The Sunfire (14 page)

“I can pay any amount that you require,” Sofia replied
confidently.

“My price is not always in credits.”

Sofia’s face paled, but she still lifted her head high,
looking him in the eye. “Name your price then, whatever it might be and I will
pay it. I’ve already lost Jon once before, I refuse to do so again.”

Albert looked at Sofia in a new light. He had been impressed
with the girl when they first met. She was not at all what he had expected,
based on facts he had read about her. There was an inner strength about her, a
determination of purpose. She was both steadfast and loyal, traits Albert
prized highly. All-in-all, Albert thought Sofia was a good match for Jon.
Coming from a harsh planet, where it was a daily struggle for survival against
the harsh elements, divorce was unheard of. Albert’s own mate had died many,
many years before. Their lifespan being far longer than others, due to their
stronger metabolism caused by the high gravity, Albert had first taken notice
of Jon when he was still a young boy. He admired his strength and
determination, but also his compassion, his desire to help others. It seemed
she shared many of those same traits.

“My price is three-fold then. First you will owe me. One day
I might need to call in a favour, it’s always useful to have an Imperial
Princess and Confederation President owing you.”

Sofia nodded in agreement.

“The second is that whatever happens in the future, you will
always
put Jon’s needs before your own.”

“I don't understand.”

Albert closed his eyes in frustration, trying to think how
to explain. “I get lots of information that passes across my desk Princess.
Some of it is huge; it could topple governments, but others are tiny, personal
things. I have been doing this for a long time, as I mentioned, before you were
even born. I can feel a storm coming. I don’t know what it is, or where it will
come from, I can just feel it. We will need everything we can to survive this
storm, but most of all we will need somebody to lead us and Jon is the only
person who can do this. Maybe your father could have, but that is no longer an
option we have. But not even Jon is perfect. He has weaknesses, flaws, but most
of all he needs you for your support and help. Together you are stronger, and
maybe it will give us a chance. Hence my second price Princess, whatever
happens you promise that you will put Jon’s needs before your own.”

While Sofia did not fully understand, she nodded her head in
agreement. “And the final price?” She asked.

Albert now lowered his head in embarrassment. “After I have
given you the information you require, you promise to stay awhile and talk.
While I have many customers, I have very few friends, could you stay and keep
an old man company for a while?”

Understanding what it was like to be so lonely, Sofia just
nodded her head, touched by this little man.

“Then I will tell you what I know Princess, for Jonathan is
travelling to Tartarus.”

Sofia blinked in surprise. “Jon is travelling to Tartarus,
the prison of the damned?” She exclaimed in disbelief.
“For whoever has
lived unjustly and impiously goes to the dungeon of requital and penance which,
you know, they call Tartarus,”
Sofia recited. “Plato,” she added in
response to Albert’s shocked expression.

“I know that,” Albert said astounded. “Thank the Maker, that
Jon came and rescued you from your father’s tutors,” he muttered aloud. “There
is a place called Tartarus,” he quickly added.

“There is?” Sofia replied, dumfounded. “Where the damned
go?”

“No, no, no.” Albert interrupted waving his hands furiously.
“There is a planet called Tartarus, the corporate headquarters of the Tyrell
Corporation.”

“Never heard of it. Why is Jon going there?”

“Jon believes that they are currently holding somebody
important hostage there,” he replied vaguely.

“Who?”

Albert took a deep breath, for the first time in his life,
preparing to lie to a customer. But Albert had no idea what Sofia would do if
he told her the truth, perhaps she would travel straight there, to a certain
death. Albert was fond of this girl and did not want her death on his
conscience. “It doesn’t matter who,” he said glancing around, but no bolt of
lightning struck him dead, much to his relief.

“What else can you tell me?”

“Sejanus now runs the Tyrell Corporation.”

Sofia went deathly still, her breath caught in her throat.
It was only Albert’s reassuring hand on her own that kept her from crying out
in fright.

“Does Jon know about Sejanus?” Sofia asked in a terrified
voice.

