Mechwarrior Dark Age - Hunters Of The Deep Part 2

aThat is what I am asking.a The frustration was plain on Jesupas face. aI did not question when we simply pa.s.sed through Augustinea"seven days when we might have made planetfall and begun bringing enlightenment to these darkened worlds. And no, the failed test of the Jumps.h.i.+p did not count as any sort of activity for either of us and you know it. Then another eight in Miaplacidus, once more, inactive.a He has been storing this up, waiting to expel it when the opportunity presented itself. Petr withheld his response, to see where this might lead.

aNow half a week has pa.s.sed, and though the Trial of Grievance against scientist Kif was a diversion, once more we sit, wasting time.a He began to pace and the flow of humanity smoothly bowed around his tight path of agitated walkinga"a stone the water gave no heed to beyond making room for its presence.

aovKhan Petr, I do not mean to second-guess your decision, but why else did saKhan Sennet send us here? Are we not tasked with contacting these worlds? They have been in the dark for almost two years. They will be desperate, hungry for outside contact. Their economies will have suffered and we will be their salvation: merchant G.o.ds to rain gold upon their heads and bring them news from afar. The potential is enormous. Anda"yeta"wea"sit!a Stopping, facing Petr, Jesup held his head up and met his ovKhanas gaze unflinchingly, knowing Petr might challenge him on the spot for such insolence. The man was no coward. If a fight were to come, so be it.

Petr could not help but admire his aide; he knew how upset he must be to have gone through so many words without a single sarcastic comment. He took pity on him. aThink, Jesup. I know my directive. I know the other Aimags are already gathering, like s.h.i.+vers of sharks hunting for the choicest feeding grounds. Why would I pa.s.s three worlds, any of which could be the beginning of more glory?a A long moment pa.s.sed as Jesup struggled within for the answer he knew to be there; he had been Petras aide far to long to believe a reason did not exist. The slow light of understanding began to blossom. aYou have information.a aOf course I have information. Of what?a aThat a world ahead of us is the key to this region. You bypa.s.s these worlds because they will only become important later. Once the real prize has been taken.a Petr applauded silently, as though rewarding a first-year cadet whoad answered correctly. aNow you begin to understand. And as much as I believe only I hold this information, I cannot discount the possibility others may have obtained it and are already on their way. I curse this s.h.i.+p for not having a lithium-fusion battery to double our speed. We make good time, nonetheless.a He turned and began walking againa"the deliberate, careful steps natural to those accustomed to microgravity and magnetic slipsa"with Jesup close behind. aThe feeding ground is near Jesup. Very near.a The river of castemen closed and swallowed them into their current without a ripple.

5.

Clan Sea Fox Drops.h.i.+p Ocean of Stars Atmosphere, Adhafera Prefecture VIII, The Republic 15 July 3134

The demilitarized Clan-built Overlord-Ca"cla.s.s Drops.h.i.+p shook lightly as it made interface with the upper atmosphere of Adhafera. From this alt.i.tude, the blue-green ocean spread below like a living mata"a sponge deceptively beckoning for an incoming Drops.h.i.+p to land on its benevolent surface. Of course, the s.h.i.+pas captain ignored the siren song that would end in death as surely as being ensnared by a randallas rose. Began the long lateral trek across the ocean, toward the continent of Vanderfox, the waiting city of Halifax and the worldas only DropPort.

The s.h.i.+p raced the sun as it dropped lower and began to make final preparations for landing. Those up this early on Vanderfox witnessed a false dawn as the drive plume of the Ocean of Stars pumped out plasma in a miniature star that kept the 11,550-ton vessel aloft and descending at a manageable velocity.

Star Captain Jotok sat in his command chair as though astride a throne, viewing his miniature kingdom and its industrious citizens: the labor and technician castemen who crewed the vessel and kept it in top operating shape.

OvKhan Petr sat strapped into a jumpseat in a forgotten niche of the bridge as it hummed with the activity necessary for a landing vessel. Incoming transmissions were already verified, the appropriate landing codes transmitted and authorization received. Acknowledged.

Petr was Star Captain Jotokas superior, but even in the rigid hierarchy of the Clans a man did not lightly intrude upon the domain of anotheras vessel. He waited. The captain would deign to tell him soon enough.

Time bled away like the velocity the s.h.i.+p sloughed off, and finally the captain nodded once, firmly. He turned to Petr and gave him his attention for the first time in almost an hour.

aWe will be grounded in fifteen minutes, ovKhan.a aI see that,a Petr responded. No impatience shaded his tonea"a victory.

