"Rand," she asked, "did he leave anything behind?"
"Yes, Joat. On the left arm of your chair, just where the seam is on the front of the arm."
Joat examined the area Rand had described. Nothing. She pulled out a scanner and flicked it; a framework extended, and she fitted it over her head. Joseph came to her side and pulled a huge, clumsy-looking optical from a pocket in his robe.
"Got it," she said.
"Here," Joseph grunted, his words crossing over hers. They smiled at each other.
He rose from his knees, bowing. "All yours, child."
"Child, h.e.l.l." She pulled a toolkit from another pocket and opened it, twiddling her ringers. "Ta-dum." "Ta-dum."
It was about the width/of a human hair and no longer than the thickness of a fingernail; one end was razor-sharp, to make it easier to implant. Probably it was this large only to allow it to be manipulated easily.
"h.e.l.lo, Bros!" Joat said brightly, smiling a toothy smile with the sticktight held at eye level. "Why do I get this feeling that not everything is As It Seems? Anyway, you seem to have forgotten something. I couldn"t allow you to waste the taxpayers money like that. Tsk, tsk upon you."
She opened an envelope and dropped the sticktight into it. "Addressed to Clal va Riguez, The Anvil," she said. The envelope obligingly showed the name on its exterior, and she confirmed it with a pinch that sealed the container. "Deliver." She dropped it into a slot on the console.
"Oooh," Joat went on to Joseph. "Spy stuff. I wonder how much that little thingie is worth. I wonder how many more there are."
Joseph still had the optical to his eye; looking at the recording of the sticktight. Bethelite technology wasn"t subtle, but it got the job done.
"Interesting. Pa.s.sive sensor, I think-burst transmission when keyed."
"Confirmed," Rand said. "I was only aware of it because I saw Mr. Sperin install it. As for the rest of the ship, nothing seems abnormal, but I can make no guarantees. Mr. Sperin seems a devious man, and we"ve no idea how long he was actually aboard before he chose to make his presence known."
"About that," Joat interrupted. "Why didn"t you tell me he was...o...b..ard?"
"The first I knew of it was when he appeared on the bridge, Joat."
"But how could he do do that?" she demanded. that?" she demanded.
"I suppose that CenSec has been extrapolating from your design," Rand said, "and they"ve come up with a superior version."
Joat bristled and her eyes sparked with fury. "Not for long, they haven"t," she growled.
"In any event," Rand continued, "if he"s left something behind I can"t find it until it"s contacted by an external signal."
"Don"t worry about it, Rand. It"s not your fault." If anything, If anything, she thought, she thought, it"s mine for becoming so complacent. it"s mine for becoming so complacent. Or so honest. Joat shrugged. "I think it"s safe to a.s.sume he"d leave his best stuff on the bridge. That"s where we"ll be most of the time, after all." " She picked up the bottle of Arrack and freshened both of their drinks. Or so honest. Joat shrugged. "I think it"s safe to a.s.sume he"d leave his best stuff on the bridge. That"s where we"ll be most of the time, after all." " She picked up the bottle of Arrack and freshened both of their drinks.
"Disappointed?" she asked.
Joseph grimaced slightly.
"I am more annoyed than disappointed. Why I do not know. I certainly did not expect Central Worlds to charge to the rescue with banners flying. But I expected . . ."
"More than to be told to go home and wait for word from us big important people?"
"Yes!" he said firmly.
"You expected to be treated as a professional equal who doesn"t need obvious instructions on how to behave in a hostile port?"
"Yes!"
"More importantly, you were hoping to receive some offer of backup from Central Worlds if you do find out who has Amos and where they"ve taken him."
Joseph tossed back the rest of the Arrack in his gla.s.s and looked at her.
"Without the aid of the Central Worlds Navy there would be little that we could do. If they are unwilling to help us, or if they delay, then my brother will die." He laughed in self mockery and rubbed a hand across his eyes. "Ah, Joat, I had hoped for hope."
Joat grinned at him. "All that regular living has made you soft, Joe. You don"t need hope, you need luck . . ."
". . . and you make your own luck!" they recited together, they clicked gla.s.ses and laughed.
She folded her arms and leaned her hip against her main console. Her eyes went over the readouts, registering automatically without interrupting the flow of thought.
