C. J. Barry - Unearthed 01, page 17
A slow smile crossed Zain’s face as he hitched his head back toward the transport. “So in retribution, I brought trouble.”
Right behind Zain stood another big man with silky, black hair and stunning blue-green eyes. Good Lord, Tess thought. Maybe Earthlings did run a little on the short side. Both were lean, hard, and broad-shouldered like Cohl. Tess could only imagine the number of women who had fallen at their collective feet.
“Got any ravishing, available women aboard this piece of junk?” he asked smoothly, pinning Tess with a riveting gaze and a smile that could make a girl forget her own name.
Cohl laughed and wrenched Rayce out of the transport by his wrist. “Rayce. What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were heading to the Kansari Region?”
Rayce’s blue-green eyes flashed with genuine zeal. “Following a hot business proposition. And looking for a few good backers.”
Cohl groaned audibly. “It figures. How come I only see you when the credits are flowing your way?”
Rayce crossed his arms and made a poor attempt to look offended. “Trust me a little. This one is guaranteed.”
“You said that last time and now I can’t show my face in the Berillian Sector again,” Cohl muttered.
Rayce replied, “Hey, who knew those masks were highly flammable? And you have to admit, the Berillians look much better without all that facial hair.”
Then Rayce set his sights on Tess. When he walked past Cohl toward her, she heard Cohl’s soft warning, “Down, boy. She’s mine.”
Rayce ignored him and expertly lifted her hand to his lips. His eyes met hers, full of mischief and the devil himself. She couldn’t help laughing when he winked.
“The name’s Rayce Coburne. Proprietor of the fastest ship this side of Yre Gault. Need a ride anywhere?”
Behind him, Cohl crossed his arms over his chest, looking less than happy. For a nanosecond, she considered playing the quiet, demure Earth girl. But what the hell. Life was too short as it was.
Tess batted her eyelashes playfully. “Tess MacKenzie. Finest voice this side of Earth. And there’s no way your ship can be faster than you.”
The only one who didn’t burst a gut laughing was Cohl. He brushed by Rayce and slipped a possessive arm around her waist. He advised Rayce, “You might as well save what few good lines you have. Tess is here to help me pick up the amulet.”
Cohl motioned to Zain, who stepped forward. “Tess, meet Zain Masters, captain of Careen, and obviously the only man I can trust today.”
She eyed Zain’s panther movesall intensity and strength with those piercing, jet-black eyes and dark brown hair pulled into a long, braided tail. There was a definite sensual hum buried beneath Zain’s cool, imposing exterior.
With introductions out of the way, Cohl ushered them out of the shuttle bay and toward his office, keeping Tess close to his side. Rayce and Zain fell into step behind them.
Rayce cleared his throat loudly. “So, Tess. Are you enjoying your travels across the galaxy? I hope Cohl hasn’t bored you to death.”
She glimpsed Cohl’s surly expression and stifled a smile. She just couldn’t resist. “It’s been an adventure. Why, just yesterday, Cohl instructed me on combat rules.”
Cohl’s head snapped around, his eyes narrowed to warning slits. Tess bit back a laugh.
“So how do you all know each other?” Tess asked as they entered the main corridor toward Cohl’s office.
Cohl said, “Through business. Each of us has a specialty. Zain’s is mapping star systems. Mine is difficult acquisitions. Rayce does a good job of linking me to buyers when he’s not busy picking up women.”
“Sounds like you would make a good team,” Tess observed. Around her, the three men chuckled in unison.
“What’s so funny?”
Cohl shook his head. “It would never work. Too many captains and too little space between them.”
They entered Cohl’s office and settled around the darkened holodeck table. Seated next to her, Cohl quickly turned serious.
“The timetable has moved up. I only have six days to find the amulet. Or Rommol kills my father. And believe me, he’s more than happy to do it.”
Rayce nodded. “Zain told me the whole story. Damn shame. From what I hear, Rommol and Gothyk are having one hell of a time ripping Trakas apart.”
