Scotty blinked, started to shake his head, and realized he was lying on hard, damp ground. He blinked again, taking in the strange blue-greenish foliage and the taste of blood in his mouth, and remembered. He'd been circling around, being as stealthy as he could, when something had hit him on the back of the head. He'd been attacked!
Bracing himself against the pain, he scrambled to his feet to confront his attacker. His vision wavered as he swayed dizzily for a second; then he focused on the figure pointing his blaster at him. "Who are you?" he demanded.
The tall, slender woman with long honey-gold hair considered him for a moment, her dark hazel eyes thoughtful. She wasn't wearing a uniform, though her knee-length tunic and matching cornflower blue trousers were cut in a loose imitation. The silver sash around her waist added to the semi-official feel of her appearance. And, Scotty noted, she was holding the weapon as if accustomed to it.
"I think," she said, in a surprisingly soft voice, "I had better be the one to ask the questions, since I have the weapon. Please identify yourself."
It took Scotty's fogged brain a moment to recognize that she was speaking Praxatillian. Of course, he probably had too; they'd spoken English with Ford and Khediva but had switched to Praxatillian when they met Major Ilyanan. Well, if this was a trap for Mara, of course they expect us to speak Praxatillian, he realized. He wondered if his name would mean anything to any non-Praxatillian after all this time. "Scotty Devon."
The woman raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Is that your full name?" she asked after a moment.
"Trade," he said. "I answered one question, now you answer one. Who are you?"
She smiled dubiously. "I would be happy to answer that question if I were convinced you answered mine truthfully."
"I haven't got any ID on me," he said. He tried his best charming grin. "Look, you attacked me, not the other way around. I won't hurt you. Give me the gun back and let's talk like civilized people."
"I would like to, but I'm afraid I cannot until I am sure—" She broke off, looking at the woods behind him. A look of surprise and relief came over her face, making her seem younger. "Var!"
"Aurora!" Ford greeted her. "Where's Mother? Why aren't you with her?"
"We got separated in the disturbance," Aurora said. "I've looked for her, but I don't think she's here any longer." She smiled at him. "I'm very glad to see you, your highness."
"I'm glad you're safe," he replied. "And no highnessing, Aurora. This isn't an official occasion."
"Is it not?" she replied. Then she turned to Scotty and handed him back his blaster with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry I hit you, Captain. I had no way of knowing you were an ally."
Sabrina joined them, looking reproachfully at Ford. "Are you all right, Scotty?"
"Yeah, fine," he said. He reached up to touch the back of his head and winced a little. "I'm just out of practice bein' hit over the head, that's all."
"Hi," Sabrina said to Aurora. "I'm Sabrina Devon. And you are?"
Ford cut in, "Lady Sabrina, Captain Devon, I have the honor to present Lady Aurora ya Daroun nar Ruschar, Chief Attendant to the Guardian. Aurora, these are my long-lost cousins." He turned to Sabrina. "Aurora and I grew up together. Her mother was my mother's chief attendant when we were children."
Sabrina gasped. "You're Selémahs' daughter?"
Aurora nodded. "My parents are Selémahs nar Ruschar and Leran nar Daroun. I am sure they would both wish to be remembered to you. And I am honored to meet you both; my parents often spoke of you."
Sabrina smiled. "I have very fond memories of them. I hope they are well?"
"Yes, thank you."
"I know about him," Scotty said, nodding at Ford, "but how did you get an Earth name?"
"From Lady Sabrina," Aurora said. "She once told my mother of an Earth fable. She never had time to tell the story, but Mother obtained a version of it before I was born."
Sabrina frowned, then laughed. "Sleeping Beauty! I remember now. I was talking about Mara."
"Aurora," Ford said impatiently, "tell us exactly what happened when Mother disappeared."
Aurora paused as Lieutenant Lndor joined them, and Scotty said, "Tell us while we walk. We should get back to the flyer."
