Chapter 28

Cateria had arrived and with her came several Med Techs and five med bots. Ha-Hi himself had piloted the tank down. Now my XO came over to where I was standing and smirked. “The next time I am going with you on an away mission, I wear a helmet. That rock hammered me real good, you know.”

I squeezed his hand and put my other hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, it was my fault. I should have listened to you.”

He chuckled. “No it wasn’t your fault. We all picked a dangerous profession and getting out of bed is dangerous.”

I sighed and frowned at him. “I guess you will lecture me now that we should not get involved in local affairs, right?”

“No Captain, I won’t. I am your XO and must be the devil’s advocate, but once you make a decision, I support it to my last breath.” He crossed his arms and said. “I am just glad it isn’t me who has to write the log book entry or explain what we are doing to the admiral.”

We all arrived at the rebel hideout with the first rays of light of a new day, I had remained with the Togar and several marines to guard the trucks and make sure they arrived safe and unobserved.

There in the cavernous belly of the freighter wreck industrious and well organized was Cateria, med bots and med techs. They had triaged the wounded, set up treatment tents and processed what looked like endless line of beings.

To the Togar I said. “I was under the impression there were only a few wounded, where do they all come from?”

An Ithe woman came over and shook my hand with both of hers. “I can see again! I can see again! Dugos the benevolent Spirit has heard my chants, thank you!”

The Togar answered my question. “No one here has seen a doctor or got any medical aid in ages. The news of your miraculous med crew spread like a wildfire through this community of ours.” He looked to the floor and I sensed the big cat felt embarrassed. “I am sorry for us taking so shameless advantage of you.”

I said. “I don’t think you need to be ashamed or embarrassed. I am glad we can help.” Pointing at his bandaged arm, I added. “You should have that checked out by my CMO as well.”

“I will be last, if there any supplies left.”

“Ninety, I see you are a good leader with the wellbeing of your people foremost on your mind, but as a leader you are needed and you can do that best by being well. I am sure we can manage supply wise.”

I walked with him over to Cateria, who just came out of a treatment tent. I said to her, “Sorry for putting all this on you, but I have one more.”

She actually smiled and said. “Captain, I know I am not always the most emotional person and I am well aware of my reputation, but I became a Medic because I wanted to help. It was my idea to have those people checked and I tell you some of them really needed our help badly, lots of infected Taser and whip burns, gouged eyes and other wounds from torture. Captain, this is why I am a physician.”

While she spoke she scanned the arm of the Togar.

Just then Jolaj the white Togar girl came out of the treatment tent carrying a small Ithe child and handing it to its waiting mother. “He is fine now, I treated his skin infection.”

The big Togar fell to his knees and buried his head between his arms. “My life is blessed. I was privileged to gaze upon the Goddess with the innocent fur.”

Jolaj said.” Get up, Togar.Perhaps once I was a Goddess, but that changed. I became an outcast and a wanted criminal by the decree of the Queen and the high priestess. Now however I am med tech First Class Jolaj Grotha, Union citizen.” She actually raised her chin and her voice as she said that and she looked quite proud.

Ninety got up, but still bowed devoutly. “Neither jealous priestesses nor blind queens can change the fact, what all Togr kind knows. What joy and hope will you bring to the thousands of Togar slaves on the smelter moons if they hear the White Goddess, Child of Marmou is alive!”

She waved her white paw and said. “I would not want to return if the queen herself offers me all the treasures and honors the empire could bestow. I am a free Union citizen, have a purpose and friends.”

Cateria leaned over and whispered to me. “Her official CITI came over GalNet just a few days ago and Lt. Har-Hi made her conscription official. She tells that to everyone at least three times a day.”

Former commander Roghor holding a TKU carabine and wearing black pirate leather came from the entrance and said.”Captain, the recon sentries are deployed as the XO requested.”

Ninety bowed again. “Mighty Roghor himself, the brother of the Queen!”

“And as a male, accused by a female I had no chances and no recourse. Mighty Roghor is no more, Commander Roghor died when the Vighrr exploded. I am Roghor, of the Silver Streak and serve Captain Black Velvet.”

I thanked Roghor and said.”So you are the brother of the queen?”

“A fact that has not spared me demotion or humiliation, a fact that would not spared me an execution. No captain, I am like Jolaj. I care for Togr but not the Empire. My son and my daughter have made the same decision. We will be citizens of the Union and maybe my children or their offspring will see a free Togr.”

