“We hope that they’ll believe our efforts to keep this expedition secret are because we’re worried they’ll try to stop us from finding and helping Kinah. That gives us a good reason to go searching the farthest reaches of our galaxy that shouldn’t make them suspicious.
“If they learn the second reason for our expedition to that part of the galaxy, or if they even have the slightest suspicion that we have the knowledge that we have, they’ll step up their plans to destroy the Thousand Worlds.”
“Why would they even want to do such a thing?” Tee asked. “We’ve barely discovered their existence.”
“Because that’s what the Xanti wanted to do, and because they are irredeemably insane,” Vari said.
“These subjects are complicated and explaining everything will, as I said earlier, take a lot of time,” Declan said before the Katres could ask more questions. “It’s our plan to conduct a series of meetings with just the seven of us. Over the course of these meetings we’ll bring you up to date on all that we know.
“For the time being we want you to be aware that there’s more to this expedition than others know, and that secrecy is absolutely vital.”
“Of course,” Talon said.
“What we’d like to do now is show you the mission vids from our rescue of the Leaper,” Kai said. “You’ll see and hear enough to get a good idea of what the Doftles are like. When you’re finished it should be lunchtime. We’ll meet you in the cafeteria and answer your questions.”
“You wish to discuss the vids in a public setting?” Thorn asked in surprise.
“The vids aren’t classified,” Declan said. “We’ll be giving you a copy that has been edited to focus only on discussions and actions of the Doftle, without the personal interactions of the full vid that you’ll be seeing here. It’s important that everyone be aware of the enemy we may face.”
“After we view the vid and discuss it, then what?” Talon asked.
“We take the jump points to Marazzo, then cloak ourselves in Blind Sight. Once we leave Marrazon space, we’ll create our first Door and jump.”
“Do you have any idea at all as to the location of Kinah?” Tee asked.
“Yes, we do,” Vari said. “It’s somewhere near the farthest edge of our galaxy. Approximately eighty thousand light years away.”
“Olchuk,” Thorn swore softly.
“Precisely,” Declan agreed.
***
Ria sat in the cafeteria alone, sipping coffee while reading through the syllabus Dr. Jula had given her. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy having Dr. Jula oversee her studies. There was no doubt that Dr. Jula would take her responsibility seriously, and that she’d be strict. But Ria didn’t need her empathic abilities to know that she was extremely intelligent, a highly skilled physician, and a very kind woman. Ria also sensed that Dr. Jula was looking forward to helping with her studies, and she hadn’t expected that.
She’d been further surprised to learn that Dr. Marta Kannon, Chief Science Officer on the Beacon, had agreed to work with her on the science portion of her studies. They’d even agreed to set up a schedule for her to transport to the Beacon one day a week so she could work in the extensive science lab the ICARUS ship boasted. Which day hadn't been set yet, but it hardly mattered to her.
Ria knew that both doctors had been on long voyages before, and that part of their enthusiasm stemmed from the knowledge of how bored they’d get without something to occupy them. That didn’t change the fact that she was now looking forward to her studies a lot more than she’d thought possible.
Between that, and her initial impression of the four med-techs she’d be working with, she was feeling pretty lucky. They were all male, but they seemed nice enough so far.
The waiter slid her lunch in front of her and she thanked him with a smile. She set her reader down, and picked up her fork.
“This table is big enough for all of us,” she heard someone say from behind her. The voice was deep, gravelly, and it sent a slow wave of hot chills running down her body from her head to her toes, pebbling her skin and causing her body to tighten in unfamiliar ways. Her nipples hardened, and her panties grew damp.
For one brief moment she wondered what was happening to her. Before she was finished framing the question, the answer exploded in her mind thanks to what Vari had told her just the day before. She was berezi to whoever was currently taking seats at the table behind her.
That’s what I get for counting my blessings before they’re hatched. Wait…no, that’s chickens before they’re earned. Maybe it’s eggs.
Setting her fork down with shaking fingers, she reached for her drink, focusing on the cold moisture against her palms. Before she had a chance to even begin assimilating this unexpected, unwelcome, and entirely abhorrent new complication in her life, another voice, much smoother than the first, spoke.
“Tell me, Brothers, do either of you know who Ria is? That was the name, correct?”
“Yes, Talon, that’s the name,” a third voice answered, smooth like the second one. “And I believe Lady Vari said in the vid that it was her sister.”
“Her sister?” the rough, gravelly voice said in surprise. “I didn’t hear that. Are you sure?”
Ria’s hands shook so hard that she was forced to release the glass or risk knocking it over. She bent her head over her reader, making sure that her long hair covered the sides of her face, suddenly grateful that she hadn't taken the time to return it to its natural color yet.
Her mind raced. Talon…Talon. Where had she heard that name? It was recent. Very recent. Then it came to her.
Kólasi, she swore silently. It had to be Talon Katre, High Admiral of the Hilgaria. She only knew that much because Vari had told her on the way to the skyport, just like she’d told her that the Beacon’s Captain was a woman named Liling Chou.
