by Patty Jansen
There are too many people here, I said to Thayu behind me.
Telaris and Nicha had gone to the business area, but reported that they couldn’t see a sign of either Robert or Clovis.
There were just too many people here.
Let’s go up there, Thayu said.
“Up there” turned out to be the viewing platform, from where you could see over the heads of the crowd and out through the large window over the tarmac. Thayu and I went halfway up the stairs. I was afraid that being up there would make us visible, but there was no way we would be able to find Clovis and Robert in this crowd otherwise.
Thunder boomed overhead and predictably all the departure signs started flashing delayed. People complained loudly about missing other flights and having to wait even longer. The rain lashed against the large window on the tarmac side of the building. Lightning showed up silhouettes of all the craft out there, tied down by the wings and tail like ours. A single person ran between the aircraft, holding a shirt over his head.
Thayu was scanning the crowd with her reader, using the face recognition program.
“It’s not easy,” she said. “Everyone is moving too much and I can’t get a good view of most people.” This was not helped by the long-veiled rain hats that functioned as umbrellas.
Then Sheydu said, Jasper is here.
Now that was interesting.
She and Veyada had gone to the ticketing area in the foyer of the building. We ran to the side of the viewing platform that looked out in that direction. Sheydu and Veyada were standing near one of the pillars that supported the stairway that came up to the platform.
He went that way, Sheydu said, gesturing with her eyes in the direction of the large window. I looked, but couldn’t see him in the crowd.
Is Jasper Carlson on the flight? I asked Deyu.
Not that we have seen.
Unless Jasper, too, was flying under a false ID.
The flight notifications had gone back to showing scheduled times. Two airport crew were outside, about to open the double doors for people to walk to the aircraft. Most of the passengers on the flight were Coldi, a couple with their hair died dull black, who clearly lived and worked outside the Exchange.
We’re going to have to go there and keep people from getting on the flight, I said.
We’re onto it, Sheydu said. She and Veyada started making their way to the waiting area. Deyu and Evi said that they were moving outside from the business lounge. Nicha and Reida had been at the far end of the hall where luggage was being collected. I could see them push their way towards the boarding exit along the window.
Telaris just came up the stairs to the viewing platform from the other side. He had most of the equipment to communicate with Devlin at home. He was going to coordinate us.
Let’s go down, I said to Thayu.
The Exchange security people had opened the doors. A long line of people waited to have their passes checked and one by one, they left the building.
Sheydu and Veyada were pushing past the queue, drawing annoyed looks in the process. They intended to push past the checkpoint, too, and go out to the craft.
The trouble was that we had no authority to do so.
Then I saw them: Jasper and Robert. They stood near the giant pillars that supported the roof. Jasper wore his hair loose, black and hanging over his shoulders. He was digging in the pocket of his trousers.
There. Thayu said.
Sheydu and Veyada were the closest. They changed direction, wormed themselves through the line of waiting people—drawing more annoyed looks—jumped over a row of seats and crossed the hall in giant strides. Both had taken guns from their arm brackets. People pushed out of their way, watching them go past.
Jasper was giving Robert something that looked like a document.
Then he turned sharply in Sheydu and Veyada’s direction.
I think he’s seen you! I said.
At the same time Thayu warned, Action! Jasper drew a gun and shot . . . at Telaris up on the platform.
Telaris, however, had seen it coming and had ducked safely behind the balustrade.
Shit, shit, shit.
Veyada and Sheydu had moved sideways. People were screaming and running away. The smart ones cowered under or between the seats.
Thayu and I crawl-walked down the stairs so that they couldn’t see us over the railing. Nicha and Reida came running in our direction. Deyu and Evi hurried along the outside of the window.
The security guards shut the door just as they arrived. They wanted to keep Evi and Deyu outside. Evi loomed over one guard and said something to him, while Deyu forced the door open. Evi pushed the guard away. The man reeled back against the glass. His colleague was on his comm. More trouble.
Deyu and Evi came into the hall, both carrying guns in their hands. Thayu and I reached the bottom of the stairs. Thayu unclipped her favourite weapon.
Someone yelled, “Stop!”
Deyu sprang into action a split second before Evi did. Both ran across the hall to where Robert was. Thayu ran off as well. I had no hope of keeping up with her.
When I reached them, they had Robert on the ground in the darkness under the stairs. Sheydu sat on him, and Veyada pushed his head down with his knee while trying up his hands. Robert was kicking and cursing but was absolutely no match for two of the best and most experienced fighters in my team.
I walked around so that I could see his face. He calmed down when his eyes met time.
“Mr Davidson,” I said, keeping my voice cool.
He snorted. His face was red and sunburnt, skin peeling from his nose.
“You’re accused of murder, attempted murder, smuggling, illegal entry and evading quarantine. We arrest you in the name of Nations of Earth.”
He spat. “You have no authority to do this. I’ll get my lawyer onto you.”
“Sure. He can deal with my lawyer, who is currently sitting on your head.”
Robert glanced aside to where Veyada’s knee blocked his view.
