Chapter Twelve- Plans of Murder Psalm 35:15- ".attackers gathered against me when I was unaware."

Tielle stood resolutely facing the man who had just before crushed her with his actions, hoping against hope that he wouldn't see through her bluff and refuse to grant her help. He may be a two-timing cheater, but she needed his help and wouldn't go to Fareari without it.

Or was he a cheater? His kiss had said otherwise....

*Yeah, but what did his kiss say to Shaina?* Tielle furiously thought, and anger welled up in her again.

Chayden hovered on the indecision, and Tielle desperately fought down her anger and tried to insert earnestness into her tone. "Please, Chayden," she beseeched him, begging with her eyes as well as her voice. "My people are dying and they need my help. Without it, they are beyond hope."

The truth of her words seemed to sink into the ex-prince, and he breathed a long sigh. "Fine. I'll help you."

Momentary elation penetrated through Tielle's cloud of rage. "You will?" She smiled and laughed. "You will! This is great. I have to go to Paeona now," she declared, and started mentally packing, going over everything she'd need...

"Hold on," Chayden stopped her, "Right now?" He gestured outside. "It's almost dark."

"So?" Tielle faced him, glad she'd be leaving him behind on Diresh. "My people are dying even though it's almost nightfall here."

Chayden seemed to realize she wasn't in the mood for arguing and let her pack without complaint.

**

On Hidon, King Faihn paced the elaborate throne room, which he was still having a hard time getting used to- it was three times the size of Fareari's -and listened to more reports regarding Myll.

The medic finished his report- one that was slightly worse than the one before it, which in turn had been slightly worse than the one preceding it -and stopped.

Faihn faced him. "When is the next shuttle of medical experts coming?"

The medic consulted her datapad. "In four days, Your Highness."

"Four days," Faihn murmured, dismissing the doctor. He stared a long time out of the grand windows revealing a view of the large courtyard, still teeming with life even as its people- and king -slowly died. *And if this shipment of so-called "experts" can't make any progress, we shall leave this forsaken planet.*

**

The Grand Duke of Chepsco of Hidon glanced at the most recent report to have been transmitted to him, and he laughed.

He spun in his swivel chair to the large view-screen inhabiting his temporary living space. He keyed in a name and smiled when a large swarthy man's face appeared after a few moments.

"Naniso Harati here."

"Ah yes, Commander Harati," Klane said, his tone revealing his satisfaction. "I just received your report."

The man straightened and injected more respect into his tone when he realized whom he was speaking to. "I hope it was satisfactory, sir."

"Oh, it was, it was. I am most pleased that you have found where they stayed while on Surlow. Are you watching this woman's home?"

"Around the clock, sir. She has not returned since we traced the subjects here, but it is almost nightfall here, and we are expecting her here soon."

"Excellent. What do you know about this woman?"

Harati shrugged. "Not much. Her name is Gen, but no one really seems to know much about her. Personal information such as age is unknown to everyone we questioned, but one man commented that she had a Thaeran accent. Why she may have come from Thaera to Surlow is unknown."

"Really," Klane considered that. "Interesting. Keep searching for anyone who might know any more about her or about my niece and her escort."

The other man bowed slightly. "We will, sir, and will contact you if we learn anything."

"Excellent," Klane said, and he ended the communiqué but gazed thoughtfully at the empty view-screen for many more minutes afterward.

If things continued to go so well, Klane felt certain his niece would be dead the next week.

**

So the handsome off-worlder had chosen to spurn her, had he? Well, fine. Shaina would just make sure that he would regret that decision.

But she had to plan this carefully. It was not something that should quickly be rushed into in the heat of the moment- she would sleep on it and then, in the morning, decide what to do with this information..

**

Paeona was a city of trade, and shipping began in the early hours of the morning. The sun had not even yet begun to peek over the horizon, and yet the city was alive with activity and noise as Tielle entered the spaceport with Chayden. She had not wanted to have to bring him along but had reluctantly acknowledged the need for him to come and hack into the Farearian databank.

They moved to a public information portal and Chayden began keying in commands and override codes, muttering to himself. Tielle glanced nervously glanced around at the passers-by and then reprimanded herself, for there was nothing out of the ordinary about a couple using the public information portal to find departure times for ships going to Fareari, which was, of course, all they were doing.

