She paused for a moment to clear her throat. “It’s true I’ve developed a close relationship with DeStar in the past few days. I’ve only met the other dens, T’halamar, on brief occasions. The first time he tried to kill me. The other times he used what’s called the dher to try to convince me that Rayn was the killer, not him. He also tried to make me believe I was attracted to him. I never accepted any of his illusions. That was all that happened.”
Dr. Lumazi raised her eyebrows. “Chandhel, Katzfiel, and your partner will be seeing this recording shortly. Some of them, not understanding the dens and how they operate, may believe the worst of you.”
Dina shook her head. “As long as Rayn’s alive, it doesn’t matter. Thank you. I’m more grateful than I can ever express.”
The doctor’s smile widened. “You’re welcome. Oh, and DeStar left this for you. The meeting will be starting shortly. You will assist me?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll leave you alone for a few moments.”
Dina waited for the doctor to exit the room, then opened the note. It was hastily scrawled and brief. There was nothing personal in it, not even an assurance that he was indeed uninjured, just a reference to the name of the AEA officer who had contacted Gyn, the name Rayn had plucked from his mind before he killed him. She nodded. It all fit.
The eighteenth hour struck, and Dina entered the conference room to join Chandhel, Katzfiel, and Jon. The men were talking among themselves, speculating on what unknown developments had transpired. When Dina sat down next to Jon, he looked at her with his brows drawn together.
“Why did Dr. Lumazi want to see you?”
“You’ll see in a moment.”
Jon opened his mouth, but had no time to protest her evasive answer.
The door slid open, and Dr. Lumazi appeared. A heartbeat of silence was followed by all the men talking at once.
“Gentlemen. If I can have your attention, please.” The room became hushed, and the doctor continued. “Thank you. I realize this is all highly irregular, but be assured that what I have to impart to you is of the utmost importance. If you will please reserve your questions and comments, we will be able to make rapid and orderly progress.”
The doctor paused and, satisfied with the continued silence, proceeded. “Earlier this evening, as you all know, Rum Ctararzin was taken into custody for the attempted murder of Kalyo Rhoemer. What most of you don’t know is that the man who committed the actual murders at the mines has been located, and he himself has been killed. There is evidence of both his crimes and his death. I also have knowledge of those persons responsible for hiring this killer, one of whom is Ctararzin.”
The undertone of voices started to swell, and the doctor held up her hand for order. “Gentlemen. Please save your comments.” As the murmurs died away, she continued. “As you all know, there have been two dens living in the desert for some time. Your assumption that one of them was the killer is correct. I’m now going to show you quite a remarkable holo. Please remain silent. Play recording.”
Dina watched again as the scenes played out. Knowing what was on the recording, she flicked her eyes toward Jon several times. He didn’t look at her, concentrating instead on the images. His expression didn’t change, but Dina caught the telltale twitch of a facial muscle more than once. The end of the recording was met with utter stillness.
Jon lowered his head and buried his face in his hands, but Dina felt the eyes of the other two men squarely on her.
Finally, Chandhel spoke. “Doctor, how do we know this T’halamar is truly dead? The dens are known for tricks.”
“I have the body. You will be free to view it later,” said Dr. Lumazi.
Jon lifted his head. “Who are these angwhi they spoke of?”
“Agent Marlijn? If you would?”
Dina rose and joined the doctor at the podium. “Just as we insult them by calling them ‘dark outworlders,’ they insult us by calling us snakes. By angwhi they are specifically referring to the AEA.”
“They implied T’halamar was hired to murder the miners by an angwhi,” Jon stated. “But no one was named. A derogatory term like angwhi could in fact refer to anyone. How does this bring us closer to the people who ordered the hits?”
Dina returned Jon’s glare with a steady look. “I have a statement from DeStar in which he names the person who contacted T’halamar and made the arrangements for both the murders and the payment. There is no direct evidence against this contact, but a good deal of circumstantial evidence. He’s a bit player in this drama. I feel if he’s confronted, there’s a good chance he’ll try to cut a deal by giving up other more important players.”
