Dawnwind 1: Last Man Standing Read online

  “Standard procedure, I think,” said John. “You did broadcast an emergency signal, and they’ll want to talk to you, find out what happened with your flight plan.”

  “But, that was most likely a fault with the Transport Authority’s system,” protested Kaz.

  “Even more reason for them to talk to you. So they can track the fault and make sure it’s corrected.”

  “But . . . .!”

  John frowned at the youth. “Is there something you’re not telling us, Kaz?”

  Kaz hesitated, looked at his house-sister.

  Sef sighed, sagged on the barstool. “Oh sweet pantheon. You might as well tell him, Kaz. Before the peacekeepers get here.”

  “Tell me what?” asked John.

  Walking to Sef, Kaz rubbed her back. “We stole the transport.”

  “Why?” asked John, his frown deepening.

  “It was the only way we could get to Timis Dov,” said Sef. She wiped her eyes.

  “You couldn’t have caught a passenger transport?”

  “No,” said Kaz. “We couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Kaz and Sef exchanged weary looks.

  “Our situation is . . . complex,” said Kaz.

  “I imagine it’ll get even more complex when the peacekeepers show up,” said John. “I’m not sure what the penalty is for stealing a transport, but. . . .”

  “I’d rather go to a rehab center than back to White Hill,” said Sef.

  John turned to Uqqex. “Do you know what’s going on here? Because I’m completely lost.”

  “We were leaving our family,” said Kaz. “Moving to Timis Dov, to stay with our Uncle Tez.”

  “Okay, but why did you have to steal a transport to do that?”

  “Our family refused to let us go,” said Sef. She looked at her son, sitting with fruit juice smeared across his face, watching the adults talk. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Epcott and said, “Tijo is Kaz’s son.”

  Uqqex watched Kaz tense, but John’s reaction surprised the youth. The human glanced at Tijo, looked at Kaz, and said, “So?”

  Sev stared. Kaz let loose a burst of nervous laughter. John looked, questioningly, at Uqqex.

  “Sef and Kaz are house-siblings,” said Uqqex.

  “I don’t get it. What’s the problem?” He looked at Sef. “The two of you aren’t related by blood. Right?”

  “No,” said Sef. “We’re not related by blood, but that doesn’t matter.” She looked away, her face hardening. “Our relationship is considered perverse.”

  “This must be one of those cultural things that no one talks about,” said John. “Because I don’t see the problem.”

  “It’s Tijo,” said Uqqex, softly. “Most Junians would consider his conception to be incestuous. His parents would be looked upon as deviants.”

  “I am never going to get my head around these people,” said John. “So, your relationship is a crime?”

  “It’s a sin against the gods,” said Kaz. “At least, that’s what our family thinks.”

  “Ah.” John nodded. “I think I’m beginning to see. So, what does this have to do with you stealing the transport?”

  “Kaz and I want to live as spouses,” said Sef. “Publicly. Our family wouldn’t hear of it. They said it would be shameful, an affront to the gods. An embarrassment to them.”

  “So we decided to leave.” Kaz wrapped an arm around Sef’s waist. “But the family stopped us. They didn’t want us leaving, didn’t want to risk us exposing our relationship to the public.”

  Uqqex frowned. “They were holding you prisoner?”

  Kaz’s expression was grim. “They might as well have been. Sef and I were never left alone. Anywhere we went, we had a sibling or a parent with us, watching.”

  “How did you get away?” asked John.

  Sef smiled. “That was Kaz.”

  “I infected the housebrain with a rogue agent,” said Kaz. “It made the wastechamber storage tanks back up in the middle of dinner.”

  Uqqex couldn’t help it. She threw back her head and laughed.

  “In all the confusion,” said Sef, “we grabbed Tijo and ran.”

  “Then stole the transport and headed for Timis Dov?” said John.

  Sef nodded.

  “Again. Why not take a public transport?”

  “Our family is influential,” said Kaz. “They would have had the transport hub watched.”

  “We would have been caught and brought back,” said Sef. “And then we would never have gotten away again.”

