"I need someone who will immediately recognize another visitor like me," he interrupted. "I will not be able to know the difference, since they all sound strange to me. Jorran I will recognize."
"Not guaranteed, when he could change his looks. Did we say your task was going to be easy?"
Dalden ignored the commentary to continue to make his point. "The rest of his people I would not know. But she would know. She knew immediately that I was not from her town. She already thinks I am part of her world, a foreigner, she called me."
“I was there, remember? I heard every word."
"Then you can agree that to have her help would be a benefit to us. "
"Of course I agree, but that doesn't mean it can be allowed. Other factors have to be taken into account, Dalden, the main one being that the longer you deal with one of those humans, the greater the risk of giving yourself away. The woman Brittany isn't even in a position of authority, yet she asks the same questions you will run into from everyone. Those are a curious, bold people. Butting into others' business is a natural process for them. And she will continue to grill you with questions until you end up slipping and telling her something that you shouldn't."
"With most of those questions already dealt with, the risk has been lessened."
Martha chuckled. "I Just love it when warriors prove they aren't all brawn."
"Does this mean‑"
"Not so fast, kiddo." Martha did the interrupting this time. I sent your sister out of here so I could speak plainly without embarrassing you. The woman Brittany does happen to be ideal
for what you need, and You've passed with flying colors, making her think you're just someone from a different part of her world. I could wish you weren't attracted to her, so let me Just stress: Jorran first, then rods, girl last on the agenda. If your reproductive instincts become a problem, get them out of the way. Too much trouble can be caused if that's all you're thinking about. So if it becomes a problem, take care of it, then get back to business. Can you do that?"
"Certainly.
"Why do I get the feeling that would have been your answer whether you believe it to be true or not? Never mind," was said with an accompanying sigh. "I know you wouldn't lie to me intentionally I know you think you can do what needs doing. I've come to expect an abundance of confidence from any of you warriors, no matter the endeavor, and you and your father have proven time and again that your own confidence is rarely off the mark."
"Is the woman still in that place you sent me to?" Dalden questioned.
"No, but I have already accessed all pertinent information on her and have the location that she calls home. I've also launched a miniature viewer above her town so I can have visuals as needed and not have to depend solely on the viewers on the combo‑unit.
A grid appeared on the computer monitor that enlarged and then enlarged several more times until it became more clear that it was an overhead view of a small section of the planet that included dwellings, foliage, and objects moving along the grids that looked similar to the flying vehicles of Kystran but without the capability of flying. A large red circle appeared on one section of the grid, another was drawn some distance away, then three more smaller circles.
Martha's voice was all business now as she explained, "Brittany Callaghan lives here." The first circle flashed brighter in color. "The leader called Mayor lives here." The second circle flashed. "The largest bank depositors live here." The three circles flashed together. "All three are corporations rather than individuals. I will monitor their accounts for any unusual withdrawals, but I am not overly concerned yet that Jorran might go the money route. His mentality is deeply set in being a titled ruler, rather than a wealthy despot, so he win at least make the attempt to become the mayor here.
"Can he succeed?"
"Sure, if he uses the rods on every male in town and waits to get elected by them through the normal process, but he doesn't have time for that. He'll more likely try something stupid instead like having the mayor resign and appoint him as his replacement until the election. He'll be using those rods a lot to do it this way, and will have to have the support of the city council and every other man in a position of authority, as well as a full‑blown history for himself to offer the public, because these people won't accept a stranger taking over, they will want to know all about him. But the rods will work to make people think they've known him forever and that he's a really great guy who'd make a perfect mayor for them."
Dalden frowned. "Then he can accomplish what he wants here. "
Martha spared a moment to offer one of her more smirking-type chuckles. "He could if it were only men in the equation, but the women, at least in the country he's picked, aren't of the silent, do‑as‑they're‑told variety. Many of them hold positions of authority themselves. The rods worked fine on Sunder because it was a conspiracy of women that took over there, so they only had the men to worry about. Here, it's the women who are going to throw a wrench in Jorran's plans."
"This is true on the whole planet?"
"No, he's just picked the wrong country to try to take over. It's up to you to get your hands on him before he changes tactics and picks another country, or goes after riches instead. The last thing we want is for him to lose himself in one of their big cities. It's hard enough trying to pinpoint his location in the small town he's in. It'd be impossible in one of their major cities."
"The amount of people in that place today cannot be called small by any standards."
Another chuckle. "That was not a normal place, Dalden, it was a place the entire town goes to for shopping and other forms of entertainment, their version of a Sha‑Ka‑Ra market. You wouldn't find crowds like that in the rest of the town, though in a large city you just might. But the local news of the town had the mayor scheduled to be there today, which is why you were placed there."
"But was Jorran there?"
