The Criminal Streak Read online

  That evening, as Gwin took her last walk through the forest, she had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her but try as she might, she couldn’t see anyone.

  “Do you think there could be intelligent life on this planet and they’ve just been keeping watch on us?” she asked when she told Royd.

  “I’m sure we would have seen signs by now.”

  In the morning, Gwin stood at the window as they lifted off. She wanted to freeze the planet in her mind. Suddenly, there was movement at the edge of the forest and she thought she saw a creature standing beside a tree.

  She turned and called to Royd. “I think I see something.”

  “Where?” Royd slacked off on the thrust, set it on hover, and hurried to her side.

  “Down there.” She pointed to the spot, but it was gone.

  “What did it look like?”

  “It was standing upright and had an animal skin around its waist. It had a large, hairy head.” She touched her own bare head in reflex. At one time their civilization had had hair, but since living indoors for the past two centuries, their hair had slowly diminished.

  They circled around the forest edge, but could see nothing.

  “It must have been one of your animal friends reaching for leaves higher in the tree,” Royd said, as he turned the clipper towards Pidleon and increased speed.

  Gwin didn’t reply. She just watched the planet grow smaller.

  Chapter Three

  For Gwin, it was a long two-week flight to their first stop, the planet Pidleon. On such trips she and Royd usually spent the time playing games on the computer, comparing thoughts on the planets they had visited or talking about past flights they’d been on either together or with different partners. Anything to make the time pass faster. Since leaving the last planet, however, Royd had sat huddled over his computer. Gwin couldn’t see what he was doing and whenever she came near he immediately wiped out the figures or writing that was on the screen.

  “What are you doing?” she’d asked on the first day.

  “Nothing,” he’d answered as he cleared the screen.

  “Doesn’t look like nothing to me. Is there something more that we’ve been asked to do?” He was the one who received the orders and he would then tell her what was in them.

  “No.” He was almost glaring at her as he sat with his back to the screen.

  His stare made her uncomfortable. She went to the controls and put them on manual. She’d asked him again on the second day and he had tersely told her it was none of her business. By the third day, she just left him alone, piloting the ship and making the decisions herself.

  Even when she had to change course to miss an enormous flying dump, she didn’t tell him. As they passed the dump she zoomed in with the external binoculars to see what it had sucked into its bulk during its flight. She was disappointed that it was just the usual: pieces of metal and equipment from old satellites and space stations that had been abandoned over the decades, hunks of exploded planets, and waste jettisoned from cruise schooners.

  At first, as life developed on some planets the inhabitants buried their garbage and contaminates, but as the life forms spread over the available land and technology developed, they began shooting their garbage and contaminates into space. No one tried to break up these dumps. They were necessary to the cleaning of the universe.

  When they were past the flying dump she resumed course. Because they were off the established trails, there was no contact with other ships to relieve the monotony. They didn’t even have to worry about being hijacked by space pirates, since nothing out here was worth stealing. It was uncharted territory. So she spent day after solitary day hurtling through the barren, black universe.

  Gwin was glad they were in a space clipper. Larger ships were slower and would take twice as long to cover the same distance. The upside was that she had plenty of time to think about her wedding plans. Just the thought of Mikk made her warm inside. They’d met at a party given by her best friend Britt. He was the friend of one of her other guests and by the end of the evening Gwin was in love. They dated for two years during which time she’d come to terms with the fact that his work was very important to him and sometimes would come before her in his mind. When she’d finally understood and accepted that, she’d asked him to marry her. He’d agreed immediately, stating he’d been thinking of doing the same thing as soon as his cryonics experiment succeeded.

  And it was because of that experiment that they hadn’t set a date yet. Nor had they discussed their living arrangements. Both owned their apartments, so one of them would eventually have to sell. Hers was small, but she loved it. Plus, she’d lived in it long enough to know and like many of her neighbours. With being away so much, she’d have a hard time meeting new ones. And Britt lived nearby.

  Her proposal had been just before she’d left on this trip and when she had the chance, she mulled over the type of wedding she wanted. She wished her mother and Britt were with her so she could discuss it with them. They’d promised to think it over while she was gone and come up with some ideas for her. When she wasn’t thinking of the wedding she was trying to decide how many children she wanted.

  When she finally spotted Pidleon she could hardly contain her relief. They were one planet closer to home. Just a quick stop to refuel and they’d be on their way. Pidleon was small and had been colonized when the Galactic Federation realized it contained a vast amount of fuel that was suitable for most inter planetary ships. Because of this it was now one of the stopping planets for ships flying on three of the galaxy routes.

  There were refuelling stations and food outlets just outside the planet’s atmosphere for the space and cruise ships that didn’t want to land on the planet. They had stopped there on their way to the fifth planet and Gwin expected to do the same on the way back. She guided the ship into one of the stations and pushed the button that opened the fuel tank. As she watched the hose attach itself to the clipper, she was surprised to hear Royd signal the tower who they were and that they wished to land after refuelling.

  “Why are we doing that?” she asked turning to him.

