I walked from our apartment to the lift and palmed the pad. The wait seemed longer than usual. When my carriage arrived, the doors opened and Mad greeted me.
“Hello, Mad. Busy today?”
“Yes, Ghee, sorry about the wait.”
“No matter.” I’d relearned the forgotten phrase from Buster.
“I’m very busy today,’ he said. “You, too?”
“I’m going over to bother Jack.”
“I’m sure he’ll be pleased.”
“I think he’s finishing up with the Apsaragin trade agreement today.”
“Oh, that’s a good one. I read about it in The Best of Times.”
The Best of Times was the big, professional newspaper on KekTan. Many mid sized and smaller ones are available. The Mek had found out about newspapers from human archives and created their own industry. Newspapers were almost as popular as cats, printed in English on paper made of a fibrous crop, and of course recycled. They weren’t about to cut down their trees, or buy someone else’s. Mek are conscientious about over-consumption, and this makes them quite frugal in most ways.
Since the Mek had no writing, they’d adopted English. They took classes in other human languages, too, and formed clubs. Spanish was popular, and many Arabic dialects as well.
Mek love to practice the different sounds, the ones they can make, at least. Some of the sounds had to be modified, though, because of their wide mouths and tongues.
I’m continuously surprised at the Mek capacity to learn and adopt cultural artifacts, and their interest in darn near everything.
Mad let me off in the bright lobby and I strolled through. Many humans and Mek waved at me as I made my way toward the big glassed entrance, looking for Danny. He wasn’t receiving well-wishers today, probably out hunting, or sleeping outside in some secluded, warm bower. I stood in the shade of the building, letting my eyes adjust. Mad was right, the block bustled more than usual. Cats, humans, aliens, and Mek strolled on the slidewalk I stood on, and the slidewalks, the wide median, and the opposite walkways. Personal hoppers, sort of like jet packs, buzzed overhead, and above them flew small rental car-like vehicles, called ‘fliers’, and cabs for hire. Farther overhead, ‘copters and private fliers like our own Maiden Faire zipped around. On the ground level thruways, public trams and buses competed for space. They didn’t burn fossil fuels, and emitted no exhaust.
The humidity was a little high. I started my walk toward Jack’s building, grateful for the air conditioned walkways. The Diplomatic building was about five blocks away - big Mek blocks sprouting enormous, glass-encased buildings.
I walked opposite The Best of Times block, with their many colorful scrolls, which circled all the way around and up the sides of the building. Mek permeated their cityscapes with color and movement, oddly tempered by cool, calm visions of the natural areas of KekTan visible on indoor walls. They were a species still discovering themselves.
All the sidewalks and slidewalks were shaded with a clear, tough, polarized material. These coverings doubled as energy collectors which cooled or warmed pedestrians, depending on the season or time of day. Even though the walkways only felt the full touch of the sun on certain portions or for short periods of time each day because the buildings shaded by them, they could collect energy from reflected light. This powered the slides, lighting, and climate controls; they were that efficient. The wide medians had covers as well.
Mek construction collected energy in every possible way. The exterior glass walls of building were collectors, as were the roofing materials. Even the wheels on the various forms of rolling transportation transferred energy to the vehicles.
The glass walkway roofs used their energy to cool and dry the air and blow it downward, making a welcome breeze about the head and shoulders. The cooled air sank to the sidewalks, reducing their temperatures an average of eight degrees. The citiwalks on KekTan sort of reminded me of the misting patios of Palm Springs, California. I’d been there once.
In the winter, the system warmed and moistened the air, and blew the heat up from the bottom so it rose to the top of the angled canopy. The sidewalks had warming strips embedded in them, too. When you had to cross the street, between canopies, the real weather got to you. This made pedestrians cross fast in order to achieve the comfort of the sheltered walks. Pedestrian traffic on KekTan was efficiently managed this way.
