Chiana's first order of business was to find clothing that would fit in with the local apparel.
Just outside the port was a clothing vender that she rushed to and hastily purchases several items of wear.
It annoyed her that she paid full price for clothes. Usually it was easier to snurch what she needed or haggle over the price at least a little. Not having the luxury of time to plan a successful heist or barter with the clerks, she threw what they ask for to them in Peacekeeper credits and took her new things back to the Pod.
She sorted through the items and assembled a reasonable facsimile of Eliaan clothing. Her smaller frame required her to purchase several things in large children sizes. She wasn't too comfortable with the traditional Eliaan wrap-around shirts, so she dug through the clothing she'd stored aboard the transport and came up with one of the zipper-up under-shirts that she'd "borrowed" from Aeryn. The garment fit her only a little loosely and it help with the slight draftiness of the Eilaan shirt. Idly she thought that if she'd sewn hidden pockets into the baggy outer garment it would be perfect for snurching expeditions. However, as it was, she was able to tuck her palm pulse pistol inside the shirt and it hid it quite well.
She briefly though about dying her hair from its bright white to a darker color, then discarded the idea.
It would take too much of her time and be too much of an aggravation to get out again. Besides there was no quick way to hide her gray skin so she would be marked as an alien no matter what she did. The whole concept of the local clothing was to make her stand out a little less than normal. Eventually she settled for trapping her wild locks under a dark scarf and tying it tightly around her head, then adding one of the floppy sun hats that the Eliaan women sometimes wore.
She checked herself in the mirror in the Pod's head. The scarf changed the normal outline shape of her head and the brim of the hat produced just enough shadow to make her natural pale complexion less notable. It wouldn't pass close inspection, but she didn't plan on getting that close to her quarry. If she could find Berret, she would tail him from a distance until he led her back to the Zem'Fury rebels' hide out.
Once she had its location, she could do her own digging into what they were up to, or if worse came to worse... she could use the knowledge to blackmail the Shrike into forgetting about the rebels and coming with her. All's fair in gambling, love, and snurching she thought.
The Nebari woman spent most of the day wandering the markets and the street where she first saw Berret the day before. She didn't think she'd run into him there again and he was bound now not to use the same shop he bought his supplies at if he was going to try and avoid her. She stopped in at several refreshment houses and listened in to the talk there. Much of it was about the recent rash of murders, but she learned nothing she already didn't know from the news reports. Chiana gave up trying to pick up a lead by eavesdropping on conversations in bars; she couldn't even ask any questions without knowing exactly what she hoped to find out.
She mentally reviewed the news reports and decided her best bet would be to investigate the incident that stood out most in her mind as being odd - the killing of the three Zem'Fury workers by the police force and the lack of information on it after the initial news summery.
She pulled up the location of the deaths from her hand-comp and then found public transportation to take her to that part of the city.
When the Nebari arrived, she found she wasn't able to get to the exact spot as it was on the outskirts of the Eilaan -only zone of the city. It appeared that only Eliaans could enter the area and even off-world visitors were keep out of the sanctuary. From the holograms, she knew she was close-by the spot but she couldn't see it from where she was allowed to go. Something told her, there might be an answer in where the deaths happened.
Chiana gazed around the area as she tried to come up with options. She had just disregarded the idea of getting make-up and attempting to pass off as an Eilaan, when her eyes fell on the building in front of her - it was a very tall building. And it overlooked the Eilaan sector.
"Ah! Just what I need," she murmured with a smile.
A quarter arn later, the Nebari girl was on the rooftop with the building's maintenance man, a middle-aged Eilaan who seemed to welcome the interruption of his boring job by a pretty female.
"Your city is so beautiful," Chiana gushed while snapping several holo-photos of the scenery.
"We have many beautiful things here," the maintenance man replied, his eyes freely roaming over Chiana's body. The gray girl turned and gave him a dazzling smile.
"Oww, what's that over there?" she asked innocently as she pointed across to the Eilaan sector. Up this high she easily found the spot where the Zem'Fury were killed. It was in front of a rather unique structure.
The Nebari pointed the building out.
"Oh, that," replied the man, as he squinted his eyes to better see what she was interested in. "That's the Eilaan Freestead."
"Oh, Freestead," cooed Chiana as she snapped multiple pictures of the building and its surrounding area.
"What exactly is that? It's very pretty."
The Eilaan maintenance worker scratched at his cheek and looked as if he were slightly embarrassed to be talking about the Freestead to a stranger.
"It's a place where Eilaan couples go when they wish to have children," he finally explained.
"Like a pleasure house?" Chiana asked innocently, trying to appear a little dimwitted to the man. "How romantic."
The Eilaan chuckled, "No, it's not like that. You see, our population is strictly controlled. Our reproductive systems are placed in status when we are born. To have children a married couple must first get permission from the state and then a blessing from a priest. Once that is done, the couple goes to a Freestead and the status is terminated so the couple can reproduce. The Freestead also serves as a medical center for woman with child. It's a very important part of a Eilaan community."
Chiana cocked her head as the man explained. "How very... efficient," she said when he was done. "I love the architecture of the building. Any chance of getting a closer look at it?"
"Oh, no," said the Eilaan as he held both hands up, "Its in the Eilaan free zone and only Eilaan's are allowed to approach or enter it. They are very well guarded, as they are the center of Eilaan social society. Without them our race would be in dire straits."
"Why?" asked Chiana. "Can't you just turn off the status fields and breed the normal way without all the ceremony?"
The man looked very uncomfortable with that question. Chiana gave him another smile and gazed at him sweetly - as if she hung on every word he was saying.
"Well, you see..." he finally relented. "It not that simple with our people, only one in three Eilaan woman is compatible with one in three Eilaan men. Eilaan's have a third chromosome in their genetic make up. You either have an M, nO, or an Ap chromosome. Only couples with like third chromosomes are allowed to have children. Unlike chromosome couples are allowed to marry but cannot have children. If they wish children they have to find a surrogate partner with a compatible gene to do so."
"What happens if they try anyway?" the Nebari asked.
"The results... are not pleasant," was all the man would say. That's another function of the Freestead. It assures only like couples procreate and they arrange surrogates if need be."
An idea was starting to form in Chiana's head. Given her suspicions, she had a sudden cold felling she might know what was going on with the three Zem'Fury who were killed there.