"All right," Chayden said, briefly looking up from the screen. "Dr. Ella Raynani is now on the list of medics going to Hidon from Fareari."

"When?"

Chayden consulted the screen. "Four days from now."

"Four days," Tielle repeated to herself, mentally calculating. No ships went direct from Diresh to Fareari; she would have to first stopover on Maalar and then, from Maalar, depart for Fareari. If all went well, that would take about three days, just allowing her to catch her shuttle from Fareari to Hidon. "That'll work. Here, move over." She took control of the portal and booked a seat on a ship leaving for Maalar in an hour. Finished and satisfied, she straightened and turned to Chayden but didn't look at him.

They went to the same bar they had visited when they first came to Diresh and sat in silence for a long while, until Tielle asked, "What's the name of the shuttle that I'm on, going to Hidon?"

"The Dawn's Victory," Chayden intoned, and Tielle wondered whether the name of the ship foretold the outcome of her mission.

"So what am I supposed to tell everyone back at the colony?" Chayden asked, and Tielle sighed. *Can't he come up with something on his own?*

"I don't know. Tell them I've gone back to Fareari. Yeah, that I couldn't stand living on such a desolate planet and have gone home to ask for forgiveness."

Chayden snorted. "Well, if they know anything about Farearians, they'll know that isn't true; Farearians never ask for forgiveness."

"Then *you* come up with something better," Tielle snapped back at him and he sighed and turned away.

He sighed again. "Tielle, you don't have to do this. What makes you think you do?"

She knew he meant going to try to save her planet even if he didn't say the words aloud, and it touched something within her as she realized he didn't want her to go. But she pushed any soft feelings away- hadn't *he* been the one who wanted to end things between them? -and replied scathingly, "I will not neglect my duty. I am the only chance my planet has, and I will not deny them of that chance even if it means giving my life."

She could tell he wasn't satisfied by her response and lowered her voice and repeated imploringly, "I am the only chance my planet has. Can you understand how one life given is worth the risk to save billions?"

She focused her gaze on him and watched as he finally began to understand. "Fine, then," he whispered, "Go with God."

And Tielle silently slipped from her stool, picked up her belongings, and vanished.

**

Chayden returned to Kansoth, alone, wanting nothing more than to just climb in bed and sleep for a few months. Perhaps then he would be able to sort through everything that had happened to him lately.

But he knew his mind was too troubled for sleep, even though he had been up all night. He had so much to think about, and so many questions, but there were no answers..

*None that anyone in this galaxy can give me, anyway, but there's always God,* Chayden reminded himself, although his faith had been weakening lately. *He knows all, and can help me when I don't..*

So Chayden spent a moment in prayer as he flew over the flat plains of Diresh, nearing Kansoth.

**

"I swear it!" Shaina cried, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. "They are not brother and sister! And now they have left without telling anyone- the timing is just a bit too coincidental, don't you think?"

"She has a point," Viccaros, Rashea's father, admitted, and Tesian nodded. Rashea wondered what in the galaxy was happening.

"But perhaps they are wanted criminals and didn't want to endanger any of us," she suggested defensively, and many of the men that Shaina had gathered glared at her, not believing young girls should take part in such discussions.

"We're all wanted criminals here," Shaina shot back, her eyes blazing. "But none of us lie to each other. We don't allow that amongst ourselves; why should we allow it from those strangers?"

"Hear, hear," a few men agreed, and Rashea felt her heart sink. This was not going well.

"I say that if those two return, we kill them!" A man suggested, and Rashea gasped. "No, we cannot!"

"And why not? If they would lie to us about their identity, can they be trusted? No! They may go to our former slavers and tell them where we are! We may be recaptured!"

"I cannot believe that about them," Rashea disagreed. "Regardless of who they are or say they are, they are fellow believers. They can be trusted, for we share a common bond in God."

"Do we?" the same man, Entos, countered. "If they would lie about their identities, why not their religion?"

And it was then that Rashea knew she had lost, but still she tried, unable to hold her tongue. "What about the commandment, 'Thou shall not murder'?"

"It's not murder- it's self-defense! Or are you so eager to experience slavery as your parents did, young Rashea?"

Viccaros stepped forward and placed a hand on Rashea's shoulder. "Entos is right, Rashea. There is nothing else to be done. We cannot risk that they would inform our slavers."

Rashea desperately looked to her mother. "Mom!"

Tesian Hamani only turned away.