More is revealed about the zixxtu and the boys have a falling out ...


Phaeton 2: Yamellia

Chapter Nine

The round container lay on the table. Forty five centimetres in diameter and ten deep, it was a common sight on Yamellia. Made to hold the wedge shaped explosives used in mining dillicite, once empty they were used as handy receptacles for many other items: personal possessions; food; extracted di; and a myriad of small tools. Every miner had at least a dozen with him or her while hundreds of others littered the diggings and lay at the sides of tracks, battered and unwanted. This particular container held something far more valuable than any other, at least that's what the three people regarding it hoped.

"Open it then," urged Ianto.

"Let's be careful," replied Jack studying the container. He brushed off the dust clinging in the grooves and embossed logo of the Krupps Explosive Syndicate, his movements light and delicate.

Kika, who had left her kittens to join the two men, watching him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"We don't know what's inside. Might be the zixxtu, might not. Better to take our time." He used his wrist strap to scan the container, unable to get a definite reading through the dense bupemic, a tough composite material.

"I don't see why you're messing about. Just open it!" demanded Ianto. He reached for the container himself but was halted by Kika's paw, claws extended, on his arm.

"Jack's right, we should be cautious."

"Look, I dug the thing up where Maguire and Olek buried it! What else could it be?"

"Who said they buried it?" said Jack, removing the last of the dust trapped in the central groove. "Anyone could have left this in the mine."

"And why would they do that?" The heavy sigh and sarcastic tone reflected Ianto's impatience. In his opinion, Jack had been messing about long enough - too long.

"Could be the last of a stash, explosives not needed and forgotten. And who's to say the zixxtu wasn't discovered when Maguire and Olek were taken by the troopers? They must have looked for it. This could have been left in its place."

"Why!"

"To foil anyone else who was looking." Jack straightened up and made a final detailed visual inspection of the container. "I can't get any decent scans. Kika, you got anything that can see through bupemic?"

The Cat Person shook her head. "No. We had to leave in a hurry, didn't get a chance to bring much with us."

Light was dawning for Ianto who said slowly, "You think this might be a trap. But I dug it up." He saw Jack frown and added, "I mean, no one had been there in ages. Maguire was taken only a few days ago but the soil was solid, compact. And the dust was completely undisturbed."

Jack nodded. "You could be right, I hope you are, but it pays to be careful."

Now understanding the position better, Ianto realised why Jack was taking his time. "That's why you didn't want me to open it before. You think it could be booby-trapped."

"Quite possibly. Open it up and …"

"Boom." Ianto looked at the container with more respect.

This was all the information Kika needed. She strode to the couch, swept the cloak around her and picked up the box containing her four kittens. "We'll wait outside." She strode from the room.

"You too, Ianto," said Jack quietly.

"No! Jack, why should you do it? Give me one good reason!"

"I can't die."

The calm statement prevented Ianto coming up with any more arguments. They died unspoken as he stood, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with something, anything, that meant Jack was not put in danger. But there was nothing. He couldn't argue with the overwhelming logic.

"Please, Ianto. Stay clear and make sure Kika does too." Jack was matter-of-fact as he turned back to the container, effectively dismissing any further objections. "I'll call you when I've opened it."

"If you're still alive!" Snagging, his tunic from the chair, Ianto stomped out into the clearing. There was no sign of Kika until her head popped out from behind a boulder and she gestured to him. He dawdled, putting on his tunic and strolling to her side.

"Jack's a brave man," said Kika when he was drew near.

"A stubborn one," he countered. Leaning against the boulder with his arms folded he wondered how long he was going to have to wait.

"Would you rather we all die? Better one than all."

"Especially if you're not the one!" He hadn't noticed her selfishness before and wondered at it now. Was it because she had offspring to raise? Perhaps, perhaps not. She had got him and Jack to do what she wanted after all. Some of the attraction he felt for her was replaced with suspicion.

They stayed where they were for what seemed like a long time, unspeaking. The kittens were awake and moving around their box. Unlike true felines, they had already opened their eyes, were aware of movement and shapes around them and were starting to explore their immediate surroundings. Kika crouched down beside them, giving attention to each in turn and ignoring Ianto. When she finally looked up, he had gone.

In the living quarters Jack worked efficiently. The container was hinged at the bottom, a central hinge which opened the two sides into half circles, with a clip at the top which had to be pulled back to release the seal that ran vertically down the centre. It was designed that way to allow easy access to the explosives within but it made it hard to open smoothly. Gripping the container in his left hand, braced against the table, Jack eased back the sprung clip as slowly and carefully as possible. Even so, it jerked under his hand as it came free and he held his breath. Nothing happened. Breathing again, he felt around the clip and the very top of the seal; there was nothing obviously wrong with it. Infinitely slowly, he pulled the two halves of the container apart, his breathing steadying when there was no resistance. Finally the container was fully open and the contents revealed; an angular shape wrapped in what looked to be a headscarf. Lifting up a corner, still cautious, Jack revealed the silver and black pentagonal zixxtu he had been expecting. A scan of the open container showed there were no traps within. He sat back with a sigh of relief.

"Jack?"

