Finish the Science Fiction Story

Cafe Society
81

The Exegesis II approached the controlled space around Valis 5 and the bland voice a planet spacecraft controller sounded in the cockpit, “Unidentified Exegesis class ship, this is Valis 5 Control. Please provide your universal spacecraft identification code.”

“Copy, Valis 5 Control,” Said Tobe from the pilots chair. “Sending I.D. code on open channel.”

A brief moment passed.

“Valis 5 Control to Exegesis ship, we have received USIC,” said the controller. “Approved approach vector has been transmitted. Please proceed to Space Station Niner One Niner. Welcome to Valis 5.”

Tobe set the auto-pilot controls to the transmitted coordinates.

At the same time a message was sent to the Jewel of Novon. Receiving the information from the communications officer, Captain Verless approved payment to the messenger and headed towards Vorpal’s quarters.

82

Kathy was very relieved to disembark the Exegesis II. She tolerated spaceflight well but did not enjoy the sense of confinement, much as people in earlier centuries had tolerated travel in airplanes, or the later, low orbit shuttles. And besides, it felt like it had been way too long since she had been able to bathe properly.

“Tobe, I just have to get clean! It’s going to take some time for a message to get through to Prof. Kenezr, can we at least get a place here at the port?” she pleaded.

“Kathy, it might be risky to be apart just now” he countered

“But who would know we were here? After all, this wasn’t where we planned to end up. Come on, if you are that worried, come with me so you will know where I will be, then you can leave and make the com arrangements to Laxis Prime.”

Tobermory gave in and together they found a room at a port hostel. The amenities were basic, but it did have a shower and a clothing 'fresher. The latter was not necessarily considered a frill, because all too often travelers would arrive, for one reason or another, with just the clothes on their back. Kathy reached up to start unbuttoning her blouse, and suddenly stopped, and went into the bathing cubicle first, shutting the door behind her. It seemed wierd to be so modest though, especially when she knew Tobe had seen her in her birthday suit many times. But he’d just been a cat then. She heard her companion call that he was leaving, then gratefully took a long, hot soaking. Emerging from the shower stall she pulled on a long robe provided, and wrapped her hair in a fluffy towel. She heard footsteps in the room outside and thought Tobe had returned. Opening the door she stepped out and exclaimed cheerily "I feel human again!

“Oh really?” said the person holding the stunner that was pointed directly at her.

83

As Robert and Martel attempted to make themselves noticed by pounding on the doors, a pre-recorded voice began speaking. “We are sorry to inform you that access to this facility is denied at this time. If you wish to leave a message, please step back, face into the security camera as indicated, and speak briefly and clearly.” Both couriers cursed in frustration and held a hurried conversation in low tones. Then they turned beck to the camera and Martel stepped forward again.

“First, we are assuming that you will have heard on the university newsnet that Prof. Kenezr is missing. Foul play of some sort is suspected of course. Now, we have been at the residence of Prof. Kenezr, and what we found in one of his books may interest you. It appears that not all crystals are manufactured artifacts, as we have been led to believe. But you knew that didn’t you? So unless you help us to get the professor back, we are going to that newsnet office in the Fox building and tell them that *some * crystals are…well, why spoil the surprise?”

For a moment Martel and Robert thought their little message had truly fallen on deaf ears. Then a buzzer sounded, the door opened slightly, and a pleasantly modulated voice told them to enter.

84

At the very moment Martel and Robert entered the room, they knew something was wrong.

There were only three others in the room, and they were still seated at the long table that dominated the room. They were also wearing what looked like ancient Mayan ceremonial masks.

The figure in the chair closest to them rose up and moved towards them. Apparantly gliding along the floor, as the figure’s legs did not move beneath the robes.

Martel grasped what this meant at once.

“You are Wayre?!”

“I see that the professor has indeed taught you well,” came the answer from behind the mask.

“But, the Wayre is fiction. An old wives’ tale. A children’s horror story,” complained Robert in shock and disbelief.

