“I’ll also order our agents to conceal listening and warning devices as well as cameras at the tunnel entrances they’ve discovered and the main gates into the City. We need to be prepared for the slightest sign of possible insurrection.”
“That would be wise,” agreed Lijou.
Then Rhyaz remembered the reason he’d originally been coming to see Lijou. “I was on my way to tell you about a message from Anchorage when I was given the letter and the crystal. In light of this report, I’m sure the two are connected. The Watchers intercepted a transmission meant for M’zull. Anchorage sent it to us because they were unable to decipher the code. The signal originated from outside the City, quite possibly from one of these groups. They could be in league with the M’zullians.”
“I think you’re right. Have we managed to decipher it yet?”
“It just arrived. I’m going to get Alex and Kai onto it as well. Those two have a knack for this kind of work and we need it deciphered as soon as possible. I’ll also have to get a report on all this off to Governor Nesul and the High Command. War could suddenly have got a lot closer to home than we anticipated.”
“I’ll help you after we’ve eaten. I’m glad Alex found her niche here,” said Lijou, getting up to return the viewer to his desk. “I told you when she did she’d quiet down. Would you switch off the heater, please, Rhyaz? We should head upstairs. The food will have arrived by now.”
“I don’t know that she’s calmed down that much,” murmured Rhyaz, getting up to do as he’d been asked.
Lijou laughed. “You know what I mean. She’s still a breath of fresh air about the place, one that we needed, but she’s more settled now, especially with you.”
“More like a mini-hurricane,” said Rhyaz as he joined Lijou at the door.
Lijou placed his arm companionably around the younger male’s shoulder. “Come on, Rhyaz, admit it, Vartra was right, you did need a companion to stop you getting overwhelmed by your work.”
“I admit it, you and Vartra were right. She’s become my touch-stone,” said Rhyaz simply. “On those bleak days, like today, and when agents’ lives are lost in the field, she’s there for me. I can lean on her and find a reason for it all.”
“We all need that, Rhyaz,” said Lijou. “Especially now.”
Shola, Kusac’s Estate, same day
“What’s this all about, Kaid?” asked Garras as, putting his mug of c’shar on the low table, he sat down beside Rezac on the sofa facing the patio windows. “We haven’t met like this in a long while,” he said, looking round the crowded den. “Is there a mission in the offing? I thought there was something up when there was all that fuss around the shuttle the other week.”
“Jurrel’s here,” said Dzaka quietly, looking across to where the dark-pelted young male sat opposite him. “Has it something to do with Kusac and Banner?”
“Have they found my brother?” demanded Kitra, sitting up and leaning past Carrie to look at Kaid. “Where is he? Is he all right?”
“Let Kaid tell you,” said Carrie, putting an arm around her bond-sister’s waist and drawing her back onto the sofa by her side.
Nursing his mug, Kaid looked around the sea of faces. He and Carrie had between them decided this would not be a full briefing on the situation. There were certain facts that would remain private, like the matter of the scent marker, and others, like the existence of the cubs, that they couldn’t risk divulging until they had left Shola.
“No, I’m afraid we haven’t found Kusac yet,” he said, glancing at Kitra, “but we do know that he was sent on a mission sanctioned by AlRel for the Brotherhood.”
“I knew he couldn’t have been guilty of those awful things Raiban and the newsvids were accusing him of,” said Kitra delightedly.
“So all that business about him being mentally unstable and stealing the Couana was just a cover,” said Dzaka.
“Not completely,” said Carrie.
“Oh, he stole the Couana,” said Kaid, taking a drink from his mug. “With the Brotherhood’s help. The mission was so sensitive that it couldn’t be known that Kusac had left Shola unless some plausible explanation was given. Thus the public statement that mental instability made him steal the ship to return to the Prime world.”
“So he’s not unstable,” said Jo.
Kaid looked across at the dark-haired Human who was Rezac’s Third, and his Leska at this time, just as Carrie was Kaid’s. He hesitated. “I don’t believe so, in the light of what we’ve found out,” he said at last.
