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They landed beside the cargo shuttle an hour later, on the same spot where the previous evening, three craft set down to abduct the Lyonesse Brethren. Upon entering the Chapter House, Rianne and Horam found Serenity’s second officer, Lieutenant Gunther Voronov, along with a chief and two petty officers, all of them armed and wearing dark blue battledress uniform with Lyonesse Navy insignia. They were finishing interviews of the Hatshepsut Brethren who’d witnessed the kidnapping, so they could form as clear a picture as possible of the abductors.
The second officer stood the moment he spotted her.
“Sister Rianne. Or should I say, Prioress Rianne?”
“It doesn’t matter much right now, does it, Gunther? What did you learn?”
“Very little. Your people here lack experience with modern military equipment, so details are sparse. Two dozen were equipped with armor, helmets, and visors that hid the face. They carried firearms, but of what sort is unknown. Two more, including the apparent leader, a man, and the one who called herself a Sister of the Void, wore no armor or helmets, though both carried small arms in hip holsters. None of them wore insignia, at least not that your folks could identify.”
He reached into a tunic pocket and retrieved a strip of black plastic.
“The intruders used these quick restraints to tie them up hand and foot. Impossible to wiggle out of but easily cut with a knife or scissors. Everyone cooperated, so there were no injuries.”
“What about the shuttles?”
“No one saw them. We’re offloading your supplies right now, with the help of Friar Metrobius’ apprentice, Friar Tati. Captain Jecks wishes to speak with you as soon as you can. Sooner rather than later would be better. He’d like to reach the first subspace relay as quickly as possible so we can warn Lyonesse, and that’s over two dozen wormhole transits from here.”
“Yotai, right?” Horam asked.
“We pushed them a little further out since you left Lyonesse, all the way to Isabella, Parth, and Mykonos.”
“The Navy will need to push harder and link us in. There’s someone else roaming the wormhole network, and since they kidnapped our people, we must assume they’re not our friends. Worse yet, they found out about Lyonesse and will no doubt squeeze their captives for information.”
Voronov nodded.
“Agreed, and I’m sure HQ will make the same conclusion the moment they hear about this. But let’s put you on a link with Captain Jecks first.”
He led Rianne and Horam to the supply shuttle and installed them in the flight deck jump seats before opening a link with Serenity. Jecks’ anxious features appeared in a matter of seconds.
“My friends, what terrible news. I gather Gunther brought you up to speed?”
“He did,” Rianne replied. “As did the co-pilot of the shuttle that retrieved us from Aswan Trader. Our Brethren are in the Almighty’s hands now, but if a Sister of the Void is among them, I think they’ll be safe.”
“One thing occurs to me, Captain,” Horam interjected. “Since your shuttles are here, we should make a quick trip to Mazaber and speak with Crimple again, so we can be sure it was this Hegemony he spoke of when we visited him a few days ago. I’ll gladly go right now if you can spare the craft we came in on.”
Jecks’ eyes went over the Friar’s shoulder to where Voronov stood.
“You good with that, Gunther?”
“Can do, Skipper.”
“It’s a rough spot, so I would appreciate some muscle, but considering the circumstances, we can set down right on the beach near Crimple’s godown. A quick in-and-out, so to speak.”
As they landed on the shingle fronting Mazaber a little over an hour later, Horam questioned his sanity in volunteering for a mission on a fallen world. Why did he ever give up the ability to crisscross a planet at supersonic speeds for the maddeningly sedate pace of a sailing ship? He mentally shrugged as he unfastened his seat restraints while the bosun’s mates responsible for his security cautiously exited via the shuttle’s aft ramp, carbines at the ready.
When the petty officer in charge gave him the okay signal, Horam walked out into the last of the morning sunshine and noticed countless eyes watching them from a safe distance, wondering what devilment was now afoot.
He found Crimple at his usual spot behind the counter, frowning at the commotion. When he recognized the Friar, Crimple made a sound Horam decided was of disgust.
“I should have known one of you damned off-worlders would be back. If I believed in the Almighty and the Infinite Void, I’d damn the lot of you. I suppose being godless has its disadvantages. What now?”
