Close Encounters
An Alien Affairs Novel
First, for my daughter, Amy, who encouraged me
to finish this novel by shoveling on the guilt.
Second, for Gina Ardito, who told me so.
Also, for Jeannette and Martin Ward, who made
up the loudest section in my cheering squad.
And, of course, for Shelby Reed, critique partner
extraordinaire, who always listens when I need
to whine about the rough spots or life in general.
Last, but not least, this is for Larry,
because he waited five years to pour our front
sidewalk and then chose to do it on a day
when the temperature was below freezing.
Contents
Chapter 1
Arms locked into position, grip tight on the flexisteel rod,…
Chapter 2
“Anything yet, Max?” I glanced at Crigo, distracted by his…
Chapter 3
My first night on Orpheus Two turned out to be…
Chapter 4
To my undying relief, the Buri seemed more curious over…
Chapter 5
I only managed six hours of sleep, but when Max…
Chapter 6
Mating rituals vary wildly from race to race, but kissing…
Chapter 7
“What do you mean, there are three new Buri? That’s…
Chapter 8
Ghost stood at the bottom of the ramp, a perplexed…
Chapter 9
The next morning I awoke with a feeling of well-being…
Chapter 10
To my disappointment, the fun and games didn’t start that…
Chapter 11
I came to as I was being lowered onto a…
Chapter 12
I braided my hair at high speed, and then ran…
Chapter 13
I hesitated at the bottom of Max’s steps, wondering what…
Chapter 14
The room we entered was huge, with arched windows and…
Chapter 15
This just kept getting worse and worse. By nature, I’m…
Chapter 16
We took our time walking back to the village so…
Chapter 17
I came awake with a jolt when a huge paw…
Chapter 18
While Auntie Em took two other Buri to collect the…
Chapter 19
“Were you ever going to tell me, or where you…
Chapter 20
I woke to a strange sensation the next morning, and…
Epilogue
Thor and I sat on the terrace of the stone…
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books by Katherine Allred
Copyright
About the Publisher
CHAPTER 1
Arms locked into position, grip tight on the flexisteel rod, I swung into a perfect handstand and poised for a split second, my body a curve in the air. Before gravity could kick in, I jackknifed, reversed my grip on the fly, and let the force of my body hitting the lower bar carry me into a tuck-and-roll somersault, my hands grasping the upper bar on the way down.
I’d watched holovids of the old Olympics, and it always amazed me how well natural humans did on the uneven bars. Too bad the games had died out with the advent of Genetically Engineered Persons. But anything a Natural could do, a GEP could do better and faster. I guess it made the games seem rather pointless.
It had also caused a lot of hard feelings and no small amount of prejudice toward GEPs in the beginning. Theoretically, all that changed when the Galactic Federation Council passed the Equality Edict, but in reality, no law can do away with bigotry. It just goes into hiding.
I know because I’ve been on the receiving end of some Naturals’ intolerance. Not only am I a blonde bombshell, I’m also one of the luckiest GEPs ever made. My creation was commissioned by the Bureau of Alien Affairs, and my boss, Dr. Jordan Daniels, is a real sweetheart of a Natural. Not only is he an expert at untying the knots of red tape that governments create, he always treats me like a lady. It’s at his insistence that I record the following events in my own words, for posterity, and so historians will have the facts straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, above and beyond what the official records show. Unfortunately for him, I’m more of a doer than a writer.
The upper bar twanged as I released it and made a two-point landing on the floor mat, arms extended.
“How was that?”
From his position on the weight table, Crigo sneered, and then went back to licking his paws.
“Yeah? I’d like to see you try it.”
He ignored me, of course. We both knew his lack of opposable thumbs would severely hinder his chances of gripping the bar.
Crigo’s a rock cat, so called because his kind inhabits the rocky hills of his home planet. He’s been with me since my assignment in the Alpha sector several cycles ago. I’ve never understood why he decided to come along when I left his world, since our relationship is, at best, an uneasy one. It goes something like this: if I promise not to compromise his dignity by petting him, he promises not to rip my arm off at the elbow. No mild threat, that, since he weighs more than I do and reaches the middle of my thigh in height. In return for the food he consumes while we’re on board Max, my ship, he keeps me humble by following me around, making derogatory feline comments about everything I do, and turning his back when I talk to him. But he’s living, breathing company, so I put up with him. Besides, he’s gorgeous, a fact of which he’s well aware. His coat is russet colored with black stripes zigzagging down his sides like dark lightning bolts. His eyes are a pale shade of amber that reflects an intelligence unusual in rock cats. Most of them are dumb as posts.
I snagged a towel and headed for the lav, wondering if he’d adopted me because his own species bored him stiff. It was a distinct possibility. Plus, he knows I understand him like no one else can. I’m an empath, an enhancement the boss keeps out of my personnel records, along with a few other things no one needs to know. It’s a talent that comes in handy when one of the big trade companies tries to pull a fast one on the sentient species of a planet they’re interested in exploiting. That’s my official job. After a new species is located and studied by a team of scientific experts, I go in and make sure they know their rights according to the Equality Edict. I also help them negotiate deals for marketing their resources with the independent trade companies. If the culture is too primitive to understand their rights, I have two options. Taking the scientific reports into consideration and weighing them against my own observations, I can either ask the bureau to set up a protectorate, or I can close the planet to all further commerce until such time as the bureau deems the race capable of handling its own affairs.
It’s also my job to root out breaches of the edict and bring the trade companies involved to justice. So, because of me, more than a few have lost their privilege licenses and had their ships impounded, and some owners have even ended up on Inferno, the prison planet.
Or worse.
Needless to say, I’m not the independent companies’ favorite person. Occasionally, one of them will get ambitious and put a hit out on me. Not the way to get on my good side, as I really hate disposing of bodies. Too messy for my tastes, not to mention time consuming.
On the bright side, I promised Crigo he could have the next assassin who comes along. He does love new toys.
Thanks to the boss, Max was currently parked dirt side on a small tropical planet with a low population density and lots of sunshine. Dr. Daniels had insisted I take a vacation after my last job, in spite of my protest. So we had a tiny island all to ourselves, with gentle surf, white sand, and lots of weird ocean life for Crigo to pile at Max’s entry hatch. We also had tons of fresh water in the form of a mist-shrouded waterfall spilling into a pool near where we were parked.
After two weeks of enforced idleness, I had a great tan, gorgeous white streaks in my light blonde hair, and sand in places I didn’t like to think about. Good thing all that fresh water was handy. Showering three times a day can drain a ship’s tank real fast, even with recycling. I was going stir-crazy, and even Crigo was looking a little desperate as each new ocean wave swept in a fresh batch of crawly things. A rock cat can only do so much hunting and pouncing, and he’d reached his limit a week ago. As a result, I spent four hours a day exercising in Max’s gym instead of my usual two. It kept Crigo and me from killing each other.
The hot water felt good, so I stayed in the shower longer than usual after my workout on the uneven bars. I was almost asleep on my feet when the water suddenly turned icy cold.
“Max!” With an indignant yelp, I scrambled to exit the shower. “What in the thirteen hells did you do that for?”
“To wake you up.” The computer voice was male, smooth and mellow. “Dr. Daniels wants to speak with you.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” I grabbed my emergency robe and shoved my arms into the sleeves. Having been raised in the crèche, nudity didn’t bother me, but I knew Naturals were funny about things like that, and I didn’t want to embarrass the boss.
“Transfer the call in here, will you, Max?” I stepped into the exercise room and belted my robe while the boss materialized in front of me. Even Crigo sat up and paid attention. He knew authority when he saw it.
“Kiera, my dear, I didn’t intend to interrupt your shower. Max should have waited.”
“Max knows I would have dismantled him chip by chip if he had.” Hope for a reprieve from my boring vacation bubbled inside me as I pushed a lock of wet hair away from my face. “What’s up?”
“As much as it grieves me to cut your vacation short, I have an assignment only my best agent can handle.”
Boss was a nice-looking man, even at his advanced age, tall and well built, with silver hair that gave him a distinguished appearance. If he weren’t happily married with a dozen or so grandkids, I’d be tempted to jump him. But being an old-fashioned gentleman, he’d no doubt be horrified at my lascivious thoughts, so I respectfully kept them to myself. I tried to let my expression mirror his, a trick GEPs learn early in life. We may not completely understand the taboos and cultural norms of Naturals, but we’re damn good actors. Most of the time. “Cool.” I couldn’t hide my grin.
“Cool?” His brow furrowed in puzzlement. “If you’re chilly this can wait until you’re dressed.”
“No, no, I’m fine. Cool is slang for ‘excellent.’ It’s an Old Earth term.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the edge of his desk with a sigh. “Sometimes I think you watch entirely too many old vids. It’s as if you’re speaking another language entirely. As I was saying, a company is invoking Chapter Twenty of the edict.”
My eyebrow arched in surprise. I’d been working for Alien Affairs since I was thirteen cycles, and I’d never heard of a company invoking that particular clause before. In short, it allowed a company to stake a claim to full ownership of a planet if the sentient, indigenous species would die out in a period of no more than one hundred cycles.
A shiver ran over me from the air brushing my wet skin. “Which company?”
“Dynatec.”
Woo boy. Dynatec was the largest of the independent trade companies, with fingers in everything from mining to power supply. Rumor had it that they were even into drug smuggling, but no one had proved it yet. I’d been frothing at the mouth to get something on them for cycles. I parked my butt on the weight bench, ignoring Crigo’s growl of warning when I pushed him to one side. Naturals usually can’t tell what I’m thinking, but the boss could read me well enough to make me uncomfortable.
His lips curved slightly. “My sentiments, exactly. But I’ve got a bad feeling about this one, Kiera. They’re being too damned cooperative. They’ve even requested an agent be sent as soon as possible to
‘expedite’ the matter.” He paused. “Their word, not mine.”
“Oh, yeah. There’s something going on all right.” I nodded agreement. “Companies usually turn themselves wrong side out to keep us away from a new species as long as possible. Do we have any details on the aliens?”
“Sketchy ones, at best. I’ve already downloaded what we know to Max’s files. According to Dynatec’s report, the native population includes less than seventy members, with an extremely low birthrate. If their reports are correct, there’s only been one live birth since the original exploration team discovered the planet ten cycles ago.”
“That’s bad.”
“Yes, it is. I know you aren’t usually the one to make first contact, but we have no choice. Thanks to an unforeseen loophole left by lawmakers, under the provisions of Chapter Twenty, you only have two months to render a decision. There isn’t time for a full scientific team to investigate. So part of your job will be to find out why they aren’t having children and see if there’s anything we can do to reverse their decline.”
I nodded, thinking rapidly. “Dynatec obviously doesn’t want our scientists on site. They must be awfully sure one lone agent won’t have the time or resources to find anything that will negate their claim.”
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and straightened. “That’s what worries me. Be careful, Kiera. You’ll be alone with the Dynatec crew members, all of whom have a stake in any profits the company might make from Orpheus Two.”
I stood and saluted. “Yes, sir. You can count on me. Besides,” I chuckled. “Max will have all the relevant information we uncover. He’ll send it as we find it, even if they hold me hostage.”
“Make sure the Dynatec crew knows that, too.” He dipped his head and the hologram vanished.
“Max?”
“I have the jump plotted out, Kiera.”
“How long—”
“Three days, sixteen hours, and twenty-four minutes. That’s if we stop off at the ZT Twelve station for supplies, which I highly recommend if you’d like to continue eating civilized food in the future.”
“Smart-ass computer,” I mumbled, heading for the front of the ship.
The hop to ZT Twelve, a bustling hub of commerce that served as a way station for this sector of the universe, took approximately three hours. Normally Max and I use space time to immerse ourselves in Old Earth vids from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. We were both addicted to the old movies. Me in particular because almost everything I knew about Naturals I’d learned from the vids. Having been raised in the crèche with other GEPs and then going straight to living on a ship and dealing with alien races, I’d had little opportunity to learn about them in person. This time, however, I used the hours to wade through info on the Orpheus system, sitting at the command deck near Max’s central brain. Crigo curled himself on an antigrav chair and went to sleep, his snores keeping me company while I worked.
The planet on which Dynatec had filed their claim was the second from the sun, a yellow star similar to Earth’s Sol. If the planet had been in Earth’s system, its orbit would have fallen closer to Earth’s than to Mercury’s. Oddly enough, there was no tilt to its axis, which meant it would have one season all cycle long. Combine an average temperature of thirty-five degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of 88
percent, and what you got was hot and wet.
No polar ice caps, I mused as I scrolled down the reports that appeared in front of me, and no oceans. But there were hundreds of freshwater lakes, big and small, dotting the surface of the planet. Lots of mountainous regions, but mostly jungle, interspersed with plains near the lakes. And according to the reports, it had an Earth-normal atmosphere.
“Holo?” I questioned Max.
An image popped up that took my breath away. Orpheus Two hung in the black vastness of space like a glowing emerald, the bigger lakes giving it a sheen that made it appear polished. Wisps of silvery-white clouds circled it like gossamer strands of spider silk, enhancing rather than hiding its beauty. It was escorted on its travels by one medium-sized moon.
