To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) (26 page)

"What do they want?"

"I don't know. Just a minute." Blane gripped the arm rests on his chair and opened his eyes. "Contact broken," he declared.

"Detect any hostility?" Fagen asked.

"No, they're exploring. Trying to figure us out."

"Why don't they answer our radio signals then?"

"I don't know." Blane looked thoughtful. It was obvious he had come across something he didn't understand. A rare event for the young genius. "Their neural nets are fascinating. So fast. Infinite feedback, practically simultaneous."

"How can that be? That would defy the laws of physics."

"As far as we know," added Bart. "Apparently not, as far as they know."

"The thing's moving off," Bonner reported.

The commander turned back to his monitor. "Nadine, begin checking data integrity."

"That's gonna take..."

"I don't want to hear it, Nadine. Just do it." The navigator turned back to her console in a huff. Fagen didn't seem to notice. "Bart, if you can keep your wits about you, I'd like an analysis from you on the alien probe. Bill, back us off another 5000 meters."

Harry again looked down at the partially deciphered message. The few words he had managed to translate did little to reveal the remainder of the message. It bothered Harry. It was something he should have been able to guess, but so far all his attempts had failed. Then, quite suddenly, it came to him. Although there were still plenty of words missing, he knew what the message said: like a sign telling intruders to beware, it was a warning to stay away. No trespassing, it said.

*

The soft forest floor muffled Kathleen's footsteps. It was dark and quiet, like walking through a cathedral. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and she almost lost sight of the old man. Kathleen was scared. Not of the forest and all the strange things that dwelt there, but of what she feared might happen to her there. She thought about breaking away and making a run for it. Where would she go? The way the younger Bedoran moved, she knew escape was impossible. Besides, this was their home. Kathleen, on the other hand, had been there something short of three days. If they wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have a chance.

Dejected, she followed the old man. They walked for a long time. Kathleen's blistered feet began bothering her and she slowed a little. Kretin was right there at her shoulder so close Kathleen could feel his breath on her back. Seeing that Kretin had never set eyes on a toothbrush and, according to Bedoran custom, washed only once a month, he didn't smell very good. Kathleen continued along and tried to ignore her feet and the primitive's odor.

The old man finally slowed, then stopped and took a good look around. Kretin followed suit. Satisfied there was no immediate danger lurking in the shadows, the old man turned and faced Kathleen. Kretin moved to his side.

"Well," said Kathleen, "I guess this is it."

The old man looked at her for a long, questioning second, then said to Kretin. "I do believe the creature thinks we are going to kill it."

"And waste the meat?"

"Never mind." Facing Kathleen, he said, "I give you this staff..." He handed the spear to the woman. "...to protect against the terrors of the night. I pass the strength of the Bedorans to you and pray that the forest spirits grant you safe passage back to haven."

With that, both Bedorans took a step backward. The old man raised his hand. In his palm he held the crystal. As Kathleen watched, the stone began to glow. It flashed briefly and temporarily blinded her. By the time she recovered, both males were gone.

She frantically looked around. No sign, no sound of anything. It was as if the two aborigines had never been there.

Chapter 22

Out of all the scenarios she had imagined, being stranded in a dark forest wasn't one of them. Kathleen sat down and rubbed her feet. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. She was alive but she didn't know where she was or which way to go. Stranded on an uncharted planet and forced to wear Monte Carlo swimwear by stone-age primates.

The forest was dark and quiet. The natural sounds of the woods played havoc with Kathleen's imagination. She peered into the darkness. What to do? She considered building a fire, then thought maybe it would attract wild animals. There was nothing to build a fire with anyway. For a brief moment, panic welled up within the young woman. She took a deep breath and brought herself under control. At this point, her options were few. She could stay where she was and become the next meal for a hungry alien carnivore, or she could do something for herself. She got to her feet and headed in what she hoped was a southerly direction.

Kathleen reasoned that the team would return to the same area, probably to the same clearing, to look for her. That was where she decided to go. The problem was, which direction to go? Ten minutes of wandering and stumbling got her nowhere. Somehow, she needed to get her bearings. If she could see the sky, she might be able to figure out which way to go. She looked up into a maze of tree limbs.

All alone, the rookie astronaut stumbled on, but it wasn’t long before she stopped out into a grassy, moonlit field between the great trees.

Hiding at the edge of the darkened meadow, Kathleen watched and waited before walking into the open. The wind blew through the treetops, rustling the branches and making an easy, soothing sound. The second moon was coming up, adding to the light cast by the first. Kathleen spun around, thinking she had heard the padding of feet, or paws, upon the forest floor. Or was it her own heartbeat? Nothing but darkness behind. Seeing nothing, she turned her gaze back to the open field.

The stars twinkled overhead while the larger of the two moons dominated the sky. Out from under the forest canopy, there was plenty of light and it revealed nothing but more forest in all directions. Kathleen walked to the center of the field and looked upward, hoping to see a small point of light crossing the heavens, an assurance that her team aboard the Magellan still maintained its orbital position, but she was disappointed.

For the first time, she entertained the thought her team might have left her for good. Perhaps they had already returned to look and, unable to find her, assumed she was dead. Even now, they might be entering Earth space on their return. Kathleen forced the thoughts from her mind and looked at the sky.

Like the Earth's moon, the moons of Mia Culpa rose in the east and traveled west through the night hours. Kathleen faced the second rising moon and determined which direction to take. South was to her right. Over the trees, some miles away, she spotted a craggy peak. That was the landmark she chose to guide her way.

