Rajani Chronicles I

by Brian S. Converse

  Interlude

  Tomas Giovanni was getting a visit from the one person he didn’t want to see: his father. He watched as the man walked around the room, inspecting the Get Well Soon cards and gifts that had been accumulating there since Tomas was admitted. Finally, he sat down in a chair close to Tomas’s bedside.

  “So,” his father said, frowning, “what kind of shit are you caught up in now?”

  “Nice to see you too, Dad,” Tomas said. “Thanks for coming all this way to interrogate me.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit,” his father said tersely. “You know I hate flying. Who knows what that knucklehead Rizzo is doing while I’m gone?” Rizzo was his father’s right-hand man, but even Tomas knew the man was lost without a little direction. Handling the business side of things wasn’t his strong suit.

  “Sorry,” Tomas said. “Guess I’m tired of everybody asking me questions. You know I’ve been getting regular visits from every asshole with a badge in Detroit?”

  “And you told them ...?” his father left the question hanging in the air.

  “You think I’m an idiot?” Tomas asked. “Nothing. It’s the truth, Dad. I don’t know who it was that jumped me, and I don’t know what happened to Gianni, neither.”

  “Good boy,” his father said, leaning back in his chair. “Leave Gianni to me. We got some people out there looking. We’ll find him.”

  “I’m sure that Aunt Christina is worried sick,” Tomas said.

  “Yeah,” his father confirmed, looking out the window. “He’d better have a good answer to all of this, or she won’t be worrying anymore. She’ll be grieving.”

  Chapter Ten

  James opened his eyes to find he was in a small round room with walls that were pure white. Oh no, not again, he thought, confused as to how he had woken up in another strange place. When his eyes had become more accustomed to the light, he noticed the whiteness surrounding him was not completely opaque. It was wispy, as various gasses swirled around behind a clear surface. The temperature was cold enough that he could see his own breath.

  Then he noticed he was wearing a translating collar much like the one David had been given aboard the space port. There was also an earpiece in his ear. Something was wrong with the whole situation. He instantly powered up, and just as quickly, the energy field disappeared as searing pain coursed through his head, making him curl into a ball on the floor. The pain stopped, but he felt its aftereffects throbbing in his temples and a nauseated feeling in his stomach.

  “My apologies,” a soft voice spoke through the earpiece in his ear. “But I couldn’t risk you lashing out with your powers. My home is made of one of the strongest substances aboard this space port, but I still couldn’t trust you wouldn’t cause a breach in its integrity. That wouldn’t do either of us any good.”

  “Zazzil?” James asked when he was finally sure he wasn’t going to be physically ill.

  “Yes,” the voice responded. “I wish we could have met under more formal circumstances, but there was a certain need for secrecy, as I’m sure you know.”

  “Why am I here?” James asked, slowly sitting up. Then he remembered he had fallen asleep that night next to Yvette, although he was happy he’d chosen to wear some clothing to bed. “How did I get here? And what happened to Yvette?”

  “My staff brought you here,” the voice said. “Your mate is unharmed, I assure you. We did nothing to her except ensure she would not wake while my staff attended to you.”

  “Wait,” James said, standing up. His head almost touched the rounded ceiling of the room, and James could see it was not the same meeting room they had brought Rauph to in their original visit. “How did your people get aboard the Tukuli?”

  “The lander,” Zazzil replied. “Each ship and its lander are given a security code when they’re manufactured. In the case of the Tukuli, Rauphangelaa had not changed the code on the lander before we took it away. It was a simple thing to look up the code on the lander and use it to gain entrance to the Tukuli.”

  “You planned this all along,” James said, the idea sending chills through his body in the already cold room. “The day Rauph came to see you for the first time. You purposely agreed to take the lander as payment.”

  “I had hoped Rauphangelaa had not changed the code, yes,” Zazzil said. “When I saw you with him, I knew we would have to meet.”

  “When you saw ...” James began, dumbfounded.

  “Yes,” Zazzil said. “I guessed that since you had accompanied Rauphangelaa while displaying powers, you must have been implanted with a Johar Stone.”

