darknadir (24 page)

* * *

After he'd eaten, he took Zashou aside as Tirak had suggested and asked her what she'd picked up from Jo and Rezac of the night they went missing.
"Nothing," she said. "They've no memory of it that I'm aware of." She fixed him with a hard look. "They have their privacy, Kaid. I don't infringe on it. Frankly, I don't want to. I'm glad he's found someone to divert his passion away from me."
"You're being too hard on him, Zashou. Ease up a little. You're as difficult for him to live with as he is for you."
Her amber eyes regarded him thoughtfully. "Why do you always want a reason to excuse him?"
"I don't, I feel equally for you both. It's not a pretty situation for either of you, to be Linked to someone so diametrically opposed to your individual principles."
"There's a mystery between you two, Kaid, and I'll solve it, believe me. He finds the need to keep defending you. I think we've all enough jeggets in our barn without you two starting an affair."
He'd not risen to her obvious bait. "If they remember anything, ask them to tell me, please."

* * *

When Kate and Taynar came round, he and T'Chebbi were there to reassure them. Kaid wished they had their medikit because Kate could have done with some kind of sedative. Remembering what Rezac had done with Tesha, he tried the same with Kate, gently linking to her mind and trying to calm her panic. It wasn't as easy as he'd thought and made Kate somewhat drowsy, but at least she was better able to cope, and so was Taynar.
With Taynar's permission, he linked to him and relived their experience. The memories were confusing, fragments of images and sensory input. It would take a lot of teasing through to make sense of them, and though he knew the skills, he lacked any experience using them. He'd have to do it the Brotherhood way.
He asked for the small table to be left empty so he could work. At first he thought he was having difficulty focusing on Taynar's memories, then he realized that this wasn't so. There was something else happening. Other images were intruding, trying to dominate his mind. He began reciting the litanies one after the other, using them to block these thoughts that were not his or Kate and Taynar's, but they were strong, and determined to dominate him.
The lights overhead had been so bright, their glare bleaching out every detail of the surroundings.
With an effort, he pushed his thoughts back to the words he was quietly reciting.
A sudden bright flash, accompanied by a pulsing sensation filled his mind. It was so clear, so real. Shocked, he jerked upright in his chair, looking round the room for its source. It came again: the flare of light, the pulse. Then again. He gasped for air, suddenly finding it almost impossible to breathe. Roaring filled his ears as the pulse throbbed once, twice, three times more. Pain lanced through his side, paralyzing him with its severity. Against his chest, the crystal he never removed flared so hot it seared him.
His body rigid with agony, he began to slide from the chair. All he could hear was the quickening beat of a heart, all he could see were the helmets of the Primes watching him as he struggled for every breath.
A strangled mewl escaped him as he and the chair hit the floor with a crash. He felt himself being lifted and carried, unable to tell which was his reality as he continued to fight for each breath.
This is what death's like,
he thought as his body suddenly relaxed and the vision faded.
The relief was short-lived, and fresh pain coursed through him. Doubling up, he clutched at his side and abdomen, keening his agony, taking his breaths when he could. Never had he experienced pain like this, not in Fyak's lair, nor in Ghezu's prison.
Faces and voices came and went but they meant nothing as the unremitting pain tore through him. After what felt like an eternity, it began to ease. He lay there panting, poised for the next wave, but it never came. Lassitude spread through him and he realized he'd finally been given a powerful analgesic.
When he came round, T'Chebbi's scent enveloped him. Gradually he realized he was lying on his side with his head cradled in her lap. The crystal lay against his arm. It was no longer even warm.
"They brought our medikit," she was telling him. "I gave you a shot. What happened?"
"Not me— a vision," he croaked. His throat was raw from crying out, but deep inside him, a tiny flame of hope had been kindled. It was so tiny, so faint and fragile, he dared not even look at it. "Let me sleep, T'Chebbi. I'll talk later."
"You sure you're all right? Could find nothing wrong with you but I've never seen anyone in such pain."
He could hear the fear and concern in her voice, feel it in her mind. He wrapped his free hand around hers and gently squeezed. "Sure."

