Morgan's Choice (26 page)

Of course. She felt foolish. “Mm. Pictures on
posters with Jones. He was, though. A convert.” She couldn’t look
at him.

“Hm. We can discuss this later. What did you
propose to do from here?”

“They know this thing’s programmed for
Krystor Central. I was hoping to steal a ship.”

He gave that sharp nod for yes. “I suggest we
head for here.” He zoomed out the map and pointed at a spot beyond
the mountains. “Zaffra Bay military base. It’s closer and they may
be holding out.”

“The minute I program it, they’ll know.”
Maybe she could fool around with the tracking satellites? No. Too
many satellites, not enough time.

He shrugged. “We steal another vehicle.”

The rain had stopped. The skimmer began to
slow down as it approached the line of street lamps that marked the
village. She slowed it down even more, eyes raking the sides of the
road. Not many vehicles around at this time of night in this
weather. Three vehicles stood, angle-parked, next to the local
tavern. One was a skyvan. Perfect. She wouldn’t need roads for
that.

“That one. The skyvan. When I say, jump out
of this thing. All right?” Morgan shot a look at Ravindra.

He did the little neck bow.
“
Suri
.”

As soon as the stolen skimmer had passed the
tavern she slowed it to a crawl. She jumped out, slamming the door
behind her and rolled to the edge of the road. Ravindra followed
suit. He scurried over to where she lay, hiding in the bushes. The
skimmer moved on, heading for Krystor Central, in automatic mode.
It sped up suddenly, responding to her delayed instruction.

“Impressive,” he murmured as the tail lights
disappeared.

He made to rise but she put out a hand.
Something kept her in place, the same something that had led her to
hide. She listened, enhancing her hearing. Ravindra’s steady
breathing, the beating of his heart, she consigned to background.
Muffled voices from the bar formed a backdrop to the wider
sound-scape. Somebody laughed. The chink of glass, some footsteps,
the plink of water drops falling into puddles, leaves rustling in
the trees.

A low whine heralded an approaching vehicle,
traveling too fast. Morgan crouched lower as the skimmer passed,
black and mean-looking. When it disappeared she stood up and
grinned. A rumble of thunder overhead signaled that the weather
wasn’t over. Not that she’d needed a reminder; her clothes were wet
and muddy and the wind nibbled at her ears and nose.

“Let’s do some skyvan stealing.”

“You go first.” Ravindra drew the pistol and
stood back.

Walking calmly, heart pounding, Morgan
approached the skyvan. It was locked. She found the sensor and the
door slid open. She had one foot inside when a hand grabbed her
shoulder.

“What the hell do you think you’re
doing?”

She tried to twist in his grip, but Unwyn was
strong. “Professor.”

Unwyn’s grip lessened and his eyebrows
rose, but he didn’t let go. “
Suri
Selwood. What are you doing here?”

Ravindra appeared beside Unwyn and pressed
the pistol against the man’s throat. Unwyn’s eyes widened as Morgan
said, “Don’t hurt him. I don’t think the Professor is any real
friend of Asbarthi’s either.”

“
Then he comes with us. Get in. And
remember I’m right behind you.”

Unwyn slid into the driver’s seat while
Morgan climbed in beside him. Ravindra sat behind Unwyn, gun in
hand.

“Asbarthi’s started his revolution,” she
said.

Unwyn grimaced. “I heard. In the bar.”

“
Well, we’re escaping.”baut

“Escaping? But you’re the Orionar Queen.”

She sighed. “You’re a smart man. Asbarthi’s
the one calling the tune. Jones and I were just performing dolls.
You can’t believe all Devagnam’s guff about equal opportunity.
Asbarthi’s got his hand up Devagnam’s back. He wants power for
himself and his Vesha co-conspirators. Not even all the Vesha are
going to be allowed to play in his pool. You think you’re in
Asbarthi’s little plan?”

The professor swallowed.

“Asbarthi is inspiring his foot soldiers with
Jones and me. The last of the Orionar, the Great Round-eyed Hope.
All manesa were once created equal; that’s what you found in your
cavern, right?” She grinned at the flicker in his eyes. “I imagine
your wall art is mainly just as you say. With a few small
alterations. Asbarth’s Emporium, a few people with round eyes.”