Thanks," she said brightly as she turned to leave. "That was very informative."
As she hit the street again, the thought seemed to be more positive to her. She would have to wait until tonight to see if her hunch was correct.
Later that night a lithe shadow detached itself and dropped over the wall surrounding the Eilaan zone.
It flowed soundlessly from shadow to shadow for a short distance. Freezing whenever a patrol or the occasional Eilaan strolled by on a midnight walk.
Within microns it was in front of the Eilaan Freestead. The outside of the place was deserted.
The figure reached up and flicked a control on the headwear it was wearing. In front of her eyes, the visor screen ran through a number of light spectrums until it found the one she wanted. In the eerie green glow of the visor's picture she saw the criss-crossing lines on the lawn that indicated a security system.
"Hah!" Chiana murmured to herself, "Nothing too this." She had spent most of the afternoon studying the holos she had taken of the Freestead, and she knew the area's layout by heart now.
The Nebari was dressed in all flat black clothing, including a head wrap and face paint that hid her white hair and gray skin. The Peacekeeper field visor from the Pod gave her alternate views in different spectrum of light and night vision. She found it amusing that this was the first time she broke into a place with no intention of snurching something.
She took a running start and then rolled, tumbled and flipped her way across the lawn. Either dodging under, over, or between the invisible beams of light like a dancer.
When she cleared the security field, the gray girl slinked into the nearest shadow once more and got her bearings. She quickly found the exact place where the three Zem'Fury workers died and took out the second instrument she'd brought with her from the Pod. It was a Peacekeeper scanner/analyzer.
She turned the device on and ran it over the area in question. The scanner tested the zone and analyzed what it found, and then displayed it on the screen.
Chiana read the results as they appeared, Eilaan DNA... minute traces of Zem'Fury DNA and blood...
A variety of plants and soil bacteria... residue from pulse gun fire... and what she suspected she would find. She shut the machine off as it told her what she wanted to know.
There were also traces of undetonated explosives where the Zem'Fury were killed.
Chiana silently retraced her route back out of the zone and made it back over the wall undetected.
Now she knew what kind of questions she needed to be asking.
Eyes of the palest silver-tinted blue watched the obscure figure leap from the wall surrounding the Eilaan compound and then disappear down the darkened street. The deep hood of Berret's cloak concealed his face in shadows of the darkest pitch as he perched hidden among a group of statues that made up a monument in the small park across the street from the Freestead. The cape of his black silk cloak spread out around him like ebony wings, breaking up the outline of his armored body.
"Damn stubborn girl," the Shrike muttered lowly as he watched Chiana fade from sight.
He knew it was the Nebari girl without having to see her face. A subtle shift in the light evening breeze had carried her warm scent to him even before he'd located her position. The ex-assassin had witnessed the girl's penetration of the Freestead and he had curiously watched her navigate the security system he hadn't realized was there. Chiana had halted at the location where the Zem'Fury met their tragic ends and after spending several microns there, she left the area just as quickly as she had entered. Whatever she was seeking, it was obvious she'd found it.
He thought about catching up to the girl to find out what she was up too but vetoed the idea. He didn't want her getting anymore involved in the affair then she already was... and seemed determined to delve further into. He made the decision to carry on with his own set of plans for the evening. It momentary struck him as odd that they should both have the same idea of investigating the Eilaan zone for clues.
Berret let go of the masonry he was clinging too and dropped the ten drec to the ground in front of the statuary without a sound. He hit and rolled, letting the gunmetal colored armor adsorb the impact, smoothly coming back to his feet in one rapid motion. The Shrike covered the open ground to the Freestead security wall in a few heartbeats. Without slowing, Berret leaped upward and flung himself at the wall. Two henta long climbing spikes extended from the wrist area of his brace gauntlets and the soles of his armored boots. The Bat'Rellite alloy that made up the spikes' tips cut easily into the stone of the barrier; allowing Berret to scale the obstacle even faster then he had just crossed the open space between the park and the Eilaan zone.
Unlike the Nebari, Berret didn't jump to the ground on the other side. Instead, he stayed on top of the wall and slowly made his way around the compound, using it like a roadway.
Several times he paused to listen to the night. Occasion halting in his travel to hug the granite capstone when a patrol wandered too near the high security wall. After half an arn of prowling the crest of the barrier, he found was he was searching for - a lone guard making his rounds without any partners.
Berret moved ahead of his route and dropped to the ground to find a place to wait.
The cloaked blended well with the gloomy night and shadows, making the Shrike virtually invisible. The watchman turned out to be a member of the city's police detachment. The Eilaan was checking a groundskeeper's maintenance shed when Berret reached out of the darkness and grabbed him by his uniform collar. The surprised man didn't even have time to squeak before the ex-assassin slammed him face first into the corrugated siding of the shed, momentarily stunning him. Berret tore the pulse pistol from the Eilaan's holster and tossed it away into the darkness and then kicked the guard's legs out from under him. Once on the ground, the Shrike planted a boot into the center of his back to pin him and then quickly ripped off one of his uniform sleeves to use to bind his hands behind his back. When that was finished, the other sleeve was sacrificed to make a blindfold.
The Eilaan started demanding his assailant explain his actions as soon as Berret set him upright again.
"Be silent!" the one time Enforcer hissed. "Answer my questions quickly with the truth and I will let you live."
"Who are you?" the man asked instead.
In response, Berret struck the guard on the side of the head hard enough to knock him over again.
He dragged the Eilaan back up to a sitting position once more. "Again, answer only my questions. Do you understand?" the Shrike inquired.
The law officer simply nodded that time, wisely not speaking if he didn't have too.
"Much better," Berret said, "Tell me about the three Zem'Fury that were killed here."
"I can't..." the guard started to say. Before he could even finish his answer Berret struck him again hard.
This time when he was allowed to sit back up he spat a tooth out.
"Last chance, next time I kill you," Berret warned. "Tell me what happened here that night or you join the other ten officers."
It suddenly occurred to the Eilaan officer exactly who his capturer was, the same being responsible for the assassination of the eight other city watch officers who responded to the break-in that night. A feeling of dread washed over him and he broke into a cold sweat, almost getting sick right then and there.
"They - they came over the wall," the Eilaan man stuttered out. "The others shot them."
"Why?" demanded the Shrike.
The guard looked as if he were starting to hyperventilate. "They had too. The Zem's were heading for the Freestead," the man finally got out.
