Lesson Two
Finally, she was ready to start the second lesson. After her rush to get back to the privacy of her rooms and the book, she had been dawdling ever since.
She took a long, hot shower, revelling in the warmth, where once she had known only the endless cold of her cell, chilling her to the bone day in day out. Now, to be able to have as much heat as she could want, still surprised her, still kept her in the shower long after she should have got out.
When she did finally drag herself out of the blissful heat, she dreamily dried her hair slowly with a thick, soft towel. Her hair had been growing steadily, if patchily ever since Star had cut it all off. Clumped together by the water it stood up in white peaks, revealing the scars where her hair would never grow again. She kept her eyes away from the mirror while she combed it. She still found it shocking to catch a glimpse of herself. Her own face was a stranger to her, drawn and pale, dark eyes too big for her thin face and haunted by the things she had seen. And she never looked at her own body in a mirror or otherwise. To do that would be to remember how she had received every scar that criss-crossed her body from collar bone to toe…
Once she was dry and dressed in comfortable clothes she sat down to eat. She made an effort to eat all of the food sent up from the kitchens, even though her stomach ached by the time she had finished the vegetable stew and slice of freshly baked bread. She made herself drink an entire glass of water then, the final step in her preparation for the time that would pass while she was in the book. She reminded herself yet again that it would trap her within its pages if it could and she must be wary if she wanted to get out with her life.
Then she pulled on her gloves and positioned herself comfortably at the table. Now there was nothing left to do but start.
With a breath, she opened the book, and turned the oddly warm pages to the second lesson.
For a few minutes she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. The page was completely black, a plain, meaningless darkness. She could feel a dark, malevolence emanating from the page, it sent a painful buzz scintillating up and down her spine, but she could register no features on the page.
She stared at it harder, trying to see whatever it was that she was supposed to be seeing, trying not to panic that perhaps she had failed some test before she had even begun. Her eyes skidded and skipped across the page and couldn't get a hold.
She focused harder, until her eyes watered from the effort. Just as she was about to give up in despair she began to perceive that the page wasn't a uniform blackness, but there were black shapes within the black. She looked again, it was like a black paint splatter emerging on a black page. But one where the hundreds of droplets had formed strange uneven shapes as they hit the surface. She looked at them individually, but they were unrecognisable forms on the page. None looked natural like a droplet, but all of them were spiky and inhuman, twisted without moving, malignant without life. Her eyes began to feel dry and gritty, but she fastened her gaze to the page looking harder at the blackness.
Still she could see only meaningless, malignant shapes. No matter how she looked at the droplets, together or individually, she could get no sense of their message.
It was as she blinked and re-focused for what felt like the hundredth time, that she caught a glimpse of something. A depth. She began to perceive that even the splatters were of different shades of blackness to each other. She looked again for some kind of pattern.
Still nothing. Frustrated, she tried to exert her force of will over the book like a blunt instrument, trying to demand it reveal its secret. She struggled and wrestled with the page as the shapes writhed and twisted within their outlines for what felt like many hours, until exhausted, she ceased the battle and slumped mentally, too tired to fight on.
It was then, as she gazed dully at the page that she finally grasped that the depth held the key. She perceived that the shapes weren't shades of black - there was a dimension to the picture, that cast those shapes at the back into deeper shadow, deeper into the absence of light.
But even realising that, trying to see even a small portion of the picture in perspective seemed impossible, there was so much detail.
But the realisation that the depth might hold the key to the page brought a measure of calm, she was making progress.
Despite the malevolence she felt rising from the page she began to see a beauty in the shapes, they drew her in and beckoned to her, she moved slowly from one tiny shape to another, as if in a dream where each form became more beautiful than the last. Sometimes it seemed to take eons of time for her eyes to travel from one droplet to the next as if she had to move through vast distances of space to change her focus from one to another, at other times her eyes seem to jump to a shape almost instantly. And each droplet held a dangerous beauty that she could gaze at for hours drinking it all; in, the shape, the toxic texture, the contours each one as unique and detailed as a snowflake.
She gradually became aware that she could keep doing this for ever, but there was something she was supposed to remember, something she had been telling herself before she came here. Something that it was important that she remember. But what could be more important that looking at these unique shapes, finding the next and the next and the next?
Be Wary. The message flashed into her brain and she tried to push it away, but it wouldn't go, it sat their spoiling her appreciation of the shape in front of her. Be Wary. Be Wary. And then: It's a Trap.
For a second she startled and her connection to the droplet faltered. A trap. Yes, that had a resonance deep inside her. The book didn't want her to leave. And yet she was aware she had been looking at these droplets for a long long time and was not near any kind of solution. It came to her that this wasn't a lesson that she could complete in one sitting. This needed to be studied for a long time. She needed to find a way to disengage herself from the book or it would consume her. So there had to be a way out of it, she just needed to find it. She tried to look away from the page, at the table or even the window but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't take her eyes away from the page.
She tried to speak, maybe she could instruct her droid to throw a cloth over the page and break her connection – but she couldn't remember how to connect to her mouth to make any words come out.
She cast about in her mind, now she had herself awareness at least partially back there had to be a way out of here. She needed to be calm, logical, not panic.
Although how you panic when you couldn't feel your body, or your heart thundering in your chest she wasn't sure – but she was sure she was panicking. She forced herself to focus and think…
The only part of herself that she was really using for this task was her eyes – she hadn't even been thinking for most of the task, just mindlessly following the trail from one inkblot to the next. But her eyes were always active, and so the solution might be with them. She needed to blink. The only way to stop looking at the page was to blink, she was increasingly sure of it.
So then… she fought to close her eyes, she desperately didn't want to stop looking at the all-consuming page in front of her. She wanted to keep looking at it for ever. Which might not be very long she reminded herself sternly. Just one blink, just look away for a split second. Surely she could manage that she told herself.
With a supreme effort of will, she blinked and in the moment her eyes closed she fought to keep them closed. The page called to her, she so desperately wanted to look back to the hideous beauty of the markings, just for a moment. The longing inside of her to look back at them made her feel sick to her stomach. But she doggedly refused to give in to the almost overwhelming desire. She tried instead to focus on the sounds around her, the sensation of being sat at her table, even the feelings of nausea connecting her to her physical body. She tried to sense what her fingers were doing, how she was sat on her chair. Every part of her seemed so far away, like she would have to travel to the ends of the galaxy to reach them.
