by J. A. Clarke
His military-straight posture dissolved. He retrieved something from his pocket and slapped it down on the console. "All right, then, let's go find the uncle. What's on there," he nodded at the small vidchip, "is the complete design of Maegan's vessel, including materials used. We'll trace the components back to their source and see if that yields anything. We're also trying to retrieve the vessel's erased log. May not work, but it's worth a try." He patted the chip. "Beautiful piece of equipment, by the way. Wouldn't mind taking her out."
"Sagar's sacred crystals," Alerik swore. "You set me up!"
"Wouldn't call it that exactly." Sharm retrieved the chip. His mouth stretched in a caustic grin. "Just wanted to be clear on where we stood. Never really doubted the result. This woman..." He nodded at the image of Maegan. "...has tied you up in so many ways. Can't wait to see what happens next. Work on her, Alerik. We truly do not have much time."
* * * *
Maegan was still asleep when, a hanan later, Alerik responded to his comm.
"Just thought you'd like to know." Sharm sounded almost gleeful. "Time's up. Things are beginning to get interesting. There's a Taragon vessel requesting permission to enter Grogon airspace and dock on Pallas Five. No information on the passengers, but the transmittal code indicates a high-ranking political delegation."
"Priests or elders?" Alerik snapped. Blood of Cor, too coincidental. How had they found out?
"Don't know. You'd better clear your schedule, although they've yet to state their business. That's not all."
Sharm's deliberate habit of pausing for dramatic effect was becoming annoying. "What else?"
"Just ahead of them," his second announced cheerfully, "is another illustrious visitor, a Coalition delegate. Already in the process of docking, and has requested an immediate meeting with the governor. He's Commander Tiege of the Mariltar Second Fleet. Know him? I don't recall the name, but he has enough merits to sink a star vessel."
The name tweaked a vague memory, but Alerik was far more concerned about what an unannounced visit from a Coalition delegate portended. He glanced at the image of Maegan one more time, then reluctantly closed off the vid screen. Coalition and Taragon delegates at the same time? Far too coincidental. For a nanonan, he wondered if Sharm had distributed reports without his authority, but the idea was too implausible. Sharm would never deceive him.
Commander Tiege was a large man who, given his age, was obviously a veteran of the Great Conflict. He had silver-cold eyes and wasted no energy in restless movement or time in small talk. Preliminaries over, he refused a seat and stood in the governor's reception room, hands folded in the sleeves of his robe, a great stillness about him.
"You have Taragon children in custody, Governor. You are holding a relay runner, who is part of an illegal network formed to extract these children before they reach their destination across The Divide. I'm sure you're aware of the extreme political sensitivities around this situation. I'm here to relieve you of responsibility for both parties. Be so good as to have them delivered to my vessel immediately."
Stunned and chilled to the bone, Alerik forced himself to ask with a calm politeness he didn't feel, "May I ask where you acquired your information, Commander?"
"Rest assured, there was no breach of security on your side, Governor. We've had operatives watching this particular traffic for a good while."
"Why was I not informed, since Grogon territory is impacted?"
"Grogon was never part of the relay route. This business did not concern you."
Curious. For a nanonan, he consoled himself with the thought they didn't know that the relay runner he held was based here or her identity. The nerve endings running down his spine told him differently. They were beginning to twitch furiously. Always a bad sign.
He made a decision and volunteered, "My patrols captured the runner in Grogon airspace."
"I'm aware." No hesitation. There wasn't even so much as a blink. "You've also sent patrols beyond your airspace, Governor. I would suggest care that you do not overstep your authorities here."
Alerik ground his teeth. There had to be a breach. "I have a human trafficking problem in this system, sir, and dead bodies turning up on a regular basis. I'll send my patrols where I see fit within neutral territory."
"Of course." The man's face was like Soron basalt. "The Council has implicit trust in your leadership, Governor, and does anticipate immediate knowledge of any activity that impacts the Treaty."
A compliment wrapped around a clear warning. How had the Council learned about the runner and the Taragon children? All vessels encountered in the course of the patrols were logged. Source, destination and cargo were all identified. None had operated under the unique code of the Coalition. None had access to the secure comm links of his security team. An "operative" would have had to have watched the children's capture, then track the runner team all the way to the point Maegan was intercepted by his patrols. A virtual impossibility. He resolved to task Sharm with an audit of the patrol logs.
And to seek out a spy.
"You're aware, Commander, there is a Taragon vessel only a hanan away from docking?"
"Yes." The man had an extraordinary calmness about him. "I hope our business might be concluded before then."
Which included surrendering Maegan to this stranger. How could he? It was an inevitable consequence of her actions that she be turned over to the judgment of the Coalition. He had hoped for more time. He wasn't prepared. He didn't think he ever would be.
Stalling, he said, "Would it not be better to give the children into the custody of the Taragon delegation?"
"It was the Council's decision to take custody. I don't question their judgment." For the first time since he'd entered the reception room, Commander Tiege moved and stepped back with a respectful nod. "Good day, Governor."
There was almost a surreal aspect to the moment. Conflict raged inside him. So many questions. Such a strong urge to defy his orders.
