THE MOTHER LODE BY ABRAXIS
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Chapter 21 - The Imam
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While the parlor and what little of the rest of the residence Jenna had seen were quite luxurious, lavishly decorated with Moorish inscriptions, colorful patterned carpets and furnishings upholstered in rich fabrics, the Imam's room was rather austere. There was a simple, narrow couch/bed, a writing table and it's straight backed chair, many book cases, and a low table with two accompanying arm chairs. This last group was arranged near enough to the bed for comfortable conversation. What little wall there was, that was not covered in book cases, was undecorated.
When Jack introduced Jenna to the Imam, Jenna was amused by the demure and respectful manner in which she did it. Not one bit of the animosity she had so recently voiced was showing. Jenna would have given her high marks for her acting talent if it had not been for the fact that she was over doing it to the maximum.
"Imam, this is the Captain who has offered us her aid. I have explained your illness, the reason you can't meet with her more formally. Unless there is something you need immediately, may I be excused to attend to a service for the Captain?"
"I am fine child."
His voice was almost as deep and rich as Riddick's. But there was a purposeful calm refinement to it that eliminated any possibility of it creating the animal tension that Riddick's could. Of course, that was something that an Imam wouldn't wish to do, wasn't it. As Jack left, he struggled to maneuver himself into a sitting position. The effort left him pale and sweaty. Jenna could see that he had been a strong, robust man but his illness had ravaged him badly. However, when he spoke it was obvious that it had not weakened his mind.
"Jack is, of course, going with you. I understand why she feels that she must. She has never really been happy here."
"Yet, she treats you with respect and deference and seems to have adjusted well to the local customs."
"It is but an act and a very recent one. Nor is the local dress voluntary. I thought it safer for her since the arrival of Sulleman's men. Her true nature is much too exuberant, too independent. I had thought that with age, maturity, that would change. However, her negative reaction to the more ordered society of my world has had the opposite effect. Since her behavior has changed, I have spent many restless nights wondering if the sunrise would find her gone. She is quite inventive enough to discover a way off planet. I am relieved that Allah has provided her a safe source of transportation. But ....... she will ask you to take her to our ... mutual friend. I must be truthful that this worries me. I am certain that he would never intentionally harm her but his life is ...... is so unstable. You are a woman of her world. Please, give me your opinion of this."
The man seemed genuinely concerned for Jack. Also, though he had confirmed both Jack's and Riddick's claims that he had issues with Riddick's choices, he was certainly being very careful not to make any open reference to Riddick's identity and criminal history. Jenna tested him further.
"Are you aware that Jack believes that you intend to arrange a marriage for her here?"
The man was honestly shocked.
"No! Never. She would find such a situation intolerable. As soon as she had acquired all of the credits possible locally through correspondence classes, I had intended to solicit funds from the Emir to send her elsewhere to finish her education. Sadly, circumstance has destroyed the possibility of that. In reality, I have no right to question her choice to go to him. There is really no where else for her to go."
The look of self-disgust on his face was painful for Jenna to witness. It was obvious that he felt he had failed his responsibility to Jack and was quite angry with himself for doing that. Jenna decided it was time to relieve some of his anxiety.
"You underestimate her. Jack lacks only some practical experience to qualify for her Basic License in navigation. I am willing to provide that in order to fill an empty slot on my bridge. She has joined my crew as Nav Officer. Her ultimate goal is to become a pilot and I can provide that training as well. Yes, she does wish a reunion with Mr. Riddick but she has no reason to nor intention of being dependent upon him for her future. She is extremely capable for her age and I have no doubt that she will succeed at whatever she chooses to pursue. I would be very pleased if she chooses to remain with me on a permanent basis but I will not stand in her way if she decides that her destiny lies elsewhere."
The Imam's face relaxed and a gentle smile curved his lips. Jenna could actually see how distinguished and handsome a man he must have been.
"You are a gift from Allah, Captain. I have only the welfare of my ward to arrange before I can surrender to His will."
By God, she had to win this. She couldn't allow him to succumb to this illness without giving Syrus a chance to heal him. She had no doubt that, at full strength, he was very definite and inflexible in many of his moral opinions but then who wasn't definite and inflexible when it concerned their area of expertise. She had grown up with four men of just such temperament. Even shy and reticent David would stand up in anyone's face when it came to his field of engineering. Nor had she and Ben, though children, been very much different.
Her gut told her that this was a good man; that his focus was the needs of others rather than creating a power base here or status in the hereafter through conversions. She sensed no hypocrisy in him. She might decide that it was inadvisable to offer him a permanent place in the group, now the extended group, but she was certainly going to do everything she could to keep him from dying.
"No. I'm a gift from Riddick. He is your gift from Allah."
"Yes ..... it would seem so ........ but that is not an opinion that I had expected to hear from anyone but Jack. You also call him by his true name. By that, I take it that you have his trust as much as he has yours. I want no particulars, no information that might threaten his safety but I would know ...... is he well?"
Jenna knew that Riddick's physical health wasn't what was on the Imam's mind. She answered the question he had not found the words to ask.
"He has begun the next stage of his journey."
The Imam uttered a sigh of relief and the small smile returned.
"You are indeed an understanding and kindly person, Captain. Your presence here is a blessing."
Jenna resisted the urge to bask in that flattering image.
"You may retract that opinion when you have heard the rest of what I must tell you. The welfare of your ward has already been arranged, arranged by Mira herself. It seems that her association with Jack has made her unwilling to follow blindly the path that others have chosen for her. She too has asked to join my crew. I have accepted her as an unassigned trainee."
The smile was gone.
"But this is impossible! She is a child. She is naive, untutored; trained for nothing but the duties of a wife and mother. She will be completely helpless outside of the protected position of her class and culture. She hasn't the wisdom or knowledge to make such a decision!"
