Alien Skies, page 22
part #3 of Wakanreo Series
“You had a reading limit?” Jared asked.
“Yes. I wasn’t supposed to read more than twenty-five hours a week.”
“So your idea of kicking over the traces was to sneak an extra hour or two reading under the bedcovers?”
Kamuhi grinned ruefully and nodded. “It got worse when I was older.”
Jared was frankly curious. “How did you do with girls?”
“Terribly,” Kamuhi said, with equal frankness. “I was much taller than any of them, and I grew so fast that I was skinny, too. And since I wasn’t in school, we had next to nothing to talk about. When I did get a chance to meet a girl, I usually became totally inarticulate. I’m sure they thought I was unusually stupid.”
“So you wanted to get away?”
“Yes,” Kamuhi said. “I signed a contract with ThreeCon the day after I turned eighteen.”
Jared shook his head. “It doesn’t fit. You’ve just described someone who ought to be awkward and shy, and you’re not. What happened?”
“I made myself over into a new person. Once I left Terra and started working, it helped that my abilities finally matched my chronological age.”
“And you weren’t shy with women any more, either?”
Kamuhi grinned as he thought about it. “That didn’t happen buy itself. I studied how people interact, and I made myself change. And once I was working, I at least had something to talk about.”
“Well,” said Jared, “you’re not a teenager anymore, Kam. You’re going to have to learn to control your temper. If you had pulled that stunt in front of anyone, I’d have had to reprimand you.”
Kamuhi nodded. “I know. Lieutenant Guhlhan tried to drill that into me, so I should know better by now.”
Jared took a deep breath. “Remember that, because I have something to tell you that may make you go ballistic.”
“What?” Kamuhi said, sitting up. “Are you moving me somewhere else? We just unpacked.”
“It’s nothing like that. How much do you know about the Disciples of Paruian?”
“Not that much,” said Kamuhi candidly. “The one part of a culture that doesn’t hold all that much interest for me is religion. Why?”
“Did you know that the Disciples are a formal religion? They don’t just preach a reverence for Paruian as a prophet of peace and a benefactor of her people. They believe she was divine, and they worship her.”
“I did know that. And I’ve met a few of them. Yulayan informed them when we were getting married and they sent a Disciple to the wedding. She didn’t look too happy about the proceedings, as I recall.”
Jared nodded. “I remember her being there. Anyway, the Disciples have always been the ones to keep track of everyone who qualifies as a parundai. When a parundai becomes shahgunrahai with someone, the Disciples make a record of it. When they’re notified that the parundai has had a child, they send a messenger with a heicha engraved with the mark of Paruian as a sign that the child is also accepted as a parundai. Kuaron and Dina told them when the twins were born, and I know Juoam and Kifarao did so when they had their little boy. You and Yulayan didn’t do that, did you?”
Kamuhi shook his head. “I wouldn’t have minded, but Yulayan didn’t want to—I think because it was so much harder for her to make friends because she was a parundai. She saw it as a burden, and she didn’t want Malia to have it.”
“Well,” said Jared, “they know about her now. Have you ever heard the legend of the Trishenhai?”
Kamuhi frowned at the word. “The savior?”
“It translates that way,” Jared said. “Some of the more mystically inclined followers of the Disciples believe that Paruian will live again someday. They think she’ll come back to help her people when they’re in distress.”
Kamuhi looked blank. “What has this got to do with me or Yulayan?”
“The thing is, Kam, Juzao Sadoc was a devout follower of the Disciples. That’s one reason he was so hung up on Kuaron and the twins being parundai. It meant a lot to him. And toward the end there, he wasn’t always coherent.”
“What are you leading up to, Jared?”
Jared sighed again. “Word has gotten out among the followers of the Disciples that Juzao Sadoc took one look at Malia and pronounced her the Trishenhai. Some of them believe she’s Paruian come again.”
“What?” Kamuhi was astounded. “That is utterly ridiculous! She doesn’t even look Wakanrean.”