“Fiction? Ah, yes. A uniquely Human device.”

The figure was now no more than two feet away from Robert, but Martel had been warily backing away to the door where they had entered.

“ROBERT! RUN!” Martel shouts as he bolts behind the large double doors back out into the night. Running as fast as he can, this time away from chamber, he feels waves of panic, fear, and loathing almost overcoming him. Recognizing it for the Wayre attack the Professor had once described to him as a class exercize, he began the ritual mind control techniques he had thought would never be needed again. Indeed, they hadn’t been used in over a thousand years anywhere else other than Valis 5. He hoped Robert had gotten away in time, but he was too occupied now to know for sure.

On Valis 5, Kathy was staring disbelief at who had addressed her so threateningly.

85

“Who the hell are you?” Kathy asked, more mad than scared. Her house had been destroyed, she’d been ill, she’d learned that a crystal had been implanted in her body that gave her strange powers, and she had a horrible suspicion she was falling in love with her former house cat. She was in no mood for shenanigins.

“Never mind that,” her visitor growled. Kathy couldn’t easily identify the species. It was probably a half or quarter breed of something. “You’re coming with me.”

“Oh, I am, am I?” Kathy frowned and sent out a flick of energy. The creature’s stunner flew across the room, still attached to most of his arm. He fell to the floor, howling.

Tobe rushed into the room. “Oh, Mother, Kathy, what have you done?”

“You said something about Kine. He was trying to kidnap me, so I tried to take away his weapon. I guess I still don’t have much control.”

Tobe knelt beside the intruder. “Tell me who you are and who you’re working for. Then we’ll get you some help.” Kathy handed him some towels, and he pressed them to the gushing stump. “I’ll take this away and let you bleed to death if you don’t start talking now.”

The creature looked up at Tobe, his eyes wide with fear. “Please, I don’t know who she is. There’s just a bounty on her head.”

“Who’s paying the bounty?” Tobe snarled. Kathy started gathering her gear together and pulliing her clothes out of the 'fresher. They were still a bit damp.

“Vorp—” the creature said, then he collapsed, dead.

“Damn, I thought we’d had more time. I’ve contacted the Professor, but it will be a while before we hear back from him,” Tobe turned toward Kathy. “We need to find a place to hide while we’re waiting for the Professor to reply. Let’s go.”

“Where?” Kathy asked.

“Anywhere but here.” The two hurried out of the lodging room and headed toward the inner bowels of Port City.

86

As they turned down a crowded corridor, Tobe stopped dead in his tracks and cocked his head. Kathy went a few steps further then turned around. “What…?” she began but Tobe cut her off. “Thought I heard something.” The pair resumed running then Tobe stopped again. “Now I know I heard something.”

“Funny, I haven’t heard anything,” Kathy said.

“Didn’t think you would, it’s probably too high for a human.” He paused. “Someone’s whistling a Xavvian code!” He paused again. “It’s an old recogntion code, but it’s Xavvian all right.” He turned toward the source of the whistle and spotted a lanky humanoid. The humanoid had obviously been versed in felinoid customs for he was wearing the traditional blue sash of someone providing sanctuary.

“He wants us to follow him,” said Kathy, then she flushed. She did it again! Quickly composing herself she asked, “Now what’s he doing?”

“He seems to be signaling another felinoid.” Tobe scanned the crowd and noticed a female felinoid headed toward the humanoid. She was also wearing a blue sash.

Kathy leaned toward Tobe and whispered, “She has a crystal, too!”

87

How he ended up in the tavern Martel never knew. His mind had been roiling with shock, fear, and shame. The latter emotion was generated by leaving his friend and fellow courier Robert behind. But what else could he have done?