"She has enough knowledge and wisdom to know that she can be more than breeding stock, valued only for her ancestry. As she so succinctly stated it herself, she wishes to be that 'more'. If she is naive and untutored, it is because she has never been given the chance to be otherwise. I have the capability in my ship's main computer to offer her an education in any subjects she chooses to any level that she is able to attain. She seems to have an excellent command of Standard but the computer has full translation capabilities and can parallel any studies in New Meccan Local. She will also have the support and council of Nagia. Mira has freed her and she has accepted the position of Ship's Pharmacist due to her abilities with herbs. Mira's education will also include the many and varied cultures which the human race has invented and how best to survive in any of them. When she has decided where she wishes to be relocated, she will be given a new, perfectly documented, identity."
The Imam was frowning furiously.
"I cannot believe that it is best for her to be removed from her culture, her people. It is the same as if I had accomplished what Jack accuses me of planning for her."
It wasn't the same, of course. Mira had made her own choice. But that wasn't the proper track to use with the Imam.
"Imam, I know that her problems are caused by one man's, Sulleman's, political ambition and desire to garner power and prestige by association with the blood of the First Families that she carries. I also know that the same problems could have occurred in any number of cultures and societies. But you can't deny that the culture of Islam gives her no protection from him other than placing herself at the mercy of some other man equally as powerful. Both your and the Emir's illnesses have shown her that even this is not certain safety. She is young and she is frightened and she can't see any other way out but to escape off planet and find a hiding place away from Islam. I am older and a little more experienced but I can't see another way either. If you in the wisdom of your years can, please tell me what it is?"
His excited outburst had cost the Imam. He sagged back. Jenna cursed the lack of time that was forcing her to push these issues.
"Please, Sir, is there something I can get you? A medicine or perhaps tea or coffee?"
At his request, she returned to the parlor and fetched the coffee and tea service. She prepared him a cup of tea with a small amount of honey and handed it to him. As he took it from her, she was able to make a closer observation of his hands. The striations showing prominently across his fingernails and the abnormal coloration of the nail beds confirmed a suspicion that she had formed while listening to Jack's recital of the situation. That information would be useful later. She waited patiently for the Imam to reply to her question. When he did, his voice reflected the weakness of his body and, perhaps, the despair that the admission caused him. She could barely hear him.
"No. I cannot find another answer. Sulleman's power here is such that no hand but the Emir's could be guaranteed to stay him. Should he succeed in securing the position of Emir after Kaseem, no settlement of the faithful will be safe haven from him. As old and dear friends as we are, I am at a loss as to why Kaseem passed Mira's guardianship to me. I may have a small amount of prestige among others of my calling but that is a grain of sand against the political and military power of Sulleman."
Jenna had a flash of inspired understanding.
"Imam, you say that you and the Emir are old and trusted friends. How much of the events of the crash did you confide in him? Most particularly, did you confide in him anything concerning Mr. Riddick's perhaps unsavory but very valuable talents?"
"Yes. It was his patronage that provided for us. I felt he had the right to know. He accepted my assurance that there would be no disturbance created here, that Mr. Riddick was serious in his intentions to begin a new life. He had no problem with Mr. Riddick remaining in my household as long as that remained true. In fact, Kaseem took quite an interest in him. Even after he left New Mecca, Kaseem always inquired about his well being. Why do you ask this?"
"I was just wondering if, being so ill and knowing he wouldn't be able to control Sulleman much longer, Kaseem didn't come to the same conclusion concerning Mira's safety that we have. From what I understand of 'palace politics', it is a safe assumption that he didn't have many, if any, people around him that he could trust with that thought, much less with being willing to risk themselves to carry it out. Being involved in the disappearance of a national treasure such as Mira, would rate life in prison if not summary execution."
The Imam's expression was very skeptical but he wasn't interrupting her with vehement denials. This gave Jenna some hope that he was giving thought to what she was saying. She pushed on with it.
"You say you have no particular power as far as New Mecca or Islam is concerned but you certainly have something that I would think no one else Kaseem knows and trusts has. You have the perfect contact to get someone off planet and well hidden when all official and legal channels are closed. It is possible that the reason he transferred her guardianship to you was that, in putting you and Jack in the same danger from Sulleman that she was, he hoped to cause Mr. Riddick to rescue the two of you and, as a consequence, Mira as well. This would accomplish the deed while allowing him and any successor he would recommend to deny any knowledge of it. "
The Imam held his cup out to her.
"If you would be so kind."
Jenna prepared his cup and returned it; then poured and sugared coffee for herself. They sat in silence for many minutes. Unless an observer were sensitive to emotional tension, it would have seemed like nothing more than a companionable sharing of refreshment. Finally the Imam spoke.
"First, I must tell you that this manner of thinking, this devious and complicated plotting, is so foreign to me that I hardly know how to judge it. However, for that very reason, I must admit that you may be quite correct in it. It is very odd, very puzzling. You are young, female and foreign. Yet, in the short time we have conversed, I find that speaking with you is much like many of my conversations with Kaseem. There is a sameness of spirit and mind in the two of you that leads me to believe that you may indeed understand the workings of his mind better than I. It would seem that a Captain and an Emir have much more in common with each other than with an Imam. With reservations, the same that I would have with Kaseem, I will accept your judgement in this matter."
Step one accomplished. Now, on to the next. It wouldn't do for the Imam to be caught unaware of the other major change required for Mira's escape.
"Then, there is one more very important fact that you must know about this matter. You will find it very disturbing but I ask you to allow me to give you my reasons for it before you make judgement. I have requested, and Mira and Nagia have agreed, to set aside their veils."
For long seconds, the Imam seemed carved out of stone. Only a barely discernable movement of his chest assured Jenna that he hadn't died from the shock. She had begun to worry that he had fallen into some type of catatonic state when he finally shifted his eyes to her once again. She took this as a sign to continue.
