Questor Page 9

The color drained from Lector’s face. The last thing he ever wanted was to appear wanting in the eyes of his Mistress. Even before she’d been named Mistress, when she’d just been the girl he’d grown up with, he’d always wanted to please her.

  Lector bowed to her. “Mistress, I’m sorry you have cause to speak to me in such a sharp tone. You are quite correct. I’ve let base emotions make me behave so. I’m ashamed.”

  “Yes, you’ve been behaving out of character, but I should be more understanding. I know all too well what has made you act this way, so out of character for you. We’ve been friends for far too long not to be honest with each other. I know you’ve not spoken because you sense I can’t return more than friendship, but I also know of your feelings, and just because I can’t return them doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them. I do, more than I can ever say.” She bowed her head to him and waited.

  He walked forward, bowed toward her until their foreheads touched for a second then he moved back, touching his temple. Triena moved away and he sighed, grateful they’d retrieved their equilibrium and just hoped matters could stay that way.

  The night passed well enough and come the morning Triena and Lector's behavior with each other had returned to normal.

  They ate a hearty breakfast and then prepared to continue on their journey. They’d made good time thanks to the Argeela, but when they reached the foothills the real climbing would begin, and they’d have to leave the Argeela behind to continue on foot. Their destination was in sight from the farmhouse, and Lector explained they should reach the foothills proper by late afternoon on this, the third day.

  SIX

  Captain Sullivan hurried down to engineering in reply to Sara’s request. It appeared she and Robert had come up with an idea they wished to explain. He found them hunched over one of the consoles.

  “Ah, Captain,” said Sara, as she noticed him enter, her voice far more cheerful than seemed normal for her. “Could you take a look at this?” She indicated a console showing a high mountain on a topographical layout of the planet below. “We’ve traced a strange energy signature to this range of mountains. The atmosphere is highly charged, and yet all the energy is somehow being leeched out. We backtracked the energy source using the K band on the prasentic sensor.”

  “Why do you say it’s being leeched out?”

  “Because there’s so much energy the whole atmosphere should be charged with lightning, and Jon would never have taken the shuttle into that. But the atmosphere scans as quite normal, except to the prasentic sensor. There’s no way Jon could have known it was there. There’s a huge amount of energy being created, but if it’s being used to affect the atmosphere it’s not that efficient, a large percentage isn’t staying within the atmosphere. Robert suggested maybe something natural in the atmosphere is causing this odd reaction. We’ve tried to find out what it might be, but so far without success. If we’re right and we’ve tracked the source of the interference, perhaps that’s not important.”

  “Very well, but if you can track the source of the interference can you affect it? Can you communicate through it?”

  “We aren’t quite sure yet. Robert is working on boosting the transmission signal to make it powerful enough to cut through the interference.”

  “When will you know, Robert?”

  “I’m still charging the dish at the moment. I’ve never tried this before but in theory it should work. I think we’ll be able to try in about twenty minutes.”

  “Very well, I’ll inform Commander Barlow. We need to decide on a plan of action in case you can get through to them. In particular if their main problem is being trapped on the surface because of the interference. It may be they’ll have to take some action, even if it’s just a scouting mission. At the moment Mr. Barlow is doing tests to see if it’s still too dangerous to send a shuttle down, and it doesn’t look promising. If it proves negative, some action on the surface on their part may be our one option.”

  “Maybe the Rhiava will be able to do something,” Robert suggested.

  “If they’re able, or willing,” Sullivan said.

  Twenty minutes later Robert contacted the command center. “Captain, the dish has now reached full charge and the rechanneling is complete. We can try to cut through the interference and send a signal.”

  “Very well, Robert. Tie in the controls to Mr. Barlow’s main console so if you do make contact we can take over from the command center.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Nothing visible could be seen leaving the ship and lancing down through the planet’s atmosphere, yet on the display on Robert’s console a bright yellow line could be seen moving from the ship and cutting across the dark area to the planet’s surface.

