Well, here goes again.  I've done what I could to patch this thing up.  I
wanted to try to fill in the description that people have told me seems to
be lacking in my stories, but since *I* know what's going on, it's very
hard to do.  Anyone who could help me by telling me anything that isn't
clear in this or volume one, please do so.

Thanks guys!

-----

				  *******
			       Blue Lightning
				  *******
				 Volume II

			  (c) 1995 By Damon Casale


	The year is 2008.  Overcrowding, a totalitarian government, and 
vicious, constantly infighting intelligence agencies plague the world.  
It's not a nice place to live.

	I had a plan.  There was a way out, away from all of the worst 
humanity has to offer.  It was only a matter of time...


* Dark Mirror


	Space.  Cold and empty, yet starkly beautiful.  The crescent of a 
moon hung in the sky, dimly gleaming.
	In the distance, there was a tremendous explosion of light.  It 
faded almost immediately, leaving no trace of its passing.

	Blue Lightning surged forward, hurtling away.


	"I'm slowing us down.  We picked up a lot of speed from the jump.  
Almost 300 kps."  My fingers played over the nav console, as the crescent 
moon grew closer.
	"So where are we?"  Steve asked.
	"Let's find out."

	The ship circled the moon.  Beyond, a dingy blue planet spun, a 
misty cloak of brown swirling about it.

	"Inhabited or not?"  Steve dropped into a chair.
	"I'm scanning it now."

	I got up and moved to ops.  This console had the finer details the 
nav console lacked.  A computer directed scan, for instance.
	I peered at the tiny screen.  "Only a few different types of 
lifesigns.  And a lot of industrial activity--I'm reading huge amounts of 
pollution."

	I looked up, contemplating.  "Low level radiation over the entire 
planet.  What have they been up to?"
	"Care to find out?"
	"Not sure."

	We watched as the planet circled beneath us, a silent mystery.

	This was the fourth jump after we'd left Nefaroo.  Repeated 
attempts to pinpoint and journey towards earth had brought us only farther 
and farther away from it.  Sadly, we hadn't come nearly far enough back in 
time.  The journey would still take too long.
	The other jumps were otherwise uneventful.  The last one had opened 
into intergalactic space, just outside the rim of the Milky Way.  While it 
was disturbing that we couldn't manage to get any closer to earth, the 
sights were well worth it, nonetheless.

	After a few moments, Steve reminded me of something that should 
have been obvious.
	"You probably show up on whatever instruments they have by now."
	I gave a halfhearted chuckle.  "Ooops.  Hold on."

	At the nav console again, and a few taps later, the planet spun 
away, and the moon reappeared.  Filling half the viewscreen, the ship 
finally entered a stable orbit.
	"I'll leave the ship here.  With any luck, this moon will serve as 
camouflage."
	"Good plan," he said flatly.
	Yeah, yeah.  I'm not on my toes.  I'm supposed to be new at this, 
remember?

	I returned to ops.  "I'm laying in an autoscan program.  After 
we've orbited the planet, we should have a pretty good idea of what's going 
on down there."

	Steve shrugged.  "Let's not get into any trouble this time, okay?"
	"If and when I decide to go down there, I'll let you know."  I 
threw him a look of mock annoyance.
	Steve sighed.

	"There."  I stood up.  "How 'bout a game of chess?"
	"Sure, why not."

	Moments later, the bridge was empty.  On the viewscreen, the planet 
continued to circle, silently.
	A bright flash of light flared soundlessly, covering a large area 
of one of the bigger continents.
	It slowly faded away, leaving a slightly darker smudge.  And the 
planet blithely circled on.


	I opened the wooden box and emptied the chess pieces onto the 
table, then flipped it over.
	We sorted out the pieces and started placing them on the 
chessboard.

	"So.  Planning on going down there?"
	"I haven't decided yet, but I probably will.  Just to take a look 
around, at least."
	"You're taking a big risk.  Look what happened the last time you 
did that."

	"Don't remind me.  We'll be more careful this time."  And risk is 
our business.  I didn't say it aloud, because I knew just what Steve was 
thinking.

	I moved my pawn forward.
	"Why should I go?"  He moved a knight out.  As usual.
	"You have a job to do, remember?"
	"Right."

	Another pawn.  This strategy usually got me a rook of his.
	Steve moved one of his.
	I set up with the bishop.  If he was careless enough...
	"What did happen that day in the lab, back at the company?"
	Eh?  "What brings this up?"

	He moved a rook.  Well, I wouldn't have gotten that one anyway.
	"I don't know.  Just curious, I guess."

	It was time to set up the defenses.  I moved a knight out.
	"That's when I told Kerin I knew."

	Steve dropped the pawn he had been fingering.  "And she disappeared 
the next day."
	"Yeah.  They wanted her out."

	It had been a pretty touchy situation.  The way things ended up, 
I'd closed down the company and packed up on almost a day's notice.  It was 
too bad, really.  Blue Lightning had only recently started to turn a 
legitimate profit, and a lot of the products would have made a fortune, not 
to mention raising the standard of living, had I been able to stay.

	"Your move," I said.
	He looked up at me.  "Want to talk about it?"
	"Why don't we just play, for now?"

	He put the pawn back on the board.  "I'm not that interested any 
more."

	I sighed.  "You're not gonna leave me alone about this, are you?"

	He gave me one of those looks.  Yep, that's what I thought.
	"Let's go get something to eat."


	I surreptitiously dropped the subject, and he didn't bring it up 
again.  There were enough problems to deal with, already.  I didn't need to 
rehash the old ones.

	One of those problems was waiting below, looking grim and 
mysterious.  I didn't have a clue as to what I'd find down there, but I 
wanted to be prepared.


	"I'm back with another problem for you," I said, walking into the 
electronics lab.
	Jeremy smiled.  "What can I help you with?"

	"I've been thinking.  If we run into any other aliens, it's going 
to be a lot harder than it was last time to learn each others' language."
	I continued.  "See if you can put together a memory aid for my 
translator.  I'd like to be able to instantly memorize any foreign word, 
and its meaning, when I hear them."

	He frowned.  "I'm not too sure about that.  I'll talk to Jeff about 
it."
	"Anything else?"  He ventured helpfully.
	"No, that's it for now.  I've been working you pretty hard lately."
	"It's okay.  Don't worry about it."

	I smiled.  "Thanks."

	I had a lot to think about.  The electronics lab wasn't the place, 
and Jeremy wasn't the person I wanted to be around right now.  Well, 
neither was Steve, but that was another matter.  If he wanted to hang 
around, there wasn't much one could do about it.
	Two doors later, I reached the ladder, and started climbing down.

	I always felt a little lightheaded doing this.  The rungs ended, 
and I floated free, weightless.
	I pulled myself around, facing the other way on the ladder and 
started climbing again.  Momentarily, I felt the tug of the artificial 
gravity again, and up became down.

	I emerged into the ship's garden.  Almost seven tenths of a square 
kilometer, filled with corn, green beans, peas, and other crops, it just 
barely fed all of us.  That had been one of the hardest design problems to 
solve, because of the logistics of hauling in and supporting the soil for 
the plants and the tree in the ship's developing superstructure.

	I continued up the ladder, reaching the center of the ship.  Here, 
a huge skylamp hung, looking somewhat like a fluorescent bulb, with a 
greater range of wavelength output.  The greenery needed it.
	Weightless again, I reversed myself, and climbed down the ladder 
into the park.