"Undetermined. The mayor was there, and we have to assume that Jorran win be following the mayor until he makes his move, which is why you will need to keep close to him as well. But keep in mind, you can't grab Jorran when you do find him and expect no one to interfere, and we do not want those people yelling for their security forces. You can't give him a chance to use a rod on you, either. You need to stun him, turn off his shield, then I can get you both back to the ship and we will have the leverage to have the rest of the rods turned over to us. But you need to get him alone before you go assaulting him with a stun."
"The stunning and the turning off of his shield can be accomplished in a matter of moments, as is Transfer. Why must such precaution be taken?"
"Because I don't take chances with one of Tedra's babies. You know that. And there are too many unknown variables involved on this planet, things I am unaware of yet because their computers aren´t up to my speed and aren't giving me all their information fast enough. I shocked a good many people today by putting you
down in the center of them. I shocked many more taking you back out of their midst, since the Brittany female wasn't the only woman down there who couldn't take her eyes off you, kiddo. A good many of them win now be visiting their eye doctors, which is okay, as long as we don't make a habit of shocking them. Had violence broken out in their midst, that whole crowd could have swarmed on you, and having you end up in what they call jail is not on the agenda."
"If I had my sword‑"
"No, no, no, don't turn pure warrior on me, Dalden. I know what you're capable of, you know what you're capable of, but those people up there are not going to find that out for themselves. Swords are archaic here, used only by performers enacting their history. They are not worn in public without causing a great deal of curiosity. You have an excellent weapon in your phazor combo‑unit: it covers all emergencies and gives me a six‑sided view of the proceedings as well, and none of these humanoids will guess it is a weapon because they have nothing like it. It looks like what they call a portable radio, and Corth II even attached that wire to it so you can hear me wi
thout anyone near you hearing me."
"The woman could hear you."
"No, all she heard was noise, she didn't hear my words and wouldn't have understood them even if she did, which is beside the point. The communicator phazor unit has been made to look familiar to these people, so they won't question it. Now let's get back to the matter of the Brittany woman and using her to aid your task. The info I have gathered on her from all computer sources indicates that she has two places of employment that take up most of her time. You will need to tempt her away from these jobs to work for you. just asking might do it, but let's not count on that. You will need to hire her."
"With what do I hire her? You can obtain their currency to do this?"
"Unnecessary," Martha replied. "Like the Catrateri, this is another planet that worships the metal gold, and that chunk you wear around your neck should be more than sufficient for the short‑term employment you require. Now, are you ready to get back to business?" "Indeed." "Then hold on to your socks, kiddo, Transfer imminent. "
Chapter Nine
IT CRACKS ME UP WHEN THIS JUNK MANAGES TO GET into the local paper. I mean, you expect it in the supermarket tabloids, but‑"
"What junk?" Brittany asked as she closed the refrigerator, the cold soda she'd come for in hand.
Her roommate was sitting at their small kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a piece of coffee cake in front of her, even though it was midafternoon. Of course, Jan had only just gotten up an hour ago, having slept in later than usual today after a late night out with her current boyfriend. Several newspapers were there that she was catching up on reading, with one open in her hands.
"And on the second page, no less," Jan added as she glanced up at Brittany. "This is too funny."
Since Jan wasn't exactly laughing, Brittany took the funny part to be sarcasm. "What junk?" she asked again.
"Another UFO sighting."
Brittany rolled her eyes and headed out of the kitchen. Jan called after her, "No, really. Three people from Seaview swear they saw it. I wonder how long they stayed for happy hour."
Brittany came back and sat down across from Jan. "Some people actually take that stuff seriously, you know," she pointed out.
"We don't."
"No, but I can see why it would make the local paper, if three locals are claiming they saw something unusual. That's the first sighting in our area, which makes it newsworthy or at least of interest, even if it was just another weird‑looking government plane being tested or a trick of the light. Besides, look at what those initials stand for, 'unidentified' being the word of note. I'm sure if the little green men ever do decide to pay us a visit, we'll have no trouble recognizing their transportation as a spaceship and calling it that."
Jan rolled her eyes now. "You are too kind, Britt. A flaky, delusional person is still a flake."
"No, actually, those sightings we probably never hear about, just as a known drunk isn't going to be taken seriously, either. The sightings that do make the news are usually from sober, respectable people who really do believe they saw what they claim to have seen.
"Or sensationalists who lie just to bask in the public spotlight," Jan countered as she continued to glance over the paper.
Brittany gave up with a chuckle. Her friend was one of those stubborn individuals who would adhere to an opinion to the bitter end, despite evidence that might suggest they have their facts wrong. She enjoyed such discussions, though, because she didn't let them frustrate her. She wasn't the type who had to be right all the time; she was perfectly happy to shrug and say we'll agree to disagree without getting hot under the collar about it, and go on to the next subject.
She'd still been in a rotten mood when she'd come into the kitchen, still furious that that gorgeous foreigner she'd met a few hours ago hadn't had the decency to at least say good‑bye before disappearing on her. Trust Jan though to lighten her mood, however briefly.
