Sibyl of Doom

  Mom had conveniently left out that I too had transported with Sini. I assumed she did so to deflect any of Konya's anger from me.

  "No one ever solved how Mhikhel's assassin could have evaded Vhirko detection, and now Sini has disappeared from the same room. My fear is that someone other than the Sisterhood has also created hyperspace portals at Rwohn Compound. If we can determine who, then we may be able to determine what has happened to Sini."

  Mom paused. "The Sisterhood has already begun its investigation. Admiral and Commandant, I ask that you use all of the resources available to you to do the same."

  "Of course," the Admiral replied.

  Konya crossed her arms over her chest. "Duty compels the Vhirko do so. You purposely enabled the Sovereign to avoid Vhirko protection. You have broken the bond of trust between the Vhirko and the Sisterhood."

  "Do not talk to me of a broken bond of trust," Mom said in a chilling tone I had never heard before. "You have conveniently forgotten that your predecessor murder Fiotr and tried to murder Siniastra and my son. That is a breach of trust I may never be capable of putting behind me. Nonetheless, I chose to share one of the Sisterhood's greatest secrets in your presence in an effort to find Sini. Perhaps, I made a mistake."

  A vein pulsed in Konya's neck. "The Vhirko have acknowledged Lydmila's transgression from her duty. Can you assure me that no Sibyl has similarly transgressed in Sini's disappearance?"

  "That is preposterous," Mom said sharply.

  "How can you be more certain than the Vhirko? If Lydmila could violate all her oaths, why not a Sibyl?"

  "I will investigate your allegation," Mom replied. "And when you are proven wrong, I expect your apology in front of this Council."

  "I pray to Ghaeah that I must provide that apology."

  Nalena looked at me. "Lord Chancellor, I'd like to help. Because I'm the Archonan representative of the Council, perhaps I can discretely inquire whether any Archonan have expressed an interest in acquiring hyperspace access."

  Impressive, I thought, Nalena smoothly moved the meeting past Mom and Konya's confrontation. "That would be perfect," I said. "Unless some one wants to meet earlier, we'll meet tomorrow at the same time."

  -16-

  Arvor Castel

  Planet Tirano

  One thought bounced around my mind as I strode through the hallways to my quarters: Could someone other than the Sibyls have created a hyperspace portal in Rwohn Compound? That would explain both Sini's disappearance and Mhikhel's assassination.

  When I entered my quarters, I headed directly to my wine vault, grabbed bottle, and poured myself a glass of vehoner. I took a sip. The dry, flowery nectar hit my empty stomach. I needed to fix some food that would help clear my mind so I could focus. I pulled a bag of the third 'p' from my pantry: polenta.

  Dad was a legist on Earth, and Mom's told me how when he had a tough issue that he wanted to spend time analyzing, he'd fix polenta. Edible polenta takes time to prepare, but because most of the time involves standing in front of a pot stirring, one's mind can concentrate on other things.

  The basic recipe for polenta is simple. Pour two cups of water and a small amount of salt in a pan and bring the water to a boil. Then while stirring, slowly and evenly pour in a cup of polenta. To make soft, creamy polenta it's necessary to continually stir the polenta while it absorbs the water. Additional water should be added after the initial mixture has absorbed the liquid. Keep stirring and adding water until your spoon will stand upright in the polenta, which can take up to a half-deci. Then add some grated cheese of choice, spoon the polenta into a bowl, sprinkle with your favorite herb, and serve a glass of spicy zinfandel.

  As I ate the last bite of polenta, my companel sounded that a new message had arrived. "Open message," I said.

  Silence followed. It had to be a text message and only one person I knew sent text. In two strides I was at my desk.

  Zinfandel, they have a hyperportal. I'm with them. I can't say more now without raising suspicion. WP

  My relief that Sini was alive lasted less than a lacti. She'd confirmed my feat that someone had abducted her by using a hyperportal in her Rwohn Compound quarters. I needed to figure who, and the best way would be to figure out who would want both Mhikhel and Sini dead. One obvious choice: the Radani. Mhikhel's assassins had never been definitively identified and the Radani had been universally blamed. I'd always had doubts. The Radani aren't creative. They purchase, or take by brute force, any new technology that they acquire. Surely, if the Radani were attempting to acquire access to hyperspace, the Sibyls' sources would have informed them. Plus, if the Radani had access to murder Mhikhel, they would have sought revenge against Zhun'Mar too. The more I thought about it, the less credence I placed on the possibility that the Radani were behind Sini's disappearance.

