Tempest Rise (revised edition 10/2013) (Treborel) (13 page)

Perhaps Katar
had been delayed by some mishap involving her Uncle Sean.  Going into his office, she placed a call on the Comm display to the Palace. The security officers’ image that appeared before her, confirmed that Prince Katar had left the Palace early that morning and never returned. After disconnecting, she tried the Treborelan Embassy. She thought maybe he was waiting there for news from his Intelligence Network. They would have a direct line to Treborel.

After
being told Prince Katar was not at the Embassy, she was put through to Lord Wills. Any further delay and she would have called the Regent herself for information. When Lord Wills appeared on the screen, he greeted her cheerfully, "Lady Nolan, how wonderful to hear from you. We were all wondering how the Empaths got on at the Medical Complex. "

"It was an amazing sight, Lord Wills. There was some resistance to using them at first, but as soon as they touched the girls . . ." Her enthusiasm began to
overflow; it had been such an eventful day. Holding back her excitement, she turned the conversation toward her Uncle and what had become of Katar.

"We are going to study them further and
perhaps one day find a way to use the two medications together. I would like to discuss this with you in more detail, unfortunately I haven't the time. I'm trying to locate Prince Katar. He promised to keep me informed of my Uncle's progress in Ergos."

"My Lady
, Prince Katar has gone back to Treborel." Hanlin paused, looking down at the papers on the desk before him.

"He left in a hurry.
I'm sure he intends to send word, if he receives any news. He always keeps his promises." His unnerved reaction frightened Lysette. She was certain something had happened to her Uncle. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she said, "Lord Wills, if there is a problem with my Uncle, I would be greatly distressed if you are keeping it from me."

"Uh no!
My Lady! I assure you there have been no difficulties with your Uncle whatsoever. We've just received word that he has been given an audience with King William; they have been in conference for the last two hours.” His hesitation disappeared as the diplomat was restored.

"I see," Lysette answered, relieved, yet at the same time perplexed at Katars quick departure. "I suppose Prince Katar must have forgotten about our dinner date this evening. I'm sure I'll hear from him soon."

“I’m sorry, my Lady." Hanlin sighed, "It's been very difficult for him, for all of us these last few days. I'm sure it just slipped his mind.”

"Of course, thank you. I'm sorry to have troubled you." She
quickly disconnected, trying to convince herself that being forgotten wasn't an insult.  Heading back upstairs to undress, she prepared herself for a long night of waiting for word about her Uncle.

    
The dark silence that covered Ergos, was a quiet sentinel to the paranoia that its king was experiencing. Sean Was surprised at how extensively Williams palace was secured, heavily armed guards were located in every hall and entranceway. Security enforced a search of everyone who entered or left the building.  This along with the prohibition of any form of communications within the city limits; even the officer themselves were not exempt from such close scrutiny.

Williams trust went only to his elite guard. They were the only people allowed to enter the Kings Private Chambers. As Sean’s tired eyes found the king
, he was shocked at how he had aged, far beyond his years, so quickly since the last time they had met. Looking like a man in his late seventies instead of the fifty years, he truly was. His hair had gone completely white. His pale face and withered body gave the impression that he had suffered a serious illness and had not yet fully recovered.

He spoke calmly, with the rational
e his position required. What bothered Sean immensely was the lack of emotion he found in the King. William would calmly explain his reasons for attacking Nayr. Accepting no objections, and refusing any attempt at negotiation for withdrawing. He would allow no mention the embargo. Several times, King William repeated his explanations for the attack, using the same statements over and over again.

During the entire conference William seemed distracted
, and unable to answer any direct questions about Nayr, unless Commander Connor was present, conferring with him constantly. When asked about the Prime Minister and his wife, Commander Connor denied any knowledge of their whereabouts. After a whispered word from the Commander, William declared the conference had come to an end. The Commander was called away. As he departed, William invited Sean to join him in a cordial. Musicians were brought in to play the Kings favorite pieces. When the Director of the Art History Museum was brought in to describe the motivations of one of Williams favorite sculptors, Sean could stand no more.

His anger thrust him from his seat as he said, “William, I will stand for no more delays. You are under a deadline, as of midnight tomorrow night. “  Sean stared at
the docile King, who calmly glanced up at his outburst. Sean moved around the small table of food set before them, and approached the King. “Do you understand, William? In twenty four hours, the Treborelan Navy will begin a blockade of the Bantorian and Nayrian Coastlines. Lon Tesse and Ragal will complete the Embargo by closing the border bridges into Bantor.

