Tarpals stood just
outside the circle of the light and watched the audience settle in. He'd
caught most of the tale Peskis had told earlier; obviously the Ankuran was a
fine storyteller. Storytellers and Memory Keepers were respected in Gungan
society, but tonight, Tarpals decided regretfully, was not the time for him to
listen to the old tales.
He turned away and made the round of his sentries. Two of the experienced patrol
riders had each brought a militiagung with them for training. Tarpals
listened to their reports; recalling Artil's style of command, the captain
made a few encouraging remarks to each of them, and continued on. The last
sentry turned out to be Kimma Nril.
"Lieutenant Peskis seemed to think it would be all right if I sat a watch,"
she told him. "Don't look so surprised. I've had more than the average
amount of training. Just because I left military service to raise a family
doesn't mean I've forgotten everything."
Tarpals settled himself on the fallen log beside her, automatically facing in
the opposite direction, his left hip and shoulder a hand span away from her
right. It was a common position for two Patrol riders who planned to talk while
still watching the area around them; it placed each Gungan's mouth close to
the other's ear, allowing them to watch each other's back. "You obviously
didn't serve in Otoh Gunga, or any of the Mounted Patrols. You're young
enough that I'd remember you. Where were you assigned?"
"I was with the Flying Wings, trained and stationed in Otoh Dinistallis."
Tarpals blinked; the Flying Wings, riders of the aquatic creatures known as aiwhas,
were among the most elite of the Gungan military units, even more so than the
Mounted Patrols. Otoh Dinistallis, the only Gungan city actually built on and
around an ocean cliffside, was the sole training area for the aiwha
riders. "A most impressive post. How long ago did you leave?"
"Sixteen seasons," she replied. "We Took Temmis In the following season,
and Plirri ten seasons after that." Gungans divided a year into two seasons, a
rainy season and a "dry" season, when it only rained every two or three
days. "I'd like to Take In another child or two and raise them before
returning to service."
"And your essoans?"
"Neither of them went beyond the basic training. Sen Tal farms and hunts, and
Hanar makes clothing and other items. They make for a good family."
"You chose well," Tarpals agreed.
Kimma inclined her head slightly in acceptance of the compliment. "Captain, if
I might ask a question.... Why are we going to Splitrock? It's a prominent
landmark, and much of the area is exposed. Won't we be more noticeable to the maccaneeks?"
Tarpals nodded. "We will. But there's a cache hidden in one of our wayposts
there. We'll need the extra food, ammunitions, weapons, and clothing. The
bundles we took from the maccaneeks earlier today contain a lot of items
for the Naaboo, but very little for our people. We'll have a better
chance of making it to the Sacred Place safely with those supplies. At the very
least, we need to replenish our supplies of buumas. And we won't be
going out of our way by stopping there."
"Ah." Kimma was still scanning the forest over Tarpals's shoulder. "So
we would have been heading in the direction of Tendesay anyway. Taking the Naaboo
isn't as altruistic gesture as I thought."
"No. It's not. I don't have any particular fondness for the Naaboo.
Apparently it was their affairs that brought this maccaneek invasion down
on us in the first place. If the Naaboo in the convoy had all been
adults, I probably would have left them behind."
"That's not exactly a sound military decision, is it?" Kimma remarked.
"After all, the adults can be trained to do complex tasks relatively quickly,
and would really be more useful than the children. Naaboo or not, I think
your decision was made more from kindness than you realize."
The captain snorted. "I'm a soldier, but I'd like to think I'm not
completely heartless." He stared out into the darkness.
"Maybe helping the Naaboo is one more small defeat for the maccaneeks,"
Kimma suggested. "Thank you for rescuing us, by the way."
"I've been meaning to ask you how you came to be prisoners with the Naaboo."
Kimma sighed. "Our settlement was withdrawing to our Sacred Place when we were
attacked by the maccaneeks. They seized Plirri and Hanar and several
others before anyone could stop them. We didn't have many other soldiers in
our group, and few weapons." She turned her head to look at him. "I
couldn't let them take my youngest child, or any other members of my family
without me, so Sen Tal and I surrendered too. The maccaneeks took us to
one of places they're holding the Naaboo. I think we were included in
this particular group because we had children."
Tarpals frowned. "Rep Brand-ess said the Naaboo children belong to
families in key government positions and were being separated from their parents
to force the adults to agree to this maccaneek invasion."
"I know. That's barbaric! The only reason I can think of for them not
splitting my family up is that all of our people look alike to them, and they
didn't realize we were the parents." She shook her head. "I don't
understand it. But I'm glad you rescued them along with us, Captain."