If Dynatec’s claim was legitimate, they could make a fortune off selling colonization chits alone. One look at this holo, and half the galaxy would stampede the Orpheus system. Habitable planets were a dime a dozen, but the Galactic Federation Council used the term habitable loosely. If it had breathable air and some form of drinkable water, it was deemed fit for occupation. The majority of them were harsh, deadly places where life hung on by the old tooth-and-nail method of survival. Unless Dynatec had failed to mention some nasty surprises with the flora and fauna, Orpheus Two looked to be a habitable paradise by comparison. Plus, since it was earth normal, I could expect the Dynatec crew to be comprised of humans. Why spend big bucks paying for a gas-breathing alien’s special equipment when you don’t have to?
I stared at the image a bit longer, then cleared it and scrolled down to the report on the aliens. This one was a lot shorter than the report on Orpheus itself. The original Dynatec exploration team that discovered the planet ten cycles ago had dubbed the race Buri.
“Max, any reference to the word Buri in your data bank?”
Immediately another holo appeared, this time a drawing of a man, apparently made of stone. “Buri,” Max intoned.
“According to Norse legend, he was the male from which the gods originated. Freed from stone by the primeval cow, he was a perfect specimen of man and quite beautiful. He was the father of Bor and grandfather of Odin. The old texts are unclear on his status. He may have been merely a giant, or a god in his own right.”
I nodded. There must have been a mythology buff on the exploration crew to come up with a reference that obscure. “Okay, let’s take a look at the Buri. Still shot first, please.”
Leaving the drawing in place, Max projected another holo beside it and I leaned back in surprise. Not at their appearance, but at their size, although their appearance was something to see, too.
“Record,” I snapped in excitement, leaning forward again as the holo revolved slowly. “Senior Agent Kiera Smith, Alien Affairs, ID 64732. Report number one on the sentient species of Orpheus Two, hereafter referred to as Buri.”
I stopped to gather my thoughts. Anything I recorded was admissible in the Galactic Federation courts and I was doing this without the benefit of our normal scientific team’s report, so I needed to be precise.
“The Buri are bipedal hominids, similar to Homo sapiens with one major difference apparent on cursory visual examination. Their bone structure seems to be slightly denser, making them both taller and heavier than man. Due to the lack of enlarged mammary glands on the two in Holo 618, and with a loincloth hiding the genitalia of both individuals, I’m assuming they are male until further examination can confirm this data. The shorter male is approximately two meters, or six feet, seven inches, and weighs about two hundred thirty pounds or one hundred five kilos, but is perfectly proportioned, with no sign of fat or abnormalities. Both his hair and eyes are a deep auburn color, unusual in that they are the exact same shade. His hair is magnificent, thick and full and hanging to just below his shoulders. Note: I can see why the exploration team called them Buri. Not only are they beautiful, they truly are giants. They could easily pass for very tall, very large humans.”
I had the distinct feeling that the guy was very young, the equivalent of a teenager in earth cycles. It was the other one who kept drawing my gaze, and a shiver chased down my spine as I stared at him. He stood well over two meters, closer to seven feet, six inches tall in Old Earth terms, and like his younger pal, his skin was a deep bronze. Wide gold armbands circled his wrists, and his long, muscular legs were encased in buckskin boots that hit him mid-thigh. There was something about his stance that spoke of absolute confidence, with a good bit of arrogance thrown in for spice. And he was the most beautiful male of any species I’d ever seen. Even his short, thick beard couldn’t hide his chiseled jaw or sharp cheekbones, and his ebony eyes sparkled with shrewd intelligence. Hands on his hips, chin high, he stared at me with proud defiance, black hair waving in a gentle breeze. No, not at me. At whoever had taken the holo. Food for thought, there. I entered his description into the record and then stretched to loosen my muscles. “What do you think about the hair and eyes being the same color, Max? Are all of them like that?”
“From the exploration team’s report, it would appear so. My best guess is that the gene for hair and eye color is the same in their species, instead of two separate genes as they are in humans. Possibly an evolutionary adaptation, although I’m not sure what its purpose would be.”
“I agree. Add that to the record and then stamp it with the date and time.” With a wave of my hand, the holo image vanished. “Do they have all the Earth normal hair colors?” I was trying to picture a blonde Buri with blond eyes. Now that would be alien indeed.
“No. They seem to range from a light silvery gray to a deep black, with all shades of brown in between. All of the Buri have the same skin tone, though, and the males have shoulder-length hair. The females hair is longer, usually down to the waist, and it appears both sexes use braids for style.”
Yeah, I’d noticed the big guy had a single braid anchored at his right temple, but for now I was more fascinated by their hair colors. “So no blonds.” I ruminated. With their bronze skin and rippling muscles and long hair they looked like extra-large, very buff, extremely sexy holovid stars. The hair and braids also gave me some ideas on ways to get closer to the Buri, get them to accept me. “How long until we dock at ZT Twelve, Max?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“Okay. I’m going to dress. I’ll look at the rest of the reports on the way to Orpheus Two. As soon as we’re connected, pipe the station’s manifest to my quarters.”
Max wasn’t big by luxury space liner standards, but my quarters were roomy and comfortable. Alien Affairs treated its field agents well. It had to, since the majority of us lived and worked on our ships. Humans—Naturals or GEPs—were simply not capable of remaining in small, tight spaces for long periods of time. It did funny things to their heads.
As Alien Affairs’ senior and most-experienced agent, I was luckier than a lot of their representatives. Max was a top-of-the-line Surge Zephyr, an artificial intelligence with all the bells and whistles the company could install, whose power source was a rare and costly surge crystal. He was also something of a prude, and insisted on closing off all vidports and sound to my quarters on the rare occasions I brought a playmate home for some rest and relaxation.
There would be no fun and games on this trip to ZT Twelve, though. It was strictly business. I hesitated over my dress uniform, and then opted for standard spacer garb: a plain black jumpsuit with lots of nice pockets and pouches for holding weapons. I wasn’t expecting trouble, but if it came, I’d be ready.
Once dressed, I whipped my hair into a braid and tugged a black cap over it, pulling the brim down enough to leave my green eyes shadowed. A quick glance in the mirror assured me I’d blend in with the other spacers on ZT Twelve perfectly.
My perusal was interrupted when Max lit up my vidscreen with the station manifest. Anything that was for sale in the known universe could be found on ZT Twelve. If not legitimately, then through the black market.
I parked my fanny in front of the screen, searching for and ordering certain items to be loaded into Max’s cargo hold. It was common practice for an agent to carry wampum when making their initial contact with a new race. It not only smoothed the way, it gave the potential inductees a taste of what being part of the Galactic Federation could mean.
Choosing the correct wampum, an Old Earth AmerInd term for trade goods, was always risky business for an agent. You could never be positive the items presented wouldn’t mortally offend some cultural taboo and get you tossed out on your ear. Or worse. But thanks to their long hair, I was pretty sure of my choices for the Buri.
Satisfied that Max would see to the rest of our supplies and make sure everything was loaded and paid for, I left my quarters and walked to the forward hatch. “Standard security, Max,” I said, punching in the code that would equalize the air pressure and allow the outer door to open. “Let me know when we’re ready to leave.”
I didn’t even look at Crigo. His first and only trip on station had convinced him that hordes of running, screaming people weren’t his cup of tea. We’d almost been banned from ZT Twelve over that escapade. Now he stayed on Max unless we were dirt side.
The air in the corridor smelled metallic as I made my way to the nearest lift, and I could hear the heavy-duty whine of the giant pumps that circulated oxygen through the station. There were only a few people hanging around in the docking area. Mostly some spacers watching servomotors load cargo onto ships and a few mechs with tools spread around them.
I waited beside a pallet of boxes, and when the lift door slid open, stepped inside. “Level six, please.”
“Level six,” the mechanical voice droned. “Boutiques, bars, pleasure houses, and fine restaurants.” On the wall a vidscreen sprang to life advertising individual businesses. I watched them idly until the lift stopped. I already had a destination in mind, but vendors could change rapidly on ZT Twelve and it paid to stay up to date.
As always, the corridors on level six were packed with people. This was the real heart of the station, the place where everyone wound up sooner or later. It was also the place where information could be had for the price of a drink.
Hugging the wall, hand hovering near my weapon, I slid through the crowd, constantly on the alert. Before I reached Jolaria’s Jewel, a small bar and whorehouse hidden in a back corridor, I intercepted busy fingers twice, both intent on lifting anything of value from my pockets. With a fatalistic sigh, I dislocated a few joints for the second youngster and pushed my way inside the Jewel, paying no heed to the mewls of pain behind me. If you play, you pay.
The inside of the bar was dim and smoky, but Douggwah, Jolaria’s bartender, looked up and watched me make my way to a corner booth in the back. As soon as I was seated, he vanished through a curtained door, reappearing in a second with a slight nod in my direction. It wasn’t long before Jolaria appeared and made her way to my table, already talking before she sat down. “Been while since chew come round, friend. Chew still seeing dat man?”
I grimaced. “I dumped him over a cycle ago. And frankly, I don’t know why I let him hang around as long as I did. The man turned out to be a total zorfa’s ass.”
“Zorfa?” She tilted her head inquisitively.
“Big ugly critter that lives in the swamps on Gartune. They have two purposes in life, to eat and fornicate, and they aren’t real particular in either instance. If it doesn’t run, it’s fair game. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Chew were thinking wit jer heart, not jer brain. Next time, chew use both. So, chew let me buy jer indenture and come work to me, now? In one cycle, chew be free woman and rich to boot. Ze men will love chew.”
Jolaria was a Meltanie, a race that stood a willowy six feet tall, all of it a straight shot with no curves to break up the territory. With their platinum hair, white skin, and red eyes, it was nearly impossible to tell the males from the females.
I’d met Jolaria on my first mission, when I’d accidentally stumbled across the Jewel and was rather insistently mistaken for one of her whores. She assisted me in disposing of the body—I wasn’t quite used to handling the slower reflexes of Naturals and had done more damage to the spacer than I’d intended—and we’d been friends ever since.
“Thanks for the offer, Jo, but I’m done with men. All I’m after today is info.”
Truthfully, I was in no hurry to pay off Alien Affairs’ investment in my creation, even though the job had become a little boring. I’d pretty much climbed to the top of the heap on the agent ladder and there was nowhere left to go. I whittled my debt down a bit more every cycle, but it wasn’t like I had other things to do or places to be.
Personal wealth didn’t hold much appeal for me, either. All things being equal, I was content with my rut and saw no reason to change it.
Jo propped her elbows on the table, the loose sleeves of her red silk robe falling away to expose her thin forearms. “What chew need to know dis time?”
Douggwah interrupted us long enough to slide two glasses of amberberry wine onto the table and then slipped away again. I lifted my glass and sipped. “Are there any rumors floating around about this new planet Dynatec discovered?”
“Ah.” She leaned back and toyed with her glass. “Eberbody know dey invoke Chapter Twenty. Big news. Lots of talk, but no fact. Some say Dynatec make big find, kind dat get people dead if dey be too nosy.”
“The kind that would be worth killing off an entire race for?” I arched my eyebrow in question. One thin shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Maybe so, maybe not. Nobody know fer sure, and Dynatec, dey ain’t tellin’. Just de news dat dey trying to close legal loopholes is worrisome. Means dey don’t want any questions about dis claim. Dat yer next job?”
“Yes. They’ve requested an agent as soon as possible.”
“Dey know Alien Affairs send de best dey got?”
I smiled. “Not yet, but they will in a few days. I’m heading out as soon as Max is loaded.”
She studied me a moment, her eyes filled with concern. “Chew be best off givin’ dis one to somebody else, girl. Bad vibes eberwhere ’bout dis business.”
“You know I can’t do that, Jo. It’s my job. Besides, I’m not easy to kill.”
Her pale hair swung as she shook her head. “Chew too stubborn fer jer own good sometime.” Pushing her untouched glass across the table, she stood. “Chew want jer usual?”
“Yes, I’m dying for some real red meat.”
“I send it out. And an extra fer dat beast of jers.”
“Thanks, Jo. Just bill it to my expense account.”
She paused. “Chew be careful, girl. Chew hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I touched the brim of my cap in salute, then watched her sway off to the kitchen. Every time I stopped at the Jewel, Jo waged her campaign to hire me. Due to their sexual training, GEPs can make a lot of credits working in pleasure houses. More than a few have bought their freedom. Of course, those were normal GEPs. Jolaria might stop offering me a job if she discovered the facts of my creation. But only the boss and I knew the truth.
Because, thanks to Simon Gertz, a geneticist with a god complex and my creator, neither of us was sure I was human. In a universe filled with diversity, where all creatures went two by two, I was one of a kind. Superwoman or monster. Either choice made for a very lonely existence.
CHAPTER 2
“Anything yet, Max?” I glanced at Crigo, distracted by his strong feelings of eagerness. He was at the starboard port, staring out at Orpheus Two, the tip of his tail twitching, ears swiveling as though picking up the sound of prey. We were on our fourth orbit, depositing small satellites at regularly spaced intervals, and he’d been in the same position since the planet had come into view.
“I’m sorry, Kiera.” It took Max a full minute to respond, a first for him. He usually answered before I could get the entire question out. “The trees aren’t helping, and the surface temperature is warm enough to interfere with the infrared scan. It’s taken three filters to get a reliable reading, even on the night side of the planet.”
“Did you find anything?”
“There’s so much life, it’s impossible to tell one species from another. There could be a million Buri and we wouldn’t know it.”
I leaned back and rubbed my forehead. “If there are more Buri than those reported, they have to live someplace. Did anything that looked like a building show up on the ultraviolet frequency?”
