Shades of Gray (11 page)

It was an immense change of plan to go from wanting closer ties between the Sand-dweller female and the Hunter to alienating the Hunter from everyone but the General.

He thought deeply on this as he stalked behind the officer leading him to his hurriedly arranged quarters. What could he do? Call the Camarilla, demand he speak to someone else—a TeLaxaudin—to verify the orders? His blood chilled at the thought. It was his role to do, not question, and he’d worked for some time now with Kuvaa as his handler. But he was not happy, not happy at all.

“What do you mean he’s already left?” asked Kaid, suppressing his anger with an effort after he’d listened to Kezule describe the plan all the way through. “Why didn’t your doctors stop him? He’s still recovering from a blaster wound in his leg.”

“The wound is virtually healed, now,” Kezule said smoothly. “He’s fit enough for what he’s doing. Besides,” he added, “stopping him is not the easiest task, as I’m sure you know.”

“Following orders was never one of his strengths,” he muttered to himself.

“Come now, Kaid—what is your rank, by the way?—neither of us were very good at that when we were younger.”

“I have no rank,” said Kaid, his tone hardening as his anger increased. “Nor do I need one. We only have ranks when we lead missions. There was no need for this haste, Kezule. Zsurtul bought us six weeks. Call him back.”

“No, Kaid. We need to act now, before K’hedduk consolidates his position on K’oish’ik. That’s what’s important, and Kusac knew this. I admit it took me a while to see I was wrong and he had the right of it.”

“This whole undertaking should have been discussed with me first,” Kaid said, trying to hold back the snarl that was threatening to escape.

Kezule inclined his head slightly. “Why?” he asked, almost conversationally. “Kusac and I lead this mission, Kaid. His part is for him alone to decide. I called you to arrange a rendezvous point and inform you of our plans. When we meet, I’ll be happy to discuss any ideas you have for the HALO drop.”

“I’ll meet you, but I’m not pleased you’ve sidelined us like this.” This time Kaid did show his teeth.

“And I’m not pleased you lied about Zsurtul,” Kezule snapped back. “I know he’s with you, and I demand to talk to him now, in private.”

Kaid snarled soundlessly. “We’re not finished talking yet, Kezule.” Reaching forward, he punched in the code to transfer the call to Zsurtul’s room.

“Going through the tunnels was your plan, as was using the asteroids,” said Carrie from where she sat at the small table nearby.

“I know,” hissed Kaid. “He’s been reading me—there’s no other explanation for it!”

She got up and came over to where he sat at the comm unit. “What bothers you most?” she asked, putting her hands on his shoulders and beginning to massage them. “That he took your plan or that he can read us from all that distance and hasn’t yet contacted us?”

“Both,” he snarled, reflexively tightening up as she touched him. “I don’t know what I expected from him, but I didn’t anticipate him being able to read me and ignore us!”

“I’m not happy about it either, but we don’t know the circumstances. It may be that he just picked you up and can’t actually communicate with us.”

“Do you believe that?” he asked, turning his head to look up at her. “We’re anxious to see him, but it doesn’t mean ...” He stopped, unwilling to say more.

She sighed, resting her head on top of his, hands stilling. “I hope so,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to think it could be anything else.” She shook herself and smiled, continuing to massage him. “Relax, Tallinu, whatever else, at least we know he’s been able to pick our brains and refine what we were talking about, so we have had some input, even if at a distance. How good is his plan?”

“Not bad, actually,” Kaid admitted, relaxing under her expert hands. “It’s that wound that worries me.”

“Banner said he’d used fastheal in their sick bay and his wound was almost gone.”

“It would have to have been a shallow, glancing injury for that to happen,” said Kaid.

“It worries me too, but maybe it was.”

Kaid grunted in disbelief. “Then he was luckier than he deserved to be from what Banner said.”

“That’s not a nice thing to say!”

“He acted like a fool, even given the circumstances. He should have involved the others. Together they had a better chance of getting safely off Kij’ik. He hasn’t yet grasped the most basic concept of a team.”

“I can see your lessons were effective, then,” she said, putting an edge into her voice.

“I’m not like that.”

She said nothing.

“Carrie, I’m not!”

“No? My memory must be troubling me, then.”

“Dammit!” The incoming message warning began to sound, and he stopped talking to gesture her away, then leaned forward to take the call.

“I’ll meet with you, Kezule, but I want you to tell Kusac to wait at the Orbital for me before going down to the planet. The Touibans are working on remote rovers to dismantle the tunnel traps.” He had the satisfaction of seeing Kezule’s surprise.

“Kusac intimated the Touibans were with you in large numbers,” Kezule said. “We need a minimum of two hundred people in the HALO assault. I have only some thirty-eight warriors available, and I need twenty-five for my fighters.”

“I’ll see to that.” The fact that Kezule was as much in the dark as he was pleased him, dissipating much of his anger.

“I’ll pass on the message to Kusac, of course, but he’ll have to wait there for our young Emperor to join him. Without Zsurtul, we can’t access either the weather controls or the Command Center terminals.”

The anger returned. “Out of the question,” he snapped.

“I will be there, Kaid,” said Zsurtul as the screen split to accommodate him in the conference. “I gave the General my promise to help him in this undertaking to free my people.”

