“It’s possible,” Provoker acquiesced.
“You’re thinking… You believe DiMackerlyn can turn his ability to cause pain on and off,” Morning Fire said.
Bruiser picked up on it. “Unless that field thingy prevents him from doing so.”
“It’s not a thingy,” Commander piped up irritably.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know. It’s a Brotean Field,” Provoker replied.
“All right. Let’s say he can turn the pain on and off. Let’s assume he can take someone with him, the same way Hunter can take someone with him when he’s within his protective bubble. Then why did he originally attempt to throw me off, but stopped?” Star interjected. “He could have seriously hurt me. Perhaps fatally.”
She was silenced when Morning Fire laid a gentle hand on her knee. “Maybe, deep down, he still cares for you,” the petite woman suggested.
Angrily, Star shook off the woman’s hand and started to retort, when the HeartCrystal chirped again. A second later, a familiar warmth reached into her and stroked her soul. “Hunter’s on his way back,” she announced softly.
“Does he have DiMackerlyn with him?” Disaster questioned.
“I…think so.” She wasn’t sure, but she felt certain Hunter wouldn’t return unless he’d succeeded in finding the man. That, or he’d discovered something very important.
“Doctor, are you through with your examinations?” Deceiver asked the physician.
“Yes. They’ve all passed. Sorry, folks. Break time’s over.”
“Great. Let’s move this into the meeting room and give ourselves some space when Hunter lands,” the Guardian leader ordered.
“We still haven’t answered our original question,” Seeker said. Everyone paused to let her finish. “Is there a connection between DiMackerlyn and Porith? This is going to eat at me until I find out why he was thinking about a dead man when I touched him. Does it have something to do with him taking the baby?”
“Guess we’ll soon find out,” Corona answered, and they quickly filed out of the room.
Chapter Thirty
Porith
They had barely taken their seats around the table when a swirling vortex of black, shadowy wisps appeared in front of them. A moment later, Hunter appeared. He stood unnaturally rigid with his arms at his side, obsidian eyes focused straight ahead, unblinking. His right hand clutched the back of DiMackerlyn’s shirt. The M’golifian was on his knees, head tilted upward, mouth hanging open as he stared at nothing. The man was in a total catatonic state.
Hunter tossed the man away from him, and DiMackerlyn sprawled onto the floor. Immediately, Commander rose from his chair, the Brotean Field net in his hands, when Hunter calmly reassured them.
“The man is under my power. You won’t need your restraints until I’m ready to release him.”
No matter how many times Star had seen her husband immersed within his deeper hunting abilities, the sight of those midnight-dark orbs in place of his blue eyes unnerved her.
Hunter turned his head toward the Guardian leader. “What do you need me to do with him?”
Deceiver motioned at Seeker, then asked Hunter, “Can she examine him while you have command?” In answer, the black wisps sank, disappearing into the floor, but Hunter kept his grip on the shirt.
Seeker went around to DiMackerlyn’s side. “Hunter, before I touch him, is there anything I need to know first? Is there anything I need to watch out for or avoid?”
He shook his head, his black eyes focused on her. “I am keeping him locked within himself, but his memories are open. Go for it, Seeker.”
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she placed her hands on top of the man’s head and closed her eyes. Silence enveloped the room to allow her to concentrate.
“I see…a man’s face. It’s Porith again.”
Everyone patiently waited, knowing she would reveal what she found as she delved further into the man’s subconscious and discovered it.
“Porith. On Bena Tabular. He met Porith on Bena Tabular.” Her eyes flew open as her face paled. “He gave the baby to Porith on Bena Tabular.”
“But Porith’s dead!” Disaster argued.
“Assumed dead,” Blender reminded him.
“Keep going,” Deceiver urged the young woman.
Star saw her husband turn to look her way. For a brief moment, his eyes cleared until she could see his loving blue gaze once more. Soon, he whispered. We’ll have our baby with us again soon.
