CHAPTER 15
This just kept getting worse and worse. By nature, I’m an independent gal. There’s no way I want a hunk of quartz calling the shots for me. If I had to beat the crap out of a gemstone to retain my freedom, then I’d do it, even if it took a laser drill and a sledgehammer to finish it off.
I pulled the curtain aside again and stared at the crystal, thinking hard and fast. When Thor called it the Limantti, I heard “mother stone.” “Why Limantti?” I asked him.
“We believe it is the first living crystal, the one from which all others came.”
From behind us, I heard Churka murmur something to Thor. I hadn’t realized she’d followed him until then. He spoke to her quietly, and she hurried away, but once again I focused exclusively on the crystal.
If I were the only one who could control it, then I had to try, because there was a lot more at stake here than just the survival of the Buri, or bringing Dynatec to heel. Somehow I knew, down to the cellular level of my DNA that unleashed, this crystal could cause destruction on a scale unknown before now.
Barely aware of what I was I doing, I took a step into the Shushadeien.
And this time, Thor didn’t stop me.
The Limantti was right in front of me, close enough to touch. From deep inside its ebony facets lights glimmered and sparked, urged me onward.
Mesmerized, I slowly lifted my hands and cupped them around the crystal. I had a split second to realize its surface wasn’t cool but warm, warm and pulsing with life. Then, that same heat was moving up my arms, suffusing my body.
Startled, I tried to jerk back, but it was too late.
Light exploded inside my head, and the world fell away. A dizzying vertigo gripped me as I spun through space. For what seemed to be eons I watched galaxies form, spin into the distance. Planets were born and died, suns went nova.
Everywhere, there was life. So much life I couldn’t take it all in. Carbon based, silicon, gaseous, it didn’t matter. Everything was alive. Every tree, every rock, every blade of grass or clod of dirt, sun or planet. They all had a form of consciousness that clamored for my attention. It was alien, true, and in some cases slumberous, but I could feel their contentment when their chosen path was on course, their pain as they sickened and died.
And I knew that with one stray thought, I could destroy it all.
It was too much. I couldn’t hold it all, and yet it continued. My skin felt hypersensitive, as though I’d shatter if someone touched me. A scream built in my throat, but my teeth were clamped together so tightly only a whimper escaped.
Please, I begged, please stop. Agony blazed through my mind, and for a blessed while, darkness descended and everything went away.
Kiera? Open your eyes.
No. Mentally, I tried to swat the voice away and pressed my eyes tightly closed in rebellious indignation.
You’ve been asleep for hours. The sun is high. It’s time to wake.
Asleep? Like hell I had. That damn thing had knocked me out and I didn’t appreciate it one bit.
Please, do it for me. You must eat.
Well, there was that. I could always find room for food. Experimentally, I cracked my eyes open a mere slit and peered up at Thor through my lashes. He tried to smile, but his face looked haggard, the skin pulled too tightly over his bones.
“Welcome back.” His hand brushed gently over my hair and then cradled my cheek.
I opened my eyes all the way. He was sitting on the side of the platform near my hip, leaning over me. “You were afraid for me. Why?”
He hesitated and then glanced to his right. My gaze followed his. We were back in our sleeping quarters and both Auntie Em and Elder stood silently beside the bed.
“For an instant when you fell, I could no longer feel our bond. I thought I’d lost you. However, it is back now.”
Warmth suffused me, along with distress that I’d inadvertently caused him pain. Before I could answer, Churka and Lurran bustled into the room, each carrying a tray of food and drinks.
“She’s awake.” The relief in Churka’s voice was evident as she spotted me.
I wasn’t asleep, damn it. I wished everyone would stop acting like I’d decided to take a little snooze in the middle of a formal diner for the leader of the Galactic Federation. But I forgave her when I saw the variety of food mounded on the tray.
Eagerly, I pushed myself up on the sleeping platform, surprised at how shaky my arms and legs felt. It was almost like what happened when I rapidly expended great amounts of energy.
Auntie Em piled pillows behind me while Churka deposited her tray on my lap. I dug in with relish, only pausing when it occurred to me that I hadn’t heard a peep from Max.
“He was concerned,” Thor told me. “The ship asked me to bring you outside so he could see you, and then told me you would be fine. He also said an abundance of food should be prepared for your awakening.”
I blinked in confusion. “He talked to you? How?”
“He talked to you. I heard him through the bond.”
“Max?”
