Tally Road Original Story- Chapter 18

"You've done well." said the video image of Voustrets. "Can't I persuade you to work on it a little longer? There's so much else I could learn, and it hardly seems fair for you to abandon me at this juncture."

"We're not in a juncture, we're in a spaceport." remarked Boodins.

Voustrets pretended he didn't hear, and continued. "This is much more important than some kidnapping! Honestly!"

"It was the kidnapping that brought us to you in the first place." said Rairate. "You must allow us to pursue our duty, 'aons."

"But you, Siertes! If I could just tell you of the importance of this mission to your people... except that would lay bare my plan..."

"They saved my life." said Siertes. "I'm staying with them. I could be useful." She would not meet Voustrets' eyes in the videoscreen. Dene noted her reluctance, almost like shame. Siertes seemed to catch herself and switched to staring boldly at Voustrets, saying more lightly, "Plus I get to tease puppy and crazy wolfess. And kitty fights almost like one of us."

"You must allow us to pursue our duty." repeated Rairate. Voustrets gave him a look of utter exasperation and turned to face Dene. "Miss Tieschtet? Your opinion?"

Dene looked apologetic. "I'm sure we appreciate your help..."

"Ha!" said Voustrets. "Well, then- what do you propose to do? You've left this fellow out of your sight, and he could be anywhere by now."

"Oh, yeah?" said Dene.

Rairate explained. "Denenke believes that once we know Finn is in this city, she can track him over the computers and we don't have to approach him until we're ready to."

"It's a trick," said Dene, "now that we have a banking ID I was able to send a traceable priority message to him. We're basically monitoring the routing of it and calling it back for amending every few hundred ticks..."

Voustrets looked grudgingly impressed. "And you're at the spaceport in case he bolts, to help your reaction time?"

Dene nodded smugly.

"And where is he now?"

Dene reached over and keyed in some instructions, causing Voustrets' image to become smaller on the screen, replaced by other information. Her jaw dropped, and she glanced with alarm at Siertes. "Oh, no..."

"Miss Tieschtet, where is he now?" repeated Voustrets.

"Delmas." said Dene. "Well... actually, he's booked a flight to Delmastrabatenstrolontempre, but I'll bet you anything he's going to get permission from their Boss to go on to Delmas. He must have seen Siertes and assumed she was with us..."

Boodins stared at her helplessly. "Delmastra... what? Are you making that up?"

"It's Aintar, Boodins. It means it's less important when the name goes on like that." said Rairate.

"Delmastra..." said Dene, and then read it off the screen again, "...batenstrolontempre is a space habitat for Aintar, orbiting Delmas. That's their capital world. Well, not a world exactly..."

"You're not helping!" protested Boodins. "What do you mean, not a world?"

"I'd have thought you'd seen Ainte before." said Rairate.

"Yeah, they're like birds. Really bright colors."

"No, those are Aintar. They're the intelligent beings native to Ainte. Ainte are... call them trees."

"That's an understatement." said Dene.

"Well, they're not very much like trees." said Rairate. "Perhaps you could think of them as space trees?"

"You're not helping." said Boodins. "Why is this bad? Dene said 'oh, no'."

"It's not that. It's me." said Siertes.

Rairate nodded. "It's going to be very difficult to take Siertes into Aintar territory. Tompar aren't allowed anywhere near them, generally. We really ought to leave her behind."

"No, I need to come along!" protested Siertes.

Rairate's ears perked, and he studied her warily. "Why, vraonse? We still are not clear why you were following us in the first place. This is so important to you? This is, perhaps, to do with your original assignment?"

"I fought by your side..." added Siertes pointedly, while Voustrets watched over the video screen's monitor camera with interest. Rai looked at the ground, bristling slightly with embarrassment, and shortly he said "Forgive me." and didn't press Siertes for an explanation again.

"And you're going to go get this Finn, are you?" said Voustrets. He seemed amused. Siertes did not share his amusement. Rairate looked affronted, and Dene looked unsettled.

Boodins looked back and forth between them, genuinely distressed. "What in the world is going on? This can't be right. What's the matter?"

