Borne On Wings of Steel (18 page)

A WHOLE DAY had passed since Mother sailed away.

And Jaric and Kyle felt alone and deserted.

Rok sensed it from their words and actions. But inside, he knew this added discipline by Mother would benefit them in the long run. And himself. It would reinforce the hard work the Mrad imposed on them to help pay for the damage.

And maybe next time, they would all think twice before launching into a free-for-all.

Maybe.

"I wonder why so few of us were detained and the others just fined and released.” Jaric looked at the others sharing their punishment. There were fifteen other aliens hard at work in addition to them and the Hammatt.

"We were singled out as the perpetrators of the food riot.” Kyle chuckled with the recent memory.

The huge Hammatt had his back to them as he cleaned the floor. At Kyle's words, he turned. The magnificent horn that grew from his snout lowered as he looked down and made eye contact.

"You are talking too much. Keep working!"

"Who died and made you boss?” Kyle sneered.

The huge Hammatt growled ominously. But then the expression on his gray complexion changed. He sighed. “I only want us to finish our tasks so we can go back to our holding cells. I am tired."

Kyle was impressed with the alien's sudden change of tone, a tone of cooperation instead of confrontation. He looked into the alien's black eyes.

"I agree. If we work together, we can finish faster."

The Hammatt grunted acknowledgement.

The four went back to work with a renewed zeal. The minutes passed quickly as the four worked in close cooperation, cleaning tables and floors as well as taking broken chairs to the back for repair or for refuse.

The Hammatt returned from dumping several chairs when Rok spoke.

"What is your name, Hammatt?"

The big alien looked at him with interest. “I am Inaha.” He smiled briefly then returned to his work.

Rok watched him silently for a while before he spoke. “And I am Rok of the Kraaqi, First Leader of the Band of the Stars."

The Hammatt glanced at him with a nod but continued his work.

Rok smiled as the alien picked up two tables, one under each arm, and moved them so he could clean better. “I admire your strength, Inaha."

Inaha placed the tables down and raised his muscular arms, flexing his massive biceps. “My people are a strong race. And brave."

"So are mine.” Rok smiled.

Jaric and Kyle looked from Rok back to Inaha with growing interest as the conversation continued.

"Wait a minute, this is the guy that ‘hates all aliens.'” Jaric looked at Inaha. “And the alien who threw me around the room like a rag doll the other day.” Jaric's eyes widened with the memory.

"Several times.” Kyle chuckled.

Rok's low laughter joined Kyle's mirth.

Kyle stopped and admired the Hammatt's great size.

"And I might add, he didn't even break into a sweat!"

Now the Hammatt began to laugh. “It was sort of fun.” The big alien laughed even louder.

Rok's laughter grew.

Jaric stared in disbelief, watching the three of them laughing. He found no humor in this. He still had too many aches and pains.

Jaric shook his head. “Well, I for one can't wait until our sentence is finished and we're on our way to Meramee. That's when I'll be laughing."

Inaha's face became serious. “You are going to the ‘paradise planet'?” He came over to Jaric and picked him as easily as if he were a toy. He brought Jaric's face close to his. “Are you going to the great Festival?"

"Yeah, yeah.” Jaric squirmed in the mighty alien's iron grip. “But why would you want to go? There'll be nothing but
aliens
everywhere. And remember, you're the one who hates aliens!"

The big Hammatt slowly lowered Jaric and set him gently on his feet.

Inaha groaned, a very low and forlorn sound that emanated from deep inside his massive body.

"Mine is a sad story, truth be known. My people were forced to leave our homeworld. It's hard enough to leave your world behind, but to be forced to leave with little hope of returning...” The big alien's eyes grew sad, his face somber.

"It was the
Black Flu
. It came out of nowhere and swept our planet within days. Millions died. Tens of millions."

He looked from one to the other with a sudden intensity. “Do you know what it's like to see corpses piled up on street after street waiting for transport to take them away like so much garbage? Everyone was afraid. Afraid to go outside. Afraid of others. Afraid even to touch the dead in order to bury them. Families watched from inside as disposal units took them away to be burned—not even a decent burial.” He looked down, an expression of pain on every feature. “It is said of the Black Flu, when it strikes a world, that the dead bury the dead, it is that contagious."

