Dark Horse

by Michelle Diener

  “I didnʼt specifically ask them to show her how the room worked, but youʼre right. They didnʼt show any initiative, and they certainly didnʼt show any compassion.”

  “I trust youʼll speak to them?” Dimitara raised dark, angry eyes to his.

  Dav raised a brow at her presumption. This was his ship. They were his people to command.

  “I understand, you have many, very vital, duties to perform, but understand that you have on board a person who lived on that Class 5 for three months. Someone from a world we donʼt have any idea about. Someone it would be good to have as an ally, from everything Iʼve seen of her, rather than someone with a grudge against the United Council. She doesnʼt seem to blame you for her treatment since she was rescued on Harmon, but sooner or later sheʼs going to get used to her freedom, get used to not being treated like an animal or an experiment, and start to feel a little unhappy if the attitudes Iʼve noticed against her continue.” Dimitara folded her arms and tapped her long, slender fingers. “You are at fault, as well, Dr. Havak. I heard you call her an orange to her face.”

  Havak blinked. “I did? When?”

  “In the med-chamber, after the incident with Dr. Revilʼs child.”

  Havak obviously didnʼt recall it, and Dav gave a curt nod in support of Dimitara. Blew out a breath. “Agreed. We have high ideals, but now that the very first unknown advanced sentient in half a millennium is in our midst, we seem to be having trouble following them. Iʼll talk to the guards personally.”

  “Speaking of advanced sentience,” Havak finally unclipped a chair himself, “I would be willing to swear sheʼs from at least as advanced a civilization as ours, judging by the way she adapts to our technology. She obviously hasnʼt seen the inside of a Grih ship before, but she worked it out at lightning speed and with very little awe.”

  “She says her people arenʼt as advanced as ours.” Dav frowned.

  “She said that to me, too. But when I asked her how she seemed to be so comfortable dealing with things that must be very new to her, she said they didnʼt have our technology yet, but they had imagined it.”

  “What do you mean, imagined? All together? Like a hive mind?” Dimitara leaned forward, eyes wide.

  Havak shook his head. “Unless my equipment is completely unable to deal with her physiology, I donʼt think sheʼs part of a hive mind. She says the ideas of imagined worlds and technology are distributed in the form of written and visual comms.” He tapped his chin. “And something about buying a piece of clothing.”

  Davʼs low-level headache spiked. “Another mystery.”

  Dimitara gave a grudging nod.

  Davʼs handheld chimed, and he took it out, studied it. “Kila wants permission to come up and discuss Roseʼs med-chamber results with you, Havak. Appal wants to come with her. They canʼt get the two Tecran craft that crashed into the caves out without more equipment.”

  Havak nodded. “I can imagine Kila wants to spend more time with Rose. She must be delighted.”

  A bit too delighted, Dav thought. He tapped in an answer, giving Kila and Appal permission to come up.

  “What happens if Borji canʼt get into the comms and weapons systems?” Havak was looking thoughtfully at the Class 5 on the screen.

  Dav followed his gaze. “Then Iʼm going to evacuate the whole team from Harmon, whether they have Roseʼs animals secured or not. Iʼve got a really bad feeling about this.”

  “Rose.”

  Rose jerked awake. Sat up in the semi-darkness.

  She was alone in the room, and as she looked around, she recalled where she was and how sheʼd got here. She flopped back down, and reached a hand out to touch the panel beside her bed. The time flashed on, glowing white, and she realized sheʼd slept for nine hours.

  “That you, Sazo?”

  Sheʼd put the earpiece in last night, afraid to leave it lying around, and had whispered to Sazo she was going to sleep.

  “Youʼve been on the Barrist for a long time, Rose. Iʼm getting worried. I can send transmissions to the Barrist from the Class 5, but I canʼt hear you. I canʼt breach their systemʼs shields. I need you to help, or you must come over to the Class 5 so we can communicate. If you donʼt manage that on your own in the next five hours, Iʼll have to make a plan to get you here. Donʼt forget, Iʼm still physically with you. If youʼre in danger over there, so am I. Iʼm getting nervous, Rose.”

