by Unknown
"Jalissa? It's you, isn't it?"
The young Witch stopped a short distance away, her own hands glowing with blue fire.
Jalissa nodded, searching the speaker's face. There was something familiar. . . .
"It's Nedeeyah. I was only a baby when you left, but I remember you."
"Nedeeyah?" Jalissa was astonished. Her cousin had been not quite two when Jalissa left the Coven. The memory flooded through her. Nedeeyah had followed her around, a nuisance most of the time. And yet, after she had gone to Tevingi, it was Nedeeyah she had missed most.
"Before he was killed, Kavnor told us that you might come here," Nedeeyah said, her voice cautious. "He said you would try to stop us."
Jalissa wanted to reach out to this lovely young woman, but she kept her emotions in check. "What you are doing is wrong, Nedeeyah. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people will die because of this."
"We don't want anyone to die," the girl pro- tested. "All we want is to be able to live as others do."
"How many of you are here?" Jalissa asked, trying to ignore the girl's plea even as she imagined herself in her situation.
"Twelve of us. Kavnor was our leaderuntil they killed him. The Vantrans killed him, Jalissa. They still hate us. How can you side with them?"
"His death was an accident. The soldiers should have captured him alive. The Vantrans wanted him alive."
"Nevertheless, he is deadand we're going to carry out his plan."
"And what is that plan?"
"We know that the Vantrans need the crystals here, and now that the worlds that once worshipped us know we still exist, they will help us keep control of the crystals. The Vantrans can't use their weapons here, or they will destroy their precious crystals. All we ask in return for letting them have the crystals is that they allow us to live in peace."
"Live where? Where is the Coven? I know the members have abandoned their old home because I was there. Are they all here on Ker?"
Nedeeyah shook her dark head. "But I can't tell you where they areat least not yet. We will announce it when the time is right."
"Listen to me, Nedeeyah. The Vantrans will not permit this. They are sending a huge force to Ker. It'll be here within hours. And some of them will get through. They know the defenses here because they built them. They will sacrifice however many troops it takes to re-capture this place."
Nedeeyah lifted her chin defiantly. "Then let them try. We defeated them before, and we'll do it again!"
"The Coven defeated them only by going into hiding," Jalissa reminded her. "And you've already said that none of you wants that."
She made a dismissive gesture. "Besides, that was nearly a hundred years ago. Now the Vantrans possess weapons that are more than the equal of oursand they too have changed. They may control the Federation to some extent, but they can no longer act without taking into account the feelings of other races.
"The Federation isn't perfect, Nedeeyah, but it works most of the time. The wars now are limited to tribal conflicts on some of the more primitive worlds, and although I don't always approve of their methods, the Vantrans are committed to peace and to the Federation.
"There are still some Vantrans who would use a battle here as an excuse to seize even more power, and that cannot be allowed to happen. We have a powerful ally among the Vantrans. His name is Miklos Panera, and his family is the most powerful on Vantrain the entire galaxy, actually."
And as she spoke, Jalissa once again felt that chill. Miklos wasn't far away, but it already seemed to her that he was a part of her past. She resisted the urge to 'port herself back to the barracks and focused instead on her cousin.
"Take me to the others. I must speak to them."
One moment, Miklos was holding her in his arms, and the next instant, his hands were clutching empty space. As her final words echoed in his brain, he thought that they were belied by fear. Or was that his own fear he sensed?
He tried again to reach for that dream that had awakened himhad probably awakened them both. But once more, it eluded him.
She'll be safe, he told himself. If her people are here, they won't harm her. And neither would any of the others who were loyal to the Coven. All he had to do was to find the troops still loyal to the Federation and restrain them. That was all-important, because among them could well be another trigger-happy fool like the one who'd killed the Warlock.
He made his way carefully along the side of the building, stunner in hand. When he reached the main entrance, he backed quickly into the shadows. In front of the next building, two guards were sitting on the ground. Miklos grimaced. So much for military discipline. He couldn't quite suppress a thought that the military had suffered by being opened to all worlds. With the Vantran officers locked up inside, these men were ignoring their training.
Still, it was what he'd expected, and it made his job easier. It also meant that the loyal troops obviously hadn't been killed and could now be enlisted to help him.
He moved quickly, felling the first one and then the second man before they could do more than half-turn in Miklos's direction. Then he searched their unconscious bodies until he found the key to the barracks door.
Once inside, he searched for the light switches, and flooded the barracks with light to wake the sleeping troops. Men and women sat up in their cots, blinking sleepily at him. He scanned the lot of them, searching for the commander, and found her just as she recognized him.
"Miklos Panera!" she said, vaulting from the cot. "What . . . ?"
"Have someone bring those guards in here and take their places, in case someone comes to check on them," he ordered as he turned off the lights again.
Then, as two soldiers hurried to do his bidding, he explained the situation to the commander.
"Jalissa Kendor is with me. She's gone to try to put an end to the rebellion."