"We have already agreed that Sulleman will not take this defeat well; that he will attempt to regain Mira, will search among the faithful everywhere for her. Therefore, it isn't logical that he would stop at that. When he doesn't find her there, it is probable that he will set a bounty, hire mercs to look for her elsewhere. Those mercs will be looking for a Muslim woman; actually two women and a man, if you choose to join them. If Mira is to be safe from them, she cannot continue to look like a Muslim woman. Just as Mr. Riddick must loose his identifying shine, she and Nagia must set aside their veils and you your robes and assume foreign dress and, to some degreed, manners. It has no significance as far as your or their belief in and adherence to Islam. It is strictly camouflage from the enemy. You are guaranteed the same complete freedom in the matter of faith as I guarantee all of my crew."
The Imam had turned into flesh and blood again. The mention of Riddick's shine in comparison to the veils had seemed to be the deciding factor in this. It had clarified the situation as nothing else could have.
"Again, I can see the necessity of your decision. But to include me in this escape? I sense that you do not agree with my belief that my illness and its inevitable end is Allah's will."
Well, now it was down to the line. She had just knocked the man's whole world catty-whampus, usurped his authority over his household and now she was going to question his understanding of his religion. Maybe she did need to be painted inside a pentagram.
"I'm am a warrior, Imam, not a holy man. I wouldn't venture to speculate on the mind of God. However, as I see it, your Allah has opened a door for you; a door that leads one of the most excellent physicians in the known universe. With his abilities thrown into the mix, the end result of your illness might not be as inevitable as you think. Personally, if such a door were opened for me, I wouldn't presume to ignore it. That aside, from what Jack has told me and a small observation of my own, I believe that your illness is due to the will of Sulleman, not Allah. Such deceit and treachery should not be surrendered to."
She had the Imam's total attention.
"Explain this."
"Mira was the Emir's ward. He became sick. As soon as you became her guardian, you became sick. When I handed you your cup, I saw striations on your fingernails and a coloration in the nail beds that suggests that your body is trying to dispose of an unacceptable substance in the least vital parts of it. I have a degree in medicine and, though this is not my field of concentration, in my professional opinion, you have been poisoned. I suspect that the same is true for the Emir. While I can do nothing for him, I can offer you the services of an excellent physician and an extensive medical facility to identify the substance used and attempt to nullify it and repair the damage it has done."
A smile had creeped onto the Imam's face again.
"You are indeed like Kaseem. First, by denying your own ability to read the mind of Allah, you so diplomatically accuse me of attempting to do exactly that. Then you proceed to give me evidence that suggests that you may be better at it than I am. If it were not for my many years of association with him, I might be quite ..... upset with you. Am I to presume that I also am to be recruited into your crew as the rest of my household has been?"
'Might be upset'; try 'definitely was'. But not so upset that he wasn't willing to accept the situation and cooperate. It was time to cut this short, get on with the escape and give the Imam time to adjust to what had happened so far.
"That can be discussed later. We are short on time and you are short on strength. There will be ample time to deal with that after we have seen to your health problems. If you will excuse me, I will see to the progress of the rest. As soon as we are ready to leave, Nagia and I will assist you in transferring to my skimmer. In fact, I will ask her to assist you as soon as her own packing is finished. We have very limited space and any clothing will be provided aboard ship but we should be able to fit in any personal irreplaceables you might wish to retain. I would ask that with anyone but myself and Jack you make no reference to Mr. Riddick."
"I quite understand the necessity to protect his safety, Captain. But you need not bother Nagia with my packing. The few things that are of value to me are in the casket on the writing desk. You are welcome to take it now."
The wooden chest he indicated was approximately two foot by eight inches by eight inches. When Jenna picked it up, she found that it wasn't any great weight. Then, as she turned to leave, he spoke again.
"Wait, please."
With effort he shifted and retrieved something from under his bedding.
"Will you please give this to Jack. I was afraid it would tempt her to some inadvisable action against Sulleman's men."
The object he held out to Jenna was a shiv and quite obviously the product of Riddick's art.
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Jeeter thought they were doing pretty good with the packing up. Jack had no baggage but the hard drives from her system, one ah which had all the stuff he had collected for Lady. Nagia was the same; just interested in her plants. Jack had changed into regular duds; jeans, a T-shirt, a wide heavy belt and heavy rough-country boots. He was trying to enjoy the view ah her tight little butt and nice rack, without letting Barrol catch him at it, when the trouble started. Mira came outa the house dragging a wheeled trunk twice as big as she was.
Barrol just stood there, watching her struggle with it and not making a move to do anything. Then, when he does the right thing and helps her get it to the skimmer, Barrol gives 'em both the hard eye and cuts her down with a growl, "You can't take that." and walks off. While all this was going on, Jack and Nagia went back to the house for more plants. So there he was, alone with a teary eyed girl-child, trying to figure out what to do about it. He had just turned his face to the sky to ask the Blessed Mother to give him some help when She gave it without being asked. Lady came outa the house carrying some kinda box.
He didn't even have to explain. She handed him the box she was carrying, the Imam's stuff she said, and got right to it. She flipped open the lid ah the trunk and began sorting through it. The first thing she brought out looked kinda like a guitar only shorter, with a fat rounded soundbox and four sets of double strings. She laid that to one side and dug into the trunk again. The next thing was one ah those fancy boxes, all padded like a sofa with pretty trim around it. She held that up to Mira.
"What's this, Mira?"
"A wedding robe. It was my mother's and my grand-mother's and my....
Lady cut off the family history but she was gentle about it.
"It's all right. That's irreplaceable."
She put the box with the musical instrument and dug for more. It was another fancy box. This time Mira spoke up without being asked. Jeeter thought that her voice was getting stronger and her eyes seemed to be clearing up.
"The mother's and baby's robes. For presenting the baby to the father and his family."
That went into the pile, too. After a lot more digging, Lady pulled out a really fine, carved wooden box. It was about the same length as the plain one she had brought outa the house but nearly twice as wide and twice as tall.
"My jewelry."
