DAW 30th Anniversary Science Fiction Part 46

she yelled, beating on the door with the sides of her hands till they hurt.

"Dammit, can you hear me?"

The door suddenly slid open, almost catapulting her out into the corridor.

She grabbed the doorframe barely in time. First Kate, then a protesting Taynar was thrust into the cabin with her, and the door was sealed again.

"Thank Vartra you're all right. What's he doing?" she asked.

"Treating us like animals," said Taynar disgustedly, straightening his tunic.

"What kind of military pilot are you, allowing this to happen to us? He just walked onto this s.h.i.+p without any checks by you. . . ."

Jeedah snarled, her ears lying sideward in anger as she grasped hold of the front of his tunic, pulling him toward her until their noses touched. "Understand this, brat, I am the Captain on this s.h.i.+p. That's one step below the G.o.d Vartra to you, and you better remember it!" As he started to object and pluck at her fist, she shook him hard and continued.

"Just what kind of Telepath are you that you didn't sense an alien presence at the landing pad, eh? A friend of mine got killed, in all probability protecting your worthless hide! You have no idea what we are dealing with here. This alien is not just a member of another species, he's one of a race of people who destroyed all life on two of our three colonies, who want to wipe us out totally!

They're stronger and faster than us, and he's got us trapped here, with him, for the next six weeks. And guess what else you don't know, brat? There's nothing on board he can eat!" With that, she flung him aside. "This is your wake-up call, Taynar," she said as he staggered to the nearest chair and sat down. "You are going to have to pull your weight this time, or none of us will survive!"

"What do you mean there's nothing on board for him to eat? I thought there was plenty of food." Kate's face was ashen.

"He eats freshly killed raw meat," said Jeedah, p.r.o.nouncing each word carefully. Time to be hard with them. "We have some frozen meat, but it isn't fresh enough for the likes of him. He likes it still bleeding."

"G.o.d help us," whispered Kate, ashen-faced as she reached for the bed behind her and sat down. "What can we do?"

"Stop trying to scare us, Captain," said Taynar, ears flat with fear and tail hanging almost to the ground. "You've made your point."

"I'm not trying to frighten you," she said quietly. "I'm in deadly earnest."

"That's why you need him to see us as indispensable to you, isn't it?" said Kate. "So he won't . . ." Her voice trailed off into silence."So he won't kill one of us for food," said Jeedah bluntly. "Yes."

"What can we do?" asked Taynar, his voice very subdued.

"For a start, you can work with Kate, teach her how to be a Telepath, and see if you can pick up anything from the Valtegan."

He nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes," she said, walking over to the food dispenser to the left of the door and programming in a mug of coffee. She hated being that hard even on Taynar, but they had to know what they were up against. "I'm going to have to teach you both how to pilot this s.h.i.+p. Don't, whatever you do, let on to him how much you know in case he decides I'm expendable, you got that?"

"Yes, Jeedah."

"Good. Now get yourselves a drink and maybe something to eat," she said, taking her mug over to the desk. As she sat down, she felt the hardness of the wrench against her side and looked around for a place to conceal it.

"Jeedah, I just remembered something," said Kate hesitantly. "He brought a kind of homemade cage on board with him. It had six of the small, rabbitlike creatures in it."

Jeedah instantly gave the young female her full attention. "He did?"

Kate nodded. "Do you think, perhaps, he captured them as food?" Hope was etched in every line of her face and body.

Jeedah's mouth dropped in a Sholan grin, which she quickly changed to a wide, Human style one that just exposed her teeth. "I'm sure he did. We've got several days' grace then, thank Vartra." Her mind raced as she rea.s.sessed their situation. There was cereal in the kitchen-they didn't need it, but the critters she knew could live on it if the Valtegan hadn't brought enough food for them.

"It doesn't change the danger we're in, Kate, but it does mean it isn't as imminent as I'd feared." If only she-no, they-could overpower him and take back control of the Mara before his food ran out . . . She went back to finding a good hiding place for the wrench.

Half an hour later, the door slid open. The Valtegan, now dressed only in scuffed and dirty green fatigues, filled the doorway. His wide V-shaped mouth was open in anger, displaying rows of tiny, pointed teeth, and his crest was fully raised.

"You hide tools as weapons. You think to kill me!" he hissed, striding toward Taynar, who was nearest. Using only one hand, he plucked him off the bed by the throat, holding him so his feet dangled a few inches from the ground.

"For this, I punish you. Next time, one dies!"

"No!" yelled Jeedah, leaping toward him and grabbing at his arm. "Leave him! I'm the Captain, I'm the one to blame!"

With only a glance at her, he shook her off and landed a flat-handed blow on the youth's back. Taynar yowled in pain and shock as he squirmed in the alien's grasp, trying to break free.

"Yours is responsibility for his beating," he hissed, raising his hand again.

Jeedah scrambled to her feet, trying to get between him and Taynar. "He's aTelepath, mind-linked to the female!" she said, ducking as his hand changed direction toward her.

He hesitated.

"You hurt him, she feels it, too." Her words were tumbling out as she tried to think of anything that could help Taynar. "They're only children. Hit me if you must, but not them."