  The second possibility would be the Tamok. They were a cunning bunch and had a long history of duplicity against the Arvors. They'd used shroud technology that we still haven't perfected in the Caerwin Ambush that resulted in Mom, Zhun'Mar, Tarnlot, and Mirae being stranded on Earth. They'd suborned a member of the Royal Council and with his help instigated the unprovoked attack that killed Zhun'Mar. Most of all, they hated Sini. She'd destroyed their armada, and the Tamok probably blamed her for Petrella's committing suicide by flying into a Black Cavity.

  Even though I'd never heard anyone implicate the Tamok in connection with Mhikhel's death, I wondered. To this day, no one knows the reasons behind the Caerwin ambush. But Mom, Zhun'Mar, and Mirae all confirm that Mhorg and Bhradvin Lok intended to make the ambush appear to have been an accident that wouldn't implicate the Tamok. Perhaps, the Tamok, or at least the Lok clan, have a longstanding grudge against the Arvors. The Caerwin ambush easily could have been their second attempt to kill an Arvor, and they returned to the tactic they'd used to kill Mhikhel to abduct Sini.

  I knew why they'd abducted Sini instead of assassinating her: Loik Lok's obsession with Sini. His ogling of Sini in the Tamok charade that led to their coup-de-main that killed Zhun'Mar and Mirae turns my stomach every time I think about it. It sickened me to think what debauchery he'd planned.

  I couldn't permit him to get away with it. Because Tamok was isolated on the far end of the galaxy, communications were normally transmitted to intermediaries who ship carried them to Tamok. It took spins for a communiqué to arrive; time I didn't have. Even though the cost would put a significant dent in the Treasury, I had no choice but to contact Loik directly by quan-com net so he'd know I'd uncovered his skullduggery. In no uncertain terms, I'd inform him the wrath Tirano would inflict if Sini wasn't returned unmolested.

  I sat in front of my companel and purchased time on the galactic quan-comm net. To my surprise, within myria Loik's image, and not some functionary's, appeared on the quan-viewer. He wore a night gown and blinked his eyes as if he'd just woke. In the background, a nude female quickly pulled up the sheets on a bed. He ran his hand through his hair, and then stared at his companel. He arched his eyebrows. "The little Lord Chancellor of Tirano. Are you still trying to negotiate the Caerwin Accords?"

  I wasn't about to fall for this charade. "I know how you abducted her and I want her returned, now!" I shouted.

  "You little twerp, what are you yapping about?" He glanced at the bed. "Jezzah has never left Tamok in her life, and since her father was killed at Caerwin, she'd kill herself before any Tiranoan touched her. Especially, you."

  My face reddened. "Don't play dumb with me. You touch her with even one little finger and I'll obliterate Tamok with every laser blaster in our arsenal."

  Loik's eyes widened. "Oh, I get it now. Some little Tiranoan tart jilted you. What'd she do to make you so jealous? Tell you she'd wanted me ever since she first laid eyes on me in Arvor Castel." He turned his profile to me. "Most of 'em do you know when they see me. And if the wench is comely enough, I accommodate her every fantasy."

  I sh
ook with rage. "Sini despises you, Loik. You touch her and I promise that you will regret it."

  Loik's forehead wrinkled. "Siniastra and you?" He shook his head. "I thought she had better taste than that. I'm glad for her sake that she came to her senses and dumped you."

  "Enough of your games," I said coldly. "I've told you the consequences if Sini is not returned immediately."

  "You're serious, aren't you?"

  I nodded.

  "I hate to disappoint you, but I have no idea where she is, nor do I care." He winked at me. "Besides, I do have some morals, and one of them is never to sleep with a relative. It complicates matters too much."

