Smoke rose lazily from the Cabin nestled down by the small creek in the valley. It was the only sign that anyone lived there. In fact, were someone to look into the valley for the Cabin, they would not see it, so well was it built in amongst the surrounding trees and shrubs. Were this hypothetical person to try and use more technological aids, such as a hand held scanner, he would still see nothing.
Drawing on greater resources, a scan for power, lifesigns, even using a high power multi-spectral orbital scanner, this hypothetical observer would still see nothing more than an idyllic little valley, nestled between the steep surrounding Ferdinand Mountains.
The jamming field surrounding the cabin was as comprehensive as was available. A combination of Corsair, Order and Lane Hacker technology, mixed with a little bit of genuine "tinkering" it rendered the Cabin and everything around it immune to almost any form of scanning technology - making it effectively invisible.
The comm signals emanating from the cabin were too similarly scrambled. First routed to a a secret TBH comm station in Capital City (without permission of course) it then made its way out of Omicron Gamma via regular corsair channels until it hit Omega 41. From there, it routed through a Zoner comm station (again without permission or knowledge). Jumping from there it left the regular Corsair net completly, scrambling itself through the comm system of The Daumann base Solarius station in Omega 11, through to Omega 7 and entering the trade lane comm channels at Friestadt. From there, it jumped through to the military Channels of both Rheinland and Brettonia and once there, could jump anywhere its sender chose to send it.
If the haphazard system jumping and code scrambling wasn't enough, the new Lane Hacker device that Ben Laowai had retrieved from Magellan a few weeks earlier scrambled the signal completly.
Ben had always been a stickler for secrecy, and in this case, out here in the mountains in his small Cabin, he did not want anyone to find him and break his solitude until a moment of his own choosing.
Which is why when calling his sister, on planet Houston, he was taking no chances.
If anyone was going to find him and show up uninvited, it would be his sister and her damned farmer of a husband.
He reached their comm frequency and left a message "Isabel, it's Ben, i'm alive, i'm fine - i am assuming your son made it back to you by now. I will contact you again soon." He paused and went on "Don't try to track this."
He disconnected the signal and set up the hacker device to deflect any trace programs sent after the signal. Geniuses those Lane hackers, shame about the company they kept.
A noise from outside took his attention from his equipment. A distinctive crack echoed over the valley. He knew what it was immediately, a sonic boom caused by something entering the atmosphere and crossing the sky. He grabbed his blaster and went outside. He dashed a few meters to a tree directly in front of the Cabin. There was nothing unusual about the tree save the rope ladder dangling from somewhere in the canopy above. Ben lept up this and reached the small observation platform he had built on the highest branches of the tree. From here, he had an unbroken view of the sky above the valley.
He saw it immediately, a white trail streaming across the sky. It was moving fast. An escape pod..... Whatever it was it was descending and getting closer. It passed over head and there was another sharp crack.. descent thrusters, definatly an escape pod.
It continued downwards until he lost sight of it heading into a valley several miles away in between several tall mountains, its white-brown vapor trail showing its path as it gradually began to dissipate in the air.
Laowai lept down from the tree. He went into the Cabin and switched in the long range scanner. The object was obscured by the neighboring mountains so it did not show up on scanners. He could log into the Crete orbital net and check from there, but he did not need to. The lack of any signal told him all he needed to know.
The pod had no distress beacon.
None.
An escape pod, by its very nature, preserved the life of a pilot in order that he be found and rescued. Every pod possessed an inbuilt distress beacon that to any scanner within range, would stick out like a sore thumb. It was hardbuilt into the frame of the pod itself and was almost impossible to destroy unless the entire pod itself was vaporised. The only reason for a pod to have no such beacon was if the pilot themselves had deactivated it. And the only reason a pilot would do that was;
If he didn't want to be found.
Ben quickly threw on his combat jacket and strapped on his munitions belt and blaster pistol. collecting his optical scanners and his portable scanner he threw them into a backpack. Lastly he picked up his Liberty "Sharpshot" blaster. Making sure his jamming field on his cabin was configured correctly he dashed out the door, pausing only to lock up behind him.
He had no time to waste, whoever was in that pod was not a Corsair and owing to the fact that they had ejected, were more than likely hostile. They would immediately try to put as much distance between themselves and the pod as possible. Ben knew that it would be days before anyone from Capital City made it our this far to search. So it was up to him.
He dashed off down the disguised path that only he knew, small clouds of dust kicked up behind him as he ran.
He reached the area in just a little over an hour and a half.
The smell of burning timber and shrubs reached his senses before he saw the pod. As he approached a small rise he could smell it, more than likely burned by the thrusters or the superheated outer hull, made red hot by its supersonic atmospheric entry. Ben unslung his "Sharpshot" blaster and set the charge to active. He crouched, reducing his steps to as silently as possible and crept slowly to the top of the rise, he knew the Pod would be on the other side.
Reaching the top he crouched down on one knee and looked over it slowly and carefully. Aware that any sudden movement would give his position away should someone be observing. Sure enough he saw it; an escape pod, lying on its side slightly embedded in the ground, a trail of broken twigs and earth trailing behind it. It had obviously not been a textbook landing.
He saw no sign of life, but sitting back down again he reached into his bag and retrieved his portable scanner. He activated it and waited as it sent out a scan of the surrounding area.
Nothing.
The downed pilot could be jamming his signal somehow, but it was unlikely that a combat pilot would be carrying that kind of equipment. The pods size and design clearly indicated it had come from some kind of fighter or bomber class of ship. Laowai looked over the ridge again, he could still see nothing. No sign of movement save the wisps of smoke rising up from the craft itself.
He was about to break cover when the scanner beeped quietly. He glanced at its screen and sure enough, a small green dot had appeared on it and it indicated that whatever it was was moving towards the pod from the other side of the valley.
He looked up again, from this side of the pod, even from his slightly elevated position there was no way to get a clear shot at whatever was approaching, and he dare not break cover lest he be spotted. Laying prone he crawled to the tip of the rise and sighted his blaster rifle towards the pod. Again he reached into his bag beside him and this time retrieved his Order issue optical scanner, with this, he looked out towards the area the scanner had indicated.
The man was jogging towards the pod, but Ben could only see the top half of him and at this distance it was still indistinct. Still, by his movements Ben could tell that he wasn't acting with an overly large sense of urgency. He suspected that the pilot knew how far out he was and believed he had some time before he was found. Thats what he thinks....
Ben looked through the optical scanner again. The man was closer now, and he was jogging steadily to the pod, Glancing around occasionally, perhaps he is more wary than i thought... The man turned face round and Ben saw the colour of his uniform, and the tell tale inhaler reaching in front of his face.
An Outcast.
Ben sighted the pod with his blaster. Peering through its sights he watched as the Outcast drew closer. He reached the pod, unaware his every move was under scrutiny and activated a control which caused the pod's outer door to open. The Outcast moved around the other side of the craft and knelt just inside the door. Placing him on Laowai's side of the pod, his head sighted squarely in the sights of the "Sharpshot" blaster. "Thanks for making it easy for me" Laowai smiled to himself. Looking squarely down the sight he placed the indicator on the Outcasts right temple, holding his breath, he squeezed the trigger.
The Outcast pilot stood suddenly, holding a metal case in his hand at the exact second Ben fired. He jumped slightly at the sound of the blaster shot, it's focused energy bolt hitting the case in his hand where milliseconds before his head had been. The case exploded in a cloud of orange coloured dust and metal shards. The Outcast cried out as he took a step back and lost his footing, falling flat on his back to the ground.
Dammit, lucky bastard Laowai thought and sighted the rifle for a second shot. But the Outcast was not going to make it as easy a second time, he rolled to the right as Laowai's second shot hit the ground where he had fell, he had upholstered his own blaster and fire a volley of shots in the direction of his unseen attacker as he continued to roll behind the pod, putting him out of Laowai's line of sight.
Ben cursed and fired another shot over the top of the pod, this blast hitting a tree directly above where he knew the pilot was huddling, showering bark and splinters into the air. Quickly he reached to his belt and retrieved a small black metal disk, upholstering his blaster pistol he placed the disk in its nozzle and quickly aimed at the tree behind the pod again and fired. Dropping to the ground he closed his eyes and covered his ears.
The disk sailed quickly and directly to the spot he had aimed it, but glanced off the top of the pod before ricocheting upwards then suddenly exploding with a terrific crack and a blinding flash in the air, almost directly above the pod itself.
As soon has he heard the crack Ben leapt to his feet, Blaster pistol in one hand and Rifle in the other and dashed down the other side of the rise, he had around a minute until the Outcast pilot regained his sight and hearing.
But the Outcast, huddled in close against the pod had been spared the worst of the blast, having ricocheted up of the pod itself the explosion had momentarily stunned him, but its effects began to wear off much sooner than Laowai had anticipated. The Outcast, jumped to his feet quickly, knowing that his attacker would now at this moment he making his way to finish him off quickly, He dashed back from the pod and round to its other side, hoping to catch his assailant off guard and out of cover. As he rounded the pod he saw a man mere meters away running towards him and fired.
Laowai was startled to see the Outcast pilot jump out from behind the pod, he sidestepped slightly to the left as a blaster bolt he had barely seen narrowly missed his head. Still running he raised his own pistol as the Outcast fired again, this shot, even though they were meters away, falling wide - He still can't see properly Laowai realised as he squeezed off two shots quickly at the Outcast, the first missing and the second exploding against the pod next to his face, showering him with metal shards and causing him to recoil suddenly. Laowai dropped his Sharpshot rifle and was about to fire a final shot at the crouching Outcast with his pistol when the Outcast suddenly dropped and rolled forward , his legs rounding out in a perfect sweeping kick which caught Ben completly off guard and he tripped backwards, landing on his back with a violent thud.