  “How do you know about the stones?” James asked. “Rauph said they were a closely guarded secret of the Rajani.”

  “My species has been a member of the Galactic Alliance for thousands of years,” Zazzil replied. “We have very long memories. We were an ancient species when the Rajani were discovered. Their story is known to us, and not only the fable of what they believe to be true.”

  “Fable?” James asked, confused as ever.

  “Enough about the Rajani,” Zazzil said abruptly. “They have no part in what we need to speak of now. If you are to return to the Tukuli by morning, then we cannot waste any more time talking about them. I must admit, though, I was surprised to see you had leaned on them for assistance, considering the history between your two species. Though receiving the Johar Stones does explain it, somewhat.”

  “I haven’t leaned on anyone,” James said. “Rauph asked for our help. Look, I’m still confused about all of this. What history are you talking about?”

  There was silence for a few minutes as James stood and looked around him for any sign of an exit. There wasn’t one.

  “I don’t know why you are playing coy with me,” Zazzil finally said. “But I’m sure you have your reasons. The girl is safe; I can assure you of that. You can also rest assured that the Harodet Clan of Cauterfa has remained loyal to the rightful rulers of Talondaria. We only ask this is remembered once your empire is restored.”

  James stood there while the Cauterfan’s words echoed in his mind. Talondaria, he thought. The ones who created the language? Which girl is safe? He was still uncertain as to what Zazzil meant, but was beginning to understand that he was caught up in a case of mistaken identity, if Zazzil really thought he was a Talondarian. What exactly would happen if the Cauterfan found out he wasn’t one? James decided it best if Zazzil didn’t find out, at least not while he was in such a vulnerable position.

  “Why don’t you let me out of this room,” James said. “Or am I a prisoner?”

  “Of course you’re not a prisoner,” Zazzil said. “I only wished for privacy. My workers are loyal, to the extent they are paid very well. But there are always those willing to pay more to test that loyalty. We each have our share of enemies within the Alliance.”

  James was about to ask again if he could go when Zazzil’s voice came over the translator. “I apologize; I had hoped to speak more with you this morning, but I’m afraid something else has arisen which merits my attention. We will speak again soon, if we can.”

  Suddenly, the portion of the floor that James was standing on began to lower, and James saw he was being brought down to the level below the Cauterfan’s tank, where some of Zazzil’s workers were waiting for him. One, a purple Humanoid with three eye stalks and four fingers on each hand, bowed to him. It came closer and removed the collar from James’s neck, then pointed to the side of his head. James understood, and removed the earpiece, handing it to the creature. He looked around at the extensive network of large and small pipes that led to and away from the Cauterfan’s tank. It was an engineering feat beyond anything he could have imagined. He supposed the tank held a limited quantity of the gases the Cauterfan needed to live.

  Another of Zazzil’s workers, this one a short, three-legged creature with long red hair all over its body, motioned for James to follow it, and he stepped off the platform he’d been standing on. As he did so, the platform once again ros
e into position in the room above, pushed up by a thick piston. The worker led him to a door and opened it, motioning for James to step through. He did, wondering where he was being led. He followed the alien through various corridors before finally coming to another nondescript door. His guide opened the door and again motioned for James to step through. As he did so, he saw the doorway led directly to the docking station of the space port. He nodded to the alien and headed toward the Tukuli, wondering if he would ever truly understand what Zazzil had told him.

  #

  Ries had expanded his questioning to include some of the better known off-market merchants aboard the space port. Most of them he had forced to meet him in his office, but the Cauterfan named Zazzil posed a problem. He knew he would have to go to see Zazzil in his room, an inconvenience he’d put off while questioning the others on his list. The time had finally come for a visit.

  He waited at the door, flanked by two of his officers. When the door opened, he was greeted by Punjor Sarn, Zazzil’s security chief. The Makerfy had ascended quickly up the ranks of Zazzil’s employees, and Ries would have loved to nail him with something on principle, but couldn’t prove anything. The Makerfy made his antennae twitch. One didn’t rise to prominence so quickly without leaving a few bodies in one’s wake.

