by K Bledsoe
“You should get some more rest, too,” said Diarmin.
“I’m fine,” came an absent reply, causing Diarmin’s brow to furrow slightly.
“Hey, we’ve got some breathing room and you need to recover—”
“Can you fix that medplant?” Lenore kept her eyes on the screen, making some notations on her comp pad.
Diarmin blinked at the sudden change in topic. “I haven’t had time…”
“I need that implant. That’s your priority while we are out here.”
“We’ve got a breather, why don’t…”
“No, we don’t.”
“What’s going on, Lenore?”
“Nothing, just want to get the job done.” She still wouldn’t meet his eyes. He forcibly spun her chair so that she was facing him. He couldn’t tell if the flash in her eyes was anger or fear, but it made his own anxiety soar.
“What is it?” he asked. Lenore pressed her lips together, and her face emptied of emotion.
“Hey, don’t do that, not to me.” He meant his tone to be gentle, but it came out terse. “I thought we were safe for the moment, relaxing before finishing this assignment, but you are acting as if, well, I don’t really know. And when you go all emotionless, my gut says it’s time to worry.”
She sighed and gave a sad small smile that had no humor in it. “I am considering giving up on this case.”
Diarmin felt his jaw drop and sat heavily in his chair. “Um…what?”
“It has already proved more dangerous than I thought. Especially,” she gestured toward the display, “with all I found in here.”
“Wait, so let me get this straight. You are thinking of leaving?” He put a hand to his forehead briefly then dropped it back to his side. “You are aware that we have very little money, right? And let’s not forget the fact that you, have never, never, walked away from any other job.”
“Yes.”
“Ok, you are going to have to explain that to me.” Diarmin crossed his arms.
Lenore pursed her lips, oddly hesitant. He sat in the navigator seat, waiting expectantly, not willing to give an inch at this unusual attitude from his wife.
Finally, she tapped a few keys and brought up a screen, turning the display so he could see it.
“This.”
Diarmin squinted at the screen, unable to read anything through the scrambled letters and symbols. “It’s in code. I can’t read it. What’s it say?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Well if you don’t know then why—”
“Because I recognize the pattern as one of the codes used by the Xa’ti’al.”
Diarmin didn’t think he could be rendered speechless twice in one day much less in a few minutes. As his mouth opened and closed without sound, his wife continued.
“Somehow, the Xa’ti’al are connected, closely connected, with this illegal slave organization.”
***
Lenore watched Diarmin pace back and forth, occasionally tossing glances down the stairwell, making sure nobody was on the way up. Usually Lenore was the one unable to sit still, but he had insisted she stay put, citing the fact that she wasn’t recovered yet from her injuries.
“Okay, to be clear, that code shows that your former colleagues are somehow working with these slavers,” he said, continuing quickly as she nodded.
“If we follow this case, tracking the lost princess with the information we have from the same slave business, we might run across one of those we are trying to stay away from. But we are very low on money, spent the last of our savings on those grav plates. Our remaining fuel might not get us to another job.”
He kept pacing, eyes on the floor. Lenore kept silent. She knew she was the strategist, but it came from logic and experience. When Diarmin was in one of his “focused inspiration” modes, usually dealing with inventing but occasionally with situations, he often had leaps of brilliance that astounded her.
“Prince…Companion…tattoos…slaves…grav plates…video feeds…” Diarmin’s eyes took on a fire and Lenore paid close attention, knowing he was getting one of his gut feelings.
“This video guy, what’s his name?”
“Jonah Wilkerson, and his title is ‘Reviewer.’”
“Didn’t you say he had a second job for us?” Diarmin sat down and absently grabbed some tools to fiddle with. He did think better when working with his hands. But now things were niggling at the back of Lenore’s mind.
“Yes, finding some information broker.” She stood up to pace now. “And the other inconsistencies around that man. The unusual tech, money, connections…wait.” She halted and looked at Diarmin. “He had extensive knowledge of the slave trade, the inner workings of the palace and claimed to have met a Xa’ti’al before.”
“Few people meet one Xa in their lifetime. I’ve never met anyone, myself excluded, that has met more than one,” Diarmin said. “He is the center, the key.” He rubbed the back of his neck then threw up his hands. “Or not. Either way, maybe we can finish that job instead and at least get some money before we take off.”
“We need to make arrangements for the children anyway, so investigating the possibility of finding the girl will be quick.” Lenore sat again in front of the display, fingers typing away. “There, message sent. And while we wait for an answer, I will retrieve, well, you-know-what from you-know-where, to decode and see what the Xa’ti’al are saying to these slavers.”
***
It took all of Jonah’s self-control to keep from pacing in the small office. The prince and Companion hadn’t left the palace grounds in days so there was nothing for him to do. The king was ill, but it wasn’t clear with what. The public story spoke of a virus, but rumors around the castle varied widely. He absently flicked through the screens, trying to look unconcerned but felt he was failing. The Companion was spending most of his time with the king, offering what little comfort he could since the king’s Companion had died long ago, shortly after the queen. The prince, meanwhile, was sitting in place of the king as if he were already crowned.
