The intended victims had faster reflexes than their attackers: Jeff and the Rowan "ported themselves high up, out of range. Increasing his shields, Gollee Gren covered Gktmglnt"s body with his own. Elizara had "ported herself and Admiral Tohl Mekturian to the far corner. The four attackers were themselves mind-stunned by Talents and collapsed, paralyzed. The door to the conference room burst open and the security guards rushed in, immediately taking charge of the intruders.
May I as%, Jeff said, in a tone not even his lifelong partner had ever heard him use, how Clarissia Negeva got in here? And he indicated one of the paralyzed forms.
Sir, the location of this conference room is protected, said an exceedingly red-faced and furious T-3 security officer. We do not know how the security system could have been so compromised.
"Clarissia Negeva? Why so it is," the security captain said as he turned over the first of the two women sprawled on the carpet.
"She"s the xenophobic T-2 Laria bounced out of Clarf," Jeff went on. Elizara was "porting restorative drinks to the Rowan, who was ashen-faced, and to the stunned Admiral while Gollee apologized profusely to Gktmglnt for both the intrusion and his rough handling of the Mrdini"s person.
"The others-both T-2"s and strong kinetics-are Duvona Tselli-gan and Nyol Greb, both Capellans," Jeff said, having touched their stunned minds.
THE MRDINI IS A DISGRUNTLED MEMBER OF MY OWN STAFF, said Gktmglnt in a tone dripping with distaste and disillusion. IT IS TO BE SENT BACK IN A PERSONNEL CARRIER IMMEDIATELY AND-- PLEASE, NOT TO CLARF THIS TIME, the Rowan said, raising one hand in appeal.
IT IS FROM KEF AND WILL BE SENT TO THE MOST PUBLIC PLACE POSSIBLE.
WOULD IT NOT BE WISER TO DISCOVER WHO ELSE AMONG YOUR.
STAFF MIGHT BE INVOLVED? asked T-3 Security Officer Harry Sargent with a formal bow to the High Councillor.
THE MANNER OF ITS PUNISHMENT WILL BE SUFFICIENT DETERRENT FOR ANY OTHERS WHO CONSIDER THAT ELIMINATING A HIGH COUNCILLOR WILL REDRESS WHATEVER GRIEVANCES EXIST.
FATHER! GRANDFATHER? GRANDMOTHER? FATHER? GRANDFATHER? SIR? UNCLE? SON?.
Commendable reactions, all of you, Jeff said with a wry smile as his mind was flooded by the queries from various alarmed offspring and relatives. All is well. A discreet and very private message will be forthcoming. Allow us to deal with the matter in our own time. Than^ you.
They"d"fe been too late, the Rowan remarked very quietly to her mate. * had no idea I"d broadcast this . . . recent untoward event.
I suspect all of us did, Jeff said, managing a grin at Elizara and Gollee.
Harry Sargent, his hand carefully gloved, picked up one of the many darts scattered about the room by the Talents" self-protection instincts. He examined it, sniffed cautiously, and his expression became even more implacable.
"Poisoned. A particularly virulent type. Even Elizara couldn"t have saved all of you. Especially these"-he indicated a scatter on the table in front of Gktmglnt-"would have been impossible to neutralize." He I.
bowed his abject apologies to the High Councillor who had resumed its seat, its figure regally erect.
TAKE THAT AWAY IMMEDIATELY. Gktmglnt nodded at the immobilized "Dini.
CERTAINLY, HIGH COUNCILLOR, said Sargent.
ALLOW ME TO a.s.sIST, Gollee said, and he "ported the body to one of the many personnel carriers available at the Blundell Building"s yard, an action the others followed with their minds.
WOULD YOU KNOW THE COORDINATES OF ITS ... FINAL PLACEMENT, GKTMGLNT? Jeff asked.
THE BIG SQUARE ON KEF WOULD BE THE MOST PUBLIC PLACE.
WE KNOW THOSE COORDINATES, Jeff said.
YOU DON"T GET TO DO IT BY YOURSELF, the Rowan said, rising straight up from her chair until she hovered tall as the High Councillor. I INSIST ON- NOT UNLESS I AM IN ON THE THROW TOO, Gollee said in an equally arbitrary tone.
IN THE TIME IT"S TAKING US TO ARGUE WHO DOES IT, IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE, Jeff replied.
WE"LL ALL DO IT, Elizara said at her most reasonable. ONE, TWO, THREE.
WHAT"S GOING ON UP THERE? MY GENERATORS d.a.m.nED NEAR OVERLOADED! was the outraged roar from T-2 Viling Iredit, the Blundell Tower engineer.
Operation Overall, was Jeffs unapologetic reply. It"s not lively to happen again.
