Tess was perched nervously on a side table against the wall of Oro's dining room. The place was absolutely packed with every chair normally at the table filled and several extras brought in by the servants. High-ranking military officials from the entire sector and a few beyond had descended upon the Ohtamacil home over the past week and now that all were present, the meeting had begun.
It hadn't taken very long for Oro to summon all of them. He'd been providing cheap raw materials at-cost for much of the regional defense for years. The last war with Ragnar race in a neighboring sector over a decade ago had devastated much of the region and Oro had taken it upon himself to personally ensure that such a war never occurred again. He'd been selling the materials at rock-bottom prices under the condition that war would not be waged within the sector, and, surprisingly, they hadn't. This likely had more to do with various economic issues and the inherent interdependence of the region than any lack of ambition, but either way, the last decade had been quiet and the all outside threats had been swiftly put down.
Suffice it to say, much of the region's powers-that-be owed Oro a big favor, and he now called them all in at once. He'd frowned at Tess's choice to wear her armor during the day when they began arriving, but eventually acquiesced when her nerves would not be calmed as long as she agreed to keep her face exposed and leave her blasters in the guest room she was staying in. The Hunters primarily operated in a very fuzzy legal gray-zone, tolerated because they were successful and relatively cheap compared to maintaining a large permanent civilian police force, but still looked upon by the regional governments with high suspicion. They often had crossed paths with the military as well, and their methods were highly unorthodox. The military did not like Hunters and the Hunters did not like the military.
Both Tess and Oro received skeptical looks as each officer and soldier noticed her presence, and though she began at the dinner table, she'd quickly retreated to the back of the room to avoid the thinly veiled hostility aimed at her presence.
Once everyone was assembled, Oro sat at the head of the table and addressed the room.
"I was not very explicit when I called you all to my home, only that I needed aid and to remind you that if nothing else, you at least owed it to me to hear me out. I come here today to address the ongoing problem of the Hari Anuma."
The silence following the mention of the crime ring was deafening. Oro stared them all down, waiting for the message to hit home. The guests began to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
"They have plagued our sector of the galaxy for centuries, my brothers. They began as a small gang on the southern continent five hundred years ago, and now their venomous touch has reached across the planet and spread to neighboring worlds. Legitimate businesses like my own have suffered under their illegal interference and theft and they are a parasite upon our good society.
"I, like many others, have sat and done nothing for fear of my own safety, and now they have finally stolen something I cannot replace. Tess, the Hunter you have chased to the back of the room with your ill will, returned my lost grandson to me a few months ago. I had him here in my home for only a short time, but as soon as I laid eyes on him, I recognized him as a missing piece of my heart. The Hari Anuma have taken him from me. He has done them no wrong, said nothing to gain their ire. He merely was born with a rare gift, the Voice of the Winds. In their greed and lust for power, the Hari Anuma took him from me."
The room was silent as the military officials looked around at one another, until the chief strategist of the Eranae army cleared his throat and addressed Oro.
"I regret your misfortune, master Ohtamacil, and offer my deepest sympathies, but I fail to see how this changes anything. The Hari Anuma are deeply entrenched in our society, and they are a parasite, but we are no more equipped to destroy them now than we were before. They may be a parasite, but their presence is fairly invisible to the common citizen. Forgive me, master Ohtamacil, but I do not think it worth the resources and the lives of our soldiers to find one lost grandson."
Oro stood up and leaned toward the strategist.
"Oh, I think it is high time something was done about them! You do have the resources, you've had them for years, you simply lack the mettle!"
"It is not a matter of courage, master Ohtamacil. They are outside of our jurisdiction. They are the responsibility of the civilian police force."
"The civilian defense genuinely is unequipped to deal with them, especially since the fools in our government have cut their forces nearly in half over the past five years to rely on the Hunters instead! The problem is only going to get worse!"
Oro resumed his seat and turned to Tess, motioning her forward. She slid off the side table and walked forward to stand beside him.
"Tell them what you've seen, Tess."
Tess chewed her bottom lip slightly, taking in the hostile faces around the table, and spoke.
"I began my search for Erik… Master Ohtamacil's grandson, that is, about two months ago. At first I the only clue to Erik's abduction I could find was the name of Sota Enaga, a high-ranking member of the Hari Anuma, a name which some of you may have heard already. It did not lead me anywhere. I had nearly given up when I decided to back off and spend some time listening instead. A string of unusual suicides and disappearances among the powerful of Eranae society reported on the newscasts caught my attention and I followed them up by interviewing some of the coworkers of the deceased.