  "For all I care, sleep with any relative you want." I clenched my fists. "After you return Sini."

  Loik's expression turned somber. "You really don't have a clue what I'm talking about, do you?"

  He tilted his head and puckered his lips as if trying to decide something. "I'm going to tell you why we Loks hate the Arvors and everything Tiranoan. We're the Arvors' deepest secret, the one that they've tried to bury so deep it would never surface. Why? Because you Tiranoans regard anyone with Tamok blood as inferior."

  Loik jutted his jaw. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, the dirty little secret's been buried for too long." He paused and locked eyes with me. "Tell this to your precious Siniastra when you find her. My grandfather Ghorn Lok was the son of Mhikhel Arvor and Nahtalie Lok. I'm as much of an Arvor as she is."

  He touched some icons on his companel. "I've sent you an archive that documents everything I've said."

  "You lie," I shouted. "If it was true, the Tamok would never have proposed that Fiotr marry Sini."

  "My grandfather wasn't the only person with Tiranoan blood in our family," he said calmly. "Grandfather adopted Mhorg when he was a baby. A baby given to him by a Tiranoan noble. Evidently, you Tiranoans don't like keeping half-breed Archonan bastards and give them to the Loks."

  I paused to look at Loik. There was no smirk. "Who were Mhorg's parents?"

  "As far as I know Grandfather took that secret to his grave. But we've always suspected Tarnlot."

  "By the Belts!" I shouted. "That still made Fiotr a cousin to Sini."

  "The Arvors have married cousins before. One more inbreeding was no big deal if it enabled getting a Lok on the Golden Vine Throne." Loik reached toward the screen. "Now good riddance you pompous little twerp."

  -17-

  Arvor Castel

  Planet Tirano

  I viewed the archive that Loik sent. He could have sucker punched me in the stomach and it wouldn't have knocked the wind out of me any harder. After I recovered enough to breathe, I admitted that there could be no doubt. Everything he said was true.

  Unfortunately, I hadn't got any closer to finding Sini. All I had accomplished was to aggravate two festering wounds that had afflicted the Arvors for generations: the Nhoths and the Loks. I felt like the Castel idiot and did what one always does when he wants comforted. I called Mom.

  She greeted me with eyes tight with a fear that I would only call at this time of night with bad news about Sini. "She's alive," were my first words.

  "Thank Ghaeah," Mom replied softly. "I hope a platoon of Vhirko is surrounding her."

  I swallowed hard. "I only know she's alive. She's sent me a message that 'they' have hyperportal and that she's with them."

  Mom's eyes widened. "Impossible. We've searched under every hidden file in the galaxy. No one else is even close to manipulating hyperspace. They must have tricked her."

  "Either way, who ever "they" are, they still have her. I have no idea where she is."

  "Have you told the Vhirko yet?"

  "No. All I've accomplished is to eliminate Loik Lok as a suspect."

  I quickly told Mom of my conversation with Loik. She turned pale. She stared at me for a long time. I assumed she was considering disowning me for being such a compulsive idiot.

  She wrapped her fingers around her pendant and then spoke. "Oh Hobie. I don't know for certain that it's true. But just before we were stranded on Earth, Mhorg claimed in front of all of us that he was Tarnlot's son. When Zhun'Mar agreed to Sini's marrying Fiotr, I couldn't believe it. I talked to Mirae. She said Zhun'Mar said that even if it was true, the relationship was no closer than if Sini were to marry many of the Archonan. And that it could end the Tamok hatred for Tirano.

  "Mirae and I couldn't have disagreed more. That's why Mirae talked to Fiotr before his death. She couldn't permit Sini to marry him and wanted to talk him out of the marriage."

  My mind went numb. She knew all this and hadn't told me, even after I became Lord Chancellor and had a right to know. Anger replaced my numbness. "Why do you do you and your precious Sisterhood think you have the right to keep such things secret from me? How many other secrets are you hiding from me"

  A tear fell from the corner of her eye. "Hobie, I didn't do it to hurt you. If known, some things can cause more harm than good."

  I exploded. "What gives you the right to make that decisions. You and your secretive Sisterhood can hide in the blackest pit in the Cavities for all I care."

