Beyond Varallan (50 page)

Xonea stood at his side, pointing out details on the grid. Everyone looked up when I entered. Most of the warriors silently filed out of the room. Only Xonea remained. The door closed, and the three of us were alone.

“They’ve come for me, haven't they?” I asked.

“Yes,” Xonal said.

Xonea was grim. “We do not intend to let them have you.”

I joined them at the strategy table, where he had displayed a satellite view of the League ships hovering above Joren.

“I believe the attack on the pavillion was merely a way of getting our attention,” Xonal said.

“Nice guys. Why couldn’t they just signal us?”

“The League has a reputation for ruthlessness when it is crossed,” Xonea replied. “You, I fear, have crossed them more than once.” His stony expression softened for a moment. “Our ClanMother?”

“Adala is in post-op, and she’s in stable condition. I had to repair a punctured lung, among other problems. Most of her ribs are broken.” I smiled wanly at Xonal. “No hugs for a few weeks, okay?”

My attention was diverted when the display on the table flickered, and was replaced by a live vid signal.

“Xonal,” the audio crackled as the signal was adjusted in frequency. “ClanFather of HouseClan Torin.” The face of an emotionless mercenary filled the screen.

Xonal took the precaution of coding his own signal so his location would not be pinpointed. “I am here, cowards.”

“Give us the Terran test specimen.”

“That’s fairly direct,” I said to Xonea.

“There is no Terran test specimen on this planet,” Xonal replied. “Leave orbit at once or face counter-assault.”

“We will exchange a member of your species for the Terran test specimen designated Cherijo Grey Veil.”

“What are they talking about?” Xonea demanded.

“You have a Jorenian in custody?” My ClanFather’s voice acquired a deadly tone.

The vid switched to the interior of a detainment cell.

“Oh, my God.” My legs wouldn’t hold me anymore, and I sagged back into a chair.

The display showed an image of Senior Healer Tonetka Torin, very much alive and well. She stood at the detainment barrier, yelling her head off. There was no audio, but I didn’t need one. I'd seen her do that too many times to doubt it was her.

Xonea looked ready to kill anyone wearing a League uniform. “They must have removed her from the ship during the attack.”

Xonal didn’t waste time. “Release our ClanSister.”

“Give us Cherijo Grey Veil.”

“You have no authority to detain Tonetka Torin. Release her at once!” Xonal shouted.

“On the contrary. Senior Healer Torin was rescued during an encounter with the Jorenian vessel
Sunlace
. We consider our actions humanitarian. In order to release her, we require our property be returned. If you cooperate, we will consider the matter to be settled.”

Xonal glanced at me. “No. Unlike your League, Joren does not trade in living beings. We refuse.”

“Cherijo Grey Veil. The remainder of this signal is addressed to you.” The face on the vid disappeared. It was replaced by the stern, austere features that were an older, masculine version of my own.

“Dr. Joseph Grey Veil,” I said for Xonal’s benefit. “My creator.” I addressed the vid now. “I guess you can't take 'no' for an answer.”

“I am here to take you back to Terra.”

“What I can’t figure out is how you got Tonetka off the
Sunlace
. Mind telling me how you managed that, Doctor?”

“One of our operatives gained passage on your vessel. He tagged you with a targeting device which allowed us to locate and retrieve you. Unfortunately, it was discovered after we retrieved Tonetka Torin that you gave her the device.”

“The trader.” I remembered the bracelet he’d sent me, just before the attack.

“Precisely. Our operative and your Senior Healer were removed from the ship. By the time we realized we had the wrong physician, it was too late.”

“Jewelry gives me a rash,” I said. “Try something else the next time.”

“This is finished. Surrender to the League at once.”

“Threatening Joren isn’t very wise, you know,” I told him. “Our warriors will hunt you down and take you apart, organ by organ.”

“We will remain in orbit and continue the assault until the Jorenians turn you over to us.”

I eyed Xonea and Xonal. Both looked ready to do some intestinal decorating. “They
aren’t
going to do that.”

“Thus far minimal harm has been done. That will change, Cherijo—”

“
Minimal
harm?” Xonea’s fist slammed into a console, creating a large dent in the alloy. “Six of our people are dead!”

“What is six compared to six million?”

