Chapter 3
*** Harry arrived in downtown Plona twenty minutes early. As he neared the restaurant, he could hear shouting and weapons fire. There was a crowd gathered outside the Silvana, and it was getting bigger every minute. Harry couldn't see what was going on until the crowd began to part. Four guards drug two bound and gagged protestors through the path the crowd made. Harry could see a huge bruise on one protestor's temple. The other protestor was bleeding from several wounds. As the guards reached their shuttle, a team of medics arrived.
"The other two are dead," one security officer said roughly.
The medics rolled a stretcher through the crowd, which Harry noticed was silent. They stacked the bodies carelessly on the stretcher and rolled it back to their shuttle.
The crowd erupted. Some women started crying at the brutality, and others hurled epithets at the medics.
"You can't treat people like that," someone shouted.
Someone beside Harry shouted something he couldn't understand, but the alien's tone made Harry shrink away.
"They weren't doing anything but expressing their opinions. Is that enough for them to be beaten and murdered?" someone else shouted.
One of the security guards blew his whistle for silence. He had to blow it twice more before the crowd, which had closed in again and now faced the shuttles, stopped shouting and waving their fists. "These protestors are traitors!" he yelled. "Everyone has been informed about the containment system that will protect Plona from the Great Earthquake this time."
"The containment system that hasn't been tested yet?" someone interrupted.
"Whether the government has tested the system or not is not of public concern."
"Not of public concern?" The same speaker was pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "The public will be effected by the Great Earthquake, will it not? I'd say that's enough for us to care whether the system has been tested or not?"
The security officer motioned for his colleagues to aim their weapons.
The man stopped speaking but didn't step back.
"These protestors are against the government and it's effort to control the earthquake. Therefore." He raised his voice still more. "Therefore, they deserve punishment. And on Plona the punishment for treason is death." With that, he turned and walked toward his shuttle. His colleagues waited until he was safely inside before dropping their weapons and following him.
As the crowd began to disperse, Harry looked around for Shyla. It was now five minutes before they were due to meet. He didn't see her, so he sat on a bench outside the restaurant. He waited another ten minutes before he saw her approaching.
He stood to greet her and asked, "What's wrong? Did you see the bodies too?"
"Bodies?"
Her face was pale, and she was shaking so much that Harry lowered her to the bench and sat down again beside her. "Of the protestors. Those medics carelessly threw them onto the same stretcher."
"Dead?"
"Yes. They didn't deserve that. They had a right to express their opinion."
"They had a right to be worried."
"Where I come from, we have freedom of speech. What?"
"The containment system has a hole."
"A hole!"
"A large one. The size of the mountain region." She paused and took a deep breath. "My sister, Tamil lives in the mountain region," Shyla added before collapsing into Harry's arms.
He held her, and something about the way she cried into his shoulder reminded him of Libby. He patted Shyla, but thought, Libby, I miss you so much.
"I'm sorry," Shyla said standing. "I'm starving. I spent the entire afternoon trying to figure out a way to fix the problem. I didn't even stop for lunch. Plus, I overslept this morning and missed breakfast." When they were seated and had ordered their meal {Harry let Shyla order for both of them}, she told him how she had discovered the hole. "I don't know how I'm going to tell my brother, Loyden, but I have to. He and Tamil are close. I know we were going to walk on the beach again after dinner, but I need to go to Loyden's home instead."
"I understand," Harry said.
"And, what's worse is I think there's a saboteur."
"What do you mean?"
"We spent three years designing this system. I don't think we would have missed something this big."
"Do you have any idea who would sabotage the system?"
"Not a clue. But, I spend most of my days holed up in an engineering section or a library, so I don't know a lot about what goes on around me. There was talk at one time of incorporating the mountain region into downtown Plona, but the people there didn't want to sale their land and move."
"Do you think someone wants to force them out?"
Shyla didn't answer right away. When she did, her voice was low. "The thought crossed my mind."
***Harry was awakened from a restless sleep at oh two hundred hours by Cadet Stone. "I'm sorry to wake you, Sir. But, there's an urgent message for you from Plona."
