Chapter 6

We didn't make any effort to publish the news of the formation of the foursome, but we didn't try to keep it a secret, either. I don't know if it was the foursome, or what Roger told me a few days later that triggered the penultimate crisis, but either one was probably enough to have done so.

Roger came to me at work, during a lunch when Larwint was off at the dojo with Sensei, and indicated with a quick Craxill gesture that he had a secret to share with me. I set the office privacy controls to maximum, and invited him to sit down and let me know what he had in mind.

"As you know, I work for the Federation as an engineer. And, I think you know that Lantral works in the same field; we met while working on getting some of the secondary Craxill systems fabricated here on Earth, to save shipping costs and time." When I nodded, he continued.

"Lantral's been home with the girls most of the time of late, with not enough to do, so I've been suggesting things for her to investigate in their science archives, mostly for my own curiosity. She found some interesting things last month, and she's been doing some development work. I don't like to take credit for her work, but she seems to want to give me more than I deserve.

"Anyway, the upshot is that 'we' have developed a major enhancement to their computer technology, and it's already got a significant share of the market segment, and that share is increasing. In a word, we're rich. By Craxill custom, the clan gets ten percent, and since you're a Clan Lord, that means you personally get that tithe, so you're rich as well.

"There's a very large gap between Craxill scientific knowledge and their application of that knowledge. The things that Lantral was researching have been known for decades, but not one of them has been applied, despite the ease with which she was able to do it. It's like they're a species of little kids, smart and inquisitive, but with no drive to do anything but play.

"As near as I can figure it out, that's why Lantral insists I get the credit for this. Even if she had read the archives, she wouldn't have felt the need to try to apply them to her processes, if I hadn't asked her to look at it. It scares me a bit sometimes, how much she worships me."

I double checked the anti-eavesdropping tell-tales, then said, "Well, if you didn't want her to worship you as her lord and master, you shouldn't have fucked her up the ass."

Roger blushed, and looked away.

"Sorry, that was cruder than I meant it to be. We've been so worried about humans adjusting to the impact of a superior technology, it never occurred to me that the reverse might happen as well, so I'm a little off-balance."

"If you think you're off-balance now, wait until you try to get John to explain Craxill tax forms," Roger joked.

I just shook my head, and made a note to talk to the Ambassador about it.

Larwint returned from lunch, and asked me if she could bring 'a friend' to the dojo tomorrow.

Being deliberately obtuse, because I noticed a certain blush (well, the equivalent) on her cheeks (ditto), I asked, "Certainly. What's her name?"

She 'blushed' again, and said, "His name is Thamont. He was my guard partner for Slonwal and Ronwalt's bonding."

Craxill didn't seem to tease the way humans did, though the ones around my household had learned to recognize it when we humans indulged in the act, and to take it in stride. Since Larwint was still quite new to the idea, I resisted the urge to ask "Friend? Is that what they call it these days?" and restricted myself to a nod of understanding, and a verbal, "Yes, of course."

That evening I asked Nilwint if she new anything about Larwint's 'friend' after telling her I didn't want her to betray any confidences.

"She's not making any secret of it, but she's not bragging either. Thamont is her lover. Drones take lovers from time to time. Sometimes the relationships last for years, other times for mere days. I'm no expert on the subject, but this relationship shows signs of lasting quite a while."

I nodded, "Human matings are like that. If the partners are also in love, and the relationship persists, they will often marry. It is a transient, ephemeral thing compared to a Craxill bonding, but it's all we have. I envy you that, sometimes. It's not that I don't believe in Priya's love, or the strength of our marriage. Rather, it's that so many marriages end, and end so painfully."

"I have spoken to Priya, as it happens, on this subject, trying to understand your people," Nilwint replied, "And it has been a subject of study among some of the Embassy staff as well. The consensus is that true marriages are based on respect, and I can tell you that your respect for each other is as obvious as your love, even to someone of another species.

"And the permanence of our bonds is not without its own costs. If one partner is lost, it is often difficult for the other to live on, even more so than in the Human case. And there is no hope of a second chance, as there is with your people."

The conversation moved on to less serious topics, and I went to bed with my worries completely resolved, faint though they had been.

That was the last major event prior to the week that changed my life, and the lives of everyone around me. Over the next few months, Ronwalt gave birth to a daughter (singular, since I'd worn a condom and William's sexual fluids were 'applied' far too late to cause the egg to twin.) Larwint's affair with Thamont continued, adding to the happiness she had found in our household and family. The Maltorl drone became a frequent visitor to our home, enjoying the children and the puppies.

I caught Linda eying him one day, when their visits coincided, but I never got a chance to ask her what she was thinking as she looked at him. She seemed to be in a 'girls' phase at the time, having become particularly close to the girl I'd seen sitting at her feet the night before I'd acquired Larwint. Watching their interactions, I suspected Linda was playing Nadiya to her friend's Jessica; a later conversation with Priya confirmed that.