They were three years apart in age, Jan the younger at twenty-five, but had hit it off immediately when Jan answered the roommate ad Brittany had run soon after she moved into the two‑bedroom apartment. She could have afforded the place easily by herself, but her goals were already set, and having someone split the costs with her fit well into her plan. Besides, she wasn't a loner; she liked having people around, liked having someone there to talk to when she felt like it, or leave her alone when she felt like that, too.
But today she knew she wouldn't be good company. So she started to head back to her bedroom to lay on her bed and brood some more about all the things she should have said to that hunk to make him at least interested enough to ask for her phone number.
But again Jan arrested her attention, this time with a gasped, "Jeez!" and a moment later, "Oh, Jeez, I don't believe it!"
Brittany came back to stand in the doorway that separated the kitchen and tiny laundry room from the oversized living room. "What now?"
"We almost died yesterday and didn't even know it!" Jan exclaimed.
"Excuse me?"
Jan laid the paper down to stare up at Brittany wide‑eyed. She was actually pale. "I thought meteors and comets got tracked coming toward us, like we had months' advance warning? Did you hear anything about this one?"
Brittany frowned. "A meteor passed by near us?"
"It didn't pass by, it was last tracked dropping into the Pacific, was already in the atmosphere when it was spotted, and then‑gone.
"So there was no danger?"
"Are you kidding? It says here it was the size of a football field. If that thing had actually hit the water instead of disintegrating, the tidal wave would have been big enough to reach the next states over.
"But it obviously didn't hit."
"No, but that's beside the point. This one came in so fast that no one saw it coming."
"The size of a football field would be no more than a speck of dust in space, Jan. The observatories wouldn't pick up anything that small."
I still don't like it that we hear about it after the fact," Jan grumbled.
Neither did Brittany, but she was pragmatic about things that she couldn't change. "If it came in as fast as you say, so it wasn't even noticed until it was already here, then nothing could have been done about it either way. Meteors flash though all the time, some hit, most disintegrate. We can be glad they aren't the size of comets, and chalk this one up to it wasn't our time to go."
"Is that farm philosophy?"
Brittany grinned. "No, just old‑fashioned acceptance of fate."
Jan snorted. "I'd rather make my own fate, thank you very much, which includes at least having the option of trying to run for the hills."
Brittany might have suggested Jan go back to school and figure out how to build better telescopes, but she preferred to get back to her brooding, so she shrugged instead and once again headed toward her bedroom. But she'd no sooner closed the door when another shriek of astonishment was heard from the kitchen. Brittany shook her head. She did wonder what could possibly top the story of the meteor to upset Jan this time, but decided she could wait to find out.
But less than a minute later she was heading back to the kitchen despite her resolve. Curiosity could be a major pain sometimes, and she did occasionally have an overactive imagination that could go haywire if her own curiosity started acting up. She began to think of other things that had nothing to do with news articles that might have made Jan cry out, and she was actually running those last few steps to the kitchen door to make sure her friend was all right.
She wasn't. Jan was slumped across the table, the coffee cup spilled, the cake just missed by her head, the newspaper scattered on the floor next to her chair. Behind her stood‑him. Unbelievable. That gorgeous hunk of foreign masculinity in her kitchen? And he looked annoyed and upset at the same time, if that was possible, as he stared down at Jan.
"What'd you do, scare the bejesus out of her?"
He hadn't seen Brittany yet in the doorway. He looked at her now and seemed to visibly rel
ax, though he did sigh.
"She could not withstand the sight of me," he said by way of explanation.
"That's what I said‑never mind. Help me get her to her bed."
There was no helping about it. He lifted Jan so easily that he could have been picking up the coffee cup, and simply waited for Brittany to lead him, which she did. A few moments later she stared down at Jan laying peacefully in her bed and had no idea what to do to bring her out of her faint. It wasn't as if she had any experience in the matter.
She sighed. "I really don't think we have anything in the medicine cabinet that covers fainting."
“I am told she win recover in due time."
"Told?" she said. "Or is that your way of stating your opinion? Oh, never mind," she added, realizing as she said it that she'd said it an awful lot to him in the brief span of their acquaintance.
She directed him out of Jan's room with a wave of her hand, followed him into the living room that adjoined both bedrooms, and pointed at the couch there. He took the hint, though he was very careful as he sat down on it, as if he were afraid he might break it. Come to think of it, some springs just might snap under his seven feet of solid man weight. He really was big. And although their living room was extra large in comparison to the rest of the apartment, it looked cut down to half its size with him in it.
Brittany was still in a bit of shock herself that he was there, when she had been sure she'd never see him again. And the fact that Jan had still been sitting at the kitchen table meant she hadn't let him in, so it was no wonder his sudden presence had scared the heck out of her. Some overdue annoyance that he had just barged in on them rose now.