NAAN (The Rabanians Book 1) Read online

  “Why were you imprisoned?” asked the Doctor suddenly.

  Daio gazed at him wandering why he was asking this now. “Illegal things,” he said.

  The Doctor nodded. “Can you be more specific?”

  “Information scrambling,” said Daio.

  The Doctor's eyes lit up. “So that’s why you know so much.”

  Daio lift himself from the rock. “I know very little but probably much more than you.”

  The Doctor started to walk, Daio behind him and the three policemen followed. “I know enough. I lived long enough on Mampas. It's infected just like every big planet in the galaxy.”

  “If you didn't know that someone scrambled the network around this place you know nothing. You don't need to be an expert to know that.”

  “Naan,” said the Doctor.

  “Naan,” repeated Daio after him.

  “You’re correct. The facts speak for themselves,” said the Doctor. “Naan is a small periphery planet. It is deserted in many ways, but still has a lot to offer.”

  “I assumed as much, otherwise this invasion would make no sense at all.”

  “You misunderstand. These invaders are only looking for a base close to Mampas.”

  Daio looked around. “We were to meet along the creek next to a wooden house. We should be close.”

  “A wooden house?” said the Doctor. “I know right where it is. He looked at one of the policemen. “Romach's house,” he said and signaled him to lead the way.

  They found the creek and walked along it towards the house.

  “Sosi,” called Daio. He called his name several more times but there was no answer.

  “He probably went deeper into the forest,” said the Doctor.

  “The house is deserted,” said Daio, “Maybe he is hiding in there.”

  “The house is not deserted. Romach’s family was in the White Planes yesterday. They came back late last night,” said the Doctor. “If he as smart as you say he is, he probably went farther into the forest.”

  The Doctor walked away and Daio followed him wondering how he knew so much about this family. They walked, single file, for a while with the Doctor leading the way and Daio following him.

  Daio thought it was a waste of time. How could the Doctor be so confident? How could he know Sosi was in the forest? He thought about what he would have done when the attack started if he had been in Sosi’s shoes. Probably he'd have run for the mountings on the other side of the forest. Lack of oxygen forced him to stop and catch his breath. Sosi would have been limited in the same way so he probably hadn’t gotten far. Plus he had no food. What was there to eat in these mountains?

  They kept walking, pausing periodically to let Daio to recover. Finally the Doctor stopped, looking at something ahead of them. He motioned one of the policemen over to him.

  “There is something there,” he said, “something bright.”

  The policemen pulled out binoculars and looked through them. He gave them to the Doctor and said, “It's a hovercraft.”

  The Doctor looked through the binoculars and a few second later lower them with a sigh.

  “Yes, it’s one of their hovercrafts,'” he said and gazed at the policemen. “Go find out what you can. We'll wait here."

  The policeman gaped at him with fear.

  “We are looking for Sosi. They may have captured him. Don't take any chances. All I want is a close view that's all.”

  The policemen signaled one of the others and the two started creeping forward.

  “What do you think?” asked Daio. “Do you really think they caught him?”

  “I don't know. He is not a Naanite so I don't know what they would do if they caught him."

  Why is there a hovercraft here in the forest?”

  The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and didn't answer. He gave Daio the binoculars and Daio looked through them. A hovercraft’s scanning light marked the ship’s position so it was easy to focus on. The light blinded him every time it swung their way. Daio shifted the binoculars to avoid it.

  “They are taking a very big risk with that light,” he said.

  “That hovercraft is heavily armed,” said the Doctor. He looked at Daio and added, “They probably feel quite comfortable.”

  “I don't understand any of this. These invaders want a base of operations near Mampas, but what happens when Mampas finds out they are here? Won’t Mampas send their army?”

  “They won't stay here. After wrecking the town they will leave and come back after everything calms down. Mampas has a short memory. They won't leave people behind if there is no real threat.

  I went down on my knees. My heart was racing. The light was cycling. When I got closer I saw it was coming from a hovercraft. I almost ran away, but held myself back. I hid behind a log. Several smaller lights illuminated the surrounding area. A spotlight on its top rotated and scanned the forest. Two people sat on the hovercraft wing and stared into the darkness beyond the trees. Two others went in and out of the rear of the hovercraft. From my hideout they looked like they were as tall as me. The short sentences they exchanged didn’t sound local. The fact I could make such an observation was surprising to me. I had hardly heard the local people talking.

  The hovercraft looked new. Its color was uniform and bright with no signs of damage or wear. The sentries looked indifferent and bored. Once or twice their officer paused in his work and called out to them. His voice was hard. Each time they sat up straight and focused intensely on their task. For a few minutes they followed the rotating light closely as it swept the trees and muttered to each other.

  My fear slowly disappeared and I was drawn to the hovercraft and the people in it. I didn't know who they were, but as the time passed I was more confident they were not local. I had nothing to base this feeling on. I hadn’t even made it to the town. All I’d seen were a few workers in the terraced plantations. Maybe they themselves were outsiders. Outside workers from yet, another deserted planet.