The outcast now spun his own blaster round to fire but Ben kicked his leg up, knocking the Outcast's blaster out of his hand and sending it flying off. Rolling to his side Ben leapt to his feet and tried to bring his own pistol to bear but the Outcast had also jumped up and with a backhand sweep knocked the blaster from Ben's hand.
Ben reacted instantly and brought his left hand up in a punch which connected with the outcasts jaw, following through quickly with a right to the other side. The Outcast barely flinched and quickly slipped a knife from his belt, slashing wildly at Laowai's mid section. Ben reacted quickly and jumped back, unsheathing his own knife in the process.
They stood for a moment studying each other. Their eyes locked. "You're a long way from home my friend"... Laowai said. The Outcast spat, "And you are a lousy shot Senor". Relaxing slightly Ben began to slowly circle the Outcast, who reacted by stepping carefully in the opposite direction. "I admit that my shot was off target" Ben said, "and while i was aiming for your head, i do believe i killed you anyway..." He paused and said "How long can an Outcast go without Cardamine?"
The Outcast scowled. Ben's shot had hit his emergency supply of Cardamine, and like all Outcasts, he was addicted to the substance and would eventually die without it. He knew he would only have days left even if he won this fight, but right now, he had an advantage, the Cardamine in his system numbed him slightly from pain, and the blows to his face had barely registered.
He studied his Corsair opponent. The man was old, and the Outcast had already judged his reflexes and speed to be much less than his own, there was still a chance he could contact Outcast operatives on Crete if he could get out of this situation. The Old man had surprised him, but he had the advantage now.
"I'll live long enough to take you down with me old man" He said menacingly. Ben nodded, "Very well my friend, take your shot"
The outcast moved almost before the sentence was finished, in a quick motion he leapt forward, knife poised for for a wide slash aimed at Ben's throat. But the Outcast had made the mistake of underestimating his opponent and fully committed himself to this move. Ben saw it coming, moving his head back he easily avoided the attack and sweeping forward with his left palm open he gripped the outcasts arm and used his own weight against him. Pushing him forward slightly the Outcast over balanced and was unable to counter as Ben thrust his knife up quickly with his right hand, stabbing it deeply into the outcasts stomach. Laowai shoved him forward and the Outcast fell back onto the ground, gripping the knife jutting up from his stomach. He kicked his legs into the dust and moaned in pain.
Ben retrieved his Sharpshot and his Blaster and stood over the Outcast. "I'm sorry my friend, it seems you will not be living that long after all."
The Outcast groaned and tried to move, still clutching the knife in his stomach he attempted to drag himself into an upright position but collapsed again to the ground. He lay there and realised that his situation was dire, he began to feel dizzy, shock or loss of blood or both, he did not have long left.
He looked up at the Corsair "In the pod..." he said
"What about in the pod"? Ben asked.
The Outcast groaned again. "In the pod, there is a metal container under the life support system, a data pad, some notes..."
Ben could see that the outcast did not have long to live, he was losing a lot of blood. The Outcast went on: "Notes, to my wife, messages for her and my son.. "
Crouching down Ben studied the outcast carefully. "You ask this of me?"
The Outcast moaned and nodded, "but i know i should expect nothing from a ... Corsair.." He coughed, and groaned, his head falling back onto the ground.
Ben stood again, looking down at the man. "What is your name outcast?"
"Andreas Mendoza" the Outcast said, straining...
Ben took off his jacket and lifting the Outcasts head gently he placed it underneath. The man looked at him, not understanding. But Laowai nodded and spoke "Do not fear Outcast Andreas Mendoza, You fought honorably, your kin shall know of your fate. you will see that we Corsairs are honorable foes"
The Outcast leaned back, "Thankyou" he said, he turned away, "Leave me be, i want... quiet"
Ben nodded and stood up, he walked over to the pod and sat down.
Later that evening, Ben sat in his Cabin. The Outcast had died not long after their conversation. Ben had dug a grave and buried him in it, a small pile of stones marking the spot. On his table now, spread out, were the contents of the container the Outcast had seen so important as to use his last words to tell him about.
There was nothing of intelligence significance, it was as the man had said, messages he had recorded to his son, his wife, messages from them.
Ben sat quietly by the fire light and read them. He felt no remorse for the Outcast he had killed, for he, like Laowai, was a soldier in a conflict that had lasted for as long as anyone remembered. They all knew their place. But seeing the messages from this Outcasts life and family, he could not help but remember when he had heard of his own father's death when he was not much older than the lad whose father he had just taken away.
He looked at an image of the boy, no more than 10 years old, dark hair, his skin already showing the signs of cardamine exposure but eyes beaming with pride at his father, a brave outcast pilot. He could almost hear the words, just as he had said "I want to fly one day as well"
. I wonder if you will one day kill me.... He thought while looking the boys image for i have certainly given you reason to today.
He would honour his word to the Outcast. There was no dishonor in granting a wish to a foe who fought well.
He checked the time, it was late. The calls will have to wait until tomorrow. To do this he would need to fly again, and if so, he might need crew.
The small Android stood imobile as Ben linked its sytems to his own computer system.
He had removed the android from The "machine" planet in omicron Kappu, and while he was aware there was a growing sentience there, he was also aware that this sentience was not master of all machine lifeforms... not yet.
He entered the command into his data pad and wiped the pre existing programming within the machine. It had been programmed initially for deep space mineral retrieval and thus its programming was simple enough to override. This type of machine was never in danger of achieving any kind of sentience, its systems were too limited and the physical restraints exhibited by its hardware meant that this small, pod like machine would be nothing more than a tool.
After fastening his cargo within its frame he went about programming it a simple set of commands, guarded by an encryption that could never be broken, for the encryption relied on a series of random commands that only he could know, and only he could activate.
The machine would leave Cretan space via a barely traveled route, and then enter cruise speed and proceed to where he had told it to go, he fixed the machine with standard jamming, evasion and covert protocols and then set it to standby. It would launch a few hours after he had left his hangar.
Walking down the stairway he approached the blast ridden hull of the Xibanya Nuren. She stood supported by scaffolding and wire frames supporting various electronic feeds. Having the vessel in the spacecraft version of "intensive care" was something that he was beginning to get used to. After the outcast raid above Crete her crew had ejected and landed safely planetside, but her vacated hull had needed to be retrieved by salvage vessel. The outcasts had thoroughly hammered several of the capital class ships that had stood on patrol above Crete not long before, and as he stood there, watching the technicians and their automated helpers clamber over his ship, he considered wider issues.
The Corsairs stood alone their only allies; the Gaians, farmers alliance, the Order and the Kusari Hogosha while lending valuable financial and intelligence aid, were for all intents and purposes inefective in any military sense... and the Zoners? It struck him as bad tidings indeed that the Outcasts had massed first in Omicron Theta before they had moved into Corsair space...
The Nuren's targeting systems had completly failed during the battle with the outcasts, and he knew that he would have to take time to figure out why. For now, he just needed to get her airworthy again.
He ran his hands through his grey hair... so many Corsairs were still bickering about petty matters while their enemies wasted no time on such pursuits, they just arrived calm, organised and intending death.
"Contact me after you have finished the estimate on her hull" he called out to a Corsair technitian who was laboring over a scanner atop the Nuren's Hull.
He gathered the few possessions he had brought with him into capital city after his hiatus in the wilderness and turned to leave the Hangar, intending to return to the isolated cabin from which he had so recently returned.
The Corsair Gunship “Outsider” thrummed her way through the thick, orange asteroid strewn cloud on approach to the Battleship Fes. Inside, her crew were in good spirits. They had had periodic scrapes with scattered groups of Hessians on the way in and had fared well; they were looking forward to spending the money they would get from the salvage in the Fes’s bar. A notoriously small and cheap establishment, it was one of the most isolated of Corsair outposts and thus her inhabitants were always more than welcoming to visitors.
“Roger that, your request to dock is granted” the voice of the Fes’s dock officer crackled over the comm. – “Please proceed to dock one”
Captain Ben Laowai stretched out his hands, cracking his knuckles as he did so. “Take her in Phillip” he said to the helmsmen sitting at the station in front of him.
“Aye” the young man answered “Fes’s docking control is now online, handing over and commencing shutdown”
The Outsider’s engines began to quiet slowly and her maneuvering thrusters sputtered into life, she lifted slowly upwards into the waiting docking area of the Fes, whose onboard docking computer now had control of the Outsider’s helm. Laowai stood up, “well gentlemen, here we are, make yourselves at home, my business in this system will tie me over for a few days”. There were various forms of confirmation voiced from the crew and Ben turned and made his way off the bridge and down the narrow corridor that connected it to the rest of the ship.
From outside he heard several metallic “clangs” and the ship jolted slightly. He stood at the forward exit hatch and waited as the hiss of the thrusters gradually diminished; finally when he could hear them no more he unlocked the great metal bolts in the door and pushed it out and open with a loud metal whine.
He stepped down the ladder outside and dropped onto the flight deck of the Fes, smoke from the thrusters still drifted around the room.
“Well well, look who wanders on in” a voice greeted him as a man walked through the smoke toward him. His hand outstretched and a wide grin on his face. “Laowai you crazy old bastard – welcome back!”
Laowai took the hand offered him and shook it heartily. “Tomas, still putting your feet up out here I see?” They shook hands warmly; Tomas, slapping Ben on the shoulder, turned and gestured him towards a nearby door, “Come my friend, I have Baijiu waiting for you in the bar”.