Berret exhaled in exasperation. "That tells me nothing!" he hissed and the man shuddered at his tone. "Why were they not captured instead of killed? Why did they have to die for only trespassing here?"
The watchman opened his mouth but no words came out for a few microts. Finally he swallowed hard and was able to speak, though in a shaky voice.
"Th-they had-d to... be stopped! Before they reached the Freestead!" The Eilaan stammered. "They had to be stopped... because of the bombs, the explosives!"
Berret glared at the blindfolded man in surprise. "What explosives?" he slowly asked, this was news to him.
The lawman turned his head toward where he thought Berret was located. "The Zem's were loaded down with explosive devices," he said, "It would have been catastrophic if they reached the Freestead and detonated them. We didn't have any other choice!"
Berret sunk down to crouch on his heels as he digested the new information. His prisoner sat quietly and fearfully waited to see what he would do next.
"What exactly is this place?" was his next question. At first the guard didn't want to reveal the information about the Freestead but a few more treats got Berret the whole story.
"Why was the story covered up?" was Berret's following question.
"To avoid a panic," the Eilaan man admitted. "If my people knew that the Freesteads were in danger there would be mass civil unrest. The incident was stepped on so that our leaders could speak with the Zem's representatives to quietly investigate the matter. No one wants the social balance here upset so we were ordered to suppress the news and not speak of the event to anyone."
"I see," murmured Berret after a moment's thought. He reached down and dragged the man to his feet again.
"You're him, the one who killed the others?" the guard asked in a voice breaking from stress.
"Yes," Berret answered, he saw no reason to deny his crimes.
"Oh gods," the Eilaan moaned lowly, "You're going to kill me too."
The Shrike ignored the question and the man's tone of hopelessness.
"Why do you think they wanted to destroy the Freestead?" the ex-Enforcer asked.
"I don't know," the Eilaan answered honestly. He felt the killer move around behind him and he braced himself for what he was sure was going to be a pulse bolt to the back of his head or a blade in the ribs.
Instead, there was a cutting pull at the bounds around his hands and suddenly his limbs were free.
He was still afraid to reach up and remove his blindfold - he knew the other man was still there behind him.
"Who... who are you?" he asked again, very surprised now that he wasn't dead yet.
"A fool..." said the low toneless voice.
A hand shoved the guard hard in the back and he sprawled forward onto the ground. The Eilaan clawed the blindfold from his eyes as he rolled over to face where his attacker should be.
Only the night and the nearby vegetation greeted his cleared vision - his assailant was gone without a trace.
Chiana didn't bothered with a disguise the next morning when she left her Transport Pod. This time out she wanted to attract attention - in as big a way as was possible. She started by hitting the refreshment houses where the customers seemed to mostly be Zem'Fury. One of the objects she had purchased the afternoon before had been a translation device. She 'accidentally' made sure that the volume was turned up higher then what was actually needed as she went from house to house and announced loudly to anyone in the place that she worked for someone who was interested in learning more about the three Zem'Fury killed near the Eilaan quadrant. She was sure she made quite an impression as she swept into the taverns in a swirl of gray coat and leather outfit, but to sweeten the pot she also flashed a handful of the planet's currency that she claimed was a reward to any who could tell her the right information. She wanted to be very difficult for the right people to miss her. And attracting attention when she wanted too was one of her specialties.
On more then one occasion she was politely asked to leave an establishment, which was fine with the girl. She doubted anyone would come right out and approach her in front of witnesses with the information anyway. What she was more interested in was who might decide to follow her. In that event, she'd already picked out a nice, cozy, out of the way place to lead them too.
It was at the seventh or eighth refreshment house that she noticed him... or it.
She finally locked in on a Zem'Fury that appeared to have been in a number of other places she'd visited that day. The only reason she was able to pick him out so easily was because the very end of the antenna on the right side of its head had a slight curve in it. Not something a normal person would notice, but a detail a talented thief would.
Sure she had a tail now; the Nebari left the last tavern and headed through a section of town with many storefronts. Using the same ploy Berret had used the when she'd first saw him; she used the shops' glass windows to keep track of her shadow. Chiana came to commercial street that contained mostly rows of warehouses and turned down it. Midway down the lane, was a viaduct that supported the rail transportation system from the warehouse to the spaceport. The gray woman un-hesitantly strolled through the maze of support pillars and her tail lost sight of her several times in the shadows of the enormous span of trestles.
The girl passed behind a huge quickcrete support slab and the Zem'Fury used the opportunity to gain some ground on the Nebari while she was out of sight. He rounded the stone-like block expecting to see the woman he was following further along the walkway ahead of him. Instead he found her gray overcoat lying in the middle of the path - almost as if the girl suddenly had melted out from under it in mid-stride.
The insectiod bent and used one of his limbs to pick up the coat. He straightened up and held the object up to the level of its multifaceted eyes to better examine it. He turned the coat inside out and began looking for clues when a loop of cord settled down over his head. Before he could react, the noose tightened around his neck and the line was jerked taunt from above until he was forced to stand on the very tips of his main support limbs to keep from choking, his free limbs grabbed at the rope in an attempt to take some of his weight off his frail neck. The cord pulled no tighter, but it felt as if someone were tying it off somewhere over his head. A few microts later, a second line uncoiled to fall down in front of him and the Nebari woman repelled down the rope from the girders above until she was standing on the ground before him.
She smiled broadly as she switched on her translator device.
"Don't cha' hate it when someone gets ya with that trick?" she asked flippantly.
"What... Want... You...?" the device clicked out. The Zem'Fury not being able to use all his limbs to communicate caused the Nebari's translator to work haltingly.
Chiana shot him a look with big round innocent eyes. "Owwwww... maybe to know the reason why you're following me?" she added sweetly.
"Not... follow," answered the insectiod, "Please.... Release... No injure... I."
"Ah - ah - ah!" admonished the gray girl as she hooked the toe of one boot under one of the Zem'Fury's two supporting limbs. "I don't like being fibbed too," she said as she slowly dragged the limb out from under the trapped being. The insectiod's shell rubbed together in alarm as his leg left the ground, unbalanced now on only one of it's limb, it started to slowly spin on the end of the rope; making the noose draw up tighter.
Chiana let the limb drop back down and the Zem'Fury regained what balance it could.
"I don't know how many times you can do that before you reach the end of your line," she quipped.
