by K A Bledsoe
“Let’s stop this fencing, shall we? What exactly do the Xa’ti’al have to do with the Beryshie Corporation?”
His smile did not reassure her. “Only the Xa are privy to that information. If you want to know that, you should come back.”
“Are you giving me a choice? I figured you were here to either force me to return or kill me.”
He tilted his head again with that infuriating grin. “Well, I would like it to be your decision.”
Lenore set her jaw and looked directly into Daviss’s eyes, trying to convey her seriousness. “I will never work with people who work with slavers.”
Daviss looked completely unruffled as he continued eating. “You knew nothing about Beryshie when you left and what you know now isn’t what you think.”
“Enlighten me.” She pushed her plate away, appetite gone, and sat back in the chair, arms crossed.
“On the surface, yes, it looks like we are working with them. Despite our abilities, we have only managed to insert two agents and they are relatively low-level. They give us what information they can so we can eventually bring them down.”
Lenore shook her head. “I don’t buy that. By myself I managed to take down a significant portion across an entire planet. If the Xa truly were trying, the entire slave ring could be broken.”
Daviss guffawed, turning the heads of other patrons. Lenore knew he was trying to rattle her, and his next words proved it. “Your ego is as large as ever. First, it wasn’t ‘by myself’ at all. You had your talented family and the royalty of the planet helping you. And second,” he paused to take a sip of water. “It was only a tiny portion, a nuisance, impacting the organization about as much as an insect bite. But.” He put the glass down and leaned toward her slightly. “Even an insect bite can be irritating. You have been noticed and rumors of Xa’ti’al involvement are undermining our efforts.”
“Efforts. Hah.” Lenore shifted in her seat, uncomfortable at his detailed knowledge of the previous case. She stared back and attempted to steer the subject away from her family. “The Xa doesn’t work for free. You won’t take down the organization unless you are paid very well. The only reason you have undercover agents is probably for threats, leverage or extortion.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and she felt a brief satisfaction at having elicited a reaction. But it was very brief and gone with his next words.
“Perhaps. But another job of the agents is to find recruits.”
Lenore did her best to hide her surprise but knew she was unsuccessful when Daviss went back to eating, a tiny smug smile showing between bites. But she would play along with whatever game he was working at. All this open talk was unsettling.
“Oh?” She took a sip of her drink, waiting for his elaboration.
“Of course. The organization is excellent at finding a wide range of individuals and a select few are acceptable to join our elite ranks. After all, isn’t life as a Xa’ti’al better than a slave?” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his own plate aside. “And yes, if the Xa really tried we could take them down but if we did, another would pop up in its place and we would have to start all over. So ‘the enemy you know’ as they say. This way, we can keep some of the worst atrocities at bay and save lives.”
“Ah, I see,” she replied, but she didn’t believe this angelic act one bit. She knew too much.
“So, come back. If you want to take them on, who better with than us? We can also protect you from them. You know they will be coming after you, if they aren’t already.”
Lenore said nothing. He pressed on.
“You won’t be punished, and your husband and children can become part of our family as well. I remember how talented Diarmin is and, from what I understand, your children are exceptional and perfect for the Order.”
That did it. The thought of Quinn and Allison in the hands of these ruthless mercenaries sent an icy wash of fear through her entire being.
“You stay away from my family.” Her voice was low, rough.
Daviss spread his hands. “If you come back voluntarily, I can guarantee their safety. If not, well…” He brought his hands together with one resounding clap. The threat was obvious, but Lenore knew it to be more. He knew her well, but she also knew him.
Before the echo of the clap faded, she had pulled out her blaster and held the barrel an inch from his nose.
“Call them off, Daviss,” she said, ignoring the screams and scrambling of other diners.
“Call them off?” To his credit, he didn’t flinch at the sight of the gun.
“You should get some new hand signs. I know that clap was a signal to whomever is waiting to take me in. Call them off or you will have only a millisecond to regret it.”
“A public murder? It’s not your style, Lenore. Besides, kill me and you will never be able to hide again.”
“You threatened my family. You tell me if I am capable of killing to protect them.”
Without his eyes leaving hers, he made a dismissing motion with his right hand. Had it been his left, it would mean to attack. She didn’t remove the blaster.
“This is unnecessary. Everything would be solved if you simply returned.”
“I won’t go. I won’t leave my family.”
“The Xa’ti’al is your family. These others are just a distraction. You will come back. In one way or another, Lenore.”
“We’ll see.”
Suddenly all the power in the restaurant cut out and darkness enveloped them. Lenore dove in the opposite direction she figured Daviss would and rolled to her feet, blaster stowed and night vision goggles in her hand. His curse as he hit the floor showed her guess to be right and she headed for the back door at a crouch, dodging between tables. She hit the door at a full run, hoping it was unlocked. It opened with a crash and she found herself staring down a different gun barrel.
Chapter Three
“What took you so long, Diarmin?”
Diarmin holstered the weapon and slammed the door shut, barring it from the outside with a large metal bar.
“I thought my timing perfect.” A crash into the door and more loud curses indicated the Xa’s attempts to follow. He grinned at her.