Tomas de la Corez was the communications officer onboard the Corsair battleship Fes as well as an old drinking companion - one of the few who would actually drink Baijiu on occasion. Laowai had known the man for many years, but they did not see each other often. Laowai’s own commands and work kept him closer to Crete and the house systems, and the Battleship Fes was on permanent station in its current location. Indeed, a posting on the Fes was often referred to as “exile without being exiled” - constant harassment by Hessians and her distance from any major Corsair port made her a world unto herself. She was supplied monthly from Omega 41, a run in itself that was unpopular with the pilots who did it, owing to the volatile nature and the effect on ships of Omega 41 and the sheer number of Hessians that one was sure to face along the way. Her Captain and crew had long lost any sense of formal discipline on board, dressing casually and working as needed. That was not to say they were sloppy, far from it for this was dangerous space, and eccentric though they often were, the crew of the Fes were hardened fighters.
Battleship Fes was not the only Corsair outpost in the system. There was another, though most Corsairs did not know of it, in fact. almost none save the old or those extremely well versed in Corsair history did.
Fortunately, Ben Laowai fit both those categories.
Planet Tangier was an isolated, cold and harsh planet in the middle of the system which almost a century ago had been settled by a small group of Corsair colonists. Despite high hopes for a new beginning the colony had not been a success. Tangier was an inhospitable world, whose scant natural resources required expensive financial and technological investment to utilize. As tensions between the Corsairs and her many enemies at the time increased, the small colony of Tangier faced great difficulties in getting supplies. Finally, when the Hessians appeared in system in force, the supply ships stopped coming all together. With no form of industry on the planet, and no way to leave – the corsairs of Tangier faded into obscurity, lost in the midst of wider conflicts, forgotten by people at home and then finally, with the changing of generations in the council of elders, By the Corsair government itself. Many years later, an under funded, undergaurded orbital survey of the planet carried out by a group of scholars from Crete itself found nothing.
But the corsairs of Tangier had not perished, as was believed. A small group had clung on and over the decades etched out a life for themselves, they adapted to their environment, they grew accustomed to its fickle nature and weather - and more, they grew accustomed to living without war. They began to know Tangier as home.
As he sat in the small booth onboard the Fes, waiting for Tomas to bring his Baijiu, Laowai cast his mind back to the day, some thirty years ago that he discovered that the Corsairs of Tangier still lived, a fact that only he and a few others knew still to this day.
Thirty two years before:
“This is Corsairs Delta 4 – I have taken damage but (static)right, request(static)ocation, I cannot eje(static)essians(static) have shot down two pod(static) attempting to….
Signal lost.
Corsair relay station Omega 41 log.
Laowai struggled inside the cockpit of the Titan; smoke was beginning to fill the small confined space making his plight all the more desperate, the blast from the Hessian missile had caused a freak power fault in his flight control systems, which were now randomly shutting down and starting up various systems within the ship itself. A targeting system relay had exploded when the overload that caused the flight control malfunction hit, catching fire. As the smoke continued to fill the cabin he swung the ship around in a desperate attempt to avoid another Hessian missile and found himself staring at a bleak green grey planetscape, its vast bulk filling is vision and growing increasingly closer at a dangerously fast pace.
He knew without a scan of the planet he would not be able to find a suitable atmospheric window – a place where atmospheric resistance to orbital entry would be least – with any kind of certainty; in fact, he would have no chance other than blind luck. Hitting the atmosphere at these speeds would turn him and his Titan into a brief but spectacular fireball.
A blast of energy fire shot over his bow and he realized he didn’t have a choice, he pushed the Titans stick forward and dived.
The Hessians, believing he intended to suicide, peeled off and went back into a high orbit, as they did so they did’nt see the Titan level suddenly against the edge of the atmosphere, its hull beginning to glow a bright red… Laowai fought desperately to slow her down, but without flight control from his onboard computer he knew he had no chance. Battling the buffeting the hull was taking he saw his shield power indicator steadily going down… “Dammit” he cursed.
The control stick threatened to leap away at any moment and he fought with all his strength, gripping it with both hands to keep it steady. His one slim hope was to somehow slow his decent and control the angle enough so that he might make it through the atmosphere.
His shield energy indicator was almost gone.
“Dammit dammit DAMMIT” he screamed, he slammed his knee against the flight control box next to him, “Of all the stupid things to die over a blasted electrical fault!!! DAMMIT!” he slammed his knee into it again in sheer frustration.
It was then that the voice of an angel, as if from heaven itself came over his internal comm system:
“Flight control engaged, warning, shield failing, warning, hull temperature critical. Atmospheric entry emergency procedure engaging, do you wish to over ride?”
Laowai burst into hysterical laughter – “No no no no no no NOOO I do not want to override! Computer negative, engage the emergency procedures” Suddenly the control stick moved back of its own accord and the ship jolted as several thrusters were fired. Tears of relief filling his eyes Laowai took his hands off the controls and let the ship take over, taking off his gloves he used them to smother the small fire still burning on the targeting computer.
“no no no computer you just take her on down”
He leaned back into the chair, relief and exhaustion washing over him.
The Titan broke through the atmosphere and began its decent down to the planets surface. Now firmly under the control of the ships onboard flight computer it had leveled itself out and slowed so that the effects of the atmospheric entry were little more than a few scorch marks here and there and a lot less shield batteries and a few less nanobots.
Laowai raised the visor on his helmet and wiped the smoke residue from the inside of the canopy in front of him. “Computer, locate a clear area to land and put her down” he spoke out loud. There as a beep of acknowledgment in his earpieces and he saw his scanners begin to lay out a 3d rendered scan of the terrain below him, a small flat space at the foot of some hills was suddenly targeted on the screen and the computers voice chirped in his ear “Location found, please secure cockpit for computer aided landing”.
Laowai smiled at that last part - he had always thought that this was added to the computers’ message by a Corsair programmer with a sense of humour - the computers flight control computer landed a vessel within the stress parameters of the vessel, which was fine except that it didn’t take into account the stress parameters of the pilot. Many a corsair pilot had prematurely removed their helmets and seating harnesses during a computer aided landing and then suffered a nasty knock to the head or severe whiplash when their ships hit the ground.
Laowai left his helmet and harness on.
Now much closer to the ground he could see the local terrain more clearly, tall trees nearby stretched off into the distance into a vast forest, the area the ship had chosen to land was at the foot of a rocky grass covered hill. The outside temperature read at -17 degrees, and the local time appeared to be early morning just after dawn… chilly out, but nothing he couldn’t weather. The atmosphere was thin, there was oxygen, but not much, he wouldn’t be running any marathons.
The ship began to maneuver sideways in preparation for its final short decent to land.
Suddenly, the blinking lights on the flight control computer vanished and the ship lurched violently to one side. Laowai cursed, the computer had shut off again - in mid thrust - he grappled with the now free flying control stick and tried to ignite the starboard thrusters to counter the extreme list the Titan was now in.
Too late, the vessel rolled to one side and plummeted to the ground. She flipped over and Laowai was jerked out of his seat as the cockpit was suddenly upside down, his harness prevented him from flying head first into the canopy. The ship hit the ground with a crash, coming to rest upside down and on its side, resting on its right hand side fin, tail fin, and its nose. Laowai looked up, above him; he could see the ground a few meters away.
Computer aided landing…. Laowai grumbled to himself. He reached up under his chair and triggered the canopy opening control, the clear bubble above him slowly moving away and letting the chilly outside air into the cockpit.
Now the hard part.
He disconnected his helmet from the ships' oxygen supply then gripped the side of his chair firmly with one hand and unsnapped his harness with the other, suddenly free, his body dropped but he caught himself with his other arm and slowly slipped himself out of the remaining harness, then, when he was hanging the right way up, he unclipped the remaining restraint and dropped the last few feet to the ground, his feet landing on the canopy and sliding until he hit firm earth.
Moving away from the ship he surveyed the damage. His Titan was more or less intact but upside down. This was bad, there was no way to lift off with the ship laying as it was, he would have to flip it somehow – but weighing in at several tonnes flipping a Titan would not be easy.
Ben hissed through his teeth and shook his head; looking around he surveyed his surroundings. The great forest he had seen on his descent loomed off in the distance; he retrieved his hand held scanner from his belt pack and scanned the forest for signs of life. There was very little, and from the information he now looked at nor was there likely to be, the trees all sported needle like leaves which were specialized for living in a low oxygen atmosphere. Laowai knew from experience that these types of leaves contained almost no nutrition, which meant no large scale wildlife.
That could be a problem, for while he had food to last a while in the emergency supplies on the Titan, he would need to eat eventually if he was stuck here.
The sky above him was overcast; he would first need to make some kind of shelter. He had no idea how long the days lasted here and he needed to make use of the light while he had it, he knew this place would get cold at night and didn’t want to be caught in it or any weather that might blow up. He set off to find some wood and materials he could use for covering.
He spent his first night on Tangier brooding by a fire outside the shelter he had built around the upside down bulk of his Titan – Tomorrow; he would begin work on flipping it over, if he could. He fell asleep, the light of the fire casting eerie shadows on his face.
He paced the distance from forest for the second time, returning to the Titan he circled it again, his frustration growing. He could see no way of flipping it over. His initial plan had been to fell a tree, using its weight to right the ship, but there was nothing of suitable weight anywhere nearby and there nothing he could use to fasten a tree to the vessel. He cursed, his last hope would be to try and get a signal out, hoping that a corsair vessel picked it up, and not a Hessian one. He was about to enter his shelter and climb up into the cockpit to try and activate the comm system when a beeping from his belt interrupted him.
It was his scanner, on its screen two green dots had appeared at the periphery of the scanners' range, their direction indicated they were somewhere on the hill overlooking his crash site. Green dots indicated human life signs. He drew his blaster and crouching behind the upturned spinal fin of his ship he peered up onto the hill, but saw nothing. The dots on his scanner hadn’t moved; they were there, and they were probably watching him.
From somewhere on the hill he heard a distant voice call “Are you Corsair?”
Laowai considered his response, and then called back “Who is asking?”
There was a pause, the voice called again “We are asking”.
