Cosmosis

2.27 Tense

“There’s still Prowlers in the system?” Nai asked, bewildered.

“Yes,” Umtane said. “And I don’t know how I can convince you, but I didn’t call them here.”

Nai gave Umtane a hard glare. She was deciding if she believed him.

Tasser, ever gracious, saw my confusion.

“The Prowlers are another Assembly void fleet, but they’re based in another system,” he supplied.

“And you didn’t call them here?” I asked, just to pile on.

“No!” Umtane protested.

“…You aren’t a secret anymore,” Nai said to me. “I doubt the Organic Authority would be noisy about it, but…it’s possible rumors are spreading.”

“That was my first thought too,” Umtane said. “But from what I’ve gleaned, they’re here about the investigation.”

“Then, why come to us?” I asked. “I would have thought you wanted the [backup.]”

“Because they’re already inside the Green Complex!” Umtane said frantically. “I only read the message they were en route today, but by that time they had already come in.”

“Director Hom-Heg didn’t bar them?” Nai asked.

“He tried,” Umtane said. “I was on my way to see him when they detained him and…”

He trailed off conspicuously.

“And your Rahi, ” he said gravely. “Nem-something. She was reviewing some of the Director and Chief Niza’s work to exonerate themselves.”

Nai seemed to take the news incredibly well, but from my angle, I could see her go still.

“You didn’t actually answer his question,” Nai said coolly. “Last chance, why come to us?”

“Because they’re probably going to try to kill, not only you, but me and my team too!” Umtane said.

“Wait, why would they go after you?” I asked.

“It’s complicated,” he said lamely. “The Prowlers…it’s hard to explain if you aren’t familiar with their reputation.”

“They’re marauders,” Nai said. “A few years ago one of the Assembly fleets assaulting another Coalition system was revealed to be criminally waging war, looting, imprisoning civilians, executing them. Brutal stuff.”

“The Assembly revoked the fleet’s commission when it came to light. Their resources and support dried up overnight and the Coalition kicked the fleet out of the system…but even if the fleet had been formally dissolved, the people and staff still existed. Indictments were made, but anyone who wasn’t implicated went on to create a new, nominally legitimate, fleet: the Prowlers,”

“And now they’re here to back you up?”

“No, they’re probably going to kill me and my staff!” the Rak protested.

“Right,” I said, disbelieving.

“No, Caleb… he might be right. When anyone on the Vorak side of the war wants to know what happened here, their version of events is the only surviving account…” Nai said, looking at Umtane in a new light. “They don’t want you alive to countermand them.”

“It’s an eight-Rak team and they know about the bioweapon. They have a suspect list somehow, and they’re going through starting with the Director and his administrative personnel.”

“Where are they now?” Nai asked.

“Last I saw them they had taken over the public section of the facility, the clinics, the accounting offices, plus the security room on the second sublevel.”

Nai turned to Dr. Eebat. “You said the Director canceled everything for today?”

“It was just a memo sent from his office,” he said. “This is the first I’m hearing of any of this. What suspect list? Wait—bioweapon?”

Nai ignored him. “Caleb, can you locate Chief Niza?”

I could in fact. Even among non-Adepts, certain minds were easier to perceive on radar, and his was one. It helped that he was one of the people I’d been paying close psionic attention to ever since meeting him. He was Chief of Security, not Adept, and didn’t carry a gun for some reason.

Looking at the floorplan, combined with the direction and intensity of where I sensed him…

“Two levels up,” I said. “I can’t give you an exact room, but I’m pretty sure he’s on the move so he’s probably headed toward security room A.”

“You two,” Nai said, grabbing the attention of our security detail. “Get on the radios, now. Make all the noise you can, stop Chief Niza from coming into contact with these Prowlers!”

“You don’t give us orders,” one of them said.

“Chief Niza does,” she countered. “And those Rak are going to detain, or kill him as soon as they can.”

The two Casti nervously looked between themselves.

“Our orders are to monitor the Human and keep…”

“…and keep the Vorak from interfering with him,” Nai finished. “This one—” she jabbed at Umtane, “—is coming with me, and trust me, he’s no threat. Now go.”

The two Casti nodded and trotted out of the gymnasium talking into their radios.

