“Ah, yes. Admiral Hoke told me that he'd engineered to get you onboard his Class 5 while still plugged in. She was more than a little disconcerted.” He sounded amused. “I was impressed.”
“Disconcerted?” There was an undercurrent here, Fee could hear it.
“Just a little reminder to her that even if they find a way to cage me again, it will likely not work for long.” Sazo said.
“She would try that?”
“She might be ordered to. But she would fight against it. And I think she would prevail. But the admiral is pragmatic. She understands that I'm only with her of my own free will, and if I ever change sides, the chances of defeating me, even, as I say, if they could cage me again, would not be effective. The admiral now has even more incentive than before to keep me on side.”
“Can you contact Eazi? If all he is is in the crystal?” Fee asked. “There's a drone in the desert which is undamaged, and which he was definitely in control of. He was in the Tecran's facility, as well, but he destroyed that himself. And there is Cy's runner and a second one with the Tecran crew's bodies in it.”
“The drone might work,” Sazo said. “I checked for the Larga Ways runner and the other runner, but I have a feeling both went the same way as the other one. Destroyed when the Class 5 blew. The good news is I can sense you have an earpiece but I can't use it to transmit to you. It's blocked. And that tells me he's still got a hold over it. It really might be that the only system he has to talk through is lying out of range on Balco.”
It was comforting, in a way. It gave her a little hope.
“You don't have a handheld, do you? From Eazi's Class 5?” Sazo asked.
“I did. I left in my cell on the Fasbe. I never got it back.”
“If you have a handheld, we need to get it. It'll be more useful than the drone.”
“I could ask for it, but given the circumstances, I don't know if anyone will have time to find it for me.” Would it be suspicious for her to ask for it?
“Don't worry about that. I'll sort it out.” There was something close to glee in Sazo's voice.
She felt the wobble of going through another gel wall, and then then the gentle bump of landing, and her skin prickled in anticipation of meeting Rose McKenzie.
“Is Captain Jallan here, too?”
“No, I brought him to the Illium on this runner. You missed him by about five minutes when you boarded. He went off to wait for Captain Vakeri to return from Larga Ways.”
As the ramp lowered, she saw Rose waiting for her.
They stared at each other for a moment and when Fee walked down to her, she realized she was unsteady on her feet.
“I was hoping they were wrong.” Rose's voice was a little husky. “Because if you're from Earth, I know what you've been through. But at the same time, I was really hoping they were right.”
Fee nodded, not sure she could talk. Rose put her hands together and extended them in greeting, and with a small smile, Fee covered them with her own.
“Getting into the Grihan swing of things?”
Rose laughed. “I didn't even think about it.” She drew Fee in and gave her a hug. “You aren't in the habit, yet?”
“I've only been with the Grih for a week.” She stepped back. “And the Garmman I was with didn't teach me the correct greetings.”
Rose reached out and fingered the silver silk of her shirt. “I could barely focus on you when you came down that ramp. You were like a walking head.”
“Eazi gave it to me. It kept me safe while I was trying to destroy the kill switch they used on him.”
“I can't believe they did that.” Rose sighed. “Or rather, I can. They must be in a real panic over losing Sazo and Bane.”
Rose led the way out of the launch bay, and into a small, plush area with comfortable seating and a wide screen that was like a window out onto space. Larga Ways spun off to one side, and the Illium hovered nearby. Looming over everything, Balco sat, brown, green and gold, as the backdrop.
“Officers' lounge,” Rose said. “Admiral Hoke says you were taken from the same place on Earth I was.” Fee saw the questions in her eyes, and gave a tight nod.
“I lived there, I wasn't holidaying, like you were. I knew your name as soon as I heard it. They were looking for you, but you must have known they would.”
Rose closed her eyes. “Yes.”
“Your parents and friends love you very much.” Fee's throat closed and she couldn't talk any more. Everything she'd seen play out for Rose's disappearance would have been played out for her own.