Tarpals tilted his head in a shrug. "All of us have family. And too many have
died already. Speaking of which.... I won't deny that we need all the
experienced military members we have, but for now, I'm sending you back to your
family. I'll take this watch. If you insist on standing sentry duty, come back
and relieve me when the storytelling is finished."
"Yes, sir." Kimma rose, then turned back to face him. "Captain, if I may
ask.... what about your family?"
Much of Tarpals's clan family was scattered throughout Gungan territory. At
least a few members of each of the eight Gungan clans lived in all of the large
cities and settlements, which meant that he had relatives everywhere. "Many of
my clan-family members living in Otoh Gunga left with the main evacuation. As
for the rest," here he paused, "I don't know. If all went well, everyone
made it to one of the Sacred Places safely." His voice trailed off. He'd
heard nothing from Tanoh Matawba and the Shrine Keeper there, the family member
he cared the most about. "It depends on where the maccaneeks have been
searching for us. None of us will know until we've reached the Sacred
Place."
"I hope they're all safe," Kimma told him softly.
Tarpals nodded; he knew what Treece would have said, were she present. "It's
all in the hands of the gods now."
"Yes, sir." Kimma turned away. "I'll be back later, Captain."
Tarpals took her place on the fallen log and scanned the dark forest, listening,
smelling, and remembering.
~*~*~*~
The scouts positioned at the surface of Lake Paonga signaled the city that
the maccaneek army had reached the water's edge. The scouts then
scattered, duty fulfilled. They would hide among the water plants in the
shallows until it was safe to move, then would make their way to the Sacred
Place and assist with the evacuees.
Tarpals and the riders of the Third Mounted Patrol sat at attention astride
their kaadu, scanning the surface. Many of Otoh Gunga's families had
already been evacuated to safety; a few of the ruling Council, including
Governor Rugor Nass, had remained behind, but ships waited to speed them away as
well if the defenses failed. Tarpals had been in agreement with General Yoss --
if the maccaneek army they had seen on the surface was any indication of
the invaders' fighting equipment and style, it was unlikely that Otoh
Gunga's defenses would hold them back for long. The defenses consisted of
several energy barriers that ringed the city, as well as large catapults mounted
on the underwater walls and bottom of Lake Paonga. The catapults could be
detached from their anchorage and moved; several of them were often taken to the
surface for practice drills when General Yoss trained her officers.
The barriers and catapults, however, would be of little use against an army of
small, maneuverable submarines; the defenses had been designed to protect the
city from the huge underwater monsters that occasionally attacked the Gungan
cities and settlements. The Gungans had a small fleet of armed ships, which
supplemented the anchored defenses, but again, these were meant to be used
against a single large target. Yoss herself was overseeing the catapults; she
stood at the controls of a bon-gho, one of the small submarines developed
to carry passengers and cargo around the city. The sub would also carry the
artillery officers to safety if the city fell.
Rugor Nass was seated astride a falumpaset, to the right of the patrol.
Once a soldier, then later an engineer, the Ankuran Gungan had risen to his
present position as Otoh Gunga's Governor. The Governor and the Patrol Captain
had had many differences over the years; now they were united in their desire to
protect the city. But Nass knew, probably better than anyone else, how
inadequate the defenses would be.
The surface above rippled as large, triangular shapes entered the water. For
several moments, the shapes cruised back and forth on the surface; the Gungans
watched them warily.
Without warning, the floor bucked beneath them; several of the kaadu
staggered, bawling. Their riders reined them in and scanned the bubble
dwelling's ceiling, searching for the source of the explosions.
"There!" Ven Artil pointed up at the light surface of the lake above them.
As the patrol watched, tiny shapes drifted down into the middle-range waters
over the city. One of the shapes suddenly blossomed into a shock of light. A
moment later an explosion thundered through the city, and the bubble dwelling
heaved and shuddered. Kaadu and riders tilted sideways and slid across
the floor. Behind him, Tarpals could hear the cries and shouts of the foot
soldiers.
One after another, the tiny shapes exploded. Other bubble dwellings in the city
shuddered under the attack; one of the dwellings, its energy generators and
floatation rudders damaged, suddenly winked out and imploded, water rushing into
the void left by the released air as it bubbled to the lake's surface. A
second, then a third sphere shattered under the forces of the explosions.
Tarpals twisted in the saddle and shouted to his aide. "Rell Iss! Signal the
artillery! Give them the enemy's positions and tell them to fire!"