Laowai’s scanner beeped again, two more green dots had appeared on his scanner, only this time they were in the direction of the forest behind him, he was surrounded.
He considered his options, he did not know who it was that was out there, but he knew there had only been two Hessian vessels on his tail when he had dived into the atmosphere, and his scanners had not detected any others. He was confident that if he could get close to his unknown stalkers he could defeat them, but they were staying well out of his blaster range, let alone his knife – and if they had blaster rifles, they could pick him off at any time if he broke cover.
The voice echoed down the hill again. “If you are carrying a scanner, which if you are a Corsair you no doubt are, you can see we have you surrounded, so I ask again, Are you a Corsair?” Laowai decided to take a chance, under his Titan he had scant cover from blaster fire, and he did not want to show himself, quickly he took off his Corsair flight jacket, the cold instantly chilling im as he did so, and he tossed it out beyond the cover of the ship.
He waited, they would see his jacket and know where he was from, and he tensed close to the hull of the Titan, expecting blaster shots. But the voice called out again “Look up on the hill”. Ben peered round the fin again, standing up on the hill; some distance away was man clearly wearing a Corsair combat tunic and jacket. His hands were held out, showing he was not holding a weapon; a gesture of faith Laowai thought to himself. “You are Corsairs?” he called out. The man on the hill called back “Indeed we are"
Ben stood and stepped out from behind his cover. As he did so, another, smaller person appeared beside the figure on the hill, turning his head he saw two figures emerge from the forest behind them. He could see he had been right about the danger of his position, for one person in each pair carried a blaster rifle.
The two figures on the hill were closer, and they walked down towards him. Ben holstered his blaster and held his hands up and open before him, his own gesture of goodwill to show he held no weapon. As the pair drew closer he could see that they were in fact an older looking man and a younger boy who couldn’t be a day over fifteen, it was the boy that was carrying the rifle. Both wore attire that would identify them as Corsairs, though the younger one’s clothing, while in corsair style was obviously cruder and lacked the leather and metal trappings which adorned the older mans'.
The stopped at the foot of the hill around ten meters away. The older man spoke again. “I am Ernesto Crusellas, who might you be pilot”?
Laowai lowered his hands, keeping them away from his holster. “My name is Ben Laowai” he replied.
The man scratched his beard and said “Laowai? Strange name for a Corsair isn’t it? You have the look of a Kusari about you”
Ben heard a noise behind him and knew that the two others from the forest were much closer; he stayed alert, though he did not see any immediate threat in the poise of the man and boy in front of him. “My mother was Kusari” Ben answered, “Though my father was a Corsair, he flew in the Huerta raid on Malta”
The one calling himself Ernesto Crusellas raised his eyebrows, “The Huerta raid? Yes I know it; you say your father flew in that raid?”
Laowai nodded, “He flew and died in that raid.”
Crusellas continued to study him carefully, but Laowai had his own questions; “And this is a funny place to find a Corsair isn’t it? I heard that the attempt to colonise this planet was a failure?”
“That is what I think is widely believed” said the other man, “though obviously not an entire failure.”
Laowai decided to break the stalemate. “I am Corsair pilot Ben Laowai, attached to the fighter wing of Leon, I was attacked by Hessian fighters on my patrol here and obviously…” he gestured at his upturned fighter, “… the outcome of that was not what I had hoped for, if you are corsairs, then you are bound to aid me”
The older man screwed up his mouth as if thinking, then, finally he approached closer and held out his hand “You crashed your Titan, though it’s a Titan no less, and you have the knowledge to invoke our traditional code, I will trust you are who you say you are”
Laowai took the man's hand and shook it firmly. “Follow me” Crusellas said, “You spent the night out here in the cold last night, our settlement is only a few kilometers from here, tonight you may stay with us, and tomorrow we will see to your fighter.”
Laowai nodded in appreciation, the two other men from the forest had now joined them and he greeted them, they too wore the same crudely fashioned corsair styled garb that the younger boy wore
Ernesto Crusellas slapped him on the back, “So” he said, “Your father flew in the Huerta raid? We still had working transmitters when that raid took place, it was all over the local news” He smiled, “You invoked our traditional code, it seems that your father taught you well in our customs, pity he didn’t teach you to land just as well”. Crusellas laughed and they moved off, Laowai couldn’t help but chuckle himself.
As they walked, Ben quizzed the older man about how they came to be on Tangier.
“There were surveys a while back” he said, “The one’s that reported back said there were no trace of any settlers here.”
Crusellas grunted, “Those surveys would have been done from a high orbit, no doubt to allow for a speedy escape from the Hessians. We, as you will soon see, don’t live out in the open”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked.
“We attempted to build a town; in fact, we had one for a while, but after the shipments and supplies stopped coming, we felt it was too vulnerable and dangerous. Were the Hessians to show up, we had no way to defend it. But, to our good fortune, we discovered a network of caves, and that’s where we live now”
Ben raised his eyebrows, “In Caves?” he said, “But the scans should’ve still located you”
The older Corsair smiled, “Ordinarily yes, if we were just sitting in a cave that was open to the surface, but these caves stretch for miles underground, and they seem to be very difficult to scan through”
They walked on, Crusellas explaining how they had come to be here. How they had come to learn how to survive on the inhospitable planet, overcoming the odds and managing to build themselves a home, start families, support themselves. They had done so mostly without technology, conserving the few electric devices they had left; the odd blaster, medical scanners and powered tools for emergency use only. Everything else had been done the old fashioned way, by hand.
There had been a point, where they had the choice; use what power they could scrape together and try to contact other Corsairs, or use it for their needs on Tangier.
They had chosen the latter, knowing that in doing so, they might never leave again. This was now their home, and Crusellas said, they had no wish to leave, no wish to go back to Crete, they were content here.
Laowai was taken aback by this, “How can you stay here? How can you not wish to be with your people?” However, the other man only smiled “I am with my people Ben Laowai, these are my people now.”
They crossed a small grassy hill and looking down into the deep valley below it Ben could see dozens of small dark openings, what looked like doors and windows, from higher up in the valley, small wisps of smoke drifted up from fires that must be lit somewhere underground.
“You see Laowai” Crusellas gestured, his hand sweeping the extent of the valley, “This is our home”
And what a home it was. From the outside, the few windows and doors only hinted at what might lay inside. But once they entered, Laowai could catch a glimpse of the size of these underground homes. After walking down a short passage they came to the first of the caves, a vast stone cathedral that stretched back as far as he could see, other corridors leading off from its sides and walls. The colonists had carved out sections it was clear, but much of this first cave appeared completely natural, he couldn’t help but gasp.
“Impressive isn’t it?” Ernesto Crusellas said, “And this is just the first one, there are many of these, stretching for miles, on several different levels, we’ve had to work on a few, build some spaces, walls and air shafts here and there, but on the whole, it’s naturally formed”
Ben shook his head, he could see at the end of the cave, small groups of people carrying bundles of wood into one of the passageways leading off somewhere.
“How many people live here?” he asked. Ernesto nodded, “there are a few hundred of us, and our numbers have grown slightly since we arrived here.”
“Father!” A voice cried out, they turned and saw a young woman striding towards them. She was dressed in a loose fitting tunic made from the same fabric the others wore, tied off at her waist was a belt from which hung a knife and a small axe. She wore her hair tied neatly behind her head, even though it was short, and her forehead was painted though not tattooed as many corsair women did - Laowai did not recognize the pattern. He guessed that after so much time here alone, these people now had their own symbols. She held herself with confidence the way all Corsair woman did, separation from the rest of Corsair society hadn’t changed that at least Ben thought.
She approached Ernesto and the two hugged warmly, releasing her he turned to Ben and said “So Ben Laowai, may I introduce you to my daughter, Zarita Crusellas”. Ben nodded in acknowledgment; “Zarita” Ernesto continued “This is our unidentified pilot, Ben Laowai, stationed out of Leon; he has had an unfortunate landing on our planet.”
Zarita nodded to him, “A Kusari Corsair? Well, well…. welcome to Tangier Ben Laowai, what do you think of our town that we have made?”
As she spoke, she looked him in the eye and smiled slightly, Ben couldn’t help but smile in return, for she looked at him with a confidence he did not often see when many Corsairs saw his Kusari features. All too often he was met with suspicion or questioning looks. But this young woman bore no such suspicion and it caught him slightly off guard.
“I am astonished by what you have accomplished here” he said, “If this is any indication as to the rest of your home here, I would say what you have done is remarkable”
Zarita’s smile widened, obviously pleased by an outsider such as Laowai’s approval of the place and her eyes looked directly at his again, once more surprising him, his own smile growing. Ernesto noticed the exchange, “Seems you have won my daughter’s approval” he interrupted their glances, “She is intensely proud of what we have done here, as are we all”
Laowai broke his stare with the girl, turning his attention back to her father with an embarrassed gulp “Rightly so” he said, “It is certainly amazing”.
The older man gestured to a corridor further down the cave; “Come Laowai, I will have a room made up for you for the night. You will dine with the elder’s later this evening, there is much they will wish to ask you.”. Ben nodded, “Yes of course, thank you” he said.
“No need for thanks” said Ernesto.
“Zarita” he said, gesturing to his daughter, “Show Senor Laowai to one of the spare quarters will you, have someone bring him some clothes to change into.”
“Of course father” she said
Ernesto turned and left them, Zarita motioned towards another passage in front of them and Laowai followed her. Looking at him once more she smiled, “I have never met an off world Corsair before” She said “Least of all one who looks nothing like a Corsair.”
Laowai smiled in return, “What does a corsair look like?” he asked “Is he a corsair by the appearance of his face? Or by his family and by his deeds, or by the code he lives by?”
Zarita chuckled, “Good answer” she said “but you didn’t say anything about the uniform he wears...”