“Sazo thinks they just used the same coordinates and species type, down to sex, to get you.”
“Eazi thinks they did the same with Imogen Peters.”
“Imogen Peters?” Rose hadn't taken a seat, but now she did.
“When I was down in the Tecran facility, I found a cage in the place where they kept all the animals and birds they'd collected. It was human-sized and someone had written Imogen Peters was here in the sand.”
Rose stared at her.
“There's more. When I was taken, they also took some macaws. I remembered them from the few times I came to before they handed me to the Garmman. And there was a macaw down in the facility as well. Eazi said a different type to the ones he had, and all those died anyway, so when they took Imogen, they took macaws as well. Given the diversity they had to choose from, it smacks of simply duplicating the same haul as Eazi got.”
“Why wouldn't they try and get something different?”
Fee shrugged. “Maybe no time? Eazi said there was some bad blood between his captain and the others when he was given the job of getting another person from Earth. Everyone wanted the privilege. Then, when the scientists on Eazi's ship refused to study me, someone one-upped him by grabbing the same again.”
“Do you know Imogen Peters?” Rose asked. “From Earth?”
Fee shook her head. “It's not that small a town, and I don't know everyone. But she could be a holiday-maker, like you.”
“Do you know what happened to her?”
Fee finally sat as well. “We found something going on in the facility. Cage fighting. Pitting the creatures they were done with against each other, betting on which one would win. The fights were to the death.”
“You think they put Imogen Peters in the ring against something else?” Sazo spoke for the first time since she'd met Rose, using the speakers in the room.
“They might have done.” She cleared her throat. “I asked Commander Dai, and he says she was gone before Eazi's crew got there. And now the facility is destroyed, all the information on her is gone, too.”
“You wouldn't think they'd have gone to all that trouble, just to kill her.” Rose rubbed her temples with stiff fingers.
Fee shook her head. “I think you'll find that if the Tecran have managed to put two and two together as far as the Class 5s and women they've abducted from Earth are concerned, they're probably convinced the only good human is a dead one.”
Rose gave a quick, mirthless laugh. “That's true enough. And you'll find that attitude among some of the Grih, as well. They're particularly angry with me for freeing Bane, because he hasn't automatically come over to the Grihan side. He's allied to Sazo, and so by default, to the Grih, but they were hoping for a direct connection.”
“It's becoming as labyrinthine as pre-World War I politics,” Fee said.
“Good description.” Rose pressed her lips together. “Let's hope it doesn't have the same result.”
“I'm pleased to say I located your handheld in the communications department, Fiona.” Sazo's voice was back to sounding Grihan again. “It was brought over from the Fasbe, examined and cleared. The next step would presumably be to return it to you, but since the captain's been busy with other things it's just sitting there. So I put the order through.”
“You're in the Illium's systems?” Fee wondered what Hal would think of that. Something hot and tight gripped her stomach. The knowledge that she might
have to choose between two sets of loyalties.
“Only because we need that handheld. Otherwise I wouldn't have interfered.” Sazo paused. “You are unhappy about that?”
“No. Yes.” She took a deep breath. “It's just what they're afraid of. And it will only deepen the distrust. If you'd just asked them, they would have given it to you anyway.” She thought about it. “Well, Captain Vakeri would have. Maybe no one else.”
“I'm afraid Captain Vakeri seems to have gone missing,” Sazo told her. “Dav is still waiting for him, and from the chatter I'm picking up from his crew, they're starting to get worried. He was supposed to be at the runner at the Larga Ways dock half an hour ago.”
“They can track him, though. With his uniform.” She had trouble speaking.
“It seems to indicate that he's standing still in a small side street. Something no one thinks is likely.”
“Lens feed?” Fee asked.
