Ion 417: Raiju (21 page)

By the time I was done with the bio bed, we were already nearing the coast. It was a clear night that let us see the land sliding by under us. Lafiel had turned down the ECM so that we had a clear view while still avoiding radar detection.

Most of the area we passed over was fairly sparse for population. It wasn't until we actually reached the coast that we found anything like a large city. The lights from it spread out between the mountains and the ocean. I wanted to fly low so that I could see as much of the land as possible, but I hadn't counted on other fliers. Traxel cut it a little close as we flew under the wings of an air transport, missing it by a mere hundred meters. This was a much bigger one than the others, and may have had close to a hundred people inside. We were under it and gone before I knew it, but Traxel's chirping told me he'd done it on purpose.

Lafiel's voice came over the speakers, "He noticed us for sure. Can't tell what he said, but that pilot was really excited. Replies are coming from a spot on the ground. It's probably the control center for aircraft."

We were far out over the ocean before he altered our course toward the big island that was Japan. Combining what Jun had shown me on her comm with the scans from orbit I felt we could get rather close this time. I was taking another step closer. Would this be the one that gets me there?

The ocean trip lasted a little over an hour as we narrowed in on the place Jun had shown me. We must have looked very much like the namesake of the ship as we streaked across the night sky. About halfway there the sky lit up with the system's star rising before us. It went from silvery darkness, to orange fire flaring over the water beneath us, and finally to the bright blue that I'd seen from orbit. We were out-pacing the planet's rotation. So much water in one place! I had read accounts of oceans, but until I saw it in person there was no way to understand it.

Traxel slowed our approach as we neared the island. Glittering buildings of the city stretched down the hillsides, right to the water's edge. We had raced along so fast that the sun had not yet set over the city here. I watched dozens of water craft swimming across the bay, with hundreds more tied up in neat rows along the piers.

As I looked closer I realized that the lines between buildings were actually traveling paths. They were swarming with little dots of people and bigger dots of moving vehicles. It dawned on me that my estimate of the how many people I'd have to search through was way off. There must be tens of thousands of people in this one city alone, and a thousand cities like it spread across the entire planet.

"They'll see us. I can see them."

He pulled us up high so that there wouldn't be any noticing us. I also told him not to scare any more of the Terran pilots. From up here, Lafiel could use the imagers to search for a good spot to set down a ship that was as big as most of the houses below us. Landing in the midst of the city would not be the best choice.

The city gave way to the rising mountain, which at first offered little hope of including a landing spot. It would be so much more convenient if people would stick up signs pointing to the best place to land a starship. I had been expecting a starport, not this. As it was, we almost missed a good landing field. Traxel had to circle back to make sure we hadn't imagined it.

Sometime in the long past a section of the mountain had been leveled and walled. The wall was now crumbling away, as were the few buildings within the walls. The mountain was trying to reclaim its territory. This sat far enough from the center of the city that the surrounding area would have fewer people to see us come down. Still, I had Lafiel set the ECM pod to mask us as best it could.

Traxel set the ship down in front of the large building. From a closer view it was obvious that the place had been deserted some time in the distant past. Lafiel did a quick scan of the area, and reported that there weren't any aircraft heading our way. It looked like we had managed to land unseen after all. Things were looking good so far. I wonder if Japan has bears. If there are bears, they better run far away; I won't let the next one close enough to tickle me.

Sunset was still more than an hour away from this part of the world, although the sun was rapidly dropping toward the western mountains. We had a chance to see the area before night settled in. Night and day were somewhat odd concepts for me, as my whole life had been in places where everything was artificially lit upon command.

I was anxious to go exploring, but the others were worried. The ship's data banks had nothing on Japan. Teyrn Elon had never been here, and Rage's computers hadn't listed it as more than a minor notation that the system existed. Nobody had any idea what to expect, and the last time I went exploring they'd lost me for a day.