But she fought on, she wouldn't open her eyes, she wouldn't, she wouldn't.
Just as she was starting to lose hope, she became faintly aware of being sat down, then of her arms and legs and against the chair. Then, slowly, the fit of the purple gloves on her fingers, bare feet on the thick carpet. When she was sure she had regained a sense of her entire body she allowed herself to open her eyes, forcing herself to look up rather than down at the page that was still wheedling and calling to her.
Suddenly her surroundings came flooding in with the painful intensity of bright light after a pitch-black room. White sun was shining in through her windows making her eyes water and her vision blur. Quick as a flash she slammed shut the book before it could catch her eye again.
Then she fell to the floor unconscious.
When she awoke she was in a bright, white place. She blinked and tried to focus but the light was invasive. She shut her eyes against it, but it seeped through her lids relentlessly and it was a relief when she felt herself slip mercifully back into unconsciousness.
The next time she opened her eyes, with a bit of effort she was able to focus enough to recognise that she was in a med bay. She could make out a drip running into her arm, a blurry droid working at a counter nearby and she gradually came to realise she was hearing the bips and beeps of medical monitors working. It was a depressingly familiar sound.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no sounds came out, her throat felt so dry. She longed for a drink but couldn't move or do anything to indicate she was awake. She focused on her fingers, but they seemed so far away, eons beyond her reach. She needed something closer, she focused on her voice, if she could make the slightest sound, maybe…
At that moment, the droid turned and approached, as it came closer its edges became less blurry and she recognised it as a diagnostic droid. It registered her open eyes and beeped excitedly.
At its beep, another droid entered the very edges of her vision on her opposite side. 'Administering booster. Xvee notify Commander Calar the patient has awoken'.
The little droid emit a long whistle and returned to the counter, presumably to send its message. Rune wished she could focus on the new droid, and then to her surprise she could move. She turned to see a med droid retreating with a hypo. She had felt nothing at all, but whatever he had given to her it had worked, she could move her arms and legs again and they felt more or less the right distance away.
'Drink' she was incredibly hoarse, but she managed to force the word out. The med-droid looked at her dispassionately but said in its clipped tones: 'of course'
It returned a few moments later with a beaker in its appendages and she grabbed for it, her thirst threatening to overwhelm her. To her further surprise, she missed the beaker entirely, and her hands came back to her empty. She frowned and focused and grabbed for the water again, again she seized nothing.
She took a breath, trying not to give in to her rising panic. Then she reached out slowly and tentatively for the beaker. She reached forward slowly but fruitlessly until the droid, growing impatient, placed the beaker into her groping fingers. It occurred to her to shut her eyes before she attempted to drink. This seemed to work much better, it seemed she couldn't trust her vision right now. She drank deeply and without pause until every last drop had gone. Then she thrust the beaker forward until she felt the droid take it. Only then did she allow herself to sink back into the pillows and open her eyes.
Calar was stood in front of her.
'What the frag, Rune? Twelve days? Never do that again!'
Rune shrank back into her pillows for a moment, Calar looked angry. No, she looked at him closer, she could see the shadows and planes of his face, the heat of his emotion swirling under his skin. He looked afraid.
'I thought you were going to die. You nearly did die - from dehydration'
'Then why didn't you come and rescue me?' she croaked with genuine curiosity. She had no idea why he felt so strongly about her, he had known her for such a short time.
'Emperors orders. No one is to disturb you when you read that fragging book.'
'Oh'
'You are not to read it again!'
'What? Pah! Now I know….how to escape it….I don't have to stay in so long.'
'Escape it? You mean it was trying to stop you from…' he faltered as he thought about what he was trying to say 'it was trying to stop you from leaving it?
She shrugged. 'No one said it was going to be easy.'
'You've been unconscious for 46 hours. The droids have you on a rehydration programme for another few hours and then i can take you to your rooms. So I'll be back later. You need a few weeks before you try again – no food or drink for 12 days – it nearly killed you.' He stopped himself from going off on another rant with visible difficulty.
She sighed and rested a conciliatory hand on his arm, or at least tried to, but missed him completely.
'Ok, i will build my strength back up before i go in – I'm not stupid enough to go back in in this state.' She smiled at him in a way that she hoped very much was reassuring.
He gave no indication he had noticed she had missed her aim, and stalked off scowling and definitely not looking reassured.
She was asleep almost before he reached the door.
The next thing she knew he was tapping her on the shoulder. She looked at him groggily, uncomprehending.
'C'mon, its time to go'.
Gradually memories seeped back into her mind, the book, always the book first, then being in the med-bay and Calar's visit and promise to take her back to her room. He helped her to sit up first, and when nothing untoward happened, she swung her legs around and placed her feet tentatively on the cold floor. She became aware she was in a rather oddly shaped medical gown, but Calar didn't appear to have brought her any clothes and obviously intended to help her through the palace in this get up. A small part of her wondered about her new Sith dignity, but she couldn't dredge up enough strong feeling about it to even insist on a pair of shoes.
Calar put his arm around her shoulders and supported her as she stood. He was horrified at the slightness of her frame, it was like helping up a skeleton in a sheet, but he said nothing. Once she was stable on her feet he let go of her and ushered her toward the exit.
The doors swished open obligingly as Rune walked tentatively towards them, testing her balance. Her arms and legs seemed to be fully operational, so she headed toward the doorway, ready to react if she fell over. She was wobbly but didn't fall, instead she crashed into the door frame.
'What the frag?' blurted Calar 'are you alright?'
'Yes, yes of course, just a bit er wobbly, nothing to worry about' Rune croaked, wondering how to get through a door that didn't seem to be where she thought it was. She felt Calar put his arm around her, lending his support, and she clutched his arm tightly, letting herself be guided along. She looked through the door and the corridor outside seemed to retreat and rush towards her all at the same time. She felt nauseous and flinched as Calar walked her back into the door frame. When she didn't connect with a hard surface but kept walking she almost fell over again in surprise. After that she kept her eyes firmly shut and let him guide her, not trusting herself. She had no idea what was happening to her, but she didn't want to spend another moment in the med bay, and admitting to any kind of problem wasn't going to help with that.
As he marched her back to her room he lectured her at length and explained quite firmly that he would be visiting every day to make sure she ate and drank and rested and didn't go anywhere near that book again.
She agreed mainly so he would go away and leave her in peace.
He helped her on to her bed and she closed her eyes until he went away. By then she was already asleep.