  They’d been riding for five hours since breakfast, and they’d been climbing up toward the mountains looming up in front of them. Lector told them they would need to head for the highest peak, Sierrie. It might be higher, but it did have more gentle slopes and was therefore easier to climb, besides having the most direct route to Haven once they’d crossed the summit.

  They managed to skirt three Midean scouting parties, thanks to the Gifts of Triena and Lector. What seemed strange to Jon was the higher they climbed the more patrols there were. It didn’t make sense. He would have expected them to cover the vast tracts of open land below instead of struggling through the difficult ground to the mountains.

  “Lector, do you know of any reason for these increased patrols?”

  “I’m afraid not. It’s confusing.” Lector frowned as he thought it over. “The one reason I can think of is it’s such difficult terrain the Mideans might think we’d view it as a safe hiding place.”

  Jon had to admit there was a kind of logic to that, and he wondered if there would be more and more patrols as they went higher, or if they would peter out.

  Jon was shocked out of his reverie by an almost forgotten sound. His transmitter was beeping at him, as was Manny’s alongside.

  Manny was fast to tap his and called, “Come in, Questor. Mannheim here. Come in.”

  They waited and then, sounding distant and somewhat distorted, came Barlow’s voice. “Questor to Mannheim and Hardesty. Come in please.”

  “We hear you, Questor. This is Lieutenant Mannheim. Come in.”

  They waited for a response, just to be greeted with a repeat of Barlow’s message. “Questor to Mannheim and Hardesty. Come in please.”

  Frustration flickered across Manny’s face. “You try, Jon.”

  “Hardesty to Barlow. Come in please, Questor.” They waited again. There was a sound from Jon’s transmitter, and then there was a similar buzz from Manny’s.

  “I think they are trying to boost the signal,” Manny said. “It must be difficult to break through the interference.” He waited for a couple of minutes before trying again. “Mannheim to Questor, come in please.”

  “Barlow to Mannheim.” The distortion couldn’t mask the relief in Barlow’s voice. “We read you, but the signal is distorted. Please advise your situation and how you read the signal?”

  “It’s good to hear from you, Commander, even if the signal isn’t too good. However, we could hear you before you could hear us. Jon and I are in good health, which is more than can be said for the shuttle.”

  “Have you had any contact with the Rhiava?” Captain Sullivan asked. The signal seemed to have settled to an acceptable, if somewhat distorted level.

  “Yes. They rescued us when the shuttle crashed, and we’ve been staying with them ever since. They’re an exceptional race, sir. In fact, we’re accompanying two of them through the foothills below the mountains on the northern continent. We need to cross this mountain range to reach more of the Rhiava leaders, but we have to avoid Midean patrols, Captain. I don’t know whether you’re aware of this, but the Mideans placed a shield around the planet to try to coerce the Rhiava to provide their technological knowledge. They came here on the pretense of wanting to trade for food, which is abundant on this planet, b
ut what they truly wanted was the advanced technology of the Rhiava. Also, the Rhiava have some remarkable mental skills, all of them, in particular their Elders. But this shield is somehow blocking some of that power.”

  “I’m afraid you’re breaking up again, Manny. Did we hear correct? It’s the Mideans who placed the shield in the atmosphere?”

  “Yes, according to—” Manny was interrupted by a shriek of static from his transmitter. Jon tried to operate his but got the same result.

  “Well, at least we know they’re in orbit; they know we’re safe, if trapped. I’m sure they’ll be doing everything they can to help us.” Manny stepped nearer to Triena. “I trust whatever action they take to aid us may also be beneficial for you. I’m sure they’ll keep trying to contact us too.”

  “However, we weren’t able to tell them much about the shield,” Jon said.

  “It’s possible they’ll be able to discover more from orbit than we can from down here anyway. The ship has excellent sensor devices, and it’s clear they scanned the shield from orbit, which is more than we could do from the shuttle,” Manny commented.

