Laura Jo Phillips (8 page)

A waiter came and took their order while Jackson pondered what Rob had said.  After a time he turned to his youngest brother.  “I understand what you mean,” he said.  “And I agree with you.  The problem is that someone else is identifying these women and abducting them.  We must be able to identify them ourselves before we can protect them.”

“I know,” Rob said.  “I agree that it’s important for that reason.  It’s what is done with the information after we have insured their safety that concerns me.”

“What if the only way we can insure their safety is by taking them back to Jasan?” Clark asked.

“Then I suppose that is what we have to do,” Rob replied.  “The priority must be their protection, of course.”

“Yes, but you raise a good point, Rob,” Jackson said.  “I just don’t know what the solution is.”

“That’s easy,” Clark said.  Rob and Jackson both looked at him in surprise.  “We just destroy whoever is abducting the women.  Problem solved.” 

Jackson smiled.  “Yes, that’s the solution all right.  Easy.”

Chapter
8

Xantara, North Quad, Xaqana-Ti’s Hive, East Quad, Xitura-Re’s Hive

Xitura-Re needed all of her will to maintain an attitude of concern for her youngest sister’s current situation.  Never had she seen Xaqana-Ti in such a state.  Never had she imagined it to be possible.  And never, ever had she imagined that Xaqana-Ti would ask for her assistance.  Suppressing her glee was one of the most difficult tasks she had ever set herself.  She was just thankful that this discussion was taking place via voice only transmission so she had only her voice to monitor.

“Do not worry, little sister,” Xitura-Re soothed.  “I will send a ship to Jasani space to take over surveillance at once.  We will need whatever information your scout ship has on Jasan and their territories of course.  I trust you will order your
Zang-Lide
to transfer that information?”

“Yes, yes, of course, Elder Sister,” Xaqana-Ti replied.  “I will contact Za-Linq with orders to transfer all relevant information to your ship and withdraw at once.”

“Very good.  If there is anything else you need my assistance with, please do not hesitate to call on me, Little Sister.”

“Thank you, Xitura-Re.  Taking on the responsibility for the Jasani route on such short notice is more than enough.  You are very kind to aid me in this time of need.”

“Will you be reorganizing your brood?” Xitura-Re asked, knowing that such a question was, strictly speaking, out of bounds, but hoping that, under the current circumstances, it would sound like no more than worried concern.

“I am not sure yet,” Xaqana-Ti replied, sighing softly.  “I think I may be forced to a slightly more drastic course of action.”

Xitura-Re nearly gasped aloud, she was so shocked.  Long had Xaqana-Ti’s brood been a source of envy and resentment among her three elder sister-queens.  It was, for the most part, the only thing the three of them agreed on.  It seemed unjust that the youngest of them had the strongest and most successful brood. 

Xitura-Re had secretly toyed with several ideas for destroying some, or all, of Xaqana-Ti’s brood herself, but their Royal Mother, the Supreme Queen herself, had forbidden such measures amongst her daughters.  Just thinking about doing such a thing would certainly cost Xitura-Re everything, including her life, if she were so foolish as to reveal her thoughts. 

If Xaqana-Ti destroyed them herself, that was a different matter altogether.  Such an action on Xaqana-Ti’s part would give Xitura-Re a hefty lead in the competition for the title of Supreme Queen. 

For one moment, Xitura-Re considered the possibility that Xaqana-Ti was spinning another one of her complicated traps in the ongoing race for ultimate status.  But she quickly discarded the idea.  How could abasing herself, lowering her own status and voluntarily relinquishing a prime route such as Jasan possibly be a part of any plan?  Xitura-Re decided that Xaqana-Ti most likely
had
been planning something, but whatever it was, the plan had obviously failed.

“It would be a shame to exterminate your brood,” Xitura-Re said, careful to keep the excitement out of her voice as she spoke.  “They have long been a credit to you.”