"I noticed too, and spoke to them, warning them of various dangers in what they were doing. They've been more careful of late, and I think it will be fine," she'd said.

It was just supper time when I got an urgent call from the Embassy; some flunky with 'Security' markings on her robes conveyed the Ambassador's apologies for the interruption and requested my immediate presence at the Embassy. When she declined to explain the reason for the summons, even on a secure line, my gut twisted.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I told her.

I sent a priority request for transport, and grabbed Larwint before heading out. The priority tag got us to the Embassy in record time, and the Ambassador met me at the station. He greeted me, then remained silent until we entered the Security wing of the Embassy.

He waved me into a conference room, pressed the keys that sealed the room from external communication, and began to speak. His voice was laden with guilt and anger as he spoke.

"Our people, like yours, are afflicted with the occasional mental defective, creatures born with intelligence but no moral compass. Most are relatively harmless, as their intelligence instructs them that the more heinous of the acts they find themselves capable of come with too high a risk of detection and too great a cost to be worth attempting. The truly dangerous ones, however, have dark urges that override their ability to care if they are caught and punished.

"On the world we now call home, there is a small creature, native to that world, that is approximately the size and shape of one of our children just before they begin the process of becoming an adult. Certain twisted persons capture these creatures, and perform perversions upon their bodies. Such persons are killed when they are discovered, because they sometimes advance from damaging animals, to actually attacking children.

"Somehow, one of these perversions of the Craxill form was assigned to the Embassy. Somehow, it contacted criminal elements of your species, who provided it with a young girl to prey on. Fortunately, we discovered the crime in time to prevent serious damage to the girl, and the perversion is in custody, awaiting execution. If we did not fear that it had help, and did not wish to aid your people in catching the filth that provided the girl, it would already be quite gruesomely dead."

As a parent, the very thought of what Sartotl was telling me made me sick. When it occurred to me to wonder why I had been summoned, instead of a more senior diplomat, the feeling got worse.

"Why am I here?" I asked, my voice just a touch unsteady.

Sartotl didn't answer directly, but continued with his story. "Someone attempted to subvert the security system, turning off several cameras near a service entrance. Instead, they triggered an alert, and Security observed two humans delivering a third, smaller human to the hands of the perversion. They were able to intercept the humans before they could escape, but it took a little bit longer to find where the perversion had hidden itself and its victim.

"By the time they found it, it had stripped the garments off of the child, and fastened it to a surface with adhesive. It was preparing to awaken the child when Security broke in and subdued it. The child was removed from the surface, and has been delivered to your medical facilities for treatment. We believe she suffered no serious damage from the perversion's actions, but that is subject to correction once your physicians examine her. Whether she has suffered or not is not relevant to the perversion's future. It will die regardless, and not easily, once we are sure we know if anyone assisted it in its actions."

I was now even more nervous. The Ambassador had never evaded a question in the past. If he did not want to answer, he said so, but he never just ignored it.

"I repeat, why am I here?" I said, in a sharp tone.

The Ambassador's head bowed in supplication, and he said sadly, "Forgive me, Lord. The victim is your clanswoman, Linda Patel. I suspected as much when I saw her, but I do not know her well enough to recognize her with certainty. One of the human scum was still in possession of Linda's ID when we captured them."

Now that my fears were confirmed, and my uncertainty gone, I was in firmer control. I was still very, very angry, but there was no longer a risk that I would punish the wrong person for it. And if I was angry, Larwint was enraged.

"Lord, if you permit, I wish to be among those that remove this perversion," she said, her voice almost impossible to understand, so thick was it with rage. "I wish to flay it, one finger-length at a time, to draw its blood drop by drop, that its life may end in unspeakable agony."

"Time enough to decide that, when we know more," I told her, just slightly calmer than she was. I was interrupted by the flash of an indicator on the communications panel. The Ambassador glanced at the panel and pressed a switch, and my phone began to ring.

A glance at the display showed the call was from Priya, and it was marked priority. Guessing the purpose, I flipped the phone open, and said, "Love, I'll call you back in my office in five. Take your guests with you. Solomon." I ended the call before she could respond, the code word indicating I didn't want to speak except on a sealed line.

Turning to the Ambassador, I said, "I require a secure phone, and the information as to where Linda was taken for treatment. Lead on."

I was in full Command Mode, what Priya had started calling my Clan Lord Act, and the Ambassador responded, bowing in submission and leading me to an office with a human-style security phone. I waved him to a seat, and took a seat at the phone, activating it, and keying in my home number before pressing my hand against the identification pad to release the encryption keys.

The call went through quickly, and I saw Priya sitting in my office chair, with a worried Roger Patel and an unfamiliar face in a Greater Indian National Police uniform. The security indicators showed full privacy at their end and maximum encryption, so I was able to speak without worry of being overheard.