  “I have some business here.”

  “What kind of business?” When they were on a flight, they were not allowed to stop on a planet unless it was authorized first.

  “It’s none of your concern.”

  When their clipper number had been recorded so the bill could be sent to their Space Organization, Royd guided the clipper along the route used by ships from outer space. He landed at a huge parking lot. From here shuttles ran the occupants into the living district for food, entertainment, visiting, or whatever their wish.

  “Are we going to be here long enough for us to do some shopping?” Gwin asked. If she was stuck here it would be nice to have some fresh food.

  “You go alone,” Royd said. “I have some work to do.” He went to his computer and pushed some keys.

  Gwin stared at him. What work? “Do you need help?”

  “Nope.”

  Gwin walked over to her personal berth, pushed the amber-coloured disk to open the door and entered. There was only room enough for a single cot clamped to the wall, two drawers for her uniforms, a cleansing chamber, and a vacupotty. When she returned, the printer was running. Royd stood over it blocking her view. He didn’t turn around when she said goodbye.

  Gwin took one of the shuttles into the living district. The driver acted as a tour guide telling his passengers about the stores that stayed open all night, the various eateries that catered to the food tastes of most visitors and that the sun was about to set if they wanted to watch it. Everyone agreed to the last one and he stopped on a slight hill just outside the living district. Obviously, this was part of the job because there were three other shuttles lined up. They all exited the shuttle and the driver passed out protective glasses.

  Sunsets on most of the planets she’d visited were unique. Some ranged in colour from tan to black, others from yellow to red, and from oran
ge to purple. Some had a permanent haze that never changed shape or density. What did change was the colour of the haze giving the sun a new shade each evening. The shape of some planets and the slightly different composition of the atmosphere of others also affected their sunsets.

  Pidleon did not have clouds. As the sun slid below the horizon there was a great display of rays. Gwin squinted against the brightness, finally donning the glasses. It was not the most colourful of sunsets but it was worth watching.

  In the living district, Gwin spent some time wandering through the stores. She liked to look at the souvenirs, crafts, clothing, shoes, and various other articles they had for sale. When she’d seen all she wanted she bought their supplies plus some fresh bread and cheese. She had them set aside, to be picked up later.

  She asked the owner about an eatery that specialized in Pidleon food. She wanted to try some of the roast hoddon she’d heard about. He gave her directions to the one he claimed had the best food in the district. As she waited for her meal she thought about Royd’s behaviour over the past two weeks trying to figure out what was behind it.

  He’d been the Exploratory Captain on her first mission after she’d completed her training. She’d quickly discovered that he was the type of guy who took shortcuts, who never quite followed the rules, and that it had taken him a many years to work his way up to his present position. And there he was stalled. The Space Organization had a rule that employees could only apply for promotion three times and those had to be at least a year apart. If they were turned down all three times, then the position they held was where they would remain for the rest of their working life. Last year, Royd’s application for Chief of Explorations had been turned down. It had been his third attempt at that promotion.

  She’d heard the reason he’d been passed over was his attitude towards his work and that he’d been seen associating with known drug smugglers. He was suspected of smuggling himself but had never been caught.

  Since his rejection, he’d had terrible mood swings during which he’d curse the organization and all the people who were in charge of career advancement. There were some who refused to work with him anymore and she was becoming one of them.

  After she’d signed for her meal, Gwin decided to see some of the nightlife before picking up her food. She caught a shuttle to the Taproom. One of her fellow space officers had told her about it saying it had great entertainment. He’d also told her not to drink the local brew.

  The place was large and packed with tables that seated four. Most of them were filled. A bar was in one of the corners and along the wall to the right of it was a stage. The floor had a slight slope to it so the people at the back could see over the heads of those ahead of them. Gwin was taken to a side table where three other aliens sat. Every unused chair had to be filled. She nodded at the others as she sat down. Over the course of the evening they would introduce themselves.

  In spite of the warning, when she was seated Gwin ordered the local brew. She doubted she would ever get back to this planet and she wanted to try it. After all, everyone’s taste was different. She smelled it first. There wasn’t much of an odour. She took a sip and immediately understood why the warning. It was pungent and sour and left a bitter aftertaste. She made a face and to the amusement of the others at the table she pushed the glass aside and ordered water.

  The entertainment was a local group that sang, danced, did acrobatics, and told jokes. Although she had to fend off advances from two different Galaxians, Gwin was thoroughly enjoying the evening until she saw Royd.

  * * *

  Jawn awoke to find Georg sitting on his makeshift bed of bricks and old blankets staring at him. He’d spent the night huddled in a corner of Georg’s shack using a tattered blanket as cover. He stretched stiffly.

  “You were really stupid,” Georg said suddenly.

  “What?” Jawn asked startled.

  “To leave Mom alone like that. How could you do that to her? What is she going to do now?”

  Jawn felt an instant anger. What right did Georg have to say that? “What about you? You came here first.”

  “But you were the one with the brains, the one they were counting on.”

  And it was true. Jawn hung his head. He had been so very stupid and there was nothing he could do about it. Absolutely nothing.