"Then what do I tell the Taragon delegation when they ask for their children?"
"That they are in the Council's custody and to petition the Council." With another bow of his head, Commander Tiege turned and exited the room.
"Balls of Sortor," Alerik muttered. How had he so quickly lost control of the situation?
Had he ever had control?
He strode through to his private office to the console, and opened a link to the head of his security team. It took a few nans for Sharm to respond. Alerik paced in a small circle while he waited. The children he could surrender. There was no choice. He simply couldn't give Maegan up so easily.
"Yes, sir?"
"Took you long enough," Alerik snapped. "We're in the middle of a situation here. Status of the Taragon vessel?"
"Taking their time with docking. There seems to be confusion over whether they want Pallas Four or Five."
"They're aware of my location?"
"They haven't asked for you. They haven't asked for anyone. If we weren't aware of their probable reason for being here, I'd say they were trying to decide on a recreational venue."
One more mystery to unravel in an increasingly complex problem. "Retrieve the six Taragon children from Counselor Tipon immediately and deliver them to Commander Tiege's vessel. Stand by for additional orders."
"Yes, sir."
Alerik touched the vid screen. Maegan's image appeared on the view. She still lay curled in sleep, achingly vulnerable. This was the hardest task he had ever had to perform in his life. His breath cramped in his lungs. For several nanonans, time hung suspended as he fought an inner struggle.
Then he forced air into his lungs, leaned over and touched the comm link. "Maegan, wake up." He had to repeat himself several times before he saw her stir. Her eyes flickered open. She lifted her head. "Prepare yourself. I'm transferring you to the custody of the Coalition Council."
He didn't know what it was he saw on her face for a fleeting nanonan. Betrayal? Shock? Disbelief? Fires of Crillac, he had nev
er wanted to disavow his chosen life path so much as he did at that moment.
He'd give her five nans before he'd go collect her himself. He closed off the screen and began to pace again. There was a leak somewhere. There had to be. Two disparate parties appeared to have information on the children. His mind worried over the problem, but concern for Maegan kept disrupting his train of thought.
A triple ping came from his console. A distress code. Blood of Cor, what now? Alerik rounded the end of the console to view the screen. Sharm's face, pale and tightly drawn, appeared.
"Yes?"
"It appears, sir, the children may not be with Counselor Tipon."
"Explain." He was in a slieking starpit halo nightmare. If ever there was ninth dimension, this was it.
"Counselor Tipon's wife went to look for them and it seems they are not in the residence, sir."
"How could they not be in the residence? It's a secure compound."
"Yes, sir. We don't know, sir. I have a team headed over there. Should I alert Commander Tiege?"
Alerik paced the length of his console. "Status of the Taragon vessel?"
"In the process of docking on Pallas Five as we speak."
"Sagar's crystals! Yes. Inform Commander Tiege we might have a problem."
It seemed like hanans before Sharm came back on the comm link, excruciatingly slow hanans as he paced and analyzed. Paced, and tried to find some small piece of logic, a clue, in all that had occurred.
"Alerik, we've confirmed the children are gone. We've searched the entire compound. Counselor Tipon's wife is extremely distraught. She's been there the entire time and only left them for a short while to play on their own. There is no possible way they could have left the residence on their own."
"They were abducted?"
"Apparently. We have no proof yet."
He punched a control. A view of Maegan's cell appeared. She sat on the edge of the sleeping platform, hands folded in her lap. Relief swept through him. For one insane nanonan he had expected her to be involved in this latest debacle.
"Sir?" Sharm's tone was like a laseredge. "Commander Tiege's vessel is preparing to leave the dock. He requests a link."
"He knows the situation, that we can't deliver the children?"
"Yes, sir."
"Put him through."
"Governor." Commander Tiege's voice boomed from the console. "I have an unexpected crisis to deal with and must depart immediately. You have a problem. Once you've solved it, I'll be back."
Hating himself, Alerik forced the question, "The runner?"
"Without the evidence, Governor, why would I take the runner into custody?"
Chapter 13
Margaine Confluence:/Third Rising
Pallas Five
"You're free to leave," Alerik pronounced as the door to her cell slid open. His large bulk filled the slim opening. He casually leaned a shoulder against one wall and folded his arms.
"What?" she blurted, not at all sure she had understood him correctly.
"You're free to go." His face held no expression. She didn't think he was prone to callous jokes, but his words made no sense.
"Why?"
One shoulder lifted and fell again. "No evidence."
In an instant, she was on her feet. "What have you done with the children?" she all but screamed.
His lips pulled at one corner and he shrugged himself away from the wall. "Always so ready to assume the worst. I haven't done anything with the children." He narrowed his eyes at her. "In fact, that was a question I had for you. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"
She realized her mouth was hanging open and snapped it shut. "You've lost the children?"
"Well, no." He stuck his hands in his pockets and braced his feet apart. He seemed remarkably relaxed. "Not lost exactly. We just don't know where they are at this moment."
"You've lost the children!" she said. "How could you not know where they are? What a bunch of incompetent, inept, b--"
"I think I've been thoroughly insulted." Sharm Foster's handsome face appeared over Alerik's shoulder.