Thankfully his distracted manner wasn’t all that noticable in the noisy drinking establishment, which catered to students of many backgrounds. The tall screens around the tiny booth also partially shielded him from prying eyes, but he did order a Laxian beer, spiked with zerfa, for camoflage. Now that he had time to think questions were boiling up in his mind. Had that panel of beings been waiting just for him and Robert? If so, why? Wayre belief had survived. obviously, but how deeply had it actually infiltrated into the FTU? Martel thought it couldn’t be that far or it’s existence would have been more well known. But Prof. Kenezr must have known * something*, or he wouldn’t have presented the mind-control exercises to his classes, as a defense. So was Prof. Kenezr playing along with them? And what really HAD happened to Kenezr?

After a couple more Laxians had settled him Martel, more or less, had his thoughts organized. He was sure that whatever things looked like, he could trust Prof Kenezr and his actions. So the discovery Robert had made in Kenezr’s book, about crystals, obviously made the Wayrians feel threatened. He would need to find out more about that. Finally, the professor must be found, and also Robert.

Martel, being a student courier, had rarely attempted mind-to-mind linking, and then under supervised conditions. But he had been on the recieving end a number of times( witness the earlier comm from M’Kayla, about Tobe and the courier) Martel decided that if M’kayla had thought he should know about them, then she herself would be interested in knowing about events on Laxis Prime involving Kenezr. After doing the initial exercises he “reached” for M’kayla, who was considerably surprised to hear from him in that manner. But she indicated she would inform Commander Trontiann of events surrounding the Prof., and encourage him to look for Tobe and Kathy personally.

After Martel let the connection go a server leaned into his booth.

“You need anything else?”

“No, thanks, I’ll be going soon. Can I have the tab?”

“Sure thing! And oh, I almost forgot, a guy told me to give you this.”

“Huh? How did anyone know I was here?”

“Dont ask me, I just work here” and she tossed what appeared to be a small piece of paper onto the table.

88

Kathy heard a voice in her head but this time it wasn’t any of her doing. “Do not be alarmed, we’re here to help. My name is M’kayla and he’s Kal, we’re from the other Kaalon ship that Professor Kenezr hired. Kal is from this planet and has some friends nearby. We should be safe with Vicki Channing while we work out what to do next.”

89

Kathy thought it deliciously ironic that she and Tobermory were now involved, after so much else happening, with someone whom they had been almost close enough to smell in non-space, Well, close in a relative way, just a little joke. But thinking in food terms made her realize she was hungry again. It seemed like she was always ready to eat now. Maybe it was just stress.

M’Kayla and Kal led Kathy and Tobe through the bustling, surprisingly narrow streets of Port City. Sometimes they entered a building, only to simply pass through it to it’s other side. Kathy assumed it was to shake followers, and she was about to ask, when Tobermory spoke up first.

"Did you say Vicki Channing? Any relation to…?

“His daughter” Kal answered. “The old man is off planet now with VC Jr. He and Vicki are twins. Victor Sr. is testing a new model ship, a sort of stealth vessel, and he had to go into non-space for testing.”

Tobe and Kathy glanced at each other. Uh oh. Couldn’t be. Nah.

“Umm, did this ship, by any chance, have a skin that sort of changed colors, like a Xavvian knaffel?” inquired Tobe.

Now it was Kal and M’kayla’s turn to look at each other.

“How in the name of the Pouch did you know that?” M’kayla shot back, in a not entirely cordial manner.

“Well, I think we saw it” Kathy answered for her companion.

“HOW? WHEN?”

“Just as we came out of non-space, it was going in.” Tobe and Kathy had to do some more fast talking, but as the four of them reached the door of a non-descript warehouse M’Kayla and Kal seemed to believe them. M’Kayla ran her hand over the security panel and the group passed inside to what seemed to be a machine shop that was as ordinary as the outside of the building had been. They passed unremarked across the floor and entered a lift that sped them up a few stories. The door opened and Kathy blinked, for drab workplace had been replaced with an elegant apartment setting that seemed to take up the whole floor. A young woman was advancing towards them, dressed in(Kathy thought enviously)expensively casual clothes that screamed king’s ransom. Both her hands were outstretched in greeting and she smiled as she greeted them “I’m Vicki Channing. I’m dying to hear what you have to tell us, but first things first! Can I offer you any refreshment?”