“Credit?” Xaqana-Ti snapped, her voice rising suddenly to a furious screech.  “I do not see how they can be deemed a credit to me when they have all but brought about my downfall.”

“I apologize for upsetting you further, Little Sister,” Xitura-Re said, using her most soothing tones.  There was a long silence, broken only by a few skittering sounds that severely tested Xitura-Re’s acting ability.

“I apologize for taking my anger out on you,” Xaqana-Ti replied finally.  “I will go now and contact Za-Linq.  Then I believe I shall withdraw to my lair for a time.”

“That is a good idea,” Xitura Re replied, relieved that Xaqana Ti was ending the conversation.  She really did not know how much longer she could withhold her true feelings. 

Xaqana Ti closed the connection, then turned and headed out of her comm room.  Her gait was listless, her head hanging low, her mandibles drooping dejectedly.  She moved through the dim, cool tunnels of her hive without seeming to notice anyone she passed. 

As the only female in her hive, Xaqana-Ti was much larger than any other member of her brood.  Broods were groups of offspring that hatched from one egg laying.  Different types of eggs resulted in different offspring.  A laying of warriors usually numbered around fifty thousand eggs.  A laying of workers was smaller, usually no more than fifteen to twenty thousand eggs.  A layer of gatherers was about the same size, ten to twenty thousand eggs. 

The first laying for all females consisted of exactly five breeder eggs.  They were the only breeder eggs the female would ever produce in her lifetime, and without them, the female could not produce a brood.  Therefore, those eggs were carefully preserved by each female and hidden away in a place secret only to herself.  When she wanted to begin a brood, she would hatch one breeder egg. 

The breeder male was small, nearly brainless, and short lived.  Each one was capable of fertilizing one worker brood, one gatherer brood, and one warrior brood.  Then it died.

The female controlled the hatching of all of her eggs.  Once she had a full compliment of warriors, workers and gatherers, she stored the remaining eggs, hatching them only as needed.  Only when the eggs were depleted, and the existing brood members fell below a sufficient number, would the female hatch a new breeder egg and begin a new brood.  Once she had slaughtered all members of the old brood, of course.

Xaqana-Ti had often puzzled over the brood limitations, endlessly trying to figure out a way to get around them.  If she could discover how to have two separate warrior broods existent at the same time, she would be the most powerful Ruling Queen in the history of the Xanti.  But for reasons they had never been able to isolate, any time there was so much as a single member of one brood alive, all efforts to hatch eggs for a new brood would fail.

Xaqana-Ti went straight to her personal quarters and locked the door behind her.  Then she headed for her lair, a dark pit of cool earth just the right size for her to curl up in.  Only when she was snug inside of it, the opening closed tight against intruders with a quickly spun web, did she allow herself to relax.

She grinned inwardly.  Of her three sisters, Xitura-Re was the wiliest, yet it had been all Xaqana-Ti could do not to laugh aloud at her pitiful attempts to hide her gloating.  Xaqana-Ti had sensed the moment Xitura-Re wondered if this was a trap, had almost heard her elder sister discard the idea.  What a fool Xitura-Re was.  Did she not realize that the ultimate prize was at stake?  That the position of Supreme Queen was worth any risk? 

Xaqana-Ti nearly laughed, but she swallowed the urge.  Even here, deep within her own lair, there was always the possibility of spies.  In fact, she had spies in all of her sister’s hives.  Which brought her to the question of what to do about her brood.

Yes, she had planned for Za-Queg to fail.  She had hoped he would succeed in obtaining the Dracon’s Arima and the
berezi
, but no matter.  He had provided her with the first big failure she needed to put her plan into motion.  She had felt some regret at destroying Za-Queg, but it was a sacrifice she had been willing to make. 

Then there was Za-Linq.  Foolish little male that he was, to not realize she had maneuvered him into volunteering to replace Za-Queg, his best friend and idol.  And it had to be Za-Linq.  No one else would do as he had the special, most secret
makina
. 