“Dr. Eebat,” Nai said, “if you’re our bioterrorist, congratulations, you’ve officially managed to force our hand. If not? Well then, get somewhere safe and keep your head down if people start shooting.”

“What are we doing?” Tasser asked.

“You, Letrin, and Wurshken are getting Caleb somewhere safe, Umtane and I are going to reach…Caleb, floorplan. Which is closer, security room B or C?”

“B,” I told her, “and the safest place in this facility is with you.”

“This isn’t up for debate,” she snapped.

“I know,” I said. “And you aren’t going toward the Rak if they’re in or around security room A. So the safest place to be is exactly where you’re going: the closest security room.”

“He’s not wrong,” Wurshken said. “The security rooms are the most fortified spots in the complex."

“Fine, move.”

·····

The facility was different as we moved through it. No alarms were visibly going off, but there was just not enough movement. Even in the early morning of our first days here, when everyone was much more on edge, there had still been bustle out of sight as doctors, researchers, aides, and clerks busied about the massive facility.

But now it was like a ghost town before a duel at high noon.

Sensing the minds around us on radar, they were all keeping to rooms, not moving much. All the fish were staying in their holes today, because the otters were aswarm in this particular pond.

“…Chief Niza’s turned around,” I said. “Looks like he got the message.”

“How are you keeping track of him?” Umtane asked. “Your cascade isn’t large enough to reach another floor…”

“Apparently we’re helping you,” I told the Rak. “You really want to scrutinize how?”

“Fair enough,” he said, shutting up.

We arrived at security room B almost simultaneously to Chief Niza, and he waved the six of us inside, bypassing the usual security checks.

“They’re already in room A,” the Chief said breathlessly. He’d run here. “Thanks for the heads up.”

Nai nodded.

“They’re Prowlers, according to Umtane,” she said.

“They know about the investigation,” Umtane added. “I can’t be sure of how they found out initially, but I heard them talking about a suspect list. Director Hom-Heg was at the top of it.”

“He was at the top of ours too,” I said.

“Not a coincidence,” Chief Niza said. “He, more than anyone else in the facility, would be able to manipulate evidence to keep the crime covert. He has access to anywhere in the facility, and the authority to access logs.”

“Which in a weird way,” I said, “doesn’t that almost guarantee it isn’t him? If it were, he would have been able keep the broadcasts off the log entirely, right? The account stuff too…”

“I don’t have access to the same financial accounts,” Chief Niza said. “But I have the authority to alter the communication logs too, so if that were enough to prove innocence it would affect me equally.”

“Well I’m pretty sure your Prowler friends just forced our hand,” Nai said. “We don’t really have a choice but to trust you and the Director.”

“Hope is not a sound investigative strategy,” Chief Niza disagreed.

“Mentality is though, and neither you nor the Director have given us any indication that you have a motive, the opposite in fact,” Tasser pointed out. “And we don’t have the luxury to debate this right now.”

He nodded to a blinking light on one of the security room’s radio units. All the radios security carried with them throughout the facility tied back to embedded units like this one.

Nai grabbed one of the hand pieces and took a moment to compose herself.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Mac-Tae Vather Mikram,” a low and smooth voice responded immediately, “and you…are Coalition.”

“The Warlock,” Nai introduced herself.

One of the Vorak on the other end choked a little in surprise. Something like an impact could be heard before a sharp hiss.

“…and Chief of Security Niza is present too,” Nai said.

“You’ve assaulted and detained Organic Authority personnel,” Niza growled into the microphone. “Ignoring what your own fleet will do to you, what makes you think you would be able to leave alive?”

“Well, the fact that I’ve detained people should be your first hint,” Vather said.

“You’re going to release them immediately unless—”

“You’re in no position to make demands,” Vather cut Niza off. “I’m here because the Red Sails have actionable information that this facility is in violation of its Organic Authority charter, a non-research Lestrazine weapon is present, and that you have a First Contact unquarantined. Now, is any of that inaccurate?”

“We are not in violation of the charter,” Niza said. “Director Hom-Heg is within his bounds to oversee the First Contact protocol, and you’ve just single handedly ruined the investigation into that bioweapon.”

“Shavoe, I hope not,” Vather said mockingly.

“Are you going to propose terms, or are you already resigned to violence?” Nai asked.

