Wandering Star Read online

The sound of Alice’s breathing changed abruptly as she wrapped her arms around herself, probably already running mental scenarios of an aircraft gone missing somewhere over the vast open ocean.

  “Angela,” I asked, “Alice and I have some other things to tend to if the rest of this can wait. I’d like to catch up with Marcus and go down to the Patrol HQ to check on Monroe.”

  “Oh, haven’t you heard?” General Barrows interrupted. “I was just told that Fiona Monroe is dead. Medical overdose. Enough medication to kill her ten times over.”

  I turned to Alice and said softly, “She was just one more piece of evidence that had to be destroyed.”

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, sir. We need to go.” I disconnected, knowing Angela would understand and that was all that mattered to me right then.

  “You don’t suppose Lieutenant Jeffers?” I asked Alice.

  “No, it’s not in him. McKellar must have killed her before he went to Marcus’ cabin.”

  I nodded and we walked back to the front of the barracks. “Are you ready to go do some more hero work?” We slipped ponchos over our heads and looked out the window at the last of the flames dying, no match for the heavy rain squalls.

  She sighed as she adjusted her hood. “If I’m such a hero, why do I feel like crying?”

  I opened the door for her. “That’s OK. I did that last night. It’s dark and it’s raining and no one will notice if you do.” She gave me a quick smile and we stepped outside.

  Marcus was by his cabin, poking around in the ruins. Sergeant McKellar’s body was still in the street, a lone Private standing by waiting for a truck to arrive to take it away.

  Alice looked at the body calmly, rain running down her face. “He should have realized there was something wrong with the timers after what happened to Fiona Monroe. The charges would not have gone off while she was still so close unless they wanted her to get caught.”

  I turned to look at McKellar. I had never seen a dead body before yesterday and now, looking at him, someone I had known and talked to, I just felt tired.

  “He knew,” I replied.

  Marcus came up to us. “Couldn’t stay away, could you?”

  “General Barrows says to say ‘hi’,” Alice answered.

  “Does he now?”

  “Don’t you know? We’re all heroes, you, Ted, me, even Lieutenant Jeffers. Barrows is taking credit for stopping the war before it started and will be telling the world about how light our losses were. Only Lydie. Only Helen.” Alice surprised me then by kneeling in the mud next to McKellar and placing a hand on his shoulder, her head bowed in prayer.

  “Monroe is dead too,” I said to Marcus.

  “Yes, Jeffers told me.” He had his hood pulled back and the rain was running down his face. “I think we all need to go back to the barracks now. Get something to eat, find a dry place to sleep.”

  “Barrows is sending transportation for us once the weather clears. Do you want to get on that plane?”

  Marcus smiled sardonically, which was the only way I ever saw him smile. “I think we’re more valuable to him alive now than dead. I won’t lose any sleep over it.”

  I looked down at Alice. “I’m ready,” she said.

  We each took an elbow and helped her back to her feet. She felt very light, the thinness of her arms lost in the loose bulk of the poncho. The rain was already washing the mud off her long, bare legs back onto the street and none of us looked back as we walked up the hill to the barracks.

  The hurricane blew itself out overnight, tracking south toward the equator and leaving the Margo Islands with clear skies and the seas still running high. There would be no ships or seaplanes for at least a couple of more days. I found Alice sitting on the front porch the next morning writing on a display pad, her feet up on the railing.

  “Found some new clothes I see,” I mentioned, sitting in the chair next to her.

  “The quartermaster here is really efficient. There was a bundle outside my door this morning along with this.” She held up the pad, then whispered to me, “I think I intimidate him.”

  “I can understand that. Have you seen Marcus this morning?”

  “He’s working, believe or not. Still trying to finish a population survey he was doing of these big blue lizards with six legs that live here, lacerti hyacinthi.”

  “What are you working on?”

  “Comments for this evening’s memorial service for Lydie and Helen. I wanted to include some words for McKellar, Pruitt, Meyrick, and Monroe but Lieutenant Jeffers won’t have it.”

  “I’m not sure I blame him.”

  She nodded. “You’re still angry. Come and talk to me about them when you aren’t any more; when you’re ready to forgive.”

  “That may be awhile.”

  She nodded again, still typing on her pad. “What are your plans for the day, Ted?”

  “I thought I might do some exploring, see if I can figure out what makes this place worth dying for. And killing for.”

  “I don’t think the answer to those questions can be found here, but give me a half hour and I’ll go exploring with you, if you don’t mind my company.”

  “I’d like that. You can keep me from getting lost.”

  She smiled, still typing.

  When she had finished we walked up toward the peak, past the caves. “There’s a thin lens of limestone here,” Alice explained, “no one has really figured out why. Maybe a drop in sea level or maybe tectonic uplift.” She shrugged. “It recurs at the same elevation intermittently all around the peak. It’s fossiliferous near the top of the unit and the index fossils are the same at each exposure.”

  “There is a geologist inside you somewhere,” I said, examining the traces of shell embedded in the rock.

  “I still let it out sometimes.”