“More than six people were harmed,” I said. “Twenty more Jorenians are in critical condition. Twice that many were injured during your unprovoked attack. Seven of them are children.” I clenched my hands on the edge of the table. “I just spent ten hours in surgery patching together what you blew apart. Don’t talk minimal to me, Doctor.”

“No one else has to die.”

“The other Provinces have mobilized. Jorenian defense systems, I understand, are also very efficient. You’re right. You’ll be blown out of orbit before you have the chance to kill anyone else. Goodbye, Doctor.“

“A warning, Cherijo. Forty more League vessels are due to arrive within the hour. All are fully manned, heavily armed planetary cruisers, more than enough to overload the defense grid. Joren is, I’m told, a lovely planet. How will it look after the surface has been bombarded with dis-placer fire?” He sneered at me. “You have one hour to consider your answer.”

The vid went blank.

Xonal suddenly looked very old and tired. “Forty more of them. Mother of All Houses.”

“We will fight them, ClanFather.” I noticed Xonea didn’t say anything about defeating them. He looked unwell.

I didn’t feel so great myself. “No. There's only one solution.”

“No!” Xonea grabbed my arms and shook me. “I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself!”

“That isn’t your decision,” I said as kindly as I could. I looked at my ClanFather. “Xonal, you know what I'm saying is right.”

Xonea released me. His hands bunched in frustration and he dropped them to his sides. “Tell her she is wrong, ClanFather!”

“Xonea. Listen to yourself,” I said. “It goes against everything Jorenians believe in.”

“ ‘The House is greater than any one of its Clan,’ ” Xonal quoted with great bitterness.

I nodded. “You can’t forfeit your entire world for one former Terran physician.”

“I would forfeit my honor if I let you do this,” Xonea whispered.

“There are times for honor, Captain. This is not one of them.” I looked down at my tunic, which was splotched green from our rescue efforts. “I have enough Jorenian blood on me already. Let me go.”

I saw the stubborn denial on Xonea’s face. He was going to be a problem.

Salo was standing outside when I left the room.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

“I was told they demanded your surrender,” he said. I nodded. “What will they do when you refuse?”

“Forty more cruisers are due to arrive shortly. They’ll have enough firepower to knock out surface defense systems. They'll destroy the planet.”

“We will not let them take you, Cherijo. We will fight them, to the last warrior.”

“I know, Salo. I simply can’t let my people do that. One life in exchange for an entire world? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.” I reached out and touched his sagging shoulder. “Hey, I got away from them once, remember?”

He said something as I walked toward the Medical Facility. It sounded a lot like, “My life is yours.”

Xonea
and
Salo were going to be a problem.

The League was feeling rather benevolent, once they had more than sixty ships in orbit. As a result, I was given a standard day to put my affairs on Joren in order. I spent the first half of it working at the Medical Facility.

Dhreen arrived later that day with a fast, sleek transport that was of no use to me anymore. I was doing post-op rounds, and he came up as I finished my exam of a patient.

“Got a great little shuttle,” he said. He was miserable. Flushed dark yellow. Scuffing his footgear around on the floor. “We could jaunt out of here before they knew it.”

“Sixty ships up there, on full scanner sweeps? I think they’d catch us in about ten seconds,” I said. My patient was sleeping, so I lowered my voice. “Thanks, anyway.”

“This has a foul odor,” he muttered.

“Yeah, I know it stinks. I can’t let them decimate this planet, Dhreen. You know that.”

“Cherijo.” The Oenrallian grabbed me and gave me a hard hug. Without another word, he left.

Reever caught up to me toward the end of my rounds. “I must speak with you.”

“Heard the news, have you?” He nodded, and took my arm. “Reever—”

“There are other Healers who can see to the patients.” He hauled me down the ward toward the facility’s entrance. “I must speak with you now. Come with me.”

He led me out of the building and over to Dhreen’s shuttle at Transport. She was pretty and looked like she could zip between the stars. I was almost sorry I wouldn't get the chance to jaunt on her.

We walked up into the main cabin and Reever closed the hull doors and secured them.

“You’re not thinking of kidnapping me, I hope,” I said. “Not when the fate of an entire planet rests in my two little hands.”

