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– Chapter 2 –
The Deal
Mervyn looked down from a wooded escarpment. Below him sprawled a fine country house in which, according to Loren’s information, Aurora and Tarun were imprisoned. It had taken a week to find the house, and a further week to persuade the guards to cut props from these particulars trees.
The days had settled into a relentless routine: one day collecting wood, the next cutting the trunks to size, and the next two propping up tunnels. In the mines Mervyn and Loren now shared a blunt hand-axe to cut props to shape, though this required twice as many guards. Without sharp cutting equipment the peg making scam failed from the outset. Instead, the children twined rope from reeds and grasses. It was of no concern to Mervyn if they rarely used the rope -- the business served to keep the youngsters in the relative safety of the compound.
Rose took to following Mervyn around wherever he went. She would sit with him and Loren in the evenings, as they worked out the next day’s tasks, and even shared their meal table. Loren reckoned Rose hero-worshipped Mervyn. He denied it, but Rose proved to be bright and resourceful, and he soon found himself becoming attached to the girl -- she reminded him of him of Saffi, his younger sister. He repressed the thought immediately, thinking of his family, on Zetalona, lead only to depression and ruin. To survive he needed to stay positive; ‘Never give up hope,’ he reminded himself. Soon Rose was running errands and passing messages. She flitted round the compound like a bird, but the Velcats, perhaps beguiled by her smallness, ignored her. The mother and son, though, kept their distance.
The fresh air felt good. Up here on the ridge the firm soil held the Ureg trees routed to the spot. The large fleshy-leafed trees looked like giant purple seedlings, but their trunks stood strong and straight -- excellent for pit props. The Uregs constantly swayed and creaked as they jostled for the best light. On their first foraging expedition, in the valley, Mervyn was shocked to see the trees shuffling away through the swampy ground as if alive. Somehow they sensed his intent: every time one of his team produced an axe it started a slow-motion stampede. The trees hauled up their roots and dragged themselves ponderously through the slimy mud flapping their giant leaves like wings. The crew returned covered in mud with little to show for a day’s exertion -- cutting down a moving tree, even one moving in slow-motion, proved too difficult. On the ridge here the trees hardly moved at all.
Mervyn looked round the clearing scattered with felled trees. On foraging trips, while surrounded by armed guards, half the team wielded sharp tree felling axes. The main work-party cut the logs roughly to size and loaded them onto a wagon. The guards almost out numbered the slaves, mostly Rinhus’ with a smattering of Velcats. There was a hierarchy: humans held overall command, Rinhus, slow and lumbering, stayed in the open air and supervised the Velcats at the bottom of the stack. Though wily and cunning, Velcats lacked intelligence and any pretence at working together. Their constant bickering and sniping make it easy for Mervyn to play them off one against another. Far more dangerous were the Rinhus whose beady eyes missed nothing.
Mervyn bent to select another log as a Rinhus approached, ‘Where’s the runt?’. It had not taken them long to note Rose’s absence.
‘Down the other slope collecting grasses for rope,’ he said waving an arm vaguely. The Rinhus bustled off in the direction indicated, but a couple of logs later it became more persistent, ‘We can’t find her, where is she?’
‘She won’t wonder far. Human kids never stray far from their mothers,’ Mervyn assured it. ‘She’ll be back.’ The Rinhus spied Rose’s mother and relaxed, but the damage was done: the other guards grew nervous, infected by the Rinhus’ unease. They glance about as if expecting an assault to erupt from the undergrowth. Soon a search party started combing the far slope looking for the missing girl.
Mervyn needed to distract them quickly before they caught Rose returning from her mission, ‘Ok guys, time to get this cart moving,’ he yelled. ‘We can come back for the rest of the wood in a few days. Let’s get those axes away.’ The woodcutters immediately converged on the cart. So many armed slaves in one spot always made the guards tense. They abandoned their search for Rose and readied their blast riffles -- just in case.