Sheydu had tied up his ankles and Veyada was done with his wrists. He rose, dragging Robert to his feet by the back of his shirt.
A wide circle of curious onlookers had gathered around us, including several unarmed security personnel. Those were soon joined by armed guards.
“What’s going on?” a man asked.
“This man is an illegal visitor. We’ll be returning him to his world.”
“What authority do you have to carry those weapons?”
“This is Cory Wilson. He is a delegate in gamra’s special projects division.”
The guard gave me a wide-eyed look. He seemed not sure whether to back away or persist. I thought his orders would tell him to persist. He knew we were outside our authority. Hell, we knew it. But then he would have to take our accusations of murder seriously.
He jerked his head. “Take him out of here, before I see this happening.”
So we crossed the terminal with our prisoner, who appeared to have resolved to say nothing.
Telaris watched from above.
“Did anyone see where Jasper went?” I asked.
“No, but look,” Thayu said.
Outside the window, a long string of small figures crossed the tarmac. In the driving rain, they all looked dark, but I didn’t miss their tails.
The Thousand Islands Pengali had arrived.
The guards opened the door for us, letting us out onto the tarmac. The rain belted down and we were soaked in no time. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
The Pengali had stopped to watch us.
A figure came forward. It was Abri. In her hand she held a fearsome glass-stone knife.
Robert started struggling.
“Hold still,” I ordered him. Veyada and Sheydu tightened their grip on him.
His eyes were wide. “You’re not going to allow her to do it, right? You’re a decent person.”
“Yes, and you are not.”
“Hey. Humans don’t do that to each o
ther.”
“You didn’t kill Gusamo Sahardjo?”
His mouth twitched. Water was running down his face into his neck. I gave Abri the back off sign and she did. “He will face our laws. I may need to come to you for evidence.” It would be the very first cross-world court case for Earth. I’d put Veyada in contact with the Nations of Earth lawyers, and if those people were smart, they’d use him.
“All right, let’s go,” I said.
The Pengali didn’t protest, but as Veyada and Sheydu dragged Robert past the group of Pengali, Abri lashed out with her tail. The tip snapped like a whip, right in Robert’s face.
He yelled, “Ow!”
He struggled against Sheydu and Veyada’s grip. Blood ran out of his nose.
“That is what we think of him,” Abri said, lifting her chin. “It will be told to the entire tribe. Now we will go and sink a certain person’s boats.”
And they all ran off to the side of the tarmac, where they disappeared in the darkness, and would probably climb the fence.
“Oh boy, I would not like to be Clovis tonight,” I said.
We arrived at the two aircraft. Nicha opened the door, and Veyada and Thayu manhandled Robert inside. They tied him to the seat in the very back.
We all piled in. I sat next to Thayu, and Veyada next to Robert.
“I swear, if he does any funny business, I’ll kill him,” Thayu muttered.
Robert remained quiet for the trip.
We came home where Thayu and Sheydu took Robert to the downstairs storeroom for the night. I told Eirani not to open the door under any circumstances. It had no windows. Upstairs, I asked Devlin to book a flight for the next day, and I informed Margarethe that we had the man.
She replied, His wife will be overjoyed.
Wouldn’t she, ever.
Initially, I had thought that Thayu, Nicha and I would have a quick trip to Rotterdam, maybe take Evi and Telaris, but that was it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised this was going to be about me as much as it was about returning Robert. Margarethe might ask me to speak at the Nations of Earth assembly. We would definitely spend time in her office and in the official buildings. I was no longer a junior delegate. I couldn’t rock up in casual clothing with a few companions. I represented gamra and Ezhya. I needed to go with my full association in full colours.
I said, “Devlin, I’m sorry to dump this on you after you already made the booking, but I want you to book places on the shuttle for everyone else, too.”
“Including the young ones?”
“Everyone, including Evi and Telaris. They can be Robert’s personal guards.”
“I don’t know if there will still be room.”
“Try it.”
He did, and there was room, so I asked everyone to come into the hub and explained what we were doing. There were nods all around, except for Reida and Deyu, who were both so excited that they could barely keep their composure.
I sent them to pack all their official gear, a set of casual clothing and their temperature retaining suits, because—I checked—it was February.
Then, when they were all gone, I asked for a line to Ezhya. I had only been in contact with him through messages since we defeated the Aghyrian ship, and it was good to see his face again.
I asked him how the new baby was, because I was in a position that I could ask him things like that.
“She’s starting to be a handful,” he said.
I explained to him that I needed to go to Rotterdam and why. I told him why I was taking everyone, essentially to explain the giant hole this would blow in the budget.
He nodded, his face grave.
“I’d have wanted you to visit there and check what was actually going on. I’ve heard some disturbing noises.”
I forgot that he still seemed to have a special relationship with Margarethe, ever since the two of them had been forced to spend a few weeks together on Kedras when the Exchange went down. Neither of them had ever elaborated on that time, but there was definitely a relationship.
“I have the chance to check it out now. Anything in particular you want me to ask or look at?”
