Ranh

by Ian J Miller

  "Right," Methrell said. "Time to get out of here." She turned on the officials and scowled as she said, "You agree Baht made it to the top?"

  The officials were only too happy to write out the certificate showing that no further action could be taken on anything Baht had done up until the authorized time, which was right then. That was also lodged into the computer system. Baht was free.

  "Right, we take this Conclave Guard with us. Kazyn, you presumably have somewhere to hide up. Keep this fowl there, keep him secured, and, well, maybe we can jointly come to some decision on what to do with him later. We now get off this hill before other officials turn up."

  Chapter 23

  Gaius and Natasha found the evening news program for once to be of considerable interest. First, it was reported that there had been intervention in the run. The officials on the hill had complained that they had been captured and immobilized by one Kuyrill Kazyn, who was wanted for questioning, and was still at large.

  Unfortunately, one of the reporters bothered to ask one of the officials how he felt when threatened by Kazyn, and he replied, "Frightened." The question then went to what was he particularly frightened of, and the reply came out without his thinking very deeply about it, "The Conclave Guard had told me, if I mentioned anything about . . ." He stopped, and realized that he had said too much. It had now become public knowledge that the Conclave Guard had become involved. The question then was, why?

  A reporter then tried to interview Cardinal Sender, but the interview was refused. A junior official instead responded that he would be there because the Cardinal wanted to ensure that everything was done properly according to the law.

  "But that is what the officials were for isn't it?"

  "Yes, but . . ." Whatever was to follow the "but" was never disclosed.

  "And is it not true that there were more hunters there than the six announced?"

  "I have heard reports to that effect, yes."

  "Then the Conclave Guards were not very efficient, were they?"

  The official had no response to this because as yet he was unaware that Kazyn had trussed the Guard.

  "Not only that, but according to Seppet Methrell, these two ID tags were taken from the two with beam weapons."

  "So?"

  "They identify members of the Conclave Guard."

  "They must have been stolen," came the rather hesitant reply. The interviewer left it at that. All of Ranh would know that Guard members who permitted their ID tags to be stolen must be chickens.

  It was then that another reporter requested an interview with Baht. That did not quite go according to plan, as the reporter was told that Baht was with Seppet Methrell, and while the interview would be granted, Methrell would make the responses.

  "So, Baht is too afraid to –" the reporter started.

  "No, but Baht does not yet realize the implications of what happened out there," Methrell interrupted, then waved a claw at the interviewer as she continued, "and if you wish to discuss being afraid, I am sure I can accommodate you in becoming aware of what being afraid means. If, instead, you would like to ask a question, please try to enunciate it better than you have so far."

  The reporter backed away a little, and asked, "Is it true that Kuyrill Kazyn was at the finish point?"

  "Yes."

  "And did he not kill two hunters, and thus make the run invalid?"

  "No, and no."

  "But . . . Are you trying to say he did not kill those hunters with some alien weapon."

  "I am not trying to say that. I am saying that," Methrell said. "It is true he made two kills, but they were not hunters. They were Conclave Guards that had entered the field illegally, and had tried to kill either Baht or me with these weapons," at which point she threw down the beam weapons she had retrieved. "These are military weapons, and those two Guards intended to kill the runners quite illegally. Kazyn therefore executed them in defence of the innocent, or, if you prefer, defence of me. You can be the judge of my innocence, but be careful what conclusion you come to because I am far from being timid and I will bite back, that I promise."

  And that ended questions, or at least it ended the transmission of questions and answers, and the program returned to the studio.

  "Which returns us to the question, what now?" Natasha mumbled. "We seem to be running out of options."

  "On the contrary," Gaius replied, "our current problem is we have too many options, but the question is, in what order do we pursue them?"

  "Oh?"

  "My first guess is we need to find Kazyn, and I guess to do that, we need to find Baht, but –"

  "And if we do that, she will be accused of espionage, and she won't get out of it that easily next time," Natasha said.

  "Yes, so I guess I have to go visit Tergyn," Gaius said.

  "You want me to come?"

  "This time, no," Gaius said. "This time I shall speak as a representative of Ulse, and not as someone guiding you."

  "That might be seen as provocative."

  "It might, but I think we have to provoke action of some sort, or we shall be here indefinitely."

  * * *

  At first, Tergyn said there was nothing as yet to discuss relating to the matters of a treaty with Earth, and thus declined the meeting. Gaius replied that he intended to raise issues other than the treaty with Earth, he was an official representing Ulse, and the treaty required Tergyn to hear him. There was some delay, until finally the Curia informed Gaius that he might attend such a meeting at mid morning, but alone.

  Accordingly, Gaius dressed formally the following morning and set out alone towards the Curia headquarters. He walked, rather than take the vehicle that was provided for him, mainly because he felt he needed the exercise. As expected, he received stares, but none of the Ranhynn were quite sure what to make of him. As he approached those coming the other way, they stood well aside, and Gaius decided to ignore them, mainly because he wanted to create the least problems for any of them. If Baht, with her very limited contact with him, could be accused of treason, there was no knowing where a casual remark to one of them might lead. There was also the secondary consideration that they probably would have no idea how to interpret a smile. He reached what, after having had several views, he now considered a rather grey and seemingly run-down building. He climbed the steps, then entered. This time, Gaius was escorted to an office, where Tergyn was standing behind an enormous desk.