"Now again, why were you following me?"
Her captive clicked its mandibles in a negative manner once more. "I... no... follow..." it started to deny once more but Chiana placed her toe back under the limb in threat. The Zem'Fury hastily changed its tune.
"YES! Yes, I follow... you. I followed as I was told too," it exclaimed.
"See? Now we're getting somewhere," the Nebari woman smiled. "Who told you to tail me?"
"I don't know wh..." it began, but Chiana tapped her foot against its leg in reminder and the insectiod came clean. "My leader ordered you followed."
"Your leader, huh?" considered the girl. "Then I guess you're one of the bug rebels, right?"
The creature clicked its jaws in an affirmative gesture.
"That's drad," Chiana then said. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you guys?" The pleasant look slipped from her gray features abruptly. "Where's the Shrike," she demanded in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "And don't even think of lying or stalling. I'm getting bored with this game and if you don't tell me what I want to know right now, I'm gonna hang you right here and try my luck with the next narb dumb enough to follow me."
The Zem'Fury spent the next several microns giving her very detailed directions and information... at least as much information that he knew.
The gentle knock came at Berret's door that afternoon.
Berret swung his legs off his bed and shut off the reader he was reviewing Chiana's evidence on. The Shrike had been half expecting the visit. He opened the door to reveal the rebel leader standing there.
"Yes?" Berret inquired neutrally.
The Zem'Fury rebel rattled its exoskeleton in greeting. "Good day to you, my friend Shrike," translated the device around the insectiod's slim neck. "I trust I find you well?"
Berret gave him a shallow nod. "Yes," he affirmed. "How may I help you?"
"I wish to speak with you about another operation, but first..." the Zem'Fury leader started, "I must ask. The sentries tell me you left the sanctuary last evening and did not return till close to sunrise. May I inquire as to the reason?"
"No. It was some of the personal business that I spoke of," replied the Shrike in an even tone.
"I see. I only ask to be sure that there was no complications with your business last night before asking you to undertake my request," explained the leader.
Berret nodded that his reason seemed logical to him. "There was no problems," he assured.
"Excellent," replied the Zem'Fury. "Then if you will, will you met me in half an arn in the main meeting room for a briefing about what we require?"
"I shall be there," Berret told him.
"Very good. I will see you there then," the rebel finished, and then turned to leave.
Berret closed his room's door and considered the new development. He was now reasonably certain that Chiana's instincts had been correct. The rebels have been lying to him, though he wasn't positive just yet who was responsible. It might be just the leader or all of them. He'd already decided he wouldn't act and seek revenge until he was absolutely positive he had all the guilty parties identified. He'd already blindly spilled too much innocent blood in this frell-up he'd help create. This time he would take his time and be sure he had the right beings before acting, he owed it to all the Eilaan's he had murdered in his stupidity.
It would mean staying out of Chiana's way for as long as it takes. He knew the Nebari girl would want him to forget about vengeance and leave with her. But he just couldn't do that, to leave those responsible behind to continue with their plans to harm more innocent beings. It was already a bigger shame then he thought he could live with. He must not leave any of the Zem'Fury rebels who had direct knowledge of their real agenda behind to rebuild and continue on. He would kill them all or die trying.
The Shrike would go out on the Zem'Fury's next mission all right. Though this time instead of committing murder for them, he would be hunting the answers he needed to make the guilty pay.
Shortly after leaving the Shrike's quarters, the Zem'Fury leader met with his second in command.
"I have a dire concern," the insectiod the Shrike labeled as Swirl told his commander.
"What is it?" the rebel leader asked with a movement of his arm and triple click of mandible.
Swirl's chitin vibrated in irritation, "The brother watching the Nebari female has not reported back."
The leader spun on his subordinate. "You had her watched by one of the hive! I told you to have one of the mammal operatives keep her under surveillance. One who could not be linked to us!"
"There was... until she began to ask questions about the killings at the Freestead," replied Swirl. "I thought then it would be wiser to have one of the hive keep track of her then to keep the matter from becoming known too far outside our circle. If the mammal had spoken to other mammals about what he heard it wouldn't take the Eilaan long to find out about it and put it all together."
The rebel leader's shell gradually settled back into place along its back as it considered his second in command's reasoning.
"Forgive me, you were correct to take such precautions," the Zem'Fury finally said. "Who was the hive brother who has gone missing?"
"He was not a First-cell brother," explained Swirl, "He was a Second-cell member thus does not know the exact location of this sanctuary. However, the Nebari woman is now in the area and asking more questions... and more discreetly then earlier this morning. I can only assume she caught the brother watching her and learned what she could from him. That is why she has zeroed in on this section of the city for her search."
"Do you suppose she killed her watcher?" asked the leader.
Swirl gave the Zem'Fury equivalent of a shrug. "The Shrike did say the female was as skilled an assassin as he, if not even more dangerous if she thinks she's threatened."
The leader snapped his mandibles in thought.
"That is so," he concluded. "What questions has she been asking?"
"This morning it was about the three hive brothers the Eilaan Guard killed. Now she inquires about the Shrike," Swirl supplied. "That alone leads me to believe that she knows more about the Shrike's association with us then he claims."
"But why does she search for him if they are partners?"
"Perhaps she wishes to double cross him again as she did before," offered the second in command. "It could be she is trying to locate him for the purpose of assassinating him."
The Zem'Fury leader's forelegs tapped together for a moment. "I had not thought of that. Still, we cannot afford to have the female roaming all over and asking questions about the Shrike... or the Freestead incident. That will eventually call attention to us and all we have worked for thus far will be in jeopardy."
Swirl agreed with his superior, "It will also not go well if the Shrike learns she is hunting him. A clash between the two will also expose us."
The leader bobbed his head in an affirmative gesture.
"I believe the Shrike has reached the end of his usefulness to us," said Swirl a moment later. "It is time for us to get rid of him like you planned and moved this sanctuary to a new location."
The rebel insectiod leader gazed up at his fellow. "I believe this time, you are right," it admitted. "Though the assassin has been a useful tool."
"A tool that will soon either expose us or turn on us!" exclaimed Swirl.
The Leader clicked his jaws and rattled his exoskeleton once in final agreement and sealed the assassin's fate.
"The Shrike has agreed to perform another operation for the 'cause'," it said, "This time, he will walk into a trap."
