darknadir (65 page)

* * *

Dzaou was too taken aback to be angry at the partial collapse of his plan. As he walked in the rear of their small party, he analyzed what had happened. The commander had been right. The pregnant Human and the injured Sister should have been sent to the sick bay. As for the other two, well, he sighed inwardly, if he thought of a Triad as being Leska partners plus one, then there was a justification for sending them, too. He hadn't been aware that the male, Rezac, was a Brother. He and his original Leska were the two from the stasis cube and therefore from the past. How could he be a Brother?
"He became one when he and Jo became Linked," said Kaid at his elbow. "And I recruited him and his partners, as is my right."
Startled, he looked at him, actually noticing him for the first time. "You're a telepath, too."
"The first Triad," agreed Kaid.
Dzaou looked from him to Carrie and the commander.
"With her," Kaid confirmed as they waited for the elevator to return.
"You've been an active Brother for years. How can you be a telepath?" Dzaou demanded.
"It's a long story, and not relevant right now," said Kaid. "What is important is that I'm well enough rested for tomorrow. So let's get this debriefing over as quickly as possible, shall we?"
Dzaou bristled at the implicit order.
"We're En'Shalla, we don't need a rank," said Carrie, her voice a silky purr as she turned round to look at him. "Do we, Commander?"
"As negotiator, Kaid carries the rank of Ambassador," L'Seuli said smoothly as the elevator doors slid open.

* * *

As good as his word, L'Seuli had provided the three of them with hot food during their debriefing. Vriuzu had let Carrie send the information to him, which had helped keep the session as short as possible. He'd then gone to check on the others and pronounced them all of sound mind.
After a short consultation between L'Seuli and Dzaou, they'd been told they were free to go where they wished on the station.
"Commander, a word in private, if you please," said Kaid as they prepared to leave.
L'Seuli glanced at Dzaou, who nodded and left with Jeran. "What is it, Kaid?"
"We need our own room, L'Seuli," said Carrie, idly toying with the paper and stylus that lay in front of her.
"The situation between us is a little more complex than I said," Kaid began as he walked over to stand beside her.
"I did wonder," said L'Seuli, watching them. "Brynne told me it happened with him and Keeza."
Carrie looked up. "Keeza?"
"You haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. He's life-bonded to a Sholan called Keeza, a gene-altered telepath like yourselves. He's found that with Vanna so pregnant, he's formed an almost Leska-like Link with her."
"Brynne, married? Good grief."
"I take it she's here with him," said Kaid. "That explains his good humor."
"I'll arrange a private room immediately for you," said L'Seuli, reaching for his desk comm.
"Thank you," said Kaid as Carrie's hand came up to touch his where it lay on her shoulder.
"Is everything fine at home?" she asked. "I had disturbing dreams while I was in cryo."
"We had a crisis while you were away, but it's over now," said L'Seuli. "Kezule escaped."
Carrie's hand tightened her grip on him and he could feel her sudden anxiety. "I knew he had! Kashini, is she safe? Nothing's happened to her, has it?"
"Kashini is fine," reassured L'Seuli. "No one was hurt."
"What happened?" asked Kaid.
"He got onto the estate and managed to take Dzaka, Kitra, and Kashini hostage. Thanks to Kitra, however, we managed to recapture him. He's in sick bay right now, still in a coma."
Carrie shut her eyes as visions of what could have happened flashed through her mind.
But they didn't, she's fine,
sent Kaid. "Why take them?"
"He wanted to be returned to his own time."
"But that's impossible without at least two telepaths and the la'quo." He looked at L'Seuli. "Tell me he didn't have the la'quo." Fears for his son filled him. He knew what the drug could do.
"Kezule was given some la'quo resin and did force them to take it, but as I said, Kitra was able to deal with the situation. She mentally knocked out Kezule and we were able to get in and get them out."
"What about the effects of the drug on them?"
"None, except..."
"What?" demanded Kaid, hands clenching inadvertently on Carrie's shoulders. "Tell me!"
"He and Kitra are Leska-bonded," said L'Seuli with a smile.
"Is that all?" asked Carrie in a faint voice.
"That's all," said L'Seuli. "Apparently the effects of their bonding burned out the drug from their systems. Vanna checked them over thoroughly." He reached in his pocket and handed Carrie a crystal cube. "They knew you'd be worried, so they sent this for you with Brynne. We got it yesterday."
Almost sick with relief, Kaid sat down again as L'Seuli pushed his comm over to them.
"Brynne said that Kitra and Dzaka plan to life-bond as soon as this is over," he added as Carrie inserted the cube into the reader slot.
"I told you she'd have Dzaka," Carrie said.

