The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (67 page)

Alondo nodded thoughtfully. “I agree. The people here seem as disturbed about what happened to us as we are. They mentioned someone called Byrdach. They say he is ‘Prefect’ of the local town, although I’m not sure from their description whether that corresponds to a headman or a watchkeeper–maybe he’s a little of both. Anyway, they suggested we talk to him as soon as we get the chance.”

Keris was not sure that was wise; they could still not be sure who was friend and who was foe in this place. She decided to let the matter drop for now and deal with a more pressing issue. “Alondo, how far have you got with figuring out Annata’s machine?”

Alondo blew through his teeth. “Not very far, I’m afraid. Back at the Calandra in Sakara, I was trying to draw up a schematic–an inner map of the workings of the device. It seemed as reasonable a place to start as any. All machines have an internal logic to their operation. It occurred to me that if I could understand that logic, then I might understand what it was that was powering it. The only source of help I had was Boxx. Now that it’s gone, I…”

“Might the people here be able to help you?” she suggested. “After all, they do seem to have a knowledge of machines.”

“The same thought had occurred to me,” Alondo said. “But I’ve talked to the people here, and none of them are engineers.”

“What about the two who are repairing the flying machine?”

“It’s a possibility,” Alondo concurred. “But they are only here for a limited time. I would need to sit down with someone for an extended period to figure this thing out. A town, one with an artisans’ district, would seem to be our best bet.”

Keris weighed their options. “How long before Lyall can travel?”

Alondo shrugged. “Hard to say exactly–several days at least. Why do you ask?”

“I think you and I should use the time to make discreet enquiries. We mustn’t attract too much attention to ourselves. And we will have to be careful how much information we reveal and to whom. It’s possible that the Prophet’s forces were behind the assault on us.”

“You have no proof of that,” the round-faced musician pointed out.

“No, but I don’t think we can discount the possibility either. If the Prophet does know that we have passed beyond the Barrier, and he has somehow sent his people here after us, then we are in constant danger. We cannot relax our guard, even for an instant.”

Alondo grinned. “In that case, I would say that it’s a good thing we have the ‘Heroine of Gort’ watching our backs.”

~

Alexander Edward McCann, human, former ship’s engineer and covert operative on the side of the planet that the Kelanni called Skell, stood on a rocky knoll overlooking the settlement of Kieroth. Behind and below him, his aircraft waited. It was both the perfect transport and the perfect cover. Having the appearance of one of their avionics, it attracted no attention, allowing him to move through the skies of Skell with complete anonymity. Yet its fusion power source meant that unlike the Kelanni version, it did not have to be recharged every few miles. It also meant he could travel between the mainland and the human settlement on Helice. Of course, according to the terms of the armistice forced on them by the Kelanni sixteen years ago, no human was permitted to leave the island. However, humans had broken that rule many times when it suited their purpose. As a result, they already had control of the even more primitive and superstitious civilisation that had crawled its way up on the side of the planet known as Drann. It would not be long before they finally crushed the inhabitants of this side and attained complete mastery over the negative matter the locals called lodestone. At least, that was what Wang kept insisting.

McCann’s stubble was starting to itch. It was a little game he liked to play with himself whenever he left the island. Rather than take a shaving kit with him, he would endure the minor discomfort until a mission was complete and he was back in his two-room habitat module on Helice. It was both an incentive and a way of rewarding himself for a job well done. At the rate things were going, though, it didn’t look as if he would be enjoying the luxury of a smooth chin any time soon.

At first, it had seemed as if everything was proceeding according to plan. Not long after reaching the Aronak coast, he had spotted the ship from the air and determined that the fugitives from Drann had somehow traversed the Barrier and made landfall. How they had managed such a feat was a puzzle, but it was not one that McCann was charged with solving. His instructions were simple–track down and eliminate.

He set down on the landward side of the dunes and walked up the beach, wind blowing through his salt and pepper hair. The sailing ship looked as if it had grown out of the sands that encompassed it. McCann knelt and drew a globe from his side pack–copper in colour and set with a vision sphere at its centre, so that it looked not unlike a large metal eye. He set the program for a full reconnaissance of the structure up ahead and released it.

The ball flew off toward the beached vessel and began a systematic search, guided by its own artificial intelligence. McCann held the receiving sphere in his hand, watching the images as they were relayed. Nothing. The ship was deserted. He inputted the return command, retrieved the “watcher” and returned to his avionic, lifting off once more so as to adopt a standard search pattern. Soon after, he caught sight of three tiny shapes moving slowly across the bleak open landscape. Perfect. He fired the forward mounted gamma ray laser. One of them was hit, he was certain of it, but when he returned for another pass, they were gone. McCann cursed, scanning with infrared, but they had somehow vanished like smoke.

He was not used to reporting failure. Wang was not going to be pleased. It was one thing for their Kelanni servants and spies to prove a letdown–that was almost expected. But for a human, it was unforgivable.

He glanced up as another avionic passed overhead on a leisurely course toward the town below. Sighing, he raised the back of his right hand to his mouth and spoke into his Ring.

“McCann.”

“Hello, Mac, how’s it going?”
The female voice was edged with the Ring’s usual distortion.