  “Commander Ries, what an unexpected surprise,” Punjor said, showing his long, sharp teeth. “I’m afraid that Zazzil’s schedule is very busy this morning, but if you call later, we should be able to fit you in sometime this afternoon.”

  “Don’t give me that, Punjor,” Ries said, pushing past the Makerfy. “He’ll see me now or he’ll regret it.” He walked past the other workers and over to the meeting room. “Zazzil, I need to talk to you,” he said. He sat down in the chair, detesting the waves of cold air coming from the tank. His own world was hot, and he kept his quarters the same temperature.

  “Ries, what can I do for you?” came Zazzil’s voice over the translator.

  “That’s Commander Ries,” he said, absentmindedly looking at the nails on one of his hands. “I need to ask you a few questions about the recent trouble aboard the port.”

  “At so early an hour?” Zazzil asked. “I didn’t think you woke up this early, let alone worked.”

  Ries ignored the jab. He was used to getting them by now. It came with the job. “My time is important, Zazzil. I have to fill my days speaking with important people. That’s why I’m speaking to you, someone who is not so important, at such an early hour.” He smiled at his own wit.

  “Then I won’t waste your time,” Zazzil said. “I know nothing about the trouble you’re referring to. Nor do any of my workers. Now, if you’ll forgive me, I do have business to conduct of my own, however unimportant it might be. Good day, Commander.”

  Ries stood up, knowing he would get nothing else from the Cauterfan, and it wouldn’t be worth rounding up his workers. Their loyalty was almost legend aboard the space port. This wasn’t over, he vowed to himself, not by half. Zazzil would feel the squeeze on his operations for his disrespectful attitude. Ries thought he might have to order a review of all of the Cauterfan’s business dealings since the riots, to make sure everything checked out. He walked to the door and ignored the grinning Makerfy, feeling his antennae twitch as he did so.

  #

  Yvette woke up with a splitting headache. She rolled over and reached for James before discovering he was gone. Damn, she thought. He must be getting ready for training already. The wall panels were beginning to grow lighter, telling her that it was still early in the morning. She’d never been much of a morning person, but the headache was something new, making it impossible for her to roll over and return to sleep. She rubbed her temples with both hands, wondering if she was getting sick from some alien virus. Then she saw the small dot on her arm. She brought her arm closer to her face, thinking maybe it was a natural skin blemish. No, she decided. It was definitely a needle mark.

  She sat up, too quickly, and had to lie back down for a moment while her head stopped swimming. Finally, she sat up again, slowly this time, and pulled on the clothes she’d left next to the bed. She took a drink of water from the container on the table next to her side of the bed. Her head was clearing rapidly as she left James’s room and headed for the common room.

  As the fog in her head dissipated, her sense of panic rose as she began to wonder where James was. She stopped at the common room, but it was empty. She then went straight to the bridge. She pushed the button next to the door, hoping James would be there. He wasn’t. Only Bhakat was on the bridge. He looked up at her, a quizzical expression on his face. She realized that she hadn’t brought any translator with her, so she asked, “Have you seen James?”

  “No,” Bhakat answered.

  At least I understood that, she thought, regretting not studying the language better. “I can’t find him,” she said as she left the bridge, heading for the only other place on the ship where he logically could be. When she arrived at the training room, she found it empty as well.

  #

  James returned swiftly to the Tukuli, wondering if anyone was even aware he was gone. As he neared the tube-shaped walkway connecting the ship’s outer hatch to the port’s airlock, he also wondered how he would be able to get back on the ship if no one knew to let him in. He hoped the door had been left unlocked by Zazzil’s workers when they took him.

  He needn’t have worried, he saw, as he reached the door to the airlock and saw Yvette, Bhakat, and Gianni walking toward him from the ship. He smiled as Yvette reached him ahead of the others and wrapped her arms around his neck. He returned the hug. “Did you miss me?” he asked.

  “Where the hell were you?” she asked, pulling back from him as the others caught up to them. She didn’t look happy.