“Yes, Kiera?”
“Did you scan me?”
“Yes, and there was nothing physically wrong except your body was burning calories a bit faster than usual. I assured your mate you’d be fine, but I don’t think he believed me.”
“Since when do you understand Buri?”
“At every possible chance I record your conversations and extrapolate the Buri meanings from your response. I’m becoming quite good at understanding them. In another day or two I should be able to complete a learning tape.”
With a grimace, I picked up a glass of juice to moisten my dry throat. “Just don’t neglect the other tests you’re running. They have top priority.”
“Yes, Kiera.”
The Buri suddenly caught my attention. All five of them were staring at me with emotions ranging from excitement to trepidation. That last one was coming from Thor. “What’s wrong?” I asked him. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He glanced at Auntie Em again, and she nodded. “Tell her before she notices.”
“Notices what?”
Thor took the glass of juice from my hand and set it on the tray. Before I could protest, his fingers curled around my wrist and turned my right hand palm up. Shock ran through me as I looked down.
Covering my entire palm was a black outline of the crystal, every facet depicted in an exact replica of the real thing.
Frantically, I rubbed at it with my fingers even knowing I was wasting my time. This was no smudge, nor was it any kind of ink. Though I doubted it was visible to anyone else, to my sensitive eyesight there was a faint black glow emanating from the lines.
“Does she understand me?”
“Yes.” Thor moved aside and let Auntie Em take his place beside me.
“At first we were puzzled,” she said. “Never before has a Shushanna been so marked by the Limantti. In order to use it, she had to be in contact with the crystal.”
She paused and touched my palm with one finger. “After much thought, we realized that the Limantti has sealed you to its purpose. You will be able to call upon its powers from anywhere, because you carry a part of it with you. It is a great honor.”
My stomach clenched, the food I’d just consumed thinking seriously about making a return appearance. I forced it to stay put, shoved the tray aside, and jumped to my feet. “No.” I paced across the room, then back. “No, I won’t do it. I won’t use that thing. Not for the Buri, not for anyone. No one should have access to that much power. It’s not right. Do you realize what I could do if I use it? With one stray thought I could accidentally wipe out millions of lives.”
Heart pounding, I spun to face the Buri. “It’s alive, did you know that? I don’t know how, I don’t even know what it is, but it’s alive.”
“I know what it is,” Max inserted calmly.
“What?” I turned toward the terrace doors in surprise, as though I could see the ship from here. “You know?”
“Yes. I finished my tests on the quartz crystals several hours ago, but you told me to send the results to my archives before I informed you. I just completed the transmission.”
Weak kneed, I sank down on the edge of the sleeping platform. “Tell me.”
“As I suspected, the quartz is nothing more than ordinary quartz. It has, however, been infested with a microscopic alien life form that appears to feed on minute amounts of the silicon in the quartz without damaging its structure.”
An alien life form. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised. “What else?”
“More tests will be needed, but it appears this life form is self-aware to an extent I can’t quantify. It exhibits two distinct characteristics. It loosely operates like a hive, with different colonies designated as workers, scouts, soldiers and nurses. Of course, those are merely my labels to explain the disparity between the types of organisms that inhabit each color of crystal.”
“If it’s a hive, then that damn thing”—I jabbed a finger in the general direction of the Limantti—“is the queen.”
“There’s a good possibility you’re right,” Max continued.
“You see, it reproduces by spreading like a virus, and the organisms near the Buri village are older than the ones farther out. I would venture to guess that if crystal samples were taken from the far side of Orpheus Two, we would find no trace of the life form as yet.”
“But sooner or later there will be.”
“Yes. And I’d make it sooner. They spread very fast.”
While we were talking, all the Buri except Thor had slipped from the room. I opened my clenched fist and gazed down at my palm. “So what does this mean?” I asked the ship.
“The mark on your palm? It would seem the Limantti has entered into symbiosis with you. Its purpose for doing so is unknown at this time.”
“Great. That makes me feel so much better. I’ve always dreamed of being joined at the hip with a weird alien whose motivations I don’t understand and who has the power to destroy the known universe.” My sarcasm was tinged with a touch of hysteria that Max caught immediately.
“There’s no need to panic. You’re fine. Better than fine if my scan is any indication.”
“How can I be better than fine?”
“Consider your normal condition after you rapidly expend large amounts of energy. You’re weak, you sweat profusely, and if you don’t refuel quickly, your body will shut down.”
