Arr was thankful for the rest at Outpost #68. He was having a hard time coming to grips with what he had done on the ice planet. His waking thoughts were stuck on the scene of the battle. When he fell asleep he had the old familiar dream of the Henu massacre, but this time he played two parts in it. He was still that little boy in the reeds by the lake. However, when The Other looked at him he was looking into his own grown up face. He was the invading force. Jake asked him if he wanted to talk. Jake sensed something was wrong, but Arr wasn't ready. He was trying to think it out for himself.
It seemed so senseless to Arr. The battle was over the possession of the snow and ice itself. Where Arr grew up there was plenty of water to drink, irrigate and swim in. Such was not the case throughout the rest of the galaxy he was told. All minerals were very precious and water was scarce. One part of the little planet wanted to set up a purifying plant and market their water to the other planets in their space. The other part of the populous wanted to keep it as it was and always had been. The latter lost through the efforts of the mercenaries of which Arr was now one.
What made the mercenaries any different from the Helavite pirates? Arr wasn't sure they had a right to decide which was the best course for that planet and its people. If he kept thinking along these lines he would desert Jake and go home. But he didn't.
There was another part of him that said thirsty people had a right to drink and others whose planet abounded in natural resources should share. Jake had been fighting battles like this all his life. Jake was a good man. Jake wouldn't do anything he didn't feel was right.
And so the internal battle raged on.
Chapter 20
Jake thought he found the perfect assignment for him and Arr to take next. He heard from a trader who was passing through that the planet he fought on just seven months ago in the Nubula System established a processing plant for the galnon crystals. They needed a security team to do light duty, checking the workers for pilfering from the plant. No killing required - plush duty and good money. He hated to say 'a piece of cake,' after the last episode, but it really did sound like just the ticket.
Jake spoke to Tim via his new and improved communications system about the kid's sleepless nights. Tim quoted that ancient anecdote, 'If the horse throws you, you get right back on.' Tim advised putting Arr straight back into the most heated battle Jake could find. Don't let him think about what he did. Keep him busy. But Tim didn't know the kid like he did. Jake felt the slow approach was best. A few quiet months at Galnon Station #41 and he'd work it all out for himself.
When Jake contacted the station superintendent the guy was elated. Jake's reputation preceded him. The Super never thought he'd get someone of Jake's caliber for the job. He met Jake's price with no questions asked.
Jake's announcement earlier in the evening that they were leaving tomorrow was met with silence. It wasn't until he explained that it was a security team position and cushy duty that Arr relaxed and started to ask questions.
There wasn't much to tell. The plant itself was usually flown in, pre-assembled or close to it, along with the living quarters for the management staff and employees. The equipment, workers, worker's families and supplies followed close behind. They would all stay until the last of the galnon crystals were found. Then they would pack up and move on to the next planet.
The Super figured it would take about six months to finish the job at Galnon Station #41. Jake and Arr were hired for the duration.
Chapter 21
Arr sat in the shade with his back against his and Jake's cubical. The climate control system inside was on the fritz again. It had been broken down or hardly running ever since they arrived almost a month ago. He left Jake softly snoring on his bunk across the room to go outside. Arr came to the conclusion that Jake could sleep anywhere, any time.
It wasn't much better out here except you didn't have to listen to the ventilation system cough and groan and it wasn't so confining. Jake brought them to a truly miserable planet.
Arr looked out over the terrain. It was solid rock. Nothing grew here, not a tree, not a bush, not even a single blade of grass. The planet was between its two suns thirty of its thirty hours a day. The temperature never fell below 120 degrees. Arr's lips were cracked. He was always hot and sticky. His nose was so dried up he felt he would probably never get his sense of smell back, but then again, maybe there was an advantage in that if applied to the thought of being Jake's partner. There was no water on this piece of rock. All water flown in by The Company was rationed like everything else.
The mining company commissary sold all the items it felt were needed for survival in this forsaken place. Every man, woman and child was issued ration tickets for food, water, clothing etc., each week. Each ticket was labeled for a particular item and a quantity. If you used up your ration tickets you went without. The Company determined exactly what was needed for sustaining their workers at a particular performance level. They also determined how much could conceivably be brought in versus making a decent profit for the mining enterprise. Transfer, trading or sale of your tickets to another, other than a family member, was strictly prohibited. Enforcing this last rule was one of Arr and Jake's duties as security for the station along with preventing pilfering from the planet of the precious galnon crystals.
Arr couldn't see how people lived like this all their lives. He talked to some of the workers. They said these were normal conditions when working for The Company. Galnon only formed in certain kinds of rock. The rock was almost always found on planets like this one. The workers traveled as families, children and all. Arr felt sorry for the kids. There was no place to play. No shade trees to climb, no lakes to swim in, no grass to lie on. Due to their environment they were unusual children, quiet and thoughtful. Mostly they read and drew pictures of things they had only seen in books.
There was a family of Darills at the station whose daughter took a shine to Arr almost the moment he arrived. She was as dark as Arr was light. She had dark hair, eyes and skin. Her name was Neena and she was a mute from birth. She spoke to him with large expressive brown eyes that reminded him of Carrie's, but Neena was only six years old.
