Crystal Healer (32 page)

I turned to the commander. "You can't trade my husband and me like we are only commodities. There must be another way to rescue your people."

"The mercenaries did not ask for either of you," the commander said. "They want the Skartesh."

Sixteen

"It is a good trade," the commander insisted. He couldn't quite look me in the eye. "The Skartesh is near death, and nothing can save him."

"Forgive me," I said, "but when did you become a physician? Before or after your military training?"

The oKiaf gave me a sour look. "What I mean to say is, he will not live long enough to be used by them or suffer at their hands."

My astonishment over the fact that the mercenaries had not come for me and Reever became lost in the disgust I felt for this man. "As opposed to be used and made to suffer by you." I nodded. "I thought you were a stupid man. Now I am sure of it."

The commander glanced at my husband. "I cannot sacrifice hundreds to spare one who will not live. We are launching in thirty minutes." He inclined his head toward me before he walked away.

"They're not taking him." I turned around and unlocked the door panel. "I won't permit it."

"We may have no choice in the matter." Reever followed me into the isolation room and watched me secure the panel. "Jarn, you can't barricade yourself in here with Jylyj. The Valtas will simply blast their way in."

"You don't understand," I said very patiently.

"We don't have time to smuggle the Skartesh out of the building, much less the city," my husband said as he examined the room, "but we may be able to hide him. Is there a gurney we can use to move him?"

"You
don't
understand." I dragged him around the curtain. "I don't have a Skartesh in here anymore. Duncan, meet Major Shon Valtas."

"Where is . . . Jylyj?" He took a step closer to the table. "Jarn, what have you done to him?"

"Why does he always assume that I have done it?" I demanded of the ceiling.

"This is my true appearance. I am oKiaf. The crystal has reversed the alterforming that made me Skartesh." Shon sat up. "What has happened?"

Reever told him about the attack on the station, and the commander's stupid decision.

Shon swung his legs over the side of the table. "Disconnect the unit, healer."

"You are not going along with this." I stopped him from removing his IV. "Say you go and you do die on board the mercenaries' ship. What do you think they will do with your body? Eject it into the nearest star?"

"No. My body has to be destroyed. The oKiaf have some powerful ordnance. Most of it is pulse weaponry and too large for our needs, but there will be a selection of thermal fusion grenades stocked for the infantry." He regarded me steadily. "You must implant one in my body."

I backed away from him. "No."

He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "When I am on board and safely away from the station, I will detonate the grenade."

"I am not making you into a bomb," I shouted.

"Then the League will pay the mercenaries for my body, harvest my DNA, and use it to create an army of soldiers with my abilities." He stood, bracing himself for a moment. "I cannot allow them to do that."

An alarm sounded, and Reever went to the panel to check the corridor. Medical staff ran in both directions. An oKiaf began speaking over the com.

"A dozen ships have assumed orbit and are firing on the surface settlements," Shon said, translating for me. "The Valtas are evacuating all of the tribes above into the underground cities."

Outside, the commander appeared with a unit of armed soldiers, and demanded entry.

Shon went to the wall panel, and before I could stop him, spoke to the commander. "You are as impatient as ever, Dagar."

The commander stared at the viewer. "Shon? What are you doing in there? Where is . . ." he stopped as he put it all together. "
You
are the Skartesh? How can this be?"

"Give us a moment, if you would." He lifted his paw to switch off the com, and stared at his crystal-streaked claws. "Reever, can you convince Captain Torin to pursue the ship that takes me?"

"If the mercenaries have not taken over the
Sunlace
, and I explain the circumstances," my husband said, "I believe I can."

"The captain cannot take half measures," Shon said. "The ship I am on must be destroyed."

"No." Everything inside me reacted violently to the thought of Shon sacrificing himself. "We can signal Joren, and hold them off until the HouseClan ships arrive. I was a member of the Ruling Council. They will listen to me."

"There is more to protect here than just Shon's life," Reever told me. "The League cannot be allowed to discover the crystal on oKia."

"To hell with the damned crystal." I saw from their expressions that they had no intentions of listening to me. "I will not be a part of this."

I opened the door panel and strode out into the corridor, nearly walking into the commander. "If you hand Shon over to the mercenaries, they will find out about the crystal. They will tell the League. You cannot do it."

"Now that they know I am on oKia," Shon said from behind me, "they will send every available ship they have in this region, and hire more. I cannot stay. I am a qualified fighter pilot. Give me a strafer, cousin, and I will draw them away before I fly it into the sun."

"There is no guarantee they will believe you are the one for whom they came," Dagar said, and then turned to Reever. "We have made contact with your vessel," he told my husband. "They intend to engage the mercenaries. I am sending our surface patrols up to assist. They should hold them off long enough to get a launch down to the surface."

"One of our team escaped the mercenary attack," Reever said. "An avatar. He is still on the surface."

The commander shook his head. "We found him and brought him down from the surface. He is with the Jorenian and the Takgiba."

"We are taking Shon with us," I said. Before the men could respond, I added, "They know he was part of our expedition. Xonea can transition out of this system and take us back to Joren. Then if they want a fight, they can face the HouseClan fleet."

"Why would Joren protect one of us?" Dagar asked.

"Because Dnoc was wrong about me, Commander," I told him. "I am not the crystal healer. Your cousin is."

I expected more arguments, but for once the men listened to me and agreed to the plan. I quickly rigged a portable version of the dialysis unit that Shon could carry on his back, and took as much heartwood pulp as I could fit into my case.