  “We may as well carry on for the time being. There’s nothing to be gained by waiting for further contact, we don’t know how long that could take,” Jon said.

  They carried on climbing. It proved to be slow going, in part due to the climb itself and in part due to having to be careful of Midean patrols. Lector was becoming more and more edgy as his sensing of Mideans increased. It didn’t help that the reason for so many patrols high up in the mountains was unknown.

  They sought refuge that night in a cave. It wasn’t that big and had a large open mouth but there were no others on that level. It didn’t provide much protection, either from any prying eyes or from the cold that had been growing since they’d begun to climb the mountain. It was lucky they’d brought some coverings with them which Triena had told them would be sufficient to keep them warm. It was hard to believe looking at them as they were nothing more than thin sheets, a little longer than the size of a man, but they proved more than sufficient when used that cold night.

  The group decided it was safest to watch in pairs, in four hour shifts, as an extra precaution against any night patrols. Manny and Lector were to take the first watch. They’d developed something of a friendship ever since Manny had shown such an interest in the Argeela. Lector still seemed a little less comfortable around Jon though.

  The quiet night passed, and it was about halfway through Jon and Triena’s watch when they saw the dawn break. They sat leaning against the wall just inside the lip of the cave mouth. Manny and Lector were sleeping as far back in the cave as they could. The cave was well situated, and they could see for miles across the plains below, and down the mountainside below them. It would be next to impossible for any Midean patrol to pass without being seen, or sensed by Triena.

  Now that the sun was rising the temperature began to climb too. The mist could be seen lifting from the valley floor a long way below. Triena leaned forward to look straight down below them then leaned back again and changed her position. She gave the impression of being restless.

  “Jon, what do your people do if they...like another person?” she asked, a little hesitant, moving forward again so he couldn’t quite see her face.

  “Like? Another person?” he queried, his heartbeat increasing all of a sudden.

  “A person of a different gender. If say, I liked you. What would happen amongst your people?”

  Jon swallowed and stood up, leaning his back against the cave wall as if for support. “It would depend,” he said, his head swimming with possibilities.

  “Depend?” she queried as she, too, rose to stand next to him.

  “On...if she knew how he felt. If he knew how she felt. Sometimes you can tell, sometimes you can’t. Things can get a little complicated, I suppose.” He stopped and glanced at her, capturing her eyes with his.

  “Among my people it’s more direct. If I liked someone, Jon, I would approach him and tell him. Then if he liked me too, he’d tell me. That would be a beginning, yes?”

  “Yes...and do you?” He couldn’t resist.

  “Do I what?” she teased.

  “Like me?” he asked.

  She gave a slow lingering smile. “Yes, Jon. I like you a lot. Do you like me?”

  “Oh, yes, and don’t pretend you didn’t know,” he replied with a grin, moving closer. “Is this a beginning?” He no longer cared if he might be acting against protocol, he just wanted to carry on doing it.

  She reached up and touched his face, tracing the line from nose to mouth. “What do you think?”

  Sudden warmth flowed through him, and Jon knew she was touching his mind. He reached up and took her hand, which felt warm and silky. He leaned forward to kiss her and she pulled back, looking bewildered.

  “I’m sorry, Triena. I shouldn’t be doing this,” he said, feeling mortified.

  “Shouldn’t be doing what?” she asked, looking even more baffled.

  “You’re a person of importance to your people, and I’m here as the representative of my captain. I shouldn’t be...fraternizing in this manner.”

  “Fraternizing? Is that what you were doing? I thought you...liked me, Jon.” Her voice was low, caressing.

  “I do, so much.” His mouth had gone dry.

  “Well then, I like you too. What could ever be wrong with that? It doesn’t matter what my position with my people is, or even what your position is. What matters is we’re sincere. You’re sincere, Jon, I know you are.”