  "You want?" Tergyn asked, in a tone that showed first that he really did not care, that he was going to turn Gaius down, but also Gaius felt there was a hint of fear.

  "First, I wish to register my concern that a young Ranhyn, apparently named Baht, was condemned to death for spying for me."

  "She has completed her punishment," Tergyn said, "and under Ranhyn law no further action can be taken against her, unless she repeats an offence."

  "First, she did not spy for me, as you put it," Gaius said in as cold a voice as he could manage. "But more importantly, as a representative of the Ulsian government, by treaty I have the right to employ any Ranhyn."

  "Nobody's stopping you," Tergyn sneered.

  "On the contrary, how can I employ someone when you are then going to have them condemned to death for working for an Ulsian in accord with the treaty?"

  Tergyn stared at Gaius, then realized he had to say something, so he said, "That won't happen."

  "It won't if you give me formal authority to hire, with a certificate of immunity from prosecution to whomever I hire. I shall need a certificate for each individual, and I may hire up to four Ranhynn."

  "You could hire that Kuyrill Kazyn, and he is wanted . . ."

  "So I could," Gaius said, and feigned deep surprise. "I never thought of that. As an aside, what is he accused of, apart from that trumped up accusation of stuffing that clod into his refrigerator?"

  "Isn't that enough?"

  "It would be, if there were not clear evidence that he did not do it," Gaius shrugged. "It is well known where h
e was, and the evidence cannot be obliterated." He watched in satisfaction as Tergyn now became significantly more frightened. If an alien could work out that there was nothing more than a trumped-up charge against Kazyn, this could end badly. But even worse, what evidence did this alien have, and how did he acquire it? "But that is not the point," Gaius continued. "I can't see myself hiring Kazyn, if for no other reason than I cannot find him."

  Tergyn looked quite unsure as to what he should do next.

  "So, what I want," Gaius said slowly, "is four certificates of immunity for carrying out work for me. These will be lodged in your system, with the name of whomever I hire. Will you do this?"

  "I'll see," Tergyn mumbled.

  Gaius could see the uncertainty in Tergyn. Even if he were an alien, it was clear that although he was head of a Curia, he did not feel he had the authority to do this. "Good," Gaius said. "Now to my next point. I am sick of being cooped up in a hotel room, where I have been spied on, illegally under the treaty. Under clause 67, I demand the right to travel between here and my ship at will, subject to notification to Air and Space Traffic Control, and then permission only to be held back for traffic safety considerations, that is, collision avoidance. You will see to that as well. Further, both Natasha and I are sick of waiting in hotel rooms, and we require the right to act as tourists, to see more of your planet."

  "That creates an awful lot of unnecessary work," Tergyn protested. "There are security issues. You could be in danger."

  "From whom?" Gaius said in an accusing fashion. There was no reply, which Gaius realized was odd because the obvious answer would be, from carnivores. There were still some fairly massive dinosaurs on Ranh. But that had not been in his mind. "If it makes you feel better," Gaius continued, "I assure you that real progress on the treaty with Earth will lead to my being less concerned with the hotel room. You will grant this or not?"

  "I shall have to request –"

  "You do not request permission to honour a treaty clause, unless you have no intention of keeping to the treaty. Is that your position? Do you intend to declare war on Ulse and the Ulsian Federation?"

  "No, of course not," came an almost plaintive squeak.

  "Good. See to it. I want the permits to be with me tomorrow morning."

  "I'll see to it."

  "Good. As an a side, how is progress on the issue of the Earth Treaty?"

  "Ranh is still considering the implications, and –"

  "The implications are simple. You have already agreed by treaty with Ulse. You can still negotiate minor terms, so you should get on with it." With that, Gaius turned on his heels and walked out, leaving a somewhat seething but frightened Tergyn. The question was, what was the cause of his fear?

  * * *

  The various permits duly were duly delivered to the hotel room, more or less by hit and run. There was a knock on the door, and when Gaius opened the door, there was a package on the floor, and signs of a disappearing tail at the end of the corridor. Gaius arranged for the shuttle to signal the Actium and send a message to Lucilla, informing her of progress, or more specifically, lack thereof.

  His next job was to hire Baht. At first Baht was somewhat nervous, even after Gaius had showed her the certificate of permission and diplomatic immunity signed by the Space Curia. What Gaius wanted was to have someone to escort Natasha if she had to go somewhere, and also to find out how to contact Kazyn. This was easier than he thought, because Kazyn had already contacted Baht, and requested that she take a message to the Terrans. At first she had been too scared to do so, but the certificate of immunity made her feel at least a little better.

  The message was reasonably simple: Kazyn had found something, and he needed assistance. There were directions on how to find him, and instructions not to be followed.

