Nova (11 page)

And she was stuck here in this cell, helpless to investigate
or construct a defense against the inevitable accusations that awaited her upon
arrival at the Quorum capital. Her only choice was to trust in the fact that
she
was
indeed innocent and in any efforts Captain Serros may or may not
take.

Damn!

And there it was again, the other source of her feelings of
lack of control and inability to find the internal equilibrium that usually
came so easily to her.

Captain Serros
.

It seemed that no matter how much effort she put into the
endeavor, she could not escape the unrelenting and entirely irritating fashion
in which her thoughts continually seemed to turn and
return
to the Human
Captain. Though still young by the standards of her people, K’llan had certainly
already lived a very full life and was by no means inexperienced in interacting
with others, even non–Vosaia. By the same mark, she had empathically connected
with scores of people over the years, family, friends, lovers, and colleagues.
It was hard for a Vosaia
not
to join with those she interacted with on a
regular basis, at least at a very basic level consisting of flashing
impressions and emotions. Yet the joining she’d underwent with Captain Serros on
Ophere and within that battered Adrenix factory had been unlike anything she
had ever experienced before. K’llan had felt like she had both swallowed and
been
swallowed within the soul–essence of who Captain Avara Serros was, almost to
the point of momentarily drowning. It had been an utterly unique experience, to
say the least.

More, K’llan knew that the truth of the link was reciprocal
and that the Shield’s experience was twin to her own. The depth and sheer strength
of the connection felt more like descriptions she’d heard of true Bonding,
which was simply ludicrous. Such relationships typically took decades to
develop, not to mention that Serros was
Human
! The possibility should be
nonexistent. Regardless, whatever the meaning of their connection, the exchange
was nothing more than a distraction from the very real danger of the situation
she found herself to be in.

“Lieutenant Z’arr, I assume you are not sleeping?”

K’llan opened her eyes to see a familiar burly Human man
standing before her bars, arms held loosely at his sides. He was dressed in the
Human Navy’s more casual, every day uniform of iron gray and dark royal blue, with
his shirt sleeves rolled and snap–buttoned up, displaying impressively muscled
arms. Her training and parentage meant that she knew enough about Humans to
ascertain that many of his own species would find him to be attractive, in a
rugged sort of way. Professionally speaking, if his bulky frame and scars were
any indication, it was clear he was battle tested.

Turning to the guard on watch, he ordered “Please give us
some privacy, Sergeant.” The younger Human female nodded, offered a swift
salute, and then exited, leaving the brig empty except for the two of them.

“I am Commander Marcus Perez, Executive Officer of the
QS
Excalibur
. Captain Serros asked me to update you as to our status and
see to your comfort. I am to be your liaison while you are aboard.”

Despite herself, Z’arr felt a tug at her emotions at the
mention of the Quorum Shield Operative’s name, as well as a ping of
disappointment that Serros had not come herself. Shaking the sentiment off like
a wet shroud, Z’arr focused on the officer that she identified as one of the
Shield’s prime squad members, an individual that seemed to be held in
particular trust by the Human Captain. “Yes, thank you, Commander; I remember
you.”

“Captain Serros has ordered our Senior Operations and
Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Commander Adeline, to conduct a full
investigation into the appearance of the Karukai presence on Ophere as well as Proconsul
Far’allyn Tanad’s connection to them.” His eyes, a rich tone reminiscent of
deeply polished sandalwood, seemed to study her with the force of an iron
hammer trying to break into a delicate eggshell. “At the same time, she has
asked Adeline to predicate her investigation upon the assumption of your
innocence, and Captain Serros has already made contact with military legal
advisors she’s acquainted with on Sigil to do the same.”

Meeting his gaze, K’llan reigned in the rush of relief and
reassurance she felt at the realization that
yes
, as promised, the
Shield Operative would indeed aid her. “Thank you, Commander. I am very grateful
for Captain Serros’s efforts.”