"And we will be rid of him," finished Swirl.
Just outside the port was a clothing vender that she rushed to and hastily purchases several items of wear.
It annoyed her that she paid full price for clothes. Usually it was easier to snurch what she needed or haggle over the price at least a little. Not having the luxury of time to plan a successful heist or barter with the clerks, she threw what they ask for to them in Peacekeeper credits and took her new things back to the Pod.
She sorted through the items and assembled a reasonable facsimile of Eliaan clothing. Her smaller frame required her to purchase several things in large children sizes. She wasn't too comfortable with the traditional Eliaan wrap-around shirts, so she dug through the clothing she'd stored aboard the transport and came up with one of the zipper-up under-shirts that she'd "borrowed" from Aeryn. The garment fit her only a little loosely and it help with the slight draftiness of the Eilaan shirt. Idly she thought that if she'd sewn hidden pockets into the baggy outer garment it would be perfect for snurching expeditions. However, as it was, she was able to tuck her palm pulse pistol inside the shirt and it hid it quite well.
She briefly though about dying her hair from its bright white to a darker color, then discarded the idea.
It would take too much of her time and be too much of an aggravation to get out again. Besides there was no quick way to hide her gray skin so she would be marked as an alien no matter what she did. The whole concept of the local clothing was to make her stand out a little less than normal. Eventually she settled for trapping her wild locks under a dark scarf and tying it tightly around her head, then adding one of the floppy sun hats that the Eliaan women sometimes wore.
She checked herself in the mirror in the Pod's head. The scarf changed the normal outline shape of her head and the brim of the hat produced just enough shadow to make her natural pale complexion less notable. It wouldn't pass close inspection, but she didn't plan on getting that close to her quarry. If she could find Berret, she would tail him from a distance until he led her back to the Zem'Fury rebels' hide out.
Once she had its location, she could do her own digging into what they were up to, or if worse came to worse... she could use the knowledge to blackmail the Shrike into forgetting about the rebels and coming with her. All's fair in gambling, love, and snurching she thought.
The Nebari woman spent most of the day wandering the markets and the street where she first saw Berret the day before. She didn't think she'd run into him there again and he was bound now not to use the same shop he bought his supplies at if he was going to try and avoid her. She stopped in at several refreshment houses and listened in to the talk there. Much of it was about the recent rash of murders, but she learned nothing she already didn't know from the news reports. Chiana gave up trying to pick up a lead by eavesdropping on conversations in bars; she couldn't even ask any questions without knowing exactly what she hoped to find out.
She mentally reviewed the news reports and decided her best bet would be to investigate the incident that stood out most in her mind as being odd - the killing of the three Zem'Fury workers by the police force and the lack of information on it after the initial news summery.
She pulled up the location of the deaths from her hand-comp and then found public transportation to take her to that part of the city.
When the Nebari arrived, she found she wasn't able to get to the exact spot as it was on the outskirts of the Eilaan -only zone of the city. It appeared that only Eliaans could enter the area and even off-world visitors were keep out of the sanctuary. From the holograms, she knew she was close-by the spot but she couldn't see it from where she was allowed to go. Something told her, there might be an answer in where the deaths happened.
Chiana gazed around the area as she tried to come up with options. She had just disregarded the idea of getting make-up and attempting to pass off as an Eilaan, when her eyes fell on the building in front of her - it was a very tall building. And it overlooked the Eilaan sector.
"Ah! Just what I need," she murmured with a smile.
A quarter arn later, the Nebari girl was on the rooftop with the building's maintenance man, a middle-aged Eilaan who seemed to welcome the interruption of his boring job by a pretty female.
"Your city is so beautiful," Chiana gushed while snapping several holo-photos of the scenery.
"We have many beautiful things here," the maintenance man replied, his eyes freely roaming over Chiana's body. The gray girl turned and gave him a dazzling smile.
"Oww, what's that over there?" she asked innocently as she pointed across to the Eilaan sector. Up this high she easily found the spot where the Zem'Fury were killed. It was in front of a rather unique structure.
The Nebari pointed the building out.
"Oh, that," replied the man, as he squinted his eyes to better see what she was interested in. "That's the Eilaan Freestead."
"Oh, Freestead," cooed Chiana as she snapped multiple pictures of the building and its surrounding area.
"What exactly is that? It's very pretty."
The Eilaan maintenance worker scratched at his cheek and looked as if he were slightly embarrassed to be talking about the Freestead to a stranger.
"It's a place where Eilaan couples go when they wish to have children," he finally explained.
"Like a pleasure house?" Chiana asked innocently, trying to appear a little dimwitted to the man. "How romantic."
The Eilaan chuckled, "No, it's not like that. You see, our population is strictly controlled. Our reproductive systems are placed in status when we are born. To have children a married couple must first get permission from the state and then a blessing from a priest. Once that is done, the couple goes to a Freestead and the status is terminated so the couple can reproduce. The Freestead also serves as a medical center for woman with child. It's a very important part of a Eilaan community."
Chiana cocked her head as the man explained. "How very... efficient," she said when he was done. "I love the architecture of the building. Any chance of getting a closer look at it?"
"Oh, no," said the Eilaan as he held both hands up, "Its in the Eilaan free zone and only Eilaan's are allowed to approach or enter it. They are very well guarded, as they are the center of Eilaan social society. Without them our race would be in dire straits."
"Why?" asked Chiana. "Can't you just turn off the status fields and breed the normal way without all the ceremony?"
The man looked very uncomfortable with that question. Chiana gave him another smile and gazed at him sweetly - as if she hung on every word he was saying.
"Well, you see..." he finally relented. "It not that simple with our people, only one in three Eilaan woman is compatible with one in three Eilaan men. Eilaan's have a third chromosome in their genetic make up. You either have an M, nO, or an Ap chromosome. Only couples with like third chromosomes are allowed to have children. Unlike chromosome couples are allowed to marry but cannot have children. If they wish children they have to find a surrogate partner with a compatible gene to do so."
"What happens if they try anyway?" the Nebari asked.
"The results... are not pleasant," was all the man would say. That's another function of the Freestead. It assures only like couples procreate and they arrange surrogates if need be."
An idea was starting to form in Chiana's head. Given her suspicions, she had a sudden cold felling she might know what was going on with the three Zem'Fury who were killed there.
Thanks," she said brightly as she turned to leave. "That was very informative."
