The Worker Prince (10 page)

Davi searched his mind. His recollection of the history of the Borali Alliance brought back no recollection of such an incident.

“My husband and I only had one child, a baby boy born right before the decree. We couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, after so many years of waiting and hoping,” Lura continued. “My husband worked at the depot, repairing starcraft. He was able to modify a small courier to transport our child to another planet in the solar system. We hoped he would be found by someone who would raise him as their own and give him a good life.”

Courier craft. A child sent to the stars. My gods!

“The courier malfunctioned sometime soon after its launch. Its tracking device failed, so we had no idea where it ended up or if it even finished the journey,” Lura said.

“So you think I’m the son you sent to the stars?” Davi asked.

Mistaking his question for total disbelief, Lura shrugged and looked away. “I know it must sound crazy to you. Like a fairy tale or something.”

“My mother is a good woman. I’ve never known her to lie to me,” Davi said, thinking out loud.

“I’m sure she’s a wonderful woman,” Lura smiled, a bit puzzled by his second sentence. “May I ask you how you came to be called Davi?”

“I don’t really know. It’s like a nickname my mother gave me at birth. Everyone except for my Uncle and a few instructors has always called me by it,” Davi said.

Lura looked away, deliberating a moment, before her hazel eyes found his again. “My husband placed a letter to whoever might find our child. It contained his name and a note asking them to take care of him and raise him as their own. Our child’s name was Davi,” she said.

My gods! It has to be true!
He didn’t see how there could be any more doubt.
But why would mother have lied to me?
“How would my mother have come by the necklace?”

“Moments before the courier launched, I placed my necklace next to our child, hoping whoever found him would give it to him,” she said.

“I don’t know what to say,” Davi responded, his mind racing along with his heart. He swallowed hard, possessed of both excitement and a sudden urge to get away. He had to talk to his mother about this! He dreaded hurting her, but it couldn’t be a mere coincidence. What motive would Lura have for making up such a story? She’d had no idea he was a Royal before he told her—it seemed obvious from her reaction when she learned his identity. “Do you live here with your husband?”

Lura’s face turned sad and she looked at the photograph. “The Special Police took him away after we launched the courier. I don’t know what happened to him.”

No wonder she reacted that way to Xalivar’s name! Could my uncle really be so different from the man I thought I knew?
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Davi said, taking a deep breath and straightening as he placed his hands atop hers on the table again.

She smiled. “You are such a kind soul. We’re not used to finding such kindness in Boralian officers.”

“I’m not like most Alliance officers,” Davi said.

“No, you’re not,” she said with a laugh. “You’re special!”

Davi pulled his hand away, finishing off the gixi juice. “Please don’t be offended if I take some time to think about all this.”

“I’m just happy to have had the chance to meet you,” Lura said, with a reassuring smile as he scooted the chair back and stood. “I hope I’ll see you again.”

“I’m sure you will,” Davi said. He moved around the table, standing next to her, then took her hand in his and kissed it. “Thank you for your generous hospitality.”

“Thank you for your kindness to Nila,” Lura said as she stood.

Davi bowed slightly and walked to the door. “I’d appreciate it if my visit here stayed between us for now,” he said, turning back toward her.

“Of course,” Lura smiled again. Her face lit up every time she did. She was a striking woman with long, flowing brown hair. Feeling sorry for the hardness her life must have been, he returned the smile then turned walked out the door.

As Davi crossed the courtyard and entered the tunnel, he struggled to keep his pace steady while his mind raced. This was almost beyond belief! His whole life had unraveled before his eyes—everything he thought he knew about the world, about his family, about who he was.

His mind filled with question after question. Why didn’t his mother ever tell him? Protecting him as a child was one thing, but he was far from a child now. She must have expected him to wonder about the necklace and his nickname. He’d always been one to ask a lot of questions. How much did his uncle know? Would the High Lord Councilor actually accept a worker child as his heir apparent? Based on what he’d been learning about his uncle, he doubted it. How would his friends and colleagues react if they found out? Certain his whole life would change, he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

He meandered through the neighborhoods for a while before realizing he needed to get back to the office. He was already late. Stopping on a main artery, he looked around for a familiar landmark. He spotted the market ahead through some arches. It would be easy to find his way back from there.