I motioned to the astounded rebel leader.”Wy don’t you two catch up on things, while I make myself more representable?”

I had a shower in one of the inflatable hygiene modules that were part of the medical equipment brought down from the Tigershark and Shea presented me with a new leather suit. The greatest joy in days was to use a simple brush on my clean again hair that had looked like an old floor mob. Feeling much more presentable, I checked with the ship to make sure everything was alright and then had a bite to eat.

The medical treatment of the rebels was still going on, but the line was much shorter now.

Ninety intercepted me with Roghar at his side.” First the All white Goddess and now Roghar, the mighty among your crew. Who are you really?”

Roghar bowed.”She is my Captain. I told you I am the Mighty no longer and have been reduced and humiliated, many periods ago. That the Goddess found shelter aboard her ship, surprised me not. She is indeed Joltaj the Goddess, but like me she found greater purpose and a new home.” To me he said.”Thank you for saving her and accepting me and my children.”

One of the Ithe joined us. “Your Gryther is doing well, and the other wounded animals will soon be fully recovered as well.”

I looked over to the stable boxes and said. “I am glad to hear that.”

Ninety said “You will leave soon I assume?”

“I am a little pressed for time and this is not what I am supposed to do, but seeing women and children executed; villages exterminated for water makes me thinking. I am also still hearing my Chef’s words. So I am not leaving just yet. However I am pondering what we could do right now.”

Har-Hi came out of the landing tank and came over. “I set up perimeter guards; I am sure the local authorities will discover the destroyed regional headquarters soon.”

I looked at him from the side. “You completely destroyed it?”

He tried to make an innocent face. “I did have a few Antimatter grenades left and I was not in a good mood, Captain. Besides you should talk to your Narth friend. I never saw anything scarier than him turning loose his powers.”

“All the troops are dead?”

“We did leave a few alive, but after we freed the prisoners, they armed themselves and showed no mercy. Most of the soldiers were killed by the prisoners. A few escaped I am sure and some were secret sympathizers.”

Ninety said. “It is hard to predict what they will do. They may retaliate against villages and small communities in the district. They may go into a full attack and round up everyone.”

The female Ithe commandant had joined us and she said. “I think the regional commander will keep it quiet and simply replace the soldiers and rebuilt. I know him and he would not want to explain to the Magistrate how a military convoy and the regional HQ got destroyed. He will however terrorize the region even worse.”

I turned to her and said. “Thank you for keeping your word and freeing my friends and alerting my ship, Commandant.”

She declined her head. “I am a Commandant no more. To the world I am dead like the rest, but I am free.”

Cateria now also joined our small group and said. “We are pretty much done here, Captain. Everyone is treated. Jolaj and my staff are wrapping things up and then we can pack everything.”

Har-Hi made a snorting sound, looking at me from the side and said. “This concludes our involvement here, right?

Everything in me told me to stay and do something about the situation, but so far I had no clear idea what to do, that could have any effect on the local conditions.

A Karthanian who was the only one of his kind among the rebels, had fought alongside the mountain Ithe, but had not spoken much so far. I only really noticed him standing near the Togar as he spoke.

He said to Har-Hi. “You are Dai Than and acts of mercy might not come as easy to you as to your female friend and Captain.

The medical help you provided has mended more than bones and healed more than wounds. It has raised hopes and reignited dreams, that we are not alone in this hopeless struggle after all. The fate of Itheamh and its people is closely linked to the conditions in the Karthanian Conglomerate and as long as the First Engineer is kept prisoner and asleep by the horrible Guild Masters, the Karthanian hand lays heavy on this world. Like the Ithe and the Drak, not all Karthanians are bad.”

The Togar rebel leader sighed and said. “My bone faced friend speaks of the realization we all have to face, that our rebellion movement has no chance of ever succeeding and freeing our world. It is this hopelessness that keeps us from speaking with one voice. I am certain even many Drak would follow us if we could make some headway.”

While I listened to them, somewhere in my mind, a spark of an idea, began to grow. I was not yet able to put it into thoughts or even words. I said to the Karthanian. “Tell me more about the Karthanian situation.”