“Only the ones the Dynatec crew erected at the edge of that large lake, and a small group of buildings about five miles away in the jungle.”
“Buildings?”
“Yes. We’re too far away to tell what they’re made from, but they are certainly more than huts.”
Interesting. The original report had implied the Buri were somewhat primitive. The fact that they were advanced enough to construct buildings meant that although they were short on mechanical assistance, they were definitely way above the primitive level. At the very least, they would be ranked a developing society if not for their low birthrate. But there was no sense speculating until I got to know them better.
“Anything on the geological spectrograph?” I continued.
“Except for a slight anomaly in the mountainous regions near the Buri site, it looks pretty standard.”
“An anomaly?” I sat a little straighter, my interest piqued.
“What kind of anomaly?”
“Veins of metal that seem to change composition. First they registered as copper, then as zinc, then as iron. It’s most unusual.”
“Could it be a new type of metal? Maybe that’s what Dynatec is after.”
“I wouldn’t think so,” Max answered. “Alloys of those metals have been common for centuries. The anomaly is more likely due to thin veins of those metals overlapping each other.”
“Back to square one.” I sighed. “What time is it at the Dynatec encampment?”
“Shortly after midday.”
Good. That meant I wouldn’t be required to eat their food with them. Call me silly, but I don’t eat other people’s cooking unless I’ve watched the preparations myself, or unless I really trust the chef. And I don’t trust anyone who works for Dynatec.
“Here’s the plan. Max, put down at their camp and stay just long enough to let them have a good look at you. Once they get an eyeful, move to the other side of the lake, nearer to the Buri structures. That’s where we’ll set up our work area. I’ll walk over after I get a look at the camp.”
Crigo gave a happy chuff and stalked to the hatch, sitting with his back to the room as though staring at the door would make it open faster. He was really getting on my nerves. From the way he was emoting, Orpheus Two was one big dinner plate and he could hardly wait to dig in.
“Listen, cat,” I instructed as Max angled in for his descent. “I go out first, you give me a couple minutes, then follow. And stay away from the humans and the Buri. They aren’t food or toys. Got that? I don’t want the Dynatec crew getting the wrong idea and taking a shot at you.”
The only indication he heard me was the slight flattening of his tufted ears, but I knew he’d do as I asked. He wasn’t happy about it, but he’d do it.
I’d already dressed in my standard work uniform: a short-sleeved khaki jumpsuit with the Alien Affairs patch on the breast pocket, and my rank on the collar. While Max touched down light as a feather, I tucked my braid under the matching cap and brushed an imaginary speck of lint from my knee. A hiss of air warned me the hatch was opening, and I straightened just as Crigo looked at me over his shoulder and gave a low grunt.
“Okay, okay. I’m going. Don’t get your tail in a knot.”
My boots made a hollow sound on the bare metal floor as I slipped through the tube and ducked outside. Stopping on the top step, I took a deep breath of air lush with the scent of exotic flowers and growing things. From all directions my sensitive hearing picked up the whoops, clicks and rumbles of teeming life, and there was so much green it hurt my eyes to look at it.
Nearby, heat waves shimmied above the group of flexiplast Quonset huts the Dynatec crew had erected. Several people paused to watch me disembark, their faces curious and expectant. Only one looked happy to see me, and she was a tiny thing with café au lait skin.
“Max,” I subvocalized. “Who’s the woman to my far right, the one who’s smiling?”
He took a second to compare her image with the crew’s ID list he had on file. “That’s Second Lieutenant Claudia Karle. She’s in charge of mapping.”
I made a mental note to try and talk to her later. Since she was emitting feelings of friendliness, she might be a good source of information.
“Well, well. Senior Agent Smith.”
My gaze swung to the man who had spoken as I descended the remaining steps. I’d crossed paths with Frisk before. He was the kind of Natural who thought GEPs were second-class citizens, there only for his entertainment. Especially the females, and the scuttlebutt was that he liked his sex rough and kinky. He was also part of the crew that had appropriated the assets of the Sematians, a primitive race in the Sema Galaxy, leaving the planet denuded of resources.
I was the agent who’d gone in and cleaned up the mess, and while I hadn’t been able to prove Dynatec had broken the law, everyone knew they had. I’d been gunning for them ever since. No people should have to go through what the Sematians had.
The surprise here was that Frisk was in charge of this particular mission. He usually got the smash-and-grab assignments. If a job required finesse and a capacity for thinking, then Frisk needed an extra brain to do the work. I took another look around but didn’t see anyone who appeared capable of controlling the man. The day was young, however, and I’d keep an open mind.
“Captain Frisk. Nice place you’ve got here.”
“We think so.” He extended a hand, which I ignored. The first self-defense lesson a GEP learns is not to offer a hand unless you want to draw back a bloody stump. It’s something the prehistoric men of Old Earth had once known, but present-day Naturals seem to have forgotten. It’s also one of the easiest ways to tell a Natural from a GEP, since no GEP will shake hands. Even the GEPs who are trying to pass as Naturals can’t bring themselves to participate in this ritual. Not when it’s embedded in us from birth that injury to the hands leads to helplessness and death.
Frisk let his hand drop. “I’m honored Alien Affairs would send someone of your caliber for such a small job.”
Sure he was. And I’m High Empress Tutti-Frutti, queen of the galaxy.
“We don’t consider the potential extinction of an entire race a ‘small job,’ Captain. As a matter of fact, my first order of business is to discover why the Buri are dying out and see if it can be reversed.”
While I was talking, I lowered my shields. Waves of arrogance, certainty, and smugness bombarded me, and I forced myself not to wince. Whatever was going on, Frisk was pretty sure it was under control. He waved one of the watching crew forward. The guy was young, tall and blond, with brilliant green eyes. If I’d had a brother, this is what he would have looked like. But GEPs don’t have families. The closest we came was shared genetic material, and the same combination was never used twice.
“Maybe Dr. Redfield can be of some assistance in your research. He’s our chief science officer. Doc, this is Kiera Smith, Alien Affairs’ best agent.”
He nodded at the introduction, his gaze wary, but didn’t offer to shake hands. Another GEP. Interesting. Especially when you considered he was probably the only person on the planet who, theoretically, should have come close to matching me in physical strength.
He didn’t, of course. If humans can be compared to horses, then Naturals where draft animals while regular GEPs were quarter horses. They were faster, smarter, sleeker and had better reflexes than their creators. They were also created sterile. No way were Natural humans going to take a chance on being bred out of existence.
I, on the other hand, am a supersonic thoroughbred. Because instead of using DNA from Naturals to make me, Gertz illegally used DNA from the best GEPs he could find and then manipulated it even more. Not only am I an empath, my reflexes are so fast that I can pick an insect out of the air like it was sitting still. I am so fast that I can run rings around a normal GEP going at top speed. And my body heals what would normally be fatal wounds in seconds. I am also fully functional, another fact only the boss and I knew. After all, what good did it do Gertz to play God if his creation couldn’t reproduce?
So, while Redfield was smart enough to be Frisk’s puppet master, he was no match for me. However, with Frisk’s attitude toward GEPs, I couldn’t see him taking orders from the doctor.
“Senior Agent Smith.” When Redfield spoke, his gaze was shuttered. “I’ll be happy to help in any way I can, and you’re more than welcome to avail yourself of our labs and archives.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” I gestured at Max. “I have state-of-the-art equipment on my ship.”
Frisk’s gaze ran over Max, and he frowned. “An artificial intelligence Surge Zephyr? That must have set Alien Affairs back a pretty chit. Seems a little like overkill.”
I bared my teeth in a fake smile. “Not at all. If anything happens to an agent, a ship like Max is perfectly capable of completing the mission on his own. That alone makes him indispensable.”
Okay, warning given. I turned back to Redfield. “Have you taken DNA samples from the Buri?”
He glanced at Frisk and I detected a short burst of uneasiness before he answered. Even more interesting than his GEP status. Note to self: at some point, cut the doctor away from the herd and see if he’s willing to talk.
“No, I’m afraid not.” Guilt surged to the forefront of his emotions. “The Buri are too aggressive. They won’t let us near them. The only way to obtain samples would be to stun them first, and since there are so few of them I didn’t want to risk it.”
I caught a movement in my peripheral vision and saw Redfield’s eyes widen. “Agent Smith, there’s a rock cat coming out of your ship.”
I gave him points for his lack of panic. Frisk, on the other hand, had gone rather pale, so I addressed my answer to the doctor. “That’s Crigo. If you don’t bother him, he won’t bother you.”
As though to prove my point, Crigo trotted by, nose to the ground as he examined every bush and blade of grass, paying no attention to the Dynatec camp. Behind me, the ship hatch closed, and Max lifted silently from the ground.
“Where’s he going?” Frisk was having a hard time watching Max and keeping an eye on Crigo at the same time.
“The ship? He’s going to the other side of the lake to set up my work area.”
Frisk stiffened. “I thought you’d work out of our camp.”
“Sorry, Captain. I need to be close to the Buri, and they obviously don’t care much for your crew.” I’d already spotted the youngster from the holo, lounging against a tree at the edge of the jungle. “Do they always watch your camp so closely?”
“Always,” Redfield answered before Frisk could respond.
“And several of them usually follow the mapping team when they go out.”
I nodded. “He doesn’t seem too excited about a new ship landing.”
“We have supply drones come in once a month. They’re used to seeing ships land and take off.” The doctor made an odd little hand gesture at the end of his comment, kind of a “come here, stay away”
movement in abbreviated form. If I weren’t so good at reading body language I’d have missed it. I was contemplating his meaning when Frisk interrupted us. “How long do you expect this to take, Smith?”
“I have two months before I’m required by law to render a decision, Captain, and I expect my research to take every second of that time limit.” I smiled. “But even if the Buri really are dying out, you’ve got a long wait. The ones I saw on the vids looked pretty healthy. Who knows what their natural life span is?
You could be looking at another hundred cycles or so before you’re allowed to open up the planet for trade and colonization.”
“I expect you to keep me updated on any discoveries you make.” Waves of dislike oozed from Frisk, and I arched a brow.
“Expect all you want, Frisk. I make my reports to Alien Affairs. What you’ll get is my final decision. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get started.”
With a nod to Redfield, I strolled toward the jungle. Crigo fell in beside me, his walk graceful, ears constantly twitching. “Like this place, do you?” I murmured.
He gave a low chuff of agreement, his head swinging curiously in the Buri’s direction. The youngster wasn’t lounging anymore. He was standing at attention, nervously fingering a spear as we drew nearer, his gaze shifting from me to Crigo.
“I don’t think he knows what to make of you,” I told Crigo. “Why don’t you act like you’re heading for Max?”
The rock cat cast a longing glance toward the jungle, then turned left. He wouldn’t go far. In spite of his surly attitude, he viewed me as an unruly kitten. One he felt free to discipline when required, but was also obligated to protect.
The youngster watched him go, then turned back to face me. A hundred feet separated us, and I took two slow steps in his direction. On the off chance they were telepathic, I broadcast waves of friendliness, warmth and curiosity. Nothing. He didn’t so much as twitch, just stared at me with his big auburn eyes.
“Max,” I subvocalized. “Are you recording this?”
“Recording.” His voice came from the tiny chip embedded behind my ear. It was both a communication and tracking device, and it allowed Max and I to talk without anyone else being the wiser. Still emoting, I took another two steps, hands lifted to show I was holding no weapon. This time I got a reaction. The youngster’s lips curled back to uncover strong, white teeth, and a low warning sound emerged from between his lips. Taking a tighter two-handed grip on his spear, he shifted it across the front of his body in a defensive stance.
Pausing, I studied the spearhead. There was something familiar about it, as if I’d seen it or another like it before. It was a flat black metal with odd markings etched into its surface. My musing triggered the memory of a picture I’d once run across of a spear belonging to a giant species called the Ashwani, which had been extinct long before their planet was discovered. “Max, can you get a clear image of his spear?” I subvocalized.
“Yes. I’ve taken a holo of it.”
“Good. See if you’ve got anything on a race called the Ashwani and compare the spear’s markings to any written language we have for them.”
Junior was still grimacing at me, so I took a deep breath and walked closer, hoping I wouldn’t have to hurt him. His body tensed, and a growling sound rumbled from his throat. Staying loose and keeping my weight balanced on the balls of my feet, I took another step. I was only fifty feet from him now, and apparently I crossed some imperceptible barrier. Without further warning, he charged.
On the trip from ZT Twelve to Orpheus, Max and I had run the vids almost constantly, searching for consistencies in the grunts and growls that made up the Buri’s language. The first time I’d mimicked the sounds, Crigo had fallen out of the antigrav chair and hissed at me. When I laughed, he stuck his nose in the air and vanished into another part of the ship.
There was only one sound I was reasonably sure about, and only because I’d seen the results when the big guy used it. When Junior charged, I stopped and let out a roar that had the fauna chittering in the trees.
The effect on the youngster was electric. He reacted as though he’d slammed into an invisible wall, staring at me with eyes the size of Max’s portholes. I could feel waves of surprise and uncertainty pouring from him.
