Free A Larger Universe by James L Gillaspy Page A

now-slanting roof and loped toward the farmers' fields.
    Three of the birds had arrived on the ship a few weeks
before.  Tommy's contacts with them had been for his usual task: cleaning the
bottom of the stalls.  The birds were aggressive and difficult to handle, so
the first Jack had the horse stalls rebuilt to be more confining.  The narrow
stalls allowed the handlers to get close, but moving a bird required three
people:  one at the end of ropes on each side of the bird, to keep it under
control, and one on the lead rope.  Everyone tried to stay out of range of the
bird's six-foot long legs, which had evolved for running and defense.
    Tommy jumped off of the feed wagon and ran into the stable
toward the shouting.  He found the second Jack already there, pulling at a
large timber that had fallen into the last stall.  "Get some help.  The
fourth Jules is trapped under this rafter.  The broken end is pressed onto his
chest."
    The fourth Jules , Tommy thought.  One of the boys
who have been tormenting me.
    More farmers crowded next to Tommy.  "Some of you get
in here and help me with this!" the second Jack yelled.
    The rafter extending down into the narrow space left barely
enough room for two to stand without stepping on Jules.  One of the other men
pushed in, and, with Jack, tried to lift the beam.
    When the beam didn't move, Tommy reached into the stall and
pulled the second man out.  "Let me try." 
    Tommy was slightly taller than the second Jack, but much
wider in the shoulders and bigger in the chest.  A few weeks before, Tommy had
arrived early for work to find the second Jack standing in the feed wagon. 
Tommy had ducked behind the edge of the barn and watched as the second Jack
tried and failed to lift a feed sack over his head, as he had seen Tommy do. 
Now, Jack shrugged and turned to the beam.  "On three, lift.  One, two,
three."  The rafter came off of Jules' chest, and Jules sucked in a huge
breath.
    "Quick.  Get him out."  Jack grunted.
    With Jules out of immediate danger, the men placed him on a
stretcher made of feed sacks and poles and carried him toward the central
column elevators. 
    Tommy collapsed on the floor.  That lift had drained him.  "Where
are they taking Jules?"
    "Some of the artisans are doctors, such as we have. 
They will do what they can."  Jack's gaze took in those standing in the
stable.  "That bird will be hard to catch."  He picked three of the
stable hands.  "Chase the bird down.  Take horses.  Everyone else, back to
work."
    For the first time since he had been introduced, the meal
room became silent when Tommy entered.  He usually sat alone or with Mark, but
that night, the other four of the five boys who had once tormented him sat down
at his table.  "What do you want?" he asked.
    "The second Jack told us what you did," one of
them said. 
    "And?" Tommy asked.
    "We want to know why," the spokesman said.
    "It seemed like the right thing to do.  I could help,
so I did."
    "Jules wouldn't have helped you."
    "Is that supposed to matter to me?"
    The first Jack spoke loudly from the entrance of the room. 
"I've checked on Jules.  He has some bad bruises but nothing broken.  The
bird's been caught."
    "How did it happen?" a voice called.
    "As near as I can tell, the damn fool went into the
stall alone.  Jules did something the bird didn't like, and the bird kicked out
the corner of his stall.  When the bird did that, the support for the rafter
was knocked out.  Whatever Jules was doing, he paid for it.  Would’ve been
worse if the bird had kicked Jules instead of the support.  We caught the bird,
though.  It's fine."
    Tommy's celebrity preceded him to his meeting with Valin. 
The corridor outside the labyrinth room was swirling with the colorful clothes
of artisans. 
    "We don't get much excitement here.  Your rescue of the
other farmer was the main topic in the meal room," Valin said.
    "I'm not a farmer."
    "You work in their stable don't you?"
    "Yes,