“One moment. There is no lens feed in that particular area, but although I'm not in the Larga Ways system, the Illium has access to the lens feed coming from the way station's security officers personal lens feed. The station chief has sent four guards to take a look.” The screen which moments before had shown the view from the Class 5 of Balco, the Illium and Larga Ways faded and became a bouncing view of a narrow street. The guard was obviously running. The view shifted as the guard stepped into an even narrower, shadowed path between two buildings. It focused down, and Fee stepped closer to see better, aware that Rose was doing the same.
“It looks like a scrap of fabric,” Rose said.
The guard reached down, lifted the fabric up so they could all see the jagged edges of it.
Fee remembered the man in the green robes from earlier, the way he'd looked after Hal with those hard, shiny eyes. “They ripped the tracker out of his uniform.”
39
Commander Chel was refusing to take any comms from Fee, so Fee was going to him personally.
She spent the five minutes between the Illium and Sazo's Class 5 tapping her foot with impatience, and Rose, sitting beside her, watched her with curious eyes.
“Obviously, it's bad that Captain Vakeri is missing, but you seem to be very affected.”
“He saved me.” Fee looked over at her. “Quite a few times. And I saved him back.” She wanted the chance to be able to save him again.
But would they keep him alive? Question him? Or just kill him and be done with it?
Rose said nothing, and Fee gathered up her hair, wound it round and round her hand in agitation.
“We have a thing going, the captain and I.” She let the words come with a bitter smile. “That's why Commander Chel won't take my calls. He thinks I'm dragging his beloved captain down the path of getting fired by Battle Center.”
“A thing?” Rose asked, voice neutral.
Fee shot her a quick look, then shrugged. “Not sure what yet, but I'd like the chance to find out.” She shrugged again. “Life, as we see right freaking now, is too short not to. Although you wouldn't think it given how long this ride is taking.”
Rose smiled at her.
“What's so funny?”
“I have a thing going, as you call it, with Captain Jallan.” She tapped her fingers on her thigh. “Although his crew were not so hostile to the idea of it. But that might be because he's in charge of an exploration vessel, not a battleship.”
Fee didn't get a chance to respond, because they went through the gel wall and she was standing at the door as it lowered.
A big Grih in a similar uniform to Hal was waiting for them, his hair a fascinating mix of gray and black. He looked at her with blue eyes that held shock and astonishment.
“Fiona Russell?”
“Captain Jallan?” Fee didn't really have to guess. Rose had joined her on the ramp, and there was clearly something between the two, as they shared a quick look.
“You look so alike, and yet . . . not.” The captain kept staring.
“Is there any news about Hal?” She knew it was rude, but there was a rising sense of desperation swamping her, making it impossible to deal with the small niceties of life.
“No. I'm sorry. His team are doing everything they can to find him.”
“Commander Chel won't take any comms from me, but earlier, on the lens feed, I saw Hal walking down a street and there was a man in green robes watching him.”
“They're shutting her out,” Rose murmured to Dav, stepping in close to him. “They don't like her relationship with Captain Vakeri and they're suspicious of her. Fee doesn't think they're going to listen to her.”
Fee looked up to see thoughtful eyes on her. “Why don't we ask Commander Chel to join us, then?”
Relief flooded her. Hopefully Chel wasn't such an idiot he'd ignore what she'd seen just because he didn't like her. And he may take it more seriously if he was urged to listen to her by someone within Battle Center who outranked him.
“Thank you.” She watched as Jallan tapped his earpiece, murmured a request to see Chel.
“He was coming this way anyway.” Jallan had barely spoken when the launch bay doors opened and Chel stepped in.
His eyes narrowed at the sight of her.
“You have something for me?” He addressed Captain Jallan, and ignored both Fee and Rose.
“I don't, but I believe Fiona has been trying to pass on some information to you since she heard Hal was missing.”
“How did you find out he was missing in the first place?” Chel was a man almost jumping out of his skin. Fee didn't like the cold way he spoke to her, but she was encouraged that Hal's commander did care about him, and was as desperately worried as she was.