As she hit the street again, the thought seemed to be more positive to her. She would have to wait until tonight to see if her hunch was correct.
Later that night a lithe shadow detached itself and dropped over the wall surrounding the Eilaan zone.
It flowed soundlessly from shadow to shadow for a short distance. Freezing whenever a patrol or the occasional Eilaan strolled by on a midnight walk.
Within microns it was in front of the Eilaan Freestead. The outside of the place was deserted.
The figure reached up and flicked a control on the headwear it was wearing. In front of her eyes, the visor screen ran through a number of light spectrums until it found the one she wanted. In the eerie green glow of the visor's picture she saw the criss-crossing lines on the lawn that indicated a security system.
"Hah!" Chiana murmured to herself, "Nothing too this." She had spent most of the afternoon studying the holos she had taken of the Freestead, and she knew the area's layout by heart now.
The Nebari was dressed in all flat black clothing, including a head wrap and face paint that hid her white hair and gray skin. The Peacekeeper field visor from the Pod gave her alternate views in different spectrum of light and night vision. She found it amusing that this was the first time she broke into a place with no intention of snurching something.
She took a running start and then rolled, tumbled and flipped her way across the lawn. Either dodging under, over, or between the invisible beams of light like a dancer.
When she cleared the security field, the gray girl slinked into the nearest shadow once more and got her bearings. She quickly found the exact place where the three Zem'Fury workers died and took out the second instrument she'd brought with her from the Pod. It was a Peacekeeper scanner/analyzer.
She turned the device on and ran it over the area in question. The scanner tested the zone and analyzed what it found, and then displayed it on the screen.
Chiana read the results as they appeared, Eilaan DNA... minute traces of Zem'Fury DNA and blood...
A variety of plants and soil bacteria... residue from pulse gun fire... and what she suspected she would find. She shut the machine off as it told her what she wanted to know.
There were also traces of undetonated explosives where the Zem'Fury were killed.
Chiana silently retraced her route back out of the zone and made it back over the wall undetected.
Now she knew what kind of questions she needed to be asking.
Eyes of the palest silver-tinted blue watched the obscure figure leap from the wall surrounding the Eilaan compound and then disappear down the darkened street. The deep hood of Berret's cloak concealed his face in shadows of the darkest pitch as he perched hidden among a group of statues that made up a monument in the small park across the street from the Freestead. The cape of his black silk cloak spread out around him like ebony wings, breaking up the outline of his armored body.
"Damn stubborn girl," the Shrike muttered lowly as he watched Chiana fade from sight.
He knew it was the Nebari girl without having to see her face. A subtle shift in the light evening breeze had carried her warm scent to him even before he'd located her position. The ex-assassin had witnessed the girl's penetration of the Freestead and he had curiously watched her navigate the security system he hadn't realized was there. Chiana had halted at the location where the Zem'Fury met their tragic ends and after spending several microns there, she left the area just as quickly as she had entered. Whatever she was seeking, it was obvious she'd found it.
He thought about catching up to the girl to find out what she was up too but vetoed the idea. He didn't want her getting anymore involved in the affair then she already was... and seemed determined to delve further into. He made the decision to carry on with his own set of plans for the evening. It momentary struck him as odd that they should both have the same idea of investigating the Eilaan zone for clues.
Berret let go of the masonry he was clinging too and dropped the ten drec to the ground in front of the statuary without a sound. He hit and rolled, letting the gunmetal colored armor adsorb the impact, smoothly coming back to his feet in one rapid motion. The Shrike covered the open ground to the Freestead security wall in a few heartbeats. Without slowing, Berret leaped upward and flung himself at the wall. Two henta long climbing spikes extended from the wrist area of his brace gauntlets and the soles of his armored boots. The Bat'Rellite alloy that made up the spikes' tips cut easily into the stone of the barrier; allowing Berret to scale the obstacle even faster then he had just crossed the open space between the park and the Eilaan zone.
Unlike the Nebari, Berret didn't jump to the ground on the other side. Instead, he stayed on top of the wall and slowly made his way around the compound, using it like a roadway.
Several times he paused to listen to the night. Occasion halting in his travel to hug the granite capstone when a patrol wandered too near the high security wall. After half an arn of prowling the crest of the barrier, he found was he was searching for - a lone guard making his rounds without any partners.
Berret moved ahead of his route and dropped to the ground to find a place to wait.
The cloaked blended well with the gloomy night and shadows, making the Shrike virtually invisible. The watchman turned out to be a member of the city's police detachment. The Eilaan was checking a groundskeeper's maintenance shed when Berret reached out of the darkness and grabbed him by his uniform collar. The surprised man didn't even have time to squeak before the ex-assassin slammed him face first into the corrugated siding of the shed, momentarily stunning him. Berret tore the pulse pistol from the Eilaan's holster and tossed it away into the darkness and then kicked the guard's legs out from under him. Once on the ground, the Shrike planted a boot into the center of his back to pin him and then quickly ripped off one of his uniform sleeves to use to bind his hands behind his back. When that was finished, the other sleeve was sacrificed to make a blindfold.
The Eilaan started demanding his assailant explain his actions as soon as Berret set him upright again.
"Be silent!" the one time Enforcer hissed. "Answer my questions quickly with the truth and I will let you live."
"Who are you?" the man asked instead.
In response, Berret struck the guard on the side of the head hard enough to knock him over again.
He dragged the Eilaan back up to a sitting position once more. "Again, answer only my questions. Do you understand?" the Shrike inquired.
The law officer simply nodded that time, wisely not speaking if he didn't have too.
"Much better," Berret said, "Tell me about the three Zem'Fury that were killed here."
"I can't..." the guard started to say. Before he could even finish his answer Berret struck him again hard.
This time when he was allowed to sit back up he spat a tooth out.
"Last chance, next time I kill you," Berret warned. "Tell me what happened here that night or you join the other ten officers."
It suddenly occurred to the Eilaan officer exactly who his capturer was, the same being responsible for the assassination of the eight other city watch officers who responded to the break-in that night. A feeling of dread washed over him and he broke into a cold sweat, almost getting sick right then and there.
"They - they came over the wall," the Eilaan man stuttered out. "The others shot them."
"Why?" demanded the Shrike.
The guard looked as if he were starting to hyperventilate. "They had too. The Zem's were heading for the Freestead," the man finally got out.