The man leaned away slightly, a speculative look in his eyesa"perhaps not such a victory after all.

Petr continued. aThe local governor will be meeting us at the DropPort, quiaff?a aAff. It would appear that way. I note that they referred to the man as first governor.a Petr shrugged. aWe have seen more drastic changes since the collapse of the HPG network. If that is the only change, we will be lucky, quiaff?a aAff, my ovKhan.a The manas eyes returned to the activities of his crew and for just a moment Petr lost the battle with his patience, though he managed not to speak aloud. I granted you your due before, but now your attention needs to be focused on one thing, and one thing alone.

Jotok looked again at Petr and cleared his throat at his ovKhanas expression. aThey also wanted to know why, if the ovKhan of Delta Aimag of Spina Khanate actually orbited their world, he did not accompany the Drops.h.i.+p downside.a Petr smiled. Already it had begun. aThey did not ask straight out, quineg?a Jotok laughed, a good-natured sound that filled the bridge. aNeg, ovKhan. None have ever been so bold, in my experience. The day they are, is the day I have found a spheroid worthy of my respect. For now, I answered their question as indirectly as they asked it.a Petr nodded. aWe have a world as open as a Jade Falcon heart is cruel. It is time to get to work.a Petr unstrapped himself, nodded once to acknowledge the man, moved off of the bridge and began to make his way toward the only remaining aMech bay on the vessel.

Yes, time indeed to get to work.

The crowd of n.o.bles stood several hundred meters back from the blast pit as the Drops.h.i.+p made its final thunderous entrance into their lives. The hiss and crack of cooling metal filled the air with its gentle rhythm after the brutal onslaught of the mammoth plasma drives.

Like peac.o.c.ks come to market, the n.o.bles were decked out in their finest. Silks, heavy clothes brocaded and festooned, capes and feathers and jewel-encrusted hats: a jarring eyesore. They moved among one another, nervous of the new element arrived on Adhafera, yet to take its measure. For more than a year now, not a single vessel had made planetfall; for all they knew, the rest of The Republic had ceased to exist, sucked into an astronomical maelstrom. Many of these n.o.bles, including the first governor who quietly seized power, would just as soon it remained that way.

The abrupt shaking of feathers and tinkling of dangling jewels marked the flocksa increased agitation as the screech of metal and ma.s.sive whine of hydraulics broke across them like an incoming wave.

A wave that would drown thema"they just didnat know it yet.

The group grew even more agitated as the main Drops.h.i.+p ramp descended to clang onto the ferrocrete, looking for all the world like the opening of a mouth into the black maw of some metal beast whoad come down from the stars to tear away at the power base theyad built.

Not a warrior among them, they did not immediately recognize the slow, rhythmic pounding and the whine of servo actuators that echoed out of the ghastly hole. Only once it emerged into the full light did a woman scream and most of the n.o.bles take several steps back, panic written large on their pallid visages.

The Tiburona"a Sea Foxa"designed BattleMecha"stood at the top of the ramp and raised its arms, as though stretching after a long slumber, luxuriating in the warmth of the new dawn sun. The move further terrified the n.o.bles, and only the first governoras steely grip on the situation kept the flock of birds from taking flight.

Of course, the Tiburon only weighed thirty-five tons and its mere nine-meter height marked it as a light BattleMecha"a good design, but it could not stand up to a heavy or a.s.sault BattleMech. To the s.h.i.+vering flock of n.o.bles, however, it might as well have been a metal G.o.d, they had so little experience with BattleMechs. Even the legate of this world (who had aaccidentallya been left off of the list of those notified of the incoming vessel) did not ride a aMech, but instead commanded the local militia from the open hatch of a vehicle.

The aMechs began to move down the ramp, its thundering steps echoing across the landing field. Once more, the steel grip of the first governor stayed the flock, though his control became more tenuous as the monstrous machine towered closer and closer: the thudding of the reaper come to claim his due. Unnoticed, a small hoverjeep moved along in the aMechas shadow, a puppy at the foot of its master.

Twenty meters from the crowd of terrified n.o.bles, the Tiburon stopped. A long moment stretched, and a true silence smothered the DropPort, too early for any other activity. Almost four minutes pa.s.sed before the n.o.bles realized a single man had already crossed half of those twenty meters. A few elbows unglued eyes and brought them down from the magnificent pinnacle of seven centuries of warfare developmenta to a simple man.