“Sazo told me.” She kept her tone mild. If she wanted him to listen, putting his back up even more would not help. “I wanted to tell you that just before I was called to take the runner over to Sazo, I was watching lens feed of the main street on Larga Ways. I saw Hal walk down the street toward the lens, and there was a person with green robes who was watching him. He seemed suspicious.”
Chel stared at her with hot, angry eyes. “We're already watching all the lens feed, following Captain Vakeri's movements up until he disappeared. We don't need you to tell us our job.”
She flinched, and felt Captain Jallan's hand on her shoulder, Rose's on her other side.
“I can imagine you're upset,” Jallan said to him in a low voice, “but there is no need to take that tone.”
Chel muttered something, refusing to look at her again, and then strode off.
Jallan sighed. “I'll go find something useful to do on the bridge. I outrank Chel, so if the worst comes to the worst, I can take over here.” He strode after the commander and Fee and Rose watched him go.
She had no idea what to do next, but it had to be something.
Rose slid an arm around her shoulders.
“Why don't you take me to your room? And then maybe you can show me the macaw?”
Fee nodded, remembered Sazo had infiltrated the system to get the handheld returned to her. Maybe he could tap in again and see what they were doing to find Hal.
She suddenly found she had less of a problem with Sazo's sneaking around than she had before.
They stepped out into the passage.
“Fiona.”
Pila and Carmain were blocking the way. She frowned at them.
“What's wrong?”
“Um.” Carmain cleared her throat, shooting quick looks at Rose. “Commander Chel gave orders that you have to move over to the Class 5. He's cleared it with the admiral. It's the safest place for you, and it'll free up your guards. Sazo can take you back to Battle Center when this is over, as well.”
She felt a quick, hard punch of dismay. She'd thought of this as her new home, and Chel was kicking her out.
Eazi had offered her a place with him, but that had been taken away, from both of them.
Where did she belong, then? If Battle Center was her destination, where to from there?
Chel didn't want her because he didn't understand her, was afraid she was going to get his captain fired or disgraced and make them all a target to the Tecran. But that left her nowhere.
“Fiona. Are you okay?” Rose gripped her shoulder. “You look pale.”
“No, I'm fine.” She forced herself to suck it up.
No wonder Eazi wasn't back yet. His only place was gone. The place purpose built for him. And she understood even better now how he must feel.
But there was a silver lining here. If she didn't have to be shut up in her room, she knew just how to find Hal.
“I'll need to get something from my room, and then I'll be out of your hair.” She gave Carmain the best smile she could. Her guard was just the messenger, and Fee could see she was unhappy about the message she was delivering. “Commander Chel is right. I will be safest on Sazo's Class 5, and it will mean you won't have to watch me.”
She let Carmain lead the way, with Pila bringing up the rear. When they got to her room she blocked the way in to her guards.
“I'll just be a minute.” She looked at Rose. “Would you like to see my soon-to-be ex-room?”
“Sure.” Rose's eyes told her she knew something was going on.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Fee studied the area carefully.
“Okay.” She spoke in English. “I think they've been in here, and maybe they've hidden a lens. Fortunately for me, out of habit, I have something I didn't want them to find, and it's been in my bra since I got dressed this morning. But they'll see me take the handheld.”
“But they'll have it on the system that that was cleared and returned to you,” Rose pointed out.
“True.” She saw the handheld on the low table in the lounge, and picked it up. Let her fingers dance over it to wake it up.
“Sazo, are you here?”
Rose gave her a nod, and Fee guessed he'd answered through Rose's earpiece.
“Instead of taking me back to the Class 5, can you take me to Larga Ways?”
Rose frowned. “He asks why. I do, too.”
“Because Hal is in danger. I'm not sure how long they're going to keep him alive. They'll want to know what he found out in the facility, maybe what happened with Eazi, but then they'll kill him. And there is only one thing they want more than him.”
Dark Deeds (Class 5 Series Book 2) Page 28
