The Touchstone Trilogy (38 page)

Thursday, March 27

Behind the news

Mara worked me into the ground today.  First dodging, and then jogging around the obstacle park.  Later she showed me more things you could do with your suit: how to make the weaponry and even covering your head.  Then we swam.

I've another rotation with First Squad tomorrow, then another day of Mara, then another rotation.  After that there's nothing booked except my inevitable medical exams, but Mara said that I may be sent to Muina again.

I'm thoroughly bored of reading stories of the unlocking of Muina and the increasingly unlikely descriptions of me.  The bits I don't already know are the bits which make me feel bad.  I don't think these Heart Minders are really likely to try and hurt me, but it does make me uncomfortable to have upset people just by existing.  I'm glad that I'm assigned to First Squad for a while, and that Mara's left me too tired to fret too much.

Which is probably why she's doing it. 

Friday, March 28

Roaming

Today's rotation was the closest I've come to being in danger working with First Squad.  Another unstable rotation, which took us to a space full of these big metal containers stacked in rows, like you'd see at a port.  It wasn't the space First Squad had been expecting, and it was the first time they'd encountered the type of Ionoth we met there.

They were humanoid, but covered with a white-grey hair, and they seemed to have made themselves a home in the containers; a busy township.  We were still outside the gate, looking through, when two of them leapt out, slashing at Maze with rusty metal pipes.  As a dozen more of the hairy people came rushing at us, Ketzaren grabbed me around the waist and hauled me backward through our current space, which was an awkwardly low set of tunnels through pearly-cream rock.

It was bloody, horrible.  The attackers were fast, armed and very determined, but First Squad were well-practiced at close combat, and enhanced.  They'd been surprised by the rush, but didn't come close to being overwhelmed.

"Withdraw to the entrance," Maze said, as soon as the last had fallen.  He cast a quick glance into the container space, then followed as rear guard as everyone immediately obeyed.

"Broken?"  Zee asked, watching him roll his shoulder and wince.  They'd not been able to avoid being hit entirely.

"Seems not.  Anyone else?"

"Nothing major."   Lohn was clenching and unclenching one hand, and took out his med-kit to spray some bandage over a cut across his knuckles.

"Any chance to read the gate?"

"It looked solid.  Days, at least," Alay said.

"We'll go for a clearing entry approach," Maze said.  "One blast from Kettara until we have a chance to evaluate."

The hairy people looked smaller in death, and the spreading pool of their blood made the gate entry both unpleasant and slippery.  But none of them were lurking on the other side, and so Maze gestured us through and we moved to a defensible corner while they tried to estimate numbers.

"Dozens," Mara said, at last.  "A few outliers circling, but most congregated that way."  She nodded toward what seemed to be the centre of the space, where the containers were piled highest.

"I'd prefer a height advantage here," Zee murmured and Maze nodded his agreement.

The tops of the containers were rusty and pitted, and a couple of times crumbled alarmingly underfoot.  But being up high allowed us to see the trap a few moments before it was sprung.  A higher row of containers trembled, then became a tilting wall of metal which threatened to squash us and take out the containers we were standing on.

Maze had said "Up," before I even saw that, and we rose immediately and swiftly as the trap took out the entire area between the gate and the centre like a row of dominos.  And before the noise had even settled they began shooting at us with crossbows, one catching Alay in the leg before Maze and Lohn between them created a mini-cataclysm in the area below.  There were only a few left alive after that, and Maze and Zee chased them down while the rest of us gathered on top of a slightly tilted container to check Alay's leg.

"Two made it through a gate," Maze said, returning.  He surveyed the bolt Mara had removed from Alay's leg.  "Any sign of poison?"

"Nothing apparent," Mara said.  "I've sealed the bleed."

"We'll short-survey, then.  Gainer, let us know if you start experiencing any symptoms."

Alay, Ketzaren and me stayed where we were while the others made a circuit of the space and inspected the bodies of the Ionoth, crisped though most of them were.  They didn't dawdle over it, and we were soon heading back out.  Maze paused at the gate, then crossed to a kind of wicker cage tucked in one corner, cutting it open.

