The Final Key: Part Two of Triad (21 page)

People were rising from their seats, their voices a low roar of agitation. Robot arms growled as they ferried people to exits, as specified in the evacuation protocol. Many of the procedures were automated, with tall mechbots and movable tracks in the floor guiding the disorganized Assembly delegates.

Three robot arms came to the dais. The army major in the open cup at the terminus of the first opened a gate and motioned to Protocol. The first Councilor bowed to Dehya, nodded to Meson, and then went forward. They would all be taken to different places, to decrease the probability of a strike taking out those who formed the core of the government.

Dehya and Meson moved forward as the other two robot arms docked. Their Abaj bodyguards had taken up formation around them, their cybernetic arms glittering as they monitored the evacuation. The captain at Dehya's side spoke in a low voice. "Please board, Your Majesty."

Four Abaj came with Dehya as she stepped into one of the console cups; the other four accompanied the First Councilor into the other console cup. The Jagernauts towered even over Meson, their black uniforms a contrast to her pale clothes. The gate closed, encircling Meson's group in a white Lu-minex cup with just enough room for the five of them to stand.

The First Councilor nodded to Dehya, her chiseled features composed but her face drawn. "Good luck, Your Majesty."

"And to you, Councilor," Dehya said.

Their robot arms moved toward different exits, separating the Ruby Pharaoh and First Councilor. Dehya raised her hand

in a universal gesture to wish a traveler well, and Meson responded with the same. Dehya hoped it wouldn't be for the last time.

Secondary Tapperhaven, Soz's instructor from DMA, stood next to Soz in the medical bay on Roca's Pride, studying a report on her holopad. "Cadet Valdoria, you're the only person who reported anything unusual. But we checked everyone onboard who has a biomech web." She looked up. "They all had damaged bioelectrodes."

Gods. All of them? "Didn't they have trouble linking into Sigma's comm system?"

"You were the only one," Tapperhaven said.

Rajindia, the adept who had trained Soz to use her biomech web, was leaning against a console. ISC had sent her to monitor how the Imperial Heir integrated her biomech systems while serving on the battie cruiser. Her dark hair gleamed and the light caught glints in her upward-tilted eyes. She had focused on Soz with that sense of presence created by a strong empath. Kyle genes appeared more frequentiy in the noble houses than in the rest of the population, and a biomech-adept had to be an empath to monitor her patients. Soz felt Rajindia's mind questing as the older woman studied her.

"Your biomech has unique properties," Rajindia said. "Most psions don't have such a dense pattern of neural structures. Imperator Skolia has more, but with less intricacy. The same was true for your brother, Althor. Your aunt, the Ruby Pharaoh, has structures even more intricate than yours, but less robust."

"So my biomech did something no one else's can?" Soz asked.

"Apparendy so." The adept rubbed her chin. "Do you recall how your node jumped into an accelerated mode the first time you used it?" When Soz nodded, Rajindia said, "It utilized the bioelectrodes in your neurons in an attempt to affect the speed of ion transfer across the cell membrane."

"I remember." They had taken out the extra memory until she learned to control the effect. "But we dealt with it I

haven't had trouble since you put back my extended capability." Although it sometimes strained her, she no longer had problems with control.

"That matches the records we've downloaded from your system," Rajindia said. "Your node interacts with your bioelectrodes more than in other Jagernauts. When the energy spike disrupted them, your node detected the problem and tried to fix it. In the process, it interfered with your ability to access Sigma."

"Why didn't my node inform me?" Soz asked.

"It couldn't," Rajindia said grimly. "The tampering wipes out the section of code that gives the warning. You have extra memory, so the deletion partially failed."

It suddenly made sense. "My node warned me by damaging my biomech even more than the spike. Then I had to notice."

"It appears so," Rajindia said.

Soz jumped down from the table. "We have to tell HQ the Jagernauts on this ship have been compromised!"

Tapperhaven put up her hand, stopping her. "We've sent the report. ISC knows." She spoke firmly. "You need to stay here so we can run more tests."

Soz loathed sick bay. She wanted to take action. She didn't know what expression she had, but it made Tapperhaven smile. "Be assured, Cadet, your tests provide an invaluable service to ISC."