“This is crazy,” Morning Fire bemoaned. “The judge is alive? How? Why does he have the baby?”
Someone shushed her as Seeker slowly began to rock from side to side.
“Revenge. Revenge. Creds. Lots of creds. Lots of wealth.”
Revenge? Creds? It wasn’t adding up.
Star stared at the man lying in a psychotically-induced state of paralysis. There were too many questions regarding DiMackerlyn’s behavior, and what few answers they were getting didn’t seem to match.
“Seeker?” Deceiver gently whispered.
The young Guardian took another deep breath, this one shaky as a shudder went through her body. She opened her eyes and removed her hands.
“Tell us,” Star urged.
“Porith is alive. I don’t know how. He contacted DiMackerlyn and offered to pay him five million creds…” She looked over at Star. “For you.”
“Five mill…” Bruiser whistled.
“Why me?” Star asked, not caring that her voice quivered. To her dismay, Seeker shook her head.
“I don’t know that, either. DiMackerlyn doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. All that mattered to him was the money. Apparently Porith figured your father would his best bet to get close enough to you to overcome you and bring you to him. That’s why he sought him out.”
“You said Porith was on Bena Tabular,” Provoker commented. “At the star base? The space port? One of the moons? Can you be more specific?”
Again, Seeker shook her head. “That part wasn’t clear. I’m guessing there was a pre-arranged place they were scheduled to meet, and DiMackerlyn sort of phased in and out of ships, and through corridors and rooms to get there. I didn’t see any signs, or recognize any of the surroundings.” She nodded at Star. “But I did get the gist that he honestly didn’t know at first that you were married or had a baby. Not until he discovered it for himself in the acquisitions room.”
Bruiser slammed his hand on the table and lowered his head. Animator, who sat next to him, patted his arm. “It’s all right, big guy. We all make mistakes.”
“What else can you tell us?” Deceiver inquired.
“He contacted Porith to tell him Star was too well guarded and distrusting, but that he had a possible alternative.”
“The baby,” Star whispered.
“Yes. The baby. To his surprise, Porith seemed delighted by the suggestion. He even offered to throw in another million creds.”
“So DiMackerlyn delivered the little starlet to our vindictive ex-tribunal judge?” Provoker asked.
“Yes. They parted company, and DiMackerlyn was on his way back to his home planet, when he was tagged by a security grid. He snatched some woman’s baby, hoping the SPF would return him to Synaria.”
Disaster’s frown matched theirs. “Why? He’d done his job. He could have pleaded he had no knowledge of the baby when he was captured. Why grab another baby and pretend it was Star’s and Hunter’s?”
“Maybe, because he knew the authorities expected him to have her, he did it to throw them off Porith’s trail?” Condemner suggested.
This time Seeker lifted her hands in a shrug. “That part I didn’t discover, not that it matters anymore. Oh! But there was one other thing I found out. It may not be much, but Porith commented something about not being on the planet when the Ombitra arrived.”
“On Synaria?” Morning Fire asked.
“That would explain why he’s still alive,” Sender remarked.
“But why didn’t he return?
” Commander wondered aloud. “Why didn’t he let anyone know he was alive?” He glanced around at the others. “Why keep up the ruse?”
“And why in the seven hells would he want revenge on Star?” Morning Fire added.
Hunter took a step back, releasing his mental hold on DiMackerlyn. The M’golifian slumped to the floor in an unconscious puddle. “Seeker, can you scan him again and find the exact words Porith said about the Ombitra?”
She nodded, and crouched down next to the man, placing her hands back on his head. After another few moments of silence, she intoned, “I made certain my wife and I were not on Synaria when the Ombitra arrived.” Cocking her head to one side, she included, “Star must pay for what she did.”
Shock filled the meeting room with an icy blast of cold horror. It was Challenger who managed to break the numb silence. “He made certain? The son of a bitch knew the Ombitra would attack? How? How?”
“We had assumed the only people who knew of the impending attack were those who had sold us out to the Ombitra,” Condemner softly commented.
