Alien Skies, page 18
part #3 of Wakanreo Series
Kamuhi smiled. “How long have you known him?”
“About five months. Anyway, I wasn’t even going to tell you that part. The thing is, I’ve requested and gotten a transfer to Wisuta. In a couple of months, I’ll be working out of the Commander’s Office there in an Admin position. My enlistment is up in less than two years, so most likely they’ll let me finish my time at that post.”
“I thought you were going to re-up?” Kamuhi said.
Joenne shook her head. “Not anymore. We’re getting married after I transfer. Once my enlistment is up, I’m out of uniform for good.”
“So will Prouh get command of Yiangliun?”
“I’m putting him in for it. I think it’ll go through. That’s what I wanted to ask you, Hailoaka. Do you want Security?”
“What?” Kamuhi was surprised. “Are you asking me if I want to be the Security Officer?”
Joenne nodded. “It would almost certainly mean a rank increase. They bumped me from sub-lieutenant to lieutenant for this position. You’re only an ensign now. They might make you a sub-lieutenant or they might go all the way and make you an acting lieutenant for a while and see how you do.”
Kamuhi didn’t have to think it over for long. “I like what I’m doing now. I enjoy sparring with Prouh and the others, but the technical side of Security leaves me cold. I have no interest in security systems at all, and that’s a big part of the job. Here in Yiangliun, the base is so small that there are only three security people and the systems are totally automated.”
“But you know all that,” Joenne said. “When I was the Liaison Officer, I had almost no idea what the Security Office consisted of or what they did. You do.”
“I was in Security for a few months before I went to OPI,” Kamuhi said. “I enjoyed it then. It was a big base and often working Security meant working with people, from crowd control to calming down drunks and breaking up fights. Here in Yiangliun, Prouh almost never gets to do that. Besides,” Kamuhi said, leaning back in his chair, “I don’t think they’d give it to me even if you put me in for it.”
“Why not? I could give you a very good recommendation.”
“Because I’m pretty sure the first thing I’d see if I took over the Security Office was a notation to keep an eye on my family.”
Joenne was startled. “What?”
“As you once pointed out,” Kamuhi said, “my wife’s family is very conspicuous on Wakanreo. For a few years, Yulayan and her brother were the only half Wakanreans there were. Also, they’re both parundai, along with her father, and you know very well what that means.” Kamuhi looked at his commander reflectively. “Are you sure you haven’t seen a Security notation on us?”
“I wouldn’t have seen it unless I asked. Things like that go straight to Prouh.”
“Well, keep in mind that somewhere on Wakanreo there’s a man who still considers Yulayan his shahgunrahai. I know you know about it, because you mentioned her terminating shahgunrah my first day here. I’m sure Prouh has been alerted to keep an eye out for him.” He sat up straighter in his chair. “Try suggesting to Prouh that I replace him in Security, and I’ll bet he gives you that heavy frown and says it might not be a good idea.”
“I’ll do that,” Joenne said. “But keep it in mind anyway. Even if you have an alert in your file, that wouldn’t preclude your taking the job, even if it made it a little awkward. Remember, you’ve got to do time in Military as well as Admin if you want to get your ticket punched.”
“What ticket?”
“For command. You’re a natural for command, Kam, but you’ve got to do time in both branches. I was in Military before I came here, and Prouh was in Admin for a while.
Kamuhi shook his head. “I’m not ambitious for command. That’s not why I signed on with ThreeCon.”
Joenne chuckled. “You may not want it, but I’ll lay some credits that before your time is up, you’ll have it. ThreeCon doesn’t like to waste talent.”
“That’s very flattering, Lieutenant, but I think the competition is steep enough that I don’t have to worry.”
“We’ll see,” was all Joenne would say.
TWELVE days later, Kamuhi and Yulayan got Malia ready for another trip to Wisuta. The regularly scheduled ThreeCon transport would get them there in plenty of time for the service. Taking it meant that Kamuhi would have to travel in uniform, but Yulayan preferred that to asking her parents to provide a flyter.