  “Well,” said John, “you two are a couple of idiots.”

  Uqqex stared. John had an expression on his face that the Zerraxi woman couldn’t quite identify. Kaz and Sef gaped at him.

  “I mean, your relationship may be immoral, but it’s not illegal. Right?”

  “No,” said Kaz. “But. . . .”

  “But me not buts,” snapped John. “Did the transport belong to your family?”

  “Yes,” said Sef. “Does that matter?”

  “Of course it matters, you silly girl,” snapped John. “Honestly! Until you stole the transport, your family had no legal way to force you back home. Now the peacekeepers will do their dirty work for them.”

  “I won’t go back,” said Sef. She spoke quietly but there was a hard edge to her words. She drew Tijo to her, cradling the child on her lap. The toddler remained silent, watching everything with wide, dark eyes.

  “You won’t have to,” said John.

  Kaz frowned. “But the peacekeepers. . . .”

  John didn’t let him finish. “Do you have a comm?”

  Kaz hesitated. Sef did not.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Here’s what you’re going to do.”

  * * * * *

  Peacekeeper Imzo Vyuno emerged from the wedge-shaped transport looking as if he had been awake all night. Barefaced, the flesh under his eyes was gray and tight. He walked down the transport’s ramp, wearing a peacekeeper warmsuit. The helmet was cracked.

  John greeted him, the two men brushed hands. “I didn’t expect to see you out here this morning, Imzo. I thought you’d send one of your juniors.”

  Imzo snorted. “And miss a chance to nap for an hour? Not on your life.”

  Epcott grinned. “Rough night?”

  “It was like half the cursed province decided to ignore the safety warnings and go wandering about! My people have been rescuing idiots from stranded groundcars all night!”

  “Sounds bad. How about a cup of deggo?” John glanced past Imzo, where a group of peacekeeper cadets in warmsuits were moving about, purposefully, inside the massive transport. “It looks like your cadets know what they’re doing.”

  Imzo grunted. “Looks can fool you.” He turned and shouted into the transport. “Jes! Mind the babies! I’m going to talk to the crash victims! Comm me if you need me!”

  There was a muffled shout of acknowledgement from the transport. Imzo grunted and fell into step beside John as they made their way from the airfield.

  “Sweet pantheon,” muttered the peacekeeper. “What a night! There are times, John, when I can almost understand why you like living all alone out here in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Sometimes, it has its advantages.”

  “I’ll have to take your word on that.”

  They were beneath the knotlimb canopy where it was dark and still. The guide ropes and reflectors that had lined the path to the house had been stripped away by the storm.

  “Personally, I don’t think I could live out here. No offense meant, but this island of yours gives me the shivers.”

  John smiled. “I’ve stayed in places much scarier than this.”

  “I don’t doubt it. Musin says hello, by the way.”

  “How’s she getting along?”

  “Wonderfully,” said Imzo. “Pregnancy seems to suit her. She wants you to comm her when you get a chance. I think she’s worried about you.”

  “I’ll do it the
first chance I get,” promised John.

  “Do that. Stress is bad for the baby, you know.”

  They had reached the house and, as always, Imzo paused to regard the strange structure. “How’s the Box holding up?”

  “Fine,” said John. “Hasn’t fallen down yet.”

  The peacekeeper chuckled. He had nicknamed John’s home the Box because of its rectangular shape. Like most Junians, Imzo found the idea of living in such a structure eccentric if not downright weird.

  John opened the door and they stepped into the daychamber. The wallscreens were set to their default, and the furnishings had been pushed aside, to clear an area of floor. A fuzzyheaded toddler sat there, laughing and clapping, as he pushed a musical ball back and forth with a young man and a young woman. At the bar, sat a handsome Zerraxi woman, watching the play while nursing a glass of something white and frothy.

  John made introductions. The young family were the crash victims, but Imzo was visibly surprised when John introduced Uqqex. He touched the alien woman’s hands and smiled, almost shyly.

  “I’ve read all your puzzle-books, miss.”

