The Venging (11 page)

"We've an Indian on board," he said. "Big, with black hair in three ribbons"he motioned from crown to neck between his ears"and a snappy dresser." "Where is he?" I asked hoarsely. "Back in place like bridge, I think. He controls snakes?" I hesitated, then nodded. "Go look?" I got up and followed the bear. Sitting on a bench pulled from the wall, the man in red and black watched

us as we entered the chamber. He was bigat least two meters talland hefty, dressed in a black silk shirt with red cuffs. His cape was black with a red eagle embroidered across the shoulders. He certainly looked Indianruddy skin, aristocratic nose, full lips held tight as if against pain. "Quis la?" he queried. "I don't speak that," I said. "Do you know English?" The Indian didn't break his stolid expression. He nodded and turned on the bench to put his hand against a

grill. "I was taught in the British school at Nova London," he said, his accent distinctly Oxfordian. "I was educated in Indonesia, and so I speak Dutch, High and Middle German, and some Asian tongues, specifically Nippon and Tagalog. But at English I am fluent." "Thank God," I said. "Do you know this room?" "Yes," he replied. "I designed it. It's for the Sinieux." "Do you know what's happened to us?" "We have fallen into hell," he said. "My Jesuit professors warned me of it." "Not far wrong," I said. "Do you know why?" "I do not question my punishments." "We're not being punishedat least, not by God or devils."

(72 of 197) The Venging He shrugged. It was a moot point. "I'm from Earth, too," I said. "From Terre." "I know the words for Earth," the Indian said sharply. "But I don't think it's the same Earth. What year are you from?" Since he'd mentioned Jesuits, he almost

had to use the standard Christian Era dating. "Year of Our Lord 2345," he said. Sonok crossed himself elegantly. "For me 2290," he added. The Indian examined the bear dubiously. I was sixty years after the bear, five after the Indian. The limits of the grab bag were less hazy now.

"What country?" "Alliance of Tribal Columbia," he answered, "District Quebec, East Shore." "I'm from the Moon," I said. "But my parents were born on Earth, in the United States of America." The Indian shook his head slowly; he wasn't familiar with it. "Was there" But I held back the question. Where to begin? Where did the world-lines part? "I think

we'd better consider finding out how well this ship is put together. We'll get into our comparative histories

later. Obviously you have star drive." The Indian didn't agree or disagree. "My parents had ancestors from the West Shore, Vancouver," he said. "They were Kwakiuti and Kodikin. The animal, does it have a Russian accent?"

"Some," I said. "It's better than it was a few hours ago."

"I have blood debts against Russians."

"Okay," I said, "but I doubt if you have anything against this one, considering the distances involved.

We've got to learn if this ship can take us someplace." "I have asked," he said. "Where?" Sonok asked. "A terminal?" "The ship says it is surrounded by foreign parts and can barely understand them. But it can get along."

(73 of 197) "You really don't know what happened, do you?" "I went to look for worlds for my people and took the Sinieux with me. When I reached a certain coordinate in the sky, far along the arrow line established by my extrasolar pierce, this happened." He lifted his hand. "Now there is one creature, a devil, that tried to attack me. It is dead. There are others, huge black men who wear golden armor and carry gold guns like cannon, and they have gone away behind armored hatches. There are walls like rubber that open onto more demons. And now youand it." He pointed at the bear. "I'm not an 'it,'" Sonok said. "I'm an ours." "Small ours," the Indian retorted. Sonok bristled and turned away. "Enough," I said. "You haven't fallen into hell, not literally. We've been hit by something called a disrupter. It snatched us from different universes and reassembled us according to our world-lines, our affinities." The Indian smiled faintly, very condescendingly. "Listen, do you understand how crazy this is?" I demanded, exasperated. "I've got to get things straight before we all lose our calm. The beings who did thisin my universe they're called 'Aighors.' Do you know about them?" He shook his head. "I know of no other beings but those of Earth. I went to look for worlds." "Is your ship a warper shipdoes it travel across a geodesic in higher spaces?" "Yes," he said. "It is not in phase with the crest of the Stellar Sea but slips between the foamy length, where we must straggle to obey all laws." That was a fair description of translating from status geometryour universeto higher geometries. It was more poetic than scientific, but he was here, so it worked well enough. "How long have your people been able to travel this way?" "Ten years. And yours?" "Three centuries." He nodded in appreciation. "You know then what you speak of, and perhaps there aren't any devils, and we are not in hell. Not this time." (74 of 197) The Venging "How do you use your instruments in here?" "I do not, generally. The Sinieux use them. If you will not get upset, I'll demonstrate." I glanced at Sonok, who was still sulking. "Are you afraid of the snakes?" The bear shook his head. "Bring them in," I said. "And perhaps we should know each other's name?" "Jean Frobish," the Indian said. And I told him mine. The snakes entered at his whistled Command and assembled in the middle of the cabin. There were two