Kathy could have wept in gratitude.

90

It took some time for Tobermory and Kathy to tell the story of what had happened to them after their abrupt departure from Ceres. Vicki, Kal and M’Kayla all listened intently, occasionally interrupting to ask a question or clarify some point.

Vicki Channing seemed most concerned that the Teacher’s Union, through Prof. Kenezr, was involved. "I don’t know the whole story myself, but they had some kind of run in. I think it had to do with elements of the FTU encouraging the unionization here on Valis 5, that took VMC out of Dad’s control.

M’Kayla, being a trained courier, was deeply alarmed at Tobe’s mention of Wayre and Kine, and Kathy’s exhibition of power that may or may not be connected to it. “I know of Prof. Kenezr through my pouch cousin Martel. Martel never spoke ill of him, and for him to be so worried for him seems to indicate respect at least. But for Kenezr to secretly plant a crystal in Kathy, perhaps intending to harness whatever talent he believed she has, well, good intentions are no excuse.”

Now Tobermory spoke up. "That’s what has bothered me as well. When I found out Kenezr had done this without permission, without even giving Kathy a choice, I was stunned. When Prof. Kenezr asked me to play the part of a “cat” I agreed because I assumed Kathy knew what had happened. Kenezr told me it wasn’t an ordinary crystal, that he had created it to incorporate some of his own discoveries and theories. You just don’t *do * something like that to an unsuspecting subject.

Kathy, finally feeling sated, wiped her mouth with a real linen napkin(the refreshment had expanded into a very long lunch). “You think *you’re * upset? What about me? He was my student mentor! I trusted him! If he knew about my background or my abilities, why wouldn’t he ask? I may have said yes. I mean, I still like him I think, but we are going to have some *words, * that I can tell you. I want to know if this thing has any connection to my hearing the voices in non-space, especially my parents.”

The little council finally adjourned after making certain arrangements. Vicki would post urgent coded messages to contacts of her father, so that when he returned out of non-space he would get in touch with them as quickly as possible. M’Kayla would give Kathy some rudimentary courier education, at least to the extent of controling her “impulses” Cutting off arms without meaning to is bound to cause talk. Finally, Tobermory and Kal would make discreet inquiries through trusted contacts, in order to find out what was now happening on Laxis Prime. Prof. Kenezr must be found!

91

Suddenly Kathy doubled over in pain. Tobe rushed to her side as she fell to the floor, shrieking in agony. Vicki and M’Kayla rushed for scanners as Tobe grabbed Kathy’s flailing hand.

“Kathy, Kathy, tell me what’s wrong?”

“It hurts, oh Mother, it hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttss!”

“What hurts, Kathy? The crystal?”

But Kathy couldn’t respond. Vicki injected her with a pain masker, and she fell into Tobe’s arms, gasping and sweating in relief.

“Quick, Kathy,” Vicki said. “The masker won’t last long. Tell us what’s wrong,” she urged, while M’Kayla rapidly passed a scanner over Kathy’s midsection.

“My stomach…it seemed like someone or something was yanking the crystal out…I’ve never felt anything so intense before.”

M’Kayla snapped the scanner shut and nodded to Vicki. “Inject her with 6 picograms of Tetrahex.”

“What’s that?” Kathy asked, but she sagged into unconsiousness as Vicki pressed the plunger.

“What’s going on?” Tobe asked frantically. “What’s happening to Kathy?”

“Someone with an illegal crystal is trying to access her crystal. She’s got elevated resonance frequencies. It’s because she has an authorized crystal implanted, and someone with a pirated one is trying to contact her. The frequencies don’t match, and her crystal is trying to compensate.”

Kal spoke up. “We’re going to have to keep her sedated. If her conscious brain tries to react to the crystal that’s trying to contact her, she will die.”

“Well, what do we do now?” Tobe asked.

“Same as what we were going to do,” M’Kayla replied. “Find out where Professor Kenezr is.”

92

Good one ivylass! Great connecting material there!

