The Crystal Demon: 28/?
by Nancy Smith and Linda Garrick
XXXII
"Sublight in ten seconds," Alan said.
Lyn swallowed. "I don't know why I should be nervous," she said. "I guess it's just --"
There was a soft jolt as the ship converted to sublight.
"-- That I don't know exactly what to expect," she finished.
"Well, there it is," Alan said. "Take a good look."
Lyn leaned forward, examining the misty planet poised serenely in the viewscreen before them. "It's beautiful."
"That's Lavirra. The fourth planet in the Ladreen system."
"Ladreen?" Lyn sounded puzzled. "Isn't that the star at the tip of the Devil's Pitchfork?"
"That's right. It makes up the tip of the center prong."
"From what I remember of my astronomy classes, it's one of the yellow stars without habitable planets."
"Don't believe everything you read," Alan said. "As you can see, Lavirra is not only habitable, it's a very beautiful world and one the Jils would very much like to have -- if they knew about it."
"It's one of our three main bases," Mark said, from behind them. He moved forward to settle into the navigator's chair. "Julia's asleep," he added.
"What about the survey reports?" Lyn asked, staring wide-eyed at the green, blue and brown world floating below them, girdled in clouds. The north and south poles were covered with fields of white: the planet's ice caps. The world glowed like a jewel against the black, starry background, illuminated on one side by the light of the system's star. One of Lavirra's three moons was just visible from their position.
"The report somehow got changed," Mark said. "The Underground has its ways."
"Here they come," Alan said, indicating the screen where two tiny blips had become visible. A blue light came on and an alarm began to beep.
"Interceptors!" Lyn said.
"They're just checking up on us," Alan said.
The com crackled. "Jilectan vessel, you are covered. Identify at once!"
Mark reached forward to press the transmit key.
"Here's Little Boy Blue,
To blow his horn,
The Jil's in the outhouse,
The 'trols are forlorn ..."
Alan made a gagging noise and Lyn giggled.
"It wouldn't be so bad if my code name wasn't 'Little Boy Blue' ," Alan said. "Eric has a weird sense of humor, sometimes. He thought it up."
The voice spoke from the com again. "Major Linley! Welcome home, sir! Is Colonel Westover with you?"
"Yep, an' Lieutenant Austell, too. Has Kaley arrived yet?"
"They landed ten minutes ago, sir! Do you have the globe?"
"We'll be bringin' it ashore, personally."
A second voice whooped. "The Jils are having a fit," it informed them. "Duke Halthzor has added a personal half million credits on top of the Autonomy's reward for your heads. You ticked him off big time."
"Ain't that just too bad," Mark said.
"What happened to the Parnell girl, sir?" the first voice asked.
"She's here," Alan said. "A new recruit. In fact, we have two other recruits as well. We'll need a gurney to transport Lieutenant Austell to the infirmary, and an anti-grav chair for one of the others for similar transportation. There was a bit of a skirmish when we borrowed the yacht."
"I'll radio ahead immediately, sir," the voice told them. "Nice addition to the Fleet. Halthzor's yacht, no less!"
"Yeah," Mark said. "Handles like a dream."
"I'll bet. Only the best for our lords and masters. Connors out, sir."
Twenty minutes later, the "Firebird" settled gently onto the Lavirra Base's landing field, and Alan cut the engines. Mark unfastened his safety webbing with a sigh of satisfaction. "Home, sweet home. I was beginnin' to wonder if we were ever gonna to see it again."
"Mark, look over there. To the right." Alan hadn't moved. "There's another Jil yacht sitting on the field. The 'Lady Grinthvill'."
Mark turned to look. "Wow," he commented. "Nice. Not as nice as this one, but no heap o' scrap, neither. Wonder where that one came from."
"I guess we could ask," Alan said. He unfastened his webbing and stood up. "Let's go."
**********
They descended the boarding ramp onto the landing field, Mark carrying Julia and Alan and Finley supporting Timmar. Lyn and the Shirva followed behind.