I reluctantly agreed to let one of them explore first. Traxel and Panzo argued back and forth with both having good reasons to go. I felt sorry for Lafiel as she was excluded. Hard to go unnoticed when you're bigger than the average house. I was left with the choice of an insectoid that treated me like queen of the hive, and a Kanari that vowed his life to me. The argument started getting to me enough to let a charge build in my hand. I wasn't going to hurt them, just a good jolt is all. Lafiel must have more than standard imagers in here because she caught me.

"Captain..."

I let the charge trickle away, "All right you two. Pick a number between one and pi to three places. I will allow the closest one to choose who goes."

Panzo grinned and leapt on my blunder, "Let's see if you can get closer than 3.141 bug."

"Wait, that wasn't what I meant to do. I should have done it to a number you're thinking."

As it turned out, Traxel was more interested in the surrounding area than finding local civilization, so Panzo was elected. He'd ride out to look around the area and see if anyone had noticed our landing. It didn't take long to unload the transport and test it. Here the hovercycle could move without running afoul of the trees. It cycled up with a soft whine.

The faring wrapped around the front giving it good protection for the riders. The cycle could handle two, but Panzo wanted to go alone for now. I didn't think about how much a furry Kanari would stand out on a world of Humans until the bike had made its way through the crumbling gate arch, and headed down the overgrown road. Expectations were that he would be back in about four hours. I was already worried for him.

Traxel refused to sit idly by in the ship when there were trees out here. These were a bit different than the tree holo in his room, but trees are trees, right? He wandered through a break in the wall to explore some of the surrounding forest. He promised to watch for bears. I made sure they both had weapons and comms. I couldn't blame Traxel for wanting to explore, I wanted the same for myself. The area outside the wall must have looked very inviting to him.

Inside the dilapidated stone walls there was grass that reached nearly up to my waist. It was very different than the grass I had fallen in at that camp site, and yet still very much had the feel of growing things. I couldn't remember a single live plant on that orbital lab complex. A wave of sadness swept over me with the thought that my mother had been from here, and was stolen away to a place that felt so... dead.

Her life had been with these trees. Even when she'd been abroad on whatever a vacation was, there had been all manner of living things surrounding her. Teyrn had tortured her more than just the physical pain she'd endured. He had deprived her of this living world that had been her home.

I found a spot in the tall grass to lie down. It hid me from the surrounding world, leaving just an opening to watch the clouds go by. Occasionally a bird would pass through my view, bound on its own mission. Birds were a symbol of freedom to me; they could fly anywhere they desired. Oh, there were hazards to be avoided for sure, but a smart bird could learn to avoid the dangers while still pursuing its freedom. It lived by its own choice, not at the whim of someone else. My mother must have liked birds too with that folding fan of hers.

In moments the sky began to fade from the bright blue to a darker shade, with the scattered clouds turning bright orange. I lay and watched as the clouds slowly started to fade into the darkening sky.

I keyed up the comm, "Lafiel? Do you ever dream?"

"It used to be that I dreamed of flying through space. You have given me that dream, so now I'm stuck with dreams of sitting in a bath with some handsome Kanari, drinking wine as he... Well, you get the idea."

I let a soft sigh escape my lips, "I can't say as I've ever dreamed of bathing with a Kanari. I have no idea what people do in baths, showers do a better job of getting you clean."

"Haven't you ever... No, I guess you haven't. Boy, are you in for a surprise when you meet the right Human. Hold on, someone's coming."

I could hear the voices now. Two children were coming up the road talking. Their voices sounded so sweet and thrilling; I hadn't heard this language since watching the recordings of my mother, other than the little bit I'd talked to Jun. I had found the right place after all it seemed. I lay in still in the grass waiting to see what they would do. Children could hardly be called a threat to us, especially ones from my mother's faction.

A small male was leading the way, pulling a girl behind him, "I'm telling you! I saw it come down over here! This is the only place it could be."

