The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga (16 page)

Day Four

Honey paced back and forth through the Bearens’ garden as she listened to Michael
on the vox in her ear.

“I’m glad you’re better, Honey,” he was saying.  “Did they offer you anything in exchange
for what you did?”

“What do you mean?” Honey asked in surprise.  “Like payment?”

“No,” Michael said.  “I didn’t mean that exactly.  Just anything.”

Honey hesitated, but after five years of living together, Michael caught it even over
the vox.  “What?” he asked.  “What did they offer?”

“The Lobos said that if there was ever anything they could do, I had only to ask,”
she replied.

“Perfect,” Michael said with obvious relief.

“Perfect why?  What is it you want?”

“I want you to ask them for a permanent position for me, here on Jasan.  One that
I get to keep when the Teriens pull my creds when they discover I’m not coming back. 
The Lobos are very high-ranking.  I’m sure they have the power to help with this.”

“I don’t want to do that, Michael,” she replied.  “I helped those babies because they
needed help, not for favors.  I don’t want to do this.”

“Well, do it anyway,” Michael snapped.  “I’m tired of living a lie, Honey, and I’m
not going to do it any more.  This is our chance out, and I’m taking it.  You owe
me this.” 

“No, Michael, I don’t owe you anything,” she replied.  “I had nothing to do with the
choice you made, and neither did Nica.  I didn’t even know you then.”

Michael said nothing for several long moments.  Finally, he sighed.  “I know, Honey,
and I’m sorry I said that.  Of course you don’t owe me anything.  But I’m asking you,
Honey, please, do this.  For all of us.”

Honey hesitated.  She understood why Michael wanted to stay on Jasan.  She wanted
it too.  But she was afraid.  Maybe it was time to set her fears aside though, and
take a risk.  “All right Michael,” she said finally.  “I’ll do it.”

“Thanks, Honey,” Michael said.  “I’m really sorry for what I said, but I need you
to understand that I’m finished with the whole thing.  We’re more free right now than
we’ve been in five years.  One way or another, I intend to stay that way.”

“What about Nica?” she asked, biting her lip the moment the words left her mouth. 

“They are not going to come after Nica,” Michael said impatiently.  “You need to get
past that, Honey.  There’s simply no reason for them to do that.”

“I’ll let you know what they say,” Honey said tiredly.  She reached up and tapped
the vox to disconnect.

“Are you all right, Honey?” Vikter asked, startling her.  She spun around and saw
all three of them standing on the patio just outside the door, expressions of concern
on their faces.  “I apologize,” he said quickly.  “We didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Honey shrugged, sensing their worry and, for once, not fighting it.  She was too damn
tired and confused.  “I’m fine,” she said, instantly deciding that she preferred to
discuss Michael’s request with the Vulpirans instead of the Lobos. “I’d like to discuss
something with you guys though, if you have a few minutes.”

“Of course,” Vikter said at once.  “Why don’t we sit?”

Honey knew he didn’t want to sit.  They wanted her to sit, and at the moment, she
had no objection.  She walked across the garden and sat down on one of the deep patio
chairs with a sigh. 

“Are you certain you’re recovered?” Vikter asked.  “You seem tired.”

“I am a little tired, but otherwise, I’m fine,” Honey replied.  “I slept until after
noon today, then Jareth came and checked me.  Which reminds me, Vikter, I want to
thank you for helping me yesterday.  I wouldn’t have been able to help those babies
without you.”

“I was happy to help,” Vikter said while Lance and Hunt positioned chairs for the
three of them in a circle with Honey.  “What you did was amazing, and the sacrifice
you made, the pain you suffered, touched all who witnessed it.  We were all grateful
that we could help, even in such a small way.  It is difficult for a room full of
warriors to stand back helplessly when a crisis is unfolding before their eyes.  I’ve
been asked to extend the thanks of all of those present yesterday for allowing them
to assist you.”

Honey smiled, enjoying the unfamiliar feeling of warmth and acceptance that Vikter’s
words gave her.  It had hurt, more than she could ever have imagined.  She’d healed
unborn babies before, but only those with birth defects, and only when she could do
it without anyone knowing about it.  She’d been shocked when the burns began transferring
from the babes’ skin to her own.  Nothing like that had ever happened to her before.

Then she remembered what she had to do, and the good feelings faded.  This was going
to be so embarrassing, but there just didn’t seem to be an easy way to say it. 

“Michael wants me to call in the favor offered by the Lobos for helping their babies,”
she said quickly, not quite daring to meet their eyes. 

“What does he want?” Vikter asked.

“He wants a permanent position here, on Jasan,” she replied.  “He wants to stay here.”

“And you, Honey?” Vikter asked.  “What do you want?”

“I like it here,” she admitted.  “I think it would be a perfect place for Nica to
grow up.  She won’t have to hide who she really is here.” 

“You are hesitant,” Lance said.

“Yes,” she replied.  “I helped those babies because they needed help.  Not so that
I could get anything in return.”

“Everyone knows that,” Vikter said.  “And you don’t have to call in any favors for
Michael.  We already planned to offer him a position here.  The reason we are here
now is that we wanted to check on you and Nica before we leave.”

“You’re leaving?” she asked, trying to hide her disappointment.

“Just for a couple of days,” Vikter said.  “We’re going to Berria to discuss offering
Michael a permanent position with the Council.  When we return, we will bring him
back with us.”

“There’s something you should know,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to say this,
but knowing Michael expected her to.  Besides, they needed to know this before taking
the matter to their Council. 