She laughed and Ben suddenly noticed the charring on his jacket and pants, the unit badge he wore on his right arm was badly scorched and he realized that he did look a mess. “Well… luckily I don’t have to have an inspection tonight aren’t I?” he said. Zarita raised an eyebrow and chuckled; “Oh you will be on inspection allright” she said, “They are going to want to pick your brain for hours, and that will be just about the politics...”
They turned down several more passages, “how far does this go!?” Ben exclaimed. “This way leads to some of the residential caves” said Zarita, “but there are miles in all directions. Some of the lowest ones, we haven’t fully explored yet”
They walked in silence for a moment; Ben noticed her glancing at him again. “You want to know why I look the way I do” he said.
Zarita blushed slightly, “Yes, but I didn’t know if I should ask”.
“Its ok” said Ben, “most people want to know, and most people don’t usually worry about being polite about it”. He usually instinctively felt defensive when questioned about his heritage by other Corsairs; he had been dealing with prejudice over it since he first came to Crete as a small child with his father and mother. He was surprised to find that he didn’t feel that way this time; there was something disarming about this girl that he didn’t understand. Perhaps it was the way she didn’t seem to hold any wariness about how he looked, perhaps it was because he knew she had never had contact with wider Corsair society, or perhaps, it was more simply because for all these reasons and the fact that as he walked with her he was noticing how attractive she was.
“My mother was Kusari” he said “My father was Corsair, he was born on Crete”
“That’s not common I would imagine” said Zarita, “How did they meet?”
“My father’s patrols took him into Kusari quite often” Laowai answered, “He also worked with the Hogosha there from time to time, they met while he was working with them.”
“That must’ve been hard on you being among other Corsairs” said Zarita, “From what I know of them, and from the way our elders are, I know they are not that open to outsiders or those who are different.”
Ben looked at her; she was the first Corsair he had met that had even tried to see that point of view. His life had up until this point been a constant battle to prove himself as equal in the eyes of other Corsairs. Time and time again he had had to battle harder, study harder, fight longer, tougher and dirtier to gain acceptance. Yet here was this stranger, a Corsair, who saw things how they had been, and acknowledged it. He was caught unprepared and found he was unsure of how to answer her. So he found himself just telling the truth; “It was at times, but I think it was worse for my sister, she left Crete a year or so ago, and I don’t think she will come back”
They reached a door built into the passage and Zarita halted there; “Crete isn’t all there is in the universe” she said, “Even for a Corsair” She indicated to the door. “This is a spare residence you can use while you are here, I’ll have someone bring you up some clothes and something to wash with, I’ll be back to take you down to the council hall in a few hours”.
Looking him in the eye once more she smiled at him again and he caught himself staring in return. Zarita’s mouth broadened into a slight grin, “The door is unlocked” she said.
Ben snapped back to reality “Oh... Yes, right thanks” he said, “I’ll see you in a few hours”
They nodded slightly to each other and Zarita turned and made her way back up the passageway that they had just come from. Ben watched her go, her tunic swaying off her hips and her short hair bouncing gently against her neck and shoulders. Lit by the lamps that illuminated the passageway her shadow danced on the wall, gradually growing smaller as she turned a corner and moved out of sight.
Shaking his head, Ben opened the door and went into the room. It was surprisingly large. A single cavern, it had been hollowed further by hand and then partitioned off with timber walls into several different rooms. It was obviously intended for a family at some point, having several rooms, a cooking area, and central area that would serve as a family room. There was even a bathroom, and Ben found himself wondering how these Corsairs had managed some kind of plumbing system being underground and with limited powered construction equipment.
He threw off his jacket and then his boots and lay down on one of the wooden cots in one of the rooms. His mind still thinking about Zarita, how he had lowered his guard when she questioned him, bypassing his usual defensiveness. The way she had looked him in the eye, as if she was looking right through him. Making him feel open, feel exposed, him feeling like he could be that way, no... Him feeling like he wanted to be that way. She was unlike any other Corsair woman he had ever met.
He closed his eyes, wondering how long he might be here, and if he would get a chance to speak with her more. He wondered what these “Elders” would ask him and what he should or should not tell them. And yet, they were Corsairs, and if they were unable to flip his Titan the right way over, he could be here for a long time.
The Meeting place for the Tangier Corsair Elders was a large cavern that was much deeper and further underground than Laowai had anticipated, A narrow passage, partially widened by hand led the way into the grand cavern which the observer would see sprawled out in front of him as he left the passageway. Crystal formations hung from the ceilings and festooned the walls catching small droplets of water that seeped out from somewhere splashing down into a still cave pond that was at the base of one of the walls. Light was reflected off the crystal surfaces all around giving the impression that a million diamonds and jewels hung in all directions.
He craned his neck, but he could not see the ceiling, lost as it was in the glow of the lights and the darkness beyond.
The sight was simply beautiful, and Laowai couldn’t suppress his astonished gasp. Zarita Crusellas, who had accompanied him, followed his upward gaze, “Amazing isn’t it?” She said “When this cavern was first opened we knew it was something special, it’s been our hall of Elders ever since”.
It was then that he noticed, there were no torches or powered lights here. He looked around him, and he realized that he hadn’t seen any source of light since he had entered the cave complex. “How do you…” he started to ask but Zarita anticipated his question - “The lights?” she said, he nodded. “I was wondering when you would ask, Its part of the rocks itself, we think its some kind of natural phenomena, but they respond when something living comes close”
Laowai looked at her in astonishment, “Rocks? responding to… living things?”. Zarita nodded her head, “yes, and though we’re not sure how…” she leaned in closer, “We think that we aren’t the first intelligent beings that have spent time in these caves, we’ve found things…”
She winked at him and Ben was taken aback, but before he could question her further she gestured ahead, “Over there, across the little rise and below it, the Elders are waiting”. She raised her eyebrows indicating he should go and so he did, still puzzling about her cryptic remark as to the lights.
He walked over the small rise in the rock and there before him was a grotto in the cave wall, Crystal hung from its walls as everywhere but this had the appearance of being less natural and more fashioned. Beneath it, seated at a long table at the back of the grotto, family banners behind each chair, sat a collection of men and woman. Tangier's Corsair Elders - Laowai thought to himself. He approached them and reaching the grotto found a table and chair in front of theirs, presumably for him. A guard standing nearby indicated he should sit, however he waited, knowing full well that this seemingly innocent gesture was a test of his character. No Corsair knowing the old code would sit at and Elder’s table without being asked. It was one thing to banter and drink with an Elder in a bar or in combat, it was a wholly different thing when you entered his home.
There were ten of them, a lot for such a small community, and he was surprised to find Ernesto Crusellas sat among them. He chided himself, he had no idea the man was an Elder, he wore no badges of rank! And here he had been making eyes at the man’s daughter….
Quickly he addressed them as custom dictated. “I am Ben Laowai, Corsair and pledged to defend the honour of my people, you have requested my presence and I am here”
In the centre of the table, an Elder, one of the older looking nodded in response, “Indeed we have Ben Laowai, you may sit”
He seated himself at the table and the Elder motioned to the guard to bring him some water, which Laowai accepted gratefully.
The Elders wasted no time.
“You present a strange appearance for a Corsair, you look Kusari, explain yourself” one of them asked.
Laowai explained his mixed heritage but the Elder persisted; “Yet “Laowai” is not a Corsair name, you say your father was born of Crete, why do you not use his name, to not do so is a dishonour!”
Ben spoke confidently, not liking it, but used to having to explain himself, though not so much having to do it in such a formal setting. “Indeed it is not a Corsair name, it is a word in a Kusari dialect, my mother’s dialect that means “foreigner”, I used it because my father used it and he did so in protest with his own father, my grandfather, who did not agree with him taking a Kusari woman as a wife”
The questioning Elder hmmphed in disapproval “Your father shunned his own name in an argument? That is hardly honourable conduct!? To shun ones own father in such a….”
Laowai countered, his temper rising a little “His father disowned him” he said “and my father rose to the rank of captain and led a wing of Corsairs. He led those men on the Huerta raid on Malta and died fighting there, any “dishonour” he may have caused by changing his name was redeemed by the sacrifice of his life in his duty and by the commendations of the men he led”
He knew the elders here were testing him, testing is background, his loyalties and his knowledge of the old Corsair codes of behavior, something it seemed they all abided by, even though back on Crete it was becoming widely seen as old fashioned and antiquated. Sure enough another Elder entered into the discussion abruptly. “The Huerta raid, yes we know of it and Elder Crusellas has already told us of your father’s involvement” he said, gesturing to Ernesto who nodded without acknowledging Laowai. “Indeed, these acts would redeem any dishonour, but your father had a Corsair name, what was it?”
“His name was Raul Dominguez”
“What house?” the Elder asked without missing a beat and Laowai answered him with equal speed “None, he was not of noble birth, nor did he join the militia or the auspices of one of the faction houses”
It was Ernesto Crusellas’s turn to speak now and he did so with a slight smile on his face; “That fact we know Senor Laowai by your fathers name, and could construe by the fact you yourself wear no badge other than that of your unit.”
It was true and Laowai answered “yes, I have followed in my fathers footsteps here, I have not joined a house, though…” and he paused “This I do because like my father I believe them divisive and controlling, and I do it to follow in his footsteps, much as I can.”
Crusellas said nothing and the original older looking Elder spoke up again, “Divisive? Controlling? You speak your mind too freely for one so young, you should know the houses have stood since long before you were born, and men are proud to serve with them and be among them”
Another test, this time, not to test his loyalties or background, but one to test what kind of man he was in his heart, but he knew for him there could only be one answer; “indeed, the houses are often divisive, but they are time honoured institutions and families that indeed have a noble place in among our people.” He looked at the Elder directly “People are proud to serve them and join them, however, it has not escaped my attention that none of you or your flags bear a house badge either...”
