Acorna's World Part 2

"Yeah, whaddaya use? An ice cream cone?" Becker asked.

Aari rolled his eyes. "No, Joh. The usual scanner the computer uses to examine and a.n.a.lyze objects."

"The Anscan? I don't quite get how that would do the trick, buddy, but whatever you say-hey, you're not putting that thing on my console, are you?" Becker asked. He was not normally all that fastidious, but that smell was more alien invasiveness than he could handle. And the Anscan was expensive.

Acorna set the pod upright and Aari returned the cheese to it.

Then they set the -whole gizmo on the console. Aari pulled the Anscan over to where its probe could read the structure of the cheese.

"That is not what that delicate piece of equipment was engineered to do!" Becker said.

"The Niriians know that, Joh. Though it is true they have not probably encountered this particular piece of equipment, but they and their trading partners have similar technology and they have developed this device so it will work by this means. Ihere have been many fascinating seminars about how Niriian organic devices can be used with conventional equipment-you should access them sometime."

Why couldn't they just get electronics like everybody else then?" Becker grumbled. He was getting a little lightheaded, trying to hold his nose so he didn't breathe in those fumes.

"Because this piiyi is cheaper, more efficient, and entirely homegrown for the Niriians," Aari answered, now using the keyboard to open the interface between the Anscan and s.h.i.+p's computer and corn unit.

If Becker wasn't actually astonished to see a bovine twohorned Niriian appear on the corn unit screen, he "was at least mildly flabbergasted.

"I'll be darned. That cheese Dou work, just like you said."

"It is a piiyl, Joh."

"It is a pee-yew as far as I'm concerned, but-"

Acorna put her hand to her mouth and made a hus.h.i.+ng noise and they listened again to the broadcast.

"Can we stop it and start it so you can translate for us, buddy?" Becker asked.

"Yes. The piiyl forms a permanent linear archive, but access to information can be controlled by your . . . Anscan."

"Okay. Stop it then. What did he just say?"

"The same thing as before. It was a recorded broadcast, a call for help, what you call a mayday. Their s.h.i.+p was under attack. They identified themselves and gave their location, but the coordinates they listed were far from here and even farther from their home planet."

"Does it say who attacked them and why?" Becker asked.

"Not here."

"Okay, let's see if there's anything else on that monstrosity."

"Undoubtedly, Joh. The pliyi is a high-density storage device."

"Dense with stench . . . that I'll agree with," Becker muttered.

Aari went back to work. Once the static had cleared, a Niriian face appeared and began speaking. After a few seconds, Becker asked what it was saying.

"It is the s.h.i.+p's log. I believe we are receiving the last entry first. It is hard to tell, exactly, Joh. This is a different speaker- probably the captain. His dialect is difficult to follow. Wait! Yes! By the Niriian calendar they were transmitting-ummm, you would say, five days ago.'

Aari had made his answer quickly, and quietly, keeping one ear focused on the Niriian voice as it droned on.

"Ah, yes." Aari said. "He says that he and his crewmates were on a scouting expedition. You know, Niriians are always looking for greener pastures-like us, they are a grazing people, but they are a rather more numerous race than the Linyaari. He is referring to an earlier entry in the log, something about a very fertile planet and then, disappointingly, signs of previous colonization-no, present colonization. Very, very small signs. One-pod? Does he mean this one? No, he is saying something . . . something about Linyaari."

He shut it down and turned to them, his eyes wide. "Joh, he was saying something about a dwelling place, and a small downed Linyaari vessel, but it was not near where they detected the mammalian life signs. His accent is too thick, Joh."

Acorna said, excitement barely controlled in her voice, "This sounds very important. Perhaps we should forward all this information back to narhii-Vhiliinyar, where some of the Starfarers who have spent time on Nirii can translate it more accurately than we can. In the meantime, we can use Aari and the LAANYE to try to understand the rest of what is being said. I wonder who attacked the s.h.i.+p. . . . And I wonder if the Niruans really found stranded Linyaari outside our normal trade routes and, if so, how our people came to be there?"