"We're just concerned, Boodins." said Rairate. "Sometimes things become so complicated that it's worrying. We need to respect Siertes' courage in defending us, but I could wish we knew why. 'Aons..."

"Okay," said Siertes, "I was looking for information on you guys. But I found out what I need to know- I'm satisfied now."

Dene didn't look any less unsettled. "But it was finding out about Finn that convinced you, and you looked completely surprised. Why were you following us before?"

"Um." said Siertes.

"I don't think she's going to tell you." said Rairate. "But that's a problem. We can't go on that way. We will have to leave her behind..."

"All right!" said Siertes. "I was working for, for a friend of Finn's. Okay? Is! I was working for a friend of Finn's, and I didn't realise what he had done. It's like it was under false pretenses."

"Your loyalties had changed?" inquired Rairate politely. Over the video screen, Voustrets gave a little bark of laughter.

"None of that from you!" snapped Siertes at the video-screen vulpine, who twinkled his eyes at her and replied, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. Do go on."

"Yes, my loyalties ch... well, okay, you know about us, we don't do that as a rule. But didn't you see how surprised I was when I learned what Finn had done?"

"And when you saw him in Dinsam, and learned what they were doing?" suggested Voustrets, over the screen.

Siertes nodded, her eyes dark with suspicion and distrust. "That doesn't make any sense. I have to know what's going on there. I've got to know. An assignment is an assignment, but it's like these people want to wipe out all of... I didn't know there was anyone working so hard to kill us."

"I, too, need to know." said Voustrets. "If you stay behind..."

"No! Don't try to argue with me!" snapped Siertes. "Things are complicated enough!"

The Estrai shrugged. "I relent. Go. Quickly, the fellow may already be boarding his ship."

Siertes blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"That was easy!" remarked Boodins cheerfully.

"That was completely wrong. First he wants us all to go back and find out more about this Dinsam place, and now he wants us to go? He's up to something!" said Siertes.

Rairate quirked an ear in perplexity. "He's Voustrets Talanstre Laimontre. I've heard about him. He probably is up to something but we won't be able to figure it out. You should say 'is' and write it off, because wondering isn't going to help."

Voustrets protested loudly. "Really, it's unfair! Perhaps you are giving way to prejudices about Estrai? Is it that? What have I done to deserve this distrust from you?"

Rai began to backpedal hastily. "I beg your pardon, 'aons, and must assure you that I held no such prejudice, and what must I do to earn any forgiveness you see fit to..."

Dene interrupted him, worriedly. "He's right, Rairate, Finn is boarding his ship. It departs in a few minutes. We need to go."

"But..." said Siertes, and Boodins asked, "Won't he see us if we're on the same ship?"

Dene looked smug. "He can't afford to fly first class. We will. That should be fun..."

"...thank you, Voustrets." she added, as the Estrai on the video screen showed signs of getting huffy.

Rairate had heard that when Voustrets had to think really hard, his ears went back and his eyes glinted, giving him an angry look. It was quite true, and Rai watched with interest as the famed Estrai detective glowered at nothing for second after second, his eyes not only glinting but flicking back and forth in a curious jittering way. The effect was like seeing a locked building inside which work was being done: lights dimming for blocks around while you stared at the impassive walls of the building.

The formidable look left Voustrets' eyes. "Yes, go now," he said, "but also- you must meet Ka and tell her something. It's urgent."

"Ka?" blinked Boodins.

"Their Boss of Bosses." explained Voustrets. "You must tell her that Finn must be arrested. If she contacts me I will supply the justification. Have Ka arrest Finn and hold him for questioning. She should be willing to do it on my recommendation."

"All right!" yelped Boodins, but Siertes' look darkened even more. "You can't seriously believe that Aintar police can detain a guy like him?"

"Please!" said Voustrets. "It's important that you do this!"

"Come on, Siertes," protested Dene, "we've got to board the ship right now!" She had been typing busily away, and now was poised for a mad dash to the boarding concourse. "Argue later!"

"Is!" cursed Siertes, and they were off.