Disturbingly, Vather was quiet for several seconds, undoubtedly conferring with the other VoRak with him.

“…Terms,” he said, all teeth even though I couldn’t see him. “I’ll be generous to start and release the office staff and the Coalition boots, but I’m keeping the Director and your Rahi for now. Consider it an incentive to keep good faith.”

“Send them to the gymnasium in the Physical Medicine department,” Nai said.

“Done,” he said. “Now for the real give and take. The Director is at the top of my list because the Green Complex is sealed as of this moment. No one can enter or leave until the bioweapon is found—that should have been the first thing that happened. Second, you're going to turn over all evidence in this investigation to us.”

I asked Nai.

she responded.

“That won’t be up to me,” Nai said without skipping a beat. “Even Organic Authority personnel aren’t in control of the investigation’s material, we’re merely assisting.”

“Ah yes,” Vather said smugly. “Where is Tashi Umtane?”

“Upset that you’ve detained some of his lead suspects and undoubtedly alerted the rest,” Umtane piped up.

“You’ve gone and pipped this whole thing, ‘Tashi’ ,” Vather said.

‘Gleeful disdain’ was not a phrase I’d ever felt inclined to use before, but it was the only way to describe Vather’s tone. He sounded like a very cruel child having caught a mouse in a net.

“But luckily for you,” Vather continued, “I can confirm that the bioweapon has not left the premises yet. Hence why no one leaves. That’s nonnegotiable.”

“I thought this was the ‘real give and take’,” I said. “So far you keep talking about where you won’t bend.”

“Is that the First Contact?” Vather asked. “Well, color me surprised, I wouldn’t have thought you’d still let it stay out.”

“He’s got a point,” Nai said. “Make an offer or I start heating this place up one Rak at a time.”

I frowned. That sounded like she was threatening Umtane…which she was. Vather didn’t yet know Umtane was, nominally, trying to coordinate with us.

He might have assumed Umtane was our prisoner.

“Somebody isn’t paying attention,” he said. “I already made a demand. Turn over the investigation and maybe I’ll consider letting your crew go back to Coalition territory.”

“This bioweapon is being made against Coalition wishes,” Nai said. “We have just as much reason to see it prevented as you, and we aren’t going anywhere while it’s still unaccounted for. Nor are we willing to see the First Contact testing go unfinished.”

“Then we have two problems,” Vather said. “Because you can’t be trusted with the bioweapon or the First Contact.”

“You’ve assaulted an Organic Authority station with no provocation or even an attempt to pursue basic diplomatic solutions. Coalition and Assembly, we were all cooperating before you showed up,” Niza said.

“…So make a counteroffer,” Vather said.

“What orders are you under?” Nai asked instead.

“I won’t tell you all of them, but first among them is preventing the bioweapon or its creator from leaving these premises.”

“Then we have something to agree on,” Nai said. “Counteroffer is this, disarm like we did. Past that, either let go of the Director and Rahi Nemuleki, or put up two of your own as collateral.”

“Disarm?” he asked.

“No non-Organic Authority personnel were cleared to bring any weapons onto the premises,” Niza clarified. “Neither Umtane nor the Warlock’s groups have been armed.”

“Huh…” he said. “A moment to confer then.”

The radio cut off for a moment.

“How sure are we that they aren’t coming toward us?” Letrin asked.

“Cameras,” Wurshken said, pointing Letrin to the monitors on the other wall.

I would be able to tell if eight people were quickly moving towards us too. Security room A was outside my radar’s range, but not by that much. And if any of them were Adept, I’d be able to tell when they drew closer.

“They’re playing us,” Tasser said.

“Agreed,” Nai said. “But we might have to let them for now, unless we want them to start executing their whole suspect list to be safe.”

“Is that a likely possibility?” Letrin asked. He wasn’t the only one wondering.

“Yes,” Tasser, Nai, and Umtane all said at once.

“Their opening move was to attack the facility and take hostages,” Chief Niza said. “They only stopped after they got someone important, either the Director or your Rahi.”

“Or both,” Nai said.

“Whatever the source, they learned something—probably related to the remaining suspects—and they had to slow down,” Niza said. “They stopped out of necessity, not desire or restraint.”