Jeeter got a real familiar itch in his palms but stomped on it. You didn't thieve from your own. But he was still gonna try to get the child to give him a look inside that box. He wasn't just a jack-leg. He had a good eye and knew his stuff. Sometimes just being able to hold and look at the beautiful things was worth more than the money he'd got for 'em. Maybe he'd trade her a look at his part ah the haul from G's. That thought was like a flash in his brain. Damn, he finally had beautiful things that he wasn't gonna have to sell to live; beautiful things that would be there every time he wanted to look at 'em or touch 'em. He got lost in this idea until Lady's voice brought him out of it.
"Second, .....Second!"
"Huh, .. Yeah?"
"First needs your help in getting the SOs out of the skimmer. We are going to re-arrange things a bit. We're going to load everything and everyone else and then put them in last, against the hatch. That way, if they give us trouble, we can pop it on the fly and dump them."
She had raised her voice on that last. Jeeter knew why when he turned to help Barrol. The SOs were conscious. One ah 'em, a pasty faced hunk, was looking even more pasty. The other, a tall, slim but broad shouldered and well muscled red-head with skin as dark as his, didn't seem bothered at all. He even had a smile on his face like he approved ah Lady's thinking. That was gonna be the one to watch.
They had just gotten the SOs out when Jack and Nagia returned with the last ah the plants and a small box ah Nagia's possessions. While he had been day dreaming, Lady had finished with sorting Mira's trunk and there were a few more items added to the keep pile. Mira seemed to be doing ok with it. Nagia's plants took up the rest ah the under-deck storage so, to save deck space, he and Barrol rigged a sling outa the cargo net and secured the rest ah the baggage against the roof ah the skimmer. It was time to load the sick one, the Imam. Jeeter was pretty curious for his first look at the man but things hit a snag when Lady told Barrol that she and Nagia were going to carry him out. Jeeter had to agree with Barrol when he told Lady that that didn't make any sense but he kept quite and let them rag it out.
"He's extremely weak and has had to deal with enough already. I really think that his reunion with you should be postponed until he is stronger."
"Does that mean that you agree with Jack about him, about the way he thinks about me?"
"No. But I .."
Jack angrily interrupted her.
"How can you ..."
Lady cut her off.
"I can because you read him completely wrong! He made you dress in native robes to protect you from Sulleman's men. He took this away from you," She handed Jack a wicked looking shiv. "because he was afraid that you would try to take them on single-handed. Last, he never had any intention of forcing you to marry. He planned to get the money from the Emir to send you off planet to finish your education but that blew up in his face when this trouble with Sulleman started."
She turned back to Barrol without waiting to see the shocked but embarrassed expression on Jack's pretty little face.
"He's a loyal friend to you but ... you and he are still going to have issues and I don't think that it is good for either of you to get into them now. All you have to do is stay out of sight until we have him loaded. Lying down, he will be unable to see into the front of the skimmer. If you refrain from talking, he will not be aware that you are with us. Once aboard the ship, he will be restricted to the infirmary until his condition has improved and then the two of you can argue all you want."
To Jeeter's relief, Barrol smiled. Placing his hands on Lady's shoulders, he shook her gently.
"No wonder I like you, sweet thing, you have such a devious mind. I'm sure that you could pull this swindle off but that's not the way it's happening. The girls are going to load themselves and you and Jeeter and I are going to get Imam. I'll carry him and you and Jeeter can bring enough pillows or something to keep him off of that hard deck. I give my word that I'll play nice and not put a kink in his blood pressure no matter what he says."
Lady gave Barrol a look ah exasperation but nodded her agreement and everything was fine again. Hell, what family didn't have its fusses. Jeeter could remember the fights a couple ah his uncles had gotten into. Get the two ah 'em in the same room for five minutes and the argument was on. But let one get into trouble. The other was first in line to help.
When they reached the Imam's room, Lady motioned him into the room with her but made Barrol stay back outa sight.
"Imam, it's time to take you to the skimmer but, first, I'd like to introduce you to my Second Officer, Jeeter."
The old man nodded and Jeeter nodded back. Shit the guy was in bad shape. Jeeter could see why Lady didn't want him getting upset.
"Now, my First Officer, Barrol. But you already know him very well."
Lady stepped aside and Barrol walked into the room. The old man just stared at him. Sheeze, he didn't recognize him. Then Barrol rumbled at him.
"Hello, holy man."
"Richard?"
"Yeah."
"But your eyes ..... the hair .... I could have passed you in the street and not have known you."
"That's the idea, holy man. Are you ready for this?"
That got a smile outa the old man. Must be catch phrase between 'em.
"Yes, I believe that now I am ready for this."
Barrol walked over, bent down and picked up the old man. It didn't take him much effort to do it. As he turned, his friend cradled in his arms like a child, Jeeter got a good look at his face. His jaws were clinched, his eyes narrowed and hard; he looked like he wanted to kill something. The old man's condition must be getting to him bad for it to take that much effort to keep it from showing in his face. As he walked outa the room, Lady grabbed Jeeter's arm and pulled him toward the bed.
"If we lay the comforter on the floor we can stack the top mattress and all the pillows on it. Then we can grab the corners to carry it."
This worked fine but Jeeter found himself almost running as he tried to keep up with Lady on the way outa the house and across the courtyard. It was like she was trying to get to the skimmer and have the Imam's pallet set up for him before he got there. Well, she didn't do the impossible, just damn near. But the Imam seemed to be doing ok. His head was laid over on Barrol's shoulder and his eyes closed but he seemed more peaceful like than anything else. It was like the Big Guy being there was real good for him. Yeah, that was the way it was with families.
They got the pallet made and Barrol set one foot inside the skimmer and stretched to his limit, making sure that Lady and Jeeter had a good solid hold on the Imam before he would let go. Then he still supported the old man's legs to make sure he got laid down easy as possible. Jeeter stayed in the skimmer and arranged the bodies as Barrol and Lady put the SOs in at the back; first Red-head and then Pasty. Nobody was being any too gentle this time.
As the skimmer lifted off, Jeeter could see the moon just rising above the horizon. He check the chrono. It was hard to believe, after everything that had happened, that it was still almost four hours until sunrise.
