Her booming welcome made Nash jump and wrench his neck. “Damn you, Norma.” He flung the headphones off and sat cringing.
Jack laughed and walked over to him. Ignoring his friend’s objections, he grabbed Nash’s neck and gave it a massage.
“You carry all your tension between your shoulders,” he told him. “You should practice those relaxation exercises I taught you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nash grumbled. “I’d like to see what condition you’d be in if you had Norma nagging at you all day.”
“I heard that,” Norma said.
Nash let his head roll forward as Jack’s ministrations began to take effect. Just then, the door opened, and Celia Roberts walked in.
She stifled a laugh when she saw them. “I’m sorry. Am I interrupting something? I could leave you two alone.”
Nash’s face flushed bright red—not an uncommon occurrence around Celia. “Very funny.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “Jealous?”
Celia rolled her eyes and handed some documents to Norma. As soon as she was gone, Nash dropped his head and let out a self-pitying groan. Jack knew what his friend was thinking, so he gave him a pat on the back.
“Why don’t you tell Celia how you feel?” he asked for the hundredth time. “You’ve been dying to go out with her for months now.”
The young man feigned a sob. “What’s the use? She probably doesn’t even give me a second thought. I’m just some guy she sees when she’s delivering the latest downloads.”
“I’ve already told you she likes you. If you wait too much longer, though, she’s going to lose her patience.”
Nash raised his head. “I don’t know what to say to her. Can’t you give me some kind of mental zap? You could feed me the right words to say next time she’s here. You’re good with women.”
Not exactly. Jack did know women’s minds. After all, he was a high-level precept, and he had been raised by a mother and aunt with the same gift. His upbringing had given him a great deal of insight, but that didn’t mean he was good at relationships. It was hard to be himself when he was bombarded by his date’s thoughts and feelings. Reading a woman’s desires made him an excellent lover, but it also created a lot of performance pressure.
Jack shook his head. There were some things a man needed to do for himself, and pursuing the object of his affection was one of them.
“You’re the one who has fallen for her,” he told his friend. “You need to do this for yourself. I know better than to get in the middle of someone else’s romance.”
“All right, you two.” Norma pointed at the headphones and then up at the sky. “Nash, you’re supposed to be listening to the chatter from out there, not from in here.”
Nash grunted but popped his headphones back on.
Jack walked to the back of the room where Norma was flipping through the new data. “You shouldn’t give him such a hard time. He’s just a poor fool in love.”
“I believe the fool part,” she said. “Besides, you’re a fine one to give advice. What’s happening in your love life?”
He winced. “I’m still searching for the right woman.”
“Happy hunting,” she said with a chuckle.
“So what’s up?” he asked. “You said you have a message for me?”
She nodded, but she was still preoccupied with her work. “That’s right. I wanted to let you know that Terrah is back. We got a short-range transmission from her yesterday. She says she had a nice visit with your mother, who sends her love. Terrah is busy right now, but either she or Damek will stop by as soon as they can.”
This was good news. Terrah was one of Jack’s oldest friends—practically a sister—and she was a high-level precept like himself. His mother had mentored her, which is how they had met. Now Terrah was an established precept healer, and she had her own apprentice, Damek. Jack liked him too. Damek was one of those special young people who seemed to have been born with the wisdom of the ages.
“That’s wonderful,” he told Norma. “I wish I could have gone with her to see Mom on Edalus. I’ve just been so—”
“Busy,” Norma said, but she was talking about herself.
With a last glance at the figures in her hand, she turned and darted down the hall to deliver her report. That was Norma—short and to the point. Jack knew her too well to be offended.
“Bye, Norma,” he called to her back. “See you later, Norma. Thanks for stopping to talk to me, Norma.”
She waved over her shoulder, and he could tell she was amused.
The minute he stepped out the door, he ran into the superintendent of the compound, Walter Rigel. A thin, prematurely balding man, Walter managed to project an intimidating image with his angular features and piercing gaze. In a bygone era, he might have been a business tycoon.
Walter was one of those people who feared the abilities of the precepts but worshipped them as some kind of all-powerful instrument. At heart, he was an honest man but a little too calculating. Jack didn’t have nearly as much respect for him as he’d had for Superintendent Kaplan. After the battle at Bok-10, Kaplan had been taken prisoner and tortured for days before being put to death. As far as they could tell, the man had never revealed a thing.
“Hello, Walter.” Jack refused to call him Superintendent Rigel.
The man was really the equivalent of a colonel, but their politicians shunned the use of military titles as part of a semantic war to further differentiate themselves from the Tetch.
“I was looking for you,” Walter said. “Walk with me. I have something I want to discuss.”
Normally, Jack might have given him a hard time for the hell of it, but he sensed the guy had big news. Walter was clearly excited, but he took his time to make certain they weren’t overheard. They walked down the central pathway of the compound, heading in the general direction of Walter’s office.
“What do you have?” Jack asked.