“Observe, don’t ask too much. Don’t forget that they are the non-gamra world with the largest population by far. If they were to join, they’d be second only to Asto, and that’s only when you count Asto’s offworld population.” Like the vast military stations. “It seems that some people on Earth have realised this and are starting to do something with that fact. Margarethe is going to have to move on joining, or risk fracturing gamra forever, if these people start setting up their own systems.”
That was definitely a serious matter. I promised him I’d find out as much as possible of the things that the Exchange didn’t report and that Amarru might interpret wrongly.
I signed off with a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach. This was not about Robert, not about a single criminal act. It wasn’t even about the fact that he had ruthlessly murdered people. It was much bigger than the crimes of a single man.
We were still in the hub, eating from a platter of biscuits that Eirani had brought, when a message came in for me. It was from the hospital. Melissa was awake.
I met Thayu’s eyes. It had been a long day and I was tired, and we’d been into town twice already, but we were going to Athens tomorrow, and I needed to know what she had to say.
She sighed. “All right. I guess a boat is out. Do we catch the train?”
I hated asking anyone in my association to go back into town. By the look of things, most of them were either packing or had gone to bed early, or at least retired to their rooms.
Evi and Telaris were still at the door and said they’d come, so the four of us walked to the station, as we used to do before my household expanded. It was quite late, and few people still went into town.
The rain had calmed a lot of normal outdoor activity in the city. The streets were much quieter than usual, since no one had yet set up the wet season tents that would spring up everywhere.
The trip was uneventful.
Melissa sat in bed, propped up against a pile of pillows. Her arm and shoulder had been bandaged up, and she was still attached to various machines.
“Oh, Cory!”
I sat down on the bed.
Her eyes were red, and her cheeks wet with tears.
“I’m sorry for sending you out there.”
“He killed Taysin. We got out of the boat at the island and he just started shooting. He killed her, and the driver and the other Pengali I brought and he dragged me into this cave. I thought I was going to die—” She burst into tears.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I hugged her. She felt thin and weak and smelled of hospital. Her body shook with her cries.
Thayu had retreated to the door, unsure what to do. Most gamra societies didn’t approve of the display of this kind of emotion in public.
I waited until Melissa had calmed down somewhat. “We caught Robert today. I’m going to deliver him to Nations of Earth tomorrow. Can I take a statement from you about what happened when you went to what you thought was a rescue?”
She nodded and wiped her cheeks. “Do you want to do that now?”
Underneath her grief, I knew she was a professional. Thayu came into the room with the recording equipment.
Melissa described how she, Taysin and the Pengali she had hired had set out for the island.
“You didn’t bring any guards?”
“It was a rescue. I had a number of Pengali who were good at survival in the wild, I had a boat, Taysin is . . .” Her eyes filled with tears. She continued in a lower voice. “Taysin was trained in medical emergencies. There was no reason for him to just start shooting at us. No reason.”
She described how they arrived, saw his boat and called out to him, and he opened fire, pretty much in the same way he had done with us.
“Sorry about asking this, but what did he do with the bodies?”
Melissa’s lip trembled. “H
e . . . he took them away in the boat. I don’t know where to.”
I thought I knew. “Did you see the lab and the diamonds inside the cave?”
She shook her head. “He tied me to a post in that shelter outside. He . . .” Her eyes filled with tears again. “He threatened to kill me several times.”
“Did he give a reason why he didn’t?”
Melissa blinked away tears. Her short hair lay plastered against her head, making her look smaller than she did in her normal pixie-style, spiked-up hairdo.
“I think . . .” she said. Her voice was hoarse. “I hoped that he had a bit of decency. I don’t think he could kill a woman. Not a white, human woman at least. Someone who looks like his wife.”
Fiona Davidson was similar in build.
Melissa wiped her eyes again. The skin at the top of her cheeks was red from wiping it.
“Did he say anything to you about why he was there?”
“He said . . .” She tried very hard to keep her composure. “He said that we would find out. He was never really coherent about it. He said that Nations of Earth were stupid, and that they were missing a lot of opportunities, and that he didn’t need all that bureaucracy. I don’t know what he was talking about and what alternative there would be to either Nations of Earth and gamra but those are the things he said.”
I nodded. Damn it. Echoes of Renkati. Their agenda had been to set up a second Exchange so that a secondary society could operate independently of the Exchange which they said was too tightly controlled by the Coldi. Were they setting up something like this, and was it controlled this time by rich business people on Earth?
I asked Melissa for precise details about the people Robert had shot, as much as she remembered of what he had said to her. And if she knew how he had travelled to Barresh.
She didn’t, but she had already let it come through that this was not a random idea by a single random man. This was a highly organised group. A rich group, which had the resources to buy what they needed, legally or illegally. Robert had bought Clovis. And poor Clovis, with his penchant for wanting to grab easy money, had fallen for it, and had then tried to extract himself. He’d probably panicked when he found out more about the group’s aims, and had abandoned Robert on the island.
Poor Gusamo had been caught in the middle. Melissa hadn’t seen him at all so maybe he was already dead by that time. Maybe Robert had found Gusamo camping on the other beach when he came to dump the bodies. No one would ever know.