Second Don: Ardulum, Book 2 Page 11

Arik nodded. His torso wasn’t strapped to the pad. He could flip himself over, possibly crash into the gatoi, and take zir out near the legs, but then how would he get himself undone from the restraints? And how could he willfully injure a gatoi?

  “I’m waiting, Arik.”

  They’re still tender, Arik managed to send. The image of his talther was superimposing itself on the healer. The gatoi’s hair darkened to near black, zir skin weathered to olive. The white lab coat melted into thick hide boots and a loose tunic, belted at the waist.

  “And have you been expressing your Talents?”

  No, mir, Arik responded, falling into formal address. He had to keep mental distance from the mirage above him. That wasn’t his talther. He was a prisoner. He had to get it together!

  “Has anyone else been using their Talents?” The healer knelt and gently brushed hair from Arik’s forehead. “Come now, Rik, you can tell me. Afterwards, we’ll go see the saplings. How does that sound?”

  It sounded perfect. Arik melted into the comfort of the words and the familiarity of the pet name his talther had given him. I haven’t been here long enough to see what the others do, he responded truthfully. I still don’t really understand what is going on. Why did this happen, talther?

  A disappointed look crossed his talther’s face. “Because my chromosomes are likely weak, as well as your mother’s and father’s, I suppose. We’ll be sure not to have any more children. We don’t need to be seeding more recessive genes into future generations.”

  The moisture was back in Arik’s eyes. You’re not faulty! he cried into the gatoi’s mind. I love all three of you!

  “Do you now?” His talther stood and walked to a small, metal cabinet secured to the wall. From inside, zie took a vial of teardrop-shaped pills of varying colors and shook half the contents onto the palm of zir hand. “Do you know much about genetics, Arik?”

  No, Arik responded as his talther knelt back down and clenched the pills in zir fist.

  “Turns out, neither do we.” Zie pushed a finger and thumb into Arik’s cheeks. Arik opened his mouth obediently. “We learn a lot, though, from seeing how flares respond to various drugs designed to mimic natural hormones. You’re new, so we don’t have any data on you yet.” Arik’s talther dropped the handful of pills into Arik’s mouth. Arik gagged momentarily before turning his head and swallowing.

  A familiar flush emerged on Arik’s face. The smell of overcooked andal assaulted his nose. Andal help him, it was like reliving his Talent Day, with all the horror that came with it. His skin burned, felt too tight and then too loose. Again, Arik pulled against his bonds, but the plastic just cut deeper.

  The image of his talther faded, replaced by the healer. Arik’s mind cleared of the fogginess he’d not realized had settled as muscles began to sporadically seize. He screamed silently in pain, unable to massage the cramps that set off across his body.

  “We just need to get you caught up,” the healer said. Zie moved to push another piece of hair from Arik’s head, but Arik lifted his chin and snapped at the gatoi without thinking. He couldn’t handle any more touch or deception. A muscle in his forehead bunched, and Arik slammed his head against the wool pad, desperately searching for release.

  “We need you conscious to gather the data, unfortunately.” The gatoi stood and walked to the door. “I’ll be back to check on you in half an hour. Until then, try to breathe deeply. The male in the corner gave himself a heart attack late last night. What a waste of research. You do appreciate research, don’t you, Arik? Weren’t you supposed to be of Science?”

  Double spasms in his legs caused Arik to arch, and he screamed obscenities into the healer’s mind. The healer merely shook zir head, as if Arik was a galactic disappointment, and walked from the room.

  Almost twenty minutes passed before Arik blacked out from the pain.

  Chapter 12: Mmnn, Ggllot

  We will not let this transgression stand. The Charted Systems would wage war on Ardulum. We shall wage war in return.

  —Broadband communication from the Neek Religion Council to the Charted Systems WorldBand, December 15th, 2060 CE

  THEY JUST HAD a rally this morning. What could they possibly be up to now? Ekimet leaned against the tall window and stared down. Zie had to squint to make out faint black lines streaking across the ground, the wavy formations indicative of Mmnnuggls in a highly agitated state.

  You’re making a pretty big assumption, Miketh countered. Maybe they’re just looting.