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Chapter 21 - The Imam
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While the parlor and what little of the rest of the residence Jenna had seen were quite luxurious, lavishly decorated with Moorish inscriptions, colorful patterned carpets and furnishings upholstered in rich fabrics, the Imam's room was rather austere. There was a simple, narrow couch/bed, a writing table and it's straight backed chair, many book cases, and a low table with two accompanying arm chairs. This last group was arranged near enough to the bed for comfortable conversation. What little wall there was, that was not covered in book cases, was undecorated.
When Jack introduced Jenna to the Imam, Jenna was amused by the demure and respectful manner in which she did it. Not one bit of the animosity she had so recently voiced was showing. Jenna would have given her high marks for her acting talent if it had not been for the fact that she was over doing it to the maximum.
"Imam, this is the Captain who has offered us her aid. I have explained your illness, the reason you can't meet with her more formally. Unless there is something you need immediately, may I be excused to attend to a service for the Captain?"
"I am fine child."
His voice was almost as deep and rich as Riddick's. But there was a purposeful calm refinement to it that eliminated any possibility of it creating the animal tension that Riddick's could. Of course, that was something that an Imam wouldn't wish to do, wasn't it. As Jack left, he struggled to maneuver himself into a sitting position. The effort left him pale and sweaty. Jenna could see that he had been a strong, robust man but his illness had ravaged him badly. However, when he spoke it was obvious that it had not weakened his mind.
"Jack is, of course, going with you. I understand why she feels that she must. She has never really been happy here."
"Yet, she treats you with respect and deference and seems to have adjusted well to the local customs."
"It is but an act and a very recent one. Nor is the local dress voluntary. I thought it safer for her since the arrival of Sulleman's men. Her true nature is much too exuberant, too independent. I had thought that with age, maturity, that would change. However, her negative reaction to the more ordered society of my world has had the opposite effect. Since her behavior has changed, I have spent many restless nights wondering if the sunrise would find her gone. She is quite inventive enough to discover a way off planet. I am relieved that Allah has provided her a safe source of transportation. But ....... she will ask you to take her to our ... mutual friend. I must be truthful that this worries me. I am certain that he would never intentionally harm her but his life is ...... is so unstable. You are a woman of her world. Please, give me your opinion of this."
The man seemed genuinely concerned for Jack. Also, though he had confirmed both Jack's and Riddick's claims that he had issues with Riddick's choices, he was certainly being very careful not to make any open reference to Riddick's identity and criminal history. Jenna tested him further.
"Are you aware that Jack believes that you intend to arrange a marriage for her here?"
The man was honestly shocked.
"No! Never. She would find such a situation intolerable. As soon as she had acquired all of the credits possible locally through correspondence classes, I had intended to solicit funds from the Emir to send her elsewhere to finish her education. Sadly, circumstance has destroyed the possibility of that. In reality, I have no right to question her choice to go to him. There is really no where else for her to go."
The look of self-disgust on his face was painful for Jenna to witness. It was obvious that he felt he had failed his responsibility to Jack and was quite angry with himself for doing that. Jenna decided it was time to relieve some of his anxiety.
"You underestimate her. Jack lacks only some practical experience to qualify for her Basic License in navigation. I am willing to provide that in order to fill an empty slot on my bridge. She has joined my crew as Nav Officer. Her ultimate goal is to become a pilot and I can provide that training as well. Yes, she does wish a reunion with Mr. Riddick but she has no reason to nor intention of being dependent upon him for her future. She is extremely capable for her age and I have no doubt that she will succeed at whatever she chooses to pursue. I would be very pleased if she chooses to remain with me on a permanent basis but I will not stand in her way if she decides that her destiny lies elsewhere."
The Imam's face relaxed and a gentle smile curved his lips. Jenna could actually see how distinguished and handsome a man he must have been.
"You are a gift from Allah, Captain. I have only the welfare of my ward to arrange before I can surrender to His will."
By God, she had to win this. She couldn't allow him to succumb to this illness without giving Syrus a chance to heal him. She had no doubt that, at full strength, he was very definite and inflexible in many of his moral opinions but then who wasn't definite and inflexible when it concerned their area of expertise. She had grown up with four men of just such temperament. Even shy and reticent David would stand up in anyone's face when it came to his field of engineering. Nor had she and Ben, though children, been very much different.
Her gut told her that this was a good man; that his focus was the needs of others rather than creating a power base here or status in the hereafter through conversions. She sensed no hypocrisy in him. She might decide that it was inadvisable to offer him a permanent place in the group, now the extended group, but she was certainly going to do everything she could to keep him from dying.
"No. I'm a gift from Riddick. He is your gift from Allah."
"Yes ..... it would seem so ........ but that is not an opinion that I had expected to hear from anyone but Jack. You also call him by his true name. By that, I take it that you have his trust as much as he has yours. I want no particulars, no information that might threaten his safety but I would know ...... is he well?"
Jenna knew that Riddick's physical health wasn't what was on the Imam's mind. She answered the question he had not found the words to ask.
"He has begun the next stage of his journey."
The Imam uttered a sigh of relief and the small smile returned.
"You are indeed an understanding and kindly person, Captain. Your presence here is a blessing."
Jenna resisted the urge to bask in that flattering image.
"You may retract that opinion when you have heard the rest of what I must tell you. The welfare of your ward has already been arranged, arranged by Mira herself. It seems that her association with Jack has made her unwilling to follow blindly the path that others have chosen for her. She too has asked to join my crew. I have accepted her as an unassigned trainee."
The smile was gone.
"But this is impossible! She is a child. She is naive, untutored; trained for nothing but the duties of a wife and mother. She will be completely helpless outside of the protected position of her class and culture. She hasn't the wisdom or knowledge to make such a decision!"
