Keshona Far Freedom Part 1

pleaded. "Or tell him you're not Keshona!"

  She looked sadly at Rafael as she spoke to Jarwekh. "Here is the truth, Jarwekh. I may have been Keshona. I don't trust yet what I think are my lost memories, memories I should not have if I truly died in the war. What I want to believe is that too many people have wasted their lives hating a person who should never have wanted to do what she did. The body of that person may stand before you, but whoever I am, even though I accept the guilt and the punishment, I'm not her."

  Jarwekh came out of the dark beyond the doorway and stared at Fidelity for a long time. Rafael rose to stand between him and Fidelity. Jarwekh towered over the old man. Finally Jarwekh seemed to come to a decision and his posture relaxed again.

  "I was always large," Jarwekh said, placing a hand gently on Rafael's shoulder. "I could bully others because of it. My mother kept warning me to stay out of trouble. She always told me to put myself in the shoes of a smaller person and try to imagine how they would feel. I lacked that sensitivity for some time. My father told me that, big as I was, there was always someone bigger, and that I would learn a painful lesson one day. I did. Only then did my sensitivity develop. Only then did I begin to see that others were as full of life and desire as I was.

  "I've spent a lifetime trying to imagine what kind of person would kill ten million Rhyan, including my parents. I dared imagine the person could be no different from me, but simply unfortunate to have been given the task. I never imagined a wonderful singer could have done that evil deed. If she did, I forgive her, because I know she suffered for it and truly couldn't have ever wanted to do it. Good night, Admiral Demba, Rafael."

  Jarwekh disappeared into the night.

  "Damn," Rafael swore. "Damn!" For a long time he stood looking at the darkness beyond the doorway. When he turned back around Fidelity awaited his reaction. From now on she would always expect judgment and loss. She who never had friends would always have none. He looked away from her, then frowned and met her gaze. "I always make the mistake of falling in love with an image of the person and not wanting them to be less than how perfect I can make that image. You were so strong and yet so tender, a wonderfully complex figure. You had secrets and depth and power, yet you could be a mother to the boy and humor an old man who thinks he can still paint. It isn't correct for me to make a fantasy of you. It didn't help that Pan was so captivated by you. And your appearance in the night carrying a wounded child certainly affected me greatly. I listen to myself now, and I know I'm an old fool. And I don't care! How am I to judge where reality overcomes fantasy? Did you kill millions? Did you save billions? That was a long time ago. All I see now is a woman wearing a yellow dress, standing in my studio, who can sing like an angel."

  Fidelity felt some relief. At least in the short time remaining she would have a valued friend. "You're the ultimate romantic, Rafael."

  "No, that would be Pan."

  = = =

  Jarwekh materialized in the transmat terminal. As the reference field released him, he started at the crowded chamber. He saw Daidaunkh first, standing apart from the others but not far from Denna. Then his gaze swept around and found the Navy captain and Fred the android. The postures and the illegal weapon in Daidaunkh's hand told Jarwekh the plot of things.

  Jarwekh stepped down from the transmat focus and walked toward Daidaunkh. He stopped when Daidaunkh made a slight gesture with his weapon. Daidaunkh didn't trust him. Daidaunkh trusted no one.

  "I heard her sing," Jarwekh said. "Pan was correct. She is a great singer."

  "She sang for you, did she?" Daidaunkh said, sounding fairly sober. "I never knew you had such a way with women."

  "It was Rafael who found a way to make her sing." Jarwekh knew it was hopeless to explain and delay with words. "She listened to a recording and remembered how to sing the song. I was quite moved. This is the truth."

  /

  Jon Horss stood by Freddy, frustrated by being too far from the crazy Rhyan with the weapon to attempt to disarm him. He was also disappointed that Denna had ignored his hand on her arm to silently urge her to stay away from the Rhyan. Now there was another Rhyan, a big one!

  "That's all?" the crazy one shouted. "You listened to her sing a song and you came back? Why did you go there at all, and without me?"

  "I didn't know we had a plan to go tonight," the big one responded.

  "The Marines are in town," Denna said, moving even closer to the Rhyan with the weapon. "They're snooping around, asking questions. The Boss is on the Navy flagship and may not come back down. Would that be why you picked tonight to go visit the admiral at Rafael's?"

