The Index -|-

Kpleeb sipped lukewarm water from a shallow bowl and then leaned back to regard his daughter. She was growing fast, and he was reminded of her Mama. Thoka had been beautiful with a unique look about her that had immediately caught his eye. Her pale hair was very uncommon in his experience. While her features were different, but he could not really explain how. Zara’s hair favored Kpleeb’s own; wild and brown, but her facial features, attitude, and the way she spoke had the unmistakable influence from her Mama.

“What did the Xi think about the Hkkli battle?”

“They did not see it. I have instructed them to remain inside and out of sight. The Hkkli might become violent again if they catch the Xi alone.”

“Seems like a good idea. I bet the tales of what the Xi did to Hiro and Saeli have been told far and wide. Speaking of them, I’ve been thinking about assigning a Ganix leader or two,” he said changing the subject. “As you said before, we need them, and there are some among the Ganix that are more than capable. I really like Xir.”

“Xir is a natural leader, but maybe it’s just that he is always nearby.” Zara put down her tools and turned to look at him.

“He is always here, but I’ve seen how the other Ganix defer to him.” Kpleeb shrugged. “I respect him, and I believe he knows how we think and what we care about.”

“What about Jial?” asked Zara. “Since Migri died, she has become perhaps the most decisive Ganix cave-woman. Everyone loves her.”

Kpleeb grimaced as he remembered Jial’s bossiness. “I don’t love her.”

“You’re just not pleased with anyone who is so direct about things you don’t want to hear, Da.”

“I do respect her, though,” said Kpleeb quickly. He paused for a long moment. “You’re right. She is pushy and it grates on me. But at least I know she’s honest.”

“True,” said Zara. “What if we let them share the leadership?”

Kpleeb shook his head as he pictured Jial wagging a finger under Xir’s nose. “A pair of people will always come to a stalemate or one of the two will boss the other one around. I wouldn’t wish that on Xir. He already has a wife! No, it would have to be one person… or perhaps three to always bring a balance.”

[Maybe I’m not the best at diplomacy and such… I wish Thoka were here.]

Zara pointed at him. “Xir could be the final decision maker with absolute command over everything, especially the warriors and hunting. Jial could be in charge of the women and the village. With Xir being so quiet, he would not be too demanding. It would be a good balance.”

Kpleeb nodded slowly. “Xir is in charge, and we help him by delegating a subset of the tribe to Jial. I think it will work. We should talk to them before you return to Phaedro.” He stood and stuck his head out of the hut door. There a few paces away, a few children played together in the dirt with some kind of yellow stone ring.

“Genk, go find Xir and bring him here. Biet, you find Jial. I want to talk with them.”

The cave-children looked up at him and then at each other.

“Go on, get!” hollered Kpleeb. “Don’t act like you didn’t hear me.” He waved his hand and two of the children leapt to their feet and scampered away.

In moments, as Kpleeb sat back down with his bowl of tepid water, the light from the door darkened. Jial entered slowly. “Ah, there you are Jial. Thank you for coming!” Kpleeb stood again and smiled awkwardly at her.

“I busy. What want?” Jial looked at him without a smile.

“Xir is coming too,” said Kpleeb gesturing toward Zara. “We wanted to speak with you.”

Jial lifted her chin slightly, sat down, and examined the interior of the hut with a look of disdain on her face.

Xir poked his head into the door. “Builder,” he said nodding at Kpleeb. He entered and nodded at Jial without speaking.

Kpleeb sat and smiled at Jial and Xir. He waved at Zara. “Come, let’s talk.” Without waiting for a response, he began to speak.

“We want you to become the leader of the Ganix,” he said looking at Xir. Switching his gaze to fall on Jial, he continued. “And we want you to become Xir’s support system, his helper and backup.”

Xir was silent, but his brain was clearly processing the statement.

Kpleeb saw Jial begin to frown. “What are your thoughts?”

Jial let out a long breath as she looked at Xir as if waiting for a response. Finally, she spoke. “Builder is leader.”

Kpleeb nodded quickly. “This is true. I am the leader, and Zara is my helper.” He looked at Zara and smiled. “We want to make sure that someone is the leader if we are not here.”

Zara raised her hand. “There may be time when Da and I are not here or perhaps there may be a time when there are too many warriors to speak to. We must have leaders in charge of the Ganix the way Saeli and Hiro are with the Koratu.”

Xir lifted his chin definitively and looked at Kpleeb. “Yes, Builder. I serve.”

“Thank you, Xir. I trust you, and I know that the Ganix warriors also trust you. What do you say, Jial?”

Jial scowled as she spoke. “I serve, Builder.” She looked at Xir. “If Xir not listen, I break nose.”

Xir turned his head and showered Jial with a gaze of distinct indifference. Then he stood to leave.

Zara spoke up. “Xir, I am leaving today and taking the Hsstak back to Phaedro. The Xi have returned, and I must determine what damage has been done. I need warriors that will help me fight.”

Xir stopped at the door. “Many?”

“Zara stood as well. “Eight, and they must be very capable with fighting inside closed spaces. I will need these same eight warriors at my side very frequently.”

Kpleeb looked at Zara. “Are you expecting a fight?”

“No, Da. I need a regular crew of warriors that are familiar with the Hsstak and with fighting inside the vessel. Better if they are the same warriors every time. They will be my squad. I am also bringing Hiro with me.”

“I call eight warriors.” Xir disappeared through the doorway.

Jial stood gracefully and looked down at Zara. “You careful,” she said softly. In a moment she was gone.