The child followed him around like a young dar-dolf. She never tired of putting her arm or leg next to his and comparing the color as she stroked the short soft hair. When her mother would scold her for bothering the security guard she would apologize to him in some sign language he was just beginning to understand than she would skip off as though she was living the life of a princess. She was a very special child. The one child allowed a worker family.
The whistle on top of the processing plant blew the rising call. The actions of everyone on the planet were governed by the whistles. There were whistles for rising, meals, breaks and quitting time. There were emergency whistles for when the drills hit a lethal gas deposit and there were whistles for cave-ins.
Arr rose to his feet, pulling his damp shorts and short sleeve shirt, the uniform of the security team, off his sweaty skin. There would be no bath this morning. The water used for bathing came from a recycling system used at the mine. What they bathed in was the water used for the mining process after the crystals went through it. Enough for a bath only accumulated every three days or so. After going through the recycling plant it wasn't clean, in fact it was just this side of mud. A little more water, a little less dirt. The only reason the community was allowed to use it for bathing was it wasn't good for anything else. A person was usually cleaner before they got into it. But it was cool from being underground and it washed the stink off.
Arr heard a skipping sound to his left. He knew before he turned it would be Neena. The child never walked anywhere. She always had the energy to skip even in this unbearable heat.
She had a piece of paper in her hand and presented it to Arr as soon as she reached him. It was a picture she had drawn. A picture of him. She was not a child prodigy with incredible artistic ability, but Arr knew it was him at once. The clue was the red and yel
low pencils she used for the hair on his arms and legs.
"This is good Neena. It looks just like me." He winked at the child. She smiled and hung her head bashfully. He offered it back, but she refused. It was obviously a gift. "Thank you. I will hang it in my room." Arr said proudly.
She signed a goodbye and skipped off toward home and breakfast.
Arr went inside to have a bite to eat as well. Jake was busy preparing his morning meal. Arr nodded in his direction on his way to the refrigeration unit. It was just too hot to make idle conversation.
Neither of them had had anything hot to eat in weeks. They both preferred something out of the refrigeration unit or at least room temperature. Arr reverted to being a vegetarian again. Jake took to eating cold processed meat which the Henu found only slightly less than completely repulsive. Arr complained that it was like eating it raw.
Arr got a can of fruit from the refrigeration unit and a glass of water from the water cooler. They purchased their water in large glass jugs that were delivered to the station in heavy crates of two dozen each. He would be glad when the supply ship arrived in two days. All the fresh fruit and vegetables ran out over a week ago. He'd been eating this canned stuff ever since. He was looking forward to a meal that didn't taste like so much mush. He longed for something that crunched when you bit into it.
Kay-o rubbed against Arr's leg and he reached over to pat him. The dar-dolf was really odd looking without his fur. Jake shaved him so he might cope better with the heat. Kay-o went back to eating the last of his ration of Jake's leftovers plus his allotment of food they brought with them on the ship. Jake said that if he knew the extent of the conditions on the planet he wouldn't have taken the job or if he had he would have come better prepared with a fully stocked pantry. As it was, they already depleted their extra stores aboard ship including all the Red Raspberry Goo Chews.
Chapter 22
Jake sat in the Super's office listening to him quote declining production levels and rising expense figures. Arr and he had been at the station for two months.
"The galnon deposit is already on the wane. With luck, we could get it to last another two months, but definitely not four." The Super mopped his brow with his ever present handkerchief. Not only was it unbearably hot, but he hated the duty of telling Jake the bad news. Mercenaries were unpredictable. He hoped Jake would take this well.
The Super progressed to the complimentary part of the meeting hoping to pave the way for the bad news to follow. "You and your partner are doing a fine job on security for the processing plant."
Jake just waited for the other shoe to fall, and it did.
"However, The Company will not be needing your services for as long as the contract has stated."
The Super rushed on to get in the little alternative he thought might be needed to keep Jake calm when he realized the extensive loss of pay they would receive. "Unless you would like to relocate with the workers to the next job site? Of course The Company will give you severance pay, but it will not be the full agreed on contract price." The Super apologized.
He had no idea that Jake looked on this news as a reprieve from what felt like a jail sentence that he and Arr were serving on this planet.
"I understand completely. I know when the time comes for The Company to pay us off that they will be more than generous." Jake could be diplomatic when there was a need.
The Super sighed in relief. He stood to shake Jake's hand and end the meeting.
Jake pulled up his sun goggles from around his neck as he stepped outside. He wanted to tell Arr the good news. He didn't have to hunt him. He knew where he would be, with the family of Darills.
Arr learned their language as easily as he did English but the little girl's sign language was a lot harder for him. He so wanted to understand what she said to him. She was like his shadow since he learned her language and started telling her stories of his childhood and home. She was desperate to communicate with him too. Arr's wall in the cubical was covered with pictures she drew for him. Most of them of him at the places he told her about the tree house, the lake, gathering reeds. Neena's mother said the only thing the child wanted last month when the supply ship arrived was a picture book dictionary so she could see what Arr spoke of. It was the worst case of puppy love Jake had ever seen.
