The Mendel Experiment (13 page)

A blue stone revealed itself. It was almost the size of her fist. The yellow crystalline boulder turned greenish in the glow of what she had found. Corree reached down and cupped her gloved hand around the crystal. She could see the glow through her glove; through her fingers. There was a warmth that began in her fingertips and spread up her arms. So far she had not touched the stone.

“We need to return to the ship soon,” Greelon reminded her.

Corree dug her fingers into the soil under the crystal and carefully drew it out. It lay in her hand like a miniature of Mendel’s sun. She stared at it for a moment before placing it in her specimen bag. There were a few smaller specimens under the large one. She dug them out as well.

“A truly beautiful find, Corree-levret.”

She could feel his keen interest, but he didn’t ask her to give the stones to him. He would probably be studying them all before they got back to his estate. Corree didn’t mind that, but knowing she couldn’t keep the large one, did. She said nothing as they returned to the ship. Greelon was silent, too. Corree had expected him to question her on how she found them.

Why did they call to her? Not “they”; she realized it was the large one that had called. The others just happened to be nearby. Then she remembered the blue stone in Greelon’s collection and the attraction it had on her. Obviously these crystals originated from the same place, but where? She would ask Greelon later. The wind seemed to be stronger on the way back. Corree had to bend far forward and dig deep with her staff to keep from being blown over.

Greelon moved back to walk beside her. She staggered on the trail. His free hand grabbed her arm to steady her. She was grateful for his presence and realized that he had probably risked a lot for her and Riss to come here. Leaving would put Greelon in a lot of trouble with his leaders, but stealing the ship was the only way to go home. The blue stone at her side felt warmer.

They finally reached the ship and entered the air lock. While everything looked normal enough, Corree was uneasy. She tried to feel Riss, but couldn’t. When the inner door opened, she only saw the pilot. He held a stunner in his hand and as soon as he saw her, fired.

****

Greelon was two steps behind Corree, but still felt a residual effect of the stun blast. He stumbled against the wall as Corree slumped to the deck.

“Please cooperate, your eminence, and I will not have to restrain you,” the pilot said. He bent over the youngling to make sure she was breathing and then dragged her into the corridor.

Greelon followed, staggering off the effects of the stunner. “What…why did you do that?” he demanded. That someone would do this to him and those under his protection was inconceivable! “The youngling is no threat to you. She has been cooperative.” Anger swept away the last of the stun effects.

“Perhaps, eminence, but the male tried to take control of the ship. He attacked me.”

“What?”

“He was not very good at it,” the pilot said smugly. “Regardless, The Head and The Claw have ordered both humans brought to them.”

Greelon was shocked. He thought Riss had overcome his mental conditioning. Now both younglings were going to be judged and probably destroyed or, at best, imprisoned. How could he have let this happen?

The girl’s specimen bag was thrust in his direction and he took it. The pilot was stripping off her environmental suit. It was only part way off when he gasped in shock. Greelon stepped closer and was amazed. Corree had mutated into something else, but what? Her skin was more akin to a sand serpent’s. Then he noticed fine granules of dust inside her suit. There was enough that some sifted in small piles on the deck. The suit had been defective. At the very least, the seals had been. Corree could have been killed!

He glared up at the pilot, who had been joined by the co-pilot. “You were supposed to check the seals.”

The pilot glanced back, but said nothing as he finished removing Corree’s suit. He shoved the garment into the co-pilot’s arms. “I will take her to the holding quarters myself.”

Greelon had not finished taking off his own suit. Nevertheless, not knowing who had tried to kill Corree, he wanted to stay near her until she awakened.

“Do not try anything, Eminence.”

“I only wish to make sure she arrives at the capital alive,” Greelon retorted. “I will do the same for the male youngling.”

“As you wish,” the pilot’s voice floated back at him.

The ship was small, so Corree was placed in the same cell as Riss. Greelon followed. He heard the hum of a stunner block being placed on the door when the pilot left. Riss was still alive but appeared to have been beaten. Dried blood caked the side of his head. And several dark, purplish bruises already appeared on his body. One arm was bent at an odd angle, and Greelon feared it was broken. He did what he could for the young human and then checked Corree before calling to be released. There were contacts to be made before the ship landed.

Greelon was greatly irritated when he wasn’t allowed to leave the holding cabin. Perhaps it was just as well, he thought. Whoever was doing this would think they had won. Greelon was sure he knew who the enemy was.

He turned his attention back to Corree. Greelon was amazed at her mutating abilities. This incident served to prove her intelligence as well. While he waited, he opened Corree’s specimen bag and examined the blue stone that sat at the bottom. She had been single-minded in her quest for the stone. What had she asked him out there? If someone else was in the vicinity? He held the fist-sized gem closer to his face.
Had the stone called to Corree?
How could a stone, even as extraordinary as this one was, do that?
But she had known exactly where it was buried.

Greelon had found his specimen quite by accident. He peered closer, wishing he had his tools. Corree’s gem, like the others, was not faceted. It had a smooth surface with slight bumps, as though it had been melted and congealed quickly. Greelon put the stone in her pouch and finished pulling off his suit. He still felt weakened from his time out in the buffeting winds, but not sick as before. His suit had worked perfectly. He wished he had Corree’s suit to examine.

Greelon felt the slight movement of adjusting orbit and knew they were close to descent. He touched Corree on the arm. Her scaly skin was dry, but cool. She took a deeper breath and released it in a soft moan.

“Corree-levret,” he whispered. “Wake up.” He didn’t want her groggy in front of The Head and The Claw. The ship’s gravity shifted slightly, and the craft began its descent. Corree rolled over and coughed. The spasm ended in a gasping breath. She tried to push up from the deck, but her arms didn’t have strength.