Cohl asked Zain, “You said you found Demisie? I hope we are relatively close.”
Zain nodded and slipped a slender cartridge out of his jacket and into the panel next to the holodeck. “From our current position, it’s only about two days at hyperspeed.”
The mesh cylindrical grid sprang up from the table base. Tess’s eyes widened at the explosion of stars inside the grid, alone and in groups, between fuzzy clumps and swirls of clouds. Incredible.
Zain began. “According to every star map I could find, Demisie doesn’t exist. However, I uncovered a single incident where a ship actually landed there about one thousand years ago.”
Cohl frowned. “If a ship found it, then how can there be no record of its location?”
“Apparently the ship landed under distress conditions. The planet literally appeared out of nowhere according to crew accounts. On departure, they lost the coordinates and were never able to locate the planet again. The details are scarce and for good reason.” Zain tapped the controls. The holo image zoomed into a small patch of clouds and Stardust.
“I believe Demisie is located in this area,” he noted. The image zoomed closer to the region in surging stages until one small star appeared, surrounded by a thick red layer of gaseous, billowing clouds.
Tess squinted at the image. “So where’s the planet?”
“Hiding in the clouds,” Zain answered with conviction. “The area surrounding the star has an unstable magnetic field. Watch closely.”
He entered more commands. Immense magnetic arcs cut across the image, crisscrossing and overlapping each other until it looked like a giant donut surrounding the single star.
Zain continued. “The lines simulate magnetic fields. In the center is the star, the nucleus of the solar system and the only clearly visible part. Around it, an entire area hidden within an intense magnetic field. Demisie would show up as a ghost shadow at best.”
“Damn,” Rayce muttered. “An invisible planet could do some serious damage if you tried to fly through it.”
Zain grinned. “When you get close to the planet, Demisie’s own magnetic field would take over and you’d have time to divert. However, the way you fly, Rayce, there’d be no hope.”
Rayce snorted. “And you fly like my mother.”
Zain chuckled and turned back to the holodeck.
“Cohl, I can’t give you the planet’s precise orbit inside the shielded area but you should be able to locate it within a day. You will have to use some rudimentary tools for your search. That much magnetic concentration is going to wreak havoc with Speculator’s systems, specifically navigation and communications. That’s one reason this planet hasn’t been detected. Spacecraft avoid the entire system. Too much static. And just to make things interesting, the magnetic bands can shift without warning.”
“Wait a minute,” Tess cut in. She turned to Zain. “No offense, but how do you know there’s a planet in there? And how do you know it’s the planet we are looking for?”
Zain eyed her. “Simple. I’ve eliminated all the places that it could be. All that’s left are the places it shouldn’t be.”
When she gave him a skeptical look, Zain broke into a blinding smile. “Let’s just say that I have a talent for finding lost planets. And an occasional lost treasure. The legend surrounding Demisie speaks of lavish architecture and art. An adventurer’s dream.”
Tess blinked at him. “Won’t they be a little upset if we just waltz in and steal their amulet?”
Zain shook his head. “I doubt it. The ship that landed on Demisie rescued the last group of survivors. They told stories of war and famine, decimating the planet’s population below maintainable levels. Those who weren’t killed in the civil war died later of disease and starvation. I’d be surprised if there’s a single living soul on Demisie right now.”
“I see,” Tess said sadly. “How many people?”
Zain replied, “At peak, probably about a million. We’re talking an entire planet here.”
Tess nodded. A whole civilization, self-destructed. She thought about Earth and its one hundred plus current wars. It could happen there, too. She would never get used to looking at life and death from a planetary level.
Cohl’s hand squeezed her thigh and she looked into his smiling face. Golden eyes narrowed, the sign of banked desire. It was enough to take her mind off Demisie’s plight.
“What else do you have, Zain?” Cohl asked.
“Not much. Nothing solid in my archives. I have a few individual reports but they are sketchy at best.”
Cohl studied the image in the holodeck. “What about the last group of survivors? Any idea where they ended up?”