Berret exhaled in exasperation. "That tells me nothing!" he hissed and the man shuddered at his tone. "Why were they not captured instead of killed? Why did they have to die for only trespassing here?"
The watchman opened his mouth but no words came out for a few microts. Finally he swallowed hard and was able to speak, though in a shaky voice.
"Th-they had-d to... be stopped! Before they reached the Freestead!" The Eilaan stammered. "They had to be stopped... because of the bombs, the explosives!"
Berret glared at the blindfolded man in surprise. "What explosives?" he slowly asked, this was news to him.
The lawman turned his head toward where he thought Berret was located. "The Zem's were loaded down with explosive devices," he said, "It would have been catastrophic if they reached the Freestead and detonated them. We didn't have any other choice!"
Berret sunk down to crouch on his heels as he digested the new information. His prisoner sat quietly and fearfully waited to see what he would do next.
"What exactly is this place?" was his next question. At first the guard didn't want to reveal the information about the Freestead but a few more treats got Berret the whole story.
"Why was the story covered up?" was Berret's following question.
"To avoid a panic," the Eilaan man admitted. "If my people knew that the Freesteads were in danger there would be mass civil unrest. The incident was stepped on so that our leaders could speak with the Zem's representatives to quietly investigate the matter. No one wants the social balance here upset so we were ordered to suppress the news and not speak of the event to anyone."
"I see," murmured Berret after a moment's thought. He reached down and dragged the man to his feet again.
"You're him, the one who killed the others?" the guard asked in a voice breaking from stress.
"Yes," Berret answered, he saw no reason to deny his crimes.
"Oh gods," the Eilaan moaned lowly, "You're going to kill me too."
The Shrike ignored the question and the man's tone of hopelessness.
"Why do you think they wanted to destroy the Freestead?" the ex-Enforcer asked.
"I don't know," the Eilaan answered honestly. He felt the killer move around behind him and he braced himself for what he was sure was going to be a pulse bolt to the back of his head or a blade in the ribs.
Instead, there was a cutting pull at the bounds around his hands and suddenly his limbs were free.
He was still afraid to reach up and remove his blindfold - he knew the other man was still there behind him.
"Who... who are you?" he asked again, very surprised now that he wasn't dead yet.
"A fool..." said the low toneless voice.
A hand shoved the guard hard in the back and he sprawled forward onto the ground. The Eilaan clawed the blindfold from his eyes as he rolled over to face where his attacker should be.
Only the night and the nearby vegetation greeted his cleared vision - his assailant was gone without a trace.
Chiana didn't bothered with a disguise the next morning when she left her Transport Pod. This time out she wanted to attract attention - in as big a way as was possible. She started by hitting the refreshment houses where the customers seemed to mostly be Zem'Fury. One of the objects she had purchased the afternoon before had been a translation device. She 'accidentally' made sure that the volume was turned up higher then what was actually needed as she went from house to house and announced loudly to anyone in the place that she worked for someone who was interested in learning more about the three Zem'Fury killed near the Eilaan quadrant. She was sure she made quite an impression as she swept into the taverns in a swirl of gray coat and leather outfit, but to sweeten the pot she also flashed a handful of the planet's currency that she claimed was a reward to any who could tell her the right information. She wanted to be very difficult for the right people to miss her. And attracting attention when she wanted too was one of her specialties.
On more then one occasion she was politely asked to leave an establishment, which was fine with the girl. She doubted anyone would come right out and approach her in front of witnesses with the information anyway. What she was more interested in was who might decide to follow her. In that event, she'd already picked out a nice, cozy, out of the way place to lead them too.
It was at the seventh or eighth refreshment house that she noticed him... or it.
She finally locked in on a Zem'Fury that appeared to have been in a number of other places she'd visited that day. The only reason she was able to pick him out so easily was because the very end of the antenna on the right side of its head had a slight curve in it. Not something a normal person would notice, but a detail a talented thief would.
Sure she had a tail now; the Nebari left the last tavern and headed through a section of town with many storefronts. Using the same ploy Berret had used the when she'd first saw him; she used the shops' glass windows to keep track of her shadow. Chiana came to commercial street that contained mostly rows of warehouses and turned down it. Midway down the lane, was a viaduct that supported the rail transportation system from the warehouse to the spaceport. The gray woman un-hesitantly strolled through the maze of support pillars and her tail lost sight of her several times in the shadows of the enormous span of trestles.
The girl passed behind a huge quickcrete support slab and the Zem'Fury used the opportunity to gain some ground on the Nebari while she was out of sight. He rounded the stone-like block expecting to see the woman he was following further along the walkway ahead of him. Instead he found her gray overcoat lying in the middle of the path - almost as if the girl suddenly had melted out from under it in mid-stride.
The insectiod bent and used one of his limbs to pick up the coat. He straightened up and held the object up to the level of its multifaceted eyes to better examine it. He turned the coat inside out and began looking for clues when a loop of cord settled down over his head. Before he could react, the noose tightened around his neck and the line was jerked taunt from above until he was forced to stand on the very tips of his main support limbs to keep from choking, his free limbs grabbed at the rope in an attempt to take some of his weight off his frail neck. The cord pulled no tighter, but it felt as if someone were tying it off somewhere over his head. A few microts later, a second line uncoiled to fall down in front of him and the Nebari woman repelled down the rope from the girders above until she was standing on the ground before him.
She smiled broadly as she switched on her translator device.
"Don't cha' hate it when someone gets ya with that trick?" she asked flippantly.
"What... Want... You...?" the device clicked out. The Zem'Fury not being able to use all his limbs to communicate caused the Nebari's translator to work haltingly.
Chiana shot him a look with big round innocent eyes. "Owwwww... maybe to know the reason why you're following me?" she added sweetly.
"Not... follow," answered the insectiod, "Please.... Release... No injure... I."
"Ah - ah - ah!" admonished the gray girl as she hooked the toe of one boot under one of the Zem'Fury's two supporting limbs. "I don't like being fibbed too," she said as she slowly dragged the limb out from under the trapped being. The insectiod's shell rubbed together in alarm as his leg left the ground, unbalanced now on only one of it's limb, it started to slowly spin on the end of the rope; making the noose draw up tighter.
Chiana let the limb drop back down and the Zem'Fury regained what balance it could.
"I don't know how many times you can do that before you reach the end of your line," she quipped.