	I'll never forget the first time I used the ladder.  I almost got 
sick.  And I was the one who designed it, gravity variations and all.  The 
stairway was even more fun, twisting and turning to keep the sensation of 
'up' in the right direction.

	I finally sat down beside the tree, the brook burbling in front of 
me.  Thinking.  Thinking of that day.
	It had been very painful.  Out of all the time we spent together, 
that was the only day I wanted to forget....


	"You found out, didn't you?"  Her anger was icy cold, her voice 
never wavering.

	I almost couldn't face her.  Not like this.  After all, how could I 
have explained that my feelings had gotten in the way of my judgement, if 
I'd managed to plan everything else out so meticulously?  Her job had been 
to wean my secrets from me, but she'd succeeded in doing something else 
entirely.

	"Say something!  You knew, and you let things go on anyway?  What 
were you trying to do?"  With that, she'd unknowingly struck home.
	"I don't know.  I wish I knew."  Her accusations had cut deeply.  
Like a guilty child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, I hadn't known 
what to do.  All I knew was that I was losing her.

	Kerin gestured at the desk.  "And when I put the electronic bugs in 
your computers two weeks ago, you knew about that too?"
	"That's why I had them sent away to be 'fixed'."  I'd answered her 
without thinking.

	"Why?"  It was a plaintive cry, almost.
	I was silent.  No explanation would satisfy her.  What could I 
possibly say?

	"Goodbye.  Of course, I won't be seeing you again."  She turned and 
marched across the room.
	Numb with shock, I barely regained my senses enough to call out.  
"Wait!  I--"

	The door opened, and slammed shut.
	I stopped.  And stood there.

	I lost something that day.  I never understood just how precious it 
was, until it was gone.
	For years, we'd lived a beautiful lie.  But finally, the ugly truth 
had surfaced.

	A single teardrop hit the floor.

**********

	"Damon?"
	I looked up.  The intercom was blinking.
	"You'd better get up here.  There's something I think you should 
see."  Steve's voice had a note of urgency in it.

	The pain had never really gone away.  But just like opening an old 
wound, a little carelessness could bring it back, fresh and new again.


	I emerged onto the bridge.  The viewscreen was flickering slightly, 
'paused'.
	"Watch this."

	The picture resumed.  And the same bright flash appeared, fading 
rapidly away.

	It paused again.  "Well?"
	A bit distracted, I looked back at him.  "It looks like we walked 
right into the beginning of a war."


* Survivors


	Steve continued.  "That blast was from about two hours ago.  I 
scanned through the rest of the log.  No communication regarding it, and no 
one ever showed up to help the survivors."
	"There were survivors?"
	Steve nodded.  "Not many, and they're getting fewer by the minute."

	That made up my mind.

	He followed me down the ladder.  "If you're going, I'm coming with 
you."
	"Of course."


	I stopped by the infirmary to pick up John.  "How do you feel about 
doing field work?"
	"Who's the patient, and what's the problem?"  He asked.
	"Aliens down on the planet below us.  Probably burns, and maybe 
concussion from falling rubble."

	He looked up from his terminal.  "You certainly pick the strangest 
situations to get into.  I'll get a few things, and meet you in the shuttle 
bay in twenty minutes."
	"Ten.  They won't last too long at this rate."
	He noted my deadly serious tone, and nodded reluctantly.

	Steve and I walked down the corridor.
	"You sure he can treat whoever's still alive down there?"
	"If they're hurt and there's any chance whatsoever, he'll pull them 
through."
	"That's not what I meant," he said.  "Are they similar enough to 
us?  If not..."

	He's right, that could be a problem.  "I hope so.  We've only got 
this one chance to find out what's going on down there."
	He quirked an eyebrow at me.  "What do you mean?"

	We reached a ladder, and I started down.  "It's too dangerous to go 
exploring.  If we're going to find out anything at all, it'll be from 
whoever's left alive down there."  That blast left little choice.  I 
couldn't chance my life, or anyone else's, to whatever was going on on this 
planet.

**********

	The scoutcraft settled, kicking up a noxious mist.  The area was in 
shambles, devastated from the blast.
	Nearby, a group of collapsed buildings dotted the hill.  Scattered 
fires blazed, leaving the air hazy with smoke and pollution.

	The exit ramp lowered, and three figures wearing environmental 
suits emerged.
	"Steve, check over by that pile of debris.  There are two very 
faint lifesigns under it."  I watched him walk away.  "We'll check over 
here.  There's one just beyond that girder."

	Steve picked away at the rocks.  He heaved away a small boulder, 
uncovering the faces of two of the creatures.  One was crushed fairly 
badly.  The other was mostly intact, but bleeding slightly from a cut above 
the nose.

	The faces were canine in appearance, slanted downward at about a 30 
degree angle.  The snouts were unnaturally long for a dog, however -- more 
like a jackal.  Their eyes were closed, but the less injured one was 
breathing shallowly.
	"John, there's one still alive over here.  The other one looks 
beyond help, unfortunately."

	"No luck over here," John replied.  "This one's chest is crushed.  
Just a sec..."

	Together, we finished clearing away the rubble enough to lift the 
lone survivor out.  It was then that a bit of wire caught on my suit, 
tearing it, but I didn't notice at the time.

	The creature was humanoid, and about six feet tall, but slender.  
He was wearing a light robe, with stiff, angled shoulder pads.

	John pulled out a three foot long stick joined to another.  He 
extended them, and pulled them apart to form a six foot long stretcher.
	We put the humanoid on the stretcher, and headed back for the 
scoutcraft.


	"Uh oh.  Look at your suit."
	About to hang it up, I looked at the small tear Steve was pointing 
at.
	"Let's hope you'll be okay," John said, somehow managing to appear 
concerned without breaking his stoneface.
	"I feel fine."

	John shook his head slowly.  "We'll wait and see.  I hope you stay 
that way."
	I pointed.  "Right now, I'm more worried about *him*.  I'm fine."


	The scoutcraft returned to the ship.

	In the infirmary, we deposited the creature on the medbed.
	"He's not burned too badly," John murmured.  "I suggest you two 
leave, though.  I don't want to be distracted."  He ushered us out of the 
infirmary, then went back to the humanoid lying on the bed.

	Steve looked at me.  "You sure you feel okay?"
	"I'm fine.  A little lightheaded, but fine.  Probably the smog down 
there."

	I waved him off.  "I'd like to take a good look at that video.  
Later..."


	I sat down at ops, and loaded the log.  The viewscreen flashed, and 
the paused image of the planet appeared.
	The picture unfroze.  Moments later, the bright flash reappeared, 
dying rapidly.
	I worked the console, peering at the tiny screen.  "Yep.  It was a 
nuke.  Hmmm..."
	"Not good," I said to no one in particular.  "The lifeform reading 
on the microscopic scale just shot up a good 20%."

	I thought a moment.  "Great.  Biological warfare, too.  Which 
means..."  I put my hand to my forehead.  "I thought so.  Not good at all."

	I tapped the intercom.  "John, we have a serious problem here."
	Click.  "I'm busy.  What is it?"
	"I think I caught something from the planet.  If I'm right, it's 
been bioengineered, and probably deadly."
	"Bad.  Very bad.  I'll finish up with John Doe here in a few 
minutes.  Meet me down here in five."
	"Okay."