Suspicion
The team were sat around the conference table for their morning Debrief and Direction meeting. Mattesta was delivering the report on the Shadowdancer to Fry.
If you remember, Sir, we know they rendezvoused with the rebels, we know someone found the first bug and removed it. We know they left on a mission, probably a test of some sort, while the bug remained on the rebel carrier'.
Fry nodded impatiently, he was hardly likely to forget.
'Well the feed from our second, passive tracer shows they are out past Dorin heading toward Glee Anselm. If that's not their destination, and they keep going, there isn't much more in that direction before they are right on the edge of Unknown Space.
While the passive trace has worked in that they haven't detected it, we can't track them much further, they are right on the edge of our range now. We either need to follow them or we lose them – we will likely lose the signal in the next couple of hours. We might get one more location ping if we're lucky.
'Hmm' Fry looked thoughtful and brought up some star maps on the holo display. 'From the intel we have, it looks like they really are on a mission then, that's too far away for any kind of rebel base camp to mount an effective challenge to the might of the Empire'.
Deckard noticed Xinn's eyebrow quiver, no doubt trying not to raise an eyebrow at someone who could sound so officious and keep an entirely straight face. One of these days her irreverent sense of humour was going to get her in to trouble. Deckard for one, couldn't wait.
'We are about to jump to the Rodian system, do we leave that investigation to a local unit then?' asked Xinn a tad crossly. It was one of her leads they were supposed to be following up.
Fry looked between Mattesta and Xinn thoughtfully. 'I don't want to give away that we have two traces on the Shadow Dancer, one is easily explainable as common sense after we lost track of each other, but two is harder to justify. We can't risk the real rebels detecting a flurry of imperial activity following their new recruits, we don't know who is watching. Plus, its unlikely their first mission is going to be anything too high profile.
I think we carry on with the nice juicy lead we have in Rodia and wait for them to come back'.
Xinn grinned, showing her sharp white teeth. She had found some good indications that some high placed dignitaries in the system were funding some rebel groups, and it was going to make her – and Fry – look very good, when they publicly outed them. Plus it would be her first high-profile score in the cold war against Deckard and she sorely needed to get herself a point on the board.
'We can send a maintenance vessel with a couple of our agents on board to Dorin to extend our range, and if that doesn't pick them up again, at least it should give us some early warning of them coming back. If it does pick them up they can follow, at a discreet distance, observe and report back'
'We need to remember that either the Shadow Dancer crew or the rebels found that bug – there are going to be questions one way or another' stated Deckard calmly.
Fry shrugged again and leant back in his chair thoughtfully. I can easily explain to Six why I put a tracer on the ship, I don't want to lose them – if they get in trouble again i wanted to be able to go get them. If they or the rebels are suspicious of our motives, and i don't see why they would be, i think i can easily placate them. But if they suspect us of being imperial they would be more likely to try and feed us dodgy intel, see if we acted on it, than cut ties with us. I don't think we need to worry just yet'.
Deckard nodded and settled back in her chair, but Fry hadn't finished.
'But if I found out they did suspect we were Imperial – i would be seriously considering whether we had a mole….'
There was no mistaking the threat hanging in the air.
Into the City
Inez and Dan found the mining quarter of the city easily enough. Unlike the rest of the city which seemed designed for a natural beauty and elegance, the quarter seemed functional, with no surplus decoration anywhere, not even a flowerbed. They'd spent the day familiarising themselves with the area and talking to miners they met in bars, saw on the streets, even travelling the monorail. But they heard nothing of use from anyone. Most people didn't seem to know anything about the strange ship hovering in the sky, much less their interest in the Khyber Crystals.
That evening, they ate a plain but well cooked and filling dinner at a cheap hostel in the quarter, catering to visiting miners and railroaders, and mulled over their fruitless day. They tried quizzing the other guests, but found nothing of interest until one suggested they try the Miners Guild Headquarters if they wanted information. It did indeed seem a sensible next step, so they got their heads down on a couple of hard bunks and passed an uncomfortable night.
They arrived at the Guild a couple of minutes before it opened. Like the rest of the mining quarter, it was in a functional looking building, and not far from the expanse of rail tracks that transported the cities exports and imports. They found a little reception easily enough, and Inez asked to see someone in authority, saying she had come about a trade agreement.
The woman on the desk seemed amiable enough and spoke into a coms unit to summon someone to help them.
After a few minutes a rather harried looking individual arrived and politely ushered them into a little office space. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and his eyes looked tired and stressed, but he gave them his undivided attention nonetheless. The nameplate on his desk declared him to be Beven Daar. Chief Administration Officer, Mining Corp.
Inez was a little surprised to be in the presence of a chief officer of anything, but had already decided to be as direct as possible so got straight down to business. 'I would like to arrange a visit to the mines if that's possible please sir?'
The man smiled at her indulgently as if, with her small size, she was some sort of child. 'I'm afraid not. Outsiders are not allowed outside the city. We have very strict laws, trespassers would be shot without question'.
Inez was both alarmed and pleased to find that while 'outsiders' were made very welcome in the capital, they were not allowed to leave the city. She thought being shot was rather harsh, but it made her life easier – it meant the imp geologists must still be in the city, which meant they would be a lot easier to track down. Unless…..
She assumed a chatty tone. 'Ah, we heard that ruling had changed? We heard you let the Imperial delegation out to the mines to do a geological survey on your Khyber crystals with a view to trading with them?'
The mining official looked both uncomfortable and resigned. 'Is nothing secret around here? I don't know how word spreads so fast. Especially to outsiders..'
Inez had to work hard to maintain her neutral expression, she had only been making a wild guess. She hadn't really expected to find out any useful information. The people on this planet were far too trusting to make a stand against the imps – they needed help.
Bevel continued his musings. 'I don't think the law has changed, word just came from the First Minister's office to make this one exception'.
'Look, I know those Imperials, they drive a hard bargain – we are more about fair trade. We could do a much better deal with you' said Inez experimentally.
The official shrugged. 'The Mining Corp just mines – we don't do the wheeling and dealing - that's done in the First Minister's office. And we would never have agreed to take anyone to our mines if we hadn't been ordered to do so. No off-worlder has ever been outside this city in our entire space-faring history.'
Inez tried not to look incredulous. The Imps permit had clearly been a big shock to the man. 'I see…well couldn't you just quietly arrange for us to visit the mine with them and take a sample? Otherwise those Imperials will have an unfair advantage when we present our offer?'