Zain shook his head. “They were dropped at a central space station and dispersed from there. Even if you could track the descendents, you probably wouldn’t get much useful information from them. Specifics tend to get lost after a few generations.”
Quietly, Tess asked him, “Do civilizations die like this all the time?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But then again, new ones are always starting,” Zain said with an encouraging smile.
She closed her eyes. “Of course.” But the people Demisie were gone. And now she was going to steal one of their precious artifacts, a link to the past and a world lost forever. Robbing their graves. Would others follow? Would they strip and scatter Demisie’s civilization across the galaxy? She thought about the pyramids, Stonehenge, the odd wonders on Earth that seemed so unEarthly. Were they the historical crumbs from another world?
“Tess?” Cohl’s voice was close and tender.
She opened her eyes to find all three men looking at her. With a weak smile, she replied, “Sorry.” She pushed up from the table. “You’ll have to excuse me. I promised Beckye that I’d help her with the meal.”
Tess shot Cohl a look before heading for the door. “Don’t be long. I’m looking forward to hearing a few war stories.”
Rayce whistled long and low after the door closed behind her. He leaned back in his chair and propped a boot up on a nearby chair. “Cohl looks a little tired, don’t you think, Zain?”
Beside him, Zain examined Cohl intently. “Sure does. Something must be keeping him awake nights.”
Cohl crossed his arms and endured the friendly grilling he knew he would get sooner or later.
Rayce leaned his head toward Zain conspiratorially. “Maybe he found a night job. Those are hell on your body.”
Zain nodded. “Or an undercover operation. Brutal hours.”
“Are you two just about done?” Cohl asked in a bored tone.
Zain and Rayce both shook their heads in unison.
Cohl laughed. “She’s a good woman.”
Zain’s eyebrows raised. “Planning on keeping her around for a while?”
Cohl’s expression sobered. “Only until the mission is completed. Then I have to take her back.”
“Now why would you want to do that?” Rayce said in a slow drawl.
Cohl stared at the table for a moment before answering. “I abducted her off Earth for this mission. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of but I had no choice.”
He stood up and paced the room. “At first, it was so clear. Just find her, secure the amulet, and get my father back. Simple plan.”
He stopped and ran a hand through his hair. “But something happened. Something I didn’t expect.”
He looked up in time to catch the amused look exchanged between Zain and Rayce. “It’s not what you think. This entire mission has gone right to hell. I don’t want her to get hurt or worse. I’ve already tried to send her back but there’s a problem.”
Rayce muttered low, “Does it involve a cold bed?”
Cohl ignored him. “The minute I identified her as the key to freeing the amulet, I placed a price on her head. Now she’s not safe anywhere. She has already been abducted by the Traka-Nor. There’s no way I’ll let the Traka-Sou or anyone else get their hands on her again.”
He didn’t realize how threatening he looked with his eyes fierce, his fists clenched, and his entire body taut, until he glanced at the two other men in the room. They both regarded him with raised eyebrows.
“And there’s another problem.” He stalked over, retrieved a data pad from the table, and handed it to Rayce. “I received this file shortly after Rommol contacted me about my father.”
Rayce took the data pad, scanned it, and then glanced up at Cohl. “What is it?”
“A song, the song,” Cohl replied simply. “The song that unlocks the amulet. Complete with voice match analysis and music.”
Rayce swore low. “How convenient.”
Cohl nodded. “Isn’t it though? You think it’s legit?”
Rayce shook his head. “No way of telling. There’s more,” he murmured. Then his head came up. “Cohl, this is a description of the find, traps and all. Who sent this?”
“Good question. It came in a one-way, untraceable transmission shortly after my father was captured. I had Beckye working on it for days. Nothing.”
“It could be a setup,” Rayce offered.
Cohl rubbed the back of his neck. “Pretty elaborate setup. Frankly, I don’t think the Trakas are that smart.”
Rayce tossed the data pad on the table. “Either way, it smells bad, Cohl. What does Tess think?”
