In the main council chamber of the Centauri palace, the leader gaped at Meles. "An---embassy?"
"Yes, sir," Meles said, shifting uncomfortably.
Also in the room were: Cartagia; Daeq'b of Rush, the brother of N'klaraet----who in turn, had not gone by that name in some time; and a new arrival.....Bioldyon of the Senderian Empire. Bioldyon was squat and bulky, with tan skin glistening with an even greater sheen than was typical for the Senderians. He had a ready smile, which had an additional tint of the sinister about it as his perfect teeth were slightly sharp.
Bioldyon had his hands draped behind his back and said, "Well, well----we've certainly got a muddle of this, haven't we? Daeq'b, I ask you to take your brother out of action. But you----you don't have the balls to handle it yourself. So you ally yourself with Cartagia here, who sets up a trap for the purpose of doing what I asked you to do....except he doesn't wind up snaring your brother. Instead he snags a security officer and a fallen prince." He turned to the leader and said, "This is one charming alliance we've forged between ourselves, Thruro, The Senderians and the Centauri, working hand in hand, creating a coalition that could eventually rival the Space Federation. And what've we got? A Space Federation starship commanded by an extremely dangerous individual....and a prisoner who has taken over his cell."
The leader, the one who'd been addressed as Thruro, turned back to Meles and said angrily, "Drag him up here. Go in there with guns blazing and take him out."
"We, uhm---we tried that, sir."
"You did? What happened?"
The door had flown open, packed with guards who were heavily armed, and they opened fire.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIy2yMmXZJ
With a roar the Malon had charged them. The blasts had slowed him, staggered him---but they had not stopped him. Turhi had remained safely behind the Malon, and then Jakar Thul got his hands on the foremost of the assassins.
Soon the hallway was thick with blood, and it was all Cenaturi. The guards had retreated, screaming, slipping and sliding on blood that was spilling everywhere, and Jakar Thul----as calm as anything---closed the door.
It wasn't the Cenaturis' fault. They had not known that there were few things more dangerous than a wounded Malon. Unfortunately, they had found out the hard way.
Thruro, Bioldyon, Daeq'b, and Cartagia listened in quiet amazement. "Gods," whispered Thruro. Then he drew himself up, his leadership qualities and conviction coming to the fore. "All right. Gas them first. Don't even enter. Just gas them from outside. Knock them out and haul Turhi out while the two of them are downed."603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMakgMNgdY6
"Uhm----we," and his voice sounded very faint. "We tried that, too."
"And....?" promoted Thruro.
The door had flown open and the guards hesitated, waiting for the thick clouds of gas to clear. They wore masks so that they could breathe. Now they peered carefully through the gas, trying to see where the insensate bodies of Thul and Turhi might be.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZOPr5uUpM
They were able to make out, over in the corner, a fallen lump that seemed to have the general proportions of Turhi. But at first they couldn't see Thul at all.
Then they did.
He had stepped forward from the mist, his mouth shut tightly. They didn't see his fist, obscured as it was by the mist.
Thul's fist went straight into the lead guard, striking a fatal blow. Then he raised the still-twitching corpse over his head and hurled it into the crowd of guards, knocking several of them back. He ripped the masks off two of them, and then slammed the door once again. The guards, Meles in the lead, bolted down the corridor, not even waiting to hear the clang of the door as it slammed closed once more.
It wasn't the Centauris' fault. They had not known that one of the only things more dangerous than a wounded Malon is a wounded Malon whom one has tried to gas into unconsciousness. Since Malon can hold their breath for twenty minutes at a stretch, that was a useless maneuver. Unfortunately, they had found out the hard way.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GCXKEwAuO
Thruro turned to Daeq'b and said, "I don't understand. If Thul was such a formidable fighting machine, why didn't he do that on your ship? You said you had weapons leveled at him, and he simply raised his hands and didn't fight.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEEfzprcAc
"It should be fairly obvious," said Daeq'b. "He wanted to find out who was behind all of this. He wanted to get to the source of the situation. And now that he's done that, he's making his stand, and waiting for my brother to come get him. And he will, make no mistake. N'klaraet and his people will show up. They won't believe that either Turhi or Thul is dead unless they have corpses to prove it. And they will trace them here."
"Gentlemen," Truro said slowly, "I'm open to suggestions here."
"Who gives a damn about the Malon?" said Cartagia angrily. "Don't fiddle with gas to knock them out. Use poison gas. Even if it doesn't affect Thul, it'll be more than enough to obliterate Turhi. That's all that matters! We have to kill him!"
"And that is your opinion as well?" Daeq'b asked Thruro.
Thruro saw something in Daeq'b's eyes. Something cool and calculating. "You feel that's not the case?"
Daeq'b started to pace. "Thruro....my world fought a long war for freedom, against rather formidable odds. Every so often, the Senderians would foolishly----no offense," he interrupted himself as he addressed Bioldyon.
"None taken," said Bioldyon calmly.
"Every so often, the Senderians would capture a high profile individual connected to our rebellion. They would make an example of him. They would execute him, usually in the most grisly fashion they could invent. Indeed, they'd try to outdo themselves every time. And all that happened was that they created martyr after martyr."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, Thruro, that Turhi could be more dangerous to you dead than alive. You and your associates have thrown out the royal family, but you haven't consolidated your power. Chaos and rebellion are rife throughout what's left of the empire. Those who supported the rebellion may be starting to think that they were sold a dream, and the reality does not match the dream. If they see Vito Turhi----if they see him die well, honorably, bravely---that could set forces into motion that you are not ready for."
"So I was right," Cartagia said sharply. "I should have killed him when he was out on the science station. For that matter, you should have killed him, Daeq'b! You had the chance!"