“If more violence breaks out now, we might all kill each other, and the culprit could be the last one standing,” Nai said.

“They have to know that…” Wurshken muttered.

“They do,” Nai said gravely. “Mark my words, they’re going to come back soon, agree to turn over two of their own as counter hostages, and then they’re going to insist that they be in control of every step of the investigation.”

“If they do, are we going to accept?” Umtane asked.

“How can we?” Nai said. “The moment these Prowlers hold all the cards, they’ll start shooting anything in their way.”

“Then we don’t give them everything,” Umtane said. “We can stall them by having them cover ground we already have.”

You could see Nai’s mind working overtime, trying to weigh possibilities and risks.

Umtane’s proposal seemed to appeal to her most.

“Caleb,” she said, “can you reproduce the original list of forty suspects we narrowed it to?”

“Sure,” I said, materializing a page with the names.

“Remind me to learn that trick…” Umtane said.

It took Niza only a few moments to copy the contents of the list onto a real piece of paper. No sooner than he finished, Vather came back over the radio.

“I have a temporary proposal which should satisfy all parties for now, with the likely exception of the Director,” the Vorak leader said. “We’re not willing to relinquish our captives—the Director is rather strongly implicated in this bioweapon, and your Rahi is a combatant for a hostile military group—but I’m willing to put two of my soldiers in your custody to keep things even.”

“I want to talk to Nemuleki first—prove she’s alright,” Nai said.

“And I, to the Director,” Niza added.

“No trouble,” Vather said. “Give me a moment to patch through to them.”

I asked Nai.

she said.

I said.

“Warlock—Nai,” Nemuleki’s voice crackled over the radio. “Any injuries?” Nai asked.

“I’m fine. Corphica suffered some burns, but they said they were letting her go—” her voice suddenly cut off.

“And now your Director,” Vather said.

“Director?” Chief Niza asked. “Are you alright?”

“Niza…” the Director wheezed, “I’ve been better. You and Chief Maburic are formally to oversee this facility for now—” he too was cut off.

Vather, or one of the other Vorak in the background, could briefly be heard grumbling. Maybe it had been important to not let Chief Niza hear that.

“See? Both fine,” Vather said. “And just in case you get any ideas, you are most certainly not overseeing this facility right now, not as long as you’re a suspect.”

“Is there any Organic Authority figure whose authority you would recognize?” Nai asked wryly.

“Seeing as how every deputy section Chief or higher is a possible bioterrorist at the moment, no,” Vather said.

Except that wasn’t true. Even at our investigation’s strictest point, only half the departments had personnel who weren’t exonerated.

The look on Niza and Umtane’s faces confirmed my guess: they were widening their suspect pool to justify ignoring anyone who could overrule them.

“So do we have a deal?” Vather asked.

Nai gave a hard look to Niza and Umtane. This was such a precarious position. If we pushed too much, the Prowlers might cut their losses, kill the Director and Nemuleki, and…would they really just start gunning down possible suspects?

Except this was a bioweapon we were talking about. Niza had said the entire facility could be scuttled in case of a breach. A few dozen researchers versus the possibility of a bioweapon infecting millions.

I didn’t have to be Vorak to know that at least someone would make that choice without even losing sleep.

Nai, Niza, and Umtane seemed to reach a silent agreement.

“If your Prowlers disarm and make a public certification of your intentions, then yes,” Niza said.

“…We’ll disarm,” Vather conceded, “but a public statement would be pointless. I’ll let my results speak for themselves.”

Nai’s fist clenched.

I said.

she said.

That was basically confirmation of our worst fears, wasn’t it? Vather and his Vorak were playing a careful game about who got to tell this story afterwards.

“Collateral bodies first,” Nai said. “I’m not going into the same room until your men are in our custody.”

“Of course, Warlock,” Vather said. “Where to?”

“Send them to the junction hall outside security office B, seventh sub-level. If they’re armed, if they act hostilely in any way whatsoever, they’ll be ash,” she warned.

“Don’t you worry,” he said, practically singing, “I’m even giving you my second-in-command. We’ll keep this whole cook at a simmer.”

·····

Vather’s two Rak arrived without incident, both sporting gray jumpsuit uniforms with purple trim. I was unimpressed with the Prowlers’ uniforms.

