fortuneswheel (27 page)

* * *

Vanna was in the general medical area when the survivor of the crashed scouter was brought in. She glanced at him in passing, then stopped.
"Hey!" she called out to the orderlies who were taking him to one of the emergency treatment rooms. "Wait a minute!"
They stopped, the floater bobbing gently between them. "Yes, Physician?"
She ran over to them and looked closely at the male lying unconscious under the bloodstained cover.
"I'll see to him," she said abruptly. "Take him up to my lab."
"But, Physician..."
"I gave you an order," she said.
"Very well, Physician," the orderly said, turning round to tow the floater toward Vanna's lab.

* * *

Tallinu came round as Vanna finished spraying his thigh with sealant.
"Are you in pain?" she asked, binding a dressing over the wound.
"My shoulders," he said, his voice barely audible. "I fell through the trees. And my leg."
Vanna loaded her hypo and gave him a shot in the arm, then sat down beside him.
"I want to know exactly what you were doing in that crashed scouter, Kaid," she said.
He lay there silently.
"Don't try to play dead with me. I know you're conscious, I can tell by your readings on the telemetry comm. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call Security, Kaid. Or is it Tallinu?" she asked, dangling his ID tag in front of him.
"Don't call Security," he said, eyes flicking open. Slowly his head turned to face her. "Was I the only survivor?"
"Yes. The other three died in the explosion."
The tension went out of his face. "Gods, I feel like shit," he groaned. "What's the extent of my injuries?"
"I'm still waiting for my answer, Kaid, or whoever you are," she said, her voice taking on a hard edge.
"It's Kaid Tallinu," he said tiredly. "You're Garras' companion, aren't you?"
Vanna's ears flicked angrily. "Yes, if you need to put it like that."
"He'll tell you. I'm working for your friend Kusac now."
"What?" The shock was evident in her voice.
"Ask Garras," he repeated. "Your turn. Tell me what's broken."
"You know about your thigh injury," she said. "You've cracked a couple of ribs and probably have torn ligaments in your right shoulder as well as a couple of badly broken claws."
"I have to be on my feet again today."
"Forget it!" she said. "My patients stay put till they're capable of getting up. Ultrasound will deal with your shoulder and help your ribs, but your leg isn't going to support you for a couple of days."
He swore graphically for a full minute.
"Have you quite finished?" Vanna asked in amusement.
"Yes!" he snapped. "I've a job to do. I've got to be up today." He struggled to rise, but Vanna pushed him gently back down.
"No, you don't. In another minute the sedative I gave you will kick in. You aren't going anywhere for at least fifty-two hours."
He looked at her, eyes narrowing, then gave a slight grin. "You win. If I stay put, will you get me on my feet as soon as possible?"
"What's so urgent that you need to be up and about? What's this job you're supposed to be doing for Kusac?"
Kaid's eyes began to glaze slightly, the inner lids starting to close. "Ask Garras," he said, his words beginning to slur. "Don't tell your friend Kusac. He isn't to know. See Garras first." His voice trailed off as the drug took effect.