  I terminated the call. "Block all calls from my mother," I told my companel, "and send a copy of Sini's message to Commandant Konya, Admiral Kiptani, and Countess Nalena. Tell them to keep up their efforts and that I will inform them if I receive any further messages."

  I walked over to the windows and watched the Encircling Belts. I couldn't have messed up the hunt for Sini any worse than I had. I had no idea who abducted Sini and where they'd taken her. I'd alienated the Vhirko and Mom, and even though I didn't think it would have been possible, I'd managed to make Rheghie Nhoth even more of an enemy.

  That was enough damage for one spin. I decided the best thing I could do was take a step back and do something that would refresh my mind and permit me to start afresh in the morning. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't want to fix any thing to eat. That left Aos Whey-ki's archive.

  I plopped in my bed. "Commence where I last stopped," I said.

  The rainbow swirled into Aos's image and she spoke.

  -18-

  Starship Gaea

  Location Unknown

  The succinct description of the next few months: boring. The crew worked night and day to repair the ship, and I worked feverishly to read every report filed with the leadership council regarding ship status. The new leadership council met daily to discuss the progress. Rohfek and Nhoth did most of the talking. I spoke only when asked a question, which was seldom because the Eunuchs didn't even try to hold their disdain. The Admiral at least treated me cordially, but he clearly regarded me as a leadership ingénue whom he didn't have the time or desire to train.

  Kwenerra remained my right arm. In fact, because of I spent most of my time on council reports, she spent more time on computer recovery and working much more closely with the staff than I did. She'd formed her own inner cadre, all of whom were also young ladies, that performed all of the recovery and wrote the new programs.

  Ahrtzor's physical growth matched the maturity he had shown at the Archon Quarters meeting. Overnight, he became the handsome, strapping man his father had been. He even let his curly, black hair grow over his ears as his father had. He also seemed to know everyone in the Archon Quarters, and had a knack for getting people to tell him their inner thoughts. He became a wealth of intelligence on what was going on in the Archon Quarters.

  I slouched over my desk reading a tedious report on the sugar levels in the grape crop when Kwenerra burst into my chamber. "Mom, I just recovered something incredible. I need you to check it out. If it's for real, we need to decide what to do with it."

  She shoved an archive disk in my computer and opened a file. I read the mathematical formulas on my screen. I read the first three a second time. "By the Goddess," I said. "How did you obtain this? It's supposed to be accessible only by the Imperatora."

  "I was
trying to recover some data on a damaged drive. I found a random cluster that had a damaged tip. I retrieved it and this opened up. Is it what I think it is?"

  I nodded. "Gondwana's secret scientific knowledge. A formula for hyperspace access, a program for interactive holo creation, a code to permit entry into every computer, and things I'll have to study to determine what they are. No wonder she was able to control every aspect of Gondwana's life."

  "Are you sure it's not all hypothetical research?"

  I took my eyes off the screen and looked up at Kwenerra. "I've traveled through hyperspace with the Imperatora. My guess is that if the rest aren't perfected, they're very close."

  My eyes returned to the screen. I had sat in too many council meeting where the Eunuchs cared only about using ship resources for their benefit and the Admiral insisted on priority for repair's to the ship's armaments. Instead of using this knowledge for the common good, they'd fight over who could use it solely for their purposes. I swore not to let that happen.

  I entitled the file "Sibyl of Doom" so that if someone stumbled on it, they'd likely think it related to my precession research. I then encoded it with the password Kwenerra and I had created for documents that only we could access. "Kwenerra, I coded this so that only you or I can access it. Don't ever permit anyone else to access it."

  Kwenerra looked puzzled. "But what about the Imperatora?"

  I grabbed her hand. "Honey, no one on this ship will ever see or hear from the Imperatora again. We have to start taking care of ourselves, and as Ahrtzor has shown, the Eunuchs and the Admiral can't be trusted with something this important. They'd treat as their personal treasure trove. I can't let that happen. You and I have to do what's right for the ship: preserve this precious knowledge for use by those of us who would use it for good, not personal benefit. If they even knew of this file, let them think it was destroyed in the fall."