strongholdrising (52 page)

"On the mend, but he's still feverish."
"Try and get some rest yourself. I'll let you know what the ambassador says."
As he left, he called Khy on his wrist comm, telling him to take Zsurtul immediately to the small common room that had been allocated to them.
"I'm staying," Zsurtul said before he'd finished explaining the situation to him. "My place is here with my people."
"You can't be with them," said Kaid. "If you want to stay, then you'll have to observe my safety instructions. I'm moving you into Khy's dorm, and twinning you with Tyak. He'll be your bodyguard and you'll go nowhere without him, understood? We can't afford to have you mauled or killed by your own people. Think of what that would do to our treaty."
Zsurtul nodded slowly. "You're right. I'll stay with Tyak, you have my word, Kaid."
"Good. Khy, call Tyak and brief him, then divide the rest into two groups of ten for all activities. I've sent for another eight of our folk from Valsgarth Estate. They should be here within the hour. I want two people armed with trank guns at every class from now on. Sort out their dorms, too. If the worst happens, we can handle them in groups of ten. And keep this as low key as possible. I don't want them smelling any fear from our folk. It might be all that's needed to push them over the edge."
"Not going to be easy," said Khy. "I'm going to have to explain why all the extra security."
"I don't want them looking like security. Those on guard can be lounging around watching, or training on their own at one end of the hall. Divide up the extra personnel any way you want— you'll need to replace Tyak anyway."
"Who will I train with?" asked the Prince.
"With us or some of the other Warriors," said Kaid, getting up. "Get him some target practice, Khy. Maybe he can even help with the trank guns. I need to get back and relieve Banner. You know where I am if you need me."
"Kaid, thank you for letting me stay," said Zsurtul. "You're going to a lot of bother for me. I appreciate it."
Kaid shrugged. "We have a dinner date with you when Kusac's well again," he said. "You don't think I'm going to let you leave before then, do you?"
The young Prime grinned. "My treat, then. I'll send for food from the Embassy. It will be a meal you won't forget, I promise!"
"Uh huh," said Kaid, wondering if he'd live to regret it.

Prime World, Zhal-Oeshi, 3rd day (August)
WARMTH and peace were all he'd known as he floated weightlessly in the liquid of the growth tank. Awareness there was, of a distant voice, quieter than the ever-present heartbeat that surrounded him. It murmured constantly within his mind, whispering to him of the might and glory of the Prime Empire and his place within it. He was a vassal, one of eight, who owed obedience and loyalty to the compassionate and generous Overlords who looked after him. His life was theirs, his greatest pleasure was to serve them: he would gladly live, or die, for them. He felt contentment in the security of knowing his place in the universe.
A vibration set the fluid in motion, sending rippling waves washing against his body. Sensitivity intensified as he became aware of the movement of each individual hair swaying gently in the liquid that surrounded him. He felt himself begin to sink, become heavier. Unpleasant sensations he identified as pain ranged across his body as catheters and umbilicals were automatically detached. The steady heartbeat began to quicken, and beneath his toes, he felt a solid surface. As his head broke the surface and he gasped his first breath of air, he knew terror.

* * *

K'hedduk watched as the growth fluid was slowly drained from the last tank. Even through the toughened fabric of the tube, the child's shriek of terror was audible. His black pelt slick, he lay there gasping for breath as he coughed up the liquid that had nurtured him for the past eleven weeks.
As the cylinder began to slowly rise around him, he looked up, amber eyes meeting K'hedduk's with a steadiness at odds with his birth age of ten years. A nurse stepped forward and clasped a narrow metal collar round his neck before helping him to his feet. Wiping his face, she wrapped his shivering body in the large towel she carried.
K'hedduk grasped him by the shoulder as they passed. "Wait. Who are you?" he asked, as he'd asked the seven others before him.
