Beyond the Veil Read online

  And that was that, Maia realized. After learning about her mother’s homeworld as a child and growing up not knowing that people had survived there, she was leaving it after only a few brief hours. However...

  “Just one thing before we go,” she said. “I want to ask you something.”

  “What is it?” Cyraes asked.

  “How did you know my name? How did my father know my name?”

  Her uncle placed his right hand on her shoulder and clasped her right hand in his left. “When your father decided to come here, he knew he might never return to your mother. And although you had not been born, he knew he would have a daughter. It was your father who gave you your name.”

  Alia eyed the new arrivals with suspicion. “What do you mean, you don’t use names? If we’re going to be working together, what the hell am I supposed to call you?”

  “You don’t have to call us anything,” one of the women replied. “But Admiral Roth did tell you you’d be working with us.”

  At this point, Asten thought that as much as he enjoyed Alia’s style of diplomacy, it was time to intervene. Especially as both Selina and Carla were giving him what could only be described as ‘looks’.

  “Hold on, Alia,” he said, daring to put a hand on her shoulder and wedging himself in front of her. He looked at the group standing in the hatchway. They were an interesting assortment. Two women, with almond skin and large dark eyes, quite a lot like his new acquaintance Adaria from Zak’s fighter squadron. A tall dark man. A Vaschassi, a small rocklike figure, and finally, a Yloshi with darkening skin, suggesting that he was probably in his mid to late thirties.

  Asten gave them all his best friendly smile. “Um, you know, we understand in your line of work you probably don’t give out names that easily. But you see, none of us really know anything about the espionage business and it’s just strange not using names for us. I mean, obviously, if you want to keep your names to yourselves, we’ll do our best to respect that. But it’d sure be a lot easier for us if we could call you something.”

  One of the women acquiesced. “All right. I suppose, given the unusual circumstances, we can make an exception to our usual procedures. You can call me Ms. Tellashi.”

  Asten saw the obvious question forming on Alia’s lips and gave her a subtle glance. She rolled her eyes but she got the message.

  Ms. Tellashi then introduced the rest of her associates, starting with the other woman and the tall man standing behind her. “Ms. Analia. Mr. Ishara.” Next, she waved her hand to the Vaschassi and the Yloshi. “Mr. Koraashi. Mr. Savaja.”

  Pleased with himself, Asten glanced over his shoulder and gave Selina a grin. She in turn gave him another look but this one had a bit more humor in it than the last one.

  “Great,” Asten said, turning back to his guests. “Well, it’s nice to meet you all. Come on and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the group.”

  “Is this Sigma Squadron?” Ms. Tellashi asked.

  Asten faltered but recovered quickly. There was something unsettling about how thorough Admiral Roth had been in briefing this little group. Particularly since it was hard to see when he had had the time to even contact them.

  “Um, yeah. That’s them. Anyway, come on in.”

  “So what have we got?” Asten asked their new comrades in their little operation as they set up the main viewscreen in the mess.

  “Here,” Ms. Tellashi said, as what looked like a private castle appeared on the screen, dramatically poised on a rocky precipice above a valley of tall evergreens.

  Just then, Ms. Analia’s communicator emitted a quiet click. She unhooked it from her belt and, giving a little nod of apology, left the room.

  Ms. Tellashi watched her for a moment before turning back to the screen. “This, we believe, is Lady Valinski’s favorite retreat. And given its isolation and the need for Lord Ilian to remain in hiding, there’s more than a good chance we’ll find him there. Mr. Ishara?”

  The tall man beside her took over the display controls and brought up an image of a small world. “The castle we just saw is on a rather quiet planet called Kallianem, several light years from our present position. However, while it isn’t a major center of commerce, a bustling civilian center or a large military stronghold, it is very close to a planet that’s all three of these things.”

