Poisoned Pawn (32 page)

Clark headed for where the shot had come from, not caring how loud he was. He hoped he sounded like a full platoon as he crashed through knee-high growth.

Another shot came close, sizzling over his head. He swerved to the side. Another shot, this one weak, fizzled out just behind him. The man was out of power. Clark gambled he didn’t have another power pack and charged through another bush.

The man knelt on the ground, frantically emptying his pockets. The blaster lay next to him, cover wide open. Clark raised his stunner and fired. The man crumpled into a pile of leaves. Clark hit him again for good measure, setting the stunner as high as it would go.

Shouts and screams echoed from the hillside. He dragged the unconscious man into an area of lower growth and left him there. He ran towards the sounds of fighting. Jasyn was in trouble.

He charged through the thick growth lower down, breaking out as the hillside steepened. He couldn’t see Jasyn anywhere. The bushes thrashed not far away. He ran for the disturbance.

The other man had Jasyn pinned, barely. She turned her head and bit his arm. He shouted an obscenity and jerked his arm back. She took the opening and shot him in the face with her stunner. Jasyn shoved him off her and stood, brushing off her uniform.

“He surprised me.” She looked down at the limp form on the ground. “What do we do with them now?”

“I haven’t thought that far,” Clark admitted.

“You don’t do this much, do you? Anything we can use to tie them up?”

Clark was saved from his embarrassment by the arrival of another flitter. This one was black, a huge transport. The Enforcers emblem was very large, very prominently displayed.

“I think we’re in trouble,” Clark said.

The flitter landed in the middle of the long clearing. Troops in black dropped out of the open hatch, double timing it to the burning flitter.

Clark waved. More men headed their way. Clark sat down on the open slope, waiting. He watched as Chief Querran herself climbed down. She put her hands on her hips surveying the intact flitter with a sour look on her face. Smoke drifted from the burning wreck of the other flitter, rising in a thick plume into a sky growing dark with clouds.

“This isn’t going to be pretty,” Clark said, watching Querran.

“Lowell will get us out of it. He owes us.” Jasyn turned to look at Clark, with a mischievous grin. “You work for Lowell, not Querran. And if I read things right, he outranks her.”

“Jasyn, I’ve already screwed things up pretty badly for Lowell. He isn’t going to stick his neck out very far for me.” He stood as the troops approached.

“You’ll be surprised at just how accommodating Lowell is going to be,” Jasyn said quietly, rising to her feet behind Clark.

“Chief Querran would like a word with you,” the first man said as he arrived. He looked down at the man on the ground. “Stunner?”

Jasyn held up her stunner then handed it over to the man. “Let’s go, Clark.”

They walked down the slope. It felt a lot longer going down than it had going up.

“Jasyn, what are you planning?”

“Trust me, Clark.”

“That look in your eyes is scaring me.”

She took his hand and squeezed it.

They walked up to Querran.

She frowned. “Explain yourselves.”

“We decided…” Clark started.

“To take the flitter back to the mansion,” Jasyn broke in. She put a hand on Clark’s arm. He shut up and let her talk. “The winds were a bit strong so we circled south. And then this flitter came out of nowhere and started shooting at us.”

“And?” Querran asked.

“Clark did some really good flying. We were trying to get away.”

“That isn’t what it looked like to those who saw you flying,” Querran said. “You started the pursuit without calling for backup.”

“We called, sir,” Clark said. “The com wasn’t working.”

“You took the flitter without authorization. You flew it into a battle zone. And you deserted your assigned duty.” Querran glowered. “Do you want me to continue?”

“You can bluster all you want,” Jasyn said. “You don’t have any authority over me.”

“Yes, I do,” Querran said. “Do you want me to quote the laws? Civilians in a military zone, as declared by the commanding Patrol authority in the area are subject to military rules. You put yourself under my command when you agreed to come along.”

“So lock us up. At least we were doing something,” Jasyn said.

Querran sighed, deeply, and pressed her fingers into her forehead. “You aren’t my responsibility. Lowell can decide what to do with you. For now, just get in the flitter and stay out of the way.”

Clark tugged Jasyn away, towards the black flitter.

“Was it necessary to make her mad at us?” he said.

“Do you always roll over and let them walk all over you? Of course it was.” She climbed in and settled into a far seat. “Now maybe they’ll actually start looking for Dace.”