From the public’s point of view, the prince was stepping in, helping his father, but Jonah knew he was beginning his take-over. The princess needed to be found soon.
If that was even possible.
It had been four days, and he had heard nothing from the contact. Had they been arrested because of the break-in? Surely if that were the case he could have found out. Maybe they had taken off, run from the reprisals that the illegal organization was sure to mete out. That was the more likely scenario.
Jonah flicked through files again, trying to change his thoughts to curb his agitation. His last chance was that information broker he simply could not find. With the help of the contact, he felt sure he could find her, but now he had to proceed on his own.
He glanced around, making sure he was unobserved and reached into his pocket for the data stick that held all he knew about the girl. As his hand closed around the stick, his personal comp bleeped, causing him to give a massive twitch in surprise. Cursing at his nerves, he drew out the comp and checked the message. His emotions surged with both hope and fear when he recognized the contact code.
He glanced around, going so far as to lean outside the office to see if there was anyone near even though there was a security camera that showed the corridor. It looked clear, so he opened the message.
“Vital we meet. Pick a location as far from the palace as possible that you can reach in exactly thirty-six hours.” A response code was given, along with a time limit of one hour before it was no longer valid.
His initial relief at hearing from the contact evaporated and anxiety returned twofold. The distance and exact time indicated trouble and perhaps even a bit of desperation.
Jonah shook his head and pulled up a map. He could make it nearly anywhere on the planet within that timeframe, but not without raising some suspicions. He picked a remote location that he had been to before while vacationing. If he left after his shift tomorrow, he c
ould be there an hour before the specified thirty-six. He could even request a couple days leave, supporting the story of a small vacation. He hated to leave the Companion alone with the prince, especially at this turbulent time, but Jonah could also use the time away to search surreptitiously for that information broker.
Wasting no time, he booked the vacation house and sent off a quick message to the contact. A single beep acknowledged receipt and then the crackle before the link was broken, indicating the line no longer existed. Jonah put in the request for the days off, took a deep breath to settle his nerves, and began to cycle through the security feeds. He had to find a way to speak with Lavan to inform him of the plans and warn him that he would be on his own for a few days.
***
Jonah showed his credentials to the royal guards outside the king’s private rooms. They both scanned the card and even scowled identically at him, but he knew they had no choice but to let him in.
As Jonah figured, the companion was there, sitting with the king. He was reading aloud in a soft voice from one of the planet’s history books, but the king was faced away, eyes tightly shut. Jonah doubted he heard any of the words.
Lavan didn’t notice Jonah’s silent approach until he was within a foot of the chair. He gasped, dropped the book and cringed. Jonah cursed under his breath, knowing Lavan was on edge. The new bruise on the side of his face tugged at Jonah’s emotions. Had he been so wrapped up in himself that he missed what had happened? Unfortunately, he couldn’t help Lavan now, he had to worry about finding the princess.
“How is he?” asked Jonah in a voice just above a whisper. The king’s private room was not monitored, but he kept quiet anyway.
Lavan shook his head. “It’s hard to tell. The doctors say his heart is strained, but he won’t take any medication to help himself.” He bit his lip. “I am afraid he is just giving up.” He looked at the King. “He keeps asking for Maya, begging her to come home. I wish I had something to tell him.” His head swerved toward Jonah, his voice ending on an upward inflection as if asking a question.
Jonah’s heart went out to him. Lavan truly cared about the King and was worried. Jonah patted him awkwardly on the shoulder, feeling oddly paternal even though he was only fourteen years the elder. He reached down to pick up the book and, as he held it out, whispered to Lavan. “I have another meeting tomorrow evening and have requested two days off to investigate new information.”
Hope sprung into Lavan’s eyes as he took the book, but a small shake of Jonah’s head kept him from asking questions. Jonah walked to the other side of the king’s bed and knelt so that his face was even with the sick man’s.
“Your Majesty? I have come to see how you are feeling.” Jonah saw his eyelids twitch ever so slightly. Was he simply pretending to sleep so he didn’t have to speak to anyone?
“Your Majesty,” he lowered his voice so only the king could hear. “I have information about Maya.”
The king’s eyes flew open and immediately focused on Jonah.
“What did you say?” His eyes opened wide. “You! It’s you, I remember, so long ago.”
“Yes, it’s me, Reviewer Jonah, remember? But you should rest, Your Majesty.” Jonah reached out a hand to calm the man.
“What about Maya? You know something.”
“I have some people working on finding her, but you must hang on. It will take time, but we are very encouraged.”
“Tell me! Where is she?”
“Please, Majesty, you must keep quiet. I will let you know as soon as I hear. For now, however, you must stay healthy and keep this information between us. Nobody else is to know.”
“Yes, yes,” he said. “Always watching, always waiting. I will wait.” He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes again, but there was color in his face now.
Jonah stood and returned to the companion.
“When he wakes, I believe he will take his medicine.” He tried a smile. “Take care of him.”
