The journey took a little over two hours. There was a minor obstruction in one of the tunnels. The debris forced them to take a slightly longer route. In the end, they came up just outside the city to the east, instead of the south.
“Look!” Cassa exclaimed, staring at the massive row of gun ships dropping troops off. “The area is flooded with Legion troops.”
“I must return and tell Jubotu what is happening,” the warrior said. “There has never been this type of Legion presence on our planet before.”
“Thank you for your help,” Josh replied in a grim voice. “We’ll take it from here.”
“General Hutu would be in the center of the city. Look for Sandsabar,” the warrior said.
“I know where it is,” Cassa replied. “Mother and I came here once before Jesup was born. It is not a place you forget.”
Josh didn’t say anything. His gaze paused on the rows of gun ships. They were ten deep and twenty wide. He estimated that they carried at least one hundred and fifty men per ship. Several took off as they made their way around the perimeter.
“I’ve never seen so many Legion troops before,” Cassa whispered. “General Landais’ Battle Cruiser must be larger than the ones I’ve seen before.”
“Stay to the edge and walk like nothing is happening,” Josh muttered as they melted into the crowds of pedestrians. “There are four coming up on your right, turn left.”
Together, they turned before they reached the four soldiers that were randomly stopping people. Fortunately, they blended in with their headscarfs, eye protection, and clothing. Josh loosely held Cassa’s elbow as they hurried down the narrow alley to the next street. He paused, glancing around before he nodded to her.
“Which way?” He asked.
“Right, then left,” she replied softly. “How are we going to find your friend? There are thousands of people here. I forgot just how large a city it was and it has grown more since I was last here. He will not understand the dangers.”
Josh pressed his lips firmly together and bowed his head as they passed several more soldiers. He waited until they were far enough away so that they couldn’t overhear him before he responded to her question. One thing he did know was that Ash would recognize the dangers and know how to handle himself.
“Ash is smart,” Josh murmured. “He’ll know how to blend in, even here. The key is figuring out where he would go. He’d need clothing, weapons, and information.”
“But, he would need to get them without being seen,” Cassa summarized. “There is a small settlement on the outer edge of the city. It is in the same direction he would have been traveling.”
“We’ll start there,” Josh said with a nod.
“I’ll let Pack know where to meet us,” Cassa murmured, turning toward Josh to conceal the soft glow of the tablet and quickly sending a coded message to her brother. Almost immediately, she received a reply. “He said no one had seen any strangers at Nobo Caverns. He will go to the Cliffs, but he believes it will be the same. It is slightly further than both of these cities.”
Josh frowned when he saw someone hurrying up to a soldier. He jerked his head to Cassa to move closer so they could hear what was being said. The man speaking to the soldier didn’t look like a local inhabitant.
“Tell your commander that someone stole some clothing and a weapon from a home in the Baska District two days ago. A strange man was spotted moving away from the home,” the man was saying. “Where are my credits for the information?”
“You will get the credits if what you say proves correct,” the soldier stated. “What did the man look like?”
“I don’t know,” the informant snapped. “Dark skin – brown – not red, with short black hair. He was wearing an unusual suit with an emblem on it. The woman said it was made of different colors and had stars on it. She did not know what the symbols meant and would not give it to me without payment in return.”
“Give us the exact location and we will pass on the information,” the soldier replied.
The informant shook his head. “I’ll take you there. I want payment like I was promised for information,” he growled.
“Lead the way,” the soldier said, waving his hand to two additional members of the Legion forces.
Josh waited until they had passed by him and Cassa before he motioned for her to follow them. They kept the men in their sight while staying far enough behind to be unnoticed. Josh immediately recognized that they were just north of the landing area of the gunships.
“There,” the informant said, pointing to a small structure.
“Stay here,” the soldier ordered.
Josh and Cassa watched as two of the three soldiers walked toward the building. One of the men banged on the outer door. A moment later, it cracked open.
They were too far away to hear what was being said, but the hand gestures gave him a fairly good idea of where Ash might have gone. Pulling back, he nodded to Cassa. Together, they quickly melted back into the shadows of the alley.
“He would need food, water, and information,” Josh said, glancing around at the different buildings. “A market or series of stores would be ideal. He could cover up, yet find the items he would need to survive.”
“There is the center market about five streets from here,” Cassa replied, glancing down at the map that Hutu had given her. “My mother and I loved going there. It is very large and usually crowded late into the evening.”
“I’ll follow you,” Josh murmured.
*.*.*
They had to stop and change direction several times. Legion forces patrolled the area at most of the main crossings. Cassa grabbed several large baskets as they walked by the back entrance to a restaurant and handed him one, showing him how to carry it like a local. She then guided him to a small group that was walking together.
Josh glanced around the market. Large crowds of residents milled around, bartering with the shopkeepers. Ash could easily find the items he required, all he needed was a deft hand to pocket some of it. The market wasn’t much different from some of the places they had visited back home.
Frustration built inside him. Ash could be anywhere! He started to turn when he felt someone bump into him.
“Remove your goggles and present identification,” a Legion soldier demanded.
