Between Darkness and Light (63 page)

“How does it work?” asked Banner.

“I'm afraid I don't know, it's not my field,” said M'kou.

“The test tonight is to see if there's a receiver at Ch'almuth?” he asked.

“There is a receiver,” said M'zynal. “The General's attempting to open a passageway and send a probe from the
N'zishok
through.”

“I hope we don't emerge too close to the planet when we go,” said Banner. “I'm not sure I like the sound of this. Why didn't they develop it fully?”

“The Fall happened,” said M'kou, looking across at him again. “The General told me a handful of your people managed to overthrow the Empire in less than a week.”

“The receivers are not on the actual worlds, or Outposts,” said M'zynal. “The one here is set into one of the defense asteroids.”

“Excuse me?” asked Banner, turning to look at him.

“There's a network of partially automated asteroids out there, all bearing weapons emplacements,” M'zynal elaborated. “Some need to be actually manned, and are capable of supporting a team of three for several days. Like Kij'ik, they're all powered. We haven't had the time to check them out yet, but none of them are responding to signals from the bridge.”

“Powered?” he asked.

“Kij'ik can be moved, Captain,” said M'kou with a small smile as he popped a segment of fruit into his mouth. “But not very far.”

“Well, I'll be damned,” he said, picking up his coffee and taking a drink. “How far out is the General taking the
N'zishok
for this test?”

“Not far. You should be able to see the passageway opening if it's successful,” said M'zynal. “Would you like me to send the images to the vid coms for you?”

“Yes. It'll be a sight worth seeing,” said Banner.

“I suggest you view it in either the mess, the Assembly Hall, or the rec lounge as they have the largest screens.”

Lirtosh got up from his seat, muttering something about needing to go check his files on civilian skills and ambled off, followed by M'zynal.

“Is it wise to take us with him?” Banner asked M'kou. “The Ch'almuthians may be as paranoid of us as the M'zullians are.”

“Then we need to know that now,” said M'kou. “Because it will affect whether or not they can work with you here. You'll not be exposed to any danger, that I promise you.”

Banner sighed and reached out to snag an applelike fruit with a claw tip. “I better get going too,” he said, taking a bite out of it before pushing his seat back and leaving.

“You heading back to the data lab?” Kusac asked Zayshul, finishing off his coffee.

“Yes.”

“I'll wait for you, then. Has Kezule said what he plans to do with Shaidan while we're all away?”

“He'll stay here with Mayza's nurse,” she said, drinking her kheffa. “He'll be fine, Kusac.”

“I can ask Lazaik to spend some time with him every day, if you wish, Captain,” offered M'kou, licking his now very sticky fingers in an effort to clean them. “She's been spending time in the nursery lately so he knows her.”

“I'm sure it isn't necessary, but thank you, I'd be glad of that,” he said, surprised at the young male's gesture.

“It's not a problem,” M'kou said with a smile. “He is your son, and I'm beginning to understand how important family is.”

He stared at him in shock.

“I was with you and the General when you were discussing the arrangements for Shaidan's visits to you, Captain,” the young Prime reminded him. “No one knows but us.”

“I'd forgotten,” he said, relief flooding through him.

“I'm ready,” said Zayshul, getting up.

In the Camarilla council chamber, a small group watched the holographic projection as space itself in front of the
N'zishok
began to distort and bend. At the center of the distortion, a shimmer began to coalesce. As the passageway established itself, the shimmer became a glow that exploded outward in a circle, forming the entrance.

“This technology the sand-dwellers should not have been allowed to keep,” said Hkairass in disgust.

“Is limited,” said Kuvaa, wrinkling her long snout at the TeLaxaudin. “Only works with receiver, only goes to Ch'almuth, M'zull, and Haven. Cannot develop it further. If try, will find cannot replicate either part of it. This was ensured even in their time.”

“Is necessary they reach these destinations quickly,” said Azwokkuss. “Is it not? Binding other sand-dwellers now is part of pattern we foresaw.”

“Is done,” said Khassiss, touching the lectern control and turning off the image. “All proceeds as it must.”

“If that device could be reverse engineered,” began Banner, as they watched the passageway finally being closed.

“We've spent a week trying, Lieutenant,” interrupted M'kou. “Certain elements of the technology are beyond us now. We've no idea how it was constructed, and dismantling it was not an option.”

“Did you scan it?”

“Of course, but several components are sealed units that none of our scans could penetrate. The General says there were only four made in his time.”

People were beginning to drift away now that the test was over.

