Between Darkness and Light (19 page)

Kezule walked slowly round the thirty growth tubes neatly stacked to one side of the disused temple on the Command level. His people had just finished bringing them up from the main landing bay where a TeLaxaudin vessel had deposited them less than two hours ago. It had arrived without warning, landed and unloaded the cargo automatically, then just as abruptly, had left.

“Are they in full working order, Giyarishis?” he asked.

The translator spat some static, then said, “Yes.”

“And the controls for them came as well?”

“Are in room next this one.”

Kezule stopped and regarded the small, almost insectoid-looking alien. “The ship was automated, you say?”

“Pilot only. No translator, no talk you.” The alien turned away from the General, his draperies exuding a scent of anticipation. “I go. Get installed now,” Giyarishis said as he stalked out of the room on his spindly bronze legs.

“Give him what help he needs,” Kezule said to the civilian engineers standing waiting for his orders as he turned to leave the room. Nothing the TeLaxaudin did surprised him these days, but at least the arrival of the tanks meant those of his people who wanted to breed could now do so.

His daughter's hatching had made many of the females broody, but despite his wife's assurances as a doctor that they could all carry their own young safely, they refused to even consider it without the growth tanks to which they'd become accustomed. Now they could really start to build a community.

As usual, Kusac left the hydroponics level just before the end of the last session of the day. Banner waited a moment or two before ambling over to Khadui.

“Wind the class up for me, I got to go visit the head.”

He followed Kusac's scent down the stairs to the Officers' level and was heading toward the main elevator to the Command level when, rounding a corner, he stopped dead as he saw Kusac join M'kou and Shaidan. Staying out of sight, he strained his ears forward trying to catch what they were saying. He could hear very little, only the odd word before the elevator door opened and closed, then silence.

“The Command elevator is out of bounds,” said a quiet voice from behind him.

He spun round, finding himself face-to-face with one of the Prime females. The one-piece coverall was gray, denoting that she was a civilian.

“I'm looking for the rest rooms,” he said. “Must have taken a wrong turn.”

“I'll show you,” she said, reaching out to grasp his arm.

As she led him down the corridor opposite, past the side of the sick bay, he was aware of the pressure of her hand on his arm changing, becoming lighter as her fingers stroked at his pelt.

“We have a recreation room, Banner,” she said. “I have your name right, don't I? You're the only other black Sholan. You should come there tonight. We have entertainments. Books, games to play, and some of the males are starting to synthesize alcoholic drinks. We also have an ale brewed from the plants in hydroponics. It must be lonely for you all, so far from home and with so few of your own kind here.”

“I'm Banner,” he agreed, resisting the urge to pull his arm away. “We're all used to working away from home for long periods.”

“The General wants us to mingle with you, get to know you, make your time with us pleasant,” she said, glancing sideways at him, her large green eyes blinking slowly. “We can't do that if you remain in your quarters when off duty. We're quite harmless, you know, not like the M'zullian Warriors. I worked with Doctor Zayshul on the
Kz'adul
in the labs. I'm a civilian, as you would call it. My name's Ghidd'ah.”

“Pleased to meet you,” he said, absorbing the information that she'd worked with the Doctor. Maybe she could be a useful contact. “Perhaps you're right. I'll see if I can bring our people to the rec room later tonight.”

“Good,” she smiled, stopping beside a door labeled in both Valtegan and Sholan script. “See, we are trying to make you welcome. This is the M'zullians' area but they're all on duty just now. The rec room is on the corridor outside your quarters and is the second door on your right when heading for the main elevator. I'll see you later, then. Say, in two hours?”

He nodded and carefully retrieved his arm. “Make it three,” he said. He wanted to speak to Kusac first.

 

When Banner got back to the hydro level, he found the other three waiting for him.

“We need to talk,” said Khadui.

“Very well,” he said. He'd been expecting trouble for several days. “I suggest we get our meals and take them back to our communal lounge. Agreed?”

Fifteen minutes later, the already small living area seemed to have shrunk as they sat round the dining table.

“Spit it out then, Khadui,” Banner said, using his fork to spear a couple of chunks of synthesized meat. “What's bothering you?”

“We want to know what Kusac's doing to get the cub back. Whenever we see Shaidan, he's trailing after General Kezule. All we seem to do is train the Primes.”

“Kusac's told you, so have I, that training them is part of what he's here to do,” Banner replied, choosing some of the vegetables this time.

“What we're here to do,” corrected Dzaou.

“No,” said Banner. “Don't forget we insisted on accompanying him. Kezule only wanted Kusac because of his AlRel skills.”

Khadui gave a small growl of exasperation. “Same difference.
Do
you know what he's doing, Banner?”

“I know,” he said calmly, putting his fork down to dip his chunk of bread into the gravy. “And when you need to be told, you will be.”

Dzaou snorted his disbelief. “That's crap and you know it. You're as much in the dark as we are!”

“You think the Captain's going to confide in you with your attitude, Dzaou?” he asked, using the bread to help scoop up a forkful of vegetables. “You only follow his orders when it suits you as it is.”