"Yes, ma'am." Soz knew arguing would do no good. She resisted the urge to grumble and sat back down. "Ma'am, I was wondering if you had heard anything about my mother." She glanced at Rajindia. "Either of you?"

"Councilor Skolia?" Tapperhaven said. "No, I don't think so."

"Nor I," Rajindia said. "Should we?" Soz shifted her weight uneasily. "I keep dreaming she's been captured by the Traders."

"Where is your mother now?" Tapperhaven asked. "On the Orbiter, I think."

"It should be impossible for you to detect her brain waves from so far away," Rajindia said. "But it's hard to tell with psions as strong as your family. When your father was hurt,

you knew." She spoke thoughtfully. "DMA has many gateways into Kyle space. So does this ship. Could a strong enough psion interact with them and not realize it? If even a small portion of the wavefunction for your brain overlaps with the gateway when you aren't linked into it, you might sample part of Kyle space. Distance has no meaning there. Your mother could be light-years away in spacetime but close to you in the web."

"I tried contacting her through long-distance comm," Soz said. "But I've only limited privileges. I couldn't get through to the Orbiter."

"I've more seniority," Tapperhaven said. "I'll check for you."

"I can as well," Rajindia offered.

Relief flooded Soz. She had slept very little last night, plagued by nightmares about her mother. "Thank you. Both of you."

Rajindia inclined her head. "It is my pleasure to aid the House of Skolia."

Her choice of words starded Soz. She thought of herself as Ruby Dynasty rather than the House of Skolia, but both references to her family were equally valid. The Skolian Imperialate took its name from her family—the Skolias.

ESComm could destroy both.

Roca was drowning in a sea of blurred sensations. She hurt. Gradually she comprehended that she was kneeling on a cold surface. Diffuse light surrounded her, but she couldn't focus. Her arms were twisted behind her back and her forearms bound together, one on top the other. Her ankles were tied. Someone had stuffed a cloth into her mouth and taped her lips shut. She had on the remains of her nightgown, with one shoulder pushed down, and her hair had fallen forward around her face.

Slowly her vision focused. She was kneeling on a Luminex floor. It provided the only light; shadows collected on the walls and ceiling. The cylindrical room had no adornment, no furniture, nothing. Her hair was having a hard time settling around her body, which suggested she was in low gravity,

either on an asteroid or a ship. Her knees, arms, and shoulders burned. How long had she been here, her muscles stiffening and her strained joints aching, she had no idea.

"Awake, I see," a woman said behind her.

Roca froze. The speaker used Highton, the language of the Aristos. Roca looked around. A woman stood a few paces away, lit from below by the floor, dressed in a black jumpsuit. Her black hair glittered, shifting over her shoulders. Her red eyes were as hard and cold as rubies. She had alabaster skin and flawless features, from her smooth forehead to her straight nose and high cheekbones, all icy perfection.

"It is exquisite, the suffering of a Ruby psion," the Aristo murmured. "In providing me transcendence, you exalt yourself."

Go exalt yourself.
Roca sent the thought with Rhon focus. The Aristo couldn't receive it, but she might sense the defiance. Roca maneuvered around so she didn't have to twist her head to see her captor. Pain blazed in her knees every time she moved.

The Trader sat down, cross-legged in front of Roca. "My brother wishes to question you." Her blissed-out look of "transcendence" hardened into something much colder. "Your son killed our father. It is only fitting my brother have a go at you, hmm?"

Hell and damnation. They had sent Vitarex's heirs after her.

A line appeared in the wall behind the woman. A section slid to the side, leaving an entrance in the shape of a tall octagon. Another Aristo stood in the archway, a tall and powerfully built man in a black uniform, his glittering hair cut short. He had the same arrogant features as the woman.

"My brother." The woman didn't turn around. "Kryx."

Kryx walked forward, his eyes glazed. "My greetings, Councilor Roca."

His sister stood up. "She is yours for now. Just remember that ESComm wants her alive and coherent."

"So do I." Hatred edged his unnaturally deep voice.