"We"re fueled, we"re set for supplies; as soon as my crew gets back we can cast off. So if you"ve got gear you"d better go and fetch it now."
Joseph grinned wickedly at her and indicated the small bag at his feet. "That is all that I have, Joat But I must say that I do not think Mr. Sperin would approve of this invitation. I do not believe that he wished me to go to Rohan."
"Hunh, by the time he was finished talking I wasn"t sure he wanted me me to go! Pushy osco, ain"t he?" to go! Pushy osco, ain"t he?"
"Perhaps he wanted to go himself," offered Rand. "He had the overtones, if I may say so, of a man stretching his instructions to the limit."
Joat and Joseph exchanged glances.
"Y"know Rand, I believe you"ve hit the nail on the head," Joat murmured.
With a soft hiss of breath Amos completed the final movement of the seven hundred and fifty separate steps of the Sword Dance of Natham. He stood upright, panting slightly, sweat running freely down his bare, muscled sides.
The dance helped to center him, to stave off rage and panic, as well as wearing him out so that he could sleep. He had just repeated it twice in succession, once slowly, once very fast.
Now he wished that he could be clean. But the Kolnari brig did not include such amenities as a shower. There was a small sink, however and he went over to it intending to do the best he could.
The cell was small, perhaps two meters by three with double-decker bunks that folded down from the wall, the sink and a commode for furnishings. The walls, ceiling, and floor were of cold, white enameled metal and the light never went out.
The food was neither good nor bad, but bland, soldier"s rations, in reasonable quant.i.ty, delivered at unpredictable intervals.
Were he a man who could find no comfort in his G.o.d, Amos knew that he would be howling and beating on the door by now. He smiled grimly. The Kolnari couldn"t know that a severe religious retreat could be very like this. There would be better facilities for cleaning oneself, and books, and the light would be under his control, but otherwise there were strong similarities. With the obvious exception, of course, that he could end a religious retreat at will. a.s.suming that G.o.d willed it so.
He sighed and turned on the faucet. No water came.
How petty, he thought, he thought, Belazir must be finding me boring. Belazir must be finding me boring.
He sat on his bunk and turned his palms upward to begin meditating on the devotions of the prophets. That would fill his time both pleasantly and well, since there were over eight thousand of them.
The hatch swung open and two figures in black s.p.a.ce armor violently flung Captain Sung into the room. Amos leapt to his feet and caught the older man before he could crash to the floor. By the time he had the Captain righted on his feet the cell was sealed once more.
"Captain," Amos said in astonishment. "What of Soamosa? Have you seen her, have they told you anything?"
The Captain"s face was badly bruised and he was shaking with reaction.
"I thought they were gonna s.p.a.ce me," he said and shuddered. "I knew they couldn"t get a ransom for me, they already took everything I ever had. I thought they were going to vent me with the rest of the garbage."
Amos put an arm around the older man and guided him to the bunk.
"I would give you water if I could," he said, "but they have turned it off." He paused for a moment. "Captain," he said softly and waited until the other man looked at him. "Soamosa, do you know anything about her?"
The Captain shook his head regretfully. "No, nothing. I haven"t seen her since we were split up, and they don"t talk to me." He raised a shaking hand to brush back his short hair. "I"m sorry."
"I did not expect that you would know, I only hoped that they might have become careless and allowed you to see something. It is no matter."
"How long have we been here?" Sung asked.
"I do not know. I have slept four times, and I have been fed eight. But what relation that might have to real time I could not begin to guess. What is your estimation?"
Sung shook his head, his face looking infinitely sad.
"I don"t know," he said, "I just don"t know."
"Rest," Amos said gently and placed his hand against the Captains shoulder, urging him to lie down. He grinned ruefully. "We shall have a wealth of time to talk later. Put your head down for a while."
Sung nodded tiredly and lay flat, his eyes closed before his head touched the pillow.
Amos sat on the floor in a lotus position. Before resuming his meditations he offered a brief prayer of thanks for the gift of a companion to relieve the silence of his imprisonment.
Several hours later Sung stirred and woke. He turned to Amos and stared at him in puzzlement.
"Who the h.e.l.l are you?" he asked.
"What?"
"Who the h.e.l.l are you? What are you doing in here?"