I like this city. It’s marvelous, and I walk whenever I can, as does everyone else, even when I go shopping because Mek porters are everywhere. They help carry my purchases and put them in the Maiden Faire or a cab when I’m done. Of course, my building has many porters as well. Mek have become quite sociable and service oriented. This has become another one of their trademarks, which of course, enables them to keep an eye on everyone. Mek security is unmatched in the Infinite; everyone says so, although this is an untestable claim. No matter. The evidence is incontrovertible.
I reached the Diplomatic building and entered the cool lobby. Mek, humans, and many aliens waved and nodded at me. I walked to the lift going to Jack’s level and greeted Gam. He smiled widely, and I noticed he’d lost a few front teeth. He closed the door behind me and we began the upward trip.
“Been to the arena ship lately, Gam?” I asked.
“Yeth, Ghee,” he lisped, “I won my match. Going tomorrow to get new teeth. They’re growing them for me.”
“Well, I hope you’ll take a few days off, then. You don’t want to rush back to work.”
“Yes, thath right. I’ve got a new litter coming. Got to be there for the birthth.’
“Of course. How exciting!”
“The queen hath a puthed in faith, how do you thay?”
“Persian, if it has long hair, American shorthair otherwise.” I knew damn well he remembered those words. Mek devoured every detail about cats; he was just being inclusive.
“I found a tom with a big nose for her. For the kittieth.”
The Mek do NOT like the potential of disabling manipulations.
“Can I come see them?”
“Yeth, you mutht.”
The Mek had taken to dentistry pretty handily. They often had their round, pointed teeth fixed or replaced.
The lift doors opened. Jack stood in the hallway, smiling.
“Darling,” he said.
“Sweetheart,” I replied, and hugged him thoroughly.
Gam chuckled as the lift door closed.
“Colonel Wad is here.” Jack informed me. “He had interesting news.”
“Tell me.”
“No, I’ll let him.”
I pouted attractively. With my face, all of my attempts to appear attractive wind up looking comical.
Jack politely tried to hide his laugh by turning and pulling me toward his suite.
We entered his office and Colonel Wad turned from the cooker, stirring his fresh brew. The spoon clinked rhythmically on the insides of the mug. It smelled like Faire ‘Colombian’.
Colonel Wad was short even for a Mek.
“Colonel Wad, I’m happy to see you again.” I smiled warmly.
We migrated to the couch. Mek weren’t big on handshaking, as they had to reach up, which sometimes caused ignorant others to snicker at them. They thought big, and didn’t appreciate being reminded that their stature left them wanting. This was the only insecurity I’d discovered in them. It seemed a little ridiculous, because Colonel Wad, or most any of the adult Mek for that matter, could make cat food out of most anyone without breaking a sweat.
“You as well, Ghee. I have excellent news. Should I just blurt it out, or string you along?”
“Blurt, please.”
“The Harald Sundaramoorthy and the Trakennad Dor have returned. They’ve reported that the Nams are gone.”
“Gone? What… ”
“They’ve vacated your planet.”
“They’re gone?” I stupidly repeated.
“They’ve left nothing behind.”
“Not even landfills, Ghee,”
Jack said. “They picked the planet clean. They even scrubbed the air and water of pollutants.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Apparently it’s what they do,” Colonel Wad said, “They take the processed materials. They took it all and left a clean and naked planet. You can go home, if you want to, but we hope you will stay with us on KekTan,” he said to me. Then to Jack he said, “All of you.”
“Wish we could get their technology,” I blurted out.
“No shit, huh?” Jack concurred.
“Would have been a fine prize,” Colonel Wad nodded his big head in agreement. “Did you realize that a few of the fighters on Klon’s ship are familiar with the Nameloids?”
“No. I didn’t.” I replied.
“Oh, yes. Two had their planets overtaken this way as well, but no one can say where the Nameloids come from or where they go back to.”
“Too bad,” Jack said.
“Yes,” Colonel Wad agreed. “Well, I’ll go and let you ponder the imponderables.”
We showed the Colonel to the lift while he finished the coffee. He handed Jack the empty mug and said goodbye.
As we walked back to Jack’s office, I looked at him and asked, “Well, what now?”
He replied, “Let’s go and have a look.”
Chapter Eighteen
Deena’s Final Betrayal