  Rose buried her hands in her hair, tugged. “Damn, damn, damn.” She touched the panel beside the bed again, and raised the lighting, got out of bed on legs that felt as if theyʼd run a marathon and stumbled to the shower.

  When she came out, clean and dressed in a dark burgundy outfit that was the same style as the Barristʼs crewʼs uniform, but not a color sheʼd seen anyone else wearing, she felt alert and adventurous enough to try one of the hot drinks from the cabinet Havak had showed her yesterday. While she waited for it to brew, she called Filavantri on the internal comm.

  “Good morning.” The United Council liaison smiled broadly from the tiny comm screen, and Rose realized she was getting used to the sharp teeth. “Would you like to come to my rooms for breakfast?”

  Rose nodded. “Iʼm just waiting for the grinabo to brew.”

  “Iʼll get some guards to come and fetch you. Bring the mug along with you if you arenʼt finished by the time they get there.”

  Filavantri signed out just as a chime signaled the grinabo was ready. Rose picked it up and sniffed.

  It smelled good. Almost a chocolate and hazelnut combo. She took a tentative sip.

  It was more bitter than sheʼd expected, but not as bitter as some of the food sheʼd tried yesterday. She rolled it over her tongue, finding she liked it more and more. Not chocolate at all in the taste of it, but good, nevertheless.

  She took another sip as the door chimed.

  The guards.

  She hesitated. Looked down into her mug. She regretted her outburst yesterday in the med-chamber. Sheʼd been indulging herself, not thinking ahead. She had to deal with these people in a situation where they had all the power, she had none.

  She should have bitten her tongue, or handled it better. If these were the same guards from yesterday, she had to face them again, with her challenge to shoot her hanging between them. And if it wasnʼt them, she would bet the story had already done the full rounds.

  The door chimed again, and she walked over to it, touched the panel like Havak had shown her, and saw it was the same two guards from yesterday.

  With a sigh, she pushed the button to let them in.

  “Good morning.” She used the mug as a shield, watching them over the rim.

  “Good morning.” The woman eyed her, flicked her gaze into the room, and Rose was glad sheʼd made her bed and everything looked tidy.

  “Iʼm ready to go. Iʼll take my drink with me.”

  The woman shared a look with her partner, and he cleared his throat. “Before we take you to Liaison Officer Dimitara, we would like to apologize for not familiarizing you with your room.”

  Rose blinked. “Thatʼs all right. Dr. Havak came and showed me.”

  The woman winced. Looked at her partner again, and Rose guessed they hadnʼt known that.

  Perhaps theyʼd thought sheʼd complained about it, but now they realized it must have been Havak whoʼd voiced the complaint.

  “We didnʼt mean any disrespect. It didnʼt occur to us that you wouldnʼt know how to use the room.” The womanʼs words were stiff.

  “I understand.” That felt like a lame answer, but she couldnʼt think of anything else to say that wouldnʼt make things even worse. She hesitated. “Would you tell me your names? I donʼt know many people on this ship.”

  “I am Vree Halim.” The man took a formal step forward, and inclined his head in a way Rose thought would probably have gone down well in the 19th century Russian court.

  “Jay Xaltro.” The woman made a similar movement.

  “Nice to meet you both.” Rose decided not to apologize for yesterday
. It felt like they were leaving that behind them, and she didnʼt want to bring it up again.

  They seemed flustered by her response, and she hoped she wasnʼt imagining a lessening of the tension as they led her down the passageway and to the right to arrive at Filavantriʼs door.

  She thanked them, and couldnʼt resist looking behind her as she stepped through into Filavantriʼs room. They seemed to be walking away. So they werenʼt guarding her, or watching her.

  Or maybe thatʼs what they wanted her to think.

  She shrugged it off, and then smiled as Filavantri thrust out her hand for a vigorous handshake of welcome.

  “Youʼve certainly got the hang of it,” Rose said, taking another sip of her grinabo. It had gone almost stone cold, and she made a face.

  “You donʼt like it?” Filavantri asked.

  Rose shook her head. “I do, but not cold.”

