The next morning Nerri and Berret joined Rygel in the main throne room to meet the contingent from Nebari Prime. The Dominar settled his thronesled onto the huge gold and gem covered dais that dominated the chamber as the pair of men took there assigned places on the lower steps of the massive throne structure that had signified the power and might of the Hynerian Empire for countless ages. The position allowed the Dominar to majestically tower over everyone else in the throne room.
Clutching his scepter in one hand, Rygel surveyed the chamber to be sure everything was in regal order. Appearance was every thing and he had to look as if to be dealing from a stable position of power if he wanted to get anywhere with Lerris. The Nebari segment of the Alliance had grown shaky over the last few cycles since the fall of both the Scarran Imperium and Peacekeeper Command. Rumors suggested that Nebari Prime no longer saw a benefit in continuing the pact with Hyneria and the other worlds and were looking for a way to pull out of the alliance. The withdrawal would seriously weaken the Alliance and Rygel meant to quill that possibility from ever happening.
The Hynerian ruler studied the rank of Elite Guards that ringed the room at precise intervals, their battle armor polished to a high mirror-like gleam. At key points throughout the room, Luxan auxiliary members, hand picked by D'argo and his son, stood like glaring stone statues, their huge hands resting on the pommels of their Qualta blades. The Hynerian sovereign nodded with approval of the assembled show of might from the Hynerian Empire and it's allies. He turned his attention to Chiana's brother. The Nebari man was dress in the finest set of cloths his tailors could put together. Nothing about the man said resistance fighter, which is how Rygel wanted it. He needed Lerris to deal with Nerri as an equal, not the boy his government had tried to hunt down for so many cycles. Rygel gave the Nebari a small smile of encouragement and then turned to regard the Master Shrike. He'd hoped the ex-Enforcer's presence would off-balance the Nebari Chancellor... but Berret's hatred for most Nebari, particularly Lerris, still ran deep and that worried Rygel. He could see the muscles in Berret's jaw clench over and over again - a sure sign in humanoids of severe irritation.
Rygel had asked that Berret wear full battle gear to the meeting. In the new armor, without the usual cloak to hide it, the man looked like a cross between a Peacekeeper war-cyborg and a scaled demon straight out of hezmana, an unmistakable icon of Mek-Klor-TaZ Clan's deadly capability. Every plate, every overlapping scale, hid a lethal edge or spike; right down to the gauntlet braces with their pair of new "T" shaped blades that were a few henta longer then the ones in Berret's old armor. Longer and slightly thinner they looked more like long claws then blades, even so, they were still able to shear through most metals that weren't Qualta covered. If Berret wanted to kill Lerris, there was no way any of them could stop him in time if he chose too. Rygel could only hope that his earlier talk with the man would keep his temper under control.
Berret caught the Hynerian watching him and immediately knew what the Hynerian was concerned about. He forced his jaw to loosen and visibly relax. Knowing Shenna and Marai where observing the meeting remotely from elsewhere, the Master Shrike made a short bow to Rygel and said,
"At thy service, Dominar."
Rygel's worries eased some as Berret gave him the traditional response of Shrike to patron. Shenna and Marai must have given him a crash-course in Clan etiquette before the summit. He tried not to think about the fact that Berret for the most part held Clan tradition as inanity and had a particularly nasty habit of doing what he pleased anyway... and usually at the most inopportune times.
Nothing more to do then to hope for the best, Rygel signaled to his Court Master-at-Arms.
"Show the Nebari in," his gruff voice rumbled, filling the massive hall with its dynamic bass tone.
The huge gilded double doors glided smoothly open and the Nebari assemblage strode into the throne room. Berret's hands rolled into white-knuckled fists involuntarily at the sight of Lerris in the middle of the group. Twenty cycles ago, he would have gladly slaughtered this man in his bed for attempting to take Chiana and his children from him. How the sight of him made the ex-Enforcer abruptly ache to correct that faux pas. Rygel saw the Master Shrike stiffen and said sotto voice,
"Easy, Jared."
"I'm fine, Rygel," Berret answered back in a like tone.
As the Nebari drew nearer the ex-assassin forced his fingers to uncurl and tried to put a relatively emotionless expression on his face as befitted a Master Shrike of the Mek-Klor-TaZ clan.
The throng halted at the foot of the dais and Lerris moved to the front of his support staff.
"Rygel," he called with artificial cheer, "How good to see you again, Dominar. I hope you are well?"
"Lerris," responded the Hynerian with a slight nod of his whisker-covered head. "Its nice to see you again also," he continued on to say but didn't make much of an attempt to sound believable. "Things are going very well," Rygel answered and before Lerris could go on with any more small talk he stretched out one hand to indicate the younger Nebari man on the lower step of the throne.
"I believe you already know Nerri."
"Yes, of course. The rebel leader," Lerris said with a slight sneer.
"Ah ahem," Rygel corrected, "You mean the Proconsul for the Nebari Free States."