He was of average height, his physique obvious in the deep blue single-suit he wore; his thin, almost emaciated body spoke of years in zero gravity, but the whipcord strength belied such apparent weakness. He had a ready smile (if theyad not been so dazzled by the spectacle of the aMech, they likely wouldave noticed the arrogant cast to the grin), and long hair pulled back into a ponytail. As the man strode up to the first governor, several of the attendant women admired the deep jade eyes; their glances lingered and knowing looks ignited.

The men, of course, saw only a mana"a pale shadow of the giant at his back. The verdict? Instantly and thoroughly dismissed.

It wasnat really their fault. After all, they simply were outcla.s.sed.

Petr sized up the gaudy group of n.o.bles and dismissed them. Head already won. He just had to show them.

He came to a stop only a meter from the man who obviously held power on this world, and bowed deeply. The first governor appeared to be in his late fifties, with a distinguished goatee and short hair beginning to gray at the temples. His dark brown eyes and sharp nose spoke of intelligence, but the effect was spoiled by the sycophants even now surrounding him with useless service and petty needs. The blue satin jerkin the man wore, coupled with the white trousers and the flowing carmine robe, made the governor appear to be the jester of the court, not the king.

aFirst Governor Jeffries, I greet you and bid you thanks from Spina Khanate of Clan Sea Fox. We thank you for the hospitality of your world. More, we thank you for your august presence at our first meeting.a Enough flattering filled Petras voice for ten men.

The man stared at Petr, determined to dismiss the messenger as quickly as possible and speak with the real power just grounded; his gaze kept sliding impatiently toward the aMech. He finally inclined his head.

aOn behalf of the people of Adhafera, I greet you and bid you welcome to my world. It has been long since any have made planetfall here and never in my memory has the vaunted Clan Sea Fox set foot on our sh.o.r.es. I hope your stay will be beneficial to us all.a Petr almost laughed out loud. The governoras voice might have been filled with utmost respect, but Petr could tell it was pitched to reach the aMech, not his ears.

Just then a clang rang out as the c.o.c.kpit hatch of the Tiburon spun open on the back of the head. The collective breaths of the n.o.bles were indrawna"several in outrage, most in admirationa"as the MechWarrior climbed out onto the back of the aMech and made her way around the shoulder to a steel ladder that had just dropped to the ground.

MechWarrior Jesicaa"in the standard MechWarrior outfit of short boots, skin-tight briefs, a small, thin T-s.h.i.+rt and a cooling vesta"began to make her way down the ladder; she displayed more bare skin than most of these men and women likely ever had seen in public. Her hair ruffled in the slight wind that picked up in the brightening morning, and Petr felt a smile pull at his face as several of the waiting men subconsciously swayed to the movement of her narrow hips.

aFirst Governor,a Petr began. The collective group of n.o.bles almost jumped at the interruption; they pulled their eyes away from the approaching female and gave them contemptuously back to Petr. He gloried in their dismissal. aAs you no doubt know, Clan Sea Fox prides itself on helping worlds to achieve their potential. With the loss of so much due to the collapsed HPG network, we have redoubled our efforts to find those worlds that need our aid. To find those worlds that can benefit from our expertise, that can prosper with our guidance. There are many markets and much to be gained in this new darkness. Though it saddens us to see what the darkness has wrought, there will also be a silver lining. We wish to help you find that lining.a Their eyes said it all.

He continued. aI could not help but notice your local merchants do not appear to be in attendance. Would it not be wise to have their advice at this, our first of what will surely be many, many beneficial meetings?a If possible, their collective eyes became more frigid. Why did this errand boy continue to annoy them, when the obvious power of the Sea Fox Clan on their world strode toward them? Several of the men began ogling her once more. He could also read the further disdain on their faces at the mention of the local merchants. The n.o.bles, of course, did not need factors, the Clan equivalent of business agents, to negotiate for them. They were the power on this world, after all.

The governor replied almost absently. aThough Clan Sea Fox has not previously touched our world, word of your preeminence had spread far and wide, long before the current troubles. I look forward to speaking more on the subject.a The emphasis was almost painful.

With that, the man turned to face Jesica, whoad crossed almost the entire distance. As usual, her timing was impeccable.

The first governor stepped forward, a warm smile blossoming on his face. He opened his mouth to speak just as Jesica stepped slightly past him and thumped fist against chest, with a slight forward lean. aAt your command, ovKhan.a The angry look that began to form on the first governoras face slammed hard against confusion and the two warred as Jesicaas words fell among the flock of birds like a grenade. Realization dawned cold and brutal.