A couple of the field carts and one of the base's ambulances were pulled up near the edge of the landing pad, and several figures waited beside the foot of the ramp. Three of them were medical orderlies and a medic, with the requested gurney and anti-grav chair, and Mark gently deposited Julia on the gurney. The orderlies floated her away toward the ambulance and Mark turned to the medic.
"She was interrogated under sweetgrass," he explained. "She seems to be comin' out of it okay, but I thought you should know."
The man nodded. "Thanks. I'll be sure to report that." He turned to Timmar as Alan and Finley lowered him into the chair. "What do we have here?"
"Sublieutenant Timmar is a new recruit," Alan said. "He picked up a blaster burn and a crack on the head while we were escaping. We've rendered first aid, of course."
"Of course," the man said. "We'll take care of it, Colonel."
While they had been speaking, the others had been waiting, and Mark nearly jumped out of his skin at Lyn's shriek of delight. "Dad!" She went past him in a rush and hurled herself on the tall man standing between two shorter men. Mark identified Colonel Jeremy Burke and his partner, Captain Summer. Burke steadied the man, who was evidently Base Commander Parnell, as his daughter's weight descended on him, nearly knocking him over.
Parnell dropped the cane that he had been using to brace himself and his arms enfolded his daughter. "Lyn, honey! Are you all right?"
She nodded. "Oh, Dad! You're alive!"
"Thanks to Colonel Burke and Captain Summer," he said. "They hijacked a Jil yacht to rescue me. But it looks to me like you've been having a few adventures of your own." He looked past Lyn to Alan and Mark. "The 'Firebird'? Is that the newest fashion for the Underground?"
Mark saw his partner grin. "I guess it does kind of look like it." He stepped forward and held out a hand to shake Parnell's. "I'm Alan Westover, Commander, and this is my partner, Mark Linley. I guess you already know Timmar."
Parnell nodded, and Mark could see that he was struggling to control his expression as he turned toward the Arcturian. The medic paused as the former Base Commander rested a hand on the alien's arm. "I'm glad to see you alive and relatively well, Tim. You helped save my daughter. I'll never forget it. Thanks." He stepped back. "We'll talk later, after they've patched you up, okay?"
Timmar's jaws split in a hair-raising grin. "Zat would be most welcome, Sheff. I am delighted to see zat you are also alife and well."
The medic floated him away toward the waiting ambulance. Parnell turned back to Alan.
"Thank you for keeping your promise, young man."
"Promise?" Alan said.
"That you would take care of my little girl."
"She did a lot of it, herself," Alan said. "Lyn is a pretty extraordinary person." He grinned. "I'm very glad we're on the same side now, Commander. I liked you too much to treat you as an enemy."
Parnell looked down at Lyn, who had bent to pick up his cane. She snatched it up from the ground and handed it to him. "Did you hurt your leg, Dad?"
"Blaster burn," Parnell said. "It's almost well."
Jeremy was surveying Finley in his servant's garb. "The first thing we're going to have to do is get you out of that clown suit," he said. "You're not a servant any longer. The General wants to see all of you, right away, Alan." He looked down at Miki and Jeel, standing quietly at Finley's side. "Who do we have here?"
Miki smiled shyly. "I'm Miki and this is m'friend, Jeel," he announced in his broadest Shallockian accent.
Jeremy's jaw dropped. "Holy cow! I didn't expect them to answer me!"
"Miki and Jeel are Shirva," Alan explained. "They're natives of Kasal, and they're mixed up in this mess, too."
"It sounds like you've been learning Basic from Major Linley," Jeremy said. "You'd better come along with the rest of us."
"Come on, guys," Alan said. "Looks like you get to ride in one of the carts."
"Hell," Miki said, to Captain Summer's obvious amusement. "I already got to ride in a Jil yacht. This place is really weird, Alan."