* * *

Zashou couldn't sleep. Getting up, she left the dorm quietly, going to the mess and recreation halls. Getting herself a drink, she headed for an empty table. At this time of night, there were quite a few of them.
She sat there, looking around her, finding the Sholan surroundings almost alien. In her time, they'd had nothing like this. No space travel even. She watched a couple get up from another table and head in her direction. The Human she recognized immediately, Kris, but the female was unknown to her.
"Can we join you?" Kris asked. "This is Zhiko. She was among the Brothers who met you earlier."
She nodded, remembering her now.
"Can't sleep?" asked Kris sympathetically, slipping into the seat opposite.
"No."
"How's Jo and Rezac? I hear Carrie's fine now."
"Jo's pregnant," she said abruptly, lifting her glass to take a drink. Her hand shook and she put it down again hurriedly.
Kris nodded. "I had a feeling she was before you left. How are you coping?"
"What's to cope with?" she asked. "He's delirious about it. She's all he could want— a fighter like him! I even messed up between him and his son!"
"His son?" asked Kris.
"Kaid! Kaid's his son." Something wet landed on her hand. She brushed it away. "I accused him of trying to start an affair with him, so T'Chebbi told me he was his father."
"Rezac is Kaid's father? How?"
"When he went back to the Fire Margins, he sent himself forward in time." A damp spot appeared between her hands this time and she realized it was tears. Hurriedly she put her hands to her face, trying to scrub them away, but they wouldn't stop.
Kris' arms were suddenly round her, holding her close, hiding her face against his chest while she wept.
"It could have been me, Kris. It should have been, if only I hadn't been so blind and so frightened."
Another hand stroked her head; a soothing, feminine voice spoke. "What were you frightened of, kitling?"
"Of his fighting, of us dying because of it. We had no choice, the Valtegans were everywhere, taking us captive as their slaves and pets," she wept, clutching Kris' jacket. "Oh, Gods, why did I have to push him away because I was so afraid of losing him?"
"It happens all the time, kitling," Zhiko said gently, continuing to stroke her hair. "We make what we fear most happen because waiting for it is worse." She looked at Kris over Zashou's head. "Let me take her. You get help," she whispered.
"I'll get a medic," he mouthed back.
She shook her head, moving closer to the distraught female, putting her arms round her. "Get Rezac."
Carefully, Kris let her take Zashou from him.
"No male is worth all this crying, kitling," she said, guiding Zashou's head onto her shoulder. "There'll be others, you wait and see. Ones more appreciative of you."
"I love him! He's my Leska and I'm losing even that now she's carrying his cub."
"She's taking him away from you?"
"No, not like that. It's me. I've pushed him away for so long that he really believes I don't love him."
"Have you ever told him you do?" she asked.
"I couldn't! He's always so capable, so strong, and I'm nothing but scared. He despises me."
"Do you want him? If you do, you have to fight for him."
Zashou lifted her head, pulling back slightly to look at Zhiko. "Fight? I can't fight for him!" she said, wiping the tears away.
"Sure you can. You start by telling him the truth about how you feel. Face up to him like a warrior, then you'll start to earn his respect, and maybe get back his love." Zhiko saw Zashou's face change and knew Kris had returned with Rezac. "Remember, face him like a warrior, not a mewling kit," she said, getting up.
Rezac looked tired as he nodded his thanks to Zhiko and sat down opposite her.
"What's all this about, Zashou? Kris said, you were in a state and needed me."
"I didn't know he'd gone for you," she said, looking down at the table.
"You seem all right to me. You really pick your times, don't you?" he said, beginning to get up again.
"Don't go!" she said, reaching out to stop him. "I need to talk to you. I want to talk."
"What is it? I'm tired, Zashou. I don't have time for your jealous tirades."
This was probably her last chance. She had to tell him now. "Yes, I'm jealous," she said quietly. "When I see you and Jo together, I realize we could have had that if I hadn't been so scared of losing you." She watched the look of incredulity cross his face. "I lied to you," she said in a rush. "I pretended to myself and you that I didn't love you when I did. You were right when you said you felt it on our Link days."
"You were scared of losing me?"
She nodded. "You'd always been a fighter. Up in Ranz, and when the Valtegans came. It's what attracted me to you from the first, until we became Leskas." She looked back at the table, hardly aware she was clenching her claws into her own hands at the effort to tell him this. "I'm not like you, Rezac. I'm too scared of danger, and with our Link, every time you faced it, so did I. I didn't want you to be killed, or me. You don't know what it's like, when you're a coward, to be Linked to someone who looks danger in the eye and isn't afraid."
"You think I'm not afraid?" he asked after a moment's silence. "How wrong you are. I'm terrified, Zashou. I don't want to die either. I'm surprised you never felt my fear."
"Never."
"You must have thought it was your own." He reached across the table for her hands. "You're bleeding," he said, separating them. "You weren't a coward, you know. Like the time you turned on Q'emgo'h."
"That wasn't brave. He was repulsive." She shuddered at the memory. "I was terrified."
"But that's what courage is. Being afraid and still doing it. You could have given in, agreed to pair with him, but you didn't, even though it could have cost you your life."
"That was for myself, though."
"What about all the times you worked on the minds of those Court guards, turning them against each other over several weeks? You were frightened of them realizing what you were doing, I know you were. And when we snuck out to the hatchery to make those eggs and the females sterile? I couldn't have done it alone, you know that."
She looked away again. They'd had to use the extra energy they created when they paired for that, and the memory both embarrassed and worried her.
"Why does it worry you?" he asked.
"Because we don't have Link days anymore, and I want them back, Rezac. I do love you, and I can't face the thought of not being connected to you again," she said, fresh tears springing to her eyes.
"Carrie says our Link days will likely return in a week or two, when Jo's Talent shuts down because of our cub."
She felt her hand lifted, then the touch of his tongue on the cuts she'd managed to give herself. She tightened her hand on his. "Don't leave me, Rezac. I've loved you for so long. I should have told you, I know."
"You've told me now, that's what matters," he said softly. "Come back to bed. With me. Now. Because you choose to."
"Because I love you?"
"Because we love each other."