THE TRANSFER IS COMPLETED? asked Gktmglnt.
MOST DECIDEDLY, Admiral Mekturian said, leaning across and lightly touching the Mrdini"s arm, a big grin on his face.
Jeff held up his hand, looking first to the Rowan, who gave a slow nod of her head, then to Gollee, who was also in accord. Elizara hesitated.
"You"ll need to know who else is involved. I shall attend to that when the meeting is concluded," she said.
"That"s my job," Gollee said.
Elizara, her usually sympathetic expression neutral, turned to him. "In this instance, I disagree, Gollee. You are an excellent T-2, but I am the medical Prime and these three had . . . sick minds."
The Rowan leaned across the table, her eyes bleak. "Their minds are not to be healed, Elizara."
"That is a given, Angharad Raven, since they have abrogated any consideration by such an unwarranted attack." She turned to Harry Sargent. "Secure them in the infirmary and request my a.s.sistant to administer the necessary suppressant. They are to be placed in separate rooms and are not to be allowed to move or communicate with anyone, even my a.s.sistant."
Harry gestured to his team, who bowed respectfully. The team, Harry and the three remaining limp bodies "ported out of the room.
"I should review security features," Gollee said with a grim expression.
"Three kinetic-strong T-2"s could, and did, manage it," Jeff said, rubbing his jaw.
"Who"d"ve expected we"d be bearded in Blundell after all," the Rowan said, grinding the words out, obviously still coping with her anger over the attack.
"I"ll see it never happens again, no matter how many dissident T"s they can a.s.semble," Gollee said in a tight, implacable tone.
"I shall discover why, which I believe to be even more important," Elizara said, "there are dissident T-2"s at all."
"Consider me available, Elizara, if necessary," the Rowan said.
Elizara nodded in compliance.
"Now that that"s all settled . . ." Jeff gave himself a shake, indicating he had been more upset about the incident than he was willing to admit. "How far had we progressed on the agenda, Admiral Tohl?"
"Item nine," Mekturian said, blinking slightly in reorienting his attention as he touched his notepad. When he looked up, his expression suggested that Jeff knew exactly what the next topic should be. "Having a surface team investigating the Hiver-occupied planet named Ciudad Rodrigo."
"Yes, we could do with more comparative samples of pheromones and soil," Elizara said. "As has been remarked, the Hivers might test the air and remove any life-form large enough to be considered a predator, but they don"t seem to test soil for its components. They just dig in, as it were." She gave her mouth a quirk at her phrasing.
"We"ll be taking Zara from the Sotigen and Talavera Tower," Gollee Gren said, scrolling down on his notepad.
"Flavia can do the surface inspection of Ciudad Rodrigo?" the Rowan asked.
"Hmmm, I"d thought to send Rojer-" Jeff began.
"Not without Asia," Elizara interrupted him, waggling a finger.
"I know, I know," he said, nodding his head to the caution and holding up one hand. "I want him to have some surface experience as well, with Asia." He turned to Gollee. "Is that mixed team you"ve been training ready to tend Talavera Tower? If they work out, that"ll free Rojer ... and Asia . . ." He held up his hand before anyone could remind him.
"Five?" the Rowan said.
"Well, if three T-3"s can"t handle "porting and two good T-2 "pathers can"t manage in the Tower, we"ll have to see just how much support they"d need in a larger merge," Gollee replied. "Denebians too."
"Really?" Elizara said with a sly grin at Jeff.
That"s quite enough of that, if you don"t mind. Out of deference to the two High Councillors, he added, "How soon does the Washington make its next destination?"
"Two more weeks, I believe," Gollee said.
"Mmmm," Jeff murmured ambiguously.
"I can"t reach any of them. Neither can Mother," Laria told everyone in the Tower who had rushed up the stairs at her scream. Kincaid, who had been in merge with her, was clutching his temples in pain. Morag and Kaltia quivered with reaction to the fright they had felt all too I.
clearly. Vanteer and Lionasha had rushed up the Tower. Now Lionasha pa.s.sed restorative beverages to everyone with the firm advice to drink first, talk later.
Laria was still too full of the panic she had sensed, despite the distance between Clarf and Earth, to do more than take quick sips between phrases.
"Somehow . . . they were all... Grandfather, Grandmother, Gollee, Elizara . .. and I"m sure I felt the presence of the two High Councillors as well. . . had all been in danger. I do apologize for broadcasting to all of you too." She swallowed the rest of the drink, rose and started to reduce the headache she had given Kincaid.
"We all felt surprise, distress, not so much panic," Kincaid said, gratefully allowing Laria to heal the splitting headache. He felt that his eyes were crossed and kept them closed.