“Intel carriers,” Walter announced with satisfaction. “We intercepted them in transit early this morning. As you know, we’ve been keeping an eye on Algoron ever since their recent buildup of ships on the surface and in orbit. The Tetch are mobilizing for another attack, and word is they’re waiting to receive the coordinates for one of our major bases. Those coordinates are being delivered by human carrier—likely more than one, although we don’t know how many. There’s no stopping the transfer of intel, but we can find out where the Tetch plan to strike in time to evacuate the targeted base. I don’t need to tell you that even a few hours can save lives.”
No, he didn’t. Although a planet-wide evacuation took far more than a few hours, Jack knew the outcome at Bok-10 might have been different if they’d had more warning. Roimiran operatives always got the word out as soon as they became aware of an assault, but by then escape was difficult, let alone a decent counterattack. Walter was right. If they could intercept the coordinates, they could save countless lives.
“The Tetch politicians are always trying to outmaneuver one another to gain more power,” Walter continued. “More than one is trying to get his greedy hands on the coordinates so he can grab the credit. Our operatives have been monitoring ships bound for Algoron for any sign of the carriers. We got a tip about a small transport ship that left Nintu V. We hacked the computer navigation system on the Oberon and programmed an unscheduled detour. As soon as the vessel flew a safe distance outside of Tetch space, we boarded it and took control of the passengers, along with some unexpected cargo supplies. They’ll be here within the hour.”
Walter stopped and looked him in the eye.
“Jack, I need you to work on this one. All our other precepts have been tied up since the last campaign, and this is too important to wait. This might be the single most important piece of information we’ve captured yet.”
“You think one of the Oberon’s passengers is carrying the coordinates for the next major assault?” Jack’s amazement must have shown on his face. “How many people are we talking about?”
/> He hoped he didn’t have to deal with a full ship. The Tetch were crafty when it came to their intel, and it wasn’t easy to extract information without the original program scenario. Occasionally, the enemy confused things by using dummy carriers or dividing the information among multiple individuals. It was always a battle of the wits and a race against the clock.
Walter was obviously pleased that he understood what was at stake. “Four were scheduled to board and leave from Simos, but we won’t know for certain until we get a look at the manifest.”
Jack rubbed his forehead. “And we don’t know which one is the carrier.”
“That’s what I need you to find out. It could be all of them, or it could be only one. You’re going to have to figure it out and get those coordinates for us before the Tetch realize they’ve lost their people. Best we can tell, we’ve captured the frontrunner, but the other carriers with this intel can’t be far behind. Although we’ll intercept them if we can, once the Tetch realize we’re on to their plan, they’ll guard those carriers more carefully and rush their delivery. The fact that they’re trying not to draw too much attention is the only thing slowing them down as it is—that and the slow wheels of bureaucracy.”
“I understand.” Jack couldn’t afford to fail. “How soon will the Tetch realize the Oberon is missing?”
“The ship won’t be missing,” Walter told him. “Our men stripped the inside clean of anything useful and then programmed it to continue along its scheduled course. There are no guarantees, but at least there’s no indication of checkpoints prior to the ship reaching Algoron. That’s about a four-month trip from Simos, and the ship only left the space station a week ago.”
So if all went well, Jack had a deadline of fifteen weeks—the point at which the Oberon would reach Algoron and the Tetch would discover it was empty. He couldn’t count on any leeway after that without knowing when the backup carriers would reach Algoron. Although fifteen weeks sounded like a good chunk of time, he knew it would be a challenge to deal with four carriers during that span.
“Let me know when they get here and give me someone to help with research,” he told Walter. “We’ll have to dig up some background information on these people.”
His superintendent scowled. Jack knew Walter hated that he wasn’t more deferential, but the man also appreciated his skills.
“You’ll have all the resources I can spare,” Walter assured him. “Just get us that intel.”
Less than an hour passed before the man followed through. Falk Ebilson, one of the compound’s security guards, tapped on Jack’s door.
“The carriers are here,” Falk announced after Jack let him in. The guard pulled a list from his pocket. “We’ve got two males and one female. There’s an old man calling himself Mr. Slade, a teenage soldier who is Private Tarrin Thales, serial number blah, blah, blah, and a young woman who says her name is Miss Rosemary Warner. No confirmation on their identities yet.”
“Three passengers, not four,” Jack said. “And two of them are civilians?”
The guard shrugged. “Looks like it. They’re not in uniform, and they weren’t on a military transport.”
“Damn.”
The Tetch used legal military carriers to transfer information regarding everything from weapons inventory to attack plans. But there were civilians in this mix, and that smacked of the black-market trade. Illegal dealers employed hackers or bribed officials to access sensitive information and then sold it to the highest bidder. They didn’t care who their carriers were, much less if the people were willing.
“It could be a cover,” Jack said, though he didn’t really hold out hope. “Just because they’re in plain clothes doesn’t mean they’re not military.”
Falk shrugged. “That’s for you to figure out. Slade looks too old to me, though, and the woman doesn’t give off that vibe. If it’s a cover, it’s a good one. Superintendent Rigel told me to ask you what to do with them. You want them all in a holding cell together or what?”