  Ekimet turned to stare at her. Looting? Just because a species has advanced ships and weaponry does not make it inherently warmongering and destructive. Zie turned back to the window. See? They’re in straight lines again, stacked evenly, with wide rows in-between. It’s another rally. I bet someone is speaking—just trying to stir things up. That means not everyone is on their side.

  Miketh lifted her hand, pointing as she counted. Twenty-seven, thirty-three…if we do some extrapolation where Mmnnuggls form chains of six, and there are twelve hundred forty-five chains I can count…Ekimet, that is a lot of Mmnnuggls. Mmnn isn’t a large city, capital or not. That is a significant percentage of the population. That would be enough to do serious damage to the Alliance, if they wanted.

  Ekimet scoffed. They just want some freedom. Even subspecies shed the guidance of Ardulum after a time. It’s a natural course of action. You can see their passion from here.

  I’d rather hear it. Miketh moved to the small table near where she had been reading, picked up her book, and tossed it across the room. It hit the wall-mounted—and currently defunct—communications panel and slid silently to the floor. We’ve been in this stupid room for ages. You even saw that Ardulan stellar skiff take off right in front of this building, probably taking the last of the Ardulan fruit pickers or tourists or whoever else was dumb enough to come to this planet. The Ardulans that weren’t valuable enough to hold hostage. She looked pointedly at Ekimet, who coughed. It wasn’t the royal Eld skiff that docks here—it was a passenger ship. She pursed her lips and looked at the ceiling. The Eld aren’t negotiating, Ekimet. This planet has been abandoned, and so have we.

  Ekimet had seen the ship and still couldn’t explain it. If the matter were as simple as a trade for flares, it would have been over and done with inside a week. This…this had to be much more encompassing. If zie had access to a communications panel, zie would have called zir grandmother. Whatever the Eld were playing at, Ekimet couldn’t help without more information.

  The Eld would be hard-pressed to abandon a planet in the Alliance altogether, Ekimet sent. The only time we abandon planets is when Ardulum wants to seed and has to move. We’ve been in the center of the Alliance for a century. Ekimet paused to consider. Seeding was a possibility zie had not considered before. What would make the Eld move now? We deal with petty species conflicts all the time. A loss of faith is not uncommon, and the andal is doing well.

  Miketh sat in a huff. You’re the diplomat. You tell me.

  Frustrated, Ekimet left the window and sat down behind Miketh, leaning against her back for support. If we are abandoned, then the Mmnnuggls don’t know it yet. Otherwise, we’d be dead. If the Eld were mounting a rescue mission for us, we’d be back on Ardulum by now.

  Which means we’ve been left as fodder to keep the Mmnnuggls from suspecting something is up. Miketh pressed back against Ekimet, and zie felt her shoulders slump. The Eld purge everything before a move. Why not keep things as smooth as possible?

  Because that was too simplistic. Because the Eld were of the andal, and the andal’s motivations weren’t linear. Because the Mmnnuggls weren’t kept in the Alliance just for their ships and fruit trees. Except, Ekimet couldn’t talk about any of that to Miketh, not without the Eld’s approval. Zie tried to think of a response, but was interrupted when a low thrumming began to shake the building.

  Is something exploding? Miketh asked, alarmed, as she followed Ekimet back to the window.

  Zie shook zir head and pointed
to a dark cluster near the far-left corner. No, that’s cheering. The vibration faded, and the Mmnnuggl cluster slowly dispersed into rows and then into individual dots.

  Finally, Miketh said. I think now would be an excellent time to try one of our escape plans. She paced across the width of the room. If you wanted to try to override the communications interface, we should do it now. I bet most of the Mmnnuggls in the area were at that rally. They’ll be distracted, not focused on their jobs. They might not notice the tinkering. She paused, considering her words. Or they might and then take out their frustrations on us. She turned back to the interface and ran her fingertips over the smooth surface. I’ve never used Mmnnuggl technology before. I understand the principles behind it, but have no experience with it. I know we discussed connecting with it telepathically, but really, a Science Talent would be better suited for the task.

  Well, we don’t have one, Ekimet said flatly. Just do your best.