"You're not the only one that thinks so," Mark said. "Come on, kids. Time to talk to the boss."
**********
"You can go right in," Ruby Ottarson said. Walter Kaley's secretary pressed the control on her desk that opened the door to the General's inner sanctum.
Alan glanced at Lyn, sensing her inner discomfort. The last time she had spoken to General Kaley, the incident had been anything but amiable. He reached out and clasped her hand reassuringly and she gave him a weak smile.
Kaley rose to his feet as they entered his office, surveying them with raised eyebrows. "Glad to see you back, Colonel Westover," he said briskly. "From the messages we've intercepted, I gathered you had some adventures during the time you were on Kasal." His eye fell on the Shirva and he paused infinitesimally. "Please, sit down, all of you."
Alan waited until Lyn had seated herself on the edge of the nearest chair and took the seat beside her. He nodded at the Shirva. "General, these are Miki and Jeel. They're representatives of the natives of Kasal."
Kaley's face revealed nothing, but Alan sensed surprise. "I didn't realize that there was an intelligent race on the planet."
"They're arboreal," Alan explained. "They came to us because they need help."
"Indeed? What sort of help?"
"Well -- that takes a little explanation, but I told him that I thought we could probably give them help. You see -- Miki is a psychic, and Jeel is his partner. Like Mark and me."
Now Kaley's eyebrows rose nearly to where his hairline had once been. "I see."
"Their species is being wiped out by the activities of the Jilectans and the Patrol," Alan continued. In a few sentences, he explained the Shirva's dilemma to his commanding officer.
Kaley listened without speaking, frowning slightly, and when Alan finished, he was silent for nearly a minute. Alan held his breath.
"Your offer of help was entirely appropriate," Kaley said abruptly. He surveyed Miki thoughtfully. "You're a psychic, Miki?"
Miki nodded, looking shy. "Hell, yes," he said in a small voice.
"And how many of your people have the ability?"
The Shirva shrugged expressively. "It sorta runs in families, but there ain't that many of us left, y'know. Only maybe three or four th ... th ..."
"Thousand," Alan supplied.
"There was lots more before the 'trols came," Miki added. "But then lots died because they took our Tchi." He glanced at Jeel. "In a few more months, I woulda died, too."
Kaley was nodding, as though to himself. "With only three or four thousand, evacuation should be no problem. Do they want to be evacuated, Colonel Westover? Have you discussed it with them?"
Miki answered for him. "There ain't nothin' else t'be done, sir. Alan says now that the 'trols know the Lemke grows there, they'll wipe us out."
"The planet may eventually be used for colonization, too," Alan told him. "The climate's a bit cold for Jils, but it's not bad."
"Also, if the Jilectans realize that the Shirva have psychics in their ranks, your people will be deliberately exterminated," Kaley said.
"Yes," Alan said.
Kaley regarded the two Shirva thoughtfully.
"If we help you, will your people be willing to help us, should the need arise?"
Miki's small face split into a pleased grin. "Sure! Hell, yes! But how can we?"
"Perhaps not at the present time," Kaley said. "There are instances, however, when psychic ability and small size can be very useful. I would like to know if we would be free to contact you should we need to."
Miki nodded vigorously. "What th'hell, sure! My Chief told me t'tell you my people pay their debts."
An eyebrow crawled up. "Who taught him Basic?"
"Me, mostly," Linley said.
"Absurd question." Kaley smiled and again addressed the Shirva. "Uninhabited planets are rare, and you may be forced to settle for a planet where there is already a Terran colony. Would you object to that?"
Miki shrugged. "Hell, no."
"Very well. We'll see what we can do. In the meantime, we must find out what it is in the Lemke that is so essential to your survival." He pressed a button on his desk. "Ruby, have Captain Le'Frin report to my office."
"Yes, sir," his secretary's voice responded.
Kaley addressed the Shirva again. "Captain Le'Frin specializes in alien physiology. He'll be doing a few tests on you and should be able to find the solution to the problem. Go with him and cooperate fully."
