Dimitara sighed. “If only Bane had contacted me instead of you.”
“Is his contacting Dray causing problems for you?” Yolandi asked.
Dimitara lifted her shoulders. “Everyone, from the Tecran to the UC team, already think you're too closely aligned with him, and this just reinforces that. Has he contacted you before?”
“Only once.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Regarding Pilto, actually. The Fitalian ambassador was trying to get Yolandi to tell Bane to hang back when we met the Tecran envoy. Bane said he wouldn't.”
“That's all?” Yolandi asked, eyebrows raised.
“That's all. A few words at most.”
“All right.” Dimitara blew out a breath. “I'm going to ignore that, then.”
Dray folded his arms over his chest. “Given what happened when Bane did meet them, you'd have to wonder why Pilto wanted that. Did he know what was going to happen?”
Dimitara frowned. “What reason did Pilto give for wanting Bane to make himself scarce?”
“He said Bane's presence would be antagonistic, and if he hung back we'd make more progress with the Tecran than if he accompanied us,” Yolandi answered.
Dimitara nodded. “That's what Pilto was saying to me just before we realized the back two Levron had their weapons trained on Bane, so I believe that's all there was to his request.”
They were all silent a moment.
“Why are we here?” Dray stretched out his legs.
Dimitara lifted both of her slim, four-fingered hands. “The thing is, like Pilto, the Tecran have made a similar request that Bane stay out of sight. They are asking for him to hang back when we arrive at Tecra. They think him looming over the planet will cause panic.”
“That wasn't the agreement.” Dray had read every word of the contract that gave him and the rest of his colleagues the right to investigate the Tecran military and set up a structure to run Tecra for the next five years.
“I know, but I actually agree with them in this case. The Tecran are suffering a massive loss of face over this takeover. They also have some understanding of why the Class 5s might bear them ill will. Having Bane literally casting a shadow over their planet is going to really inspire fear and resentment, and that's going to make our jobs a lot harder.”
“What did they say about the planned ambush on Bane?” Zutobi tapped a finger on Dimitara's desk.
“What you would expect them to have said. Rogue elements. Now under control. Blah, blah, blah.” Dimitara's wry smile showed the row of sharp teeth in her mouth.
Sometimes Dray forgot about those teeth. The Bukari looked delicate and unimposing. Until they smiled.
“So now they want Bane to do them a favor? After some of their people were planning to shoot him?” Yolandi was outraged.
Dimitara funneled her fingers through her dark copper hair in frustration. “Yes. And I think that's what the covert action by those military officers was supposed to prevent. Even if they didn't get off a shot, they knew it would make asking Bane to hang back almost impossible.”
“Does this make sense to you? Was the military trying to manipulate us all so that I wouldn't agree to hang back?” The quiet whisper in Dray's ear made him go completely still, and then he forced himself to relax.
“Someone in the military whose role in the Class 5 project might be exposed by our doing our jobs when we get down to Tecra, and who knew what the Tecran government envoy was going to ask of Bane, would probably think they couldn't lose, either way, with their plan to shoot at him. Whether they actually damaged him, or just tried to, the Tecran politicians would find it difficult to ask a favor of him afterward.” Dray looked at Dimitara as he spoke, answering Bane's question while agreeing with her.
“It would certainly help people like that go undetected if our jobs are made harder because of resentment and lack of cooperation with the general Tecran population.” Yolandi gave a decisive nod.
“So, will you speak to Bane?” Dimitara asked, and Dray could see she already looked exhausted, and they were still a day's journey from even reaching Tecra.
“I won't hang back, but I'll pretend to. There are two moons that circle Tecra. I'll land on Gyre, the larger one, and cloak myself.” Bane's voice was calm. “I'll stay there unless I think I have to move, for whatever reason.”
Dray wondered if Bane had spoken into all their earpieces, but no one reacted. His lips twisted, because this favoritism was going to ostracize him if it became well known.
“Bane says he'll make sure no one can see him.” He didn't know why he didn't give Bane's exact location, but he was from Battle Center, and he never gave out information unnecessarily.
Dimitara gasped. “He's listening? Will he talk to me?”
Dray shrugged. “Ask him. I don't have any control over him. I thought he might have given his reply to everyone, but clearly not.”
Dimitara grimaced. “Thank you for agreeing to this, Bane. It will help the team's objectives greatly. We appreciate it.”
Dray could see Dimitara was hoping for an answer, but none came and she slumped down in her chair.
“I'm grateful he's so willing to be accommodating.” She blew out a breath. “That is a huge concession, and it'll give us quite a bit of leverage with the Tecran government.”
“You going to tell them right away?” Zutobi asked.
Dimitara shook her head. “I'm going to have a bath, have some dinner in my rooms, and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, before we reach the Tecran solar system, is soon enough.”
Dray grunted in approval, and Yolandi gave an elegant nod of her head.
“Keep them guessing for a bit. It'll make them even more grateful,” Zutobi agreed cheerfully. “And given the work ahead of us from tomorrow, I think I'll follow your example, Ambassador.”