"It was clear to me by the second interview that they were the handiwork of the Hari Anuma. They have brainwashed Erik and turned his Voice into their own personal weapon to break down the fabric of your people's society. I do not know their full plans, but the recent economic depression is the direct result of their peculiar murders and the disruption of the Senate and government at large is also their doing. I'm sure you are all quite aware of the recent civil unrest? I personally believe that they are planning nothing less than a slow takeover of your entire planet, maybe the whole quadrant. They may be invisible to the common man right now, but I doubt that will last much longer."
One of the Eranae officers scoffed at Tess.
"How do we know you are not making this up, girl? Why should we trust the words of a deceitful Hunter, and an off-worlder at that!"
Tess almost said something quite rude, but Oro cut her off.
"Shalo, I can vouch for this woman's word as being good as my own! And I will thank you to leave your ridiculous prejudices at the door the next time you enter my home."
The chief strategist spoke again.
"I cannot say I am unaware of the current situation. Intelligence has been following the recent suicides over the last week or so, and we have heard some disturbing tales as well. News of the involvement of the Hari Anuma, however, is an unsettling revelation. You say this boy of yours, he has the Voice of the Winds? That's just an old myth!"
"It is no myth, I assure you. I have heard it with my own ears."
"If that is so, then your grandson is quite possibly the most dangerous man alive. You do realize that we may be required to kill him along with the Hari Anuma if this is true?"
Oro sprang forward like a cat and had his hand around the strategist's throat for a bare second before coming to his senses and releasing him.
"You will not harm Erik if I have to face the entire army to protect him! He is not dangerous but when others make him so! Return him to me and I will see that he does not cause anymore trouble. This recent trouble is not his fault, he is not in his right mind!"
The strategist rubbed his abused throat and looked doubtful. Tess broke in on Erik's behalf.
"The Hari Anuma have indeed done something to him. I met Erik before this all happened and when I saw him again at the Senate, he did not recognize me or even seem to truly notice my presence. He was in some sort of waking dream, that is the only way I can describe it…"
The strategist sighed and cast his eyes heavenward in frustration.
"Fine, Oro, we'll see if we can get your grandson back in one piece. But if he threatens the lives of any of our soldiers, I cannot make any guarantees. Can you give us a physical description at least?"
Oro hesitated only a brief moment.
"His appearance is highly unusual due to influence of his Tellurian mother—"
"A half-breed! Oro, you are calling out the military of the entire region for the sake of a half-breed? Have you gone dotty in your old age?"
Oro fairly well roared at the accusation.
"His ancestry is meaningless!" As I was saying, you will know him when you see him. He is quite tall, nearly my own height, but lacks any of the normal adult plating. You can't miss him. Get him back for me, men, and I will consider any and all debts to my family, both monetary and otherwise, repaid in full."
Oro stared them all down with a look that would cow all but the most foolhardy.
"I believe we have discussed the matter enough for the moment, let us take a recess and we will resume this after lunch."
The crowd broke up, wandering off around the estate. The strategist remained behind to speak to Oro privately.
"Oro, I've known you for a long time and I consider you a friend. I only hope you realize this could ruin your family's reputation, sending out the entire army to fetch your half-breed grandson. Is he worth that much to you, to risk what you have spent your life building?"
"The older I get, Yana, the less interest I have in material wealth. It is meaningless unless it is shared and family in particular is worth far more than gold. I do not care what Erik's mother is, he is my grandson."
"Am I correct to assume that his father was Ohte?"
Oro sighed and rubbed roughly at his neck.
"Yes, you are correct."
"You can't replace him, Oro."
"I'm not trying to, Yana. Well, perhaps in the beginning, I saw Erik as something of a possible replacement, but no longer--I love my grandson for his own sake, and I want Erik back."
The strategist placed a hand on Oro's shoulder and regarded him seriously.
"I will do whatever I can to see your family made whole again, Oro, but I have little influence over the attitudes of my peers."
"Whatever you can do is all I would ask, Yana. I do not expect you to move mountains, only to cross them when the time comes."
The entire party was soon moved to the headquarters of the Eranae military and Tess found herself dragged along for the ride. She was pushed into working with the chief strategist and despite their initial misgivings, both were pleasantly surprised to find a like mind. Yana's long experience allowed him to discern patterns that had escaped Tess and together they had narrowed the range of possible next targets considerably. It would not be long before they sprang the trap.