“They made it through to this side, and I managed to track them down.”

“That’s good.”

“Then…I lost them again.”

“That’s not so good.”

“Can you find Wang and put him on?”

“Sorry, Mac, Wang isn’t here right now. He’s over in Drann playing Prophet for the benefit of the locals there.”

McCann harrumphed. “I think he enjoys that too much. Pretty soon he’s going to start believing in his own hype. To tell the truth, Susan, I don’t even know why these Kelanni he has me chasing down are so important. It seems to me that we have bigger problems back at the island.”

“Wang says they are dangerous. They’re trying to disrupt the supply of lodestone. They could destabilize the whole Accumulator Project.”

“Really? Right now I would say that Lafontaine is already doing an effective job of that. Before I left, I heard that he had persuaded several of the engineering team to cease work on the Accumulator and go back to working on the QDE drive. He says Wang is off his head, trying to take over an entire world.”

“And what do you think?”

“I took an oath to serve the Captain. Although…”

“Mac?”

“Sorry, Susan. It’s just that after nearly sixteen standard earth years stuck on this rock, the thought of going home is tempting.”

“I guess you must miss Emilie and Monica?”

“No…I’m long past that. Emilie’s probably re-married by now. And Monica–well, she was only two years old when I lifted off from Eridani Station. She probably doesn’t even remember me. Heck, she could have children of her own by now.”

“Hey, you could be a granddad, Mac.”

“Don’t start with me, Susan. I’m not in the mood.”

“Sorry…hey, I’d like to go home too. And our only chance of that is to get the QDE working.”

Quintessence. Every school kid back home knew the story. It was a kind of dark energy–the kind that was responsible for the expansion of the universe itself. Its discovery two centuries ago had finally explained black hole physics, proved Einstein wrong and spawned the Quintessence Dark Energy Drive, which had catapulted humans from the backyard of their solar system into deep space.

However, quintessence was difficult to control. So when their ships had entered this system and detected negative matter, unknown anywhere else, it was a cause for major celebration. Ships powered by lodestone would not need quintessence, or any other kind of fuel for that matter. QDE could become obsolete overnight, and they would all be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. But the indigenous population of Kelanni–a nascent industrial society–had proven a major obstacle.

Wang had insisted, then demanded, then threatened; and in the brief conflict that followed, all three of their ships had been severely damaged. It was only now, after all this time, that Lafontaine had cobbled together enough parts so as to maybe get one of their ships operational. At first he had wanted to use lodestone, but Wang insisted that all their available ore be used to construct and test the Accumulator Device, which would wipe out the native population and secure the supply of lodestone. It was no different than with the Incas of South America, the Red Indians of North America or the Aborigines of Australia, Wang said. The history of humanity proved that primitive races had to be swept aside for the advancement of those who were superior. Besides, he was not about to walk away from untold wealth.

It was ironic, then, that the Kelanni here in Skell had discovered the principles behind lodestone for themselves and had already begun construction of their own diametric drive.

“Would you be happy to return penniless after all this time?”
she asked.

“I don’t know–sixteen years’ back pay ought to add up to a tidy sum, don’t you think.”

“Perhaps. But the payoff from our little discovery would make that seem like pocket change.”

“Yes, but maybe Wang’s price is a little too high.”

“You wouldn’t allow a colony of ants to take over your home,”
she pointed out.

McCann pulled the Kelanni furs tight against the cold and started back down the hill toward his avionic. “No, but these people aren’t ants. And this isn’t our home.”

<><><><><>

Chapter 12

Keris and Alondo walked side by side in silence through the snow-covered fields as they approached the town the locals called Kieroth. Sunlight glinted cheerily off the angled white roofs. Alondo was in a less than talkative mood, but for once it was not she that was responsible–it was Lyall.

Lyall’s recovery was almost complete. He was walking about the house, talking and eating more than she had ever seen him eat, all of which she took to be positive signs. That morning they had breakfasted together for the first time. She and Alondo had returned from their second trip to Kieroth late the previous evening.

“Progress is rather slow, I’m afraid,” she was explaining. “Aside from the obvious language difficulties, we have had to proceed with caution–asking questions, but in a manner so as not to give too much away. What’s more, their artisans’ quarter is quite large, and some shops and artefacts even Alondo can’t identify. I am forever trying to drag him out of one establishment or another.”

Alondo made a face. “Yes, well, don’t blame me if the very thing we need to fix Annata’s machine is found to be sitting in one of those shops you dragged me out of.”

Keris leaned back against the wall. “As I recall, the last contraption you insisted on examining in detail turned out to be a device for making hot beverages.”

“Yes,” Alondo said. “What’s your point?”

Lyall held up his hands. “All right, all right. Let’s call a truce, shall we? We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I should be able to join you soon–I imagine another pair of eyes wouldn’t hurt.”

“It’s a pretty long walk. Longer since our friend here,” she jerked her head in Alondo’s direction, “can’t use a flying cloak.”

“Couldn’t you ask to use their flying machine?” Lyall asked.

Keris shook her head. “Even leaving aside that it’s their only form of transport, there’s only room for two people, and neither me nor Alondo knows how to pilot it. Besides–”