Chapter Text
Albi’s Bar Polis 6th Moon First Quarter
Bellamy empties the beaker in one long swallow to prolonged applause from his audience of Trikru gonas. He bows exaggeratedly and calls for more bottles for himself and all his new friends because tonight he’s celebrating. There’s so much to celebrate. He’s in business now. He can become rich and a respected man about Polis. Yes and he’s a free man, his eyes can scan the room looking for a woman to sleep with without a trace of guilt. He starts to make his way to the big oak bar, where’s that booze?
The doors swing open to let in a raucous group of hunters led by his sister Oktavia who immediately comes over to embrace him. “Bell I can’t believe it, Indra gave you a truck! It’s just wow, now you can become the transport king of Polis! Is Gina pleased?”
“Gina? Gina who? What are you drinking O?” He sways slightly, as he steps to the side to get to the bar.
“Oh Bell, I thought she was okay with you, you know and other women and little Achilles he looks just like you. I thought you two were going to make a go of it?”
“Seems she’s not okay with it, even though she said she was. I did ask O. I’m always honest. I don’t say I’ll be faithful or stay around. I told it to her straight. I said, I said…. ‘Gina, I like you and having sex with you is great and if you get pregnant with my kid I will own it as mine and help with support but I don’t hang around or ‘do faithful.’ What more could a woman want? I’m honest and support my kids. All of them.”
There’s a moment’s silence as Oktavia hands Bellamy his next bottle of cider. It’s one of Monty and Jasper’s collaborations with Adam of Ton DC. She recognises the decoration on the ceramic bottle, a simple illustration of three apples beneath which is a fancy monogram of J.A.M. Linkon moves to stand behind Oktavia and rests his head on her shoulder. “Gina’s dumped you huh?”
“Sort of a mutual parting of the ways.” Bellamy slurs. “Oh hey, look who’s here it’s Rudolfo. How are you doing man? What did Abi say about your leg?”
Rudolfo kom Delphikru limps over smiling broadly. “Hey Bellamy, Oktavia, Linkon it’s good to meet up. I miss you people even though it’s only been a day. Fisa (Healer) Abi says my leg is healing okay and that fisa Luna did a good job, but bullet wounds take time. Anyway, I’ve stolen out of my friends’ house to find you. Rumour is that you have a truck all your own now Bellamy? We must do business. Delphikru are doing much more trade in Polis now we have a big new trade house. What are your rates?”
The drink flows freely as Bellamy’s new truck and how to drive it is described in what Oktavia considers to be eye-wateringly boring detail. It’s a Mercedes apparently … yawn… built well over a hundred years ago … yawn…. and converted to electricity by the Maunon. Eventually Oktavia gets fed up with being ignored in favour of a machine and wanders over to sit with her hunting friends.
“How’s he taking it?” It’s Harper, who turns her head to look at Bellamy.
“He’s trying to pass it off as a mutual parting of the ways. Bullshit if ever I heard it.” Oktavia knows she spends too much time worrying about her big brother. Bellamy in the Old Times and in the New seems to make such a mess of things, especially relationships. Yes, he can be brave and do dangerous things, make sacrifices even, but think something through like an adult, or put his own wants to one side? Not a chance, he’s like a big impulse driven baby. “I sometimes wonder if having to look after me so much when I was small and he was young has kind of damaged him. It’s not that he doesn’t know what to do with a baby or a young child, he did pretty much everything for me but he seems sort of stuck now as a boy who just wants lots of sex.”
“Who doesn’t want lots of sex?” It’s Finn leaning into their conversation.
“Sorry Finn this conversation is for adults only. Go away, back to your goufa talk.” Octavia really can’t stand Finn, as long as she’s known him he just fucks girls and leaves, a bit like Bellamy, but without the honesty that Bell thinks makes him a man and a father. She sighs. Her brother is such a dick!
