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SAREE STRETCHED, NOT wanting to open her eyes. Surprisingly, she didn’t hurt. After all the work in ^timespace^ and staying during the last wave of incoming folders, she expected pain. She opened her eyes and froze. This wasn’t her shuttle. Memory arrowed through her heart. Her shuttle was gone, along with Hal.
Closing her eyes, she let herself mourn.
Her eyes popped wide open when she realized this wasn’t her cabin on Lightwave, nor the acceleration couch on Bhamja Machi. Saree gazed around the small area. Decorated in warm shades of red, orange and gold in elaborate, intricate patterns, the compartment was bright and welcoming. The walls and overheads were painted, but looked like watered silk. On the floor, layered rugs, soft and deep. If she tried to combine these colors and patterns, it would come out eye-shatteringly garish. But somehow, it all made a harmonious whole. It reminded her of Loreli’s recreation of a Neo-Ahmadiyya dining tent.
She sniffed. Even the scents were right. Warm cinnamon and ginger, along with spicy undertones of curry. So, where was she? She still wore the same clothing, although it was rather sweat-stained now.
Saree rolled up and out of the soft bed, sitting on the edge. No dizziness, just a need for the sani-mod and water. She rose to her feet, pleasantly steady. Surprising. She took the few steps to the tiny sani-mod and gratefully used the facilities. As she sanitized her hands, she spotted a small card attached next to the small mirrored panel above the sink. The card said, “Welcome. The items in this room are for your use. Use whatever you need.” Saree did so, enjoying the sonic shower and a wrapped toothbrush. She filled the waiting glass with water, drinking two glasses in a row and filling a third. Wrapping herself in the silky, brightly patterned robe she found on the back of the sani-mod hatch, Saree returned to the sleeping compartment.
Feeling more awake and aware now that she was clean and rehydrated, she continued exploring. She folded up the covers on the bed and pushed it into a couch, spotting a storage compartment underneath. Clothing, most of it black. She pulled out a shirt and held it up. The long-sleeved tunic looked like it would fit, so she pulled it on. It was a little loose, but not enough to bother her. There were soft pants and ship slippers, which also fit. A large scarf and... a huge, enveloping robe. Saree blinked. This looked like the clothing Nari wore. She frowned, placed the scarf and robe back in the drawer and spun to the compartment hatch. She pressed the release, but nothing happened. She tried twice more, and sank down on the couch. Locked in.
She reached up to for her holo and realized her e-torc was missing. Saree swallowed hard. Not only was she locked in, but something was affecting her brain. She should have noticed the absent e-torc when she woke. Was her slow thought due to whatever they’d given her after she finished tuning the clocks, or was it some substance in the air or water? If it was in the air or water, there was nothing she could do.
So, what had happened? Saree forced recall through her foggy mind. She’d been on the tiny Bhamja Machi, tuning the fold clocks for the Nari rescue, and... oh yes. She’d stayed in ^timespace^ too long and the incoming wave of folders had knocked her silly. She’d followed a man’s voice ^out^, and collapsed from the pain. She vaguely remembered an injection—she’d agreed to a painkiller and sleep agent if the tuning process ended in a lot of pain. So, were the effects still lingering? It was possible.
Al-Kindi said Manaf and Fatah were family, members of a normally isolated and contemplative religious order—and completely trustworthy. Saree snorted. So much for that. If only they’d been able to do the tuning on Lightwave. But Captain Ruhger said it was too dangerous, they needed her away from Lightwave and Al-Kindi. Guess he hadn’t considered the possibility of a double cross by Al-Kindi.
Neither had she.
They were all blinded by their worry for Nari and their trust in Al-Kindi. But he was trustworthy only in regards to Nari. He would do anything to get her back.
Not for the first time, Saree wondered why. Oh, he gave every indication of being an attentive and devoted partner and there was deep affection between the two. But when she looked back, there was more affection on Nari’s side than Al-Kindi’s. His affection seemed more like that of a man for a treasured possession or a companion animal. She’d thought it was a mask for the public and he had deeper feelings for Nari, but perhaps that’s what she wanted to believe. Nari certainly wanted to believe it and Saree couldn’t blame her. Nari had to live with the man, so why make it more unpleasant than it had to be?
There must be a political connection between the two families. Perhaps Nari wasn’t a gift, but a threat, or a guarantee? Any of those would be possible.
“Gentle Saraa, are you awake?” a voice asked softly, making Saree jump.
“Yes, I’m awake.”
“We have arrived in Circini. Al-Kindi waits for you in his shuttle. Please exit the room, turn right and proceed to the hatch marked... you probably can’t read our script. The first hatch on your left. It will be open.”
“Where is my e-torc, Gentle?”
“Al-Kindi has it.”
“I see. Thank you for your care, Gentle.”
“You are welcome. Please proceed immediately.”