He headed in that direction; ignoring the stares of the people he passed.
Can they know by looking at me that I’m one of them?
He shook off the idea. The stares had been because of his uniform, as always.
Boy, I really am getting paranoid!

Passing beneath an arch onto another corridor, he glimpsed the tents and booths of the market up ahead.
Thank the gods, I know where I am.
He quickened his pace as he entered the market and the familiar smells and sounds assaulted his senses. The market seemed less crowded. It was mid-afternoon, and most of the workers would be at their jobs. Raised voices came from up ahead. He rounded a corner between rows of booths to find the humanoid vendor he’d asked about Lura and Nila, arguing with two workers.

“It’s a fair price!” The vendor’s purple eyes glowed with rage.

“This fruit is not even ripe,” said one worker, tossing two gixis back at him.

“I provide the highest quality,” the vendor insisted.

“You should be ashamed ripping off people!” The other worker said with disgust. “Give us back our money!”

The vendor spotted Davi passing and motioned to him. “Captain, please. You’ve been here before. You know my product.”

Davi sighed.
Don’t get me involved in this.
He turned to the vendor and smiled. He had bought some fruit there two days before and it was fine. “I didn’t have any complaints.”

“Well, he’s an off-worlder. How would he know when gixi are at their ripest?” the first worker said.

“Don’t you men have jobs to attend to?” Davi asked. They showed no fear, despite his uniform.

“Our supervisor won’t pay us if the gixi isn’t ripe,” the second worker said. His face formed a question. He examined Davi like he knew him from somewhere.

The first worker angrily grabbed the vendor by the collar, his eyes still locked on Davi. “Stay out of this. It’s a dispute between us. We want our money back!”

Davi stepped forward and put his hand on the first worker’s muscular arm. He could feel the man’s strength through his sleeve. “Let him go.”

The second worker’s eyes went wide with recognition. Davi couldn’t imagine how they knew each other.

“What are you going to do? Kill us like you killed that Captain last week?” the second worker said loudly.

The words hit Davi like a rocket and the hair lifted at the nape of his neck as his hands suddenly felt clammy.
My gods, how did he know?

“I saw you on my corridor, Captain. I saw you real good,” the second worker said staring at him. The vendor and the other worker eyed Davi with worried looks.

Davi recognized the second worker as the man who’d stood in the doorway as he fled the corridor where the Captain lay dead. Davi pulled his hand off the first worker, turned and ran as fast as he could.
People are talking about it now. It’s only a matter of time before the police come for me!

He passed the end of the row of stalls, making his way along the transportation corridor ringing the market toward a nearby residential corridor. He ran as fast as he could—his footsteps pounding the pavement so loud he feared the entire city might hear—drawing even more stares from the people he passed. Dwellings flew by in a flash as he wondered if the stares had been about more than his uniform. He tried to remember how many workers he’d seen peering out at him in the alley. The gasps of his breathing echoed loudly off the walls around him as his eyes stung from perspiration falling off his forehead.

Passing through the security gate separating the worker districts from the finer homes, he continued around a corner as his eyes locked on the outline of the government buildings ahead of him. The intersection separating the government sector from the residential areas was quiet, so he hurried across and up the transportation corridor toward the barracks gate where he’d encountered Lura and Nila.

Activity near the gate ahead drew his attention. Lord’s Security Police officers were talking with the guards. Two police vehicles sat nearby with lights flashing. Then he saw a face he recognized–Bordox in full LSP uniform.

Bordox spotted him too, and raised his arm to point. “There he is!”

The Security Police and barracks guards all turned to stare at him. Bordox and the LSP officers began rushing toward him, pulling their blasters from their holsters.

