Demands of Honor (7 page)

For now, of course, Gorath was the leader of the largest clan, and the clan on whose land the green-skins had built their mine. So he had ended up in charge of the facility. For now, that meant mostly scheduling time for people in each clan to learn the green-skins' equipment.

There had been some disputes in the beginning, as different clanspeople jockeyed for more time, particularly with the Orion weapons. Not surprisingly, most of the disputes had involved people of Gurn's clan, and Gorath had suspected Gurn's hand in some of the other disputes. Gorath had settled all matters immediately, remembering that
an open wound festers quickly.
No one, not even Gurn, had dared to question his judgment openly.

Gorath was considered a great hero among most of the clans because he had led the first raids on the green-skins that had captured many of their weapons. He had also led the final battle that had destroyed their enemy. Gorath knew that most clan leaders would have done no less, but he found that the respect the other clans showed him was actually useful in keeping the groups from setting against one another. And they had to remain united
for the day that they joined the rest of the galaxy outside their world.

“Father,” Adon said when he saw Gorath. Then Adon lifted a hand to show that he would be a moment and leaned down to resume the instructions he was giving to the man sitting at the computer terminal.

Adon had taken to the human language quickest of all of their people. He was also best at talking to the computers and had an almost instinctive understanding of the machines. In all areas, he was ahead of his father. Well, not all. In the races they had devised with the Orion flying-weapon platforms, Gorath could still beat his son, barely. In time that too would change, but that would not be for a summer or two, at least.

Finished with his pupil, Adon said, “We are almost done for the day.”

“The warp reactor?” Gorath said.

“We are still running at only a fraction of its power. Enough to move air and water and power the smaller equipment.”

“Have you tried
increasing the power?
” Gorath asked.

“Not yet. I want to make sure that it will not blow us all up first.”

“Wise.”

“We still have much to learn about how these machines work,” Adon said, waving his hand around the reactor room.

“There is no one better for that job, my son, than you.” Gorath's compliment was sincere.

Adon gave him an embarrassed shrug. “The computer does most of the work, and it explains whatever I need to know.”

Gorath shook his head. “You have done more here in a short time than I could have done in a dozen summers.” Gorath took his son's shoulder. This caused blood to rush to Adon's face. He might have been smarter than his father, but he was still a boy of fifteen summers and was quick to embarrassment.

“I am ready to go with you,” Adon said, changing the subject.

“No. It will be just endless talk from Gurn. A father would never wish that on his son.”

Adon smiled. “I don't mind …”

Gorath waved him off. “Why don't you stay here and explore the computer simulations?”

Adon immediately raised his head. He and some of his friends enjoyed playing with simulations on the green-skins' computers. Gorath himself had no patience for them, but the offer of a whole evening playing those games was too much for Adon to refuse.

“He does talk an awful lot, Father,” Adon said, smiling.

“I will see you when I return. Then I will relay it all in painful detail.”

His son laughed as Gorath turned to go. He left the complex and headed to the meeting pit outside his village. In the past, councils were held in the clan pit of the village holding the meeting. However, since the green-skins had gone, the people needed more meetings between the clan leaders. Well, whether they needed them or not, they had held many more councils than ever before.

Gurn had suggested a new meeting area outside of any individual clan's village. He said it was to ensure that all clans were treated equally and given equal respect. The real reason, of course, was that after the Orions
left, all councils had been held in Gorath's village because of its proximity to the mine.

Gorath had accepted the idea of a new meeting pit because to resist was to give credence to Gurn's suggestion that perhaps too much power and influence was landing in a single clan: namely Gorath's. Gurn's was the loudest voice making that charge and, for a time, the only one. However, since the green-skins, all of the clans were worried about the future, and internal squabbling—petty as it was—was preferable to confronting the real dangers they had all faced and might face again.