The bushes at the edge of the jungle rustled, and Junior looked over his shoulder as two more males stepped into sight. One was the big guy from the vids, the obvious leader of the tribe. The other was one I hadn’t seen before. He was somewhere between the youngster and the big guy in size, and his hair and eyes were a deep brown. He didn’t look happy. A scowl marred his features as he barked at Junior. When the youngster answered, his tone was low and apologetic. The two new arrivals listened, and then refocused their attention on me. A deep anger and defiance emanated from Brownie, but all I got from the big guy was a vague sense of curiosity and interest as his black eyes moved over me. He stood with his long legs braced apart, arms crossed over his broad chest, while Brownie gestured toward me and grunted ferocious-sounding epithets.
With a distinct air of resignation, the big guy growled a response. Brownie, radiating satisfaction, handed his spear to Junior and started toward me.
Damn. I was hoping to avoid this. But since I couldn’t, I was glad it was Brownie. His attitude got on my nerves.
I held my ground until he lunged, then moved to one side. With my faster reflexes, I could have circled him three times, filed my nails, and had lunch before he touched me, but I didn’t want to show off. Yet, from his perspective, it must have seemed like I’d vanished. He staggered to a halt and gazed around. I tapped him on the back. “Looking for me?”
With a roar of fury, he spun and grabbed. This time I didn’t dodge. Instead, I bent at the waist and twisted my lower torso into the air. My feet hit his jaw in rapid succession as I spun into the air. His head rocked back, but he didn’t go down. His eyes narrowed, studying me as he touched his bleeding lip with one hand.
Flexing my knees, I dropped into a defensive stance and waited. He came at me slower, a calculating gleam in his eyes. Warily, we circled each other, him edging ever closer. It didn’t take an empath to understand his plan. He figured if he could only get his hands on me, I wouldn’t stand a chance. And if I were a Natural, he’d have been right.
But I wasn’t even a normal GEP.
I stopped circling and let him come. With a grunt of triumph, his massive arms fisted around me and lifted me from the ground. Using the edge of my boot, I made contact with his shin, and then jammed my elbow into his throat.
Choking and gasping, he released me to clutch at his neck, and I used the movement to grab his arm and toss him over my hip. He landed on his back with a bone-jarring thud that would have knocked the air out of a lesser creature, and then rolled to his feet.
Before he could take another step toward me, I dropped to the ground and kicked his feet out from under him. Even as he hit the dirt again, I returned to an upright position, but the maneuver had knocked my cap off and my braid spilled down my back.
Instantly, the big guy roared a command that froze Brownie in his tracks. He glowered in his leader’s direction while they exchanged a series of grunts and growls, then three sets of eyes lowered to my chest.
“I think they just realized you’re female,” Max commented in my ear. With a smile, I propped my hands on my hips and thrust my boobs out so there would be no doubt in their minds. Hey, they might not be my best feature, but I was proud of what I had. Brownie groaned and shut his eyes, humiliation in every line of his body. Not only had he got his butt whipped, it had been a female who’d done the job.
The big guy snapped another order, and Brownie shot me a hate-filled glare as he retrieved his spear from Junior and slunk off into the jungle. I’d have to do something about that, and soon, I realized. I couldn’t afford to have enemies in the Buri tribe.
I glanced back at the two remaining Buri to find them watching me, the big guy’s dark gaze intent, as though he couldn’t quite figure me out. Still smiling, I walked slowly forward until I was right in front of him. Junior took a few steps back, but the big guy held his ground.
Normally I wouldn’t have to worry about names as our scientific team would have supplied the important ones during introductions on my arrival. This time I was on my own. I’d named Junior because of his age and Brownie based on his color. But it didn’t feel right to name the big guy that way for some reason.
“Key-rah,” I said, touching my chest. “Key-rah.” I moved my fingers to his chest. “What’s your name?”
He glanced at my fingers and then lifted his gaze back to mine, his expression inscrutable. I wasn’t picking up a single emotion from him, even when I touched him. All I felt was the solid warmth of his skin under my hand.
“Key-rah.” I tried again. “My name is Key-rah. Your name?” He captured my wrist in his big hand, holding it gently but firmly so I couldn’t pull away. His free hand went around me and lifted my braid. He studied it for a moment, rubbing it between his fingers, then leaned down and sniffed. Now I was getting something from him. A feeling of…expectation? That was the only way I could describe it. Whatever it was, he was pleased.
His lips curved in a smile and he grunted something to Junior as he straightened. Without any warning, he released me and turned back to the jungle, vanishing into the thick brush.
“Same to ya, buddy,” I grumbled. “And if you just told him I was a harmless female, you’ve got a big surprise coming.”
Junior watched me warily throughout my remarks, so I gave him my most reassuring smile, then turned toward Max. To my surprise, the young Buri followed me. I brightened. Apparently the big guy’s comment hadn’t been derogatory after all. He must have ordered Junior to keep an eye on me. I looked back at the clearing just in time to see another male, this one with dark gray hair, take up the position Junior had vacated.
So I rated my own guard, did I? Well, if Junior thought he was going to spend the rest of the day holding up a tree, he had another thought coming.
It had been my experience that societies with low technology tend to be uncomfortable approaching Max, so when I was on a job, I always set up Quonset huts to live and work in. Since the huts came preprogrammed to erect themselves, the hardest part of this task involved wrestling the boxes onto the antigrav sled for transportation.
By the time we reached Max, the cargo hatch was down, and the hold’s conveyor belts had stacked the boxes in the opening. Crigo, who had arrived seconds before Junior and me, was sprawled in the shadows at the edge of the jungle. Giving the rock cat a wide berth, Junior chose his own tree and leaned against it.
They had the right idea, I decided. It was hotter than Inferno in midsummer, so it only made good sense to set the huts up where they would be shaded by the trees. It would also impede any line-of-sight surveillance the Dynatec crew endeavored.
There also didn’t seem to be as much flying insect life in the jungle. The plains abounded in the speedy little critters. A swarm went by me doing about 140 kilometers per hour, and I used my superfast reflexes to delicately pluck one of them from the group for a better look.
Yep, they certainly were ugly things. They had long, nasty-looking proboscises and orange eyes. But their bodies were streamlined for speed and they had six wings.
Yetch. I released it in a hurry and went back to what I was doing, wiping my fingers on my leg to divest myself of any leftover bug juice that might be contaminating me.
Retrieving a laser cutter from the cargo bay, I walked a few steps into the jungle and looked around. The brush wasn’t quite so thick once you got past the outer edge, and I could see the trees gradually became bigger the farther away they grew from the grassy plain.
A movement in the over-canopy caught my attention, and I glanced up in time to see a tiny creature the size of my hand flit from one flowered vine to another, chittering as it went. It resembled nothing so much as a miniature dragon, but instead of scales, it was covered in jewel-toned feathers. It landed by gripping the vine with tiny talons and then delicately sipped from a flower. And it wasn’t alone. Now that I’d noticed the first one, there seemed to be hundreds of them, filling the trees with flashes of brilliant color that rivaled the flowers for sheer beauty. A few of them noticed me watching and flitted closer, heads tilting from side to side as they studied me intently. One of my observers, a brilliant iridescent green fellow, dangled upside down from a vine not two feet in front of me and gurgled inquisitively.
I couldn’t help smiling at their antics. “Friend,” I told them, on the off chance they might understand. It seemed to work. With satisfied cheeps, they went back to flower hopping. The more I saw of Orpheus Two, the more I liked it, and that worried me. Agents couldn’t allow themselves to get too attached to a place or a people. Not only did it lead to bias, which could skew the findings, it caused undue upset and heartache when it was time to leave. And that time always came. Shaking my head, I went to work clearing a space big enough for the huts, and making a path through the thicker brush so I could reach Max without having to fight my way out. When I was done, I put the laser cutter away and then motioned for Junior.
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move. With a sigh, I walked over to him, took his hand, and pulled. He planted both feet and refused to budge.
I glanced at Crigo, who was still sprawled under a nearby tree, front legs crossed as he looked on with amusement. “Hey, I could use a little help getting him moving.”
Lazily, Crigo rose and stalked into the jungle. A few seconds later, he let out a roar from right behind Junior that had the dragon birds swooping and fluttering in panic. It also served my purpose, since Junior launched himself a foot into the air at the sound. I used his forward momentum to drag him to the cargo bay while he was still looking apprehensively over his shoulder.
Amazingly enough, it didn’t take him long to figure out that I wanted help loading boxes onto the antigrav sled, and he set to work with such enthusiasm that I suspected he’d been bored. Either that, or he was afraid of what Crigo would do if he didn’t cooperate.
While we worked, I checked in with Max, using my chip so the conversation wouldn’t disturb Junior.
“Did you have a chance to scan Dynatec’s ship?”
“Yes.” Max’s voice vibrated in my ear. “It’s in good condition, but it’s a much older model with a conventional computer. I made sure we’re out of its scanner and weapon range.”
Odd. Dynatec was a huge company. They could afford the most up-to-date ships and equipment available. So why use such an old one, especially when there was always a danger of pirates targeting lone ships? “What weapons are they carrying?”
“Standard, old-fashioned laser rays, and a few projectile cannons. The type that fires laser-guided missiles.”
I nodded, although still puzzled at their use of outdated weapons. Projectile cannons could be devastating when used dirt side, but Max would know the instant their system locked on to a target. Using our orbiting satellites and weapons based on his surge crystal, he could strike with pinpoint accuracy to take out a single weapon, or destroy their entire camp if necessary.
The satellites also allowed Max to record any activity on the planet’s surface. And once Max recorded something, it was a permanent part of the ship’s log. No tampering could destroy his records, because they weren’t stored physically on board. They were beamed directly to a special storage unit in the Alpha Centauri system, where Alien Affairs had its headquarters. Only Max or the boss could access the files, and even they couldn’t erase them.
After the mission was completed and the fate of the Buri decided, all the recordings would be released to the Federation Library and Archives to be studied by sociologists and other scientists. They would forever be part of Federation history.
“Set up the usual perimeter,” I instructed Max. “If anyone from the Dynatec crew broaches it, let me know immediately. If I’m not here and one of them shows up, use the static shield. I don’t want them getting within fifty feet of you or the camp unless I’m aware they’re here.”
“What about the Buri?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think they’re capable of hurting you. Just don’t let them on board unless it’s with me. Other than that, don’t interfere with them. The more they hang around the camp, the easier it will be to gather info on them.” I paused. “You might want to let me know if Brownie is lurking in the bushes, though. I don’t think he likes me much.”
“Probably with good reason,” Max replied. “There’s an area of new skin growth on his left hip. From a close scan of the scar, it would appear to be the remnants of a laser burn.”
I mulled that over for a second. So much for Redfield’s assertion about not wanting to stun the Buri. Apparently they’d rather kill them. Unless Redfield didn’t know everything that was going on. With Frisk’s reputation for hating GEPs, it wouldn’t surprise me to discover he was withholding info from the doctor.
Well, there was nothing I could do about it right this minute, and I still had a lot of work to complete. Once the antigrav sled was loaded, we tugged it to the clearing I’d made, and I set the huts to work erecting themselves. The process clearly fascinated Junior, and he watched them go up with a mixture of awe and curiosity.
When they were done, I had two huts side by side, with a connecting partition between them that I used for storage. Each section of hut had a door with a porch roof covering it. Most of the complicated lab work would be done by Max, but the back hut was equipped with instruments so I could work on my own.
The front hut would be my living quarters. It came with its own lav, kitchen, and bedroom, and Max controlled the climate through remotes. When I tried to coax Junior inside for a look around, his eyes widened, and he backed up a step. I suspect he thought that any building that could go up so fast all by itself might come down the same way, and he wasn’t going to take any chances on being inside when it did.
But at least he seemed to be over his hesitancy where I was concerned. He helped me unload the rest of my supplies without a quibble and then made himself comfortable near one of the porches. As a reward for his assistance, I made him dinner after Max did a medic scan and assured me the Buri physiology was compatible with human rations. It took some mimicking on my part, and finally taking a bite myself before he’d try the food. And he didn’t seem too fond of the vegetables sautéed in lemon wine, making faces with each swallow. But at his first taste of amberberries covered in chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream, total rapture lit his features. It didn’t take a fluent command of Buri to understand his meaning when he shoved the empty bowl at me and growled. With a smile, I zapped another packet of the dessert in the heating unit and refilled his bowl. Even when you’re dealing with an alien species, the way to a man’s heart was apparently through his stomach. I just hoped it would be this easy with the big guy. If I wanted to be accepted by the Buri, he was the one I had to impress. But I suspected I had my work cut out for me.
CHAPTER 3
My first night on Orpheus Two turned out to be a long one. Junior was still working on his second dessert when his replacement showed up. He gave the new Buri with light gray hair and silvery eyes a meager taste of the sweet, and I ended up fixing yet another bowl. Apparently this earned me Ghost’s undying gratitude, because he spent the rest of the night guarding my door, keeping me awake with his shifting and turning.
Crigo had vanished with first dark, but that didn’t surprise me. He was itching to explore, and I’d seen him eyeing a herd of grazers that looked like a cross between the buffalo and gazelles I’d seen in the Centaurius Zoo. They were elegantly built with long legs and spiral horns, but furred with a woolly coat of dark brown curls. They also had a hump on their backs, long beards, and broad, heavy faces. It was during one of Ghost’s tossing-and-turning periods that I awakened from a light doze with a strange thought. What if the Buri weren’t posted outside my hut as guards? What if they thought they were protecting me from the Dynatec crew?
The idea was so odd I couldn’t believe it had even occurred to me. My eyes opened and I blinked twice before sliding out of bed and into a robe. Moving silently, I padded to the front of the hut and gazed through the transparent door at Ghost. Had I picked up something from him?