  Uqqex smiled. “Really? Which was your favorite?”

  “The Fallacy of Qettijni Hax,” said Imzo. “If I could, I’d make it required reading at the academy.”

  “Oh, but I’ve written much better things than that!”

  “It’s still my favorite story.”

  John pressed a glass of deggo into Imzo’s hand. “Would you like Uqqex and me to leave, while you talk to Kaz and Sef?”

  Imzo took a sip of the deggo and smacked his lips. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, John. If they don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” said Kaz.

  Twenty minutes later, Imzo was tapping at his PIN, making last minute corrections to his notes.

  “Basically, what happened is that each of you thought that the other had filed a flight plan with the Transport Authority and gotten confirmation?”

  Kaz looked down at his hands. His fingertips were rosy, presumably with embarrassment. “I’m afraid so.”

  Sef smiled and took his hand. “We were just so excited to get to Uncle Tez’s place...”

  Imzo nodded. “These things happen.” He glanced at his PIN. “There was some question about whether or not you were authorized to take the transport, but that’s been cleared up. The only thing that we need to address is why you failed to respond to comms from the Transport Authority?”

  Kaz and Sef glanced at one another.

  “The Transport Authority tried to comm us?” said Kaz.

  Imzo glanced at his PIN. “Several times.”

  “We didn’t receive any comms,” said Sef.

  The peacekeeper frowned. “Curious. Perhaps it was the polar storms. Half the comms in Levtavujo were out last night.”

  “That was probably it,” said Kaz.

  “Well,” said Imzo, rising to his feet. “That’s all I need for the report. Would you folks like a lift to the transport hub?”

  “Oh!” Kaz glanced at Sef. “We appreciate the offer, but we’ve already made other arrangements with Mr. Epcott’s friends.”

  Imzo glanced at the human. “Is that so?”

  “Ked and Teso are coming out this afternoon,” explained Epcott. “To ferry Uqqex back.”

  The Zerraxi woman nodded, smiling. “And after chatting with Kaz and Sef, I’ve decided to revisit Timis Dov. So the four of us will be traveling together.”

  “Timis Dov, eh?” Imzo smiled. “It’s nice there. The wife and I went there on a holiday a few years ago, to the Valley of a Thousand Pools. What are you going to do there?”

  “Our uncle owns a hostelry that he’s going to let us manage for him,” said Sef.

  Kaz chuckled. “At least, until he completes his term as one of the city administrators.”

  “Well, good fortune to you both,” said Imzo. “I should get back to the airfield. Jes probably thinks I’ve been skewered by a spearbeak or something.”

  “I’ll walk you,” said John.

  Despite his earlier comment, once they were outside the house, Imzo did not attempt to hurry. He and John waded through the snow, moving at a leisurely pace.

  “Are we even going to find the transport’s commchips, John?”

  Epcott glanced at the peacekeeper. Imzo’s expression was vacillating between irritation and amusement.

  “I doubt it. They were probably pulverized when the impeller core overloaded.”

  “How convenient.”

  John feigned shock. “Why, Imzo, whatever do you mean?”

  The peacekeeper snorted. “Spare me the amateur dramatics, John. You and I both know those kids were lying. If that boy’s fingers got any redder they would have burst into flame.”

  “Hmm. You think?”

  “John. . . .”

  “They weren’t lying about everything. Just the bit with the transport.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure I should tell you.”

  The peacekeeper frowned. “Do you think I’m giving you a choice?”

  “You’re putting me in a very awkward position, asking me to betray a confidence.”

  “I can keep a secret, Epcott. Start talking.”

  “Fine. Kaz and Sef are house-siblings. Tijo is their son. They stole the transport to get away from their family who were practically keeping them prisoners.”

  Imzo rolled his eyes. “Merciful pantheon! I thought it was something more serious than that!”

  John’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You’re not shocked?”

  The peacekeeper snorted. “I’ve been keeping the peace for almost forty years. I’ve heard much worse stories. Trust me on that. How did they get the theft report on the transport cancelled?”