“So?” I shrugged. “I was weak this time.”
“But not to the extent you normally are, and while you were hungry, you would have survived without the immediate intake of food. That’s because the Limantti is transferring small quantities of energy to you on a continuous basis.”
“I don’t care if it makes me immortal.” I stood and glanced at Thor. “I’m sorry. I know you say your people will die without a Shushanna, but I can’t do this. It’s too dangerous.”
He reached out and cupped my shoulders with his hands, rubbing gently. “Kiera, the Limantti has been with my people for thousands and thousands of cycles. Never has it done harm.”
“But it never had me before.”
His expression became thoughtful. “Is it truly the danger you fear?”
“Of course it is.” I stared up at him. “What else would it be?”
“You said it has always been your wish to be normal as possible. From the beginning you fought against becoming the Shushanna because you fear being different. Now we are asking you to become even more unusual than you were. Perhaps the peril you sense in the Limantti is to your dream of being normal, not to others.”
There was a ring of truth to his words that I couldn’t deny, but I also knew I was right about the power contained in the Limantti. After all, I was the one it had taken on a little universal day trip, not him. And at the moment, I could foresee absolutely nothing that would make me use that damn rock again.
“I’m sorry, Thor.” Mentally, I pleaded with him to understand. “If there’s any way to save your people without using the Limantti, I’ll find it. But I can’t be your Shushanna if it means working with that thing. I just can’t.”
I pulled away from him and walked to the terrace doors. “I’m going to help Max run some tests.”
What I was really doing was escaping, and we both knew it. I could feel him watching me with a sense of quiet desperation, overlaid with resignation, but as much as it hurt, I kept walking. I needed to put some distance between me and the Buri right now.
I crossed the village, ignoring the Buri that paused in their work as I went by, except to note the majority of them, both male and female, now wore swords in sheaths that crossed over their back. The ones worn by the females were smaller versions of the thicker, longer swords carried by the males, but still deadly-looking.
The second I was out of sight in the jungle, I stopped and rubbed my temples, wondering what to do next. Max didn’t need my help, and I had nowhere else to go.
Feeling more lost and alone than I’d ever felt before, I stood there with my head lowered, the Buri’s expectations bearing down on me like a ten-ton weight.
How could I help them when I couldn’t even help myself?
“Kiera?”
My head came up and I answered Max eagerly, wanting, needing any form of distraction. “Yes Max?”
“We may have a small problem.”
“What?” I started in his direction.
“It appears Lieutenant Karle has vanished.”
I came to an abrupt halt. “What do you mean, she’s vanished?”
“As you requested, she set up a time with me to be tested for psi abilities. She planned to come by yesterday evening after her mapping party returned. When she didn’t show up, I assumed she’d forgotten or had other duties that prevented her from contacting me. But she wasn’t with the mapping party this morning, and she’s not answering her comm unit. I’ve scanned the area where they were last working and found no trace of her.”
“What about Ghost?”
“He, too, seems to have vanished.”
A prescience of anger began to uncurl grasping fingers in my chest. I found the thread that connected me to Thor. Thor, when was the last time you saw Ghost? I sent him a mental image of the silver-haired, silver-eyed Buri.
I felt him searching his memory for a moment before he answered. Yesterday morning when he followed the female. The thought was suddenly tinged with a trace of worry.
You might want to question everyone to make sure. And it wouldn’t hurt to send several people to look for him. Max can’t find him or Lieutenant Karle.
He was already in action before I finished, and I turned toward the Dynatec camp. With every step, my fury increased until it hazed my vision.
GEPs don’t make friends easily, and we value those we have above all else. In the short time I’d known her, Claudia had become a friend. A friend I had asked to do something potentially dangerous. If Frisk and Dorn had done something to her and Ghost, they were going to pay dearly.
“Kiera, stop. You can’t barge into the Dynatec camp in this state of mind.”
“Give me one good reason why not,” I spat through clenched teeth.
“Because they outnumber you thirty to one, they’re all armed, and even if you take out Dorn and Frisk, one of the others will eventually hit something vital.”
Okay, maybe he had a point. But I had to find out what was going on, and I really, really needed an outlet for all the pent-up emotions I’d experienced lately. If I couldn’t unleash them on Dorn or Frisk, well, there was one more option. “Where’s Redfield?” I asked.
“In the jungle, about a mile and a half to your left, heading in the direction of the Buri village,” Max replied.