The air grew still and silence filled the room as King William turned to answer Sean’s threats. The same calm
, emotionless voice Sean had listened to all evening reach out and chilled him, “I don’t like ultimatums Sean.” His smile was empty; Sean followed his gaze as William turned to watch Commander Connor as he stood in the entranceway watching them. The Commander spoke softly, his face hard, as he came to stand by the King, “Bantor is not Withdrawing from Nayr. Tell your Continental Alliance, that William will consider any embargo an act of War.” Pausing, he signaled for the guards to enter and added, “We will respond accordingly.”

William appeared to be completely unaware of the
Commanders threat, as he smiled at Sean and added, “Give your niece my best.” Realizing that the man he once knew was lost in insanity, Sean turned to leave. “Sean,” William called to him as he reached the door. “You brought Elisabeth back to me. You should leave tonight.” Pausing for his words, Sean’s chest grew heavy as he looked back into William’s lost eyes.

Due to the location of the Southern Air Base, deep within the mountains, Katar
was forced to abandon the tram from Lavose at the base of the Treborelan Mountains. He purchased a young stallion from a local farmer and headed deep into the hills. As the sun sank into the violet and burgundy sky, the night creatures began to call softly to one another. The mountains filled with the cries of the large beasts, searching to satisfy their cravings. Ignoring the cries of life and death about him, Katar urged his horse on. 

After hours of struggling over rugged terrain
, he reached the hidden base. He approached an outcropping of rock, and touched his palm to the smooth surface of a small boulder. A dense patch of brush sank back into the darkness, as a huge black hole appeared in the side of the mountain. It was large enough for Katar to urge the horse through, causing the young stallion to stamp, and snort nervously.  Once inside, Katar touched an illuminated panel, and the door slid closed. He was left in the darkness for only a moment as a larger door opened at the back of the small cave exposing a huge cavern. The cavern was filled with small military helijets. Cap appeared, as another soldier relieved Katar of his horse and took him down a long, broad corridor.

“Katar!”
  Cap called, smiling at the stern expression on Katar’s face. “You gave us a great chance to test the night tracking system. We had you from the moment you entered the base of the mountains.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t take a shot at me.
Just to keep me on my toes.”  Katar growled at him.

“Well I would have, but I got a good look at that scowl on your face. I was afraid you might shoot back.” Cap kept smiling, unaffected by Katar’s angry
glare. He motioned toward the officers' quarters, and added, “You look awful, hit the showers Your Grace, we’ll talk later.”

“Have you heard from Lord Wills or Regent Dana?” Katar asked as they entered the officers' rec area.

“Lord Nolan’s audience began several hours ago. We should hear something soon.”

Reaching Katar’s quarters they entered the small room, equipped with only a twin bed and a small wooden dresser. Cap left Katar to himself with a promise to send for him if they received any news. Stepping into the shower
, Katar yearned for the spacious hot springs at the Regents retreat. His mind wondered to Lysette and how she had looked that first day. Smiling, he recalled how frightened she had been. Yet she still managed to double him over with a first to his stomach.  Then Lord Nolan’s words came back to him. Grinding his teeth, he forced her from his mind, rinsed the soap from his hair, and turned off the water.

After dressing in his dark blue uniform, he headed for Central Control. He arrived to find Cap on the Holographic
Comm with the Regent saying, “He just arrived only a few minutes ago your Grace . . .” Cap glanced up and then moved aside as Katar approached, allowing him to take the seat in front of the display.

The Regent waited for him to
be seated then began saying, “I’ll be brief Prince Katar, for I fear for Lord Nolan’s safety. His mission was a failure; he requests that you attend him at once.”  Her face looked worn and tired as if she hadn’t slept at all in the last few days.

“I understand
, I’ll have him back in Lavose just after dawn.” Katar answered quickly, motioning for Capt. to get moving. “Can you tell me anything more?”

“Our greatest fears are realized.” She said as she shook her head sadly.

“Very well.” Katar answered grimly.

Katar arrived at the immense cavern hangar
, as Cap assembled the 3 small quads that were to accompany them into Bantor. Cap and Katar took their 3 man teams and boarded the first two helijets, as the third team headed for their craft.  One by one, the small helijets were maneuvered through the open doors by a small conveyor out into the night air. Each in turn, rose vertically and hovered a safe distance away to wait for the others. 

The solar gem systems encompassing the jets
were fully charged, making it possible to remain airborne 12 hours without the need to sustain the system.  Moving quickly over the mountains, flying as low as possible, the dark helijets ran as silent as the wind.  The partially flattened, oval shape allowed the helijets greater mobility and speed. These small craft, less than one-fourth the size of the transports, specialized in stealth.  The gems refractive powers were able to turn the twinkling lights from the small cities and towns below, into enough energy for the systems to maintain a high power level. These clear, sparkling crystals gave the jets an almost invisible appearance in the night sky.

