"You didn't say what happened to my bodyguards." Del felt as if his pulse were going to burst his veins. "Are they dead?"
"I should say yes, just to make you suffer," Tarex said. "But no, only the woman died. The man is in a coma at the hospital."
Nausea swept over Del. Just like that: The woman died. The man is in a coma. He had ended Tyra's life and that of twenty other people, and the same could soon be true for Cameron. He had never believed Tarex would kill them. The Aristo was a sadist, not an idiot; even if he didn't consider his Earth hosts fully human, he knew the political mess it would create if anyone died. Del hated knowing Tarex would probably get away with it on a claim of self-defense. It killed Del even more to know he would live the rest of his life knowing he had caused their deaths.
Tarex exhaled, his eyelids half lowering as if he had shot up a neuro-amp. Watching him, Del gritted his teeth. Aristos fed on the emotional as well as physical pain of their providers. For all he knew, Tarex had lied to him to heighten Del's misery.
"How can you live with yourself?" Del asked.
"Only a lesser form of life would misunderstand the honor I've given you." Tarex leaned forward. "Through your exquisite suffering, you become part of something more than human. You become part of the gods."
"That's sick," Del said. "And you're no god."
"You have such fire." Tarex motioned to someone.
A rustle came from behind Del. Bronzeson walked into view, holding a blood-stained whip. He stared at Del with hatred.
"My crewman wasn't happy about what you did to him," Tarex said as if he were discussing mildly unpleasant weather. "So I told him he could help." He gestured, and Bronzeson walked back around Del, out of sight. Then Tarex said, "Proceed."
"NO—" Del's voice broke off in a scream as the whip came down.
"It's not enough!" Tyra shouted at Fitz McLane. She stood facing the general across his desk like a boxer in the ring. "As long as you leave Tarex in orbit up there, he could escape. Your people have to take command of his ship now."
"And if Tarex kills Del in retaliation?" Fitz demanded. "I have a Trader prince up there holding a Skolian prince prisoner. You better pray no one dies when I send in the Raptor squad."
"I don't understand," Ricki said. She was standing with Mac, back a few paces from Tyra and McLane. Mac had brought her as soon as Fitz notified him of what happened.
"What would possess Del to go after Tarex?" Ricki asked. "Del is terrified of him."
"An excellent question," the general said, his gaze hard on Tyra. The Jagernaut met his stare and said nothing.
"Ricki is right," Mac said. "It makes no sense. Del couldn't even endure being in the same room as Tarex."
Tyra still didn't answer.
"We have a need to know," Fitz told her. "A damn good one."
At first Tyra remained impassive. Then she exhaled and spoke. "Staver is the mastermind of a Skolian underground movement called the Star Road. They free providers."
"Holy mother shit," Ricki muttered.
Mac wanted to hit something. He could think of only one cause that could pull Del out of his apathy—and that was it. "How could Del have known? Staver had no reason to trust him."
"He and Staver are both powerful empaths," Tyra said. "I think Del figured it out from that."
"How is Staver?" Mac asked. "And Cameron."
"Cameron is fine," Fitz said. "He had a broken femur, but it's almost healed. No one else was critically injured. The hospital released Staver into the custody of two Marines we provided as guards." Frustration snapped in his voice. "Not that any of the people we're trying so blasted hard to protect will let us do our jobs. If Staver hadn't ditched his bodyguard when he went to see Tarex, he would never have been captured."
Tyra scowled at him. "Staver could hardly bring an ASC guard when he went in to free that provider."
"That's right," Fitz said curtly. "Because what Staver did is illegal."
"So is what Tarex did to Staver," Ricki ground out. "And whatever the hell that bastard is doing to Del."
"We need proof!" Fitz said. "Del walked up to Tarex's yacht and knocked, for God's sake. Tarex claims his people believed they were acting in self-defense when they blocked the port security. If we storm his ship with no evidence, this will all blow up in our faces. Literally. And then Del won't be a prisoner, he'll be dead. He should have left the rescue to us, damn it, not tried to go in himself."
Mac crossed his arms. "Del's not stupid. He knew you all wouldn't get to Staver in time."