  "I discovered in the communications log that he talked to Admiral Etrhnk," the big Rhyan answered. "I knew he would go aboard the flagship tonight. I did see an opportunity to have my own visit with Admiral Demba and ask her a question."

  Horss listened with sudden interest and with equally sudden concern for Admiral Demba. No matter his true feelings for the mysterious admiral, he was not finished with her. He could not accept her premature departure from his life. He had a weird but strong emotional investment in Admiral Demba, requiring much further investigation into what she could mean to him.

  "What was your question?" the dark one demanded. "What was her answer?"

  "I didn't ask the question, after I heard her sing," the big one replied.

  "What kind of fool are you!" the other exclaimed. "I sensed there was something different about you the moment you appeared. I hoped you killed her! But she killed you! Get out of the way! I have my own question to ask!"

  "You'll have to kill me first," the big one stated, shocking Horss and also, apparently, his fellow Rhyan. "Before you can finish with me, Fred or the Captain will be on you."

  Horss measured the gap between him and the smaller Rhyan again. He could make it, with a little help, at the right instant.

  "She is Keshona!" the armed one declared. "I can see the truth in your eyes! You let her lie to you, knowing it was a lie!"

  Horss ignored the words now, as he tried to guess the mass of the android and pick a place on it from which to launch himself. He didn't like the uncertainty of his data. He didn't like the uncertainty of what the big Rhyan and Denna would do. And also Freddy.

  "She answered the question I did not ask," the big Rhyan said. "She was Keshona. And still I will not let you kill her unless you first kill me." He took another step forward.

  Denna had moved quite close to the armed Rhyan and now she acted, grabbing for the weapon. The dark Rhyan was not surprised by Denna's action. He threw his free arm around Denna's neck, ripped the weapon from Denna's grabbing hands, and put the weapon's emitter to her temple.

  "Denna will be first to die, not you!" the Rhyan snarled. "I'll give her the final death, if you don't step aside and send us both to Rafael's. You know I'll do it! She wants to die. It will be a kindness. Then I'll kill as many of the rest of you as I can."

  The big Rhyan took another step forward. The other thumbed a control to a more lethal setting on the weapon. Horss nearly trembled with frustration and with desperation for the safety of Denna.

  "Do it, do it, do it," Denna whispered to Daidaunkh over and over.

  = = =

  "Is there some place you and Samson can hide?" Fidelity asked.

  "Into the darkness," Rafael replied. "Into the trees. Do you intend to stay and fight?"

  "Yes."

  "No! You don't know how many old Rhyans are on Earth! There is room within the barrier for us to hide for a long time, at least until morning."

  "And in the morning?"

  "Perhaps Pan will have returned. What else can we do?"

  Fidelity thought Etrhnk would detain Pan indefinitely, now that she sensed how important Pan was in the War. She couldn't count on him returning soon. Obviously she couldn't see Captain Horss wanting to help her, except if he thought Samson was endangered. She would take Samson and Rafael into the forest in retreat, but she felt it was not the final solution to the threat of the Rhya
ns. Ironically, Etrhnk was probably the only one who could save them.

  Rafael rushed to gather food and a few supplies in the dark while Fidelity went to wake Samson. She dressed him and picked him up, since he seemed unable to come completely awake. She heard a loud noise in the house and angry muttering from Rafael. He came to them in the dark and limped after them as they exited the house.

  They hurried through the humid night and into the trees, Fidelity still carrying Samson. Gator growled and lagged behind. Rafael stopped and took hold of the big dog by his collar. Through the silhouetted branches they could see the first small flames race up the side of the studio.

  "The paintings!" Fidelity cried.

  "There's nothing we can do," Rafael said with little concern.

  "Stay here!" She put Samson down and started toward the flames.

  "No, don't go back!" Rafael pleaded. "We can keep running. They won't find us."

  "You're too aged to run all night. And you're limping."

  "I bruised my shin on a table in the dark. I can go on."

  "No one has the right to destroy your life's work."

  "It's too late! You can't stop the fire!"

  "Everyone should be held accountable for their actions. Including me. Stay here."

  = = =

  Daidaunkh pulled Denna up the ramp to the focus of the transmat, his weapon still jammed tightly against her head. "The machine doesn't know me," he addressed Jarwekh, "so it will require your authentication. Move slowly. Don't think about