"Yes... of course, Dominar." Lerris sounded even less sincere then Rygel had just a few microts earlier.
Nerri for his part chose not to play the other man's games and settled for just giving him a cool look of distain. Rygel turned to the man beside the Nebari and cleared his throat slightly.
"You may not recall meeting my other associate. Let me reintroduce you to Jared Berret. He will be sitting in as representative of the Mek-Klor-TaZ Clan. He is also the Master Shrike who will be succeeding Master Shenna as Grandmaster when he steps down."
Lerris frowned as something stirred his memory. "The name sounds familiar, but I must apologize as it escapes me at the moment," the man replied with a phony smile to Berret.
The Master turned his head slightly so the Nebari official could better see the bonding earring that still resided on his left ear in memory of his beloved wife.
"I was bond-mate to Nerri's sister, Chiana," Berret said in a nearly dead-cold voice.
The Nebari's smile slid off his face and his skin turned from healthy gray to ash white. He began to recognize the dimly viewed face of the Shrike who had mysteriously appeared one night so many cycles ago in his private chambers with a dire warning not to betray the Dominar.
"Nerri's sister..." he whispered, "... Hyril..."
Berret's ice blue eyes told the Chancellor that the Master Shrike had not forgotten or forgiven Lerris' part in the attempt to recapture Chiana and destroy his children... or the attack on his family and friends that followed which resulted in Jalen almost dying.
Rygel allowed himself a small smirk as Lerris now realized the position he was dealing from. The Dominar not only had the leader of the free Nebari world on his side, but the new head of the assassin clan, who also happened to be Nerri's sister's bond-mate, had no great love for him or his people. The news that Berret would one day soon lead the Clan had the Nebari official in a near panic wondering if there was going to be an assassination plot made against him in the future once the man came into control. Rygel could almost hear the Nebari's mind frantically finding ways to make himself useful to the Hynerian to avoid that possibility happening. The Dominar eased himself back into his throne seat and let Lerris stew for a few microns under the Shrike's baleful glare, happy now that things were going according to his plan.
The meeting went better then Rygel could have hoped for on the first day. Lerris was more then happy to hammer out an agreement to end the hostilities between Nebari Prime and the Nebari Free States. The Dominar supposed it helped having Berret stand a post behind his left shoulder during the summit, signifying that the Clan was firmly behind Rygel and the Alliance. Plus the nasty looking armor making the man appear almost as huge and menacing as D'argo was an added bonus that made matters move along more smoothly. Lerris agreed without protesting too much to give the Free States recognition as a sovereign entity much to Nerri's relief. Now Hyneria could arm the NFS without endangering the alliance with Nebari Prime. Once Nerri's people had a freestanding military they wouldn't have much to fear from the Nebari homeworld. Nerri got what he's fought for all these cycles, Lerris and Nebari Prime could now save face by declaring them an independent and separate unity, and Rygel got to keep his alliance together and add a new member... one who he could trust more then Lerris and his people. When the meeting broke up, the Nebari retreated to their guest quarters. By then Lerris looked about ready to crack under the Master Shrike's unemotional stare.
When they were alone except for the throne room security, Nerri leaned back in his seat and sighed,
"I glad that's over. I didn't think he'd give in that easy."
"Don't let him fool you. He's thinking that even with the accord that sometime in the future when the need is over, they'll be able to take your people back," advised Rygel. "We've bought you some time. Lucky what he didn't realize is that by allowing you to join the alliance is that you now have the right to make your own allegiances inside it."
The Hynerian's wispy eyebrow raised in a look of delightful mischief,
"I hear the Luxan's are always looking for new allies."
Nerri raised an eyebrow in parody of Rygel. "I've heard the very same thing."
Rygel chuckled evilly as he turned back to Berret.
"You did a wonderful job, Jared. Thank you."
"Yes, most impressive," added Shenna as he and Marai left their hidden observation post and joined them. "Though... I believe Lerris had the impression that you were thinking about killing him at any microt."
"Was it that obvious?" asked the Master Shrike.
"Yes," replied Marai.
"Good," said Berret with a self-satisfied smile.
The rest of the day, Berret had to admit that he was less then congenial.
Despite how please everyone told him they were with his part of the meeting with the Nebari, Berret still wished he could have just snapped Lerris' neck and had been done with it.
At least the Nebari were staying clear of the crewmates section of the palace.
It struck the ex-assassin as an odd affair that he could love Chiana and his children as much as he did and hate most other Nebari outside Nerri's Free States. Sometimes he thought he was boarding on being prejudice against the gray race but every time he looked at his offspring he knew it wasn't true. He told himself that in fact what he hated were the people in the Nebari Establishment who enforce the policies they did... not the Nebari people as a total whole. It just so happened that he had a very personal grudge against Lerris, and he was the current political leader of Nebari Prime and the Establishment.
So he guessed for the time being... his hatred resided with the right deserving people.
