by K A Bledsoe
Lenore didn’t recognize the voice so it must be the other man.
“But that is for high-paying customers,” said a voice that held a touch of superiority. That’s Daviss, all right. “She would never go there.”
“The source indicated this station would be the next stop.” That was the woman. “Do we have any reason to suspect it is incorrect?”
“No, she’s here. But won’t be for long.” Daviss made a sound like a growl. “We need to split up. But don’t confront her alone. She’s mine.” The menace in his voice made Lenore shudder and she didn’t wait around for an answer from either of the others.
She made a wide detour back to the shop with her supplies, keeping an eye on the corridor but nobody exited back into the plaza.
They must be checking the docking ports first.
Anxiety hastening her steps, she dashed into the store, tossed her last credit note to the clerk and headed out the door, ignoring his “Thank you, come again.”
She started back toward the ship, forcing herself to not hurry, knowing that would be exactly what they were looking for. She debated calling Diarmin but decided she shouldn’t risk it since she would be there soon enough. As she rounded the final corner to the docking bay, one of a dozen on the station, she noticed a young woman peering intently at the numbers of each berth.
Our new passenger, perhaps? Good, that means we can leave right away. But bad in that Lenore was in disguise and didn’t want to wear it the entire time on board.
She glanced for cameras and saw only one right past the entrance that she had just come through. She activated the gravitic grapple at her left wrist and shot at the camera. A slight tug pulled it off the wall with a few sparks indicating its failure.
Lenore ducked back into the corridor, leaned down behind the boxes and quickly removed her wig. A rag in another pocket swiped off her nose putty and makeup in one pass. She stuffed everything as well as she could into the bag and hurried to catch up to the girl.
“You wouldn’t be looking for Berth twenty-four, would you?” she said as she came up behind.
The young blond woman jumped at Lenore’s voice. Her simple brown dress swirled as she turned to Lenore. “Oh, you startled me. Yes, I am. I think that must be it.” She pointed in the correct direction.
“That’s the one. I am Captain Fleming. Are you ready to board?” Lenore glanced around. “No baggage?”
“I am Kurla Plaad. And no baggage, just what I have on me.” The girl slightly lifted the cloth bag she was carrying.
“Very well, Ms. Plaad. Let’s go. The sooner we board, the sooner we can be on our way.”
Chapter Fourteen
Quinn waited with his father at the hatch that led to the ship. The recently refueled ship was connected to the spaceport by the latest adaptable docking collar, so they could walk straight from the midhatch into a waiting lounge, a small but well-appointed room with several comfortable seats and small table. It had been a little expensive, but his mother had argued that the small upgrade was worth the investment to appear more reputable to their newest passenger. Lenore was due back anytime and the passenger as well.
“Where’s Alli?” he asked his father.
“Still on the computer,” replied Diarmin, a slight frown pulling his mouth down. “She and I aren’t happy at the lack of information about Kurla Plaad. All we found are the basics that are in any public records, birthdate, planet of origin, things like that.”
“But isn’t that good? She hasn’t done anything illegal or is famous in some way.” Quinn shrugged. “Perfect for us to stay out of sight.”
“Well, yes and no.” Diarmin crossed his arms. “Yes, it is good there is nothing negative about her, but the facts read like a made-up background.”
Quinn bit his lip on all the questions that brought up. How does Dad know what a fake background looks like? Had he been in law enforcement? Was that why he had killed? He glanced over, noticing the deep worry lines as he constantly watched the port.
Now isn’t the time to ask, thought Quinn. Not when he is that tense and nervous about mere passengers.
The door on the other side of the lounge opened to show a young woman being followed by his mother hauling a load of boxes. The stranger looked to be in her mid-twenties, a little shorter than Lenore, and had wavy, yellow-blond hair that reached just below her ears. Dressed in a simple brown dress that swirled around her ankles, she carried nothing but a large duffel bag over her shoulder. Her eyes were bright with intelligence and the smile on her face appeared to be genuine. Quinn was embarrassed to admit to himself that his heart gave a little leap when she turned that smile on him.
They approached the hatch and Lenore introduced them. “This is my first officer, Kel Eckert,” she said, indicating Diarmin, “and Navigator Sean Mikin.”
Diarmin held his hand out. “Pleased to meet you Ms. Plaad.”
Instead of taking the hand, the woman clasped hers together to bow over them. “Kurla, please.” She also bowed to Quinn, so he didn’t offer his hand but inclined his head slightly.
“Should we expect more luggage? Surely that satchel isn’t all you have?” asked Diarmin.
Kurla gave a slight chuckle. “Which is a polite way of asking where my deceased mentor’s body might be.”
Quinn was impressed with her correct read of the question and he could tell, by the slight tugging at the corners of her mouth, his mother was impressed as well.
Lenore answered. “Diplomacy and courtesy are emphasized on my ship.”
“Ah, very wise, Captain.” She held her bag out. “You may inspect this if you wish, but it only contains my personal items. You won’t find High Priest Phylian’s body in there. In accordance to our ways, it was cremated, and the ashes scattered on the planet we were visiting when he passed.”