“No. Keep them apart. They probably don’t know each other very well anyway, and I don’t want them sharing information. It’ll be easier to work with them separately.”
The guard nodded. “Which one do you want first?”
Jack scratched his chin. He really wanted to get to all of them today, but there wasn’t enough time. At best, he might be able to squeeze in an introductory session with two of them and then pick up the third late the next morning.
“Bring me Private Thales first,” he said. “The military has probably prepared him for all sorts of horrifying scenarios. I’d like to dispense with those as soon as possible. When I’m done with him, give me Mr. Slade. I’ll get to Miss Warner tomorrow. She’s going to have an awful night, but I’m hoping she’ll see that no one is going to molest her. Make sure you tell her she won’t be coming here until tomorrow. She might see it as a stay of execution.”
Falk left to do as he was told.
It was time for the interrogations to begin.
Chapter Four
Jack’s initial meeting with the captives proved exhausting. Although the young soldier was easy to put under, it was hard to direct Tarrin’s mind where Jack wanted it to go. He had to lead the boy through a smooth progression of thoughts. He couldn’t just jump to the memories he wanted.
Mr. Slade was almost as difficult. He didn’t offer much resistance, but it was hard to feel for memory tampering in a man of his advanced years. The old fellow became agitated very easily, and Jack was afraid the strain might be too much for him. He would have to work carefully.
Today, he was preparing to meet Rosemary Warner. He was curious to see what she looked like—the only female in this motley assortment of Tetch citizens. His mind was always sharper when he was rested, and he hoped the open windows and sunshine would have a calming effect on her. Wanting to keep things friendly and nonthreatening, he went to the kitchen to fix some iced tea. He was still stirring in the sugar crystals when Falk knocked on his door and brought the woman inside.
The moment Jack spotted her, he caught his breath. Her eyes were an unusual shade of blue with whispers of green, and she had dark blonde hair with a hint of a wave. She seemed slightly exotic somehow, although the effect was subtle. The instant attraction he felt, on the other hand, was anything but mild. She was beautiful.
She was also scared. He could feel it coming off her in waves, and he could see it in her pretty eyes. There was confusion there as well. When he touched her thoughts, he gathered she had expected some kind of evil precept torture chamber. His cozy house with its hardwood floors and open windows surprised her.
“I’ll be waiting out front when you’re done,” Falk told him.
The guard released the metal bonds on her wrists and let go of her arm.
“Thanks.” Jack never took his attention off the woman. He held out his hand. “How are you? My name is Jackson Deimos, but you can call me Jack.”
Ardra stared at his open palm. This was a precept? The guy looked like an ordinary man, not a monster or mutant. In fact, he was handsome and friendly looking. He couldn’t have been older than his early thirties. His hair was a fine light brown, and he had striking hazel eyes, which were now fixed on her. Under different circumstances, she might have attributed her fluttering pulse to something other than nerves. When she shook his hand, his fingers felt warm and soft and made her shiver.
“Rosemary Warner.” She offered the false name again.
After they had been captured, she and the other passengers had been questioned and pressured into giving information. Tarrin had recited his name, rank, and serial number, but she wasn’t a soldier. Figuring the less the Roimirans and their precept knew, the better, she had done some fast thinking and blurted out the only other name she could think of—that of her brief traveling companion back on the space station. Now that she was here, she was very glad she had done so.
Jack studied her for a moment before he motioned toward one of the tall, round cha
irs at the island counter. “Please sit down.”
She settled into the seat and looked around. Behind her, there was a couch, a cocktail table and some overstuffed chairs in the living room, and a covered patio opened off the back of the house. She could see a bit of yard and wild fields rolling away toward a small forest. The kitchen was open, and she had the impression that a bedroom sprouted off somewhere down the hallway to her left.
“I’m making some iced tea,” Jack said. “Would you like some?”
He turned his back on her to get something out of the cabinet and then returned with two glasses. Although she hadn’t answered, he tilted the pitcher and set a full drink in front of her. So far, she had refused everything her captors had tried to offer her, so she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since the previous morning. She was thirsty, but she stared suspiciously at the glass. Wasn’t there some rule about not accepting the first thing the enemy offered you? She didn’t know, but she decided to play it safe.
“I hope you like tea,” he said. “Some people think it’s too mundane now that they’ve invented all those new fusion concoctions, but I like to keep things simple. How about you?”
“Sure.” She played along, though she wondered what kind of interrogation this was.
Jack sat across from her. “The temperature seemed right for it. If it needs more sugar, let me know, although I tend to make it sweet.”
He was acting sweetly too. Was that the plan? Was he going to be nice to her until she let down her guard, or was he some kind of strange Roimiran welcoming party? She felt off-balance.
“Can you believe this wonderful weather we’re having?” he asked. “You can really feel that summer is around the corner. I like the warmer months, don’t you, Rosemary?”
Ardra nodded absently, but she was distracted by a familiar tinkling noise on the patio.
Jack followed her gaze. “Those are my wind chimes. Do you like them?”
“Yes,” she said. “My mother’s house used to be filled with the sound of them.”
A Stellar Affair Page 4