Josh turned toward the man. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cassa slip away into the crowd. He knew she wouldn’t go far, but it was important that they both not be detained. His gaze swept the crowd. The soldier appeared to be alone.
“I said remove your goggles and present identification,” the soldier repeated.
Josh dropped the basket he was carrying and started to reach up to remove his goggles. Instead of removing his eye covering, he struck the man in the throat with his elbow. The man choked and tried to bring up his weapon, but Josh stepped into him and grabbed his wrist. He applied pressure and twisted, at the same time, he struck the man again, this time in the jaw.
The moment the man started to sink down to the ground, Josh bent and grabbed his weapon. The small crowd that had started to gather pushed past him when they heard a shout from further down the crowded corridor. Josh glanced behind him to see several soldiers fighting to get through the mass of bodies.
Turning on his heel, he quickly caught up to Cassa who silently stood waiting for him near an alley between two carts. He pushed through the crowd toward her. The moment he stepped between the carts, the merchants pushed them together and started shouting out their products for sale. He and Cassa pressed back into the shadows and watched as the soldiers gathered around their fallen comrade.
“We need to find Hutu,” Cassa whispered. “Word of what the soldiers found out will quickly spread, not to mention what just happened. It is too dangerous for us to be on the streets. He might have heard something.”
Josh pressed his lips together and turned to follow Cassa down the alley. He tossed the stolen weapon into a large basket as they passed by, not wanting to be seen with a Legion weapon. Without breaking stride, they melted into the crowd again.
*.*.*
Roan Landais stood aboard his Legion Battle Cruiser, staring down at the planet. He lifted his hand to the communicator attached to his ear when it chimed. Turning, he ignored the men and women who stood at attention as he walked past them and into his office located off the bridge.
“What have you found?” He demanded, walking across to his desk and bringing up the image of his field commander on the planet.
“One of our informants was able to locate information on some stolen clothing and a missing knife. The resident said she saw a strange male running away from her home. She found this lying on the ground.”
Roan frowned at the unusual symbol on the cloth. He touched his finger to the lighted keys on his desk, capturing the image. He would have it delivered to him later for analysis. Until then, he would search the database for any information that might match the pattern, symbols, and language on the circle.
“What else?” He asked, leaning back in his chair.
The commander’s jaw tightened before he spoke again. “One of the soldiers was attacked in the marketplace. He said he stopped a man and ordered him to remove his goggles and present identification. The male attacked him. Whoever it was took his weapon, but it was later found in an alley not far from the attack. The merchants claimed not to have seen the male, but one witness said he met up with a woman in the alley.”
“Was the soldier able to get a visual on the male?” Roan asked impatiently.
The commander shook his head. “No, sir,” the man replied. “I have increased checkpoints and doubled the guards so none travel alone.”
“Very good. Keep me posted and send what was found immediately,” Roan ordered, cutting communications the moment the commander replied.
Leaning forward, he pulled up the image he had captured and enlarged it. He studied the position of the stars on it, not recognizing them, before he looked at the other symbols. There were three of them, each different than the next, yet linked together with the image of a spaceship unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Sitting back in his seat, he stared at it for a long time. Touching the keys in front of him, he loaded the image into the database and began the scan. There were literally billions, if not trillions, of pieces of information stored in the Legion’s database about every species in the known star systems. He knew it would take several hours for the scan to be completed.
With an unusual reluctance, he slid the screen to the side and tapped the communications icon. He impatiently waited for his call to be answered. Soon, an all too familiar face appeared before him.
“What have you learned?” Andri demanded in irritation.
Roan’s chin lifted. His security measures were beginning to work. He concealed the satisfaction he felt at discovering the spy among his crew.
“An item was found. I am running a scan on it now for more information. One of the soldiers was attacked in the marketplace. The attacker escaped, but I believe the two are related,” Roan replied.
“And General Gomerant?” Andri asked.
Roan raised an eyebrow. “The old Gallant General?” He asked in surprise. “He hasn’t been seen.”
“He is a Knight of the Gallant Order. He is there,” Andri replied in a clipped tone. “I want him found and brought to me.”
Roan bowed his head in acknowledgement. He stared at the blank screen in front of him. Pushing his chair back, he rose and walked over to the large windows. He stood, staring down at the planet with a frown. What did the debris, signal, unusual emblem, an attack on one of his men, and an Old Knight of the Gallant have in common?
Turning, he returned to his seat. Slipping an encryptor disk out of his pocket, he placed it on the side of his computer. Once he was satisfied that his search would be concealed, he tapped in his command.
An hour later, he removed the device and returned it to his pocket. The scan he had initiated was also complete, much to his surprise. The muscle in his jaw twitched as he rose from his chair and stretched. Adjusting his uniform, he decided it was time he took a more active role in the search down on the planet.
Touching the screen, he turned it off before rounding the desk and heading for the door. He had found more questions than answers over the past hour. He wanted answers and something told him that the old Knight might be able to provide him with a few. One thing was for certain – he would have a conversation with the old Knight before he turned the man over to the Director.