“Name & ranks,” Nai said.

“Raho Itun,” the first Vorak said with a sneer.

“Fleet rank,” Nai snapped. “Tae?”

‘Itun’ nodded.

“And you?”

“Tae Sanzin,” they said.

“Are either of you Adept?” she asked.

Nai psionically queried me the same question.

“No,” they both said smoothly.

“You’ll forgive us if we don’t take you at your word,” Nai said.

“Bind yourselves with these,” Chief Niza instructed them, tossing some metallic zip ties at the Vorak.

I told her.

she said.

“Binding us unnecessary,” Itun tried. “Our prisoners were not bound.”

“That’s because Nemuleki and Director Hom-Heg can’t lie about not being Adept,” Nai said. “We don’t get that guarantee with you. You were surrendered as collateral hostages. Accept that.”

The two Rak were not happy about it, but they did tighten the metal bands around their wrists.

“Chief Niza,” Nai said. “Which of your Adepts is available to guard them, Esk, Rom, or Iga?”

“…It will have to be Esk,” Niza said. “The other two…they’re not suited for this.”

Ah, Nai was lying about how many Adepts Niza had on his security teams. Niza was quick on his feet too.

It was all for the benefit of the prisoners Vather had given us, who weren’t really prisoners, because Itun could break out whenever he wanted.

“Alright,” Nai said, “where can we put these two for now?”

“I can get Chief Maburic to lend us an isolation lab. They’re about as good as a cell and Vather won’t get to know where they are, much less have access.”

Nai nodded in agreement, “Communicate with Esk, get him to meet me there. Tell him to bring lots of help.”

Niza nodded back and reached for another radio, tuning it to a different channel.

Nai grabbed Wurshken and the two of them escorted our Vorak prisoners toward the nearest stairwell down deeper into the complex.

Nai sent me.

As soon as they were out of earshot, I did.

“Chief,” I said. “The first Vorak, Itun, was lying. He’s Adept. Nai wanted to make sure Esk knows ahead of time.”

“You have a way of communicating with the Warlock,” he guessed.

Umtane nodded.

“Your allergic attack,” he noted. “You did the same thing.”

“Yes, but that’s all I’m willing to say about it right now,” I said.

“I’ll make sure Esk knows,” Niza said. “Once the Warlock gets back, she and Umtane need to figure out who our culprit is fast. This isn’t stable. They’re not going to sit still forever.”

“We need to get them sitting down in front of us first,” Umtane said. “Both sides have collateral prisoners right now, but we’re far from finished negotiating.”

·····

Before the day was done, Vather and two of his Vorak were standing across from Nai, Niza, and Umtane.

They’d decided to abandon any pretense that Umtane was a prisoner. It helped that Vather had only heard the other Vorak very briefly, so he didn’t even have the chance to accuse the Coalition or the Organic Authority of holding the ‘actuary’ prisoner.

This was, Nai had said, a pointless negotiation, all about the appearance of civility. At least for our side. Vather’s Prowlers controlled the upper third of the facility, effectively. They couldn’t really stop anyone from entering the section or moving through it—they didn’t have the manpower.

But since they controlled the Director’s office and the security room, they had total control of the exterior doors to the public section.

We weren’t trapped; the freight entrance much deeper in the facility was still controlled by Niza’s men. But that was the entrance we’d come through, at the end of a very long winding canyon. If we tried to escape that way, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to set a trap somewhere along the way.

But the real trouble was that the communications and broadcasting room was at the very top of the facility, poking up past the plateau the complex was sunken into. Niza’s men were unsure whether or not we would be able to broadcast anything from our section of the complex.

So even though we were recording every move the Prowlers made, unless we escaped or secured the broadcasting room, nothing more substantial than rumors would make it out.

But record them we did.

Letrin, Tasser, Wurshken, and I were watching Vather’s meeting with Nai along with a couple of Niza’s men in the security booth.

“You need to let normal operation resume,” Chief Niza said. “First Contact protocol is totally halted as long as you’re going to detain anyone with the authority to complete testing.”

That would be one of our best weapons. If it came out that the Prowlers were intentionally sabotaging or waylaying First Contact safety checks, it could blow back on them badly.

“How much longer was the testing anticipated to take?” Vather asked.