“What’s that?” Vikter asked. 

“When Terien learns that Michael won’t be returning, the first thing they’ll do is
withdraw his credentials.”

“Why would they do such a thing?” Lance asked.

“To try to force him to return,” Honey replied.  “Or punish him for leaving.  Take
your pick.  They pulled mine before we left.”

“I do not understand,” Vikter said.  “Why would a government pull the credentials
of its citizens?”

“In Michael’s case it’s because he’s brilliant.  There are not a lot of brilliant
scientists on Terien, and never one like Michael.  The Terien government likes claiming
Michael as their own, especially with the reputation he’s building for himself and,
by extension, Terien.  That’s why they let him travel all over the Thousand Worlds. 
But they’ve made it quite clear that while they allow him that freedom, there are
strings attached.  If he ever decides to defect from Terien, they will pull his creds
so fast he’ll be lucky to get a job as janitor anywhere else in the Thousand Worlds.”

“And you?” Vikter asked.  “Why did they pull your creds?”

“Insurance,” she replied.  “If Michael defects, I don’t get my creds back unless I
find a way to convince him to return.”

“Is that what you want to do?” Vikter asked.  “Do you want to return?  Because if
you do, we will not offer Michael a position here.”

“Thanks,” Honey said with a wan smile.  “To be honest, I hate Terien.  They’ve interfered
and manipulated in my life too much for me to feel otherwise.  Michael wants to be
free of them, and he wants to stay here, and I can’t see my way clear to standing
in the way of that.  No matter how much it scares me.”

“Why does it scare you?” Hunt asked.

Honey opened her mouth, then closed it with a soft snap.  There were some things she
couldn’t talk about, much as she wished otherwise.  Vikter shook his head firmly at
Hunt when it looked like he was going to push for an answer.  Honey had been through
enough the past two days and he did not want her pressed right now.

“Honey,” Vikter said when Hunt subsided, “if you want your creds reinstated, it will
not be a difficult matter.  We have our own laws on Jasan, and they are not subject
to the laws of any other world.”

“Really?” Honey asked, her big blue eyes brightening so beautifully it made his heart
skip a beat.  “Do you really think I could practice medicine here without my credentials?”

“Of course,” Vikter replied.  “Doc is our medical expert on both human and Jasani
physiology, so he’ll want to test your knowledge and expertise, of course.  After
that, it would be a simple matter that I am quite certain High Prince Garen would
be most happy to handle personally.”

“If I could practice medicine here, it would be fantastic,” she said.  “Thank you.”

“You need not thank us,” Vikter said.  “In truth, we have done nothing.”

Honey felt his sadness, and had the sudden urge to tell them things she had sworn
to tell no one.  Luckily, the door opened behind them at that moment, and Jackson
Bearen stepped outside, preventing her from breaking her word. 

“The airfield just called,” he said to Vikter.  “You’re ride is getting ready to leave.”

“We’re on our way,” Vikter said, standing up.  “He looked at Jackson for a long moment,
asking with his eyes what he could not say aloud.  Jackson nodded in understanding. 
It was enough.  He would watch over Honey and Nica in their absence.  The Vulpirans
bowed to Honey in silence, then turned and left.

Honey watched after them for a long moment in the fading sunlight, even after they’d
long faded from view.

“Honey, Doc called and asked if you would mind coming down to the infirmary in the
morning,” Jackson said, wanting to give her something else to think about than whatever
made her look so sad.  “He’d like to talk to you.”

“Do you know what he wants to talk about?” Honey asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he replied.  “Why don’t you come on in.  Hope says
dinner is ready.”

Honey nodded as she turned to look after the Vulpirans again, though all she saw was
darkness.  Then she got up and went inside.

***

Xi-Kung was frantic.  And frightened.  He had an enormous problem and if he made the
slightest mistake in solving it, he had a very short future.

It had taken longer than he’d hoped for the data from the Receiver to complete its
upload.  Then it had to be decoded, translated and analyzed for the important bits. 
He didn’t have time to sit through weeks worth of recordings that included long nights
of the Messenger snoring while he slept.

But Xi-Kung hadn’t been worried.  Not then.  He’d set the system to perform the necessary
functions and checked to make certain that his captain had moved the ship as ordered
once the final data burst had been received.  Then he’d dined, and slept for a few
hours.  By the time he was fully rested and ready to review the material, it was ready
for him.

Unfortunately, his happy, confident mood did not last long.  Within the first hour
he knew that Xi-Tarq had completely and utterly failed in his mission.  He had not
disposed of the human female in charge of the new
berezi
house on the Dracons’ ranch, as ordered.  He had not taken the female’s place, as
ordered.  He had not died as any good Xanti should when failing so completely in their
given mission. 

The worst news was that neither the self destruct system in Xi-Tarq’s
makina
, nor the one implanted in his worthless hide, had been activated as they should have
been.  Instead, both Xi-Tarq and his
makina
were in the custody of the bloody Jasani!  On the Dracon Princes’ bloody be-damned
ranch!  And just to top off the entire mess, Xi-Tarq had not even disposed of the
stars be-damned Damosion! 

Feeling sick, which was not a common sensation for a Xanti, Xi-Kung spent the next
twenty hours painstakingly reviewing data as quickly as he could.  He kept hoping
to learn that the
makina
and Xi-Tarq had managed to self-destruct after all, but apparently he was not that
lucky.  Instead, he got nothing but more and more bad news.