It didn’t seem likely. He was leaning against the wall, head tipped back, gentle snores parting his lips. Trying not to wake him, I opened the door and stepped outside, letting my gaze scan the surrounding jungle. Something or someone was out there. I could feel a presence in the tingle that ran down my back and lifted the fine hair on my nape.
I was on the verge of querying Max when a slight movement caught my eye. It wasn’t much, just a shimmer of moonlight on inky hair, but it was enough to tell me who my watcher was. The big guy was back.
Shifting slightly to my right, I walked to the edge of the porch. We were within touching distance when I stopped. Close enough that I could pick up the scent of his warm, clean, very male body. I had a clear view of him from this angle.
I’m well above average height for a human female, skimming six feet tall. But he was the largest male of any species I’d ever met. He stood motionless as I stared up at him, and I tightened the belt on my robe nervously.
Which was ridiculous. I never got nervous.
In the distance, the roar of a rock cat after prey split the night, but neither of us so much as twitched. If the emotion I’d picked up earlier had come from him, there was no sign of it now. My shields were completely down and I wasn’t getting a thing.
“Shall I record?” Max asked in my ear.
I hesitated. Technically, every meeting with a new race should be recorded, because you never know what you’ll miss during a contact that you might pick up on later.
“No,” I answered. “Not this time.”
As usual, I had subvocalized when talking to Max, but the big guy tilted his head and his gaze became more intense. Slowly, he lifted one hand and touched me just over the chip implanted behind my ear. Immediately I felt a sense of puzzlement coming from him, and I sucked in a deep breath of night air. No one had ever been aware of my conversations with Max before. Absolutely no one. Either his hearing was better than mine, which was impossible, or he had, at the very least, a rudimentary telepathic talent. While I was thinking, his interest shifted from my conversation to my hair. I’d left it loose when I prepared for bed, and he spread his fingers to sift through the heavy mass, draping thick locks over my shoulder and wrapping them around his fist.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do next. Nothing in my experience had prepared me for this.
He continued stroking my hair, then his gaze shifted and our eyes met. And as we stared at each other, a buzzing filled my head, a small, pleasant sensation that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling and made me smile. Suddenly I was picking up more emotion from him than I wanted to, in the form of complete and utter shock. He dropped my hair as though it had burned him and took a step back. A low rumble erupted from deep in his chest as his gaze swept down to take in my bare legs and silk-clad body. With another growl, he turned and faded into the surrounding darkness, leaving me alone to wonder what in the thirteen hells had just happened.
Had I dreamed the entire encounter?
No, it was no dream. I was on the porch wearing nothing but my robe, and Ghost was still snoring from his spot against the wall. And I’d just had a deeply physical reaction to a male from an alien species. Oh, no. There was no way I’d allow this to continue. I was finished with men, regardless of what species they belonged to. Damn Gertz. When he was busy taking liberties with my genetic makeup, why hadn’t he excised this deep-seated need for love and acceptance I’d been cursed with? It would have made my life so much simpler.
With a sigh, I padded back to bed, my mind still on the big guy. But sleep was a long time coming. I really needed to come up with a name for him, like I had for the others. Blackie was out. He just didn’t seem the type for a cutesy nickname.
After an unusual amount of dithering, I settled on Thor. Yeah, that had some dignity to it, and I could picture him as the god of thunder. All he needed was a hammer.
With that decision out of the way, I finally drifted off to sleep, only to have the dragon birds wake me two hours later at the crack of dawn. Apparently they’d decided the huts were a new toy. They covered the roof, their tiny feet sounding like a pouring rain, chattering and inspecting, even swooping down to peer in the Plexiglas windows.
Mumbling under my breath, I dragged myself to the shower, and then forced my eyes open so I could find my clothes and dress. It took two cups of scalding cafftea before I felt semi-normal again. When I was sure my brain was functioning at its usual level, I walked to the door and looked out. Crigo was stretched out on his side beneath a flowering vine, lazily cleaning his paws. His stomach was rounder, a bulging ball that marred his normally sleek lines, and he was awash in contentment. But that wasn’t what made me do a double take.
Including Junior and Ghost, five Buri males squatted in a half circle around my porch, all looking hopefully at the door.
Normally, Alien Affairs tries to limit first contact with a low technology group to simple observation for a few cycles by trained xenologists so as not to influence or disrupt their culture. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that luxury with the Buri. Time was a limited commodity if we wanted to save them, and my need for information necessitated getting as close to them as possible as quickly as I could manage. Disturbing their culture was small potatoes when compared with losing the entire species. I sighed. “Max, how much of the amberberries in chocolate sauce is left? I think I’ve created a monster.”
“Not much, Kiera. We are overstocked with Zip Bars, though.”
“That will do.” I went to the food unit and punched in my request. Zip Bars are high-energy rations. You could live for a month or more eating one a day. It helps that they taste wonderful too. They’re made from compressed zipple nuts and amberberries, coated in caramel and covered in chocolate. All of which hides the taste of the super nutrients mingled with the other ingredients. I scooped up the individually wrapped bars and carried them to the porch, handing one to each Buri. In unison, they lifted the bars to their noses and sniffed. Thanks to my reflexes, I managed to stop them before they took a bite, wrapper and all.
Patiently, I showed a Buri with white streaks in his dark brown hair how to unwrap the bar before he ate it. The others watched, then mimicked the action, their eyes closing in bliss while they chewed. As they ate, I covertly studied the male with the streaks. He appeared to be in good physical condition, but he had an aura of age about him, so I dubbed him Elder. He caught me sneaking glances at him and grinned, holding out the Zip Bar and nodding in what I assumed was thanks. I was waiting for them to finish, and mulling over my plans for the day, when Max interrupted me. “Kiera, one of the Dynatec crew is approaching.”
“Who is it?” I straightened and turned toward the path.
“Second Lieutenant Claudia Karle, the woman you asked about yesterday.”
“Is she armed?”
“Only with a hand laser and belt knife. And I detect no recording equipment on her person.”
“Okay. Let her through.”
The Buri were just finishing off the Zip Bars when the bushes at the head of the path rattled and Lieutenant Karle stepped into view. At the sound, all five males lurched to their feet, spears at the ready, lips curled back from their teeth.
Karle plowed to a stop and raised her hands. “Whoa. Didn’t realize you’d have company. Maybe I’ll just come back later.”
“No, it’s okay.” I pushed my way between Junior and Ghost, and started forward. I hadn’t taken two steps before Junior’s hand clamped down on my shoulder, bringing me to a halt. I turned to face him, smiling and radiating tranquility and calm. “She’s not going to hurt me,” I assured him with a serene tone. “She couldn’t, even if she wanted to.”
He hesitated, glanced at Elder, and then dropped his hand. All the Buri moved away to take up positions at the edges of the clearing, watching Karle with suspicion.
“Whew.” Karle wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead. “They had me worried for a second there. You sure didn’t waste any time making friends with them.”
“They like my cooking,” I said. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”
“I have a few minutes before my team is ready to go, and thought I’d drop by and introduce myself.” She grimaced.
“There are only six females in the crew, and one of them is attached to Frisk at the hip. I figure the rest of us women need to stick together.”
My shields were down and I was picking up overtures of friendliness from her. For the moment, I accepted her at face value. Even if she were somehow masking her true emotions, she’d piqued my interest with that comment about Frisk.
I gestured toward the hut. “Do you have time for a cup of cafftea?”
I’d noted she was tiny the day before, but now I saw she was downright petite, with hazel eyes, café au lait skin and a dark cap of short hair curling around her face. When she smiled, her eyes sparkled. “I’ll make time.”
“Then please, come in.”
Junior looked vaguely alarmed when she followed me to the hut, but I smiled assurance at him and he settled down.
“Have you been working with Frisk long?” I asked as I punched the button for two caffteas. She straddled one of the bench seats at the table. “Six months now. Dynatec replaced our regular captain and our chief science officer at the last minute. None of the crew were too happy about it. Captain Morgan was a great guy, a real jewel to work with.” She shrugged as I slid a cup in front of her. “Not that we had a choice. You take what you get with Dynatec. Frisk can be a real ass, but I’ve seen worse. At least he stays busy romping with Quilla and leaves us alone to do our job.”
“Quilla?” I tried to sound casual. That name wasn’t included on the ship roster I’d received, a sure sign Dynatec didn’t want us to know about her. Chances were good I’d just found Frisk’s superior.
“Yeah, Quilla Dorn.” She sipped from her cup. “She’s the other new crew member, although we’ve yet to figure out exactly what her job is. She came on board at the very last second, and spends all her time entertaining Frisk.”
Oh, yeah. She was the one, all right. “Max?”
“Checking,” he responded.
I nodded. “How’s the mapping going, Lieutenant?”
“Slowly. It’s a big planet and we have to cover most of it on foot.” She smiled. “And please, call me Claudia.”
“Claudia. I’m Kiera.” I cradled my cup in my hands and settled my elbows on the table. “Doesn’t Dynatec provide you with mapping drones?”
A frown flickered across her face. “Not this trip.”
Apparently I wasn’t the only one puzzled by Dynatec’s refusal to take advantage of modern technology.
“It doesn’t look like you’d get much of the planet mapped if you have to walk to a new location each day.”
“Oh, we don’t walk. We take a sled to the last place we marked and start from there.”
“Redfield said the Buri always follow you. Don’t they have trouble keeping up with a sled?”
She laughed. “They don’t try. It only took them one day to figure out how we operate. Now the two assigned to my team just stay at our last location until we come back the next day. Gorgeous, aren’t they, though? Any one of them could make a fortune as a holovid star. Especially wearing nothing but those loincloths and thigh-high boots. Not to mention the gold bracelets. There’s nothing sexier than a well-muscled arm highlighted by hot jewelry.” She fanned her face with one hand. “I hope you find a way to save them.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Won’t that cut into your profit?”
“Of course. But I’m not so mercenary that I could still sleep well at night knowing I’d gotten rich off the extinction of an entire race. And I’ll get my usual pay no matter what your decision is. I can live with that.”
She drank from her cup, her gaze going to the door. “You know, if this place is ever opened up for colonization, I wouldn’t mind settling here permanently.”
“If the decision goes against the Buri, that could be a long time happening. Colonization won’t be allowed until the last surviving member is gone.”
“I know.” Her smile turned wistful. “That’s another reason I want you to find a way to help them.”
I really hoped Claudia was on the level, because in spite of her employer, I couldn’t help but like her. And I could always use an ally in the enemy camp, so to speak.
I’d been created to be flexible, to make snap assessments and rely on my own judgment. In other words, be a doer. Abruptly, I made an executive decision. “Claudia, Dynatec is up to something big. I don’t know what it is they’re after yet, but I’m pretty sure they won’t hesitate to wipe out the Buri to get it. If I’m going to stop them, I’ll need all the information I can get.”
She started to speak, but I raised a hand to stop her. “Before you say anything, I want you to know this could be very dangerous. If they’re willing to kill an entire race, they won’t quibble over doing away with one woman. At the very least it would probably mean the end of your career with Dynatec.”
Her gaze met mine steadily, and I could feel her weighing the pros and cons against her personal code of honor. Finally, a sigh lifted her chest and she took a sip of cafftea before answering. “I’d never be able to live with myself if it turns out you’re right and I stood by and did nothing. What do you need?”
“Since you’re head of mapping, I’m assuming you have access to the computers?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “And I’m good with computers. I input our data every evening as soon as we return.”
“Okay, I want you to look for files on the Buri and Orpheus Two, or anything that looks unusual or suspicious. Try to be careful, but if you need help head for Max. He’ll protect you.”
I gave her a comm unit code that Dynatec wouldn’t be able to monitor. “Use that to contact Max if you find anything or want to get in touch with me.”
I reached across the table and touched her hand. “And Claudia, I promise you’ll have an even better job with Alien Affairs when this is over.”
“Thanks.” She put her cup down and stood. “Well, I need to get back before my team comes looking for me.”
Guilt tickled my stomach as I escorted her to the path and watched as she headed around the lake toward the Dynatec camp. I really hoped this turned out well, that I hadn’t made a big mistake. I pushed the feeling away and thought again of the Dorn woman. “Max—”
“Nothing on Dorn yet, Kiera. I’m still checking.”
“Okay, let me know the second you find anything.” I turned to follow the path back to my huts and promptly collided with a solid wall of warm, clean-smelling, very muscular male. Either I’d been concentrating so hard that my super-sensitive ears hadn’t heard his arrival, or the big guy moved with preternatural quiet for someone so large. For some reason I thought it was the latter. I also felt an almost overwhelming certainty that, my GEP status notwithstanding, he was nearly as strong as I was.
The idea was a bit disconcerting, to say the least. I’d never before met anyone who came even remotely close to matching my abilities.
Getting a grip on my wandering thoughts, I stepped back and smiled as I waved one hand in greeting. “Hi there. Looking for me?”
With no discernible expression, he studied me for a full minute, then motioned with one hand and headed off in a westerly direction. Apparently I was supposed to follow.
Curiosity running rampant, I trotted to catch up with his long-legged stride. We were moving parallel to my camp and away from Dynatec, staying inside the tree line. None of my guards came with us, but a few dragon birds tagged along, watching our every move with interest. Five minutes later he found what he was looking for. We stopped on the sandy bank of a small rill. The dragon birds promptly moved upstream a bit and dived into the water, splashing for all they were worth. I was looking around, wondering what we were doing here, when Thor squatted and brushed the debris away to clear a wide swath of sand. Picking up a small stick, he drew an oval and put a stylized, intertwined DT in the center.