Silence hung while Cohl sat down and leaned back in his chair.
Rayce asked, “You did tell her, right?”
Cohl blew out a long breath. “Not exactly.”
There was a collective groan from Rayce and Zain.
Cohl raised a hand in self-defense. “I explained about the traps and the danger in screwing up the song. She just doesn’t know that the information we are going on is less than credible.”
“Not everyone appreciates your warped sense of adventure like we do. I suggest you talk to her soon,” Zain pressed. “I’d hate to hear of your untimely death.”
Rayce looked around. “Speaking of untimely deaths, did that overbearing robot of yours finally become obsolete? Shouldn’t he be butting in on this conversation?”
Jumping at the change of subject, Cohl replied, “Pitz is keeping an eye on Trakas for me. I want him close in case we fail or Rommol turns out to be more of an idiot than I already think he is.”
“So let me get this straight,” Rayce said, tapping a finger on the table. “You’ve got both sides after you now? How’d you manage that?”
Cohl shook his head. “Damned if I know. First, Rommol kidnapped my father for the amulet. Then Gothyk, leader of the Traka-Sou, discovered that I was looking for the key to the amulet, so he’s been on my ass almost since I started. After that, I had to deal with some of Rommol’s renegades. What can I say? I’m popular these days.”
Zain frowned. “I didn’t detect anyone following you but if I were you, I wouldn’t stay in one place too long.”
“We won’t. As soon as we finish eating, Speculator will be in hyperspace.”
Rayce stood and stretched. “Then let’s move.” He grinned wide at Cohl. “Over dinner, I’ll fill you in on my new venture.”
Cohl groaned. “If I just say yes now, will you go away?”
“Forget it,” Zain said as he got to his feet. “If I have to suffer through the pitch, so do you.” He shot Cohl a long look. “Unless you can find a way to keep Beckye at bay. Can’t you send her to the VirtuWav a few times a day?”
Cohl laughed hard and slapped Zain on the back. “Tried that. She keeps burning out the power supply.”
Alone in his office, Cohl listened to the gentle hum of Speculator in hyperspace en route to Demisie. He studied the statistics from Zain’s holodeck image. He owed Zain for this one and mentally added it to the collective pool of favors Zain, Cohl, and Rayce had established over the past ten years. It was nice to be able to count on someone to cover your back on a regular basis.
Cohl stared at the red haze where Demisie was hidden and felt the rush he always got with the thrill of the hunt.
Normally that rush would be a welcomed part of the adventuring process. However, this wasn’t going to be a regular acquisition. This time was different. This time his father’s life was on the line. And so was Tess’s.
Uneasiness invaded. His hand clenched into a tight fist. He would protect her at all costs. With his last breath, he would make sure she got safely back to Earth where she belonged. Back to her dreams and her lifewithout him in it.
The comm unit buzzed in Cohl’s ear. He activated the unit. “What is it, Beckye?”
“Pitz for you,” she snapped.
Cohl grimaced. Apparently, Zain had dodged her. There’d be hell to pay for weeks.
“Put him through.”
The comm crackled. “Sir?”
“Pitz. How is it going?” Cohl leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.
“We are in position, sir.”
“Anyone bothered you yet?”
Pitz replied, “No. I do not believe they will either. The Traka-Nor intership operations appear disjointed and sporadic. The military structure is not well organized and there does not appear to be a coherent ranking system among them.”
Good, Cohl thought. The last thing he needed was a well-coordinated military force. On the other hand, that left a lot of room for rebels and traitors.
“What about communications traffic?”
Pitz replied, “We currently possess all the Traka-Nor encryption codes. Therefore, I can intercept intership and planetary transmissions. Several recent communications place both Rommol and Gothyk on-planet in their respective residences.”
“Have you uncovered any information on my father?”
The line buzzed. “Nothing helpful except that he is currently detained somewhere close to Rommol’s position.”
Cohl nodded. “I figured that. Let me know if you detect any unusual activity. And, Pitz, somehow you must get a definite fix on my father. If you don’t hear from me within four days after we reach Demisie, you will have to initiate a rescue.”