93

Thanks, Baker. I’m so intimidated by this thread, I’m glad I was able to connect a dot without f—ing it up too badly! :slight_smile:

94

Martel lookd at the piece of paper dropped on the table as though it were a pit viper. Looking around the room, he tried to see if anyone was watching him or looking his way. He caught the eye of a young girl who smiled at him at wiggled her empty glass as though suggesting he buy her a drink.

“That’s probably who the note was from,” he thought, and slid out from his seat, pocketing the note.

“Well, hello handsome,” the girl said as he approached her at the bar. “I was wondering if you were ever going to notice me.”

“How could I not notice such a marvelous example of the Human female?” countered Martel, signaling the bartender for two of whatever it was she had just finished. “Besides, how could ignore the note you sent me?”

“Note? What note? I was just trying to catch your eye. Maybe I have some copetition, hmmm?”

Martel nervously says, “Um, could hold that thought? I’ll be right back.” And makes his way through the crowd to the 'fresher where he could read the note in private. “Maybe it is just another pick up line,” he thought.

Out of sight of the others, he reaches into his pocket and looks at the note.

A feeling of sadness, mixed with fear and anger washed over him. Composing himself, he stepped back out to the bar to make a break from the cruising girl. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he was thinking of just how to word his excuse.

But, she wasn’t there at the bar. A quick glance around showed her to be no where near the bar.

“You snooze, you lose,” offerred an unkempt looking humanoid with largish eyes. “She’s having fun with some other cat, you know?”

Martel glared at him, then turned to leave, but the creature grabbed him by his arm and said again, “You snooze. You lose.”

“You sent me the note!”

“Yes,” said the unclean humanoid, “Let’s go somewhere we can talk…”

95

Several hours after President Vorpal and Professor Kenezr had their unfriendly little reunion, the Jewel of Novon arrived at Vorpal’s space station, Captain Largo following close behind at the helm of his own ship.
Kenezr had spent the entire trip since his meeting with Vorpal thinking back over everything. The ease with which Astrid had kidnapped he galled Kenezr, clearly he’d taken too much for granted, including the loyalty of all members of the Floginim Brotherhood. Only the presence of a traitor within the organization could explain how Lar’gorn’Yem had gotten to him.
He himself was far too familiar with the ways of deception. He’d lied to everyone about Kathy and the crystal she carried within her. Only her mother had known the truth, and she was dead. Vorpal had nothing but suspicions, but his suspicions were correct, and Kenezr’s failure to make even token denials during their meeting had only confirmed that. Now that he knew for certain that Kathy was precisely what he suspected her to be, he would only step up his efforts to acquire her.
And when Kathy learned the truth . . . But no. Kathy was not his daughter. As hard as it was to accept the fact, Jacine had been weak. Unable to come to terms her true nature, she’d allowed herself to fall into Vorpal’s hands, too weak and confused to fight him off, and he‘d used her for his own purposes. Kathy was made of stronger stuff. He’d done all he could to make certain this was so, first from a distance, and later as her teacher and mentor. But he hadn’t told her the truth and that mistake might him her friendship and if Astrid got to her, it might cost billions their lives.

96

The humanoid led Martel away from the university, taking a twisting path down a series of alleys. They eventually came to a very large door. As the humanoid reached for the access panel, he flashed a toothy smile at Martel. The smile took Martel by surprise for he had not expected such an unpleasant looking fellow to have such good teeth! But that surprise was nothing compared to what awaited them on the other side of the door.

A few seconds after the humanoid placed his hand on the panel, the massive door slid open and the pair were bombarded by a cacophony of loud music. It seemed impossible for such a large door to move so quickly but it did and in a few moments Martel and his guide were inside a huge domed area. It was like being in a never-ending party, reminiscent of the Las Vegas strip on Old Earth. The humanoid and the felinoid continued on, down several flights of spiral staircase then they came to another door. This one opened up to reveal an immaculate office. The humanoid spoke. “Welcome to Laxon Central, Martel.”

“How do you know my name?”

