Planet Of No Return

11: Trek Into Danger

Slowly, in single file, they trudged across the plain towards the forested hills beyond. Ravn led the way with Brion following closely behind him. Lea stumbled along far in the rear, heavily burdened by the skin-wrapped bundle on her back. She wiped the perspiration from her face with her forearm and called out.

“Hold it right there! It’s well past time for a break.”

She threw the bundle to the ground when she had caught up with Brion, then dropped down on it with a grateful sigh.

“Drink some water,” Brion said. “Take a rest.”

“How nice of you to offer!” She spat out the words. “Generous too, to let me drink some of the water that I have been carrying on my back all day.”

“But we have no other choice, do we?” he said, speaking with the voice of sweet logic. She wasn’t buying it.

“What does that we stuff mean — when I’m the one doing the carrying. I know that the argument is foolproof, that women do all the heavy work, like beasts of burden, in this broken-down society, that you would sacrifice all your prestige if you carried anything. Meanwhile I’m sacrificing my spinal column and will undoubtedly develop terminal hernia — don’t smile at me in that condescending manner, you filthy brute!”

“Sorry I wish I could help. But we should be there soon.”

“Not soon enough …”

She opened the pungent lizard skin wrappings — the creature had reluctantly become dinner for Ravn just two days earlier — and rooted about until she found the water bottle. She drank deeply, then passed it to Brion. He just used it to wet his lips. Since she had drunk from it the water was taboo for a Hunter; they made no attempt to even offer it to Ravn.

“When you put the water away, hand me the case of percussion grenades,” Brion said it too casually. She looked up, startled.

“Is there trouble coming?” she asked. He nodded slowly.

“They must be under cover in the forest. I can feel their hatred, the same as last time.”

“But not quite the same as last time!” She passed him the flat box and nodded encouragingly as he slipped a handful of the metal spheres into his pocket. “You don’t know how much I’m looking forward to this.”

“We don’t want to injure any of them. But it will be most effective to throw a large fright into them. If we can establish ourselves on top of the social structure, they should answer any questions that we might ask. We’ll move now, but stay near me because they are sure to close in behind us. They’re good hunters and they are armed, so we don’t want to take any chances.”

If Ravn was aware of the prepared ambush he gave no sign, just trudged on ahead of them at the same steady pace. They wended their way through the shrubs, then on among the taller trees. A large clearing opened up before them. Their path lay across it.

“Stop here,” Brion called out in the native tongue when they were halfway across. “Give me water to drink,” he ordered Lea. Then added more quietly; “They are on all sides of us now and they are very tense. I’m sure that they’ll attack any moment’ now. Keep your hand in the bundle and near the guns, just in case …”

The silence of the forest was shattered by a high-pitched, warbling cry that echoed across the glade. It was instantly joined by the massed war-cries of the Hunters as they erupted on all sides. Ravn started forward to join them — but Brion was on him in an instant; a single blow of his fist against the man’s shoulder sending him crashing to the ground. Brion placed one foot on his back to hold him there, then began to throw the grenades towards the encircling trees, one hurtling after the other.

Flame and sound exploded on all sides. Lea had known what was coming and had covered her ears; nevertheless she still fell to her knees, quivering under the impact of the brain-shattering sound. The battle cries turned to howls of pain as the men fell back or collapsed. In the silence that followed Brion’s voice roared out with anger, cursing them in their own language.

“You are dirt. You are women. You are shit! You raise a spear towards me and I kill you. You are dead meat under my foot — like this Ravn who is dead meat.” He leaned some of his massive weight onto the man as he talked and the Ravn wailed impressively. Brion had the upper hand and he meant to keep it. He sensed nothing except unreasoning fear from all of the Hunters. One of the sensation patterns was more familiar than the others.

“Vjer — come here,” he ordered.

The Hunter rose hesitantly to his feet and stumbled forward. There was blood running from his nose, and he was dazed, numbed by the explosions. Brion fixed him with a glare.

“Who am I?” he called out.

“You are Brrn …”

“Louder, I cannot hear you.”

“BRRN.”

“What is this piece of dirt I stand upon?”