“I hope that hurt.”
She couldn’t help returning the grin. “Time to go.” She started in the direction of the spaceport but stopped at her husband’s whistle. She looked back to see him on a speedcycle.
“This is probably faster than on foot,” he said, revving the engine.
Lenore wasted no time climbing on the cycle behind him.
“Hang on,” he said.
She gripped tightly with her legs and clutched her arms around his waist as the cycle shot forward. In a heartbeat they were out of the alley. As he turned in the direction opposite of the spaceport where the ship was docked, Lenore shouted in his ear, hoping she would be heard above the rush of wind.
“Don’t worry about misdirection. Go straight to the port.”
Diarmin nodded and turned down a street, weaving expertly in and out of traffic. Another talent of his that she hadn’t known. He lifted the cycle over another vehicle to avoid a collision.
It flies, too? Then she was too distracted merely holding on to think further.
In no time, Diarmin shouted, “Open the pod bay doors, Alli!”
Lenore didn’t see a communicator but assumed Diarmin knew what he was doing as he brought the cycle over a wall. Directly in front of them was the shuttlepod with the cargo bay doors sliding open. He slipped in with inches above and below and braked hard to a stop before they became a smudge on the opposite wall.
“Close and prep for launch,” he said.
“Already on it,” came Allison’s voice over the shuttlepod speakers as the doors began to close. “Launching after you dock.”
The ship was close by, queued up with other ships prepping for departure so Lenore and Diarmin were heading through the shuttle airlock in record time.
“Let’s get to the bridge,”
said Diarmin. He headed across to the bridge with Lenore only a step behind. As they entered, Quinn got up from the navigator’s seat with a pad to show his father. Without taking his eyes from the pad, Diarmin took his seat to handle take-off.
He swiped and tapped briefly then handed the pad back to Quinn.
“Good job. I only adjusted the first stop. The rest of the course will do fine. Strap in everyone. We aren’t waiting for permission.”
Long practice had them secured in their seats, Allison at her console, Quinn at navigation and Lenore in the chair at the science station. Diarmin maneuvered the yacht out of the line and to the proper distance as expertly as he had driven the bike. Quinn closed the communication channel on a protesting Flight Control.
“Here we go,” he said, and everyone braced themselves as the ship jumped into quantum drive.
“Tracking program done,” said Allison. “No devices detected.”
“First course change in two minutes,” added Quinn. “The next in two hours.”
Lenore checked her wristcomp. Only fifteen minutes since they left the restaurant. Not bad for an ex-Xa’ti’al mom, mechanical genius father, fifteen-year-old son and eleven-year old daughter. Not bad at all. She smiled at her talented family. No way was she giving this up for anything.
After the course change, Diarmin tapped a few commands and pushed back his chair.
“What an adrenaline rush.” His huge, infectious smile showed white teeth against his dark skin. “Anybody for some food?”
Chapter Four
“Aw, isn’t there something other than this hoity-toity food?” Quinn’s voice was muffled with his head in the cabinets. He yanked open the refrigerator, but Allison beat him to the prepacked pasta that was their favorite.
“Hey, that’s the last one,” he said.
“Gotta be faster,” replied Allison. “There’s some stew way in the back. I’m not a fan of this new stuff either.” She pressed the heating switch and by the time she was at the table removing the lid, the pasta was steaming.
“Sorry, kids,” said Diarmin as he began looking for his own food. “That’s what happens when you get a free restock from a king’s supply. People pay a lot for these delicacies.”
His comment was met with groans, and he chuckled. Lenore moved up behind him after Quinn left for the table. The galley had barely enough room for two and couldn’t hold three.
“To be honest,” she said. “I am a bit tired of this fancy stuff. Not for me.”
“Me either, but my grocery run was cut short. Good thing I purchased the speedcycle first.”
“I was wondering if we skipped out with a rental,” Lenore said as she fixed her own plate. Diarmin grabbed utensils since his food didn’t need heating and sat across from his children.
“Nope. I figured the cycle would come in handy in traveling quickly around cities, but I didn’t think I’d be proven right so soon.” He took a bite, noting Lenore’s grimace out of the corner of his eye.
“And you were right to keep the lines open, Dad,” added Allison. “Though how did you know that guy wasn’t friendly?”
Diarmin made a show of chewing and swallowing to give himself time to answer. A glance at his wife showed her eyes slightly widened as they flicked to both kids and back to him. He read that silent message loud and clear.
“I recognized the voice, that’s all. And you know your mother has taught us to always have a back door.”
“Which reminds me,” said Lenore as she sat. “How did you hear me? And talk to Alli? I didn’t see a communicator.”
Quinn gave his mother a look that told Diarmin he knew very well she was changing the subject, but Diarmin followed Lenore’s lead. He reached behind his ear and peeled off an oval the size of his thumbnail and colored to match his dark skin perfectly.
“My new microreceiver patch. And I have a transmitter, too.” He peeled a similar diamond shaped patch off his throat. “We don’t have the luxury of implants like you, so these are my solution. The transmitter reads signals from the vocal cords, and the receiver transmits directly to the aural receptor. Except if it is slightly off, it makes for horrible tooth pain.” He rubbed his jaw at the memory.
