Hundreds of bright silver bubble tents set up in neat, orderly rows made up the temporary village of Elran during construction of the primary village. These inflatable tents came with bedding for four to six people in each and complete sanitary facilities. They provided relatively comfortable housing for the Zevians, and there was now ample food available to everyone.
With the arrival of food, shelter, and medicine, the general health of the Zevians started to improve rapidly during the next month. Work became a little less hectic for Hankura and Chelle. Mid-month, the temporary medical people, finally arrived from Kena, so Hankura and Chelle didn't have to keep going to each of the five major villages themselves.
Instead, they set up their treatment room using one of the bubble tents and remained in Elran for the most part. All but those who were bedridden came there for treatment. In the meantime, Hankura was waiting anxiously for the arrival of the clinic’s large equipment so that he could help set up shop as soon as the new Elran Clinic building was ready. The new permanent medical team should arrive soon after that.
Federation extracted reparations from the Tregan Empire to pay for reconstruction on Zevus Mar and several other colonies that they had all but destroyed. However, many still wondered just how much the thousands of lives lost were worth. No matter how many millions of Tregan credits the Federation poured into Zevus Mar, nothing would bring back the dead.
Near the end of the second month, Casir's crew finished construction in Medrin, and they were getting ready to pull out in about two weeks. Elran, too, was well on its way to completion and the bubble village was shrinking day by day as the Zevians moved into their new homes. With things finally slowing down, Casir took time off with Hankura to cruise out to Mikal's agricomplex to look around. The two men left Elran alone. Chelle said she wanted to help Tira get some of the other Zevians settled into their homes, and she knew this was something Hankura needed to do without her.
Hankura wasn't surprised at what he saw when they arrived at Mikal's farm. The fields were overgrown with weeds and the orchards sorely needed tending. Part of the domed roof of the sunken house structure still stood, but there was no sign of life anywhere.
After they had cleared enough of the wreckage away to get at the entrance, Hankura went down into what was Mikal's home to look around with Casir close behind him. As Hankura picked up and examined several objects that he recognized as Mikal's he felt the familiar aura that told him what he already knew---they were Mikal's.
Then they left the house in its silent emptiness and walked the grounds for nearly an hour before they finally came upon three humbly marked graves. One was marked '♂ ', and the other two were marked '♀'.
As Hankura bent to touch the earth covering the man, he sensed what he did not want to know. It was Mikal. He assumed the other two were Lania and Merris; he couldn't quite be sure. But, there was no grave for the boy.
"Bastards! Fucking bastards!" Hankura cried and sank to his knees at the grave of his friend. "Mother of Life! Mikal had such hopes and dreams when he was making plans to come here. He wanted to raise his children where they could grow up free not like on Aledus. Free? Ha! Free for the Tregan's to murder them."
While Casir stood by in grim silence, Hankura picked up a fist full of the dusty soil and let it slip through his long fingers in the wind. "Damn! I'll probably never know what really happened to them---or find the boy. Mikal never hurt anyone---he was the only Master Tech who would work with me at Salla while Chelle was at the university. He talked Nathan and Sharlel into filling out my staff."
Hankura turned a wry smile to Casir, his sorrow etched deeply in his emerald eyes, and he slowly got back up to his feet. "He thought I didn't know how he maneuvered the two of them, but I knew. Then later, when I got into trouble, he and Merris gave their prints to get me a hearing."
"Now they're dead like about twenty-three thousand other people on this godforsaken rock," Hankura murmured brokenly, half to himself. Casir, is everything I touch going to fall apart? Am I to live the rest of my life dreading what will happen to us next? My fucking luck, the damn Tregans will find us on Oltarin and finish us as soon as the Federation lets loose of them.
Casir shook his head sympathetically and rested his hand on the other man's shoulder. I know you've had it rough these last few months, friend. No one can argue that, but you can't give up now. It isn't like you to feel such self-pity. Sure, you've taken a lot, but you've given a lot, too. You've been in the right place at the right time to help a lot of people. Everyone lost people they love here. A lot of Psions get thrown in jail on Aledus, and a lot of them break down at one time or another there. The smart ones get out like you got out. Hankura, you didn't go through all you have to cash it in now---not when you're finally making it. Things are just coming together for you and Chelle. Stick it out; you're going to make it this time. Maybe you'll even find the kid.