Malia was happy when Kamuhi climbed into the transport behind her. “Daddy came, too!” she said. “I’m going to see Paquain, and he’ll let me play with all of his toys.”
Kamuhi smiled at his daughter as she looked out the window. She had made strides in learning grammar recently. He glanced at Yulayan and saw that she was watching him and not Malia.
He raised his eyebrows. “See something interesting?”
She nodded. “I was just thinking; I never asked you if you wanted a child.”
Kamuhi laughed out loud. “It’s a little late for that, sweetheart.”
“I know. I was just remembering the time when the doctor told us I was pregnant.”
Kamuhi had rather grim memories of that time himself. “Why were you thinking of that?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking of how much it meant to my grandfather that Kifarao and I were parundai. And then I remembered how my father was so adamant about my having the baby, even if it had turned out to be Inchauro’s instead of yours, because any child of mine would be a parundai.”
“I would have loved her just as much, Yulayan. You know that.”
“I do, Kam. But we were lucky. We had one bit of luck and she was ours, yours and mine.” She took his hand. “But because of the way it happened, I never asked you if you were ready to be a father.”
Kamuhi smiled. “How can you really be ready for something like that? It’s not like they have boot camp for parents. You don’t get a chance to really practice.”
Yulayan smiled back. “That’s not what I meant exactly, Kam. I guess I mean did you feel ready to finish with that stage of your life where you were free from worry and responsibility?”
Kamuhi moved so that he was sitting next to her and put his arm around her. “You’re so introspective all of a sudden. I’m several years older than you are, guisha. Shouldn’t I be asking you if you were ready?”
Yulayan shook her head. “Wakanreans grow up with the idea that they don’t have a lot of choice about things like that. We don’t think of it the same way.”
“Well, I don’t know that Terrans always have a lot of choice, either. I didn’t plan on falling in love with you. It just happened.”
“I know, Kam. I didn’t plan on it myself.”
Kamuhi chuckled and put his arm around her. “Just because we didn’t plan on it, doesn’t mean we didn’t want it. Stop worrying about it, Yulayan. I love you and I love Malia. That’s what matters.”
THE first thing Kamuhi saw when the transport set down at the ThreeCon landing port in Wisuta was Jared Harlengin standing by the end of the ramp. Like Kamuhi, he wore his ThreeCon uniform. When Kamuhi stepped out of the transport, he came to attention and saluted.
Jared returned the salute while Yulayan looked on in surprise.
“Do you really have to do that, Kam?” she asked. “It’s just Jared.”
Jared gave a bark of laughter. “If I ever get a swollen ego, Yulayan, I’ll come to you to shrink it. Yes, he has to. On Wakanreo, everyone in a ThreeCon uniform salutes me, Admin branch or not.”
He smiled at Malia. “She’s growing as fast as a weed after a rainstorm.”
Malia ducked her head against Kamuhi’s chest, but she stared in fascination at the gold epaulets on Jared’s shoulders.
Jared chuckled. “The uniform gets them every time.” He picked up Yulayan’s bag. It wasn’t heavy because of the anti-grav pad in the bottom, but he wouldn’t let her carry it.
“Are you staying out at the house?” he asked.
Yulayan shook her head. “No, there are too many relatives there already. We’re staying in the city with Kifarao and Juoam.”
It seemed to Kamuhi that Jared frowned slightly. “All right,” he said. “Why don’t I give you a lift to the hall, and then take you to your brother’s place after the service.”
It struck Kamuhi as a curious suggestion. Was there some reason Jared didn’t think they should go to Kifarao and Juoam’s apartment until later?
Yulayan gave Kamuhi an inquiring look.
“It’s fine with me,” he said, “so long as you don’t mind me attending the memorial service in my uniform.”
She glanced at Jared. “I don’t think that’s a problem.” She pulled out her com. “Thanks, Jared. I’ll let Farao know we’re going straight there so they don’t wait for us.”
Jared nodded as he flicked on his wrist com. “And I’ll call Lian to tell her we’re on our way to pick her up.” Seconds later, his wife answered, and Jared explained the change of plan in two succinct sentences.