They began making their way through the forest. Aurora said, "I do not remember very clearly, I am afraid. There was a disturbance in Giandrah. Her Majesty summoned me and said we must go to investigate it. I notified Lady Imari of our departure, and Her Majesty transported us here. We spoke briefly with Governor Senza, but he knew nothing of any disturbance. On reflection, I believe the Crystal warned us not of an event that was occurring then, but of one that was about to occur. Thus we arrived in time to be caught up in the disturbance. I remember Her Majesty crying out as I lost consciousness. I woke up in this forest and began searching for her. Then, a little while ago, there was another disturbance, and I lost consciousness again. When I woke I began searching again, until I became aware of others nearby. I saw the combat armor and was afraid you might be behind the Queen's disappearance. I determined to capture and question one of you, and when I found Captain Devon alone, I hit him with a tree branch and took his weapon."
Her voice was calm throughout, and Sabrina realized that, though Aurora did not physically resemble her mother, she had Selémahs' serene and capable air. Of course, from what Sabrina remembered of Leran nar Daroun, Aurora might easily have learned that from him, too.
"That doesn't tell us much more than we knew," Ford mused.
"I am sorry," Aurora said. "But we will find her, Var. Please do not fret."
Ford gave her a somewhat sheepish smile, and Sabrina was struck by their easy relationship. The old feeling of being excluded nagged at her, and she pushed it away from her thoughts impatiently. Of course Ford felt more reassured by Aurora than by her or her brother. They had grown up together, probably been playmates. The Miahns she'd known had always been rather clannish; that would not have changed. She was still, and always would be, an outsider. Only her adopted name was Miahn; she never could be. That didn't change her obligations to Mara and Tirqwin or her determination to find and help them.
"I wonder if Khediva's come up with anything," she mused aloud.
"Wayship Khediva is here?" Aurora asked, surprised.
"Yes, in orbit," Ford said. "Didn't you see Father, then? Khediva said he was taken during the disturbance; we thought Mother must have wanted him."
Aurora sighed. "I cannot say for certain, since I was not conscious, but I do not think the Guardian was able to perform such actions during or after the disturbance. I was not able to clearly sense the Great Crystal, though I do not believe I was ever totally cut off from it; I do not think she would have fared very much better than I."
Scotty said, "So Mara might not be unconscious or in stasis. She might just be cut off from the Crystal. Like that time on Mundisar, Rina."
"I remember," Sabrina said. "But that was another form of crystal interfering with her. There's nothing like that here, is there, and Khediva said the phase shift didn't feel like crystal energy to her."
"What'd she say? Raw psychic power?" Scotty said. "Well, that coulda done it. I mean, anything generating that much psychic force would have to affect Mara, maybe interrupt her link to the Crystal and to Tirqwin for a while."
"And Tirqwin's link with Khediva," Sabrina agreed.
They walked in silence back to the clearing, pondering what they knew. When they reached the flyer, they found a second one beside it and Major Ilyanan scanning the forest for them.
"Lady Aurora!" Ilyanan exclaimed. "You were with Her Majesty? Do you know where she is?"
"No," Aurora replied, "I am afraid not."
"I've been in touch with Control," Ilyanan said. "Giandrah reports another disturbance that coincided with this part of the planet coming back into phase—but they also sensed another, much larger one some moments later. They think it originated further inward from the Rim. All Realm vessels are scanning for anomalies."
The comlink Scotty had picked up aboard Khediva pinged. "Yes, Khediva?" he responded.
"Scotty, Sabrina, I am bringing you back aboard," Khediva said, sounding agitated.
"What is it?" Sabrina asked, concerned.
"I do not wish to discuss it over an open channel," Khediva replied. "I am bringing you aboard."
A few moments later, the entire group was standing on Khediva's control deck. Ford demanded, "What is it, Khediva? Have you found them?"
"No. But I have found a second disturbance and pinpointed the location," Khediva replied grimly. "It is a place I am unfortunately familiar with. When I analyzed the disturbances I suddenly realized why they seemed familiar. I checked the location to confirm my theory and discovered that it no longer existed, though Homeworld's database confirms its existence as recently as yesterday, and there has been no supernova or other phenomenon to account for the planet's destruction. I believe it has shifted out of phase."
"What planet?" Scotty asked.
"Stanos."
"Stanos!" the Devons chorused in horror. They looked at each other, then at their companions, who stared curiously back.
Ford said, "I take it you know the place?"
"We've been there. A long time ago," Sabrina said. "It's not a place we ever wanted to go back to."
Scotty said, "But the creature was dead, Rina! So was Emalicia! How could they have done this?"