If it was an escape pod, maybe the Linyaari got to the planet in question the same way you told us you reached the human galaxy-you know, ejecting from a s.h.i.+p in trouble." Becker offered.

Acorna's expression became so intense, her mouth so set, ana Ihere was such a determined look in her eyes that Becker thought she might be hoping somehow that there had been two life-support pods after all in the s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+p her parents had been on, that perhaps they had escaped. He felt obligated to point out to her that it wasn't the most likely possibility.

"We need to get those coordinates and do a little searching ourselves," he said. "They could be people who escaped Ganoosh's and Ikwaskwan's goons when the fake Federation troops were 'arresting' all your people."

Acorna's posture relaxed slightly, dejectedly, at that. "I suppose that's what it must be."

"But you're right. Your people can probably sort this out quicker than we can, and also, maybe somebody who's been to Nirii more recently-wasn't that where your aunt was, Acorna?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, maybe they will know who to notify among the Niriian authorities to let them know the Hamgaarf) ain't coming home no more, no more. And we should probably do a little searching around to find out who is responsible for taking out the Hamgaan) before we make that report."

If he'd had a hat, he'd have taken it off and placed it over his heart right then. He knew that the cowboy and his crewmates would have families -waiting for them in vain back on the old home -world. It was one of the hazards of s.p.a.cefaring that all s.p.a.cers tried not to think about.

"Yes," Acorna said. "You're right. We'll check all of the fragments of the s.h.i.+p and see if any provide useful evidence. Mean-while, -we can translate as best -we can the entire s.h.i.+p's log, and -while -we're at it, take the coordinates of the place *where they saw the escape pod."

"You're sure you don't find anything else about the attack in there, Aari?" Becker asked.

"I will attempt to scan throughout the device for such information." Aari turned back to the Anscan and the pay I. The monologue broke off, there -was a screech of static, and then, suddenly, there -were images on the screen once more. Horrifying images.

"Holy cow!" Becker said. "Who the h.e.l.l are the big bugs and what are they doing--oh, no-Cosmos on a crutch! They're torturing that-Aari?"

Acorna's healing must have worked pretty well because Aari spoke in a very calm, controlled voice . . . well, actually, Becker thought, his voice was about as dead as the last fish who tried to swim in a Kezdet river.

"Those are the Khieevi, Joh. And that is me. The Khieevi transmitted the images of my torment to this Niriian s.h.i.+p."

Once the Linyaari s.p.a.ce travelers returned, everyC^ "V thing should have been fine again. Everybody should have been happy. Maati had thought that she, at least, -would be happy. But first Aari had decided not to stay on narhii-Vhiliinyar. And then Kh.o.r.n.ya, who had begun to seem like a big sister to Maati, had left.

Maati felt left out because none of the s.p.a.ce travelers she knew wanted to talk to her about what had happened to them. If she'd been old enough to be able to read other peoples' minds, then maybe she wouldn't have been so lonely and alone, but she doubted it. From the shocked, hurt, and sometimes almost nauseous way those who had not been in s.p.a.ce reacted when meeting those who had been, Maati could tell that the s.p.a.cefarcrs experiences had been really bad. You could see in their eyes that the pain lingered inside them, in spite of all the healing ivh.o.r.n.ya and the Linyaari doctors had attempted to do.

Because so many of the s.p.a.ce travelers were seeking out wandam Naadiina's counsel, since Grandam was the oldest living Linyaari and by far the wisest, Maati couldn't even talk Grandam. Grandam was much too busy.

It was probably better that way. Maati would have hated to have to admit to Grandam that she didn't feel especially happy to see the others, not when her brother had left and then Kh.o.r.n.ya had left, too. It might be selfish of her, but it was the way she felt.

If the viizaar hadn't been so mean to them, Kh.o.r.n.ya and Aari might have stayed. Maati had really started to hate the viizaar. Hate, she knew, was not a thing a good Linyaari should feel. It was a violent emotion and her people were supposed to be gentle. But the viizaar was not gentle. She was mean. She just hid it from everybody, even the people who were good mind readers. Grandam said Liriili was a good administrator because, since she was less sensitive than average for a Linyaari, she could make more objective decisions.