* * *

Yesterday had been a strange day for J'koshuk. He'd continued to be assigned members of his crew to question, and the sessions had been routine. One look at the four Prime guards in the questioning room, and the sight of him, was enough for most of them. Everything had come spilling out, more than the Primes wanted, but less information than they needed. He'd been bored by it all as he enjoyed having to pry information from unwilling captives. The gossip value of what he was hearing, however, finally piqued his interest and he began to try developing more subtle methods of persuading them to talk than the threat of personal violence. He found this was also a heady experience, though not quite as pleasurable.
But yesterday, he'd been suddenly stopped and returned to his quarters for the night. In the corridor, he'd passed a group of three guards heading for the Sholans' quarters. Today they wanted him to see the Cabbarans. They were having problems with them. They refused to eat or some such thing.
"You will interface with the Cabbarans," the Prime seated at the desk was telling him. "Discover why they refuse to cooperate with us. For the last three days they do not eat, do not talk. They fail to thrive. This is unacceptable. You will find out why and arrange a solution."
"They're only creatures, not even lesser beings," said J'koshuk. "Why bother with them? Let them die, they're of no value."
Almost before he'd finished talking, pain lanced down his spine, felling him to the floor. He screamed and writhed there for several long seconds before it stopped. The relief was instant and, shaking, he got to his feet. Resentment boiled inside him. Who were they to treat a priest of the God-King like this? When he got his chance... He schooled his expression to blankness as he faced the Prime again.
"You have no value to us if you do not obey. Go to the Cabbarans and deal with the situation as you have been ordered."
"Yes, Seniormost," he said quietly, inclining his head.

* * *

The Cabbaran accommodation had obviously not been living quarters. It was a large room, empty apart from a screen which had been erected across one corner, and the mandatory floor level sleeping units. At first, he couldn't see them, but as he ventured farther into the room, he saw they were in the beds. A long, pointed head lifted itself from the depths of the nearest bed. Large forward-facing eyes regarded him balefully as the pointed ears were rotated, openings facing him.
J'koshuk stopped. He hadn't had the opportunity to look at them closely when they'd been herded onto the
M'ijikk.
The head was topped by a crest of hair that disappeared down the creature's back. As it raised itself higher on its front legs— arms, he didn't know or care which— he could see the brightly colored tattoos on cheek and shoulder.
"Send messenger now? No good. Take away. Where our crew? Want join them. We are Free Traders. Have rights if captive!"
J'koshuk was taken aback at the speech. If he'd thought about it, he'd have realized they could obviously communicate, but to hear words, albeit translated by a machine like the Primes used, issuing from the mouths of what appeared to be creatures, shocked him.
"Impossible," he said, playing it safe. "The Primes demand to know why you refuse to eat."
"Take us to our crew, then we eat. If not, die. Is simple. No more talk." He put his head down on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes.
"You start eating, then we talk," said J'koshuk, folding his hands in the sleeves of his robe.
The minutes ticked by as he waited for the Cabbaran to reply. It was obvious he had no intention of doing so. J'koshuk sighed. Negotiation was not his strong point, not his caste's calling. Force would get him nowhere in this situation as they were obviously quite prepared to die rather than cooperate. Or were they?
He turned to one of the guards. "I wish you to pretend to kill one of them," he said in a voice so low he hoped the Prime could still hear him.
There was no response, no movement, nothing from the black-suited being that towered over him.
Praying to the spirits of all the God-Kings since the dawn of time, he stalked over to the sleeping units, crimson robes billowing out behind him in what he hoped was an intimidating manner. He stopped beside the bed next to the one who'd spoken, and pointed down at the inhabitant.
"Take him," he said to the guard.
As the Prime moved forward, the only sound was that of his footfalls as he drew closer to the Cabbarans.
The speaker cracked open an eyelid, J'koshuk noticed.
Bending down, the guard's hand scooped up the Cabbaran, holding him by the loose flesh at the back of his neck. He squealed once, then hung limply in the guard's grasp, eyes dull, obviously waiting for his end.
"You will eat or this one dies," said J'koshuk.
"He can eat if he wants. I do not," replied the speaker, shutting his eye again.
J'koshuk swung round to glare at the one the guard held. "Are you going to eat now?" he demanded.
"Not eat," said the voice from the translator.
"Kill it," said J'koshuk.
The guard released his rifle to pull a pistol from the side of his belt. Putting it to the middle of the Cabbaran's back, he activated it. The Cabbaran stiffened, then went limp again in his grasp. The Prime threw him to the floor, and J'koshuk prayed he wasn't really dead.
"And the next one," he said.
The guard took a couple of steps and reached for the next Cabbaran. The speaker remained motionless, not even opening an eye this time.
"Do I have to order the death of another before you'll agree to eat?" demanded J'koshuk, reaching down to pull one of the speaker's ears.
"Choose your own path," the translator said. "We chose ours. You cannot force us."
Furious, J'koshuk let it go and signaled the guard to drop the Cabbaran unharmed. Now what? "If I take you to see your crew, will you eat?" he asked desperately, aware that he'd lost any chance of having the upper hand by saying this.
"All of us go, and we stay there, not in this medical room."
J'koshuk heard the door opening and looked round to see a Seniormost enter.
"Take them," he ordered. "New quarters will be prepared adjacent to your crew. You will eat, or you will die."
The speaker pushed himself up on his forearms again. "Can't walk. Too weak," his translator said.
"Carry them," ordered the Seniormost, leaving.
Two more guards moved forward to pick up a Cabbaran each. They turned to face J'koshuk. It was obvious they were waiting for him.
Hissing quietly with anger, he bent down to pick the speaker up. He staggered slightly under the weight, nostrils shrinking at the smell. The indignity of being forced to carry a lesser creature was greater than that of having pain inflicted on his person! Stiff with rage, he followed the lead guard into the corridor. They only had a few yards to walk, the Cabbarans had been in the block next to the others from the
Profit,
separated only by a corridor.