  Jon blushed, but agreed. “Yes, I am.”

  “Then you have nothing to apologize for. What were you going to do, when you leaned toward me? I wasn’t offended, I was just surprised.”

  He gave a rather sheepish grin. “Don’t worry, it’s called a kiss. It’s a sign of affection among my people. I think you’ll like it.” Jon discovered she did. She enjoyed her reaction so much that she brushed his mind again to share it with him. And as for Jon...he’d never felt anything like it.

  Triena pulled back after a while, and laughed into his face. “That is for affection, Jon?”

  He just stared at her. He couldn’t speak; his heart was in his mouth. He’d heard that saying since he was a child, and always thought it sounded ridiculous. Now he understood. He’d never experienced a kiss anything like it before. All his senses were still swimming, and his heart was hammering in his chest. She leaned in and kissed him again. His mind was reeling as his emotions swelled and rolled around inside him, and for a moment he thought he heard her laughing inside his head.

  He sat down again, because he had to, he didn’t feel his legs would support him. She leaned back against the cave wall looking down at him. “Is it always like that?” she asked.

  “Like what?” he asked. He was confused, his mind foggy.

  “You tell me, Jon. I get the distinct impression you were surprised by what you felt.”

  He gave a little laugh. “Overwhelmed would be a better word,” he said almost to himself. “No, without doubt it isn’t always like that, it’s never been like that. Kissing someone is nice, kissing someone special is wonderful, but I’ve never…” He didn’t know how to go on.

  “But this time was different?” she prompted.

  “Very different,” he said, and his confusion was evident.

  She moved closer. “You’ve never kissed a Rhiava before though. A kiss isn’t part of our way, though perhaps it should be,” she said smiling. “But…it’s hard to explain. The Gift is part of us and when we’re...close to each other the Gift is shared. It heightens all the senses, and when the emotion is true we feel each other’s spirit. I felt part of you in that kiss, Jon. I wasn’t sure what it would be like for another species to interact with us, but I think you felt part of me, too.”

  “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “We give of ourselves when we’re close.” She hesitated. “I’m not sure how to explain. Did you find it unpleasant, dista
steful?” she asked with a slight smile.

  “Oh no. It was...overwhelming. It left me with a sense of—” He stopped, stood up, and stared at her, as if searching for something, before he said with obvious wonder, “I know you. I mean I truly know you—in here,” he said, laying his hand over his heart. “And here,” he said while tapping his temple. “I feel I’ve known you for a long time.”

  “You shouldn’t have let us sleep so long.” Lector’s irritable voice came to them from inside the cave.

  “We hadn’t realized how much time had passed. It was a beautiful dawn, somewhat distracting,” Triena answered, but her eyes were still on Jon. Her voice was soft, for his ears alone. “I know just what you mean.”

  Before he could say anything else she moved back into the cave.

  “Supervisor Charod, a report is coming in from one of our patrols. They’ve had a confrontation with some Rhiava, but it seems they weren’t alone. Many of the team were rendered unconscious like those from Oriod’s team near the crash site. They said they just saw one Rhiava and one stranger, though they believe there were others about, but they don’t know numbers.”

  “How long ago did this occur? We’ll send out more patrols to surround the area.” Charod came hurrying over to the communications section.

  “Hanok says this time they were unconscious for some time, sir, at least four hours. The attackers will be long gone by now, those they saw were riding Argeela,” the operator replied.

  “Damn! Damn them! Get a location anyway.”

  “Yes, sir,” the operator replied, sounding nervous.

  Charod paced up and down behind the communications officer, stopping the man from relaxing. Charod managed to make most of his staff nervous, he liked them that way. It made them more efficient.

  “Morovny, that ship up in orbit. You’re sure it can’t breach the shield?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s impossible. The larger the vessel the greater the reaction. It can’t get through.”

  “Good, so whoever crashed in that vessel, they’re on their own.”