Kamuhi didn’t comment as they started for the terminal, but he noticed that there were two people in ThreeCon uniforms with the red sash of Security waiting for them at the entrance. He reminded himself that Jared always travelled with Security personnel in attendance. But then he remembered that Jared had seemed relaxed until they said they were going to Juoam’s apartment and not Kuaron’s house. Juoam’s apartment building was near the city center, unlike the sprawling suburban compound where Yulayan’s parents lived. And it didn’t have any security, while the walled compound had the best systems civilians could buy.
Kamuhi told himself he was making something out of nothing, but he couldn’t shake an odd sense of unease.
YULAYAN looked around the hall where the service was to be held. It was a huge open space, built in a semicircle with a slightly raised platform in the middle. Kuaron was standing on the platform, facing the seats when Yulayan walked up the aisle toward him.
“Hello, Ayzanai,” she said, walking up the steps to give him a quick embrace, Her father hugged her back.
“Are you remembering all the times you performed here?” she asked
Kuaron shook his head. “Not really,” he said, leading her down the steps. “I was thinking how much my father discouraged me from becoming a qatraharai. He was so worried I’d end up on a street corner—starving to death, most likely. It wasn’t until I had established a comfortable reputation that he stopped badgering me to learn another profession, just in case.”
Yulayan smiled. “He was always sure he knew best. But eventually, he learned to let you make your own decisions.”
“Yes,” Kuaron said, smiling. “And it wasn’t until you and your brother were grown that I understood how hard it was for him to do that—how hard it is for any parent to let go.” He looked across the room at his own small granddaughter. Kamuhi was walking her around the hall and pointing out the murals on the walls. It was easy to spot him because his ThreeCon uniform made him stand out in the crowd. “Are you sure Malia is old enough for this? It’s a long service.”
“Kamuhi and I talked about it on the way here. We decided to see how she does. If she gets restive, he’ll take her to the park down the street and wait for me there.”
Kuaron nodded agreement. “Good. It’s always best to be prepared.”
Dina came over from the clump of relatives with whom she had been speaking and also embraced Yulayan. “Kuaron,” she said, “the Planetary Administrator is arriving. Shouldn’t you greet her?”
“Yes,” Kuaron said. “I wanted to be sure to thank her for agreeing to do the remembrance. It would have pleased my father to know that she would be the one to do it.”
Yulayan watched as her father went over to the entrance and bowed to the tall woman who was arriving. He showed her to her seat at the front of the hall, and then came back to where Yulayan and her mother still stood.
“We should sit now,” he said. “It’s almost time to start.”
He led the way to the front row; his aunts and uncles and cousins were already seated in the second and third rows. Yulayan signaled to Kamuhi, who took a seat at the end of first row where he could easily slip out the side aisle with Malia, if needed. Kifarao and Juoam were in the seats next to them, with their little boy Paquain between them. Malia looked happy to see her cousin.
Jared and Lian sat in the back rows. This was one time when family took precedence over both friendship and rank.
The hall filled up rapidly. Soon all the seats were taken and people were standing at the back. Juzao Sadoc had been well respected. He had been Planetary Administrator for over twenty years and had earned a reputation for getting things done.
At the appointed hour, Foujhon Garun, the current Administrator, rose and walked up the steps to the center of the platform. She waited for the audience to be silent, and then she spoke, relating the story of Juzao Sadoc’s life. She described his meeting his shahgunrahai as a young man, his decision to go into government service, his career as administrator and then finally as a teacher. She credited him with helping to bring Wakanreo more fully into the Third Confederation and with increasing tolerance for non-Wakanreans.
When she had finished and left the podium, there was a polite silence. One of Kuaron’s uncles rose and related an incident from Juzao’s youth, when Juzao had helped a young cousin who had gotten into trouble. When he was done, another cousin of Juzao’s stood up and talked about how Juzao had always enjoyed a party. He related a story about the two of them going out in the evening intending to go to a friend’s house and ending up in another city altogether.