"Now again, why were you following me?"
Her captive clicked its mandibles in a negative manner once more. "I... no... follow..." it started to deny once more but Chiana placed her toe back under the limb in threat. The Zem'Fury hastily changed its tune.
"YES! Yes, I follow... you. I followed as I was told too," it exclaimed.
"See? Now we're getting somewhere," the Nebari woman smiled. "Who told you to tail me?"
"I don't know wh..." it began, but Chiana tapped her foot against its leg in reminder and the insectiod came clean. "My leader ordered you followed."
"Your leader, huh?" considered the girl. "Then I guess you're one of the bug rebels, right?"
The creature clicked its jaws in an affirmative gesture.
"That's drad," Chiana then said. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you guys?" The pleasant look slipped from her gray features abruptly. "Where's the Shrike," she demanded in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "And don't even think of lying or stalling. I'm getting bored with this game and if you don't tell me what I want to know right now, I'm gonna hang you right here and try my luck with the next narb dumb enough to follow me."
The Zem'Fury spent the next several microns giving her very detailed directions and information... at least as much information that he knew.
The gentle knock came at Berret's door that afternoon.
Berret swung his legs off his bed and shut off the reader he was reviewing Chiana's evidence on. The Shrike had been half expecting the visit. He opened the door to reveal the rebel leader standing there.
"Yes?" Berret inquired neutrally.
The Zem'Fury rebel rattled its exoskeleton in greeting. "Good day to you, my friend Shrike," translated the device around the insectiod's slim neck. "I trust I find you well?"
Berret gave him a shallow nod. "Yes," he affirmed. "How may I help you?"
"I wish to speak with you about another operation, but first..." the Zem'Fury leader started, "I must ask. The sentries tell me you left the sanctuary last evening and did not return till close to sunrise. May I inquire as to the reason?"
"No. It was some of the personal business that I spoke of," replied the Shrike in an even tone.
"I see. I only ask to be sure that there was no complications with your business last night before asking you to undertake my request," explained the leader.
Berret nodded that his reason seemed logical to him. "There was no problems," he assured.
"Excellent," replied the Zem'Fury. "Then if you will, will you met me in half an arn in the main meeting room for a briefing about what we require?"
"I shall be there," Berret told him.
"Very good. I will see you there then," the rebel finished, and then turned to leave.
Berret closed his room's door and considered the new development. He was now reasonably certain that Chiana's instincts had been correct. The rebels have been lying to him, though he wasn't positive just yet who was responsible. It might be just the leader or all of them. He'd already decided he wouldn't act and seek revenge until he was absolutely positive he had all the guilty parties identified. He'd already blindly spilled too much innocent blood in this frell-up he'd help create. This time he would take his time and be sure he had the right beings before acting, he owed it to all the Eilaan's he had murdered in his stupidity.
It would mean staying out of Chiana's way for as long as it takes. He knew the Nebari girl would want him to forget about vengeance and leave with her. But he just couldn't do that, to leave those responsible behind to continue with their plans to harm more innocent beings. It was already a bigger shame then he thought he could live with. He must not leave any of the Zem'Fury rebels who had direct knowledge of their real agenda behind to rebuild and continue on. He would kill them all or die trying.
The Shrike would go out on the Zem'Fury's next mission all right. Though this time instead of committing murder for them, he would be hunting the answers he needed to make the guilty pay.
Shortly after leaving the Shrike's quarters, the Zem'Fury leader met with his second in command.
"I have a dire concern," the insectiod the Shrike labeled as Swirl told his commander.
"What is it?" the rebel leader asked with a movement of his arm and triple click of mandible.
Swirl's chitin vibrated in irritation, "The brother watching the Nebari female has not reported back."
The leader spun on his subordinate. "You had her watched by one of the hive! I told you to have one of the mammal operatives keep her under surveillance. One who could not be linked to us!"
"There was... until she began to ask questions about the killings at the Freestead," replied Swirl. "I thought then it would be wiser to have one of the hive keep track of her then to keep the matter from becoming known too far outside our circle. If the mammal had spoken to other mammals about what he heard it wouldn't take the Eilaan long to find out about it and put it all together."
The rebel leader's shell gradually settled back into place along its back as it considered his second in command's reasoning.
"Forgive me, you were correct to take such precautions," the Zem'Fury finally said. "Who was the hive brother who has gone missing?"
"He was not a First-cell brother," explained Swirl, "He was a Second-cell member thus does not know the exact location of this sanctuary. However, the Nebari woman is now in the area and asking more questions... and more discreetly then earlier this morning. I can only assume she caught the brother watching her and learned what she could from him. That is why she has zeroed in on this section of the city for her search."
"Do you suppose she killed her watcher?" asked the leader.
Swirl gave the Zem'Fury equivalent of a shrug. "The Shrike did say the female was as skilled an assassin as he, if not even more dangerous if she thinks she's threatened."
The leader snapped his mandibles in thought.
"That is so," he concluded. "What questions has she been asking?"
"This morning it was about the three hive brothers the Eilaan Guard killed. Now she inquires about the Shrike," Swirl supplied. "That alone leads me to believe that she knows more about the Shrike's association with us then he claims."
"But why does she search for him if they are partners?"
"Perhaps she wishes to double cross him again as she did before," offered the second in command. "It could be she is trying to locate him for the purpose of assassinating him."
The Zem'Fury leader's forelegs tapped together for a moment. "I had not thought of that. Still, we cannot afford to have the female roaming all over and asking questions about the Shrike... or the Freestead incident. That will eventually call attention to us and all we have worked for thus far will be in jeopardy."
Swirl agreed with his superior, "It will also not go well if the Shrike learns she is hunting him. A clash between the two will also expose us."
The leader bobbed his head in an affirmative gesture.
"I believe the Shrike has reached the end of his usefulness to us," said Swirl a moment later. "It is time for us to get rid of him like you planned and moved this sanctuary to a new location."
The rebel insectiod leader gazed up at his fellow. "I believe this time, you are right," it admitted. "Though the assassin has been a useful tool."
"A tool that will soon either expose us or turn on us!" exclaimed Swirl.
The Leader clicked his jaws and rattled his exoskeleton once in final agreement and sealed the assassin's fate.
"The Shrike has agreed to perform another operation for the 'cause'," it said, "This time, he will walk into a trap."
"And we will be rid of him," finished Swirl.