  We continued up, following Alice’s plan to do all our climbing before it got too hot and then work our way back down to the OP camp for lunch. The trail we were following stopped about a third of the way up the peak, high enough to afford a view of the north side of the island but still almost a thousand meters short of the summit.

  “Has anyone made it to the top?” I asked

  “Marcus claims to have, but with the thickness of the vegetation I think he may be exaggerating.”

  The north side of the island was undeveloped and the lumpy green canopy was solid all the way to the ocean. “I grew up in the desert where the landscape is naked and you can see the Earth’s bones,” I commented. “It was perfect for a geologist, but I can see why a biologist like Marcus would love this place.”

  “He’s been here so long that this is home for him. It’ll be hard for him to leave.”

  When we started back the temperature had already reached the low-thirties and we were both getting hungry.

  Part way down, we came across one of Marcus’ blue lizards sunning itself in the middle of the trail. It was about half a meter long nose to tail and was watching us warily with one eye. Alice stopped and whispered to me, “Watch this.”

  “Hello, there,” she called out to it.

  “Hello,” the lizard answered before racing into the undergrowth.

  Alice looked at me, smiling. “Bet you don’t have those on Earth.”

  “No, we don’t. Just an automatic response?” I asked hopefully.

  “Probably. They repeat back the first part of whatever you say to them.”

  “We have birds that will learn a few words, but it takes a while to teach them. Some of them even understand what they’re saying.”

  “Really? That is weird, sharing the planet with another species that has some level of intelligence. Even at the height of the old Union I don’t think anything was ever found smarter than that lizard.”

  “It is strange, isn’t it?”

  The chow hall at
the OP camp looked like it had been manufactured by the same company that had built its counterpart on the other side of the hill. Our presence there didn’t seem to excite any interest; there were several uniformed members of the PFS already sitting with OP soldiers.

  “The two Lieutenants may not be the most effective officers to ever serve in their respective militaries, but this,” she gestured at the tables of mixed uniforms, “deserves more credit for keeping the peace than it will ever receive.”

  I nodded toward where Jeffers and Recano were sitting eating lunch together. “Maybe what you would expect from leaving the two lovers in charge.”

  “Exactly. They created a cadre of men and women who don’t look at the other side as enemies.”

  “With a few notable exceptions.”

  Alice frowned and handed me a tray. We looked at the meal selections of synthetics, fish and strips of some sort of meat that smelled like teriyaki beef.

  “What is that?” I asked the chef, my mouth already watering.

  “Lizard.”

  “The big blue ones?”

  “That’s them.”

  “I think I’ll have the fish. The fish, they don’t, um, talk do they?”

  He looked at me like I was crazy as he put a plate on my tray. “Of course not, they’re fish.”

  We sat and I ate while Alice talked. “The memorial service will be just before sunset on the beach down by the dock. The Lieutenants are planning a binge party right afterwards. Lydie and Helen would like that. I suppose it will be the last one here.” She chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “I won’t stay for the party, of course.”

  “Why not?”

  She smiled, making her eyes crinkle more than they already were. “I don’t think you realize how unpopular I am here. The last couple of days have been the exception. Things are back to normal now and a chaplain is just in the way again.”

  “Stay for a while at least.”

  “Maybe.”

  We finished eating and then walked slowly back over the hill to the barracks. The heat was climbing past thirty-five and the clouds were trying to get organized for an afternoon thunderstorm. Alice stopped on the porch, moved a chair into the shade and sat, tucking long legs under her.

  I stood undecided, listening to the beckoning hum of the air conditioner. “A little warm out here, isn’t it?”

  “I like the heat,” she answered. “I must be part lizard.”

  “Hello, there.”

  “Hello,” she replied, smiling.

  “I have reports I need to write for Angela this afternoon. I think I’ll sit out here with you while I do it and soak up some heat. It’s snowing again in Palma Sola today.”

  Connecting the display pad to Wandering Star brought up two messages, one from Jake and one from Hannah. I paused, my finger hovering, undecided for a moment before sending her a greeting. I opened my report template and alternated for the next couple of hours between working on my delinquent status charts and chatting back and forth with Hannah. Her comments on the mood in the capital were funny and insightful, as I expected them to be. Barrows was a hero for stopping the war, no one trusted the OP and everyone expected them to try another sneak attack sometime in the future, and there was no mention of anyone named Alice, Marcus or Ted. Lieutenant Jeffers, on the other hand, was the big hero of the Margo Islands. He was going to have an opportunity to enhance his career significantly, but I wondered how Lieutenant Recano was going to fit into that future. The two of them were going to have some decisions to make.

  I sent my reports off to Angela, told Hannah that I was looking forward to seeing her, and disconnected.

  I stood and stretched. Alice was curled into the chair sleeping and did not stir, so I left her there and walked down past the Patrol HQ to the beach. Several soldiers were there chopping and stacking wood and getting things ready for the evening party. The Corporal that I had played cards with was there so I walked over to her.

  “Corporal…,” she moved her hair out of the way so I could read the name printed on the edge of her t-shirt, “Carotti. Anything I can do to help?”

  “Sure,” She handed me the axe she was holding. “You know how to use this?”

