Confluence, p.24
Confluence, page 24
Non-Paavi genetics…but from what origin? Who was Eylon to you, Dr. Dehchow…perhaps a brother?
Khattara typed quickly into another system and searched a central database on the Lahmaard Colony. She found a record for Dehchow Mahrno Walach.
Yes! That has to be her.
Khattara’s eyes scrolled down the screen and stopped abruptly on the last line. Her open palm struck the table. “Gods damnit!” The final sentence indicated Dr. Walach had died a few years earlier.
Another dead end!
Her eyes glanced down at the record, and near the bottom she saw a link. It led to a medical journal that had published a story in tribute to Dr. Walach’s contributions on the colony. There was a photograph of the event, and Khattara’s eyes immediately caught the lone specter in the back looking away from the lens. She zoomed in on the hooded figure, and her head cocked when she saw a copper band peeking out below the sleeve on the anonymous figure’s wrist. It was just like the one Ryan wore: simple, plain, and common.
The article listed a number of family survivors, but no mention of a brother. There was no proof, no certainty, no data points.
Khattara pinched her lips together. No. It’s him. He was there. I know it!
She rubbed her forehead as she shook her head. It’s too coincidental not to be crafted and yet sufficiently well crafted not to be coincidental.
Khattara huffed and closed the terminal window. She drew a sharp breath and sighed. There’s nothing more for me here. I gotta get outta here.
◊ ◊ ◊
For two days, Ryan had tried to reestablish an audio link with Eschala. He guessed she was either offline or unwilling to speak with him. His eyelids were heavy the last time he tried, and just after the attempt failed, he fell asleep.
“Ryan! Wake up, Ryan! Can you hear me? Please respond.” Lysander’s large eye rolled around and looked up in the compartment. “Dearest Violet, perhaps you could provide an electrical stimulus?”
“That would garner a disproportionally negative response from the commander. You are attempting to contact him in the middle of his regenerative—”
Ryan grunted, “Yeah…I’m awake…and I heard that…cheeky Arltog.”
Lysander snickered. “For all the times materializing in front of me has stopped my hearts, I’m enjoying the imagined response from you.”
“Yeah, so I was sleeping…soundly…what’s the emergency?”
“Darlin and I have been monitoring Daerk transmissions.”
Ryan’s hand came to his forehead, and he swung his legs off the bed to the floor. “Yeah, OK…which ones?”
Lysander shook his head. “All of them. Anyway, one pattern stood out, and we decrypted it. There’s mention of attacking a high-up, and I believe that to mean a royal on a Centauri cruiser. The vessel named in the transmission is assigned as part of a unified fleet representing the Aligned Systems. Somehow the Daerk are tracking all vessels in the various armadas for the Aligned Systems, and they have access to their flight planning. Ryan, this chatter isn’t from rogue elements; the communication sourced from the Daerk central fleet command on Cerberus. They’ve engaged in an operation; there’s going to be an ambush.”
Ryan’s palm wrenched down over his forehead. “Wait, what? They’re gonna attack some random Aligned convoy?”
“No, not random. The target is a Centauri cruiser embedded in an armada from the Aligned Systems that’s coming through on a flight path from Eitchu. The Daerk mission objective is centered around a high-up, perhaps a royal, in an armada, and it mentions attacking the group after it travels past Eitchu.”
Ryan’s head shot up. “Wait…when?”
“In just over an hour.”
14
Fight or Flight
“Your tone does not convey an improved understanding of the gravity of the situation.”
Violet
Two days earlier, Khattara grimaced in a sublevel station as the doors of a tram opened. She’d been trying to enter the cab, but wave upon wave of polite Paavi exiting was pushing her further back into the station. She could see other Paavi beside her moving ahead through the crowd, but the size of her Centauri frame was acting like a physical sail, propelling her backward in the stream of exiting commuters. Her intention was to ride the public transport to a spaceport so she could transition up from the planet surface to an orbital platform.
As she continued the effort to physically advance forward, her mind also swam in thought. The meeting with Mehvis, and more so Sentiel’s testimony, had provided a dramatic glimpse into Ryan’s past. The presence of heavy defensive fixtures in the corporate lobby of a cargo company was out of place and suspect. All the other data fragments recovered from chasing down various archival records had provided little else to satisfy her primary mission objective. That Ryan spoke Daerk was disconcerting and as yet unexplained. Khattara had no definitive answers for the questions of who or why.
LUND appeared to be an affluent cargo company. That, along with heavy fortifications at the headquarters, supported a theory that Ryan was somehow involved in lucrative criminal transport.
Perhaps he’s in contract shipping goods and materials for the Daerk. Her head cocked and then shook. But then why the mysterious chain of good deeds, including the rescue of a child hostage from Daerk?
Khattara huffed at the divergent extremes in her working theories regarding his motives.
She had at least achieved her secondary mission objective on Eitchu and found the refugees from Kzuhu well settled into their new homes. On her visit, an adolescent boy provided more mysterious clues. The boy recounted witnessing a lone flight officer on the bridge of the rescue freighter that had delivered them from the war-torn surface of Kzuhu. When questioned further, he reported seeing the “rescue Paavi,” as they called him, operating several consoles at once. The speed of his hands was memorably cool for the young male. Khattara also learned that soldiers from a local warlord were approaching the departure site, and there was a shared sense of dread amongst the refugees. Nearly everyone remembered seeing a bright flash that came from the sky. Whatever it was had annihilated the warlord forces.