'No, maam, i'm sorry - it's the First Ministers own guards that go with them every day. They would throw you off the train before you left the station, or if they found you once you'd left the city, they really would shoot you.'
Inez was willing to bet the imps would shoot them on sight as well. She remembered something else Bevel had said. Every day? 'Hmm, OK, everyone we've spoken to has been so very welcoming and amenable and we want to respect your laws and customs. Maybe you can just tell us what we need to know?' she said playing for time while she thought hard.
'And what would that be?'
'Well' said Inez slowly, wondering what she was going to ask. When it came to the crunch she didn't actually know that much about mining.
Dan jumped in smoothly. 'We just need to know the same stuff as the Imps -er – Imperials need to know - the Khyber density of course – and the – er –
'size' sighed Bevel, 'that's all they seem to care about'
'Well er yes' said Dan trying to cover his surprise 'And have they said how much they want to trade? I guess we couldn't trade as much as them, but then we heard your planet was really strict about how much of its natural resources they would let off the planet, and they would need an equivalent return. We're a much smaller outfit, but with those restrictions we thought we could be in the running.'
The official looked gloomy. 'We do have an embargo – natural resources leaving the planet are strictly controlled. And to be honest, the size of the crystals these Imperials seem to be looking for would never be allowed to leave the planet.'
She could see his puzzlement, in the tilt in his head and the frown creasing his forehead, clearly none of it made sense to him. 'They don't know it, but today they are travelling to our very best mines with the highest quality strata and largest crystals. We never normally sell that to our own people, much less allow it to leave the planet'.
Inez felt a shiver go up her spine. All Khyber crystals could be used in weapons, if there turned out to be a good quality grade the imps hadn't seen before, and in the size they wanted - they wouldn't let anything or anyone stand in the way of acquiring it.
How did she stop that data getting back to the imps?
'They're there now you say?'
The official shrugged again. 'Yeah today is the last day of their tour overseas. They're due back late tonight. There are extensive mines around here all with low grade small sized crystals, perfect for sculpting – they spent ages checking them out, but once they found out about this other mine they were determined to see it – it's on a different continent about as far away as you can get. The First Minister approved the trip, so off they went. They are travelling back today, but it will probably be super late, maybe even early hours of the morning before they get back.'
The official gathered himself and seemed to remember where he was.' Sorry I couldn't be more help. But try the First Ministers office for trade deals.'
'Thanks man' said Dan, 'We'll do that'. He escorted Inez away, both maintaining a thoughtful silence until they were out of the mining quarter and heading towards the industrial space port. When they were assured they weren't being followed they found a café and headed inside, out from under the glare of the imp ship that could be seen even in daylight, hovering in its low orbit like a vulture.
They ordered drinks and lunch and Dan carried their tray towards an empty table near the back.
'We have to stop word getting back about what they found' said Inez leading the way. She was looking forward to a cup of tea back on the Leviathan, but for now a beaker of chocolate would have to do.
'Easier said than done' said Dan lowering himself into a chair. He looked thin and tired. Inez reminded herself they had been on their feet all day yesterday traipsing around, no wonder he looked so shattered. He was still recovering from his injuries. He tried to hide them from her, because she was so small and everyone looked out for her and made sure she wasn't feeling too tired from trying to keep up with everyone else. She was used to them slowing down to her pace, but she thought Dan might have been struggling to keep up even with her and she knew she should have been more thoughtful.'
'I think it's time to tell Six what we know. See what he thinks, compare notes.'
Dan nodded his agreement and picked at his food. She ate her meal very slowly to give him a chance to rest. 'Then we can catch a monorail back to the docking bay'.
Tia took her little troop to the b&b the agents were meant to be staying at. They circled around looking for anyone watching the address, but didn't spot anyone.
She sent Torri in, while she Vail and Harb waited in a pleasant park area opposite. The Defel went over the roof tops and dropped down into the conveniently ajar window on the top floor, invisible to the world around him. Closed curtains obscured the view of the room, so he checked the window frame very slowly and carefully. He nearly missed it, but spotted a tiny wire – the window had been booby trapped, waiting for someone to open it. He didn't try to open it but tentatively reached his paw in through the gap and moved the curtain to one side – he could see immediately the room was wrecked, someone had ripped it apart, searching for something. There wasn't much in the way of belongings, or they had been taken away, but drawers were pulled out and their contents emptied on the floor. The sofa and mattress had been shredded with a knife, the stuffing strewn all over the floor. Torri spotted a wire over the door, no doubt primed to signal someone when the door was opened.
He left it intact and went back over the rooftops to report in. Tia mulled it over and wondered how to get the proprietor to go into their room and discover the mess. It was Harb who came up with the idea.
'Lets buy a cheap commlink, call the house asking to urgently speak to the agents, when they go to their room to get them…'
Tia hugged her son proudly, 'I think that might just work!'
Vail went off to purchase a disposable commlink while Tia, Harben and Torri kept watch from some public gardens opposite.
Before half an hour had passed, Vail returned with the commlink and Harb had managed to find a number for the B&B. Tia was unanimously volunteered to make the call, and she did so, urgently asking for the agents by their cover names.
A lady answered the phone, she sounded warm and friendly as did so many of the city natives. 'I don't know if they're in at the moment, I rarely see 'em they're very quiet.'
'Please check, i need to speak to them urgently' pleaded Tia.
The lady laughed. 'I'll try duckie, but i haven't seen them for perhaps a couple of weeks – not even when their rent was due - they sent their friend and he paid for another month – perhaps you know him – young man, grey uniform?'
'Ah that's probably Frank' said Tia smoothly. Vail, who was scrunched up next to her listening to the conversation frowned. Imps.
'Right' said the lady vaguely.
'So if you could go and get one of them for me please….'
'Hold on ducks' There was the sound of the lady climbing stairs and panting rather heavily. There was a pause and then the sound of a door opening and then – a scream.'
'Oh ducks! They've been burgled'
The commlink cut-off and Vail took if from Tia and crushed it under his foot. Together they circled round and joined Torri and Harb to watch unobtrusively from under a large tree in the park.
It didn't take long before the front door of the B&B burst open and a rather plump lady in a lurid dressing gown and fluffy slippers burst on to the street, looking up and down frantically. Within ten minutes the local police arrived and were swept inside by the lady. But she completely missed the man in grey who turned up after two minutes, surveyed the scene for a minute and then left in disgust when he saw the woman shrieking in the street.
