Eric Flint: The Sorceress of Karres

The mother-plant was aware that, bizarre as it might seem, the Karres humans were deeply attached to individuals. It knew that the part of the plant once called Pausert was of value to them. And they were now within hailing distance.

"The communicators are signaling a pickup," said the Leewit, pointing at the blinking LED on the control panel.

"Let's hear what they have to say." Sedmon opened the channel.

"Karres ship come in for Venture 7333."

Goth recognized the curiously atonal voice. "Marshi. Also known as Tchab, I suspect. Wonder what wig she's wearing now?"

"We may as well see if she is allowing visual transmissions," said Sedmon. "I do not wish to be seen, however. It is possible that they would recognize the Daal of Uldune."

"Reckon she can see me," said Goth. "Seeing as she has been circulating pictures of me."

"I would be very afraid if I was her," said Sedmon with a slight smile.

But it appeared that Marshi was no more afraid than she was surprised, or concerned, that the crew of the ship following her should see that she was entirely hairless. "I have here a prisoner of considerable value to you. I need your cooperation if you wish me to spare his life." Pausert stepped into vision.

" What do you want?" asked Goth. "You are in no position to bargain. We have sufficient speed and firepower to blow you apart. Give us the prisoner and we'll let you go. Give you a head start of half a light year. You will get away alive. If we don't get him, you won't."

"We are uninterested in escape," said Marshi, uncompromisingly. "We have the purpose. If we cannot fulfill the purpose then it is best to die, along with the prisoner. And without your cooperation we cannot succeed in our purpose."

"What is it that you want from us? We need Captain Pausert's safe return assured before we are prepared to negotiate."

"We need you to come and take us through the Illtraming ships to our destination," said Marshi. "You have achieved this before by means of your klatha powers. Do this and we will release the prisoner and you."

She seemed to know quite a bit about both Karres and klatha, thought Goth. That was bad and worrying. She must have been able to access Captain Pausert's memories. But he was just as capable of using the Sheewash drive as they were.

Or was he? She remembered the story of how Mebeckey had got himself trapped in the store-unable to use his lock-picking skills to get himself out. So… the captain could not do the Sheewash drive for her either-which implied that if the plant took over either her, or the Leewit, neither of them would be able to, either.

"We know that you have the captain under some kind of control. Let him out and he can operate the drive for you."

"That will not be possible," said Marshi. "A lever of some kind would be necessary to make him cooperate. I have him as a lever to make you cooperate. You will come across to the Venture in a lifecraft. I will not place you under my control because you will not be able to operate your drive then."

Sedmon snapped the communicator off. "I can't let you do this," he said, keeping his voice very calm and even, pointing a stunner at her. "She has no intention of honoring her promise and anyway… he's hopelessly addicted now, Goth. And we cannot let her get away. We cannot have her succeed and breed."

"I know all of that, Sedmon," said Goth calmly. "I also know that I 'ported the charge out of that stunner. And what you don't know is that we have a few tools in our arsenal as Karres witches, that you don't know about. For a start, if need be, unless I am unconscious, I could destroy myself, and in the process it'd take the Venture with me. For a second thing, we have a way of crossing space that doesn't require using a ship. Getting there… would leave us vulnerable for a few minutes. But it doesn't take very long to set things up to leave, even without a ship. If I can get into the Venture, I can get us out."

"By the Egger route," said Sedmon. "I have some idea what you're talking about from Vezzarn. But, Goth… that still doesn't deal with his addiction."

"I think I can deal with that," said the Leewit. "Which is why I'm going with you, Goth. And no, you can't stop me either, Sedmon. Try and I'll let Ta'zara bounce you around. Or I could whistle at your ship's electronics and bust them up so good that you'll have to come with us, see."

"You do not go without me," said Ta'zara calmly.

"Sedmon, we will not let her get away to breed. Not even if I have to destroy the Venture, the captain and us to stop her," said Goth, snapping on the communicator.

"Three of us are coming across," she told Marshi. "And we can only manage to take one ship. The rest will have to stay as hostages."

Hostages? The Karres humans did not understand the mother-plant at all.

The mother-plant looked at the three in the airlock. The part of the plant that had been Captain Pausert identified them as Goth, the Leewit and Ta'zara, some form of physical defender. The mother-plant had reason to know that he was good at that. That human had been the reason the mother-plant had failed to get all of them on Pampez. That had turned out to be a good thing. It had not known it would need the klatha powers, and that being part of the plant would suppress them. They must be inferior beings, to be destroyed when the plant had completed its purpose. But for the moment, they were useful.

Could it do with one klatha operative? One was easier to control. The Pausert-plant said no: they were not easy to control, anyway. The smaller blond one operated the grav-tractor with precision that must come from klatha skills-and the older could do the drive. But neither were very strong.

There was no need to keep the physical defender though. Killing it at this stage might provoke an undesirable reaction, but she would give it a spore, and she would have it to watch over them. They seemed to believe that she, the mother-plant, could let go easily. They were welcome to their delusion.

"The bodyguard must be seeded," said Marshi, taking something in a little glass tube from a box that reminded Goth strongly of the one she'd found, so long ago, in Pausert's mother's house.

The Leewit looked at her. "Fat chance."

But Marshi was already leaning in. Ta'zara jerked convulsively as Marshi touched his hand. He pulled it away, looking at the greenish mark where she had pressed the tube to him.

"Keep calm," said Goth. "We need to see Pausert."

In her pocket were two analgesic tablets of the same type as had been given to Mebeckey.

Pausert came in from somewhere in the ship. His eyes were empty. A few seconds later Goth had done something she'd never even tried before: she'd 'ported two tablets directly into his stomach.

They were, very shortly thereafter, searched-in a manner that Goth thought intrusive, but there was nothing personal about it. She might as well have been patted down by a tree. Which was probably not a bad analogy, she realized.

It would take more than a pat-down search to find the toys that Sedmon had given them. Of course, Ta'zara could betray those. But so far the impassive-faced tattooed man showed no signs of it. He fitted right in here in some ways, Goth had to admit. He didn't show much sign of emotion, didn't say much.

"What do you need?" asked the woman. "The wires remain in the drawer at the command desk."

So she knew that much. Goth was wondering when Pausert would be affected. They'd worked out that it had taken about twenty minutes, from when they'd given Mebeckey the pills to when the blackish-green plant stared oozing out of his nose. Well… she'd be happier out from under the Thunderbird 's guns. The Daal had been far from pleased about letting them go, and he might decide on expediency. That would be something he could well claim had nothing to do with him, with no surviving witnesses. Goth had no illusions about the brutal pragmatism of Uldune. She dared not lie too much-obviously Marshi had the basic information.