Stranger King (9 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Thegn was
called to the captain’s chambers in the hours before they reached Toola’s gravity. They were orbiting its moon, a rather pretty thing, considering how barren it was. Thegn made sure to glance at it upon entering the captain’s chambers.

The captain offered him a piece of lbamas fruit, but Thegn politely refused. He sat down on the open-back chair, watching carefully as the captain did the same.

“Once we get into their atmosphere,” the captain said, “it will be difficult to send transmissions back and forth. There’s too much radiation. We have been given the bulk of our information now, in case we are not able to reach the Council again. You are a non-combatant, but it will be difficult to convince native Toolas this. You will only communicate with the captive ones for now. We are working on adapting your earpiece to better understand them, but it will only pick up a few words here and there. You must try to learn what you can. I am told you are quick to learn.”

Thegn paled. “Thank you, Captain.”

“If need be, protect yourself,” the captain continued. “If you are killed on our watch, the incident report may cause … confusion back home. You are both one of our people and not. We must be careful with returning you back to your Goddess.”

“My Goddess?” Thegn was amused. “You follow the Mokari then? Forgive me, I have not met a follower of the old ways in quite some time. When they said you were a religious man, I had assumed we were of the same faith.”

The captain was less amused. “I respect your mission here, ghelu, but we both know you are here as Elchai. You are not one of us any longer. You have given up the ways of your people to bend to their will.”

Thegn paused. It was not in his place to correct the captain, yet he felt a need to defend himself. Instead, he raised his palm quietly and the captain apologized.

Thegn made to leave, but the captain stopped him.

“I called you in here to ask if you wanted to send a message home before we arrived. You may not get a chance again.”

“No,” Thegn replied. “There’s nothing I need to say.”

*

Thegn was dressed in his exo-suit, his brain protesting that this was not comfortable or natural. He felt trapped and his ghele raced. Yet as he stepped out onto Toola, the feeling almost entirely disappeared.

The sky was almost completely red, the sun a faint trace behind dark clouds. The grass was arid, crumbling at the slightest touch. He saw the compounds of his people and theirs, seeing the Toolas look at him with mild curiosity.

He followed the captain into the compound, gratefully taking off his exo-suit. He was surprised to see Toolas walk the halls in their bare skin.

The captain explained, “They have acclimatized now. Perhaps their children will be born being able to breathe our air from birth.”

Thegn was impressed, following the captain into the barracks. The captain introduced the other soldiers to Thegn, making sure each of them recognized him and knew his role among them. The captain then led him to the Toola habitat.

It was a small place, hosting perhaps thirty of their kind, their skins a variety of colors. They were one of the most genetically diverse species he had seen. That alone was worth the trip, he thought to himself. In many ways, they were not that dissimilar from his kind. Bipedal for certain, a similar symmetry on the exterior that he was told did not match their interior, as it did among his kind. One set of eyes and ears, if a different shape and function. Their sexual organs were similar enough by design, but he was not sure if by use. He would have to study this more.

The captain led him on, bringing him to his own study. There were a few scientists already there and they greeted him. The ghelu were known for their knowledge and skill, and perhaps these would be the only ones of his kind who would appreciate having him there.

Thegn’s own quarters were nearby, close enough for the captain to hear if he even had a slight cough. Thegn welcomed the privacy as the captain left, and allowed himself to relax into the soft grass.

*

Thegn was woken by one of the Toolas. He jumped back as it touched him, seizing its wrist in his own hand. The creature looked equally terrified, attempting to apologize in his tongue, but unable to make some of the clicks.

Thegn apologized in standard Mokai, letting go of the creature’s wrist. It was a female Toola. He was surprised that she was not unattractive. Perhaps after centuries of his species’ extra-mating, it was not too unusual for his kind. Yet this felt like a transgression on his part and he was uncomfortable as he followed her down the hallway and into the serving room for the mid day meal.

He sat among the other scientists, their eyes, too, watching the Toola who had brought Thegn to them. They clicked together quickly, the conversation turning to their reproductive research.