"They've had ninety years to rebuild, Scotty," Sabrina reminded him. "And we don't know the creature was dead."
"It fell nearly from orbit!" Scotty protested.
"Sabrina is correct," Khediva said. "We cannot assume that the creature was completely dead. It had just finished absorbing Sribarak's mind, after all. And the disturbance bears a distinct resemblance to that first disturbance that took us to Stanos. Also, the Stanosians held all of you in captivity long enough to learn something about Maratobia's capabilities, as well as mine and Tirqwin's."
Sabrina shivered at the memory of their captivity and mental probing by the vicious high priestess Emalicia and her precocious daughter, who was bonded to the massive psychic creature Emalicia had created. The creature's psychic emanations had pulled Khediva out of a Way and later murdered Wayship Sribarak. That had left his Tirqwin, Malvarak, violently insane, blaming Tirqwin and Mara for not being able to save Sribarak.
Malvarak had murdered Mara's father and framed Tirqwin for it, kidnapped Sabrina, tried to steal Khediva's brain, and finally built a Pharon crystal matrix for the shell of his ship that enabled him to disrupt the vital meeting with Homeworld. He had kidnapped and very nearly killed Tirqwin, wanting his brain for the crippled ship. Stanos had been the start of a trail of tragedy and horror for them all.
"Oh my God," Scotty said. "Khediva...if that thing is still alive, it's got Sribarak's mind, all his knowledge! So of course they'd know how to take out your defenses and kidnap Tirqwin!"
"Yes," Khediva said. "Even if the creature did not survive, they had enough knowledge to immobilize Maratobia, perhaps even interrogate her."
"We've got to get to Stanos, and quick, before anything else can happen!" Sabrina said. She turned to Ford. "Can you get us there?"
Khediva cut off his reply. "I will take you, if Niavar is willing to attempt the functions of a Tirqwin."
"Hang on!" Scotty said. "He's not a Tirqwin!"
"He has the necessary abilities," Khediva said. "It is true that he has had no formal training, but I can guide him."
"I'm willing to try," Ford said, his eyes glinting eagerly.
"Now wait a minute!" Sabrina intervened. "That really would shoot the treaty with Homeworld straight to hell! Besides which, I don't think Khediva ought to go at all. Last time we went, a Wayship died. I'm not willing to risk another one."
"It is my Tirqwin who is in danger!" Khediva retorted angrily. "I insist on going! Besides, you have no other method of transport capable of surmounting the phase shift, or of going back in time before it occurred."
There was a silence, during which Sabrina and Scotty looked expectantly at Ford. "That's not quite true," he said reluctantly. "My ship, the Adventure, is capable of some limited time travel."
"What?" Khediva exclaimed. She was silent for a moment, presumably scanning Ford's ship. Then she let out a groan. "Niavar!"
Ford flushed uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Khediva," he murmured. "I didn't do it to make trouble. I didn't really realize it would violate the peace treaty until after it was finished, and then, well—"
"And then," Khediva said wearily, "you thought that what Homeworld did not know could not hurt you. And I suppose you coaxed Maratobia into overlooking it. I knew Tirqwin was right. We should have had Sabrina take you in hand. Or, your parents should have taken my suggestion and turned you over to House Yanklozhquar for training as a Wayfarer candidate. I am inexpressibly relieved that none of your siblings has shown half as much talent in this area as you."
"I suppose you must report this to Homeworld now," Ford sighed.
"I will wait until after we deal with this much greater crisis on Stanos. I must consult with your father. You will inform him of this reckless action of yours; I do not care to give him such infuriating news. But I intend to have a word with Maratobia over her culpability in this matter."
"Now, Khediva," Sabrina said soothingly, "there's no sense starting a family quarrel. Besides, we have to find Mara first. I think you should stay here and monitor Shzhin Colony for any further disturbances, and keep in touch with Praxatillus Control for any news they have. The rest of us will go to Stanos in Ford's ship and see what we can do there."
"I insist on going with you!" Khediva repeated.
"Khediva, you'll only be a target, and we don't need another person to worry about!" Sabrina protested.
"I can be of substantial help—"
"Not against that creature, you can't! You weren't before!"