	I leaned back and looked at the viewscreen again, in thoughtful 
contemplation.  "That strikes me as odd.  One warhead fired.  Nuke and 
bioweapon.  No retaliation."

	"What's going on here?"

	I tapped a button, and the viewscreen went blue, then showed the 
planet again, slowly orbiting beneath.
	I got to my feet, stumbling, pushing on the chair for support.  
Hand to my head, I staggered towards the ladder.

	On the way down, Steve met me and helped me to the infirmary.  I 
climbed onto the medbed, flopping back.  My head fell to one side, and I 
looked at the humanoid on another bed a few feet away.
	His robe was gone, replaced by an open-chested shirt of sorts, and 
a short tunic.  The cut on his face had been bandaged.  He was still 
unconscious.

	John waved his medscanner over me.  "Yep.  You caught something 
pretty bad. It's all through your system already."
	"What can you do?"

	He dropped the medscanner and uncapped a syringe filled with a dark 
brownish liquid.  "I can give you a general antiviral shot.  Just a sec..."
	Pink.
	He picked up the medscanner again, waving it in front of Steve.  
"You're clean."
	He scanned himself.  "So am I."

	"You're the only one.  Funny it's not contagious now."  John shook 
his head in mild amazement.
	"But you must have gotten it through the air down there."  He 
heaved a sigh.
	He held the medscanner over me again.  "Well, it's slowing the bugs 
down a bit.  You'll live.  But I need to clear them out of your system."

	He gazed at me silently.

	The humanoid stirred.  John looked at him, lost in thought.  "I 
wonder..."
	Another wave of the medscanner.  "He doesn't have the bug.  He's 
immune, somehow."
	"Can you find out how?," I croaked in a weak voice.
	"I'll do what I can."

	"Meantime, you need to leave."  He shoved Steve out the door, him 
protesting all the way.
	"Steve, hold the fort, will you?"
	"See what you got yourself into?  Again?"
	I smiled weakly.
	The door slid shut.

	I looked back at the other bed.  The humanoid had just regained 
consciousness.  Eyes half-open, he was watching us carefully.  A low-
pitched note sounded in the back of his throat.
	He sat up, slowly, all the while looking at me and John intently.

	I croaked again, my voice much weaker.  "Now life gets 
interesting."
	And everything faded away.


* Return


	I opened my eyes, drifting awake.

	Someone was moving around in the medical storage room off of the 
infirmary.  I waited.

	After a minute or so, the humanoid walked out, carrying a small 
box.  He noticed me.

	"John."
	His voice was deep and resonant, with a surprisingly good 'human' 
accent.

	"Yes?"
	John emerged, looking at me.  "Good, you're awake."

	"How long?"  My voice was still little more than a whisper.
	"About a week."
	I nearly jumped off the bed.  "A week??"

	John walked over and pushed me back down gently.  "Give or take a 
few hours.  You're gonna feel weak and dizzy for a few days yet.  Those 
bugs are still in your system, but not for long."
	He looked back at the humanoid, who was putting the box on a table 
nearby.
	"You can thank *him* for your recovery."
	His expression went distant.  "I envy his immune system.  But for 
all its efficiency, it wasn't going to do you any good."
	"Using it as a guide, Nick and I engineered a cure.  But we 
couldn't have even come close without him."
	I smiled.  "Then I should say, 'Thank you'.  To both of you."

	"I see he's talking already."
	John nodded.  "You can thank Jim and Jeff for that.  They spent a 
while each day with him, learning his language and teaching him English."
	He threw a deadpan look back at the humanoid.  "The hardest part 
was showing him how to use the bathroom."

	I smiled weakly.  "I can imagine."
	"That, and figuring out what kind of food he likes."
	Now that's odd.  "He didn't return to the planet?"
	"He didn't seem to want to."

	John gave me a motherly look, without so much as cracking a smile. 
 "Get some rest.  I have a feeling you'll need it."

	They walked back into the storage room, and the humanoid emerged a 
minute later, carrying a slightly larger box.  He put it down on the table, 
and started arranging the contents on it.
	His arms and hands were quite thin and delicate, I noticed.  He 
only had three long fingers, and a short, stubby thumb.
	"What are you two doing, anyway?"

	"Gherik here seems to be interested in practicing medicine.  He's 
helping me out with a little project."  John walked back into the 
infirmary, carrying yet another box.  The two of them took out petri dishes 
and several slides, among other things.
	He picked up one of the gadgets, dusting it off.  He pressed a few 
buttons, giving a satisfied nod while Gherik looked on.

**********

	Jim and I were sitting at a small table, facing Gherik.
	"I've mainly been focusing on nouns, since those are the easiest to 
describe to him.  I'll work towards verbs in a few days.  But he seems to 
be developing quite a vocabulary on his own."  Jim flipped through a few 
notes.
	"I'll remember to have him around whenever I give a speech, then."

	Jim just nodded, and continued.  "He's got a fairly rich language 
of his own.  So far, I think I've stumbled across three different parts of 
speech, just for nouns.  Three distinct variations in the grammar."
	"That's impressive.  Sounds like Greek."
	"There are a few similarities, as far as I can tell right now."

	"Maybe you should've tried teaching him Japanese instead of 
English.  It's a lot more of a regular language."
	He smiled, looking at Gherik.  "He's picking up English pretty 
fast.  I wouldn't worry."

	He continued.  "I heard from Jeff that you're working on some 
improvements to that translator."
	I mumbled.  "I think.  It would be handy if I could memorize his 
language as I hear it.  If I can get the translator to do that, it would 
speed things up a bit."

	"Probably would.  In the meantime, I'll give him another lesson."

	"See you later then."
	"Bye," Gherik said.

	I looked back at Gherik, a little surprised.  "Later, Gherik."

**********

	"Your move, if I remember correctly," I said.

	Steve looked at the board, frowning.
	He moved a knight.
	I pushed a pawn forward, strengthening my defenses.
	He moved one of his own pawns forward.

	The bishop ploy didn't work this time.  "You noticed."
	"Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice..."

	Heck with it.  I moved my queen out.
	"I don't think you're that crazy," he said.  It was a crowded area 
of the board I was threatening.

	He moved his other rook out.
	I moved my queen again.  Now get off of my side of the board.  I 
smiled.
	"Tell me something," he began.  "Have you learned your lesson yet?"
	"Are you trying to distract me?"

	"You got us captured the first time and got sick this time.  What's 
next?"  He moved another pawn forward.
	I took it with one of mine.
	He decided to go on the offensive, and moved out his queen.  Very 
offensive.
	I castled.

	"How's the translator coming along?"  He was trying to get me to 
chat.
	"Haven't checked yet."
	"Huh.  I figured that's the first thing you'd do."

	I looked at Steve.  "I'm taking it easy, doctor's orders."
	He smiled.  "Now that's funny."
	And moved a rook, indirectly threatening my queen.
	"Hey, stop looking so dangerous over there," I grumbled.

	I leaned back, looking at the board, and sighed.  "You're getting 
better.  No fair."
	I finally moved a pawn.
	Steve moved one of his.

	A tinny voice sounded in the room.  "Damon, there's a problem."
	I glanced at the intercom, flashing, on the wall.
	"I just picked up a video broadcast with us on it," the voice 
continued.