Surprise ran through me as I recognized Dynatec’s corporate symbol. It was on the crew’s uniforms and on their ships, so apparently he was familiar enough with the logo to reproduce it. When he was done, he pointed at the drawing, pointed toward the Dynatec encampment, and then gestured at me, his brow arched in question. There was no doubt in my mind that he was asking if I were a part of their group.
I shook my head in denial, then took his stick, knelt next to him, and made my own drawing, this one far away from the Dynatec symbol. It was the same Alien Affairs logo that was on my pocket, depicting the three suns of Alpha Centauri, and I drew a wall between the two sketches. After giving him a second to study the drawing, I tapped him on the shoulder and waited until I was sure I had his undivided attention. Keeping my movements abrupt, almost angry, to indicate decisiveness, I tapped the Dynatec logo, jabbed the stick toward their camp, then did the same with the Alien Affairs logo. Only this time, I pointed toward my pocket, and when I was done, made a slicing gesture with my hands and broke the stick in half. Then I flung the two parts in opposite directions and looked at him expectantly.
He watched intently and then turned his gaze back to the drawing. I could literally feel his thoughts turning rapidly as he processed the information I’d given him. When he looked back up, he was smiling and a feeling of relief flowed from him.
Not only did he get that I wasn’t allied with Dynatec, he believed me. And I was more than a little stunned at how important that was to me.
I was mentally backpedaling, reminding myself of my vow to stay away from males when he rose lithely to his feet and extended a broad well-formed hand to me.
Dear Goddess, was I blushing? I’d never had anyone but the boss treat me with such chivalry before. Grimly, I took his hand and rose, then pulled away and dusted off my knees to give myself a second. When I was done, he grabbed my hand again, gave it a gentle tug, and pointed toward the Buri village. His invitation to visit couldn’t be plainer, but I needed some equipment before I could take him up on it. Once more I shook my head, this time pointing back toward my huts. “I really want to visit your village, but I have to go back to my camp first.”
He watched my lips moving and then raised his gaze to meet mine. Immediately the same buzzing I’d felt last night started, and I couldn’t stop my smile. Instead of reacting with shock as he had the first time, I picked up a sense of acceptance mixed with an underlying excitement, almost a feeling of fulfillment. Slowly he lifted a hand and two long, strong fingers ran gently over my cheek in a sensual caress. And then he was gone, leaving me in stunned confusion, wondering what had just happened.
As soon as I got back to camp, I went into the storage section of the hut and filled a couple of knapsacks. Now that I had an invitation, it was time I paid a visit to the Buri village. All my buddies were standing at attention when I stepped outside, as if they knew what I had planned. Even Crigo rose to his feet. When I headed northeast, toward the Buri village, they all fell in behind me, including a large flock of dragon birds, but only Junior dared to get within spitting distance of the rock cat at my side.
We’d been walking a few minutes when Junior gestured at Crigo and growled something at me.
“Crigo.” I touched the cat’s head. “His name is Crigo. He’s a rock cat.”
I stopped and took Junior’s hand, pulling it down to Crigo’s nose. “Behave yourself, damn it,” I said when the rock cat’s ears flattened and a low growl rumbled in his chest. “Pretend you’re a bunny rabbit.”
He rolled his eyes at me, but politely sniffed Junior’s hand and then allowed the young Buri to stroke his coat. A murmur of excited voices erupted from the other males, and to Crigo’s disgust, they all had to take turns gingerly touching him.
When we finally got started again, they moved in closer, some going in front of me this time. “Here.” I slid one of the heavy knapsacks off my shoulder and handed it to Junior. “Make yourself useful.”
He hefted it in his left hand, keeping his right free for the spear that was never far away, and motioned toward Elder. The senior Buri angled to the left, leading us to one of the small streams that emptied into the lake Max had settled near. Since the banks were free of brush, the going was much easier and my thoughts wandered to the reactions the villagers would have to my presence. I needed to be ready for anything up to and including an attack. Since I didn’t dare injure any of them, my actions would have to be defensive and evasive, although I didn’t think being attacked was likely, given the basically friendly nature of my escort and the big guy’s invitation. On the other hand, the rest of the tribe hadn’t tried my cooking.
The Buri village sat at the very base of the largest mountain range on Orpheus Two. No gentle rise to higher elevations, this, but an abrupt transition from jungle to towering peaks. The stream opened out into a small, rocky clearing where a waterfall spilled from a huge granite bluff, bounced off an outcropping halfway down, and ended in a crystal-clear pool. Dragon birds dove in and out of the water with playful splashes, then landed on the multihued vines that decorated the rocks beside the water. As soon as my flock spotted them, they dived into the fun with a vengeance, both groups warbling enthusiastic greetings like they were long lost friends, reunited at last. I paused to watch, fascinated by the small creatures, and then glanced around at the buildings dotted here and there under the trees that circled the pool. Thanks to Max, I wasn’t expecting grass huts, but the buildings were even better than I’d imagined. What I found were dwellings that resembled the old single-story adobe homes of the Pueblo Indians. Altogether I counted about thirty of them, all one room, ranging in size from 16 meters to 5 meters. The windows and doors were covered in some type of cloth material that had been pulled aside to let air circulate. Pretty advanced for a developing society, I decided. There was more going on here than met the eye.
There was something else odd about the buildings, something that took me a second to put my finger on. They looked new.
“Max, can you date the Buri homes?”
“According to my carbon dating scans, the oldest are approximately ten cycles. Some are more recent than that. While carbon dating isn’t very accurate beyond ten cycles, there’s one that still hasn’t dried completely. It can’t be more than two or three months old.”
“The Dynatec exploration team discovered the planet ten cycles ago. And because I don’t believe in coincidences, it would seem the Buri built this place because of the exploration team.”
“It is possible.”
“Wonder where they lived before that.”
“I saw no indication of other structures, Kiera.”
“Okay, we’ll worry about it later. For now, begin recording.”
Elder strode to the center of the clearing and raised his voice in a loud string of growls and grunts. Before he was finished, Buri poured out of the jungle and the buildings, all of them tall enough to make me feel tiny by comparison, a condition that would take some getting used to. Thor immediately caught my attention when he stepped out of one of the larger buildings, followed by a smaller Buri. Smaller, I realized, because it was a female, the first I’d seen among the Buri. I examined her closely as the tribe gathered around Elder to stare at me. Her hair was as inky as Thor’s, and hung nearly to her waist in the back. Her face was exquisite by any standard of beauty. Lacking the facial hair of the males, her high cheekbones, full lips, and well-formed brow were clearly apparent. His mate? A pang of disappointment went through me at the thought. My gaze shifted between them. No, the resemblance was too strong. They had to be related. He didn’t look old enough to be her father, so she was probably a sibling.
Relieved in spite of myself, I made a quick scan of the rest of the group, looking for more females. They were easy to pick out, although there were shockingly few of them. Like the males, they were bare from the waist up, but instead of the leather loincloths and thigh-high boots, the women had ankle-high moccasin-type footwear and a band of material low around their hips. Through this strip was threaded a long rectangle of colored cloth that went between their legs and hung to their knees in the front and back. The females also wore gold bands, but instead of bracelets, theirs were worn around the upper part of the arms.
“Max, do you have a total population yet?”
“Counting the Buri who are guarding the Dynatec crew, sixty-nine. Eighteen females, fifty-one males.”
Damn. A population of fifty was considered the bare minimum for a healthy genetic pool, but I’d feel much better about their chances if the females equaled or outnumbered the males. And one of the women looked to be well beyond childbearing age.
Plus, there was another slight problem. According to the records the boss had given me, there were seventy Buri. What had happened to the one that was missing? Was it dead? It was the only explanation I could come up with at the moment. If it were anywhere in the area, Max would have found it. My thoughts were interrupted as my contingent of Buri surrounded me while Elder gestured and made a speech to the rest of the tribe. Crigo, supremely unconcerned with the proceedings, bounded onto a rock beside the pool, yawned and curled up to sleep off his late-night snack. Occasionally, one of my group growled an agreement with whatever Elder was telling them, and then quieted to listen. When he finished, they all turned to look at Thor. The big guy seemed to be caught in indecision, because he continued to stare at me until the female next to him tugged at his arm and growled a question. His answer was short and to the point, and her eyes rounded as a gasp ran through the crowd.
She growled another question, and his response was a sharp nod. Even from several arms’ lengths away and surrounded by other Buri, I caught a wisp of his emotion. He was feeling very smug, but there were overtones of vindication mixed in with it, all of which he was trying hard not to show. With only a brief hesitation, the female let go of his arm and walked across the clearing to face me. I had no idea what had just transpired, so I braced myself for anything. Anything but her lips curving into a smile of welcome as she gently stroked my cheek. When I cautiously mimicked the gesture, Thor nodded in satisfaction and crossed his arms over his chest while the rest of the tribe relaxed tensed muscles.
As though it were a signal, I was suddenly surrounded by grunting, smiling females, all of them vying for my notice. Somehow in the melee, my cap got knocked off, provoking another round of excited chatter as they touched my blonde hair and rubbed the material of my jumpsuit between their fingers. Things settled down when Thor’s sister took my chin in her hand and made me look at her again. Once she was sure she had my undivided attention, she touched her chest and made a soft noise that started in the back of her throat and sort of rolled between her lips. I tried to repeat it, but the best I could do was Churka. She nodded, then touched my chest.
“Key-rah,” I pronounced slowly. “Key-rah.”
She watched my mouth closely, then pursed her lips. What came out sounded more like a growled Kuyya than Kiera, but I nodded. She repeated it, then took my hand and led me to Thor. Touching his shoulder while he stared impassively down at us, she growled a string of syllables a mile long. I must have looked blank, because she repeated it. Shaking my head in frustration, I touched his arm.
“Thor.”
With a sideways glance at his sister, he shrugged.
“Thor,” I said again, smiling and stroking his skin. His dark eyes met mine, and the same odd buzzing filled my head.
Which is why I didn’t notice there was a problem until Thor stiffened and yanked his gaze from mine. I glanced in the direction he was staring and then spun to face the threat. Brownie stood at the edge of the clearing, hands fisted at his sides, anger radiating from him in heavy waves. Thor growled, but it only seemed to increase the other Buri’s agitation. Well, this was one of the reasons I’d come to the village today. I only hoped it worked. I still had one of the knapsacks slung across my shoulder. With my right hand, I unfastened a side compartment and pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle. Doing my level best to emit admiration and appreciation, I held the gift reverently on my extended palms as I crossed the clearing to him, Thor close by.
When I reached him, I bowed once and then extended my offering.
Anger unabated, his gaze shifted from me, to my hands, to Thor, and I got the impression Brownie’s ire was directed as much at the Buri leader as it was toward me. Seemingly unaffected by the other Buri’s animosity except for a touch of resignation, the big guy gave me a slight smile, and I got the impression he knew I was trying to tell Brownie that I admired his strength, and was honored he’d condescended to fight me.
His voice low, Thor talked to Brownie for a few minutes, the longest speech I’d ever heard him make. When he finished, Brownie looked at me guardedly. His anger hadn’t ebbed, but it was temporarily buried.
Warily, he took the bundle from my hands and unwrapped the cloth, his eyes going big and round when he saw what was inside.
It was a knife, one of the very best in my stores. Made of chromium and platinum, it had an eight-inch blade that was scalpel sharp and would never dull, rust or wear. The hilt was textured to insure a tighter grip, and decorated with engravings of strange and fantastic animals. When Brownie looked at me again, his eyes held a warning. He might accept the gift, but this wasn’t over yet, and he wanted me to know it. When I nodded, he held the knife up so everyone could see it. All of the males except Thor gathered around, admiring his gift, when a small streak of bronze with chocolate-colored hair pushed through the group and ran toward Brownie. One of the females made a grab but missed. The child lunged for Brownie’s leg, hanging on while he chattered in a high-pitched voice.
Keeping an eye on me, Brownie leaned down and scooped the little boy into his arms while the other adults moved protectively closer.
The child wrapped his arms around Brownie’s neck and then stared at me with unblinking chocolate eyes.
I was so delighted I laughed, and he smiled in return. Even one living child meant there was hope for the Buri. I had a chance to save them.
Reaching back into my knapsack, I pulled out a Zip Bar, unwrapped it, and offered it to the little boy. He looked at Brownie questioningly, but all of my personal guards were smiling and nodding. When Brownie hesitated, I broke off a piece and popped it in my mouth. He watched me closely for a second before giving his permission, and the child reached eagerly for the bar.
I waited long enough to see his expression of joy, and then handed Zip Bars out to the rest of the adults. All but Thor. When I offered him one, he shook his head, a feeling of sadness coming from him as he watched Brownie. But the movement pushed his hair away from his right ear, and that’s when I noticed he was wearing two earrings.
Curious, I stepped closer and went up on my tiptoes. The metal piercing his right lobe was one I couldn’t readily identify by sight alone. It was a dull gray and could have been anything from tin to unpolished silver. Each earring had one link on the end with a black stone attached. It resembled obsidian, but had enough clarity to let me see it was faceted. I’d never seen anything quite like it.
“Max, can you tell what kind of stone this is?”