“We’re the information-gathering arm of the FTU. We like to think that hardly anything happens anywhere without our knowing but that hasn’t been the case lately.” Martel opened his mouth but before he could say anything, the humanoid spoke for him. “Let me guess, you don’t believe any of this.” Martel shook his head. “Appearances can be deceiving.” The humanoid removed his mask to reveal that he’s really a Renallian. “I’m Sector Chief tKani’sav. Please, have a seat.”

97

Goodness, what an explosion of great posts! Yesterday, when the boards were so slow, was dreary, but today is fantastic.

Aboard the Echo II the shakedown flight and testing had been completed. Both Channings were immensely pleased with the results. The ship had performed just as they hoped it would, and Victor Sr. figured he had a winner that would get VMC back in his pocket.

Together with the rest of the crew they clinked glasses of Dionysian, a champagne whose grapes were raised and bottled on Ceres, where Kathy had been employed as a teacher.

“To a new VMC!” they exulted.

After the little ceremony father and son retired to a small office cabin. The two worked well together, as there was genuine affection in the Channing family. Victor Jr. and his sister had not been raised to be spoiled brats, whatever advantages they’d had. The son had worked most closely with his father on design and engineering, and Victor Sr. thought privately his son’s talent surpassed his own. Vicki had not been so interested in mechanics, but, despite her youth, had proved to be a prodigy at third party organization and business negotiation. The latter had been necessary to keep Victor Sr.'s name out of things, while he struggled to get VMC back.

“Vic, as soon as we re-enter real space I want you to send a comm to Comm. Trontiann. Set up a private meeting so we can go over the Echo II results. He’s going to captain for me openly once we get VMC back. That’s why I helped him with his ship re-fittings.”

“Why not go ahead and use the inter space comm unit we worked with?” asked Jr.

“I don’t want to take even the smallest chance that there will be a leak that we’ve finally solved the question of communication between real and non-space.”

The Echo II slid quietly back into real space. When it neared planetary orbit around Valis 5 both men were surprised to find an urgent message waiting for them from Vicki. Even uncoded it read only “You are needed at home” The eyes of father and son widened at the use of “needed”, which indicated the highest level of urgency.

98

“You are insane!” Tobe declared. “You will kill yourself!”

M’Kayla ignored him, setting up Vicki’s sound system to play some soothing chime music from Ceres. Kal stood back, glaring.

“You can’t do this!” Tobe repeated. “Three-way crystal syncs are only performed in a medical center for a reason!”

M’Kayla shook back her hair. “We have to find out who is trying to access Kathy. I can use my powers to sync with her crystal and reach out to the pirated one. Then we can find out who has it. It should be fairly simple. There’s only two options.”

“What do you mean?” Tobe cried out. Felinoids had a tendency to be high-strung, and his feelings for Kathy weren’t helping him to think clearly just now.

“You said the person who tried to kidnap Kathy said someone named ‘Vorp’ was behind it. That’s either President Vorpal or the Advorpessian government.”

“M’Kayla, you could die.”

“It’s a distinct possibility,” Kal said. Vicki was busily organizing the medkits. “Only the most skilled couriers can syncronize three crystals at once. The fact that one of them is a rogue crystal will make it more difficult.”

“Listen, Tobe, there’s only two choices. I won’t be linked for very long. I should be able to get in and out with a minimum of danger.”

Tobe shook his head. “This is crazy. You could die.”

M’Kayla shrugged. “My choice. Now, I’m going to meditate to get centered. I will tell you when I am ready, and you will need to bring Kathy to me. The music will help, and as long as we’re not interrupted I should be safe.” She nodded to Vicki and Kal and stalked off to Vicki’s conservatory, where the perfurme from the flowers and trees and the gurgle of the indoor brook would contribute to soothe her. Which she needed desperately. She’d only seen one three way sync, and it had ended hideously.

But M’Kayla knew this information was vital, not only to the empire but to her beloved Trontiann. She curled up on the floor, closed her eyes, and began to empty her mind of everything but the calming sensory input.