We met Qonja, Hawk, and Uorwlan at the launch bay, where one of the
Sunlace
's shuttles had just landed. The Takgiba's black and white fur appeared patchy, and there were some deep scratches on Qonja's arms, but she seemed calm now.

"I'm ready to see this place from the display of a remote scanner," she told Reever. "Let's jaunt out of here."

"There is not enough room for all of us," Qonja said. "Hawk and I will fly on one of the oKiaf shuttles."

Shon stayed behind to speak to the commander alone, and when he walked up the boarding ramp, he looked a little dazed.

"Come and sit down." I followed him and checked the lines connected to the unit in his pack before I scanned him. "What is it? Are you feeling weaker?"

"No, I am well." He removed the pack carefully, handing it to me before he sat down. "It seems my father lied to me. According to Dagar, he did not carry out his threat. I was never cast out of the tribe."

"Is that good news," I asked, "or bad?"

"It is confusing," he admitted. "My father made it very clear what my punishment would be if I joined the League. My defiance enraged him. He never responded to any of the signals I sent after I left oKia." He ducked his head. "I don't understand. My father did not make idle threats, and he had every reason to cast me out."

"Perhaps he found a reason to forgive you," I suggested as I fastened the flight harness over him. "It would be fitting for you to do the same."

He met my gaze. "My name has not been rubbed away from the tribe's naming hide. The hunters still call out my name during the winter count. My stories are still told around the fires." This seemed to astound him. "I have never been forgotten."

I smiled. "So now you have two tribes."

The Jorenian pilot said little to us, and took off as soon as the oKiaf gave him clearance. From the viewports we saw oKiaf strafers patrolling the upper atmosphere, and debris from what appeared to have been a ferocious fight, but no mercenary ships appeared or tried to attack us.

"They must have been no match for the
Sunlace
," I said as we entered the blackness of space and approached the Jorenian vessel.

"More likely they retreated to call for reinforcements," my husband said, looking grim.

Once we were back on board, we were summoned to the command center to meet with Xonea.

I needed to take Shon to medical, but I wanted to make sure no more bargains were made in my absence. I also thought Xonea should see for himself what the crystal was doing to Shon's body.

"I have to signal my ship," Uorwlan said. "If I still have one."

Qonja and Hawk offered to escort her to the communications center, and the three went off together.

"We should do this briefing quickly," I told Duncan as we headed for the command center. "Knowing my ClanBrother's temper, I would leave out the part about the oKiaf holding us prisoner."

In one way it was a relief to be back on the ship, and in another it made me feel as if I were back in the locked chamber in the underground city. Already I missed the fresh cold air of the planet, the colors of the trees, and the feel of the ground beneath my feet. Compared to oKia, the
Sunlace
now seemed sterile and lifeless.

"How did you escape the takeover at the station?" Reever asked the shuttle pilot, who was following us to the command center.

The Jorenian checked his wristcom, muttered something, and abruptly changed direction, disappearing down an adjacent corridor.

I had never seen a member of the crew behave so rudely. Then I thought of how vengeful Cherijo's adopted people could be. "Do you think Xonea and the crew are angry with us for keeping them from chasing after the mercenaries who survived the battle?"

"I don't know, but something is wrong," Reever said.

My ClanBrother had assembled all of his department chiefs in the command center for the briefing, and none of the Jorenians looked particularly happy to see us. After offering a terse gesture of greeting, the captain asked Reever to report on what had occurred on-planet.

As my husband related our experiences, I turned my attention to Shon.

"Dagar said that when the crystal completely solidifies over the surface of a planet, it cannot convert back to its liquid phase," I said. "How does he know what it does?"

"Our scientists conducted many tests on the crystal," Shon said. "They found that once the crystal solidifies completely around any living object, it alters the composition so that it cannot change back. Not even Cu
²
Au can change it back to its liquid phase."

I could deal with that. "So once crystal has hardened on the outside of your body, it should not be able to turn liquid again and retreat back into your bloodstream and organs."

"In theory, no." He gave me an uncertain look. "What are you thinking of doing?"

"If I can somehow force the crystal to emerge onto your skin and solidify, and I determine how to cut through it, I can surgically remove it." I saw his eyes. "Before you suffocate."

"Is there something you wish to contribute to the discussion, Healer?" Xonea said.

So we were back to calling each other Healer and Captain. "No." I looked at my ClanBrother's impassive features, and felt a little guilty for ignoring the ongoing briefing. "Major Valtas and I were discussing his condition. I will wait until this is over to continue."

"Major, you have considerable knowledge of the oKiaf defense capabilities on the planet, do you not?" Xonea asked abruptly.

"It has been some time since I have lived here," Shon admitted. "All I know is what we saw while underground, but it appears to be considerable. I think the oKiaf will be able to easily repel any future attacks by the mercenaries."

For a moment Xonea almost looked disappointed. "We intercepted a signal from a League vessel that indicated oKia as its destination. Have your people allied themselves with the League again?"

"No, Captain, they have not, and I can assure you, they have no interest in rejoining the League." Shon gestured toward the viewport. "If they come to oKia, they will be treated like any other invader."

"I am glad to hear it. The League has meddled enough in our plans." Xonea turned to Reever. "When you could not raise the ship, did you attempt to contact Joren?"

"Our transceiver was damaged, and then there wasn't time." My husband leaned forward. "I assume you did."

"I saw no reason for it. We were able to defend the ship adequately." Xonea rose to his feet. "Very well, I think we have covered all the pertinent issues for now. We will transition in a few minutes." He turned to gaze at Shon. "Major Valtas, the oKiaf authorities have signaled and expressed a wish to speak with you privately. If you wish to respond, you should do so now."