sets, each made up of about fifty. When meshed, they made two formidable metaserpents. Frobish instructed them with spoken commands and a language that sounded like birdcalls. Perfect servants, they obeyed faultlessly and without hesitation. They went to the controls at his command and made a few manipulations, then turned to him and delivered, one group at a time, a report in consonantal hisses and claps. The exchange was uncanny and chilling. Jean nodded, and the serpents disassembled. "Are they specially bred?" I asked. "Tectonogenetic farming," he said. "They are excellent workers and have no will of their own, since they

have no cerebrums. They can remember, and en masse can think, but not for themselves, if you see what I mean." He showed another glimmer of a smile. He was proud of his servants. "I think I understand. Sonok, were you specially bred?" "Was mascot," Sonok said. "Could breed for myself, given chance." The subject was touchy, I could see. I could also see that Frobish and Sonok wouldn't get along without

friction. If Sonok had been a big bearand not a Russianinstead of an ursine dwarf, the Indian might have had more respect for him. "Jean, can you command the whole ship from here?" "Those parts that answer."

"Can your computers tell you how much of the ship will respond?" "What is left of my vessel responds very well. The rest is balky or blank entirely. I was trying to discover the limits when I encountered you."

(75 of 197) The Venging "You met the people who've been putting in the armored hatches?" He nodded. "Bigger than Masai," he said. I now had explanations for some of the things we'd seen and could link them with terrestrial origins. Jean

and his Sinieux weren't beyond the stretch of reason, nor was Sonok. The armored hatches weren't quite as mysterious now. But what about the canine? I swallowed. That must have been the demon Frobish killed. And beyond the triplet valves? "We've got a lot to find out," I said. "You and the animal, are you together, from the same world?" Frobish asked. I shook my head. "Did you come alone?" I nodded. "Why?" "No men, no soldiers?" I was apprehensive now. "No." "Good." He stood and approached a blank wall near the grey pillar. "Then we will not have too many to

support, unless the ones in golden armor want our food." He put his hand against the wall, and a round

opening appeared. In the shadow of the hole, two faces watched with eyes glittering. "These are my wives," Frobish said. One was dark-haired and slender, no more than fifteen or sixteen. She stepped out first and looked at me warily. The second, stockier and flatter of face, was brown-haired and about twenty. Frobish pointed to the younger first. "This is Alouette," he said. "And this is Mouse. Wives, acquaint with Francis Geneva." They stood one on each side of Frobish, holding his elbows, and nodded at me in unison.

That made four humans, more if the blacks in golden armor were men. Our collage had hit the jackpot.

"Jean, you say your machines can get along with the rest of the ship. Can they control it? If they can, I think we should try to return to Earth." "To what?" Sonok asked. "Which Earth waits?" "What's the bear talking about?" Frobish asked. I explained the situation as best I could. Frobish was a sophisticated engineer and astrogator, but his

experience with other continuatheoretical or actualwas small. He tightened his lips and listened

