The Raid of Kollanus -Chapter 04

 Some time not long after the death of the crossbred child, the woman called Lit fell ill and a very much concerned Air-Sot directed some of the finest medical persons of his unit to devote all their efforts into her care. The gentle repositioning of the uterus was performed early in her treatment making sure that premature delivery became almost impossible. Next she was medicated in such manner as to prevent stillbirth. Her dietary needs were most carefully attended and what little exercise she was permitted was very closely monitored. Within a few days, Lit’s condition appeared to improve, but a few precarious indicators persisted. It so happened that during this period of time. Air-Sot himself was suffering from a string of bothersome itching sores spanning the lower abdominal area and the discomfort was especially severe on a morning when the co-directors of the unit charged with caring for Lit came to make their report. “While the condition of this woman is no longer threatening, we feel the underlying causes persist and what threat continues is directed more toward the child itself… and with this in mind, we suggest, good sir, that you consider enlisting the services of one of their native midwives,” the grinning spokesman nodded. Then taking note of the expression of puzzlement on the face of his director, he added, “If you haven’t heard the term, midwives are native practitioners of those medical specialties deemed most useful in times of birthing. They appear to possess a certain… well, for lack of a better descriptive… knowledge.

 Yes, that is the word; knowledge, knowledge of the type passed down from mother to daughter… knowledge which came from the beginnings of time itself.” As he spoke, the twisted smile which now rarely creased the homely face of the mission director began to grow and after a few moments, Air-Sot said, “No need to wax so dramatically, good friend, I fully understand you.” The unit spokesman whipped a glance in the direction of his co-director and added, “Anticipating your interest in this, sir, we have taken the liberty of bringing one of these women with us today. She is one of the most respected persons in the tribe that was chosen, this midwife, and incidentally she happens to be one whose vocal abilities surpass most of her people. And too, she has mastered more than a modicum of our own tongue. ” Air-Sot weighed the words and the tentative attitude of this man who had never before, to his knowledge, made a suggestion. “Well, why do you hesitate so?” Air-Sot frowned slightly, “Bring her in.. I would enjoy meeting a fellow medical person.” Within a few seconds, the younger of the unit co-directors returned leading a surprisingly young woman into Air-Sot’s office. Clearing his throat self-consciously, the youth said “I am pleased to present Hava, healer to the Sons-of-Man. You will find that Hava- has an excellent comprehension of our language and is the holder of much knowledge of the herbal, or if you will… folk medicine … and it happens too that she is personally a most interesting woman.” All through the monotoned introduction, Air-Sot studied Hava. There was nothing truly subservient about her attitude nor coarse about her despite the stubbiness of the hands, feet, arms and legs. Obviously a product of her own world, this woman was nonetheless somehow delicate and even, in a way, feminine. The ridge was above her eyes and the slope of her forehead was there too, but somehow these conditions seemed right and fitting for her. And while Air-Sot studied Hava, Hava studied Air-Sot and what she saw was a tired man who had suffered much. She watched as his hand reached toward the area below his waist and casually scratched. She looked at the place on his head where no hair could grow and even while he sat she could tell by the way his feet were positioned that he would not be able to walk well.

In the depths of his consciousness, Air-Sot had long felt a superiority in himself when compared to his fellows. Verbalizing these thoughts would certainly gain nothing but resentment, so naturally, he never did that. As for his feelings of superiority when compared to those who populated this undeveloped world, these went without question. Now, however, as he bathed his eyes on the woman, Hava, he harbored no such thought. somehow he seemed to understand that at the very least, she was his equal. What’ s more, judging by the haughtiness of her stance and an indefinable look in her clear eyes, it was instantly obvious that she felt pretty much the same. “To begin, let it be understood that no decisions have yet been made,” Air-Sot said, closely watching her eyes for any hint that an interpreter was needed, “but if we were to place the woman, Lit in your care, could you assure that she would deliver a child of health?” There was no immediate answer and there was a degree of concern as Rava moved in Air-Sot’s direction, something not ordinarily done without prior permission.

Gently touching his drooping eyelid, she began to hum, quietly, without opening her mouth. Then as all watched, breathlessly, she lifted the edge of his shirt to examine the line of angry reddish sores there. Taking a pinch of grayish powder from a previously unnoticed fold in her garment, she placed her finger on her tongue and dipping the damp digit into the powder proceeded to make a messy paste. This she spread on the rash and almost immediately she noted the alleviation of the anger in the irritation. Even without any comment by Air-Sot, she knew the discomfort was almost gone and Rava at last felt it was alright to flash her disarming smile. Again Air-Sot questioned her confidence in her own competence to bring Lit’s pregnancy to a successful fruition and again she smiled and this time spoke. “Chava, sir… my name is said, Chava… not Hava as you have been told.” Then looking somewhat impish, she added, “Unfortunately, these highly advanced specialists who have evolved so far beyond me and my people find it difficult to pronounce the gutteral “Ch” part of my name… “Chava”, which means “First Mother” in my language. ” Then changing her expression somewhat, Chava added, “I feel your discomfort has eased… and in the future take care not to lie down on plants with shiny leaves. As for the problem of your eye, that is from a compression of your upper spine, not from a torn muscle… and I fear it cannot be helped. Concerning the woman, Lit, what problems exist with the unborn child are by now decided. I can assure that it will arrive alive… and I should be able to guide it to a condition of somewhat more than adequate health.”

