by S. E. Smith
Sona completed her lone walk and entered the scan and disinfection chamber. As she was enveloped in sterilizing mist and subjected to the multiple beams of a full body scan, a squad of alert Network militia waited. Their expressions darkened when they identified Sona as a Rathskian. Clearly, this wasn’t going to go well for her, and Rigel’s more sentimental side urged him to break protocol and run to her aid.
But such an action was more likely to get him body-slammed and cuffed than protect her from the wrath of the Network. He watched intently, not sure how he would react if she were manhandled by the security crew. Which seemed highly probable, based on the soldiers’ stern expressions and the looks that passed between them.
They hovered around her like circling predators. She remained unruffled, but Rigel’s fingers twitched at his side, and he moved to the edge of the hatch, preparing to intervene.
A dark figure with an escort appeared in the corridor behind the soldiers. The security team snapped to attention, parting like a zip seal to allow the man and his entourage to pass. When Rigel got a good look at the newcomer’s face, his breath froze.
Another Rathskian.
“That’s Ramo himself,” Garr muttered beside him. “Hades, she does know him. Girl’s got friends in high places.”
“Sona happy,” Maura reported with a low trill. “Happy, happy.”
Rigel’s muscles went slack. She didn’t need him charging to her defense after all. She had it covered.
When Sona left the scan-dis chamber, the man Garr had identified as Ramo stepped closer. The two seemed to be exchanging private words.
And then they embraced.
Rigel clenched his fists, recalling their tense exchange in the galley. “But my father was in a position to advocate for my bonding with a high-born Rathskian.”
Was Ramo her intended? Was that why she’d been so hell-bent on reaching Network headquarters? “The asset I’m delivering to the Network…is me.”
“Rigel not happy.” Maura’s thoughts jolted him out of his dark trance.
No. Rigel not happy.
“Rigel needs Sona.”
“Stop!” Rigel snapped.
Maura’s little head sagged, and Captain Garr gave him a dark look. “Eh?”
“Just talking to Maura,” Rigel admitted, sheepishly, stroking Maura in apology.
Garr gave him a hard squint then strode off down the tube toward disinfection.
“Captain Garr,” Rigel called after him. He waited for the man to face him. “Thanks for getting us here.”
“I follow Network orders,” he answered with a curl of his lip. “Doesn’t mean I always like my assignments.” He turned away, but after two steps, he looked back again. “Gonna miss your StarDog, though. You were good company, girl.”
Maura gave a parting yip.
“You know,” Garr said, fixing Rigel with a cold look, “you ought to give that creature a lot more regard than you do. She’s a true friend to you, and it doesn’t appear to me you have many.”
The man continued down the tube.
Rigel gave Maura a thoughtful stroke. Garr’s cut hadn’t been far off the mark. Since signing on with the Network, Rigel hadn’t made many friends. Until now, he’d never minded. He was dedicated to his work, and it left little room for social connections. As a Network agent—always on the move, always focused on the current objective—having friends wasn’t a plus.
But his encounter with Sona had reset something deep inside him. The short time he’d spent in her arms had changed him at the sub-atomic level.
Maura sensed it. Rigel needs Sona? Maybe. He’d admit that much. But it didn’t mean he’d ever act on it. After her full disclosure, he couldn’t even if he’d wanted to.
Maura had the other part nailed. Rigel not happy. No. Not happy to watch Sona walk out of his life. Not happy at all.
“Let’s get this mission wrapped, girl.”
Maybe after he’d turned the crucial data over to Command, he could put his skills to use locating Sona on MONA Loa Station. Watching her these last few moments had made one thing painfully clear. Arranged pairing or not, he needed closure.
Garr appeared to be finishing up his scan-dis protocol when a uniformed lieutenant arrived at the station. He and Garr exchanged greetings and thumps on the back, and the officer spoke to the militia.