Unwyn scratched his ear.

“The Professor has a site up in the
mountains,” Morgan said for Ravindra’s benefit. “Asbarthi took me
there to prove his ‘round-eyed Orionar’ theory.”

“I see. That explains a lot,” Ravindra
said.

Morgan glanced at him. The way he said the
words. He understood. “It wasn’t my idea, Admiral. I was abducted
from Electra.” Although she
had
gone along with it. The very thought made her squirm with
embarrassment.

She turned back to Unwyn, hunched over,
frowning. “Even I could see you weren’t comfortable about the whole
thing.”

“He was prepared to pay for the excavation.
Do you know how hard it is for academics to get money?” Unwyn
growled the words.

“I can imagine.” She stared at her
fingernails. No need for her to say any more.

Unwyn fidgeted, running a hand through his
hair. “I didn’t want to do it. But without Asbarthi’s money...”

“Do you think, now, that it was worth it?
That he’ll let you tell the real truth?” she asked.

Unwyn mashed his lips. When he spoke his
voice was low, the words reluctant. “He told me he’d get an artist
to paint over the figures. It would be temporary, I could clean it
off later, when he’d made his point. There should have been
round-eyed people there.” He paused to suck in a breath. “At least,
it’s what we believe to be true. It’s just, it wasn’t obvious. So I
agreed to let him bring in an artist to do the work. It was well
done, too. They analyzed the old material, copied it. I didn’t find
out until later that the original image had been excised. It
couldn’t be restored.”

He sighed. “I was furious, confronted him
with it. He just laughed; said if I said anything about it, I’d
ruin my own reputation, either way. He was right. I couldn’t prove
what he’d done, so I’d look like a demented fool. If I could prove
it… well, I’d be a charlatan, a vandal.”

She placed a gentle hand on his arm.
“Asbarthi uses people. You’re one of many, rest assured. Have you
seen what Asbarthi’s thugs did in Murag’s palace?”

“Murag?” Unwyn spat the name. “Whatever he
got, he deserved.”

Ravindra smiled. “So true.”

“
Not a nice man from all accounts, I grant
you. Here. Special images for the amusement of Asbarthi and his
lordly colleagues. They were having jolly laughs over this. It was
when I decided I’d take my chances. I doubt Krystor’s going to be
better off with the
Hai Sura
in
charge.”

She directed the images from her implant to
the skyvan’s display screen. Unwyn went rigid with horror, jaw
dropped, while Ravindra watched with interest.

When it ended, Unwyn sighed. “Where did you
get this?”

“I copied it from Devagnam’s entertainment
systems. I thought it might be useful evidence.”

Unwyn stared, his mouth an oh. “But how did
you get it? Where do you store it? How—”

Ravindra interrupted. “It’s
classified.
Suri
Selwood
works for me.”

“Ah.” Unwyn moistened his lips. “And who are
you?”

“I am Admiral Ravindra.”

“Oh. They said you were dead, killed in the
attack on the palace.”

“
No. Abducted by Asbarthi. I would have
been dead tomorrow if
Suri
Selwood had not rescued me.”

Unwyn hesitated, glancing between her and
Ravindra. “What are you going to do?”

“We’re going to Zaffra Bay,” Ravindra said.
“You’re going to take us.”

The professor started the skyvan’s engine.
The instruments glowed green, throwing strange shadows over his
face as, with the merest jolt, the vehicle lifted from the ground.
He nodded. “And then what?”

“We return to the fleet. We have other things
to think about than what’s happening on Krystor. I will release you
once we reach the base.” Ravindra leaned back in the seat but he
still pointed the pistol at Unwyn’s head. “I cannot take the chance
you will alert pursuers.”

“I won’t, Admiral. I feel guilty about the
part I’ve played in misleading people. I’ll do what I can to help
you.”

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Wensar’s stolen skimmer cruised on steadily
through driving rain, following the main road to Krystor Central.
Asbarthi frowned. Either Selwood hadn’t noticed her pursuers or she
didn’t care. He hoped this diversion wouldn’t cost him time.

“Shoot it down,” Lakshmi said, her eyes on
the moving dot on the display.

“Now, now, my dear.” Asbarthi put a
restraining hand on her arm. “Maybe there’s a simple answer to
this. Remember, she has skills we can use.”