"I'm not your hired killer, Cartagia. You were mine. If you bungle the job, it's not my responsibility to clean up after you."
"That's what you say," Cartagia said in an accusatory tone. "Or maybe you just didn't have the balls for it."
Daeq'b smiled evenly. He bore a passing resemblance to his brother, even though the years had not worn well on him. "You are, of course, entitled to your opinion."
"What would you suggest, Daeq'b?" said Thruro. "That we let him go?"
"No!" thundered Cartagia, looking angry enough to leap across the room and rip out Thruro's throat with his teeth for even suggesting such a thing.
"No, I'm not suggesting that," said Daeq'b. "I'm suggestion that he be tried, in an open court."
Thruro appeared to consider that, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It has its advantages."
"Advantages!" Cartagia clearly couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What advantages?"
"It puts across as rational, compassionate beings," said Thruro. "If we beat him into submission and he agrees to whatever crimes we accuse him of, people are not stupid. It'll reflect poorly on us. We do not want to seem simply as the greater bullies, the more merciless."
"But what crimes can we accuse him of?" asked Cartagia. "There is no concrete proof of anything that he directly had his hand in."
"That much is true. But the activities of the others in his family, and in the generations preceding him, are public knowledge. Guilt by association."
"And there is---something else," Daeq'b said slowly. "Something that I myself was witness to. I have been," and he looked around uncomfortably, "I have been reluctant to say anything until now, for I have no desire to disrupt the alliance between the Centauri and the Senderians. Such a disruption would only cause difficulties for my people."
"Disruption?" Bioldyon seemed utterly confused. Nor did Thruro or Cartagia understand either, as their blank looks indicated.
"There were," and Daeq'b cleared his throat. "There were certain 'private' arrangements made. Certain allies that we Senderians acquired when we were fighting for our freedom."
"What allies?" asked Bioldyon, and then slowly the significant look that Daeq'b gave Thruro was enough to focus him on the Centauri. "You?" he demanded. "The Centauri allied with Rizajor against us? You!"
Thruro threw up his hands defensively. "I knew nothing of it! You speak of matters twenty years ago! I was not even chancellor then!"
"Aye," agreed Daeq'b. "Thruro speaks truly. He was not involved personally----not to my knowledge. But Turhi was."
"Turhi?" Bioldyon looked stunned. "But he was barely out of his tens at that time!"
"The same might be said of my brother," replied Daeq'b. "And look at all that he accomplished."
"Cartagia, did you know about this?" Bioldyon demanded.
Bioldyon looked to Daeq'b, and for a long moment he was quiet, wheels turning quietly in his head.
"Well?" insisted Bioldyon. "At the time you and Vito Turhi were best friends. Did he mention anything of this to you?"
"No," said Cartagia, sounding far more restrained than he usually did. "But there were any number of times that he left Centauri Prime for lengthy periods. When he came back, he would never tell me where he'd been. He was rather fond of his secrets, Vito was."
"So it's possible."
"Oh, yes. Eminently possible."
"All right," said Bioldyon, and he turned back to Daeq'b. "I appreciate your informing me of this situation."
"It's more than just a situation that I'm informing you of," replied Daeq'b. "You see....I happen to know that Turhi, in his efforts to undercut the authority of Sender, committed a variety of brutal acts. One, in particular, will be of interest to you."
"And that one is...?"
He folded his arms and said, "He killed your father."
Bioldyon visibly staggered upon hearing this. "Wh---what?" he managed to stammer out.
"You heard me," said Daeq'b with supernatural calm. "A high-ranking Senderian soldier named Thrarr. Your father, I believe."
Numbly, Bioldyon nodded.
"You understand, I didn't make the association right away," Daeq'b continued in that same, unperturbed voice. "But you and I have had continued meetings, and since our alliance was becoming more and more pronounced, I felt it helpful to---please pardon my intrusiveness----explore your background. I violated no secrets, I promise you. It was all information easily obtained through public records. But when I learned that Thrarr was your father, well.....please forgive me that it took me this long to tell you."
Slowly Bioldyon sank into a chair. "I was a child when he left," he said calmly. "When he said that he was going to Rizajor to quell a rebellion, he made it sound as if there was no question that he'd return. And he never did. His body was eventually recovered. He'd been run through, and his sword was never found. The sword of our family, gone. And all this time, I thought it was in the hands some----some heathen----no offense," he said to Daeq'b, with no trace of irony.
"None taken," he replied.
"You have no idea, Daeq'b, how this unclosed chapter in my life had hampered my ability to deal with the Rizajors. I do so because it is what my government requires of me. But after all this time, to be able to resolve the hurt that I've always carried....the unanswered call for justice." He squeezed Daeq'b's shoulder firmly. "Thank you---you, whom I, for the first time, truly call 'friend.' And when judgment is passed upon Vito Turhi---when he is found guilty and is to be executed for his crimes----my hand will be the one that strikes him down."
And Thrurl nodded approvingly. "We would have it no other way," he said. Then he considered a moment. "What of Thul? The Malon? He slaughtered a number of our guards. Are we are just release him?"
"He killed fools," Cartagia said without sympathy. "Are we to publicly admit that a single, unarmed Space Federation representative obliterated squads of our armed guards? Rumors and legends of the might of the Space Federation are already rife throughout Centauri Prime and the neighboring planets. Why provide them with even more fodder for discussion?"
"You are suggesting a cover-up then," said Thrurl.
"I am suggesting mercy for the Malon. After all, we have Vito Turhi. We can afford to be...." and Cartagia smiled, "....generous."
And as the others nodded around him, he exchanged looks with Daeq'b. A look that spoke volumes. A look that said, All right. I've covered for you. And you'd best not let me down....or there will be hell to pay.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKcDyfuMlw
