Chapter 18
The Menel spaceship went into orbit around Kanan and stayed there for several hours. Riyannah had plenty of time to tell Blade what led up to the confrontation over the clearing. She answered most of his questions and he didn't want to bother her with the rest. She looked as if she hadn't had a good meal or a full night's sleep in nearly a month.
As Blade suspected, they'd done more than teach him the Kananite language while they had him under the Teacher Globe. They'd explored his memories from top to bottom and learned the truth about where he came from and how he'd come to Targa.
«I didn't feel happy about how you'd lied to me,» said Riyannah. «But I could see that you had many reasons for doing so. Everyone was particularly interested in your two meetings with the Menel.»
«I can imagine,» said Blade.
«I don't think you can,» said Riyannah. «They may have been the most important things you ever did.» After listening to her for a while longer, Blade began to suspect she was right. He'd known it was only common sense and basic decency to avoid killing Menel unnecessarily. He couldn't have guessed how much would eventually depend on that common sense and basic decency.
The first person to get involved in the situation after Blade's examination was Vruomanh, Second Councilor of Mestar, a gifted scientist but also an ambitious and intolerant man. He had the notion of keeping Blade under guard while methods were developed for exploring his brain more deeply. Such methods might kill him, but that wouldn't matter. When they'd finished exploring his brain, Mestar would have the Dimension X secret. Then they could use it to win the war against Targa single-handed.
All the other Cities would be eternally grateful to Mestar, which would then become virtually the ruler of Kanan.
«I imagine that idea wasn't entirely unpopular among the Councilors of Mestar,» said Blade dryly.
«No, it wasn't. But there were a few Councilors who opposed it. My uncle Yu Hardannah was one. There were others who thought it might be a good idea, but needed more study first. Vruomanh didn't like the thought of waiting. He pointed out that if we delayed, the secret might get out and Mestar would lose its chance.»
«He was right, wasn't he?»
«He certainly was. I made sure the secret got out. I went straight to the Menel Degdar-I think your word is 'ambassador'-and told him everything. Meanwhile my uncle was making sure they didn't put a Trail Voice in your head, and-«
«A Trail Voice?»
«Yes. It's a little radio transmitter they can put in a person's skull. After that they can pick up the transmissions and know exactly where he is.»
«I see.» Blade also saw what a narrow escape he'd had. With a radio beacon blatting away in his skull, he'd have been picked up within hours after his escape. As it was-
«They didn't have any method of tracking me without the Trail Voice, did they?»
«No. You're the first fugitive they've had to track without one in something like two hundred years.»
No wonder the Targans were a trifle out of practice chasing escaped criminals. «I owe your uncle a great deal.»
«Yes. He pointed out that your brain was something unknown. Putting a Trail Voice in your head might destroy your ability to travel among the Dimensions.»
Another narrow escape. Riyannah's uncle might very well be right. Being stuck here on Kanan as a friend or ally would be bad enough. Being stuck here as a pawn in some ambitious politician's schemes was something Blade was very glad not to be facing.
Not knowing any of this, Blade escaped. His escape promptly made an already confused and complicated situation even worse. As a Councilor, Riyannah's uncle was immune from arrest while in office. However, Vruomanh and his supporters badly wanted to have Riyannah locked up and interrogated. Again her uncle saved the day. He threatened that if anything happened to Riyannah he would fly to every other city on Kanan and tell them what was going on in Mestar. Nothing short of death would stop him.
«I was safe after that. But you weren't. It was obvious that Vruomanh wanted to capture you alive. It was just as obvious that if you didn't do what he wanted, he would see that you were killed in an 'accident.' I had to make sure you didn't fall into his hands.»
That might have been impossible, without the help of the Menel ambassador. Taking matters into his own claws, he called up his own personal starship and made sure it followed Vruomanh everywhere the Councilor went. That was fortunate, both for Blade and for Kanan.
«When the Menel showed they were ready to fight to save you, the crew of Vruomanh's own ship overpowered him,» said Riyannah. «He's now back in the same tower where you were held, and his guards are going to be more alert than yours were.»
«What will happen to him?»
«He'll lose his seat on the Council at once. Then he will probably have his mental patterns altered so he can never even conceive of a violent act again. He will also lose his rights as a citizen of Mestar and become a Yarash-a Lone One, who can live nowhere on Kanan for more than a year at a time.» No wonder Vruomanh might have preferred a beating. «Now the whole matter is coming before the Council of Kanan.»
«All twenty Cities?»
«No. In an emergency, any six Cities can form a War Council and act for the others for half a year.»
«I'm glad somebody on Kanan finally realizes this is an emergency.»
Riyannah frowned. «Blade, that's not quite fair. You can recognize a war crisis because your people fight all the time. That doesn't make you so superior to us, and I'd wish you'd stop talking as if you were. I can ignore it, but I don't think the Council will care to hear it. If you want a chance to help us you won't get it by insulting us.»
Blade had to admit she was right. He shouldn't grumble at the Kananites any more, particularly when he owed Riyannah and her uncle so much. However
«Riyannah, I apologize, and I'll try to control my tongue before the Council. But I can't help wondering if we've wasted enough time to let Loyun Chard finish Dark Warrior. What happens then?»
There really wasn't any answer to that question.
The War Council met three days later. It was not only the first War Council to meet on Kanan in more than three centuries, it was the first to include the Menel. In addition to delegates from the Councils of six Cities, the Menel ambassador was on hand along with three of his staff. Everyone was plugged into a Speaker mounted in the center of the table.
«He insisted on it,» said Riyannah's uncle. «If we did not let him sit on the Council, he would send a full report of what happened to his government. If the Menel thought we of Kanan were going to be slow and stupid in preparing to meet the Targans, they would start arming by themselves. They would arm heavily, fight the war, and perhaps win it without our help. Even if they did not win the war outright, their new fleet would make them stronger than Kanan. Then the alliance between us might break, and would certainly have to be changed.»
Blade knew it wouldn't be tactful to suggest this might not be a bad thing, particularly to Yu Hardannah. However, it was obvious that Kanan would neither treat other worlds as full equals nor conquer them outright. They'd got away with this for so long only through receiving more cooperation from the Menel than they deserved. The Targan war was going to break that pattern, no matter what Blade did.
After that he concentrated on getting the War Council to move against the Targans and refused to worry about other matters of high interstellar politics. It was easy to work out his plan and it came out smoothly and clearly when he spoke to the War Council.
«The first thing we must do is defend the asteroid base in the Targan system. More warships must be stationed there, hurd-ray projectors mounted on the surface, people unable to fight evacuated, food, water, and oxygen stored.