"I thought I told you to stay back." Jack looked over his shoulder and frowned at Ianto who was hovering in the opening. "It's all right, it's the zixxtu."

Closing the distance between them, Ianto stared down at the device. "So that's it. Now what?"

"Now we have lunch." Jack placed his hand over Ianto's and squeezed slightly, his way of making up after their tiff. He was surprised when Ianto did not respond. It was going to take more, perhaps a lot more, to make up with him.

-ooOoo-

Lunch was the most elaborate meal they had had so far. They used some of the miners' rations augmented by others from the stores and ended up with slices of roast uku, a large native bird, with vegetables followed by pieces of fruit in a caramel sauce. As they ate, they discussed their next move. Or rather, Jack and Kika discussed it. Ianto was conspicuously quiet, keeping his gaze on his food and eating steadily. The others gave up trying to include him in the discussion after several attempts were met with silence although Jack continued to send troubled glances in his direction.

"So," said Jack, summarising the discussion, "we're agreed that our priority is to get your husband and his partner released. Even if that means handing over the zixxtu to the authorities. Right?"

"Right," nodded Kika. "I want Joseph back, and my babies need their father." She looked lovingly at the sleeping kittens. "The zixxtu is nothing compared to them."

"What is it, this zixxtu?" asked Ianto suddenly. "You keep going on about it but you've still not explained what it is, what it does."

Pleased Ianto was taking an interest again, Jack smiled at him but was disconcerted when the younger man ignored him. Clearing his throat, Jack said, "Kika, why don't you explain." This time he got a reaction from Ianto, a disgusted look that showed very clearly that he was mightily unhappy.

"Zixxtu are old, developed around 750,000. At that time things were still pretty primitive and the various humanoid settlements were facing the perennial problem: lack of energy. Crystals, moukte and even trasatine were almost exhausted and despite having several hundred galaxies to exploit no one could find a suitable – cheap - alternative." She pushed her plate away and stood up to retrieve the zixxtu from the side, returning to place it on the table in front of her. "Then Professor Zixxtumajorilicariwede made a leap into the unknown. He discovered a way of converting nanoatoms into energy. Within ten ár everyone -"

"Ár?" queried Ianto. The technical side of her explanation had already gone way over his head but he thought he ought to query this one.

"Years," clarified Jack. In all his travels through time, he had found it was the words that referred to time itself that varied the most.

"Really? What a strange word." With a smile, Kika shook her head and continued her explanation. "Anyway, within ten … years nanoatom technology was everywhere, in every domestic appliance, all communications systems, industrial processes and transportation. Nothing was overlooked."

"Don't tell me, it all went wrong and they were back to basics." That had been Ianto's own experience with new and untried technological 'advances'.

"No. It worked perfectly, better than anyone considered possible. The professor was feted throughout all known worlds. He was so famous, he couldn't go anywhere without being mobbed which forced him into seclusion. Luckily, he had patented his discovery and was a rich man so he devoted his time to personal projects and, twenty years later, this emerged." She reverently stroked the artefact. "The zixxtu, named after the professor himself."

"But what does it do?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Ianto gazed at her, wondering if she was crazy. He risked a glance at Jack but got no help from him; he was impassive with just a hint of an amused twinkle in his eye. "It's useless?"

"Totally. The professor died in a fire before explaining it to anyone. Most of his notes went up in the blaze too. Those that were left have been pored over by the most eminent brains ever since but no one has discovered what it was for. Five hundred zixxtu had been made and these were examined in minute detail, also to no end. Gradually, people lost interest and it became a classic problem to be tackled by each generation of scientists but none solved it. The zixxtu that survived were placed in museums and vaults but over time these were mislaid or lost so when we uncovered this one, on our dig on Tressical Four, we were overjoyed." She sighed. "Now I wish I'd never found it."

"Why would something which is useless be valuable? That's what you said back in town, that it was worth a lot and that this guy, this … I can't remember his name -"

"Doxe."

"That's it, Doxe. That he was selling it for a lot of money. Who'd be stupid enough to buy it?"

"There's always a market for anything rare," pointed out Jack. "And this is rare and old in Kika's time."

"I think it's the mystery," said Kika thoughtfully. "Everyone wants to be the one who works out what the zixxtu will do, to solve a problem from antiquity."

"Thought that was what archaeologists did all the time," said Jack, with a smile.

"True. But anyone who unlocked this mystery could have an unknown technology at their disposal. That's the most common belief," she said, turning to Ianto, "that it's a revolutionary new way of providing energy."

Jack grinned. "Whereas in reality it'll probably be something so mundane we'll all laugh at the fool who paid good credits for it! Let's put it away for now. Your husband and Olek have been in the mines for a couple of days, the troopers could well have got them to talk. We should be coming up with a plan to head them off or to defend this place."

"No need." Kika was suddenly serious. "I meant what I said about Joseph, and Olek, being more important than this." She flicked a paw at the zixxtu. "I want to trade it for their release and then we'll leave, go home and raise our family." She glanced fondly at her kittens and rose in one graceful movement. "And now, my babies need their lunch. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen."

When she had gone into her bedroom, Jack said, "Give me a hand shutting up the mine?" He hoped the physical activity would provide a chance for the two men to talk.

"Okay."