Right behind Zain stood another big man with silky, black hair and stunning blue-green eyes. Good Lord, Tess thought. Maybe Earthlings did run a little on the short side. Both were lean, hard, and broad-shouldered like Cohl. Tess could only imagine the number of women who had fallen at their collective feet.
“Got any ravishing, available women aboard this piece of junk?” he asked smoothly, pinning Tess with a riveting gaze and a smile that could make a girl forget her own name.
Cohl laughed and wrenched Rayce out of the transport by his wrist. “Rayce. What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were heading to the Kansari Region?”
Rayce’s blue-green eyes flashed with genuine zeal. “Following a hot business proposition. And looking for a few good backers.”
Cohl groaned audibly. “It figures. How come I only see you when the credits are flowing your way?”
Rayce crossed his arms and made a poor attempt to look offended. “Trust me a little. This one is guaranteed.”
“You said that last time and now I can’t show my face in the Berillian Sector again,” Cohl muttered.
Rayce replied, “Hey, who knew those masks were highly flammable? And you have to admit, the Berillians look much better without all that facial hair.”
Then Rayce set his sights on Tess. When he walked past Cohl toward her, she heard Cohl’s soft warning, “Down, boy. She’s mine.”
Rayce ignored him and expertly lifted her hand to his lips. His eyes met hers, full of mischief and the devil himself. She couldn’t help laughing when he winked.
“The name’s Rayce Coburne. Proprietor of the fastest ship this side of Yre Gault. Need a ride anywhere?”
Behind him, Cohl crossed his arms over his chest, looking less than happy. For a nanosecond, she considered playing the quiet, demure Earth girl. But what the hell. Life was too short as it was.
Tess batted her eyelashes playfully. “Tess MacKenzie. Finest voice this side of Earth. And there’s no way your ship can be faster than you.”
The only one who didn’t burst a gut laughing was Cohl. He brushed by Rayce and slipped a possessive arm around her waist. He advised Rayce, “You might as well save what few good lines you have. Tess is here to help me pick up the amulet.”
Cohl motioned to Zain, who stepped forward. “Tess, meet Zain Masters, captain of Careen, and obviously the only man I can trust today.”
She eyed Zain’s panther movesall intensity and strength with those piercing, jet-black eyes and dark brown hair pulled into a long, braided tail. There was a definite sensual hum buried beneath Zain’s cool, imposing exterior.
With introductions out of the way, Cohl ushered them out of the shuttle bay and toward his office, keeping Tess close to his side. Rayce and Zain fell into step behind them.
Rayce cleared his throat loudly. “So, Tess. Are you enjoying your travels across the galaxy? I hope Cohl hasn’t bored you to death.”
She glimpsed Cohl’s surly expression and stifled a smile. She just couldn’t resist. “It’s been an adventure. Why, just yesterday, Cohl instructed me on combat rules.”
Cohl’s head snapped around, his eyes narrowed to warning slits. Tess bit back a laugh.
“So how do you all know each other?” Tess asked as they entered the main corridor toward Cohl’s office.
Cohl said, “Through business. Each of us has a specialty. Zain’s is mapping star systems. Mine is difficult acquisitions. Rayce does a good job of linking me to buyers when he’s not busy picking up women.”
“Sounds like you would make a good team,” Tess observed. Around her, the three men chuckled in unison.
“What’s so funny?”
Cohl shook his head. “It would never work. Too many captains and too little space between them.”
They entered Cohl’s office and settled around the darkened holodeck table. Seated next to her, Cohl quickly turned serious.
“The timetable has moved up. I only have six days to find the amulet. Or Rommol kills my father. And believe me, he’s more than happy to do it.”
Rayce nodded. “Zain told me the whole story. Damn shame. From what I hear, Rommol and Gothyk are having one hell of a time ripping Trakas apart.”
Cohl asked Zain, “You said you found Demisie? I hope we are relatively close.”