There was nothing but grass between her and the edge of the forest. Kathleen began walking south through the open field. Halfway across, Kathleen hesitated. She looked over the vacant, moonlit meadow, but could not shake the feeling something was watching.

She turned back to the trees and was soon within shadows again. Entering the forest again, her biggest fear was that she would spend hours traveling in circles.

A twig popped. In the calm forest, it sounded like a small caliber gun shot. Kathleen stopped, listened, and watched. Nothing showed.

Sighting a new bearing, she set off again. Off to the side, a shadow seemed to move. The wind came up. Kathleen couldn't feel it, but she could hear it in the trees above. The increased volume stayed steady for several seconds before she recognized it for what it was: the sound of air being beat by rotors. Heart pounding, she turned back in the direction of the clearing and ran as fast as she could, using the spear as a blind woman’s cane to clear the way.

Lights shone from between the tree trunks. Kathleen dropped the spear and the small bag and began to shout.

Bright lights illuminated the landing area. Kathleen ran toward them under spreading branches. Grass blew violently at the edge of the meadow under the exhaust of air fans.

She stumbled on an exposed root and nearly fell. Recovering, she ran into a shadow that came from nowhere. Incredibly strong hands gripped her by the arms and ankles. A strap was looped around her elbows and before she had time to cry out, she was pushed onto the ground. The hands that gripped her ankles jerked her legs into the air, and then, with little effort, pulled her straight up into the branches overhead.

A furry hand clamped over her mouth and prevented her from screaming. As she was dragged higher, between the branches she glimpsed the craft as it descended into the meadow. It set down and the engines shut off. Whatever held her suddenly stood absolutely still. Its breathing slowed to practically nothing and Kathleen could feel its strong, slow heartbeat.

The branches prevented Kathleen from seeing the shuttle, but she heard the sound of an opening hatch. Realizing it might be her only chance for rescue, she began to struggle. Kicking her legs free, she managed a half turn and was surprised to see the same young aborigine who had been with her since her first capture. He looked scared.

He said something incomprehensible and removed his hand. Kathleen opened her mouth and started to shout but he immediately clamped his hand over her mouth again. She tried to struggle free but he held her tightly by the strap tying her arms.

Below, someone walked into the forest. Kathleen spotted the shadow as it moved under the tree. There was something odd about it. It didn't move like a person. She stopped struggling and looked closer.

What she saw was wholly unexpected.

As the creature stepped under the branches, Kathleen saw it wasn't one of the survey team.

It walked in a strange manner, delicately picking its way along the forest floor. Its three spindly legs moved like a spider, churning quickly, then stopping as it inspected the territory. Kathleen grew very still: this wasn't a rescue.

It seemed to be searching for something. It wandered under the trees systematically, covering one area and then moving on to another.

Arai edged closer to the trunk of the great tree. Kathleen moved with him. She didn't know what was below, but it didn't look friendly. From the boy's reaction, Kathleen knew it was dangerous.

Soundlessly, Arai untied the strap from Kathleen's arms. She stretched and the strap fell to the ground. The creature had left the immediate area but now spun about and looked for the source of the noise.

Arai pulled on Kathleen and motioned for her to follow. They moved down the branch looking for an avenue of escape. Kathleen didn't move as nimbly as her companion and inadvertently dragged a foot along the bark. The beast reacted immediately and rushed to a spot directly beneath them.

Kathleen and the boy squatted in a crook of the tree and watched from the shadows. The creature knew something was there. As the two watched, it began to emit a high-pitched sound and started to lift off the ground. Fortunately, the branches prevented it from flying freely. Both Kathleen and Arai cowered and remained perfectly still.

The monster, frustrated by its inability to search through the branches of the great tree, returned to the ground and walked back to the clearing. Arai jumped out of the shadows and beckoned for Kathleen to follow. Together, they ran as far as they could until they had to change branches. At the end of the next branch, they ran out of choices. If they were to go any farther, they would have to take to the ground.

The boy looked toward the clearing and, seeing that the coast was clear, jumped to the ground. He turned to Kathleen and motioned for her to follow. The branch upon which she stood was nearly nine feet above the ground. Kathleen didn't think she could safely make the jump, so she prepared to hang and drop.

As she positioned herself, Arai crouched and looked toward the clearing. Something was wrong. In alarm, he jumped up and ran in the opposite direction. Kathleen hesitated. Behind her the same whining sound started up again. She turned to look just in time to see the thing floating up among the branches on the opposite side of the tree. She took a breath, dropped to the ground and rolled to her feet. The boy was nowhere to be seen.

Kathleen ran under the branches until they mixed with the branches of a neighboring tree. Breathlessly, she reached the base of its great trunk and stepped around until resting with her back against the backside of one of the great roots. She peeked back in the direction from which she had just fled. The creature was on the ground and coming her way.

Taking care to keep the great tree trunk between her and the monster, Kathleen ran deeper into the forest. Behind her, the creature changed course. As she passed the next tree, she heard a singing in the air and suddenly a metallic javelin pierced the air and struck the trunk, missing her by mere inches, driving its shaft deep into the bark.

Panic took over and she ran without thought, concentrating only on moving her feet as fast as they would go. The creature had seen her and continued its pursuit. Each time she glanced over her shoulder it seemed to have gained a little more ground. Through the trees, she saw a light and changed her course toward it.

For a moment, she allowed herself to believe it was Harry and Fagen, come to her rescue. Unfortunately, the light originated from a second creature that stood beside a structure in yet another clearing set between the trees. The monster was motionless and appeared to be waiting. Kathleen ducked between two oversized tree roots. In front of her, the second tri-legged monster squatted and waited while behind her, the first one closed in.