Laughing, he thrust her aside with more force this time so that she went tumbling onto the far bed. "Then the lesson learned well by all," he said, raising half a dozen blows on Taynar while he watched Kate shriek in pain as well.

Finally, he let the sobbing youth drop to the ground and watched impa.s.sively as Jeedah tried to comfort them both.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she said, her voice low with anger and hate as she looked up at him. "There was no need to do this to them."

"Now you not forget who in charge," he said. "I, General Chokkuh, am. Not you." He left, sealing and locking the door again.

Day 3 Jeedah sat in the corner of the lounge watching the two younglings finish their meal. She felt a wave of sympathy come over her for the young Human.

For Kate to suddenly find herself physically and mentally linked to a young Sholan male-and one as selfish and thoughtless as Taynar-then to become a kidnap victim all within the s.p.a.ce of two weeks was unfair. Then there had been the beating which both of them had suffered. At least they had emerged from it with only a few bruises.

"It's going to be all right, Kate," she said, widening her mouth in what she hoped was a nonthreatening smile as Kate left the table to join her. "All we have to do is play along with him for now. At least he took the cereal we left out for his rabbits."

"Don't tell me you believe that once we've taken him where he wants, he'll let us go, because you don't believe it any more than I do," the girl said quietly.

"He's going to take us with him, isn't he?"

Jeedah hesitated only a moment. "Yes, I'm afraid he is. He'll want to hand over Taynar and me for questioning, and you because of your link to Taynar."

"So what's important here? Stopping him-or escaping?"

The young face in front of her was very pale, her gray eyes enormous, but Kate regarded Jeedah steadily.

"Hey, we're not concerned yet, Kate," she said, patting her hand. "We'll get a chance at him soon, believe me."

"When, and how? He barricades himself on the bridge when you're off duty, and the few times he's taken a break, he does the same in your cabin."

"I know that even Valtegans must need more sleep than he's taking," Jeedah said, lowering her voice. "Then there's the lack of food. Have you ever seen him try our food? I haven't. So every day that pa.s.ses, he's growing weaker.""Is there anything we can do?"

Jeedah tried not to look over at Taynar. "Just keep your Leska out of his way. He may not be as afraid of us as the others were, but he still doesn't like it when Taynar and I are in the same room as him. And try to sense his thoughts.

How's the training with Taynar going? From what I understand, because your minds merge, everything he knows, you know, which means you've got all his training locked away inside your mind somewhere. It's just a matter of knowing where to look. When we had the language transfers, we could understand what you said, but we had to practice to be able to speak it."

Kate nodded. "That's right. It's going pretty well, but sometimes Taynar isn't quite as patient as he could be."

Jeedah grinned. "Then pull rank on him-remind him you're a female! Shola is a matriarchy, you know, we just don't make a point of reminding the males of it too often. Learning as much as you can about your Talent will help us, believe me!"

Kate smiled, her face losing some of its pallor now that she could see there were still several options open to them. Impulsively, Jeedah put her arm around Kate's shoulder. "You'll see to those things and I'll work out some kind of plan."

Entering Jump was a nightmare. The view ports had been sealed to prevent the visual distortions outside from making them nauseous. And they were flying dumb, without a voice to warn Chemerian s.p.a.ce when they did materialize at the other end. The danger of emerging in the same s.p.a.ce as another s.h.i.+p was high. If that happened, they would all die. At least that was the best part of three weeks in the future.

"What's it look like out there?" Kate asked.

"I don't know, and believe me, I don't want to!" said Jeedah.

The Mara couldn't be left to navigate its way automatically through jump s.p.a.ce, it had to be monitored, and for that, she'd told the Valtegan she would need Taynar's help.

"Of course I know nothing about couriers," he said contemptuously. "I'm a Telepath, not a pilot!"

"You've flown air cars."

"Of course!"

Aware of the silent figure of General Chokkuh constantly watching them from the sidelines, Jeedah grasped Taynar firmly by the scruff and pushed him hard into the copilot's seat. "Then sit down and learn!" she snarled. "It's time for you to get your hands dirty, brat!" So far, he'd been behaving himself, but every now and then he reverted to his old self.

Approbation had come from an unexpected quarter, namely Chokkuh, their Valtegan captor. He knew as well as she that the two of them were not enough to cover the s.h.i.+p's safe pa.s.sage through jump.

"You help," Chokkuh ordered, backing into the lounge area. "Or maybe I amuse myself with your mate!"Taynar nearly exploded with rage, but Jeedah still had him firmly by the scruff. She leaned forward, her mouth inches from his ear.

"Calm down, Taynar," she growled. "Our Valtegan's not slow. He's seen for himself that you're linked to Kate, and he's not about to do anything too drastic.

You're reacting exactly the way he wants you to!"

"If he dares put his filthy aliens hands on her . . ."

"Alien hands, Taynar?" Her voice was purposely mocking. "And just what do you think you are, considering she's a Human?" She watched his ears flatten backward in consternation as he tried to squirm in her grip.