Chandhel spoke next. “Doctor, with all due respect to your abilities as a highly regarded physician, just how is it that you came into possession of this holo? You’re not an investigator, nor have you been active in this investigation to the same extent that Agents Rzije and Marlijn and Commander Katzfiel have been.”
“I was approached as one who could be trusted. In addition, my skills as a physician were required in order to keep one of the witnesses alive.”
“What witness? DeStar? Where is he now, anyway?” asked Jon.
“No, not DeStar. He’s still in the desert. Even with all the help he’s provided, he fears apprehension as a ‘dark outworlder,’” replied Dina.
“You still didn’t answer my question. What witness?”
“And which one of my men is supposed to have been involved in this?” asked Katzfiel, who, to Dina’s surprise, had been speechless since the playing of the holo recording. There was absolute quiet, as everyone waited to hear the answers to both questions.
Dina accommodated them. “The witness is in the next room. He’ll come in shortly and tell you his story in his own words. The AEA officer who contacted T’halamar is Corporal Khilioi.”
Everyone started talking at once, until Chandhel’s voice rose above the others. “People, please! We’ll deal with Khilioi later. Let’s hear what this witness has to say.”
“Yes, ladies, if you would,” said Katzfiel, and Dina took pleasure in the fact that he was acknowledging her at last.
Jon could only stare at Dina incredulously.
Dr. Lumazi nodded, and pressed a key before her. “Gentlemen, if you would please join us now.”
The door slid open, and three tall men entered the room. Two were lean and tanned, with long hair that fell to their shoulders. One had a wary look in his eyes similar to that of an animal taken from his domain and placed in a strange locale. The eyes of the second were just as keen, carefully studying each of the people in the room.
The third man stood between the other two, and though he lacked the taut, vigilant air of the desert dwellers, his sky-blue eyes showed strength and intelligence. The new arrivals waited, greeted only by stunned expressions and stilled tongues.
Jon leaned back and ran his hands down his face.
Chandhel, in a surprisingly even voice, finally broke the silence. “Indeed. Sir, we are all appropriately astonished and, I might add, gratified to see you well. Please introduce us to your associates and proceed with what I am sure will be quite an amazing story.”
The man with the gray hair and azure eyes looked at Dina and nodded his head toward her. “Agent Marlijn already knows these two men. Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce two friends of mine—Raethe Avarti and Kindyll Sirkhek. I’ve known both of them for quite some time. They worked for me and did their jobs well and with integrity. Through circumstances beyond my control, they left the employ of Mother Lode Mining some months ago and are now part of the Desert Dailjan.”
At the term ‘Dailjan,’ the eyes of those seated flickered like fireflies to the others in the room, then just as quickly landed once more on the speaker.
“In doing what they did, they not only gained a
freedom those of us still in the grasp of Mother can only envy, but they probably saved their own lives. I will be forever grateful to them for saving mine, and for giving me the push I needed to reach for that same freedom. I am ashamed to admit I needed that push, and only hope that what I do now will atone to some small extent for my having held my silence for so long.”
With that, the three men sat at the conference table, Karsa Hrothi between the two Dailjan.
Hrothi continued. “First, let me satisfy your curiosity regarding my obvious state of good health. Two days ago, Agents Rzije and Marlijn requested a meeting with me after Agent Marlijn interviewed my friends here and learned I might be willing to impart sensitive information regarding Mother Lode. A few hours after agreeing to this meeting, I was contacted by Avarti, who requested to see me immediately at a Dailjan location in the desert. Raethe described it as a life-or-death situation. Out of respect for the working relationship I had with him before his guild membership was revoked, I went. Before you ask how I could go into the desert alone, not knowing for sure that Avarti wasn’t associated with the killer, I can only say that maybe I was tired of playing things safe.”