"Well, it was decided for us: those not infected must evacuate the planet or die. The aliens who lived nearest our world brought their combined war fleets in order to enforce their edict. And we were too weakened to fight."

"A harsh thing to endure,” Rok agreed.

"There is no cure for the Black Flu. The only choice is to let the disease run its course, kill all its host and go dormant. Planetary quarantine lasts decades—just to be sure—before you can return to a world stricken by it."

"It must have been bad,” Jaric said solemnly.

"It was.” Inaha looked from Jaric to the other two. “We went to several planets in search of refuge, in search of help. But everywhere it was the same—we were driven away with curses and threats.” The Hammatt's face became one of intense sadness. “They treated us like outcasts, like we were tainted—like we were worthless and had no right to ask for help! Even though we carried papers that certified we had been tested and were disease-free."

Inaha gazed off in the distance. “No one would help us."

Inaha faced Jaric. “On one planet, they even spit on me. Me! And said that I and my people needed to go die somewhere else—anywhere—as long as it was far away from them. And so I grew to hate all aliens deep in my heart."

Jaric patted the alien's shoulder. “But you have been helped here.” Jaric smiled. “And we are not treating you that way."

Inaha smiled. “I was wrong to say what I did—that I hated all aliens. The past year has been difficult.” He looked over to Kyle and Rok. “Actually, I traveled a lot before the outbreak. I signed with a Hammatt trader and had just returned from a four-year stint when the flu broke out. Back then, I enjoyed meeting aliens from different worlds."

Kyle's eyes went wide. “You're kidding! I would've never figured that from our first encounter."

Rok stepped beside Inaha. “But now that we have talked, we understand him. We understand why he said what he said.” Rok looked at both Jaric and Kyle. “If we had known this, we would have brushed off his angry words and not reacted so quickly. And there might not have been a riot."

Kyle laughed. “Well, that could be."

"Yeah.” Jaric laughed. “Next time I won't react so quickly.” His face became thoughtful. “Maybe I'll try to understand first."

"Think first, then act. What a concept!” Kyle said with renewed laughter.

"Well, let's get back to work,” Kyle said with sudden enthusiasm. “I want to get back with Mother and Minstrel on Meramee as quickly as we can. And maybe if we work hard together, they might take a day or two off our sentence."

Inaha's eyes widened with surprise.

"Minstrel!” He placed his face next to Kyle's until his horn almost touched Kyle's nose. “Are you a friend of a
Minstrel
?” he shouted.

Everyone in the room turned toward them.

"Hey, not so loud,” Kyle said as he held up his hands for emphasis.

The big alien's face became one full of excitement. “This changes everything!"

"How is that?” Jaric asked with disbelief.

"Hammatts have known of Minstrels for a long time. We cherish their visits. We cherish the songs they bring from the far reaches of the universe."

Kyle's eyebrows rose with interest. He nodded to Rok and Jaric who nodded back.

Inaha looked at all of them with a profound look in his eyes.

"Any friend of a Minstrel is a friend of Inaha. And any Hammatt!"

"Well, this does change everything.” Kyle laughed.

"Would you like to journey with us to Meramee and visit with our Minstrel?” Rok asked.

Jaric and Kyle looked at him with shocked surprise.

"Yes!” Inaha effortlessly lifted Jaric and Kyle into his great arms and hugged them so tight their eyes began to bulge.

"T-that's enough love,” Kyle grunted, vainly trying to free himself from Inaha's iron embrace.

"O-o,” Jaric grunted within the Hammatt's merciless grasp. “Kay,” he managed to finish. “Put us down."

Inaha put them down quickly. “Then I can go? I can pay for my passage. And I've been there before, too! I can show you some of the best islands, the ones the locals like! The ones the tourists don't know about!"

Kyle ran his hands over his ribs to make sure none had been crushed accidentally. When he found no damage, he looked up.

"Sure, Inaha. Rok's ship should be here soon.” He smiled broadly. “And we can always use a new friend."