The old man chuckled and sat back in his chair, clearly he liked Laowai’s response, “No” he said “We are not, the settlers of Tangier were all what the houses would call “landless” or independent.” He leaned forward again to give emphasis to his words “and while we are no longer landless we are still independent and wish to remain so”
The implications of the words hung over the room and Laowai was uncertain of how to respond, until one of the other Elder’s, a woman, sitting by Crusellas asked “And what of your mother, the Kusari woman, what was her name?”
Laowai smiled, “her name was Zhang Lei Laowai, of course, she coined the name “Laowai” her real family name was Zhang”
“And what did she do in Kusari” the Elder continued “who were her family, these Zhangs…?”
Measuring his words carefully, Laowai chose his answer, he could not tell them the truth, for none living that he knew of other than his sister knew it “She was a student” he said “She met my father while he was liaising with the Hogosha”
Seemingly satisfied with the answer the Elders moved on to questions of current events and the deployment of hostile forces in the sector. He could not help but notice that while they asked about Red Hessian and Bounty Hunter Activities in the area, they seemed equally concerned about Corsair movements, but rather than asking about progress in their wars against their enemies, they seemed more interested in knowing their deployment and communications. He held back any classified information that he knew, but they did not ask it nor did they seem interested. “And what of us?” The oldest of them asked him after another hour of tactical and strategic questions “Do the Corsairs of Crete still speak of us? Seek us? Tell us Ben Laowai, do they know we are here?”
Ben thought about it for a moment. Of course any corsair who had studied knew of the attempts made in the past to colonise the planet, that they had failed, and that no trace had ever been found and the colonists were presumed lost. Indeed, no one had spoken of Tangier in the public discourse for a very long time. “No” he answered finally “I do not believe they know you are here, I certainly didn’t.”
The Elders looked at each other and muttered among themselves, one of them turned to Laowai and dismissed him “You may go Senor Laowai, we will send for you further should we need you, in the meantime, we shall make arrangements for the salvage of your ship”
He nodded and then rose to leave, walking back the way he had come in he found Zarita waiting for him by the entrance to the passage. “How was that?” she asked “Pass their tests did you?”
“You knew they would test me” Laowai said as they turned to leave.
“Of course I did” Zarita smirked, “Corsair or not you are an outsider to them, a test was always coming”
They walked down the passageway together and Laowai nodded on the irony “An outsider everywhere it seems”.
“You even took it into your name” Zarita said.
Ben stopped and looked at her surprised, “You heard?”. She held his gaze, unashamed “every word” she said “you don’t live your whole life down here with a father as an Elder and not know how to eavesdrop”
“Besides” she said, turning to continue down the passage “I would have tested you myself, they just did half the job for me.”
“Half?” Laowai asked, continuing on beside her, she smiled at him again “Oh yes, only half, there’s more but you don’t get to know where or when”.
That night Laowai sat in his cavern and tried to tune his communicator into any local comm traffic. After an hour of fruitless tinkering and tuning he gave up. It was exactly as Ernesto Crusellas had said. These caves did block transmissions and scans, he could barely register anything outside the room he was in. There was no local traffic either, if the Tangier Corsairs used any form of standard comm equipment there was no trace of it on the airwaves.
There was a soft knock at his door. He looked up surprised and answered “Come in?” The door opened and Zarita Crusellas entered, he was surprised to see her here at this hour.
“Zarita!” he said, standing quickly and moving a chair out for her, “please, come in, sit down!”
She smiled and did so, “I hope I’m not disturbing you” she said, eying his comm device on his bed. He brushed it aside quickly and sat on the bed in front of her. “No not at all, I was just seeing if I could actually pick up anything, though it seems you don’t get anything in the way of communications down here”
Zarita smiled again “well no, not really, at least, not anything you would pick up with that” She left that remark hanging and paused for a moment, hesitating. "There are things i wish to talk you you about" she said. Her brow creased and then suddenly she leaned forward, taking Laowai’s hand. He was surprised, but didn’t move away, rather he held her hand and waited for her to go on.
“There is more to us here Ben Laowai than meets the eye” she said, “More to us than there was when my father’s generation landed here all those years ago.”
She leaned in closer, “They wouldn’t tell you these things in the council because they are afraid of you”
“Afraid?” He asked, raising his eyebrow slightly, he was not sure what she meant, though he sensed an earnestness in her eyes, and an honesty that somehow stifled the many questions now forming in his mind and silenced him. “Yes afraid” she went on, “You are the first Corsair to set foot on Tangier for many, many years, and they are afraid you will tell others that we are here” She stroked his hand in hers, looking him in the eye as she did so “And they do not want the others to know of us, they don’t want to leave, they don’t want to go back to Crete”.
She looked away suddenly and indicated to the walls, mysteriously emitting light as all the walls in this place did. “But I am not afraid of you, I believe that you, because of who you are and where you come from, understand what it is to be apart, and I believe you are truly what you seem to be, and that is a man of honour”.
He felt himself unable to answer her, for he did not comprehend how these Corsairs could not want to rejoin their brothers and sisters. He understood that they had forged a strong community here, but that community could only benefit the Corsairs as a whole, a viable base of operations on Tangier would alter the balance of power in this system considerably and be a definite hindrance to the Hessians. However Zarita continued; “I told you before that we found things here” she said cryptically. Laowai nodded, this fact had intrigued him. Zarita reached into her tunic with one hand and withdrew a small bluish purple crystal. It emitted a faint glow, illuminating what seemed to be etchings along its surface.
He recognized its design, it had the appearance of some kind of artifact, the like of which the Corsairs of Crete found in their tonnes floating in the mass of rocks of the Malvada cloud. “Is that a…. “He began, but she cut him off. “Yes, its similar to what you think it is, but no, it’s not like what you found in your initiation, nor what the Corsairs still ply all over Sirius no doubt”
The artifact glowed slightly in her hand. “It’s active?” he asked. Zarita nodded, “Active, yes, but harmful… no”
“I don’t understand” Laowai stated, “How is this related to you not wanting to come home?”
Zarita placed the artifact in his hand and then placed her own above it, a gentle warmth emitted from it and he looked at her, more than a little perplexed.
“We are home Ben” she said, using his first name in a familiar and informal way for the first time, “Our home is here, our family is here, our hopes and dreams…..” she paused and smiled at him “….are here.”
He stared into her eyes, feeling himself confused, but somehow trusting of this woman, how she disarmed him!? She leaned forward and kissed him gently, a kiss he returned with equal softness.
“Will you let me show you?” she asked simply. He did not know what she meant, but nodded.
She placed her hand over the artifact again, this time holding it more firmly, its glow increased slightly and he could feel its warmth grow in his hand. He stared at it, hesitant when suddenly a voice, her voice, whispered in his head *Let me show you* she said again, he looked up, startled to find her mouth had not moved; once more, her voice appeared in his mind, like a thought would, except that it was not his own *Trust me*.
Such a simple request, yet one that was not something he ever did lightly, however he looked into her eyes once more, seeing the bluish purple glow of the artifact, now glowing more brightly, reflected within them. He somehow knew how to answer, though his conscious mind would ponder just how he knew for years afterward *I trust you* he thought.
She smiled at him, her eyes showing nothing but honesty.
Suddenly, he felt himself jolted as if lifted by a million tonnes of rocket thrust. The walls of the cave around him suddenly joined with his flesh and he found himself lifting skywards at an unbelievable pace. He stared wide eyed, for he had not flown through the rock, for a split second he WAS the rock. As soon as it started he found himself free and in the night air, the bright stars above him and the sky opening up. He looked down, and saw the darkened grass covered hills below him vanishing quickly, up and up he went until reaching the first hint of cloud he came to a gentle standstill.
He was in the air, in the low atmosphere to be exact, miles and miles of planet stretched out below him and around him, feint wisps of cloud rolled gently by.
“What in the name of Hispania?!” he exclaimed. Terror suddenly gripped him when he realized, despite the impossibility of his being here, he was here, and was about to go into free fall at any moment. He panicked and looked down, only then realising, that he had no feet.
In fact, as he looked around him, he had no body at all. And he wasn’t falling.
***It’s ok*** he heard Zarita’s voice in his mind once more, and he could suddenly feel her hand in his again, he looked, and saw her beside him. Though, as he studied it, realized that beside him he actually saw nothing, save clouds and stars, and yet, he knew she was there. ***What the hell was that?!*** he thought to her, ***What the hell is going on??!***
But as much as his questions demanded answers he felt emanating from her a feeling of overwhelming peace, of calm and reassurance. He breathed, or thought that he breathed, and looked down again. Yes, he was in the air.
***Actually Ben, we’re still in the cave, a few miles below us*** He knew what she said was true, though again, he had no idea how it was true. ***As I said*** her voice continued ***we found things here, things that have bound us to this place, and bound us together*** He realized as he heard this that below him, and nearby, he could see, or sense others, though they had no bodies to speak of, yet they were there all the same. *** I can talk to you, as I am now*** she continued, ***though I can talk to you in a way words could never do***
And as she said that he felt a wave of warmth overcome him, and suddenly he saw her, but not as a shape or form that you could see, touch or feel, but as thoughts, feelings, emotions and dreams, a billion billion moments of time, of space and of life all joining his mind at once and suddenly he knew her, as if he had known her his entire life, but more so, as if he has witnessed everything she was through her eyes, in a single moment. ***My god….*** he thought, ***Zarita…. Why are you…***
Her calmness and honesty warmed him again and suddenly he felt her within him as she had just been to him, but far from pushing her out he found himself allowing it, everything he was suddenly shone within her in milliseconds and then as soon as it had begun he jolted and found himself back in the cavern, her hand still in his and the artifact now quiet and cold, still in their hands.
His body suddenly felt clumsy and heavy, he tried to speak but for a moment it was as if his body had forgotten how and nothing happened.