'Imp, no doubt about it' confirmed Vail grimly.
They waited a few more minutes under the tree and then Torri slipped on his cloak and they went to catch a tram to take them to the heart of the city centre and then on to the First Ministers Palace and City Hall complex, very aware that the imp ship would now be monitoring everyone in the area, and taking great care to keep their heads down and say nothing.
On the tram, Tia was gloomy. They hadn't really found anything they didn't already know, just confirmed it was the imps that had taken the agents and not the locals. Somehow they needed to find out if the agents were still on the planet or if they had been transferred to the imp ship. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to do that, but they had to try. If the agents were still on the planet it seemed likely that someone in the Justice Hall would know. But she could hardly walk up to the front desk and ask without drawing unwanted attention to themselves.
They disembarked from the tram a couple of stops before the City Hall Complex and took some twists and turns before heading there, reassured that no one was following them.
The Complex rose magnificently up over the tops of the squat local shops and businesses. They had no trouble finding a route, all paths seemed to lead there. Like all the architecture in the city, the Complex looked relatively new and was designed for beauty as much as function. Vail got the impression that the city had been built for the sole purpose of looking good for visitors from other planets. He wondered if it really showed anything of the true culture of the planet.
The foremost building, just inside the staunch, obsidian plated walls of the complex, was the City Hall, surrounded by beautiful flower beds and tree-lined paths. Flanking each side and slightly set back were the Justice Hall and Municipal Hall. They took a short stroll in the direction of the Justice building, admiring the beautifully kept gardens and gasping in awe, as rising up behind a second, inner wall they espied the top of the gloriously majestic city palace, only its burnished gold towers and balustrades, covered in elaborate curlicues were in sight over the wall, as they glowed warmly in the afternoon sun.
They stopped under the shade of a thickly flowering tree to discuss their next steps. Vail suggested going in to the City Hall to enquire about licences to export Khyber crystal. It would give them a good opportunity to have a look around and get their bearings while Torri snuck around outside to see what he could see.
The group agreed with the plan and so with his cloak still on, Torri peeled off and started a scout around the perimeter – it was a long trek – the whole complex covered a lot of ground. A large plaque next to the grand front entrance to the City Hall told the story – as well as the Hall for mundane activities such as trade permits and environmental waste collection information it housed the First Ministers Government Offices. Also in the complex there was the Hall of Justice which held the court and cells, the Palace, the Tax and Customs Office along with the Municipal Hall that housed all the activities that went along with any large undertaking, such as personnel and finance and communications. Torri thought it looked extremely dull, but he resolved to walk around it nonetheless. Most of the areas were open to the public and the route around them was lined with pleasant tree lined paths and lots of well-tended garden areas. Only the Palace was completely walled off. The Hall of Justice and the Government buildings were guarded by natives in uniforms that looked more ceremonial than practical. Torri saw no sign of the imps in any of the public areas, and he couldn't see into the grounds of the Palace at all.
He breathed the blossom scented air and looked around. He still found it strange to be on the surface of a planet, even after his time on Homestead. It was pleasant to feel a warm breeze on his face, and smell the vegetation. It was a hot day so his keen nostrils could detect the scent of sweaty people, animals and fumes alongside the scent of the open air flowing in from the snow tipped mountain peaks he could make out in the far distance, beyond the Palace walls. He could have spent a long time just sat examining the stories carried along on the air currents. But he had work to do.
He wanted to look behind the Palace but the high inner wall cut straight across the complex, so eventually he walked back out the front entrance of the complex and strolled around the outside. To his surprise, rather than being in the city centre, the palace was on its edge and the whole city stopped abruptly at a massive stone defensive wall that prevented the sprawl of the city from spilling further across the plans and breaching the foothills of the snowy mountains. Torri could see now that the walls of the Justice Complex were essentially a huge semi-circle that looped out from the City Wall and thus that wall must also form the defensible back wall of the palace, making it impossible to walk all the way around the complex.
Thwarted, he turned to survey the buildings next to the Complex. They were all quite low, which effectively prevented people spying on the palace. He walked around the back of an inn, which was the highest of the neighbouring buildings, and scaled the wall quite easily to gain access to the roof. He shed his cloak and left it behind a chimney and then, invisible, snuck onto the palace side of the roof. From here he could see over the high city walls towards forested foothills leading to glorious snow tipped mountains in the distance - a breath-taking view.
He could also, more importantly, for the first time see the top level of the palace, although no lower. He didn't know how many floors there were but this was better than nothing. He decided to wait patiently here and see if anything developed. If nothing happened after a couple of hours he could wait for dusk or he could walk back around the front of the complex and round to the other side to see if it was similarly held back from expanding towards the mountain. He suspected it was.
Slowly slowly he picked out all the cameras mounted on the palace and its walls. There were a lot. Several pointed his way. He sat very very still and watched for activity.
He was soon able to pick out a balcony that ran around the edge of the palace roof. Some sort of palace guard patrolled it. He counted a sweep every 7 minutes and two different pairs of guards. They were in the complex livery so he concluded, not imps.
He waited his allotted two hours and saw nothing else of interest. Tia commed to say they were nearly at the front of the queue. He considered for a while and decided to stay. He could explore the other side tomorrow if necessary. For now his senses told him to be patient.
Dusk fell and still he didn't move. Scents of roasting food were wafting up to him from various nearby restaurants, their occupants spilling out onto tables on the street. He could feel his mouth water, but he didn't move.
Then in the darkening gloom within which he felt much more at home, two new figures emerged onto the balcony. One was in imperial grey. The other was not. Even at this distance Torri could tell that the figure was injured and struggling to keep up with the imp. The figures walked slowly up and down for ten minutes and then disappeared back inside again.
Torri retrieved his cloak and slipped quietly away.
He met Tia, Vail and Harb fifteen minutes later. They looked despondent. Torri asked politely how they had got on.
Tia shook her head. 'We got nothing – we queued for all those hours. When they finally took us in, it was five minutes from closing time – I am sure it was deliberate. We said we wanted to apply for an export licence. As soon as we said we wanted to export Khyber crystal, the officer gave us such an odd look. He just said, as of four days ago they couldn't grant Khyber licences anymore and he was sorry we had a wasted journey. Then he ushered us out as fast as he could. Strange.'
'Sounds like something to me' said Torri slowly.