  “I think we need to get back on the ship before I say anything,” he told her. He wasn’t sure if they were being watched. He was glad to see Yvette looked unharmed, as Zazzil had promised.

  They made their way to the common room, where they found Kieren, David, and Janan waiting for them.

  “James!” Kieren said, smiling. “You guys found him.”

  “More like he found us as we were leaving the ship,” Gianni said, sitting down. “I still didn’t get to see the damn space port.”

  “Poor baby,” James said. “I suppose that was the only reason you volunteered to look for me? Wait, don’t answer. I don’t want to know.”

  “Ignorance is bliss,” Gianni said, smiling.

  James ignored him and turned to Yvette. “You’re okay?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “I had a doozy of a headache when I woke up this morning, but it’s gone now.”

  “Good,” James said. “Zazzil said they made sure you wouldn’t wake up while they were here last night.”

  “Zazzil?” Bhakat asked.

  “Yes, Zazzil,” James said. “His workers came aboard the ship last night and kidnapped me while everyone was sleeping. He claims it was to talk to me privately, and he did let me go free, but it’s still not an experience I’d like to repeat. By the way, Bhakat, you should change the security code on the Tukuli immediately.”

  “So you’ve been kidnapped twice now by aliens,” Gianni said. “Some people have all the luck.”

  “Like I said, it wasn’t the best experience in the world,” James said. “I need to talk to Rauph about this. Zazzil thinks we’re Talondarians. That’s why he’s been so nice to us lately, giving us gifts like the translator and clothing.”

  “I know,” Rauph said from the doorway. He was holding the collar translating device that had been hanging by the door. He attached it around his neck before speaking again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t think anything would happen. He mentioned the Talondarians when I first spoke to him. I didn’t know at the time what he meant, but later realized it was because he had seen Officer Dempsey, somehow.”

  “You knew and didn’t tell anyone about it?” Yvette asked.

  “I didn’t thi
nk it important at the time,” Rauph replied. “I thought we would get our repairs finished and leave before he was able to take any actions. I was wrong.”

  “We can’t do anything about it now,” James said. “But like I told Bhakat, you need to change the security code on the Tukuli immediately. They took the code from the lander.”

  “Bhakat, can you take care of that for us?” Rauph asked. Bhakat bowed slightly and left the common room.

  “We were supposed to start our training this morning,” James said, “but I don’t think either Yvette or I are up to it right now. I guess we’ll postpone until tomorrow morning, same time.” He also wasn’t sure what Zazzil had done to him to make it so difficult for him to use his powers. He hadn’t tried to power up since his meeting, so he didn’t know whether he was being blocked somehow or not. He didn’t want to find out with the others watching.

  “If you’ll excuse me, my duties are about to begin on the bridge,” Rauph said, taking off the collar and hanging it up before leaving.

  “Well, if all of the excitement is over for the day,” Gianni said, “I’d like to have breakfast now.” He stood and walked over to the cabinets that held the supplies of protein bars and other supplements. James wasn’t paying any attention to what he’d said. He was looking at the collar, still rocking back and forth on the hook near the door.

  Interlude

  Josiah Manidoo was sitting in his richly appointed living room, having poured himself three fingers of scotch. He looked around his house, wondering how things had changed so much since he was a freshman senator, fifteen years before. Back then, he’d had to practically live at the House, coming home every other day or so to visit his daughter and to make sure her nanny was keeping her out of trouble. A tough job, it turned out, with his daughter. He took a sip of the amber liquid, feeling it burn his throat as it went down. He wasn’t a heavy drinker, but he needed something tonight to help deal with Yvette’s disappearance.

  There was a knock on his front door. He had dismissed his housekeeper for the night, expecting company as he was, so he walked to the heavy oak door and looked through the spy hole. It was Byrnes. He opened the door and stepped aside to let the man through before quickly closing it once more after a brief look outside. He half expected to see one of those ambush paparazzi photographers sitting on his front lawn and filming, but there was no one visible. He turned to Byrnes, who was quietly waiting in the foyer, both hands gripping the handle of his briefcase.