The Tower Polis 6th Moon Waxing Gibbous
It’s early morning and after seeing Indra onto the road to Ton DC Leksa sits in with Raven and Jasper as they explain how they’ve used Grace’s runs to narrow the location of the Listeners down to a few streets in the southern part of the city. “We just need Grace to be in the right place at the right time so we can pin it down to one or two houses. We’ve had no luck so far. She has to be running when they decide to connect with their transmitters.” They talk through using Polis’ security patrols instead of Grace, they cover much of the city every day. Leksa will send the captain to talk with them later.
Walking back up the Tower to their quarters Leksa thinks through all the information they have gathered so far. She, Onya, Raven, Indra and Klark spent part of yesterday afternoon trying to see if they had any real proof that Rudolfo kom Delphikru (known as Rollo to Karla kom Delphikru) is the same ‘Rollo’ who hired assassins in Teesee to kill Heda, gave them a poison made by Arkers and much gold. After a long afternoon of talk, all they could agree on is that they think it likely he is that Rollo, he matches the physical description, it is an unusual name and the Delphikru bandrona (ambassador) was at the trial of Diana Sydney and so had access to Arkers in the brief time that Arkcamp was open to trade. But they haven’t nearly enough evidence to satisfy the Kongeda’s (Coalition’s) bandronas and chiefs. They need more proof before they can move openly against Karla kom Delphikru. Because if the hirer called Rollo is Rudolfo kom Delphikru then Chief Karla is behind it, of that Leksa is certain.
To gather that evidence; Raven and Jasper are going to keep working on finding the Listeners and this afternoon Klark is to meet with Nygel. She’s been trying to talk with the Arker for the last fortnight but Nygel’s been away travelling. As the Arkers’ chief negotiator and ‘head of sales’ she’s been on a trip south to Yujleda. Yujleda are a rich kru, with good agricultural land and with Vera Kane and Hannah Young’s help their yields have increased. Now they want improved equipment like, steel ploughs, threshing machines and mechanical balers and Nygel wants to sell them Arker made kit. Careful talks with Wei and other prominent Arkers have revealed nothing useful about anyone making illegal poisons, so Klark’s idea is that Nygel, whose whole life on the Ark was an assortment of illegal activities and who always knew everything that went down on the space station, is the best person to talk to when trying to find out who made an illegal poison to order in Arkcamp and who they made it for.
After sanch (lunch) there’s a light rain shower and Klark walks quickly with her Ai Op (Watch) guards; Penn, Rosa and Oscar into the centre of Polis for her meeting. Nygel’s suggested an Arker run bar Meizen Bluma (Beautiful Flower) as a good meeting place and Klark keen to support Arker enterprises has agreed. Meizen Bluma is off a small side alley that smells of stale beer and this early in the day the bars that make up the businesses in this street are closed. Rosa is walking ahead of them and her collapse is so silent that it takes Klark a second to notice her fall. By which time six masked gonas are on them and Klark doesn’t even see the cosh that knocks her out.
When she comes to she’s bound hand and foot, gagged and not alone. Similarly restrained is a slumped figure with dark curly hair. Klark can’t make out who it is, though she can guess. Shakily, her head feels like it’s splitting, she takes in her surroundings. It looks like a cellar and feels cold and damp, weak daylight trickles through the slats of a small shutter high up on the wall. Looking up she can just make out the ceiling / floor. It looks new, made of heavy-cut beams that support well-shaped wooden boards that are light in colour and smell freshly sawn. Hmm, yes and there are wood shavings swept into a pile next to her knees. A groan draws her attention back to her companion who’s trying to sit up.
Polis Tower Next day – afternoon
Heda Leksa paces in her throne room, Gaia and Onya stand rigidly to attention by the throne she has just vacated. The wounded Ai Op member Oscar is on his knees in front of Heda expecting death. His head is roughly bandaged. Of his two companions Rosa is dead, shot with a poisoned dart and Penn is missing.