Greelon helped her sit up.

“What happened? The pilot… Why?”

“Riss tried to take over the ship.”

Corree’s eyes darted around the bare cabin. She saw Riss and stumbled over to him. “He’s been beaten.”

“I did what I could until we get to the capital.”

“And then what, Sha-Greelon?” Her voice was flat.

“I will make sure the healers help him.” He let that sink in before adding, “You and I have audience with The Head and The Claw.”

“Your request?”

“No. It was ordered.”

“What are they like? You’ve never told me.”

“The Claw is over the military and The Head is over everything else.”

“Oh.”

The ship shuddered as they re-entered the atmosphere.

“How did you manage to change like you did, Corree-levret? Out there? The wind and the sand had to be painful, especially in a defective suit.”

“I had studied the desert creatures and figured that was the best defense. I didn’t want to go back to the ship before exploring,” she explained.

Before you found the blue stone
, Greelon thought. He noticed her looking for the pouch. She relaxed when she saw it hanging from his shoulder.

“Do not change back. Go to the The Head and The Claw this way.”

“Yes, Sha-Greelon.” Her eyes showed her trust in him.

He felt a burst of pride as though she had been his own youngling from hatching. Corree was very quick to figure out what was going on around her. “How are you feeling?” he asked, not wishing to betray his emotion at the moment.

“Better. I think the stun effect has almost worn off.” Her serpent eyes locked onto his. “How bad will it be? This audience?”

“I don’t know. All we can do is present ourselves the best we can.” Greelon knew they were being watched and recorded. He couldn’t tell her more. The Claw would be the most difficult to sway. The Head had always been very logical. Besides, he and Mekron had worked together before his promotion. Greelon felt the ship change speed. He knew they were coming in for docking at the Governmental Palace. Their eyes still met.
Soon,
he tried to convey.

She looked a bit startled and then gave a slight smile.
Soon
. “Thank you, Sha-Greelon, for trying to help Riss.”
And me.

It was his turn to be startled. She was also telepathic. He wondered just how much she’d learned from him. Somehow, he needed to discuss this with her—if they both managed to survive their audience with The Head and The Claw.

****

Corree did not feel the least bit hesitant in letting Greelon know she was telepathic. She surmised he was in almost as much trouble as she and Riss were. He had stuck up for them from the time they were captured. She also thought being able to communicate with him during this ordeal would be an advantage.

There was a slight bump, but the engines stayed powered up. Corree looked to Greelon for an explanation.

“When visiting the Palace, a ship does not land, rather it docks temporarily.”

It wasn’t long before the doors whooshed open. The pilot stood there, with a large group of guards behind him. They filled the corridor. Corree wondered how in the world she was going to get through them.

“The male has been beaten and is unconscious,” Greelon informed the guards. He stood, his body stiff in the stance Corree had come to recognize as his regal, important person bearing. “He needs to be taken to the medical ward.”

“Both humans have been ordered to the palace,” the pilot said smugly. There was no pretense of deference. Corree didn’t figure that was a good sign.

“We will not leave until a healer’s assessment has been made.”

The ranking guard entered the small room. “They will be examined in the palace.” He gave a surprised look at Corree, then turned his attention to Riss. Without even checking him, the guard hoisted Riss to his shoulder and carried him out of the room. Corree followed, determined not to lose sight of her friend.

Greelon blocked his way. “I want the youngling’s suit brought to me.”

The guard glared at the scientist. “We were ordered to the palace now,” he growled.

“The pilot or co-pilot can get it now. It will only take a moment.”

“Get it!” the guard ordered. “And quickly!”

Greelon could not hide his pleasure when the co-pilot came back at a trot, the suit dangling across his shoulder. Greelon examined it as they walked.

Corree hoped that would help their case in front of the two leaders. She became more anxious as she followed the guard carrying Riss. He hung bonelessly like…like a… She shut out the death analogies. Focus on their meeting with The Head and The Claw.

“The Head was selected by the scientific and academic leaders of Alogol when the previous Head died. He became leader after passing a rigorous test. The Claw was selected by the military and he, too, had to pass a test. His was a trial by combat,” Greelon explained, as though picking up on her anxieties. “Each new leader takes on attributes of previous leaders.”

Corree didn’t doubt The Claw’s trial was a violent one. She wondered how the attributes of a dead Ologrian were passed on to a live one, but this wasn’t the time to ask. She and her escort now passed through a short corridor lined with ornately dressed guards. Their weapon belts bristled with a variety of arms. Their tunics were deep blue with designs and symbols indicating learning. Maybe they were seeing The Head alone first, Corree though with relief.

A last set of guards stepped in front of the door, barring the group from quick access. The leader of their escort stated their business. Two other guards checked each of them with some sort of instrument that whirred and clicked. A tiny blue-violet light flashed at the end of each examination. When everyone had been checked, the first pair of guards placed their left hands next to each other on the large doors. At their contact, the doors opened and the group entered a large room.

Corree wasn’t sure what she expected, but The Head’s audience room surprised her by its plainness. Every wall was covered with shelves of disks. A huge table in the center of the room held several readers. There was barely space to have dinner.

The guard carrying Riss leaned over to dump the inert form on the floor near the table.

The lone, plainly-dressed individual with the hand recorder snapped, “Don’t be crass! Lay him on the couch.”

The speed at which the guard responded told Corree this was The Head. She was surprised at how unornate his clothes were. As soon as Riss was safely on the couch, The Head continued. “Now I want everyone to leave except the humans.”