetence of Governor Truk and his cronies took ninety-five percent of her concentration and focus. The remaining five percent she dedicated to her sons, and that time together did more than cement their family bond. It also cleansed her mind of the detritus that accompanied the political manipulations required of her position, and prepared her palate for the next round. These few hours with Arok and Teng made the rest of her day bearable.

  The training periods also gave her an opportunity to observe and study the human male. Like most Minith, she had heard the stories—humans were meek, easily controlled animals, with no will to determine their own destiny. But those stories did not fit with what she had seen from her office window as the human attackers fought their way through thousands of trained soldiers. The stories did not explain their willingness to destroy an entire planet of sentient beings. She wondered if others recognized this dichotomy. From her discussions with Truk and most of the military with whom she interacted, she knew most of her kind did not fully comprehend what the humans were capable of accomplishing. They were not merely sheep, satisfied with their place as slaves in service to a superior race. No, they were able and willing to rise up against their superiors when given an opportunity.

  The need to understand humans was what kept Rala from turning the male over to Truk. Gee was an intriguing being. He seemed genuinely afraid of showing any form of self-aggression, which conformed to what she had always heard about humans. The incident with the bow was a good example. He had held the weapon and could have easily turned its use toward her or her sons, but he had not. His hiding in the closet of her building while his fellow warriors fought was another example. On the other hand, he'd had no objection to creating the weapon, or observing her sons as they practiced their fighting. If anything, he proved that humans were complex beings who could not be neatly placed into a single descriptive bucket.

  She stopped at the human's cell and rapped lightly.

  "Yes," came the muted reply.

  "It is time for the boys' training. Your presence is required in the courtyard."

  "Of course."

  Rala turned and walked away, confident that he would allow her to reach the courtyard first, and then follow shortly behind. The male's assignment to the mothership on Earth had its advantages. His knowledge of Minith customs and language made his absorption into her household much easier. He understood that she ruled here, and his only role was to obey her commands. His intelligence, and the knowledge that he was under her protection, helped solidify their relationship.

  Despite the fact that his cell was never locked, the male understood his situation. He was trapped on a planet of Minith—all who hated humans. Where could he possibly go?

  CHAPTER 30

  The small group waited patiently just inside one of the see-through viewing doors that the Waa—and now the Minith—used in most of their buildings. There were only a couple of Minith visible on the street outside, and they were moving away in opposite directions. As soon as the street was clear, they would move across the wide street and over the ten-foot wall on the other side. With luck, they would not be seen. As the sole force against an entire world of hostile enemies, stealth and invisibility were requirements—not only for their own survival, but for the survival of Gee and the other humans being held by the Minith. Any slip-up here would lead to a quick and certain capture, or death.

  None of them knew what waited on the other side of the far wall, but the Waa told them that was where Gee was being held. So, that's where they were going. They would just have to deal with whatever they found. Not ideal, but neither was leaving the engineer where he was.

  They were short on firepower and ammunition, having only what they were carrying when they fled the Minith attack. Conway and Titan each held the standard rifles they had carried into the initial battle. Combined, they had less than three hundred rounds of ammunition left. Grant, having lost his weapon when he was wounded, carried Patahbay's pulse weapon, which retained a little more than half its full charge—which was still substantial. Patahbay had insisted on giving the general the weapon, and Grant had not argued. The Telgorans, while fearsome warriors at hand-to-hand, had not proven themselves very effective with the rifles they had been issued. During the previous battle, he had watched more than one of the warriors use
the weapon as little more than a club against the Minith.

  Patahbay now carried only his agsel staff, and Grant felt that the master dindin fighter was pleased to be rid of the human weapon. The four other Telgorans wielded similar agsel staffs, but at Grant's insistence, still toted their pulse rifles. Even if they did nothing more than use them as bludgeons, the weapons would be good to have on hand if—when—he, Conway, or Titan ran out of ammo.

  Grant watched the last alien turn a far corner and did a final scan. No Minith were in sight. Now was as good a time as any.