  “Oh. Ur. That was sort of my doing.”

  Imzo raised a thin red eyebrow. “What did you do?”

  “I had Kaz call the family and tell them if they didn’t cancel the theft report, he and Sef would go on the public infonet and reveal their relationship.”

  The peacekeeper chuckled. “I bet that didn’t go down smooth.”

  “No,” said John. “Not at first, but when the family saw that they were serious, they gave in.” He shrugged. “Kaz sweetened the deal by promising that he and Sef wouldn’t go back to White Hill.”

  “White Hill, eh?” Imzo looked thoughtful. “Well, that explains a lot.”

  “It does?”

  “White Hill is a Static enclave, full of malcontents and retrograders.” He saw the blank look on Epcott’s face and explained. “Imbeciles who think that the world either shouldn’t change or should go back to simpler times.” He snorted and John thought that if Imzo hadn’t been wearing the warmsuit helmet, the man would have spat.

  The human took a moment to process this new information. “Well, I can’t say I’m not surprised.”

  “What? You think our culture is perfect, John? That all Junians are one big, happy family?”

  “Yes?”

  The peacekeeper laughed. It was a bitter sound. “That’s naive of you. I’d expect better. We have our problems like every other culture. I just thank the gods that our criminals and malcontents are a very small minority!”

  “Are you going to have to change your report now?”

  “Lonely souls, no! What good would it do to haul everybody involved before an arbitrator? Sounds to me as if things have resolved themselves to everybody’s satisfaction.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m surprised. I didn’t think policemen could be so flexible.”

  Imzo shrugged. “I’m a peacekeeper, not a policeman. We keep the peace. To do that, you have to be flexible. You can’t apply the law to every situation in the same way, any more than you can shove every person into the same size clothing.”

  “That’s a very enlightened attitude, Imzo.”

  The peacekeeper shrugged. “Funny. It just seems sensible to me.”

  * * *
* *

  The peacekeepers had gone, the hold of their massive craft filled with the wreckage from the transport and the crushed illuminator-tower. Now, a much smaller craft stood in the airfield, its silver hull gleaming in the afternoon’s dying sunlight. Its hatch slid open and Ked hopped out, giving the airfield a curious look. As part of their retrieval operation, the peacekeeper cadets had used portable thermal emitters to melt the snow, exposing the coarse, concrete-like material that made up the actual landing field.

  “Heard there was some excitement out here,” Ked said, as the little group at the edge of the field approached.

  Back in his hot pink warmsuit, minus the helmet, Epcott rolled his eyes. “Nothing travels faster than gossip.”

  “Is that another human saying?” asked Sef.

  Uqqex laughed. “More like a universal axiom, I think.”

  Sef smiled and headed toward the hatch. Tijo was cradled in her arms, bundled up in a thermal cloak and starting to fuss. Ked helped them into the transport.

  Kaz hesitated, turning to Epcott. “Thank you. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope things work out for you.”

  The youth nodded, and then hurried to join his family inside the vehicle. Epcott turned to Uqqex. She was back in her hooded travel-cloak, her dark hair spilling around her face.

  “This weekend was more eventful than I had planned,” he said, wryly.

  Uqqex chuckled. “What’s that the Junians are always saying? The gods like their little jokes?”

  “Something like that.” He smiled at her. “You know, you never told me what you thought of my plan.”

  “Didn’t I?”

  “No.”

  “I think the Guard would be lucky to have you,” said Uqqex.

  John raised his eyebrows. “Honestly?”

  “Yes.” She grinned, showing sharp teeth. “And I think this would be a good thing for you.” Turning, she waved a hand at the knotlimbs surrounding the airfield. “You’ve made a place for yourself here, John, but it’s too isolated.” Gently, she laid her hand on his shoulder. “You may not be Junian, but you still need other people. Living here, interacting with the world through comms, surrounding yourself with monuments to your old world? That’s no way to live. You need to move forward, to step into the world and build a proper life for yourself. The Guard may be the best way for you to do that.”