That had been the riskiest part of her entire plan, hatched so long ago.  It had taken great patience on her part to wait for just the right time to set her plan into motion.  But the Xanti were nothing if not patient.

Her biggest concern had been how to ensure getting that specific
makina
into the Jasani’s hands.  She had thought she might need to kill Za-Linq herself, which would have been risky.  But this was better.  Much better.  So long as no one ever found out that Za-Linq had been the Xanti inside that particular
makina
.  That would be a problem. 

She wriggled a little, searching for a more comfortable position as she considered her options.  Those aboard Za-Linq’s ship were the only ones aware that Za-Linq had gone down to LI-Hach-Cor, and not returned.  They had told her of course, but their transmissions to her were inviolable.  Once they reached home, however, they could be captured by any one of her three sisters and forced to talk.  Under no circumstances could that be allowed to happen.  She sighed a little, regretting the loss of a ship.  They were so expensive to replace.  But if the ship were destroyed in space, it would be a simple matter to include Za-Linq’s name on the list of those lost on board.  Luckily there were not very many warriors on board that ship.  There had been more, but Za-Linq had owned a very ugly temper.

She wondered if she should allow the ship to transfer information to Xitura-Re’s ship first, and quickly decided not to.  There was always a risk that one of the males on board the ship would let something slip about Za-Linq’s capture.  Males could be so gossipy.  No, it was better to destroy the ship now. 

Xaqana-Ti dug in the wall beside her and removed a control board.  She held it with two legs and used the tips of her other eight legs to tap the keys, pulling up a menu.  She entered her pass code, then scrolled through the list of her ships.  When she had the correct one she entered another pass code, then pressed the activation key without a moment’s hesitation. 

That done, she checked her incoming messages.  She spotted a status report from Xi-Kung on Onddo, and wondered if it were time to set her plans concerning the Brethren and the Narrasti into motion.  She tapped one leg idly against the control board as she reviewed her options, and came to a decision.

Typing rapidly, she sent a message to Xi-Kung that, if intercepted, would seem to be little more than a discussion of equipment and supplies for Onddo.  She reviewed the message twice, making minor changes.  When she was satisfied, she sent the message with a little thrill of excitement.  Then she slipped the control board back into its place and closed her eyes.  Her last thought before falling asleep was that soon, very soon, Xitura-Re would remove herself from the ultimate game.  Then things would get really interesting.

Chapter
9

Onddo

Slater was tired and frustrated.  He had spent days practicing one little spell, over and over and over again, with no success at all.  He did not like to think that Magoa had made a mistake, but it was beginning to appear as though he had. 

Slater liked the idea that he was a sugea.  He liked the idea of being Magoa’s offspring.  He liked the idea of working with Magoa in secret.  But he did not like knowing that he had to prove all of those things true by performing these tasks Magoa had set for him, because he could not seem to make them work.

He sighed deeply and leaned back on his tail as he gazed out over the valley below his ledge.  It was almost time for him to go hunting.  He was looking forward to that for a change as it would mean a break from all of this fruitless practicing. 

Suddenly a deep red sugea appeared in the sky, flying straight for him.  Magoa.  Slater straightened up at once, but he couldn’t remove the expression of frustration and doubt from his face.

When Magoa reached the ledge where Slater stood, he hovered above it and transformed into his alter form, floating slowly down until he was standing beside Slater.

“You look tired, Slater,” Magoa observed.  “Have you been practicing?”

“I have been,” Slater replied.  “Endlessly.  Even so, I must admit to failure.”

“Failure?” Magoa asked.

“I have practiced the motions you showed me, but nothing happens.”

“What did you expect to happen?” Magoa asked.

Slater opened his mouth, and closed it.  “I do not know,” he admitted.  “I know only that nothing happened.”

Magoa roared with laughter.  Slater was too surprised to be angry, though he was certainly taken aback.

“I told you, two sugeas together are more powerful than one alone,” Magoa reminded him.  “The motions I told you to practice do nothing on their own.  You and I must do them together before they will work.”