LV-112, 2180
Papers were spread across the desk Gorman was sitting at. Every document from Waits's time at the colony. He had the technical and logistical story, but he wished he had the personal story. What exactly had went through his great-uncle's head during those awful few days?
Something unusual caught his eye as he scanned over the documents. "They found Annexer remains in the compound?"
The Marshal who drove him around the colony looked up from her cup of coffee. "Yeah. They were so badly torn up that the Marines thought they belonged to children, due to their size. When they were brought back for ID, they were immediately sent to a lab for study, because they found they weren't human."
"I thought Annexers hadn't been studied until just a few years ago."
"They weren't. The scientists at the time determined they were animals that had been caught up in the fighting. Kinda understandable, because they didn't have a lot of good specimens or a living one to see they weren't just animals. You bringing this up is funny, because a couple of anthropologists were here months ago studying those remains and found they matched the DNA of a tribe living close to the colony."
"Can I see them? The tribe, I mean."
"Sure. You'll have to walk, though. It's deep in the woods."
"Thank you." Carefully putting the papers in a folder, Gorman stood up, and adjusted his jacket before leaving the Bureau. It had rained while he was reading the documents, so the pavement and asphalt were slick and shiny. Water dripped from the edges of the roof, and the air smelled heavily of the recent rainfall. The dingy gray overcast was just starting to break apart, letting blue sky and sunlight spill through.
The Marshal told Gorman to head east. There were no paths where he was going. The forest was largely untouched. Gorman pulled up his hood when the water weighing down the leaves began soaking his cap. The ground wasn't at all smooth, and Gorman kept thinking to himself that he needed to watch his step, or else he would wind up in the ground with a twisted ankle.
He was beginning to wonder if this tribe had disappeared and the colony didn't know about it, but he continued on until he saw smoke rising above the bushes and weaving among the tree trunks. Down a sloping hill were tents, stretching far into the forest.
A pair of Annexers wielding rifles dashed up to Gorman, pointing them at his chest and chirping madly.
"Easy, easy!" Gorman said. "I'm not here for trouble. I'm here to ask some questions."
The two glanced at each other, then gestured for Gorman to follow them. It didn't take long for every Annexer in the tribe to come out and see the newcomer.
If I had known I'd be in this situation, I'd have brought Drake, Gorman thought as he was led to a large tent near the center of the village. One of the Annexers barked at him, and gestured for him to kneel. Not wanting to be shot, Gorman obeyed.
The tent flaps parted to reveal an aging female Annexer wearing a bone necklace like Drake's and dressed in the fur of an animal native to the planet. She spoke to the two guarding Gorman, then they bowed and walked away, before she motioned for Gorman to enter the tent.
"I don't want to take up too much of your time," Gorman said. "If... If you understand what I'm saying." He flinched a little when the Annexer got closer to sniff him. Her whiskers lightly brushed his cheeks. She then stroked his face with both paws, making a cooing sound.
"Give me a minute, okay?" Gorman searched his pockets for his personal phone, flipping it open and praying he could connect with the colony's satellite. When he got a connection, he started dialing Drake. "I have a friend who can understand you much better than I can," Gorman said to the Annexer, waiting for Drake to pick up.
After several minutes, the first words from Drake were, "Who's this?"
"It's your former CO," Gorman replied.
"I thought you were off-world."
"I am."
"Then how are you calling? You do realize it's nine at night where I am, right?"
"No, I didn't. You're also seeing those new subspace satellites at work with this."
"Oh, so I can call and harass you when RIFT 1 is crushing XX-121s on some backwater planet?"
"No, you can't. Anyway, I'm with a tribe of Annexers right now, and I need your expertise."
In the background, Gorman could hear Vasquez saying, "Who the fuck is calling you at this hour?"
"It's Gorman," Drake said. "I'll be right with you, honey. Anyway, why are you with a tribe of Annexers?"
"I'm researching my uncle's time here during the Dheldroi attack, and... I want to know what they know. If they knew him. Their leader—at least, I think she's their leader—is very... touchy-feely."
"Is she wearing a bone necklace with a smooth, rounded stone on it somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Then she's the leader. All Annexers like to touch. It's part of their culture and how they connect with people. What specifically has she been doing?"
"Sniffing, 'shaping' my face with her paws."
Drake was quiet for a moment. "Shaping is a sign of recognition. Little Shit did that to me when I visited LV-400 years after that first mission."
"How can she recognize me when I've never seen her—" Gorman's jaw dropped when he saw the Annexer holding up a torn patch. The patch had a badge on it, with the words "Marshals' Office – LV-112" surrounding it. ". . . before."
"Gorman, I've seen pictures of your uncle. The resemblance is striking, and Annexers have a really good memory, especially when it comes to someone they've bonded with."
There was no way the patch was fake. It was scratched up and faded with age. Gorman gently took it in his hands, and looked the Annexer in the eye. "You knew my uncle. You knew Jethro Waits."
The Annexer started writing on a smooth, flat stone, then turned the stone to face Gorman.
"Do you understand their writing system?" Gorman asked.
"More than I would like to. What did she write?" asked Drake.
Gorman described the symbols to the best of his ability, with Drake copying them on a napkin.
"Let me get that book Delhoun wrote," Drake said. A few minutes later, he added, "OK, it looks like these symbols translate to 'silver hair,' 'courage,' 'rage', and 'man.' That sounds like everything you've told me about your uncle."
"It does. How do I tell her I'm family to him?"
Drake described, in detail, the symbols for Gorman to write down. The Annexer watched with interest, and when Gorman finished writing his message, she looked up at him, then bowed.
"I'm... not him, though," Gorman said.
"You're the closest thing she has to him," Drake explained.
"Does that make her... bonded to me?"
"No, but your presence is a comfort to her, especially since your uncle has been gone for over fifty years. This lets her know his bloodline is alive and well, even though he's passed on."
Gorman was silent for a moment, then he smiled at the Annexer. "Thank you for your time. I'm glad to know... you had a role in what happened all those years ago, and that you fought alongside Jethro."
The Annexer nodded, gently taking Gorman's hand. She put the torn patch in his hand.
Gorman shook his head. "If this is all you have to remember him by, you should keep it."
The Annexer closed Gorman's hand around the patch.
"Just take it," Drake said. "They're stubborn and persistent. She's not gonna let you leave unless you take it."
Gorman sighed. "Alright."
When he left the forest, Gorman met up with his Marshal escort back in the Bureau. She was smoking a cigarette and looking over a collection of paperwork. "What'd you find, Lieutenant?" she asked.
"Well, there is indeed a tribe of Annexers in the woods," Gorman replied. "They were at the battle—their leader was, probably, and she did know my uncle." Gorman pulled the patch out of his pocket.
The woman nodded and smiled. "I take it you're satisfied with what you've found?"
"Yeah. I wasn't expecting to find the Annexers, and I'm grateful you were able to get the papers for me." Gorman sighed a little. "I'm starting to get a more complete picture of my uncle's career."
"And you never met him?"
"He died in 2137. I was born in 2142. My grandmother always said that I looked a lot like him, and she was close to him. She... passed away without knowing what actually happened to him, and I took it upon myself to find out. In the process, I found myself wanting to know more about it."
The Marshal nodded again. "I'm glad you got what you came for, Lieutenant. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, thank you," Gorman replied. "I should be off in a couple days. I'm meeting a friend back on Earth who's been having some problems with a... well, I think reunion is the best way to put it."