One of the Network militia motioned Rigel forward. As he made his trek to the scan-dis chamber, Garr and the lieutenant headed off down a corridor with a debriefing team. Maura nuzzled the side of his face and trembled. She never liked the scan and disinfection routine. Couldn’t say he liked it much, himself.
“Only lasts a few sectas, girl.” he said then mentally relayed, “No hurt” to his partner.
Maura snuggled close to his neck as they suffered the mist-and-beam regimen.
When Rigel was signaled to step out of the chamber, a tech said, “State your name and credentials.”
“Rigel Blackline. Network field agent.” He angled his head toward his StarDog. “My partner is a Network asset, ID Maura Blackline.”
“Full name, Cardi,” the tech retorted. “Not your call name.”
“Rigel Octares Jagger.”
The soldiers behind him busied themselves pulling up his data.
“Kettlestrike,” the tech said.
“Anedwil,” Rigel muttered in response.
The tech turned to look at one of the ranking militia. “Old code.”
“I know it’s out of date. I’ve been in the field during communications blackout,” Rigel explained.
The trio of militia surrounded him. Two drew their weapons. “Hands behind your back,” the third demanded, withdrawing poly-restraints from his duty belt.
“You’re detaining me for old code?” Maura clung to his shoulders, chattering angrily at the guards. “What about my shipmates? They didn’t get the update either.”
“They were positively identified by key personnel. We have no data on you.”
Of course they didn’t. He was a Network spy. If all had gone as planned, his credentials would’ve been transferred to Wisdom then relayed to Spirit when he boarded the transport. But the destruction of Wisdom had set off a chain of events that seemed to have thrown the usual system into chaos.
Maura bared her teeth at the man affixing his restraints, and he backed off a step. “What is that thing?”
“She’s a Network SpyDog,” Rigel explained, but the guy seemed clueless. Probably didn’t have the clearance to know. SpyDogs were in the same class as some of the secret weapons the Network employed.
“Mickel, get a containment crate.”
“You’re not separating us,” Rigel growled, staring the men down. “Or I’ll have your asses.”
The lead guard looked down his nose at Rigel. “I think you’ve got that backward, friend. You’d be advised to cooperate.”
He gestured to one of his men and the guy plucked a jabbering Maura off his shoulder. “
“Get your hands off her! She stays with me,” Rigel shouted.
“She goes to animal quarantine.”
“You can’t take her!”
“I’m following security protocol,” the officer answered, “to the letter.”
Rigel couldn’t disclose the sensitive data Maura was carrying to the guards. They didn’t have the clearance. But he couldn’t allow his partner to be taken away and her data removed from his control. He had to reach someone in authority. Someone who could ID him as a friendly. He spat out the first name that came to mind. “Let me speak to Commodore Gant.”
“Currently missing in action,” the guard informed him, tightening the restraints.
Damn! He was still missing?
“Admiral Mennelsohn?”
“Not on station.”
Hades. This wasn’t good. With his Blackline counterparts deployed in the field, that only left one person in Network authority who could vouch for his identity. Rigel bit down hard on his lower lip. “Let me talk to Captain Jag
ger.”
The men exchanged looks.
“How do you know him?”
“He’s my brother.”
They eyed each other again, shuffling their feet. Finally, the lead guard answered, “Jagger is overdue to report.”
One of the guards hefted the handle of Maura’s crate.
“Let’s go,” the lead guard commanded, pushing on his shoulder.
“Maura!” Rigel called as the third man strode away with her crate.
The StarDog chattered and howled, her tiny paws wrapped around the bars of her containment crate, trying to find an escape route. “Maura scared!”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you back.”
She rattled the bars of her crate. “Help Maura!”
“Don’t make the man angry. Be a good girl.”
Maura quieted, her sad little eyes fixed on him until the guard turned a corner and carried her out of sight. Rigel’s gut ached. He’d never felt so powerless.
The guard prodded him again. “Move.”
“Where are you taking me?” Rigel demanded.