The Master Shrike hid out in the Imperial Cemetery by his bond-mates tomb for the rest of the afternoon. He spoke with his wife's spirit about what was happening and afterwards just sat around in the quite surroundings to think. He might have been further ahead to lock himself in his apartments if he wanted total solitude, as his children and friends stop by Chiana's resting place to visit their missing loved one also. None of them were very surprised to find Berret hiding out there.
Later that evening, Berret joined his family and friends in the common room in a far better mood. Playing with his granddaughter went a long way into putting him in much better spirits.
The next morning started early in a whole different way as his comm repeatedly chimed, then buzzed, and then switched to a shrill urgent warble until he answered it.
"What!" barked the Master Shrike as he half buried his head under a pillow. He had gotten very little rest that night with his tossing and turning and he wasn't in the mood for one of Crichton's early wake-up calls that the other man was so fond of.
"Jared?" came Rygel's deep voice over the unit.
"Rygel?" replied Berret quizzically. He squinted at his timepiece on the nightstand next to the bed. "What the hell do you want? It's an arn before breakfast... Did John put you up to this?"
"No," the Dominar told him solemnly. "There's been an emergency."
"What? Somebody steal your morning marjools?"
Berret shot the crack off as he rolled over and then pulled the pillow over his head, hoping the Hynerian would go away.
"No, you farb-brain! Listen to me... there's been another attack."
Berret pushed the pillow back off his face.
"Attack against what?" he asked.
"The new Syndicate attack another storage base last night in the Travack VI system," explained Rygel. The Shrike propped himself up on one elbow as he listened now with interest to the news.
"That's less then three arns from here by Hetch-drive transport," he commented.
"I'm aware of that," the Hynerian replied, "They used another of those new Shrikes in the attack. I've called an emergency meeting. I need you there and I'm going to want you to go with a group to investigate the scene while its still fresh afterwards. I already have a fleet transport on the palace landing pad ready to leave as soon as you're all briefed."
Berret kicked his bed sheets off and got to his feet.
"I'll be down to meet with you in ten microns," he said before closing the comm channel.
Four and a half arns later the group Rygel chose to investigate the attack was crawling over the wreckage of the base. Bodies lay strewn everywhere among smashed equipment and other now unidentifiable structures. The Alliance personnel here had mostly been killed by edged weapons and more than a few where completely dismembered. The only sight of order in the area was the fact that the warehouse had been totally empty of whatever had been there. There was no sign of any enemies' bodies that might have died in the fighting.
Berret surveyed the carnage and thought to himself how glad he was that Chulee hadn't accompanied them like she had wanted. However, her fiancé had been selected to go.
"This is unbelievable," said Mytell from beside him. "How could any beings be so savage? No soldier would do something like this."
"It's the Syndicate's way," responded Berret dryly. "And keep in mind, Mytell... they're not soldiers or resistance fighters. There are no rules as far as they are concerned."
The young Nebari man nodded his head in agreement and continued to take in the gruesome sight around them. Marai and Warna approached the pair, returning from where they were conducting their own investigation of the scene.
"What word, Marai?" Berret inquired.
"As we expected, most of the killing was done with edged weapons. Very little in the way of defensive pulse fire baring an Alliance weapon's signature, I would say they were taken by surprise and the slaughter was practically over before anyone could raise an alarm."
Warna consulted her data reader before adding,
"The explosive residue that was found indicates most of the building were destroyed after the personnel were killed and the few offense pulse fire signatures are from half a dozen different types of pulse weapons. From Peacekeeper, to Scarran, to Zenetan, Volcarian, and Nebari type firearms."
Marai sniffed at the air with her reptilian nostrils.
"And the scent of those things is all over the place," she said. "Its so strange... they smell so similar to each other that its hard to tell how many there were. That's not natural," she concluded.
"That's not all that's wrong," broke in Malika as she and Andar joined the group.
The Sebacean man held up one of the scanners he had constructed so the rest could see it.
"We haven't been able to find any genetical specimen as far as blood or hair left behind by the new Shrikes... but there should have been something on the DNA or RNA level left behind in the air. Every living thing does..."
"But you're not finding anything?" asked Marai.
"Oh... we're finding it all right," replied Andar.
"Its just not... right," finished the Delvian.
Berret frowned. "Okay... can you simplify for us non-scientific types?"
"It means," said Malika, "We're finding DNA were it should be. What we're finding fits the profile for DNA... but when the scanners try and lock on to analyze it, something about it throws the scanners off and causes a malfunction. Whatever this is, it is capable of confounding a multi-spectrum, multitasking, sixth generation medical analyzer/decoder."
"So can't we get a better one?" asked Mytell.
"You don't understand," Andar put it. "There is nothing bigger or better in a portable module. I just designed this series less than a half cycle ago." He turned to look at Berret and Marai. "This device can work at mapping and decoding at least fifty strains of DNA or RNA all at the same moment... and still have some work power left to perform other tasks."
"And in that... is our biggest problem," Malika announced.
"And that is?" asked Berret when no one else said anything.
