him again. Fortune favored them by providing many other pedestrians wandering around without purpose. Then he stepped into a well lit casino. Seren cursed. Vain would go around the back. Every building in Hellsbitch had at least one back exit. She stayed in front. If the male was good, he would watch the door to see who would come in after him. Not only would they be well illuminated but blinded by the bright casino lights.
Splitting up scared her. If he left through the back, then Vain would have to follow alone. Anxiety tore at her stomach. She would be here standing in front while anything could be happening to the Romulan. She disciplined herself to stay in darkness, to just wait. The seconds ticked by slow as a dirge. People went in and people came out. He could be having dinner. Or breakfast. Maybe he was going to bed. Or was just gambling. He could have left by any number of secret ways these establishments had. At least he couldn’t have transported out. She gripped the big multibarrel constantly checking that it was ready. She hated this. Vain was alone. She checked her knives. Where was the Romulan? She checked her handguns. Come on, Vain, she thought, forget about him, come back to me. Hell with it, she was going to run around back. She took a step. Then realized someone was behind her.
She turned and swept Vain into her arms, crushing her into a fierce embrace.
“Oof,” the Romulan said. “I was afraid I was going to startle you and you would just start shooting.”
“Dammit, dammit, dammit!” Seren cried squeezing her, kissing her. “Are you alright?”
“Yes and as much as I like this,” she said fumbling back on her breather, “we must hurry. He is going to a skimmer I believe.”
They turned and ran through an alley. “We’ll never get to our skimmer in time.”
“We do not need to,” Vain panted, gripping her side. “And it would be foolhardy to follow him that way.”
Seren helped her along. The Romulan was struggling.
“Up here,” Vain pointed. “This building.”
They clambered up a ladder. Seren followed Vain to make sure she didn’t fall. The tall building was on the edge of the town. The roof had a clear line of sight out into the wasteland. Vain pulled out a telescope and fumbled with it. Seren took it from the Romulan, expanded it, then gave it back to her.
“There he is,” she said.
Seren looked along the telescope and saw nothing. Then she saw a glint and was able to track the skimmer. He disappeared into the terrain. Vain slowly caught her breath though she retched a few times. Seren wiped the alien’s mouth and replaced the breather. She kept the Romulan as warm as she could.
“Look there,” Vain said handing the telescope to Seren. “Do you see it?”
“Yes.” A ship was taking off. “I don’t recognize it.”
“It is Romulan. They are here.”
The likelihood of the Stars of Wisdom guiding your plan to success is directly correlated to how good your plan is -- Romulan Proverb
“The day is beautiful,” the Seigneur remarked to Syll as they strolled in the garden of the Tal Shiar compound.
The garden was deserted, quiet, the scent of the flowers and earth wafted up to them. Supposedly, it was private with no monitoring equipment and no eyes or ears. They both knew what that meant.
“The weather grows more pleasant I trust?” Syll asked.
“Much more pleasant I must say. Though as you well know, storms, very great storms still loom.” He paused at a planter to pluck a blue star shaped fruit. “Look at this tree, how it bears us such a wonderful bounty. It is sweet and most nutritious. The Stars of Wisdom have been kind to us.”
He pulled it apart and popped a piece into his mouth.
She smiled as he offered her a small segment, but refused. “As you say, this fruit is a bounty that sustains us all.”
“The gardener who cares for this tree is indeed skilled to have a reward so precious borne for us. Great honors await her. She is most, most highly regarded.”
“I am sure the gardener will be most pleased to hear that, though humbled at such praise from someone who is such a skilled gardener himself.”
“I do not know. This tree is unknown to me though I admit that the fruit is most desired. I wonder how much longer we can harvest it.”
“Such a tree is incredibly and surprisingly strong. Yet, it does become more fragile as the effort to bear fruit becomes ever more difficult.”
“Understood. But see how this manure feeds this tree. Such a pleasure to have a plentiful supply of manure. Though the source itself may be finding it burdensome to find the opportunity to produce so much manure to fertilize our beautiful tree.”
She smiled. “That would be a shame.”
They walked around the planter silent for a moment.
