Horizon Storms - Kevin J. Anderson [112]
“How—how did you know?”
The mayor waved his hand dismissively. “You must be kidding, right? Captain Kett’s been back here. She and Branson Roberts have quite a thing going, you know. She’s told us how you’re an expert investigator in Ildiran sociology and that you were the one who discovered the Klikiss transportal network. Great job!”
“Captain Kett was with me at the time. She helped me discover—”
Ruis put an arm around his shoulder. “You’re a hero, Davlin! We’re so proud of you. And to think you were one of us, just laying low here.”
Nonplussed, Davlin could think of nothing to say except, “Thank you.”
With an abrupt gesture, Ruis pushed aside the paperwork on his desk as if to show just how unimportant it was. “And now you’ve come back to settle down for a while? Until duty calls again? I can’t tell you how delighted we are. Captain Roberts and his ship just left to do shuttle work for the colonization initiative, and a few of our people volunteered to go off to the Klikiss worlds. We could certainly use someone versatile and…uh, competent among us again.”
“I…appreciate your confidence and your enthusiasm, Mayor Ruis. I wasn’t sure how I would be received. Is my old dwelling still available, or did someone else claim it?”
The mayor looked surprised. “It’s still waiting for you. Our colony hasn’t exactly had the need for much expansion, Davlin. We’re just trying to hold our own here.”
“Any further outbreaks of Orange Spot?”
“No, sir. The amebic filtration system you installed in the drinking water conduits has kept us all safe.” The ruddy-skinned mayor broke into another grin. “I hope you’re ready to be put to work, though. We could use your help with our infrastructure, especially the electricity and the sewers. And then we’d like you to look at our comm systems and transmitting towers. Heavy solar activity and ionic storms have been messing up our local network for the past year.”
“That isn’t my area of expertise, but I’ll have a look at it.”
Ruis gave him a wink. “According to Captain Kett, you know a little bit about everything.” The mayor walked with him out of his office. “We’re certainly glad to have you back.”
That night, contented yet somehow restless, Davlin walked along the low hills on the outskirts of town. It felt oddly satisfactory to be here. Overhead, Crenna’s highly reflective moon bathed the landscape with silvery light, challenging the darkness. Lunar brightness had been a factor that originally made this world attractive to the Ildirans, who did not at all like dark nights.
The hills were rocky and low, covered with gnarled, hollow trees called flutewoods. The empty branches were perforated with tiny holes through which the breezes blew, turning them into natural woodwind instruments. As the wind rose and fell, the whistling atonal melody played like a strange lullaby, ranging from high-pitched piccolo notes in the narrow branches to deep bassoon tones in the wider, hollow trunks.
Many of the stars were washed out by the moonlight, but he stared up at them, picking out constellations, reflecting on how far he had come in his travels across the Spiral Arm. The rushing sounds of small streams trickling along the hillside and the rattling of tall grasses accompanied the flutewood symphony.
So much better than the nightmarish world he had last visited through the Klikiss transportal. No flying jellyfish-creatures or giant centipedes here. He stood alone, completely at peace. He was glad to be back on Crenna. It seemed almost like…home.
Suddenly Davlin saw the diamond points of several stars moving, then streaking across the sky like meteors, though they did not burn up in the atmosphere. Instead, they passed rapidly across the backdrop. Ships? Visitors?
Three pinpoints traveled in a direct trajectory, then another six. Line after line shot across the vault of stars. Davlin narrowed his eyes. He had never seen such phenomena before. High up, ten more pinpoints streaked by until dazzling lights filled the night sky like the flakes of a driving snowstorm.
Davlin felt a