by Speer, Flora
“It wasn’t like this when we came into the Empty Sector,” Perri whispered to Halvo.
“This is a better viewscreen than we had on the Space Dragon,” Halvo replied. “It registers every particle of light to produce a more detailed picture. Nor are we traveling at Star-thruster speed. This exit should be far smoother than our entrance.”
It was. Instead of the rocking jolt and the heart-stopping sliding sensation that had nearly shaken the Space Dragon apart, Perri felt only a few mild bumps. With the Empty Sector behind them, the gas clouds cleared, the glow disappeared from the bridge, and the view of space shown on the large screen once more became a velvet black interrupted only by the light of distant stars.
“Lovely,” Kalina murmured. “Thank you for allowing us to be here, Captain Jyrit. This was a memorable experience.”
“As always, Lady Kalina, your presence is a great pleasure to me.” Jyrit bowed to Kalina as she and her company moved toward the doors, preparing to leave the bridge.
“Captain,” said the communications officer, “a ship is approaching.”
“What markings?” Jyrit demanded. “Did one of those Regulan ships that followed us into the Empty Sector wait to be sure we would come out again?”
“No, sir, it’s not one of those two ships,” the communications officer replied.
“Sir, it is a warship, and it’s heavily armed,” Dysia said. “It bears no identifying markings at all, not even a number.”
“That is against Jurisdiction law.”
“Perhaps it isn’t a Jurisdiction ship,” Dysia said. “It might be a pirate vessel.”
By then the approaching ship was visible on the viewscreen as a shadow only slightly less black than the space around it.
“Magnify that image.” Jyrit’s order was obeyed at once. The strange ship grew larger and more menacing looking.
“It displays no running lights,” Jyrit noted. “I take that as a sure sign of aggressive intentions.”
“Mother,” Halvo said to Kalina, “you and your aides ought to leave. A warship bridge is no place for you if there is trouble.”
“Go back to my cabin and wait for me there,” Kalina said to her aides. “I shall remain here until we discover what the appearance of this ship portends. There may be something I can do to help avert a problem.”
“Mother, I wish you would go. If they prove to be pirates,” Halvo said with a nod toward the viewscreen, “then it’s better if they don’t know you are aboard. You would be a great prize to a pirate captain.”
“No more than you are,” Kalina said. “I will not leave unless Captain Jyrit specifically orders me to do so.”
Jyrit wasn’t paying any attention to the discussion between Halvo and his mother. The captain of the Krontar was fully occupied with issuing a series of commands to his bridge crew. The Krontar slowed as the unknown ship continued on an interception course. At Jyrit’s order, Dysia released the safety monitors and readied the ship’s weapons for firing.
“I am beginning to think they would prefer not to talk to us,” said the communications officer, who was trying to establish contact with the unidentified ship. “Ah, there they are. Sir, they have finally accepted a video link with us. The picture is coming on the viewscreen now.”
The image of the oncoming vessel faded to a picture of one section of its bridge. A man so young he could only be a junior officer had the helm, but he wore no uniform. At once Jyrit identified himself and his ship, stating that it was returning to Capital.
“Identify yourself.” Jyrit paused, awaiting that act of courtesy common to all space travelers who were on respectable business.
“We prefer to remain anonymous.” The young man spoke with no trace of politeness. Perri watched in fascination as Jyrit’s antennae began to turn red with anger at the deliberate rudeness.
“Are you the captain?” Jyrit demanded.
“You have passengers whom we wish to welcome aboard our ship,” the young man said without answering Jyrit’s question. “You will send a shuttlecraft to us with the Lady Kalina and Admiral Halvo Gibal aboard.”
“If we do not?” Jyrit said through gritted teeth.
“We will reduce you to atoms.”
“They are pirates,” Halvo said. “They want prisoners for ransom.”
“Before I allow any of my passengers to visit an unknown ship,” Jyrit said to the face on the viewscreen, “I must speak to your captain.”
“Why?”
The response was so insolent that Jyrit’s antennae fairly glowed with outrage. But he kept his voice firmly reasonable. “I want your captain’s word of honor that these two passengers will not be harmed.”