“There is a danger here for the gardener though, as she cares for this tree, to become so attached to it,” he mused. “The tree itself may perish through no fault of anyone. And there must, and I must emphasize this, must come a time when the tree’s usefulness will be at an end. As much as we appreciate the tree’s divine bounty, there may be no reward truly worthy of its service to us.”
“A skilled gardener would be well aware of the dangers of becoming too attached to that which she nurtures.”
“Perhaps the greatest danger is that which one is fully aware of yet one proceeds anyway. Such courage is treasured by me. Still, it can be hazardous, very hazardous.”
The shadow of the tree shielded them from the bright sun.
She nodded. “I am sure the gardener will tend to her tree to bring honor to the Tal Shiar.”
“That is pleasing to all who appreciate the quality of this fruit.” He turned to her and smiled, holding her in his arms. “Now be careful, my beautiful Syll. No beast is more dangerous than when his bone is pulled from his jaws.”
She placed her arms around his waist. They kissed warmly and passionately as they did at the end of every meeting. To any observer, she could only be his mistress hidden from his wife and family. A Tal Shiar privilege.
The Beloved Nephew had again left for an unknown period of time. Kari healed and strengthened in this lull. The Beloved Nephew could stay away forever as far as she was concerned. The four students instructed her to hone her observational skills. As Syll pointed out to them, mastery of anything lies in watching, doing, then teaching. The students should take full advantage of this unique opportunity. Despite all the instruction and books, however, Kari found too much time on her hands.
She watched Welan and Jhynif picking up their chairs preparing to leave from the lesson. She launched herself at Welan but he was prepared. He caught her easily and tossed her against a wall.
“Foolish, Kari,” he laughed. “I wanted to see if you were so easily deceived.”
“Master Welan,” she gasped out, staggering upright and straightening her tunic. “I was curious to see whether you had grown complacent. I see I was mistaken. My apologies.”
“You would not catch me. I am physically and mentally superior to you. Females are no match for males.”
Jhynif tapped her fingers on her chair without commenting.
Later, the female Romulan returned to the cell.
“Mistress Jhynif,” Kari said standing respectfully.
“I have something to show you, Kari. A little gift for Welan.”
The next day, Welan came in alone to continue her lessons. She attacked him immediately but again he was ready for her. So he thought. She carefully disguised the move and when he arrogantly thought he had her, she turned and flipped him sending him crashing to the ground.
Kari exulted holding her arms in the air. The guards peeked in but did nothing.
“How do you like that, Master Welan?” Kari laughed.
He didn’t move.
“Uh oh.” She rushed over to him. “Master Welan?”
He grabbed her and before she could fight him off, he had twisted her into a pretzel pinning her painfully.
“Who instructed you on that move, Kari?” he demanded.
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“No one, Master Welan!” she gasped out, feeling as if her arms were coming out of her sockets.
“You are a terrible liar, Kari. It was Jhynif wasn’t it? She thinks she is quite amusing.” He released her. “Now let me show you how to do a particular move on her.”
When Jhynif was next alone with Kari, the Human waited for a moment of inattention then jumped on the Romulan wrapping her up in the hold.
Jhynif cursed. “He taught you that didn’t he, that arrogant bastard.”
Kari let her go laughing. “He thought you were the arrogant one.”
“He said that? Well, he will expect me to teach you this move next, but also that I will know that and teach you this move instead. In his arrogance, he will also expect that as well. But I shall show you now a move which starts off just as those two do but it is much different.”
After a particularly strenuous session with Welan, Kari asked him, “You like her don’t you?”
“Who?” he barked out, sitting down. He didn’t like the Human tossing him around, even though he eventually always won.
“Mistress Jhynif.”
He paused. “It is not a topic for discussion.”
“It’s against the rules isn’t it?”
He straightened his robe making sure he looked presentable. He did not want anyone to even consider the possibility that this little Human barely half his weight could possibly best him. “Tal Shiar relationships are forbidden. We shall speak no more of it.”
“Why is it forbidden?”
He refused to answer.
When Jhynif came in alone, Kari asked the same question.
The Romulan just