“I don't know. I don’t see how. Sejanus had left long before
Jon joined the Praetorians. They would never have met.”

“I thought he was dead,” Sofia said, looking down at her
hands clasped tightly together in his. “After what he did to me, he vanished. I
just assumed that my father
—
”

“I don’t think Gideon told your father everything that
happened.”

Sofia was not in the slightest bit surprised Albert knew
about that dark time in her life. It had taken many years for her to get over
it, almost becoming a recluse in the process, frightened to trust anybody.
Especially men. Of course that was before she had met Jon. It was only around
him she was able to relax, for the first time in her life being able to feel
safe. For anybody trying to hurt her would first have had to get past him and
nobody ever had. For Jon seemed to have almost a precognitive ability when it
came to protecting her and her father. On the day Jon had become Commander of
the Praetorian Guard he had sworn to her, on his life, he would never allow
anything or anybody to hurt her, and Sofia had believed him.

“What if Gideon told Jon what had happened?” Sofia asked
worriedly.

“Then Sejanus would have died a long time ago,” Albert said
firmly. The last time the two of them had been in this office, Albert had
observed the way Jon had stared at Sofia, his love for her obvious, even back
then. No, if Jon had found out what Sejanus had done, not even Tartarus would
have saved Sejanus from his wrath. “It is just a coincidence,” he reassured
her.

Sofia nodded her head, her gaze still downcast. It was times
like this she most missed Jon’s reassuring presence, but he had been gone for
over five years now, ever since she caught Jon with that woman.

Recognising the devastation in Sofia’s face and the
desperate way she looked at him, Albert was quick to head-off the question that
he knew was coming. “I do not know why Jon did what he did. I’m a knowledge
broker, not a relationship counsellor,” he explained.

It had been one of the more unbelievable scraps of
information to pass across his desk over the past few years. Albert found this
so incredible that he had sought out no less than three independent sources to
verify the story. Even then Albert had found it difficult to believe. For the
first time his belief in Jon had been rocked to the core, for he was sure he
had not mistaken the look in Jon’s eyes when he had gazed with absolute
adoration at this woman the last time they had been here together. The same
look Albert had once looked at his mate with. The complete amazement that Jon
had been so blessed to find his missing half. Yet Albert recognised Jon never
did anything without a very good reason, although what that reason might be, he
had no idea.

“So what do you plan on doing now?” Albert inquired
curiously.

“I am going to go and find Jon and bring him home,” Sofia
replied resolutely.

Bring them both home,
Albert thought.

*****

As there was no ship scheduled to depart
Memphis
for
Eden Prime for the next several hours Sofia agreed to meet Albert for a late
dinner in one of the more exclusive restaurants on the station. Casting her
gaze around the dimly lit restaurant it reminded her of another restaurant, on
Altair many years before, where Jon had taken her after she had won their bet.
Similar to that restaurant, the illumination mostly came from the stars shining
outside. Each table had a single solitary candle, barely giving off enough
light to illuminate the table. The entire atmosphere was very romantic and very
intimate. It just made her realise how much more she missed Jon, his presence
and his smile.

Sofia’s thoughts were interrupted when the entrance to the
restaurant suddenly opened and a group of men walked in. However, Sofia
realised that they were not there for the food or ambience, especially as they
were dressed in their black and silver uniforms with pistols clearly visible at
their sides. It was obvious that they were looking for somebody, as upon
entering their gaze immediately swept through the room, pushing past the maître
d' as if he did not exist.

Having no idea who or what they were looking for, but taking
no chances, Sofia quickly leaned forward blowing gently to extinguish the
candle on her table and slipped the hood of the cloak that she was wearing over
her head to hide her face. Fortunately she was seated far back in the
restaurant away from the main entrance, hence the guards or soldiers, whoever
they were, were starting from the other end of the room, methodically sweeping
past each table. The fact that they stopped at every table where a young woman
was seated and checked her face carefully, started to instil a sense of panic
in her. She didn’t know how or why, but instinctively she knew they were
looking for her. Ever so slowly she leaned back, away from the table, further
into the dark shadows of the room.