"Captain, what are you talking about?" Amos studied the Captain"s irate face with astonishment. "I am Amos ben Sierra Nueva, a pa.s.senger of yours . . ."
"Pa.s.sengers aren"t allowed in the captain"s quarters! What are you doing here?"
Amos licked his dry lips, uncertain how one answered a man apparently losing his mind and growing more angry by the minute.
"Captain Sung," he held out a placating hand, "we are not on your ship, we have been thrown into the brig of a Kolnari pirate. Don"t you remember?"
The Captain"s eyes widened, a look of fear shuddered across his face to be replaced by confusion.
"What did you say my name was?"
"You are Captain Josiah Sung, of the merchanter ship Sunwise." Sunwise."
"The Sunwise," Sunwise," Sung reached out and gripped Amos"s hand desperately, "I remember her. She"s my ship, the Sung reached out and gripped Amos"s hand desperately, "I remember her. She"s my ship, the Sunwise, Sunwise, I know her. You see? I"m all right." I know her. You see? I"m all right."
"Yes, of course you are, Captain. It was only a moments confusion. You woke from a deep sleep to find yourself in a new place, it is not uncommon to be disoriented under such conditions. All is well." Amos gave the Captains hand a squeeze and smiled encouragingly at him.
Sung raised his tear-slicked face to glare at Amos.
"Let go of my hand you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How the h.e.l.l did you get in here?"
Amos felt his heart pounding in the cage of his ribs, more strongly than it had when he pushed his body to its limits.
"I"m the Captain dammit! I don"t entertain entertain the pa.s.sengers. You got that? Get out of here!" Sung pointed to the hatch and then blinked. With a the pa.s.sengers. You got that? Get out of here!" Sung pointed to the hatch and then blinked. With a gasp he turned to look at Amos. "What"s happening to me? What have they done?" gasp he turned to look at Amos. "What"s happening to me? What have they done?"
Amos shook his head, equally horrified. The bruise on the Captain"s face was proof of a head wound, but would such a wound have an effect like this? Had the Captain been poisoned? Was he being shown the effects before they did the same to him? It would be like Belazir to torture him so, the Kolnari idea of subtlety.
Suddenly Belazir stood before them. The edges of his image bore a soft white fuzz for a moment, then the holo snapped into clear focus.
A white silken robe emphasized the inhuman blackness of his still-magnificent body. A feathered clip held back his brittle white hair.
"Good morning Simeon Amos, or good evening, whichever you have decided it must be. How are you getting on down here?"
"Not well, Master and G.o.d. The Captain is not himself." Amos"s eyes dared to demand answers, but he would not give Belazir the pleasure of hearing him ask for them.
"Is he not?" Belazir said with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Then who is he? Captain Sung, who do you think you are?"
"What . . . what do you mean?"
"Who are you?" Belazir asked.
A look of blank astonishment crossed Sung s face and he raised his hands helplessly.
"I don"t know," he said, his voice tight with horror. "I don"t remember." Tears gathered in his eyes and he struggled visibly not to blink and send them rolling down his cheeks. "I don"t remember."
Amos glared at the Kolnari, letting his face show contempt. He spat at the feet of the image.
Belazir quirked a smile at him. "You offer little sport, sc.u.mvermin; you tell me everything that I want to know without my even asking. Why should I tell you anything?"
"You knew before you did this that I would despise you for it. Master and G.o.d. Why you even bothered to show up I cannot imagine."
"Is this wise, sc.u.mvermin, to bait a man who holds your lives in his fist? I am sure that your friend Channahap would advise you otherwise." He folded his ma.s.sive arms across his chest and regarded Amos with amus.e.m.e.nt. "It may be that I have information that you might wish to have. If you ask me very politely, I might unbend sufficiently to enlighten you."
Amos"s lips quivered with rage, but his need to know the fate of his young cousin won out over his pride and his hatred.
"I beg your pardon," he said formally. "Master and G.o.d."
Belazir raised an eyebrow. "I will a.s.sume that was a request for knowledge. I know that you wish for information about your young cousin. But I will instead unfold a larger plan before you. One that touches the fate of all your people." He paused, smiling, to observe the effect this p.r.o.nouncement was having on Amos. "You can see that the Captain here is not behaving normally, can you not?"