Mervyn collected in the axes. Once stowed in the security box the slaves would stand back while the chief guard locked the tools away. Today, Mervyn fussed over getting the axes clean and laid in neat rows. He drew the moment out as long as he dared, but Rose’s mother interrupted him.
‘Have you seen Rose? I haven’t seen her for a while. I don’t want her left behind.’ Mervyn stashed another axe in the box. He tried to think of a suitable reply. She never complained when he sent her daughter off on errands even though she disapproved -- the look on her face said as much. As if on queue, Rose emerged from behind a bush dragging a bundle of reeds. Mervyn breathed a sigh of relief, shut the toolbox, and stepped back. With the box safely locked, the guards ordered the work party to take up the yoke and start the cart moving on its downward journey.
Later that evening Rose reported on her finds at the country house, ‘There are prisoners in rooms behind bars,’ she said.
‘Did you speak to them?’ Mervyn asked eagerly.
Rose gave him a derisive look, ‘Of course. There is a boy called Tarun and a girl called Aurora.’ Mervyn and Loren glanced at each other then questioned Rose on the layout of the house and which rooms confined each of the prisoners.
Rose drew a diagram in the dirt, ‘The prisoners can use this courtyard, but at night the guards lock them in separate rooms. There is a gate to the courtyard just here, but it is guarded by Puncheon and dogs -- the scaly ones.
‘Puncheon,’ Mervyn exclaimed, ‘what are they doing here?’
‘They work for the Naga, silly’ Rose said. ‘Grandpa doesn’t like them. Says they bring trouble.’
‘How may Puncheon?’ Mervyn asked.
‘Loads, but Grandpas says they didn’t bring any warships.’
‘No, how may Puncheon guarding the house?’.
‘Oh. I counted five.’
‘We should assume four times that number,’ Loren said.
‘There was someone else there too, a human.’
Mervyn’s heart skipped a beat, ‘What’s his name.’
‘I didn’t get to speak to him, but the girl said I should mention it.’
Mervyn made Rose describe the man. No doubt about it, she had seen Mervyn’s father. With his heart beating he memorised the diagram of the house and wiped the dirt clean.
‘You know what this means don’t you?’ Loren said.
Mervyn nodded, ‘Yes, the Naga destroyed the Mining Federation.’
‘Worse than that, the Naga’s in league with the Centaph.’ Mervyn looked sceptical. ‘Think about the evidence, Merv -- we know the Naga’s warship is Centaph, and the Puncheon would only be in league with the Naga if sanctioned by the Centaph. They’re softening up Ethrigia for a full-out attack.’
‘Grandpa said it was payment,’ Rose said unexpectedly.
Now Loren looked sceptical, ‘Destroying the Mining Federation was payment? He told you this?’
‘No, I heard him talking.’
Mervyn’s mind raced with possibilities, ‘Payment for what though?’
‘I don’t know. He sent me back to bed.’
Mervyn could imagine Rose wandering round the house at night and blundering into a private conversation. Had that unguarded moment resulted in her incarceration? Nothing added up, ‘But how would destroying the Federation count as payment?’
‘Helium-three,’ Loren said. ‘It’s all about Helium-three. The Mining Federation was the largest suppliers in the sector. Everyone needs Helium-three for nuclear fusion power generators -- it’s all about fuel.’
‘But we’re mining Helium-three here.’
‘Exactly. With the Federation out of pr
oduction I bet the price of Helium-three has rocketed, which means the Naga gets rich quick. Even De Monsero will take a year to get the asteroid mines back on line.’
‘Ah yes, De Monsero,’ Mervyn said. ‘Where does he fit in? Do you think he’s cut a deal with the Centaph?’
‘No, I think the Naga’s cut a deal. De Monsero’s just taking advantage: using the opportunity to boost his popularity, get the mines back for Ethrigia -- be a hero -- he would relish that role.’
‘But what about his spybot?’
‘There’s no proof it’s his. The real question is why are the Puncheon still here?’
Mervyn could think of only one reason, ‘Because the Naga’s been paid in advance -- whatever it is hasn’t happened yet?’