The first governor struggled to regain his composure, stiffened and turned back to Petr, a false smile pasted on his face.

aovKhan, we are honored by your presence. Please accept my hospitality. We can relax, dine and discuss matters at our leisure.a His voice sounded as if a mule had just caved in his manhood.

With a smile that revealed the predator within, Petr replied, aFirst Governor, I have named already the people I want to see. The merchants of Halifax will just be rising for the day. I would speak with them in a location of their choosing.a The governor flinched as though struck in the face, and quickly turned to a lackey to hide his expression. After giving a brief order, the man glanced once more in Petras direction; hate flashed in his eyes.

It was the expected reaction. It was of no significance. Petr did not need this oneas approval. He sniffed the air and reveled in the aromas flooding his senses. The smell of alien flora and fauna. Of a world untouched by Clan Sea Fox. Of new possibilities.

The new deal had begun well.

6.

New Edinburgh Lothian, Stewart Prefecture VIII, The Republic 15 July 3134

Snow hugged the shadows like a lover desperate for the warmth of an embrace. Yet the shadows betrayed as easily as they saved; danger came.

Moving down Fourth Street of the lower Eastside, Snow found a moment in the desperation to chuckle. The Earl of Stewart tried so hard to ignore this part of his beloved city and yet it sat like a canker sore, irritating and infectious. If he didnat do something about it soon, head find it a lot more than just irritating, especially now that the local economy was going bad. Then again, it made her life easier, so she shouldnat look a gift branth in the mouth.

Coming to the intersection of Fourth and Harold, she paused with her back against the wall, waiting. The blare of a far-off horn sliced through the night; a babyas cry drifted from a nearby apartment complex; machinery hummed (the ever-present vibrations every city created but that citizens failed to notice); a night trawl screeched close by, almost causing Snow cardiac arrest. But her pursuers had not discovered her latest backtrack.

Theyad be on her trail soon enough.

Moving onto Harold, she pa.s.sed Fifth and then crossed the street in the dim light of an equidistant point between two streetlights; if she held one wish in the world, it would be that whoever created streetlights burned a long time in h.e.l.l.

Pa.s.sing an alley entrance, she froze as a sound caught her attention. She flattened against the wall. Her black clothinga"thick wool to mask her heat signature without announcing the depth of her resources by the blatant use of a sneak suita"blended well into the depths of the alleyas blackness.

Closing her eyes, she marshaled her will and centered herself as shead been taught. Choosing one distraction after another, like a master weaver whose nimble fingers pick apart the skein of a complex weave, Snow pulled herself loose until only the twin threads of her hearing and the sound remained. In practice, such trancelike concentration would allow a person to strike her and shead not immediately feel it. As such, she played a dangerous game in an alley where any wino might come looking for a dime and find easy prey, leaving her beatena or worse.

The thumping of her heartbeat came from a remote location, but served as a metronome for the pa.s.sing of time. No other sounds intruded, but she knew; shead dealt too often with these particular people to not know they hunted her as surely as a Sea Fox who smelled blood in the water when a good deal materialized. Shead tried flight before and that failed. Only made her sloppy. For just a moment her concentration s.h.i.+fted and a third strand tugged: the caress of the plastic-coated verigraph sc.r.a.ped against the taut skin of her belly.

After another long pause, during which a minute or five might have pa.s.sed, when no sound vibrated along the thread Snow held, she slowly began to reweave the skein of herself, gradually retwining existence. In another few moments she breathed deeply and released a small, pent-up sigh of frustration. She snorted, moved to the entrance of the street and began making her way once more down Harold, to the waiting Drops.h.i.+p several kilometers distant and her future meeting; by her calculations, her invitee should already have made planetfall and might be just a little agitated if he could not find her.

A fiery fist of pain hammered into her shoulder from behind; she lurched forward and dropped to one knee as her concentration momentarily splintered into a prismatic stream of a thousand points of light. d.a.m.n! Sloppy again.

No need to be on your guard one hundred percent where SAFE is concerned. The intelligence branch of House Marik is a joke, a cakewalk. There might have been some truth in that myth at the upper levels. But on the mean streets of the back end of a dark hole, those agents were every bit as dangerous as any shead dealt with. More, they seemed almost desperate to prove themselves. As though they felt responsible for the splintering of their realm and were out to prove they could match any agency, any individual, that might cross their path.

Snow thought shead learned her lesson. Obviously more, and painful, lessons were yet to come.