Zarita leaned forward again and kissed him once more, “I know you” she said simply, “and you now know me, you see this is our home, this is the bond we Corsairs of Tangier share, we are all one in some kind of way, and this is where we belong”
He felt himself regaining mastery of his own senses and he withdrew his hand and shook his head, he felt dizzy, as if he had swilled a gallon of Baijiu and then stood up too suddenly.
“You do that” he gasped, “with everybody here?!” the sheer intimacy of what had just happened started to dawn on his physical mind and it was more than a little overwhelming. Zarita giggled “Well, not like that, we share with each other but not that much, not like that…”. For the first time, he saw her blush slightly “But you... Well, that’s different, that was more because… well... you know why”.
And he did, Laowai lunged forward and kissed her passionately, pulling her close to him and she met his kiss with equal urgency, he turned and threw her down onto the bed. “But you still share the traditional way I hope?” he said as he hurriedly unclasped her tunic’s shoulder strap, she reached up and began to undo his robe; “you already know the answer to that” she gasped hungrily.
He awoke the next morning, Zarita lying still beside him, her arm draped around his chest and her face nuzzled into his shoulder. He thought about the events of the night before, and understood why he could never tell anyone else about this place. Zarita had shared everything with him, and he knew that these people would never willingly leave this place, and he understood why.
She stirred, her eyes opening slightly “”good morning” she yawned, rolling over and stretching her arms. “Good morning to you Senora Crusellas” he smiled at her. She returned his smile and leaned over, kissing him.
Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door, “Senor” a voice called out, “get up, make ready, we have salvaged your vessel but we have a problem”.
Zarita jumped up suddenly and he followed her, dressing quickly, he ran to the door and opened it, a guard stood sternly outside, his sidearm drawn. A sinking feeling hit him; he had just bedded an Elder’s daughter…but the guard continued and addressed him “Two Hessian vessels entered orbit moments ago and are scanning the area where your Titan is sitting”.
Laowai stood shocked and Zarita pushed past him, seemingly not caring whether the guard saw her there or not “Where are they?” she said, “What has been done?” The guard snapped to attention at her words, “Still out of range Senora but it’s only a matter of time before they locate the ship, we need Senor Laowai there, now.”
She turned quickly and he rushed to gather his things. He understood her urgency, the Hessians could not be allowed to know that there were others on Tangier; they could not risk a transmission getting out.
“Don’t worry” Ben said, “I know what I have to do.”
Dashing from the caves, now fully dressed once more in his flight combat uniform, Laowai, Zarita and several Tangier corsair guards darted up the hill away from the main settlement entrance, reaching the crest they found Ernesto and several more guards awaiting them. “They have found the vessel” Ernesto said sternly, “But as yet have sent no transmissions, there are only two of them”. Laowai nodded, “Fine, if there is two I can take them” but Ernesto shook his head, “Only one of them is on the ground, the other is hovering overheard covering”
Laowai scowled, without waiting he dashed ahead. “Ben!” Zarita called out, running after him. Ernesto gestured to the guards, “Go!…. Go!” he said.
He heard the whine of the Hessian vessel before he reached the crest, and looking over he hill he saw; sure enough, a single Hessian fighter hovered overhead and the other was parked some distance away, its pilot making his way carefully towards the now righted Titan. “Damn” Laowai growled, unholstering his blaster and weighing up his options. “Wait” Zarita said, “there is something I can do, I can distract one of them” She reached into her tunic and produced the artifact, “what are you…?” Laowai began but she silenced him quickly, “Don’t worry about that, you deal with the one of the ground”
She sat down and cradled the artifact in her hands, it began to glow once more. Not knowing what she had in mind Ben turned to the guards, “Cover her” she said quickly and crawled from their position making his way towards the Titan.
He did not know how do approach the situation, for he was sure their life signs would have already shown up on the Hessian fighters' screens, and yet it still hovered, facing away from their position, shimmering jet wash rippling the air beneath it and all sound drowned out by the whine of its engines.
He crept quickly through the long grass, using the Titans bulk to hide him from view of the Hessian on the ground.
Suddenly the ship in the air lurched forward and its engines revved up with increased thrust, without warning it fired its weapons into the forest in the distance, the ordinance exploding several trees with a tremendous explosion which for a second drowned out the wail of the engines. Laowai didn’t know what had happened but he seized the opportunity. Breaking the cover of the grass he ran forward towards the Titan. The Hessian fighter overhead now wheeled around again and fired its weapons seemingly at random now into the air, twisting suddenly as if to avoid something and accelerating over the forest before turning again. Laowai dashed out from behind the Titan to find the other Hessian pilot screaming into his comm system. He looked up and saw the Corsair appear as if from nowhere and reached for his weapon, but Laowai fired first, the bolt hitting the Hessian square in the chest and exploding, sending his body flying, doll-like backwards into the air.
Suddenly the air around him exploded as the Hessian ship passed over head, its weapons firing continually, peppering the ground with high energy fire. Laowai dived aside, narrowly missing being hit. The ship wheeled around above him now and began to fire onto the hill from which he had just came.
Suddenly he realized what must be happening. Zarita was somehow distracting the pilot, he wasn’t sure how but whatever she had been doing had confused him and he was now firing blind at whatever it was he thought he was seeing. His fire now was however getting dangerously close to where Zarita and the guards were hiding. The ships engines screamed in a breaking thrust and its weapons now traced an arc of fire directly up the hill. He saw blaster bolts shooting up from the ground on the crest, the corsair guards; they had been seen. “NO!!!” he screamed, Darting back up the hill towards the fighter he fired his own blaster at its underbelly, the rounds deflecting harmlessly off its shields.
The Hessians weapons tore a path of destruction up the hill and then suddenly without warning the ship thrust forward, its afterburners engaging and it wheeled vertically, looping in the air and then almost as if in slow motion plummeted nose first into the ground a few hundred meters away. Ben threw himself to the ground as the ships reactor exploded, the shock wave buffeting around him and its force momentarily deafening, chunks of metal and burned fuselage showering around him and smoldering on the ground.
He stood up, looking towards the wreckage and seeing no sign of survival, he looked back up the hill, wisps of smoke rising up from it crest; “Zarita!” he whispered. He ran up the hill, quickly covering the distance, a sinking feeling in his chest hitting him until he reached the top. The area was charred and torn from weapons fire, one of the Corsair guards lay dead, the other cradling his shattered leg was on his back.
Zarita lay motionless in between them, the lower half of her body charred and burned, smoke rising from her garments.
“NO!” Laowai shouted again, he dashed towards her, kneeling beside her he quickly surveyed her wounds. She had been hit badly, probably by a smaller blast which was why she had not been vaporized, but she had taken fire in her stomach and chest, the wounds smouldering and her eyes were wide as she gasped for air.
“Oh god, Zarita!” he said, cradling her head and trying to hold her steady to allow her to breathe. Her eyes wide locked on his, staring from her blacked charred face and she tried to mouth some words, looking away; she was reaching for something.
He saw it, the artifact was lying beside her, just out of reach, “This?” he said picking it up and putting it in her hand “you want this?” She coughed, flecks of blood on her lips and she grasped the crystal in her hand. She thrust it into his and it glowed suddenly, but its heat and glow hit him faster and more intensely than last time.
Suddenly her voice was in his head again, and she stood beside him, somehow outside the broken and dying body he now cradled in his lap. ***Did you get them?*** she said *did I get the ship?*
Ben found himself choked with emotion, A Corsair till the end this woman, he struggled to hold in his grief and try to answer her in his thoughts. ***Yes, we got them, you got him, he’s gone, crashed into the ground***. He felt a sense of relief, hers, not his, enter his mind ***ahhhhh, good*** her voice said ***I wasn’t sure if that would work, I’ve never done that before*** He felt her looking at herself in his arms and her emotions; Loss… entered his mind. ***Oh… I wasn’t that successful it seems, he definitely found me***
He reached out for her, not the body he held, but the Zarita he could feel beside him, and he felt her reach back, he felt his grief now, but he tried to hold it back from her again, ***I’m sorry*** he said *** You shouldn’t have done….*** but once again he felt her calm within him. ***Its allright, I had to, they would have told about us otherwise, and besides, you couldn’t have taken them on your own***
He couldn’t argue with her, and he knew that she could feel his grief, he couldn’t hide it anymore, but he felt something else from her; sadness, loss, but also peace. ***Don’t worry Ben, my body is dying, but im not*** He felt hope within him rise and he wanted to ask her how, but he felt her body, her physical body in his arms begin to shudder and she was gasping for air, choking. He felt his link to her wane as he was momentarily distracted,. However her voice spoke in his mind once more ***Don’t worry Ben Laowai, im not afraid, and we will speak again***
Suddenly he was jolted back into his own body and like the last time he felt a wave of dizziness hit him, he slipped backwards and the artifact slipped from his hands. Zarita’s body went limp in his arms as her last gasp of air escaped her lips. He leant over her, his face against hers as he held her. He was still crouched that way, weeping, when Ernesto Crusellas and the other corsair guards found him.
They carried her body back to the caverns. Ernesto had merely stared when he found them, Laowai crouching over her. He grunted to the guards who were with him to assist in carrying her. The journey back to the settlement was silent until Ernesto broke it saying; "You will have to dispose of the other Hessian ship, so that it looks like this didnt happen on the planet, do you understand?"
Laowai simply nodded.
Once inside the caverns a group of people gathered around, a few gasped when they recognized her face, others stood, silent. Ernesto Crusellas took Ben by the arm and took him aside.
"You have her crystal, give it to me." Laowai didn't argue, and though his mind began to form questions he wasn't sure where to start. He was also slightly taken aback that this man, Zarita's father, seemed as centered as he was. He handed over the artifact and Ernesto dropped it into one of his belt pouches.