Zhang Wei leader of the Arkers is also on his knees afraid for his life. He’s never seen Heda Leksa look so cold and dangerous. He thinks he has convinced her that Arkers are not involved in Klark’s disappearance. Nygel who Klark was to meet is also missing. Yesterday Nygel arranged a number of meetings, those in the morning she attended but after she was seen at Meizen Bluma by its’ owner Mandy Potter, she disappeared. Nygel had told Mandy to get the bar looking at its’ best because she had set up meetings there that afternoon with some big players. No-one turned up, not even Nygel and dammit Nygel hadn’t said who the ‘big players’ were!
Polis is being searched from top to bottom but so far no sign of Klark, Nygel or Penn has been found.
Onya’s belt vibrates and everyone looks at her. “Moba (Sorry) Heda it is a way Raven can tell me something urgent is happening on the Tek floor. It is called a ‘pager’ she is experimenting with it.”
“What do you need to do about your ‘pager’ Wormana (General)?”
“Go to the Tek floor Heda to see what Raven wants to tell me.”
“Gostos have Oscar taken to the hospital and Wei to a secure room. We will go to the Tek floor together Onya to see what Raven has to say. Where are Grace and Kestra? I want them to meet us there.”
As they walk down the stairs to the Tek floor Onya is hoping with a desperation that verges on fear that this is not just a case of Raven paging her for sex! What Raven would laugh and say is a ‘booty call.’ As the parents of two children their sex life has suffered and Raven has on a few occasions paged Onya when she has time free of the goufas (children) and wants to fuck. In the state Heda Leksa’s in she might just kill them both for disrupting her search for Klark for something so selfish.
Onya almost flings herself through the Tek floor’s door in case her niron is in a compromising position. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Raven and Jasper pouring over the map of Polis and chattering excitedly.
“Onya Hei! Heda too. We think we’ve found the Listeners!” There’s a moment of confusion as Gaia, Grace and Kestra all arrive at the same time and everyone crowds around the screen on which the multicoloured map is presented. “Jas you explain how you know while I handle the graphics.”
Jasper gulps but pulls himself together. Okay, the Commander is looking like the cold killing machine of her reputation but she hasn’t attacked him yet and if someone hurt Maya he doesn’t know how he would react. Gostos slips into the room to stand by the door. “Um. My girlfriend Maya and I had an important dinner last night. I met her dad Vincent.” He watches as Commander Leksa processes this and clearly a memory is recalled.
“Ah, the Maunon who helped us and Abi gave them bone marrow. No kru would take them so they live in Polis under my protection. Sha (Yes)?” Leksa looks to Gaia and Jasper. Both nod. “Maya works with Abi and is a good nurse and seken (second) to her. Vincent works in the building trade.” Leksa remembers little of them from the Old Times, only what Klark has told her. That Jasper and Maya loved deeply and that after the Mountain he blamed Klark for her death and was very bitter. In the New Times he has done well. He and Monty work with Adam to make new alcoholic drinks (their whisky is excellent), he has become a skilled member of the tek team, his nomon (mother) runs an important transport business in Polis and his nontu (father) Colin works in the Tower with the Tekkru. As a family the Jordans are an asset to Polis and loyal. So are the Vies and Leksa knows Klark was very happy when Jasper and Maya started a relationship, her niron (beloved) felt that a wrong she had done the couple in the Old Times was now redeemed.
“They will be pleased you remember them Heda.” Jasper’s pleasantry is met with a blank look from the Commander. Not in the mood for pleasantries then, gulp.
He coughs, sounding very like his father. “Moving on. We had dinner and Maya asked her dad to talk to me about something he had heard at one of his sites some days back. He told me that he had heard a radio and someone on that radio was talking about ‘tanners’ carts.’ He couldn’t make head or tail of it. He told Maya, who said talk to me but we had to cancel our last date as there was an emergency at the hospital.”
“Where?” The single word from Heda has Raven making the screen flash colours.