“You’ll know when we get there.”
“I need to speak with someone in Command,” Rigel insisted. “Who the hell is left?”
He’d been taken to a small interrogation room and unceremoniously shoved into a chair.
“They’ve got other things to attend to,” the lead guard—Kelwell—said. “We’ll be dealing with you.”
Rigel closed his eyes. Of course the man wouldn’t take him at his word. He had to get Maura back and turn over her data to Command, asap. But with the senior command unavailable, he was out of options.
Unless…
Rigel straightened in his chair. It was a long shot, but what did he have to lose?
“Let me talk to Ramo.”
“Ramo?” Kelwell echoed, a vein in his neck standing out.
“He’s in authority here, correct?”
“How do you know Counselor Ramo?”
“That intel’s above your paygrade.”
“Don’t get smart. You’re going to have to give me a damn good reason why we should allow you to talk to him.”
“I have critical, time-sensitive information about the Alliance. Trust me when I say you don’t want to be the one blamed for keeping it from Command,” Rigel warned. “Fetch him.”
Kelwell heaved a sigh and nodded to one of his subordinates. “If this is a stall tactic, you’re going to regret it.”
Rigel held his tongue. He was done talking to these men.
He just hoped Ramo would heed his request, or if Sona was still with him, that she would urge him to come.
Chapter Fourteen
Sona took in the well-appointed office with uniformed Network guards keeping a watchful vigil by the entrance. Ramo was apparently held in high esteem here. The Network had certainly provided him with perks. That was reassuring, if surprising.
Ramo took his seat in a tall, stately chair and motioned her to one of three positioned in front of his desk. His dark eyes sparked with affection, in a face scored by dozens of deep scars. Kensmarcs, the Rathskian symbols of honor and esteem.
He paused to address his two guards. “Allow me a moment to speak with my visitor, if you please.”
Both guards’ gazes cut to Sona, before the senior of the two said, “We’ll be right outside the door if you need us, Counselor.” They dutifully left his office.
“There’s been a complication with our plans,” Ramo said without preamble.
Sona studied his expression. It’s serious. “What’s happened?”
“There are key people missing. That’s all the information I can provide at present.”
“The admiral and the commodore,” she said.
“Yes, and…”
There was more to it. Sona leaned forward, her hands locking over the arms of her chair. “The heir-apparent?”
He looked away.
“He’s missing?”
“We are unsure of his whereabouts.”
“He’s no longer on Ithis?”
Ramo looked pained but remained tight-lipped. “The important thing is you made it here safely, in spite of Wisdom being scuttled.”
“The Network agent I arrived with had a lot to do with that.”
Ramo nodded. “I’ll thank him personally.”
Something distant and indiscernible tugged at her subconscious. Like a distant wail, more felt than heard. “Are the others being debriefed?”
“That’s my understanding.”
“We brought the Royal Archives from LaGuardia. Did you know?”
“Indeed. We’re in the process of securing and cataloging the Draxian records now. A true treasure that will enhance the library Zaviar himself compiled. And the discovery of Banshee, one of his old prototypes, was a remarkable find. Admiral Mennelsohn will be pleased that a part of his father’s legacy has been recovered.”
The unsettling intrusion rippled through her mind again. Was Maura trying to communicate with her? Was something wrong?
“But what about the information the other passenger brought? Rigel Blackline?”
Ramo cocked his head and assessed her with his ever-perceptive eyes. Had her inflection betrayed her? Her body language? She’d tried to bury her feelings for Rigel, but this man had always been keenly attuned to non-verbals. He leaned forward in his seat and Sona braced for his next question.
The wall-comm buzzed, startling her. “Counselor Ramo, a major with station militia needs a word,” his senior guard reported.
“Bring him in.”
The seal opened, and his guard stepped into Ramo’s office, followed by the visitor. Sona read the major. Twitching fingers. Rigid stance. Pale skin. The man was intimidated by Ramo and unsure of his message.