“But we found all of those responsible,” Sender argued.
The silence, and the implication, grew palpable.
“Did we?” Time Merchant finally voiced what they all were thinking. “Did we get everyone?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Hunter interrupted. Once more, the ghostly black streams of his power swirled around his knees, and his eyes turned midnight. He gestured to Seeker. “Come with me.”
Without hesitation, she arose and went over to him. “Where are we going?”
“To pay a little visit to Serien Tark,” he remarked, his lips curling into a smile that held zero warmth or amusement. Before anyone could question his decision, the couple disappeared from view.
Star buried her face in her hands. Her head pounded, and her feelings were a morass of confusion. The allegations behind this whole mess were too much for her to take in, much less try to comprehend.
Someone nudged her elbow. She lifted her head to see Morning Fire pointing overhead. Above the table, Deceiver was blocking out a mental chart of events. Within its greenish glow, the truth was slowly coming to the forefront. When he was done, the Guardian leader placed his hands on the table and leaned forward.
“Questions? Comments?”
It was all there, including the glaringly obvious hole in the grid where Omand Porith’s name, followed by a question mark, flashed in red.
“Well, well, well,” Provoker finally managed to sneer. “You never know when your past is going to rise up and try to bite you again in the rear.”
Morning Fire looked down at where DiMackerlyn continued to lie in oblivious slumber. “Wonder how long that snurg slug will stay under with Hunter gone?”
Her question got Commander’s attention, and he hurried over to wrap the man securely within the restrictive net. When he was finished, he stepped away and pulled a small control device from his pocket. “All right, DiMackerlyn. Let’s see you try that stunt again. I dare you.”
“Deceiver?”
The Guardian leader looked over at Time Merchant.
“What do you think Hunter is looking for? Corroboration between Porith and those men we busted for collusion with the Ombitra?”
“It would explain almost everything that’s been happening,” Deceiver acknowledged.
“All except for one thing,” Star added, her gaze riveted on the flashing name overhead. “If Porith was involved in the conspiracy to destroy us and Synaria, and I was the one responsible for removing that threat, then I can understand why he came after me. And when I was no longer a possible captive, why he was willing to trade me for my baby. But I can’t…” She shook her head. “He wanted me. Why? To destroy me? To blame me and make me pay for what I did? To eventually kill me? Why take Callie?”
“I think he did it to get his ultimate revenge on you,” Commander guessed. “Maybe he planned to hold you captive. Get his revenge the old-fashioned way, through torture and long confinement. With you no longer a possible target, maybe he decided it would be less risky to take the little starlet to make you suffer in a different way. Maybe hold her for ransom. After all, the guy paid a butt-load of creds to DiMackerlyn.”
Animator spoke up. “Let’s say he took Callie to ransom her. Why haven’t we heard anything by now? Why hasn’t he tried to contact us?”
Provoker gave the woman a disdainful glance. “Oh, come on, Ani. If he contacted Star, that would give us a direct line of contact. Why risk giving away his location? Especially to Hunter?” The man shook his head. “No. If the guy’s looking to ransom, it wouldn’t be us he’d ask for money. He’d seek out our enemies. There are plenty of people who would love to get their hands on the little starlet. But…”
“But what?” Animator insisted. “Spit it out.”
“But I’m thinking Porith doesn’t plan to sell off the baby. I’m thinking he may hold on to her. After all, he’s waited this long to get his revenge. Why let go of his prize?” He held out a hand in Star’s direction. “What better revenge than to raise the child and have her believe she’s his, and never knowing who her real parents are? What better revenge than to make you and Hunter suffer the loss of your second child, and never know what happened to her?”
A minute of silence stretched into two before Disaster asked, “How long should we hang around for Hunter and Seeker to return? Star?”
She shook her head. “I don’t sense anything. I’m sorry.”
“It will take Hunter a while to get to the prison moon and back,” Time Merchant noted. “Not counting how long Seeker will need to get some answers.”