'Yes – the imps have already taken control' interjected Vail harshly. 'We're too late'
'Don't say that' admonished Tia gently. 'What did you see Torri?'
Torri told them that the thought he had seen the First Minister and had the timings of the roof patrols.
Vail grinned, pleased, and Tia already knew him well enough to know the gleam in his eye meant he was planning something. 'Let's go back and tell Six what we know.'
By twenty hundred hours, everyone was back on the ship apart from Six. They sat around waiting, and speculating what he was up to. Apart from Vail who busied himself ordering take-out food for everyone, working out in the gym, showering and then eating heartily. He alone seemed upbeat.
By the time they had wolfed enough food for a platoon of clones, Six still wasn't back and wasn't answering their hails. They agreed to wait until twenty three hundred hours, and he strolled in at 2 minutes to the hour looking pleased with himself, an impressively tall, broad shouldered, native man trailing in his wake.
'Meet Bay everyone' Six announced, introducing the crew in turn. 'Come we need to share our information.' He ushered everyone into the antechamber, snatching up an unclaimed bantha rib as he passed – or atleast something that looked like bantha.
Inez and Dan went first, relating the story of the imp geologists. Then Torri told of the First Minister. The man called Bay looked gloomy. 'You were right, Six. That's got to be our First Minister – if he's injured and a prisoner-' his voice broke with emotion.
The crew of the Leviathan looked at Bay with compassion. They had never seen a planet where its ruling official was so well loved.
Finally Six briskly related to his team what he and Bay had discovered about the whereabouts of the rebel agents, and the attack on Ilum.
'Now we know for sure what is happening we must act' said Vail eagerly.
Six nodded and looked seriously at Bay. 'Vail's right. We need to act now, time's running out. We need to rescue our people and we can try and break your First Minister out as well. But we need to stop the imps from getting the geologists data – if they realise exactly what you got here, and they send that information back to their High Command, you will never have any peace here – they will send wave after wave of troops until your people are destroyed and the Khyber – all the Khyber – belongs to them.'
Bay looked despairingly at Six and then around at the little team. They didn't seem much against the might of an army.
'But how do we know they havent already relayed that data back, directly from the mines?' asked Star, ever practical.
'They can't – our data relays are not compatible with other planets technology and we use dampening shields so that from space the surface cannot be properly scanned or communications made – the only place open to comms with space is this city. Everything is carefully designed to keep alien races off of our planet except in this one very controlled place'.
Star raised an eyebrow. 'That's – er'. She pondered for a moment. 'Very sensible.'
Bay smiled sadly 'It has always served us well up to now, and from the sound of it, it could be the only thing standing between us and invasion'.
Star had to concede that the big man made a good point.
'We now have two objectives to deliver in the Justice Complex, and its imperative we intercept the geologists. Bay – did you find someone you can trust to join us?' At Bays nod he bade him commlink the final member of the party and get him to the ship. 'Tia, Vail, Torri and Bay - you need to take us through the layout of the Justice Complex, Inez and Vail and Bay – then take us through what you know about the rail station in the mining sector. The group huddled together to make a start on their plans, and within half an hour a second native joined them. Bay introduced his equally hulking friend as Dash. Dash seemed just as friendly and easy going as Bay - and just as concerned about the First Minister.
After two or three hours they had the outlines of a plan and Six held up his hand for a break. Inez had been keeping everyone going with pots of her strongest tea, and swathes of damper bread – but it was good to get up, stretch and go out into the cool night air to refresh the senses. Despite it being the early hours of the morning, no one felt ready to suggest sleep – they were anxious to get the plan nailed down – they had no option but to make their move later that day.
After everyone had freshened up, Six took up the reins again and after a couple more hours sat back pleased. 'Well done everyone, we have the plans in place – now all i need to do is assign the tasks'. Everyone sat forward – this was the important part.
'Me, Kehl, Dash, Torri and Bay will go after the rebel agents in the Justice Complex. We go in during the day, break them out after everything gets closed for the night, get them up to the roof ready for evac, and then Torri, Bay and I go on to get the First Minister while Kehl and Dash wait with the rebels. Inez and Vail – you will wait outside the complex but nearby with two get away transports. Once we get back to the group on the Justice Complex roof with the First Minister, we will signal for you both. This could draw some unwelcome attention so it has to be fast in and out. Inez, depending on the condition and skills of the rebels, you will either take them to the ship and drop them off with Tia or take them with you to meet us at the rail station. Vail you take the rest of us and the First Minister straight to the station'.
Vail and Inez both scowled, Inez not keen at the prospect of spending time alone with Vail while they hung around waiting to be called, and Vail furious at being left out of the rescue mission.
Six didn't miss the scowls and spoke hurriedly before Vail could protest. 'Vail, there is a chance that one or both groups wont make it out of the Complex. If we get behind schedule I need you to get to the station and intercept those imp geologists – do you understand? You are the best person for the job. Depending on the situation either take Inez, or leave her to get us out when we are ready, and call Star or Dan to support. Do you understand? That data cannot get back to the imps under any circumstance.' Vail nodded, mollified. Inez scowl remained.
'Dan, Star and Tia – you stay on the ship, keep on alert – if you need to make an emergency evac with the rebel agents do so, or we may even need you to come get us in the ship, or one of you may need to go and support Vail – I trust you to do whatever the situation requires'. Dan may not have been pleased at being sidelined, but he was a realist. The time tramping around the city had worn him out, and he knew he didn't have the strength yet to be sneaking about and maybe making a run for it if necessary. He nodded and kept his eyes down to hide his frustration. Tia and Star both looked relieved not to have to sneak around an imp infested palace in the middle of the night. But all of them would be ready for whatever the situation demanded.
'When we all meet at Mining Guild station, we intercept the imp geologists and their data as they arrive back and we get the First Minister on a train out of here. He should disappear into your wilderness. Just get him as far away from the imps as you can'.
'Let me be clear' finished Six when everyone knew their parts in the plan. 'The utmost priority is to stop the imps getting that data about the Khyber '
Bay and Dash both tried to interrupt but Six quelled them with a look 'It makes no difference if we rescue your minister or not if the imps find out what you got here. They will invade in force and you do not have the resources to stop them. Our second priority is to get the First Minister – if we get him, then it will make getting the imps data a lot easier – we wont have to fight any natives in the mining quarter. Our third priority is the rebel agents – '
This time is was Tia's turn to try and protest, but again Six held up his hand quellingly. 'If we rescue the First Minister, then he is going to owe us quite a few favours and one of them will be to release the agents.'