"Not really. You cut her off before she could finish," Alerik pointed out. "You probably missed the best part."
About to apologize for words that had been intended for Alerik's ears alone, Maegan stubbornly pressed her lips together and scowled at them mutinously instead. What in starpits was going on?
"Is she leaving?" Commander Foster asked. "I think I'm going to need the cell."
Maegan was more than ready to quit this blank world. She wasn't sure how long she had been incarcerated. It was so easy to lose track of time. But she was highly mistrustful of the motivations of the two men in front of her. They should have been more concerned. More concerned about the children--if they really were missing, which she was beginning to doubt. More concerned about letting her go--they had caught her in an illegal act, after all.
She decided she could puzzle it out later. Now she had to take advantage of opportunity. She strode toward them. Neither one budged. She tilted her head back to look Alerik in the eye. Why was the man so slieking big? "Excuse me."
His sapphire eyes gleamed at her, so beautiful, so devious. "There are conditions to your release."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Hold out your left arm, please," Sharm requested.
She almost rolled her eyes again, as he snapped a metal bracelet snugly around her wrist. A tracking device. So predictable. Makiee would have it off her in nanonans.
"Is that all? May I leave now? I have work to do."
"Not quite all."
Tiny hairs on Maegan's arms rose to attention at the look of anticipation on Alerik's face.
"You're confined to the governor's compound on Pallas Five."
Blazing starpits! "I can't work from here," she objected.
"We've discussed this before," Alerik said, unyielding. "You'll make it a viable arrangement."
Desperation drove her to argue, "You have my vessel. I can't go anywhere."
Behind Alerik, Commander Foster made a curious noise, which turned into a dry cough.
A muscle jumped in Alerik's cheek. "Unfortunately, my sweet wife, we can't count on that. You've proven yourself highly untrustworthy. You hid one vessel from us. There could be others. We know there are hidden components, and Sagar knows what else, in that habitat of yours.
"We've torn the Lady Melia apart, by the way, and we'll be working on the habitat next. Your corporation is building highly advanced technology, which your staff--loyal to you--appears to have no compunction employing in your aid. Our original arrangement, such as it was, no longer exists. Pallas Four is off limits. I've appointed Mistress Gloriana as interim counselor. She seems quite competent."
He stepped away from the cell door. "Commander Foster, please accompany my wife to our residence."
"Yes, sir."
She was exchanging one prison for another. Every cell in her body screamed in objection as Commander Foster took her arm and led her down the hall. She knew, this time, it would be much more difficult to evade them. But by far, her greater concern was proximity to Alerik. The look in his eyes as he'd given that order, and used those particular words deliberately, had shaken her to the core.
They turned a corner and she couldn't help glancing back. Her husband had disappeared.
* * * *
Two hanans later she was fuming and frustrated. Nothing she tried worked. She had no access to communications. All the tricks Makiee had taught her were useless. The security system refused to yield and let her out of the habitat. She was as much in the dark about what had happened to the children and why she'd been released as before.
She stood before a plexiwall that overlooked a great courtyard stuffed with exotic flowering shrubs, many of which she didn't recognize. They appeared to have been selected for the impressive size of their blooms. The serene beauty of the place calmed her in some small measure as she pondered a theory. Could Morgon have had
something to do with the children's disappearance? If they were, in fact, really missing? She was convinced he was close by. The clues she'd found in her habitat were unmistakable. She just didn't understand why he had made no attempt to contact her directly.
She turned impatiently away from the bright exterior view and began to cross the large great room. Something in this place had to offer a clue to her freedom. She was useless here. She had to get out. The bracelet they had snapped on her was going to be a major problem, but it only meant they would know where she was. It didn't mean they would be able to find her.
Alerik had minimalist taste in decorating. The space was merely a showcase for a few absolutely stunning art pieces.
She paused beside a large fantastical sculpture of two entwined merserpas. It was carved from distinctive silvery-teal diabond, a very rare, very hard substance found in natural form on Bogasill. It would have taken the artist rotations to complete.
For a nanonan, she considered hurling it at the plexiwall. There were two problems with the plan. The wall likely wouldn't break and she probably didn't have the strength to lift the piece. She moved on.
Room after room, it was the same. Every console had been locked down and remained completely unresponsive. Makiee had taught the Mariltar security team well. She would have to remember to compliment him, she thought sourly, as she punched uselessly at the console pads in the sleeping chamber she had once shared with Alerik.
"No luck?"
She whirled around, her stomach clenching. Alerik was propped in the doorway. He looked...tired. Though his posture denoted casualness, there was a strange tension to him. His dark hair was ruffled out of its usual impeccable grooming.
She lifted her chin. "Obviously not, or I wouldn't still be here."
He laughed but there was an edge to the sound. He left the doorway and moved farther into the room. The soft clunk of the door closing behind him caused a dozen little bedring creatures to go crazy in her stomach. This was not where she wanted to be.
"Well," he said. "I know what your day has been like. Would you like to hear about mine?"
"Not really."