WHEN NAL ARRIVED back at the safe house, Taila and Meilo were of course still awake, waiting for him. Both looked very relieved that he was back.
"So, it wasn't a trap," Taila said.
"As you see, it wasn't."
"Who did you meet?" Meilo asked.
"The less you know, the better. Here's the deal," Nal said while he sat down onto the sofa. "There's someone left on the Gen to assemble the device, but that person has only two more weeks aboard. We have to get the remaining five parts up there before next Itaday somehow, preferably in one go. That's our one and only remaining task."
Meilo shuddered. Taila stared at him with huge eyes.
"How the hell do we do that without Sirid or Gus?" she asked.
"You've nailed the problem. I called Faliz from the car and asked him to get all parts together. He said he needs to pull some strings here and there, but we can have them by next Day of Worship. That gives us two days to get them onto the Gen. The only way I can see is that either Meilo or I pose as an OT worker. I'll ask Kurie for a fake OT worker ID. Just in case. We have until Day of Worship to figure out a plan."
"Holy Tral," Meilo said.
"Yeah, it's desperate now, it's all or nothing. I'm pretty sure that whoever is left on the Gen is taking a much bigger risk than we are. This is it, the endgame, disaster or success. Let's go to bed now, sleep on it, and tomorrow we brainstorm how to do this."
"How can you sleep now?" Taila said.
"Sheer force of will, Taila. Discipline. Rested minds have more ideas than we'd have now. We hardly slept last night because of Ennie. We must rest before we get on with this task."
"By the way, what happened to Ennie?" Meilo asked.
"She's dead, taken out by FTS before she could harm us. That's how desperate the situation is. We're the only chance left. They gave us room to breathe and a tiny bit of time and one last chance to finish this."
"Our own guys took her out?" Taila asked. "So there is more FTS in town?"
"Yes, but they won't and cannot help us with the task to get those parts onto the Gen. They cleared our back, the rest we must do ourselves. And by the way, we must keep up the charade, so we all go to school and work tomorrow," Nal said.
"Dad, you cannot be serious."
"I'm very serious. To keep the routine is the most important thing now. And then we strike."
Meilo stood up and headed for the bedroom. "Night, night."
Nal smiled at her and nodded. Taila stared at her parents in amazement. Nal got up too, passed his daughter and kissed her cheek. "Good night, honey."
"Night, Dad," she said, meekly and in awe.
✜✜✜
Dalek let the e-car drive him back to town taking a few detours and while having the honor to talk to the Angel.
"What's your personal impression of Nal?" Lariv asked.
"Nice guy, devoted, determined. But that won't make me feel any better about having killed Ennie."
"You're welcome to blame it all on me, Dalek."
"That only helps to a rather limited degree, Doc."
Dalek had changed hotels and the Angel reassured him that the car's memory of having driven him to the jungle would be erased. The Angel did all those security measures with a routine and certainty that amazed him. How could anybody live like this for fifty years? Never herself, always and forever surrounded by secrets and paranoia, erasing traces, memories and evidence. No wonder that Lariv Jinla was in her own way quite mad.
"How is Nal supposed to bring the missing parts onto the Gen?" Dalek asked.
"The choices are limited. I think he'll choose to do what I'm choosing. Do it himself. He'll pose as an OT worker and try to get the parts aboard."
"Holy crap, this will fail."
"The chances for success are minimal, yes."
"What if they catch Nal alive? He'll compromise you."
"He doesn't know who I am."
"Does the RSW know that there's an Angel?"
"Of course it does."
"You're fucking crazy, Doc. How can anybody in his or her right mind enjoy a life like that?"
"Adrenalin is like a drug, Dalek."
"Well, it's not what I get off on."
The Angel chuckled viciously.
"Why are you doing all this, Doc? What has the RSW done to you?"
"They are worse than the Inquisition ever was, as their immortality plans prove. I found that out when I was in my mid-twenties."
"What happened?"
"They killed someone I loved."
"Who?"
"None of your business, Dalek."
