Convergence/Chapter 3

 3 

             “I’ve asked Captain Vanbarce for an escort for each of our teams.”

             The Sephi woman scowled irritably at her boss’s comment, though she wasn’t surprised by the development. Standing in their main command tent the morning after yet another soggy night on Yanibar, she was grateful that at least Nihyal was having this conversation with her one-on-one.

             “Is that really necessary?” Jhiranae asked. “I understand why you asked for security, but we’ve been handling ourselves on the dig sites without having them along.”

             “Why don’t you ask Plaspek?” Nihyal countered. “It’s been two days and she’s still barely able to use her arm.”

             Jhiranae crossed her arms, her scowl deepening.

             “Yes, I’m aware,” she replied. “It also could have been a lot worse.”

             “I understand that,” Nihyal told her soothingly. “I’m not trying to downplay your heroics. From what everyone said, you pretty much saved all of your lives. I’m very glad all of you are okay, more or less. However, next time, I’d rather tip the odds the other way.”

             “Archaeology is dangerous work. We all knew that. We were careless—complacent. We thought weather was the worst thing on Yanibar—sandflies were the worst fauna we’d found thus far. Won’t happen again.”

             “Nevertheless, I’ve already asked and she’s already said yes.”

             “That’s less gear we can take out and fewer artifacts we can bring back,” Jhiranae pointed out. “I think this was an isolated incident.”

             Nihyal sighed.

             “Jhiranae, I know you care about every single one of our team members, especially your own team, but I am responsible for everyone here. Sometimes that means making unpopular decisions. This is one of them.”

             “So you’re pulling rank.”

             “I am.”