	We stood.  I pushed the intercom.  "I'll be right there, Lucky."
	"There goes the game again," he muttered.


	We emerged onto the bridge.  Lucky had already loaded up the log.
	He pointed at the screen.  "This was from about ten minutes ago."

	On the screen, an alien commentator was speaking in deep throated 
tones.
	The picture changed, now showing three figures in white 
environmental suits, digging through the rubble of a collapsed building.  
Us.  A sliver of the scoutcraft was visible, on the left edge of the 
screen.
	The picture shifted again, this time showing the two dead bodies.

	Lucky pushed a button, and the planet reappeared.
	"Save the soundtrack of that," I said.  "I'll want it for later."

	I nodded at the screen.  "I noticed they weren't showing the 
scoutcraft, but they obviously knew about it."
	Steve harrumphed.  "What would any government do when confronted 
with aliens?"
	"Good point.  Now that they know we're here, what will they do?"
	"Wait for us to come back, most likely.  We'd better be real 
careful from now on."  He gave me a meaningful look.
	I grinned at him.  "I couldn't agree more."

	Gherik emerged from the ladder, gesturing at the planet, then at 
us.  "Come on."

	I smiled again.  "Shall we go?"


* Battlefield


	Gherik and I walked along a dirt path leading down a hill to a 
small building.  Another humanoid was waiting in the doorway, looking 
intently at me.
	Gherik took the other's hand in both of his own.  Their way of 
shaking hands?

	A conversation ensued.  Half a minute later, they looked at me, the 
implication obvious.
	"Damon."
	"Vuin."  It was a soft, breathy sound.
	"Nice to meet you."

	The conversation continued, as they stepped inside.  I followed.

	It was a workshop of sorts.  A desk covered with papers sat in one 
corner.  A bookshelf dominated another wall.  But the most obviously alien 
artifact turned out to be the chairs, thin and angled in a wide V down the 
middle.
	Gherik started pulling down several volumes from the bookshelf, 
stacking them on a nearby table.
	Of course!  "I'll be back."

	I rushed back down the path to the scoutship, returning with a 
gravdisc.  Three feet in diameter, rimmed with a two inch guard, it floated 
at about chest level in front of me.
	They stared at it, exchanging a few tense words.

	I put a few of the books on the disc, and after a moment, they 
joined in.

	They collapsed into chairs, and I made myself comfortable on the 
floor.  Vuin idly picked up a thin card, pressing at it, and part of the 
wall lit up with a picture of a familiar looking alien commentator.
	The picture shifted to a view of a battlefield.  Many of the aliens 
were holding projectile launchers:  huge, five foot long tubes, mounted on 
rolling tracks.  A few squat vehicles, best described as tanks, rumbled in 
the background.  Vuin moved to press the card again but stopped, a look of 
recognition on his face.

	He ran to the doorway, looking outside.  In the distance, I heard 
an explosion, and saw a plume of smoke rising from somewhere beyond the 
hill.

	He gestured at the screen and pushed at the card again, and the 
screen went dark.  Tossing it aside, we hurried down the path, with the 
platform.

	A high-pitched whistle sounded in the air, growing louder rapidly. 
 We dived to the ground, and the platform drifted forward a few meters.  
Behind us, a mortar struck the ground and exploded, sending us flying.

	Gherik and I got up slowly.  Vuin was lying on his side, clutching 
at his back.  A jagged wound ran across it, and a large chunk of metal was 
poking out.
	We stood him up, supporting him between us.  I grabbed the platform 
with one hand, and we staggered down the path towards the scoutship.
	As we climbed the ramp, another whistle sounded.

	We clambered inside, and the mortar struck.  The ship rocked, and I 
was thrown against a console.  I dropped to the floor, a wide gash in my 
forehead.  Then nothing.

**********

	I blinked, opening my eyes.  I was back in the infirmary, lying on 
a bed.
	The gash in my forehead was covered with a bandage.  I prodded it 
lightly.

	John walked over.  "You were lucky that wasn't any deeper."
	I looked around the room, pensive.  "Gherik?  Vuin?"
	"Gherik is fine."  He pointed at the medbed.  "Vuin might not make 
it.  That was a nasty wound he picked up."

	"Wait a minute.  How did I get back?"
	"Gherik flew the scoutcraft.  We talked him in.  Pretty good 
pilot."
	I stared at him in shock.  "Gherik flew...?"

	"No more questions.  I need to get back to Vuin."  He walked back 
over to the medbed, where Vuin was lying face down.  The piece of metal was 
still embedded in his back.
	He picked up his medscanner and ran it over the wound.  "Not good. 
 It's stopped bleeding, but his vitals are very weak."
	"Could you use any help?"

	"No, I'll be fine.  Go on, will you?"  He bent over the wound, 
inspecting it closely.
	"You'll let me know?"
	"As soon as it's definite, yes."

	I walked outside, shaking my head slowly.  I hated to admit it, but 
Steve had been right.  I'd been lucky.  If Gherik hadn't been there...

**********

	"This is gonna speed things up a lot," Jeff said, looking over one 
of the books.
	"It's an encyclopedia, isn't it?"
	"Pretty sure."

	I looked at him, sitting across from me at a long table.  Gherik 
was sitting next to me, and the books were stacked in front of us.
	He dropped the book he was looking at and picked up another, 
opening it.  "And this one looks like a dictionary."
	"Perfect.  Good luck."

	I stood up to leave, but Gherik held me back.  "Thank...you."
	"I only hope Vuin survives.  And thank *you* for bringing me back." 
 Human facial expressions may have been beyond him, but I could hear the 
concern in his voice.

	I wandered down the corridor.  There was something I wanted to 
check on.


	Jeremy turned around at his workbench, frowning at the bandage I 
was wearing.  "What happened?"
	"An accident on the planet.  There's a pretty nasty war going on 
down there."
	I gestured at the table, where the microcircuit viewer sat, 
whirring.  "Any progress?"

	"Some," he replied.  "I'll need Eric to start writing the software 
for it soon."

	I sat down beside him.  "How will it work, exactly?"
	"John and I came up with a mnemonic enhancer.  Put simply, you hear 
a foreign word, and the enhancer supplies a mnemonic, the English 
equivalent."
	"What about words with more than one meaning, or homonyms?"
	"We're working on it.  What we can do is set it up to be dynamic, 
programming itself as you hear the language.  Every so often, we can dump 
its data into the translator itself.  Then we can compare it against 
Gherik's brainwaves, and we'll have a translator for his language."

	"Sounds difficult."
	He nodded.  "It'll take months, or even years, before it's ready."
	I sighed.  "I'm not so sure we'll be staying that long."
	"Learning a language takes time, no matter how you do it."  He 
shrugged.

	I stood.  "Thanks."


	Too much had happened, and none of it really made any sense.  
What's worse, I'm not even sure Gherik and Vuin knew what was going on.  
Not that I could find out.

	I smiled crookedly.  What we have here, is a failure, to 
communicate.


* The Game


	The work translating Gherik's language and books proceeded apace, 
and Jeff and Jim were making major headway in teaching him English.  Gherik 
was a remarkably fast learner.  Meanwhile, I was left with nothing to do, 
and everything to worry about.  I managed to keep myself busy, 
remembering...