Diarmin took the bag, placed it on the table and inspected the contents. Quinn couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
“Pardon me for asking, Ms. Plaad,” he said.
“No Ms. Please. Makes me feel ancient. Just Kurla.” She grinned at Quinn and lifted her chin slightly. “At least until I pass apprenticeship and become an Honored Priest. But I interrupted your question, young man.” Her gaze rested on Quinn.
“Kurla,” he began again after glancing at his mother. The slight nod indicated he could dispense with the Ms. “You indicated in your message that you needed transport for you and the priest. We expected more than one person.”
“Of course, but the explanation is a long one, too complicated to explain in a short message.” She took the bag back from Diarmin and handed him a credit flimsy, presumably with half the fee they had agreed upon.
Diarmin accepted it graciously and waved her toward the hatch. She stepped through and beckoned to Quinn to walk beside her.
“Allow me to explain,” said Kurla, looking directly at Quinn. “My order is the Order of Continuing Clarity. When a High Priest passes, his body is required to return to the earth and his spirit must return to the Holy Temple on New Drea.”
“His spirit?” asked Quinn. He was vaguely aware of his parents following closely and listening, but he focused on Kurla.
“Yes. Spirit, soul, whatever you may call it.” She smiled again, this time with a little wonder. “I am extremely fortunate to have been far enough along in my studies to serve as his vessel when he died.”
“Vessel?” asked Lenore.
“Of course.” Kurla paused outside the ship's lounge and turned to face Lenore and Diarmin. “High Priest Phylian’s spirit resides in me now and will be given to the Holy Temple and other High Priests when we return so his spirit will continue to enrich all the future acolytes.”
“I see,” said Lenore.
“Perhaps I should let him tell you.” She briefly closed her eyes and her face blanked of all emotion. When her eyes opened again, her demeanor changed. She appeared to stand a little taller and instead of a smile, a seriousness suffused her face.
“Pleased to meet you
,” she said, but her voice had deepened and was more sonorous, almost resonant. “I am High Priest Lor Phylian and appreciate your quick response to accept us as passengers. I can only exist in this form for a short time.”
“Our pleasure,” said Lenore.
“Will we be talking to you or to Kurla on the trip?” asked Quinn, not sure if this was real.
“Worry not, youngster. It will be mostly Kurla from this point on. It is difficult for me to take control like this, so I will be in the background, hoarding my energies for the final transfer. I did wish to meet you and now I will return my apprentice to you.” Bowing with hands clasped, her eyes closed again as her head drooped and soon the smile was back.
“I am getting better at that,” she said. “But it does make me tired.”
“Let me show you to your cabin,” said Quinn, trying to keep his face from turning red when he saw his mother’s eyebrows raise slightly.
They entered the lounge and, as they crossed to the opposite door, Quinn pointed out the galley and entertainment vids.
In the other hallway, he indicated the room in the middle. “This one is prepared for you, but if you prefer to be farther from our other passenger, we can prepare the other one. He is in that cabin,” he added with a wave at Bondle’s room.
“Why wouldn’t I want to be next to him?” She leaned toward Quinn, eyes twinkling. Her voice was lower and held amusement. “Is he a noisy neighbor?”
Quinn felt his stomach swoop slightly as he caught a light scent from her hair, not exactly flowery but very pleasant. “Um, well, no just thought you may wish privacy.”
Her laughter rang out and now he knew his face was red. “I have been sharing accommodations with an elderly priest for three years. From small rooms to my own mind. Privacy is a long-forgotten luxury.” She appeared to notice his discomfort and put a hand on his arm. “But I appreciate the offer. I will take the one you have prepared. It’s closer to the lounge anyway.”
He nodded. “I will let you get settled then.” He turned back to the lounge but spun around just before she closed the cabin door. “Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you. The cargo bay and bridge are restricted areas.”
“Very well. Thank you, young navigator Sean.”
“You’re welcome, Kurla.”
As her door closed, Quinn retreated to his own cabin, wondering to himself why it did indeed feel like a retreat.
***
As soon as Quinn was out of earshot, Lenore’s hand closed over Diarmin’s wrist to get his attention. She leaned toward him so her voice wouldn’t carry.
“We need to leave as soon as possible. Are we done fueling?”
Diarmin nodded. “Completed about ten minutes ago. What’s the hurry?”
“Daviss is here on the station.”
“What?” Diarmin’s eyes were wide but he managed to keep his voice at a whisper. “Impossible.”
“Maybe, but we can figure out how when we are safely in space.” She pulled the load of food inside the ship and closed the hatch to the lounge. “How long before we can leave?”
“I have to restart the engines from scratch since they have to be completely off when fueling. Then undocking and permission to leave.”
“How long?”
“The lounge is paid for so I will undock and let the ship sit free of the station. While the engines warm up, I’ll request an immediate spot in the exit queue. About ten minutes if they aren’t too busy.”
“Do it. I will stow the food.”
Lenore pushed the pile into the galley and deactivated the grav lift. The boxes would be fine during takeoff and could be put away later. She returned to the corridor as Diarmin was securing the hatch and inputting the codes that would allow them to undock.
“Not a word to the kids,” she hissed in his ear and started for the ladder to the bridge.