"She has enough knowledge and wisdom to know that she can be more than breeding stock, valued only for her ancestry. As she so succinctly stated it herself, she wishes to be that 'more'. If she is naive and untutored, it is because she has never been given the chance to be otherwise. I have the capability in my ship's main computer to offer her an education in any subjects she chooses to any level that she is able to attain. She seems to have an excellent command of Standard but the computer has full translation capabilities and can parallel any studies in New Meccan Local. She will also have the support and council of Nagia. Mira has freed her and she has accepted the position of Ship's Pharmacist due to her abilities with herbs. Mira's education will also include the many and varied cultures which the human race has invented and how best to survive in any of them. When she has decided where she wishes to be relocated, she will be given a new, perfectly documented, identity."
The Imam was frowning furiously.
"I cannot believe that it is best for her to be removed from her culture, her people. It is the same as if I had accomplished what Jack accuses me of planning for her."
It wasn't the same, of course. Mira had made her own choice. But that wasn't the proper track to use with the Imam.
"Imam, I know that her problems are caused by one man's, Sulleman's, political ambition and desire to garner power and prestige by association with the blood of the First Families that she carries. I also know that the same problems could have occurred in any number of cultures and societies. But you can't deny that the culture of Islam gives her no protection from him other than placing herself at the mercy of some other man equally as powerful. Both your and the Emir's illnesses have shown her that even this is not certain safety. She is young and she is frightened and she can't see any other way out but to escape off planet and find a hiding place away from Islam. I am older and a little more experienced but I can't see another way either. If you in the wisdom of your years can, please tell me what it is?"
His excited outburst had cost the Imam. He sagged back. Jenna cursed the lack of time that was forcing her to push these issues.
"Please, Sir, is there something I can get you? A medicine or perhaps tea or coffee?"
At his request, she returned to the parlor and fetched the coffee and tea service. She prepared him a cup of tea with a small amount of honey and handed it to him. As he took it from her, she was able to make a closer observation of his hands. The striations showing prominently across his fingernails and the abnormal coloration of the nail beds confirmed a suspicion that she had formed while listening to Jack's recital of the situation. That information would be useful later. She waited patiently for the Imam to reply to her question. When he did, his voice reflected the weakness of his body and, perhaps, the despair that the admission caused him. She could barely hear him.
"No. I cannot find another answer. Sulleman's power here is such that no hand but the Emir's could be guaranteed to stay him. Should he succeed in securing the position of Emir after Kaseem, no settlement of the faithful will be safe haven from him. As old and dear friends as we are, I am at a loss as to why Kaseem passed Mira's guardianship to me. I may have a small amount of prestige among others of my calling but that is a grain of sand against the political and military power of Sulleman."
Jenna had a flash of inspired understanding.
"Imam, you say that you and the Emir are old and trusted friends. How much of the events of the crash did you confide in him? Most particularly, did you confide in him anything concerning Mr. Riddick's perhaps unsavory but very valuable talents?"
"Yes. It was his patronage that provided for us. I felt he had the right to know. He accepted my assurance that there would be no disturbance created here, that Mr. Riddick was serious in his intentions to begin a new life. He had no problem with Mr. Riddick remaining in my household as long as that remained true. In fact, Kaseem took quite an interest in him. Even after he left New Mecca, Kaseem always inquired about his well being. Why do you ask this?"
"I was just wondering if, being so ill and knowing he wouldn't be able to control Sulleman much longer, Kaseem didn't come to the same conclusion concerning Mira's safety that we have. From what I understand of 'palace politics', it is a safe assumption that he didn't have many, if any, people around him that he could trust with that thought, much less with being willing to risk themselves to carry it out. Being involved in the disappearance of a national treasure such as Mira, would rate life in prison if not summary execution."
The Imam's expression was very skeptical but he wasn't interrupting her with vehement denials. This gave Jenna some hope that he was giving thought to what she was saying. She pushed on with it.
"You say you have no particular power as far as New Mecca or Islam is concerned but you certainly have something that I would think no one else Kaseem knows and trusts has. You have the perfect contact to get someone off planet and well hidden when all official and legal channels are closed. It is possible that the reason he transferred her guardianship to you was that, in putting you and Jack in the same danger from Sulleman that she was, he hoped to cause Mr. Riddick to rescue the two of you and, as a consequence, Mira as well. This would accomplish the deed while allowing him and any successor he would recommend to deny any knowledge of it. "
The Imam held his cup out to her.
"If you would be so kind."
Jenna prepared his cup and returned it; then poured and sugared coffee for herself. They sat in silence for many minutes. Unless an observer were sensitive to emotional tension, it would have seemed like nothing more than a companionable sharing of refreshment. Finally the Imam spoke.
"First, I must tell you that this manner of thinking, this devious and complicated plotting, is so foreign to me that I hardly know how to judge it. However, for that very reason, I must admit that you may be quite correct in it. It is very odd, very puzzling. You are young, female and foreign. Yet, in the short time we have conversed, I find that speaking with you is much like many of my conversations with Kaseem. There is a sameness of spirit and mind in the two of you that leads me to believe that you may indeed understand the workings of his mind better than I. It would seem that a Captain and an Emir have much more in common with each other than with an Imam. With reservations, the same that I would have with Kaseem, I will accept your judgement in this matter."
Step one accomplished. Now, on to the next. It wouldn't do for the Imam to be caught unaware of the other major change required for Mira's escape.
"Then, there is one more very important fact that you must know about this matter. You will find it very disturbing but I ask you to allow me to give you my reasons for it before you make judgement. I have requested, and Mira and Nagia have agreed, to set aside their veils."
For long seconds, the Imam seemed carved out of stone. Only a barely discernable movement of his chest assured Jenna that he hadn't died from the shock. She had begun to worry that he had fallen into some type of catatonic state when he finally shifted his eyes to her once again. She took this as a sign to continue.