* * *

Kaid had just awakened as the door opened to admit the strange cavalcade of guards and supine Cabbarans. The U'Churians sprang instantly to their feet when they saw their crewmates.
J'koshuk pushed to the front. "Where do you want them put?" he hissed, not bothering to conceal his anger and contempt for beings who tolerated four-legged creatures among their crew.
Kaid began to sit up but Tirak's hand was on his shoulder, holding him still. "In the bedroom to your left," the captain said.
They waited where they were, covered by one guard as the first and J'koshuk deposited their live burdens in the room. Once they'd returned, the other two went.
J'koshuk, mindful of his orders, stopped long enough to snarl at them, "See they eat. They've refused food for three days." Then he was gone.

* * *

"Mrowbay, see to them," ordered Tirak. "Sheeowl, get water. Giyesh, find something on the menu they can eat." He looked down at Kaid.
Before he could speak, Kaid called T'Chebbi over. "Help them all you can," he said.
Nodding briefly, she followed the others.
Tirak sat down on the arm of the couch beside him. The haunted look had gone from around his eyes. "We've a chance now," he said quietly. "I knew they'd do this, it's what I was waiting for."
Kaid was lost. The drugs were still in his system and he wasn't exactly capable of thinking coherently yet.
"Cabbaran navigators are indentured to their crew," Tirak explained. "We have a contractual obligation to each other. They are part of our Family." He saw Kaid's confusion. "It's the way they work their contracts. Just take my word for it," he added. "We need them as navigators if we're to escape."
"T'Chebbi and I doctored the Nav systems on the
Profit,
" Kaid said. "We can get us to a safe place with what we hid before wiping the logs."
Tirak's ears flicked briefly. "You
were
busy while I was out cold."
"There was work to do," replied Kaid, meeting his gaze. "The integrity of your ship to protect. We helped Sheeowl."
"I know you did. Where are you planning to go if we get out of here?"
"It's your ship, Tirak. But I know a safe place where we can defend ourselves if necessary. At an outpost remote from our home world, and yours."
Tirak nodded. "How far?"
"Where's here?" shrugged Kaid. "Two jumps from where we were. With your navigators, a week?"
"Less, if pushed, and we would be. Say three days, but it's dangerous."
"We send a message as we jump, hope they follow us not it. At least we die trying. Anything's better than this."
"Agreed. Your outpost, our navigators." He stopped to look up as Sheeowl approached them.
"Mrowbay says they'll be fine. Annuur made sure they all drank enough. Says he wants to talk to you."
"Excuse me," said Tirak, getting up.
Jo ambled over and sat down beside him. "I've just been doing some calculations," she said quietly. "You tell me how Kate has avoided getting pregnant in the fourteen and some weeks she's been off Keiss. I didn't last that long and I had an implant."
"Lucky?"
She looked across at him. "No one gets that lucky, Kaid."
"Sterile? Or he is."
"Yeah? What's the odds on that?"
"Unlikely," he admitted. "Have you any reason for asking?"
"Not without worrying Kate."
"Where's the medikit?"
"In your room. Why?"
"Do you know if there was a miniscan in it? Did T'Chebbi use one on me?"
"Yes, she did. Would that tell us what we need to know?"
"Don't know. It's set for field missions, not domestic."
"Except a mission with Leskas in it involves domestic issues," said Jo.
He flicked an ear in assent. "Try it if you get the chance without arousing her suspicions. Make sure you do it covertly. We're being monitored. I want to keep that unit."
She nodded. "How are you, by the way? You had us all very worried for a while."
"I'm fine now," he said, leaning back against the couch arm. "Groggy, but fine."
"What was it?"
"Don't know. Maybe a trapped nerve or something."
She gave him a long look. "The disappearances are only happening to us, not the U'Churians."
"I know. We're working on it. Trust me."
She nodded slowly and reached out to touch his blanket-covered leg. "I do. You take care." She got up and ambled out of the room.