Page 43 of Master
I itched to hit him. His apology was all for show. He knew it, and from how his eyes flashed with worry, he realized I knew it, too.
"Don't mind him," a tall Romvesian strode up, rolling his eyes at the mayor. He was almost as tall as me, with deep gray skin and long dark hair textured like coated wire.
The last great battle fought in within the Alliance was the Romvesian/Vaktaire skirmish. I didn’t take part in the battle, devoting myself to my education then, so the ingrained dislike my kind felt for the Romvesians didn't exist for me. I took his six-fingered hand readily when offered.
“Bartholomeus Tink’s is the name. I run the general store. Welcome to Tau Ceti."
“Thank you,”
“I am glad to see you,star brother.” Bartholomeus used the vernacular for beings not of the human persuasion on Tau Ceti.
“Why is that?”
Parlow gave an angry snort, which made me more curious about what Bartholomeus had to say.
The Romvesian cut his eyes between Parlow and Munroe. “You haven’t told him?”
“You’ll pardon me if I don’t like to begin with the bad stuff,” Parlow huffed.
"What bad stuff?" I pressed, curious. If anything existed, that might be a danger to Clara… I needed to know.
Munroe waved his hand, jostling the coffee he held and causing three faint brown spots to appear on the sleeve of his pale blue shirt. "We don’t know that it’s anything other than a lone quazo or transplanted grizzly.
Quazos were six-legged, ferocious beasts indigenous to the planet, supposedly transplanted to locations far from human habitation.
“Dixa promised she didn’t bring any bears to Tau Ceti,” Parlow recited, then added with mock amusement. "Besides, Clemon Peters got his moonshine still up and running last month. I expect the sightings nothing more than hallucinations from over-imbibing.”
“Not every report comes from a drunk,” the peacekeeper parried.
“Folks are seeing something,” Bartholomeus agreed. “Something enough to spook them.”
"What are they seeing?" Buck asked. Living far from the village, I suspected he needed to catch up on town news.
“Most folks report seeing something tall and hairy, like Earth's Bigfoot," Munroe reported, holding his coffee cup out for a refill.
“I know of Big Foot,” I claimed. It occurred to me that the people of Tau Ceti might be spotting a Kerzak. While the idea of Kerzak on the planet needed to be investigated thoroughly, At least it couldn’t be the ambassador who chased Clara. He and his crew were floating in space many light years away, hopefully.
“Are the creatures vicious?" I wondered aloud. I didn't know a Kerzak that wasn't vicious when it came to humans.
Munroe shook his head, frowning. “Not that I've heard. Most folks report seeing them lurking in the shadows. Me or one of my deputies investigate every report, but so far, we’ve come across nothing.”
“My Vaktaire brothers will arrive within a few days. We will do a thorough search for any unauthorized visitors. Until then, I offer whatever aid I can to your investigation,” I told him.
“Thank you,” Munroe gave me a nod and grinned. “Having a Vaktaire warrior on Tau Ceti is an honor, indeed.
Parlow seemed aggravated at the idea of me working with the peacekeeper. He frowned, puffing out his chest.
"If you’ll boys will excuse me, I got some mayor duties to attend." I caught the surreptitious glance he cast in Clara's direction. If I got off-planet without punching this man, it would be a miracle.
“Where are you and your mate staying?” Munroe asked when Parlow was out of earshot.
“Buck and Lula were kind enough to put us up for the night.” I laid my hand on Buck’s shoulder, giving a squeeze of gratitude. “But I don’t wish to impose on their hospitality any longer.”
"It ain't no trouble," Buck insisted. "We love the company."
"Thank you, my friend, but I need to be in a location where I can be in contact with the Bardaga," I explained.
“You’ll need to be in the village for that," Bartholomeus mused, tapping his chin with a long, gray finger." I might knowa place if you're interested. A friend of mine has a small cottage attached to her house.”