Right. She had made one of those recently, it seemed to Maati. She had decided Maati was an object to be pushed around and sent here and there. n.o.body even noticed how nastily she spoke to Maati. Everybody was too busy with the returned s.p.a.ce travelers.

When the s.p.a.cefarers weren't doing some kind of therapy, they were in council, discussing trade agreements and that kind of dumb stuff. Grandam was there, too. At least the council kept ol' Liriili busy so she wasn't always yelling at or for Maati.

Although once, in front of the whole council, just because Maati dropped a piece of hard copy she was bringing from the doctors concerning the wellness of some of the returnees, Liriili had snapped at her.

"Honestly, you are the clumsiest messenger I have ever had! And the slowest! You would have never been given such a responsible position if the council hadn't been softhearted about you being orphaned. And now look at how you repay their trust!"

Everybody was so preoccupied with all the important things they were thinking of that n.o.body cared "when hot blood rose to Maati's face or that her ears rang with viizaar Liriili's hurtful words. She couldn't read their minds, but they could read hers, and in former times people had always been kind. But now n.o.body cared what one little flunky felt. They were worrying about the grievous hurts their scientists, diplomats, teachers, and traders had suffered.

A hundred faces -watched impa.s.sively as Maati bent to pick up the paper and hand it to Liriili, who s.n.a.t.c.hed it from her hand. Maati would have been even more humiliated if she thought they -were really paying any attention, but clearly almost every single one of them had used the distraction to get lost in his or her own thoughts. Thoughts she couldn't read.

In times past, Liriili would have her stay close by during council sessions, in case messages needed to be delivered to outlying areas, but these days the viizaar couldn't wait to get rid of her. She sent Maati out on the silliest errands, errands that could have been handled easily enough with a beep on the corn unit, anything to get Maati out of her sight.

Maati had recently heard VLfec^haanye-feriiii Neeva remark to some of the others, "I wish Kh.o.r.n.ya and the young man, Aari, had chosen to stay with us. I cannot understand what was so urgent that they had to go collect salvage with Captain Becker."

The notion had crossed Maati's mind that ^he knew exactly who had made them feel like outcasts and made their lives miserable enough to drive them away. Just as that thought crossed her mind the viizaar's voice had cut through her musings like a laser.

Obviously our Kh.o.r.n.ya was attracted to the boy and they wished to be alone together without the weight of custom that ^as unfamiliar to Kh.o.r.n.ya and that, frankly, the boy is too unstable to deal with at this time. Maati, our water has grown quite stale. Please go fetch some more and see to it that this is ^sposed of."

Maati barely stopped herself from saying, "What do you think YOU have a horn on your head for anyway? Freshen it yourself!"

But that would really cause trouble. The half-formed thought alone brought a hard stare from Liriili. But Maati was a messenger, not some kind of a subspecies to be ordered to do busy work because the viizaar felt like exercising her authority.

Just when Maati thought it couldn't get any worse, the Ancestors-the one-horned four-leggeds who were one of two species from which, back in the time before the Beginning, the Linyaari had ultimately been formed-sent for Grandam Naadiina. They insisted that she bring with her the s.p.a.ce travelers who continued to suffer from nightmares and other emotional ills, despite the healings of their families and physicians. All were to attend the Ancestors in their hilly home. The personal attendants of the Ancestors called the occasion a "retreat." Maati thought of it as an abandonment.

No sooner had Grandam and the others disappeared from sight than the viizaar sent for Maati and informed her that, during Grandam's audience with the Ancestors, the viizaar could not allow a young girl to remain alone in the pavilion she shared with Grandam. Therefore, Maati would be given a guest mat in the viizaar's tent and would sleep there until Grandam returned.

"That way you will be handy in case I need you," the Viizaar said with a false smile. What she really intended -was to keep her own eye on Maati. Every time Maati wanted to go visit with someone, or -was asked to graze with a group of other youngsters, Liriili invented some urgent errand for Maati to carry out.

Maati finally realized that the only way she could have time away from the viizaar was if she did what the viizaar was already accusing her of, and dragged her heels on certain errands.

