"My feet hurt. The cold."
Baadek moved to her right side, placed her arm around its neck, and lifted her. As it carried her, Baadek muttered, "The war. Everything has changed since the war."
Nicole was too weary to answer. She was placed into the car, the door slammed, then a second slam, and the car whined to life and moved down the twisting road. They rode for a long while, then Nicole heard Tora Kia move.
"Unh. You. Your robe is wet. Your face is red." That sharp smell again filled the compartment.
"Don’t you remember? You hit me."
"I did?" That smell grew stronger, then the voice became very quiet. "I wish I had killed you."
And then Nicole found out something she never knew before: Dracs snore. "Baadek?"
"Yes, human?"
"My name is Nicole. Joanne Nicole."
"Yes, Joanne Nicole?"
"Why is Tora Kia hitting that drug?"
"Many of the Tsien Denvedah that fought on Amadeen have the same habit. Tora Soam disapproves."
Nicole pulled her legs up upon the seat and rubbed her feet. She felt warm air being directed upon them, and in moments they were dry. "Thank you, Baadek."
"When we get to the estate, we will stop at the gate house and I will get you a dry robe to wear."
She continued rubbing her feet. "Baadek, what is it to you if Tora Soam finds out that its child chews happy paste."
There was a long silence from the front of the car. "Nothing, I suppose. I have spent my life serving the Tora estate, probably from habit. Habit is very safe. The war soils everything, however. Perhaps I should change my habit, too."
Nicole’s weight was thrown from one side of the car to the other as her stomach evidenced a sickening skid, the whine of the car’s motor rising and falling in rapid succession. "It is only a guess, Baadek; but are you driving too fast?"
The motion of the car slowed as the whine from the motor decreased. "Yes… Thank you. And my apologies."
She leaned her head against the back of the seat. Baadek, the long-suffering family retainer coming home to its master hauling a drug-blitzed child and a backseat driver. Nicole yawned from the drying heat blowing on her legs. Perhaps I could take some of the weight from Baadek’s already overburdened shoulders. "Baadek?"
"Yes, Joanne Nicole?"
"I will say nothing to Tora Soam concerning what happened today."
"Thank you. I will remember this."
"How much longer will we be riding?"
"We are almost a third of the way to the estate."
The warm air and sleep tugged at her. She moved her shoulders into the upholstered corner between the door and seat, her face leaned against something soft to her left. Vaguely she felt the gentle rocking of the car…
…Happy paste.
There had been reports that a large percentage of USEF personnel coming back from Amadeen had the habit.
How long had it taken Ted Makai to kick it? He never did, really. He just substituted other things.
In the Storm Mountain officers club that time, Ted at the bar tossing down doubles. He was an island of dead gloom in a sea of laughter, trying to numb the nervous system that made him a rare exception among the Universe’s life forms.
He ordered another.
"Ted, aren’t you nailing those things down pretty fast?"
He never looked up; simply waited until his fresh drink came. He took the glass, tossed down its contents, and ordered another. He looked at her.
"Do your tour on Amadeen, Major Nicole, and then come back to me and preach temperance…"
"…When Tora Soam has carried its butcher ax against the enemy on Amadeen, then its views upon my medications will be of interest…"
Amadeen. So little of the war had taken place there; but so much of the war owed its existence to the planet…
…In the Chirn Kovah, searching for her reasons for fighting, a voice from nowhere reciting history…
"… The planet Amadeen was colonized in a succession of immigrations by both humans and Dracs, attracted there by Amadeen’s vast mineral resources. Numerous private companies based In both spheres of influence were involved in the colonization effort, the two largest being the human Earth IMPEX and the Dracon JACHE companies.
"Although Timan Nisak, headquartered on the Planet Timan, is the third largest capital investor in Amadeen, there have been no Timanese immigrants. Timan Nisak operates the orbiting ore-processing station used before the opening of hostilities by all the mining companies operating on Amadeen.
"…After the defeat of the Drac and human Centralist Party, extremist factions took control of the political mechanisms of both races. The Amadeen Front was the political party dominating the humans, while the Ka Mavedah rose to become the most influential political organization in the Drac-controlled areas of the planet. The Centralists of both races were effectively eliminated as political forces, and terrorist raids began…"
Terrorism on Amadeen. Its victims and witnesses never seemed to talk about it much. The horrors were beyond comprehension. Humans were found still alive, their skeletons shattered with sound waves. The bones had been gone over one at a time. Dracs were found, their bellies ripped open, still living fetuses dangling from their umbilicals-
"Joanne Nicole?"
She awakened, warm air entering the car from her side. The door was open. "Baadek?"
"Yes. Here is your dry robe, and I have dried your sandals."
She leaned forward and took the robe and sandals. "Where can I change?"
"Here in the car will do."
"Where can I be alone to change?"
"Alone?… For what reason?"
"Because I want to be alone when I change."
A puzzled silence. "I suppose you may use the gate house." Nicole felt the Drac’s hand touch her arm. "Come with me."
"What are you going to do with Kia?"
Baadek helped her from the car, her feet touching soft grass, warm sunlight washing her face. Baadek sighed.
"What to do with Kia? That is always a good question, Joanne Nicole. Always a good question. Come this way."
Nicole had been whisked up a huge outdoor staircase, then through a dizzying complex of halls and passageways. Each door seemed to have a guard on it with which Baadek would exchange hushed whispers. Then they were in a room that was bright with sunlight; she could feel it upon her skin. There were many low voices in the room, then one of the voices became recognizable; it was Tora Soam’s.
"Here you are, at last, Joanne Nicole."
She nodded, her ears straining for every sound as the Ovjetah spoke to Baadek: "And where is Kia?"
"In its apartments, Ovjetah. Kia was not feeling well."
Tora Soam’s silence spoke volumes. "Joanne Nicole, I hope your trip from the Chirn Kovah was satisfactory?"
"It was a learning experience."
"Emmmm." She heard Tora Soam tum away. "My colleagues, this is the human, Joanne Nicole." There was an uncomfortable period of coughing, paper rattling, and chair squeaking. "Baadek, come with me." Tora Soam took Nicole’s arm and led her from the room. "Joanne Nicole, I apologize for my colleagues. However, please understand that you are the very first human as flesh that they have ever seen."
"I understand."
"Tonight I will have a surprise for you; until then, Baadek will show you your apartments. There are only a few places on the estate that you are not allowed to enter, and the guards at those places will prevent your entrance. Otherwise you have the freedom of the estate. Baadek will act as your eyes for the time being, and it will call for you at the night repast. I would like to have you join us for the repast."