Zain nodded and slipped a slender cartridge out of his jacket and into the panel next to the holodeck. “From our current position, it’s only about two days at hyperspeed.”
The mesh cylindrical grid sprang up from the table base. Tess’s eyes widened at the explosion of stars inside the grid, alone and in groups, between fuzzy clumps and swirls of clouds. Incredible.
Zain began. “According to every star map I could find, Demisie doesn’t exist. However, I uncovered a single incident where a ship actually landed there about one thousand years ago.”
Cohl frowned. “If a ship found it, then how can there be no record of its location?”
“Apparently the ship landed under distress conditions. The planet literally appeared out of nowhere according to crew accounts. On departure, they lost the coordinates and were never able to locate the planet again. The details are scarce and for good reason.” Zain tapped the controls. The holo image zoomed into a small patch of clouds and Stardust.
“I believe Demisie is located in this area,” he noted. The image zoomed closer to the region in surging stages until one small star appeared, surrounded by a thick red layer of gaseous, billowing clouds.
Tess squinted at the image. “So where’s the planet?”
“Hiding in the clouds,” Zain answered with conviction. “The area surrounding the star has an unstable magnetic field. Watch closely.”
He entered more commands. Immense magnetic arcs cut across the image, crisscrossing and overlapping each other until it looked like a giant donut surrounding the single star.
Zain continued. “The lines simulate magnetic fields. In the center is the star, the nucleus of the solar system and the only clearly visible part. Around it, an entire area hidden within an intense magnetic field. Demisie would show up as a ghost shadow at best.”
“Damn,” Rayce muttered. “An invisible planet could do some serious damage if you tried to fly through it.”
Zain grinned. “When you get close to the planet, Demisie’s own magnetic field would take over and you’d have time to divert. However, the way you fly, Rayce, there’d be no hope.”
Rayce snorted. “And you fly like my mother.”
Zain chuckled and turned back to the holodeck.
“Cohl, I can’t give you the planet’s precise orbit inside the shielded area but you should be able to locate it within a day. You will have to use some rudimentary tools for your search. That much magnetic concentration is going to wreak havoc with Speculator’s systems, specifically navigation and communications. That’s one reason this planet hasn’t been detected. Spacecraft avoid the entire system. Too much static. And just to make things interesting, the magnetic bands can shift without warning.”
“Wait a minute,” Tess cut in. She turned to Zain. “No offense, but how do you know there’s a planet in there? And how do you know it’s the planet we are looking for?”
Zain eyed her. “Simple. I’ve eliminated all the places that it could be. All that’s left are the places it shouldn’t be.”
When she gave him a skeptical look, Zain broke into a blinding smile. “Let’s just say that I have a talent for finding lost planets. And an occasional lost treasure. The legend surrounding Demisie speaks of lavish architecture and art. An adventurer’s dream.”
Tess blinked at him. “Won’t they be a little upset if we just waltz in and steal their amulet?”
Zain shook his head. “I doubt it. The ship that landed on Demisie rescued the last group of survivors. They told stories of war and famine, decimating the planet’s population below maintainable levels. Those who weren’t killed in the civil war died later of disease and starvation. I’d be surprised if there’s a single living soul on Demisie right now.”
“I see,” Tess said sadly. “How many people?”
Zain replied, “At peak, probably about a million. We’re talking an entire planet here.”
Tess nodded. A whole civilization, self-destructed. She thought about Earth and its one hundred plus current wars. It could happen there, too. She would never get used to looking at life and death from a planetary level.
Cohl’s hand squeezed her thigh and she looked into his smiling face. Golden eyes narrowed, the sign of banked desire. It was enough to take her mind off Demisie’s plight.
“What else do you have, Zain?” Cohl asked.
“Not much. Nothing solid in my archives. I have a few individual reports but they are sketchy at best.”
Cohl studied the image in the holodeck. “What about the last group of survivors? Any idea where they ended up?”