  Miketh nodded, closed her eyes, and sank into the interface. Some plastic tubing. Silicone and diamond wiring. Cellulose films and interwoven fibers. A few things that look hemicellulose-based—who uses that anymore? Talk about dead technologies. Miketh continued to scan the panel and sent images to Ekimet. Other things I don’t recognize at all. Our best bet may be to just start pulling things and hoping for a short.

  If we are going to do that, why don’t we just smash the panel with a chair? Ekimet asked, irritated. Zie pushed past Miketh’s inventory and took a long look at what she was seeing. Why don’t you try that silver, round thing over there? It looks important.

  Miketh’s irritation rose as well. Ekimet, I’m not a Science Talent. I can’t connect with computers. She opened her eyes and glared disapprovingly. Do you even understand how Talents work? I can view, same as any Ardulan, but manipulation requires a level of understanding of the system that I do not possess—an intrinsic knowledge, the same way you understand how best to not irritate other species or I fly ships.

  Miketh, Ekimet said urgently, ignoring her jab. There is a charge building in the films. Disconnect before—

  The jolt caught them both. It blazed through Miketh’s mind and then Ekimet’s, taking advantage of their link. There was a cold pain, and for a moment, Ekimet thought zie had lost zir eyesight as well. Pressure pulsed at the base of zir skull, and Ekimet fell to the floor, clutching zir head.

  Bad idea, apparently, Miketh managed to send between gasps. Looks like they thought we might pry.

  Ekimet rubbed zir temples as the pain and pressure began to fade. I don’t know what else to suggest. That’s the only panel I’ve seen in this room.

  Miketh stood and ran her fingers around the door seam again. As she neared the right side, the door slid open and a stack of six Mmnnuggls burst through. The tower knocked Miketh onto her back and then moved to the center of the room, where each individual sphere began to rotate in a different direction. They didn’t bother to close the door.

  They aren’t happy, Ekimet said, backing into the main dining table. Miketh, trying to regain her wind, stumbled over to Ekimet and watched the spinning Mmnnuggls with wide eyes.

  Are they just going to spin? Or will they actually chastise us at some point?

  As if the Mmnnuggls had been considering the same thing, the tower stopped rotating and stilled. The second from the top opened her mouth and began to speak. Ekimet quickly realized that the one talking had no idea Miketh and zie couldn’t hear a word. The Mmnnuggl continued for several long minutes before her mouth closed and the column began to rock slowly back and forth in anticipation of a response.

  Miketh turned to Ekimet. Can you tell them we didn’t do anything? I didn’t touch anything in that computer!

  Ekimet looked back at the table, searching for paper and a blood pen. What did we do with the writing implements? zie asked frantically. Want to try to write again?

  I think now would be an excellent time for diplomacy, Miketh countered. Use your charms to get us out of here.

  It isn’t that easy. Those aren’t our guards. Look at the red tint at the top of the ears. They’re young—youths, more than likely. They’re angry. If they’re part of the protestors from the street, we’re in trouble. Ekimet bent down and saw the paper and pen on the floor. Zie grabbed both and held them out to the Mmnnuggl tower, hoping they understood.

  The tower moved closer to Ekimet until it was centimeters from zir face. The Mmnnuggls began to shudder against one another. The mouth of the second Mmnnuggl opened, and a wad of wet paper shot out, hitting Ekimet in the throat.

  Ekimet did not care for this manner of communication at all. Delicately, zie took the paper and unfolded it. The text was in their native language, a series of tiny black dots, spread in rows and columns over the page. Ekimet hastily translated for Miketh.

  No more Ardulan rule. You have abandoned us. Made promises you didn’t keep. We are done. The treaty with Ardulum is severed. The Alliance is severed. Ardulans will be no more.

  That is not good, Miketh sent. Write back. Try to calm them down. We don’t need to die thanks to rioting youth. I’m sure the Mmnnuggl government has a much more public death planned for us. Hopefully a death that is a few days away.

  Ekimet considered what to write. There were a lot of nuances to Mmnnuggl conversation. Words had many more meanings when one was angry than when one was happy. Zie had to be sure zie selected the best options to save their lives. Either that, or find a way to calm the Mmnnuggls down, perhaps even by force.

