“I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS.”
“IT SCARES ME.”
“IT SCARES ME TOO, ROM.”
Collingdale’s first thought was that two of the young ones had been kidnapped. Or two lovers had eloped. Did Goompahs elope?
“We’re not sure what Harka and Kolaj refer to. But we think they may be stars.”
“Stars?”
Judy glanced at Ginko. Ginko’s eyes were dark and worried. “We think they’ve just seen the cloud, Dr. Collingdale.”
ARCHIVE
Nobody here can understand how it happens that a race virtually confined to a limited land area, sealed off both north and south by natural impediments, has managed to maintain what is clearly a peaceful existence. There are no armies, no walls, no battle fleets. No indication that anyone even carries weapons other than what might be expected for hunting purposes.
We are not yet certain, but early indications suggest the cities are independent, that there is no formal political framework, but that somehow they coexist peaceably.
This framework is difficult to understand in light of the fact that the Goompahs are clearly carnivores. Hunters. They do not appear to have a history extensive enough to explain the amity in which they live. We would also like to understand why they find Digger such a fearsome creature.
We share the sense of loss at Jack’s death. But I would be remiss not to commend Digger and Kellie, without whom we’d be flying blind.
— David Collingdale
Hyperlight Transmission
June 9
chapter 21
On the ground at Lookout.
Friday, June 13.
…INVADE ONE OF the libraries. We need to find out what they’re reading. Get access to the scrolls.
The Frances Moorhead arrived in the middle of the night with the industrial-size lightbender, which would hide the lander. Kellie and Digger thanked the captain, and transferred Jack’s body. That was an ordeal that reopened wounds and left Digger wandering aimlessly through the ship after the Moorhead had gone.
He’d received a sympathetic message from Hutchins shortly after the incident. She was sorry, shared their grief, don’t blame yourself, bad things happen. But she didn’t know everything, didn’t know Jack had warned him to stop, didn’t know Digger was going to lift the coin.
“She never really asked for the details,” he told Kellie. “She must know I left stuff out.”
“I’m sure she does. But the Academy needs heroes.” She looked at the lightbender and looked at him. “She’s giving you a chance, Dig.”
Kellie saw to it there was no time for him to sit around feeling sorry for himself. They tied the unit into the lander’s systems, connected field belts around the hull, ran a successful test and headed for the surface.
KELLIE TRUSTED HIM. Had it been someone else, she might have been frightened. The prospect of being caught out there alone, weeks away from the nearest base, with a guy who was coming emotionally apart, would have been unnerving for anyone. But she’d known Digger a long time.
This wasn’t their first flight together, and though she’d been aware from the beginning of his interest in her, she hadn’t taken him seriously until the beginning of this mission. She wasn’t sure what had changed. Maybe she’d gotten to know him better. Maybe it was that he hadn’t embarrassed her by becoming persistent. Maybe it was that she’d simply realized that he was a good guy. In the end, she’d come to enjoy just being with him.
But the way in which Jack had died was a nightmare. And the ironic aspect of the event was that she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have made a grab for the coin herself. Mistakes happen. And if you get unlucky, there’s a price to be paid. It doesn’t make you culpable, she told herself, and occasionally, when it seemed necessary, Digger.
She was glad to see the library request come through. It provided a challenge and gave him something else to think about.
THE MOST ACCESSIBLE means of entry into the center of Brackel was through the harbor. But she couldn’t simply set down in the water, even with the lightbender field protecting the lander. Its treads would create twin depressions in the water, an effect that would startle any witnesses. So they waited until the sun went down. When it was reasonably dark, Kellie came in over the harbor, past a vessel anchored just offshore (there was a light in a forward cabin but no other sign of life), and descended a few meters away from a deserted pier.
Digger was beginning to feel like an old hand. He slipped into the gear, turned on the Flickinger field, switched on his converter, put his laser cutter into a pocket, and activated the lightbender. Kellie climbed into her own gear and followed him out the airlock onto the pier.
He looked back at the lander. Its ghostly silhouette rose and fell in the incoming tide. Kellie directed Bill to move it well out into the harbor. They watched it go, then turned toward the city.
It was a bright, clear night. The big moon was overhead; the smaller one was rising in the west. It wasn’t much more than a bright star.
Digger led the way through the harbor area. Lights were going on, cafés filling up, crowds roaming the streets. They had four pickups, two for the library, and two, as Digger said, “for a target of opportunity.”
The target of opportunity showed up when they passed the two structures they’d thought of as theaters-in-the-round. Both were busy. Oil lamps burned out front, signs were prominently displayed, and the locals were pushing their way in.
“Care to stop at the theater first, my dear?” asked Digger.
“By all means,” she said. “We can do the library in the morning.”
They chose one and took pictures of the signs, several of which featured a female Goompah with a knife, her eyes turned up. (When a Goompah turns those saucer eyes to the heavens, one knew that great emotions were wracking his, or her, soul.)
They waited until most of the patrons were inside before they joined the crowd.
The circular hall was three-quarters filled. Most of the patrons were in their seats; a few stood in the aisles holding conversations. Most Goompah conversations were animated, and these were no exception. That they kept looking toward the stage indicated that they were discussing the show. Stragglers continued to wander in for several minutes. Kellie and Digger stayed near the entrance, where they had room to maneuver.
Oil lamps burned at the doors, along the walls, and at the foot of the stage.
“What do you think?” asked Kellie, pressing a finger against the pickups, which were in his vest.
“I think Collingdale would kill to have a record of whatever’s about to happen.”
“My feelings exactly.”
They waited until everyone seemed to be settled, then picked an aisle, moved in close, and squatted. An attendant went through the auditorium extinguishing some of the lamps. There was no reasonable place to attach a pickup, so Digger simply aimed it manually.
THE SHOW WAS a bloodbath.
At first Digger thought they were going to see a love story, and there was indeed a romance at the heart of the proceedings. But all the characters other than the principals seemed angry with everyone else for reasons neither of the visitors could make out. An early knife fight ended with two dead. Swords were drawn later and several more perished. One character was hit in the head and thrown off the stage to universal approval.
The action was accompanied by much music. There were musicians down front, manning wind and string instruments and a pair of drums. Onstage, the characters danced and sang and quarreled and made love. (Much to Digger’s shock, there was open copulation about midway through. The audience, obviously moved, cheered.) Later there was what appeared to be a rape. With Goompahs it was hard to be sure.