"I am a vassal of the Prime Empire, Seniormost," the cub said quietly, a hint of a tremor in his voice as he kept his eyes averted from the doctor's face. "My purpose is to serve it."
K'hedduk nodded and released him, gesturing to the nurse to continue. When they'd left, he turned to Zhy'edd. "All eight successfully birthed," he said, taking the other's reader pad from him. "And only one exhibiting signs of brain damage. Not bad considering we only had the one dead hybrid fetus Chy'qui took, and the pregnant female." He turned to go.
"Not necessarily brain damaged," said Zhy'edd as they began to head for the exit. "Slow is more appropriate. It could be natural, an inherited trait from her parents."
"The tests will confirm it one way or another," said K'hedduk, unperturbed. "My main concern for now is that the programming has taken and they don't exhibit any independence of spirit. They must know their place. They're slaves, nothing more, and I want them compliant, not rebellious. Pity we couldn't have kept them in until they were more mature. It'll be four years before we can breed them. At least we were able to salvage the memory scan Chy'qui did of his captive Sholan. We don't have to worry about training their telepathic abilities."
"The toxin levels..."
"I know all about them," said K'hedduk, irritated. "I made the decision to birth them now, remember?"
"Yes, Seniormost."
"Go and help Doctor Zurok with the medicals, and remember, I want them treated gently for now. The collars are only to dampen their telepathic abilities, nothing more. And Zhy'edd, find out what Q'akuh is up to when you're done! He should have had some news for us by now on the General."
"I believe the General's off-planet for the next week, training the young Warriors on one of our ships."
"Get in touch with him anyway."
the
N'zishok,
Prime space, the same day
Kezule had his ship. The
N'zishok
was a medium-sized destroyer, used for patrolling the border of Prime space. Heavily armed for its size, it was capable of taking on a couple of raiding ships were they foolish enough to attack it, but like the
Kz'adul,
its strength lay in its stealth technology and its intimidating exterior and armaments.
Right now, Kezule had completed his rounds and was going off duty. The crew of fifty had been reduced to accommodate his fifteen Warriors. For this first cruise, he had them in nonessential positions with mature and experienced crew members. So far, they were doing well, but then he hadn't expected any problems. The young males were aggressive, not stupid. They knew they were here to learn. Trouble would come when they decided they were more competent than their teachers.
"The ship is yours, Captain," he said into his communicator, stopping outside his own quarters and opening the door.
His suite was the largest on the ship and boasted a small lounge, an even smaller office area, and a double bedroom with adjacent sanitary facilities. More comfortable than the standard military facilities he'd been used to in his time, it wasn't quite up to the standard of the
Kz'adul.
Zayshul had made a nest of cushions on the sofa and was curled up there eating snacks. Her constant presence had irked him somewhat at first, but mindful she was there because he'd ordered it— asked her, he corrected himself— he'd curbed his impatience. Now he was not only getting used to her presence, but was grateful to have someone at his side, or to come back to in his quarters, someone who wasn't overawed by his rank and to whom he could talk intelligently.
"You have a message," she said, looking up as he entered. "One of the young males that you recruited to help you with the training."
"Q'akuh?" he asked, unbuttoning his uniform jacket as he came over.
"No idea," she said, picking up another morsel of spiced meat. "It was forwarded here by your aide."
He'd contacted Q'akuh before they'd left, turning down his offer by feigning indifference to his wife's fate. The incident had bothered him far more than their encounter with Kouansishus, the TeLaxaudin.
"I had a message from the Medical Director," said Zayshul as he threw his jacket over the back of the far end of the sofa. "They completed the tests on your officers," she said carefully. "Their classes started today."
"And the others?" he asked, going over to the desk in his office and turning on the communicator.
"The TeLaxaudin procedures were unsuccessful and resulted in the deaths of all fifty."
"Good," he said, keying up his message and decoding it. "They'd end up having to be killed at some point. Better now than later." He read it thoughtfully then deleted it, switching the unit off. Q'akuh was being persistent. Getting up, he joined Zayshul back in the lounge.