The rigid face of the Kartanian could not show emotions, at least none I could identify, but his voice was full of emotions I could understand. “I still have hope. One day someone will break into the deep chamber underneath the Guild Hall and carry the lost key to awaken the First Engineer. He will wipe away all corruption and the filth that besmirches the noble and ancient halls of our trades. When this happens, the Smelter moons will go cold and no sentient being be it Karthanian, Togar or anyone else will be forced to work and die. We have been honest engineers and paid for labor. No slavery existed in the days the First engineer guided us. When we are free once more, Itheamh will be free too. The Drak Magistrate who bases his power on Karthanian masters will be swept away.”

The Kartanian turned once more to Har-Hi and said. “Even you would rejoice, as there are many thousand Dai slaving and dying on the Smelter Moons. There are species that adjust to slave labor better than others. I can tell you, your kind is not one of them; they suffer greatly as their pride is hard to crush. Yet we still call them brothers.”

Har-Hi said to him. “You misjudge me, Karthanian. Dai are as honorable and able to feel compassion just as humans do, but I am the first officer of our ship first and foremost and in this capacity I must remind my Captain of our primary mission. We have little time and we are just a small ship, not a battle ship with thousands of trained marines to simply topple the regime and then have the time to stay and make sure you do not start to fight among each other. When you remove one force, the vacuum that is created cannot stay empty. Nation building is a difficult business, not to mention that it is against Union regulations to interfere in such ways.”

The Togar nodded slowly. “I understand your dilemma and we are not asking you to stay or fight with us, we merely hoped you would.”

Har-Hi again turned to the Karthanian saying. “You are correct, Dai-Than do not do well in captivity, but I doubt there are thousands of Dai slaves. Where would they come from? The Karthanian and the Togar are formidable but they are not capable of overcoming Dai Tribes and capture thousands.”

The Karthanian snapped back. “Who said anything about capture? They are sold by their own peers.”

Har-Hi pulled his swords, both of them and almost killed the Karthanian. “Do not insult my people, Boneface. We are not Karthanians. No Dai has ever enslaved another Dai. No Dai has ever sold another Dai!”

The Kartanian was braver than he looked and raised his head and presented his throat to the hovering blades and he said. “Then strike and kill me. My death does not change the fact that it is done, you can ask two of your kind right here. Where do you think they came from?”

I did not interfere as Har-Hi’s swords hovered less than a hairs width from the thin rigid throat of the Karthanian.

Har-Hi was taking a deep breath and I knew he performed a mental exercise to calm down. I trusted he would make the right decision. Har-Hi returned his swords into their scabbards and said between pressed teeth. “What do you know about Dai-Than being sold into slavery?”

The Karthanian said. “It is going on for almost twenty years now and used to be a great secret. It is done by a Dai tribe leader and his name is Cam Elf-Nah. This Clan leader made a deal with the Guild masters of the Chamber. In exchange for slaves he would receive raw materials and the right to hide his Clan fleets in Kartanian space. I know all this from my Dai slave brothers and it is from that source I know that this Cam Elf-Nah dreams of uniting all Dai Clans under his rule and anyone not accepting his rule, he declares Okthi-Dai.”

I could see in my friends face that he believed the Karthanian and he clenched his fists. “What has become of my race? Is this the true legacy of my father’s decision? If my father would have stayed, maybe he could have uncovered this atrocity.”

I put my hand on his shoulder and said. “He said twenty years, that was long before your father made his decision. The history of your people has just begun; the Dai will emerge from this even stronger than they are now.”

He said to the Karthanian. “You said there are two Dai, can I meet them?”

The Togar answered instead and said.” They are right here, mighty Dai.”

Ninety had a truly booming voice as he roared loudly and called the Dai. The Dai I had met before and a second even younger looking Dai came moments later down the ramp and walked closer staring at Har-Hi with wide eyes. Both had the characteristic red skin of Dai-Than and were tall and muscular, but they had their hair cropped short, unlike the black long hair of my friend who wore always carefully oiled and combed it back. Both of them wore a conglomerate of uniforms and armor pieces.

The older Dai wore his crudely made Clan glyph attached to a home-made harness across the chest like the broad armor plated straps all Dai Warriors wore.

He bowed before Har-Hi his fists crossed before his chest. The gesture I knew was called the Urst-Thanar and only done if a Dai Warrior accepted the supremacy of another and declared himself a servant and follower.

While I watched them I realized how much I already knew about the Dai Culture. The older slapped the younger one and he too then bowed in the same fashion.

