Crisis Of Empire - Crown Of Empire Part 11

"A secret one," said Chaney.

Tira considered this. "You're probably right.

My father is ... was always talking about secret installations and bases. He said Admiral Sderida favored them." Her expression darkened.

"Admiral Sderida -"

"Don't," warned Chaney with a hitch of his

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elbow in the direction of the driver. '"Who knows who's playing what game."

lira sighed. "I hate this. No matter who's at the end of this ride, I'll be one kind of hostage or another."

Chaney answered carefully. "I don't think that's likely." He was trying to soothe his own conscience as well as offer comfort. He had just been following his unde's orders. But for the last half hour it had been dawning on him that no one knew where they were, and that the daugh- ter of the High Secretary - whether Cowper Bouriere was alive or not - was a real prize. Any number of ambitious men might want to get their hands on her.

The driver had turned on the headlights.

Though they were set low and s.h.i.+elded, they offered a little safety on the twisting road. "It won't be much longer now," he volunteered to his pa.s.sengers.

"Where are we going?" asked lira.

The driver said nothing more.

"Look, if they were going to kill you, they didnt have to bring you out here," said Chaney reason- ably. "They could have left us to the Cemians and the rest, back at the Palace." He wanted to feel re- a.s.sured by these a.s.sertions, but found that he could not accept them without question.

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Chelsea Quinn Varbro

"Unless they were holding out for their own advantage," said Tira darkly. 'There might be something to gain for getting me .. . out of the way." She glanced down at her reticule, heart- ened by the knowledge that she still had the Samtoepoe A7mark923 resting inside it, among other necessities of life.

Chaney nodded in spite of himself, "Yeah. But this is Uncle Ken's doing. He's not the kind who would... well, he doesn't exploit his family that way."

Tira scowled. "Meaning he might want to make a p.a.w.n of me, but not if you're involved? I hope you're right." She went back to staring out the window. They had entered a long canyon, the road now nothing more than a single-lane track along the side of the steep walls.

"I remember seeing this area on the maps, back at school," she said. "It's usually labeled The Barrens.' I used to wonder what that meant, and why there weren't any cities here."

She s.h.i.+vered. "Now I know."

"It's pretty forbidding," said Chaney, remem- bering the many times he had flown over this landscape during training, thinking it looked beautiful from the air.

She folded her arms. T don't recall learning about any bases out here, except the scientific

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ones. You don't suppose we're going to one of those, do you?"

T don't know," said Chaney with a trace of exasperation. Tm as much in the dark as you are."

Tira sighed. T know that," she said, making the words an apology.

Without warning, the car entered a tunnel.

The driver added a second set of headlights, but that didn't really cut the gloom out the side win- dow.

"Where is this?" lira asked uneasily as they sped on. She could barely make out tiled walls.

For once the driver answered. "It's the entrance to the base. Miss Bouriere- We're al- most there."

"Wherever there is," said Chaney, trying to conceal the sudden apprehension that had taken hold of him.

'Tour uncle's base," said the driver. "I think we're expected."

Tira stared at Chaney. "What do you think?"

T think I hope he's right about Uncle Ken being here," said Chaney with feeling.

The car pulled into a wide bay where a small escort of Navy personnel waited, all in battle dress. As the car stopped the nearest of these men reached forward and opened the door for Chaney and lira.

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Chelsea Quinn farbro

"Good evening. Lieutenant," he said very politely. "And to you. Miss Bouriere." He indi- cated the surroundings. "Sorry we had to resort to this, but we had to guarantee your safety."

Thanks," said Chaney, getting out and hold- ing his hand out for lira. "We were beginning to wonder."

"Of course, of course," said the Navy officer.

"You'll have questions. Just as we have answers."

He closed the car door and saluted. "If you'll fol- low me, we'll escort you. This is a pretty confusing place until you leam your way around."

"And are we going to do that?" Tira inquired sweetly.

Chaney recognized a tone in her voice that the young officer evidently missed. He replied seri- ously. "It might come to that."

"I see," said Tira, and clutched her reticule more tighdy. She did not look at Chaney.

The officer was right - the base was confus- ing. As they followed him through the halls, Chaney was quickly disoriented, and decided he would have a great deal of trouble finding his way back to the bay. He suspected that the young officer was making the route as complex as possi- ble. No matter. His AID was in inertial tracking mode and better than a map with arrows.

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"Where are you taking us?" he asked when they had gone some distance in silence.

"It's not far now," said the young officer, and turned the comer into a large hall. At the far end was a platform. On that platform stood a white- haired, straight-backed officer in a formal uniform that lacked rank tabs.