Vanna had tracked Garras down to his quarters. She pressed the chime and waited impatiently for him to respond. The door slid back.
"Vanna!" said Garras, surprised to see her. He stood aside for her to enter. "I thought you were on duty."
"I've been permanently attached to Kusac's staff," she said, going over to one of the easy chairs. "I'm on call, not on shifts. Did you know that a scouter crashed on Keiss earlier today?" she asked abruptly.
"Yes, I heard it mentioned when I came off duty," he said, returning to his seat. "It went down in the forest around Valleytown-exploded just after crashing. Three lives were lost. What brought it to your attention?"
"I was in the sick bay reception when the only survivor was brought in," she said, watching his face closely.
"I hope he wasn't too badly hurt."
"He wasn't, but that's not what I'm talking about, Garras, and you know it."
"Excuse me?" he said, looking baffled.
"You didn't know your friend Kaid was on board?"
"My friend Kaid?" said Garras.
"He claims to be your friend."
"Does he?"
"Garras, don't mess me around," she said, exasperated. "His name is Kaid Tallinu. He told me he was working for Kusac and that you would explain it."
"Where is he?" asked Garras brusquely, leaning toward her, the polite interest gone now.
"I had him taken to my lab as soon as I recognized him."
"Thank Vartra for your presence of mind! How badly injured is he?"
"Garras, what's going...?"
"Vanna, I haven't time to explain to you now. I need to know how badly he's injured," said Garras, cutting her short.
"A couple of cracked ribs, a puncture wound in his thigh caused by a piece of wood, and torn ligaments in one shoulder."
Garras got to his feet. "I need to see him now," he said, turning toward the door. "Come on."
"It won't do you any good," said Vanna, getting up. "I sedated him. He'll be out for about eight hours."
"Why the hell did you do that?"
"Because it isn't normal for an adjutant to be on active duty in a scouter! I know nothing about him. He could be trying to kill Carrie or Kusac for all I know."
"Quite the opposite," said Garras, stopping at the door. "In fact, this incident could have blown his cover. Can you bring him round so I can talk to him? I need to find out what has to be done to cover his tracks."
"His system's taken a hell of a beating with the injuries he's sustained, Garras. The last thing he needs is a stimulant. And I certainly won't give him one without knowing what's going on!"
"Kaid's a bodyguard. There's likely to be a search for the missing crewman that you treated, and because he was the only survivor, they'll want to question him about the accident. It won't take Security long to find out he's Kusac's adjutant and that you treated him personally. We could all very shortly find ourselves under a cloud of suspicion. All this can be avoided if you let me speak to him."
She hesitated.
He reached out and took her by the shoulder. "Vanna, trust me on this. I must talk to him now."
"All right," she conceded. "But you realize I'm doing it against my better judgment. And I want to know what the hell he was doing on the scouter!"

* * *

Vanna put her hypo gun away while Garras settled himself on a chair beside Kaid.
"Kaid, it's me, Garras," he said quietly as his friend began to stir.
Kaid's eyes flickered open, the inner lids still partially visible. "She's good, that little female of yours," he said slowly, with a wry grin. "Slipped a sedative on me, then threatened me with Security. How long have I been out?"
"An hour and a half."
"Knew you'd bring me round. Contact Draz. Tell him code Three, Seven, Green."
Garras raised an eyeridge. "Flying high."
"Very. That'll cover it. Dzaka's on board, at the temple. Tell him, too. Next, I need to get up," he said, beginning to move fretfully. "I've got to meet the Clan Leader today. It can't wait. Speak to your female. She's got to patch me up somehow."
"She can speak for herself," said Vanna coldly.
"Vanna," said Garras, turning to her. "Do it. There's more at stake than you want to know."
"I'll do it on your risk, Kaid, not mine, and only for two hours. Then I want you back here."
"Deal. Garras, I'll need robes. She mustn't see my injuries. There're some in my quarters in the Ambassadorial Suite. Where're Kusac and his mate?"
"Here," said Vanna.
"Good, then the Clan Leader can come to me, which should please you, Vanna," Kaid said with a half smile. "You can keep an eye on me then."
"Damned right I will," she growled. "For two reasons. I know where you're from."
"Vanna, we'll talk later," said Garras, putting a hand on her arm and squeezing it gently. "Leave it till then."
Reluctantly she nodded.