“Don’t make light of it, Kam. They’re quite serious. A lot of Wakanreans believe a person has special powers of insight when he’s near death. That’s not a belief that’s limited to the Disciples, either.”
“How do you know all this?”
“It’s come in through several of our usual intelligence sources. We monitor public opinion—gossip, rumors, everything—because of the qatorglynai. This belief is gaining ground among a limited segment of the Wakanrean population.”
“Why haven’t you mentioned it before?”
“I was waiting to see if it would die out or not. Since it doesn’t look like it will, I was going to talk to you after the memorial service, but we never got the chance. One reason I’m bringing it up now is that there’s a rumor that the Disciples will ask Yulayan to present Malia to them formally as a parundai. You’d better talk to her, kid. Let her know what’s going on. This isn’t going to be an easy situation.”
Kamuhi frowned. “Some Wakanrean fanatics think my toddler is the messiah? My God, Jared, I don’t even know whether I should be worried or not. I don’t know how Yulayan will take it either.” He had another thought. “Have you told Kuaron?”
Jared shook his head. “I don’t know if he knows or not. I was hoping you’d tell Yulayan, and she’d tell her parents.”
Kamuhi stood up. “I’d better go talk to her now.” He stood thinking for a second and then sighed. “I never thought I’d look fondly back on boot camp, but life was simpler then.”
Jared laughed. “We all feel that sooner or later, kid.” He pulled open a desk drawer and took out something small.
“These were mine,” he said, cupping whatever it was in one hand. “I noticed you don’t have them yet and it’ll save you having to requisition them.”
He laid them on the table and Kamuhi could see they were ensign’s bars. He picked them up.
“Thanks, Jared,” he said, and he pinned them on his collar. “I appreciate the thought.”
Chapter Fifteen
When Kamuhi told Yulayan Jared’s news, her reaction mirrored his. She wasn’t actually angry, but she wasn’t pleased, either.
“What should we do, Kam?” she said. “If the Disciples do contact us, should we let them see Malia or not?”
“I don’t really know either, guisha,” he admitted. “My first thought was to let them meet her so they’d see that she doesn’t look very Wakanrean, but I don’t know for sure if that would dissuade them. Religious fanatics aren’t known for their logic.”
Yulayan decided to speak to her parents the next day. Kamuhi reminded her about checking in when she left the base. The next morning, he reported for duty at the Security Office.
Captain Drushachh shu Wahl seemed quite willing to welcome him; when Kamuhi arrived in the Security area, she invited him into her office and shut the door.
“Relax, Ensign,” she said, waving Kamuhi to a chair. “I like to start out with a clean monitor so let’s get it all out in the open. You didn’t ask for this assignment, and I didn’t ask for you. I wanted a second in command with some experience. The word I got was, I get you or I get nobody. Not surprisingly, I took you.”
She paused but Kamuhi didn’t say anything.
“Does it bother you to hear that?” she asked.
Kamuhi shook his head. “No, ma’am. I don’t have that much experience in Security—none as an officer. Furthermore, I have the added liability of a half-Wakanrean wife. You certainly know about that complication, since you helped to rescue her. Also, since Commander Harlengin considers me a potential target, that makes me someone Security has to keep track of. I wouldn’t have picked me either.”
The Shuratanian’s ears twitched. “That’s honest, at any rate. Don’t worry about the fact that we’re tracking you, though. If anything, having you work here just makes that easier. I wish everyone I had to worry about reported to me. There have been times I wished I could order the Commander to be more circumspect.”
It took Kamuhi a second to parse her comment. “Are you saying that you want Commander Harlengin to report in when he leaves the base, and he won’t do it?”
She shook her head. “It’s not that bad. Ever since that attack a few years ago, he has at least ceased wandering around Wisuta alone. He’s got two transponders, too. I insisted on that. It’s just that sometimes when he tells me his destination, I don’t like the sound of it. Now,” she said briskly, “let’s hear your side. Why wouldn’t you have asked for this assignment?”