  “Ah. Me, neither, although these Grih like it hot or cold. They donʼt care.”

  She busied herself making some more, and seemed to enjoy introducing Rose to a variety of different breakfast food. The most familiar was also the best, toasted bread made from a slightly pink grain. Nutty, with a hint of salt, Rose thought it was the best thing sheʼd eaten since her abduction.

  “Good. We make progress if there is something you enjoy so much.” Filavantri seemed delighted. “What else can I get you?”

  Rose hesitated, but unless she wanted to unleash a frightened and worried Sazo on the Barrist, she needed a handheld that would allow Sazo to breach the shield.

  “What is it?” Filavantriʼs intelligent face sharpened.

  “I wondered if I could have a handheld? Even if they could just bring me the one from my cell on the Class 5. It should still be there. It has all five languages of the United Council on it. But I wouldnʼt mind one that has information on the cultures of the United Council as well. My Grih could use some improvement and I would like to learn their ways. And yours.”

  Filavantri frowned. “Such a simple thing? Why do you even hesitate to ask?”

  Rose shrugged. “It took a long time for the Tecran to give me the one I had on the Class 5.” It had, and sheʼd only gotten it because Sazo had usurped her care and management from Dr. Fliap when heʼd taken ill, but she wasnʼt going to reveal that to Filavantri.

  “We are not the Tecran.” Filavantri breathed in heavily through her nose, and then shook her head. “But, of course, we are. They are part of the United Council, so why should you expect anything else? I keep forgetting the betrayal of our principles wasnʼt made by another species, it was made by a full Council signatory.”

  She lifted a hand to her ear and tapped. “Sub-Lieutenant Hista.” Like Havak had yesterday, she waited a moment to be put through. “I require a handheld preloaded with all five languages of the United Council, and full cultural and social information of all five signatories.” She paused, and then frowned. “Yes, it is for Rose.” She said Roseʼs name very firmly, as if chastising the person on the other end.

  “I donʼt mind if itʼs not connected to the main system. Thatʼs why I requested the information be preloaded.”

  When she turned back, her lips were in a thin, tight line. “When Sub-Lieutenant Hista has permission from the captain, sheʼll have a handheld delivered to your room, and instruct you in its use.” She lifted her left hand, flicked her sleeve and Rose saw the time light up on her cuff. “Iʼll need to go and file some reports now, Iʼm afraid. But Iʼll walk you back to your room so you donʼt get lost.”

  She took Rose back to her room and then looked even more fierce when Rose confessed she didnʼt know how to get back in. She showed her how to place her hand against a plate beside the door for identification.

  Rose put a hand on her arm as she turned to leave.

  “Thank you. Iʼve been isolated for a long time and your kindness means a great deal to me.”

  The liaison officerʼs face relaxed a little, she gave a nod and a smile, and as she walked away, Rose hoped her new friend wouldnʼt end up regretting being kind to an orange.

  13

  The small runnerʼs engines lifted from a purr to a whine as it landed in the Class 5ʼs launch bay, and Dav looked over at Dimitara as she disengaged her harness.

  “Borji is waiting to debrief me. If you want to go ahead and see the Tecran prisoners while I speak with him, youʼre welcome to.” He unclipped himself and rose to his feet.

  He saw the smooth, golden skin above her eyes lift in reaction. She understood the subtext. That he had nothing to hide, and they werenʼt abusing the Tecran and could withstand a surprise visit from a liaison officer from the Council. Even an unaccompanied one.

  “Thatʼs all right, Captain. Iʼm happy to wait for you.” She stood herself and Dav nodded and followed her out.

  Borji was there to meet them, standing at the foot of the ramp with arms crossed over his chest, still in his bio-hazard suit, his helmet clipped to his belt.

  Dimitara gave them the illusion of privacy, pretending to study the other vessels in the launch bay after a nod of greeting to Borji. The dead lion had been moved to a small refrigeration unit in the storage bay, or Dav was sure sheʼd only have had eyes for it.

  As it was, he was forced to proceed knowing she could and probably would hear everything. Perhaps it was better that way. Better that she understood the full extent of their situation.

  “Status?”