'Then maybe we should leave them for the time being?' suggested Vail, earning a glare from Tia.
Six shrugged. There is a lot that could go wrong – if we can get them with minimal risk we should do so – we do not want to leave them at the tender mercies of the imps if we can help it. Besides, two experienced agents might be of use – depends what state they are in. We will see. Now everyone, we need to get some sleep – we rendevouz here at 14:00 hours.'
Dash and Bay bid their farewells and headed for home. The crew got their heads down. It wouldn't be long.
The best way to get inside the Justice Hall at night seemed to be to stroll inside quite openly during the day and then hide. Six went in disguise – if any imps were watching the security footage they would see him coming a mile off.
They went inside in ones and twos in the mid-afternoon – although it meant a longer wait, if they went in too near closing time, the guards might be watching to make sure they left. Once inside, they made their way to the public restrooms and climbed up into the space above the ceiling tiles. Eventually they were all there, and they settled down with snacks, waiting for the building to empty. Six had supplied everyone with night vision goggles that would show up any security beams. However there didn't seem to be much security in the corridors of the building – nothing to steal after all and the building was secure within the Complex walls. It seemed that no one was expected to try and break out two prisoners, but then from what Six had observed of the city so far, crime didn't seem to be a big thing here.
They waited an hour after the doors had officially closed to the public, listening as cleaners worked below them.
Once there had been an uninterrupted silence for a good twenty minutes they lowered themselves down and headed to the cells area. The way was clearly signposted, which was typically helpful. The Hall was completely silent, no late workers - until they reached the secure cell area. Torri went on ahead discovered there were two guards on the front desk, playing cards and chatting. They were so engrossed they didn't even spot the door open with some invisible hand, and Torri had taken them out before they even realised what was happening. He arranged them unconscious on their chairs, for all the world like they were hunched over their computers looking at something fascinating. Six gave them both a shot of something that should keep them unconscious until morning so they couldn't raise the alarm, then grabbed their the keys and wandered through the empty cells until they found the only one with any occupants. A male and a female human were asleep on bunk beds. They lacked the swirls of freckles around the hairline that marked them out as native Kehanians.
Six quickly unlocked the cell door and woke the agents. They looked afraid when they saw Six, clearly thinking he was with the imps, but after a few moments he was able to reassure them this was a rescue attempt. Once that was established they perked up and moved quickly and quietly to get out of the cell. Six led them out into the corridors and then Bay took the lead, finding an exit emergency stair well and leading them up the stairs to the door that led on to the roof. It took Six a few minutes to disable the fire alarm before he was safely able to unlock the door and push it open for them to exit onto the flat roof. Six then took a few minutes to lock the door again and then rammed a piece of metal into the lock, effectively jamming it, before leading the way across the roof tops towards the Palace walls.
The little group were forced to creep around atrium roof windows, taking cover behind chimneys, aerials and satellite dishes where they could as they headed towards the edge of the building nearest the Palace Wall. Once they neared the edge of the roof, Kehl and Dash made themselves comfortable with the two rebel agents to wait, next to a warm chimney to disguise them from any heat seeking scans.
Once Six was happy the little group of four were suitably concealed, he checked his chronometer. They were on schedule and had 45 minutes to make it back with the First Minister so they could all leave together and be in time to intercept the imp geologists.
The Ministry was the closest building to the palace, but the dividing wall was still quite a leap away. This was the part of the plan with the highest risk - both from being seen and from one of them injuring themselves, if not falling to their deaths. He looked down at the shadows of the sweeping paths, flower-filled borders and trees that had looked so pleasant from ground level earlier that afternoon. They looked a long long way down.
He gritted his teeth and sized up the jump. For a fleeting second he wondered why he was even doing this. He had Tia's people and they could leave right now. But that wasn't what he did. This was the best chance he had ever had to defy the Empire and put a serious dent in their plans. How good would it feel to know they had achieved something that hurt the Empire, rather than just the light scratches that were the best they could usually inflict…
Torri had scouted the edge of the building for cameras and trip beams, while Six checked Kehls group over but they all seemed to be on the outer edge of the Justice building and he was easily able to keep Bay and Six from triggering any alarm. Now the three of them stood on the edge of the roof and looked across at the palace wall. It was about six feet away and about four feet down. The walkway along the top of the wall looked wide, but the high safety railing was a bit of a hazard, making the angle of descent tricky to gauge indeed. 'Oh for a jet pack' muttered Six to himself.
The team sat in the shadows and observed the complex, but the only patrol they saw was the one Torri had observed before on the Palace roof. With all the searchlights from the Palace sweeping the walls, they would be horribly exposed out on the palace wall, but they had 7 minutes between patrols to jump across and get to cover.
They waited patiently for the palace patrol disappear from view once again. Without making a noise, Six motioned to the Watchtower at the intersection of the inner wall with the outer wall of the complex, then indicated Torri should jump over first.
The Defel cleared the distance and the rail easily and then stood ready to catch Six and Bay if he needed to, but the men cleared the gap and the railing without incident and together the three of them sprinted along the wall, spines tingling with the knowledge that anyone who happened to glance up would see them illuminated against the swooping light beams from the palace. It only took a minute to reach the guard tower but to their dismay the door was firmly locked. Nothing stirred. Six crept to the door and set about unlocking it while Torri and Bay kept a lookout for a patrol or any sign they had been spotted. But nothing stirred.
'30 seconds Six' warned Bay consulting his chronometer after a few tense minutes without the comforting click on an unlocked door.
'I'm doing my best' grunted Six 'these are not regulation imp locks, I haven't seen them before.'
'Just hurry it up, they're due any time'
'Do you think I don't know that?'
There was the sound of more rattling, but still no click.
Bay spotted the glow of the guards torches starting to light up the side of the palace.
'Six' 'The light was growing stronger.
They were very exposed, it would only take one of the guards on patrol to look across at the wall to spot the abnormal shadow they were causing.
Just as the first guard came into view there was the click and the three of them got themselves inside and as quietly and as quickly as they could eased the door shut behind them. They listened tensely, but no alarm was raised, the silence remained unbroken.
Once they had their adrenalin levels back under control they headed down the stairs inside the wall. At the bottom of the flight, they found themselves at an intersection. A corridor branched around the outer wall in both directions, while the stairs continued downwards. They took the direction that led towards the palace rather than towards the front of the complex. The corridors were a little musty, a combination of little use and poor ventilation.