"Whatever this is... it's using up all of Andar's scanner's resources on just this one scan and then having to give up trying to analyze it." She looked around at the still blank faces around her. "Don't you get it? It's too damned big and complicated to decode with this," she explained while holding up the device. "We're going to need a full lab and at least two super computers, if not more, to map out what's been done to this DNA helix."
The group continued picking through the wreckage and removing bodies to a staging area where they would be taken care of. Berret was still searching the emptied warehouse looking for any clues that might have been missed when his comm chimed.
"Uncle," Jothee voice came to him over the channel.
"Yes, Jothee?" Berret immediately answered D'argo's son. The young warrior and his mate, Tamilla, had barely been home on Hyneria a few arns when Rygel pressed him into service for the expedition to investigate the ravaged Alliance base.
"You had better join me with the perimeter teams," the young warrior announced. "We found some things I think you better look at."
"I'm on my way," Berret told him after Jothee gave him his location.
Within a few microns, Berret found the young half-Luxan bent over a set of tracks, his opened Qualta rifle balanced over one knee. The few men standing around with Jothee moved aside as Berret arrived.
"What do you have?" inquired the Master Shrike of his nephew.
Jothee waved his hand to indicate the area around him.
"Tracks," he explained. "Several belonging to those new Enforcers and one other. The Enforcers are fairly uniform in weight and height. They all head south of here."
'Toward the small commerce town?" Berret asked.
Jothee nodded an affirmative. "Right toward it, that's what worries me," he went on, "They're not even trying to hide from us."
Berret agreed with the warrior, his instincts were just as reliable as his father's were.
"You think they wanted us to follow them? Maybe into an ambush somewhere?" asked the ex-assassin.
"That would be my guess," confirmed the Luxan. "The surveillance satellites haven't detected or recorded any outgoing ships leaving the world since yesterday morning and Rygel had the port shut down and the system blockaded by a squadron of Hynerian star-fighters as soon as word came of the attack. Nothings come in or gone out."
"So they're still planet-side," finished Berret.
"I'd have to think so," Jothee replied. "Something's nagging at me, telling me whoever they are, they never intended to leave after the attack. They're not done here yet... and it smells like a set-up to me."
"I have to agree. I have that feeling too," the Shrike said. "What about that other track you found?"
Jothee bent and pointed out the odd footprint in the dirt by his knee for his uncle. Unlike the clawed prints of the Enforcers, this one wore boots.
"It's a small person wearing humanoid boots," the young warrior instructed. "Not very heavy with a small stride. This person remained outside the base while the attack was going on and then rejoined the Enforcers as they regrouped on the perimeter. It looks like they stayed outside on patrol while land vehicles were brought in to clean out the warehouse. They were probably here a little over an arn judging by the traffic patterns... then headed south all together on foot when they were finished."
Berret stroked the stubble on his unshaven chin as Jothee gave his report, taking everything the young man said in. "Why didn't they take a transport out of here?" idly asked the older man out loud.
"Like I said, I believe they wanted us to find the tracks."
"Anything else?" the Master Shrike asked when Jothee had finished.
The young Luxan paused a microt and shifted his rifle to balance it over one shoulder. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead as he continued.
"One other thing I can't really be sure of," he supplied.
"What's that?" Berret encouraged, knowing that the lad like to be absolutely sure of all his facts before saying anything.
"Its been awhile since whoever they were has been through here," he went on to explain, "but in some places where the one wearing boots stop or rubbed up against something... I can't be sure, it's very faint now and my sense of smell isn't as strong as my father's..."
"That's okay, give it your best shot, Jothee," put in Berret. "What is it you're picking up?"
"I think this other person might be a Nebari," the younger man answered. "Probably a female by the size."
"Nebari?" repeated the ex-Enforcer. "You think it might be one of Lerris' agents working with the new Syndicate against the Alliance or maybe a half-breed that's been exiled from Nebari Prime and just fell in with them?"
"No, for the scent to last this long that I can tell, it has to be a full-blood," Jothee answered with a shake of his head.
"Lerris then."
Jothee shrugged his shoulders. " Could be. He would have the location of all the Alliances storage bases if he wanted to sell us out to the Syndicate," he agreed. "Then again, it could be something else entirely, uncle. And you might be letting your dislike for Lerris lead you down the wrong roads."
Berret glanced up at his nephew and after a few microts grimly nodded in agreement with the young Luxan.
"Point well taken, Jothee. I'll wait until we have more information before jumping to conclusions."
"That would be best," agreed Jothee with a tired grin.
Berret noticed the young man's disheveled appearance from having searched over the area with his team of scouts for the first time and decided to call for a break seeing they had been at it for over four arns straight.
There was still much more work to be done at the scene for the rest of the group and most of them would still be here for arns more if not days wrapping up loose ends to the investigation and then re-securing the base. A break would be most welcomed for all.