"Roger, Linda is safe. My call to come here concerned her, though I didn't know that when I left. She's been injured, we're not sure how badly, and she's on her way to hospital. The Ambassador will get you the details on where she's being treated.

"Priya, my love, have Rillnam and Nilwint collect Roger and Lantral's other daughters and bring them to our home, so that Lantral can come with Roger to see Linda.

"Officer, please inform your superiors that this has become a Federation matter. Official notification will be forthcoming.

"Any questions?"

The National Police lieutenant looked like he had thousands of questions, but he visibly stifled the urge, correctly assuming that the current situation was way above his pay grade. The other two shook their heads, and I gestured to the Ambassador, who gave Roger and Priya the information they needed to find Linda. I ended the call quickly after that, freeing Roger to attend to his daughter.

"I want to talk to Security, then I want to see this thing that wanted to hurt my clanswoman. I intend to make a small down payment on the debt of pain I must pay before I permit it to die. Larwint, I have a small errand for you."

I described what I wanted, omitting the 'why' and she nodded and headed off. The Ambassador clearly had questions, but he suppressed them easily.

The Embassy Security Chief had streaks of black in his fur, and a world-weary look about him that I didn't attribute to the lateness of the hour. We'd had a number of contacts at the start of the Embassy project, then gone our separate ways once his portion of the project was well underway. He remembered me, though.

"A mixed pleasure, Lord Phoenix," he said regretfully. "I enjoyed working with you, and it pains me to renew our acquaintance under these circumstances."

"A feeling I share, sir," I said, making a gesture of greeting and respect. "What can you tell me about this unpleasantness?"

"I can and will tell you everything I know, Lord," he said. "Please be seated, and I will begin."

Once I was comfortable, he sat himself, and began his report.

"Earlier this evening, programs were introduced into the network that attempted to subvert the security cameras covering a secondary entrance in a disused section of the complex. Instead, those programs tripped the network intrusion alarms, and the duty officer put the targeted cameras in evidence mode.

"The cameras recorded the arrival of the perversion, and the subsequent delivery of the victim. We had prepositioned guards under cover of a security drill, and captured the delivery agents before they could escape. The perversion left the area under observation quickly enough that we lost contact, but a quick search turned it up before it could do serious harm to the victim. At least, that is our hope.

"Our computer records indicate that the perversion was part of the Poxrill clan. They further indicate that the programs that attempted to subvert the security system were inserted by a minor official in the Poxrill clan. Further examination reveals modification logs indicating that the aforementioned records have been tampered with, using a terminal in the Sminran Local Eldest's quarters, and using his security credentials."

The Security Chief paused, inviting comment.

"I note that you say the records 'indicate' these things, not that they show them. I trust there is more?" I said after a moment.

"You are correct, Lord. As you know, your human vendors made some significant changes to our security designs when the Embassy was built, citing your Earth Federation computer security laws. I believe they stated that installing a system with the level of security the unmodified design provided would have drawn severe penalties."

I snorted, "Calling them 'severe' requires an ability for understatement I have not been able to master. Continue."

"The original changes, and the modifications that attempted to redirect our attention were actually inserted by Saltrin Nomrall, of Ritmurt."

I was sufficiently suspicious to wonder if even the latter identification was faked. Both individuals had reason to dislike me and my clan, but it was far from obvious they'd stoop to these depths to attack me. Be that as it may, we'd go with the evidence we had, at least for now. I addressed the Security Chief, in my best "Clan Lord Instructing His Minions" tones.

"Summon Lorgzan to your office, under arrest if necessary, or 'to assist with your inquiries' if possible. Confine him in any case. If he convinces you that he is not an accomplice being thrown to the wolves, you may inform him that he is being framed; otherwise, let him sweat. Put a close watch on Nomrall, and on Zirnkar as well, but do not let them suspect you know anything.

"Officially, you can not comment. Treat this as any other case, the reputations of innocents at stake, the usual. The human security forces will leak this, so we will need a press conference in the morning for the Human media, you have staff that can help you with that. The treaty says that the human villains are yours to deal with, for the crimes they committed on Embassy soil; if you decide to release the 'corpses' they can stand trial in Earth courts for the original kidnapping. The Federation Council will probably want that, so that they can try to work their way up the kidnapping ring, and it will be to your advantage too, to provide additional evidence against the ones behind this.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to work off some anger by abusing some corpses."

Under Craxill law, the three criminals had already been tried, convicted, and legally executed. The fact that the corpses were not only still warm, but still breathing was irrelevant.

Making a gesture of departure, I left the Security office. Larwint was waiting outside with what I'd sent her after, and I gestured her to follow me. One of the security drones led me to the confinement area, and the cell where the would-be defiler of Linda's virtue was being held.

My rage was now under control, and I had banked the roaring flames of anger into a nicely controlled bed of white-hot coals. The pervert was going to pay for his crimes, and I wanted to be the first to collect.