Ricki spoke to Fitz. "Why couldn't you send someone to check out Del's story? If you had, Del might not be up in orbit."
"We were investigating," Fitz said. "But we had to be careful. Tarex has been a model citizen. We couldn't instigate a diplomatic crisis with an Aristo prince based on the unsubstantiated word of an emotionally unstable rock singer."
Ricki bristled. "Nothing is wrong with Del's mind."
"He's a virt-addicted mess," Fitz said.
"Fitz, wait," Mac said. "I know how it looks with Del. But he's a lot more stable and responsible than you think."
"Then why are we in this blowup?" the general demanded.
Tyra finally spoke, her voice no less powerful because of her quiet tone. "Because Del considers Staver's life worth more than his own. He sacrificed himself to free Aunchild because he believes Staver contributes more to humanity."
"What he did may be the greatest act of bravery this side of the Milky Way," Fitz said. "But we have to deal with the fallout. The Imperator is sending a detachment of the Skolian Fleet. The Skolian embassy here on Earth has an associated contingent of ships in orbit that they've put on battle-ready alert. The Trader emperor is sending forces because he thinks we're threatening one of his lords. The Trader ships associated with their embassy here are also on alert. So is Allied Space Command. We have to get Del out before this thing explodes."
"We have to get him out of there," Tyra said flatly, "before Tarex tortures him into insanity."
Ricki shuddered. "Don't say that."
Tyra started to pace. "If Tarex suspects we're trying, he might jump his ship into inversion and leave the solar system. We'll never see Del again."
"He can't," Mac said. "Activating a starship drive this close to a planet, at such slow speeds, could destroy his ship."
"It's slow, yes," Fitz said. "But he wouldn't be starting from rest. Inverting so close to Earth is more likely to damage other ships caught in his spacetime backlash. It's still a risk for him, a big one, but he might consider it worth the danger if he realizes who he caught."
"Del would never tell him," Ricki said.
An awkward silence followed her words. Mac doubted she had ever encountered anything like a Trader interrogation. Her crowd played games, but that was all. This was the real thing. He spoke with difficulty. "Del may not be able to stop himself."
"It's worse than that," Tyra said grimly. "He has a neuro-active pico-web in his brain with bio-electrodes. Everyone in his family has it, some much more than Del."
"I don't understand," Ricki said. "What does that mean?' "
Fitz spoke quietly. "The web destroys pathways in his brain. Under duress, it can prevent him from answering questions. If the interrogation is too intense, it will erase his memories."
Ricki's face went ashen. "His own people did that to him?"
"He asked them to," Tyra said. "It protects the people he loves. He wanted it redone when he came out of cryo."
"It isn't Del's memories I'm worried about," Mac said. "It's his health. Tarex could kill him in more ways than he knows."
Tyra hit at the air with her fist. "Damn it, I believed Del when he promised he wouldn't pull anything."
"I've no doubt he meant it when he said it," Mac said.
"He's always putting himself down," Ricki said. "I'd never have guessed he would risk his life this way."
"That's just it!" The usually stoic Tyra was furious. "He has this idea that he's w
orthless. He won't listen to anyone who tells him it's not true."
"If he were worthless," Fitz said tightly, "the militaries of three empires wouldn't be poised to fight right now."
"The problem," Ricki said, "is that you're all thinking in military terms."
Fitz gave her a look he reserved for sweet, clueless sexpots. "Given that it's a military situation, Miss Varento, that would be the logical approach."
Ricki returned his look with the one she reserved for big, clueless studs. "Even so. Let's just suppose we leave the military out of it for a minute. Del broke civilian laws when he damaged Tarex's ship. Of course our police want him. It's a civil matter with an Allied citizen. If they courteously but firmly tell Tarex he must surrender Del so they can put him on trial for his actions against Tarex, it removes the appearance of a threat from our people against the Aristo."
Fitz rubbed his chin. "If Tarex refuses to release Del to the police, it does weaken his claim of self-defense."
Tyra snorted. "Among my people, no one would ever believe the police would arrest someone for helping a psion escape an Aristo. They'd consider the idea ludicrous."
"Probably," Mac said. "But it could work here. A lot of my people don't even believe psions exist, and Tarex knows that."