[Back to Table of Contents]

THREE DAYS PASSED quickly as they traveled through deep space on their way to Meramee. Jysar and Krinia grew more excited with each passing day as Minstrel and Mother continued to talk about the wondrous beauty of the island-planet they would soon be landing upon.

It sounded just like paradise.

Elise's excitement grew as well, studying the view-screen where Mother displayed island after beautiful island from the sensor reports of Meramee.

Personally, she looked forward to swimming in the emerald oceans and turquoise seas that made up ninety percent of this world, as well as walking on its countless beaches. There were beaches of almost every color on Meramee depending on the geological forces which created that particular island: pale pink, burnt orange, glistening black, or pale lavender—even a few rainbow beaches of different colors of sand mixed together!

Not only were no two islands exactly alike on Meramee, but even on the same island it seemed that no two beaches were exactly alike in their natural beauty.

Everyone's excitement built with each passing day.

Late on the third day in space, Elise found herself alone walking through the rearmost sections of Mother's corridors. She rarely ventured this close to the engine room, and she had never actually entered it before.

The first time she wandered too close a few months back, both Jaric and Kyle made it very clear that the engine room was off-limits for her. And when she asked why, their anger erupted and she ran away in tears.

But even more odd, when she brought the incident up with Mother, she agreed with them. Mother informed her to stay clear of this one section.

She still didn't know why.

Mother avoided explaining this particular rule each time Elise asked. It was a mystery shrouded in the boys’ anger and pain.

But now the boys were gone. They would never know if she entered the sanctity of the engine room.

Elise felt her heart pounding inside her chest as she crept closer. The door came into sight. But she hesitated, a sense of panic overwhelming her with a suffocating grip. She stood frozen.

She jumped as a whirring sound accelerated and grew louder.

Fixer3 suddenly rolled past her in the corridor. The little robot headed toward the door that led inside the engine room and Mother's famed ThunderStar engines. Elise watched Fixer3 as it paused, the optics mounted at the end of the twin, flexible cords eyeing her carefully.

She returned the robot's gaze, biting her lower lip nervously. But the small green robot remained stoically silent.

Elise took a deep breath for courage and approached.

"I want to go into the engine room,” Elise explained as she squatted down beside Fixer3. The robot's optics retracted to adjust for her closeness. Elise smiled at the robot. “I have never been inside it yet, and well, I'd like to see it. Unless you have some work to do and now is not a good time."

The diminutive robot turned and continued toward the engine room as it motioned with one of its four extensible arms for her to follow.

Elise smiled, a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes.

"Okay, Fixer3. Maybe you can be my guide then? That would be super-cool."

The slender green robot called Fixer3 rolled up to the door as it extended an upper arm to trigger the sensor. Without slowing down, Fixer3 entered the opened door.

But as Elise drew near, her steps slowed.

Pangs of doubt swept through her as her heart beat rapid-fire again. She wondered if this was a good idea after all. After all, Jaric and Kyle had warned her, no, ordered her, not to enter the engine room.

And Mother backed them up.

She had accepted that limitation over her freedom before today. And yet, something seemed to draw her now. And there could be no better time to solve this mystery.

She stepped through the doorway.

And stopped immediately.

Looking cautiously around, she noticed the outlines of the mighty engines. Elise felt as well as heard the deep throbbing sounds as the twin engines powered them through hyperspace. But she also knew that a separate section of these power plants also drove the sub-light engines, although these were no longer used when landing on a world.

Now, the environmentally clean anti-gravity engines installed by the Kraaqi were used when entering any world's bio-system.

She took another tentative step inside.

At the far end of the port engine she saw Fixer3 using three of its arms to make adjustments while the fourth arm motioned for her to come closer.

"Well, if you insist,” she said with a determined tone. Boldly, her heart now pounding wildly, Elise stepped completely inside.

She walked slowly between the mighty engines, feeling their power that seemed to permeate everything here. The engines emitted a glowing outline even though they were both encased inside solid tritanium shells. Each rose three meters tall and was over ten meters wide; their length encompassed the entire engine room from end to end—Elise guessed thirty meters long. Numerous consoles and dials that monitored and configured the mighty power plants graced the shiny metal casing of each engine.