Kamuhi considered. “It’s not that I dislike the work, ma’am, but I was happy as a liaison officer. Also, the one part of Security work that holds no appeal for me is the systems stuff. In a base the size of this one, with so much traffic in and out, the systems must be a big part of the job.”
Drushachh nodded. “Not so much for the staff, but it is for the officers. In fact, your first assignment is to learn all the systems very thoroughly. I don’t imagine that you’ll have any problem with them. I can understand them so they can’t possibly be as complicated as astrophysics.”
“No, ma’am,” Kamuhi agreed, hoping she was right.
“Now as to personnel,” she said, pulling up a screen on her monitor, “we have sixty-seven full time staff, not counting you and me. There’s one master sergeant, three sergeants, seven corporals, and the rest are privates. Quolund anth markh is the master sergeant. Currently, he makes up the duty roster. You should see him about learning how to do that since it’ll be your job when he’s not around. Also, disputes about assignments will go to you.”
Kamuhi leaned over to study the list and nodded. Just from looking at the names, it seemed to him that there were twelve Milorans, two Shuratanians, and the rest were Terrans.
As if she were reading his mind, Drushachh said, “I don’t practice with the Milorans myself. I’m so small, I wouldn’t want one of them to feel bad if they hurt me accidentally. But I’ve been talking to Lieutenant Prouhdhum and he says you can hold your own with them. If you work out with him regularly, I’m inclined to agree. Any Terran who can take on Prouh and come out still standing is pretty good.”
“I’m a lot bigger than most Terrans,” Kamuhi reminded her.
Drushachh shook her head. “Prouh is still close to half again as big in terms of mass. Plus, Milorans are from a heavier gravity world. They have a distinct advantage in a fight with just about any other oxygen breathing species. Besides,” she added, “I saw you in action back at the hospital. That’s one reason I agreed to take you on. You’re very quick and you seem to know what you’re doing.”
Kamuhi rubbed the sore place on his arm where the cut had healed. “Thank you, ma’am, but I don’t think I did that well. I could use more practice.”
“Well, that won’t be a problem,” she said cheerfully, “because you’re going to be practicing every day. We do have to worry about terrorists here in Wisuta—thank Groufa not all that often, but occasionally. Also, the base has a lot of quarters—both married and single personnel—and a few bars and restaurants. Every now and then a fight breaks out. Everyone has to keep in practice, hand to hand, and with weapons. It keeps them fit and it keeps them on their toes. Besides which, it’ll help you get familiar with the staff.”
She gave Kamuhi his access code for the internal information system and told him what to read. She took him over to the ID center and confirmed that his retinal scan and palm print were in the computer system. Then she showed him to a tiny office down the hall from hers and told him to make himself at home.
“I’ll stop by in a little bit to take you to the training area,” she said. “Meanwhile, get settled in and start reading.”
Kamuhi sat down and logged on to the system. He was deep in the workings of the automated sentry system that protected the base perimeter when he heard a knock at the door.
“Come,” he said.
When the door opened and Drushachh was standing there, Kamuhi jumped to his feet.
“As you were,” Drushachh said. “How are you doing with the reading?”
“Fine, ma’am.”
“What’s your assessment of our systems so far?”
Kamuhi was surprised she would ask, since she must know all about them herself and he could hardly be called an expert. He assumed she was checking to see if he had really been reading.
“The identification systems seem complicated,” he said, “mostly because we have so many species to identify. The user sees one piece of equipment, but actually, any of six different devices may be in use, depending on the species. The perimeter system is more straightforward because it’s based on simple motion and noise detection. The tricky parts come in when we have to admit a ThreeCon flyter or other craft, or kick off the automatic defenses when the perimeter is breached. The internal tracking system looks fascinating. The computer code for it must be immense. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”
Her eyes were twinkling. “Prouh said you were a quick learner, but he didn’t say how fast. I only left you here an hour ago, Ensign.”
“I read very quickly, ma’am.”
“Evidently,” Drushachh said. “And call me Chief; everyone does. When someone calls me ma’am I look around for my grandmother.”