             “Okay,” Jhiranae said. “I’ll go along with it. It’s your call.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I don’t expect you to like it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I don’t have to like it to go along with it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “That’s all I ask.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae nodded tiredly and headed out from the tent, with just the faintest hint of a limp. Her right boot was partially unlaced to accommodate the thick bandages swathing her foot where she’d accumulated a nice collection of puncture wounds. Six to be precise. Still, Nihyal was right. It could have been much worse. Probably should have been. She’d been in this field for twenty years—her species was long-lived—and her experience and quick-thinking had saved them this time. Maybe it was for the best to have a military escort, just in case those cat-things weren’t the worst predator in this part of Yanibar.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             On her way out, Jhiranae had a flash of inspiration and stopped by their diminutive cafeteria, filling two heavy metal cups with caf. Then, she made her way over to the infirmary, a low green building that looked like half a pipe had been embedded into the ground length-wise. Plaspek was sitting on a cot, one arm in a sling. Her other hand held a small datapad, thumb and fingers dancing over the display rapidly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “How are you feeling?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             The Twi’lek shrugged distractedly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I’ve been better. Pain meds are good. Teeth marks aren’t.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae glanced over her shoulder at the display.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Droid Crushers?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Bounty Hunter Legends.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Ah. How is that going one-handed?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Plaspek frowned.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Not as well as it would be without distraction. Shavit!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">               The Twi’lek swore and set the datapad down, glowering at it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “The Noghri are stupid. Get you in that headlock every time. How can something so small grapple so well?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae smiled. At least Plaspek was in good spirits.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Maybe if you ever meet one you can ask.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “And find out first-hand? Nuh-uh, you can have that one. Although after you handled yourself the other night, maybe you could take it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I don’t know about that,” Jhiranae replied. “Fending off overgrown felinxes is one thing. A Noghri warrior would be quite different.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Mmhmm. Did you stop by just to see me, or is there something you need?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “This is a social call,” Jhiranae said. “And I brought you caf.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Now you’re talking.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Plaspek sipped on the steaming liquid.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Ah, that’s better. I’m not awake until I’ve had—,”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “At least two cups, you told me,” Jhiranae said with a smile.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Doc said I shouldn’t have too much,” Plaspek groused. “But what’s the point of life if you can’t have two cups of caf in the morning?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Indeed,” Jhiranae agreed, though she herself didn’t quite associate as much value on the beverage as Plaspek did. “Where’s Magnus?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Doc sent him back to his bunk. He’s fine, just shouldn’t do too much heavy lifting. We going out today?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Not until you’re mended. Plenty of chores and catchup work around camp anyway.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Ah, well at least you’re not having fun without me.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae snorted gently.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “You wouldn’t miss fun if there was any to be had within twenty kilometers.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Well, then I guess I should get better so we can find some more.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “You do that.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Doc says maybe by tomorrow, but I’d have to take it easy.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Then you should rest. I have no desire to be scrubbing the ‘fresher two days in a row.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Plaspek snickered, but then grew somber.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Nah, I couldn’t handle being here any longer than I have to be. Cooped up, having Doc chide me about caf—awful. I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Good. We’ll all be ready.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Glancing at her wrist chrono, the Sephi noted it was already mid-morning.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I should get going. Lots to do.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Have fun.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “You too. Let me know if you beat that quest. I’ve never even made it that far.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Plaspek nodded, picking up her datapad again as Jhiranae headed out. The rest of the day was spent doing menial but essential chores. The Sephi had no great love for such drudgery, but it was a necessary part of their existence. Each day, one of the teams was assigned to stay back and handle camp chores. Normally they rotated between teams, but since her team had been sidelined for the past two days, this was their third day of camp duty. Jhiranae tolerated it because she knew that the other teams would then be free to do meaningful work at their dig sites, but that didn’t stop her from wishing she was out there. The dig site they had unearthed itched in her mind; for some reason, she couldn’t help but feel they’d found something of significance.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             By the next morning, Jhiranae felt an almost palpable tug drawing her back to the site they’d found. Her eagerness awoke her earlier than expected. After a quick meal, she had all their gear loaded into the speeder, along with fresh water jugs and food. Their last adventure reminded her to bring several blasters and vibroblades. For herself, Jhiranae selected a stun baton. While it wasn’t generally a lethal weapon, she figured it would deter a predator sufficiently. Checking the charges on the blaster packs, she tucked the weapons into a leather pouch. The morning briefing was mercifully short and soon she was assembled with the rest of her team. Plaspek was cleared by their doctor, so they had permission to embark.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “You must really be eager to get after it again,” Magnus remarked as they gathered around their speeder. “Everything’s loaded and ready.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Couldn’t sleep,” Jhiranae replied. “Shall we?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I think you’re forgetting something,” Kanjai said with a jerk of his head. “Or perhaps someone?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae followed the direction he indicated and saw a humanoid silhouette standing about five meters away, backlit by the morning sun. In her fervor to depart, she’d forgotten about their military escort, but apparently Nihyal had directed them over to her. She stepped forward to greet the new arrival, shading her eyes against the sun. Their escort was a Human male, fairly young by their standards. His dark brown hair was trimmed short per military regulations. The soldier was fairly tall and broad-shouldered for a Human, with a lean sort of look about his face that she guessed meant he was used to hard living. His dark blue Corellian defense uniform seemed fairly by-the-books, but the blaster rifle he carried definitely seemed more. . . elaborate than most of the ones she was familiar with.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I’m Jhiranae. Team lead,” she said, offering her hand as was common with Humans.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             He took it in a quick, firm shake, his deep gray eyes meeting hers. Despite his obvious youth, there was a hardness in them, a tightness around the corners of his eyes that unsettled her. He did not appear friendly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “These are Kanjai, Plaspek, and Magnus,” she told him, pointing out the rest of her team.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Lieutenant Gonnard,” he replied, offering his name. “I’ll be your escort today.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Jhiranae answered courteously. “Do you have any preparations or questions for us?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “No,” came the flat reply. “When we get to the dig site, it’ll make my job a lot easier if you don’t wander off.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “We’ll do our best,” Jhiranae assured him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             He shrugged.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Then let’s go.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             They piled into the speeder and set out in a cloud of dust. Plaspek surrendered her seat up front for Lieutenant Gonnard, placing him by Jhiranae’s side for the duration of the trip. The man was stony silent for the first several minutes of the trip, unsettling Jhiranae. The others passed idle conversation in the back, but soon the silence from the Corellian soldier stilled their voices as well. The kilometers ticked by in awkward stillness broken only by the rumble of the engines and the occasional squeaking as the aged speeder shuddered, passing over a rock or gully.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Three uncomfortable minutes passed until Jhiranae couldn’t handle it. Taking a quick sip of her caf, she decided to at least try to engage the soldier in conversation. She mentally cycled through possible topics for several minutes before settling on an avenue of conversation.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “How long have you been in the army?” she tried.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             He regarded her as if she’d just crawled out from under a rock.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I’m not in the army,” he answered evenly. “Naval infantry.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             The words were spoken without malice, without obvious ire or condescension, but Jhiranae couldn’t help feeling inexorably rebuked. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she gamely pressed on.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Oh. What’s the difference?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             The man’s stiff facial expression solidified even further, an impressive feat given that his features could have been carved from granite.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Naval infantry fight from ships. The army goes straight from space to land as much as possible. Or just stays on land.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “That makes sense,” Jhiranae lied. “So do you like it?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Better than being in the army,” he replied.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             That conversation path didn’t seem to be leading anywhere. Jhiranae didn’t get his humor, if that was humor, and she certainly didn’t understand why the naval infantry was better than the army. However, she worried he would think she was stupid if she asked why, so she held her tongue. Several more kilometers passed before she thought of another track.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Do you have family?” she asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             That was clearly the wrong question and she regretted it instantly as soon as she saw the effect on the soldier. The corners of the Lieutenant Gonnard’s eyes tightened furthers, his lips a thin pale line against his tanned cheek. The man looked exceedingly insulted that she had made that particular inquiry, or else it was a highly uncomfortable subject. She wondered what could have stiffened him so much about such a seemingly innocent question. She herself didn’t know much about her family, but most of the other archaeologists seemed quite forthcoming about their relatives, funny stories and all. Clearly, he was different.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “No,” he replied without the faintest hint of emotion in his voice. “I don’t.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             After that, Jhiranae decided it was better to let the kilometers pass in silence. It was a very long drive out to the dig site.

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