“Those off-world visitors yesterday. Did they say who they were?” When Crimple made to speak, Horam added, “No negotiations, no bribes. Answer and we’ll be gone within minutes. Play stupid games with my friends and me, and I will make sure you win stupid prizes.”
Crimple studied Horam for several heartbeats before shrugging.
“Fine. They said they came from the Hegemony and didn’t look much different from the goons with you right now. Other than the one who calls himself Colonel Torma and the strange Sister of the Void, they had armor, weapons, the whole warlike getup, but no badges. They even brought Jan Keter with them but didn’t offer any information, nor did I ask. A man needs to know when he should keep his curiosity in check. But Keter gave me the impression they weren’t nice people.”
Horam inclined his head.
“Thank you, Mister Crimple. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“That’s it?” He sounded incredulous.
“You answered my question. I need nothing more. Goodbye.”
With that, Horam turned on his heels and left the godown along with his security escort. They were back in the air within minutes, leaving a city the Friar hoped never to visit again behind them.
Horam figured Hatshepsut had accidentally become the contact point between two civilizations, survivors of Dendera’s Retribution Fleet, who’d known nothing about each other until now. And the first act of the one was seizing citizens of the other against their will. A bad omen if he ever saw one.
**
“Will you be okay even though there are only two of you? I doubt your Order’s Head Abbess would assign blame if you came home with us.”
Rianne smiled at Jecks’ image on the cargo shuttle’s main flight deck display.
“Two of us born on Lyonesse, along with thirty-two born on Hatshepsut — the sixteen who were in the Chapter House last night and sixteen more serving the communities on the other islands. Yes, Horam and I will work double and triple shifts for a while, and we’ll be relying on healers whose training isn’t quite finished yet, but we’ll persevere. I would simply ask that the Lyonesse Abbey send us reinforcements as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll make sure to pass on your request the moment we’re within range of the nearest subspace relay. With any luck, the government will consider it a top priority and make sure the Navy sends out the next available Void Ship without waiting for the regular rotation.”
“Thank you. And now, Horam and I must pay President Granat a visit and inform him what happened.”
Jecks frowned.
“Will that cause you problems?”
Rianne’s features briefly took on a dismissive expression.
“Nothing we can’t handle. The Thebans are becoming more and more dependent on our teaching and technology. They won’t do anything that might harm their only source of both. At least not until the Hegemony shows up with a better offer. But since we don’t know where they hail from, hopefully, our government will speed up the reunification process, at least as far as this place is concerned. We can use all the Brethren and Defense Force personnel we can get.”
“Another point for my report. Thanks. If there’s nothing else, I’ll say goodbye until our next visit. Take care and stay safe.”
“You as well, Captain.”
“Serenity, out.”
The last two Lyonesse Brethren on Hatshepsut shook hands with Lieutenant Voronov and left the cargo shuttle, now empty of everything but the crew and the security detail. They stood at the edge of the flat area and watched the craft lift off, both lost in thought. Once they were only tiny dots in a heartbreakingly clear, blue sky, Rianne nudged Horam.
“Come on, Chief Administrator. A quick bite in the refectory and then President Granat. No doubt rumors are already reaching his ears, so there’s no time to delay. He dislikes being kept in the dark when it concerns happenings in his republic, and this is a major event for everyone.”
“Yes, Prioress.”
“Don’t sound so glum.”
Horam snorted.
“Do I seem like someone at ease in the corridors of power? I’m just an old Marine noncom turned mystic.”
“You’ll do fine as chief administrator. Besides, I’m no more thrilled than you are at shouldering the political and diplomatic responsibilities for this mission.”
“I know I’ll do fine, which means I’ll be stuck with the job.” He grinned at her as they walked to the priory’s dining hall. “And so will you. The Mother House won’t send a new command team into an established situation unless they consider us unfit, which is unlikely to happen once Al Jecks sends in his report. Whether we want it or not, this is now our responsibility, our house, and our mission. Let’s just do the best we can for our friends.”
She gave him a light tap on the arm with the back of her hand.
“Look at you acting all grown up and leader-like.”
“Some are destined for greatness; some have greatness thrust upon them. For my sins, I’m one of the latter, and I know when the Almighty is giving me a sign.” A crooked grin split Horam’s features. “Best I do my duty, right?”