  Chapter 24

  Gaius decided that he alone should go to Kazyn, in part because someone had to be in Tukhranh in case the Space Curia came up with a decision, but also because it would be very undesirable for a delegate from Earth who was trying to negotiate a treaty to be seen in the company of an alleged criminal. The fact that Kazyn was innocent would be irrelevant in an emotional slanging match. Accordingly, he arranged for Katya to protect Natasha, then, to arrange some sort of deception, he went to the shuttle and sent it back to the Actium. However, after he put some equipment into a pack, Marcellus and he stayed behind in the hangar. The next part was the difficult part; it was desirable that they make it from the hangar to the undergrowth beside the spaceport without being seen. They each had a chameleon suit, which offered excellent camouflage when they were stationary and standing against a uniform background, but less so while moving. The suits emitted light consistent with what was falling on the other side, but the effect was only approximate, and the wearer running against a diverse background would be clearly seen by anyone looking reasonably intently in that direction.

  They knew that there was a change of shift at one hour before sunset, so just before then they exited the hangar and crept along the far wall to shield them from view from the control tower. That left a twenty-meter gap to cross, followed by a fence that was two and a half meters high and with a tangle of an equivalent to razor wire on top. This was intended to keep Ranhynn out, but it was just as effective at keeping them in if they were in.

  There was nothing much for it but to cross the open space as quickly as possible, but without drawing too much attention to themselves. Marcellus went first at a moderate running pace, he turned, then Gaius ran towards him and jumped. Marcellus caught his feet, and assisted him over the fence. The landing was Gaius' problem, but he bent his knees slightly, and landed with a cushioning effect, then he quickly moved away from the landing spot. The landing jarred him a little, but no damage was done. Marcellus then easily jumped the fence. Being a machine, the extra power required was no problem, nor was landing. Marcellus then led the way as quickly as Gaius could manage, and shortly they reached some trees. Gaius hid, and looked behind. There was no sign of pursuit.

  That did not mean there would not be pursuit, because there were surveillance cameras at various places. The question then was, would anyone look at them? Their problem was, being two of the only four human figures on the planet, at least who would be known to the spaceport security guards, it would not take a genius to work out who they were. The obvious use of Ulsian technology was also something of a give-away. To add to the possibility of problems, it was known that there were random patrols of the area around the spaceport, the patrols being to discourage various protestors and criminals.

  They immediately headed towards a hill, following a small stream. Again, Marcellus led the way, on the principle that if anyone was to stand on something that was undesirable, it should be him, and also because with his extra senses, he could detect objects such as mines. However, nothing much happened, and they made it to the base of the hill without further difficulty as darkness began to fall.

  Since Gaius had to sleep some time on this trek, they decided to stop at a large tree that had branches on which a bed could be made. While Gaius took two food bars from the pack, Marcellus cut some branches, tied them together and made a secure support on which Gaius could lie. Marcellus then climbed the tree as well, and turned himself to "idle", but with full surveillance of his surroundings. At first Gaius was enthralled by the noises in the forest as various animals began calling, but he quickly fell to sleep.

  It was light when he awoke, to find Marcellus' hand over his face. 'Be silent,' came the message. There was movement below. Gaius peered over the edge of the "bed", and saw two armed Ranhynn searching the ground below. Eventually, after some squawking, they headed off to the southeast.

  'A good thing they didn't look up,' Gaius thought.

  'Indeed!' Marcellus agreed. 'Nevertheless, we should get down and continue with your plan.'

  They climbed down, Gaius ate another two food bars, then they walked through the moss-covered podocarps. There was moss everywhere, so they had to be
careful where they put their feet, but as long as they stepped on something firm and free of moss, they should leave no obvious trail.

  Eventually Gaius signalled that they should stop, as he needed a toilet break. Marcellus took the small entrenching tool and carefully peeled off some moss and began digging a small hole, putting the soil onto bare ground. The ground was very hard, but Marcellus' hydraulics provided sufficient force and the hole was soon adequate. When the hole was later filled in, moss was replaced over filled hole, and even though some moss had had its appearance slightly altered, it would be very hard to discern that the ground had been disturbed without a very close inspection.

  They walked on, occasionally disturbing small theropods, but it was fortunate that they did not encounter anything very big. It was not that they were in any particular danger, for Marcellus could easily kill anything they came across, but they did not want to leave a carcass that would give a clue as to where they had gone.

  They trekked all day, and eventually found another place for Gaius to sleep. The next morning, they set off again, and this time they were in more open country, with shrubs instead of trees. Then these shrubs gave way to barely visible plants, and the air became foul.

  "Breathing mask!" Marcellus said, and handed the mask to Gaius, and at the same time, strapping an air cylinder on his back.

  The next part of their journey involved marching along a gully that had small fumaroles. Marcellus led the way, as he could sonically test the stability of the ground below them. More than once he stopped Gaius and indicated that his feet must be placed exactly where Marcellus had placed his. The point of all this was that any Ranhynn following could not follow through this area unless they had arrived prepared to do so. They made good progress, and by evening they emerged from this toxic region, but Marcellus insisted they proceed further, even if it were becoming dark. No lights were to be used, but again Marcellus' light enhancers led to a safe path being found. Eventually, they stopped for a further chance for Gaius to sleep.