There were so many people who had something to say that it took rather a long time. Yulayan could see Malia kicking her heels in her seat when Kuaron walked up the steps to sing the memorial rites. He turned to face the audience.
Kuaron waited for silence and then he began to sing. The first rite was about birth. It was a slow, dreamy kind of melody at first. Kuaron’s voice might not be able to sing the more demanding qatrahs anymore, but he had no trouble filling the hall with the sweet, pure, tenor notes of the simple rite. As the words reflected the joy of childhood, the rhythm became faster, the melody more upbeat, and Kuaron’s voice changed with it to a deeper baritone.
Yulayan stole a glance at the end of row. Malia looked restive. She sighed. There was still a long way to go in the rites,
KAMUHI was impressed. He had never heard his father-in-law sing. The few times he had heard the qatrahs performed, they hadn’t appealed to him. Now, however, the power of a qatraharai-trained voice came through in a way that moved him more than the exotic effects of the qatrahs ever had.
Malia began to fidget and pull on Kamuhi’s sleeve. Her cousin Paquain, only a few seats away, was a model of quiet rectitude. It would be better to take Malia out of the hall for a while. If she could run around for a few minutes, she might be able to settle down enough to come back later. Either way, Kamuhi didn’t want her to spoil the service for Yulayan or her family.
Kamuhi bent over and waved at Yulayan, and motioned that he was leaving. He took his daughter by the hand, and they walked down the aisle and out the side door as inconspicuously as possible.
Kamuhi was surprised to see two Wakanreans in the uniform of the municipal police, and six people in ThreeCon uniforms and red security sashes, waiting outside the doors. Of the six, one was Miloran, one Shuratanian, and the other four were Terrans.
The Miloran was in front of the door. He glanced at Kamuhi’s liaison officer’s insignia as he saluted and stepped out of Kamuhi’s way.
“Is there a problem, Corporal?” Kamuhi asked him after he returned the salute.
The man shook his head. “No, sir. It’s just that the Commander was worried about demonstrators. Some of the qatorglynai were threatening to make a fuss at the service.”
Kamuhi debated about taking Malia to the park. He looked down the street and saw nothing unusual, no crowds, no demonstrators. The park itself was visible from where he stood. Kamuhi decided that it would be safe to go ahead with the plan, and he headed for the park.
He was disconcerted when he noticed that two of the ThreeCon security staff, the Miloran and one of the Terrans, were following at a discrete distance behind him.
Kamuhi stopped abruptly and turned around. “Why are you following us?”
“The PC’s orders, sir,” the Miloran corporal said. “He mentioned you, specifically, you and the little girl.”
Again Kamuhi hesitated. He glanced at their stun guns and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to have them keeping an eye on things. Malia tugged on his hand, and he let her pull him along.
When they got to the park, Malia ran around on the lawn and smelled all the flowers. There was a small fountain, and she splashed in it until Kamuhi made her stop because she was getting too wet. A woman and a little boy came by with a pet guisha and Malia went over to pat it. Kamuhi stayed close by so she couldn’t dart off after the animal if it ran away. The two ThreeCon security staff stayed a few meters behind him the whole time.
After a while, Kamuhi looked back down the street toward the hall; the service seemed to be over. There were people coming out of the doors at the front and at the sides of the building. Kamuhi called to Malia, but she didn’t want to leave the guisha. Finally, he took her by the hand and told her she had to leave now. When the woman and little boy walked away, Malia stopped fussing.
They were halfway there when Kamuhi heard the shouting. There were angry yells; something made a loud popping noise. It reminded Kamuhi of the shock bombs they used in ThreeCon training. Something was very wrong. The Security guards tried to get in front of him, but Kamuhi picked up his daughter and ran down the street as fast as he could go. Smoke was pouring out of the doors of the hall and people were running into the street. A flyter set down, and a ThreeCon security team spilled out and took up positions around the building.
Jared was kneeling on the wide front steps. Kamuhi could see what looked like a Wakanrean body—no two bodies—stretched out on the pavement. Jared rolled one body over and Kamuhi could see that it was Kuaron.
