Chapter 5
Rose drew a diagram in the dirt, ‘The prisoners can use this courtyard, but at night the guards lock them in separate rooms. There is a gate to the courtyard just here, but it is guarded by Puncheon and dogs -- the scaly ones.
‘Puncheon,’ Mervyn exclaimed, ‘what are they doing here?’
‘They work for the Naga, silly’ Rose said. ‘Grandpa doesn’t like them. Says they bring trouble.’
‘How may Puncheon?’ Mervyn asked.
‘Loads, but Grandpas says they didn’t bring any warships.’
‘No, how may Puncheon guarding the house?’.
‘Oh. I counted five.’
‘We should assume four times that number,’ Loren said.
‘There was someone else there too, a human.’
Mervyn’s heart skipped a beat, ‘What’s his name.’
‘I didn’t get to speak to him, but the girl said I should mention it.’
Mervyn made Rose describe the man. No doubt about it, she had seen Mervyn’s father. With his heart beating he memorised the diagram of the house and wiped the dirt clean.
‘You know what this means don’t you?’ Loren said.
Mervyn nodded, ‘Yes, the Naga destroyed the Mining Federation.’
‘Worse than that, the Naga’s in league with the Centaph.’ Mervyn looked sceptical. ‘Think about the evidence, Merv -- we know the Naga’s warship is Centaph, and the Puncheon would only be in league with the Naga if sanctioned by the Centaph. They’re softening up Ethrigia for a full-out attack.’
‘Grandpa said it was payment,’ Rose said unexpectedly.
Now Loren looked sceptical, ‘Destroying the Mining Federation was payment? He told you this?’
‘No, I heard him talking.’
Mervyn’s mind raced with possibilities, ‘Payment for what though?’
‘I don’t know. He sent me back to bed.’
Mervyn could imagine Rose wandering round the house at night and blundering into a private conversation. Had that unguarded moment resulted in her incarceration? Nothing added up, ‘But how would destroying the Federation count as payment?’
‘Helium-three,’ Loren said. ‘It’s all about Helium-three. The Mining Federation was the largest suppliers in the sector. Everyone needs Helium-three for nuclear fusion power generators -- it’s all about fuel.’
‘But we’re mining Helium-three here.’
‘Exactly. With the Federation out of production I bet the price of Helium-three has rocketed, which means the Naga gets rich quick. Even De Monsero will take a year to get the asteroid mines back on line.’
‘Ah yes, De Monsero,’ Mervyn said. ‘Where does he fit in? Do you think he’s cut a deal with the Centaph?’
‘No, I think the Naga’s cut a deal. De Monsero’s just taking advantage: using the opportunity to boost his popularity, get the mines back for Ethrigia -- be a hero -- he would relish that role.’
‘But what about his spybot?’
‘There’s no proof it’s his. The real question is why are the Puncheon still here?’
Mervyn could think of only one reason, ‘Because the Naga’s been paid in advance -- whatever it is hasn’t happened yet?’
‘You think so?’
‘Yes, and we’re the only ones who know about it’.
‘Quarks, we’ve got to get off this planet and warn The Patriarch, Merv. And quickly.’
‘I know, but I’m not leaving without Aurora, Tarun, and my father.’
Mervyn made Rose repeat everything she knew about the house, and Loren made her describe the lock on the gate and draw it in the dirt. Guthrik’s key looked as if it might fit, they would just have to try it and hope.
They were interrupted by Rose’s mother, ‘Time for bed young lady,’ Rose scurried off, but her mother remained. ‘I overheard you. You’re going to escape aren’t you,’ she said.
Mervyn realised honesty might have been the best policy after all. Now he would have to own up to his deception, ‘The deal is we take you with us,’ he said sheepishly.
‘Deal? Deal with whom?’ She looked confused and angry. Mervyn explained about the key.
‘My father-in-law’s is the first place they would look for us,’ she said. ‘We will not go with you -- it will only make our situation worse.’ Mervyn’s heart sank and he felt despair clawing at the edges of his mind; he would not give in, they still had the key, their one hope.
‘But you must come with us,’ Loren blurted. ‘If you don’t Guthrik won’t help us off this planet.’
‘Perhaps you should have thought of that before making a deal which included my family?’
‘We’ve kept you alive for the last few weeks,’ Loren stormed, her chima burned red. ‘Do you think Rose would have survived if she had to slave away in that mine every day? You owe us.’
‘You helped us for your own ends. I didn’t see you helping my children before you cut the deal with Guthrik.’ Loren’s chima faded to an embarrassed pink.
Then Mervyn had an idea, ‘It’s ok, Loren, they can come with us anyway. Guthrik never said anything about delivering them to him, he just wanted them out of here. We will still have fulfilled his deal. We’ll take our chances...’
‘Where will we go?’
‘Anywhere you like.’ Mervyn could see the temptation in the woman’s eyes. Surely anywhere was better than the slave camp.
‘All right. Now here is my deal: we will come with you, but only if you deliver us to my cousin Cephas. Guthrik can have no complaint about that.’
‘And where do we find Cephas?’ Mervyn asked.
‘That man Rose described, -- the one in the house -- talks to Cephas regularly, he will pass on a message for you.’
Loren looked horrified, ‘But that means breaking out and then breaking back in again. Double... no, quadruple the risk. We could just as easily get caught breaking in as breaking out.’
‘Those are my terms -- take them or leave them.’ They had no choice: it was their best chance of warning the Patriarch of the danger to Ethrigia.
‘We’ll go tonight,’ Mervyn decided.