“Major Kelwell,” Ramo greeted him. “What’s the nature of your visit?”
“We’ve detained a suspicious person, sir. He didn’t use the current passcode and is being held for interrogation. He insists on speaking with you.”
“Who is this man?”
“He’s a recent arrival. Claims to be a Network agent.” The major tried to temper a sneer. “He also claims he’s Captain Jagger’s brother.”
Rigel! Sona shot to her feet. “I know this man. He’s the agent who escorted me to safety aboard Banshee. You must speak with him.” Ramo’s gaze snapped back to her. “Sir,” she added, hoping her outburst hadn’t given away what else she and Rigel had shared. That was her personal business.
“He had a strange creature with him that’s been crated and taken to quarantine,” the major continued.
“Maura!” Sona exclaimed. “The creature is his partner, a bioengineered StarDog. She must be recovered immediately. She may be carrying vital information.”
“The agent told you this?” Ramo asked.
“Not the details,” Senata clarified. “No Network agent would do that. He can only disclose to a member of Command. But I have my reasons to believe it’s true.” It was Maura who’d hinted about the “big secrets” that she carried. Sona looked directly at Ramo.
He gave a subtle nod. “I will talk with this detainee.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m going with you,” Sona announced.
Ramo paused to consider her. His eyes always saw more than she wanted to reveal.
“Very well,” Ramo said quietly.
The long walk to the debriefing room took a toll on Sona’s patience. She strode forward, breaking rank with her customary position four paces behind Ramo so she could speak to him. “Ask them to retrieve Maura. The StarDog is essential. We can’t lose track of her.”
“That command has already been given.”
Sona dipped her chin and fell back into step just ahead of the trailing guards.
MONA Loa was a huge station, but fortunately the debriefing rooms were in the same general area as some of the ranking staff’s offices, Ramo’s included. Even so, it was a lengthy walk.
Sona followed Major Kel
well, Ramo, and his two guards into the detention room. It was small and mostly dark, with a bank of bright lights illuminating the sole person seated at a transparent plex table. Rigel.
He didn’t rise when Ramo entered, and it became immediately clear why not. His hands had been bound behind him. The same position she’d put him in not long before. He took in each of the men who entered, his gaze shifting to Ramo before settling on her.
“Why has this man been detained, Major?” Ramo asked in his usual controlled voice.
“He didn’t have the current passcode, sir. With the present security escalation, we felt it necessary to question him.”
Sona arched her brow. “Neither Captain Garr nor I were detained.”
“You both had key people to speak for you,” Kelwell explained.
“Certainly prudence is in order,” Ramo conceded, “to a degree.” He turned his head to address Rigel. “Have you been mistreated by these men?”
“No, sir. Not yet.” Rigel leveled a glare at Kelwell. “It’s clear they made a judgment call based on unfortunate circumstances.”
Kelwell shifted his weight, looking sheepish.
“You requested to speak with me?” Ramo asked.
Rigel straightened against the seat back. “I did, Counselor.” He looked over the contingent who’d arrived with the man. “In private, sir. This information is classified.”
Ramo turned to dismiss his men.
“Sir, I don’t think this is wise,” his lead guard protested in a quiet aside. “We don’t—”
“I will remain,” Sona offered. “I assure you no harm will come to Counselor Ramo.”
Ramo pursed his lips and dropped his gaze to Rigel. “If you have no objections to her presence?”
His gaze moved to Sona. “None, sir.”
Sona lowered her eyes. Ramo had clearly caught the unspoken interplay between them.
“Done, then.” Ramo motioned to his lead guard. “Unbind him and take your leave.”
Major Kelwell set his jaw and leaned down to release Rigel’s poly-binds, before he and Ramo’s two personal guards reluctantly filed out through the seal. Rigel pulled his arms from behind the chair, grimacing with discomfort as he got to his feet.