I'm going to try. I promised Mikal that I would raise his son if anything happened to them----we made it legal. Mikal promised the same for my son when he is born. He can't keep that promise, now... but for now, my son is safe in his mother's womb.
Your son? Casir looked at him intently.
Hankura smiled a slow, sad smile. "Yeah. Chelle is carrying our son---found out just before we left." Hankura quirked an eyebrow and made a wry face. "I don't quite know how I'm going to like being psi-mated to a pregnant woman."
Casir grinned faintly as Hankura's grief seemed to ebb. After a moment, the two started walking back toward Casir's hovercraft. "Are you going to deliver?"
"Probably with a neural block, otherwise, I'd be a manic case. I can't stand for her to be in pain."
"Is that wise?" Casir asked. "You're pretty close to the patient."
"Exactly why we have to do this together. Anyway, I'll get a tech to back me up when the time comes."
Just as they settled in the deep-cushioned seat of the blue, wedge-shaped craft, the craft's vid-com beeped for Casir's attention. It was Bren's image that materialized when he pressed for receipt of the transmission.
"What can I do for you, Bren?"
"They told me Hankura is with you." Casir nodded. "Well, they need him up at Farelix. They had a messy mining accident, and several people are badly hurt. They want another surgeon and Hankura is the only other one on Zevus Mar."
"That settles that," Hankura muttered. "I guess you'll have to check out that other site without me."
Hankura was referring to another agricomplex a dozen klicks from a downed hovercraft that traced back to Mikal. Maybe there would be clues to what happened to Mikal’s son.
"We're on our way, Bren," Casir said and ended the call. To Hankura, he said, "I think I can handle things until you get there. I've got the specs and the plans from the original dwelling and layout."
When Casir’s hovercraft settled down on the complex, Nalina was gathering fruit in a field alone a short way from the pump house. Orin and Lanimer were near the far side of the complex gathering roots and teal lizards for a stew. It had been two or three weeks since they'd eaten the last of Orin's food wafers---not that it was a real hardship. They were living off the land quite nicely.
Nalina was terrified when she first heard the hovercraft landing. Unarmed, she ran an indirect course toward the pump house where they kept a nearly spent laser hidden. But, before she could get there and slip inside unnoticed, more vehicles landed, and men and women began crossing the various points back and forth between Nalina and shelter. She could only hide and pray for Orin to come back and save her. He had the only other laser that worked, and he would know what to do.
On the other side of the desert farm, Lanimer suddenly stopped and looked up from the thick yellow root he was digging with a small piece of metal. A worried look crinkled his elfin features, and he shook his blond head, trying to discern the source of his unease.
"Orin, I think we should go back now," he said finally. "Sometimes, Nalina doesn't like to be alone."
"Sure, kid. I know that, but we have to eat. Just let me snare a couple more of these lizards. That'll last us a couple days."
"Okay," Lanimer sighed reluctantly. "Make it quick. I just feel that Nalina wants you to come now ... but there are other feelings and thoughts jumbled in with hers. It's hard for me to pick up just what is bothering her."
A cool fear sent a chill down Orin's spine, and he shuddered suddenly when he looked over at his little companion from where he was squatted over a lizard's den. "What do you mean?" Orin asked in that dangerous, quiet tone of his.
"When there are other people around, it's hard for me to pick out one special person's thought patterns. I-I'm still young for it. Mother said it would take many years for me to learn that well," Lanimer explained. "She was pretty good at it; she could usually pick father or me out of a small group and sometimes even in town if we concentrated on her. Right now, I feel that Nalina is thinking hard about you---and I'm not sure why."
"Well, then, let's not waste time trying to figure it out," Orin said decisively. "I don't want to take any chances. Let's take what we've got and get back to her. We can come back and get more in a couple days."
Orin's face set in a worried frown as he stood and checked the power pack in the laser in his belt. It was pretty low. Now he wished he had kept the weapons he had sent back to Elran with that load of dead Tregans. He might need one right now.
At the time, he was so sick of killing, he didn't want to touch another weapon let alone use one. He had only had second thoughts for a while afterward---and now . . .