Khattara’s mind continued to reflect on the data she’d gathered as her body tried to navigate upstream through the rush hour deluge of Paavi commuters.
The firepower described by the refugees sounds like formidable orbital weaponry, and not typical for your average commercial cargo line.
Khattara was certain every resident in the city had passed by her in the station, and eventually the stream of exiting Paavi subsided such that she was able to swim her way into a car. As the tram swayed across the tracks, Khattara’s head followed the motion as she reflected on her meeting at LUND. She wasn’t sure what to make of Sentiel’s testimony in the larger narrative around Ryan, but she read the Paavi woman’s body language and words as honest and sincere.
The answers she sought were not likely to be discovered on Eitchu. She pursed her lips and nodded in thought as the tram doors opened at her stop. After a short flight to orbit, Khattara entered the spaceport facility where her royal schooner, Pelauas, was docked. As she strode through the concourse of the space station, Khattara thought about her travel around Eitchu without a royal escort. Over the prior weeks with Ryan, she’d become more accustomed to the Paavi culture. Although her Centauri appearance drew strange looks, she felt a level of comfort here. She chuckled, thinking that she was more likely to be trampled than assassinated on this planet.
As she ran through the preflight checklist on Pelauas, Khattara thought to message Bayhden of her early departure. While he’d intended for her to rendezvous with a battle group returning from patrol, she had decided upon an earlier departure. Khattara thought to jump home unescorted in lieu of waiting an additional day for the escort. Anticipating her uncle’s lecture, she decided to wait until she was nearly home to beg forgiveness.
◊ ◊ ◊
Lysander’s revelations caused Ryan to pop up from his rack, and he spoke faster than his sleepy lips could move. He shook his head free of the gibberish and started again. “Did the message say anything about Eschala…Khattara Eschala?”
“No,” replied Lysander in a calm and even voice. “As I said, the reference was…” He hummed and clicked the specific Daerk word he’d flagged in the intercept.
Ryan nodded with a snarled lip. The literal translation was high-up, and the reference in this context was to someone of importance, like royalty. The implication of the ominous intercept flashed hot like plasma through Ryan, and the fluid-like calm of his Paavi demeanor boiled away. Air hissed over Ryan’s lips, and his human core tightened. With balled fists, he folded over at the waist and mumbled. Lysander and Violet listened for a moment in the silence before they heard him draw a quick breath. Ryan stood tall and tried to clear his mind. He struck the heel of his hand on his thigh as memories of past assaults and gunfire flashed through his mind. Ryan shook his head. His lips twitched, but he did not speak. He sensed the approach of something, and it felt like back on Earth when humid, electrified air hovered in the moments before a squall. Ryan took several pacing steps as Lysander listened and cocked his head. The Arltog glanced at his communication device to verify the channel was still open.
Violet broke the uncomfortable silence. “Commander?”
Ryan froze and looked up. “Rex, secure a private channel with Vi.” He plopped down on his rack and buried fingertips deep into his hair.
“Commander, what is your status?”
“Disturbed. Vi, I gotta go. Even if I had a plan to do this alone, I suspect neither you nor the Aunts would stand for that, which means now I’m gonna drag others into something I don’t even understand. I admit engaging in this event sounds crazy from a certain perspective.”
“You advocate risking your life, that of others, and threatening our general mission in order to provide assistance to a Centauri warrior who recently terminated her working relationship with you. She did this after we assumed great risk and nearly lost Lysander in an operation to rescue a refugee contact of hers from the planet Kzuhu. This Centauri has questioned your intentions, warned you to stay away from her, and started an investigation into your true identity. That investigation led to her current location, where she may now fall victim to an ambush from a sizable force of Daerk. The irony aside, you are somehow compelled to assist her. Which specific part of this scenario are you referencing as crazy?”
Ryan squinted with eyes closed tight and reached with his mind. “Come on, old guy, where are you?” He groaned after a few seconds, trying in vain to project into the ball field. “I’ve got nothing from the Maker. I’m really not liking his communication skills of late. This is all his fault. I wouldn’t even still be here if it weren’t for him!”
He opened his eyes and gazed off, recalling. “That day with her on the park bench…” Ryan panted for a moment and unconsciously put his hand over his heart. “The eyes…I saw in them…And ever since she gives me this look and…it gets me stuck. How could a thistle be so...” Ryan motioned up and down with his hand palm up. “Well…I can tell you she’s bossy and brash…She brings a hammer to every tea party. The old man tells me to stick around; I’m beginning to think he’s the one that likes her. And where’s he now, huh? What the hell am I supposed to do here?” Ryan brought hands to face and smothered troubled eyes with his fingers.
“Commander?”
Ryan peered out between gaps. “Yeah.”
“We must depart for Eitchu without delay.”
“What?”