“What was this mission and how did you find out about it?” asked Garras.
“Jurrel noticed that in the message crystal Kusac left for Carrie, his knife had a command mark on the inner side of the grip. As to what the mission was, Kezule sent him a message requesting his presence at a rendezvous. He said he had something of interest to him.”
There was a stir of surprise from all present at this news.
“I take it that Stronghold intercepted it,” said Jurrel.
Kaid nodded. “Kezule, as you know, had left his world with some sixty young people and no one knew where he went. The Prime Ambassador asked our government to inform them if the Watchers caught sight of him. Seems the Emperor wanted him back as his adviser. And we, of course, wanted to know why Kezule left and where he was.”
“That’s why Kusac had to leave Shola openly under a cloud of suspicion,” said Carrie, her anger evident in her voice.
“But he and Kezule are enemies,” stammered Kitra, her ears folding flat in fear as she looked round the faces of the adults. “It could have been a trap! How could Stronghold send him there knowing that?”
“The need for the information was too great, Kitra,” said Kaid. “And the need to find out why Kezule wanted your brother in the first place.”
“Why did he want him?” asked Garras, picking up his mug. “Do we know that yet?”
“Yes, but unfortunately I’m not at liberty to tell you,” said Kaid. “Suffice it to say, Kusac returned to Haven, then taking the Venture II, headed back to meet Kezule.”
Exclamations of disbelief came from everyone in the room, except himself and Carrie. “He went back,” said Kaid, raising his voice, “because he’d promised Kezule to return and help him train his people. Kezule left to set up a colony of his own because he said the Primes were dying out, and the Warriors like the M’zullians were not the way to go. Apparently he’s trying to breed the castes out of the Primes, make them one people again.”
Kaid waited till the exclamations of disbelief had died down. “All his crew went with him, except for Chima, whom he left behind because she was female,” he said. “They must have agreed with what he was doing, known he wasn’t unstable, or they would have prevented him from leaving.”
“Apart from Banner, do we now know who went with him?” asked Garras.
“Khadui, Jayza, and Dzaou.”
“Dzaou?” exclaimed T’Chebbi, speaking for the first time. “Whose idea was it to send that misbegotten tree-rhudda with him?”
“Rhyaz,” said Carrie shortly.
“He had Banner with him,” said Jurrel, looking at Garras. “He’d make sure Dzaou toed the line.”
“Banner had been watching Kusac for me for some time,” said Kaid. “Protecting him from himself, if you will.”
“When do we leave?” asked Dzaka in the small silence that followed.
“There’s a problem,” began Kaid.
T’Chebbi’s laugh was not humorous. “When is there not?” she asked.
“It wasn’t easy finding out about this mission,” said Kaid, ears tilting back fractionally as he glanced at Carrie. “Not least because just before Kusac left, he and I had rowed and I refused to believe there might be a hidden message for us in the crystal he left for Carrie. We went to Stronghold just over two weeks ago to speak to Rhyaz and Lijou and force the truth about this mission out of them. We did that, but as a consequence have been placed under planetary arrest—we can’t leave Shol
a. The Brotherhood is guarding the spaceport and watching the perimeter of the main estate.”
“When do we leave?” repeated Dzaka.
“In four days,” said Carrie with a slight smile.
“How’d you manage that?” asked Garras with a grin.
“The same way Kusac left, except Toueesut’s allowing us to borrow the Couana,” said Kaid, taking a swig from his mug then placing it on the low table. “I can’t take all of you,” he said warningly, “but all of you needed to know where we’re going and why. The choice hasn’t been easy, believe me. I want my best people with me, but I also need to leave good folk behind to carry on in case none of us return.” He looked round them all. “We don’t even know if our people are still alive, or if they are, whether they are prisoners.”
“I’m going,” said Kitra firmly. “You’ll not stop me. He’s my brother.”
“Kitra, you need to stay here. If we don’t return, then you’re next in line as our Clan Leader until my cubs grow up,” said Carrie, turning to the young female. “You have to stay, kitling.”
“Stop calling me a kitling! I’m a mother like you, and I’m life-bonded!” she exclaimed angrily.