"You're very callous about those Warriors," she said.
He shrugged. "They're a danger to us all, and a threat to my officers. I wouldn't put it past those TeLaxaudin to have ensured they didn't survive. Enough of them. What do you know about Q'akuh?" he asked, sitting in one of the chairs. "And the other young males who've been helping me."
"I wondered when you were going to ask me," she said, pushing herself up against the cushions. "Most of them are all right— Zhafsul, Zolmoi, and Chiozo. But Q'akuh. I don't like him. They all want something from you, but whereas the first three are prepared to work to be seen as attached to your staff, Q'akuh wants more. He wants you."
He frowned. "Me? How can he have me?"
"I don't know, but be careful of him. Whatever you're planning, keep him out of it."
He surveyed her curiously, as if she were some strange creature he was meeting for the first time. "What do you know?" he asked slowly, wondering whether he'd been that transparent, or if she really had a mental ability like the Sholans.
"Nothing for sure, but you've been preoccupied by more than your concern for the young Warriors."
"That's so," he admitted, wondering how much he could safely say, how much she'd already worked out one way or another. "This world, this time, it isn't mine, Zayshul. I don't feel at ease in it. And going back to my own time isn't what I want either."
"I know," she said quietly, her attention on the plate of nibbles. "When are you leaving and where are you planning to go?"
"It's that obvious?" he demanded.
"Only to me."
"I want you to come with me," he said, sitting up. "I never had any intention of leaving you behind." That startled her, he saw with satisfaction.
Her face composed itself into a neutral mask. "Of course. You want me to breed your dynasty."
"Not just that. I can talk to you." He gestured toward the door. "In the past I had aides and those who assumed friendship with me, but there was always the politics behind them— the jostling for position, the plots. It's the same now. Nothing's changed at the City. There was no one I could trust."
"Why didn't you just let the Prince die? You'd have become heir in his place."
Now it was his turn to be startled, at her choice of topic as well as the abrupt change. "There was no need. You know I don't want to rule here. I want to get away! You Primes are no longer Valtegans— you've lost what it was that made us who we were. Even the way you breed is unnatural, it sickens me."
"I told you, without the TeLaxaudin and their growth tanks, we'd have died out after the Fall. And they did free us females," she said pointedly.
"All right, maybe there are a few things about your culture that are an improvement," he admitted, "but it's not for me, Zayshul. I want to get away from here, start again. Something better this time. What's left of our people, whether it be the M'zullians, the J'kirtikkians, or you Primes, they're wrong, unbalanced. Stagnant. Just as you can't graft my Warrior culture into yours, you can't graft Intellectuals into the other two."
"You're planning to start again with just you and me?" she asked, disbelievingly.
"Hardly," he said with a trace of acerbity. "What's needed is a different approach. We need to turn the clock back to what we once were. Not separate castes but one. Warriors, Intellectuals, drones, and Workers— combined, with the best qualities of each. The speed, bodily control, and healing abilities of the Warriors, the Intellect of your caste now combined with the drones, and whatever it is the Workers have."
"Strength and tenacity," she said dryly. "Where do you plan to get these people? Ch'almuth?"
"That's an option," he agreed. "While we were at the Summer Palace, I was busy in the library going through past records and copying what I thought I might need. I've got charts, a way for you females to breed safely without the growth tanks, a ship, and several possible destinations. All I need is a crew."
"Birthing this egg safely has yet to be proved," she said. "Getting a crew loyal to only you isn't going to be easy. Is that why you're asking me about Q'akuh?"
"Not him," he said, dismissing him with a gesture. "The others. Zolmoi, Chiozo, and Zhafsul. They were training with me and did well, considering their caste. I want a crew of useful people. Doctors, scientists, people like that, and maybe a few Warriors."
"Where did you get ideas like this?" she asked.