“All right,” Corona commented. “So what do we do in the meantime?”
“We go to the landing bay,” Deceiver replied. “We need to rearrange the cradles so we can get Transport Four inside. And we’re still not finished with Two’s repairs. Star, will you let us know when you hear from Hunter?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good. Well, I hate to sound like worn-out audio loop, but let’s get to work.”
For once, no one grumbled as they left the meeting room.
Chapter Thirty-One
Four
Time dragged. Minutes became hours. Late that afternoon, Star excused herself to pump her milk, and left the others to continue working in the landing bay.
Wooly went over to where Sender was sitting at the comm board and helping to map the holes in Two’s fuselage. She glanced up, noticed it was him, and gave him a warm smile. “Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey to you, too,” he answered in the same soft voice. Motioning to the rest of the group, he added, “Is it usually this somber?”
She eyed the far wall where Condemner and Commander were measuring out the floor space for the new cradle. “Not always, but it comes with the job.” She gave him another smile. “We’re not exactly an entertainment group.”
Wooly snorted. “I didn’t expect you to be. I can’t imagine how this place was, right after the Ombitra attacked. Bet it was scary.”
“That’s not the half of it. Try scary with a hefty dose of depression.”
“Wow. And then when four of you got lost in that wormhole… I swear the entire galaxy went into mourning.”
He saw Sender’s expression momentarily lapse into sadness, and he laid a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge up bad memories.”
“No. It’s all right. After all, they did return to us. That’s what counts, right? Having family you thought was gone forever suddenly showing up alive and well.”
Some information popped up on her screen, which she relayed. Wooly narrowed his eyes at the display. “What are you doing?”
“It’s a little program Challenger came up with. Morning Fire and Corona are combing the inner hull with a sensory device that pinpoints every weak area and hole. The device sends a record of that area, so that Provoker, Disaster, and Animator can follow behind and repair those spots.”
Sender sighed. “You got that right.” She looked at him. “You’ve never done hull repairs before?”
“No. I’ve always been assigned to engineering.”
He remained standing there, peering over her shoulder. He knew he should get back to what he was doing, but he wasn’t keen on leaving the brunette’s side.
“Hey.”
“Hey again,” she automatically replied, and giggled.
Wooly grinned. “Listen, I’ve come up with a couple of ideas for my Guardian name, and I thought I’d run them by you. Care to hear them? Tell me what you think?”
“Go ahead.”
“Very well. How about The Doer?”
She made a face. “What’s your other possibility?”
“Don’t like that one?”
Seeker shook her head. “Doer doesn’t fit you, in my opinion.”
“All right. How about The Fixer?”
“Wooly…”
“I’ve also been considering The Fixonator.”
This time he got a laugh out of her.
“Or Captain Repair.”
“Wooly!” She laid a hand on his arm as she continued to laugh. “Wooly, stop that. You make it sound like you’re the guy who has to go in to mop up everyone else’s messes!” She sobered. “Don’t worry about what to call yourself right now. Give it a little time. The right name will come to you. That, or one of us will drop one on you that you’ll like. Who knows?”
“Guess you’re right,” he told her. “Well, guess I better get back to my post if I plan to stay in everybody’s good graces. Talk to you later.” Giving her a little wave, he made his way over to where Commander was eyeing the northeast corner of the room. The Guardian gave him a cursory glance.
“What’s up, Wooly?”
“Not much. I was observing how you’re spotting and patching that hull on Two.”
“And?”
“Why are you using a two-step method? Why not patch as you locate? Sure would save a lot of time and effort.”
Commander lifted an eyebrow at him. “Basically because the size, depth, and density of each area isn’t consistent. We don’t have any equipment that can spot and repair simultaneously. Spotting is easy. It’s calibrating the sealer to repair each area that’s time-consuming.” Both eyebrows lifted, silently asking the young man a question, which Wooly immediately understood.
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