She knew nothing else about the Katres at all. Not even the names of the other two brothers. She’d never met them, or even seen them, so she was unable to put faces to the voices. Since the voices were coming from directly behind her, she couldn’t even sneak a peek at them without drawing attention to herself. Not that she wanted to.
“It’s a shame that Lady Vari is burdened with a sibling such as that,” the gravelly voice said with so much contempt that it made Ria want to crawl under the table and hide, all signs of arousal instantly quelled. “She’s clearly one who cares only about herself.”
“She had a reason,” the third voice argued. “Lady Vari said on the vid that she had patients to think of.”
“Then she’s an empty headed waste of space incapable of understanding the ramifications of her actions,” the rough voice growled. “She’s certainly no one I’d care to meet.”
“Let’s just thank the Fates that she isn’t accompanying us on this mission,” the second voice…Talon…said. “There’s no room on an expedition such as this for someone who can’t be trusted to do as she’s told.”
Ria blinked away the sudden burning in her eyes. While she’d admitted to making a serious error on the Leaper, in reality she hadn’t. Even if she had committed that error, it was difficult to believe that they’d condemn her so thoroughly after seeing a few seconds of a vid in which she didn't even appear. It was both wrong and unfair.
She had to admit, though, that her true reason for remaining on the Leaper had been, in small part, a selfish one. It wasn’t the reason her family thought it was, but nevertheless, she couldn’t deny that she’d done it, in part, to protect herself.
The burden of shame and guilt she’d been carrying the past few weeks seemed to double all of a sudden, making it hard to breathe. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor. Or better, vanish on the spot. For one panicked moment she even considered asking Vari to take her back to Jasan. They’d only been traveling for less than two full days, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But she’d told Vari she wouldn’t do that. She hadn't promised. She doubted she’d ever make another promise again. But sh
e still didn't want to go back on what she agreed to.
“What time did Declan say they’d be here?” Talon asked.
“Right about now, I believe,” the third voice replied.
Ria’s heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was for Vari or her men to see her and introduce her to the Katres. They’d know she overheard them, and her embarrassment would escalate so far beyond what it already was that she doubted she’d find the courage to leave her room again for the remainder of the expedition.
She picked up her reader and got to her feet, not even thinking about her untouched lunch. Head down, long black hair hanging on either side of her face, she made her way quickly to the exit while keeping her back to the men at the table behind her. They’d already met Vari, so the color of her hair wouldn’t prevent them from recognizing her face if they saw it, and that was the last thing she wanted.
If she had her way, the Katres would remain blissfully unaware of her existence not just for the length of the expedition, but forever. Since there were only three ships in their little convoy, and barely three hundred and fifty people on the Bihotza, her chances of avoiding them for the next two years weren’t good.
On the other hand, she was just a lowly junior med-tech, they were Admirals, and they were on separate ships. There was no reason she could think of for the four of them to be thrown together as long as she was careful. Even if that happened, she had the suppressants which, she suddenly realized, had obviously worked. Otherwise they’d have already reacted to her.
Just after exiting the cafeteria she nearly collided with Declan, Jay, Kai and Vari. Her relief that she’d gotten out of the cafeteria before encountering them was so powerful that it made her knees weak.
“Hello Ria,” Vari said, frowning. “What’s the matter?”
Ria shook her head. “Nothing, I’m fine, really, have a nice lunch,” she said quickly before hurrying away as fast as she could.
***
Tee saw the black haired young woman at the table next to theirs leap to her feet and all but run out of the cafeteria. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her even though all he could see was her back. He didn’t know why, but he had the strongest feeling that she was upset. No, he corrected. Hurt. She was hurt. A wave of protectiveness rose in him as he watched her cross the cafeteria, waiting in vain for even the briefest glimpse of her face.
His eyes remained on the door even after she’d vanished through it. He was surprised by the depth of his disappointment when he could no longer see her, and briefly considered following her. Unfortunately, he and his brothers were not strong in Air magic. By the time he reached the corridor she’d be long gone.
He was still staring at the door when the Dracon-Bats and Lady Vari entered a few moments later. They all wore expressions of concern, and Lady Vari glanced at the door behind her twice as they made their way toward him and his brothers. After everyone was seated the waiter came to take their orders, his eyes brightening when he saw Vari.
“Lady Vari, is your sister well?”
“As far as I know, yes, Peter. Why do you ask?”
“Because she left without touching her lunch,” he said, gesturing toward the table behind them where the dark haired woman had been sitting.
“That was your sister?” Tee asked. “With the long black hair?”
“Yes,” Vari replied almost absently. “Peter, would you mind boxing my sister’s lunch and having it sent to her room?”
“Not at all, Lady Vari. I’ll take care of that myself.”
“Thank you.”
***
It wasn’t until after the Katres transported back to the Hilgaria that they had a few moments alone. After they left Transport Talon led them up the stairs and into the comm room. Checking to see that it was vacant, he locked the door and turned to face Tee.
“Why were you watching that woman?”
“Ria?” he asked even though he knew exactly who Talon meant.
“Wait…Ria?” Thorn asked. “Lady Vari’s sister Ria was sitting behind us?”