Davi turned and ran back the way he’d come, his chest tingling even as he began feeling dizzy.
Where can I go? Quick! Think!
As he passed the end of the block, the sirens of LSP cruisers drew nearer. Spotting an air taxi at the curb, he hurried over and jumped inside.

“Residential Sector Four, fast, please.”

The cab-bot beeped, as the door slid shut. “Of course, sir.” The air taxi accelerated.

Catching his own scent for the first time, he felt relieved the cab-bot had no sensory abilities. His uniform was soaked with sweat. “Turn here,” Davi insisted.

The cab-bot complied, making a sharp turn into the finer residential area. The transportation corridors became narrower. The air taxi would soon run out of room.

“My computer maps show limited access to Residential Sector Four from this corridor, sir,” the cab-bot informed him.

“Can’t you just fly over the buildings until we’re closer?”

“It’s against regulations, sir. Emergency vehicles only per ordinance—”

“I can get out and walk. Please get me as close as you can,” Davi said, not waiting for the cab-bot to finish, his own voice revealing his panicked state. Hearing sirens behind him, he glanced back. The LSP vehicles had not turned. He wasn’t even sure if they could fit.

“Of course, sir,” the cab-bot responded.

Davi saw LSP men exiting a vehicle at the entrance to the corridor and chasing after the air taxi.

The cab-bot turned a corner, winding the taxi through the narrow corridors. At the security gates leading to the worker residential areas, the air taxi pulled to a stop. “This is it, sir.”

Davi slid his cab card through the slot near the door as it slid open. “Thank you. Please move on right away.”

He rushed from the cab and out into the worker district again, squinting as he ran and flinching at every noise. He hoped to lose himself in the numerous narrow corridors surrounding the market.

The air taxi departed behind him.
Did the LSP men see where the taxi stopped?
He prayed they hadn’t.

Quats hissed and scattered as he ducked onto a side corridor. He continued, unsure where he was going, knowing he had to get away. He heard sirens as the LSP vehicles raced around the edges of the district looking for another entrance.

He ducked through an archway like the ones leading to the market, running as fast as he could, until his uniform dripped. His feet pounded the pavement like beating drums. Then someone called his name.

“Davi!”

Since when can Bordox run that fast?
His mind registered the voice was female as he forced himself to stop and turned around.

Lura motioned to him from a nearby doorway. “Come this way!” She smiled reassuringly.
Where did she come from?

He didn’t hesitate, hurrying inside as she shut the door behind them. It was a small interior corridor with dwelling doors scattered on each side. He started to apologize for his appearance and smell but Lura motioned for him to be quiet.

Outside feet shuffled as someone ran past.
They’re going to find me.
And then it was silent again until the sirens began moving away. No more commotion came from outside. Could he really have escaped?

Lura took his hand, leading him further down the corridor. “Were the Police chasing you?”

He nodded, out of breath. “Word has spread about Nila and the Captain.”

“Oh no!” Lura pulled him behind her. “Follow me. We can get back to my house through the tunnels.”

“How?” He hadn’t heard of any tunnels.

She nodded, pulling open a small wooden door on the corner of a building. Stairs descended.

Tunnels under the city?

“They run underground throughout the worker areas. Officers aren’t supposed to know about them.”

As soon as they entered, she closed the door behind them. It was dark and damp as they headed down. Every footstep echoed like thunder interrupting the droning rasp of his breathing and the thumping of his heart. He had no idea where they’d wind up, but he followed as fast as he could.

Chapter Four

Manaen’s red eyes moved back and forth while he read the report aloud off the datapad as Xalivar and Miri listened.

“If he wants our help, why is he running away?” Xalivar asked, his anger growing.

“Bordox is his rival from the Academy. They have a long history. Maybe if someone else had come after him—”

Xalivar cut Miri off. “I can’t control which LSP officers answer such warrants. I didn’t even know about it until this morning. How can we help him if we don’t know where he is?”