"The police are standing by," Fitz said. "They've already charged Del for a number of crimes. They don't know he has diplomatic immunity." His eyes glinted. "If Tarex refuses to relinquish Del, our police will have to appeal to the Trader authorities for help."
"Then Tarex becomes the one creating the problem," Ricki said.
Tyra shook her head. "It won't work. Aristos consider us subhuman. They believe they have a right to do whatever they please to us. If Tarex wants to kidnap Del, enslave him, and force him to sing so Tarex makes billions, none of his people will blink."
"Usually, yes," Mac said. "But the emperor doesn't want his Aristos torpedoing his diplomatic relations with Earth."
"The emperor is a teenager," Fitz said sourly. "He has no power. He couldn't stop his own shadow."
Ricki blinked. "The Eubian emperor is a kid?"
"Jaibriol the Third is eighteen," Mac said. "His father died in the war, so Jaibriol ascended the throne."
"With less leadership at the helm, the Aristo lords have more power," Tyra said. "It's Tarex we have to deal with."
Fitz looked around at them. "We'll have the police notify him, then. Del broke our laws. We want to prosecute."
"It'll calm Tarex down," Tyra said. "Maybe take him off his guard. But not enough. He won't give up Del."
"Probably not," Fitz said. "But while the police distract him, we'll get the Raptors in there."
"Can you?" Mac asked.
"I sure as hell hope so," Fitz said. "Because we don't have a lot of other options."
The hours merged into a blur of agony. Sometimes Tarex watched Bronzeson work on Del with the whip. Other times Tarex used a neural dust that adhered to Del's skin and extended tendrils through his skin. When Tarex activated the dust, the tendrils jolted Del's nerves, setting him on fire with excruciating pain.
Tarex questioned him relentlessly.
"You speak Iotic," he said. "You're Skolian, aren't you?"
"No," Del rasped. He was sitting on the deck of the lower cargo bay with his hands bound to a rung of the ladder by his shoulders. "I only know . . . that word."
"Why do you have that hinge in your hand?" Tarex asked. "Can't you get it fixed?"
Del tried to say, nothing is wrong with it, but the anti-interrogation treatments in his brain wouldn't let him reveal even that much. So instead he said, "I like it."
"You shouldn't lie," Tarex said mildly—and touched a small disk he held.
Del screamed as his nerves burst into pain. He didn't think a human being could hurt that much and survive, but he had resources he had never known. He couldn't even goddamned pass out.
"Answer me," Tarex said. "Are you a Skolian nobleman?"
"No," Del whispered. He wanted to tell Tarex and make the pain stop. But he couldn't. If he tried, his mind blanked.
Tarex's half-Aristo officer, the man called Kryxson, had come partway down the ladder. He stood on the rung above Del and stared down at him. "He would have told you by now if he were a nobleman. He's too weak to hold out this long."
Tarex stopped pressing the disk, and the pain eased. "What do you know about Staver?" he asked Del.
Del's voice cracked. "He licensed my music."
Tarex frowned. "You can't sing with your voice so raw." He glanced up at Kryxson. "Go get the EI-doc to repair his throat."
"Right away, sir." Kryxson went up the ladder.
Del leaned his head against one of the rungs. "Why are you doing this to me?" He knew the answer, but he couldn't believe someone would deliberately hurt another human being this way.
"Tell me about Staver," Tarex said.
Sweat beaded on Del's forehead. "He's an exec at Metropoli Interstellar."
"Don't play the innocent." Tarex's voice hardened. "You know what I'm talking about."
Del met his gaze, though he wanted to look anywhere but at the Aristo. "I've told you everything I know."
"Aunchild hired someone to help him get my provider." Tarex leaned forward. "Someone who tampered with the EI at the Star Tower Sheraton. Help like that isn't cheap. Where did he get the money?"
"He's a conglomerate exec," Del said. "They pay well."
"Not that well." Tarex poised his hand above the disk. "Answer me, Del."
"I swear, I don't know—ah, no." Del screamed as his nerves exploded with fire. He tried to hold back, but it went on and on, until finally he shouted, "I'll tell you. Stop!"