The younger Gungan whirled his signal flares. A few moments later the catapult
batteries, mounted on the lake's walls and floor, opened fire. The huge energy
buumas, each massing enough concentrated energy to give the largest of the
ocean monsters pause, hurtled upward into the mass of ships concentrated at the
lake surface. Blue lightning raced across maccaneek hulls as the
buumas struck their targets; some of the ships listed onto their sides and
their lights failed. Behind Tarpals, a cheer went up from the assembled Gungans.
Tarpals's hand slashed in a signal for silence.
Several of the ships broke formation at the surface sped to take up a position
over the artillery units. Bursts of light sped from the ships toward the
catapults. The brilliance of the lights forced Tarpals and his command to turn
their heads and close their eyes. When they looked again, two craters in the
lake wall had replaced two of the catapults. A third catapult fired, and one of
the attacking ships flared with light, and then went dark.
More of the smaller, dark shapes, closer now, dropped among the bubble dwellings
and exploded. More bubbles imploded and winked out.
Tarpals turned again to Rell Iss. "Sound the evacuation!"
Artil gave him an anguished look, then closed his eyes and bowed his head. The
second-in-command had had family in one of the destroyed dwellings.
Several of the other patrol members protested.
"Our defenses are meant to keep the ocean monsters out!" Tarpals snapped.
"We have no surface defenses besides the artillery! Nothing has ever attacked
us this way before! There's no point to losing our lives in an unwinable
battle! Fall back! All but the final line of defenders, escort the Governor to
the evacuation ships!" Nass scowled, but wheeled his mount and set out at a
trot for the launch bay, bellowing at the few remaining civilians to follow him.
"Rell Iss! Signal General Yoss! Tell her we're evacuating, and need clear
escape routes for the fleet!" Tarpals turned to Artil. "Take half the
patrol. You're in charge of the escort for the Council's evacuation. Get the
Governor and the Rep Council away."
Artil's kaadu turned so that the rider was facing Tarpals. Ven
Artil's left hand reached up to grip Tarpals's right biceps. Tarpals
mirrored the gesture; each Gungan's weapon pointed over the other's
shoulder.
The gesture was known as "the circle" -- it allowed the two participants to
watch one another's backs without taking away their ability to use their
weapons. The gesture signified the reliance each participant had on the other,
and protection each offered the other. Circles figured prominently in Gungan
society; the seasons were represented as a circle, as were the stages of life,
the directions, and many other concepts. Tarpals's own clan-family symbol was a
pair of zalaacas, depicted with the head of each at the hip of the other,
done in silver, aqua and purple. It was not unusual for two life-partners to
exchange circular wrist-, ear-, or armbands; the bonding ceremony itself was
performed with the partners in the same positions Tarpals and his second now
held.
"The gods keep all of us safe," Artil said, giving the formal parting.
"We will see you at the Sacred Place," Tarpals told him. They both let go,
and then each brought the tip of his weapon to the bridge of his nose in a
salute.
Artil clapped his heels against his kaadu's flank and the animal sprang
forward. "Evacuation guard, with me!" Half of the Third Mounted Patrol
members wheeled their animals and trotted after him. The other half watched
Tarpals expectantly.
"Attack group, to our ships!" Tarpals ordered, and the riders surged
forward. Rell Iss waved his signal flares to send the last commands, then leaped
down from his post and mounted his own kaadu, cantering at the rear of
the attack force on its way to the submarine launch bays.
~*~*~*~
Kimma Nril slipped into place beside her two essoans and children midway
through the story. "The fambaa, hesa sedd, 'My will giff dem my
strengt', to carry heavy t'ings wit' ease'. An' the blarth,
shesa sedd, 'Mesa givin' dem my companionship, so deysa always hev someone
to share dersan homes'. Den the buhds said, 'Wesa givin' oursan se'fs
an' oursan h'eggs as food.'
"Maatra Guungan, shesa t'ought 'bout all'n the animals' offers
for a while. It didn't seem fair to tekk from all'n the animals and not give
ennyt'ing back. At last shesa sess, 'O'mas, Creator, diss'n not right.
Iss'n not fair for ussan to tekk all'n the time and give nuttin' back.
Whenever wesa tekk some-att from the animals, wesa should give some-att in
return. Wesa gonna leave food for the animals, an' nebber tekk more dan wesa
needin'. An' at the end of oursan lives, wesa given ourse'fs back to dem
as well.
"Seein' the wisdom of Maatra Guungan, O'mas agreed, an' blessed
the bargain."
Peskis finished his tale and bowed. "Allus a good t'ing to remember a
bargain, eh? Wesa gotten time for another short one afore wesa sendin' the sprattlings
off to bed, mesa t'inks...."
