Alien Skies, page 36
part #3 of Wakanreo Series
“I grew up in a household where my parents were married. We lived as a family, but there were times when each of them travelled or worked away from home by themselves. They had to trust each other—not because they had iron-clad proof that the other was being faithful, not because they had empathy to tell them if the other was lying, but because they loved each other. That’s my model.
“I can’t be a shahgunrahai, sweetheart,” Kamuhi said earnestly. “I can’t promise I won’t think about other women, or notice them. I love you very much, and I don’t expect that to change. I don’t want your permission to have other lovers. I want to have the kind of marriage my parents had. If you can’t understand what that is, then we’ve got a real problem.”
Yulayan stared at him. “I want it too, Kam. I just don’t quite know how to go about it sometimes.”
“Just trust me, Yulayan. Believe me when I tell you that I only want you.”
“All right. I believe you.” She stood up and walked to the bedroom door. “Come to bed and you can prove it to me.”
Kamuhi followed her into the bedroom and locked the door behind them.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next afternoon, Kamuhi was working on his program to check the status of the perimeter system when his com set beeped. It was Drushachh.
“Meet me in the Commander’s office,” she said.
“Yes, Chief,” Kamuhi answered even as she cut the connection.
When Kamuhi got there, both Drushachh and Da Gama were sitting in front of Jared’s desk.
“Sit down, Lieutenant,” Jared said. “We’ve had some news I thought you should hear.” He nodded at Drushachh. “Go ahead, Chief.”
The Shuratanian nodded. “Yes, sir. We had staked out all three of the hospitals that do the implant procedure. Three security staff who had had medical training in the past were disguised as medtechs, and all of them were armed. In addition, we had fitted the doctors with modified body armor under their tunics. Also, we were deep scanning everyone who came in, for weapons, and we had extra staff standing by in case there was trouble.
“This afternoon, we apprehended three qatorglynai, one at each facility. They were all carrying a form of jaquhan, scaled down so it was easy to hide and modified so that it was made completely of non-metallic, non-scannable plastic. The projectiles it fired were scaled down, too, and were coated with a fast-acting poison. In each case, our fake medtech waited until the qatorglynai had pulled his weapon, and then stunned him. They meant to kill, Commander. We’ve got them dead to rights in ThreeCon facilities, so it’s a ThreeCon crime. We don’t have to turn them over to the Munis or to any Wakanrean authority.”
Jared nodded. “That’s good news. Anything on the two men in the bar?” he asked Da Gama.
The Intelligence Chief pulled out a holographic cylinder and reached for Jared’s reader. Once the image was displayed, Kamuhi could easily recognize the two men.
“Which one was called Grazau?” Da Gama asked Kamuhi.
“The taller one, sir,” Kamuhi said. “The one with the dark head crest. He seemed to be the leader, more than the other man, anyway.”
Da Gama flipped through all the images on the cylinder. “Well, we’ve got some clear shots at least. I haven’t been able to find anything on the name Grazau, though. It’s not in our files at all. From what my Wakanrean agents tell me, it could be a first name or a surname. Did you get a feel for which it was, Lieutenant?”
“Not definitely, sir,” Kamuhi said. “But it’s most likely his first name. They seemed pretty familiar and Wakanreans tend not to call each other by their last names without an honorific. It implies someone is in a subordinate role to call them only by their surname.”
“I agree,” said Jared.
“I’ll concentrate on it as a first name, then,” Da Gama said. “We’ll keep an eye out for them in that bar, too.” He looked at Kamuhi regretfully. “Too bad they made you as a cop. You were damned useful.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“No, you’re not,” Da Gama said. “You’re relieved you can go back and be a punching bag for Drushachh’s Milorans. What a waste!”
Drushachh bristled. “There’s more to Security than fighting, Hubert. Lieutenant Hailoaka is a valuable member of our team.”
“Take your argument elsewhere, please,” Jared said. “I need to talk to the Lieutenant for just a moment.”