“If you'll excuse me, I have to go and fetch Shaidan for you, Captain.”

He nodded absently, his mind on Zayshul's whereabouts now that her scent was more noticeable in the emptying room.

“You realize Dzaou could be right about Kezule and this Outpost,” Banner said, catching hold of his arm. “It is heavily fortified, and it can move.”

Banner had his attention now and he extracted his arm from his Second's grasp. “That's Dzaou's paranoia talking, not yours. Have you any idea how much energy it would need to move this any distance?” he asked. “I don't, but I know it's more than this Outpost could produce. Yes, it's heavily armed, but everything M'kou said it has in the way of armaments is defensive, not offensive, even I know that.”

“We still need to take that into account, Kusac. What if one day he's a threat to Shola and we need to attack Kij'ik? I'll be watching to see if he takes that finished fighter with him.”

“He won't.”

Banner sighed. “When will you take a realistic view of what's happening under your nose, Kusac? We must talk properly about this.”

“Later,” he said distracted again as he opened his mind, trying passively to locate Zayshul. “I have Shaidan to see, things to do before we leave. I may go to the library, or the lab.”

“Then I'll see you later, in your quarters.”

She'd already left the hall and was heading toward the main elevator. With an effort, he drew his attention back to Banner. “Perhaps. I want to start work on drafting a plan for contacting the Ch'almuthians,” he said.

“Later, then.”

“I'd like to play squares,” said Shaidan when asked what he wanted to do after they'd eaten.

“You know where the box is,” he said, clearing the dishes into the disposal unit. “Shall we sit here or on the sofa?”

“Here,” said Shaidan, slipping down off the high stool and heading over to the sideboard.

He was pleased with the way his son was progressing. It had taken a long time, but by dint of giving him small choices every visit, Kusac had gradually got him to the point where he could make a choice of his own when offered one.

Shaidan pushed the box onto the meal bar and began to clamber up onto the stool again. Once up, the cub opened the box, tipped the pieces out and, turning the opened box over, began to lay them out on the squared surface.

“You've got new ear studs,” he said, noticing the small silver-mounted stones his son wore in each ear.

“Yes, blue ones.” He stopped laying the pieces out to reach into a pocket in the side of his tunic. “There's one for you.” He held out a small package. “So we can be the same, Aunt said.”

He took it from the cub, opening the package up to find one blue-stoned stud. “I don't wear them,” he said awkwardly.

“It's a present. Aunt will be sad if you don't,” Shaidan ventured hesitantly, resuming laying out the counters, black for him, white for his father, one set on each side of the board.

“I'm sure she'll understand.”

Shaidan looked up at him. “She will be sad. She likes you,” he insisted.

“I know she does.” He hadn't, but he did now.

“I'll put it in for you,” the cub offered, reaching out to take it from him.

“I don't think you can,” he said, leaning forward to let his son look at his ear. “I took the other one out soon after she made the hole.”

“I can see it,” Shaidan said.

He felt a slight prick as the stud pushed the skin apart again, then it was in, and his son was fitting on the back piece.

“It looks nice,” Shaidan said, head on one side, examining his father appraisingly.

“I'll take your word for it,” he said dryly, sitting back. He'd only let Shaidan try because he believed the hole had closed up completely.

“She can hear your mind, like I can,” said Shaidan, pushing the board around ready to play.

“What?”

“Aunt is like us, she can hear minds. You go first.”

As the floor dropped out from his world, automatically he pushed one of his center disks forward two spaces. “You're mistaken, Shaidan. I can't use my mind like that any more.”

“I've felt your mind, and I spoke to Aunt the other night and she heard me.”

Gods, which did he answer first? He chose the safer one, hoping it would divert him. “Aunt heard you telepathically? You spoke to her?”

Shaidan nodded. “Your move,” he reminded him. “Some of the other females can, too.”

He pushed another disk forward one space. “How many?” he asked, wondering at his son's unaccustomed communicativeness this evening.

“Aunt asked me to write her a list. I put four down but I only know them because they've touched me.”

“You can tell when they touch you?”

“You can, too. I remember how to do things every now and then.”

“What kind of things?”

Shaidan screwed his face up in thought as he jumped his disk over one of his father's, setting the captured one to one side of the board. “How to find people.” He looked up. “I can only really do it with you, and only when you're near. You're not concentrating,” he said accusingly, pointing to the lost disk.

Kusac tried to gather his thoughts and failed. “Let's talk first. Is there anything else you remember?”