There followed a whispered conversation between the young man and someone who was positioned off-screen. While it went on, everyone on the bridge of the Krontar stared at the viewscreen, straining to discover any sign that might reveal the origin of the ship they were confronting. Perri gazed as fixedly as anyone else, but all she could see was a communications station bare of everything except the necessary console equipment. The area behind the young man was also blank, just a pale, painted background – until he leaned closer to whoever was speaking to him.
“Halvo,” Perri said, keeping her voice soft, “when he moved just then, his shadow moved over a raised marking on the wall.”
“Bulkhead,” Halvo corrected her. “I saw it, too. Something has been deliberately covered over.”
“An identity mark?” said Kalina, who was close enough to hear them talking.
“Possibly,” Halvo said, “but I can’t tell what it is. Not unless he changes position again so his shadow slides along that bulkhead.”
“It looked to me like a circle,” Kalina said. “Which isn’t much help to us. There are hundreds of governments that use some kind of circular device as their emblem.”
Or a spiral. Perri could not make herself say the words out loud. Not yet, not until she was sure of what she was beginning to suspect.
“If these are pirates, that could be a stolen ship, and any emblem on it would be meaningless,” Halvo said.
“Our captain will speak to you,” the young man said to Jyrit.
Jyrit moved forward a pace or two to stand directly in front of the screen. The young man who had been speaking to Jyrit stepped aside and an older person in plain dark tunic and trousers came into view. This man had light brown hair streaked with gray, and though she could not see his eyes on the viewscreen, Perri knew they were green.
“Halvo,” Perri hissed. “I know him.”
“What?” Kalina stared at her. “Who is he?”
“It is Vedyr. It is Elyr’s servant. He carried to me the news that Elyr had been condemned to death. False news!” Raising her voice, Perri said, “Captain Jyrit, that mysterious ship must come from Regula. Now that I have recognized the captain, I can identify that covered-up symbol on the bulkhead behind him as the Regulan spiral.” As she spoke, Perri moved out of the shelter of Jyrit’s back and into full view of the man on the screen.
“Perri?” Vedyr looked stunned.
“He probably expected you to be confined to a cell,” Halvo said, “and never guessed you would be on the bridge to see and recognize him.”
“It is a good thing for us that she is here,” Kalina said. “Thank you for the information, Perri.”
“If you do not deliver Lady Kalina and Admiral Halvo to us promptly,” Vedyr said to Jyrit, “you will be destroyed.”
“I would say he has recovered from his surprise,” Halvo said.
“Captain Jyrit, may I speak to him?” Perri asked. “I have an idea.”
“Go ahead. Take as much time as you like.” Jyrit motioned to Perri to take his place while he stepped closer to Dysia, with whom he began to speak in a low voice. Perri understood that Jyrit was planning his next move and would appreciate having Vedyr’s attention fixed on her for a while.
“Vedyr.” Perri faced him, unafraid.
“Woman, you may not s
peak without my permission,” Vedyr said.
“You just heard Captain Jyrit. I have his permission to speak. Vedyr, you do not want Lady Kalina or Admiral Halvo. I am the one you want to take back to Regula. As you can see by my lovely new clothing and by the freedom with which I move about this bridge, I am not a prisoner here. These people think well of me. I offer myself as hostage in place of Lady Kalina and Admiral Halvo. I will willingly join you aboard your ship. I will return to Regula without protest, and once there, I will offer myself to the Hierarchy for punishment.”
“You?” Vedyr looked as if he might burst into scornful laughter.
“I am sure Capt. Jyrit will agree to let me have a one-person shuttlecraft. I can be with you within the hour.”
“Women cannot handle machinery.” Vedyr’s voice was filled with the usual Regulan contempt for females.
“During ray absence from Regula, I have learned to pilot the Space Dragon.”
“Outrageous! Scandalous!” Vedyr did not trouble to hide his shock. But he pulled himself together quickly. “You are of no use to us, Perri. Enough delay! I want an immediate answer from Captain Jyrit.”
“Sir,” the communications officer said to Jyrit, “our sensors indicate only a skeleton crew aboard that ship.”
