Return to Bermudas Index
Kimmic and Hubero were taken to separate quarters where they spent the next two solar days without any contact. They weren’t able to talk to each other and Hubero was beginning to suffer from the isolation. On the third solar day the two were awakened to find a completely different atmosphere. They were roused and forcibly escorted to the medical bay by several armed soldiers. Once there, the two were given very thorough exams and then brought to a meeting room. Where they waited for what seemed to be two arns. Maintaining the silence was wearing on them.
Their footsteps could be heard long before they appeared. The group of soldiers were escorting someone of obvious rank. They stopped in formation and readied weapons. Finally the officer spoke. "I am Captain Daylan Tatow. Who are you and why were you tied up alone in that cargo ship?"
"We are just travelers. We were headed to the Tarsus System for a holiday" Kimmic spoke up not wanting her partner to say things that shouldn't be said.
The medic whispered something to the captain.
"And for what purpose is the device in your spine?"
"It is for suicide." Kimmic decided that lying about that wouldn't be wise, the device would activate if they tried to remove it. Hubero looked up at Kimmic in shock.
"Well this is a good start. I do appreciate the truth. Now what do you know of the Resistance? Or of a Nebari ship defeating the better part of one of MY retrieval squads?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Kimmic didn't want to go that far. She still didn't know what was going on.
"Than WHY was there a large supply of anti-contagion in the cargo hold?" Tatow tipped his hand, and hoped that the two 'guests' would do the same.
”How do you know of the anti-contagion?" Kimmic was startled that a non-Nebari knew anything about the Contagion. * He must have gotten this from the Resistance.*
Tatow had his answer, this one WAS Resistance. From the prowler pilot’s account he didn't want to provoke any kind of attack from any Nebari at the moment. PK records had some information on the Nebari but very little on their weapons.
"We have arranged for you to be returned." Tatow wanted to see their reactions. "We have contacted your… Establishment and they are eager to come and collect the two of you."
Kimmic tried to hide the sudden shudder at the mention of the Establishment. If the anti-contagion were found then her ruse would certainly be ruined. Tatow caught her reaction from the corner of his eye while he focused on Hubero.
"And what is your role in all of this?" As Tatow asked this question the medical examiner spoke to him secretly once more. Tatow's face came to an unexplainable expression.
"I had no idea… miss… or mister is it?"
Hubero's head dropped. Kimmic stood up to slap him for his remarks. She was quickly made to sit once more by the over anxious guards, they had seemed ready for a skirmish from moment one.
The fact that Kimmic got upset was not lost on Tatow.
”Tell him nothing." Kimmic's tone was as determined as any Tatow had ever heard.
"Well it's obvious that YOU know more than this THING does." Tatow pulled out a knife from his vest and got very close to Hubero. Tatow put the knife to Hubero’s throat and looked at Kimmic "It's no use torturing you to get information, I know you are ready to die. But are you ready to watch your friend die for Your Cause?"
Kimmic had already made up her mind that she was ready to do just that. As horrible as it made her feel it was the truth. "If that's what it takes!" Kimmic steeled herself for what she imagined would follow.
If Hubero wasn’t so scared she would have burst into tears.
"Contact the Nebari, tell them we will not do their interrogating" Tatow put his knife away, turned and walked away from his ‘guests’. He knew almost nothing about Nebari, and wasn't sure if was possible to torture them. Besides he really didn't want ANY confrontations with the Nebari, Establishment or Resistance. If there was to be further confrontations between Nebari and Peace Keepers, he was not going to be the instigator.
***********************************************************************
"Nerri?"
Meelak's voice woke him, he was finally getting some rest.
"Meelak, I'm glad to see you!" There was relief in his voice on top of the sleep. "When I saw the Establishment agent board with you I became worried. Where is the shuttle? It wasn't here when we arrived."
"The shuttle isn't coming…I know how close you were to.."
Meelak cut him off. "ALL that anti-contagion would de-con nearly everyone infected on this planet and it's moons." Nerri stopped himself after seeing that Meelak had more news to tell.
"Nerri, we must talk. I did find the agent...." Meelak's tone dropped as he explained the rest of the happenings aboard the shuttle.
Meelak's plan had backfired. Without telling Nerri he had leaked the idea that a Resistance Operative would be on that shuttle. He gave them Hubero's description. Her request for a travel voucher on that specific shuttle gave him the idea. He knew he would be there to protect Kimmic, and the decoy would give him the chance to get to the agent, before they even suspected Kimmic.