"Call in your outriders," he advised the Luxan warrior. "We'll break for a meal and assess the data we have so far and then decide on our next move after we report back to Rygel. If the Syndicate operatives are still here and hiding in the town, we maybe able to come up with a plan that will let us avoid the ambush and catch them before they know we're onto them."
Clutching his scepter in one hand, Rygel surveyed the chamber to be sure everything was in regal order. Appearance was every thing and he had to look as if to be dealing from a stable position of power if he wanted to get anywhere with Lerris. The Nebari segment of the Alliance had grown shaky over the last few cycles since the fall of both the Scarran Imperium and Peacekeeper Command. Rumors suggested that Nebari Prime no longer saw a benefit in continuing the pact with Hyneria and the other worlds and were looking for a way to pull out of the alliance. The withdrawal would seriously weaken the Alliance and Rygel meant to quill that possibility from ever happening.
The Hynerian ruler studied the rank of Elite Guards that ringed the room at precise intervals, their battle armor polished to a high mirror-like gleam. At key points throughout the room, Luxan auxiliary members, hand picked by D'argo and his son, stood like glaring stone statues, their huge hands resting on the pommels of their Qualta blades. The Hynerian sovereign nodded with approval of the assembled show of might from the Hynerian Empire and it's allies. He turned his attention to Chiana's brother. The Nebari man was dress in the finest set of cloths his tailors could put together. Nothing about the man said resistance fighter, which is how Rygel wanted it. He needed Lerris to deal with Nerri as an equal, not the boy his government had tried to hunt down for so many cycles. Rygel gave the Nebari a small smile of encouragement and then turned to regard the Master Shrike. He'd hoped the ex-Enforcer's presence would off-balance the Nebari Chancellor... but Berret's hatred for most Nebari, particularly Lerris, still ran deep and that worried Rygel. He could see the muscles in Berret's jaw clench over and over again - a sure sign in humanoids of severe irritation.
Rygel had asked that Berret wear full battle gear to the meeting. In the new armor, without the usual cloak to hide it, the man looked like a cross between a Peacekeeper war-cyborg and a scaled demon straight out of hezmana, an unmistakable icon of Mek-Klor-TaZ Clan's deadly capability. Every plate, every overlapping scale, hid a lethal edge or spike; right down to the gauntlet braces with their pair of new "T" shaped blades that were a few henta longer then the ones in Berret's old armor. Longer and slightly thinner they looked more like long claws then blades, even so, they were still able to shear through most metals that weren't Qualta covered. If Berret wanted to kill Lerris, there was no way any of them could stop him in time if he chose too. Rygel could only hope that his earlier talk with the man would keep his temper under control.
Berret caught the Hynerian watching him and immediately knew what the Hynerian was concerned about. He forced his jaw to loosen and visibly relax. Knowing Shenna and Marai where observing the meeting remotely from elsewhere, the Master Shrike made a short bow to Rygel and said,
"At thy service, Dominar."
Rygel's worries eased some as Berret gave him the traditional response of Shrike to patron. Shenna and Marai must have given him a crash-course in Clan etiquette before the summit. He tried not to think about the fact that Berret for the most part held Clan tradition as inanity and had a particularly nasty habit of doing what he pleased anyway... and usually at the most inopportune times.
Nothing more to do then to hope for the best, Rygel signaled to his Court Master-at-Arms.
"Show the Nebari in," his gruff voice rumbled, filling the massive hall with its dynamic bass tone.
The huge gilded double doors glided smoothly open and the Nebari assemblage strode into the throne room. Berret's hands rolled into white-knuckled fists involuntarily at the sight of Lerris in the middle of the group. Twenty cycles ago, he would have gladly slaughtered this man in his bed for attempting to take Chiana and his children from him. How the sight of him made the ex-Enforcer abruptly ache to correct that faux pas. Rygel saw the Master Shrike stiffen and said sotto voice,
"Easy, Jared."
"I'm fine, Rygel," Berret answered back in a like tone.
As the Nebari drew nearer the ex-assassin forced his fingers to uncurl and tried to put a relatively emotionless expression on his face as befitted a Master Shrike of the Mek-Klor-TaZ clan.
The throng halted at the foot of the dais and Lerris moved to the front of his support staff.
"Rygel," he called with artificial cheer, "How good to see you again, Dominar. I hope you are well?"
"Lerris," responded the Hynerian with a slight nod of his whisker-covered head. "Its nice to see you again also," he continued on to say but didn't make much of an attempt to sound believable. "Things are going very well," Rygel answered and before Lerris could go on with any more small talk he stretched out one hand to indicate the younger Nebari man on the lower step of the throne.
"I believe you already know Nerri."
"Yes, of course. The rebel leader," Lerris said with a slight sneer.
"Ah ahem," Rygel corrected, "You mean the Proconsul for the Nebari Free States."
"Yes... of course, Dominar." Lerris sounded even less sincere then Rygel had just a few microts earlier.
Nerri for his part chose not to play the other man's games and settled for just giving him a cool look of distain. Rygel turned to the man beside the Nebari and cleared his throat slightly.