Diarmin nodded and then gently caught her wrist. His lips scrunched in a grim line. “You were right to be in disguise.”
Though Lenore agreed with him, being right didn’t make her feel any better.
Chapter Fifteen
Allison heard low voices and treads on the ladder. Without taking her eyes from the screen she identified the two as her mother and father. She caught a few words like “Priest” and “cargo” but turned her attention back to her work.
“Here you are,” said her mother. Strange, she seems more tense than usual. Her eyes are kind of wide.
“Of course. Still researching like usual.” She grabbed a pad off the console and handed it to her father. “I only found a little bit more on Kurla, mostly just a couple passenger manifests with her name.”
Diarmin took the pad and scrolled down the short list as he took the command chair. “What are you working on now?”
“Looking up The Order of Continuing Clarity and that High Priest guy,” she replied, tapping away and scrolling through screens.
“How do you know about those?” asked her mother. Vaguely she could hear her father requesting a departure time as soon as possible. Always in a hurry.
“Come on, mom,” she stopped herself short from rolling her eyes. “I know how to use the intercom system on the ship.”
Lenore put her hands on her hips. “But that conversation started in the spaceport lounge.” Her mother and father exchanged glances and she thought they looked worried.
“Yes, while both hatches were open. I just turned up the gain and caught nearly everything.” She turned back to the computer and waved her hand at the command console. “It’s recorded if you want to listen to it again.”
“Allison!” Both her parents together.
She was startled as her father spun her chair around to face them.
“Why would you eavesdrop like that?” he asked at the same time her mother said, “What did you hear?”
Her eyes flicked to her mother whose arms were now crossed.
“I wanted to get a head start on researching our newest passenger, so I listened. After she talked about it, I started researching so I turned off the intercom.” She couldn’t quite understand why they seemed angry. “It is a public part of the ship, she was talking freely to you, and I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss any details. It’s not like I am listening to them in their rooms, or on private messages, not that they’ve made any but if they did—”
“Okay, enough,” said her mother. “I understand why you did that, but no more snooping unless specifically ordered to.”
“All right,” she said but wisely said nothing about how she had wanted to help alleviate any suspicions since both of them had been nervous about strangers on board. They were even more jumpy now so it obviously hadn’t helped.
“Have you found anything yet?” asked Diarmin.
“Only that such an order does exist on New Drea, but it is a very small and relatively unknown group. What is written about them matches what Kurla has said. What she didn’t say, but I have pieced together, is that a High Priest and apprentice often travel together to broaden their education and search for other people who might be worthy to join. That’s all I have so far. I was just beginning to look under the surface, local rumors, ship manifests, that sort of thing.”
“Very well, keep at that but no more listening in,” said her father as her mother went toward the ladder.
Allison nodded and turned back to her computer.
Now I’m glad I didn’t tell them about the video in the corridor outside the guest cabins. I’d probably get in more trouble if I mentioned Quinn’s red face and stammering around Kurla.
***
Lenore descended the ladder quickly and headed down the hall. After a few steps, she noticed she was a hair away from 'stomping' so she altered her aggressive strides, berating herself for her lack of control. Why am I so upset at a little eavesdropping? Or is it because of Daviss on the station? She crossed her arms then uncrossed them, chiding herself again.
As she entered the lounge, she nearly ran headfirst into Quinn. Lenore didn’t quite ju
mp because she had her body under control now. But she hadn’t noticed he was there and thus was angry at herself for that.
“Hey, where are you going?” asked Quinn. His face also showed that he hadn’t known she was there either, which, oddly enough, made Lenore feel slightly better.
“I am going to check on the passengers and let them know we will be taking off shortly.”
“Already? I can tell them if you want,” he said.
“No, you get to the bridge. The Captain should be the one to see to the passengers whenever possible.”
Quinn nodded and she continued to the cabins. Politely she knocked on Bondle’s door and opened it when she heard a “Come in.”
She took one step into the room. The scientist was sitting at the tiny desk with several pads scattered around him, and two more pads on the bed. He was scrawling, however, on a tablet of paper. A quick glance showed what looked like chemical formulae. Lenore wondered why the paper when most pads had the capabilities to do scientific designs or calculations, whatever he was doing. She shrugged. Everyone has their own way of doing things.
“Mr. Bondle,” she said, and he looked up at her, his eyes blinking as if to focus better. “We have finished our business here and are preparing to leave as soon as we have obtained permission.”
“Thank you for letting me know, Captain,” he said. Bondle grabbed the straps on the chair, belted himself in and returned to his papers.
Shaking her head, Lenore closed the door and headed for the middle cabin. Since this door was closed, she assumed the woman was in here. She rapped lightly and the door slid quickly open.
“Captain. Come in, please.” Kurla backed away from the narrow door and swept her arm in a welcoming gesture.
Lenore only took the single step inside as she had with Bondle. “I wanted to inform you that we will be departing shortly.”
“Ah, then I guess I should make sure all my belongings are stowed safely,” she answered with a grin. She grabbed her small bag and placed it in the closet next to the lavatory. “There, all done!” She winked at Lenore, the grin turning mischievous.