There were a half dozen little Ionoth in there.  They reminded me faintly of ET, and all of them were in pretty miserable condition, like someone had been poking them with pointy sticks.  They moved slowly, blinking fearfully at Maze, who stepped away, then signalled for us to leave.

"The original inhabitants of that space, I think," he said, following us through the gate.  "These must be roamers."  He surveyed the corpses again, extra-thoroughly, and then we headed back at double-time, with Zee carrying Alay using Telekinesis.

A truly horrible day.  The Ionoth in that space, both types, were different from those I'd encountered before, more...real for want of a better word.  Well aware of the gates between spaces, ready to defend themselves against attack, and a far cry from animals or shadows.  And they drew blood.

I'm beginning to understand why Maze always looks so tired, beyond the strain of using psionic talents.  It's from worrying that someone in his squad will get killed.  I need to stop asking myself how bad First's injuries would have been if they hadn't been enhanced.

Saturday, March 29

Competition

First Squad's off rotation for a few days to give them a chance to recover.  I asked Mara if squads ever went out with less than six members, and she said it's rare, but possible so long as all the required talents are covered.

"Did it seem to you those hairy people prepare that ambush and trap particular for Setari?"  I asked.

"It certainly felt that way, didn't it?" Mara said, straightforward as usual.  "But the type isn't in our records at all, so it's more likely we stumbled into some kind of inter-Ionoth dispute.  Perhaps a different band of their own kind."

"That happen a lot?"

"No.  Many Ionoth do move to nearby spaces seeking food, but usually return to their own after hunting.  Roamers that are systematic explorers, or make any attempt to dominate other areas, are rare and most will fade if they are too long away from their home space.  Those were well-organised.  Formidable."

Mara has moved on from just throwing balls at me, and in today's lesson was trying to get me to block attacks.  She'd told me that I had no instinct for combat but that that was no reason I couldn't be taught to defend myself.  I still have my doubts, but I accept the value of trying to learn.  She's not soft with me, but she doesn't ever say nasty things or make fun of me for being so bad, and in a painful way I'm enjoying being back with her.

"Who is best fighter in Setari?"  I asked, thinking over the battle between Kajal and Ruuel.

"A question best not asked, as you apparently learned."

"Did Kajal get punish for that?"

"He would have lost privileges.  The aether effect is not enough to excuse his behaviour, but does mean he's not likely to lose captaincy over the incident."

"Maze doesn't like Setari competing against each other, because of scene like that?  Ruuel could have defuse situation by agree to fight him.  But Kajal would never been satisfied, right?"

"Not unless he won," Mara agreed.  "Maze doesn't like anything which focuses our energy on each other rather than the Ionoth.  While we were still Kalrani it was useful, but it's becoming an unhealthy distraction for a few of the younger Setari."

Ruuel's been on my mind a lot today (not that he isn't usually) because now that First Squad's on sick leave, I've been assigned to Fourth Squad for tomorrow's rotation.  I wonder how the black eye's progressing?

He was really annoyed about it.  More being forced to fight than the injuries.  And he didn't think Kajal had the slightest chance of beating him.  That moment of anger, of disdainful arrogance, caught me by surprise.  I've been putting a lot of thought into what Kaoren Ruuel is really like: whether he's a humourless robot with a rod up his ass, or the Taren stereotype of a Place Sight talent, all sensitive and haunted and needing always to keep control.  That fight showed me that I don't know him at all. 

I need to spend more time practicing ways to get home.

Sunday, March 30

Touchstone

I made sure to be early down to Red Lock for the rotation with Fourth Squad, and then had to wonder if I was trying to impress Ruuel, and what I thought that would achieve.  I need to be sensible where he's concerned.  Anyway, turning up early was more about not being on the receiving end of one of those brief glances he gives people when they waste his time.  Just a momentary look, not even a change of expression, and I know I'd shrivel.