When the two officers had gone, Jared pressed the switch to close the door and leaned back in his chair.
“Taken any nasty falls lately, Kam?”
“No,” Kamuhi said. “No worse than usual. Why? Are you checking up on me again?”
“In a way. Drushachh tells me your transponder is cutting out every now and then. She figured it could have gotten some hard knocks in a practice fight. She reported it to me because I gave the order to have it put in place, and she wanted me to know we can’t count on it anymore.”
“I did come down on that arm the other day,” Kamuhi admitted. “Do you want me to get another one?”
“Not exactly,” the commander said. “Unless you’re going to stop playing rough with the Security staff, there isn’t much point in putting in another subcutaneous transponder.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” Kamuhi asked a little apprehensively.
Jared smiled. “Don’t look so worried. It’s not that big a deal. I want you to go to the hospital. They’ll put in a different kind of transponder. It’s not just a subcutaneous injection. They’ll use a much larger needle and imbed the device deep within the chest cavity, where it’s protected by your rib cage. That lets us use a more sophisticated piece of equipment.”
“All right,” Kamuhi said. “When do I have to go?”
“First thing tomorrow morning. Then tell Drushachh afterwards so she can check out the signal.” Jared waited a second and then raised his eyebrows. “No temper tantrums? No swearing at me?”
“Don’t rub it in. I apologized. Besides, I’m not stupid. If I argued, you’d just make it an order.”
Jared grinned. “You’re right, I would. But it’s nice not to have to.”
Kamuhi smiled back at him. “You told me to stay out of the hospital, Jared. Now you’re sending me there yourself.”
Jared barked a laugh. “I guess I am at that. You staying out of trouble, kid?”
“Most of the time.”
“No recent trips to the infirmary?”
Kamuhi didn’t say anything for a second. “I haven’t been hurt in any practice fights, if that’s what you mean—not since the bump on the head.”
Jared shook his head. “You really are a lousy liar, Kam. It beats me how Da Gama thought he could make you into an agent. You can’t quite bring yourself to flat out lie.”
Kamuhi flushed angrily. “If you already knew I’d been to the infirmary, why did you ask me?”
As usual, Jared ignored the question. “Let’s see your hand.”
Kamuhi hesitated and then held out his right hand. Jared studied the faint scars on the back of Kamuhi’s hand.
“You can tell me it’s none of my business if you like, but it’s a pretty distinctive pattern. What happened?”
“It’s none of your business, Jared.”
Jared nodded. “Fair enough. I never let not having enough information stop me from giving advice, though. Talk to Dina.”
Kamuhi was surprised. “Why should I talk to Yulayan’s mother?”
“Because she’s the one person who has some idea what it’s like to be a Terran married to a Wakanrean, that’s why.”
Kamuhi shook his head. “They’re not married. They’re shahgunrahai. It’s not the same thing and you know it.”
“Of course I do. But Dina is basically Terran—worse, she’s Fantaran. She’s from a little backwater planet where her mother can’t bring herself to tell the neighbors what happened with her daughter and an alien. And even if she did undergo shahgunrah, Dina also has normal Terran emotions. She’s had to adapt a lot. In fact, you two have a lot in common. You should talk to her if you and Yulayan are having problems.”
Kamuhi didn’t say anything.
Jared sighed. “Look, kid, I hate to butt in, but I feel responsible. I’m the one who got you into ThreeCon, remember. If being in uniform is putting a strain on your marriage, I’d like to help.”
Kamuhi leaned back in his chair. “It’s all right. It was rough when I couldn’t tell Yulayan anything, but once I’d gotten an okay from Da Gama to let her know what I was doing, it got better.”
Jared looked surprised. “You went to Da Gama? Why didn’t you come to me?”
“Because it wasn’t your order I wanted to change. Da Gama was the one who told me I couldn’t say anything.”
Jared looked pleased. “Quite right. So it’s all okay with Yulayan now?”
