The Cairo Saga, Book 2: The Solaris Irregulars
Chapter 31: Wolf in sheep's clothing

Torque
Tukayyid
Free Rasalhague Republic

Cairo sat, his back resting against a palm tree, looking out to sea. Sinead lay in the sun, trying to get some colour back into her skin after her hospital stay. Jane was playing with a bucket and spade, trying to pile up the soft sand. Cairo smiled: it was times like this he was content, despite everything that had happened to bring him to the point in his life.

As he looked at the horizon he saw a black dot that started to grow. Picking up a pair of binoculars, he focused in on the aircraft: it was some kind of VTOL transport, and it was heading directly for him. The radio next to him beeped. He sighed and picked it up.

"Cairo."

Clearwater's voice came over the link.

"Steven, there is an emissary from Clan Wolf looking for you. They asked for safecon, and Victor granted it. They say they want to talk to you. I don't know why, but be careful."

Cairo banged his head against the tree,

"They've found me. I'm sending Sinead and Jane back to town. Call Jackson; have him meet them there. I'll deal with this on my own. Out." With that, he turned the radio off.

Sinead looked up, "If you think for one moment that I'm leaving you."

Cairo raised his hand, "One: you are in no condition to fight if needs be. Two: One of us needs to look after Jane, and they asked for me by name. And three: I don't want you in any more danger than necessary. Please, for me, just go meet Jackson: send him along if you want."

Sinead reluctantly stood, and lifted her daughter off the ground. Cairo didn't move until he herd the ground car pull away.

He slowly stood up, and then reached round to check that his Kukri was still in place at the small of his back. Slowly, the VTOL came in to land and settled on the beach. Two un-armoured, but heavily armed, Elementals climbed out of the transport and took up cover positions. Cairo stood unmoving, his arms crossed across his chest. A door in the side of the transport opened, and it was all Cairo could do to keep his face straight when he saw whom the passenger was.

Katherine Steiner-Davion stood before him in the ceremonial dress of a Clan Wolf Star-Commander. She smiled at him in a way that was obviously meant to endear him to her, but failed: Cairo had read about her rule as Archon of the Lyran Alliance, and had talked to General Christifori about the Civil War. He was only glad that he had sent his wife away: Sinead's feelings towards the woman now stood before him where lese than polite. He did note that her uniform gave her name as Katrina, and did no note any surname or Bloodname.

She walked towards him, "Captain Steven Cairo, I presume?"

"Star-Commander Katherine."

That got a reaction, but only slight, "Please, call me Katrina. I find rank very impersonal." She continued with a smile.

"I was informed that you wish to talk to me." Cairo continued to stand a still as a rock, his eyes unreadable behind his sunglasses.

"Khan Vladimir Ward would be interested to know of what you talked to Khan Bjorn Jorgensson of on Alshain last year."

"That was a private discussion, and Khan Jorgensson chooses to share it with his fellow Khans, that is up to him. I will not speak of it with you. Is there anything else?"

Katherine's eyes narrowed, "I had hoped that as a Lyran citizen, you would talk openly with me…"

"My wife is Lyran, but I am from the Periphery." Cairo raised his hand in objection, "Please do not try and call on patriotism for my wife's homeland to get the information you wish. As I said: is there anything else you wish to discuss, Star-Commander?"

"There is the matter of the Nature's Wrath." Katherine went back to the smile "Khan Ward feels that you did not obtain her as Isorla in the correct manor. We would like her back."

"HA!" Cairo flung his head back and laughed, "Your Khan sends a ship to kidnap me while I am under safecon, and now he has the gull to ask for his ship back. Perhaps he would have preferred a war with the Ghost Bears, quiaff?" Cairo could see Katherine's anger rising, but she did her best to hide it.

"Neg, Captain Cairo, my Clan has no wish to fight the Ghost Bears." She looked round to see a pair of VTOL's approaching along the coast at speed. She turned back to Cairo, "This is not over, Captain." She hurried back to her transport, and it took off in a hurricane of sand and spray. It was soon out of sight.

The two new VTOL's landed, and Cairo smiled when Victor Davion climbed from the first one. Precenter Martail walked up to Cairo, "Who was it?"

"No one important." Cairo shrugged, as he turned to leave, "Just you sister."

TBC…