The point was moot this morning because I was there in plenty of time and Ruuel was almost late.  That gave me a chance to chat with Ferus and Eyse about the kinds of missions they usually do and how they're still playing catch up from when the Pillar's deactivation shifted so many spaces about.  Both of them are really easy to talk to, with actual and apparent senses of humour.  They're looking forward to going back to Muina, to do exploration work in the larger cities.

Ruuel brought us all into mission channel and gave us the two sentences he considered a briefing just before he came into view.  "In addition to on-going goals, we'll be looking for the new type of roamer which First Squad encountered.  Tracking their source space has been marked priority."

Triggering the gate-lock to open, he passed us to collect the usual rotation gear, and was back just as the lock was fully open.  His black eye, sadly, had receded to a faint yellowish shadow, and he didn't seem to be favouring his knee.  But mission efficiency hit a snag before we'd even stepped into the Ena.  Ruuel paused as the gate-lock was closing behind us, and then Selkie joined the mission channel.

"Devlin," Selkie said, making me feel exactly like someone called out of class by the school principal.  "Does the word 'Gea' mean anything to you?"

"Gear?"  I repeated, since that's how he'd pronounced it.  "Part of machine?"

"Specifically, 'child of Gea'."

"Oh.  Gaia, maybe?  Gaia is the same as Earth, or Terra.  Different names for my planet in different languages.  Gaia is Greek mythology mother-planet-goddess, a bit like how Muinans think of Muina.  Child of Gaia would either be myth people called Titans, or anyone from my planet, depending on which way look at it.  Did you find record Earth in histories?"

"No.  An emissary from Nuri has walked out of deep-space and asked that the child of Gea be brought to speak with him."

Even Ruuel reacted to that one, frowning, and there was a little pause while Selkie was probably talking to someone else.  Then he said: "Continue your rotation, but return within a kasse."  He dropped out of the channel, leaving Fourth Squad looking at each other and at me, very startled.

"Focus," Ruuel said, eyes narrow, and sent us through the gate.  I don't think he was at all pleased to have such a big distraction waved under his squad's nose at the beginning of a mission.  It was lucky that the most I have to do is stop and start in time with my escorts because I'd certainly been given plenty to distract me from the rotation.

Nuri is the moon world with the Luddite ex-Muinans.  It was located around eighty years ago and when the Tarens turned up the Nuran response was pretty much: "We don't want to have anything to do with you.  Go away."  Since then they'd unbent only enough to say the same thing in rather more detail.  They felt the Taren use of technology, particularly the interface, made them a corrupting influence and they could not risk exposure.  No, they would not join an alliance to find or investigate Muina.  No, they did not want to share their knowledge of Muina's disaster.  The last time Tare had sent a delegation to discuss the apparent increase in the severity of Ionoth incursions, the Nurans had barely stopped short of accusing the Tarens of being responsible.

So having a Nuran turn up on Tare asking to talk to me was big news.

I had a couple of hours to stew on that while Fourth Squad headed back through the same spaces First Squad had cleared last rotation.  Ruuel was taking an extreme-caution approach to each space, since traps had been encountered last time, but we reached the container space without any sense of threat.  And once in there, we found only the little greyish people watching us from a fortification they'd built.

There were over a dozen gates out of that space, and Fourth Squad examined every one.  Although the one which the hairy people had run through had shifted out of alignment, they were able to detect signs of them at three other gates, and Fourth chose the most-travelled gate and headed through to the next space.  It was a small island, no bigger than a couple of house-blocks, with exposed sandbars around it.  Lots of sand-coloured mice lived in burrows beneath the tufty grass.  And there were sharks in the water, given the stinking pile of butchered carcasses we found.

Again Fourth mapped the gates, and picked the one which was the most frequented.  The next space was big, some kind of multi-story car park full of vague memories of cars, which made it very confusing.  From what I could make out of the blurs, they were low and large, with what looked like chimneys in swirls of chrome.  Ruuel and Sonn paused a long moment before gesturing us through, and when we were in Ruuel said over the mission channel: "Next level up, perhaps a dozen.  There was a lookout."