The adult Darills were patient with Arr's constant intrusions. Jake thought they were pleased that Arr took an interest in Neena. That he didn't ignore her as the other worker families did. This was an odd community. The children were quiet and thoughtful. They spent long hours telling each other stories, drawing and reading. They had to be quiet due to the heat. The Darills were different. They came from an environment much hotter than most of their fellow workers and adapted to this well. They functioned normally at a higher temperature while the rest of the population had to stay in cooler buildings as much as possible. The Darills were great workers for the galnon mines, but there were few who left their home planet. Jake heard they were poor space travelers.
Jake knocked at the Darill's door looking for Arr.
"Come in Officer Harcourt." Dicor, the father, invited.
It was the one day a week when the processing and mining plant shut down. The whole family was home. Jake found Arr down on his belly on the floor drawing pictures with Neena. He was talking like he was born a Darill rather than a Henu.
"Can I offer you a drink?" Dicor asked.
"No thanks, I only came for my wayward partner." Jake knew it was close to supply ship time. Everyone was getting low even on water.
"I'm almost done, Jake." Arr said over his shoulder in English then fast fell back into Darill with Neena.
Jake and Dicor sat and talked as Kaill, Neena's mother prepared the mid-day meal. Most of the conversation was about the eagerly anticipated arrival of the supply ship. The ship came every thirty days. They were all looking forward to fresh fruit and vegetables. Kaill apologized for the lack of variety, but told Jake and Arr they were welcome to share the family's meal if they would like. Jake and Arr declined politely. This close to the coming of the ship food was tight. They didn't want the Darills to come up short. Besides, Jake wanted to tell Arr the good news and he couldn't do it in front of the Darills. After all, it would mean they would have to be moving on soon.
Outside Jake turned a sober expression on Arr. "I talked to the Super this morning and extended our contract for another six months." Jake said with as close to a straight face as he could muster.
If looks could have killed Jake would have died on the spot. If Jake could only have kept a straight face he would have had the kid. But he couldn't keep from smiling.
"What? What did the Super really say?" Arr's eyes glinted with excitement.
"In two months, maybe less, we're out of here." Jake crowed triumphantly.
Arr grabbed his partner in a big bear hug.
Chapter 23
Arr's elation at the news that they would be able to leave this horrible place was dampened by the failure of the supply ship to arrive. It was now two days late. Stores were running very low for everyone. The commissary was totally depleted except for one case of water. The Super put Arr and Jake on rotating shifts guarding the crate. Each of the two dozen households were required to conduct an inventory of all their stores, including water. It was found that if they were careful the water, including the crate in the commissary, would last about fifteen days. Yesterday they instituted water rationing even beyond the normal.
"It's only six days round trip to Henu. There's plenty of water there." Arr brushed at his sweat stained face with the back of his hand. He formulated this idea during his shift guarding the water, when Jake showed up to relieve him it all tumbled out. "The supply ship might show up while we're gone. Then again, it might not show up at all."
Jake's thoughts were along the same lines. He didn't know what happened to the ship, but he didn't like the looks of it. He went earlier today to the Super and suggested almost the same thing Arr just did. The Sup
er was reluctant. He was afraid that if the security team left there would be uncontrolled riots. Jake convinced him there would be more than riots if they didn't leave, there would be deaths. Work at the plant already suspended until arrival of the supply ship and more water.
"My thoughts exactly." Jake affirmed with a nod of his head. "We'll leave tonight."
Later that evening Jake and Arr loaded every container they could find aboard Jake's ship and took off to the Henu planet.
Chapter 24
They made the Henu planet in record time, 70.35 hours. Jake spent most of that time at the controls trying to get top performance out of the Calpernia. She could fly herself, but Jake could fly her better.
They all three made the first trip down in the pod. The moment the pod's doors released when they landed they all ran for the lake. Jake and Arr took time only to remove their blasters before diving in clothes and all. It was the most delicious feeling they ever experienced. They both lay in the edge of the water where their bodies turned it silty from their many galnon crystal water baths. The lake had infinitesimal fragments of galnon floating in it now that glistened as they sank to the bottom. Kay-o was lying flat on his stomach in the knee deep water lapping up the cool lake as though he would drink it dry. When the joy of being wet and cool again subsided, Jake rose and walked to the grass at the edge of the lake, sitting to pull off his boots.
"Come on you two lay-abouts. Time to get back to work!" He yanked off a boot dumping the excess water out on the lawn. "Come on...." He gave Arr an accusing glare when the boy failed to rise from the refreshingly cool waters.
Arr splashed at Kay-o sending the tiny iridescent green minnows, nibbling at the bubbles in his fine hair, scurrying away in fright. The big dar-dolf looked up startled.
"Come...." There was a mischievous glance of conspiracy that ran from the boy to the dar-dolf and back again. Jake was ringing the water from his hat and didn't see it coming.
Kay-o and Arr both emerged seemingly obedient from the lake only to descend on Jake in a mock attack. For a moment all the mercenary saw was fur, red/gold hair and water.