She stood, and Yolandi stood with her.
“I just have a few technical issues to discuss with the ambassador,” Dray said, and they nodded and left, although he knew they were curious.
“If it's bad news, I don't think I want to hear it.” Dimitara rubbed at her temples.
“It's not bad news. I want to know how much resentment there'll be if the rest of the leadership team learn Bane has chosen me as his liaison.”
“Oh.” Dimitara sat up a little straighter. “Quite a lot of resentment, I'd guess, although it's not as if they weren't expecting him to favor the Grih. He's been living within your space boundaries up 'til now, his three surviving . . . friends are all aligned with the Grih, and the woman who freed him, my friend Rose, is very much part of Grihan life.” She lifted her hands and shoulders in a 'what are you going to do' gesture.
“True. But I'd prefer to keep it as quiet as possible, please. It could impact on my role within the team, and I'd rather that not happen.”
She nodded. “I won't say anything. If you're happy for me to pretend Bane spoke to me personally, I could do that.”
Dray nodded. “That works.”
He got up.
“Why do you think he has chosen you as his liaison?” Dimitara asked him as he reached the door.
He turned back. “I'm from Battle Center, so maybe he's just more comfortable with me,” he said with a shrug. “After all, Bane was created as a weapon of war.”
Chapter 7
Lucy stared out at the glittering ocean and huddled deeper into her cloak, grateful for the warmth of it, and for the scarf that had the dual benefit of hiding her mouth and nose and keeping her face warm.
The zipu had proved to be a system of fast, individual carriages that ran on a single, humming strip of metal. Each carriage held a maximum of four people and she'd had one to herself most of the way in to the city. She'd gotten out at the first station that had a crowd waiting on its platform, keeping her head down as she wove through what looked like early morning commuters.
The city center didn't look to be far, and she found a path that ran parallel to the cliff edge. The wind was to her bac
k, and she let it push her along.
To her left, buildings rose up as if they were extensions of the cliffs, their lower floors out of sight, below the clifftops. The closer she got to the city center, the more buildings rose up on her right as well, as tall or taller than the buildings that blocked most of their view of the sea, although there were some gaps between the buildings at the front, concessions to those behind them, so that they at least got a glimpse of the ocean beyond.
A third line of buildings and then a fourth appeared, and she guessed from the air the city must look like a long snake that had swallowed something large that was sitting in its middle.
The buildings were tall but they were all different, and each one she passed seemed taller than the next, in a sort of height progression that might have told her when she'd reached the city center--because they got lower again on the other side--if it wasn't for the statue.
It stood dead center, flanked on both sides by buildings that came to its shoulders. Nothing stood directly in front of it, which created an open square surrounded on three sides by the statue and buildings, and the cliff edge as the fourth.
What struck Lucy was the variety in the buildings that rose around her. All were tall and relatively narrow, but none looked the same. Some were made of stone, others of a kind of glass or polished enamel, the designs and patterns worked into them stark and compelling.
She had seen some of the same patterns in the walls and pictures in the facility, and guessed they were intrinsic to Tecran culture.
The closer she got to the statue, the more populated with commuters the path became, and she eventually stepped off it and found a parallel road behind the second row of buildings.
The midmorning sunlight struggled to reach past the buildings on the cliff, and it lent a gloom to the back streets.
She relaxed a little. The shadows suited her.
She still caught a few glances directed her way, but no one approached her, and she kept her stride quick and purposeful, the hood of her cloak pulled low enough to keep her hair and eyes hidden.
She would have been outed as an alien long ago without the scarf, though. The Tecran's beak-like mouth included nasal openings on the top, and there was no way anyone could mistake her human mouth and nose as anything like theirs.
She kept heading toward the square, even though she didn't know quite what she'd do when she got there. It didn't really matter. Having any goal at all was a relief.
Buildings that clearly housed apartments started to change subtly the closer she got. Little shops appeared at ground level, mostly cafes and grocery stores, and some buildings had what looked like sophisticated vending machines built into them.
The pavements and streets that surrounded the square contained food stands, cafes, and long stone benches. In the open space in front of the statue, the sea sparkled and glittered, blinding Lucy when she looked in that direction.
A raised dais had been erected at the very center of the open space, bordered with large planters full of dark green foliage, and paved with stone edged with bright green moss. Stone steps on one side led up to the top.
Lucy sat on a bench on the right side of the square, facing left, rather than looking out over the sea, and watched people using the vending machines for fifteen minutes before she tried it herself.
She slid in the bank credit and chose a cup of water. When the cup dropped down for her to take, she suppressed a squeak of triumph.
She sat back on her bench and gulped it down, then went back for a cup of grinabo--the hot drink she'd become addicted to at the facility--and a nutrient bar.
When she turned back, her bench had been taken, so she leaned against a wall, sipping her grinabo, and hoped no one would notice her in the shadows.
Most of the Tecran looked like they were on their way to work, but some were wearing uniforms and looked like the Tecran version of the police.