"Put it through to my quarters." Harry rose and went to his computer.
"Harry, I've got to talk to you. Can you come down now?" Shyla's hair was a mess, and her cheeks were tear stained.
"It didn't go well, huh?"
"I was right. But, there's more than one saboteur. And, one of them is my brother."
Harry quickly dressed and beamed down to the planet.
"I went straight to Loyden's home after dinner. He was in a meeting with some government men, so I had to wait over an hour. I told his maid that it was an emergency, but she said he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone, not even her. When, I finally got to talk to him, something seemed odd. He went over to his desk and poured a drink. This was odd because when something upsets him, he doesn't drink. He really doesn't like to drink. He only does so in public to show that he's like the other men. He just sat there calmly sipping his drink for ten minutes before he said,
'Does Dolon know?'
'Yes. He's the first one I told.'
At this, Loyden put his drink down, unfinished. 'Did he have to know? I mean, couldn't you find a way to fix it without telling him?'
'I tried, but the damage is too extensive. Dolon's top in command, and even he hasn't figured out a way to fix it yet.'
Loyden got up and started pacing. 'But, you're in charge of that area right?'
'Yes.'
'Then, why did you go higher?'
At this point, I was confused. Loyden's never questioned anything I've done. He's even encouraged me to seek Dolon's help on things I couldn't handle. 'Because I think there's a saboteur.'
Loyden swung around. 'That's ridiculous!'
'Well, I could be wrong, but the damage looks deliberate. Dolon thought so too.'
'Dolon is getting along in years, you know.'
Not wanting to argue, I changed the subject. 'What do we do about Tamil?'
'She, Blin and the little ones are coming for a visit. They'll come tomorrow afternoon. I should make a note for Dolon to be examined to see if he's still fit for command,' Loyden said to himself as he came back to his desk and wrote something on a pad.
It was then that I realized what was odd. 'You don't seem very surprised about this news.'
He looked up startled. 'What am I supposed to do? Fall apart like you?'
'No. But, you could be a little more concerned about your sister instead of Dolon. What was that meeting about?'
'None of your business. You look tired. Why don't you get some sleep and work on the problem again tomorrow.' He grabbed my arm roughly and made me stand.
'Loyden, what's going on?'
He let go of me and walked to the door of his office. 'Samilia, my sister is ready to leave. Would you inform Boolon that she needs a ride home?'
'You're the saboteur?'
'I don't know enough about engineering to damage the connector routes of the containment field'
'How did you know what was damaged?'
'You said so.'
'No, I didn't.'
He sighed, closed and locked the door. 'Tamil will be fine.'
'Why? Does this have something to do with the mountain people refusing to sale their land several years ago.' His look of shock confirmed my guess. 'What's in it for you?'
'I will be given the title of Head Security and a significant raise in pay.'
'Does Tamil know?'
'No, and I'd like to keep it that way.'
'Boolon has the shuttle ready,' Samilia called.
'Thank you,' I called back and strode for the door.
'Shyla? Please.'
I didn't answer him. I just pushed past him and ran"
"What are you going to do now?" Harry asked.
"I don't know." The tears Shyla had fought came now and wouldn't stop.
Harry held her until she cried herself to sleep. Again, she reminded him of Libby. He had always been comfortable with Libby too. His heart was torn between the two women. Apparently, he fell asleep too. The next thing he knew, there were loud shouts and weapons fire outside Shyla's home. He awoke to find Shyla handing him a mug.
"Drink this. Hurry. We don't have much time. There are three days left until the Great Earthquake, and it's only a matter of time before some of the protestors find out about the hole. They've already stepped up their warnings. I heard a report that six protestors and two guards were killed this morning. Who knows how many more this afternoon."
"Afternoon?" Harry drained his mug and made a face.
"It's past fourteen hundred hours. I know this stuff doesn't taste great, but it will give us energy."
"Have you decided what you're going to do?"
"I'm going to inform the government of the plot. You can come with me if you like. I don't want you to have to get involved, but it would be nice to have some support."
"Ok. Since my own people are on shore leave here, I'm kind of involved already."