  Force, actually, wasn’t a terrible idea. In general, they weren’t supposed to use Talents on the Alliance populace. If the Mmnnuggls were out of the Alliance, however, there was no moral ambiguity to the situation. Ekimet was free to use any tools at zir disposal.

  Zie mentally reached out to the tower, making sure to connect with each individual Mmnnuggl. When zie was confident in the link, Ekimet sent feelings of calmness, of sleepiness. Zie sent images of young janu tree plantations with purple blossoms swaying slowly in the breeze, of titha drinking near a stream. Pastoral images were calming to most Mmnnuggls, and the effects were immediate. The column began to break apart and bob independently from one another. Sluggishly, each Mmnnuggl lowered completely to the ground and rolled in a tight circle, a sign of contentment.

  What did you do?! Miketh asked, shocked.

  I picked some images I saw on a Mmnnuggl children’s program meant to put babies to sleep and sent them. I think as long as I keep feeding the images, they’ll stay like that. Mmnnuggls aren’t used to our telepathic strength. They’re more on par with the Neek. Connecting to us tends to overwhelm their systems, if I remember my subspecies and alien biology classes correctly.

  Miketh squeezed Ekimet’s shoulder and grinned. Just hold them like that as long as you can. I have an idea about getting us out of this building. She moved to the other end of the table and dumped the remains of the andal from the bowl, being careful to keep the whitish sugar juice from running out.

  What are you doing? Ekimet asked. A headache was starting to build, the strain of maintaining visions for six separate Mmnnuggls proving more difficult than zie had expected.

  Making disguises, she responded. On my way here, I read an immigration report on Ggllot. It gets a decent number of Keft every year who come for work. Miketh went to the window and pushed one of the panes open. Using the edge of one of the books, she scraped soft bird droppings from the window and returned to the andal bowl, where she mixed the droppings with the remaining juice.

  After a few moments of stirring, Miketh walked back to Ekimet and showed zir the resulting thick, brownish paste. Not much difference between the subspecies and us. If we just cover up our Talent markings and keep our hands shoved in our pockets, it might be enough unless they take a really close look. Here. She pulled down the sleeve of Ekimet’s left shoulder and applied a thick layer of paste over the four aligned hexagons that showed just under his skin. Ekimet was pleased that it smelled more like the andal than the bird leavings an
d blended in well with their skin tones. When she finished, Miketh pulled her left pant leg up and repeated the process on the back of her calf, on a pinwheel spiral of three equilateral triangles.

  Just in case they check, she added. And now, finished. She set the bowl on the table. What is your range with this? Can we get down the hallway before you release them?

  I don’t know. I’ve never tested range before. Ekimet took a short step towards the door and then another. The Mmnnuggls continued their slow circles. I am not confident in my ability to hold them here. We need a better way to keep them from following us.

  Miketh looked around. Would you say you are fundamentally opposed to violence?

  Ekimet was startled by the question and almost broke zir contact with the Mmnnuggls. They’re prone, Miketh. We can’t just attack them. Besides, they’re juveniles. You wouldn’t hit a first don, would you, no matter how bad the temper tantrum?

  Miketh sighed and took several long steps over to an andal chair. Fine, we’ll do things the hard way. She studied the chair and picked it up, turning it around, and prodded its joinery with a finger. Found one! Grinning, Miketh grabbed the chair by its back, lifted it above her head, and smashed it against the table. The rear back leg splintered in half, and a shower of andal fragments fell to the floor.

  I don’t think you picked the right joint, Ekimet commented. The leg dowel is still in the base.

  I don’t want the whole leg. I want some small shards, which I got. Properly glued wood is stronger at a glue joint than elsewhere. Didn’t you take the remedial andal course after your metamorphosis?

  Ekimet decided not to comment. Arguing with Miketh and pacifying the Mmnnuggls was both tiring and wearing on zir patience. Instead, zie watched Miketh rip the waistband of her pants and remove the rubber insert that kept the garment on her hips. She shoved the band and a handful of andal pieces into her pocket and then rolled the top of her pants down in an effort to tighten the fabric around her hips. Let’s go. Keep hold of them as long as you can. I’ll take care of any that question us.