Zain shook his head. “They were dropped at a central space station and dispersed from there. Even if you could track the descendents, you probably wouldn’t get much useful information from them. Specifics tend to get lost after a few generations.”
Quietly, Tess asked him, “Do civilizations die like this all the time?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But then again, new ones are always starting,” Zain said with an encouraging smile.
She closed her eyes. “Of course.” But the people Demisie were gone. And now she was going to steal one of their precious artifacts, a link to the past and a world lost forever. Robbing their graves. Would others follow? Would they strip and scatter Demisie’s civilization across the galaxy? She thought about the pyramids, Stonehenge, the odd wonders on Earth that seemed so unEarthly. Were they the historical crumbs from another world?
“Tess?” Cohl’s voice was close and tender.
She opened her eyes to find all three men looking at her. With a weak smile, she replied, “Sorry.” She pushed up from the table. “You’ll have to excuse me. I promised Beckye that I’d help her with the meal.”
Tess shot Cohl a look before heading for the door. “Don’t be long. I’m looking forward to hearing a few war stories.”
Rayce whistled long and low after the door closed behind her. He leaned back in his chair and propped a boot up on a nearby chair. “Cohl looks a little tired, don’t you think, Zain?”
Beside him, Zain examined Cohl intently. “Sure does. Something must be keeping him awake nights.”
Cohl crossed his arms and endured the friendly grilling he knew he would get sooner or later.
Rayce leaned his head toward Zain conspiratorially. “Maybe he found a night job. Those are hell on your body.”
Zain nodded. “Or an undercover operation. Brutal hours.”
“Are you two just about done?” Cohl asked in a bored tone.
Zain and Rayce both shook their heads in unison.
Cohl laughed. “She’s a good woman.”
Zain’s eyebrows raised. “Planning on keeping her around for a while?”
Cohl’s expression sobered. “Only until the mission is completed. Then I have to take her back.”
“Now why would you want to do that?” Rayce said in a slow drawl.
Cohl stared at the table for a moment before answering. “I abducted her off Earth for this mission. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of but I had no choice.”
He stood up and paced the room. “At first, it was so clear. Just find her, secure the amulet, and get my father back. Simple plan.”
He stopped and ran a hand through his hair. “But something happened. Something I didn’t expect.”
He looked up in time to catch the amused look exchanged between Zain and Rayce. “It’s not what you think. This entire mission has gone right to hell. I don’t want her to get hurt or worse. I’ve already tried to send her back but there’s a problem.”
Rayce muttered low, “Does it involve a cold bed?”
Cohl ignored him. “The minute I identified her as the key to freeing the amulet, I placed a price on her head. Now she’s not safe anywhere. She has already been abducted by the Traka-Nor. There’s no way I’ll let the Traka-Sou or anyone else get their hands on her again.”
He didn’t realize how threatening he looked with his eyes fierce, his fists clenched, and his entire body taut, until he glanced at the two other men in the room. They both regarded him with raised eyebrows.
“And there’s another problem.” He stalked over, retrieved a data pad from the table, and handed it to Rayce. “I received this file shortly after Rommol contacted me about my father.”
Rayce took the data pad, scanned it, and then glanced up at Cohl. “What is it?”
“A song, the song,” Cohl replied simply. “The song that unlocks the amulet. Complete with voice match analysis and music.”
Rayce swore low. “How convenient.”
Cohl nodded. “Isn’t it though? You think it’s legit?”
Rayce shook his head. “No way of telling. There’s more,” he murmured. Then his head came up. “Cohl, this is a description of the find, traps and all. Who sent this?”
“Good question. It came in a one-way, untraceable transmission shortly after my father was captured. I had Beckye working on it for days. Nothing.”
“It could be a setup,” Rayce offered.
Cohl rubbed the back of his neck. “Pretty elaborate setup. Frankly, I don’t think the Trakas are that smart.”
Rayce tossed the data pad on the table. “Either way, it smells bad, Cohl. What does Tess think?”
Silence hung while Cohl sat down and leaned back in his chair.
Rayce asked, “You did tell her, right?”