* * *
Day 43

"Picking up emerging jump signal, Captain Zhaddu. Dead ahead. And incoming message," said the comm operator.
"Sound full alert. Target emergence point on the view screen," ordered Zhaddu, running to his command post. "Looks like they've arrived, Commander."
"Nothing on visual, Captain, but there's something out there," said comms.
"Keep tracking. Where's that signal?" he demanded.
"On audio now."
The speaker came to life. "This is
Kz'adul,
science ship of His Imperial Majesty the God-King, Emperor Cheu'ko'h. Be advised, our purpose is peaceful. Request instructions." The message began to repeat itself.
"Still nothing on visual," said comms. "But it's out there, by the smaller moon."
"Open a reply channel," said Zhaddu.
"Channel open, Captain."
"Captain Zhaddu of the Allied Worlds here. Your request acknowledged and granted. Place yourselves in close orbit around the planetary body adjacent to your point of exit and remain there."
For several minutes, nothing was visible on the screen.
"Dead ahead," said L'Seuli quietly, as his eye caught a flicker amid the backdrop of stars. It became stronger, wavering slightly, until the diamond-shaped Prime ship
Kz'adul
was clearly visible.

* * *

In their room, Carrie and Kaid heard the alarm.
"The
Kz'adul,
" said Kaid. "It's arrived."
"I know," said Carrie, moving closer to him.
"We need to get up now."
"It's still our time. We've another few hours, surely."
"We have," he agreed, surprised as she began to slide her legs round his. Realization came to him as he sensed her need to feel herself encircled by his body. "You're afraid," he said softly. "Of what they've done to Kusac."
"I'm afraid for him," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his back as he held her tighter within his. "He's been a telepath since he was a youngling, he knows nothing else. If they've taken that from him, I don't know if he can cope, if he'll want to go on living."
"Whatever they've done, we'll find a way to manage, you know that. You mustn't be afraid, not even for him. He'll know if you are, even if he can't sense you. He'll see it in your eyes, your body." He reached for her chin, tilting it up till he could kiss her.
I'm afraid for him, too, Dzinae. Afraid of why they're controlling him, what they want him to do. Do what I do, lose the fear in your work. We have to be cold and calm if we're to be able to do what's right.
Reluctantly, he broke the kiss.
"We'll have several hours before they've negotiated the exchange details. We need to use that time to get the landing bay ready the way I want it, never mind what Lieutenant Dzaou wants. We've got dampers, we can use them until the Primes actually arrive. Then I want you, Rezac, Brynne, and me picking up what color sheets each one of the Primes use."
She grinned at that.
"That's better."