“Ghelu,” one asked kindly, “do you have any background in genetic histories?”

“A little,” Thegn replied. “The Goddess decided I was best brought to study in the fields of the home world. I researched the plants and birds of the Hjulu. I never studied their genetic potential. I simply observed and marked down changes over the generations. It was beautiful work, seeing the changing cycles of our planet. I still have my notes if you are interested.”

“You would be fascinated by these creatures,” the Ntes said. “They are remarkable. Long gestation, 1.38 standard years, and even then, the offspring is incredibly vulnerable. But the diversity! It is amazing. Collectors are already breeding them on our research. The different breeds; my Goddess, it’s beautiful. The cross-species variation is already turning out to be quite interesting.”

“You’re already extra-mating with them?” Thegn asked in concern.

“Oh, nothing like what you’re thinking. They’re still beasts after all. I wouldn’t extra-mate with a hedu,” the group chuckled as the Ntes continued, “but studying what the potential is based on sampling. Though there have been some … indiscretions by some of the soldiers. That is how it is though, during these things.”

“When the Elchai invaded us,” Thegn reminded, “We wouldn’t have called that an indiscretion. I also seem to recall our leaders killing any female that carried a half-breed child.”

“They could reason with us and there were twice as many female Elchai carrying half-Mokai children,” the Ntes reminded. “We’ve been here nearly four standard years and we can barely communicate. They are animals, ghelu. Fascinating ones, yes, but still. As I was saying, the cross-species variations are intriguing. The Toola genes are much stronger than I would have expected, and most of the offspring appear to be Toola. I am not sure how it will appear when they are older. They all seem to have a heart as well as a ghele. It could be quite interesting. It’s the first extra-mate I’ve seen where the female’s genes are stronger than the Mokai male. Imagine if your Goddess got her hands on one of their males. There’d be no hiding who the father was then, eh?”

“Please excuse me,” Thegn apologized, rising from the table. “I appear to have lost my appetite.”

Thegn left the room, conscious of the female Toola waiting to return with him to his room.

“I have no need for a servant,” Thegn explained, “though I appreciate your efforts.”

She tried to click in response, but from her firm stance, he understood that she was not going anywhere.

“What language do you speak?” Thegn asked, gesturing for her to follow him. “I have heard the Toolas have no standardized language.”

She made a sound he did not understand and she paused, thinking before trying it again.

The translator buzzed in his ear and he understood.

“French?” he asked, trying to mimic her sound.

She smiled hesitantly and nodded.

“I would like to learn more of this language,” he said. “It is part of my duty to record Toola culture. Will you help me?”

She nodded again, touching his hand before skittishly stepping away from him.

Thegn could not strike the images of his mind of the scientist’s casual approach to these creatures’ bodies. While it was true that the Mokai had always had a certain fascination with inter-species intercourse, particularly upon the discovery of their adaptive genes, it had generally been restricted to the other three council species. The Crisu and J’Hai had interbred continuously over their millennia on the same planet, but they had functioned as variations of the other’s species. There were no documented cases of a successful breeding between either of them and the Elchai, despite the Goddess still using them in her rituals. The Mokai, on the other hand, had successfully bred with every species it had come across, something that had provided a blessing and a curse for his people. It was said that originally the Mokai was made of eight different races until the race they were today out-bred the others. It was, and had always been, their most successful war tactic.

Surely this Toola had already learned of this, already seen other females carrying foreign children, seen some of the atrocities that created them. He understood what a risk it had been for that contact and he paled at the sentiment.

When they reached his quarters, he sent her away as kindly as he could, but he could still sense apprehension from her. She did not trust him, but there was potential for understanding.

He lowered his head to touch the soft grass as he kneeled. The Septun had taught them not to pray to the Goddess, that she did not intercede as the Mokari in the old ways. Yet he could not help asking for strength, closing his eyes as he meditated upon the day. He had been here less than one cycle of day and night and already he felt that something was terribly wrong. He prayed that he was mistaken.