  He smiled. “I understand a couple of you have been down to Minstrah and you may have got the impression that the Minstrahn Empire is something of a ghost sector. Well, while worlds like Minstrah and Kallianem would certainly add to that impression, it’s not really the case. With most of their worlds, they try not to overdevelop them but even so, they still have some large population centers. And the Halion system, the neighboring system that I referred to, is one of these. In fact, it’s the most heavily populated system in the Daeispa quadrant. And this is where the main division of the Daeispa quadrant fleet is based, under the command of Lady Admiral Karaeli.”

  “And does the admiral think this woman is aligned with Lady Valinski and Lord Ilian?” Alia asked.

  “Someone in the Daeispa navy almost certainly is,” Mr. Ishara replied. “If they’re not, then either Lord Ilian’s schemes weren’t particularly well thought out or our guesses as to what his schemes are are completely off.”

  “Well, let’s just stay on that for a moment,” Alia said, “and see if we’re all on the same page. To me, it seems like Lord Ilian’s trying to gain enough leverage to control the Minstrahn Empire by shady deals with Lady Valinski... If he can gain control over the... what’s it called... Daeispa navy while retaining control over his own through Lord Admiral Calendres, then the majority of the Minstrahn fleet will be in his hands. Is that what the admiral believes too?”

  “Basically,” Mr. Ishara replied. “So if he doesn’t have anyone in the Daeispa quadrant fleet, then he’s going to have a pretty hard time of it.”

  “Then he’d have to be aligned with that lady admiral.”

  “Lady Admiral Karaeli,” Mr. Ishara supplied the name. “That would certainly go a long way, but it’s generally not that easy to get all the right people in these kinds of things.”

  “He got Lady Valinski,” Alia pointed out.

  Mr. Ishara smiled. “Yes. Well, we’ve got our own theories about that but, anyway, what I wanted to say was that while having Lady Admiral Karaeli in on his scheme would be very convenient for him, it’s quite unlikely our little dissident would be that lucky. We think, and the admiral agrees, that it’s more likely he’s working with one of her knight commanders, or her knight admiral. Alenski, I believe his name is. Also, if Lady Admiral Karaeli were behind him, he probably would have made his bid for power already.”

  “Still though,” Ms. Tellashi pointed out, “friend or foe, we should be careful of Lady Admiral Karaeli. Because if she discovered us on our way back with a supposedly kidnapped lord, things could get pretty ugly. For all of us.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” Asten said. “Still, point taken. We’ll have to get in and out of Madame Valinski’s holiday home without alerting the Daeispa quadrant fleet. So what’s the plan?”

  “The plan is we break a few rules and expedite things,” Ms. Analia announced, stepping back into the room. “Lady Valinski’s no longer on Minstrah.”

  11. Separate Missions

  Major Straasvërg smiled in anticipation. It was a high honor to be given command of the ground force that would be going to the planet below. He pressed the comm on the door and announced himself. “Major Straasvërg reporting for duty.”

  The door slid open.

  “Come in, Major,” General Kellahav said.

  Straasvërg saluted as he entered, while Kellahav merely smiled and waved him to a seat.

  “Sir,” Straasvërg said, taking the cue, while Kellahav sat across from him.

  “I take it that your men are ready?” Kellahav asked.

  “Sir.”

  “En route, we received further communications from Admiral Roth’s people,�
� Kellahav told him, “and they have pulled considerable data on this system from the Minstrahn information networks. The Minstrahn, it seems, have a substantial amount of information about this system as they sent a survey team here some time ago. The fact that they chose not to settle it however suggests it is not the most hospitable of places. In fact, the system was flagged and quarantined. Your thoughts, Major?”

  “Possible radiation from the nebula in this region of space?” Straasvërg suggested.

  “Not a bad guess,” Kellahav answered. “But no. Actually, the original Minstrahn survey team tested the atmosphere to check for just that and concluded that the upper layers deflected the worst of it. No, it was the local fauna that put the survey team off. Particularly some armored reptilian creatures they called Araenids. I advise you and your men to be very careful down there.”