Xalivar fumed when he learned his own nephew was assisting workers, no matter what the circumstances. His chest tightened and his fists clenched at the very thought of it. They were the Lord’s ancient enemies and deserved no mercy. He cursed Miri for making Davi weak. Xalivar had done his best to harden the boy, but there hadn’t been enough time. Besides, it had been clear to Xalivar his nephew was far too sensitive to handle the reality of certain types of situations and decisions. He had always protected the boy from exposure, hoping he would come around in time. Now he wondered if Miri had succeeded in ruining her son for the throne.

“I’m sure he’s looking for a way to get in touch with us,” Miri said, pacing anxiously. “He knows we’ll help him.”

“What business does he have involving himself with helping workers? The workers are our enemies!” The last sentence came out like cursing, and as far as Xalivar was concerned that was appropriate.

Miri recoiled at Xalivar’s anger. “Is it wrong to show compassion to fellow human beings?” Miri asked, sounded as if she herself were wounded by his words. She had always been too soft.

“The term only applies to them by natural default. They are not our equals,” Xalivar said, annoyed at having to remind her of it after so many years. He turned quickly to his majordomo. “Manaen, get me Major Zylo and Lieutenant Bordox. I want to see them as soon as possible. In the meantime, any further reports on this come to me right away.”

Manaen nodded, hurrying for the door. “Yes, my Lord!”

Xalivar waited until the door slid shut behind his aide before turning back to scold Miri. “He was raised to lead and you made him soft, Miri. Leaders must be hard. They cannot afford to be blinded by compassion.”

“Human beings cannot afford to be totally blinded to concern for others as you are, brother,” Miri said, anger rising as her body tensed.

Xalivar rolled his eyes.
Not this conversation again!
He and his sister had always been different. Miri always wanted to appear sympathetic in front of the help, for example, and she had protected Davi just as their own father had protected her. As a result, neither Davi nor Miri understood the harsh realities of leadership. “If he is to rule one day, he will have to learn to make difficult decisions,” Xalivar responded, tired of spoon-feeding his sister. Time for her to grow up.

“You think he killed an Alliance soldier in haste? Perhaps he had no other choice! Perhaps it was an accident!” Miri threw her hands in the air.

“Whatever the circumstances,” Xalivar said, softening his tone in an attempt to inspire her cooperation, “we both know the law. He will have to answer to the Tribunal of Lords. We will do all we can to help him, of course. If there is a good explanation, they will show him mercy. Have you had any contact with him since he’s been on Vertullis?”

“One e-post to let me know he had arrived,” Miri replied.

Her gentle blue eyes caused him to doubt her. They always darkened when she felt uncertainty. She and Davi had always been close. Why would they not continue to be? The distance would slow them down, but electronic communications between Legallis and Vertullis were fast, especially for officers like Davi with access to Borali Alliance channels.

“Nothing else?”

“I already told you,” she said, still angry.

“You will, of course, let me know if you hear from him?”

“Of course,” she said.

Xalivar offered a warm smile but made a mental note to have her e-posts monitored. He hated to resort to spying on his own family. In the past, Miri’s correspondence had been of no relevance, but this was different. Davi was Xalivar’s known heir and he had to stay informed about all developments. Besides, he didn’t believe her promise for a moment. Grunting to himself, he turned away to hide the doubt in his eyes and moved to the window behind the throne, staring out at the starport. He hoped Zylo and Bordox would have good news for him.

O O O

Davi sat in Lura’s kitchen, lost in thought, as life spun on around him. He’d run fearing how Bordox might treat him, but soon he would have return to Legon and face this. He’d been over and over it in his mind and decided turning himself in to the LSP would create all sorts of problems. The best route would be to contact his mother and go straight to his family first. They could determine together what to do next. Beyond the issues of the Captain’s death, he needed to resolve the issues of his heritage or it would eat away at him. He had to know who he was.