Kpleeb grinned at Zara. “Well, that was fun, right? I think we have our leaders.” He shook his head. “Truthfully, Zara, your wisdom and brain make me feel slow. You are amazing.”

Zara gave Kpleeb a hug and tousled his shaggy hair. “I’m your family, Da. We are special. Before I leave, I want us to test the Xih triangle again.

Kpleeb hopped to his feet. “Okay, let’s go.”

When they placed their palms on the smaller, golden triangles, the column of shimmering light appeared as it had before, and Zara felt a simultaneous micro-pulse from the aji.

“This picture looks the same as it did.” Kpleeb squinted and tilted his head slightly. The pulsating green dot remained in the center, and other, smaller dots remained static. There was no movement at all. “I’m just not sure what this all means.”

Zara merely watched the dots and then opened up her view of the aji. The pulse did not repeat and everything seemed completely normal.

After some time, Kpleeb spoke again. “You should go. The sooner you are gone, the sooner you will return, and I will know that you are safe.”

Zara sighed and lifted her palms causing the light to dissipate. “I had hoped there would be more information.”

###

Zara awoke when Tiirw’s notification chimed to inform her of their arrival. Her five-day trip on the Hsstak had been surprisingly uneventful though she felt some concern that the Xi would be waiting for her when she arrived at Phaedro. She stood and stretched noticing that two of the indicators on her red-tired device were an orangey color. She touched a few protrusions and brought up the live map of Hsstak’s immediate vicinity. [There is something there!]

Zara went quickly to the command center. “Tiirw, what do we see?”

Tiirw responded with its command console, and the center of the room burst into light. Within the hologram rested a large, angular vessel that appeared to be damaged. Zara could see that several gashes left the interior open to the void. Pieces of the ship floated casually nearby as if they were placed there on purpose.

“This is a Xih vessel, the Kssma, which is one of the XC configuration,” said Tiirw. Its eyes and fingers flashed rapidly through commands and the view focused on one of the gaping holes in the side of the Kssma.

Zara walked around the edge of the hologram and picked out the markers she had left within Phaedro’s orbit. “This was done by my traps.”

“I agree,” said Tiirw. It looked at her soberly. “The location is correct.”

“What is the difference between the Kssma and the Hsstak?”

Oiitr spoke before Tiirw as if reciting from a textbook. “The XC configuration is a Xih ship that uses the standard Xi command hull. The XC hosts up to fifty Xi and has a large bay for two landing shuttles. The Hsstak is a XF configuration which is about half the size of the Kssma. Hsstak hosts around ten living beings and has no landing shuttles. The XC configuration is designed to operate in the void, and the XF configuration is designed to land on the surface of an orb such as Phaedro. The Hsstak is one-point-eight times faster than the Kssma.”

[I really need to sit down and see all the kinds of ships the Xi have. Maybe I can capture larger vessels that wield more power.]

Zara nodded at Oiitr. “Are there any Xi alive over there?”

Oiitr tilted its chin downward slightly and then answered. “I detect nothing alive. The Kssma’s atmosphere has been opened to the void.”

Zara gazed at the broken ship for a few long moments. It’s silent, grey hull appearing so benign and non-threatening. She felt as if there was some kind of trap she was missing.

[Can it have been that easy to destroy this ship? Surely, they brought back up or are watching us from a distance.] She frowned. [Check the area, check the surface, and then return with as much as I can use.]

“Take the Hsstak around Phaedro. Look for every possible trap including the traps I left for the Xih. Make sure they are not waiting to jump on us.”

Tiirw began to command the Hsstak and within moments, the ship moved. They waited in tense silence as the Hsstak picked up speed and circled the orb. Within a few long minutes, Tiirw spoke again.

“I detect nothing in orbit except for the remaining traps you laid. I have also scanned the more distant reaches to the extent possible and have found no traces of any other vessel, Xi or otherwise.”

“Good. Now let’s examine our abandoned village. I know that Da laid some traps there.” Zara turned toward Oiitr. “I want bring the Kssma back to Jorqu with us. There is much value in the vessel. Please come up with a solution for this.”

Oiitr lifted its chin and began to work.

The Hsstak dipped quickly into Phaedro’s atmosphere, and below here, Zara could see a vast desert land. Soon enough, a thin green line appeared on the horizon. The desert became grey and then the grey faded into green as the foliage reached its living tentacles out into the heat. The Hsstak slowed and approached the deep canyon from the left side.

Zara clenched her fists as she saw the village approaching. Leading up to the walls there were great swathes of trees that had been blackened and crushed. Lines of darkness radiated outward from the village in all directions as if an explosion had occurred within the walls.

The Hsstak slowed and hovered over the river. The huts inside the walls were burned out. Everything made of wood or straw was destroyed, and in the center of the village rested a Xi ship that appeared similar to the Hsstak. The vessel was blacked and dented, and large holes in its hull allowed sunlight to penetrate into the dark interior. Nearby, outside the village walls, two of the smaller lutu style ships were broken into multiple pieces.

“I detect no living Xi or Ganix-type beings,” said Oiitr, “but I am grateful that Kpleeb made sure his destroyers would ignore the Hsstak.”

“I am grateful as well,” said Zara with a smile. “The danger here is real though. Please land and I will examine the village.”

Zara turned to one of the red-tiered consoles and tapped a few times to prepare for sending a message. “Da, I have arrived safely at our village on Phaedro. There is a large ship in orbit that has been destroyed, and there are three smaller ships destroyed at the village. Your defenses did quite well at destruction, but the village is also destroyed. I plan to scout with the Ganix warriors and then return with as much Xi tech as I can bring. I hope things on Jorqu are well. Be safe.”