"They won't listen to her, Miklos," the commander said. "This situation has gone far beyond the abilities of a Whisperer." ''But not beyond the abilities of a Whisperer who is also a Witch."
The commander blinked rapidly. Her officers had gathered around her and they all stared at him in disbelief.
"She's pretending to be a Witch?" the commander said. "Normally, that might work, but they're really herea dozen of them, Witches and Warlocks."
"She isn't pretending."
It took some time for that to sink in, and Miklos could tell that at least some of them didn't believe him. That, he decided, was their problem. They'd find out soon enough. He went on to explain about the imminent arrival of the troopships.
"I want your best men and women," he told the commander. "We have to take the air-defense center. I'm not certain when the ships will arrive."
Jalissa was growing impatient. She'd been talking for some time now to the hastily assembled Witches and Warlocks. Only her sympathy for their predicament gave her the will to continue to speak calmly.
None of them claimed to have heard the voices of the gods, though Kavnor had said he had. They were here because they didn't want to spend their lives in the isolation and primitive surroundings of the Coven. For years now, they'd listened to stories told to them by Danto Kendor and his crew when they visited the Coven. They knew how much the world outside had changed, even if they were a bit fuzzy on the details. And they'd succumbed to that universal longing of youth to seek out that which they didn't have.
There were more of them than were present here, they told her. In fact, it sounded to Jalissa as though the entire generation they represented was ready and eager to claim a piece of the world beyond the Coven.
"But what of your eldersand the priests?" She asked.
"They didn't try to stop us," Nedeeyah told her. "And they would have if the gods had told them to."
Jalissa knew now that there was no way she could persuade them to give this up and return to the safety and isolation of the Covenwherever it was. The most she could hope for was to prevent bloodshed, so she concentrated on that.
"We must n
egotiate with the Federation Council," she told them. "And in the meantime, we have to prevent your followers here from shooting down the troopships."
"Then they'll just land and kill everyone," a young Warlock stated.
"No. I have an ally here. He's a Special Agent of the Federation military. They'll listen to him." "Is he a Vantran?" someone asked, making the word into a curse.
"Yes, and he knows I'm a Witch." Jalissa hesitated, then decided to tell them the whole truth. Perhaps that would convince them that not all Vantrans were evil.
"He's also my loverand when this is over, we plan to marry."
The room was utterly still as they stared at her, too shocked to do more than draw in sharp breaths. She understood their dismay. Not only had she chosen a mate outside the Covensomething that had never before happened in all their long historybut she'd also chosen a Vantran, one of their ancient enemies.
"He is a good man, and he will help us," she went on. "I want you to remain here, and keep the miners that are allied with you under control. I must find him and speak to him."
She waited, watching as they all exchanged glances, clearly uncertain now about what to do. She pressed her point.
"If you allow these troops to do battle, we will never be able to persuade the Federation Council of our peaceful intentions."
"But what about the other troops?" Nedeeyah asked. "Has he set them free?"
"He will keep them under control. Now do as I say. It's our only hope."
One by one, they nodded, and when she was satisfied that she had gained their cooperation, Jalissa 'ported herself to the air-defense compound.
Miklos and his small contingent made their way quietly across the base under cover of a darkness that was just beginning to lighten with the coming dawn. With him was the man in charge of the air defenses, whose intimate knowledge of the compound would be valuable.
The landing area and the air defenses were on the far side of the huge base, miles from the barracks. Miklos considered and then rejected the idea of taking several of the vehicles parked nearby. It was still early for anyone to be up and about, but if anyone was, they would surely be curious about vehicles moving toward the airdefense compound.
He also wanted to avoid the area where the miners and the Coven members were housed. Jalissa had said that she would need time to convince them to remain peaceful.
As they moved quickly along the perimeter of the base, Miklos's glance kept going to the gradually lightening sky. The man in charge of the air defenses followed his gaze.
"I overheard one of my menone who joined the other sidesaying that they expected the troopships this morning. They're already tracking them."
Miklos grunted. This was not good news. He'd hoped to have as much time as possible to get things under control before he had to deal with the arriving troops.
He knew full well that if he were anyone other than who he was, he wouldn't have a chance of persuading them to stop the attack. After all, he was a fugitive now, someone who had dared to disobey a direct order from the Council. But because he was also a Panera, he at least had a chance to persuade them. If necessary, he would threaten to bring down the wrath of his family on the commander of the task force, to ensure that the commander would spend the remainder of his or her career in some forsaken backwater.
In the distance, he could see some lights coming on in the miners' quarters. The officer with him explained that they were working round-theclock shifts right now, because many crystals were needed for the changes being made to the galactic tracking system.
"When is the shift change?" Miklos asked.
"In about an hour."
He hoped that within that hour, the situation could be resolved. The highly skilled miners could not be put at risk. It took years to seek out those who could be trained, and then still more years to accomplish that training.