At Lura’s, he reconnected with Nila again and met Lura’s sister, Rena. They were all very kind to him, convinced he was their long-lost relative. Their warmth touched him and he returned it in kind, but butterflies still danced in his stomach and he had to defy the urge to blanch several times. He couldn’t be sure how to respond until he’d cleared it all up with Miri.

He’d attempted to sneak back to the barracks and send an e-post, but the LSP had been there waiting for him. Instead, he sent a message from a kiosk on the sidewalk. Afterwards, he proceeded across a public park to a ritzy neighborhood he hadn’t visited since his second week on the planet. The home of Sinaia Quall, the Borali Alliance’s Ambassador to Vertullis, stood in a cul-de-sac at the end of a palm tree-lined corridor—the black iron fence declaring its separation from the world outside.

After the guard admitted him, the Ambassador’s majordomo escorted him to her office. The opulence still impressed him despite the fact he’d been there once before—the red curtains, gold-embossed furniture and fixtures, the fine Regallian carpets and paintings from artists around the solar system. The smell of papers from her crowded desk mixed with incense and her flowery perfume. Yet this was the world he was used to, far different from that of military life and Lura and her family. It evoked happy memories and strong feelings from his childhood and earlier life.

Sinaia Quall smiled and stood behind her desk as he entered. Despite the height of the dark hair she kept permanently affixed in a bun atop her head, most people towered over her, but she compensated for it with intense self-confidence. She wore a blue suit, neatly pressed, as if appearance counted even when she was alone in her home. Her grip was firm as she shook his hand.

“Captain Rhii,” she said with a warm smile, “I’ve been meaning to have you over again since the dinner right after you arrived, but I’m afraid the diplomats have kept me rather busy.”

Davi smiled. “I’m sorry I haven’t managed to drop by either. I’ve appreciated your kindness to me.”

She shrugged as if it were nothing. “Your uncle has been a good friend. What brings you here today?”

After Davi explained what had happened with the Captain and the LSP soldiers, she agreed that going to his family first was the wisest course.

“I don’t like to take advantage of my status as a Royal,” Davi said, starting to apologize.

“Nonsense!” the ambassador said. “Imprisoning a Royal would be as bad for the Alliance itself as it would be for your family, and my job is to serve the Alliance. I’m pleased you came to me.”

After ordering supper and drinks from her servants, she excused herself and headed for the communications room down the hall. An hour later, a shuttle picked him up in the park down the corridor. Once they’d cleared the planet, the pilot slipped into sub-light taking them to Legallis in just under ten hours’ time. Upon landing, he headed straight to his mother’s chambers at the Palace, and she accompanied him to see Xalivar.

“You seem to have made a name for yourself in the most undesirable ways,” Xalivar said, stepping down from the throne as the door shut behind them, his voice tired and face annoyed.

“It was not intentional,” Davi said.

“Of course not!” Miri said, but stopped as her face reverted to a worried expression. She looked at Davi, anxious for answers.

“Murder they’re saying.” Xalivar’s look also urged him to explain.

Davi hesitated. He’d known the moment was here from the time he boarded the shuttle, yet standing before them, his throat grew dry and heavy as his muscles tensed, and he found it challenging to formulate the words. After a moment, he forced the words out.

“I came upon the Captain as he was about to commit a violation against a female. When I interfered, he turned on me. In trying to subdue him, I inadvertently killed him.” He offered a silent prayer to the gods, hoping they’d understand.

Xalivar almost spat the words out: “Why are you helping workers? They are ancient enemies of our people.”

Davi was shocked by the fierceness of his uncle’s tone. “Alliance soldiers raping helpless young girls does not qualify to me as subduing our subjects.”

“You think they deserve better?” Xalivar asked, irritated.

“They don’t deserve to be treated worse than animals,” Davi said. If his uncle didn’t understand, he hoped his mother would.

“We do what we must,” Xalivar said.

“Then we act dishonorably,” Davi replied, his resolve unwavering.

Xalivar’s cutting look warned him to mind his words. “One day, if you lead the Alliance, you’ll understand the hard decisions which have to be made.”