99

Martel took a seat in a chair made from imitation knaffel skins while tKani’sav circled behind the glass and metal desk toward another imitation knaffel-skin chair. tKani’sav grunted a bit as he sat down because the chair was a tad small for him; this wasn’t his usual office. “Wait, this is the Information Management branch?” Martel asked. “I thought that was the Floginim.”

“No, they’re part of Administration. We in the Laxon are afraid that something has been corrupting the Floginim and they have something to do with the recent decrease in the amount of information passing through here. We do know that President Vorpal is somehow involved, we were fortunate to intercept a transmission to his ship from Valis 5. He may also responsible for the disappearance of Professor Kenezr.”

“What does all this have to do with me?”

“We know you had some…difficulty…with the Floginim.”

“I wouldn’t put it that mildly. And you are aware that I wasn’t alone, right?”

“Of course.” tKani’sav keyed an intercom and spoke into it, “Send in the other one.”

A doorway materialized to the right of the office’s main entrance and a human strode through the opening. Martel turned toward him and exclaimed, “Robert!”

100

After receiving the message from his daughter Victor Channing Sr. sent several of his own, while his son worked at arranging for shuttle transport to the surface. There were not so many prying eyes in high orbit, and neither Channing wanted the Echo II examined any more closely than necessary.

Victor Sr. was surprised to find that Comm. Trontiann was already present on Valis 5. Although, as he’d said to his son, he wanted a meeting arranged between them, he hadn’t expected Trontiann to have returned so soon from his private hire expedition. Channing hadn’t asked who it was for, insofar as he trusted anyone other than family he trusted Trontiann, knowing that his aid in ship design had been a tremendous boon to the man. Victor Jr. had not made his shuttle contacts yet, so Trontiann met the two men in a hired vessel, contracted from the port for such services. As they traveled to the surface Victor Sr. spoke first.

“Kal, we’ll talk results later, but first, I didn’t expect to see you in the flesh again so soon. Care to enlighten me?”

Trontiann’s skin darkened in anger, even further than it’s ordinary gunstock brown hue. “Where to begin? My Kaalon was sabotaged en route to the escort duty I’d contracted for. We all got back in one piece, but we lost our hire in non-space. I’ve never left a hire behind before! Some garb-plugging idiot is going to pay for that! And then, when we *do * get here, it’s to find our hire has already arrived before us, but before I could get to them they’ve disappeared into the port. M’Kayla got a call and left on courier business(Trontian had trusted Victor with the information that M’Kayla had a crystal). Three guesses and the first two don’t count as to who her business is with. Everyone’s at your place now, with Vicki, and something peculiar seems to be going on. Vicki commed me, among others, so that we would be on the lookout for you as soon as you got back. She wants you there badly, though, and that girl doesn’t rattle easily. I tell you, I’m never going to have FTU dealings again if I can help it. The Xavvians can be touchy but…”

“Did you say FTU dealings?” Victor Jr blurted out.

“I did. It was a professor named Kenezr who hired me and Granthiaxav, seperately. Sneaky bastard. The hire was outbound from Ceres, a human and a Xavvian, on the run. Based on what little M’kayla has been able to tell me, this all seems to revolve around the human.”

Victor Channing sat back and thought long and hard on the rest of the flight. His daughter was no fool, and since her message had contained such urgency, he figured he’d better hold off on discussing the results of the Echo II shakedown, and give Vicki his full attention. After docking, the Channings and Trontiann made record time to the machine shop/home base residence of the family. Vicki met them in the entranceway.

“Dad, I’m so glad to see you, but please, everything is set up nowthere isn’t much time now until M’Kayla begins her syncing attempt.”

The little group progressed to where Kathy lay, still sedated, on a low pallet. Tobermory was watching her anxiously, and M’Kayla, her mind now as rested as it would be, was seated at her side, nearly ready to begin the three way syncing. Her eyes closed, she began to make a low whistling noise, similar in tone to the recognition code she’d uttered earlier.