  Straasvërg nodded. “I understand. However, between our blasters and the battleroids, we should be able to handle anything the planet throws our way.”

  This wasn’t, he realized, the response the general was looking for.

  “I advise you and your men,” Kellahav repeated, “to be very careful down there.”

  Straasvërg swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  The general slid a card across the table. “The survivors of the original survey team made quite a detailed report about the creatures. I suggest you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with it and make it available to your men.”

  “Now,” he said as Straasvërg put the card away, “you will also find what information I have been able to gather from our records on the Basilisks. However, those records finished after we chased them out of the Marno system three years ago so how they got all the way out here is anyone’s guess. What’s important though is that we get enough of these men back up here alive, since we have no idea who among them will have the most information for us. Of course, if any of them are too much trouble, I’ll understand. Thank you, Major. You have your orders.”

  It was terrible, Laila thought. The Empress of the Minstrahn Empire making a desperate apology over the communicator, every anxiety in her expression magnified on the main viewscreen on the Sentinel’s bridge. She didn’t deserve this. Here she was - a woman no older than her own children - facing a crisis that none of her forebears could have imagined. How could she possibly blame herself for what had happened?

  “I cannot tell you how sorry I am,” the Empress Tenenial said. “We have no idea how the Lady Valinski managed to leave Minstrah without us knowing.”

  “I would suggest, your Imperial Highness,” Admiral Roth replied, “that there are some among your staff who did know but for the moment, that is immaterial. What’s done is done. How it was done can keep for later.”

  “If there is anything I can do to aid you in your investigations...” the Empress started.

  “I would request your permission for complete freedom of movement throughout the Empire and that all local authorities be instructed to cooperate with my people if required.”

  The Empress frowned. “That may take some time but I will do what I can. Have we reached the point where the interests of the Minstrahn and the Federation are at odds?”

  Admiral Roth smiled warmly. “Not yet, your Imperial Highness. And if you wish to carry out your own investigations as to how Lady Valinski managed to leave the planet unannounced, then by all means go ahead. However, my envoy will presently be leaving the system. I shall contact you again within a week.”

  With that, the communication was ended and Roth gave instructions to Captain Merrick to get the task force under way.

  As the captain left to carry out those instructions, Laila approached. “A word if I may, Admiral?”

  “Certainly,” Roth replied, turning to greet her. “However, first allow me to apologize if I seemed curt to the Empress. I was being necessarily brief. As I must now be as well.”

  “I understand,” Laila said. “However, may I ask what you intend to do now?”

  “One of my teams will break into the Minstrahn’s long-range communication network and we shall see if we can track Lady Valinski’s movements through any transmissions she makes. In the meantime, my ships will head for the Kallianem system where Lady Valinski has a private retreat.”

  Laila sighed. “I understand you’re doing all this out of necessity but it seems quite confrontational to me.”

  Admiral Roth raised an eyebrow. “That seems a little strange, given your involvement in the Resistance movement.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “Not a classic denial,” Roth replied, passing the question over. “However, you are right. This may well get confrontational. And this is in fact the reason I told the Empress on our first meeting that there may come a time where our interests conflicted.”

  “I see. Well, the reason I ask is because I am not sure if I want to involve the crew of the Deliverance in this. In fact, I can’t believe I let Carla and Alia go off on that other errand of yours.”

  “They are mature women, even if they are a little young,” Roth reminded her. “And as such, they are responsible for making their own decisions, as you yourself said.”

  “Well, the maturity part’s a bit debatable in Alia’s case,” Laila muttered, feeling somewhat annoyed with her two wayward daughters but also a little guilty that she didn’t try harder to talk them out of going. “But you’re right. I’m just worried about them.”

  “Both perfectly natural and reasonable. However, if you wish to withdraw from the envoy, that’s entirely up to you. You certainly don’t need any authorization. And you and your crew have already been more valuable than you realize.”

  Laila gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Admiral.”