“They already were, Jasyn.” He sat down next to her.

“They talked, for hours. They looked at maps. They sent people scurrying back and forth. They did nothing to look for her!” Jasyn turned her head to the window. “Typical of Lowell to sit around and wait for us to do his work for him.”

“Are you always this obnoxious?” Clark asked.

“You’ll find out, won’t you. Unless you were lying to me.”

“Never.”

“Weren’t you ever in trouble, Clark?”

“Never,” he answered, again.

“Can’t you say anything else?”

“Like what?”

“Anything to make me forget why I’m out here, and why I’m in trouble again.”

“You make a habit of getting into trouble? Tell me about it.”

She looked out the window, where Querran’s troops carried prisoners across the clearing towards their flitter. Two other men checked the Survey flitter they’d stolen. She looked away, at Clark.

“It might help if you think about something else for a while,” he said. “Tell me the whole story of how you met Dace.”

“She was in deep trouble then. As bad as this, if not worse. She and my brother had the Targon crime syndicate, the Patrol, and the Sessimoniss after them. They landed on Nevira in a blizzard. That’s when I first met Dace.” Telling him the story did help, for a while.

Tayvis was tired of waiting. Paltronis shared her supplies, rations and water, but no extra weapons. Tayvis cleaned and checked his tranquilizer rifle. The cartridge was almost empty. He had maybe four shots left. He finished then sat talking to Paltronis for a while. They’d worked together before, a few times. He was running out of things to say when he heard a flitter approaching. He stood up, eager to leave. The only problem was the flitter was coming from the mansion, not downstream where Querran had gone.

It landed near them, kicking up dust. It was a sleek model, expensive and luxurious.

“You expecting anyone?” he asked Lowell.

Lowell swore under his breath at the sight of the man climbing from the flitter. The man was followed by a woman in a pink dress, her brown hair clipped back in a bow. The two of them picked their way across the rocky bank towards Lowell. The woman hung on the man’s arm.

“Who is she?” Tayvis asked, his voice flat and hard.

Lowell shot a sideways glance at Tayvis. “Remarkable, isn’t it? Hard to tell her from Dace.”

“No, it isn’t. Who is she?”

“Arramiya Daviessbrowun, the one that Luke mistook Dace for, and her father, Hom Brun Daviessbrowun, the richest man for three sectors.” Lowell pasted a smile to his face. “He’s turning out to be a big pain in the… Hom Daviessbrowun,” he said, his voice changing in mid thought to a lighter, more welcoming tone. “And this must be your daughter.”

“Arramiya,” Hom Daviessbrowun said.

Lowell nodded to the woman. “Just what are you doing here, Hom? You were asked to wait at the spaceport. It isn’t safe out here right now.”

Tayvis stepped away, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. Arramiya’s eyes went wide.

“I’m spending my time playing the fool for you,” Hom Daviessbrowun said. “I wanted to see for myself what was happening. I hadn’t heard from you.”

“I’m sorry,” Lowell said. “There have been some complications.”

“Is that a real gun?” Arramiya asked Tayvis. She let go of her father’s arm to stand very close to Tayvis. Tayvis shifted away from her. She leaned closer and batted her eyes at him.

“Complications? How much more is it going to cost me?” Daviessbrowun turned a deep purple. “I’m billing the Patrol for the money you’ve already cost me.”

“Then since we’re paying you, you won’t mind helping us shuttle some people back,” Lowell said, his smile deceptively sincere.

Daviessbrowun opened and shut his mouth a few times. It was obvious that few people ever stood up to him, or even dared disagree with him.

“Have you shot many things?” Arramiya brushed against Tayvis.

He stepped away from her. “I’m rather busy right now.”

“No, you’re not,” she said. “Show me how to shoot it.”

“Your father would object.”

“No, he won’t. He lets me do whatever I want.” Arramiya snuggled up to Tayvis’ arm. “How do I hold it?”

“You don’t.” Tayvis used his free hand to move her away.

Arramiya smiled slyly. “So you don’t buy the stupid act. Would you prefer a more sophisticated approach?”

“No.”

“I heard you were the one who found that girl who looks like me. What is she like?”

The question caught Tayvis off guard. He turned away, pretending to check the firing pin on his rifle.