She tugged hard once and regained her concentration, leaving out the thread of pulsing pain that sent lances of agony down her arm, numbing it into uselessness. She immediately dropped to the ground, rolled toward the alley mouth and heard the cough of a well-made silencer, the tang of ricocheting rounds bouncing off pavement; a hot chip of the street sliced her cheek.

Once in the alley, she rolled, pushed against the wall with her good shoulder and levered herself quickly to a standing position. She looked down the alley and muttered a curse that wouldave curdled her motheras earsa"blocked. They would know theyad hit her and more than likely they knew the alley offered no outlet. After all, shead discovered quickly enough the world of Stewart might be part of The Republic of the Sphere in a geographical sense, but in every other sense it belonged to the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth. SAFE agents roamed freely on-planet, and they would know this city, know this street, know this exact alley. The unexpected. She needed to do the unexpected.

If they knew theyad hit her, theyad be expecting a strike from the alley floor. Attempt to hide behind a Dumpster, or break into an alley door and try to slink away. The sound of the silencer had come from some distance, so she still had a few precious seconds.

Unbuckling her belt, Snow pulled it loose and then swung it around her chest, catching it between herself and the wall. As though shead practiced the move a hundred times, she quickly bound her now-useless arm to her side. She ran to the large drainage pipe mounted against the wall, where she squeezed between the wall and the pipe. She began to make her way up the pipe. Her fear it might rattle or creak with her movement proved unfounded. Six meters up, she found a ledge and dismounted from the pipe, latching on to a windowsill and edging farther out toward the mouth of the alley.

Sweat dripped down her face and began to plaster the wool clothing to her stocky body. The thread of pain could not be refocused and it became a hot pincer grinding against her concentration as she made her way along the ledge. She began to pant from the effort and tears slowly leaked from the corners of her eyes. Almost at the edge of the alley, she stopped. Listened. The inferno of her shoulder threatened to flare out all other considerations and black spots swam in front of her eyes as oblivion opened its embrace to accept her surrender.

The verigraph crackled against her skin.

Her eyes narrowed and the indomitable spirit that had dragged her from the ugliness of Talitha, which made this slum look like the lap of luxury, blossomed in her smoky gray eyes.

Irregular sounds intruded. The slow steps of a cautious man. The steps of a man who wished not to be seen or heard.

They drew closer. With a wrenching twist, she realized she could not reach the needler snugged up against her left breast, the handle positioned for a cross-body draw. She cursed silently; it had been a mistake to immobilize her arm. Still, no going back now. Flow with the blow. How to take him? The information she held could not be lost.

The manas head appeared and disappeared like the flicking tongue of a lizard around the corner. Once again, appear-disappear, this time at a different level. With a large-bore handgun (she couldnat make it out clearly from this distance in the dark, but it looked like a Sterns.n.a.t.c.ht Python; leave it to a SAFE agent to try and silence such a monster) held out in cla.s.sic shooter style, the man edged around the corner. He moved to the other side of the alley, eyes, body and gun covering every angle.

Her arm began to tremble with the strain of supporting her body, and the flame of pain began to reach critical levels. She could just make out the silhouette of his head as he slowly scanned up the walls. It was only a matter of time before he saw an anomaly on the walla"an anomaly that would then feel the force of several large-grain soft-tip bullets splattering her tissue messily against uncaring bricks.

Her mind racing, she quickly came to a decision. Made her choice.

From six meters up, with a lame arm strapped to her chest and a body aching with the strain of the climb, she pushed hard away, somersaulted with a half twist and dropped into the darkness.

7.

Merchant House, Halifax Vanderfox, Adhafera Prefecture VII, The Republic 30 July 3134

The Merchant House was not a house in any conventional sense, unless a building as big as a large Drops.h.i.+p fit the bill. At a hundred fifty meters on a side and half that in height, the mammoth structure seemed a monument to commerce. And though Petr could certainly respect that, he had no previous experience brokering in the commodity his own merchant castemen were attempting to secure. The odor wasa overpowering. Born and raised on a s.h.i.+p, where he breathed air scrubbed clean with almost religious regularity, he became unnaturally attuned to discerning scents. It was a strength he enjoyed and used to his advantagea"in most situations. Not even the close confines of Alpha Community following the breakdown of one of the primary air scrubbers, however, could compare with the smell of the Merchant House.