Don’t try to stop him, Tallinu,
sent Carrie.
You can’t publicly minimize him in the eyes of others, especially Kezule, otherwise they won’t accept him as their ruler. Talk to him later, privately.

Kaid studied the young Prime’s pale face and resolute expression for a moment. “I’m not happy with you risking yourself, Emperor Zsurtul,” he said carefully and formally. “You are your planet’s last hope; you shouldn’t be putting yourself in danger like this.”

“What kind of leader would I be if I were not prepared to do what I expect of my followers? I learned that from you, Kaid. I’m the only one who can command the loyalty of the crews of my ships, and a retinal scan from me is needed to radically change the climate controls.”

“He’s got you there, Kaid,” murmured Kezule. “I’ll see he is properly protected, have no doubt of that. I’ll have my best commando as his personal bodyguard, plus Kusac’s team is mostly my people, and they will protect our Emperor with their lives if necessary. Kusac will also be there to protect him, and Banner too, on the Orbital.”

Zsurtul winced. “I don’t want it to come to that, General.”

Kezule inclined his head. “I know, but it’s necessary. I’ll have my daughter Zhalmo designated as your bodyguard, Majesty, plus two people of her choosing. She’s the best I have.”

Zsurtul nodded seriously. “Thank you, General. I’ll leave you to make the other arrangements, Kaid.”

Patience. This was bound to happen soon. He’s been brought up to be Emperor and take command of his people. We have to have faith he’s learned all we’ve taught him, Tallinu,
sent Carrie.
It seems that he has. After all, he’s deferring to you now.

Kaid grunted.

He had no answer and instead concentrated on Kezule. “Is there anything else, General? Or have we had all the surprises now?”

“I have fighters and no pilots, Kaid. I need sleep tapes to instruct them.”

“We don’t train using sleep tapes. We might be able to help, though. Send me the specs of your craft, and I’ll see what can be done. The Touibans may have that capability.”

“Thank you, and please pass on my debt of gratitude to them,” said Kezule.

“The debt is mine, General,” interrupted Zsurtul smoothly. “Not yours. I will thank them for us.”

Kaid watched the stiffness leave Kezule’s face.

“As you wish, Majesty,” the General said, without, Kaid noticed, a trace of irony.

“I’ll call Toueesut and ask him if he can help,” Kaid said suddenly.

When the problem had been described to him, Toueesut was enthusiastic.

“This we can do,” he nodded, waving his hands. “Needing Sholan pilots we will as we can program our flight simulator to be the Valtegan fighters, but we are of a smaller size than them.”

“We’ll provide them,” said Kaid.
If we can be sure nothing but piloting skills is recorded,
he sent to Carrie.

Nothing else would we let them have,
came Toueesut’s response, rendering both Kaid and Carrie speechless with shock. Never before had the Touiban spoken mentally to them.

Out here, as Family, there must be no secrets anymore between us,
sent the small alien.
Secrets can be fatal in the circumstances we are now in.

Agreed,
sent Carrie.

“We’ll get this to you as soon as possible,” said Kaid, recovering his composure.

“A few hours, no more,” assured Toueesut. “Send data, now I start.”

Kezule leaned forward to send the information. “I have one more request of the Touibans,” he said. “Kusac actually suggested it. When we’ve freed K’oish’ik, would you be able to help us move Kij’ik into an orbit around it? It is powered, but only in order to correct its orbit, nothing more.”

“Tell us where you are and a shuttle will be going there with technicians to look at it,” said Toueesut. “First I must be knowing your purpose for moving it.”

“The Orbital above K’oish’ik has only rudimentary defenses because we relied on our fleet for that. It was never anticipated that our Empire could fall. Kij’ik can give us that defense and provide training facilities for the new military we will have to build to defend our world. It will also free my people to become citizens of K’oish’ik.”

“We will be needing to assess the possibility, General, and confer with our Family.”

Kezule glanced questioningly at Kaid.

“We’re his adopted Family,” he said.

Kezule raised an eyebrow ridge. “You and Kusac attract the most surprising allies, Kaid,” he murmured. “I am impressed.”

“What can I say? It must be our winning ways, General,” Kaid grinned, amused at last.

“I’ll hear from you shortly, then.”

 

When the call was over, Kaid turned his chair around and looked over to where Carrie had resumed her seat. The silence lengthened between them until he spoke.

“You’re right, I have to let Kusac go, and Zsurtul—he has his own advisers after all. It’s just not so easy to watch a lover take risks, Carrie,” he said quietly. “As you know.”

“You have to have as much faith in him as he has in you, Kaid, or you’ll continue to fall out with each other.”

“Do you have faith in him as a leader?”

“Yes, and as a Warrior, you know I do. I trust my life to both of you and always have.”

“I suppose you have,” he said slowly. “I just never thought of it like that before.”

“He’s been without us both for nearly half a year, Tallinu. We have to recognize that he’s had to rely on himself.”

“That’s where Banner was supposed to come in.”

“He did what he could, but Kusac’s like you in that he’s been brought up to be a Clan Leader. You were marked to be the Brotherhood Leader—neither of you can easily defer to the other. You’re both natural leaders, as Kezule is.”

He sighed and held his arms open to her. “Were you always this wise, Dzinae?”