	Steve and I were walking down a corridor.
	"What's kept you so busy these past few weeks?"
	"I've been going over some journals."
	"You, kept a journal?"  He smiled.

	"A few notes, back when we were at Blue Lightning."

	He got an odd look in his eyes, and smiled faintly.  "How about we 
finish that game?"
	I shook my head.  "A little later.  I've got a few things I have to 
do."
	"Catch you later."  He walked away.

	Strange.  Now that I look back, thinking about it, it was a lot 
like the look Nick always got when he found some new genetic discovery to 
interest him...

	I climbed the ladder, emerging onto the bridge.  It was the morning 
shift, so the bridge was empty.

	The planet circled lazily on the viewscreen.  I sat down at ops.
	"Hmmm..."

	About a quarter of the population of the planet are massed into 
groups.  Probably armies.

	I peered at the screen.
	Now this is odd, I thought.  No facilities to make nukes, and there 
aren't any now, so...where did that one we saw come from?

	About half the population centers show signs of destruction.

	I leaned back in the chair, sighing.
	The whole planet's in the middle of a long, protracted war with 
itself.  Why?  I asked myself unhappily.

	"Damon?"
	I tapped the console.  "Yes?"
	"I've been going over that encyclopedia.  About three quarters of 
it seems to be devoted to war and warfare, just looking at the pictures."  
Jim sounded a lot more nervous than usual.
	"I think I have an explanation for that.  Go on."
	"Some of this stuff looks pretty advanced.  I'm working on 
translations, but it's going to take a while."  

	"Don't worry about it too much.  We probably won't be running into 
any of it."
	He paused.  "Why do you say that?"
	"A theory I have.  I'll tell you later.  Anything else?"

	"That's pretty much it.  Except Gherik seems to be getting a little 
anxious."
	"Have you asked him about it?"
	"I can't get anything coherent out of him about it."
	"Huh."  I frowned, wondering.

	"Well, staff meeting in three hours.  I'll discuss my 'theory' 
then."
	"I'll get back to work on this."

**********

	I stopped by the infirmary to check on Vuin's progress.
	"Prognosis, doctor?"
	John looked back at Vuin, still lying face down on the medbed.  The 
piece of metal had been removed.
	"Things are looking good.  I can't say for sure yet, since I still 
don't know too much about these guys--"
	"Work on it.  I hope we won't, but we might need it."
	"Yes, sir," he said flatly, glaring at me.

	I grinned.  "Nice to hear some enthusiasm.  Anyway, staff meeting 
in two and a half."
	"Right."  He nodded.

	I turned to look at Steve, and Gherik and the two of us walked 
outside.  "I hope you don't mind, but can we call off the game?"
	"Why?"

	"I'd like to play Gherik."
	"Heh?"  That got a raised eyebrow.
	"A hunch."  I gave him a knowing look.


	Next stop, the mad scientist's lab.  I grinned at the thought.
	"It's ready.  A bit rough, but it's something."  Jeremy held up the 
modified translator.
	"Jeff suggested I model it after how we learn a language naturally, 
so I did that.  The word meanings will have to be dynamic, and can't 
exactly be attached to any one English equivalent, but--"
	I frowned.  "Then how will I be able to speak it?"
	He dropped it on the table.  "It won't work that way.  I can modify 
the buret to allow that, but it'll take a few days, at least."

	A slight pause.  "Any time you're ready," he said meaningfully.
	I nodded.  "Right after the staff meeting.  One hour."
	"Got it.  You've come up with something?"

	"Something big, if I'm right."

	But I'd hoped I was wrong.  In a way, it had reminded me of Earth, 
just a bit.
	When the CIA wasn't busy importing drugs, it was figuring out how 
to keep the status quo.  War was its business.  And it had done a damn good 
job.

	Too bad, really.  My technology wouldn't have done them much good. 
 But at least they were nice enough to introduce me to Kerin.

**********

	"Time to spill the beans.  What did you find?"  John plopped into a 
chair, kicking his feet back.

	"Gherik's people have been at war with themselves for a number of 
years now.  It's dragged on for quite a while, at least, since they don't 
seem to be using their most advanced stuff.  War of attrition.  In fact, I 
doubt they're able to make most of it any more."
	"That explains the one nuke, and why nobody fired back."  Steve 
looked away, disgusted.
	"Right."

	Jim pushed forward one of the encyclopedias.  "I've got working 
translations for a few of these weapons of theirs, when you're ready."  I'd 
never heard Jim sound afraid.  Not until then.
	"How advanced?"
	"Way beyond anything I've ever seen."

	I thought for a moment.  "That's your field, Steve.  I want to know 
what we might be up against."
	Steve returned the friendly stare.  "Are you planning to take on 
the planet?"
	"Not quite.  But we *will* have to go back down there eventually, 
and I want to be prepared."
	He frowned.  "I hope you know what you're doing."

	Well, thank you for your concern, I thought sarcastically to 
myself.  But it was your idea to play it safe.

	"So do I.  Now, thanks to Jeff, John, and Jeremy here, we have a 
working translator for Gherik's language.  It needs to learn it first, but 
it's a start."
	"First though, it's time to find out a little more about our friend 
here."  I pointed at Gherik.
	"How are you planning on doing that?"
	"I told you already.  I'm going to play chess with him."

	Jeff looked puzzled.  "How will that help?"
	"No, it makes sense."  Steve was working it out.  "Think about it. 
 If Gherik's whole society is devoted to war, we can find out just where he 
fits in this way."
	I nodded.  "Exactly."

	"So how does *he* feel about this?"  Jim gazed at Gherik.

	"Shall we play a game?"  The deep voice echoed through the suddenly 
silent room.

	Gherik cracked a wide, toothy smile.

	Surprise wasn't just an understatement this time.  It was like 
comparing an ant to a galaxy.
	"Indeed," I breathed.


* Enigma


	Nine pieces were left on the board, six of them Gherik's.

	I tipped my king.  "I resign.  Nice game, Gherik."
	Steve let out a chuckle.  "He wiped you all over the table."
	"Yeah.  I think I'm out of my league here."

	I'd tried everything.  Opened with a classic knight's gambit, 
followed through with taking a rook and a bishop in quick succession...then 
spent the rest of the game defending myself.  Everything was placed just so 
-- almost too perfect.  To him, it was a child's game.  And I wondered 
again whose life I'd saved, a few weeks ago...

	"Interesting game."
	I nodded slowly.  "That it was, Gherik."

	Jeremy smiled.  "Maybe we should teach him East Front next."
	"If *you* want to.  I've had enough."

	"So what's the verdict?"  Steve asked.
	"I'm not sure I want to know."
	"Well, their whole society *is* devoted to war, isn't it?"  He 
shrugged.
	"That's what has me worried," I murmured softly.

**********

	"It's time to decide."
	I looked away, at the viewscreen.  The planet swirled silently on.
	"Take the time to teach me your language, Gherik, or go back to 
your planet?"

	He faced the viewscreen, looking at his home, with what I'd come to 
recognize as determination.  "Take the time," he said.  "I'll wait."
	He was getting better.  Fast.
	"All right then.  Let's go."


	Later, in a familiar aclove...

	"I assume you have a pretty good idea of how to start."  Jim picked 
a book at random, and flipped it open on the table in front of me.
	"For the most part, I think."

	"Call me if you run into any trouble, then."  He walked away.