“That is where it is interesting Heda. Vincent’s building site is within those few streets we have identified through Grace’s runs and ‘wait for it!’” Onya all but slaps her niron’s head as now is so not the time for humour. Raven looks annoyed, then alarmed as she notices Leksa’s facial expression. “It is the new headquarters of Delphikru’s trading mission.” She makes the relevant property glow red on the map. “There at the western end of the street of smiths.”
Leksa spins to face her gonas. “Gaia take Kestra and guards. Set a watch on the Delphikru bandrona and her staff and Karla and Rudolfo kom Delphikru if they are still in Polis. Onya, Grace with me. Raven the bugs in this tower are to be found and destroyed and radio Indra, I need her and Callie back here.”
Kestra sprints out of the room, Gaia following. Leksa takes one last look at the map before leaving. Onya, Grace, Dax and Gostos follow. Raven and Jasper slump.
“Intense!”
“You’d better believe it. Those Delphikru fuckers are toast. You stay here and get on the radio to Callie, she can probably intercept Indra on her way back home. I’ll get the goufas and your dad. We can collect the bugs we know of and do another sweep just in case. I’d better tell Melissa what’s going on too. ” Raven snatches up a couple of RFDs and her jacket then leaves. Jasper sits up and heads to the Radio Shack where the on-duty radio gona will be waiting.
Arriving at the eastern end of street of smiths the group pauses. Orders are given and then in silence they disperse to approach the property from all sides. At this time in the evening blacksmiths are closed for business unless they have urgent orders to fulfil. One or two clearly have and from their open doorways can be seen the glow of their forges and hammers can be heard striking sparks that fly into the street. In the shadows a horse standing ready to be shoed stamps its’ feet as silent figures pass it by.
The building is in darkness and silent. Onya pauses and when she hears the call of a male northern cardinal, repeated twice, she knows that Gostos and Grace are ready at the back. She knocks at the big front door, there’s no reply. She tries the door handle and it opens on silent well-oiled hinges. Unlocked! A trap? Tentatively she pushes the door wide open with her sword’s tip and stands well back, nothing happens. On silent feet she slips into the long dark hallway eyes scanning the gloom for enemies or traps, her ears straining for any sound.
The place is empty of people, they search from attics to cellars finding no-one. What is clear is that whoever was living here left recently and in a hurry. Merchandise is present in most rooms, half packed into crates or barrels. Some items are broken, including a smashed radio receiver/recorder. Dropped in haste? Thrown to the floor in anger?
Behind the stoic mask of Heda, Leksa is frantic with worry. Ever since Klark was discovered to be missing yesterday evening, she’s tried to understand why Karla kom Delphikru has changed her approach? What is different now, that it has made her so bold or so desperate that she takes Klark? She must know that it is an act of war against the whole Kongeda! Did she think Leksa wouldn’t find out who’s taken her? Nor that Delphikru traders were the Listeners? Is she going to try and brazen it out? Or will some ultimatum be delivered in the arrogant prophetic tones favoured by the Delphikru chief? Is Klark still alive or like Nia will Karla kill her love and return her to Leksa in pieces!
Onya speaks to Leksa’s unspoken thoughts. “Whatever her original plans were Heda they weren’t working. She hires assassins, yet you live. She plants ‘bugs’ to find out information buts get nothing useful from her Listeners and those you sent to stop the increase of radiation succeeded, despite her sending Rollo with them, presumably to sabotage the action. She has changed her plans and in a hurry. What does she gain by taking Hedatu? Especially as she must think we know nothing of the Listeners or who has taken her.”
As she turns to reply to Onya Gostos strides in. “Heda Penn was here. Come see.” They follow him to the back gate. There carved into the post are a few sigils that she recognises. Penn was here, Klark lives and he will follow her wherever she is taken. That is some comfort. Klark is alive and not alone, she has some protection.
It’s Grace who calls to Heda next. She’s standing a few yards away by a water pump, her electric torch lights up the ground. “Heda, these are the marks of tyres from a powered rover or truck that has been here recently. The ground is wet and the tracks quite fresh, less than a day has gone since they were made.”