“We can’t take you, Kitra, for the reasons Carrie said,” replied Kaid. “I’m sorry. Rezac and Jo, you’re coming. T’Chebbi, you too, and you, Garras, if you feel you can handle it.”
“Try leaving me,” he said.
“Jurrel, I’ll need you on the backup vessel. I need those who’ve had experience of dealing with the Valtegans, not the Primes, with me. I’ll brief you when I have more details, but for now, you leave with us.”
Jurrel nodded.
“There’s two other additions to the team,” said Kaid, “but I didn’t invite them here for obvious reasons. We’re taking Ashay and Shaayiyisis, the Sumaan Captain. The Couana normally has three Sumaan crewing for it, we’re going to take two. They’re fast and they’re heavy fighters, and they’ve been training with us. I reckon they can give a very good account of themselves if need be.”
Garras nodded. “Some muscle on our side makes sense, especially considering the speed and strength of even the Primes.”
“If Stronghold has the ’port guarded against us, how are we going to get to the Couana?” asked Rezac.
“It’ll come to us,” grinned Kaid. “We need to be packed in two days so Toueesut can take our gear on his aircar to load onto the Couana when he goes to pick it up. He’ll arrive here at dawn on the sixteenth and we’ll have to be waiting as we won’t have long to get on board before Stronghold realizes what’s happening. We want to avoid any confrontations with them.”
“You haven’t said where we going yet,” said T’Chebbi.
“We believe Kezule is on one of the old outposts, a major one, near the Prime world,” said Kaid, getting to his feet. “I have a map but we need to run it through the Couana’s nav comp to make sense of it, and we haven’t been able to do that yet as the Couana has been at the ’port getting serviced. We have no idea how long we’ll be away, so pack accordingly. All our preparations will need to be done covertly, and I’m sure I’ve no need to remind you that nothing we’ve said here must be repeated.”
“Why such tight security, Kaid?” asked Garras. “Surely among our own there’s nothing to fear?”
Kaid looked at Carrie before speaking. “Kusac was sent on this mission specifically at the request of the Clan Lord, his father,” he said reluctantly when she gave a slight nod. “If he hears we’re preparing to leave ...” He left the rest unsaid.
“My father sent him?” said Kitra, her voice full of disbelief. “He asked Kusac to go and meet Kezule, knowing what he did to Dzaka and Kashini?”
“He did it on behalf of our government,” said Dzaka as the others rose to leave.
“I don’t care!” she exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes. “How could my father do that to him! Kaid, we’re going with you! You’ll not leave us behind, not now I know this!”
Kaid sent to his son and Carrie, asking them to calm Kitra down as he showed the others out. When he returned, the situation was no easier with both of them now sitting in angry silence.
“We’re going,” said Dzaka determinedly. “We’ve scores to settle with Kezule for one thing. You’ll not leave me behind, Father, not this time.”
“I can’t take you,” said Kaid, sitting back down in his chair. “Besides, Kusac may be on good terms with Kezule, we don’t need personal grudges clouding the situation.”
Dzaka snorted contemptuously. “You know me better than that. You want your best fighters, and you know how good I am. You have no excuse for leaving me.”
“What of Kitra? Have you thought of her? She’s ...”
“Don’t you dare call me a kitling,” snarled Kitra angrily, hair and tail bushing out as her ears began to fold sideways in anger. “I’ve been training with Dzaka whenever I’ve been able, and you know I share his knowledge and skills!”
“But not his experience,” said Kaid gently, leaning forward toward her. “It’s too great a ...”
“How am I to get experience if I don’t go on missions? And you can’t just stop Dzaka from doing them because of me! I have to go, Kaid! My father had no right to send Kusac. I need to go to right that wrong!”
“He had every right to send him, unfortunately,” said Kaid.
“Let them come, Tallinu,” said Carrie suddenly, getting up and heading over to the hot plate for a drink. “They’re both right, we can’t leave them. It was bad enough for Dzaka when you were taken by Ghezu, never mind what happened to us on the Kz’adul. As for Kitra, she may only be fifteen, but she proved what kind of spirit she has when she joined Dzaka as Kezule’s captive. If she’s old enough to have a Leska, be married, and have a cub, she’s old enough to go with us.”