There had been many changes since the Orions had come and gone. The green-skins had brought change with their deadly machines. And while Gorath might curse the green-skins—and he often did—he would be a fool to deny that the world was very different today because of them. Now, for his son and for all of his people he would have to make sure that the changes did not destroy them, as the green-skins nearly did.

To that end, Gorath would endure worse than one of Gurn's tedious and needless councils. Of course, Gorath had seen something he did not like in Gurn's eyes in the last meeting. He could not put it into words, but he did not doubt the call of his blood. That look was the reason he did not want Adon to come along. Though Gurn was probably too much of a coward to challenge him directly, physically or otherwise, Gorath didn't trust the man and he instinctively wanted to keep Adon away from those who wore false faces.

The walk to the new council pit would take him some time, and he found that he enjoyed the trip by himself. Walking the woods of his people, he remembered the
time before the green-skins had come, the simpler time of his youth. In his blood, he knew that he and his people would never see those times again, but it did not hurt to visit in his memory from time to time.

Normally, he would have his second accompany him to council meetings, but Felan had died fighting the Orions. Originally, Gorath had not replaced him immediately because Adon was almost old enough to assume the position. Gorath had decided to wait until his son was ready, but now he doubted the decision. He realized that the clan council had grown small and petty just when the threats against them had grown great. He had no desire to expose his son to that world, not until it was absolutely necessary.

In any case, there was always hope that the clan leaders would come to their senses.
Not with Gurn constantly whispering in their ears,
he thought. It was true and Gorath realized that he had let the problem go on too long. Something had to be done about Gurn. Gorath had resisted because there hadn't been any real conflict between the clans since the time before his great-grandfather's memory, and perhaps even longer than that.

His people were hunters and never shirked individually from a fight or struggle—as they had not shirked from battle with the green-skins. But there was no need for the clans to fight among themselves. Each had all they needed and more from the rich land. Up until the Orions came, there had been nothing worth fighting over.

Now, there was the mine and the Orion machines. But Gorath felt that there was more to it than that. Other forces were at work here, his blood was certain of it. He
realized he had been too preoccupied by the effort to get the mine repaired and operating, and to begin teaching more of his people how to use Orion weapons and equipment, even as he was learning himself.

And he had allowed himself to be distracted by the endless bickering of clan disputes. That would change tonight. Gorath wasn't sure what he would do, but he trusted his blood to guide him. At heart, Gurn was a coward and it wouldn't take much to intimidate him. That would be a start. That the warp reactor was working to provide the machines with even more power was good news. Perhaps that would impress the council. They could now focus on building their future.

When Gorath arrived at the council pit, he saw that each clan leader was there with his second, except for Gurn, who had four of his people with him. Gorath shook his head. He had spent a dozen summers as clan leader and had never seen another leader come to a council with anyone other than his second.

“Honored Gorath, we are pleased to welcome you,” Gurn said expansively. Immediately all heads turned to Gorath, who nodded.

Besides making himself a central part of every council discussion, Gurn had taken to using ridiculously formal speech. Gorath had to fight the impulse to say something rude and merely nodded.

“We can begin now. All of you have sent messages laying out what you would like to discuss tonight. Well, almost all of you,” Gurn said, shooting Gorath a look.

Besides electing himself to run the meetings, Gurn had decided that all clan leaders had to send him a list of subjects they wanted to discuss in each council. In the
past, clan leaders would simply get up and speak, or not, as they felt the need. Now, there was so much discussion and so many new issues that Gurn's rule almost made sense. However, Gorath still refused to follow it as a matter of principle.

“First, we have a request from—”

Gorath stood up and interrupted him, taking pleasure in the scowl from Gurn that it earned him. “Before we begin, I have an announcement, some good news for all of the clans.”

All heads turned to Gorath and Gurn stepped forward. “Well, we are happy to change the order of our discussion for ‘good news.' Please speak.” Gurn waved expansively.