  "Let's go," he said and pushed through the door.

  The much-quicker Telgorans reached the wall first and set up according to Grant's instructions. Two of the rifle-bearing warriors trained their weapons toward opposite ends of the road while two others crouched down and faced each other, their hands held low. As Grant watched, Patahbay jumped into the waiting hands and was launched skyward. The two Telgorans scuttled a meter to the right and crouched again. He didn't wait to see if the alien fighter made it over the wall because it was suddenly his turn. Without breaking stride, he jumped into the waiting hands—one booted foot for each set. He had time to bend his knees slightly, then, like Patahbay before him, he was launched up and over the ten-foot wall.

  At the pinnacle of his brief flight, he scanned the other side while also preparing his body for the upcoming landing.

  Open courtyard.

  Hard-packed dirt.

  Gee.

  Three Minith—one pointing a bow and arrow at Patahbay.

  His mind processed the last just as he struck the ground and began moving into his PLF, or parachute landing fall. Although he hadn't jumped from a plane in more than six hundred years, the landing technique was ingrained into his body and brain. With his legs together and knees bent, he counted off the steps as he rolled sideways: balls of the feet, calf, thigh, buttocks, push-up muscle.

  He swung his legs around, completing the move, and raised his weapon. But he was too late.

  The arrow was already in flight.

  * * *

  To say that the unexpected appearance of a Telgoran dropping over the wall surprised Rala would be an understatement. This was her home and refuge—the place where she felt most secure. Her imagination, at its wildest, could never have come up with this scenario. Before she had an opportunity to recognize the situation for what it was, it got even wilder.

  A human had also popped up from the other side of the outer wall, and as she watched in stunned silence, began dropping into her courtyard as well.

  Though it seemed like much longer, her inability to comprehend what was taking place lasted less than two seconds. When she was finally able to react to the threat, her first coherent thought was for the safety of Teng and Arok.

  That's when she noticed that Arok, who was taking his turn practicing with the bow, had shifted his aim to the left of the target they had set against the wall. Before she could stop her oldest son, the already nocked and drawn arrow left the bow.

  * * *

  An apparition dropped from the air and Gee flinched, unconsciously stepping backward and away from the ghostly sight. But just as quickly, he recognized the apparition for what it really was—a Telgoran. And not just any Telgoran. Somehow, Patahbay had found his way to where Gee was being held.

  The recognition was followed a moment later by another. Grant was now dropping into the courtyard beside his gray-skinned friend.

  That recognition was followed immediately by yet another. Arok had trained his weapon on the duo and had fired his arrow.

  "Oh, no…"

  * * *

  Patahbay landed on both feet and raised his agsel staff in a defensive posture, ready for anything. He noticed the human, Gee, and a larger Minith standing off to the right, twenty meters away. The alien appeared to be unarmed.

  Two smaller aliens were ten meters away and he turned his focus to them, his mind automatically calculating potential threats and defenses. He immediately assessed them as being younger Minith, not yet adults, but recognized that each held weapons. Though still young, they were the threat, not the older one standing with Gee.

  One of the younger Minith held a crude staff that seemed to be formed from some type of organic matter. It was no match for the agsel staff that came to life within his own grip, the ore suddenly aware, anxious for immediate use.

  The second young alien—the larger, and likely older of the pair—held some form of stringed weapon. Patahbay had not time to wonder how it worked before he saw exactly how it operated. The string held a straight shaft, and when the young Minith released is hold upon it, the tension in the string launched the shaft toward Patahbay.

  He saw immediately that the aim was true, and the shaft flashed quickly toward his body.

  Seemingly of its own volition, the agsel staff reacted to the threat and—

  * * *

  —swatted the wooden missile, redirecting its flight away and to the right. The arrow landed dead center in the target they had set up for the boys.

  "Amazing," Gee whispered. What had seemed to be a certain strike had been casually swatted away like an irritating moth.

  "Arok, stop!"