“I don’t know if I could ever understand this!” Davi said.

Miri shot a look at Xalivar, making it clear she agreed.

Xalivar stared at them a moment as if collecting his words and thoughts. When he spoke, his tone became softer again. “Inadvertently?” Xalivar raised an eyebrow.

“He was very strong. I tried to use a board to knock him unconscious, but a spike entered his brain and killed him,” Davi explained. “His death was an accident.”

“What an unfortunate thing,” Miri said and wrapped her hands softly around Davi’s upper arm, her voice full of concern.

“You know the law?” Xalivar asked.

“I would hope the law would account for accidents,” Davi replied, beginning to doubt he could count on his uncle for help.

“There were witnesses?” Xalivar asked.

“A few workers, yes,” Davi said.

“You will, of course, write up a full report, Captain?”

Davi nodded. “Of course.”

“Good. As soon as possible. Then I can go to the Council and get the arrest warrant revoked before real harm is done.”

“You believe they will show mercy?” Miri said, hopeful.

“I believe they will consider the circumstances. I make no promises, but he is a Royal, and he has come himself to face it,” Xalivar said.

“You are the High Lord Councilor,” Miri said, releasing Davi’s arm and straightening to glare at her brother.

“I know who I am. But I am not a dictator,” Xalivar said. “This is a matter for the Council.”

Davi and Miri exchanged a look. They both knew Xalivar had heavy influence with the Council.

“The Council on which you serve,” Miri said.

“As one of twelve members, and I must recuse myself from this,” Xalivar said. “The Council will be fair.”

Davi’s heart sunk. He’d hoped his uncle’s influence might serve to keep the matter private. Xalivar’s look told him the discussion was over.

“You dislike your duty assignment.”

It was more of a statement than a question. “I have learned many things I did not know, uncle,” Davi answered.

Xalivar smiled. “Ah, I see you do indeed still have the heart of a diplomat, Xander.” He laughed. “You will find life is full of hard choices.”

“He has known this for a long time,” Miri said, her irritation still obvious.

Xalivar sigh loudly and shot her a stern look again. “The choices faced by a leader are different.” Turning back to Davi again, he smiled. “We have much to talk about. Your education has barely begun.” He reached over and pressed a button on a pillar to his right.

Davi did his best to hide his disappointment. “I understand.”

The door slid open behind Davi and Miri as Manaen entered and stood at attention.

“Go with your mother. I believe she has missed you. I have some things to attend to, but I’ll join you when I can,” Xalivar said, his eyes locking on Davi’s with reassurance.

Miri smiled warmly at Davi as he saluted his uncle. “Yes, High Lord Councilor.” Then they turned and walked out together.

O O O

Miri’s suite was a section of rooms smaller than Xalivar’s on the opposite wing of the Palace. The main room resembled the throne room with pillars lining the two long walls. A raised dais ran around the room with the largest section of the floor in the center, set down by several inches. Two couches sat angled around an entertainment center with a vidscreen. There was a desk in the corner with a terminal. Four rooms led off the main at each corner—a bedroom, closet, kitchen and dining area, and cleansing room.

Miri led her son there and embraced him as soon as they arrived. For a moment, she held him like she’d never let go. She wished she didn’t have to.

“When Yao told me what happened, I was so afraid for you,” Miri said, still reeling from her brother’s refusal to protect her son.

“I’m sorry to worry you,” Davi said apologetically as he stepped off the dais onto the center floor.

“When you had expressed your concerns by e-post, I should have arranged time for us to talk sooner. I’m sorry,” Miri said, following him.

“It’s not right, mother. If the general public knew about this—” Davi said.

Miri put her fingers over his lips. “Keep your voice down.”

“We’re in the Royal Palace, in your private quarters,” Davi said.

“Which doesn’t mean we can’t be overheard,” Miri said, tensing even as she fought the urge to look around. Her brother spied on friends as well as enemies.

“When I was younger, he was always there for me. I never would have imagined he’d sanction such—”