"But this place is haunted."

I caught glimpses of them through the tall grass around me as they walked closer to where I lay. They appeared to be quite young, perhaps ten years of age; a sibling pair most likely. I watched them come through the gate glancing all around them. The light was faded enough that they hadn't yet seen me. They had seen the ship though.

His hand went up pointing directly at the ship, "Oh... I told you I saw something! Just look at it!"

"What is it? Is it real?

This was exciting, I was definitely in the right area from the sound of it. This island wasn't so big that I would be unable to find something about my mother here. And just as obvious, there were no bears around if the children had come without a guard.

"I think they must be making a movie with alien ships in it."

"That's an alien?"

"It can't be an alien ship, Chijin! It isn't ugly enough."

They had walked to within a few meters of me as they tried to get a better look at the ship. Speaking now would probably send them skittering off in panic. They hadn't seen me, and my voice would probably startle them. I had my chance right here in front of me; I just needed to think of how not to send them running away before I said hello.

"Look! I told you it wasn't alien. See that on the side? That's kanji. I think lightning and something."

"Where're the aliens then? You said they would be aliens!"

"The aliens are in a hotel somewhere. It's too dark to take pictures."

They could just as easily think I was an alien. Well, I guess technically I was, but I am a Human alien. I couldn't let a little thing like skin and hair color scare them away. Of course, just when I had worked up a good greeting, Traxel comes walking around the corner of the building.

They ducked down into the grass, hiding from him as he blithely strolled up the ramp disappearing from view. He looked a lot happier than I'd seen him before. At least I think it was happiness; hard to tell in a Cardovan. Lafiel's voice came into my ear from the comm.

"I'll take care of Traxel, but what are you going to do about those two? You can't hurt children."

When they had seen him, the children had both dropped into a crouch to hide. I listened for a few minutes as they sat whispering to each other about what kind of alien he was. I couldn't believe the wild speculations about his eating habits. I found myself holding back the laughter. Finally the children had regained their courage enough to creep closer to the ship. Just before they built up the courage to climb the ramp I stood up and greeted them. Perhaps my timing was as good as Traxel's, for I succeeded in eliciting a short scream from both of them. It certainly wasn't the greeting I had expected, at least they were not running away in terror.

The screams were only a startled reaction luckily, and they quickly transformed into a brief discussion on whether I was alien or not. They settled for a futuristic Human, which was close enough to suit me. The deciding point had been that aliens don't wear shirts with bears on them. I had completely forgotten to change my clothing.

He puffed up with the attitude of authority, "Of course she isn't alien. Only Chijin Martians are green. All the cool aliens are red, everyone knows that!"

"Where do you think she got green makeup?"

"The same place they got a guy to dress in that bug outfit."

Now that disaster was averted I could breathe easier. They were convinced I was from something called a movie, and that I was a Human albeit from the future. I would save the complicated explanations for adults. They may not qualify as opponents, but letting them deceive themselves seemed the best course for now. They begged me to let them see the inside of the ship, so I told Lafiel I was bringing them aboard. I also asked Traxel to meet me in the common room with the big rifle. Lafiel giggled at that request.

"Her communicator looks better than the TV ones. What language is that?"

I fumbled for a reply, "It's uh.. Space language."

It wasn't a lie, A lot of the races on other planets speak Indigal. That made it a space language. I led the two of them up the ramp, and into the engine room for a brief tour. They were quite impressed with the engine room, even running around to look at all the indicators. Short of opening panels, and pulling out the heat exchanger for the zeta field's interstage cooling system, as I had nearly down before, there wasn't much damage they could do here. Since we were landed the zeta field wasn't turned on anyway.

Everything was exciting to them, and they were still chattering about all the cool things in the engine room as they climbed up to the next stairs. They stopped at the entrance to the common room with a shriek. I suppose in their place I might have done the same thing, or I'd have blasted him with a bolt of lightning.