Tightening her hold until her claws began to penetrate his skin, she hissed, "The Valtegans had Human females in their pleasure cities on Keiss, Taynar.

They spied on the Valtegans for the guerrillas. She'd survive the experience. It wouldn't be pleasant for her-or you, but then you believe in letting the females do the dirty work, don't you?"

"Not like that, Jeedah! I would never let anything like that happen to her!" he whimpered. "I care about her, honestly I do!"

She released him, sickened with herself for what she was having to become.

"Then do what you're told and learn to fly the Mara," she snarled, flinging herself into the seat beside him. "Your survival could depend on this!"

He looked over at her, obviously still scared. "Shouldn't we check on Kate first?"

Jeedah gave a snort of amus.e.m.e.nt. "She's your Leska, Taynar! Are you telling me you wouldn't know if Chokkuh tried to rape her?"

Taynar seemed to shrink into the seat. "What do you want me to do first?" he asked quietly.

"Tell Kate to go to your room and lock herself in."

Day 18 Every day, Jeedah had watched Chokkuh like the predator she was, gauging his weakness, checking the dispenser after his s.h.i.+fts to see if he'd eaten any of their food yet, and making sure she saw his rabbit cage as he left the bridge carrying it when they changed s.h.i.+fts. He hadn't tried their food, and now he was down to the last rabbit. In fact, it had been alone in the cage for the last four days.

She couldn't understand how he kept going. They were running out of time; she'd have to strike soon. In the lining of her jacket, she'd managed to conceal a screwdriver. It would make a good dagger-if she got the opportunity to use it.

She'd been waiting for the right moment, when he was weak enough for her to have a chance against his superior speed and strength, but so far, there hadn't been one.

Then toward the end of the week, she'd come on duty to find that the food and drink dispenser on the bridge had been ripped out of the bulkhead, its partly chewed contents strewn across the room.

"Get hatchling female to clean mess," Chokkuh said, pus.h.i.+ng himself to hisfeet and walking toward where his rabbit cage lay.

She grasped him by the arm as he went past.

He turned on her, his teeth bared in a snarl, hand reaching for her throat.

Letting him go, she hastily sidestepped him. "Don't damage the dispenser next door," she said, backing up against the bulkhead. "If you do, we can't eat either; then we all die. You understand that?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Your food stinks! Is spoiled . . .

dead! Only dirt grubbers like you would eat that . . . that . . . carrion!" He stared at her for a moment, then obviously making up his mind, he grabbed her arm, jerking her toward him and swinging her around so he had her arm locked behind her back and she was in front of him.

Picking up the cage, he forced her through the door into the lounge. Kate and Taynar were huddled by the aft door. Shoving Jeedah into the room, he approached the table and put the cage down in the center.

Immediately Taynar stepped in front of Kate, tail swaying as he glared at Chokkuh.

Jeedah moved slowly toward the younglings, feeling a tiny hot trickle of blood running down her arm. She rubbed at it, trying to stem the blood. It was only a shallow cut, but it wouldn't stop bleeding.

Chokkuh grinned toothily at them, raising his hand to look at his bloodstained claw. His tongue flicked out and he licked it clean with such obvious pleasure that it made even Jeedah s.h.i.+ver.

"Tastes good." He exposed his double rows of needle-sharp teeth in a smile that was far from pleasant. "You are safe-for now," he hissed, turning his attention to the cage. Opening it, he reached for the terrified rabbit. Holding it up, he let it chitter and squeak as it squirmed to get free.

Jeedah watched his eyes narrow and his nostril slits flare briefly, then in one fluid move, he grasped the rabbit's head in his other hand and twisted. The snap of its spine breaking filled the small room.

As Kate gasped, Chokkuh ripped off the head, closing his lips over the neck and beginning to suck noisily as the rabbit's last heartbeats pumped the lifeblood into his mouth.

Taynar's ears flattened into invisibility and with a strangled cry of fear and disgust, he staggered backward into Kate.

Her stomach turning over, Jeedah watched in silence as Chokkuh, the blood now drained from the rabbit, proceeded to dismember it and eat each limb messily, fur, bones and all. His spa.r.s.e meal over, he licked his claws clean with fastidious care.

The sudden rush of protein into his system had dilated his pupils until his eyes resembled glowing black orbs. He looked at Kate and Taynar, clinging in terror to each other, then at Jeedah.

"Keep your distance. You may be my next meal, a piece at a time," he said, his voice slightly slurred. Turning, he slowly walked back to the bridge.Chokkuh locked the lounge door behind him, then taking the Captain's position at the controls, slumped back in the seat. His little piece of theater had been necessary: because of hunger and the lack of the calming la'quo plant in his diet over the months he'd been in hiding on that accursed world, he was near to losing his last shreds of self-control. The Sholan Captain didn't realize how close she had come to death when she'd touched him. He needed her alive, not only because she was the only capable pilot-his skills were negligible-but because his people needed her for questioning. As for the hatchlings-he needed them so they could be studied and this strange interspecies mind link understood, and used to the Valtegans' advantage against both the Sholans and Humans if possible.