  “Thank you. Perhaps we will meet again under better circumstances.”

  With that, Admiral Roth turned away and headed over to one of the crew stations. Laila looked around the bridge one last time but no one paid any attention to her. With a sigh, she saw herself out.

  Captain Ah’ness’s gray feathers lay flat, an expression of despondency. Laila sympathized. She felt pretty despondent herself.

  “We came so close to solving this thing,” he murmured. “And now the guns are going to start blazing.”

  “I know,” Laila replied, slumping down in her chair on the bridge. “I should have said something. We pushed these people too hard and too fast and now I fear we’ve forced their hand.”

  “Desperate people do desperate things,” Ah’ness agreed. “Now, I suppose the only thing that remains to be seen is how desperate Lord Ilian’s next move will be.”

  “It’ll be an all or nothing bid for control over the Minstrahn Empire. It’d have to be.” Laila’s gaze drifted to the deck. “With Carla and Alia in the middle of it.”

  Captain Ah’ness placed a feathered hand on her shoulder.

  “It doesn’t make sense, Kaeil,” Laila murmured, calling him by his first name. A right she had earned while working alongside him in the Resistance. “Why would Admiral Roth want my daughters or anyone else on the Harpy? He’s got them liaising with one of his special operations teams to do this so obviously he doesn’t think they can pull it off by themselves. So why doesn’t he just leave it to his people?”

  “It is strange,” Ah’ness agreed.

  “And Alia’s a hotheaded young woman with a tendency to infect everyone around her with her recklessness. And Admiral Roth knows that.”

  Captain Ah’ness thought for a moment before replying. “Could it be,” he suggested, “that the admiral wanted your daughter and the crew of the Harpy along for just that reason?”

  Laila looked at him in half bewilderment and half horror. “Oh, great.”

  “So, what now?

  “I think we have to go back,” Laila told him. “Our role here’s finished.”

  “We could go and help your daughters,” Captain Ah’ness suggested, an uncharacteristic rebellious look in his eye.

  “We’re on a Laonist ship
,” Laila pointed out.

  “Which is under your command,” Ah’ness countered.

  Laila smiled and climbed to her feet. “You make a good point. Would you accompany me to my quarters, Captain? I believe a new plan of action is required.”

  Captain Ah’ness bowed, his feathers rippling in a Tolum expression of anticipation. “Certainly.”

  “Zak would have a field day if he knew what we were doing,” Adaria said as she and the rest of Sigma squadron entered the hangar.

  Accompanying them to their fighters, Alia laughed. “Multiply that field day by ten and you might get an idea how ticked off my mother would be. You guys have it easy.”

  Adaria nodded. “Yeah, I can imagine. Anyway, good luck.” She climbed into the cockpit of her fighter.

  “You too,” Alia replied, making her way to her own ship, the Goddess. This would be as good a test as any to see whether all her upgrades and modifications were as good as she thought.

  “It’ll be a bit tight,” she apologized to Carla, Asten and Selina.

  “No worries,” Asten said, glancing back at Selina. “Right, honey?”

  “No worries at all,” Selina said.

  They scrambled aboard, Alia and Carla climbing into the cockpit and Asten and Selina making themselves as comfortable as they could in the back of the ship. It wasn’t too bad. And they weren’t going very far.

  “Here we go,” Alia announced. “Hopefully, Ms. Tellashi knows what she’s doing.”

  As the Goddess pulled out of the Harpy’s hangar and followed Sigma squadron’s Harskan Corteks, Selina felt a lump in her throat at leaving her ship abandoned in the middle of space like that. Sensing her anxiety, Asten reached across and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. She’ll be safe there. No one’s going to steal her.”

  “They’d better not,” Selina replied, some of her old fire burning through.

  As they came out of lightspeed, everything looked exactly as it should. The world of Kallianem hung suspended in the dark, while in front of them, its orbital relay station filled a larger portion of their immediate view.