	Gherik looked at the book, then picked up another and found a 
certain page.
	"Hbria."  He pointed at a picture of the planet, as viewed from 
their moon.
	I nodded.

	He turned a few pages forward, and pointed at a picture of one of 
his kind.  "Hriak."
	I nodded.  The translator was making this incredibly easy.

	He dropped the book, took another, and found a picture of the city, 
slightly less ruined.  "Ikkal."
	I nodded.

	This went on for quite a while.  Over the course of three days, we 
continued.  Thousands of nouns and adjectives, and several basic verbs.  
Gherik patiently went over anything I had trouble with.  I learned a 
lot...but I noticed we didn't touch on anything even remotely related to 
war.

**********

	Steve glanced around furtively, then slipped through a door.  He 
sat down in front of an ancient PC, powering it up.

	journal

Enter the password:

	nefaroo

Enter the second password:

	weya

Enter the matrix (-1 to end):

	7 1 5 2 8 5 2 1 3 6 9 3 6 1 10 6 1 3 2 4 11 2 4 3 12 4 3 2 1 5 7 -1

No end code.

	"Damn.  He's not very predictable."

	Steve and I had found a way to keep in touch, when we wanted our 
messages to remain secret, back on Earth.  Steve had tried an old code, 
with new passwords.

	I walked in, then sighed at him, looking annoyed.  "Steve..."
	"You just don't give up, do you?"
	He gazed back, silently.

	"Hold on.  If you're that curious..."  I motioned him away from the 
screen, and pattered away at the keyboard for a few seconds.  A blue screen 
filled with text appeared.

	He paged through the text.  "You had quite a few projects you never 
developed."
	"Tell me about it.  Kerin's little escapade didn't give me time."

	"How come I'm not seeing anything about Kerin in here?"
	"Wrong file.  And it has a different code."
	He harrumphed at that.

	"Wait a sec.  What's this?"  He pointed.
	"Something I never finished."
	"Well?"
	"The shield's EM field was too strong.  I couldn't find a way to 
protect whoever would wear it, or the people around him."

	He turned around in the chair.  "Ever consider taking this up 
again?"
	"If you're that interested, I'll download a copy of this to 
Jeremy."

	He stood up, and turned off the computer.
	"Next time, just ask."
	"That wasn't what I was looking for, and you know it."
	"When I'm ready to talk about it, you'll be the first to know."

	We walked outside, and down a corridor, in silence.

	"So how's it progressing with Gherik?"
	"Pretty well.  I'm picking up the 'nouns' and 'adjectives' fairly 
quickly, but the 'verbs' are a bit difficult."
	"Anything you can tell me about Gherik himself?"

	I thought a moment.  "He's intelligent, good at teaching, and a 
great feel for strategy and tactics."
	"I hear a 'but' there."
	I smiled.  "He's still an enigma."

	We stopped in front of another door.
	"So what have you and Jim found out so far?"
	"The weapons are pretty heavy stuff.  Back on Earth, just before we 
left, this kind of technology was still experimental.  We wouldn't have 
seen anything like what they've got for about another fifty years."
	"That bad, huh?"

	I sighed, shaking my head.  "Can we come up with something 
*nonlethal*?"
	"I've got a few ideas.  I'll need to talk to John."  He grumbled.  
Nonlethal to him was noneffective.
	"Do that.  I want something ready ASAP.  Let's just hope this won't 
be necessary."

**********

	It was time for a little *good* news.
	Gherik and I met John in the infirmary.  He'd said it was 
important.  And he was right.
	"A fast recovery."  He waved at Vuin, sitting up on the medbed.
	"I would tend to agree."

	Gherik helped him to his feet.
	"Do you think he'll be all right?"
	"Should be.  As long as he doesn't get himself into a war again."

	The three of us paraded out the door.
	"I don't know about you guys, but I gotta get something to eat."

	Well, food was one priority.  Now that there was nothing holding 
Gherik here, I needed something else.

	"You want the buret updated with Gherik's language, right?"  Jeremy 
nodded.
	"Good guess.  Take your time, though.  It'll be a while before I 
really need it."  Considering how little I've learned so far, that is.  If 
I could speak it *now*...
	"No problem.  Steve seems to think your shield is more important, 
anyway."

	I smiled.  "Steve is a man with a one-track mind."
	"Can you blame him?"
	"Guess not.  He also has a few ideas about some weaponry, just in 
case.  As soon as he gets back to you, give that top priority.  I don't 
want to get caught with my pants down again."
	He grinned.  "Whatever I can do."
	"Good.  And thanks."


	As it turned out, I didn't have the time to wait.  Gherik was 
anxious to go home, and so we took a scoutcraft, and headed for the city.
	"Don't you think we should wait until Jeremy's ready?"  Steve idly 
fiddled with the scanner, plopping down at ops.
	"Like I said, I hope we won't need it.  Besides, it's Gherik's 
decision."

	The scoutcraft descended, finally settling just below the top of 
the hill outside Ikkal.
	The ramp lowered, and the four of us walked out.  Then it raised 
itself.

	Just in case.

	"I came prepared anyway."  Steve gave me a defiant look.  "Just in 
case."  He refused to go anywhere unprepared, even if it was just a routine 
visit, like this one was supposed to be.

	A small group of Hriak were coming out to meet us.  Gherik joined 
them, talking softly.  After a moment, he nodded and smiled.
	We continued towards the city, approaching a bunker of some sort.

	"Something's wrong," I breathed softly.

	At first, it had only been a nagging feeling in the back of my 
mind.  I'd finally realized what it was.  They were too quiet.

	"Come on."  Gherik gestured, motioning for us to follow.
	"Hold on a minute.  Where are we going?"
	"You'll see."

	"Steve, turn around and walk back towards the ship," I said 
quietly.

	No joy.  The Hriak pressed us forward.
	Steve decided to escalate, and whipped out a semiauto.

	"Um, Steve...put the gun down *very* slowly."
	"Why?"

	"Look what Gherik's pointing at us."
	He looked.  And stared.
	"I recognize it.  It's like an infrared laser.  Not only will it 
make that Uzi of yours too hot to handle, it'll also boil the skin right 
off of your body."

	He put down the gun.
	One of the others took it, and motioned us forward again.

	"Here we go again."  He glared at me.

	We arrived at the bunker, and started filing through the door.
	Steve slammed a fist at it, angrily.  "Shit."


* Trust


	They escorted us down a maze of corridors into a small room with 
steel walls.  One narrow bunk was attached to the wall, and there was a 
single "chair", the Hriak version.

	"They took my coat, AND my sword.  I am going to kill you, Damon."
	"What did you have in the coat?"
	"Almost everything."  He glared at me, eyes aflame.

	"All right, what's left?"
	"A knife...and a communicator."
	I smiled slightly.  "Steve..."

	His expression softened just a bit.  He pulled off a boot, and took 
out the communicator.
	"Leave it off.  We might need to hide this in a hurry."

	"Jeremy or John."
	Click.  "You rang?"
	"Trouble in River City."

	John chuckled.  "So Gherik took you, eh?"

	How come everyone saw this coming but me?
	"How's Steve's weapon coming?"
	"It's done already.  All I had to do was modify one of the lasers."
	"And?"
	"It's a 'stungun'.  I set it close to their brainwave frequency, 
and fed it through a randomizer.  Should knock 'em out, with a fat headache 
when they come around."
	I nodded to myself.  "Nice.  Gonna need more than that, though."