Like her last one. Late in the evening, in the middle of a downpour, she had been sent to the s.p.a.ceport to take Tharimye, -who was on com-shed duty, a basket of hand-plucked greens prepared for him personally by the viizaar. A little note was attached to make sure he knew how he was favored.

When she'd handed him the basket, though, Thariinye had groaned. "Oh, no," he'd said.

Maati shook the water from her mane and peered into the basket. "What's the matter? Don't you like those sorts? Because I'm not going to take them back to her. My feet are sore. She keeps me running day am) night now. I'm tired." She flopped back into the second corn-console chair and sprawled.

"I'm sorry, little one. You want any of these? They're perfectly good gra.s.ses. I'm just not, you know, wanting to accept any favors from our lady leader."

Maati's eyes narrowed and she studied him a moment. Thariinye had changed a little since he and Kh.o.r.n.ya first returned from the galaxy of her people. He had been sooo full of himself when they arrived, and had boasted that he and Kh.o.r.n.ya were to be handfasted as lifemates. But later, oddly, Maati had heard from many young females to whom Thariinye had also paid court. They were all complaining that if only Kh.o.r.n.ya had no claim on him, Thariinye would gladly ask them to graze with him forever. But really, as he and Maati both very well knew, Kh.o.r.n.ya hardly liked him at all, much less wanted him for a lifemate. Thamnye was very handsome, if you liked the tall, slim, muscular type, but Kh.o.r.n.ya was somehow . . . older, smarter than he was, and she didn't like his att.i.tude-Thariinye was a bit conceited. But Maati had to admit that any male who could successfully string along so many females who could read minds "ad to have something going for him. A lot of nylirl, Grandam said. Which meant something similar to courage, except that it meant he was courageous enough to act on things he shouldn't actually be acting on and say things he shouldn't really be saying.

Maybe she's just letting you know she doesn't think you're so bad, even though those ladies complained about you wooing both of them," Maati ventured, with a little of her own nyliri, watching him to see what he would say.

A crack of thunder heralded a gust of wind that sent rain splas.h.i.+ng in huge puddles against the viewports of the comshed. In the distance, jagged lightning sliced through the blackened sky, strobing the night with brief but brilliant flashes.

Thariinye snorted and gave her a smile as phony as the one he gave his extra girlfriends. "Such a sweet little youngling you are, Maati. Of course she doesn't think I'm so bad. After hearing all those other girls tell her what a splendid specimen of manhood I am, she's courting me herself."

It was Maati's turn to snort. "You've been away from s.p.a.ce too long, Thariinye! You've got ground-sickness!" It was the sort of joke the s.p.a.cers made about ground people and ground people made about s.p.a.cers to explain their peculiarities. It was the only thing Maati could think of, other than Thariinye's high opinion of himself, to explain -why he would imagine that the vllzaar capable of any softer, more female feelings at all.

"No. No. It's true. She fancies me. Always says so. Told me she thinks I need a more experienced woman to guide me, keep me in line, and yet be able to indulge my little flights of independence. Youngling, that is the last thing I need. No Khieevi will ever scare me as much as that woman!" He shuddered so hard his mane shook and his skin twitched.

Maati was shocked. "But Liriili is really oG>. She's almost as old as Grandam, I bet as old as Neeva, anyway and you're well, I'm just a kid and even I remember when you were still a dapple gray!"

Thariinye made a wry face. "Maybe you see her as being old, but when I'm around her, Liriili acts' like a frisky filly. I don't think narhii-Vhiliinyar is big enough for both of us."

"I know exactly what you mean," Maati replied, remembering her own troubles. She wouldn't tell Thariinye about them, though. He'd get all adult and bossy on her if she did, she was sure. It was never a good idea to let him have the upper hand. She had figured that out because she knew several of those silly girls he'd been involved with. As long as they didn't seem to notice him, he sought them out and was very polite, even humble with them. But as soon as they started to like him, he didn't care for them anymore and went trotting off after somebody else. That was part of why he kept after Kh.o.r.n.ya even though the two of them basically didn't get along very well.