“Wait.” The look on his face wrenched at Jonah’s heart. “Do you have anything, truly?”
Jonah wanted to believe that the meeting would be good news, but he owed Lavan the truth. “I don’t know. Maybe. Keep the king as healthy as you can. I will return in a couple of days.”
“The king. He acted like he thought you were someone else. Like he knew you not as Reviewer. Why? How?”
Jonah suppressed a smile. Despite his issues, Lavan was observant and quick. “He’s probably delirious from the illness. No matter, whatever raises his spirits.”
“You’re right. Thank you, and,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “good luck.”
Chapter Thirty-nine
Lenore tensed slightly as she heard the lock disengage on the hotel room door. Jonah walked in and caught sight of her sitting on a chair in the corner as he let the door swing shut. She noted that though he jumped slightly, he didn’t drop the bag or large box that he carried under his arm.
“How did you know which room?” he asked as he walked into the other room of the luxurious suite and deposited his burdens on the bed.
Lenore shrugged. “I told you before, I am good at what I do.” She took her hand away from her hidden stunner, always prepared for a trap. She had felt it was safe, but now was not the time to be careless. She remained seated, back to the wall as he returned to the sitting room and pulled up the other chair to sit opposite her at the small table.
“This is quite far from the palace,” said Lenore.
“That was the request, wasn’t it?” came his terse retort.
Lenore merely raised her eyebrow, letting her lack of expression speak for her. She wasn’t going to let this young man take charge of the conversation.
He colored slightly and dropped his eyes. “I have come here in the past on vacations, so I knew it wouldn’t be suspicious.”
She let her eyebrow drop and nodded, knowing continued silence was usually filled by the other party.
Jonah stood and walked to the other end of the room. He pulled back the curtain to reveal a transparent wall with a scenic forest view. From earlier inspection, Lenore knew it could be made translucent with the switch on the left wall and was also a door. Jonah stared out into the forest, hands behind his back. “I hope you have some good news. I have cleared a few days though I should not have left. The king is doing very poorly.”
“Really. All the public news feeds say he has a slight stomach ailment, and that he will be back in a day or two.”
Jonah looked at her. “Of course, that’s what the public knows. In truth, he is pining for his daughter, and his heart is no longer strong. He is refusing to take any medication. I think he is giving up hope.”
“That seems overly melodramatic.”
Anger flashed across his face, so quickly hidden that had she not been looking for it, she might have missed it.
“He was very close to Maya.”
“But not his son?”
The speed with which Jonah turned his face back to the window was interesting, but all he said was, “No.”
“Well, it so happens I do have some news.”
He looked back at her as if he wanted to speak but held his tongue.
She continued. “Our little raid, which I am sure you heard about in some way or other, obtained information for us that indicates the princess and her companion were indeed kidnapped and taken immediately off planet.”
Jonah’s shoulders slumped. “As I always suspected. That will make them nearly impossible to track.”
“For you, perhaps.” Lenore shifted slightly in her chair. “I have many contacts and resources that you do not. It will, I regret to inform you, require money to grease palms, open very tight lips, and so on.”
“Lavan cannot—”
Lenore held up her hand to interrupt.
“I realize that. I am authorized to tell you that we will take your other job, finding the information broker, if you can come up with an advance. Half of what you offered should be enough to get us
started on both cases.”
He stared at her for a moment or two then headed into the bedroom. Through the door, Lenore could see Jonah rummaging through his bag, fiddling with something, then grabbing the box. He returned to set the box on the table and hand her a credit flimsy.
“It’s what I was hoping for, so I came prepared. That,” he pointed to the flimsy, “is half and this,” he placed a palm on the box. “This is everything I have gathered through the years. I hope you can use it.”
Lenore had suspected something of this nature might happen which added to the interesting enigma of “Jonah”. She stood and raised the lid of the box, peering inside. “Do I see paper? Who prints anything these days?”
“It’s easy to incinerate if needed and the printouts go back for years. There are some data sticks in there, but I prefer to hold things as I study.”
“I see. You say you have two days?”
“Yes. Three, if necessary.”
“I need to take this to my ship to do a proper search. Would you come?” She tried to look earnest and trustworthy but wasn’t sure she was successful. This was a crucial point in her estimation of the man and his reactions would reveal much. Was he serious enough about these investigations to board a strange ship, maybe even leave the planet with someone he barely knew?
“Is it close by?” His eyelids lowered slightly, but his attempt at deception didn’t fool her. He knew that it wasn’t and was gauging her reactions.
The truth, she thought.
“There is no port here with facilities for my ship. I have a small shuttlepod hidden nearby. I believe that the research would go much faster if you were to talk to my computer expert in person.” She held up a hand to stop his comment. “I will not take you far and you will be returned to this place before you are due to check out.”
Jonah considered the offer and agreed, though he appeared reluctant. Yet he seemed to trust her. Lenore decided to push the edge of her investigation of the man. How far would he go? Would he resent her giving him commands?