Cohl blew out a long breath. “Not exactly.”
There was a collective groan from Rayce and Zain.
Cohl raised a hand in self-defense. “I explained about the traps and the danger in screwing up the song. She just doesn’t know that the information we are going on is less than credible.”
“Not everyone appreciates your warped sense of adventure like we do. I suggest you talk to her soon,” Zain pressed. “I’d hate to hear of your untimely death.”
Rayce looked around. “Speaking of untimely deaths, did that overbearing robot of yours finally become obsolete? Shouldn’t he be butting in on this conversation?”
Jumping at the change of subject, Cohl replied, “Pitz is keeping an eye on Trakas for me. I want him close in case we fail or Rommol turns out to be more of an idiot than I already think he is.”
“So let me get this straight,” Rayce said, tapping a finger on the table. “You’ve got both sides after you now? How’d you manage that?”
Cohl shook his head. “Damned if I know. First, Rommol kidnapped my father for the amulet. Then Gothyk, leader of the Traka-Sou, discovered that I was looking for the key to the amulet, so he’s been on my ass almost since I started. After that, I had to deal with some of Rommol’s renegades. What can I say? I’m popular these days.”
Zain frowned. “I didn’t detect anyone following you but if I were you, I wouldn’t stay in one place too long.”
“We won’t. As soon as we finish eating, Speculator will be in hyperspace.”
Rayce stood and stretched. “Then let’s move.” He grinned wide at Cohl. “Over dinner, I’ll fill you in on my new venture.”
Cohl groaned. “If I just say yes now, will you go away?”
“Forget it,” Zain said as he got to his feet. “If I have to suffer through the pitch, so do you.” He shot Cohl a long look. “Unless you can find a way to keep Beckye at bay. Can’t you send her to the VirtuWav a few times a day?”
Cohl laughed hard and slapped Zain on the back. “Tried that. She keeps burning out the power supply.”
Alone in his office, Cohl listened to the gentle hum of Speculator in hyperspace en route to Demisie. He studied the statistics from Zain’s holodeck image. He owed Zain for this one and mentally added it to the collective pool of favors Zain, Cohl, and Rayce had established over the past ten years. It was nice to be able to count on someone to cover your back on a regular basis.
Cohl stared at the red haze where Demisie was hidden and felt the rush he always got with the thrill of the hunt.
Normally that rush would be a welcomed part of the adventuring process. However, this wasn’t going to be a regular acquisition. This time was different. This time his father’s life was on the line. And so was Tess’s.
Uneasiness invaded. His hand clenched into a tight fist. He would protect her at all costs. With his last breath, he would make sure she got safely back to Earth where she belonged. Back to her dreams and her lifewithout him in it.
The comm unit buzzed in Cohl’s ear. He activated the unit. “What is it, Beckye?”
“Pitz for you,” she snapped.
Cohl grimaced. Apparently, Zain had dodged her. There’d be hell to pay for weeks.
“Put him through.”
The comm crackled. “Sir?”
“Pitz. How is it going?” Cohl leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.
“We are in position, sir.”
“Anyone bothered you yet?”
Pitz replied, “No. I do not believe they will either. The Traka-Nor intership operations appear disjointed and sporadic. The military structure is not well organized and there does not appear to be a coherent ranking system among them.”
Good, Cohl thought. The last thing he needed was a well-coordinated military force. On the other hand, that left a lot of room for rebels and traitors.
“What about communications traffic?”
Pitz replied, “We currently possess all the Traka-Nor encryption codes. Therefore, I can intercept intership and planetary transmissions. Several recent communications place both Rommol and Gothyk on-planet in their respective residences.”
“Have you uncovered any information on my father?”
The line buzzed. “Nothing helpful except that he is currently detained somewhere close to Rommol’s position.”
Cohl nodded. “I figured that. Let me know if you detect any unusual activity. And, Pitz, somehow you must get a definite fix on my father. If you don’t hear from me within four days after we reach Demisie, you will have to initiate a rescue.”
