Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (157 page)

Kit searched
around for the plants that were a favorite of the Shar and ate a
few tender shoots. The fruits weren't set to any extent yet, much
less ripe, so he carefully avoided picking them. That was a thing
the Shar had learned.

After a time he
went to watch the men pushing the carts loaded with poor grade ore
along a track to the main refinery area. He went to walk along
beside two at one point and to touch them. One of them laughed and
bet his fellow worker he could get the "Pad" – their name for the
natives – to push the cart. He used as many signs as he could think
of to no avail (Kit knew the Shar understood the obvious signs, but
didn't do what the Jornians wanted because it didn't make any sense
to them so he ignored it).

They reached
the cave mouth and Kit stopped to sit on a warm rock. The Jornian
who made the bet turned to make another sign for him to come into
the cave and slipped, catching his foot in the rail. The cart,
which he pulled sharply to keep from falling, stopped, then began
to roll back off the little rise they were pushing it up. It was
too heavy for the one person to stop and was slowly forcing the leg
back. It would mangle it in very few seconds. Kit jumped up without
thinking and shoved the cart with his shoulder, stopping it. He
then pushed steadily until it was off the leg. Then he went to sit
on the rock again.

"Er you all
right, Yeld?" the second Jornian asked. "Bedamned! I'll bet the
Pads knows 'xactly what we mean with tha signs! They jist don't
wanna push tha damned carts sos they don't push tha damned
carts!

"Is yer leg
broke? Should I call Lesh?"

"I'm okay,"
Yeld replied. "It hurts like unholy hell, but it SHOULD be torn
OFF! OW! DAMN! It's sprained sure as hell! I'll have to wrap
it.

"Help me in.
Lesh can soak it and wrap it for me.

"Hey, Pad! I
owe you a right leg! I wish I could say something you understand,
pal! Anything in this galaxy I got you can have! I'd give you my
mate but I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy. You done ME a favor!
Besides, you guys don't like our women.

"Listen to me!
This must have affected my brain! Uhn!"

He passed out.
Kit went to stare down at the prone figure. The second Jornian
patted Kit and kept saying it was shock and that he'd be all right.
"We won't neither one fergit the favor ya done us, Pad. No sir!" he
said. "Anythin' we kin do fer ya, jist find a way ta let us know!
Any favor! It's yorn!

"Thank ya, Pad,
thank ya. Doan worry none about old Sech! Jist shock! He ain't hurt
bad, thanks ta YOU!

"Crazy Pads! We
doan fool none a ya fer one bit! I think yer probably smarter'n us
by plazsis!

"Hey, Lesh!
C'mere! Ya got a job! Lesh!"

Kit cocked his
head to the side and pushed the cart over the little hump in the
tracks it had rolled back on, cocked his head to the side again,
then went on down to the stream and dove in. Let that jerk who was
talking to Z at the camp tell these two he wanted to use the Pads
for food!

He got back to
the encampment to see Tab by the rock with two of the women trying
to get him to respond to their blatant sexual advances. The way
they were grabbing at him couldn't possibly be misunderstood.

Tab suddenly
stopped and pushed them away, staring at the encampment. He started
raising and dropping his arm in a funny pattern. It was obviously
some sign to Kit, but what?

Then Kit heard
the radio internals. Dit! Dit! Dit! Dah! Dah! Dah!

It was a signal
Tab understood so it was from Z – but what was it?

*

Tab went near
the encampment as Kit went upstream. He was sure Z wanted to report
on some of this and maybe he could get close enough when no one was
around, though the one Jornian didn't seem about to let Z get alone
and unwatched. There were two of the women who had made bets (The
Jornians seemed to like to bet on anything) with others that they
could seduce a Pad, which was what they called the Shar.

One thing was
certain. If he decided it would be a good idea to let them be
successful it was going to be an experience they'd never forget! It
would either cure them of ever messing with the Shar sexually or
make them even more aggressive!