“I’m sorry, Kiera. Not without doing a full spectrogram.”
Thor stood still during my examination, but when I reached up to touch the stones, he grabbed my wrist and shook his head, his earlier feelings replaced by amusement. Curious. With a shrug, I dropped my hand. Where there were two stones, there were bound to be more. I’d just have to be on the lookout for a specimen that Max could analyze. For all I knew, there could be huge veins of the stuff lying around. The ship needed to do some more in-depth geological testing, and I quickly reminded him of that fact.
In the meantime, I was determined to find some wampum that would pique Thor’s interest. If food wouldn’t do it, I needed to bring out the big guns.
Letting my knapsack slide to the ground, I knelt and rummaged through the contents, coming up with several of the items I’d purchased on ZT Twelve. When I stood, I grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the pool.
“Come on, big boy. I’ve got a nice little surprise for you. You’re going to like it, I promise,” I told him in a lighthearted tone.
He resisted for a second, then gave in and followed me as an expectant hush fell over the tribe. All eyes were locked on me as I put the bottle of biodegradable body soap and shampoo on a rock. Please, please, please don’t let them have a nudity taboo, I begged silently as I pulled off my boots, unfastened my jumpsuit and let it slide down my shoulders.
CHAPTER 4
To my undying relief, the Buri seemed more curious over my blonde hair, pink skin and green eyes than offended by my nudity. Undoubtedly, I was the first naked human they’d seen, and they all took advantage of the situation by looking their fill. Thor in particular appeared fascinated by my anatomy, moving a step back so his gaze could slide from the top of my head to my toes. At least he didn’t growl. By the time his eyes made it back to my face, the corners of his lips curved in a half smile, and I didn’t need to pick up his emotions to know he was pleased by what he saw. Okay, enough was enough. I didn’t have a modest bone in my body, but I wasn’t an exhibitionist, either. Turning, I picked up the bottle of soap and stepped to the edge of the pool. Crigo opened one eye, saw what I doing, and went back to sleep. Being a member of the cat family, he couldn’t understand why I immersed myself in water so often. The first time I’d taken a shower after he joined me on board Max, he’d tried to save me by dragging me out from under the spray with one big paw. It had taken a lot of talking to convince him I’d done it deliberately.
I hesitated as I stared down at the pool. It was so clear I could see the rocks on the bottom, sparkling in the sunlight. What if the Buri were like cats and hated the water? With a glance over my shoulder at Thor, I did a mental headshake. They were too clean, and smelled too good. The only way to maintain that level of hygiene was frequent bathing.
Gathering my courage, I waded out until the water was waist deep. It was pleasantly cool, but not icy enough to turn my skin blue. Stopping, I motioned for Thor to join me. I have to admit, I was really hoping he’d lose the loincloth before he entered the water, but no such luck. Hands on his hips, he glanced around at the tribe. They were all holding their breath, waiting for his reaction. Lowering his hands, he deliberately pulled his boots off, stepped into the pool and walked out to me, the water barely reaching the tops of his thighs when he stopped. With gestures and a gentle push, I indicated I wanted him to duck under the water. The tribe stood frozen, their gazes swinging from me to Thor. Even the little boy was silent and wide-eyed. The dragon birds had settled onto vines at our approach and watched with interest. The only sound now was the thundering of the falls behind me.
Thor slowly obeyed my request, then rose from the water like the god of the seas. Maybe I should have named him Neptune, I thought fuzzily, my gaze moving over his body. The water trickled over thick, well-defined chest muscles, and highlighted his trim waist. It dripped from his hair onto a perfectly shaped forehead and slid sinuously over prominent cheekbones.
Not even his facial hair could hide the sudden softening of his lips, and I felt a familiar stirring inside. It took an effort, but I forced it away. This was no time to get overly friendly with the natives, even if the idea was tempting. I glanced at the enthralled tribe. Maybe another day, when we wouldn’t be turning sex into a spectator sport. I may be a promiscuous gal, but I’m a private one. Keeping a tight rein on my libido, I moved around him, spritzing him with the soap. It was concentrated and self-activating, so a little went a long way. As soon as it hit his hair and skin, it foamed up into a wealth of lather.
Technically, no scrubbing was required, but I couldn’t resist getting my hands on that wonderful expanse of hot, male territory. I started on his back, sliding my fingers over long corded muscles that flexed under my touch, and then moved on to his front.
Thor’s eyes were closed, his nostrils flaring as though he wanted to catch every scent and imprint it on his consciousness forever. The shampoo did smell good. It wasn’t the loud floral type, but more like the clean earthy scent that fills the air after a thunderstorm.
When I put my palms on his chest, his eyes opened, heavy-lidded and intense, and his head dipped to watch my movements.
The close contact gave me greater access to his emotions, and he was radiating even more than he normally did. I was almost bowled over by his feelings of pleasure, his desire to take the proceedings to the next level. In reaction, and despite my best intentions, the scrubbing turned into a caress. All my nerve endings went on alert, and time seemed to stand still. Even the small islands of lather drifting on the water slowed to a stop, and the buzzing in my head swelled to a roar.
“Kiera.” I was barely aware that Max had spoken and I didn’t respond, my attention focused solely on Thor.
“Kiera!”
It was the tinge of panic in Max’s voice that snapped me back to the here and now. Panic? Max? I dropped my hands, stepped back, and time began to flow again.
“What’s wrong, Max?”
He sounded a bit calmer when he answered me. “Your heart rate was entering the dangerous zone, and your blood pressure was rising. But it seems to be dropping now.”
I rolled my eyes. Damn medic scanner bracelet. I’d worn it so Max could gather more in-depth information on the Buri physiology, but now he was using it against me. How do you explain the body’s natural preparations for intercourse to an intelligence whose only body is a spaceship? You don’t. And prude that he was, it would only embarrass him if I tried.
“I’m fine, Max. It must have been a momentary aberration.” One that I wasn’t about to let happen again. I had no idea why I seemed to be so attracted to the big guy when I’d sworn off men, but I needed to be very careful around this particular male.
Thor was still standing in front of me covered in lather, but the spell had been broken for him, too. Before I could tell him to rinse, he dove into the water and came up free of the suds. But I wasn’t quite done with him yet.
Once we were out of the pool, I motioned him down onto a rock, and then retrieved my knapsack. The first thing I took out was a stiff bristled brush. It was oval-shaped with a strap across the back to slide your hand through.
I set to work on his hair and discovered something surprising. Their hair and skin must have evolved to repel rain, because he shed water like a duck. One swipe of the brush, and the hair behind it was dry, silky and glistening with blue-white glimmers in the bright sun. It left me rather envious, and wishing my hair had the same ability.
He sat still and allowed my ministrations, his eyes cutting sideways to keep me in sight as I moved around him. By the time I finished, he was all but purring.
“Like that, do you?” I murmured, giving his hair a final stroke. “One more thing and we’ll be done.”
I was reaching back into my knapsack when Brownie caught my attention. His anger had returned full force. Was he jealous of the special attention Thor was getting? No. Narrowing my eyes I studied him a bit more intently, shields completely down. His anger wasn’t due to jealousy. It was because Thor was accepting my ministrations, accepting me as…
Damn, I’d lost the mental thread.
Frustrated by my inability to clarify his thoughts, I gave up temporarily, went back to what I was doing and pulled a hair clip out of my knapsack. I’d bought over fifty boxes of the clips on ZT Twelve along with lots of brushes, enough for an entire population of Buri. They were relatively inexpensive when bought in bulk, functional and lovely to look at. But the one I held now was special. Not only was it one of a kind, I’d known the second I saw it that it was made for the big guy. Maybe even on ZT Twelve I’d had his name floating in the back of my mind.
The band was solid silver, polished to a high sheen. Emblazoned on its surface was a lightning bolt made of reddish-gold metal that seemed to glow from within. Around it radiated blue lines of static electricity. I held it down where Thor could see it, and he took it from my hand, examining the clip minutely. He wasn’t even alarmed when it closed around his finger, just mildly curious. With a nod, he handed it back. Using the brush again, I pulled his hair into a queue and let the clip fasten around it. He looked gorgeous, the colors standing out with stunning clarity against his ebony tresses. Smiling, I faced him and lifted my hands palms up. “All done.”
The raucous cheers that erupted made me jump and spin to face the tribe. I’d been so intent on what I was doing, and they were so quiet, I’d forgotten they were there.
So had Crigo. At the first yell, he leaped into the air, and then had to scramble to keep from falling into the pool, his claws digging at the rock for purchase. Once he was back on solid ground, his ears flattened and he glared at the Buri, tail twitching in a frenzy of ire.
“Max, any idea why they’re cheering?”
“There is a thirty percent probability that you performed a ritual honoring their leader.”
“Thirty percent isn’t too high.”
“It’s the best I can do without more data.”
I’d swear I heard a sniff in his answer, and I smiled. Sometimes I think he’s more human than I am. But his response did remind me that I’d asked him to check on Junior’s spear markings for me.
“Have you found anything in your files about the Ashwani?” There was a second of silence before he answered, and I knew he was locating whatever he’d found.
“There’s only one mention about their size, along with a notation that the Ashwani’s hair and eye color are the same. For more information we’re directed to the Federation archives.”
Yeah, the hair and eye color, added to the spears the Buri carried were what made me think of the Ashwani in the first place. “Okay, when you get a chance, connect to the archives and get me everything you can find.”
While I dressed, the Buri tribe gathered around Thor to examine his hair and the clip. A few checked out the oddly shaped brush. Choosing a broad, flat rock, I upended the contents of both knapsacks, spreading them out so the Buri could see them clearly.
Turning to invite the tribe to help themselves to the goodies, I was just in time to see a male Buri with light brown hair and eyes spritz the soap into his mouth. His eyes widened in alarm when it activated, filling his mouth with bubbles until he looked like he had a case of old-fashioned rabies. Thor joined me as I laughed until my sides hurt, a grin wide enough to show strong white teeth curving his lips. Together we watched the Buri spit frantically and then dive into the pool to rinse his mouth. Soon, all the males were in the water, passing the shampoo back and forth between them. The women ignored their antics in favor of the loot I’d put out, and there was a distinct air of celebration among the tribe.
It was when the women began using the hair clips and barrettes that I noticed Thor wasn’t the only one wearing the black-stoned earrings. But there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to their dispersal. Some of the females wore a single earring in their left ear, and others wore none at all. I glanced at the males. Junior had no earrings, Elder had one, and, like Thor, Ghost had two, both on the right lobe. Most curious. I didn’t think they were symbols of rank, because if that were the case, only the highest-ranking males would wear two. Ghost obviously wasn’t a leader among his people, or he wouldn’t have been relegated to guard duty.
It was at times like these when I really wished technology had come up with a reliable translator. There were many out there, but unfortunately, they tended to do more harm than good. The problem wasn’t in the languages; it was in the inflection of the spoken words. Say a word one way, and it got you smiles. Say it another way, and it got you dead for insulting someone’s mother. Even the most sophisticated machine couldn’t tell the difference, and an artificial intelligence like Max was too expensive to waste on such a small task. Given enough time and exposure to the Buri, he would eventually be able to communicate with them on a basic level, but that didn’t help me now. I would simply have to rely on my own ability to extrapolate word meanings from actions and body language and hope I got it right.
With a sigh, I parked myself on a dry rock and watched the Buri play, glancing occasionally at Thor, who stood beside me, hands on his hips. Damn, he smelled good. It took an effort to stop sniffing and keep my attention on the rest of the Buri.
The females were having a grand old time, brushing each other’s hair and putting on as many clips as they could grab. The older woman was the ringleader, snatching a clip from one female and giving it to another, all the while issuing orders like one of the martial-arts instructors from my crèche days. Auntie Em, I decided, smiling.
No one paid the least bit of attention when I stood, picked up a knapsack, and began gathering samples of hair from the brushes. I was careful to keep them separate, placing each in its own little packet until I had specimens from every individual present. DNA testing was going to keep me busy for the next week.
“Max, are you finished with the medical scans?”
“Yes, Kiera.”
“Okay, I’m heading back to the hut now.”
After a brief hesitation, I moved to face Thor. “I have to leave,” I told him, projecting sorrow while I gestured in the direction of my hut.
His brows lowered and he barked out a word, pointing toward one of the smaller buildings. I shook my head. “I can’t stay. All my equipment is at the hut. But I promise, I’ll be back when I can.”
He studied my face as though trying to read my lips, and his expression cleared. Very gently, he lifted a hand and let his fingers slide down my cheek, then turned and snapped an order at Ghost and Junior. Both Buri stopped playing and grabbed their spears before flanking me, a distinct air of pride emanating from them that hadn’t been there before. Apparently, I’d gone up in status, probably due to the gifts. With a last look around the village, I turned and walked into the jungle, my Buri honor guard sticking close, with Crigo and my flock of dragon birds bringing up the rear.
Leaning back in my chair, I glanced out the lab door to see the first rays of sunlight filtering through leaves, giving the morning a greenish-gold cast. It took the full week to process the Buri DNA, but as the results began to come in, I spent more and more time in the lab, stunned at what I’d found. I hit the button that sent the files to Max’s database and on to his archives, then yawned. Cafftea wasn’t going to cut it this time. I needed at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Somehow, I didn’t think I was going to get it.
“Did you double-check the data, Kiera?” Max’s question came as I walked into my living quarters.