"Go" he said gesturing to the main entrance, "there is no time to waste, dispose of the Hessian ship and then you may return."
Ben retracted his steps back to the crash site. Seemingly on autopilot, passing the spot where he had found Zarita's body he buried his feelings, walked down the hill and located the transponder of the ship that she had crashed. He then retrieved the body of the Hessian he had killed and deposited it and the transponder into the remaining Hessian fighter which was parked a short distance away.
Arming its controls, he set its auto pilot to launch into a low orbit in a few minutes time. He crossed the distance back to his Titan, strapping himself in. He had just started its thrusters when the Hessian ship lifted off and ascended.
He closed his canopy and strapped his helmet on, lifting off he followed the Hessian vessel as it cleared the cloud layers, left the atmosphere and settled into a low orbit. His mind a blank, Laowai maneuvered his ship behind it, gripping his control stick he armed his weapons and fired into the back of the ship, holding fire until its shields dropped and then it erupted in front of him, its flash and fireball reflecting in his visor.
At this altitude, much of the wreckage would re-enter the atmosphere and burn up, so when any Hessian vessels came by to search they would be unable to correctly identify what had happened; minimal wreckage would remain in orbit, but just enough so that they would draw the right conclusion: The ships had been destroyed in space.
He lingered there for a moment, watching the fragments of ship hit the atmosphere and turn into many tiny asteroids. The planet stretched out vast in front of him. He thought of how just the night before, he had been hand in hand with Zarita, somehow, in those clouds which he now looked down upon.
He took the ship back down into the atmosphere, his navigation computer now working. He didn't know how the Tangier Corsairs had fixed it, given their lack of visible technology, but fixed it was.
There was no need to land so far away this time, so he put the Titan down close by the main entrance to the settlement, dismounted from the ship and made his way back into the cavern. His return was anticipated, a guard was waiting for him as he entered. "Come with me Senor Laowai" he said stonily.
He followed the guard down several levels of passages, the light here became progressively less and less, only small spots of the luminescent stones seemed to be along these walls. The guard however seemed to have no problem finding his way.
Suddenly at the end of the corridor they were in, Laowai could make out a feint bluish-purple glow, similar to the colour that Zarita's artifact had emitted. As they drew closer it grew brighter, until they stood at a cave mouth. A Cover had been constructed across it, curtains made of the thick fabric, but the glow from behind it shone from its edges.
The guard gestured with a nod, and Laowai entered.
The brightness hit him immediately and his hand shot up to protect his eyes. As they grew used to the light he began to see the chamber he was in:
This was unlike anything he had seen so far. The entire room was lit from its walls. Everything seemed to be made from the same material that the artifact was and it emitted a terrific glow. It was magnificent!
Ben started wide eyed, the chamber was huge, but almost perfectly ovoid in shape, its floor, perfectly flat, its walls, buttressed up to a single point in the ceiling, but all of it constructed from the same glowing crystal.
In the center of the room, some distance away, stood Ernesto Crusellas.
He stood by what appeared to be a pylon of some kind, raised from the ground and circular, he was shocked to see that above it, suspended somehow in the air, was the body of Zarita.
He approached quickly, but as he drew close Ernesto held up his hand to stifle anything he might say; he clearly wished to speak first. Laowai bit his tongue, he stared - Zarita's body was floating, literally a few feet above the circular pylon. Held by nothing, the only hint of anything being a feint shimmering in the air occasionally. The old man spoke:
"This is our most sacred place..." he said simply. "We corsairs have no, religion as such, as you well know, but if we were to have something that we on Tangier would afford such reverence this would be it."
He gestured around him, and Ben asked "What is this place?"
"This..?" Ernesto continued, "Is where we all come, and where we will all go eventually, this is where we come after we die." Ben turned his glare at him incredulously but Ernesto cut him off. " My Wife is here, my Brother is here, and I will be here one day", he looked down at Zarita's body; "and now, my daughter is here".
Ben didn't understand, but Ernesto gestured to the pylon. "Stand here" he said, "and place your hand on it."
He did so, not understanding what was going on, and the nearness of Zarita's body was almost too painful to bear.
As he laid his hands on the pylon he felt a sudden rush of warmth, he recognized it was similar to what he had shared through the crystal with Zarita, only a thousand times stronger. It hit him like a punch to the chest and he couldn't help but shout.
Then all was silent. Footsteps echoed behind him and he turned.
It was Zarita.
She grinned at him; "Zarita?" he said, dumbfounded; he moved toward her and she jumped into his arms, embracing him. Laowai pulled back, his hands on her face; he could see her, touch her and feel her, but he couldn't believe his senses. "How? he said, incredulous, you're dead!?
"
She smiled again, that same knowing smile that had disarmed him when he met her the first day he was here. "Well, yes, technically I am, seeing as I dont have a physical body anymore..."
He blinked at her, "Come here", she said. "Sit down".
She gestured to a quite comfortable looking sofa that suddenly had just appeared beside them. Words now had escaped him, he just stared wide eyed, at her, at the sofa, and dropped himself down upon it. Zarita, for her part, sat down and took his hand.
"There was so much more I wanted to tell you, but we didn't have time, " she said. "I am dead, as you know it, but as we now know it, im not."
She looked around her. " What was me, as in, my energy, consciousness, my soul if you want to call it that, passed into my crystal when my body stopped functioning, and it came straight back here."
"What is this place?" Ben asked again. Zarita opened her hand, within it, was the crystal she had carried, he creased his brow, he had seen her father with it, how had she....?
She pre-empted him. "This isn't here either, my father has it, as you know."
The crystal rose from her hand and hovered in the air between them. "But here I can manifest things, shapes, and places even, should I want to..." The air around them shimmered and suddenly they were sitting in his cavern, as it had been the previous night.
"We found this place not long after we moved underground. At first we didn't understand it, but this was the final proof we needed it that this place was built by some form of intelligence."
"No one knew who, but we had all heard the stories, we found the crystals you have seen in this room, and we stumbled on what they were capable of by accident."
They were suddenly back in the crystal chamber again and Zarita walked him around, showing him the edges, where small recesses held hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of the artifact-like crystals, each resting in a niche that had been perfectly shaped for it.
"We dont fully understand how it works, we think it happens when you die and you're in contact with a crystal, linking with somebody, but the first of us found by accident that if that happens, you come here."
Ben looked around him, here seemed to be, no where and he asked: "where is here? are we still in the cave?"
Zarita raised her eyebrows. "Actually, no one is sure, we think so, I mean, if someone comes into the cave, touches the pylon as you have done, we can do this with them..." She paused and touched his hand; "At least, every so often".
"Every so often?" Ben asked.
"Yes, after the initial first few hours, we found that those who are well, alive, can only come into physical contact with us twice in this planets' year - if you come into the cave, with my crystal, I can talk to you, show myself to you, but physical interaction doesn't work outside those two times, and we dont know why that is either."
Ben shook his head... "this is unbelievable, no wonder you dont want to leave this place, have you not thought though of getting someone, people who know about this stuff to study it? It could help your understanding of..."
She smiled and he felt her talking to him again, but not with words, but sharing as she had the night before. He knew she was right, no one would understand, and who knows what this place could be used for - she had just destroyed a Hessian Ship by simple suggestion.
"My father is going to give you my crystal" she said, "Ive asked him to, Id like you to have it, to remember me by, and so we can talk or meet, should you ever decide to come back to Tangier"
He looked at her, seeing seriousness in her eyes; "Do you want me to come back?" he asked. She nodded, "but not because you feel you owe me, come because you wish to..."
He looked at her, and tried to project his feelings and thoughts as he had the night before.
She noticed it and smiled broadly..
*** I wish to*** he thought.
He moved closer and kissed her again, "***when are the times of the year we can do this? ***"
A little while later they lay once more in his bed, locked together and staring into each others eyes. Zarita giggled; "You know if you did this with a dead person on Crete they would call you sick and exile you?"
He laughed and shoved her - then looking around him he noticed their clothes, strewn around the room. "If I go back in the middle of the chamber right now somehow, am I going to be wearing anything?"
She laughed again, "So practical you are! but yes, you will be just as you left, and actually, it will only be moments since you left, time works differently here..."
He smiled and pulled her close to him, opening his mind once more he sent his thoughts to her, and she to him, in that state; he felt himself drifting off to sleep.
He awoke with a start, lying on the floor in the center of the crystal cabin. Ernesto Crusellas standing over him. He jumped up, disoriented and looked around him, but Crusellas opened his hand and held out Zarita's crystal.
"You spoke to her." he said, as a statement, not a question. Laowai nodded and took it, he held it in his hand and as he did so he heard her voice, distant but clear "***I can talk to you this way, but you have to be on Tangier for it to work, and it will be strongest here***"
Ernesto looked at him solemnly: "And what will you do now, Corsair Ben Laowai?"
He knew where he stood with this, but Ernesto was asking for reassurance, but more so, as a believer in the old code, he wanted to know if Laowai would honour his life debt to Zarita, as well as any personal promises he might have made.
"I will return for each cycle, and when I am able to, I give you"... and he paused, looking around him, "and her, my word."
He reached over and shook the older mans hand, "And I will keep your secret."
As he set foot back on Battleship Fes, Laowai was met by his friend; the Fess communications officer Tomas De La Corez. " Where do you go on these little trips of yours?" he asked as they made their way to the bar. " you've been coming here for years and you always take off somewhere for days."
They reached the bar and he held open the door, looking quizzically at Ben.. "You dont have some Zoner woman on Canaria do you?"
Laowai looked at him with a blank expression and walked inside, "come on" he said; "I'm thirsty, " smiling slightly to himself he felt the weight of the crystal object hidden in his flight jacket.
Tomas chuckled and shook his head; " I knew there was a woman involved, knew it all along..."