CHAPTER 24
TAILA WENT TO school and then returned home to the apartment where she had grown up. She found it completely impossible to concentrate on her schoolwork that day. A decision formed inside her and she steeled her resolve for the confrontation with her parents.
To keep quiet during dinner was ridiculously difficult, but Nal insisted on discipline and they didn't discuss the OT issue while eating. Yes, her parents were amazing. Well, they had twenty years of practice in talking about mundane things during common meals and yet, their minds seemed to be made of steel during dinner. After the last bite was eaten, Taila couldn't hold back anymore.
"Mom, Dad, I'll get those parts onto the OT's transport cabin. Let me pretend to be that OT worker."
Nal scoffed. "Most certainly not, Taila."
"Stop protecting me, Dad. I know the least of the FTS operations. If they catch me, fine, I can tell them about you and mom, but that's it. I suppose Faliz is a false name too. I know the names of Ennie and Gus, but those two are dead. I know the name Sirid, he's gone. But that's it. I know nothing of FTS headquarter stuff and so forth. It's much too risky if mom or you did this and got caught."
"That may be so, Taila, but no way, absolutely not. You will not pose as an OT worker."
Her father's face was as red as a tomato and his whole body tense.
"Dad, Ennie and Gus and presumably a ton of other people died for this operation already. If I do this, the risk will be minimum. From a logical point of view, you cannot deny that I'm the best solution."
"I don't give a shit about logic. I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself for something you haven't chosen for yourself."
"Your father is right, honey," Meilo said, very pale around the nose in contrast to her crimson father. "This is not your fight, it's ours, and we'll finish it. I'll do it, because I know less than Nal."
"Neither of you will do it, I will," Nal said.
"Mom, Dad, this is absurd. I represent the least risk for the cause, you have to go for the highest chance of success and that's me, you have to go for minimizing risk and that's me. You cannot let your personal feelings or parental instincts interfere with the mission."
"Enough. This is not your mission, it's ours. Your mother and I will finish it."
"Shut up, Dad, and wake up. You know that I'm right. Too many people have died already, too many will die if you get caught. I also will end in prison if you get caught, by the way. I'm your best chance for success. I'll go to my room now to stop this discussion and give you some time to digest these facts. And one more thing, if we get through this, I'll go to Kurie with you. I can study there as well. I don't want to stay on Aran without you."
Taila got up, turned on her heels and walked towards her room with her parents' eyes boring into her back. She'd get them to see, she'd get them there.
✜✜✜
Nal thought he knew what despair was--until now. How in all the Gods names could he talk his daughter out of this? The worst thing was that she was probably right. It would represent the least risk if she posed as an OT worker. He moaned and buried his face in his hands.
"What do we do, Nal?" Meilo asked with a quivering voice.
"What a nightmare," he said, leaning back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
"She's as stubborn as we are, she's our daughter. She knew for three years what we are. She made up her mind to help us. I don't think we can talk her out of this."
"Stop it, Meilo."
"Let's sleep on it."
Meilo got up, took Nal's arm, and pulled him to his feet. He stood in front of her, feeling her warmth, smelling her hair. He embraced her and they held each other tight for a moment. Something wicked crept into his throat, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. No regrets he swore to himself once, when Alek Fons recruited him, but now...
"Why not let the Gen fly? All those sacrifices, all those people dead, Gus, Ennie, and many others, for what?"
Meilo pushed him at arm's length and stared at him with accusation in her eyes. "This is not about the Gen, Nal, this is about freedom. Aran is a police state. They're the Inquisition. They've ruled and murdered for too long. They tortured your innocent sister, broke her and drove her into suicide. They killed countless others. We must fight. Aran will never relinquish power if we ask nicely. They'll never stop if we beg them. Change means pain and blood. Aran must fall, this far, no farther, and you know that and if it wasn't for Taila you wouldn't doubt. I don't like it either, but Taila is right, she's the best candidate for posing as an OT worker of the three of us."
Nal moaned and pulled Meilo towards him again, knowing that he had lost. Closure, yes, more closure than he wanted, maybe more closure than he could bear.