"You shielded us," Morag said to him almost accusingly. "Nice of you, but we should have been shielding you," she added.
"Habit," he said, his eyes still closed and his shoulders slumped.
"When will we get any details?" Kaltia asked softly, more distressed than any of the others as she kept wringing her hands. "It"s awful not knowing."
Morag and Lionasha both reached out to comfort her physically, nearly b.u.mping heads in their effort. That bit of nonsense in itself relieved some of the tension.
Where is everybody? Yoshuk demanded. I gave the coordinates, but I can"t. . . Oh, something"s gone very wrong?
So they had to explain to the Sef Tower Talents what little they knew.
I"ll just get the coordinates, Yoshuf^. Lionasha hurried down the stairs.
"Morag, Kaltia, you "port with me," Laria said, glad to have something to do. "Kincaid"s mind"s in no condition to merge."
"I . . ." Kincaid got that far before he was flattened by three T-l"s gently but firmly to his couch. "I yield."
So what happened at Elundell, sis? Rojer asked. Grandmother and Mother shut me up.
When Iknow, I"lltellyou. I suspect we"II all be told at the same time, but if we aren"t. . . Here comes your shipment, Yoshufy Laria said, taking her two sisters into merge as gently as she could.
Hey, save your strength, Lar. . . Oh, you have Morag and Kaltia? What happened to Kincaid? . . . Ah yes, well, if he was merge, it"s to be expected, I"ll keep "em pacified here, Rojer went on.
Despite the nagging worry about how under all the Star League suns hostiles had invaded the conference room at Blundell Tower, the other Primes continued with their duties.
No one felt much like eating any lunch, but they were all present when feff reported the whole incident.
"Clarissia Negeva?" Laria was so surprised that she spoke aloud, although all the other Talents were listening to Earth Prime"s explanation. "She said she"d get even with us "weasel lovers" the day she left here."
Don"t blame yourself for her bigotry, Jeff said sternly. You warned us that she was xenophobic, and that was vital information. We simply didn"t realize how vital. That she was able to enlist other Capellans is not surprising. To have got to a member of the High Councillor"s staff is more unusual.
So, what"s happened to them all? Laria demanded without a shred of pity.
Elizara ...
Elizara? But she"ll. . .
Don"t ever get on the wrong side of Elizara, my dear, her grandfather said in a droll warning. There are limits to even her famous compa.s.sion and understanding. The "invaders" have been unable to keep any of their sordid little machinations from her searching mind. They also have been deprived of whatever Talent they once enjoyed and are being sent back^ to Capella to serve their penal servitude as menial laborers in frontier garrisons.
And the "Dim?
It is performing the same salutary function as did the unlamented Prtglm, on Kif, its planet of origin,eff replied dryly. Gtymglnt p.r.o.nounced sentence. Gollee is full of plans for more advanced security on this level too.
But how did someone like Clarissia get as far as she did?
With two other strong T-2 kinetics, she could get very far once she knew where to look. Now this has been a very tiring day, and while there are other messages for all of you, these will come by tube and are to be divulged on a need-to-know basis. Than you for your immediate support. Can"t imagine how I let out my surprise! I suppose one does react with an instinctive Mayday when unexpectedly attached in what is supposed to be an invulnerable chamber.
For the first time in her life, Laria heard a puzzled, almost uncertain note in her grandfather"s voice. Her grandfather insecure?
Kincaid reached over and clasped his hand tightly about hers, broadcasting rea.s.surance, shaking his head.
Yes, you would appreciate that better than anyone else, Dano, said Jeff with a chuckle not too far off his usual irrepressible humor. We all had a bit of a shocl^ that we"re making very certain cannot be repeated. All right?
Then the presence of feff Raven was gone from their minds.
"Perhaps that was needed, Laria dear," Kincaid said, leaning toward her and capturing the other hand as well. "Nothing happened beyond a nasty shock . . ."
"And the punishment of those who dared violate Blundell!" said Morag, her eyes sparkling with anger. Kaltia still looked uncertain.
"We Talents get so we feel we can lick anyone with hands and feet tied down, Kaltia," Kincaid said gently. "It isn"t true. We all have limits. Even Jeff Raven, the Rowan and the very efficient Gollee Gren."
"But can you imagine what chaos would result if the Blundell Building had been . . ." Lionasha began.
"It couldn"t be," Vanteer said, so stoutly and angrily that Lionasha recoiled. "It"s far too well protected from the outside . . ."
"That"s what I mean. They were inside" Morag said.
"And they were Talents," Kaltia said, outraged and appalled.
"T-2"s and only kinetics," Morag went on. "You heard Grandfather. Three could get just about anywhere in Blundell except his office. The meeting was in one of the conference rooms."