“Ryan, when communication with Lysander was cut off on Kzuhu, my interest for you to redeploy back into the city and save him was not entirely logical. In this case too there may be another form of logic compelling action.”
“Yeah, but it’s definitely the old man; wasn’t he the one that told me to hang out with her? You remember that, right?”
“I have plotted a course and directed assets to Eitchu. Commander, you do not have the luxury of time to entertain this debate. Prepare yourself; we will arrive at Eitchu shortly.”
◊ ◊ ◊
Like General Bayhden, Ryan had no knowledge of Khattara’s departure ahead of the convoy. Within minutes, Rex had entered orbit around Eitchu. The convoy of the Aligned Systems was already there, taking pause as shuttles came and went.
“Tell me again…I’m not getting it. There’s like…zero Centauri on Eitchu. How is it that we don’t know Eschala’s location?”
“Actually, there are seven Centauri presently on Eitchu, but none have been identified as Khattara Menduvalli.”
“And from all the other available markers for those seven, we can’t isolate which is Eschala.” Ryan wrenched fingers into his eye sockets. “We can find Jheleen on Kzuhu, but Waldo in a red hat on Eitchu…”
“I was unaware we were looking for another individual named Waldo.”
Ryan chuckled. “Negative. Disregard; it’s just an expression. I’m trying to say that we have all this technology, and we can’t locate a six-foot-tall Centauri female on Eitchu?”
“Actually, three of the Centauri on the planet are female.”
Ryan’s eyebrows rose with hope. “OK, good…That cuts it in half. Which of those three are Eschala?”
“That number does not represent half of seven.”
“Violet, which of the less than half are Eschala?”
“Unknown.”
Ryan raised both arms over his head. “That’s what I’m sayin’!”
“Commander, three individuals of Centauri origin have just left the planet surface. It is highly likely they are transitioning to orbit for the purpose of transferring to one of the ships in the Aligned convoy.”
“Do any of them have ID associated or affiliated with the academy or the crown?”
“There does appear to be an academic credential among them.”
“Any chance on a name? That might narrow it down.”
“The names have been obfuscated, and I have nearly decrypted the encoded transmissions utilized by the Aligned Systems. However, at this moment, I do not have additional data revealing the specific names. I cannot ascertain if the action was done to protect the identity of a high-profile traveler.”
“Regardless, I can report the obfuscation was effective. Ghah! It’s gotta be her.”
“Commander, if we can verify the identify as that of the Centauri princess, what is your next step?”
Ryan grimaced. “Well…I’ll chirp a message to her and get ‘er off that ship.”
“How exactly will you convince the Centauri to abandon her ride home? Do you plan to disclose the warning sourced from our associate, a former gangster, who intercepted and decoded a Daerk transmission?”
Ryan shook his head. “No. Under no circumstances can the Daerk know of our capacity.”
“You believe a warning to the present armada of the Aligned Systems would allow the Daerk to realize their internal communication system had been breached?”
“Yeah, for sure. They’d figure it out.”
“I concur. However, the question remains: How will you convince the Centauri warrior to change her plan?”
“I…I dunno…Let me get back to you on that.”
“Commander, the Daerk will likely utilize multiple destroyers and frigates. Do you intend for our forces to engage with them?”
“No…don’t think so.”
“Based upon recent events, there is a low probability Khattara Menduvalli will trust you or entertain your request to abort her ride home on face value.”
Ryan nodded quickly, and although his lips twitched like he was speaking, there was no sound.
“Commander, there is a high likelihood she will not abandon the protection of that armada.” The cabin fell silent for a moment. “In the likelihood of that scenario, what are you going to do?”
“I…uh, I can’t...” He shook his head and looked down. “It’s not fair to ask—”
“Commander…Ryan, I will not abandon you. I have just received additional information that I believe you are likely to have significant interest in.”
Ryan shook his head. “And?”
“I am hesitant to provide it based upon the near certainty of your action in response.”
“Vi!”
“A LUND cargo ship is currently en route to the flag ship of the Aligned armada. The manifest suggests it is carrying perishables and other food supplies.”
“Get me on that ship! Rex, prepare the skiff for immediate departure.” Ryan bolted from the command deck and heard Violet’s voice as he raced through the corridors.
“This is precisely the reason I was hesitant to share the information. Need I remind you of Lysander’s discovery of an imminent Daerk attack upon these ships?”
The skiff jostled as it powered toward the LUND freighter coming up into orbit. Ryan was typing quickly into a terminal and communicating through a LUND company chat platform.
“I’m gonna slip over into the Aligned flag ship, find Eschala, and get her back on our cargo ship. I dunno what I’m gonna say, but I’ll think of something.”
“Commander, at this moment, I cannot provide a location for Khattara Menduvalli. The cargo vessel will only be docked for a short period of time.”
“Yep, it’s gonna have a small malfunction with the docking mechanism. Please stall them and get me as much time as you can.”
“And if you cannot find and/or persuade her to return in time?”
“If I can’t or things go south, we can port back.”
“I am compelled to identify two problematic issues with your contingency plan. If you utilize a portal with the Centauri, she will have knowledge of our existence and ability. Were you planning to render her unconscious prior to stepping through the portal?”