The Jornians
didn't bother him in any way except to come close for the
identification ritual. He was sure they did it because they liked
being so intimately caressed.

Well, he did,
too! If he could avoid those two women he might get to Z. It would
have to seem a logical meeting though. With Z's inhibitions it
would be great fun to hang on him and feel him in that manner!
Particularly with him knowing it was Tab! The best part would be
that Z would have to return the petting ritual. It was fairly
certain the Jornians had explained that.

This wasn't the
time for fun and games. TR was right there in the open and would be
the most likely place for Z to come if there was some native poking
around so he went to stare at the ship. He walked all the way
around it and then stood to stare again. He saw several Jornians
watching him so he went to the ship and put his hand on the rim. TR
was waiting and made a short, intense burst-communication directly.
He absorbed the three millisecond input, then stood back to look at
the ship and go through the information.

"Z's inside the
cavern and is upset by something Kilk said. There's no danger from
the phase disruptors because there's no generation yet. The
Jornians are being careful not to harm the Shar in any way. You
know that. Maybe you'll be seduced, Boss!

"Maita sent
floaters to me several times. It's with Thing at the mines over the
fumaroles. T Six has put a Shar on the probe and finds they're far
more intelligent than the Jornians know, but they're happy with
things as they are. Not much else."

It was good to
know the disruptors weren't ready. The fact Z knew that and hadn't
acted to call Maita in now meant there was more to this than met
the eye. The Jornians were trying very hard to not damage the Shar
in any way? But they would use them for food?

Maybe the one,
Kilk, TR had called him, wasn't representative of the others here
and that was why Z wasn't acting. That meant by inference that Z
was in danger.

Tab walked
around the ship again then went to touch it, giving it a burst
about what he'd done and what the conversation with Z was by the
rock. He added he still wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea
to allow himself to be seduced by those Jornian women. He included
everything they'd found in their travels along the little stream
and said Kit was exploring farther up right now.

He stepped back
again, shrugged and went into the encampment. He stayed long enough
that Z would be there if he was coming. Tab felt the Shar would
avoid going into caves so stayed well clear of the entrances. He
stopped to share the petting with two of the Jornians and was
thinking it must be very true that Kilk wasn't really
representative of the people. If it weren't for the danger of
biological contamination and the ideas of militarism of the
Jornians this would be a colony that could flourish. It could be
good for both races. That must be the conclusion Z had come to and
what he was working on. That Kilk character was one who could make
him lose his temper though and that was still a dangerous thing to
do. Kilk would be the head of this so he would be followed.

The Jornians
were a relatively young race and could grow up nicely here. This
was a true paradise world despite its extreme weather. Technology
could be used to make a comfortable place for the Jornians in these
mountains or on the plains where the Shar didn't go much. There was
plenty of room for both races except that these Jornians were here
for strictly military aims or were they? Were part of them here as
a colony who didn't know what was going on?

Tab headed back
toward the stream where he played awhile. The water was a bit too
cool for the Jornians yet, but would soon be pleasant. Tab didn't
doubt for a minute the Shar and Jornians played together in the
times the water was a proper temperature.

He went to lay
on the warm rock after awhile. It was pleasant in the sun and he
still felt like a native. Kit would be back soon and they could
head back downstream to wait for Maita to send a floater with
instructions when anything came up. Maybe they could go to T6 and
could meet Maita in the trench – but Tab would much rather go back
to the lake and spend a few million years among the Shar there.

Then the two
women came. They had, as Z would say, pulled out all the stops
(Where did he get those sayings? What did it really mean?). They
were rubbing all over him and openly and obviously offering
themselves.

Well, why not?
No other Shar would be under any obligation to respond. Things
could get back to normal – except that he was damned well going to
give these two women an experience they wouldn't forget!