“Chief Maburic has told us it can be completed in two days, if there are no more interruptions,” Nai said.

“Chief Maburic is—” Vather began, but Niza cut him off.

“Chief Maburic is currently in charge of the facility,” Niza said. “You might not like it, but since you insist on keeping the Director in a position where he’s unable to discharge his duties, they fall to him.”

“I don’t care what the Director tried to empower you two with,” Vather said. “Until the bioterrorist is found, I’m in charge.”

“It’s not about what the Director said,” Umtane informed him. “The sequence of authority after the Director is the Research Chief, followed by the Medical Chief, followed by Chief of Security. That’s outlined in the facility’s charter and operational directives. If you don’t like that, then let us broadcast to the Organic Authority off world. We’ll get someone higher on the food chain to weigh in.”

It wasn’t a very strong trap. None of this was. The fact was Vather and company were holding the entire place hostage and we were playing along as nicely as possible.

But Vather was rather keen on putting forward a good face. It wasn’t fooling anyone here, but then, it didn’t have to. It just had to look legitimate enough to uninvolved third parties after the fact.

“I…can guarantee personnel will go uninterrupted as long as they’re moving First Contact forward,” he said slowly.

“Good,” Niza said. “Ecology and Genetics are the most critical ones. We prepared personnel lists.”

He flicked a small stack of paper toward Vather who inspected it briefly.

“A lot of these names are also on the list of suspects you gave…” he said knowingly.

“Guilty or not, they’re essential,” Nai said.

Vather shrugged and tossed the paper over his shoulder where it was incinerated in a lime-colored flash.

Definitely Adept.

“Doesn’t matter who you need, as long as no one leaves the facility,” Vather said.

I wanted to ask if the Vorak knew about the freight entrance we had access to, but I didn’t want to interrupt Nai.

“First Contact testing is fine, but I want to observe,” Vather said.

“No chance,” Nai retorted. “Umtane is already more Rak than we need observing.”

“Ease off by half there, Warlock,” Vather crowed. “Isn’t our Deep Coils friend the one at the helm of the investigation? And I insist at least some Vorak be appraised of the results. This testing could affect every life around this star, not just local Casti.”

I said.

Unaware of the psionic half of the conversation, Vather must have only thought Nai was staring him down.

“Come now, Warlock,” he tried. “Let’s be reasonable. My men have disarmed—”

“Except for the ones you have holding hostages,” Nai pointed out.

“—and we’re all just trying to prevent a bioweapon here. We’re on the same side."

I remarked.

“Prove it,” she challenged. “I don’t believe your posse just turned up by coincidence. If the Red Sails sent you here after the First Contact, then say so.”

Vather considered her quietly for the umpteenth time. This Vorak seemed to be completely willing to simply sit in silence while he contemplated his response.

“…We were briefed, if only just, on the First Contact after your attack on Korbanok,” he said. “But aside from that data, we’ve heard nothing about this alien. We were directed here in response to the bioweapon.”

I saw Umtane stiffen on the monitor. That would be unsettling to him. The Organic Authority wouldn’t announce anything about the bioweapon, and Umtane himself had insisted his own fleet wouldn’t go behind his back.

But somehow the Red Sails or Prowlers had learned of it too.

·····

The negotiation with Vather ended without any violence at least.

It was agreed Vather could observe the remainder of my testing, and Niza managed to extract a guarantee that Organic Authority personnel would be allowed to treat any injuries Director Hom-Heg and Nemuleki had incurred.

Nai was furious in the aftermath, though.

“He counters me, Tasser!” she hissed. “He walked into that meeting with a suppressive field.”

“Really?” Tasser asked. “There’s already the beast from Korbanok, were they not satisfied with just one way to answer you?”

“What’s a suppressive field? Is there a way to shut off Adept powers?”

“No,” Nai said. “It’s complicated to explain. You don't really need to know right now.”

"Mmm...he actually might if this goes south," Tasser said.

Nai sulked, but reluctantly conceded the point.

"Remember how I told you learning things out of order isn't optimal?" she asked.

"Yes," I said.

"This is maximum complexity Adeptry; we're skipping straight from level two to eight."

I nodded seriously. "Fields then?"

“Magnets are solid matter, right?” Tasser asked.

“Sure,” I said.