"You may not recall meeting my other associate. Let me reintroduce you to Jared Berret. He will be sitting in as representative of the Mek-Klor-TaZ Clan. He is also the Master Shrike who will be succeeding Master Shenna as Grandmaster when he steps down."
Lerris frowned as something stirred his memory. "The name sounds familiar, but I must apologize as it escapes me at the moment," the man replied with a phony smile to Berret.
The Master turned his head slightly so the Nebari official could better see the bonding earring that still resided on his left ear in memory of his beloved wife.
"I was bond-mate to Nerri's sister, Chiana," Berret said in a nearly dead-cold voice.
The Nebari's smile slid off his face and his skin turned from healthy gray to ash white. He began to recognize the dimly viewed face of the Shrike who had mysteriously appeared one night so many cycles ago in his private chambers with a dire warning not to betray the Dominar.
"Nerri's sister..." he whispered, "... Hyril..."
Berret's ice blue eyes told the Chancellor that the Master Shrike had not forgotten or forgiven Lerris' part in the attempt to recapture Chiana and destroy his children... or the attack on his family and friends that followed which resulted in Jalen almost dying.
Rygel allowed himself a small smirk as Lerris now realized the position he was dealing from. The Dominar not only had the leader of the free Nebari world on his side, but the new head of the assassin clan, who also happened to be Nerri's sister's bond-mate, had no great love for him or his people. The news that Berret would one day soon lead the Clan had the Nebari official in a near panic wondering if there was going to be an assassination plot made against him in the future once the man came into control. Rygel could almost hear the Nebari's mind frantically finding ways to make himself useful to the Hynerian to avoid that possibility happening. The Dominar eased himself back into his throne seat and let Lerris stew for a few microns under the Shrike's baleful glare, happy now that things were going according to his plan.
The meeting went better then Rygel could have hoped for on the first day. Lerris was more then happy to hammer out an agreement to end the hostilities between Nebari Prime and the Nebari Free States. The Dominar supposed it helped having Berret stand a post behind his left shoulder during the summit, signifying that the Clan was firmly behind Rygel and the Alliance. Plus the nasty looking armor making the man appear almost as huge and menacing as D'argo was an added bonus that made matters move along more smoothly. Lerris agreed without protesting too much to give the Free States recognition as a sovereign entity much to Nerri's relief. Now Hyneria could arm the NFS without endangering the alliance with Nebari Prime. Once Nerri's people had a freestanding military they wouldn't have much to fear from the Nebari homeworld. Nerri got what he's fought for all these cycles, Lerris and Nebari Prime could now save face by declaring them an independent and separate unity, and Rygel got to keep his alliance together and add a new member... one who he could trust more then Lerris and his people. When the meeting broke up, the Nebari retreated to their guest quarters. By then Lerris looked about ready to crack under the Master Shrike's unemotional stare.
When they were alone except for the throne room security, Nerri leaned back in his seat and sighed,
"I glad that's over. I didn't think he'd give in that easy."
"Don't let him fool you. He's thinking that even with the accord that sometime in the future when the need is over, they'll be able to take your people back," advised Rygel. "We've bought you some time. Lucky what he didn't realize is that by allowing you to join the alliance is that you now have the right to make your own allegiances inside it."
The Hynerian's wispy eyebrow raised in a look of delightful mischief,
"I hear the Luxan's are always looking for new allies."
Nerri raised an eyebrow in parody of Rygel. "I've heard the very same thing."
Rygel chuckled evilly as he turned back to Berret.
"You did a wonderful job, Jared. Thank you."
"Yes, most impressive," added Shenna as he and Marai left their hidden observation post and joined them. "Though... I believe Lerris had the impression that you were thinking about killing him at any microt."
"Was it that obvious?" asked the Master Shrike.
"Yes," replied Marai.
"Good," said Berret with a self-satisfied smile.
The rest of the day, Berret had to admit that he was less then congenial.
Despite how please everyone told him they were with his part of the meeting with the Nebari, Berret still wished he could have just snapped Lerris' neck and had been done with it.
At least the Nebari were staying clear of the crewmates section of the palace.
It struck the ex-assassin as an odd affair that he could love Chiana and his children as much as he did and hate most other Nebari outside Nerri's Free States. Sometimes he thought he was boarding on being prejudice against the gray race but every time he looked at his offspring he knew it wasn't true. He told himself that in fact what he hated were the people in the Nebari Establishment who enforce the policies they did... not the Nebari people as a total whole. It just so happened that he had a very personal grudge against Lerris, and he was the current political leader of Nebari Prime and the Establishment.
So he guessed for the time being... his hatred resided with the right deserving people.
The Master Shrike hid out in the Imperial Cemetery by his bond-mates tomb for the rest of the afternoon. He spoke with his wife's spirit about what was happening and afterwards just sat around in the quite surroundings to think. He might have been further ahead to lock himself in his apartments if he wanted total solitude, as his children and friends stop by Chiana's resting place to visit their missing loved one also. None of them were very surprised to find Berret hiding out there.