“Quite clever,” she said.
“Not quite up to subvocalization like yours, but I’ll get there.”
“What about lighter-colored ones for me and Alli?” asked Quinn.
Diarmin glanced at Lenore. She had her head down, appearing to be completely engrossed in eating, but he knew she was probably struggling not to say anything. She was still trying to accept the fact that their children wanted more active roles in their missions. “That’s next on the list, but I didn’t have time to acquire the proper materials. Or enough money.” He winced inwardly at the slip, knowing the reaction Quinn would have to the mention of money.
“It always seems to come down to a lack of credits, doesn’t it?” Quinn said, the bitterness obvious. “We simply aren’t getting any jobs that pay.”
“It’s my fault,” said Allison in a soft voice. “I should have found that declaration of incompetence.”
All three reassured the girl, and Diarmin was glad to see contrition on his son’s face. Allison was the most sensitive of the four, and Quinn was being oddly protective of her since the family had witnessed a brutal killing on a previous mission.
“Now, Alli. Both Dad and I agreed that the information about the contract was well hidden and very difficult for anyone unfamiliar with this planet to find.”
“But hacking to find things is what I am good at.”
“There was no reason for you to look,” said Lenore. “That kind of control over a family member, especially an adult, is virtually unheard of. Not to mention, inhuman.” The anger on Lenore’s face surprised Diarmin and spoke of something personal about her that he was unaware of. “People like Thom Heldun enjoy watching people get roped into doing things like we did and not get anything out of it. It is why ruthlessness, lack of empathy, and even cruelty are common traits of the extremely wealthy.” Her hands were clenched on either side of her plate, eyes glued to the rest of her uneaten dinner.
Both children were staring at their mother, obviously unsettled at her vehemence. Diarmin changed the subject.
“Why don’t we try something different for our next job?” he asked, hoping his voice had the right balance of casual interest.
All heads turned to him, but only Quinn voiced the question that was in their eyes.
“What?”
“Something different. Instead of going to a planet to find something or fix something, why don’t we try, oh, I don’t know, say transporting something. We could haul cargo or even passengers.”
Quinn blinked, Allison tipped her head thoughtfully, and Lenore’s fists slowly uncurled. Diarmin hid a sigh of relief, glad his diversion was working.
“There are those three cabins on the other side of the galley that we never use. Or even go into, for that matter,” said Allison.
“I sometimes forget they are there,” said Quinn with a small smile. “Are they even usable? When was the last time we were in there?”
“I think it was the last time we played ‘Hide and Seek’ when Alli was seven and she hid in the middle one,” said Diarmin.
Quinn laughed out loud. “I almost forgot about that. We were so scared we couldn’t find her that we almost called Mom back from her job as the bodyguard.”
Diarmin laughed too until he saw the look on Lenore’s face. Since she lost her bio medplant that the Xa’ti’al had put in to regulate her body’s systems for missions, her emotions were much stronger and easier to read. Seeing those emotions was good in some instances, but not when he could easily see her regret for missing much of her children’s younger years.
He pointed at the rarely used door on the other side of the lounge. “Good thing I noticed that door was slightly open.” Everyone looked at that closed door. The port side was used all the time since it led to each of their cabins, but the
starboard side had rarely been used.
“Wait, didn’t Jonah use one when he was on board?” asked Quinn.
“No, he was going to stay in your room since you were in the lounge with the rescued slave children,” said Allison, but her smile faded as Quinn’s face went blank. It always did when he was reminded about when he was captured and nearly sold by the slavers. “But we finished quickly enough that he left before he needed to use the room.”
“And since the grav plates were installed by the king’s ship mechanics, we have plenty of room for cargo, if we don’t find passengers,” added Lenore.
“But if we get people, we can serve them the expensive food so that we appear upscale and also get rid of it at the same time,” argued Allison.
“And we need to ask for money up front,” said Quinn, emphasizing his opinion by tapping on the tabletop. “Some if not all.”
Everyone began speaking all at once voices gradually getting louder in order to be heard. Diarmin put his fingers to his lips to give a piercing whistle. Silence was instant, and he was startled at the surprise on his children’s faces. For a brief second, he thought he saw fear, then decided he imagined it.
“Enough,” he said holding his hands up and grinning to soften their reaction. “I can see we are a family of thinkers, but let’s not argue about it. There is plenty of room for both, so we will see who answers an ad first.”
“I didn’t know you could whistle like that, Dad,” said Allison, eyes wide.
“I’ve whistled before,” he said, confused.
“Yeah, when you are working, but that’s like songs or tunes, soft,” answered Quinn. “Not loud like that.” He smiled slightly. “Can you teach me that?”
“Me too,” Allison said.
Lenore laughed. “Later we can have a lesson on whistling. For now, Alli and Quinn, you go look at those cabins and see what we need to do to prep them for passengers. Your father and I will go create a message to see if we can find either people or cargo to transport. With luck, we might even get both. Now, scoot!”