(76 of 197) grimly, unwilling to admit his ignorance. I sighed and looked to Alouette and Mouse for support. They were meek, quiet, giving all to the stolid authority of Frobish. "What woman says is we decide where to go," Sonok said. "'Depends, so the die is tossed, on whether we like the Earth we would meet." "You would like my Earth," Frobish said. "There's no guarantee it'll be your Earth. You have to take that into account." "You aren't making sense." Frobish shook his head. "My decision is made, nonetheless. We will try to return." I shrugged. "Try as best you can." We would face the truth later. "I'll have the Sinieux watch over the machines after I initiate instructions," Frobish said. "Then I would like Francis to come with me to look at the animal I killed." I agreed without thinking about his motives. He gave the metaserpents their orders and pulled down a panel cover to reveal a small board designed for human hands. When he was through programming the computers, he continued his instructions to the Sinieux. His rapport with the animals was perfectthe interaction of an engineer with his tool. There was no thought of discord or second opinions. The snakes, to all intents and purposes, were machines keyed only to his voice. I wondered how far the obedience of his wives extended. "Mouse will find food for the bear, and Alouette will stand guard with thefusil. Comprens?" The woman nodded, and Alouette plucked a rifle from the hideaway. "When we return, we will all eat." "I will wait to eat with you," Sonok said, standing near me. Frobish looked the bear over coldly. "We do not eat with tectoes," he said, haughty as a British officer addressing his servant. "But you will eat the same food we do." Sonok stretched out his arms and made two shivers of anger. "I have never been treated less than a man," he said. "I will eat with all, or not eat." He looked up at me with his small golden eyes and asked in Russian, "Will you go along with him?" "We don't have much choice," I answered haltingly in kind. "What do you recommend?" "Play along for the moment. I understand." I was unable to read his expression behind the black mask and white markings; but if I'd been he, I'd have questioned the understanding. This was no time, however, to instruct the bear in assertion. (77 of 197) Frobish opened the hatch to the wrecked room and let me step in first. He then closed the hatch and sealed it. "I've seen the body already," I said. "What do you want to know?" "I want your advice on this room," he said. I didn't believe that for an instant. I bent down to examine the creature between the chairs more carefully. "What did it try to do to you?" I asked. "It came at me. I thought it was a demon. I shot at it, and it died." "What caused the rest of this damage?" "I fired a good many rounds," he said. "I was more frightened then. I'm calm now." "Thank God for that," I said. "Thishe or shemight have been able to help us." "Looks like a dog," Frobish said. "Dogs cannot help." For me, that crossed the line. "Listen," I said tightly, standing away from the body. "I don't think you're in touch with what's going on here. If you don't get in touch soon, you might get us all killed. I'm not about to let myself die because of one man's stupidity." Frobish's eyes widened. "Women do not address men thus," he said. "This woman does, friend! I don't know what kind of screwy social order you have in your world, but you had damn well better get used to interacting with different sexes, not to mention different species! If you don't, you're asking to end up like this poor thing. It didn't have a chance to say friend or foe, yea or nay! You shot it out of panic, and we can't have any more of that!" I was trembling. Frobish smiled over grinding teeth and turned to walk away. He was fighting to control himself. I wondered if my own brains were in the right place. The few aspects of this man that were familiar to me couldn't begin to give complete understanding. I was clearly out of my depth, and kicking to stay afloat might hasten death, not slow it. Frobish stood by the hatch, breathing deeply. "What is the dog-creature? What is this room?" I turned to the body and pulled it by one leg from between chairs. "It was probably intelligent," I said. "That's about all I can tell. It doesn't have any personal effects." The gore was getting to me, and I turned away for a moment. I was tiredoh, so tired I could feel the weary rivers dredging through my limbs. My head hurt abominably. "I'm not an engineer," I said. "I can't tell if any of this equipment is useful to us, or even if it's salvageable. Care to give an opinion?" (78 of 197) Frobish glanced over the room with a slight inclination of an eyebrow. "Nothing of use here." "Are you sure?" "I am sure?" He looked across the room and sniffed the air. "Too much burned and shorted. You know,

there is much that is dangerous here." "Yes," I said, leaning against the back of a seat. "You will need protection." "Oh." "There is no protection like the bonds of family. You are argumentative, but my wives can teach you our

ways. With bonds of family, there will be no uncertainty. We will return, and all will be well." He caught me by surprise, and I wasn't fast on the uptake. "What do you mean, bonds of family?" "I will take you to wife and protect you as husband." "I think I can protect myself, thank you." "It doesn't seem wise to refuse. Left alone, you will probably be killed by such as this." He pointed at the

canine.

"We'll have to get along whether we're family or not. That shouldn't be too hard to understand. And I don't have any inclination to sell my self for security." "I do not pay money for women!" Frobish said. "Again you ridicule me." He sounded like a disappointed little boy. I wondered what his wives would think, seeing him butt his