As he dreamt, he dreamt of the Mokari, the little spirits of the sea and sky, dancing before him, calling for him to join them in the great waters of his ancestors. He woke before he could dive in after them. It was an old dream among his people. They said it was the Mokari calling the old to die, a peaceful dream of death.

Thegn could not help but shiver as he tried to fall back asleep.

Chapter Fifteen

In the
light of the Toola morning, he attempted to speak with the female again. She walked from him initially, trying to get back to the human compound. He tried again to call her, realizing he had no way of addressing her.

“What is your name?” he asked.

She paused, her brow furrowing. He was not sure if she was upset or thinking.

She tried to speak, but his earpiece buzzed uselessly and he took it from his lobe and laid it down on the ground.

She said it again, the syllables meaningless to him, but still recognizable.

“Maria,” he struggled, lowering his voice to pronounce it.

She clapped her hands together and a sound he could not recognize escaped her lips. He felt an odd sense of pride. He placed his tattooed palm on his chest.

“Thegn,” he said, “ghelu Thegn.”

She could not make the proper clicks, but was able to say something similar in her own tongue. He could recognize those sounds and recognize that as his name.

This would be the beginning of their understanding, Thegn thought. This is what he had come here for.

*

Maria’s request had confused him somewhat. He understood that the Toolas needed to protect their extremities from the cold, but in this temperature-controlled room, what need they of further coverings?

He thought perhaps it was adornment she looked for, but studying her reactions, he was puzzled to learn she was ashamed of her body. There was nothing unusual about it, he had been studying the Toola females, and she seemed like any other. Yet her hands covered her glands and genitals, and Thegn tried to comprehend. Perhaps these sensitive places needed more protection. He nodded, a gesture he had learned from Maria. He would discuss this with the captain.

Thegn left her in his room and made his way down the hallway and into the captain’s quarters. The captain was with two others, sharing datapads.

“Good, ghelu,” the captain greeted, “I was hoping you would arrive. We have been given some new information on a tribe of wild Toolas. I thought you would be interested in observing their capture.”

“Their capture? Are they on our land?” Thegn asked.

“They are just a nuisance. They have been attacking my soldiers in the field. Nothing serious, but it is enough to grow concerned. The Toolas here will think they are winning and then they will fuss. It will be good for them to have fresh blood in their ranks.”

“The Toolas have a need for something called ‘vestments’,” Thegn suffered through the unfamiliar word. “They dress to hide their genitals and glands. I believe they might be more sensitive than the rest of the body. Perhaps it would be a kindness for them if these things were made available. It may also aid in your research.”

The Captain let out a laugh. “To pain, yes, but not to heat or cold. Perhaps the males, but not enough to impair them severely. But it will encourage loyalty. I will allow it. Have your servant describe to the herun what is needed. Translate where you can, but the barbarous tongue is hard to explain. We will not have our pets go cold. Now. We will move out to capture this Toola tribe in a few days. Ready whatever you need to document them.”

*

When Thegn presented the vestments to Maria, she embraced him, laying what she called a “bisous” on his cheek. It was a tender action, pressing the lips against another’s skin. He felt his skin pale as it occurred, but it was not unpleasant. He had seen the Toolas perform similar actions upon each other, their lips against other lips. It had seemed then an act of … passion? Affection? He had not quite understood. It felt like simply a way of spreading germs and viruses across mucosal tissues.

He accepted the gesture, attempting to do the same to her cheek. She giggled, he at least understood the meaning of that, trying to explain that his skin felt strange to hers. He did not have lips in the same way, only the slit for his mouth, mostly covered with hardened skin. Yet the gesture had an emotional satisfaction. She seemed to appreciate it and he was grateful.

*

Maria ventured outside with him that evening. She attempted to teach him words for some of the plants and creatures in the nearby area, but it was too much too quickly. He remembered “oiseau”, for she had flapped her arms, mimicking a creature in flight. He had found the gesture oddly charming.