	"I'm sorry, Steve."
	He puzzled over that for a second.
	"John, get Beth."
	"Hold on a minute."

	Steve fixed me with another glare.  "Damon..."
	"We have *no choice*.  There's no one else competent enough to 
handle this."

	"What did you need?"  Beth asked.
	"We've got a problem down here.  I'll need a rescue team.  We're 
being held in a reinforced bunker.  You'll need a way to get through the 
doors."

	"Okay.  When?"
	"Tonight.  One hour after sunset.  That would be about oh five 
hundred, ship's time."
	"Done.  Tell Steve I'll be there."

	I looked back at him.  He was still glaring at me, but remained 
silent.
	"We appreciate it.  Put John back on."
	"Just a sec."

	"John, I want you along on this one.  I want a prisoner, preferably 
Gherik."
	"Thanks.  I'll try not to get hurt."

	I handed the communicator back to Steve.
	"I hope to hell you know what you're doing, this time."
	"I don't.  But I'm sure Beth does.  She can handle herself."

	He put the communicator back in his boot, and put it on again.  
"Now what?"

	I gazed at the door.  "We wait."

	I stewed silently with my thoughts.  I'd trusted Gherik.  What had 
happened to that trust?  Why the betrayal now?  Hadn't he had all too many 
opportunities before?

	Minutes, hours later?  I didn't know.
	The door opened.  Vuin and two others walked in.

	They escorted us out, and down a hall.  Right at an intersection, 
and we stopped in front of one of the doors.
	"I hope she can find us."

	Vuin opened the door, and the others ushered us in, looking none 
too friendly with some sort of handheld weapons.  Hand lasers, maybe?  I 
didn't want to know.

	Gherik was sitting at one end of a large table.  Vuin and the 
others sat down, joining an already numerous group.
	The chairs we were offered were flat, interestingly enough.

	"You know why you're here."  Gherik gazed at us passively.
	"I've got a pretty good idea," I offered, my voice dripping with 
sarcasm.

	"First of all, how do you open the ship?"
	"Go climb a tree."

	He smiled.  Which wasn't all that pleasant to look at.  He knew 
that, of course.
	"I think not.  You will tell us, eventually."

	He gestured at two others, walking into the room carrying ominous 
looking somethings.
	They closed the double doors behind them, and Steve casually 
scratched at his pant leg...and pulled out a knife.
	He jumped up and grabbed Vuin, holding the knife to his neck.  "I 
don't think so.  Back, or he dies."
	I stood behind him.

	Steve made a quick decision, and we started moving towards Gherik.
	He was backing away, into a corner.  "What are you doing?"
	"You're coming with us."

	Steve changed hostages, and we moved towards the door.
	"Open it, Gherik."

	Steve pressed the knife a little closer.  A thin line of brownish 
blood formed underneath.
	That made up his mind.  He opened the door, and we stepped through. 
 The whole group just stood there, watching us silently.  Eerie.

	"Which way?"
	He pointed back the way we came.

	We reached the intersection, and he pointed again.  A T junction.  
He pointed right.
	The door was just ahead.

	*Was*, just ahead.  It exploded inward, and we were thrown against 
the floor.  Gherik jumped up and ran.
	"Let him go.  Let's get out of here!"

	The smoke cleared a bit, and Beth waved in the doorway, smiling.
	"Nice entrance!"  Steve yelled as he dove through.
	"Nice to see you too."

	We hurried back up the hill.
	"What, you missed someone?"  John deadpanned at me.

	I glanced back.  Three Hriak emerged from the bunker.
	"Keep your heads down.  We don't know what they're armed with."

	I touched a panel on the side of the scoutcraft, and the ramp 
lowered.

	The Hriak were just in time to see the two scoutcraft disappearing 
into the night sky.


	"Uh oh."

	The nav console was beeping insistently.

	"We've got some sort of missile following us."
	A few nudges to the control spheres.  "I can't shake it."

	"Head up.  Skim along the atmosphere as fast as you can.  If it's a 
heat seeker, we should lose it."
	Steve was in his element, now.

	We passed through a layer of clouds.  The moon appeared, and swung 
away again.  And then the edges of the viewscreen started to brighten.

	They were glowing red now.
	"Still on us.  What is that thing?"
	"It's got an image sensor, then.  Head for the moon."

	The moon swung into view again, growing larger slowly.
	"What now?"
	"Get as close as you can to the surface, preferably near a large 
crater."

	The missile was closing in, blazing brightly in the night sky.  
Finally, the scoutcraft neared one of the craters.
	"This thing's almost on top of me!"  I shouted.
	"Aim for the wall of the crater."  He leaned forward, calm as ever.

	Now.  I shoved the control spheres up, and the scoutcraft barely 
cleared the crater wall.  The missile wasn't quite fast enough.

	The scoutcraft rocked slightly, buffeted by the shock of the 
explosion.  After a moment, it settled out again.
	"That was too close."

	I sighed heavily.  "Beth, you make it back okay?"
	The audio feed crackled.  "Course.  We were a bit worried about you 
two, though.  What happened?"

	"Gherik left us with a parting shot.  We're heading back now."
	"No detours this time."  The crackling faded out.

	"Happy now?"  Steve shook his head in distaste, still annoyed at 
me.

	"Not yet.  We're sticking around for a while."
	"Haven't you had enough?"

**********

	"We'll be hanging around for a few months.  I'd like to collect as 
much data as I can from their broadcasts."
	Around the table, Steve, Jeremy, Jim, and Jeff all frowned at me.
	"Why?"
	"There's still one thing we have to do."
	"And what would that be?"

	I faced them impassively.  "I've taken a close look at their 
planet.  It's dying.  Within about 30 years or so, they'll have wiped 
themselves out of existence."
	Steve laughed mirthlessly.  "Why the hell do you care?  They almost 
killed you."
	"I know.  But just think about us.  The human race.  On Earth, 
we've already come too close as it is.  I'm not willing to let an entire 
race die, not even one as warlike as the Hriak."

	"So what are you going to do?  Learning their language isn't going 
to change anything," Jim said.  Several heads nodded in agreement.
	"It might.  Meanwhile, work on that encyclopedia.  I want to know 
as much about them as possible."

	"Suppose they come looking for us?"  He asked.
	"Then we have a 24 hour watch, ready to leave the system at the 
first sign of trouble."  There.  That should make Steve happy.

**********

	It was time to visit the park again.

	I feel...
	I don't know.  I don't want to deal with this any more.  I trusted 
him.  I even saved his life and Vuin's, and he betrayed me.

	I couldn't even trust Kerin, and I loved her.

	Why?


* Gift


	I stared at him in shock.  "Are you *sure*?"
	Jim nodded.  "500 years.  That's how long they've been at war.  
Sporadic fighting for a few decades before then, as well."
	"I'd say they're overdue for a time out," Jeff added.
	"I'd have to agree.  Try telling them that, though.  Anything 
else?"

	"Not much.  Mostly more weapons data for Steve."
	"Not like he needs it," I muttered.  "Damn.  They're gonna kill 
themselves, and there's nothing I can do about it."
	"It's not your responsibility."  Jim was looking at me curiously.

	I sighed.  "I know.  Can't stop me from trying, though."
	"Well, what have you come up with so far?"  Jeff asked.