"We have already agreed that Sulleman will not take this defeat well; that he will attempt to regain Mira, will search among the faithful everywhere for her. Therefore, it isn't logical that he would stop at that. When he doesn't find her there, it is probable that he will set a bounty, hire mercs to look for her elsewhere. Those mercs will be looking for a Muslim woman; actually two women and a man, if you choose to join them. If Mira is to be safe from them, she cannot continue to look like a Muslim woman. Just as Mr. Riddick must loose his identifying shine, she and Nagia must set aside their veils and you your robes and assume foreign dress and, to some degreed, manners. It has no significance as far as your or their belief in and adherence to Islam. It is strictly camouflage from the enemy. You are guaranteed the same complete freedom in the matter of faith as I guarantee all of my crew."
The Imam had turned into flesh and blood again. The mention of Riddick's shine in comparison to the veils had seemed to be the deciding factor in this. It had clarified the situation as nothing else could have.
"Again, I can see the necessity of your decision. But to include me in this escape? I sense that you do not agree with my belief that my illness and its inevitable end is Allah's will."
Well, now it was down to the line. She had just knocked the man's whole world catty-whampus, usurped his authority over his household and now she was going to question his understanding of his religion. Maybe she did need to be painted inside a pentagram.
"I'm am a warrior, Imam, not a holy man. I wouldn't venture to speculate on the mind of God. However, as I see it, your Allah has opened a door for you; a door that leads one of the most excellent physicians in the known universe. With his abilities thrown into the mix, the end result of your illness might not be as inevitable as you think. Personally, if such a door were opened for me, I wouldn't presume to ignore it. That aside, from what Jack has told me and a small observation of my own, I believe that your illness is due to the will of Sulleman, not Allah. Such deceit and treachery should not be surrendered to."
She had the Imam's total attention.
"Explain this."
"Mira was the Emir's ward. He became sick. As soon as you became her guardian, you became sick. When I handed you your cup, I saw striations on your fingernails and a coloration in the nail beds that suggests that your body is trying to dispose of an unacceptable substance in the least vital parts of it. I have a degree in medicine and, though this is not my field of concentration, in my professional opinion, you have been poisoned. I suspect that the same is true for the Emir. While I can do nothing for him, I can offer you the services of an excellent physician and an extensive medical facility to identify the substance used and attempt to nullify it and repair the damage it has done."
A smile had creeped onto the Imam's face again.
"You are indeed like Kaseem. First, by denying your own ability to read the mind of Allah, you so diplomatically accuse me of attempting to do exactly that. Then you proceed to give me evidence that suggests that you may be better at it than I am. If it were not for my many years of association with him, I might be quite ..... upset with you. Am I to presume that I also am to be recruited into your crew as the rest of my household has been?"
'Might be upset'; try 'definitely was'. But not so upset that he wasn't willing to accept the situation and cooperate. It was time to cut this short, get on with the escape and give the Imam time to adjust to what had happened so far.
"That can be discussed later. We are short on time and you are short on strength. There will be ample time to deal with that after we have seen to your health problems. If you will excuse me, I will see to the progress of the rest. As soon as we are ready to leave, Nagia and I will assist you in transferring to my skimmer. In fact, I will ask her to assist you as soon as her own packing is finished. We have very limited space and any clothing will be provided aboard ship but we should be able to fit in any personal irreplaceables you might wish to retain. I would ask that with anyone but myself and Jack you make no reference to Mr. Riddick."
"I quite understand the necessity to protect his safety, Captain. But you need not bother Nagia with my packing. The few things that are of value to me are in the casket on the writing desk. You are welcome to take it now."
The wooden chest he indicated was approximately two foot by eight inches by eight inches. When Jenna picked it up, she found that it wasn't any great weight. Then, as she turned to leave, he spoke again.
"Wait, please."
With effort he shifted and retrieved something from under his bedding.
"Will you please give this to Jack. I was afraid it would tempt her to some inadvisable action against Sulleman's men."
The object he held out to Jenna was a shiv and quite obviously the product of Riddick's art.
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Jeeter thought they were doing pretty good with the packing up. Jack had no baggage but the hard drives from her system, one ah which had all the stuff he had collected for Lady. Nagia was the same; just interested in her plants. Jack had changed into regular duds; jeans, a T-shirt, a wide heavy belt and heavy rough-country boots. He was trying to enjoy the view ah her tight little butt and nice rack, without letting Barrol catch him at it, when the trouble started. Mira came outa the house dragging a wheeled trunk twice as big as she was.
Barrol just stood there, watching her struggle with it and not making a move to do anything. Then, when he does the right thing and helps her get it to the skimmer, Barrol gives 'em both the hard eye and cuts her down with a growl, "You can't take that." and walks off. While all this was going on, Jack and Nagia went back to the house for more plants. So there he was, alone with a teary eyed girl-child, trying to figure out what to do about it. He had just turned his face to the sky to ask the Blessed Mother to give him some help when She gave it without being asked. Lady came outa the house carrying some kinda box.
He didn't even have to explain. She handed him the box she was carrying, the Imam's stuff she said, and got right to it. She flipped open the lid ah the trunk and began sorting through it. The first thing she brought out looked kinda like a guitar only shorter, with a fat rounded soundbox and four sets of double strings. She laid that to one side and dug into the trunk again. The next thing was one ah those fancy boxes, all padded like a sofa with pretty trim around it. She held that up to Mira.
"What's this, Mira?"
"A wedding robe. It was my mother's and my grand-mother's and my....
Lady cut off the family history but she was gentle about it.
"It's all right. That's irreplaceable."
She put the box with the musical instrument and dug for more. It was another fancy box. This time Mira spoke up without being asked. Jeeter thought that her voice was getting stronger and her eyes seemed to be clearing up.
"The mother's and baby's robes. For presenting the baby to the father and his family."
That went into the pile, too. After a lot more digging, Lady pulled out a really fine, carved wooden box. It was about the same length as the plain one she had brought outa the house but nearly twice as wide and twice as tall.
"My jewelry."