“I never saw her face and her hair was black, but Lady Vari confirmed that it was her sister.”
“She didn’t say it was Ria, though,” Thorn said uncomfortably. “It could have been the other sister.”
“Somehow I doubt our luck is that good,” Tee said. “Besides, the way she practically ran from the cafeteria without even touching her lunch tells me she heard what we said about her.”
“It does,” Talon said with a regretful sigh. “We probably should apologize to her.”
“Why?” Thorn asked in surprise. “We didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. Or are you both forgetting that because of her, thousands of people could have lost their lives, including her own sister?”
“You know this how?” Talon demanded.
“We all saw the vid.”
“We saw a brief conversation on a subject that we have no further knowledge of,” Tee pointed out. “We jumped to conclusions, called them facts, and discussed them in very harsh terms in a public place without bothering to consider who might hear us.”
“You were both as upset about her actions as I was at lunch,” Thorn pointed out. “Now, just because she overheard us, you decide it was all some sort of mistake.”
“That’s not true, Thorn,” Tee said stiffly. “I defended her, in fact.”
“Yes, you did,” Thorn admitted. When he looked at Talon he nearly winced.
“Do you think I’m a weak-kneed fool, Thorn?”
“No, of course not,” Thorn replied. “And I apologize for what I said. But I don’t understand why you’ve changed your mind about the woman, and you did agree with me.”
“I did, until I put my brain to work.”
“Meaning?”
“She’s on the Bihotza, Thorn. Do you think the Dracon-Bats would bring her along on an expedition such as this just because she’s their new near-sister? That they’d completely disregard an incident that took place only a few short weeks ago in which she endangered their lives as well as their berezi’s? Or that they’d allow anyone on this expedition who can’t be trusted to follow orders?”
“Also, the Dracon-Bats displayed as much concern about her as Lady Vari did,” Tee said. “They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t like her, or want her to be there.”
“Exactly,” Talon agreed, still staring at Thorn. “These facts added together indicate to me that what we saw on that mission vid could not possibly have been the whole story. It therefore follows that our conclusions about Ria were wrong.”
Thorn sighed heavily. “I concede that we should not have jumped to conclusions. I’d still like to know the truth of the matter, though.”
“The truth may not be any of our business,” Tee said. “Besides, even if she was guilty of all you believe, we should not have spoken as we did in public.”
“No, we shouldn’t have,” Talon agreed. “That’s a mistake we would not have made a decade ago.”
“A decade ago we’d only been civilians for two years,” Thorn pointed out.
“Nevertheless, we owe her two apologies.”
“No, that’s not a good idea,” Tee said, surprising both brothers. “I agree we owe her apologies. But I’m afraid the attempt will backfire on us, and end up making the situation worse.”
“Why?” Thorn asked.
“I noticed when she ran from the cafeteria that she was careful to keep her face turned so that we couldn’t see it. She didn’t want us to know her identity, or that she overheard us. I think we should respect that, and allow her to believe she succeeded.”
“I agree,” Talon said, nodding. “Apologizing might make us feel better, but staying silent on the matter is kinder to her.”
“At least we’re not on the same ship,” Thorn said. “It’s unlikely we’ll even run into her again.” Tee frowned at that, but let it go.
“In a deliberate effort to change the subject,” Talon said, “are you confident in your kno
wledge of the new devices to operate them, Thorn?”
“Yes. The controls are quite simple.”
“Lady Vari said that all Xanti devices are simple to operate because they weren’t nearly as smart as we believed,” Tee said. He shook his head. “It’s hard to accept that so much of what we once believed is untrue.”
“It is, and it isn’t,” Thorn said.
“Meaning?”
“We weren’t wrong to think our enemy was intelligent. We had a strong foundation for that conclusion. We were just wrong in thinking it was the Xanti who owned that intelligence rather than the Doftles, whose existence we were completely unaware of. We would not have fared well had we believed the Xanti to be more simple minded and acted accordingly.”
“True,” Talon said, nodding his head. “All of that’s in the past now. I’m just grateful that the Bihotza has a Jumper, and that we have a Key. It gives us an enormous advantage, especially considering how far we have to travel. That, and Blind Sight, of course.”
“The question now is, who else do we trust with these devices?” Thorn asked.
Talon looked at him sharply. “Is there anyone on this ship you wouldn’t trust?”
It was a serious question, and Thorn treated it as such by taking his time to think carefully before answering. “There are some whose judgement and expertise I’m not yet sure of, but no, Brother, there is no one on this ship whose loyalty I don’t trust as yet. Not counting service personnel.”
Talon relaxed the muscles in his neck that had tightened while waiting for Thorn’s answer. His middle brother could be the harshest and most judgmental of the three of them, often leaping to conclusions before he had all the facts. But he was also the best judge of character once he had a little time to get to know someone.
“I suggest we give access to Captain Holtz, the Executive Officer and the Weapons Officer,” Tee said.
Thorn considered the men that Tee had mentioned. “I agree,” he said. “We’ll need more, though. At least one person with access will need to be on duty at all times.”
Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6) Page 7