Entering Bantor as the sleek crafts cleared the mountains, they turned directly for Ergos, near the southern border. The only hint of their passing
, was a slight vibration in the windows of the home they flew silently over. The journey of more than 2000 kilometers took slightly more than an hour. Bantor’s low rolling hills passed silently beneath them in the darkness, as they prepared themselves for the quick evacuation of the embassy deep inside the quiet city.

Separating fifty
kilometers outside the city, each craft entered from a different direction. Cap’s team flew in from the west heading for the Treborelan and Ragalian Embassy’s. Katar flew toward the Lon Tesse Embassy from the North, as the third team entered from the East heading for the Nayrian Embassy. Each Embassy was located in a different part of the city; the Nayrian was only a few blocks from the palace.

The city
was completely shrouded in darkness. The three crafts landed simultaneously on the roofs of the Embassy buildings. A small group of Lon Tesseans quickly boarded Katar’s craft. Cap confirmed a successful evacuation of the Treborelan personnel. There was no response as the third team landed on the Ragalian Embassy. Katar waited for them to investigate, as Lord Nolan appeared and rushed to the front of the craft.

Sean jumped in the open door on the side of the craft and asked, “Is something wrong?” At Katars
slow withdraw. 

Before Katar could answer
, the third team’s co-pilots voice came over the communication system. “Everyone is dead, no hostiles.” The co-pilots voice was urgent.

Cap broke in, “I’m over the Ragal building.” 

“Watch yourself.” Katar ordered, clenching his jaw as he lifted the craft off the building. “Team three, head for rendezvous. I’m heading for team two, we’ll meet you there.”

A small group of soldiers dressed in dark gray uniforms
, appeared out of the shadows as Katar swung the craft toward the western horizon. His instruments registered their presence and the computer identified them as Williams Elite Guard. The tall, muscular form of Commander Connors watched the helijet disappear over the city.  His dark eyes narrowed as he swore silently. He would make Lord Nolan pay for unveiling King William’s madness to the world, in the worst possible way. Barking an order to his lieutenant, he turned and reentered the embassy, making note of the Treborelan emblem on the escaping helijet.

Bracing himself against the opening into the cockpit
, Sean spoke with relief.  “I sure am glad to see you.” He began, and then noticed the infrared screen frozen on the five figures from the rooftop and added, “The Elite Guard.”

“With Connor at the helm.”
Katar answered, his jaw clenched, “They appeared as we lifted off. I think they were going to make the rounds tonight, visiting the Embassy personnel.”

“Did
they . . .”

“They Nayrian Embassy was taken first. Tucker just reported there were no survivors.” Katars fury boiled, he should have killed Connor in the mountains.

“And the others?” Sean asked, gripping the side of the helijet.

“Lon Tesse was untouched and all personnel have boarded. Cap
is headed to the Ragalian Embassy now, we are right behind him.

Cap’s voice came over the
Comm, “Team two successful, and no hostiles.  We’ll make rendezvous as scheduled, eyes open.”

“Copy, team one and two heading out.”
Katar answered, and the radio went silent as they cleared the city limits watchful in pursuit.

Heading sharply east toward Lon Tesse Katar asked quietly, “What happened back there?”

Sean sighed and said, “William warned me to leave tonight. I had no idea he was going to declare war on the Embassies.”

“How bad is it?” Katar asked quietly.

“Right now I’d say King William is on the edge of insanity. I’m not sure if someone is trying to help him stay there, or forcing him over the edge.  Commander Conner is constantly at his side, conferring with him about every move he makes. I don’t think he’d take a shit if he didn’t clear it with Connor first.” Sean growled. “I wish I knew what was going on between those two.”

“You think Conner is taking advantage of
William’s paranoia?” Katar asked staring out into the darkness.

“William was king for the last seven years. In
that time he’s never left Ergos, perhaps not even the Palace. His father’s assassination left him shaken.  He depends solely on the Elite Guard to protect him and keep him informed.” They reached the rendezvous to find the other two helijets waiting for them. Closing formation, they increased speed over the dark countryside. 

Katar quickly changed gears and announced to Sean, We will be across the border in
about thirty minutes, then another forty-five minutes to Lavose providing the weather stays clear.” He still had not forgotten the plans Sean and Hanlin made behind his back.

Sean disappeared into the back of the crowded craft to inform the other passenger of the Marine tragedy and their arrival plans. They arrived at the palace just before Dawn and unloaded their passengers. Katar accompanied Sean to the Regents main office where Sean related his discoveries to the Continental Alliance.