  “Yeah, it makes little sticks out of big sticks.”

  She pointed to where a large pile of tree trunks had been stacked. “That guy is using the chainsaw to cut everything down to two meter lengths, but someone needs to lop off all the smaller branches so everything will stack the way it should for the bonfire. The wood is pretty soft and,” she looked me up and down, “you look pretty strong so I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble.”

  I spent the afternoon not thinking about Marcus or Alice or Jake or Hannah or Fiona. I chopped wood and dripped sweat and by the time the sun was drifting lower, I felt much better about life. I bathed and played in the surf with the soldiers when we were done and then we stood on the sand and let the last of the sun and gentle wind dry us.

  Alice found me when she arrived, dressed in her PFS chaplain uniform. She placed her hand on my chest and said, “You look like a whole new Ted, all sun burned and smelling of the ocean.”

  I suddenly felt underdressed. “I’m not exactly dressed for a memorial service, I should change.”

  “You didn’t know Lydie and Helen very well. Trust me, they’d be happy with the way you look.”

  I found a place to sit on one of the logs and Marcus soon joined me. “How are your lizards?” I asked as he made himself comfortable.

  “Not as numerous as they should be. The damn chef over at the OP camp keeps serving them for lunch and dinner.”

  Alice stepped up onto a low platform once everyone had gathered and spoke about the love Lydie and Helen shared for the Islands and for the mission and how they would be missed. She did not mention those who had killed them, but spoke of the need for forgiveness and then she stepped down. Each of the Lieutenants spoke briefly about how proud they were of everyone and how the Margo Islands garrison was an example of what was possible between the OP and PFS. They stepped down, the bonfire was lit, and I found myself with a cold beer in one hand and a stick with something hot to eat on it in the other.

  Marcus put his mouth next to my ear so I could hear him over the music that was now throbbing over the beach. “That was good of you to help Corporal Carotti this afternoon.”

  “It was good for me. I needed it.”

  He nodded to where I could see her dancing by herself near the flames. “You should go over there. I think she’d like to thank you in person.”

  I looked at her and she made eye contact, smiling.

  I shook my head. “No, I better not.”

  “Why? Still hung up on Hannah, who belongs to your best friend?”

  “I don’t think Hannah belongs to anyone but Hannah.”

  “What makes her so special?”

  “She’s smart, smarter than me, and she’s easy to talk to.”

  “I don’t think it’s ‘talking’ that Carotti has in mind.” He pushed me with his shoulder. “Did it escape your attention that you almost died yesterday, like twice? Go. Do something life affirming.”

  I looked at Carotti, watching the swaying of her body in the firelight, the soft smile on her lips as she looked back at me, remembering what she had looked like when we played in the water that afternoon.

  My view was suddenly blocked as Alice sat down on the sand in front of me. She had changed out of her chaplain uniform and looked much more comfortable. “Ted, I’m glad I was able to find you. Do you have time to talk, assuming you’re not otherwise occupied?”

  “Damn it, Alice, leave the boy alone,” Marcus growled.

  “Um,” I swallowed hard, trying to get my voice back, “sure, Alice.” I stood, ignoring Marcus, and helped her up. She took my hand and led me toward the dock. I looked back over my shoulder once to se
e Carotti talking to someone else and starting to dance. I sighed.

  We walked to the end of the dock and sat with our legs dangling down, listening to the soft slap of the water on the pilings and the distant music from the party.

  “I’m sorry that I had to rescue you. It’s things like that that make me unpopular here, I’m afraid.”

  “Who were you rescuing me from, Carotti or Marcus?”

  “From yourself, of course.”

  “So did you really need to talk to me or was that just a ruse?”

  “No, I do. Well, it could have kept till morning, I suppose, but I’m excited. I talked to my father this afternoon. The OP and PFS delegates to the Foundation for Margo Islands Development have agreed to abandon the Islands. He was able to get it approved before General Barrows could interfere. By the end of the week there won’t be anyone left here.”

  “How did your father do that?”

  “You don’t get to be the head of a department at a major university, let alone the liaison to the Reunification Commission without being shrewd and ruthless. The kindly, slightly befuddled professor act is just an act. He’s been angry about the way Barrows manipulated RuComm since the beginning. He thinks only he should be allowed to do that. Now that Barrows is on the defensive, my dad is looking for revenge.”

  “Where does that leave you?”

  “That is the question.” She laid back on the dock, looking up at the stars.

  “Can he keep you safe?”

  “No, probably not, but the church can. I’ll be leaving for Bodens Gate.”

  “How soon?”

  She looked at me and actually giggled with excitement. “When you do. Dad negotiated with Angela and Captain von Muller for passage for me aboard Wandering Star.”

  I laid down next to her, looking at the beauty of the night sky.

  “I suppose your dad knows when we’re leaving too.”

  “Two or three weeks. RuComm is pulling your team out early, but there are things they want to finish first. And Mr. Mahajan will be staying behind in Palma Sola as an adviser to the legislature.”

  We laid on the dock together looking at the stars and listening to the music. Around midnight the smaller moon rose over the peak and shimmered on the water.