“Mm.” Without any apparent sense of self–consciousness, he
continued to intensely stare at her for several moments that slid uncomfortably
into minutes, looking for something while she remained quiet. Finally, he asked
“And do you deserve her efforts?”

His words were quiet and facial expression relatively
neutral, but to her Vosaia–born empathic senses, his sentiments certainly were
not. K’llan could
feel
the swell of powerful emotions surge with his
question. Respect, protectiveness, affection, trust, devotion, and attachment;
all were evident. This Human loved Captain Serros deeply, and quite clearly, he
would do everything he was capable to safeguard and support her. Implicitly,
K’llan also knew that Commander Perez’s question was a test. An assessment that
she could feel was important not only for the investigation that in all
likelihood her freedom and very life rested upon, but also, given the… unusual
link between herself and the Human Captain, the query was potentially critical on
another level entirely.

Stifling dozens of reactionary responses, K’llan
deliberately met his piecing gaze with one of her own and answered simply.
“Yes.”

After a few more tense moments of scrutiny, he stated “Be
sure of it.”

“I am.”

 “Good.” His energy almost visibly mellowed and stance
relaxed. Pulling up a stool, Commander Perez sat right next to the bars then,
while keying his CPA, announced “I need you to tell me every detail of your
mission, from start to finish. Include data, initiation, parameters, and
contacts, etc.”

“I understand and agree, Commander.” K’llan responded, and the
two got to work.

 * * * * *

Marcus found himself spending the majority of the next two
days in the company of the Vosaia detainee, pouring over every detail of Lieutenant
K’llan Z’arr’s mission to transfer the Arcatech X research to her supposed legitimate
drop person, Proconsul Far’allyn Tanad. He found her to be incredibly astute,
detailed, and organized. Her insights were carefully thought out and presented,
yet she didn’t shy away from expressing ideas or willingness to expand her own perceptions.
Additionally, though he could tell the situation caused her a great deal of
distress,
especially
when news reached them that a full Quorum Tribunal
was being assembled on Sigil to determine whether her actions had been
treasonous or not, Lieutenant Z’arr bore it well.

As they finished going through the facts as well as their
findings and analyses while he ate a late dinner, by the end of their second
day, Marcus felt the two had accomplished as much as they could with their
current information. Stretching his neck until he felt a satisfying crack of
joints and tendons, he finished off his third cup of coffee that evening in a single
swallow. Completing the stretch, Perez rested his portable data–pad on one knee
as he shifted position on the hard chair he’d become only too well acquainted
with over the last couple of days.

“We have to remember that as far as the investigation pertains
to you, all we really need to do is provide reasonable proof as to a lack of deliberate
culpability.”

“But will that be enough?” Z’arr asked him, her tone measured
as always, but he could hear genuine worry in her voice as she sat back in her
own chair behind cold durexium bars.

“We’ve done good work, and Lieutenant Adeline and the
lawyers have done even more. In the end, there’s no actual evidence of you
working with the Karukai, and a decent trail indicating that you were
faithfully following orders.”

She nodded, but then with an openness he’d not seen before,
remarked, “I hope what we have will be sufficient. I fear that politics will
lead my own people to push for harsh sentencing, evidence or no.”

Curiously, Perez asked “I’ve never thought of the Vosaia as
a harsh people. In fact, their reputation when not at war is that of galactic ambassadors.
Is their response really likely to be so hardnosed?”

“Unfortunately, yes, and for many reasons.” Z’arr answered,
stifling a resigned sigh. “The majority of Vosaia
despise
the Karukai
for their addiction to non–consensual Feeding on sentients and their slave
system. We also abhor the Karukai’s militaristic societal structure predicated
upon expansion through conquest. Yet, perhaps even more importantly, Vosaia also
greatly fear the galactic community ever equating the Vosaia and Karukai as one
and the same, or even similar.”

With a somewhat self–deprecating smile, Z’arr added,
“Anything that could even
remotely
cast doubt on the carefully protected
and projected image of Vosaia culture, especially restraint, wisdom, and self–control,
causes the Consulate to move immediately to eradicate such notions. Finally,
the entire situation is being heated by a small, yet growing number of Vosaia
who believe unification with the Karukai is the best course for galactic peace.”