  “Did Dad die instantly in the fall?”

  Jawn looked up. “No,” he said cautiously. “He lived for three days.”

  “Was he conscious?”

  “Yes, for a while. The doctors even thought he might live but then his lungs filled with fluid and he couldn’t breathe.”

  “Did he mention me?”

  “Yes, towards the end he was getting delirious and he asked Mom where you were.” Jawn stood.

  “What did Mom say?”

  “She said you had been there and had had to go to work.”

  “What did he say?”

  Jawn hesitated but he couldn’t think of an alternate answer.

  “What did he say?” Georg demanded.

  “He said. ‘Good. I knew he hadn’t gone to prison.’”

  George abruptly turned away and Jawn was sure he wiped at his eyes. He decided to go out and leave his brother alone for a while. He put on his hat.

  “Wait,” George said. He pulled some pieces of thick cloth from under his bed and handed three to Jawn. He had recovered his composure.

  “What are these for?” Jawn asked. He watched as Georg tied one on his head creating a shade and one around each hand making sure it covered his skin to his shirtsleeves.

  “They’re to keep the sun off your hands.”

  Jawn tied his on and followed his brother outside. The sun was already high in the sky and it was hot. He squinted against the brightness as he looked around. The place was different in the daylight. The black hulks were now pieces of rusting equipment and the buildings turned out to be shacks made of metal, bricks, and machinery parts. Tall grass grew around the edges of them but the centre area and paths between the buildings had been trampled into hard ground. No one else was out.

  “How does that grass grow?” Jawn asked.

  “A few times a year we get real rain,” Georg said. “In between, I haul water for it.”

  “Real rain,” Jawn said. He looked up, comprehending for the first time that he was seeing the real sky and real sun. It wasn’t just a drawing on a ceiling. Yesterday, he’d only had two thoughts: getting out of the sun and finding his brother. He hadn’t taken the time to consider that he was actually walking under the sun and sky. And now he was standing on real dirt. He scuffed his toe at it creating a small cloud of dust. He’d only seen the real ground from the trains that took the city people on day trips to the agricultural farms, forests, and fish farms. At all times they were kept inside the trains which had canopies over the windows, so they’d seen some of the brightness of the sun but not the sun itself.

  For a moment, before reality returned, he was awed to be in the natural world, the world of his ancestors.

  Then the intensity of the sun reminded him that this was not the world of his ancestors. Theirs had been one of outdoor pleasures in different seasons. They’d known rain and snow and plants and animals and sun tanning and skiing and living in a house with a yard. Jawn only knew of those through his history teachers.

  “Why do you waste water on the grass?” Jawn asked.

  “I don’t consider it a waste,” Georg said. He went over to the grass and checked the soil for moisture.

  Watching him, Jawn remembered that he’d wanted to work in the real forest. Maybe this was his way of making up for the lost opportunity.

  Jawn followed Georg to the men’s bathroom, which was a building constructed of bricks over a hole.

  “Where do we wash up?” Jawn asked on their way back to the shack.

  “Did you bring any water?”

  “No.”

  “Then you’ll have to get some.”

  “From where?”

&n
bsp; “Remember that spout last night?”

  “Yes,” Jawn said, thinking of how far away it had been.

  “That’s where you have to go.”

  No wonder everyone here was dirty. No one could carry enough water that far for a bath and during the day no one wanted to go out in the sun for a wash. At night, it was probably too dangerous.

  “But what do you drink?”

  “If you want drinking water you can become part of the water squad.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The water squad takes pails and goes to the spout. They haul them back here and we have water for a few days.”

  “Who belongs to the squad?”

  “Everyone who wants to drink water.”

  Meaning everyone in the camp. So he would have to join or die of thirst.

  “I’ll join. When does the next one go?”

  “Tomorrow night.”

  Jawn wondered if he could last that long. They’d hurried back to the shack but inside was now just as hot as outside. Jawn removed his hat and the protective cloths and left the door open to let in the barest of breezes. He wasn’t used to excess heat or cold. Special air conditioners in the megalopolises, run by a mineral mined from a small planet near theirs, kept the temperature steady inside the buildings and out in the walkways.

  “You can have some of my share since I can drink from the spout on my way to work.” Georg indicated a pail that Jawn hadn’t noticed before. He immediately grabbed the cup beside it and scooped up some water. He drank noisily then filled the cup again.

  “Go easy now,” Georg cautioned. “It has to last.” He handed him a piece of stale bread.

  “Thanks.” Jawn took off his shirt hoping it would relieve the heat. He munched on the bread. At one time he’d have thrown it in the garbage. Now, not having eaten since yesterday morning, he was grateful for it. “Is there much work here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “There aren’t many businesses, just a few stores and bars. The only ones who really work are employed there. Others have set up small businesses making candles from wax sent on the dole train, glasses from the clay along the riverbed, and brewing liquor. And besides, working isn’t safe. Those who work stand a chance of getting robbed unless they’re like me and can take care of themselves.”