Later that evening, Berret joined his family and friends in the common room in a far better mood. Playing with his granddaughter went a long way into putting him in much better spirits.
The next morning started early in a whole different way as his comm repeatedly chimed, then buzzed, and then switched to a shrill urgent warble until he answered it.
"What!" barked the Master Shrike as he half buried his head under a pillow. He had gotten very little rest that night with his tossing and turning and he wasn't in the mood for one of Crichton's early wake-up calls that the other man was so fond of.
"Jared?" came Rygel's deep voice over the unit.
"Rygel?" replied Berret quizzically. He squinted at his timepiece on the nightstand next to the bed. "What the hell do you want? It's an arn before breakfast... Did John put you up to this?"
"No," the Dominar told him solemnly. "There's been an emergency."
"What? Somebody steal your morning marjools?"
Berret shot the crack off as he rolled over and then pulled the pillow over his head, hoping the Hynerian would go away.
"No, you farb-brain! Listen to me... there's been another attack."
Berret pushed the pillow back off his face.
"Attack against what?" he asked.
"The new Syndicate attack another storage base last night in the Travack VI system," explained Rygel. The Shrike propped himself up on one elbow as he listened now with interest to the news.
"That's less then three arns from here by Hetch-drive transport," he commented.
"I'm aware of that," the Hynerian replied, "They used another of those new Shrikes in the attack. I've called an emergency meeting. I need you there and I'm going to want you to go with a group to investigate the scene while its still fresh afterwards. I already have a fleet transport on the palace landing pad ready to leave as soon as you're all briefed."
Berret kicked his bed sheets off and got to his feet.
"I'll be down to meet with you in ten microns," he said before closing the comm channel.
Four and a half arns later the group Rygel chose to investigate the attack was crawling over the wreckage of the base. Bodies lay strewn everywhere among smashed equipment and other now unidentifiable structures. The Alliance personnel here had mostly been killed by edged weapons and more than a few where completely dismembered. The only sight of order in the area was the fact that the warehouse had been totally empty of whatever had been there. There was no sign of any enemies' bodies that might have died in the fighting.
Berret surveyed the carnage and thought to himself how glad he was that Chulee hadn't accompanied them like she had wanted. However, her fiancé had been selected to go.
"This is unbelievable," said Mytell from beside him. "How could any beings be so savage? No soldier would do something like this."
"It's the Syndicate's way," responded Berret dryly. "And keep in mind, Mytell... they're not soldiers or resistance fighters. There are no rules as far as they are concerned."
The young Nebari man nodded his head in agreement and continued to take in the gruesome sight around them. Marai and Warna approached the pair, returning from where they were conducting their own investigation of the scene.
"What word, Marai?" Berret inquired.
"As we expected, most of the killing was done with edged weapons. Very little in the way of defensive pulse fire baring an Alliance weapon's signature, I would say they were taken by surprise and the slaughter was practically over before anyone could raise an alarm."
Warna consulted her data reader before adding,
"The explosive residue that was found indicates most of the building were destroyed after the personnel were killed and the few offense pulse fire signatures are from half a dozen different types of pulse weapons. From Peacekeeper, to Scarran, to Zenetan, Volcarian, and Nebari type firearms."
Marai sniffed at the air with her reptilian nostrils.
"And the scent of those things is all over the place," she said. "Its so strange... they smell so similar to each other that its hard to tell how many there were. That's not natural," she concluded.
"That's not all that's wrong," broke in Malika as she and Andar joined the group.
The Sebacean man held up one of the scanners he had constructed so the rest could see it.
"We haven't been able to find any genetical specimen as far as blood or hair left behind by the new Shrikes... but there should have been something on the DNA or RNA level left behind in the air. Every living thing does..."
"But you're not finding anything?" asked Marai.
"Oh... we're finding it all right," replied Andar.
"Its just not... right," finished the Delvian.
Berret frowned. "Okay... can you simplify for us non-scientific types?"
"It means," said Malika, "We're finding DNA were it should be. What we're finding fits the profile for DNA... but when the scanners try and lock on to analyze it, something about it throws the scanners off and causes a malfunction. Whatever this is, it is capable of confounding a multi-spectrum, multitasking, sixth generation medical analyzer/decoder."
"So can't we get a better one?" asked Mytell.
"You don't understand," Andar put it. "There is nothing bigger or better in a portable module. I just designed this series less than a half cycle ago." He turned to look at Berret and Marai. "This device can work at mapping and decoding at least fifty strains of DNA or RNA all at the same moment... and still have some work power left to perform other tasks."
"And in that... is our biggest problem," Malika announced.
"And that is?" asked Berret when no one else said anything.
"Whatever this is... it's using up all of Andar's scanner's resources on just this one scan and then having to give up trying to analyze it." She looked around at the still blank faces around her. "Don't you get it? It's too damned big and complicated to decode with this," she explained while holding up the device. "We're going to need a full lab and at least two super computers, if not more, to map out what's been done to this DNA helix."