Kamuhi shrugged a little wearily. “It’s better,” he repeated. “Did your wife ever have a problem with you being in ThreeCon?”
Jared cocked his head to one side as if he were remembering. “Not really. But when I got married, I’d already been in for years, so she knew what she was getting into. I told her I planned to re-up for life, and I did. Of course,” Jared added, “I’ve never had nubile young women throwing themselves across my path with quite the same frequency that you seem to have.”
Kamuhi was surprised. “How did you know about that?”
Jared chuckled. “I got an account of what happened in the bar from Da Gama. Arneson was quite frank with him about where she went wrong.”
“Will she get into trouble?”
“No,” said Jared. “For one thing, Da Gama quite properly pointed out that it was his fault for assigning a relatively inexperienced agent to accompany you. She’s still pretty new to Intelligence.” Jared leaned back further so that he could put his feet on his desk. “First Macaulay and now Arneson. You do seem to have a way with women. Did you have this problem when you were single, Kam?”
“It wasn’t a problem then.”
“No, I suppose not,” Jared agreed. He looked down at the scars on Kamuhi’s hand again. “I suppose it is now, though, huh?”
“A little,” admitted Kamuhi. “It was only two women, and it was months apart. It’s not that I attract women like a magnet attracts iron. Both times it was the kind of thing that happens all the time when men and women work together. It’s just that it’s hard for someone who’s used to shahgunrah to accept how flimsy marriage seems by comparison. Shahgunrahai don’t have former lovers. They aren’t interested in anyone else. They don’t even notice anyone else, and no one ever notices them. I’m finding that pretty hard to live up to.”
Jared nodded. “Talk to Dina,” he repeated. “I’ll bet she went through some of this with Kuaron. She was thirty when they met, and she’d been married before.”
Kamuhi was startled. “I didn’t know that. I don’t think Yulayan does either.”
“Well, don’t tell her, then. Talk to her mother instead.” Jared put his feet down and leaned across the desk. “And if you need help, come to me.”
Kamuhi hesitated and then nodded. “All right. I will.”
Jared leaned back again. “Sex is one of the things that make commanding large groups of people tricky. Unlike some earlier Terran organizations, ThreeCon doesn’t have a rule against officers and enlisted personnel fraternizing. The one thing that is actively discouraged is a sexual relationship between an officer and a subordinate. That’s why I stepped in right away when Ianachh tried to slap Macaulay with that harassment charge. Sexual harassment can get you thrown out of ThreeCon in a hurry. Sex always stirs the pot, and it gets even trickier when you’re talking about love instead of just sex.”
“Are you trying to warn me off from forming a relationship with someone in Security?” Kamuhi asked, puzzled.
Jared shook his head. “No, I don’t think you’d do that. This is more on the order of general information for the day you have your own command.”
Kamuhi smiled. “You’re an optimist, Jared.”
“Care to make a bet?”
“What kind of a bet?”
“If you get a command within five years, you re-up for another ten-year hitch.”
Kamuhi burst out laughing. “What kind of a bet is that? You could give me a command tomorrow if you wanted to win badly enough.”
Jared shook his head. “You’re not ready yet, Kam. And I wouldn’t give you a command until you were. I think you know that.”
“Maybe I do,” Kamuhi admitted. “But you never said what I’d win if I didn’t get a command within five years?”
“That’s easy,” Jared said. “I’ll quit bugging you to re-up.”
Kamuhi laughed again. “No way! I told you, I promised Yulayan I wouldn’t re-enlist unless she said it was okay.”
“So all I have to do is get Yulayan to agree and you’ll take the bet?”
“Even you couldn’t do it,” Kamuhi said with conviction. “Right about now she’s not feeling all that fond of ThreeCon.”
“I don’t know,” said Jared speculatively. “If I can, will you take the bet?”
Kamuhi shook his head. “There’s no reason for me to take it. I don’t really win anything if I win, and I could lose a lot if I lose.”
Jared sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t have figured that out.”