Shaking his head, Marcus couldn’t help but say “But, your
mother was the one responsible for creating the serum that allows your people
to control their… biological needs; totally opposite from the Karukai. That
has
to win points in your favor.”

“My mother will certainly attempt to exert her influence,
but due to her very role in creating Vitani Serum and the fact that she is a
living symbol to my people, many will actually react even more severely than if
my parentage was different. So you see,” Z’arr continued in a quieter tone, “our
evidence may not be adequate.”      

Marcus smiled a bit tiredly but he knew his voice was
confident as he shrugged his shoulders and offered, “According to the Captain,
we just need to know exactly where you were set up, not why or by whom.”

“Let us hope she is correct then.”

“Don’t worry; she usually is, though sometimes she can be pretty
irritating about it.” He said the last with a small laugh.

Smiling back at him, Marcus saw that Z’arr internally fought
about whether to ask her next question, and that her desire to know got the
better of her.

“You have served with Strategic High Risk, Intelligence, and
Enforcement Operative Serros for some time?”

“Over eighteen years. At her recommendation, I took the post
of Junior Tactical Officer when she became EXO aboard the
MS Niobe
, just
a few years after the Battle of Arden Secundus.”

Perez could tell she was closely considering his words,
actually biting a blue–blushed lower lip in concentration. “My people know of
the Battle of Arden Secundus. A large force of Karukai slave raiders attacked
the Human colony, laying siege to the city Knossos. She… she was a leader in
that engagement, yes?”

“Yep.” Marcus responded, hiding an inner grin. It had taken
her the full two days but now that they were at the bottom of the ninth, so to
speak, it seemed the Vosaia was finally going to ask about the one topic she
seemed to go out of her way to avoid almost as much as she clearly wanted to
address: Avara.

“After Captain Vai was seriously injured,” Perez continued, “and
Executive Officer Lutoi was KIA, then
Lieutenant
Serros took command and
was able to lift the siege. She completely broke the attacking force. Over
twenty–thousand Human non–combatants owed her their lives on that day, not to
mention soldiers. In recognition of her actions, at only twenty–three, she was
given a VS Commendation and granted the Primus Star. A little less than three
years later, she was promoted to Executive Officer of the
MS Niobe
,
which was quite a coup under Captain Vai, let me tell you.”

 Shifting in her seat, Lieutenant Z’arr absently tugged at
the stiff neckline of her borrowed clothes, Ministry Naval casual wear. “I had
heard her name before, of course, but until Captain Serros informed me of who
she was on Ophere during our chase, I had not connected the face with the name.
After, I performed some research to confirm her identity. It was then that I
knew something was amiss about my mission.”

Marcus nodded, seeing the reasoning. “Captain Avara Serros
is currently the most decorated officer in the Human Ministry Navy, and the
youngest Human Shield to ever be appointed by the Quorum. It’s hard
not
to wonder when a person like that is telling you something’s off.”

Z’arr brought a single leg up, foot on her chair, and then after
slinging arm across knee, followed up with, “You said Captain Serros recommended
you for the post aboard the
Niobe
. That means you knew her before?”

“Yes. For many years.”

“If it is not improper, may I ask how you met?”

Over the last two days, Marcus felt he’d begun to know their
Vosaia prisoner, and realized she had a certain pattern to her speech. The more
uncomfortable
she was, the more formal she became. He wasn’t entirely certain
if it was a Vosaia thing or simply a part of Z’arr’s character, but her
reaction held meaning. At the same time, though he wasn’t sure how else to
describe it, he also knew something had…
shifted
inside of Avara down on
the planet of Voss within the Medex complex when she’d been in the company of this
STF Agent. Given that Lieutenant Z’arr acted almost as if she was poking at a
sore tooth that she couldn’t quite let alone whenever Avara was mentioned, he guessed
it was a two–way thing.