"There's a lot of hatred here right now, feelings of betrayal," the Vantran officer went on as they moved along the edges of the base.
"And all it will take is one trigger-happy soldier to bring a disaster upon us," Miklos finished for him.
"Unfortunately, there are always that kind around. The Coven must have ordered them not to kill us, but I suspect they may have better control over their forces than we have over ours."
Miklos nodded, once again regretting that some of the less dependable worlds had been allowed to provide troops. He knew there were some among them who were just barely beyond the kind of mentality that had bathed their home worlds in blood for centuries. The Vantran military command had tried to keep them out, but the Council, always sensitive to the demands of emerging worlds, had insisted that they be let in.
Miklos and the others passed by a group of warehouses, and then Miklos saw the air-defense compound in the distance. In the middle of it stood the tall tower that housed the spacetracking and landing-guidance systems. The glass top of the tower was brightly lit, and he squinted, trying to see the occupants.
"How many . . .?"
The question hung in the cool air unfinished as they both raised their heads to stare at the heavens. For one brief second, something with the brilliance of a sun appeared up there, leaving a lingering afterimage on their eyes.
"They're here!" the officer said unnecessarily as the others gathered around them. "They've shot down one of the troopships." Miklos shook his head. "The flash wasn't large enough to have been a troopship. My guess is that it was a T- or some other smaller ship, hoping to sneak through without being detected. But the troopships can't be far behind."
Even though they were all winded from jogging across the base, they now poured on speed and headed for the tower, taking advantage of the surrounding buildings that housed the powerful laser missiles that had just fired. Guidance was by remote control from the tower, so there would be no one in these missile silos.
Entrance to the tower itself was gained only by handprint identification, and Miklos held his breath as the officer pressed his palm against the panel. Those who now controlled the tower could have changed the coding, which meant that instead of gaining access, they'd be setting off an alarm that would not only alert those inside, but also the troops back at the barracks.
The door slid open, however, and they all hurried inside. Miklos deferred to the air-defense commander, who quickly issued orders to the group. Then they split up and began to make their various ways to the control room at the top of the tower.
Jalissa landed next to one of the buildings in the air-defense compound. A wave of dizziness came over her, and she sank to her knees, then sat down against the wall of the building. She realized that she'd been overusing her powersand on an empty stomach as well. She'd had nothing to eat for nearly hours.
She was about to get to her feet when suddenly the sky was lit by a bright flash of light. Instinctively, she sank down again. The troopships must have arrived, and Miklos apparently hadn't succeeded in gaining control of the tower.
She staggered to her feet again and moved out of the shadow of the building. Some distance away, she could see the tower and the tiny figures inside its glass-walled top. Where was Miklos? Had something gone wrong back at the barracks? She had to find out.
Drawing on her dwindling reserves of strength, Jalissa 'ported herself back to the barracks, landing just behind one of them. This time the dizziness was even worse, and she had to wait for several minutes before she dared to get to her feet. She was between two barracks, and she could hear shouting coming from them both. Someone had seen the exploding ship and awakened the others, or perhaps it was time for them to get up anyway. Dawn was fast approaching.
She listened for a time, trying to sort out the different voices, hoping to hear that one familiar voice among many. Where was he? Finally, she got to her feet, even though the dizziness hadn't yet gone away.
She made her way toward the front of the barracks, summoning the fire as she went. But her vision was blurred and her head was throbbing painfully. Still, she knew she
could wield the fire if she had to. And she was determined to find Miklos.
Jalissa never saw the two men who were making their rounds as guards of one of the barracks. They were with the loyal forces, and one of them was from just the kind of world that so troubled Miklos. When he and his companion came around the corner and saw before them what was clearly a Witch, with the magic fire surrounding her hands, the soldier fired his laser gun without hesitation. His companion, a young Vantran soldier, tried to deflect the gun, but she was too late.
"I don't care what your orders are, General. Either you remain where you are or I personally guarantee that you'll spend the rest of your career on Garlovthat is, if you're fortunate enough to escape being sent to a penal colony!"
"You're a fugitive, Panera. I don't have to listen to you."
"I may be a fugitive, but I'm also a Panera. And if I were you, I'd think about the latter fact, not the former. Regardless of what happens to me, my family will see to it that you have no future in the militaryor anywhere else."
Miklos stared at the large viewscreen, knowing that the general was staring back at him. Behind Miklos, the last of the defenders of the tower were being put into restraints before they could regain consciousness.
He could not allow the Federation troops to land now. Word had come from the barracks region that fighting had broken out. He didn't know what had set it off, but to permit reinforcements to land now would only exacerbate the situation. So far, from what he could tell, the Coven members and the miners were keeping to their quarters, and that must mean that Jalissa was there with them, safely away from the fighting.
The general glared at him from the screen, and Miklos glared back. He knew that the man was fully aware of his ability to carry out his threats, but he was obviously weighing that against the glory he could see accruing to him if he won this battle.