“No more than half their weapons are operational,” Dysia said, adding the data provided by her instruments. “This confrontation is only a bluff. They don’t know us very well if they thought we would be fooled by it.”
“Just as I thought.” Jyrit paused for a second. “Vedyr may be able to answer some of our questions. I want that ship disabled, not destroyed. And I want the crew captured alive. Fire when ready, Lieutenant Dysia.”
“Aye, sir.” Dysia pressed the buttons on the weapons console. At first nothing happened, but then everyone on the bridge witnessed the results of their attack on the viewscreen. Sparks flew from the communications console next to Vedyr. With a shout he jumped away from it.
“Can you still hear me, Vedyr?” Jyrit was back in the captain’s position, standing next to Perri. “It is you who will be destroyed if you do not surrender.”
“Fire!” Vedyr screamed. The image of his ship’s bridge vanished, changing to an exterior view of the entire ship. The weapons tubes flared bright yellow. The aim was true and a moment later the Krontar rocked as the blasts hit her hull.
Perri was thrown off her feet and onto the deck. Halvo caught her, setting her upright again.
“Lieutenant Dysia.” Jyrit was as cool as if he were attending a party. “Blast those Regulans to a standstill now. I want no injuries or deaths on my ship.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Why is Vedyr doing this?” Perri cried. “He has never been a violent person.”
“You heard him,” Kalina said. “He wants me and Halvo for hostages. Some people will turn violent for large sums of money.”
“No, there is more to what Vedyr is doing. There must be,” Perri insisted.
“Are you hurt?” Kalina asked, seeing Perri rub her wrist.
“I just landed hard on my hand and twisted my wrist. There’s no serious harm done.”
“Would you actually have gone to that ship in place of Halvo and me?”
“Of course.” Pern’s green eyes met Kalina’s deep blue ones with open honesty. “I have much to answer for, Lady Kalina. I am sure it is at least partly because of me that we are in this dangerous situation. If I can help Halvo or you or, indeed, prevent the taking of a single life aboard this ship, then I will do whatever is required of me.”
“Captain Jyrit.” Dysia’s voice rang through the bridge. “All weapons on the Regulan ship have been disabled. Their air-circulation system is no longer functioning. They have only two shuttlecraft and both are out of commission.”
“Good work, Lieutenant. Communications officer, get the bridge view back on screen. I want to see Vedyr face-to-face.” It took a minute or so, but Jyrit’s order was carried out and a wavering, smoke-obscured image appeared. “Now, Vedyr, you cannot live much longer in a deteriorating atmosphere. As I understand your culture, suicide is not acceptable to Regulans under any circumstances. We will send shuttlecraft to pick up your crew. How many survivors have you?”
“There are twelve of us.” Vedyr appeared to be utterly defeated.
“My communications officer will make the arrangements with you. We will take your damaged ship in tow. Jyrit out.” With a slash of his hand Jyrit indicated that the video link with Vedyr should be severed.
“Thank you for your help, Perri.” Jyrit’s nod in her direction was almost a bow.
“Captain, something is wrong here,” Perri said. “Vedyr is not a space pilot, he’s a servant. Why was he put in charge of a ship with a minimal crew and only half the weapons in working order? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I agree.” Jyrit gave her a quick look of approval.
“Their apparent surrender may be a trap,” Halvo said.
“Are there any other ships in this area?” Jyrit asked his communications officer.
“No, sir,” came the immediate response. “All clear between here and the Cetan border.”
“Then our best hope of solving this intriguing mystery would seem to lie in intensive questioning of Vedyr and his crew,” Jyrit said. “And you, Perri, will have the chance to prove you meant that rash claim you made to the effect that you are willing to do all you can to help us.”
Perri stared into the holding cell, grateful that she was not being kept in one. It was a gray metal cube containing only a padded shelf for sitting and sleeping and a pull-down lavatory for the prisoner’s personal needs. A strained-looking Vedyr was standing well back from the charged mesh that stretched across the open side of the cell. If he touched the mesh, the shock it generated would leave him unconscious.
Jyrit had decided not to attend this initial interview, saying he would interrogate the prisoners later, after giving them time to think over their misdeeds and contemplate what kind of justice might await them. Thus, it was Halvo and Perri who stood facing Vedyr, along with Dysia and a security officer, who were there to serve as corroborating witnesses. In one hand Halvo held a recorder. He pressed the button to start it.