Mercifully the pain ended. And because it had never occurred to anyone in the Skolian military to program him against talking about Staver Aunchild, he said, "I gave him the money."
"I thought so." Tarex lowered the disk. "Why?"
Hatred edged Del's voice. "Because what you do to providers is twisted."
Tarex looked down at him as if from a great height. "You Allieds are so self-righteous." The anger faded from his face, replaced by satisfaction. "But those anthologies of yours must be even more lucrative than I realized, to finance Staver's little gambit. I'll make billions."
"I won't sing for you," Del rasped.
Tarex glanced up the ladder. "What do you think?" he said to someone above them. "Will he sing?"
Kryxson answered. "Of course." He was coming down the ladder. When he reached the rung where Del's wrists were bound, he stepped squarely onto the hinge in Del's hand. Del gritted his teeth, but he held back his groan, refusing them that satisfaction. At least the medical robot, or med-bot, that followed Kryxson stepped over Del's hands. It resembled the security mechs, except it was blue instead of gold and much less bulky.
When the med-bot reached the bottom of the ladder, it leaned over Del and passed its hand over his throat. Lights blinked on its arms and chest, but Del couldn't interpret the patterns.
"His vocal cords are inflamed," the med-bot said. Its finger morphed into a syringe. That one simple action told Del plenty about Tarex; it was extraordinarily expensive to build a robot that could re-form parts of itself with such fluidity. Yet this was the second of Tarex's robots Del had seen do it. Either Tarex was wealthy even among Aristos, who were probably the most avaricious group of humans alive, or else he wasted his money. From what Del had seen, he had little doubt it was the former. It scared the hell out of him, for it implied Tarex was even better at being an Aristo than most Aristos.
The med-bot set the point of its syringe against Del's neck.
"No!" Del tried to jerk away, but Kryxson held his head while the bot administered the shot. Del choked back his cry. The syringe hurt like everything else. It didn't have to; they could have used a method he didn't feel at all.
Tarex sighed and sat down on a crate, his eyes glazed. "You will be my greatest acquisition, Del. An anthology a year, eh?"
"You ca
n't take me with you," Del said hoarsely. "I'm supposed to do a huge concert tonight. If I don't show up, everyone on Earth will find out what you did to me."
"I've permission to extradite you," Tarex told him.
"Like hell."
Tarex motioned to the med-bot. In response, it raised its hand, showing Del the syringe as it morphed into a knife.
"No," Del whispered. "Don't."
As the bot brought down the knife, all Del could think was that not only would he never see his family again, he had also let down Jud, Anne, and Randall, with all the intensity, friendship, and arguments they shared. Then the knife struck home, but instead of stabbing Del, the robot sliced the cords binding him to the stairs. With a gasp, he dropped his arms into his lap. He crumpled against the ladder, sitting with his knees bent next to his body and his head hanging. The med-bot's feet were visible, but then they moved away.
Tarex spoke gently. "Del, look at me."
He raised his head. Tarex was standing over him, staring down as if Del were an insect he had found on the floor.
"Kneel to me," Tarex said softly.
Del gritted his teeth and stayed put.
Tarex moved fast, probably with augmented reflexes, and backhanded Del across the face. Del's head slammed into the ladder.
"I said kneel," Tarex told him.
"No," Del ground out.
Tarex pressed the disk.
Agony erupted in Del's body. He screamed and screamed—and he could scream, because the medicine was already healing his throat.
The pain ended abruptly. Then Tarex murmured, "Kneel. And say this: I submit to your magnificence, glorious Lord."
Del met his stare. In slow, succinct words, he said, "Fuck you, Tarex."
The Aristo's lower eyelid twitched.
And he pressed the disk.
"Mister Arden has already been charged," the man on the screen said. "We have to take him into custody."
Tarex was watching the screen from the pilot's chair of his yacht. Del sat in the copilot's seat, out of sight. The med-bot had given him some drug that paralyzed him. The pressure of the seat against his back hurt, with all the welts, gashes, and bruises, but he couldn't do anything to alleviate it. His head was turned sideways, toward Tarex, so he had to watch as Tarex spoke with the officer, a man called Gregori. The Allied man looked familiar, but Del couldn't figure out why.