Sky Landing, Feuria's main port, gleamed in the planet's morning light. Air traffic hummed over the pristine, almost sculptural structures. Staff and cargo bots raced about with crisp efficiency. A light breeze carried the scent of av fuel, overlaying the perfume of flowering trees in nearby plazas and green spaces.
Kaplan disembarked the Fire Witch and spotted his first appointment waiting at the edge of the landing pad. A senior Rha Si.
His shoulders tightened. A day of meetings and accusations awaited him. More reports of death and destruction. The serenity the designers of the spaceport had hoped to promote would be out of his reach for the foreseeable future.
He turned and ordered Sun to get everyone settled in their accommodation. Multiple sets of dissatisfied eyes locked on him. His team's psionics ran cool, the soldiers having adjusted their attitudes after being reminded where his true loyalty lay and where theirs needed to.
As for a certain aberrant...
Jinx's dark stare promised blood. She took a step forward, no doubt to deliver on that promise, but a large, Zex-covered hand clamped onto her shoulder, halting her. Cruse.
Without a word, the big Atillian steered her back on course, toward the arrivals terminal. The CI's opinion of her "jail warden" and the "lower life form" who'd assigned the big cat that duty was succinct and unambiguous—amusing, but only fleetingly so.
Kaplan's lips flattened as he watched her taut strides chew up the landing deck's concrete. His team would keep the aberrant in line until the investigation committee was done with her. After that, she'd be free to do something stupid. Like hitch a ride with a criminal, back to the carnage she'd just escaped.
Filing his personal thoughts on that, Kaplan strode over to his waiting superior. The Rha Si was difficult to miss. Her deep brown skin, brunette crop, and black business suit stood out starkly against the pale concrete and plex behind her. But she looked as sleek and cool as the high-tech port.
Bianca Tommo. A second-gen Rha Si with a gift for data analysis.
Crystalline blue eyes met his, a rippling psionic shield behind them. No thoughts reached him, but he knew a critical assessment when he saw one. His Rha Si superiors wanted a briefing before the formal discussions.
Senuri Kaplan. The 'pathed greeting and use of his Rha Si title told him this contact wouldn't be part of the official Coalition investigation.
L'senuri. Kaplan returned her greeting, using her higher rank, that of a senior specialist, but didn't offer his hand, knuckles, elbow, or any other polite physical exchange. Tommo was a touch sensitive, one of the side effects Rha Si could suffer. Physical contact could induce a disturbingly strong connection—more so than it did in average Rha Si when they had close contact with non-psi. She'd have got nothing from him; he was Rha Si, and intensive training from an Original in his genetic line had further strengthened his natural shielding. But the weakness had shaped Tommo's personality. She liked data and her own company. Not much else.
Knowing her well, he didn't bother with small talk, simply waited for an instruction.
Tommo jerked her head, indicating he should accompany her.
She led him to a sleek private shuttle a few docks over. Kaplan followed her into its cool, air-conditioned elegance. The cabin felt faintly sterile after the tacky, patched interior of the Fire Witch.
Tommo took a seat on a glossy white couch and extended a plas worktable. A series of files appeared on its surface. Kaplan recognised them as he took the opposite seat: his report and supporting material.
You've been thorough. Tommo flicked through the sensor data from the Fire Witch's logs and those he'd salvaged from his vessel. But there are gaps in the picture you've provided. You'll need to fill them promptly. You're to meet with military and government heads in half an hour.
You have what I know.
The facts, yes. Tommo glanced up, gaze dour. And this is exactly the report I'd expect from a Far Scout team leader. However, you're a Rha Si with higher than average telepathy and empathy. Despite the limits of your generational class, the people you will be meeting with will want your impressions.
The loaded and somewhat backhanded compliment reminded Kaplan why, instead of seeking a position in a purely Rha Si team, he'd sought secondment to a long-range scout crew when his abilities had started to destabilise. Sustained exposure to multiple unshielded minds might make his brain want to bleed, but in the non-psi world, he was judged on his results, not his bloodline or where he sat on a specific psi skill gradient.