“Piss off. Go and find your own broad,” one of the elder
diners insisted loudly, not taking his eyes off the young woman, probably at
least thirty years his junior, seated opposite him. His eyes flashed in
irritation, when completely ignoring him, one of the guards jerked the woman
out of her seat, to stare closely into her face. “Frank, Joe, s’ck it to ‘em,”
the elderly man drawled with a heavy accent.

The guard was surprised on releasing the woman to turn
around and bump into the chest of one of two mountain sized men. Dressed in
expensive tailored suits, both bulging at the breast pocket, obviously
concealing a consignment of guns, they looked like two huge gorillas that had
been squashed and squeezed into suits.

“’Dis ‘ere man bothering ya, boss?” One of the walking
mountains rumbled ominously, mangling his grammar, picking up the guard by his
tunic as if he did not weigh a thing.

“Can’t ya see I’m dizzy with my broad? Do a number on this
punk. Give ‘em some chin music, then dangle ‘em out of here, before the other
bulls arrive,” the older man insisted.

“Sure ‘fink boss,” the other gorilla agreed, as the first
drew back his fist and let loose, cracking the guard firmly across the jaw,
sending him crashing backwards, landing on another table, much to the detriment
of the entrée that had just been served.

At the large smash of broken crockery, one of the guards
still standing near the door, who was obviously in charge, raised his pulse
pistol, sending a bolt into the ceiling. All sounds in the restaurant abruptly
ceased as all eyes focused on him.

“I will insist on everybody’s cooperation for just a short
time,” he announced loudly. “Then we will leave you to your meal in peace. We
are looking for a woman.”

However, if he thought that was going to intimidate the
diners, he was sadly mistaken, as a number of shouts and catcalls echoed from
around the room.

“Yeah, you and the rest of us mate.”

“Go and find your own.”

“The brothel is three-floors down.”

The officer went bright red at the calls, but before he
could reply an expensive slice of calzone bounced off his back, to roars of
approval from the guests. A plate of spaghetti, which the officer ducked
beneath, closely followed this. With the addition of Frank and Joe lumbering
through the restaurant with murderous intent, pushing everybody else out the
way, the entire restaurant soon degenerated into a general brawl, with food,
drinks, tables, and chairs being flung left, right and centre. The guards
disappeared under a hail of fists and prone bodies.

Sofia meanwhile decided then was an opportune moment to make
her exit. While the main entrance was blocked by the mob in full swing, Sofia
eyed a smaller serving entrance off to one side, which the waiters frequently
disappeared through. Keeping to the shadows, she quickly made her exit. Pushing
through the doors she entered a kitchen with chefs busy preparing meals, with
waiters and waitresses darting about. With no idea where to go next, she
frantically approached the nearest waitress.

“Please help me,” Sofia cried desperately. “I must escape!”

The waitress looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “I
understand completely, honey. I’ve been on more than a few dinner dates like
that myself. Head out the back, second door on the left. If anybody comes
asking I’ll say that you went to the powder room.” The waitress pointed towards
a door near the back of the kitchen.

With a nod of thanks Sofia fled through the kitchen, darting
through the door that the waitress had pointed to in a blind panic.

She needed to get off Memphis.

Fortunately the door exited into a small side corridor and
glancing either way, as she was unsure which way to go, Sofia noticed that one
end of the corridor seemed to branch out into a much larger, busier corridor.
Deciding that the best course of action was to mingle with the crowd, to enable
her to disappear, she headed in that direction.

Unfortunately it turned out to be the wrong decision, as no
sooner had she slipped into the crowd than a hand reached out, firmly grasping
her by the arm.

“Stop right there miss,” a voice insisted firmly. “You look
like the one we are looking for.”

Looking in the direction of the voice, Sofia’s heart sank as
she looked into the face of another one of the uniformed guards. Holding her by
one arm and gripping a datapad with the other, Sofia could easily guess what
was on the device. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m already late
for an important appointment,” she huffed, trying to bluff her way past.