Silence fell, and Sabrina wished she could take that last sentence back. "Khediva, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
"Yes," Khediva said, her voice brittle, "you did. I am an old Wayship, Sabrina, but I am not falling apart yet, and I do not need you to protect me. Aside from that, Homeworld will wish to have a representative present to observe and deal with whatever is occurring on Stanos, and since we do not know what has happened to Tirqwin, I must be that representative. You have no authority to prevent me. In fact I take it there is some doubt as to who is actually in authority among you."
Sabrina shot a glare at Scotty, who subsided with a shrug, and replied, "I am the duly designated representative of the Prime Minister of Praxatillus, who specifically placed the Prince of Bathir at my disposal during this crisis. Therefore he cannot act as your Tirqwin without my permission. I also interpret my status to mean I have authority over the military personnel present here." She looked at Major Ilyanan. "Do you wish to contest that interpretation?"
Ilyanan's eyes flashed with momentary panic. "No, my lady," she replied. "Not unless I become convinced that your orders place us in unnecessary jeopardy."
Sabrina turned to Ford, her chin turned up slightly and her eyes hard and bright with challenge. She had unconsciously adopted the gestures and tones she'd used as Regent of Praxatillus, and he found that she reminded him strikingly of his mother at that moment. "And you, your highness? Do you contest my authority?"
Ford looked as though he were chewing on something rancid. "No," he said, after a moment. "Though I do have questions as to whether Rassir has the authority to put me at your disposal in the first place, I will bow to your expertise in this area, since you have dealt with this planet before and I have not. However, Lady Aurora is outside the command structure of the planetary government and is in no way bound to submit to you."
"Yes, I realize that," Sabrina replied with dignity. "Just as Khediva represents Homeworld, Lady Aurora represents the Council of Trême's interests." She turned to Aurora. "I ask for your cooperation, my lady, in this crisis."
"You shall have it," Aurora said. "I too acknowledge your experience in this matter. I believe our aims coincide perfectly. As long as they continue to do so, I will cooperate fully with your instructions."
"Thank you."
Scotty folded his arms. "So what are your orders, your dictatorship?"
Sabrina looked at the circle of expectant faces and suddenly realized what she'd just done. She hadn't thought she could fall so easily back into the old habit of command, reluctantly learned so long ago. "Khediva, do you think it would be wise to report to Homeworld and ask for some help?"
Khediva chuckled wryly. "Beware, Sabrina: if you ask for help, you may get it. Asnefer aïé Shahina are still assigned to observe Realm affairs, and you will not be able to bully them as you bully us."
"Then this is what I think we should do," Sabrina said. "We can expect to encounter more disturbances as we enter Stanosian space. I don't think this is a trip we should make with an untrained Tirqwin and a damaged Wayship. So Ford will pilot his own ship and take Khediva in tow. We'll leave Khediva in a long orbit so hopefully she won't be as vulnerable to anything happening on Stanos. She can act as our backup if the rest of us all get into trouble, and she can continue repairing herself meanwhile. We'll scan Stanos when we get there and make a plan then, when we find out where Mara and Tirqwin are. Questions?"
"I got one," Scotty said. "Last time we were on Stanos, they were runnin' around with spears and stuff. How'd they get to space travel all the sudden?"
Khediva said, "Homeworld has been monitoring Stanos ever since we were there. There have been no signs of technological development. I had thought their genetic and psychic experiments had been curbed as well, but evidently they have continued them without Homeworld's agents becoming aware of it. If they have vehicles capable of interstellar travel, they must have gotten them from somewhere else."
"Khediva," Sabrina said, "please send the record of the ship that attacked you to Homeworld and to Praxatillus Control and ask them to analyze it in light of a connection with Stanos."
"I have already done so," Khediva replied. "Sabrina, before you go haring off on this quest, do you not think you should check with the government you claim to be representing?"
"I will," Sabrina said.
Ford said, "Khediva, can I have your help plotting our Way? My ship isn't capable of the accuracy that you are, and I don't want us to arrive as the disturbance is beginning."
Khediva sniffed. "I should think not. I suppose it must be some slight comfort that your imitation is imperfect even by your standards."
Ford grinned. Then he turned to Sabrina and said, "With your permission, of course, my lady?"
"Keep practicing, Ford, you'll get sarcasm down yet," she replied. "You have my permission. Khediva, please open me a channel to Praxatillus Control on the secondary console."
"Yes, Sabrina," Khediva replied.