From that first meeting, Chava began to enjoy a position of equality with those co-directors who had brought her in to meet Air-Sot. And to no one’s surprise, she also arrived at a place quite close to Air-Sot himself, who she renamed “Ah-Dam”. There had been a considerable variety of factors involved in the early life and in the very genes of the woman, Lit, which had earned for her the nominal category, incorrigible convict. However, all things change and she changed. As her body expanded in its condition of pregnancy, her tenseness and bitterness and the violence which had become almost synonymous with the mention of her name, seemed to retreat in direct proportion . The viciousness of the woman Lit, which gave everyone reason to be alert in the past now seemed to disappear and in its place there seemed an aura of warmth and love for all. Two or three times following her impregnation, Lit requested to see the father of her unborn child and each time, the man came, stood stolidly, and averted his black eyes from her brown ones. Now some two hundred and seventy days following the fierceness of her first meeting with him, Lit again asked to see the man. This time as he was led in, the savage black eyes fixed themselves upon the swollen waistline and a look of comprehension filtered onto his coarse features. Then lifting his eyes to hers, he began to utter a series of questioning grunts. “Yes, my gnomish mate,” Lit smiled, “you are the father. ” Two days later, the baby, a little girl, was born. The parents never saw each other again. Lit now refused to see him and shortly after, the burly man somehow managed to slip away. He was never recaptured.

Chava was fully aware that those of her world had ridden craft such as this one before her and that the facilities allowed them were totally different than those now at her disposal. She, in fact was part of the privileged class of travelers, while the other Earth people were confined, almost as though they were prisoners. There was actually a directive concerning them which made mention of their total lack of propriety, their brutish disregard for things hygienic. “I wish they were allowed to enjoy this manner of travel,” she once said in a casual attitude, but deep down she knew her people were not yet prepared to enter the more genteel world of the alien. As yet, travel for the savage men and women to this distant place in the universe was something they were forced to endure. For Chava, as consort of Ah-Dom, this business of traveling was a total delight. On a journey such as this one, Ah-Dom was always pressed into service as a physician ; tending to the ailments and injuries experienced by crew and passengers. Chava sat by his side and quickly began to absorb some of the alien methodology. On occasion she offered a comment or suggestion and in this way Ah-Dom was able to add to his store of knowledge as well. She was thrilled by the sights, the sounds and the smells of this new way of living. Chava was thrilled to observe the functions of the modern equipment, by the smells and tastes of the food eaten by the aliens, by the communications exchanged between the craft she was riding on and those which passed during the long nights of space while she and Ah-Dom relaxed in their quarters and listened to the strange languages of exotic people from distant worlds. Once they passed close enough to actually see the lights of a vessel traveling in generally their same direction and the beauty of it brought tears to her eyes. “They are from the world of Ys, a very advanced world,” Ah-Dom said. “Perhaps someday we shall go there together.”

Roughly three-quarters through their trip to the alien world, Ah-Dom and Chava finished their ministering to the various ailments for the day and as they entered their quarters, there was draped across their bed, a fresh new uniform of the smooth, fresh alien material. “Ah,” he smiled, “at last it is finished.” Then picking it up, Ah-Dom turned to Chava and said, “I hope it fits you. Here… try it on.” The excitement Chava felt deep within her being is almost impossible to describe but in a fit of feminine modesty unusual for her, she retreated to the confines of their lavatory to make her change. One look at her reflection in the mirror was so depressing that one look was all she could take. “I look so unbecoming in this garment, ” she muttered and for a while she considered not showing herself. In her own eyes, she looked short, squat and totally graceless dressed this way. Most of all she regarded her swarthy complexion and the shadowed look of her eyes and the bulging effect where her heavy white teeth forced her lips into, protrusion as almost bestial. In the end, however. she forced herself to open the door and step out tentatively before Ah-Dom. “Beautiful”! he almost shouted, “You’re lovelier than ever!”

It was before this night that Chava had begun to realize the depth of her feelings for this special man. She loved their closeness and the pleasure it gave her to run the tips of her fingers over his body as they lay together. She tingled with emotion as they intertwined arms and legs and Ah-Dom felt the same but his feelings, in a way, were more intense. This young woman, strangely attractive to him, had somehow managed to rekindle the life, the manhood deep within him that he had long assumed to have died many years ago with his wife. Totally different in age, in physical types, in background, in dozens of other ways, they were totally alike in one way; they were deeply in love with each other.

Almost at the end of the journey, disquieting news reached the craft. An ugly incident had taken place on Earth. Under cover of a winter storm, the burly ones rebelled. For quite some time they had resented the fact that they were held as captives in their own homeland. This resentment was heightened by the often repeated rumor that that they were being used in sadistic experimentation and that their women were forced to perform the most base of acts solely for the entertainment of alien troops. In the conflict which came a out as the Earth people attempted a mass escape, almost twenty aliens were slain and many more of the savages too were killed. Only the crossbred children, who were kept separately, were spared. Although now history, echoes of the conflict continued as moans, screams and flames pierced the air well into the next day. “Perhaps if we had been there, this might nave been avoided, ” Ah- Dom managed to say through a voice suddenly grown husky. There was a heavy silence as they lay in the darkness of their quarters which ended as Chava responded, “Perhaps if we had been there… in the heat of the violence… influenced by the concern and the love I feel for my poor people, I might have killed you. ” Again there was a period of silence, and as the two lovers wrapped their arms about each other, Ah-Dom felt the massive strength in Chava’s embrace, Now he whispered, “Then I am certainly glad that we were not there.”

Perhaps two hours had passed since dawn brightened the landing area of the alien world and the travelers blinked as they stepped into the bright orange light of the alien sun. It was called Himmer but somehow the still developing vocal talents on Earth had trouble with pronouncing words ending with the sound of the letter “r”. On Earth, in those long ago times, the name “Himmer” became “Himmel” and in some parts of Earth, that place is still called Himmel.