Kamuhi stood up. “I have to get back to work. I have a lot to do and now I have to spend tomorrow morning in the hospital.”
“Go ahead, kid,” Jared waved him toward the door. He looked up before Kamuhi went out. “One more thing, Kam. Good job on the bar surveillance.”
Kamuhi was surprised. “But I blew it. I gave myself away.”
“Maybe, but you still found out what you needed to know, and now Da Gama’s off my back about you.”
Kamuhi grinned. “Just let me know the next time you need someone to screw up, Jared.”
THE next morning Kamuhi reported to the hospital. They made him undress and gave him a sterile robe to wear. Kamuhi was annoyed because it wasn’t nearly long enough. Once they were ready, he had to lie down on a special table. The back of his neck rested snugly on a neuro-anesthetic pad. When the medtech turned on the pad, Kamuhi lost all feeling below the neck. Not only could he not feel pain, he couldn’t move even the smallest muscle. It was disconcerting to the point of being frightening.
Another medtech set up a screen around Kamuhi’s chest and the surgeon came to insert the transponder. The diameter of the needle she held made Kamuhi’s eyes open wide in alarm.
“Don’t worry,” the surgeon said, patting his arm. “I’ll make a small incision to facilitate the needle’s entry, and then I’ll use a scanner to guide its path so we hit the right spot without doing any more damage than necessary.”
It only took about ten minutes, but Kamuhi was very glad when it was over. They moved the screen and put a healing accelerator in place without turning off the neuro-anesthetic pad. The medtech smiled apologetically at him.
“Sorry,” she said. “We have to leave that on so that you heal before you move.”
Kamuhi tried to be patient, but he was about ready to jump out of his skin by the time they finally turned off the accelerator and then the pad. It felt wonderful to be able to move his limbs. He looked in the mirror before he dressed, and studied the tiny scar on his chest; it was no longer than his smallest fingernail.
When he finally reported to his office later that morning, Kamuhi made a point to let Drushachh know he had had the procedure.
“Good,” she said, nodding approval. “Now we don’t have to worry about Sergeant Quolund putting it out of commission.”
Kamuhi shook his head. “I still think the whole thing is over-kill. I’m not a likely target for the qatorglynai.”
Drushachh blinked solemnly. “Perhaps not. But precautions must be viewed in terms of what they cost. It costs very little to implant the new transponder. If it’s not needed, we’ve lost very little. If it is needed, we’ve saved a lot.”
“Yes, ma’am—Chief,” Kamuhi said.
Drushachh smiled. “It’s all right, Lieutenant. I give up. You can call me ma’am. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” said Kamuhi gratefully.
Later that day he called Dina.
“Kamuhi,” she said in surprise, “is anything wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Kamuhi said. “Malia is fine, and Yulayan is fine. I just wanted to know if I could come talk to you about something.”
“Of course. When would you like to come see me?”
They compared schedules and determined that she would be home most of the following day and he could come at mid-morning.
“What is it about, Kamuhi?” Dina asked.
Kamuhi hesitated. “Jared suggested I talk to you. He says we have a lot in common.”
“Oh, I see.” She looked inscrutable. “Well, come tomorrow morning and I’ll put the kettle on. Do you have a way to get here?”
“I’ll take an autocab,” he said.
KAMUHI went to work as usual the next morning, but after an hour he called the Security Desk to report that he was going to his in-laws’ house and how long he expected to be there. When he got up from his desk, he checked to be sure he had both his stun gun and his personal com. Jared wasn’t going to have a chance to accuse him of not obeying orders. He walked out to the front gate to catch his autocab, since it couldn’t land on base.
When the autocab set him down at his destination, Dina welcomed him at her own front gate. She pulled his head down to give him a little peck on the check, very much like his own mother would have done.
“Come in and have some quascha,” she said, leading him to the front door.
They sat in the kitchen. It was a sunny room. They sat at a table in the corner by the windows. Dina waited until Kamuhi had drunk half a cup of quascha before she asked him why he had come.