"So you think Kimmic is on Nebari Prime?!" Nerri was getting upset. "Do you have any idea what that means?!"
"You know I do." Meelak dropped his gaze.
Nerri's mind showed him an image of Kimmic in a cleansing chamber, and then it showed her activating her suicide device and her limp body falling to the floor, her black eyes staring right at him. Lastly Nerri pictured Chiana on the last day they were together, she was begging him to let her go with him. The pain from the anti-contagion still showed in her eyes, or was it from his decision to leave her behind. He snapped. He grabbed Meelak and pushed him to the wall. Nerri cocked his fist back, his breath almost uncontrolled; his eyes were wild with rage.
Meelak closed his eyes ready to take the punishment that he felt was due him, for it was HIS plan that doomed Kimmic.
"Chiana is dead!" Nerri said it out loud. This simple act was like an airlock opening venting the pressure. He was still upset but he let Meelak go, looked into his face. The two exchanged a look that they had before. They knew the Resistance would survive and the fight would bring casualties, and that someday it probably would be them.
"How.. When .. Are you certain?" Meelak was torn between the shock of this news and the reprieve from Nerri’s anger.
"We are certain. The DNA matched. There was even Luxan DNA in the Leviathan’s debris." Nerri stated evenly and calmly. He could have passed for Establishment at that moment.
"So what do we do now? We have the Host Vessel but no anti-contagion." Meelak wondered.
"We go and rescue Kimmic" Nerri had been contemplating the possibility of this ever since he arrived in the Tarsus System. Kimmic is their only source of anti-contagion. They were going to start producing it here in the Tarsus system.
"Nerri that's suicide!"
"We all took that chance. Do you think that the Establishment is going to let us keep this vessel? Meelak it's time, time for our greatest effort."
Meelak could only guess what Nerri had in mind. Meelak would not let Nerri kill them all. He cared about the Resistance but valued his own life more. There was little he could do now. He had no way of getting back to Nebari Prime safely. All the coincidences were bound to give him away. He was committed to staying with the Resistance, but Nerri was acting irrational and Meelak was thinking about stopping him.
***********************************************************************
"Sir, the Nebari transport requests permission to dock"
"Grant it lieutenant, I will greet them myself. Arrange for pulse rifles on the perimeter. Have our 'guests' brought there shortly after my greeting." Tatow wasn't going to let them stay for any length of time; he wasn't a trusting person. It was that trait which has let him climb the ranks of the PKs.
"Bay eight has been cleared"
Tatow walked with his entourage to greet the Nebari. His composure was calm but his nerves were starting to scream at him under his skin. The accounts from his prowler pilots were going through his head.
The Nebari ship opened. Every Sebacean present tensed. The crew of the transport emerged as calm and confident as if they were on their home planet.
"I am Nicca of the Nebari. Where are our citizens?"
"They will be here very soon." Tatow's voice almost broke. Nicca looked similar to the other two but she was extremely well put together. Tatow could not stop his eyes from examining the curves of this exotic creature. Her white hair was neat and her apparel revealed pleasing curves. Tatow caught himself staring. He couldn’t decide if it was her unique appearance or the obvious power she yielded that was the stimulant.
"Ah here they are." Kimmic and Hubero were guided to Tatow's side. "You've come along way for these two. Tell me Nicca, are there many like this one?" He grabbed Hubero's arm. "We've never seen an Androgen before." Tatow's clumsy attempt to flirt with the Nebari did not seem to be working.
"Are you certain… she is?" Nicca asked Tatow.
"YES… I'm an androgen." Hubero stated for the first time in her life without any disdain. The thought of being examined then and there crossed her mind and gave her strength.
Nicca motioned and talked to her assistant privately. Turning to Tatow she said, "We will be taking Kimmic and leaving. You can consider the other one payment for her."
"NOoooo!!!" Hubero objected, she imagined the treatment she would get here under Tatow. Even a Non-conformist colony seemed better than that.
Before Tatow had a chance to comment, it was done. The Nebari had placed a control collar on Kimmic and were boarding their transport.
Tatow, looked down at Hubero, his tastes were on the exotic side, but neither male nor female? He shuddered at the thought. "Put her with the other prisoners. This is a fortunate circumstance. Use her in the weapons testing. I don't think we have ever tested a Nebari before."
Hubero was in tears. She stared at the transport thinking * I’ll never see Kimmy again. * She had never felt so alone as she did right then.