“But they exert force through a field,” he continued.

“[Third grade] science class,” I said.

“It’s possible for some Adepts to make exotic materials which exhibit some very strange fields, including one that suppresses changes to Adept chemistry.”

“Well ‘chemistry’ is a pretty big field…” I said slowly. “Just how much can it do?”

“In Vather's case? We can't be sure about the specifics, but if they're anything similar to the concept I've heard before...Inert creations—ones that aren’t meant to undergo changes in their bonds or chemistry—will be unaffected. Augmentations usually don’t suffer either,” Nai said. “But anything designed to undergo a significant chemical change isn’t going to work properly.”

“And that’s bad for you,” I said.

“Vorpal fire won’t burn near him,” she confirmed. “Neither will your flashbangs. I felt it as soon as I got close.”

“So Vather makes a field that just stops all chemistry in Adept materials?”

“Not all,” Tasser said. “Probably not even most. Adepts who bother learning how to make fields like that usually have a specific result in mind. At a guess…”

“It’s probably anything above a certain heat,” Nai said. “Given how long the Prowlers have been on loan after Korbanok, Vather’s team might have been deployed to this region precisely because I was so close in Demon’s Pit.”

“He’s tailored his abilities to counter you specifically?”

“Almost certainly,” she said.

I hadn’t gotten close enough to get a sense of Vather with my radar, but even without her fire…

“You’ll still win,” I said.

“…Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she grumbled. “It still makes things complicated.”

“They’re lying about a lot,” Tasser said.

“Like their numbers,” Umtane said, slipping in the door.

“They say anything interesting?” Nai asked.

“One of Vather’s goons passed a note,” he said. “Dissolved after a few seconds, but he wanted to meet quietly.”

“Are you going to go?” Nai asked.

“I’m not crazy,” Umtane said. “Especially considering he’s lying about how many Rak are with him.”

“There’s more than the eight of them?” Tasser asked.

“At least that many more staking out the complex’s entrances,” Umtane said.

“They didn’t share this information with you willingly,” Nai said. It wasn’t a question.

“My eyes are very good for a Vorak’s,” he bragged, “even compared to other augmented eyes. I read Vather’s lips from across the atrium after we left the conference room.”

“Well that explains why Vather isn’t worried about kicking the [hornet’s] nest,” I said. “He figures if the culprit tries to bolt with the weapon his crew outside will arrest them.”

“It also means he and Itun are the only Adepts to come inside,” Tasser mused. “If I’m him, and I have that many men, and three or more Adepts...”

“They disarmed too easily,” Nai agreed. “It makes sense they have help outside.”

“Figures,” Tasser said. “Vorak Adepts in squads like that almost always like to have an Armory with them.”

I was reassured by the fact that Letrin and Wurshken looked equally lost.

“Armory?” I asked.

“Most Adepts develop individualized powers,” Nai explained. “But that hasn’t stopped some quasi-standardized abilities from emerging. Adepts who have practiced making weaponry, not just for themselves, but their allies around them too get called Armories.”

“What are the odds Vather isn’t Adept?” Letrin asked.

“Zero,” Umtane said. “It’s a serious problem in most fleets: Adepts are put in command far more often than non-Adepts.”

“So they have at least two inside: Vather, and Itun. At least we’re holding onto one of them.”

“I wouldn’t count on him staying put,” Nai said. “They might wait for you to finish First Contact testing, but not a minute longer than that.”

“This is going to fall apart at the slightest provocation,” Umtane said. “Deep Coils command technically gave me rank over them when they alerted me…”

Nai shook her head. “You were smart to keep that from them,” she said. “They’ll kill anyone who can go over their heads. We need to get ahead of this fast. Tasser, you and Caleb go get some sleep. I’ll go over the computer drives we have with Umtane, see if there’s any evidence we can leverage Vather or the culprit with.”

“Stay safe,” Tasser nodded.

“Caleb, you know what to do when this all goes up in flames?”

“Run away from Rak,” I said simply. “Simple.”

“Good,” she said.

Not that it would be that easy, but she looked relieved to hear it, nonetheless. Umtane and Chief Niza might have been representing parties Nai couldn’t speak for, but with Nemuleki and the Director captured…

This was her show now, and I didn’t envy her one bit.