“I’d like to meet her, to see if she really looks like me. She isn’t as pretty, is she?” Arramiya stepped around Tayvis, facing him again. “Look at me and tell me.”

“Don’t you have somewhere else you should be?” Tayvis couldn’t keep the irritation from his voice.

The flitter lifted, leaving Tayvis, Lowell, Paltronis, and Arramiya on the stream bank.

“Not now,” Arramiya said. “I’ll just stay here with you until my father comes back. You can show me how to shoot. I’ve never handled a gun like that before.”

Tayvis was sorely tempted to shoot Arramiya. Putting her to sleep for a while would be highly satisfying, but not very smart. He resisted.

“I see Ensign Tayvis is keeping you occupied,” Lowell said, joining them.

“Ensign?” Arramiya’s eyes swept over his insignia, then took in her other choices. Lowell was much older and Paltronis was female. Arramiya turned back to Tayvis with a predatory gleam. “He was just about to show me how to shoot.”

“It’s a tranquilizer gun, used in doing population surveys,” Tayvis said. Maybe he could bore her into going away. Lowell’s look warned him not to antagonize her. Lowell would owe him for this.

“Population surveys?” she repeated blankly.

“We spend weeks out hiking through wilderness, looking for certain animals. The tranquilizer puts them to sleep so we can collect data on them.” Tayvis launched into the spiel he’d heard far too many times in the last few weeks. “We measure them, tail to nose, check their health, figure out how old they are, that kind of thing.”

Arramiya’s eyes glazed over, but she persisted. “What animals are you counting?”

“We call them bushies, although their scientific name is Garrandianda Stovulus Meridicia,” he said, making it up as he went. Arramiya stepped back half a step. “They average seventy inches in length and usually weigh about two hundred pounds. They nest in trees, about halfway up, using the leaves to line a hollow where the branches meet the trunk. Except for the breeding females who dig dens. Their litters average three to four kittens, each weighing… I’m sorry, am I boring you?” He gave her a blank smile.

She pasted a smile on her face. “No, not at all.”

“The kittens are small, very small, and born completely hairless.”

She stepped back.

“Don’t you want to hear more?” he asked her.

“I think I’ll wait over here.” She pointed to a large rock near the stream.

“I can tell you about the aquatic life,” Tayvis said, beaming at her.

“I’ll just listen to the water,” she said, backing away. “You must be very busy.”

Tayvis turned from her. Lowell watched her as she walked quickly to her rock and perched on top.

“Nice to see you haven’t lost your touch,” Lowell said. “Would you consider coming back?”

“At what price, Lowell? I’d rather count bushies.” Tayvis hefted the rifle, slinging it over his shoulder. “It’s been an hour. I’m leaving.”

“Take Paltronis and mark the trail,” Lowell said quietly.

“And leave you alone with Arramiya Daviessbrowun? Will your reputation survive?”

“Which one?” Lowell grinned. “I have quite a reputation as a lady charmer.”

“Be my guest,” Tayvis said. His face turned serious. “Rinth, is it? Any idea where he would take Dace?”

Lowell shook his head. “Somewhere he considers safe. Good luck, Tayvis. Bring her back. The Empire would be too quiet without her.”

Tayvis signaled Paltronis. The two of them waded the stream to the far bank. Tayvis led the way down the steep slope to the base of the waterfall. Rinth’s passage into the brush was plain. Broken branches littered the slope.

“You take point, I’ll mark,” Paltronis said.

Tayvis nodded and headed up the hillside, following the path Rinth had crushed. The smell of the plants was strong. Sap leaked from the branches, leaving sticky trails on anything they touched. By the time they reached the crest of the ridge, they were covered with smears. Tayvis ignored the sap. As long as it didn’t cause a reaction, it could be dealt with later.

Tayvis paused at the crest, peering down the far side. The undergrowth was much thinner. The trees towered over them, branches shading out any plant trying to grow beneath. The wind gusted, smelling of rain. Tayvis glanced up, the trees blocked what light the thick clouds allowed through.

“You got a lantern?” Tayvis asked Paltronis.

“Hand torch, and a rain sheet,” she answered.

“We may need both.” Tayvis waited while Paltronis dabbed fluorescent paint on a prominent tree trunk. He paced, circling the area.

A flitter passed by, almost directly overhead. They couldn’t see it through the thick trees.