Hrothi paused and looked at the people before him. All eyes were riveted on him. “In any case, I did go, and met with Avarti, Sirkhek, and a man named Rayn DeStar. They told me they feared for my safety and felt my upcoming meeting with Rzije and Marlijn could provide the catalyst for my demise. Believe me, the same thoughts had gone through my own mind many times. We talked about what could be done and decided that the best way to keep me from being killed was to fake my own death. For this I needed more than just the help of the Dailjan.”
Hrothi took a sip of water, then continued. “I needed someone at the mines I could trust, and I needed Dr. Lumazi. We knew we could trust her. She’s a distant cousin of Kindyll Sirkhek. The other person we chose to trust was Kalyo Rhoemer, one of my assistants. I’ve worked with him a long time and know him to be an honorable man. So my ‘demise’ was carried out with the help of a drug which slows heartbeat and respiration, simulating death. Rhoemer’s job was to secure the scene and make sure no one came near enough to me to detect the truth. Dr. Lumazi’s job was twofold—to confirm my ‘death,’ and to whisk my body away to the Medical Center before anyone else could examine it.”
“Now to the beginning of the story . . .” Hrothi spent the next few hours detailing a story of greed and corruption that began eight years before, with the administration of Avvis Ranchar and the granting of the first mining contract on Exodus to Mother Lode Mining.
He told how the colony was a boom, with Kewero Kel rich beyond expectations, how Mother Lode’s profits were the highest in years, and how for two years, Mother’s highest placed on-planet personnel, including Ctararzin, Hwa-lik, Chukar, and Bhelen had made more money than they knew what to do with.
But Kewero wasn’t as deep as they thought, and it wasn’t hard for the ‘top four’ to see that the profits probably wouldn’t continue for the length of the contract. But, Hrothi explained, the ousting of Ranchar and the changing of the administration provided an opportunity too good to let pass.
The contracts were changed with the new administration, and when they were, conditions were added. Most notably the condition that Mother could break the contract if negligence could be proved. Hrothi stated that he didn’t think the four knew at that point what they would eventually do, but the loophole was now in place for that time in the future when it would be needed.
And that future was not long in coming. For several years, to be sure, a status quo prevailed. Dheru was opened, exodite was mined, profits continued, and no one spoke about yield.
But as the blue veins of pegmatite became harder and harder to locate, the four began to worry. They were used to the wealth this planet had gleaned for them, and they didn’t want to give it up. Simply not bidding at the end of the five-year contract and closing up shop was never an option.
The new Synergy survey, done ten months ago, was a positive one, as always, explained Hrothi. Mother took their own survey, and bid on the new contract. But the catalyst was Dais Johnter. He was put on the survey team at the last minute to replace an outworld survey member who had taken seriously ill.
But Dais didn’t do as he was supposed to. He didn’t keep his mouth shut. He started talking to anyone who would listen how the Mother Lode survey was a fraud, that the mines were almost played out and didn’t hold any future. At that point the decision was made fairly quickly. Johnter would be silenced and would also provide the groundwork for a negligence suit against the Synergy.
T’halamar, the perfect killer, was hired, and Johnter was indeed eliminated.
Hrothi, who had, in his silence, condoned the actions of the others up to that point, was burning with anger and frustration, but knew to keep his mouth shut. The alternative was to end up as Dais had. So in a silent, impotent rage, he stood by and watched as one by one, his miners were killed. No one would care about one dead miner, you see, he had said, but numerous dead miners, that was another story.
Mother could easily point the finger at the Synergy and say that the Synergy was not only inept in not stopping the crimes, but to blame in the first place for allowing dangerous ‘dark outworlders’ entry to the colony under Ranchar’s lax administration. They had an excellent suit against the Synergy, and if they had won, the settlement would have been for far more than the mines, even in their most productive days, could earn.
And two lone IIB agents, what could they do?