He sat back in his chair again. "My time with the Sholans made me think about a lot of things. They beat our Empire with only a handful of well-placed telepaths who couldn't even fight. Can you understand the enormity of what they did? They don't have castes, why do we need them?"
"But there have always been castes."
"Have there? I have memories of a time when we were all one species and females weren't feral," said Kezule quietly.
She looked at him dubiously. "You're talking of setting up a colony, Kezule. Fifty people is nowhere near enough. You'd need hundreds."
"It's a start. We can get more from Ch'almuth. You're young and the young here are restless, some are ripe for adventure. Draw up a list of professions we'll need, see who you know who would be interested in filling them. And make sure you have more females than males."
"We've only one ship, with no infrastructure to support us if we need repairs or to build more. With such finite resources, farmers and miners are likely to be of more use."
"I have a solution for that, too. The old Empire had a network of outposts that protected its borders as well as the heart. I know where they are. Given that our three colony worlds were reduced to low-tech levels, I assume our fleets were also destroyed. They're still out there, waiting for us to salvage them."
"What about the threat from the M'zullians and J'kirtikkians?" she asked.
"Not my fight. You Primes have what you wanted from me, breeding stock. I want my own life."
"You really do believe in this, don't you?"
"Yes. You compile your list and when you have, we can discuss a way to approach them," he said, getting up to go to the food dispenser. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that Q'akuh was part of the faction that Chy'qui, the Emperor's late counselor had belonged to.
"If you suspect Q'akuh is working against Emperor Cheu'ko'h, you must find out more."
"I'm not getting involved," he said automatically. "You were the one urging me to be careful of what I said because of the Enforcers."
She stirred, pushing herself to her feet. "Kezule, look at me."
He turned round. "What?" he asked.
"
Look
at me," she commanded him.
Anger rose in him at her tone, but reason reminded him she was just as used to commanding as he was.
"You've demanded a lot of me, Kezule. This hatchling of ours isn't all."
He looked, seeing her gravid belly as if for the first time. "I've said..."
"Listen to me for once!" she said. "You've demanded a lot of me. If you want my help and involvement in this plan of yours, then I expect something in return."
Her impertinence took his breath away. The words wouldn't come as he stared at her, mouth hanging open in shock.
"You'd give something in return to a male colleague," she challenged him, placing her fists against her hips. "Why not me? I'll help you recruit your crew, and come with you, if you find out what you can of any plot against the Emperor."
"You dare try to force me?" he demanded, outraged.
"You forced a marriage and a hatchling on me! Either I'm a colleague you can talk to and trust, or I'm worth no more than the slaves or pets you owned back in your own time! You make up your mind which I am, Kezule, because your plans for the future depend on your answer!"
Skin flushed dark with anger, eyes narrowed, she was ready to take him on if need be. The males might lack the Warrior genes and spirit, but she lacked nothing. Walking toward her, hand held out, he began to smile.
She swiped his hand away. "Don't mock me!" she hissed, baring her teeth, her tongue flicking out as she checked the air for his scent.
"I'm not," he said, stepping back, aware that her temper was up and remembering their early intimate encounters. "I'll do as you ask." He emphasized the last word. "Only so long as it doesn't jeopardize our plans."
She nodded slowly, beginning to relax her tense posture. "Leaving here is one thing, Kezule, being aware of a plot against the royal family and doing nothing is not acceptable to me."
"I'll do what I can," he said, holding his hand out to her again. "I'll reply to Q'akuh's message and we'll see what happens."
Satisfied, she accepted his hand and his help in walking to the food dispenser unit to choose a meal.
Chagda Station, above Shola, Zhal-Oeshi, 9th day (August)
Since they'd been discovered stowing away on board the
Odyssey,
they'd been closely guarded by the marines. Now they were being transferred from the merchant ship to a small military corsair to be returned to Earth.
As they left the gangway of the
Odyssey,