“Of course I did. There’s no way to get around the facts. As impossible as it sounds, none of the Buri are related to each other except for Thor and his sister, and the little boy to Brownie and his mate. Brownie and Thor also share a few common alleles, so at a guess I’d say Brownie’s distantly related to Thor and Churka. Second cousins, maybe.”
“Nothing is impossible. We simply haven’t discovered the reason for this anomaly yet.”
I scowled as I ordered a double-strength cafftea from the food unit. There’s nothing like a philosophical AI to make a bad mood even worse. Especially first thing in the morning when you’re suffering from sleep deprivation.
Blowing steam from the cup, I carried it to the table and collapsed on a bench. “The good news is, I found no genetic mutations that would prevent the Buri from reproducing at a normal rate, or giving birth to viable offspring.”
I took a sip from the cup, burning my tongue in the process. Good thing I healed fast. “Have you finished analyzing their medicals yet?”
“Yesterday. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“And?” I glanced longingly at the lav. Maybe after I got the cafftea down I’d have enough energy to take a shower.
“Other than a few minor anomalies, all the Buri are extremely healthy, and their physiology is almost identical to that of humans. I found no signs of illness or deformity, and no foreign substances in their blood, except in one instance. There’s nothing physical to keep them from reproducing as far as I can tell, and one female is, in fact, gestating. It was in her blood that I found traces of an unknown element that bears a slight resemblance to estrogen.”
I brightened. A pregnancy was very good news. “How far along is she?”
“Approximately three months. And the fetus seems to be fully developed and healthy. It’s another male.”
I scratched a bump on my arm while I tried to think. Orpheus Two had the expected number of insects for a jungle planet, but the majority of them appeared to dislike the taste of humans. Unfortunately, the one that did had found me. Fortunately, my own immune system would take care of the reaction almost immediately. I glanced at the bump and watched it fade away to nothing before responding. “Do you think Dynatec falsified their reports?”
“It could be,” Max responded. “But the fact is, the Buri are a healthy, vital species. They should have a much higher number of offspring, and yet there’s only one living child in the village.”
“Damn. I was hoping this would be easy.” I finished off the cafftea and carried the cup to the recycling unit. “Anything on this Quilla Dorn person yet?”
“Very little. She’s the daughter of a man named Zander Dorn, deceased, who was something of a recluse. Her planet of birth is Furthman Four. She spent three cycles attending a university on Alpha Centauri, but jumped from subject to subject, and never received a degree in one discipline. After that, there’s no record of her until she signed on with Dynatec ten cycles ago.”
Ten cycles ago. Everything about this mission seemed to revolve around that time period. What in the thirteen hells had that exploration team found? And what did Dorn have to do with it?
“Signed on as what?” I stood and headed for the lav, stripping as I went.
“Her personnel records only indicate she’s an executive-level employee.”
I mulled that over as I showered. Executive level could mean anything from CEO to head of personnel. Looked like I needed to pay a visit to the Dynatec crew and meet this Dorn woman. Later. Sleep came first.
“Wake me in eight hours, Max.” I toweled off and was on the verge of climbing into bed when Max interrupted me.
“The Buri females are approaching, Kiera.”
A groan escaped my lips. Every day for the last week, Churka, Thor’s sister, had shown up at the hut bearing gifts. Nothing major, just dishes of food or bunches of flowers. But she gave off such an air of happiness when I accepted them that I didn’t want to risk offending her by refusing the items. She was always accompanied by another female, usually Auntie Em, and at least two Buri males. They never stayed long, and like the males, the women were uneasy about entering my quarters, looking with vague feelings of suspicion at all the gizmos the hut contained.
All of them except Auntie Em, that is. She seemed fascinated by the hut’s contents. I had to keep the doors to the storage room and lab locked when she was on the premises. During her first visit, she’d punched so many buttons on the food unit that it jammed. It took me the better part of two hours to repair it.
She was a fast learner, though. The last time she was here she’d discovered the combination that produced Panga ale, a beerlike drink that could curl the hair of a confirmed lush with one small glass. And she drank it like water, smacking her lips with glee and exhibiting no effects from the liquor. I’d love to take her to Jolaria’s Jewel on ZT Twelve someday and make a few wagers on her drinking capacity. I could probably pay off my indenture with the winnings.
“Is Auntie Em with Churka this time?” I asked Max.
“Yes. I’ve already locked the inner doors.”
“Thank you.”
I slipped into my robe and went to open the front door for them. Though half asleep, I noticed the way Junior perked up when Churka appeared. She pretty much ignored him, but it was obvious the boy had a bad case of puppy love, his gaze following her with such longing that I felt sorry for him. Even without her amazing beauty, being one of only fifteen females meant she could have her pick of the available Buri males. Poor Junior probably didn’t stand a chance.
Although I’d never experienced it personally, I’d heard young love among Naturals could be quite crushing. GEPs are raised to believe sex is simply another biological function, a lot more fun than using the lav, but nothing to get in a dither about. We’re taught from the beginning that for most of us, there’s no chance of a lifelong commitment, and my last disastrous affair had certainly proved that theory true. Not that there’s any law preventing GEPs from marrying, but Naturals either can’t cope with our superior skills and makeup, or they become obsessed with them to the point of worship. Neither option makes for a good marriage, and the few GEPs that have tried ended up divorced. As for marriages between GEPs, it isn’t financially or spatially feasible. Each of us is created with a specific job in mind, and the company who orders us pays dearly for our creation. Until that debt is repaid, we live where the company puts us, and go where they tell us to go. It’s our job, one we’ve been designed for and love doing. So, there’s not much sense in marrying when your partner is likely to be stationed on the other side of the universe.
While we may not enjoy our solitary status, we learn to live with it. Which is why I could empathize with Junior.
Churka smiled as she slipped by me into the hut. Auntie Em made a beeline for the food unit and punched up the Panga ale. I couldn’t help but grimace as I watched her take a long drink. It was barely daylight and the woman was already guzzling alcohol. She must have had a stomach of tempered steel. After making two more cups of cafftea, I carried them to the table and handed one to Churka. She sipped delicately, then put the cup on the table and removed a leather bag that was fastened at her waist. Since Auntie Em had co-opted one side of the table, I joined Churka on the other side, smiling as she handed me the bag. Both women went still as I examined it, a look of uncertainty on their faces. Whatever was in the bag was important to them.
There was a metallic clink as I turned it in my hands, but for now, the bag itself held my attention. It was the finest leather I’d ever seen, soft as velvet and cured to a creamy eggshell white. The seams were hand-sewn instead of chemically fused, the stitches tight and even. The workmanship was excellent. On ZT Twelve, handmade items like this bag would send the fashion industry into a feeding frenzy. Churka fidgeted anxiously on the bench, and I gave her a reassuring smile as I opened the drawstring and let the contents slide onto the table. My gasp was involuntary as I saw what she’d brought. Two armlets of beaten gold lay in front of me, shooting sparks of sunlight to dance in prisms of color from the ceiling. Like the ones the female Buri wore, each was over an inch wide and designed to fit the upper arm.
But that was where the similarity stopped, because these were decorated to a fare-thee-well. Gingerly—almost afraid to breathe—I picked one up. Dragon birds, etched in bold relief, danced across the surface. They were intertwined with clusters of flowers whose petals were an inlay of what looked like mother-of-pearl in a golden-tan shade. The center of each flower was the same shade of green as my eyes.
Stunned, I glanced at Churka. “These are for me?”
“Choorr,” she growled. The Buri had trouble with “Ts”, but I knew what she meant.
“Thor sent them?” Sudden nerves had my palms clammy. In other low-tech cultures I’d dealt with, a gift like this usually implied commitment. Since I lacked the benefit of several cycles’ worth of xenologists’
findings, I wasn’t sure what it meant to the Buri or how to react.
“Max, any idea why Thor would be giving me a gift like these armlets?”
“Since all the Buri wear them, there is a sixty-one percent probability that they’re adopting you into the tribe.”
Frustration filled Churka’s eyes at my apparent hesitation. Before I could move, she reached out and placed her fingertips against my temples. Lines of strain formed around her mouth, and abruptly I was receiving images. Not emotions—images. Fuzzy ones to be sure, but there was no doubt what was happening.
In my mind, I saw myself fasten the silver clip in Thor’s hair. From there, the picture changed to Thor alone, hammer in his hand as he worked on the armlets.
The images stopped the instant Churka dropped her hands. Her skin was pale and sweat beaded her forehead, but she looked satisfied.
Great goddess of the fifth hell, she was telepathic! The number of races discovered to have psi talents were so slim I could count them on one hand and have fingers left over. I was so excited I almost forgot what she’d shown me.
Thor, slaving away over the armlets he’d made just for me. I blinked, then looked down at them. By all rights, I shouldn’t keep the jewelry. Their value far outweighed the silver hair clip I’d given him, and I wasn’t sure it was fair to let them adopt me when I’d only be here, at most, two months. I opened my mouth to tell her I couldn’t take the gift, and then closed it again. Damn it, I wanted those armlets, no matter how wrong it was. Thor had made them for me, and I’d never really belonged anywhere before. The idea of being adopted by the Buri was strangely appealing. Plus, I really didn’t want to risk insulting them by refusing to accept the bands.
Slowly, I picked them up and slid them onto my arms.
Churka let out a squeal of excitement and pounced on me, hugging the breath right out of me before kissing both my cheeks. Auntie Em growled something at her, and Churka flushed. Releasing me, she rose to her feet, gave me a short, formal bow and made a speech I couldn’t understand.
Weird.
But the armlets felt right on my arms, picking up the warmth from my skin like they were a living part of me. And my acceptance of them certainly seemed to make Churka’s day. Even Auntie Em was smiling and nodding as she gulped down the last of her drink.
They didn’t stay long after that. Churka, especially, appeared to be in a hurry to return home. As soon as they were gone, I shed my robe and stepped to the mirror that covered one wall of the lav. Turning this way and that to highlight the armlets, I admired my reflection. The petals on the flowers were the exact color of my hair, I realized.
GEPs tend not to get sentimental about material things. After all, we have no family antiques that have been handed down from generation to generation, and there would be no one to leave such items to if we acquired them, since normal GEPs can’t have children. And things are, after all, just things. Easily lost, easily replaced. But I knew I would keep these armlets forever.
With a sigh, I climbed into bed. Sleep eluded me, however. I couldn’t stop thinking about Churka’s use of telepathy. It had obviously required a lot of effort on her part, and yet that she could do it at all was amazing. Humans were one of the only species that had shown any shred of psi talent. I’d suspected from the beginning that Thor was picking up my emotions, and Churka was his sibling. So, did that mean the talent ran in families, or could all the Buri do it?
It was one more mystery among the dozens I was trying to unravel, and probably the least important. But I couldn’t help hoping. If I could communicate with Thor, really communicate, it might help solve all the other problems.
A sound distracted me, and I shifted to watch Crigo enter the hut through the bottom door panel. From the odor that preceded him, he’d been out hunting again last night.
Nose to the floor, he followed the Buri’s scent around the table, then came toward the bed to see if I was still in one piece. Starting at my feet, he sniffed his way up my length until he came to the new armbands.
Abruptly, his ears flattened and a low snarl issued from his curled-up lips.
“What’s your problem?” I asked him. “These are just an adoption gift from the Buri. Thor made them.”
Before I could dodge, he raised a huge paw and swatted the bands so hard one of them flew from my arm. Luckily, he kept his claws sheathed.
“Hey!” I jumped up and scrambled after the band, examining it closely to make sure it wasn’t damaged while the cat glared at me. A sigh of relief escaped me when I discovered it was still in one piece, and I slid it carefully back on my arm before turning to Crigo.
“Okay, what’s going on? Why don’t you like the armlets? They’re just jewelry.”
He continued to glare, his gaze shifting from me to the gold bands and back again. Frustration and—I frowned. Worry? Anxiety? Whichever it was, the emotion poured off him in waves. Puzzled, I tilted my head and studied him. “Max, any theories on why he doesn’t want me wearing the armlets?”
“Nothing statistically valid, Kiera. Maybe he’s picking up a scent on them he doesn’t like. Or maybe he’s simply jealous of the Buri and wants to keep you to himself. He could see the gift as a threat to his ownership.”
“Huh.” I knelt in front of him and took his face in my hands so we were eye to eye. “Listen up, cat. It doesn’t matter if the Buri adopt me. You’re still my family, and nothing is going to change that.”
He stared at me a second longer, his feelings changing to disgust, then flopped to the floor and stretched out, effectively shutting me off.
Once again, I studied an armlet as I returned to my bunk. Not even the zorfa’s ass had ever given me a gift, and we’d been together almost a cycle. That Thor had done so warmed a place deep inside me, even if it was part of some adoption ritual. “Max?”
“Yes, Kiera?”
“What do you think this mother-of-pearl stuff is?”
“It appears to be from the shells of the crustaceans my cameras have picked up at the edge of the lake. I’ve seen hundreds of different colors, but in structure they are similar to clams.”
“And the green stones in the center of the flowers?”
“Quartz. Of good quality, and sliced extremely thin, but in and of itself, not valuable. This planet seems to have an overabundance of it. The gold, however, is of a very high grade. Combined with the workmanship, I’d say they are worth a fortune.”
I let my eyes drift shut. “They aren’t for sale,” I murmured. Letting the images Churka had shown me play through my head, I smiled. Well, I’ll be damned. Thor had a hammer after all. It was my last thought before sleep claimed me.