“Carrie!” exclaimed Kaid. “Kusac will skin me alive if I take her!”
“And I will if you don’t,” she said, turning round to look at him with a feral grin. “So take your choice.”
“Thank you, Carrie!” exclaimed Kitra, bouncing over to hug her, tail swaying excitedly.
“Don’t thank me, kitling, you have no idea what going on a mission involves,” she said dryly, returning the hug. “And don’t expect to be in the front line! You’ll go where you’re told, hear me?”
“Yes, Carrie!”
“And no matter how angry you are, you say nothing to your parents. I suggest you two go and pack what you need under the pretext of staying with us for a few days and move in here till we leave. Less chance of anything going wrong.”
“On our way now, Carrie,” said Dzaka, grinning, as they got up and left before Kaid could contradict her.
“This is insane, Carrie,” said Kaid, “Taking a child with us like that! Who’ll look after the cubs if they go? We’ve no idea what we’re facing, you know that, don’t you? There’s still the threat of war hanging over us all.”
“Kitra will be as safe with us as she would be here, in that case,” she said unrepentantly, coming back with her coffee. “As for the cubs, I’m sure Taizia and Meral would be happy to stay here with them. Forget Kitra for a moment. Dzaka needs to be with you, he needs to know you want him beside you this time, Tallinu. You can’t leave him behind again, he deserves to go, and would if it wasn’t for her.”
“I know,” he admitted. “But ...”
“How good is Dzaka?” she interrupted, curling up on the sofa again.
“The best. He should be, I trained him myself.”
“Are you saying he’s not good enough to protect Kitra?”
“No, you know I’m not.”
“Leaving him says to the others that’s what you think.”
He looked at her then got up and joined her on the sofa. “I’m not going to win, am I?” he asked, reaching out to stroke her cheek.
She shook her head. “Because you know I’m right.”
Kij’ik Outpost, evening, same day
Banner was sitting at the desk in h
is room, fitting an energy cell into the small handheld device he’d constructed. That done, he pressed the power button. The screen lit up on cue. He had power, now to find out if he could patch it into the main engineering comp.
Methodically, using the keypad, he worked his way through the frequencies that were the most likely ones. At last, the screen suddenly filled with a rolling stream of data, signifying that he’d made the connection through the back door he’d programmed into the machine several weeks ago.
His device wasn’t sophisticated, it was very much a string and sticky tape job, but with any luck, he’d be able to access many of the support systems that kept the outpost running. Before he was willing to test it, he needed to know if there was anyone logged in or if the system was jogging along in standby mode.
A few more keystrokes and he could see there was no activity at the controls. Checking his wrist comm, he saw it was now seventeenth hour—21:00 in station time—too early to do much more than a quick and dirty test. Pressing the keys again, he programmed in a short blackout to start in two minutes and last for three, then sat and waited to see what would happen.
On the dot, the lights flickered, faded, then died. Switching off his device, he stuck it in his pocket and turned on the backlight of his wrist comm, watching the time. Outside in the corridor, he could hear doors opening and voices exclaiming loudly. Again, right on time, the lights came back on.
Pleased, he pulled the desk drawer out and tipping the contents on the desk, taped the device to the underside before replacing it in its runners. This was much easier, and far less traceable than the few times he’d hacked his room’s vid com unit. With his hand, he swept the assorted bits and pieces back into the drawer, stopping when he saw the piece of frayed rope he’d used to bind Kusac with several days before.
Picking it up, he examined the raw edges again, still puzzled as to how Kusac had managed to get free. He’d felt no rough edges on the bed frame when he’d tied the knots, but it didn’t mean there had been none. Looking more closely this time, he noticed that amid the frayed ends were a couple of strands that looked fused, as if heat or friction had been applied to them. How the hell had Kusac rubbed the rope fast enough to cause friction burns on it without him noticing his movements?
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