‘You think so?’
‘Yes, and we’re the only ones who know about it’.
‘Quarks, we’ve got to get off this planet and warn The Patriarch, Merv. And quickly.’
‘I know, but I’m not leaving without Aurora, Tarun, and my father.’
Mervyn made Rose repeat everything she knew about the house, and Loren made her describe the lock on the gate and draw it in the dirt. Guthrik’s key looked as if it might fit, they would just have to try it and hope.
They were interrupted by Rose’s mother, ‘Time for bed young lady,’ Rose scurried off, but her mother remained. ‘I overheard you. You’re going to escape aren’t you,’ she said.
Mervyn realised honesty might have been the best policy after all. Now he would have to own up to his deception, ‘The deal is we take you with us,’ he said sheepishly.
‘Deal? Deal with whom?’ She looked confused and angry. Mervyn explained about the key.
‘My father-in-law’s is the first place they would look for us,’ she said. ‘We will not go with you -- it will only make our situation worse.’ Mervyn’s heart sank and he felt despair clawing at the edges of his mind; he would not give in, they still had the key, their one hope.
‘But you must come with us,’ Loren blurted. ‘If you don’t Guthrik won’t help us off this planet.’
‘Perhaps you should have thought of that before making a deal which included my family?’
‘We’ve kept you alive for the last few weeks,’ Loren stormed, her chima burned red. ‘Do you think Rose would have survived if she had to slave away in that mine every day? You owe us.’
‘You helped us for your own ends. I didn’t see you helping my children before you cut the deal with Guthrik.’ Loren’s chima faded to an embarrassed pink.
Then Mervyn had an idea, ‘It’s ok, Loren, they can come with us anyway. Guthrik never said anything about delivering them to him, he just wanted them out of here. We will still have fulfilled his deal. We’ll take our chances...’
‘Where will we go?’
‘Anywhere you like.’ Mervyn could see the temptation in the woman’s eyes. Surely anywhere was better than the slave camp.
‘All right. Now here is my deal: we will come with you, but only if you deliver us to my cousin Cephas. Guthrik can have no complaint about that.’
‘And where do we find Cephas?’ Mervyn asked.
‘That man Rose described, -- the one in the house -- talks to Cephas regularly, he will pass on a message for you.’
Loren looked horrified, ‘But that means breaking out and then breaking back in again. Double... no, quadruple the risk. We could just as easily get caught breaking in as breaking out.’
‘Those are my terms -- take them or leave them.’ They had no choice: it was their best chance of warning the Patriarch of the danger to Ethrigia.
‘We’ll go tonight,’ Mervyn decided.
That night, when thick cloud obscured the moon, Mervyn and Loren made their move. They crept along the side of the main hut in total darkness. The only light came from searchlights sweeping rhythmically across the compound. When they reached the corner of the building they paused. Between the last hut and the outer fence there was no cover. Infrared cameras watching them through the darkness were the main danger. During a scout around earlier in the day neither had spotted any cameras, but they could still be there. They turned their collars up to look like guards and carried sticks that they hoped could be mistaken for blasters. They stepped out from their cover and made for a small postern gate set in to the fence which guards used during the day. There was no going back now.
‘Stand tall and look confident,’ Mervyn whispered. They sauntered slowly across the open compound trying to move like Velcats. Mervyn hoped he looked more confident than he felt; inside his stomach churned and he could feel himself trembling. If the guards caught them now they would be shot -- probably where they stood. The beam from the nearest searchlight swept over them and carried on.
They reached the gate without incident. Mervyn passed the key to Loren, ‘You’ll have to do it, my hand’s shaking too much.’ Loren pushed the card into the slot. Nothing happened.
‘Why isn’t the thing working?’ Mervyn asked.
‘I don’t know. I’ll try it the other way,’ Loren said fumbling with the card.
Mervyn could see the search beam travelling back towards them, ‘Hurry up!’