  Borji grimaced. “Nothingʼs changed since the system reset the jamming signal for another twelve hours.”

  Borji had contacted him in the early hours of the morning to let him know, and Dav could see his chief systems engineer was beyond frustrated. “What do you think is significant about the reset?”

  “Well, the time frame. Something was expected to happen in the first twelve hours, and it didnʼt, so it reset. Thatʼs the only thing I can think of.”

  That was Davʼs assessment, as well. “And I wonder what that event was supposed to be.”

  “Do we really want to find out?” Borji rubbed a hand over dark-ringed eyes.

  “Take a runner back to the Barrist.” Dav realized it wasnʼt only Rose he hadnʼt been taking proper care of. “Get some sleep before you fall over.”

  Borji didnʼt argue. “My whole team needs rest. Iʼll give us eight hours and then we can come back fresh. But thereʼs one thing.”

  Dav waited as Borji tapped at his handheld, then turned it to show him.

  “See that?” Borji pointed at a thin graph line that was interwoven with the others.

  “Yes?”

  “It isnʼt ours.” Borji lifted his gaze. “It looks like ours, but we havenʼt been sending out a signal every thirty minutes. See, our comms are all over the place, as and when we need to speak to someone on the Barrist, but this is exactly every thirty minutes.”

  “A piece of equipment, constantly updating?” Dav asked.

  Borji shook his head. “I thought of that. Iʼve checked every piece of inventory we brought over. Every one of their signals are accounted for. This is something else. Something using an almost identical signal to ours, reaching out every thirty minutes.”

  “Reaching out to whom? Or what?” Dav asked.

  “Thatʼs just it. It seems general, but I donʼt want to bet on that, because we donʼt know.”

  “Can we listen in?”

  Borji rubbed a hand over his face. “Tried. No good. The minute we get a lock, it jumps. Every single time.”

  “Like it knows youʼre there?”

  “Oh.” Borji laughed. “It knows weʼre there. My guess is the signal is coming from the comm system on this ship.”

  “This keeps getting better and better.”

  “Beware of unexpected gifts.” Borji quoted the same saying Dav had thought of when the Class 5 originally landed in his lap like a hot coal.

  “Yes.” Dav tapped at his ear as a comm came through, grimaced. “The Tecran captain is getting a little louder in his demands to speak to me.”

  “What
are you going to do with him?” Borji put his handheld away.

  “Move him across to the Barrist. Into our cells. Thereʼs something going on with this ship, and Iʼd rather no Tecrans were on it if the whole system kicks us out.”

  Borji nodded. “Well, Iʼll round up my team, get some sleep. Iʼll see you later.”

  Dav gestured to Dimitara, and they made their way to the tube that would take them down to the cells where the Tecran officers were being held. It was in a less polished part of the ship, more grating and pipes were visible than in the upper decks.

  At least all the bodies were gone since heʼd last been here. Appalʼs team had stacked them in large refrigeration units in the Class 5ʼs stores. Next to the lion.

  His thoughts, almost inevitably, flowed back to Rose.

  He wondered how she was doing, and whether she would appreciate him bringing her something from her cell. Whether it would upset her or please her.

  When they turned into the passageway that led to the long containment unit, he realized, as he hadnʼt done the first time heʼd been here——probably because of the horror of the bodies——that the lighting was bad, and the air smelled stale, as if it wasnʼt being continually filtered like the levels above.

  “This is where they kept Rose?” Dimitara asked, distaste in her voice.

  Dav gave a nod. “This is nothing. Prepare yourself for what you see in the prison area. Appal felt it appropriate to keep the few Tecran officers who survived in the place they kept Rose and her animals.” Although they had moved them to the clean, unused cells. Appal had made her point.

  Outside the door to the cells, one of Appalʼs subordinates was waiting for them.

  “Report,” Dav said.

  “They seem upset.” The officer looked at Dimitara and cleared his throat. “Theyʼve been issuing threats and warnings since you left.”

  Dav was sure heʼd have been given a more colorful description if Dimitara hadnʼt been there, but the guardʼs expression was enough.

  “Whatʼve they been saying to each other?”