Miki turned anxious, puzzled eyes on Alan. "What th'hell did he say?"
Alan hid a smile with effort. "Le'Frin is a Procyon. He looks different from us, but he's a friend. He's going to try to find out what it is that you need to stay healthy. Go with him and do what he says."
"Oh." Miki flashed a winning smile at Kaley. "Sorry. You use awful big words, Gen'ral."
Kaley's lips quirked. "Now, about the globe, Major Linley ..."
Mark produced it and set it, still tightly wrapped, on the desk. Kaley surveyed it for a moment and then started to reach for it. Miki yelped and jumped forward.
"Careful, sir." Mark put a hand on top of the thing. "Miki seems t'know about it. He says it's dangerous for anybody t'have any contact with it."
Kaley turned to the Shirva. "Why?"
Miki's gaze wavered, and like before, he seemed to draw into himself. "Damn thing's real bad." He glanced quickly at Alan. "Evil. It destroys. It'll make mush outta you."
"How?"
Miki was shaking his head, not looking at the General. "I dunno, Gen'ral. I sees one before, long time ago. It killed lotsa my people. There was globes on Kasal many years ago."
"When?"
Miki shrugged. "Dunno. My grandfather told me. It happened when he was just a kid."
"Oh yeah?" Mark said. "How long ago was that?"
Miki did a quick count on his fingers, his lips moving silently. "Fi ... six hundred year, I guess."
"Six hundred years!" Mark stared at the Shirva in amazement. "How long do Shirva live?"
"Kasal's year is only two thirds of a Terran year, Mark," Alan said.
"Yeah, but ... holy hell, that still means Miki's grandpa is over four hundred years old!"
Miki looked puzzled. "Is somethin' wrong, Mark?"
"Terrans only live about two hundred of our years," Alan told him. "Apparently your lifespan is about twice that."
"Presumin'," Mark said, "that Miki's grandpa is about at the end of his string. How long do Shirva live, Mik?"
Miki shrugged. "Some more, some less. I'm eighty-six years."
Alan did a quick calculation in his head. Miki, who was not yet full grown, was close to sixty Terran years old. Good grief!
"M'other grandpa who jus' died was six hundred an' sixty," Miki informed them, coolly.
"Let's get back to the globe," Kaley said. "You said you'd seen one?"
Again, Miki seemed to retreat. "A long time ago, before the 'trols came."
"And what happened? Can you tell us?"
He nodded reluctantly. "M'dad said we shouldn't talk about 'em, cause when people talk about 'em, they come again." He hesitated. "It's very hard to 'splain."
"Just start at the beginnin'," Mark told him.
"Okay." Miki frowned in memory. "I was awful young, an' I don't remember real good. I saw the thing -- it'd been brought by one o' my people, then it killed him. Another one of my people had it, an' he was fightin', screamin', actin' crazy. Two of the tribal warriors held him an' another, a psychic, took the globe away. I never saw it again."
"What did he do with it?"
Miki shrugged. "I ain't sure. My father said he destroyed it. He had a Droma."
"Droma?" Kaley asked.
Mark pulled out the little stone. "They're from the planet," he explained. "Miki says only the psychics have them, an' not all o' them. Miki has one, though."
"I see. Major Linley, we shall have to study this. I think Major Burke is the one to handle it." He glanced up as the com on his desk beeped. Ruby's voice spoke.
"Captain Le'Frin is here, sir."
"Send him in."
A tall, slender Procyon entered and saluted Kaley respectfully. Kaley returned the salute and indicated the two small aliens, explaining the problem clearly and precisely. Le'Frin nodded, Terran fashion.
"Very well. If you will come with me, my friendsh ..."
Jeel looked at Miki, who looked at Alan.
"Go with him," Alan said. "He's going to find out what it is you need to stay healthy."
The two Shirva obeyed. The door shut behind them.
**********
tbc