✜✜✜
Kania sat alone with her dinner in the rather crowded Pentral café. Kinad Siels, her gossiping lab colleague, sat with five other colleagues at a table out of earshot. Every time one or the other of them looked in her direction, she was sure that they talked about her. She poked in her food. Some part of her mind had believed that all problems would end once she was on board the Gen, and especially once she had a slot on it. The thought that that little dream was awfully wrong ruined her appetite.
"Recruit Lurdh, may I?"
Kania looked up at a softly smiling Dr. Lariv Jinla in her gray doctor's coat.
"Oh, Dr. Jinla, sure."
"Thank you."
Lariv placed her tray onto the table and sat down. Kania noticed more glances from Kinad's table. Great, her RSW special agent reputation would rise exponentially.
"I'm glad to see your suspension has been revoked," Lariv said, starting to eat.
"Yes, also thanks to you, Doctor."
"Oh, you overestimate my importance, rather thanks to Soinat, I'd say."
Lariv winked at her and Kania couldn't help but smile.
"I feel pretty awful about that. I had no idea that my ex-boyfriend was FTS and equally no idea that Soinat Alander is Timon's uncle. Seems like I'm the most naïve person in the world."
Lariv chuckled at that. "Naïve sounds so negative. How about innocent?"
"Thanks."
Lariv pointed at Kania's half full plate. "No appetite?"
"No, not really. The whole story hasn't served my reputation, you know."
"Yes, gossip can be nasty. Kinad Siels, I guess."
"How do you know that?"
"I interviewed her yesterday."
Kania sighed deeply.
"She's quite a bitch," Lariv said.
Kania liked the doctor more every second. "Exactly."
Lariv nodded and shoved more food into her mouth.
"Do you know Soinat Alander?" Kania asked.
"Yes, I met him a couple of times. He's a nice guy and a useful uncle to have. He's a good leader, smart, determined. He's got what it takes, including some negative traits of people like him, like loving himself too much, but it's still bearable. Let's say he loves himself with charm."
Kania chuckled.
"It's not easy to grow up in the shadow of such a famous relative. Considering the circumstances, I think Timon did quite well."
"Yes, I didn't notice a thing about the big uncle."
Kania gathered her courage and decided to ask. "Doctor, have they caught Sirid?"
"Not to my knowledge, no."
"Wow. I wonder what he'll do in Kurie."
"Yes, retired terrorist, that's a strange job to have. He's an engineer. I suppose the FTS will give him a new identity, new papers, etcetera, and that he'll work at some company in Kurie. I'd love to make a research project out of that--what do retired terrorists do? Are they happy with their new lives? Can they adapt to normal life? Do they have special kinds of problems? Do they need to seek thrill otherwise? Can they just switch off the life they led before? Stuff like that, but I don't think Soinat would warm up to me asking for a sabbatical in Kurie studying retired terrorists."
"Seriously, that sounds like a great research project, maybe you can start it after the Gen has left."
"Yes, maybe." Lariv then sighed wistfully. "Of course I'd rather be on the Gen and study the long term effects of permanent isolation on the populace, but unfortunately I'm too old for that. I ravenously envy the ten psychologists who'll receive slots."
"Wow, ten of the one thousand spots will be for psychologists? I didn't know that."
"Oops, guess I've said too much. But yes, and it shows that the RSW is worried about the psychological state of the Gen's crew, doesn't it? Please keep that to yourself."
"Of course, Doctor. That's very interesting, though. I thought there'd be two or three or so, but ten, wow. Any disciples of yours among them?"
"Four actually, yes, those lucky bastards."
Lariv scratched the last bits of food from her plate.
"Well, I must leave, next interview is coming up. It was a pleasure talking to you, Kania."
"Oh, any time, Doctor, I'm pretty much on my own these days."
"Gossip passes, just be patient."
"I will be, thank you, Doctor."
Lariv smiled, nodded, and got up, taking her tray with her. Kania finished her meal with a suddenly restored appetite.