“That is the Ravn.”

“Then who am I now?”

“You must be … the Ravn Above Ravn!” His eyes were wide as he spoke and Brion could sense the awe, the almost worshipful quality of his emotions. Brion pointed to the plasteel knife that Vjer was holding.

“What is that in your hand?”

Vjer looked at the knife and began to shake. He dropped to his knees with fear and crawled forward to lay it at Brion’s feet. Brion picked it up and slipped it back into his empty sheath.

“Now we will go on,” he said, taking his foot from the Ravn’s back. The title he had been given was of greatest importance; he could sense that by the reactions of the men around him. The aggression and fear were fading as he was accepted in his new role.

“They still have their weapons,” Lea said, eyeing the Hunters with suspicion.

“There is no need to disarm them, since I am now a part of their culture in this new role.”

“And what about me? I know, a woman, less than nothing. Carry the bundle and shut up. But wait until I have you out of this male-chauvinistic paradise, Brion Brandd! Oh, how you are going to pay for this …”

As they climbed the hillside through the trees, Brion kept his senses aware of the men about him. As long as they accepted him he was safe. But this could change in an instant, for reasons he might not even be aware of. But if this new-found status continued to work this would be the quickest and most successful way to penetrate the culture and talk to the people. It was dangerous. But it was too late to turn back.

Once the aggression and hatred had been removed, with no reason to stay together, the Hunters began to drift away one at a time. Only a handful stayed with them all the way to the settlement. They worked their way up a steep hill, until a rocky cliff was visible ahead through the trees. It slanted back to form a string of natural caves. A small group of women were working here, scraping the flesh from lizard skins with bits of sharp stone. They retreated when they saw the strangers, being speeded along with kicks and blows from a grey-haired woman. “Must be a female version of Ravn,” Lea said, looking on with interest. “Since you seem to have established yourself as top dog with the Hunters, I’m going to do the same with the ladies.” She dropped the bundle and followed the women-towards the cave, calling out for them to stop. They only ran the faster, all except the grey haired woman. She wheeled about and rushed at Lea.

“I kill! You dirt,” she screeched.

Lea settled her weight evenly on both feet and drew back a small, hard fist. As her adversary ran up she swung a punch with all of her strength right into the pit of the woman’s stomach. She folded nicely, wailing with pain, her arms clutched about her midriff. Lea seized her by the hair and dragged her face around.

“Shut up and tell me your name — or I’ll hit you again.”

“I am … First Woman.”

“No more. I am First Woman. You are now Old Woman.”

The newly named Old Woman wailed again in protest, at the same time trying to pry Lea’s fingers from her hair. The wail turned to a scream of pain as Ravn passed by and casually kicked her in the side.

“You are now Old Woman,” he said, happy to see some one else humiliated as he had been. He went on to seat himself against the rock wall, in the sun, then screamed for food.

“Charming people,” Lea said.

“Products of their culture,” Brion answered, wrapping a piece of lizard skin around the communicator before he took it from the bundle. “And the system obviously works for survival on this planet — or these people would not be here. I’m going to have the lifeship’s computer enter a report into its memory about what happened today. We want to keep the record complete and up to date, just in case something happens to us.

“Don’t depress me any more, if you please. I believe that we are going to finish this assignment — alive. Keep that idea firmly in your skull. While you’re doing that I’m going to talk to the women. See what this repulsive world looks like from their point of view.”

“Good. We need information, but we don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to. Most of them have vermin, have you noticed that?”

“Hard to miss. I get itchy just looking at them. Don’t go too far away.”

“I’ll be right here. I want to do some questioning myself. I’ll talk to Vjer since I have already established a relationship there. Good luck.”

It was almost dark before Lea emerged from the cave, scratching grimly under her arm. Brion was talking to two of the Hunters, but he sent them away when he saw her expression. He held up a plastic container. “I found some antiseptic spray in the medkit that will make a good insecticide.”

“Use it, please! That cave is literally a pesthole.”

She quickly stripped off her clothes and sprayed her body, which was covered with red welts. Brion then used the spray on her clothing while she rubbed healing cream into her skin. She called out to him as she was dressing again.