The group continued picking through the wreckage and removing bodies to a staging area where they would be taken care of. Berret was still searching the emptied warehouse looking for any clues that might have been missed when his comm chimed.
"Uncle," Jothee voice came to him over the channel.
"Yes, Jothee?" Berret immediately answered D'argo's son. The young warrior and his mate, Tamilla, had barely been home on Hyneria a few arns when Rygel pressed him into service for the expedition to investigate the ravaged Alliance base.
"You had better join me with the perimeter teams," the young warrior announced. "We found some things I think you better look at."
"I'm on my way," Berret told him after Jothee gave him his location.
Within a few microns, Berret found the young half-Luxan bent over a set of tracks, his opened Qualta rifle balanced over one knee. The few men standing around with Jothee moved aside as Berret arrived.
"What do you have?" inquired the Master Shrike of his nephew.
Jothee waved his hand to indicate the area around him.
"Tracks," he explained. "Several belonging to those new Enforcers and one other. The Enforcers are fairly uniform in weight and height. They all head south of here."
'Toward the small commerce town?" Berret asked.
Jothee nodded an affirmative. "Right toward it, that's what worries me," he went on, "They're not even trying to hide from us."
Berret agreed with the warrior, his instincts were just as reliable as his father's were.
"You think they wanted us to follow them? Maybe into an ambush somewhere?" asked the ex-assassin.
"That would be my guess," confirmed the Luxan. "The surveillance satellites haven't detected or recorded any outgoing ships leaving the world since yesterday morning and Rygel had the port shut down and the system blockaded by a squadron of Hynerian star-fighters as soon as word came of the attack. Nothings come in or gone out."
"So they're still planet-side," finished Berret.
"I'd have to think so," Jothee replied. "Something's nagging at me, telling me whoever they are, they never intended to leave after the attack. They're not done here yet... and it smells like a set-up to me."
"I have to agree. I have that feeling too," the Shrike said. "What about that other track you found?"
Jothee bent and pointed out the odd footprint in the dirt by his knee for his uncle. Unlike the clawed prints of the Enforcers, this one wore boots.
"It's a small person wearing humanoid boots," the young warrior instructed. "Not very heavy with a small stride. This person remained outside the base while the attack was going on and then rejoined the Enforcers as they regrouped on the perimeter. It looks like they stayed outside on patrol while land vehicles were brought in to clean out the warehouse. They were probably here a little over an arn judging by the traffic patterns... then headed south all together on foot when they were finished."
Berret stroked the stubble on his unshaven chin as Jothee gave his report, taking everything the young man said in. "Why didn't they take a transport out of here?" idly asked the older man out loud.
"Like I said, I believe they wanted us to find the tracks."
"Anything else?" the Master Shrike asked when Jothee had finished.
The young Luxan paused a microt and shifted his rifle to balance it over one shoulder. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead as he continued.
"One other thing I can't really be sure of," he supplied.
"What's that?" Berret encouraged, knowing that the lad like to be absolutely sure of all his facts before saying anything.
"Its been awhile since whoever they were has been through here," he went on to explain, "but in some places where the one wearing boots stop or rubbed up against something... I can't be sure, it's very faint now and my sense of smell isn't as strong as my father's..."
"That's okay, give it your best shot, Jothee," put in Berret. "What is it you're picking up?"
"I think this other person might be a Nebari," the younger man answered. "Probably a female by the size."
"Nebari?" repeated the ex-Enforcer. "You think it might be one of Lerris' agents working with the new Syndicate against the Alliance or maybe a half-breed that's been exiled from Nebari Prime and just fell in with them?"
"No, for the scent to last this long that I can tell, it has to be a full-blood," Jothee answered with a shake of his head.
"Lerris then."
Jothee shrugged his shoulders. " Could be. He would have the location of all the Alliances storage bases if he wanted to sell us out to the Syndicate," he agreed. "Then again, it could be something else entirely, uncle. And you might be letting your dislike for Lerris lead you down the wrong roads."
Berret glanced up at his nephew and after a few microts grimly nodded in agreement with the young Luxan.
"Point well taken, Jothee. I'll wait until we have more information before jumping to conclusions."
"That would be best," agreed Jothee with a tired grin.
Berret noticed the young man's disheveled appearance from having searched over the area with his team of scouts for the first time and decided to call for a break seeing they had been at it for over four arns straight.
There was still much more work to be done at the scene for the rest of the group and most of them would still be here for arns more if not days wrapping up loose ends to the investigation and then re-securing the base. A break would be most welcomed for all.
"Call in your outriders," he advised the Luxan warrior. "We'll break for a meal and assess the data we have so far and then decide on our next move after we report back to Rygel. If the Syndicate operatives are still here and hiding in the town, we maybe able to come up with a plan that will let us avoid the ambush and catch them before they know we're onto them."