“Perri of Regula, your official identification of this man is required,” Halvo said to her.
“It is Vedyr of Regula, the servant of my former betrothed, Elyr,” Perri said. “I know him for a liar, but he is completely loyal to Elyr. I do not believe he would stop a Jurisdiction ship on his own. Elyr must have sent him, or perhaps the Chief Hierarch did.”
“The identification and your comments are formally noted.” Halvo looked toward Vedyr. “Have you anything to say for yourself? I warn you, interrogation by Captain Jyrit’s security people will not be a pleasant experience. You would do well to speak now to me.”
“You do not frighten me.” Vedyr sneered. “Captain Jyrit will not break the laws, not on a Jurisdiction ship with Lady Kalina aboard it. Torture is forbidden by Jurisdiction law. So are truth drugs and mind draining. I have nothing to say, not to you, Admiral, or to your Captain Jyrit.”
“But I have,” Perri said. “In fact, I have already told my story several times. You were involved in the plot to abduct Halvo from this very ship. Surely you know about Jugarian honor, Vedyr. Captain Jyrit will not rest until you and Elyr are punished for your parts in that crime. If you are still as loyal to Elyr as you have always been, then you will tell everything you know about the plot against Halvo. You see, I believe and I have so informed Captain Jyrit and Lady Kalina that the true instigator of the abduction scheme was the Chief Hierarch. If I am right, then you and Elyr may be able to lessen your punishment by revealing the truth.”
Those statements were what Perri and Jyrit had agreed that she would say to Vedyr. Still, the words were hard for Perri, because she believed Elyr was as much to blame as the Chief Hierarch. But she was eager to prove that she had been a pawn and not one of the conspirators. While on the bridge of the Kronta
r, Perri had found the qualified approval of Lady Kalina and Captain Jyrit to be extremely gratifying. She was determined not to disappoint them.
“Tell us what you know, Vedyr,” she said.
“Woman.” Vedyr spoke in the scornful tone that Regulan men ordinarily used with females. “You are every bit as stupid as Elyr always said you were. Not Captain Jyrit, nor Lady Kalina, nor even Leader Almaric can touch Elyr now. You haven’t heard the latest news from Regula, have you?”
“What news?” Perri demanded. She was aware of Halvo’s rising annoyance with Vedyr’s manner toward her. She just hoped she could make Vedyr say something important before Halvo cautioned him to be more polite, an order that would effectively silence Vedyr out of sheer outrage at the idea that a woman’s feelings ought to be considered.
“Your former betrothed,” Vedyr said to Perri with malicious relish, “cannot be punished by the Jurisdiction.”
“Why not?” Perri expected Vedyr to say that Elyr was dead. It was the only reason she could think of for such a declaration. Vedyr’s actual response was the last thing she expected to hear.
“Because Elyr is the Chief Hierarch.”
“What?” Perri stared at him in disbelief. “It cannot be. Where is the real Chief Hierarch?”
“That old man?” Vedyr’s voice dripped contempt. “We have removed him.”
“But he is Elyr’s father-in-law,” Perri said.
“What does that signify? Women never understand these governmental matters,” Vedyr said to Halvo, “certainly not one as stupid as Perri.”
“This interview is over.” His mouth hard with anger, Halvo turned off the recorder. Without another word he stalked out of the ship’s brig, his companions following him.
* * * * *
In Jyrit’s conference room Perri, Halvo, Kalina, Dysia, and Jyrit were gathered. While the others listened to the recording of the interview with Vedyr, Perri glanced about the room, which was decorated in Jugarian style. The walls were stark white, there was a grass mat of some kind on the floor, and the dark wood chairs were cushioned in bright red and gold. A tall gold vase containing two red flowers and a swirl of bare branches stood in one corner. Four tall windows showed the wide vista of space. Perri found the very sparse décor relaxing and peculiarly elegant, perhaps because it was so different from Regulan decor. At the moment, she was not feeling charitable toward anything, or anyone, with the slightest claim to being Regulan.