He could admit to himself that the effect of the vestments had on her character. She seemed more willing to cooperate with him. Her body as well seemed more natural, less awkward around him. Perhaps there was societal meaning that he had not grasped earlier. His kind had been wearing adornments from its earliest histories, but only those groups living at the furthest south wore any sort of protective coverings from the cold, and they were mostly to protect against moisture loss.

She picked a plant from the ground, a fragile thing with white petals and a yellow center. She offered it to him, her palms open as he reached down, trying not to scratch her skin with his nails. He crumpled it slightly, and swore at himself to be gentler. It was a pretty plant. He sniffed it and it seemed to not be poisonous to his kind. He ate it thoughtfully, chewing slowly so she knew he appreciated the gift.

She laughed and shook her head. She tried to explain the best she could. It was a present. Toolas gave “fleurs” to others as a gift. They were merely decorative plants and they typically did not eat them. They kept them and adorned themselves and their living spaces.

Thegn was surprised. He asked why one would give plants and watch as they died, isolated from all they needed, wilting slowly. Maria did not reply, but he could sense her ire.

As she made her way back to the compound, he had realized she was angry with him. He cursed himself for losing progress with her, but he did not know how to apologize to a Toola.

*

Thegn was woken the next morning by an object thumping loudly beside his head. He looked up, seeing Maria leave the room, sliding the door closed behind her. He stirred and took the object, a slim datapad with characters he did not recognize. It occurred to him that this was what French looked like written down. There were more files, enough for him to begin to decipher it.

He wanted to thank her for the object, but he still did not know how to apologize. He was not entirely sure what he had done to hurt her.

*

He had begun interviewing the other Toolas, aided by a reluctant Maria, and writing down their stories of what life had been like pre-Mokai. He met much resistance, a few expelling saliva at him, which Maria explained was a sign of disdain. He was frustrated. Thegn had not been part of the landing party. He wasn’t even technically Mokai anymore. Yet when they saw his face, they had no interest in sharing with him, no matter what vestments he had given them.

When he asked Maria, she said that when her people began to settle outside of their home world, they had come into contact with new and deadly weapons, weapons long since banned on their world. She said it with disdain and Thegn wrote it down as best he could: uranium. After a battle destroyed a great deal of the environment and resources in the north of the continent that they were on, her nation had been first aided by the one beneath them, but then annexed. Her people had been subjugated for a hundred years before they had found freedom again. But not all were freed. She was one of the many given as appeasement.

She stared at him then, not speaking. Thegn had an urge to touch her hand, as he had seen Toolas do in a sign of comfort, as she had when they first met. As he did so, he saw his large fingers, slightly webbed, triple-jointed, and so unlike hers. She stood still as he made the gesture, but as he pulled away, he too felt it as a violation.

As she turned from him and left, he cursed himself for still not knowing the right words. He would ask next time if he could touch her, for he seemed to not know what she thought unless he specifically asked. Even then, it was rare for her to tell him.

*

Thegn asked the captain if Maria would be allowed with them on the expedition. He had protested at first, but then agreed if she were given a tracker. A freed Toola might tell others of their location, of military secrets that could aid these free groups. Thegn agreed.

He regretted it almost immediately as he watched her grabbed and handled, pulled down the hallway as she cried out for him to protect her, his name on her tongue ringing out in the halls.

He found himself transfixed, watching and wondering how he had been so foolish. He should have talked to her about it, prepared her at least, if not asked her.

He was not any better than the rest of them, he thought to himself.

*

As their ship left the ground, Maria refused to look at him. She threw a string of words he had not been taught and a guard hit her, causing her to fall to the ground. Thegn bent to help her up, but she expelled saliva at him and brought herself to her feet, wearing the growing bruise on her eye with pride.

She disdained him now.

Thegn tried to explain, but her eyes grew cold to him, the life seeming to fade behind them. He worried he had lost her.

As he stood straight, the others watching him in amusement, it occurred to him that this was the loneliest he had ever been in his life. He kept his head low, avoiding their eyes as the ship flew them to the mountains.