“He's no longer our Captain,” said Dzaou. “This isn't a real mission, it's his own crusade.”

Banner glanced up at him as he put his fork down and reached for his hot herbal drink. “You think rescuing a Sholan cub isn't something we should all be working together on? The only reason it isn't a mission is because Stronghold knew nothing about it before we left.”

“I've no problem with Kusac as Captain,” said Jayza, the youngest member of the group, speaking for the first time.

Banner acknowledged his comment with a barely perceptible twitch of his ear.

“Shut up, Jayza. That's not what I meant, Banner, and you know it,” said Dzaou angrily. “Our original mission was to get what Kezule had by any means possible and bring it back! That means this cub, too!”

“That's what Kusac is doing,” said Banner, picking up his fork again. “The means he's using are those Kezule has asked for, namely training his people and helping him set them up as a viable community. Why risk all our lives in a firefight when it isn't necessary? It isn't as if Kezule is refusing to give us the cub.”

“He's got a point,” agreed Khadui. “No need to escalate the situation if Kezule's being reasonable. And Kusac is keeping Banner briefed as to what's happening.”

“I don't believe he is,” said Dzaou. “I think Banner's lying to protect him because they were lovers!”

“And I think you're seeing monsters in shadows,” said Jayza, reaching out to pick up his drinking bowl.

“I said shut up!” snarled Dzaou, knocking over the drink as he rounded on Jayza.

In the shocked silence that followed, Banner pushed his chair back and went over to the small sink to fetch a cloth. Returning to the table, he began to mop up the spill as Jayza and Khadui began to hurriedly lift plates and bowls for him.

“I stand by what I said,” growled Dzaou belligerently, lifting his crockery. “Prove that you're not lying! Tell us what he does every day after lessons for two hours!”

“Are you by any chance Challenging me, Dzaou?” Banner asked, his voice deceptively mild as he threw the soggy cloth back toward the sink and sat down. “Because I suggest you think again. Challenges are illegal in the Brotherhood in this time. Kusac and I merely shared a cabin on the
Couana
.”

Dzaou leaned back in his chair and laughed. “I don't need to Challenge you, Banner! You can't answer me because you don't know, do you?”

He quickly weighed his options. A scuffle, especially in their cramped surroundings, was to no one's benefit. Add in the possibility that the ancient vid comms might still be active and Prime Security could be watching them . . .

“On the contrary. The Captain goes down to the Command level to work with General Kezule and Shaidan. It's a way of exposing the cub to our influence without it being too great a shock to him.”

“Makes sense,” said Khadui as Dzaou began to curse quietly.

“Dzaou, for your insubordination, you'll copy out all the Litanies and the Creed, in full, in your Prime reader for tomorrow,” he said. “Dismissed.”

“What?” Dzaou looked at him in shock.

“You heard me, Brother Dzaou,” he said, his tone sharp and uncompromising as he got to his feet. “Get going. Khadui, escort him back to his quarters.”

“Yes, Lieutenant,” said Khadui, rising.

“What do you want me to do?” asked Jayza awkwardly when they'd left.

“Would you mind going down to the
Venture
and bringing some of the coffee up here? I could really do with a cup of it right now.”

“How about I get five mugs as well?” grinned the young male.

“Fantastic idea! I hate those Prime bowls. They've got no handles and you end up burning your hands if you want a drink that's halfway warm,” he said, starting to stack the plates. “I'll take these back to the mess while you're gone.”

Jayza hesitated at the door. “Banner, I don't go along with Dzaou's crazy notions. You know that, don't you?”

“I know, Jayza. We have to hang on here together for now, and not let Dzaou, or anyone, divide us.”

 

As Kusac opened the door to his quarters, a familiar aroma, and scent, filled his nostrils. “Coffee, Banner?” he asked as he entered. “And our mugs.”

“I sent Jayza down to the
Venture
to get some this afternoon,” said Banner from his perch on one of the high chairs at the meal bar as he filled a mug for Kusac. “I also saw M'kou about programming it into their dispensers. It'll be available tomorrow,” he said. “You don't seem surprised to see me.”

“The locks are easy to open,” he said, unfastening his belt and taking off his robe. “What's wrong?” he asked as he refastened the belt over his tunic and joined his Second at the bar.

“Nothing much,” Banner said, pushing a mug over to him. “Just wanted to talk over a few things with you.”

He took a drink, savoring the taste. “Ten minutes,” he said. “I'm really tired tonight. So what's up?”

“Dzaou's talking up trouble again.”

“He was wrong for this job from the start.”

“He's certainly lost none of his xenophobia,” Banner agreed. “But he's got Khadui round to his way of thinking. It was he who brought up the topic of Shaidan, not Dzaou.”

Kusac grunted. “Tell me what happened.”

“We went back to my quarters to have third meal because Khadui wanted to talk. He wants to know what you're doing to get Shaidan back. I told him that you'd already briefed us and I had briefed them as well. That's when Dzaou started making his allegations.”