“Heda!” It’s Dax running out of the house. A small item in his hand. He hands it to Leksa. “This was in the cellar, hidden in a pile of sawdust.”
Leksa looks at the slim gold chain that rests on her palm. Conflicting emotions war in her mind. Klark is alive! This is hers, they each have one the links shaped like tiny acorns. She was here and alive and conscious. “I must speak with Jake and Abi before we leave for Delphikru tomorrow. Leave a guard on this place and question the smiths about who came and went from here. I will return to the Tower in a glass, call in the bandronas we are at war!”
Leksa’s had many difficult conversations in her life. This talk, with a very pregnant Abi and a fraught Jake, has to rank as one of the worst. They are terrified. Abi, whose pregnancy has been difficult, is resting for glasses daily trying to keep her blood pressure under control and Leksa can almost see it rising the longer they speak of Klark. Jake fears for both wife and daughter and seems relieved when the decision is made for him, that he must stay in Polis near Abi and help in the recovery of Klark through using the satellite to look for a truck that is likely heading for Delphikru.
When Leksa gets back to the Tower Oktavia and Linkon are waiting for her. They have been helping search Polis but have nothing further to report about that. They are here to talk of Bellamy. “Heda we were with Bellamy the night before last in Albi’s bar. I congratulated him on the gift Indra gave him in recognition of his role in stopping the radiation.”
Leksa smiles, Indra has been generous to all of her Trikru who saw that crucial expedition through to success and stopped the leak at the power station. Bellamy got a truck that was salvaged from the Maunon, Monty a new copper pot-still, Sinclair a house in Ton DC and Oktavia a new sword of the finest quality. Leksa approved of the gifts as the service these Trikru (who originally came from the stars) gave to the whole of the Kongeda was great and worthy of reward.
“At the bar we were joined by Rudolfo and he wanted to hire Bellamy and his truck to take goods from Polis to Delphikru. Kestra’s just told us that Rudolfo is probably the Rollo who hired the assassins. If that is the case Heda he has Bell and his truck. Bell was going round to pick up stuff from their trade headquarters yesterday evening. If they took Klark and left yesterday in the truck they’ll be well on the way to Colum by now.”
Leksa can feel a cold fist grip her heart. It is as she feared, Karla must know that Oktavia would come to her with this information. Karla is using Klark to draw her away from Polis and if Leksa travels to Delphikru territory Karla will have home advantage. Leksa thanks Oktavia and Linkon for the information and asks that they send Gaia and her seken Afon to her.
As Heda her duty is to her people. She must do what is best for the Kongeda. That Karla kom Delphikru is in some way crazed or insane must be the case. Delphikru are doing well within the Kongeda. All, except Karla it seems, recognise that peace under Heda Leksa is benefitting all krus. It is Heda’s duty to protect the Kongeda from those such as Karla who commit acts of war but is it also her duty to risk her own life to save Klark? Leksa knows some will advise her to wait for the armies of the Kongeda to deal with Karla, others will say that an attack on Hedatu without immediate reprisals shows that she is weak and unworthy to be Heda. Either way she will face criticism and so Heda Leksa will do what her heart wants and go to Delphikru for Klark. Damnation take her head this time!
That night Leksa meditates, she has no hope of sleeping without calming her mind and as dawn breaks an exhausted Indra and Callie arrive in Polis.
Gaia spends the morning with Heda as she prepares to leave. It is Gaia who will raise the armies of the Kongeda and assisted by Melissa, Oktavia and Linkon guard the natblidas. If Leksa dies in Delphikru Afon, Gaia’s seken, will be with her to retrieve the flame. Indra and Callie will travel to Delphikru to protect Afon in doing this duty.
Loki has been prepared to her order and at midday she rides out of Polis with a small gonakru and escorted by; Onya, Grace, Kestra, Quint, Dax, Alto, Dayton, Dot, Ryder, Callie and Indra. They ride to Delphikru’s capital Colum.