Reever leaned back against the hull to watch me. “Your humor is—”

“Inappropriate, I know.” I grabbed his hand and pulled. “Come on, show me where we would have been cooped up together for weeks at a time.”

He led me back to the small, tidy section allocated for our quarters. What would have happened, if I’d left Joren with Reever and Dhreen before the League had shown up? Would I have had a good life with Duncan? What would it have been like? Would we have had children together?

Now I’d never know.

Maybe it was all for the best, but I wasn’t going back to Terra without finding out one thing first. I glanced around. The sleeping platform was on the small side, but it would have to do. I went to the door panel, closed, and secured it.

Reever watched me. “Cherijo?”

I sat down on the mattress and patted the space beside me. “Come and sit down, Duncan.”

He lowered himself next to me. “There is something I have to tell you.”

“Later.” I put my arms around him, and moved closer. “I know this is hardly the time or place—”

“You are correct.” He pushed my hands away and got to his feet. “It is not.”

“Your compassion is breathtaking,” I said, his rejection making me sarcastic. “Would it really be so terrible to grant your wife’s last request?”

“I have negotiated space on a merchant vessel. The Captain plans to transition before it can be detected by the League.”

Why did that make me feel abandoned? After all, I was leaving, too. “Good idea.”

His eyes were flat ice again. “Come with me.”

“And let the League blast Joren into dust? No. I can’t.” The offer made me feel a little better. But not much. I wondered why I'd expected him to want to stay with me. “Thanks for the thought.”

“You are very loyal to these people.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” I caught the slight change in his expression, and frowned. “You wouldn't do the same thing?”

“I have no loyalties.”

No loyalties. God, that hurt. “Then why ask me to come with you?”

“You are my mate.”

“That’s right, I am.” And I had just enough time to find out what that felt like. I stood up and began unfastening my tunic. “Start treating me like one.”

“Cherijo.” He strode over to me and grabbed my wrists. “Come with me. Now.”

“I can’t.” I jerked my hands away. “For God's sake, Duncan, how can you ask me to turn my back on these people?”

“Very well.” He stepped away from me. “I must go.”

My breath solidified in my lungs. “You’re leaving?
Now
?”

“If I do not, I will miss the launch slot.”

Dumbfounded, I sat down on the platform. Without another word, the man who had no loyalties, not even to me, walked away.

I spent my last hours with my patients after all. When my time was nearly up, I returned to defense station one. I found Xonal alone in the planning room, and a vid of the mercenary leader staring up at me.

“We have waited long enough, Doctor Grey Veil.”

“My shuttle is leaving within minutes. You can track us by scanner.”

“Do not think to escape, I warn you. We will begin surface bombardment the moment you take evasive maneuvers.”

“I figured you would. Don’t worry. I'll be there.” I terminated the signal and turned to Xonal. “Keep your defenses ready until the last ship is out of this system. I don't trust them to keep their agreement. Dhreen will bring Tonetka back to Joren. Tell her I'm glad—she's—” My voice broke as my ClanFather drew me into his arms. “Thank you for everything, Dad.”

“Is that what Terrans call their male parent?” he asked, and I nodded against his chest. He kissed my brow. “Then remember me as your ‘Dad,’ my honored ClanDaughter.”

Adaola waited by the shuttle with my animal carrier.

“I forgot about Jenner,” I said, hitting myself in the forehead with my palm. Some devoted pet owner I was. “Again.”

“Perhaps they will let you keep him,” my former nurse said.

I shook my head. “No, they’d only use him to control me.” Like Reever, I thought, had he decided to stick around. “Tell you what, pal”—I dropped down and looked through the front of the carrier—“you stay here. I know a certain little girl who will love you and take good care of you.” I held my fingers to the mesh. Jenner sniffed, then rasped his rough tongue against them. I rose to my feet. “Take him to Fasala. When she gets better, she'll look after him.”

Adaola enveloped me in a crushing hug. “The Mother Bless You, Cherijo Torin.”

“Kiss the baby for me,” I whispered back, patting her flat stomach. “Go on now.”

I climbed up the docking ramp and took one more look at the beautiful colors of Joren. On the other side of Transport, silhouetted against the scarlet sun, was a tall, muscular form standing alone. I lifted my hand.