~*~*~*~
Hela Brandes woke before sunrise. Wincing at her stiff muscles and aching back,
she had to make three attempts before she was able to crawl out of the wood and
leaf shelter. Camping in the wilderness, she thought wryly, had never been of
interest to her, and now she knew why. The children, most of whom had fallen
asleep from sheer exhaustion, were huddled together behind her. Yané was curled
up asleep by herself. Saché, Edvic, and the Eckener twins had chosen to sleep
in the shelter to her right, and the Gungan family was presumably asleep in the
third, possibly with a few of the patrol riders sharing the space.
Mist shrouded the forest; small pattering sounds heralded the passing of several
animals somewhere in the brush. Brandes could barely make out the hunched forms
of the other two shelters. Everything looked different from last night, but she
thought she could remember the way to the stream where the Gungans had pastured
their riding beasts.
A bath, even if it were just a quick sponging-off, would help immensely, she
thought. Neither she nor the children had bathed since before being loaded onto
the droid transports, two days ago. Probably she should wake one of the teens
and have them watch the children. In fact, it might be a good idea to get
everyone up and take turns at whatever bathing time they could get.
Brandes found the opening to the second shelter and crouched down to peer
inside. "Saché," she whispered. The Handmaiden stirred. "Saché!" The
girl's eyes opened and she blinked sleepily at Brandes. "Wake the others.
I'm going to see about arranging for us to get baths."
A few minutes later Brandes stood in the middle of the clearing where the
storytelling had been held the night before. Facing the shelters, she knew the
stream was on her left. She turned and set out, passing through a short section
of heavily wooded forest. Ahead she could see a lighter spot in the fog – the
edge of the pasture area.
Shapes moved in the misted meadow – the kaadu seemed to be rooting
around for food. The larger bulks of the falumpasets stood motionless;
the animals were still apparently asleep. Brandes skirted around them at the
very edge of the meadow. If she frightened the animals, goodness only knew how
they'd respond.
The meadow sloped down a hill and into more woods. Here the stream burbled over
stones and fallen branches. Brandes crouched and splashed water on her face and
hands, grateful for the warmth of the forest air. Peering through the mist, she
could see the stream meandering for several lengths to her right, where it
apparently opened out into a small pool.
She climbed part way up the bank and followed the stream, arriving at the edge
of the pool. The water here was deeper and slower, and the trees provided enough
cover to insure privacy for bathing.
Anticipating her bath, the human woman stepped onto one of the flat stones on
the edge of the pool, and froze.
Through the thin tendrils of mist she could make out the form of a Gungan whose
grey skin blended almost perfectly into the morning fog. Clouds of mist trailed
past him, rising. Tarpals sat with his back to her, a stone's toss away down
the shore, apparently unaware of her presence. Through a gap in the mist she
could see him sitting, head up, elbows resting on his knees. For several minutes
he sat motionless. Then he reached out with his left hand to scoop up a palmful
of water. Dipping the fingers of his right hand into the water, he flicked his
fingers to his right, then his left, then forward; finally he twisted around to
spray the water behind him. If he was surprised to see the human woman standing
at the edge of the pool, he gave no sign. At last he dipped his fingers into the
water a final time and touched them to the spot between his eyes, his lips, and
the center of his chest, and shook his left hand over the water to return what
little was left to the pool. Then in a fluid motion he rose, stretched, and
turned to look at her.
"I – I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't know you were here. I was
just hoping to get a bath before we left this morning."
"Thissen a good spot," Tarpals remarked, moving toward her and reaching up
into a set of tree branches. Now that he was closer, Brandes got a good look at
him – and realized he was completely undressed.
She blushed and looked away.
"Yousa feeling all right?" He sounded genuinely concerned.
"I'm, ah, fine. It's just that, ah, I was surprised by your state of
undress." She risked a glance at him; he was standing with what appeared to be
his leather trousers in hand, head cocked to one side in puzzlement. She looked
away again. "Um, humans have a nudity taboo. Most of the time we keep our
clothes on around each other."
"Uhn-huhn. Yousa plannin' on tekkin' a bath with yoursan clothes on?"
Now he sounded amused.
"No, of course not. I'll, ah, just come back when you're done." She
turned away.
"Mesa done heah." Tarpals had removed the rest of his clothing from the tree
branches. Brandes watched him out of the corner of her eyes. "All yoursan.
When yousa done, though, gottens some things for yousa to look at."
I'm almost afraid to ask.... she thought wryly.
"Those supplies wesa took out'n the maccaneek wagons -- yousa want to
look through them, see iff'n thersa anything yousa needin'." He paused,
then added, "Seemin' to be lotta h'extra clothes. 'Spect yousa finden'
them useful." With that he slung his own clothes over his shoulder and left
her to her bathing.