Jeeter got a real familiar itch in his palms but stomped on it. You didn't thieve from your own. But he was still gonna try to get the child to give him a look inside that box. He wasn't just a jack-leg. He had a good eye and knew his stuff. Sometimes just being able to hold and look at the beautiful things was worth more than the money he'd got for 'em. Maybe he'd trade her a look at his part ah the haul from G's. That thought was like a flash in his brain. Damn, he finally had beautiful things that he wasn't gonna have to sell to live; beautiful things that would be there every time he wanted to look at 'em or touch 'em. He got lost in this idea until Lady's voice brought him out of it.
"Second, .....Second!"
"Huh, .. Yeah?"
"First needs your help in getting the SOs out of the skimmer. We are going to re-arrange things a bit. We're going to load everything and everyone else and then put them in last, against the hatch. That way, if they give us trouble, we can pop it on the fly and dump them."
She had raised her voice on that last. Jeeter knew why when he turned to help Barrol. The SOs were conscious. One ah 'em, a pasty faced hunk, was looking even more pasty. The other, a tall, slim but broad shouldered and well muscled red-head with skin as dark as his, didn't seem bothered at all. He even had a smile on his face like he approved ah Lady's thinking. That was gonna be the one to watch.
They had just gotten the SOs out when Jack and Nagia returned with the last ah the plants and a small box ah Nagia's possessions. While he had been day dreaming, Lady had finished with sorting Mira's trunk and there were a few more items added to the keep pile. Mira seemed to be doing ok with it. Nagia's plants took up the rest ah the under-deck storage so, to save deck space, he and Barrol rigged a sling outa the cargo net and secured the rest ah the baggage against the roof ah the skimmer. It was time to load the sick one, the Imam. Jeeter was pretty curious for his first look at the man but things hit a snag when Lady told Barrol that she and Nagia were going to carry him out. Jeeter had to agree with Barrol when he told Lady that that didn't make any sense but he kept quite and let them rag it out.
"He's extremely weak and has had to deal with enough already. I really think that his reunion with you should be postponed until he is stronger."
"Does that mean that you agree with Jack about him, about the way he thinks about me?"
"No. But I .."
Jack angrily interrupted her.
"How can you ..."
Lady cut her off.
"I can because you read him completely wrong! He made you dress in native robes to protect you from Sulleman's men. He took this away from you," She handed Jack a wicked looking shiv. "because he was afraid that you would try to take them on single-handed. Last, he never had any intention of forcing you to marry. He planned to get the money from the Emir to send you off planet to finish your education but that blew up in his face when this trouble with Sulleman started."
She turned back to Barrol without waiting to see the shocked but embarrassed expression on Jack's pretty little face.
"He's a loyal friend to you but ... you and he are still going to have issues and I don't think that it is good for either of you to get into them now. All you have to do is stay out of sight until we have him loaded. Lying down, he will be unable to see into the front of the skimmer. If you refrain from talking, he will not be aware that you are with us. Once aboard the ship, he will be restricted to the infirmary until his condition has improved and then the two of you can argue all you want."
To Jeeter's relief, Barrol smiled. Placing his hands on Lady's shoulders, he shook her gently.
"No wonder I like you, sweet thing, you have such a devious mind. I'm sure that you could pull this swindle off but that's not the way it's happening. The girls are going to load themselves and you and Jeeter and I are going to get Imam. I'll carry him and you and Jeeter can bring enough pillows or something to keep him off of that hard deck. I give my word that I'll play nice and not put a kink in his blood pressure no matter what he says."
Lady gave Barrol a look ah exasperation but nodded her agreement and everything was fine again. Hell, what family didn't have its fusses. Jeeter could remember the fights a couple ah his uncles had gotten into. Get the two ah 'em in the same room for five minutes and the argument was on. But let one get into trouble. The other was first in line to help.
When they reached the Imam's room, Lady motioned him into the room with her but made Barrol stay back outa sight.
"Imam, it's time to take you to the skimmer but, first, I'd like to introduce you to my Second Officer, Jeeter."
The old man nodded and Jeeter nodded back. Shit the guy was in bad shape. Jeeter could see why Lady didn't want him getting upset.
"Now, my First Officer, Barrol. But you already know him very well."
Lady stepped aside and Barrol walked into the room. The old man just stared at him. Sheeze, he didn't recognize him. Then Barrol rumbled at him.
"Hello, holy man."
"Richard?"
"Yeah."
"But your eyes ..... the hair .... I could have passed you in the street and not have known you."
"That's the idea, holy man. Are you ready for this?"
That got a smile outa the old man. Must be catch phrase between 'em.
"Yes, I believe that now I am ready for this."
Barrol walked over, bent down and picked up the old man. It didn't take him much effort to do it. As he turned, his friend cradled in his arms like a child, Jeeter got a good look at his face. His jaws were clinched, his eyes narrowed and hard; he looked like he wanted to kill something. The old man's condition must be getting to him bad for it to take that much effort to keep it from showing in his face. As he walked outa the room, Lady grabbed Jeeter's arm and pulled him toward the bed.
"If we lay the comforter on the floor we can stack the top mattress and all the pillows on it. Then we can grab the corners to carry it."
This worked fine but Jeeter found himself almost running as he tried to keep up with Lady on the way outa the house and across the courtyard. It was like she was trying to get to the skimmer and have the Imam's pallet set up for him before he got there. Well, she didn't do the impossible, just damn near. But the Imam seemed to be doing ok. His head was laid over on Barrol's shoulder and his eyes closed but he seemed more peaceful like than anything else. It was like the Big Guy being there was real good for him. Yeah, that was the way it was with families.
They got the pallet made and Barrol set one foot inside the skimmer and stretched to his limit, making sure that Lady and Jeeter had a good solid hold on the Imam before he would let go. Then he still supported the old man's legs to make sure he got laid down easy as possible. Jeeter stayed in the skimmer and arranged the bodies as Barrol and Lady put the SOs in at the back; first Red-head and then Pasty. Nobody was being any too gentle this time.
As the skimmer lifted off, Jeeter could see the moon just rising above the horizon. He check the chrono. It was hard to believe, after everything that had happened, that it was still almost four hours until sunrise.