Maati gave him a sly look, "I guess that's what you get for being irresistible! So, all right, I'll help you get rid of your gift if you'll pa.s.s me one of those thiiifi). They're my favorites." He handed her one of the tender yellow-green gra.s.ses which smelled spicy and tasted sweet with a little tang to it.

He gnawed absently on one himself. "I should have known what she was doing when she wouldn't let me go with Neeva and Melireenya. Now everybody who was anybody among the s.p.a.ce-chosen has had a traumatic experience that will probably bond them forever, and because Liriili kept me planet-bound, I alone was left out."

"I can see why you would be mad at her for making you miss being mistreated until you almost died," Maati agreed.

"You're far too young to understand," he said loftily.

"Receiving transmission from the alien salvage vessel Condor," a quiet computerized voice said from the corn set. "Please stand by."

The lightning flashed again and again, the thunder cras.h.i.+ng Just after. Thariinye turned up the volume on the corn unit.

"We have just recovered the wreckage of a Niriian vessel," Aan's voice said, sounding strange and flat. "Among the s.h.i.+p's artifacts is a piiyi containing the s.h.i.+p's log and several other messages. Please stand by to record the material you are about to receive." There was no visual transmission, but Maati was pleased to hear Aari's voice, no matter how fleetingly. This message -was evidently sent several hours ago, according to the time stamp, so that real-time exchange of communication now Wouldn't be possible. Maati wished she could talk to her brother, but that clearly wasn't going to be possible on this night.

"It is extremely urgent that the information on this piiyi be fully translated and interpreted immediately by an expert in the Niriian language. It contains evidence that the Niriian s.h.i.+p made contact with the Khieevi"-Aari's voice faltered for a moment-"and prior to that perhaps discovered a Linyaari escape pod and survivors on an uncharted planet. Once translation is made, please respond immediately to the Condor." Aari signed off and silence filled the com-shed.

Maati jumped to her feet. "I'll go try to find a specialist." Looking out at the slas.h.i.+ng rain, she hated leaving the warmth and dryness of the com-shed.

"Where do you think you'll do that?" Thariinye said. "The s.p.a.cefarers are on retreat, remember?"

"This is important enough to call them off retreat. I mean, if the Khieevi are involved, we'd better let Liriili know right away. She can call them back."

"I speak excellent Niriian," Thariinye told her. "My first off-planet mission was to Nirii and I have always been good at languages."

"Well, that's good," Maati said. "Get started right away on that broadcast. But Liriili will have my horn if I don't let her know at once."

"I'll let her know. Just stay put for a naanye, will you?"

He switched to the domestic corn unit. "Vuzaar Liriili, this is Thariinye at s.p.a.ceport communications. We have just received a message from Aari aboard the Conoor concerning a recovered Niriian piiyi with information about a probable recent encounter with the Khieevi as well as something or other about a Linyaari escape pod with survivors left stranded on an uncharted planet. We are being asked to translate and advise the Conoor of the contents immediately."

"Then do so," Liriili said. They could only hear her voice. The uiixaar did not switch on visuals at her end. She sounded grouchy and sleepy. "You speak Niriian, do you not, Thariinye?"

"You wish me to do it, then, ma'am? You don't -wish, for instance, to send for Melireenya or vifeShaanye-feriiii Neeva?"

Liriili's voice took on a softer lilt as she woke up enough to realize to whom she -was speaking. "I have every confidence in you, dear boy. If Aari's impression that there is urgent information contained in the piiyi is confirmed by your translation, please alert me at once. If it is indeed as important as Aari says-though you know his experiences have made him somewhat . . . unstable, shall we say, mst between us? -then of course you should send the messenger girl after another expert. But I would prefer not intrude upon the retreat the Ancestors have declared vital to the recovery of our s.p.a.cefarers unless I feel it is absolutely necessary."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And, Thariinye?"

Maam?

"I shall expect a personal and confidential report of your findings in my quarters as soon as you have finished."

"Yes, ma'am." He signed off, shaking his head in frustration.

It was a good thing Liriili couldn't see Thariinye's face, Maati thought. He gave the most awful grimace and bared his teeth something fierce.

"You probably should go back and sleep," Thariinye told her pompously. "I'll be too busy to baby-sit you while I have duties to perform."