“Alone?” I made an abrupt left turn.
“Yes, it would appear so, and I believe he’s looking for you.”
By the time I reached Redfield, I’d circled until I was almost back at the Buri village. He was crouched on his heels behind a bush, intently examining his back trail.
Making no attempt to move silently, I marched right up to him and planted both feet. “Where’s Lieutenant Karle?”
“Agent Smith!” The relief on his face faded as he rose slowly to face me, his gaze taking in my expression. “I don’t know where Lieutenant Karle is. I only know that she’s not at camp or with the mapping party.”
“Wrong answer, Redfield.” My hand shot toward his throat. I’d intended to hold him off the ground and shake him until his teeth rattled, but I’d forgotten one little detail. He was a GEP, too, albeit not of my caliber.
Not only did he block the move, he used my forward momentum to throw me over his shoulder.
I’m ashamed to say I did my best to act like the landing stunned me. There was no doubt at all I could have him pinned in five seconds flat. But the petty, childish, pissed-off part of me was chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” with a great deal of glee.
Shaking my head as though dazed, I stood and faced him. He’d assumed a classic martial arts stance taught to all GEPs in the crèche.
My fist went through his guard like a laser through glass and landed on his mouth. Blood spurted, but because I’d pulled the punch, he stayed on his feet.
I have to give the guy credit. He tried. Not that it did him any good, of course. By the time Thor, Poe and Junior crashed through the foliage, all three now adorned with swords, Redfield was bloody, bruised, battered and still swinging.
Poe wrapped his arms around Redfield from behind and held him immobile as Thor stepped between us and glared at me.
“What?” I lifted my hands in question. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re my mate and it’s your right to protect me. Honestly, Thor, do I look like I need protecting?”
“You need no protection, but he does.” He tilted his head toward Redfield. “What are you trying to accomplish by this action, his death?”
“No! I just need information.” A pout came out of nowhere and settled on my mouth. “Besides, he started it.”
Before he could reply, Churka and Lurran burst on the scene with what looked like armfuls of first-aid supplies. Poe gingerly released Redfield and the man slid to the ground.
Churka dropped to her knees next to him and poured water into a wooden bowl. Taking out a piece of cloth, she dunked it into the bowl and then gently swabbed away the blood on his face. “We need to take him back to the village so I can care for him properly.” She shot me the same glare Thor had favored me with before getting back to business.
I glanced down at Redfield. He was propped on his elbows, his gaze wavering between Churka and Lurran as if he didn’t know what to make of them.
“So much for Frisk and Dorn trying to wipe out the Buri, huh, Redfield? Even knowing that, they want to take you back to their home so they can take care of you. Would the people at Dynatec do the same? Maybe we should just send you on your way and find out.”
He squinted up at me through swollen eyes. “I came to you because I needed your help getting away from them. If I go back now, especially looking like this, I’m a dead man. They’ll think you beat the truth out of me, and nothing I say will stop them.”
I moved a step closer and lowered my shields. “And just what is the truth?”
He hesitated. “As you know very well, I’ve been trying to reach you since your ship first landed, but they’ve kept me under constant watch. The only reason I got away from them now is because they’re occupied looking for Claudia. So before I say anything, you have to promise you’ll protect me from them.”
“Are you formally requesting asylum from your indenture holder?” The Buri watched us closely, but none of them interfered.
He struggled to his feet, swayed, and then straightened, shrugging off Churka’s steadying hand. “Yes.”
“Then you have my word you’ll be protected. Max, record please.” For Redfield’s benefit, I spoke aloud.
“Recording.”
“A request for asylum under the Equality Edict has been made.” I kept my eyes on Redfield. This was serious business and I wanted him to understand that. “For the record, state your name and ID number.”
“Thomas Redfield, LS46639.”
“Senior Agent Kiera Smith, ID number 64732, responding. Do you swear that you’re undertaking this action voluntarily without coercion from any party?”
His chin went up a notch. “I do.”
“On what basis are you making this request?”
A shudder ran over his body. “Violations of the Equality Edict by Captain Jon Frisk, my indenture holder. These violations include, but are not limited to, physical cruelty and mental abuse, and being forced to act in a manner that goes against the laws of the Federation.”
The boy remembered his training. Pleased, I nodded encouragement before continuing. “Do you understand that you may be required to testify against your indenture holder in a court of law?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Max, seal it, date it and send it to the boss for immediate action.”