Six led the way, Torri taking the rear, alert for sounds of pursuit. Bay and Dash had told tales of secret escape routes out of the palace through the walls, but if the old stories were just that - stories - they were in trouble. It was with relief that after five minutes they came to a door way. This had to lead into the palace. It didn't look like it had been used in a long time. But was it alarmed?
Six approached it cautiously and then groaned. 'Frag, this is an old-fashioned tumbler system. And I think it might have rusted up.' He set about rummaging in his pockets, and eventually produced a tiny tin of oil, which he squirted into the lock. After a few more minutes of slightly frantic rummaging, he produced a little case which opened to reveal some good old-fashioned lock picks.
By this time, Bay was jigging about with impatience. Six spared a further second to send him a quelling glare before selecting the biggest picks he had and setting about trying to unlock the door.
Within ten minutes of Dash and Kehl settling themselves with the prisoners on the roof, Kehl spotted some worrying activity. Several patrols of guards were gathering on the streets outside the complex. They were staying away from the outer walls, and staying under the cover of the shops and bars on the opposite side of the street, only their heat signatures gave them away. He pointed them out to Dash, who shook his head slowly. 'We won't be getting out that way, those guards will be armed and Inez and Vail will never make it through to pick us up. '
Kehl thought hard. There was no way the green team had reached the First Minister yet so that meant the rebels had been under remote observation. They should have known it had all been too easy to rescue them. The imps had been waiting to see if anyone would come for their prisoners, and now they had set the local guard on the hunt. Drat. That didn't bode well. But it didn't necessarily mean they were expecting anyone to rescue the First Minister.
He tried to mentally review Six plans for the rescue of the First Minister, but he hadnt taken that much notice. He regreted that now! But he knew the rough outline of the plan and that was going to have to do. 'We have no choice then, we need to catch up to the others and warn them they can't get out this way.'
Dash looked worried but he whispered his agreement, they had no alternative.
Kehl briefly told the rebel agents that they couldn't escape this way any longer and were going to have to catch up with the other group. He didn't mention the First Minister. If this went horribly wrong, the less they knew the better. Neither Rebel looked happy, but they didn't argue.
Kehl straightened his shoulders and herded the little group across the roofto the edge of the roof. He could sense the danger all around, but to go forward was the only viable option. If they could make the right decisions they might yet get out of this. He was going to give it his best shot.
The palace wall was opposite, glistening in the beams of light. It looked a long distance to jump. He eyed the two agents in the dark. They looked thin and pale, and neither looked particularly athletic. A stay of two weeks in a prison cell wasn't the best way to prepare for a situation like this.
'Look, I will jump across first so I can help you. Then you two, Dash at the rear. OK?'
'Ok?' Blurted the female agent. It was that first words she had uttered. 'Are you kidding? I can't jump that?' She allowed her gaze to look down onto the paved path between the hall and palace wall. It looked a very long way down. Certainly a fatal fall.
'You have no choice' said Kehl firmly, gazing directly into her eyes and trying to imbue her with courage through the sheer force of his will.
She swallowed but seemed to recognise the truth of his words. 'I'm scared' she whispered. Kehl winked at her. 'Me too'
She smiled in spite of herself and nodded. She would try.
Kehl waited until the palace patrol disappered from view and then stepped back a few paces to give himself a run up. He really was terrified. But then he heard a noise that struck even more fear into his heart. It was a bang against the fire exit door. Enough time must have passed that the guards had figured out they weren't coming out, and now they were coming in to get them. At least one of the patrols must have decided to check out the roof. Time was running out. No more time to think. He shot forward with all his energy and launched himself into thin air. For a single second he felt like he was flying and then he was descending, hitting the edge of rail, he fell and rolled onto the walkway, winded but unharmed. He leapt to his feet and gestured for the rebel woman to jump. She seemed to have decided not to think about it, she was already backed up and ready, the sound of banging on the door growing louder. She too, exploded into action, and ran to the edge of the building like a bullet from a gun. She soared through the air, and like Kehl, her foot caught the railing and she tipped forward, but he caught her and was able to lower her safely to the walkway.
He could hear the banging increasing, Sixes jammed lock was buying them some extra time, but he feared it wouldn't hold the patrol back much longer
The male rebel took his cue, but he was too hesitant – he didn't run as fast as he could and even as he took off into the air, Kehl had a sense of foreboding. On instinct he leant through the railings, and stretched further out as to his horror he saw the mans descent start much too early. He wasn't going to make it. The females gasp of horror told him she had calculated the same failure. He concentrated on reaching for the man and grabbed him as he slammed into the side of the wall. He felt the mans breath expelled forcibly from his lungs as his lower torso and legs struck the wall, and he thought he heard the sound of bone cracking, but he ignored that and flung his arms around the man, managing to grab him below his arm pits. He fastened his arms tightly around the rebels torso and braced himself as he took his full weight. For a second the pair of them froze as they tried to assess the situation. Kehl heard the high wheeze of breath as the rebel inhaled painfully. Broken rib? Kehl gritted his teeth, this was not going to help the mans injuries but he had to pull him up. He felt the woman grab hold of her companion as well and together they heaved him up, and over the edge of the building, complicated as it was by trying to manoeuvre around the railing. The man cried out with pain as he was dragged roughly over the edge of the building, but had the good sense to try and curb the involuntary sound. Together he and the woman pulled her companion to the relative safety of the walkway. Kehl could see blood at the corner of the rebels mouth, internal bleeding for sure.
He glanced up to see what Dash was doing and to his horror saw the door of the fire exit burst open behind the native. He made frantic down motions and threw himself to the ground, the rebel woman following his lead.
Dash either heard the bang or saw Kehls frantic gestures, for he too threw himself to the floor and then rolled behind the meagre cover of a vent tube. His eyes were fastened to Kehls in terror, but the gap between them seemed vast.
They all heard one of the guard shout 'split up and section the roof' and the huddled shape fractured into four distinctive figures, each taking a different direction across the flat roof. Two headed away to the far end, the other two seemed to take the centre section, one to the left, one to the right.
Dash shrank himself as small as he could. Kehl suddenly realised the precariousness of his own situation. One of the guards had only to glance across to the wall to spot them, and then the jig would be well and truly up…
Classified: RMG – Internal