He leaned back, focussed on his report. Tommo was right; all those facts and witness accounts just highlighted what wasn't known. My impressions are that we have a serious problem or problems. An unknown vessel willing and able to take on small military craft, and a number of Xykeree ship hives working together with an unknown agenda.
Tommo tapped an ebony-painted fingernail against the worktable. The Xykeree ambassador claims the ships that attacked Tirus 7 are a rebel faction looking to disrupt interspecies relations.
There are better targets if that was the aim, L'senuri. Ones that would provoke a stronger public and military response than a backworld mining operation. The popular media is still leading with the entertainment news.
Tommo grunted. When the corpses start coming home, they'll pay attention.
Kaplan didn't doubt it, but—I don't believe a massacre was the Xykeree's objective.
Tommo spared him a mordant glance. Tell that to the relatives of the deceased. We won't have an accurate death toll for many weeks, but the port site is a blackened mess. Wreckage and damaged ships are still falling from low orbit despite our salvage teams' best efforts. With the sat tech out of action, the planet's surface-to-space anti-collision defences are down. It is as well the planet is a barren rock.
Kaplan didn't let that move him, even as Jinx's drawn face, her concern for her friends, rose to mind. The Xykeree's initial tactics suggest their aim was to shut down and control the site, not decimate it. Local conditions likely made that difficult. The use of breather tech reduced the effectiveness of the Xykeree toxin, and the populace was heavily armed. Xykeree infantry met strong but uncoordinated resistance. And tensions were running high prior to the attack. It's possible the Xykeree were not even the instigators of the violence.
Tommo hummed noncommittally and moved to another section of the report. We have an unconfirmed report of human organic matter on the docked Xykeree vessel, visually IDed prior to the attack. Could this be a resource-gathering exercise gone wrong? The Xykeree are known to flout treaty rules on the acquisition of organics. These hives may have done so on a far larger scale than we've seen before.
Again, there are better targets if that was the goal, L'senuri. As you've noted, apart from its populace, Tirus 7 is barren.
Tommo sat back and studied him. You think the Xykeree were looking for something specific, possibly your downed ship. Yet you claim you did not make contact with any Xykeree craft during your observation of them. Nor do any of your surveillance logs report anything remarkable prior to the unknown hostile's attack. The analyst's stare became pointed. Is there anything you'd like to add to those observations, Senuri?
Kaplan let the insulting insinuation slide. He'd lost a ship and six crew. A settlement had been attacked. Everything about him and his mission was going to be questioned. You have everything, L'senuri. If the Xykeree were looking for my team, their reasons for doing so aren't immediately obvious.
And the vessel that attacked you? The data you salvaged on it indicates a previously unseen craft.
Yes, but whoever piloted it knew all about my vessel's capabilities. Kaplan watched the hard gleam in his superior's eyes turn cold. Someone did their research, L'senuri.
An unknown hostile targeting Coalition military vessels? I'd prefer that you were wrong and that you'd just fucked up. Tommo eyed him a moment longer then returned to her data. The Xykeree were also involved in an altercation prior to landing. Could it have been the same aggressors?
Kaplan recalled the strange ship, its speed and dogged focus. The hostile vessel was small, but it had the fire power to damage a battle barge. However, there's a possibility the Xykeree overstated the repairs they needed, to obtain landing clearance.
Tommo nodded. Come in quiet, get the lay of the land, look for whatever it was they were after, then attack.
Possibly, L'senuri. Or the attack was a reaction to something in the local situation. As I've said, their presence was not welcome.
Tommo lifted both brows. Four military craft? In one system? That does not indicate peaceful intent, Senuri.
Kaplan remained silent. He wasn't out to defend the Xykeree, and Tommo was right; the roaches had come prepared for battle.
Tommo pursed her lips. It's unfortunate the information on the docked Xykeree vessel comes primarily from a single source—a potentially unreliable one. She brought up a familiar witness profile and statement. The port officer's account of her time on board is incomplete.