Twenty
The Light and the Darkness
THE NEXT DAY was a frenzy of activity, as Khilioi was taken into custody, Ctararzin was interviewed, and attempts were made to verify the rest of Hrothi’s story.
Dina’s satisfaction, however, was blunted not only by her worry about Rayn, but by Jon’s reaction to her involvement in Rayn’s scheme to fake Hrothi’s death. Jon wouldn’t speak to her beyond what was necessary, and, when he did, his eyes were cold and hard. Every chilling glance he gave her promised there’d be hell to pay when this was concluded.
As Dina left the Visitor Center following another meeting, an AEA officer approached her. “Agent Marlijn.”
Dina couldn’t remember the young officer’s name and glanced quickly at his name badge. “Yes, Officer Drukelez?”
“I’ve a message for you. There’s a man waiting for you now outside Ghe Wespero.”
“Who is it?” But as Dina was asking the question, the officer was already turning and striding away. Could it be Gaard?
She felt her heart pounding as she hurried back into the Visitor Center and keyed access to the storage bay. She already had her sunshield on and decided not to waste time putting on a full weather suit. After all, she wasn’t going much beyond the city. She powered on the skimmer and slipped it through the bay before the doors were fully opened.
She passed between the columns of the Ghe and left the noise and the bustle of the mercari behind. As she cut back on the skimmer’s throttle, her chest felt tight, and she struggled to breathe. It wasn’t the atmosphere, but her emotions. She tentatively brought the skimmer to a stop, and as she did, felt her heart slam against her chest like a prisoner raging against the confines of a cell.
She closed her eyes against the glare of the sun. Rayn would tell her to relax and slow her breathing. She tried to as she squinted and scanned the area, but all she saw was the mar, glittering like a field of frost caught in the sunlight, melded to the white-hot sky, and all she heard was her blood in her ears.
Then she saw him, standing next to his skimmer about twenty bars to her right, almost invisible in his silent, stock-still stance. She turned her skimmer and nudged it forward slowly, powering off the machine several bars from where he stood. She sent out a light probe and verified quickly that it was indeed Gaard.
Dina took a deep breath and watched as he
strode up to her. The undulations of the heat shimmer gave a mystery and grace to his movement and softened his appearance. As he stood before her, though, he looked as stoic as ever, straight and motionless, his only concessions to the desert a narrow sunshield and a cooling vest. His hair was tied back in its usual long ponytail, and his powerful tanned arms, bulging with muscle, gleamed with sweat. He uttered no greeting and made no sign acknowledging Dina.
She waited, knowing Gaard would talk to her in his own good time, and that it would avail her naught to try to hurry him. Dina felt the sun sear the skin of her neck and face, and she became very aware of the stillness of the desert.
“He’s alive, well, and will contact you soon,” came the low, masculine voice at last.
Dina closed her eyes and waited. The words were stated with no emotion, but Dina knew that behind the expressionless mask was one of Rayn’s most loyal and steadfast comrades. Even though Dina knew Rayn was alive, it reassured her to hear Gaard say it. The pendant.
She forced her eyes open. The pendant, Gaard, show me the pendant. She knew Gyn was dead, knew that no one else could compel Gaard to betray her, but she still wanted to see the stones that meant so much to Rayn. It would be the final sign that all was well with him. She dared not ask Gaard for it. But what if he just forgot it? No, Gaard doesn’t forget, and he doesn’t make mistakes. She could feel pearls of sweat slide down her chest between her breasts and down her back along her spine. She hadn’t bothered to put on a cooling vest.
Then, without a word, Gaard reached out his left arm and took hold of Dina’s right hand, raising it to waist height and turning her palm to the sky. As he did this, his right hand dipped into a trouser pocket and pulled something out. He placed the article in her palm, and curled her fingers over it gently.
They stood a moment like that, both of his large hands cupping her small one. As Dina studied his face, she thought she saw his mouth soften a bit, almost into the promise of a smile. She wished they didn’t have the sunshields on, as she would have liked to have seen Gaard’s eyes.
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