* * *

Kaid met Rhyasha in one of the small side rooms adjacent to Vanna's lab. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to him. "What's been going on?" she asked without preamble. "Your reports have been lacking much vital information. Why? You made no mention of the fact that the Terran girl was also my son's Leska, nor more recently of the attempt on her life."
"It wasn't relevant, Liege," said Kaid. "I told you his association with her had engendered feelings of xenophobia among certain elements of the crew, and this was the truth. As for the shooting, she wasn't the intended target. It happened two days ago and there hasn't been time to report to you. You saw for yourself the female is fine, it was only a flesh wound. I made sure there wasn't a second shot."
"I don't expect economy with the truth from you, Kaid," she said. "It's not what you've been retained to do."
"You know how I work, Liege. I made it perfectly clear from the outset that I would use my own judgment. Those were the terms of the contract. You agreed to it and have no call to question it now."
Only the swiveling of her ears betrayed her frustration. "My husband is being starved of information, too. I hoped this wouldn't be the case for me when I engaged you to see my son and his Leska were brought safely home. Her father had the right of it. There is a conspiracy of silence from everyone involved with them. Why, Kaid?"
"No one wanted to be the first to tell you that your son has an alien Leska, Liege. Especially when the fate of the treaty depends on their parents."
"That explains the Commander and the guild," she snapped, "but not you!"
"I sent you your son's file," he said. "It confirmed your suspicions. You knew then that she was Terran."
Her temper evaporated. "Thank Vartra you did. My son owes his life to you finding that file and sending it to his physician. Without her intervention both of them would be dead. Gods, Kaid. This is a mess!" She moved over to the seat opposite him. "Do you know what he plans to do?"
"Yes, Liege. I learned yesterday when you did," he said ironically.
"He'll give up everything to marry her. Position, family, his hope of children, the lot, all for this Terran female. I don't understand it, Kaid. What is there about her that he feels this strongly? You've seen them together, do you know?"
"No, Liege, but I can hazard a guess. She's unlike anyone else he's ever met. He feels she needs to be protected where our females are independent. Then there're their experiences on Keiss, and lastly the Link. All this has bonded them to each other in a way nothing else could."
She sighed. "Well, it's done now, and I'll do what I can to help them. This anti-Terran movement, what are you doing about it? What was the shooting about?"
"The Commander preempted my plans because of the shooting and had them moved up to the Ambassadorial level. The male involved was one of the dissidents and he was intending to murder their leader because of a personal disagreement. At the last moment Kusac and Carrie came between him and his target and he decided to shoot her instead."
"The situation is far more complex than I had realized," said Rhyasha. "What have you done about the other dissidents?"
"They have all been terminated."
"What? I didn't authorize you to kill people!" Her tone was one of outrage and horror.
"My experience and judgment are why you hired me, Liege. Restructuring their social outlook wouldn't guarantee the safety of your son and his Leska. Termination makes it definite," he said, a note of tiredness creeping into his voice.
"Once Kusac and Carrie are home, then your contract has been fulfilled," said Rhyasha coldly. "I'll have no more killings."
"Would you have left the dissidents to start again?" he asked, raising an eye ridge.
"Of course not! But I didn't wish them killed."
"In my judgment, the risk to your son and his Leska warranted that course of action, and the Brotherhood will back me. I'm afraid that my contract won't be done when we return to Shola."
"What do you mean?"
"When I took your contract it was concurrent with another to guard the same people. That won't expire when we return to Shola."
"You can't accept two contracts at the same time!" exclaimed Rhyasha. "It's against your guild principles. Without that certainty of knowing you will honor a contract, it makes a mockery of what you do!"
"The two are concurrent, Liege, not disparate. My second contract doesn't expire with their return to Shola."
"Who's it with?" she demanded. "You have compromised our agreement and I wish to know with whom."
"I can't tell you, Liege, just as I wouldn't betray you to them," said Kaid.
She searched his face. "Your mind is too still," she sighed. "I can sense nothing on its surface. Will you swear that you have my son's and his mate's welfare as your objective?"
Kaid had been trying to avoid this moment. He knew he was at the decision point. With his mind as bruised and battered as his body was, he didn't want to make this kind of decision now. He hadn't had enough time and he couldn't afford to get it wrong. Tiredly he closed his eyes. "Yes, Liege, I have their interests at heart," he said. That, at least, wasn't a lie.
"Then I'll have to be content with that," she said, getting to her feet. "I'll have to go now. I've a meeting with the Commander shortly." She gave him a last penetrating look. "You're close to my son now. Though shortly you'll cease to be under my contract, keep them safe for me, and you'll have my blessing."

* * *

When she'd gone, Kaid slumped down in the chair. This meeting had taken a heavy toll on what little energy he had left. Once again he began the litany to banish pain, pushing the thought deep into his subconscious till his mind repeated it automatically and the pain began to ease a little.
Garras came in. "I contacted Draz," he said as he went to his friend's aid. "He says he'll be along later to talk to you about what happened on the scouter."
"Dzaka?"
"He knows, too. He's insisting on coming to see you as soon as Vanna gives her permission."
Leaning heavily on Garras, Kaid got to his feet. "It wasn't my doing," he said as he limped through the rear door into Vanna's medical lab. "Didn't get the chance to ditch us. I had to wing it. I'm not convinced I got Chyad. I survived, he could have."
"They'll search the wreckage for remains," said Garras.
"Messy job, Garras, not knowing if he's dead. Didn't anticipate this crash and being injured."
"I know you, Kaid. You'd have taken every precaution. Now stop worrying about it," he said, helping him sit on the edge of his bed. "Let's get your robe off."