The Shar didn't
move much during the act. The male's organs were internal, but were
extended when he became excited. He could make the experience less
than pleasant and maybe that would put an end to it. Maybe if....
What was that? Dit? On a wide static frequency? It was three
steady, pulsed bursts. Dit! Dit! Dit! And a longer one. Dah! It had
to be a signal and it had to be from Z!

Tab stood to
face the camp and caught the sight of Kit coming down the stream
toward them. He gently pushed the two women aside and signaled for
Kit to follow the code by moving his arm in sequence with it.

Morse code! Z
had told about using it in some of his earlier adventures with
Maita! It would be in English, but Tab didn't know what the various
patterns meant. He and Kit both recorded the full message in both
runthroughs. TR would be doing the same, but Tab dared not go to TR
again.

The women were
puzzled by his actions so he turned back to them as Kit came up.
They petted a bit and, through direct touch communication, decided
to go for the obvious when Kit saw the floater obviously trying to
get their attention. Tab turned to see it when Kit signed to him so
they suddenly left the women there and dove into the stream. They
turned to stare at the women, who they knew weren't about to come
into the cold water. Tab waved at them and floated up to indicate
he was ready for sex. For a moment he thought they might brave the
cold, but they talked each other out of it. Tab saw then they were
afraid. They had made those bets fully believing it couldn't happen
and were scared now that it almost had.

Tab made the
growling laugh and dove. Kit followed. They made their way
downstream as quickly as they could, dove over the falls and
wrestled for a moment when they saw several Jornians watching, then
went on downstream. As soon as they were fully out of sight of the
camp the floaters came to pick them up and to take them quickly to
T6.

"TR sent a message via floater that it had received a
message from Z," T6 said. "I'll give it to you verbatim:
guys I am being
held inside of cave second door from right in rear drop bar on door
outside kilk dangerous but others not problem here not serious if
few removed good for both races z'

"You'll have to
get him out. This Kilk is the leader if what we interpret is right.
Input everything you have since Tab spoke with TR. I need
everything from you, Kit."

There was a
silence as the machines traded their information in
milliseconds.

"We'll go back,
but we can't go into the cave," Tab said. "It would be out of
character."

"Neither of us
can go as a Jornian because we'd be spotted immediately," Kit said.
"They all know each other by sight. Can you get a floater in
there?"

"No," T6
replied. "I don't know how we'll do this. This is the kind of thing
Z's so good at, but he's the object this time."

"I may have an
idea," Kit said. "Get Maita to come here. Send a floater or
something.

"You reported
they'd fastcommed in code to Grlaq? Or the area, anyhow?"

"Maita said
they did," T6 replied.

"We won't know
'til we try!" Kit agreed. "I think those silly women taught me a
lot about Jornians!"

On With
It

[ Kit, I think
you might have seen something we haven't, but please remember, Z is
a prisoner in there. What's your plan? We have to be able to act in
exact concert if we're to save Z. ]

"Simple," Kit
replied. "Tab and I change back into our regular forms, we board
Maita and we land next to TR where we demand that Z be brought out.
T Six lands at the mine in the mountains with either Tab or myself
aboard and tells the Jornians there they are to get aboard and come
to the camp. We won't worry about the fumarole dome or any of that
because it doesn't matter."

*What if they
threaten to kill Z?*

"Oh, they
won't," Kit promised. "I have them figured out the same way I'm
sure Z has. They're really trying not to hurt anyone here and they
haven't. They all came originally with grandiose plans to start an
empire, but found an empire's not what they want. There are
exceptions.

"The people
like and enjoy the Pads and the Pads like and enjoy the Jornians as
much. They're pioneering this planet. They don't want or need the
same parts of it as the Pads. Those women set out to seduce Tab and
me. It was a game and was great fun. No one would be hurt. Everyone
would have a good time. They only did it because they were sure
they'd fail. As soon as Tab responded they chattered at each other
in an attempt to find a reason to back out of it. They found the
touching and teasing and playing was fun. The seeking was a great
adventure, but they didn't actually want to have sexual relations
with a Pad, they wanted to know if they COULD!