“What happens now?” Redfield asked. Churka had stopped her ministrations during the proceedings, but now swabbed something sticky on his cuts while he talked.
“The boss will go to the court and have your indenture to Frisk revoked until a trial can be held. As soon as possible you’ll be sent to Alien Affairs’ Rehabilitation Center for testing, therapy if needed, and retraining. After that, your future will be up to you.”
A deep breath lifted his chest and his eyes closed for a moment as relief, almost painful in its intensity, poured off him. “Thank you.”
The words were barely a whisper. I shook my head. “Don’t thank me, Thomas. I couldn’t have done a thing if you hadn’t taken the first step. We do need to assign a Buri to stay with you, though. I don’t want to take a chance that Frisk will try to silence you.”
Thor spoke to Poe, and the big Buri moved closer to Redfield.
“They’ll take you back to the village now. This one is named Poe. He’ll be your guard.” I pointed. “This is Churka, Lurran and Junior.” Placing a hand on Thor’s arm, I smiled up at him. “And this is Thor, leader of the Buri and my mate.”
Redfield blinked at us for a second, and then nodded. “Somehow that seems right. Tell him I appreciate his help.”
“He understands.”
Poe put his hand on Redfield’s back to steer him toward the village. They’d only taken a few steps when Redfield stopped and turned back to face me.
“Agent Smith? I really don’t know where Lieutenant Karle is. No one does. Yesterday, Quilla discovered Claudia had returned to camp and tried to access her private records on the ship’s computer. She was furious. She gave orders that Claudia was to be taken into custody the second she was found. Only, Lieutenant Karle never came back. The mapping team returned without her. They said they hadn’t seen her for several hours and she hadn’t responded to their inquiries.”
He was telling me the truth. I didn’t even need to ask Max for confirmation. I could feel it.
“She must have found out somehow and gone into hiding.” I mulled that over for a second. “Maybe she heard Dorn order her capture on her comm unit.”
“No, Quilla forbade all chatter from camp on the comm units until the mapping team returned. She didn’t want Claudia to receive any warning. And then, when Claudia didn’t come back, she tried to locate her using the signal from her comm unit. If it’s still working, something is blocking it, because they couldn’t get a signal.”
The small party continued on, and I watched until they were hidden by the foliage, mulling over Claudia’s mysterious escape. She wasn’t psychic, so something or someone must have warned her.
“Who would have known?” Thor asked.
Good question. And I could only think of one answer, but I needed to know for sure. “Max, where is Crigo?”
There was a pause before he answered. “He is in the same area where he hunted yesterday, near where the mapping party worked.”
“That’s it.” I couldn’t stop my chuckle. “The damn cat hid them.”
Thor stared at me in perplexity. “How do you know this?”
“It’s simple logic,” I told him. “When Crigo makes a kill, he gorges and then curls up to sleep it off somewhere. But when he showed up last night, he wasn’t full. Remember how smug and pleased he was?”
His face cleared and a smile curved his lips. “Yes, he was very satisfied about something.”
“He must have overheard Dorn and then went to find Claudia and Ghost. They’re probably stashed in a cave, wondering what in thirteen hells is going on.”
“We should find them and bring them back to the village.”
I considered all the possible scenarios and then shook my head. “No, leave them where they are for now and call the searchers back. They’re probably safer where they are. Crigo will take care of them, and it would never occur to Dorn or Frisk to watch the cat. The next time he comes to the village I’ll give him a note to Claudia explaining what’s going on.”
Another thought occurred to me. “What do the markings on your spears mean? I’m assuming it’s a written form of your language.”
“Of course. They indicate ownership, plus some give their weapons names.” He seemed slightly puzzled that I’d had to ask. “Do you not name your weapons?”
I hooked an arm through his just to maintain contact and leaned against him. “No, but then we don’t really form an emotional attachment to our blasters. I do know some ancient societies followed the practice of naming swords. What I was getting at is that you can write a note to Ghost, too.”
“Yes.” He lifted a hand and ran it over my hair. “You are feeling better now.”
Surprised, I searched my emotions. He was right. My anger had faded away. The Limantti was still there, tugging at me, always on the edge of my awareness, but I could deal with it. Maybe pounding on Redfield had done me some good.
Speaking of which…“Let’s go back to the village and see how Redfield is doing. If he’s up to it, I’ve got a couple hundred more questions for him.”