Lakshmi turned on him. “She isn’t going to
help us. She’s gutless, afraid to upset her Mirka friends. We don’t
need her help, so why—”

“Enough, Lakshmi.”

Good. At least she’d shut her mouth. He
pushed down his own irritation. She had a savage streak, had
Lakshmi. And a tendency to run off at the mouth when annoyed. “Get
close enough to set up a link,” he said to the driver.

They sat in tense silence for a few more
moments as the distance closed.

“
You have a link,
Sur
,” the driver said.

Asbarthi cleared his throat. Being
aggressive wouldn’t work. Settling his expression into mild
interest, he opened the channel. “
Suri
Selwood. Not a night to be out driving, surely?”

No answer.

He tried again. Either she was deliberately
not responding or the system was faulty. “Get along side,” he
snapped at the driver.

A swift burst of acceleration brought the
vehicle alongside Wensar’s, matching speed. Ignoring the beeping
complaint of the proximity sensors, the driver eased as close as he
could, leaving not half a meter between the skimmers as they raced
along the highway.

Asbarthi peered through the rain across the
gap to the other skimmer, aware of Lakshmi’s weight against his
back.

“It’s empty,” she said. Just in case he
hadn’t noticed.

“Bring it down, but don’t destroy it.”

A pulse of energy slammed into the skimmer’s
propulsion system, sending up an arc of sparks. It slewed and
skidded on the grass at the side of the main road, leaving a long
gouge in the soft ground. The driver settled their skimmer just
behind.

The squad leader ran down, leaned inside the
driver’s door and ran back. “No one inside. It was running on
auto,” he said, wiping water from his face. “I didn’t think they’d
do that without a person on board.”

Asbarthi swallowed his resentment. This
was the first time the woman had shown any of that ability he’d
heard about. But then, he
had
been careful to ensure she didn’t have access to any real
technology until he was sure of her.

“Check the track back to the village,”
Lakshmi said. “She slowed down there.”

He rolled his eyes. “Skimmers always slow
down through villages.”

“Yes, but this was a bit too much. I was
going to say something but it sped up again.” She frowned at the
screen, staring at the blip. ‘See?” She jabbed a triumphant finger.
“I’ll bet she jumped out there.”

Lakshmi was probably right, but… “So what? It
doesn’t help us much. She’s supposed to be in Krystor Central
tomorrow. We’ll just have to do without her.”

She scowled at him. “I’m beginning to wonder
if you want her for yourself. Hm? She can be Queen of the Orionar
and you can be the king. Is that the idea? You think you don’t need
me anymore?”

Women. Why were they so contrary? Especially
this one. If he didn’t need her father’s support, he might handle
things differently. “Don’t be foolish, Lakshmi. Of course I need
you.” For now, anyway. “But it’s in our interests to find her.
We’ve offered her to the people and we should try to deliver.”

“I’ll find her.” Lakshmi’s voice was a
low-pitched growl.

“You don’t like her at all, do you?”

“She’s pathetic. And you’re pushing her
forward, praising her up as the People’s Savior. It’s enough to
make me vomit.” She curled her lips in a sneer. “Anyway, if she
thinks she can outsmart me, she can think again. She doesn’t know
anybody on this planet except us and Unwyn. Unwyn’s not exactly
playing his role as intended.” Lakshmi bent over the map, frowning
in thought. “If she could get from the village to here,” she
pointed at Unwyn’s base camp.

Whatever else Lakshmi might be, she wasn’t
stupid. “No, not there,” he said, his head beside hers. “That
doesn’t go anywhere. But if she goes here…” his finger traced a
little-used road through the mountains, “she can head for Zaffra
Bay.”

Lakshmi flung her head around so quickly her
hair whipped his face. “We have the military base secure?”

“Not yet, my dear, but my people are working
on it.”

She sat back, grinning. “Let’s go and see
what Professor Unwyn can tell us.” The smile faded but the feral
glint in her yellow eyes was undiminished.

Chapter
Thirty

Rain fell steadily, driven by the wind. The
skyvan’s lights reflected from the droplets, creating glittering
sheets across the road. Trees tossed leaves and branchlets into the
air to join the manic dance.