Suddenly nervous, she lifted her scarf a little higher and turned toward a small stall selling something that smelled terrible to her, but which had a snaking queue of patrons. That suited her fine. She joined the end of the line, and shuffled forward as it moved along.
When she looked again, the police were gone.
She could have approached them. Maybe.
So far, the Tecran she'd met outside the facility seemed to know something about her and not want any involvement. Which meant she was a complication, and sometimes, people just wanted complications to go away.
Whatever happened with the police, they would probably hold on to her.
She decided to find out a little more first, before she took a step that would take away her autonomy.
She'd only just gotten it back.
She stepped out of the line and went back to the vending machine for a second cup of grinabo, and found a new bench that was empty.
As soon as she sat down, she noticed the large screen set to one side of the square.
More than one Tecran stood in the central part of the square, looking up at it as they sipped their morning drink and ate whatever they'd bought for breakfast.
Perhaps it was due to the lack of space in the city center, but none of the cafes had places for people to sit and eat.
Lucy noticed more and more people began gathering in front of the screen and wondered if it had to do with the time of day. Maybe public announcements were made at this time every morning?
The screen flickered to life and an image appeared, and she almost spilled her grinabo as she recognized the facility--a fireball against the night sky. Tecran were racing around, dressed in protective suits, and she caught a glimpse of Dr. Farnn being led off to the side.
She was alive!
She couldn't hear clearly what was being said, and so she stood and began to work her way into the crowd until she was close enough.
There was nothing in the report about survivors. The woman doing the voice-over simply said there was an unknown number of deaths and authorities would have to investigate the scene before more was known.
Then the image faded and she saw three Tecran sitting around a small table. They began discussing the imminent arrival of a United Council battleship, and the upcoming takeover by the UC of the Tecran military, and the overseeing of Tecran political structures.
The crowd grew around her, she could no longer see the square, just people on every side. Their attention was on the screen, though, and she didn't think anyone noticed her at all.
The people onscreen began to discuss the implications for Tecran society of having UC interference, and it was clear that none of the three were happy about the outcome.
“We were forced into this, there was no choice about it,” one of the men on the panel insisted.
“Well, the choice was being kicked out of the UC, and potentially going to war, or submit to their demands,” the woman said. “So we did have a choice, but not a feasible one. My understanding is that the military left us so vulnerable by investing in the Class 5s that once we lost them, even the military thought this UC interference was better than a war we couldn't win.”
“At least this way, after five years, we are once again a sovereign nation,” the third man said. “Not the loser in a war with the Grih.”
“Are we though?” the first man asked. “After five years, can we be sure the UC will walk away?”
“What choice do we have but trust that they will?” the woman said. “We have to hope they keep their word, and to be honest, I haven't known them to lie before.”
“They better keep their word,” someone in the crowd close to her muttered, and the Tecran around him nodded in agreement.
“It's a silent coup, is what it is,” someone spoke a little louder, to Lucy's right.
“That's crazy talk,” someone else called back. “Do you think we're innocent in all this? We should be directing our anger at the military for putting us in this situation, not at the UC. All they've done is follow the laws we helped to write. We've been betrayed by our own.�
��
There were mutters of agreement, and Lucy realized the crowd was not at all a unified group. Everyone had strong opinions.
But what were these rules the Tecran military had broken?
Suddenly, up on the screen, was an image of people standing on a stage lit with tiny lights, and behind them were buildings that looked like exquisite works of art. The part that had Lucy really riveted, though, was that none of the people were Tecran. Some looked so human, at first she thought they were, until she noticed their pointed ears, and others were shorter, more stocky, with dark hair and silver eyes.
Then the view of the people on stage became clearer as the lens zoomed in.
She cried out and dropped her cup of grinabo as three women came into focus.
Human women.
She barely noticed the curses around her as hot grinabo splashed the people closest to her in the crowd.
She stumbled forward, pushing people aside to get a better view of the screen, and the wind chose that moment to blow a little harder, swirling through the square and lifting her hood from her head.
There was a gasp from the woman beside her, her gaze on Lucy's wild curls.
“She's one of them.” The woman pointed at the screen. “One of the Earth women.”
Lucy turned and suddenly realized the crowd had moved back. She was standing alone.
She pushed her hood all the way off, pulled down her scarf, and faced them.
“Yes. I am one of them. And I want to understand what I'm doing here. What is going on?”
“Where did you come from?” someone called out.
“I was being kept at that facility that blew up last night. One of the scientists there said the military was trying to clean up their mess.”
There were audible gasps.
“Please, tell me what is going on.”
She looked around at the alien faces surrounding her, and felt a deep, desperate wish to go home.
The sense of isolation, of otherness, that she'd felt in the first weeks she'd woken up in the facility came crashing back down on her.
She hadn't felt it the last few months, she realized, not because she was suddenly one of them, but because her gaolers had started talking to her, joking with her, even playing with her, and even that small amount of acceptance had made her feel less different.
Dark Matters (Class 5 Series Book 4) Page 4