  I started to think about what I’d seen just before the darkness fell, the trees and the endless plains. I suddenly realized that I didn't want to leave this place. I actually liked the fact that everything was so old.

  The hovercraft sat in a clearing similar to the one around the house in the forest. It was littered with low stumps where trees had once stood. The log I was hiding behind had probably been one. Here too, were scattered browning leaves, dried enough to show they’d been cut sometime before. I didn't know what to think of this. Did this mean this hovercraft had landed here long before the attack? I didn't see any logic in this thought. Who were they hiding from? I wondered if I could sneak inside it and find someplace to hide. I played with this thought for a moment. It made as much sense as this hovercraft sitting in the middle of the forest. The thoughts went in and out of my head as if it were a grocery store. I guess I was trying to hold on to something that made sense, but each thought brought with it new questions and the puzzle got more complicated.

  I cleared the area around me quietly, lay down next to the log, and listened to the conversation from the hovercraft. I was exhausted and not only physically. My thoughts could find no rest. They went from the odd hovercraft, to the dried leaves, and from the little people to the shuttle that crossed the galaxy from great Seragon to this clod of land. I fell into a restless sleep. Every time I awoke the rotating light reflecting from the trees reminded me of my situation.

  I was happy when the sky started to clear. It was expected, but with all of the illogic of the past few days I found comfort in this one little, predictable thing. I waited until it cleared up and then stood and carefully looked around. The hovercraft was still there. Making sure I didn't step on the dry leaves, I walked away through the trees to find a better view. The scanning light was still rotating although it was unnecessary. The hovercraft looked deserted. No one was outside. I thought maybe they were asleep. Model soldiers, I thought to myself. I could now see the entrances to the hovercraft. One was on its rear, the
main entrance, and another was next to the wing. I couldn't see any other way in or out. If they were really asleep, I thought maybe I could get inside and take over. They were four of them, but all I needed was one weapon. If I was lucky I could take them without firing a shot. But then what? I didn't know how to fly the hovercraft. I could kidnap them, but where would I go? I would only be putting myself at risk.

  Suddenly I heard leaves crunching. I turned my head and two little people dressed in black stood not far from me. One of them pointed a large gun at me and the other signaled with one hand to be quiet. He motioned for me to walk towards them.

  I looked back at the silent hovercraft and the man without a gun leaped toward me and clamped onto my arm. He whispered something that sounded like a plea and again signaled to me to keep quiet. His grip on my arm tightened and he started to pull me. The pressure was firm but not violent and matched the pleading note in his voice. Although the gun was still pointing at me I didn't feel threatened. Maybe it was because the gun looked so big and clumsy that I wasn't sure it could really fire. I allowed myself to be pulled. We moved away from the hovercraft and after few minutes of walking the man behind me came closer, pointed at something ahead and spoke to his companion. I saw several figures moving in the trees ahead. One of them towered over the others and I immediately recognized him. I ran forward.

  “Sosi,” called Daio when he saw me. “I can’t believe I found you.”

  He patted my back, ran his hand through my hair.

  Odd noises came from behind him and I followed his eyes to the man standing next to him who had some kind of a speaker strapped around his waist. When the voices stopped, I looked back at Daio. His nose was swollen and there were traces of dried blood on his face.

  “I knew something happened to you,” I said and heard voices again, like an odd echo following my words. I looked back at the man beside Daio and only now noticed he looked strange. Stranger than the short people I saw so far. His big face distracted me but I noticed Dug wasn't there.

  “Where is Dug?” I asked.

  “He’s hurt. They’re taking care of him now. I hope he'll recover.” said Daio and the echoing voices were heard again. I glanced at the man. His big eyes were on me the whole time.

  “This is the Doctor,” said Daio, “Ahh, I am sorry, I forgot your name.”

  “Afgena Tarki, Doctor Afgena Tarki,” said the Doctor and his name repeated from the speaker around his waist.

  “He is related to the local government somehow,” said Daio.

  “Hello,” I said, and shifted my gaze to the speaking box.

  “There was an invasion and our lives are at danger,” said Daio.

  “Invasion?” I wondered and nodded my head. “What are the chances that out of the infinite options at the Seragon airport we would pick the one shuttle that would drop us on this forgotten planet in a middle of a war?”

  Daio made a helpless gesture.

  The doctor gazed at me. “I understand you are familiar with information scrambling,” he said.

  I looked down at the box and his words came out in Seragonian. I looked at his face and back at Daio. “Scrambling?”

  “They need our help,” said Daio, “They have alliance with Mampas, the big planet in the sky.”

  “Mampas,” I mumbled and Daio pointed skyward.

  “And how is this related to scrambling?” I wondered.

  “Mampas doesn't know about the invasion,” said Daio. “The network is blocked and I think someone is scrambling everything going out of here. Nothing is getting through to Mampas. I thought I could fix it but they don't even have neck sensors here. They only have keyboards,” he added and flipped his fingers in the air as if he was typing.

  “So?” I said and looked at the Doctor when my one word question came from the machine at his waist.

  “I have a message that must get through to Mampas, but clearly I cannot send it. If you could help me get to the right site, maybe I could make contact with them.”