“Yes, ma’am—Chief.”
She led the way to the training area. At ThreeCon Headquarters, the Security staff was large enough that the training area was a good-sized room. There were exercise and conditioning machines in one corner and padded areas for practice fights in the other three. The entire floor was covered in the same firm but springy matting that they had used in the training area at the base on New Iberia.
In one corner, two Milorans were circling each other while three Terrans watched them. They were in practice clothes, so Kamuhi couldn’t tell rank, but he thought one of them was the master sergeant who had been on the mission that rescued Yulayan. He wasn’t sure, because with Milorans it sometimes took him a while to tell them apart. The probable sergeant made quick work of his opponent, and the other Miloran hit the mat so hard the floor shook.
“Master Sergeant,” Drushachh called out. “Take a break for a moment. I want to introduce Ensign Hailoaka.”
Sergeant Quolund nodded and came over to them. Drushachh made the introductions.
“Good morning, sir,” the Miloran said. “Like to try your hand?”
Kamuhi looked to Drushachh who nodded. “Certainly, Sergeant,” he said. Kamuhi shed his boots and warmed up quickly. Master Sergeant Quolund and the Security Chief had their heads together while he was stretching.
Quolund walked over to the mat. “Why don’t we start you out with Private Ruhpham here, Ensign?”
Kamuhi wondered why he was bothering with the weaker man, but he went along with it. “Very well, Sergeant.”
He and Ruhpham bowed from across the mat and then faced off. Kamuhi could quickly see why Quolund had been able to throw him so easily. Ruhpham had been noticeably slower than the sergeant. He was phenomenally slower than Kamuhi himself. Kamuhi was able to get in blow after blow with no trouble. Ruhpham’s guard wasn’t strong enough to withstand the rapid attacks of the much more agile Terran. Kamuhi decided to try the trick that Guhlhan had taught him, the one that Barker had used successfully against Wilohuan.
He feinted and rolled, just as Barker had done, and hooked his arm around one of Ruhpham’s legs as he did it. The move took the Miloran totally by surprise. He lost his balance and went down hard, his not inconsiderable weight hitting the mat with a thud. There was a murmur of appreciation from the Terrans watching from the sidelines.
Quolund called a halt.
“That’s very good, sir,” he said. “How about if you try a turn with me?”
Kamuhi nodded and Ruhpham stepped aside. Quolund took his place, and he and Kamuhi faced off.
Quolund was a much tougher opponent. He wasn’t as quick as Kamuhi but he was nowhere near as slow as Ruhpham. Also, his guard was much stronger. Kamuhi had to work a lot harder to get to him, and a couple of times the Miloran got past Kamuhi’s guard and landed what would have been devastating blows if he hadn’t checked them. Kamuhi was feeling the last one when the Miloran made a move that almost brought him down. Kamuhi only avoided being thrown by twisting out of the way at the last second. Quolund grunted in frustration.
They circled for several minutes. Kamuhi was very glad for the times he had spent practicing with Prouh. The lieutenant was both bigger and faster than the master sergeant. Kamuhi had no trouble keeping out of Quolund’s reach unless he was trying to land a blow. Finally, Kamuhi tried an ax kick to the stomach and Quolund was ready for him. The Miloran caught his ankle and Kamuhi hit the mat face down.
Quolund held out a hand to help him up and Kamuhi was glad to have it.
“Thanks,” he said, breathing hard. He was standing bent over with his hands on his knees. “I think I need a minute after that one.”
Quolund shook his head. “We’re through, sir. I’ve seen all I need to see for now.”
Drushachh concurred. “That’s enough for today, Ensign. Master Sergeant Quolund will show you around and introduce you to the staff. He’ll also show you some of the things you need to know about on base.”
She left, and Quolund took Kamuhi over and introduced him to the other Miloran and the Terrans, and then showed him where he could clean up. Just as the Terran had pulled on his boots, Quolund came up. He had changed and was in his regular uniform.