Har-Hi removed the cover of his clan glyph and almost visibly he straightened his stance even more, his eyebrows rose a little over his now half closed eyelids as he mustered the boys. I was certain not even the grand wizard of the Kermac himself could have possibly look more arrogant. Yet Har-Hi added a flair of princely grace. He said to them. “You may identify yourselves now.”

The older one said. “I am Mar-For of the For-Ka-Ti tribe and this is Mar-Ta. He was born on the smelter moons so I made him my brother.”

Har-Hi said. “I am the first son of Tar-Ka-Hi, Champion of Thana Shoo, High Warrior of the Crimson Order and bearer of all seven honor blades. I have completed nine of the twelve steps to Juth-Ni of all Dai.”

I knew he did not do that to brag, it was his way to instil a little racial pride in the two young Dai Than. It did not fail, their yellow eyes glimmered and their faces lit up with awe. The older furrowed his brow and said. “The Clan of Kar-Hi declared Okthi by Cam Elf-Nah?”

Har-Hi’s right hand went for his upper honor knife and he said with an ice cold tone in his voice. “I stand and deal death to anyone dishonoring my father and my tribe. As it appears that blinded fool Cam-Elf Na is doing more damage to the Dai and covers all that is Dai-Than with shame. Crawling and taking orders from the Shiss and now I hear he is selling Dai into bondage. No such crimes have been committed since the evil Ortha Okthi was defeated by the Sentient Spirit Warriors in the time before time and was sent to the darkest pits.”

I remembered him once telling me of this mythical battle between the God Spirits the Dai believed in and a horde of evil Dai that turned into demons by all the evil deeds they did. It was the origin of the world Okthi and synonym with all that was without honor.

Mar-Fo bowed again and said. “We have been sold to the Smelter moons, as we were very young and long before your father decided to go to the Union. We only know of these recent events from the Dai that are now sold in greater numbers to the Smelter Moons.”

Har-Hi kept the hand on the knife and said. “I could not believe the Karthanian as he told me many Dai are sold to the Smelter Moons. How can that be?”

“We don’t know many details, mighty prince. I was eight and Mar-Ta was born on the smelter moon.”

Har-Hi’s face fell even more and he said. “What enemy did your tribe face, back then? Surely it must have been a formidable enemy.”

Mar-Fo shook his head and said. “No High Prince, it was not. It was Cam Elf-Nah who ambushed us and destroyed our Clan. This is what my mother told me to remember.”

My friend could not hide his emotions as he heard this and he said. “Tribe wars do happen but they are declared and it is at Thana Shoo such wars are fought, in the arena warriors against warriors, not ships against ships.”

Mar-Fo answered. “I was still little back then, High Prince. I do not know anything of the details, other than what my mother told me. Our Clan Leader bested Cam Elf-Nah in the fights for the honor to be Champion of Thana Shoo. She said that Cam Elf-Nah swore revenge and ambushed our clan by sending warriors to our Dai Mother pretending to to partake in festivities. They used weapons of unknown origin to kill our warriors from within. After that they destroyed our defenses and killed anyone who resisted. Mother said he could not leave anyone alive to tell of his deed, so he sold all survivors to the Karthanians. Other Dai at the Smelter Moons tell us he used this same deception many times.”

Har-Hi shivered with barely contained rage. “Your story must be heard by the Pale Elders of Thana Shoo, it will end the reign of this demon. How many Dai-Than are on these moons?”

Mar-To raised his shoulders and said. “We know only of Olx, the moon we escaped from, but there are seventeen such places, all called Smelter moons. On Olx we think there are many times the number hundred.”

Mar-Ta held all fingers of his hands and said. “We are not very good with numbers and such but for each finger you can count hundred for sure maybe a little more.”

Har-Hi whispered. “A thousand Dai Slaves?”

The younger Dai nodded and said. “There are less now I am sure, only the women and the young ones survive. The warriors usually die very fast as the Overseers kill them for disobedience or for trying to fight and never let them out of the heavy chains.”

Neither I nor the others had said a word since the Dai talked. Har-Hi looked at me with pain in his eyes. “I am honor bound to you Captain and to my commission, otherwise I would go to war right now and not stop killing until the last Karthanian died for what they did to my people. I am Okthi; I am the son of my father, but I am also Dai and the blood in their veins is the same as mine. I cannot stand idle to see a megalomaniac destroy what is left of our culture and our heritage. With every Dai that dies the gene pool of my species shrinks. And what of the cultural treasures every Dai Mother carries, the precious antiques and artifacts rescued from our doomed planet.”