“Be an angel and pour me a large double vodka. The flask is down at the bottom of the bundle.”

“I’ll join you. It’s been a long day for both of us. How did your question session go?”

“Fine, if you don’t consider the bug bites. Right to the top, that’s right, thanks. My, that feels delicious going down. The women have a sub-culture of their own, arranged strictly by rank, and a wonderful trove of stories as well. There appears to be a myth or a mnemonic chant for everything you could possibly name. It’s a complete oral history. I’ll take a recorder next time. This will be priceless material for the anthropologists. Now tell me what you found out.”

“Very little. The Hunters talked to me easily enough, but only about killing this animal or the other, or about their own great prowess in the chase. You can well imagine the sort of thing. Other than these topics they have no personal opinions. They are just walking collections of taboos. Everything they do or think is governed by this system.”

“It’s the same with the women, at least in their physical life. But they escape into myth very easily, and that activity seems to be totally outside the taboo areas. Though I have a feeling that the stories are probably taboo for men. Did you hear anything about the creation myth?”

Brion shook his head. “No, nothing like that.”

“It’s interesting because it might very well be a simplified version of a true history, something that is still remembered, but only in mythical form. The story says that at one time the people lived like gods, that they moved over the ground without using their feet, and even flew through the air with our having wings like the flying lizards. In those time the people were wrong because they treasured many things that were made of ckt’t — have you run across the word?”

“Yes, and I know what it is. Metal. From the way the word was used I suspected what it meant, but I had to lose one of my subjects to find out that my theory was right. I made him look at the transceiver and the mere sight of it turned him into a bundle of blind fear. He actually ran headlong into a tree as he was trying to get away from the thing.”

“Better and better. The historical myth goes like this. The ancient people who treasured metal thought themselves gods, therefore the true gods destroyed them and their metal, and the metal places where they lived. Then the gods made them go out and live like the animals until they became purified. So if the people continue to live in this manner they will be pure again and will be admitted to a chl’t, I translated the word as paradise which is probably right. Meanwhile people must suffer in this world, obeying all of the taboos that enable them to live in the proper manner so that one day they will be able to enter paradise.”

“That’s tremendous!” Brion said, jumping to his feet and pacing back and forth, unable to sit still with excitement. “You are amazing, you’ve done a wonderful job. Every bit of what you say fits — if these people are exactly what they appear to be. Refugees from a global holocaust. They were invaded, or were defeated in war, and had to flee their cities. They saw their armies and war machines destroyed. So now they blame their destruction on the gods. It’s a lot easier to do that then admit defeat.”

“A fine theory, professor,” Lea said, draining her glass and smacking her lips. She poured herself another one. “There is just one small thing wrong with it that I can see. Where are the victorious and conquering armies now? All the evidence we have seen indicates that this war is still being fought.”

“Yes,” Brion said, sitting down glumly. “I hadn’t thought of that. So now we really know little more than we did when we started.”

“Don’t despair. We know a lot. For one thing I explored our underground city theory, and all I got were empty stares. If the civilization on this world is underground these people don’t know a thing about it.”

“Which appears to be just about as much as we know. I’m beginning to think that we have hit a dead end.”

“Well you may have, Ravn Above Ravn, with your Hunters and fighters and all that big machismo stuff.” She hiccupped sweetly and touched the back of her hand to her mouth, smiling. “We girls had a more sensible conversation, as befits the more attractive and intelligent sex. As I am sure I told you, all metal is taboo, and machines made of metal are the most taboo of all — as we discovered out the hard way when they spotted us near a metal flying ship. So, therefore, doesn’t it stand to reason that the most impossibly taboo place of all would be the place where the machines come from. Do you follow me so far?”

“Yes, of course. Do you really need another glass of vodka?”

“Shut up. Now wouldn’t it be very nice if we knew where the machines came from?”

“Of course, but …”

“But no buts. You see, I know. They told me how to find this place. So all we have to do now is go there — and the mystery will be solved.”

She admired his expression, all hanging jaw and staring eyes. Then she closed her own eyes and quietly went to sleep.