Yes, L'senuri. It's likely some kind of trauma is affecting Ms Koel's recall of events.
Tommo flipped through the text. Problems with authority, a possible undiagnosed mental illness...
With each finger flick, Kaplan felt his jaw tighten. It was his job to give his superiors as complete a picture as possible. What they made of the intel was their call, but he wasn't about to condone writing off a witness on the basis of an undefined health issue. Ms Koel's account is consistent with her scanner log data.
Tommo waved that off and tapped to access another section of his report. You state the reason for the lack of a complete, verified statement is that this woman is aberrant. Has that been confirmed by another Rha Si?
Kaplan curled his hand into a fist under the table. Jinx wasn't the only one who was going to have to prove her reliability. Nothing he hadn't expected. Senuri Samsun concurs with the assessment. No read was possible, even after many hours with the subject.
Your cousin is also a third-gen, is she not?
The question made Kaplan clench his fist tighter. Sun was still in her twenties. She had years yet before her abilities destabilised. No one had a right to question her skills.
We'll have another skilled telepath scan Ms Koel to verify, Tommo continued, confirming what Kaplan had long suspected. All psionics of his generation were being written off, not just those with actual problems. There's a number of very capable new first-gen Rha Si with the fleet. The more rigorous screening of candidates is having favourable results. None of the extraordinary abilities of the Originals, of course, but stable telepathy.
Good to know.
Tommo glanced up at his dry agreement. Her skin was almost dark enough to hide her flush. Wisely, she went back to the file in front of her. If you are correct about the woman being aberrant, it will complicate matters. We'll have her status confirmed during the surface-held discussions, as she'll not be welcome on any of the fleet vessels.
She's a Coalition citizen.
She's a security risk.
Since when did having private thoughts become a sign of sedition, L'senuri? Are Rha Si security preferences now being applied across all Coalition military vessels?
Tommo gave him a wry glance. You know exactly who has the final say on all government and military matters, Senuri.
Yes, he did. And he wondered again what the consequences would be if their human and alien Coalition partners ever found out the truth, that a group of war experiments had quietly taken over the running of their society. His position limited him to a suggestion here and there within the military, but others of his kind had a far greater sphere of influence. Psychically, politically, and financially.
I believe your grandmother will be joining us for the debriefing. Tommo seemed to read his mind—an impossibility without serious telepathic force or his permission, flawed third-gen or not. The rest of your family will be arriving soon on the Silver Dawn. The vessel's medical facilities are being made available to all Rha Si in the sector. You'll be able to visit your brother. I believe it's been sometime since you've seen him.
Kaplan waited for the analyst to get to the point both of them knew she was working her way around to.
After a cool glance, Tommo brought up a list of names on her worktable. There are now seven others in the ward with your brother. Six others are on medical leave or have taken voluntary leave to get their affairs in order. I believe you are closely acquainted with one of them. Callan Tarak?
Kaplan nodded. He's a friend. Went through the academy with Sun.
Tommo's mouth drew flat. Should he contact either of you, please inform him that his presence is urgently required on the Silver Dawn.
A premonitory chill whispered through Kaplan. Why? Cal wasn't in bad shape.
His problems presented a couple of years earlier than most. That was put down to his mixed genetics: Rha Si second-gen and human latent. But... Tommo finally looked Kaplan in the eye. His half-brother has started showing symptoms. The kid is only fourteen.
"Ah, hell."
Tommo nodded grimly at his low curse. All offspring of second-gen Rha Si are being called in for full medicals. You and Senuri Samsun are to report immediately to the Silver Dawn when it arrives.
Kaplan dragged a hand over his face. All concerns about mystery vessels and hostile aliens dropped away—into the pit opening in his gut. Whatever conclusions were drawn about his last mission, his career was over.
His next posting, like that of his elder brother, would be to a Rha Si research centre. His final duty: let some clueless 'experts' watch him die.