  “We fell from the sky two days ago. You don't know us and we don't know you, and you want us to help you against these invaders,” I said and switched my gaze between him and Daio. “How do I know your story is true?”

  The Doctor didn't answer and Daio intervened. “All they ask is for us to help them contact Mampas. It doesn’t really matter what is going on here, who is right and who is wrong. What will it hurt to help pass along a message to Mampas? Besides, it is the major planet in this sector and they should know what is going on here anyway.”

  I returned my gaze to the doctor’s big head and Daio continued. “I think we should help them. There will be plenty of time for questions later. Let's do something before more blood is shed.”

  “If there is a later,” I said.

  “I don't think they will hurt us,” said Daio.

  “I don’t know what to think,” I said looking back at the Doctor. “What’s in it for us?”

  “What do you want?” The Doctor asked.

  “Let us go. Forget we were ever here,” I said, although I didn't really have a plan. Where could we go from here?

  “I don’t have the authority to give you an answer, but I don't think that will be a problem,” said the Doctor. Even without understanding the language I could sense he was desperate.

  I nodded.

  “They don't have neck sensors here and the surfing is slow and difficult,” repeated Daio. “I’m not sure you’ll be able to do it, even with your skills.”

  I looked back. “There’s a hovercraft back in the forest. I don't know what it is waiting for but it looks quite new. Maybe I can penetrate the network through its terminal.”

  “You think it's connected to the network?” asked Daio. He turned to the Doctor. “In Seragon all flying machines are disconnected from the network out of fear of scrambling. Is that the case here as well?”

  “It doesn't matter,” I interrupted, “even back on Seragon aircraft go online when on the ground.” I looked at the Doctor. For some reason, I was starting to dislike him. “Even if it's disconnected I’m sure I can bring it online if I have enough time.”

  “We'll need to take it over,” said Daio.

  The doctor’s face started to show signs of hope as if he was spoiling for a fight. He looked at me and I stared back. I thought how strange it was that a short time ago death had been hovering over my head. Since then I’d been on the run, without food or sleep, and now, I was suddenly the only hope of this damned planet. Really the planet wasn’t so bad, but still it was an extremely strange sequence of events. I shook the anger away and tried to be practical.

  “How much time do we have?” I asked.

  “I don't know,” said the Doctor. “The town is under siege. We don’t even know where the invaders are.”

  “They haven’t taken the building we were in?”

  “The city hall. No they haven’t yet.”

  “Why?”

  The Doctor looked at him and raised his eyebrows in wonder.

  “This full eclipse,” I asked, “how often does it happen?”

  “Once every five days, more or less,” he answered.

  “More or less?” I wondered.

  “What eclipse?” asked Daio.

  “Last night,” I said and looked at him surprised. “Haven't you noticed? The planet never rose.”

  Daio shook his head. “I was locked up,” he mumbled.

  “Maybe they’re waiting for the next eclipse?” I said still wondering what the Doctor had meant by 'more or less.'

  “Maybe,” said the Doctor with satisfaction. He looked as if I’d given the correct answer to a particularly difficult question.

  “Do you have any defenses?” I asked.

  “No, not really,” answered the Doctor. “Actually we don't have any defenses at all,” he said after giving it additional thought.

  His voice sounded hesitant through the speaker, but his eyes and face were filled with hope. It was as if someone else was speakin
g through him.

  I gazed at him again with suspicion. My suspicions about his motives grew stronger and I could not understand why Daio was so quick to trust him. I looked back in the direction of the hovercraft. My instincts were telling me that maybe we should capture the hovercraft ourselves and leave this whole mess behind. The hovercraft looked advanced enough to make the trip to the neighboring planet. But it was only a thought. Daio didn't seem like someone who would go along with such an extreme action. And then there was also the problem of Dug. Where was he?

  The Aion started to set and the planet began to rise. Mampas. I looked at it. Its right side was large, smooth, and yellow. Later I would learn that this was the massive desert. I looked at Daio's tired and swollen face and any idea of stealing the hovercraft and escaping died.

  We walked back toward the hovercraft and stopped when it appeared through the trees. One of the policemen pulled some binoculars from a bag and trained them on the hovercraft.

  “There’s one on the wing and two more on the ground next to the hovercraft,” he said quietly while watching.

  The Doctor repeated his words, but a bit louder so that the device could hear and translate.

  “Can I see?” said Daio motioning for the binoculars.

  The Doctor spoke and the policeman lowered the binoculars and gave it to Daio.

  “I think we need to create a diversion over there,” said Daio after a short view while pointing to the right. “That way Sosi can get in through the rear door on the opposite side.”

  I nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “You stick to Sosi,” said the Doctor to one of the policemen and pointed at me. “Make sure he gets inside safely. Guard him with your life. All life on Naan depends on this.”

  The device translated and I chuckled to myself. Now I too had a bodyguard.

  We started to circle around the hovercraft to the left. The Doctor, Daio, and the other two policemen took the right flank. They stopped once they were in front of the hovercraft.