Saree gathered her dirty clothing, walked to the hatch, and pressed the button. The hatch unsealed and swung outward. Looking both ways, she saw an empty passageway, the walls a bright white, the flooring a medium brown. She stepped out and pushed the hatch closure button, the seals hissing shut. Turning to the right, she proceeded as directed and entered the open hatchway on her left. It was an airlock. The hatch behind her closed with a thud and a hiss of seals meshing, two in front of her opening. Stepping in, she waited for the hatches to close, and what she presumed was Al-Kindi’s hatch to open in front of here. Without any identifying characteristics, she had no idea if it was Al-Kindi’s shuttle or a trap.
The hatch swung open and her shoulders sagged in relief. Al-Kindi stood there, but his expression made her tense again. His face was thunderous and forbidding.
He nodded sharply, motioning to one of his observer’s seats. “Sit and strap in, please.”
Saree stayed standing. “May I have my e-torc, please?”
“It’s on the seat.”
She nodded. “Thank you.” Striding to the observer chair, she picked up the e-torc and slid it around her neck as she sat. She strapped in, then brought up her comms interface, bringing up a pre-programmed emergency message to Lightwave, Captain Ruhger and the rest of the crew.
Al-Kindi strapped into the pilot’s seat, sweeping through his holo in privacy mode. “Please don’t contact anyone until we dock.”
“Of course.” Saree sat back and made herself relax. There was little she could do right now if Al-Kindi tried to exchange her for Nari on his own. Hopefully, they’d be back on Lightwave shortly. If not, she’d wait for a better chance to message and escape. He probably had comm blockers on his shuttle, so the hatchway between his shuttle and wherever they docked was her best chance of getting a message out.
The shuttle lurched slightly, probably the clamps releasing. Al-Kindi waited, his hands raised. Forty-two seconds later, he brought them down, sending them thrusting to their destination. He lowered his hands and scanned his screens.
Saree waited patiently for five minutes. She spent the time inventorying her body, which was amazingly pain-free, the best she’d ever felt coming from a prolonged period in ^timespace^. That might be the best topic to start with. “Gentle Al-Kindi, what was in the medication I was given? I feel remarkably good.”
“It is a blend of a very small dose of a common human surgical sleep agent, natural sleep agents, vitamins and electrolytes. It is something the Brothers use regularly.” The word ‘brothers’ was clearly a title.
“Brothers?”
“I told you Manaf and Fatah were members of a religious order, did I not?”
“Ah, yes you did. Thank you.”
“You are welcome. I am relieved it worked for you. There is always the chance of an odd interaction, but we all judged the chances of that were miniscule, knowing what you’ve been drugged with in the past. I checked your medical records before you left on Bhamja Machi, since I still had access to them from your first incident on Lightwave. You should ask Katryn to secure those.”
“Thank you, I will.” Well, that implied they were returning to Lightwave, a pleasant surprise. Why not confirm it? “Are we returning to Lightwave, then?”
“Yes, we are.” He took in a deep breath and blew it out. “While I am...furious with the results of this last attempt, I discussed options with the Brothers. They do not believe any of us will survive an attempt at exchanging you on our own. While they are willing to sacrifice much, there must be a positive impact on the universe. If Phalanx Eagle secures you there is nothing but negatives for the universe at large. The negatives of Nari Al-Kindi’s death are small in comparison.”
From the pain in Al-Kindi’s voice, her speculations on his feelings for Nari were completely incorrect. She’d never been so happy to be wrong. “I’m so sorry. I hate causing you pain.”
“You are not at fault. It is entirely the fault of the evil in those beings’ hearts.”
“True. Still, I do not consider Nari’s life worth more than my own.”
“I believe that. Unfortunately, it is not true for anyone else, including myself.” Al-Kindi swept through his holo again.
Saree waited. There was no reason to push him.
“I suggest you try to sleep, Scholar. Our journey will take some time, and you have much to recover from.”
Saree smiled. “I’m not sleepy, but I will stay out of your way. I’ll just stay here and read. If you need food or drink, I’m happy to get those for you.”
“Feel free to use the facilities or kitchen, Scholar. This should be a smooth trip and there is no reason for you to serve me so.” He busied himself with his holo.
Well, clearly he wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. Saree swept up a novel. There was little else to do until they returned to Lightwave. Or Al-Kindi traded her for Nari, since this could all be a ruse to keep her quiet.
But she believed in her heart Al-Kindi was an honorable man.
#
“LIGHTWAVE, READY FOR docking,” Al-Kindi’s voice said.
Ruhger sagged in relief. Even though the surveillance showed Al-Kindi’s shuttle thrusting to them, he hadn’t really believed until now. “Stand by,” he said, engaging the docking program. He watched the tractor beam pull the shuttle in, the clamps meshing and engaging, and the utilities connecting perfectly, like usual. “Perform shuttle checks and report any issues. We await you in the dining hall.”
“We will be there shortly.”