‘You could have done it.’ Suddenly, the key slipped out of Loren’s grasp. She muttered a profanity and dived to the floor. She scrabbled around in the dirt to find it. Mervyn watched like a frightened animal as the light beam swung towards them. He wanted to shout at Loren to hurry up, but he knew it would only slow her down, so he bit his tongue. He leant against the gate to steady himself. They were going to be discovered. Loren found the key, knelt up, and banged it into the lock, ‘Got it.’
They crowded through the gate together. ‘Walk,’ Mervyn commanded, as much to slow his own pace as hers. Every step took an age. His heart pounded in his ears, and the beam swung neared. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to run, but he forced himself to put one foot slowly in front of the other. He could feel the tension in Loren like a coiled spring, and knew she felt the same urge to flee.
The beam swung harmlessly over their heads and Mervyn released the tension with a sigh. He wanted to laugh with relief, but they still had to tackle the outer gate. The key worked first time and soon the shuffling of the Uregs covered their flight. As soon as they broke free of the tangled roots they ran and followed the ridge until they reached the glade they had cleared that morning. New Uregs already shuffled in from the edges to take advantage of the improved light left by their more unfortunate kin. Below they could see the lights of the big house and they scrambled down the ridge towards it.
‘Psst!’ Mervyn hissed. ‘Anyone awake?’ From the other side of the grilled window came the sound of movement. ‘Aurora, are you in there?’
‘Is that you Mervyn?’ Aurora said sleepily. ‘I guessed you sent that girl. What is happening?’ Her pale face appeared behind the bars.
‘We’re going to escape from Pershwin, but I need to talk to my dad to arrange it.’
‘Are we on Pershwin? He is on the other side of the building. You cannot get to him, but I can pass him a message.’ Mervyn explained about the Puncheon, how Starlight was the Naga’s Helium3 payment, and his fears for Ethrigia. Then he outlined the escape plan and passed the key through the grid so Aurora could test it on the doors. He waited anxiously for her to return.
‘It works on my door, Tarun’s door, and the door into the courtyard. There is a guard in the yard so I could not try it on the courtyard door itself. The guard changes sometime, but I don’t know when.’
‘Keep a note for when we come back,’ Mervyn instructed. ‘We’ll just have to chance the courtyard door when we arrive.’
‘This is another of your plans without an ending, is it not?’
‘They’re the best.’
‘No they are not, Mervyn. The best plan is to wait for my uncle to pay the ransom. Then, when Tarun and I return safely to Ethrigia, we tell him about the Naga’s de
al.’
‘Aurora, you just don’t get it yet, do you,’ Loren hissed. ‘There is no ransom.’
‘But he said I had value-- ‘
‘Not that sort,’ Mervyn said. ‘You’re his safety net in case everything goes wrong, but if his plan works and the Centaph overrun Ethrigia you’re useless.’
Loren tugged at Mervyn’s sleeve. ‘We gotta get going, Merv, it’s nearly dawn. Aurora can stay if she wants.
Mervyn shook his head, ‘I’m not leaving her, Loren, I’m not leaving anyone. Aurora, will you pass the message to my dad?’ Aurora nodded. ‘Good, then we’ll be back for you as soon as we can.’
‘Mervyn,’ Aurora said, ‘how are you going to get back in to the slave compound?’
‘Ah, well that’s another plan without an ending,’ he said with a grimace, ‘see you soon.’ Reluctantly the friends parted.
Breaking in to the slave compound was every bit as nerve racking as breaking out. Dawn silhouetted the surrounding hills and they had to fight against a tide of Uregs making for the early sun on the ridge, but darkness still claimed the slave compound. A search light almost caught them running the wire corridor between the gates. They threw themselves on the ground and prayed, but although the ground around lit up like daylight no alarm was raised -- maybe the shift end made the guards sleepy or maybe they believed no one would be crazy enough to break in to a slave compound. Whatever the reason Mervyn only relaxed once they made the safety of their own hut. He threw himself into bed, exhausted, and tried to get an hour’s sleep.