	"Nick's managed some grass and seeds, and a phage that'll eat the 
smog in their atmosphere in about two years."
	"Sounds great."
	"Not good enough.  I still can't come up with a way to clean up the 
radiation."

	"Well, you can't solve all their problems."
	"I'm damn sure gonna try.  Later."  I walked out of the room.

	"He's pushing himself.  Something about this really bugs him."
	Jeff shrugged.  "Don't look at me."

	They were right.  I was pushing myself.  I still don't understand 
why.  All I knew was that I couldn't let them die.

**********

	Jeremy nodded at me as I walked in.  "The buret should be ready in 
a few days.  Jeff is busy compiling the last batch from the translator."
	"Great, for the next time we visit.  How's the shield going?"
	"Not much progress.  It can't be a full-body shield.  It'll have to 
be partial-front, worn on your arm.  I'm going to need a light, transparent 
polymer as well, to use as insulation."

	"Hmmm.  We won't be able to get anything like that until we get 
back to Earth."
	"All right.  Try to work out the details, and shelve it.  Thanks 
again."
	Jeremy smiled.  "No problem, I enjoyed the challenge."


	The future would keep.  The present had enough problems of its own.

	"So, are you game?"
	Steve thought a moment.  "Finding him in the first place will be 
hard as hell.  Getting him back up here...good luck."

	"Look, Gherik might not be the best company there is, but we need 
*some* way to talk to these people."
	"So?  Send out a general broadcast."

	"Won't work.  I need a way to deliver this stuff.  Gherik can find 
people who will know what to do with it."
	"You're taking a big risk."  He looked annoyed.

	Don't I always?  "I know.  That's why I'm asking you for help 
planning it."
	"Great.  Just what I need."
	"Get used to it."

	I sat down at the nav console.
	"Can you locate him from up here?"
	"Sorry, can't.  This is 21st century technology.  Not that 
sensitive."  And they were looking forward to this in the 20th century?  
Heh.

	"My best guess would be that bunker."  I looked up at him.
	"And you expect to get in there AND get out WITH Gherik.  Right."

	"He's gotta go home sometime.  I *can* track movement from up here. 
 If this smog lets up a bit, I might even be able to see him."
	"Fine.  So you find out where he hangs out.  Then what?  Go in with 
stunguns blazing?"
	"If that's what you're suggesting."

	He threw up his hands, exasperated.  "Look, it ain't gonna work.  
Your best chance is at night, when no one else is around."
	"And I can't spot him at night from up here."
	"Then you send someone down to wait for him.  That's your only 
choice.  But it's too risky."

	"Then I'll do it myself."
	He stared at me.  "You can't be serious."
	"Dead serious.  If you want to come along--"
	"I'm *not* letting you go down there alone."

	I nodded.  "Fine then.  It's settled."
	He laughed, suddenly.  "*Why* do I let you talk me into these 
things?"

	"No other choice.  It's that simple."


	The scoutcraft flew towards the planet.


	A few days later...

	I tensed slightly.  "Someone's coming out."  I crawled a bit 
farther up the hill, overlooking the bunker.
	"Not him.  Wait..."

	"He's with someone.  Let's go."  I pocketed the binoculars.

	We scurried down the hillside.  Gherik and a companion were walking 
along a dimly lit street, in the general direction of the city.
	"Hurry, before anybody else comes," Steve whispered.

	We reached a good vantage point, and he dropped to one knee.

	Gherik's companion crumpled to the ground.  Gherik himself whirled 
around, spying us.
	"Damn!"  He hissed.
	Steve fired again, and Gherik fell.

	Steve rolled him over.  "Figures.  It's Vuin."
	"Leave him.  Help me with Gherik."

	It took us four nights...but we managed it.

	The scoutcraft flew into the starlit night sky.


	We hauled him into a V'ed chair.  Jeremy, John, and Nick gathered 
around the table.
	I shook him lightly.  This was the moment of truth.

	Gherik opened his eyes slowly.
	He focused on me, and gave a start.  "*Now* what are you up to?"

	Steve and I sat down.  "Nothing much.  We just want to talk."
	"Just talk?  You could have done that by transmission."
	"And we want to give you a few things."
	"Really?"  He'd mastered sarcasm well.

	I sighed.  "Look, your planet's dying.  I'm sure you know that.  30 
years from now, you'll all be dead."
	"Why does that concern you, especially after what happened?"
	"Never mind.  I'm not willing to let your race die out, so I'm 
giving you what I can to patch up Hbria."

	He sneered.  "Why should I trust you?"
	"Why shouldn't you?  Why else would I bring you back here?"

	He narrowed his eyes, gazing at me silently.
	"Hmph.  All right, what do you have?"
	"Nick?"

	He nodded at Gherik.  "I've engineered a bacteriophage that will 
eat the smog covering the planet, in a little under two years' time.  After 
that, it'll die out, leaving you with clean air."

	"We've also pulled some grass and seeds from ship's stores to 
replenish some of the plant life on Hbria.  I'm not sure if they'll grow, 
but if they do you won't have to worry about oxygen."
	"What?"  He gave us a puzzled look.
	"Fresh air," I replied.  "Without the plant life, you won't be able 
to breathe the air even without the smog."
	After a moment, I continued.  "Some of the seeds are for fruits and 
vegetables.  Food, since you can't live off of reconstitutes forever."

	"I only wish I could do more.  I hope your people appreciate it."

	Gherik gave me a hard look.  "And if I refuse?"
	"Why?  We're *giving* this stuff to you."

	He leaned forward, gesturing.  "Do you think everybody will just 
stop fighting, and that'll be the end of it?  We've had a hundred years of 
idealists telling us that.  It won't happen."
	"You've got to start somewhere."

	He slumped back in the chair, letting the toll of war finally show 
through.  "We've been at war for too long.  I don't even know if we could 
stop.  This would just prolong everything."
	"If you feel that way about it, do something.  Make a difference."

	He laughed mirthlessly.  "What can *I* do?"  An odd sound, almost 
like a bark.  Unpleasant, but faintly reassuring.  He had a sense of humor.

	"Show them a better way.  *You* stop fighting.  You're a prominent 
figure.  People will listen to you."
	"You just don't understand--"
	"Aren't you at least willing to try?"

	He thought.  What could I lose?  My life I owe to chance.  And 
there are worse ways to die.

	"Let me think about it," he replied softly.

	I nodded, smiling sadly.  "Good.  In the meantime, you're invited 
to dinner."

**********

	The phage was successfully seeded.  The pollution content of 
Hbria's air was already dropping noticeably.
	It'll be a while before the seeds can be planted.  The soil will be 
recovering from centuries of harsh treatment.

	Just before we left, Gherik announced his early retirement.  A 
major step in the right direction.  After all, it isn't every day that one 
of the masterminds, the strategists behind an entire nation's worth of 
soldiers, vows to live for peace...

	What does the future hold for Hbria?  Can one person make a 
difference?


	The last planet fell behind, and the viewscreen glowed with a 
reddish tint.
	The starlight slowly disappeared, as the jump ring formed.

	An explosion of white light...and the stars returned.

	I'll probably never know.

End of Volume 2


Damon Casale, scyth@andrew.cmu.edu

				* Love *
                 Between two people, there is nothing that
                      can draw them closer together