Ruhger closed the shuttle comms and opened one to the crew. “Crew, Al-Kindi’s docked. He’ll meet us in the chow hall.”
“Saree?” Loreli asked.
“Unknown. I didn’t want to ask over comms just in case someone got a snooper on us or Al-Kindi’s shuttle. I’m assuming she’s with him, but there’s no way to know yet.”
“I’m amazed he came back at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stashed Saree someplace for leverage over us and the pararescue team,” Chief said.
Ruhger scanned Lightwave’s status and the surveillance one more time, and headed for the chow hall.
Tyron said, “Al-Kindi has a very strict honor code. It’s part of his upbringing and religion. He wouldn’t double cross us.”
“Besides, he’s got to realize he’s got a better chance with us than on his own, even with all the Circinus help,” Katryn said. “They’re pacifists. How can they prevail against armed forces like PE?”
“We can’t,” Al-Kindi said, the Scholar trailing him.
Ruhger’s shoulders released and he almost smiled, noting how well-rested the Scholar looked. He tore his eyes away, back to Al-Kindi. He did not look well-rested—or happy. Furious might be a better description.
“When will the so-called rescue team return?” Al-Kindi asked.
“Their folder was scheduled for one of the later folds out, but they should arrive soon. You are later than scheduled.”
“It took time for us to meet up with Bhamja Machi and transfer Time Guild Member Saree. I had not considered the Brothers’ reluctance to interact with a female physically.”
The Scholar looked surprised. “I know one of them picked me up after I collapsed.”
“Yes. It was an emergency situation and therefore allowed. However, they insisted I transfer you from Bhamja Machi to... my transport folder. It took time for both of us to dock.”
The Scholar smiled and nodded once, almost a bow. “Thank you for your care.”
Al-Kindi bowed in return. “You are welcome. Now, what are we going to do with the Gov Human team? They were completely ineffective.”
“Not completely ineffective, just mostly,” Katryn said. “Los did get into Spear Two’s net.” She grimaced. “Not the part we needed but better than nothing. I left some viruses, backdoors and trojans in their net and I’m sure Los did too. I’m also sure they’ll find most of them fairly quickly, but if even one survives, we’ll get in faster and easier next time.”
“They’ll be expecting this kind of action next time. This was a one-shot deal,” Chief said before Ruhger could.
“We need a different approach. We need to find their base of operations and take the fight to them,” Tyron said.
“Well, if the pararescue team did as I asked, we might have a shot at finding them,” Ruhger said. “I asked them to drop trackers on the hull before they broke in. I’m sure PE will find a few of them, but they might not find all of them.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Chief said. “You know they’ll be looking hard for that kind of thing. We need a better source of intel, more than just Gov Human.”
“The Circinus community has made it a priority,” Al-Kindi said. “Most of them will not act, but because of our well-known stance on non-violence, we are often overlooked. Beings underestimate us. It’s one of the reasons we’ve survived this long. When we can fold back to another Circinus system, I’m sure we will have some information waiting. I do not know if it will be enough.” He frowned deeper. “Because of my profession, I have some ties with Familia. Many of them are not happy with me right now, but with the right incentive, I may be able to gain some intelligence from them.”
“Or set us all up for betrayal. Familia is loyal to Familia only,” Tyron said. He stifled a yawn.
“True, but when they accept payment, they fulfil the letter of their contract.”
“They’re also looking for me,” the Scholar said. “When I first boarded Lightwave, I was one step ahead of a Familia agent. I don’t know if he was looking for me as the human clock maintainer or just an easy target, but I barely escaped. If it was a Familia system, I wouldn’t have made it out.”
“Well, at least they don’t know what you look like anymore, dahrling!” Loreli caroled.
“We can minimize your presence during any interaction,” Ruhger said. “Or better yet, we do nothing in person.” He turned back to Al-Kindi. “That’s your job. What kind of incentive are you thinking about?”
“The Brain Drain poison.”
Ruhger bit back his instinctive reaction.
Katryn didn’t. “Give them such a horrible drug? Are you crazy?”
“I wouldn’t do so until my contacts here in Circinus developed a true antidote,” Al-Kindi said calmly. “It won’t make much difference to give them those doses. They can buy it and have done so in the past.” He frowned. “And as I said, Familia is not particularly happy with me right now. Giving them something like this would make them much more cooperative on all levels.” Al-Kindi tapped a single finger on the table, lightly, his gaze turned inward. “Let me check with some of my associates in Circinus first, then we’ll see.”
“Well, all of this means returning to civilization sooner rather than later. And we need to retrieve the Clobbered Turkey. What’s our best destination, Gentle Al-Kindi?” Ruhger asked.
“I believe Arriagada is our best destination,” Al-Kindi said.
“I’m not familiar with that system,” Ruhger said. “What’s there?”
An unreadable expression crossed Al-Kindi’s face. “My family.”
Ruhger sighed internally. Excellent. More family drama.