Ignoring the fool, Gorath stepped to the center of the pit. “I am pleased to announce that the mine's warp reactor has been successfully tested and is now operating. It is not yet at full power, but we have enough power to recharge all of the vehicles and weapons for further training. We can also begin using some of the heavier mining equipment.”

Cheers went up among the clan leaders and their seconds. Gorath now looked at Gurn and enjoyed the man's bewildered expression. After only a moment, Gurn recovered and said, “That is excellent news. But why did you not call your fellow clan leaders so we could all enjoy the glory of the moment?”

The clan leaders looked to Gurn. Most of them nodded, and Gorath could hear grumbling. He acted immediately. “There was a danger. I chose to face it myself.” That brought murmurs of approval, but even that positive change worried Gorath. The leaders had never been so fickle before.

“We applaud your courage, but we had agreed to vote on all serious matters. We must speak with one voice on the dangers that threaten us all,” Gurn said. Then he gave another generous wave. “What is done is done. And we are here to talk about the future. If there is no more good news, then we can continue with tonight's most important subject. We have learned that the world on which we live is part of a larger place, a galaxy of worlds. Though we are a strong and brave people, this collection of worlds measures strength by the power in a people's machines, not by the strength of their hearts or their blood. Everything we know has changed. When the green-skins came, they brought devices that could have torn everything we knew to dust. We cannot continue to live in the old world, following our old ways.” Gurn shot Gorath a look at that last part.

“For our great people to survive, to thrive, and to take our place in the galaxy, we will need machines as great as we are. Gorath and his people have gotten more power to the mine, but how long will it last? We have only begun to understand the Orion equipment. Even Gorath admits that there was a great danger simply starting the reactor. And if we somehow escape disaster from the machines, what do we have? A few paltry weapons left by the green-skins? Some rocks from under the ground that we cannot use or trade without help? What do these things mean when there are ships that travel between the stars, ships that can bring destruction to all of us?”

Gurn paused, looking over the crowd. They were all waiting attentively for what would come next. Whatever it was, Gorath was sure that he would not like it. Gurn did not keep them waiting long.

“We need a new kind of strength for the new world in which we live. We cannot afford to stand alone with so many dangers awaiting us.” He pointed up to the sky. “There are people of our blood who have offered us friendship. They have offered us great machines which we can use to defend ourselves from green-skins or anyone else who would do us harm. These people, these Klingons, have built a great empire, an alliance of many worlds. No one in the galaxy dares stand against them.”

Gorath couldn't wait. He stood up and shouted, “These Klingons sent the green-skins here to destroy us!”

Gurn lifted his head and looked down on Gorath, the way a parent looks down on a foolish child. “You will have a chance to speak, please wait until then.” Turning back to the others, he continued, “That is what the humans have told us. We cannot measure their truth. And the humans also want these crystals. The Klingons merely want to talk to us, to make us an offer of assistance. To tell us more of their empire, so we can decide for ourselves if we wish to join. They will be here in less than three days. We can choose to welcome them, or to turn them away.”

Gorath felt the blood rush to his face. That was it. Gurn had already spoken to the Klingon leaders. He must have taken one of the talking machines from the mine. If the Klingons were coming in three days, Gorath was not sure whatever they decided in the council pit would make any difference.

Gurn gave an absurd short bow to the clan leaders and took his seat. Gorath did not wait, he stepped to the center of the pit. “The Klingons sent the green-skins here to destroy us. The human captain, Kirk, told us this and
I believe him because the humans came and helped us stop the Orion monsters. Those of us who fought with the humans,” Gorath said, shooting a look at Gurn, “know them to be people of honor. They shed their own blood to defend us; they left their own dead on our fields of battle. And it is true that they also want this dilithium, but remember, they could have taken it from us if they wanted to. Instead, they respected our wishes for them to go. They also offered us assistance, protection, and machines, but I sent them back to their ship because we are not ready to enter their galaxy. We have much to learn, much to understand about their devices and their ways.