Now it was a weaknessa aovKhan.a He turned to see Merchant saFactor Tia striding toward him from the small door he had exited a short while earlier. Though he stood almost fifteen meters from the door, the stench managed to escape during the brief opening and oozed across the ground like a living creature bent on a.s.saulting the man who tried to flee its grasp. His nose tingled and scrunched, remembered tears almost began to flow once more. How the other merchants could talk so long and not vomit with the stench of so much bovine flesh and feces stuck in the back of their throats, he did not understand.

aTia,a he acknowledged. Though she was young for her station, her quick mind matched her flas.h.i.+ng blue eyes. Her overlarge featuresa"particularly her hatchetlike nose and jutting china"allowed her to look foolish (throwing off the unwary) or commanding with equal ease; she used both qualities well and seized her position with a savagery barely contained within her pet.i.te body. A shame her abilities did not allow her to partic.i.p.ate equally in the glories of the negotiation table and the battlefield.

aovKhan, I thought I might find you here. The stench is too much, quiaff?a Blunt as ever. He stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. He looked away and gazed down the hill toward the city of Halifax, and could just make out the egg-shaped form of the Ocean of Stars at the far-distant DropPort. The Merchant House, on a hill overlooking the entire area, held a commanding view. He breathed in the blissfully sweet-smelling air; it calmed him.

aWhat have we accomplished this day?a Tia smiled, though the humor did not lighten her eyes. aI believe we have them on the run. I am looking for one more concession today, before going for the throat tomorrow and closing the deal.a Her raised eyebrows were blunt question marks. He should know this, after all. But the distractions seemed too much. Head been off his game. Weakness.

aThey have managed an excellent defense,a Petr said, hating himself for deflecting the unasked questions.

aThey have indeed. If this is any indication of what this Prefecture will be like, I relish the coming months.a aAt this rate, it will be years, quiaff?a aAff, ovKhan. Aff.a Her eyes became brighter, if that was possible.

aI a.s.sume the first Drops.h.i.+ps are already on their way?a aOf course. I laid my trap almost a week ago and on my own authority I ordered four Drops.h.i.+ps to begin a high-speed burn to planet. The slaughter will commence within the week and we want the meat fresh as it is packed and we prepare to move it.a aA week ago? You must be slipping, Tia. Your traps inevitably spring mere days after they are positioned.a She shook her head and waved her delicate hand. aAll the more glory when it is finished, ovKhan. You, of all people, should know that.a The double meaning once more. Again, twin question marks stabbed upward on her forehead and he turned away. If he could not answer the questions himself, how could he answer her? Was she turning into Jesup now? Constantly probing?

aKeep me apprised of the situation. I will join you tomorrow to seal the victory.a Like all his Aimag, they knew when they were dismissed. aYes, ovKhan.a The sound of feet displacing gravel chewed into the morning. The door opening and closinga"releasing another wave of odora"caused him to hitch his shoulders against it and he felt disgust at himself. Such weakness!

Petr turned sharply and stalked through the gravel toward the wall of the Merchant House, his eyes seeing the path his own feet had trod numerous times around the circ.u.mference of the building. His anger pulsed brighter at this blatant sign of his own inability to confront the situation. Inability to confront, because the surat could not be found! The sweet air was forgotten as his mind raced.

For almost a week he had attempted to contact this Snow. At first, he a.s.sumed she would contact him. Several days pa.s.sed unnoticed as he immersed himself in negotiations with Adhaferaas local merchants, but the slow realization that she had not made an appearance began to distract him. To disrupt his thoughts. He even began to make mistakes, which cost them days of negotiation.

Five days ago he began to walk through the streets of Halifax. Ostensibly to garner more information on the inhabitants, which might be used against them across the negotiation table. In reality, he moved to let his whereabouts be known. Perhaps she simply didnat know the Sea Fox were on planet.

He rounded the corner of the building and came to one of the mammoth doors towering almost twenty meters above him and twice as wide; the cattle were driven to and from the building through this main artery, with secondary arteries on the other side of the building only used when the flow of flesh grew too great. The stench wafted out of the structure like heat eddies, almost visible. He began to gag slightly and tears once more slicked the back of his eyes. His rage grew until it engulfed him. Though his nostrils tried to close against the a.s.sault and his feet to move away of their own accord, his iron will kept his nose open and his feet firmly planted while he drew in a huge lungfull of vileness.

She managed to have a data cube deposited on my s.h.i.+p. She could not possibly be so clueless as to not know we are here. The echo of his own thoughts from three days ago now rang in his head and pushed out the sensory torment he put himself through. With new determination, he began canva.s.sing the town at night, showing himself in every filthy dive and out-of-the-way bar he could find. All to no avail.

He began to wonder if she existed.