His sister glanced at Roca, pity in her gaze. Then she left the chamber. The door slid into place behind her, closing Roca in with Kryx Raziquon.

"So." Kryx knelt on one knee. "Welcome to our ship."
Go to hell,
Roca thought.

"They say you are the most beautiful woman alive." He spent several moments looking her over. "Such hyperbole. You aren't Any of my providers is better. But you will do."

Roca tried to scoot back from him, but he grabbed her arm and yanked her forward. She groaned as pain stabbed her limbs. For a moment she thought she would pass out mercifully, but then she recovered. She was too damn healthy.

Kryx touched her cheek, and she jerked her head away.

"You don't like me," he said.

Well, that was brilliant.

"Why aren't you afraid?" he asked, curious.

She was terrified. She had no intention of letting him know.

"You know your mother was created to serve us," he murmured. "The ultimate provider. It is what you were made for."

Roca gritted her teeth on the gag. She had always balked at accepting that the Aristos had created her mother. They had wanted a Rhon psion, not because they knew anything then about the Kyle web, but because the Rhon were powerful providers, stronger than any other psions. Her mother had escaped and built the Skolian Imperialate to defy them.

Roca met his gaze steadily. He frowned and pushed her shoulder until she fell backward. It was excruciating for her already over-taxed knees, so painful that this time she did start to black out. Spots filled her vision ...

A syringe hissed against her neck. Roca floated on the edge of consciousness. Gradually she revived. She was lying curled on her side with the Luminex floor cold under her cheek. She would have groaned except she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing her dismay.

"That's better." Kryx fumbled with her ankles, untying them. He moved over her, pulling apart her legs—and she jammed her knees into his stomach.

Kryx doubled up, his face contorting. She felt his outrage: providers never fought back.

When Kryx raised his fist, Roca rolled away from him. He yanked her back, so she clenched her teeth and used her

momentum to keep rolling until she crashed into him. With a grunt, he fell onto his back. Roca rolled up to her knees, and her hair flew forward, wrapping around her body in metallic tangles.

Kryx sat up, his face contorted. "You will pay for that"

Roca sent a message to Arabesque, the node in her spine.
Turn me off.

Turn you off how?
Arabesque asked.

Anything! Cease my brain activity. Scorch my brain cells if you nave to. Do something! This bastard is going to torture me until I scream for mercy.
.

Are you certain you want me to put you out?
Arabesque asked.
It will probably kill you.

Yes. He cant transcend unless I experience pain. Make me end.

Understood. It paused.
I am sorry, Councilor. Ending.
Her world went black.

"... no response." Kryx's voice cut through the darkness.

"You had better hope she hasn't died," his sister said.

Roca inwardly swore.. She was lying on her side with her arms still bound behind her. She felt numb and her thoughts were oddly muffled, but she hadn't expected to survive Arabesque tampering with her neural processes.

I didn't affect them enough to kill you, Arabesque thought.

Why not?
Roca feared death as much as the next person, but she feared becoming a Trader provider more.

Making you unconscious achieved the same result.

Yes, well, it isnt permanent.
She hesitated.
Something is wrong. I feel strange.

There was brain damage.

Brain damage. Two simple words with so much destructive power.
If_you do it again, wiii the damage get worse?

Yes. I am also damping your pain receptors, which is why the Aristos haven't sensed you are conscious, but this injures your brain, too. They will soon realize you are awake, but if I increase your protection, it will injure you more.

Roca thought of her husband, his body crippled by the

Traders. If by some miracle she escaped this nightmare alive, he would get his wife back with her mind crippled.

I have a suggestion,
Arabesque said.
If I put you in a coma, the Aristos can't transcend. It will then serve no purpose to hurt you. If the danger passes, I can remove you from the coma.

That sounded too easy.
What condition wilt I be in when you wake me up?

A long pause followed.
You might relearn how to live.

In other words, I'd he a mental vegetable.

I am sorry. It is the best I have to offer.

Roca knew she couldn't keep this up much longer. The node couldn't damp all her pain; sooner or later she would groan or otherwise slip up.
Can you map the neural structures in my brain and their firing patterns?