  * * *

  The boy heard her command and immediately stopped nocking his second arrow.

  "Drop the bow." Again, he did as his mother ordered. The bow, and the second arrow he had been readying, fell to the hard-packed surface of the courtyard.

  The first arrow had been sent toward the alien instinctively, she knew. That one might be overlooked by the Telgoran or the human—humans, she corrected, as two more quickly dropped over the wall and joined the first. A second arrow would no doubt result in one or more of the growing group of interlopers firing their hand-held weapons at her oldest child.

  Fortunately, no one fired, and she was both grateful and relieved.

  * * *

  Grant was within a hair's width of completing the trigger pull when the boy did as the other, obviously older Minith demanded and dropped his bow. Although it seemed like Patahbay had deflected the first arrow easily enough, he did not know how much of the move—which was very impressive—was luck versus skill. Regardless, there was no way he was going to allow the big-eared alien to take another try.

  He was satisfied to cover the group arrayed before him as the rest of the team crossed the wall. Titan landed hard a few meters away, but everyone else made it without any issues.

  "Any Minith see us cross?" he asked Patahbay, the designated spokesman for his crew.

  "Not that we could determine, General."

  "Excellent. Let's hope you're right." Grant lowered his weapon and finally stood. "Gee, old buddy. How're you doing?"

  "I'm doing better now that I know I'm not the only human on Waa. But I still think we're in a very bad situation."

  Grant had to laugh. They were indeed.

  "What, eight humans against a planet full of Minith? I think we've got 'em right where we want 'em, don't you?

  "Not likely," the engineer replied, obviously not in the mood for Grant's weak attempt at lightening the situation. "Titan, are you okay?"

  The big man was still on the ground, tenderly probing his right ankle.

  "Just a sprain, I think," he answered with a grimace. "It's not every day I get tossed into the air like a child's toy. It's good to see you, though."

  "General, can we stop the chitchat and get on with the matter at hand?" As usual, Conway was the voice of seriousness—if not maturity. It's one of the things Grant liked most about her. She grounded those around her.

  "No problem, Sergeant Conway," Grant agreed. "Gee, we came to save your ass from the Minith, but it looks like you're doing okay. What exactly is going on here?"

  The adult Minith standing beside the engineer apparently wanted to know the same thing.

  "Gee, what do these aliens want?" she asked Gee in Minith.

  "Who are you calling an alien?" Grant asked, his Minith every bit as good as hers. H
e was rewarded with a twitch of ear, which he knew indicated surprise. She had apparently not expected him to speak the local language.

  "Rala, this is Grant. Grant, Rala." Gee answered them both with an introduction. He nodded his head knowingly at Grant, who looked at the female first, then at the two younger Minith. She had called the larger one Arok.

  "Treel's Rala?"

  "Amazing, isn't it?"

  CHAPTER 31

  "So, you're proposing an alliance?"

  "I wouldn't call it an alliance, Grant. 'Alliance' infers a certain sense of… equality. You and your small team are hardly in a position of strength here on Waa. I am offering you my protection against harm from any Minith that might wish you ill once they learn of your presence here."

  "I'm listening," he stated without committing to any agreement or course of action.

  Grant had listened carefully as Treel's wife—mate—explained her plans for taking over the governor's role. She seemed anxious to finally share her plans with someone else, even if that someone else was a human. Grant was not surprised that she would plan to overthrow her governor—the need for dominating their environment was a Minith trait. What was surprising was her seemingly unquestioned reliance on the guidance and direction she received from another race. Although Rala described her relationship with the Zrthns as a partnership, it felt an awful lot like influence peddling to Grant. He couldn't help but wonder if she was being manipulated for the benefit of her "partners."

  He wasn't sure why she had opened up to him. Maybe it was true what the Waa said about Minith being slightly lower on the "intelligence scale." Perhaps it was because she knew he, as a human, was in no position to share her secrets with anyone. Or perhaps it was because they shared a bond.