Chapter 12

"There is a situation. You are to come with me," The aide said bluntly.

"Just a minute," Kevan said, somewhat grumpily. He flipped off the display and quickly threw on some fresh clothes and grabbed his datapad, wondering what was going on this time. He headed out the door, ignoring Trorkash's impatient scowl.

"Where to this time?" he asked, wishing desperately for some coffee just then.

"An aircar is waiting for us. Agronet has gone on ahead. This way." Trorkash turned and started heading down the hall.

Kevan followed, wondering what was going on. Trorkash led him to an elevator and then to an extended landing strip off one side of the peak, where an aircar stood empty and waiting. Trorkash hopped inside and started powering it up while Kevan settled into one of the other two seats.

After they had moved off the landing strip and were headed on their path, Trorkash turned for a moment and looked at Kevan.

"Let's make a few things clear, Human, while we both have a moment to do so. I don't like what is happening and you seem to be at the center, if not the cause of a good portion of it. I understand the reasons Agronet puts up with you. We won't win this war without help from your race. But Agronet is my friend. And now, because of you, he is not only dying but also having to take on responsibilities he never wanted. He had plans of his own, you know. Things he wanted to do with his life. You've destroyed all of that. And while I don't disagree that he is the kind of Rich'ti that can make an excellent Takor and do what needs to be done. I do, however, disagree with the idea that my friend is pushing himself harder than he has ever needed to before and at the same time knows his life is draining away. You are the cause of that. So, unless your people can find a cure, don't expect me to care what happens to you. I'll do what Agronet asks me to, but beyond that... If I have to watch my best friend die, then I hope I get the opportunity to watch you die as well."

Kevan held back, not wanting to rant back. "Yeah, whatever," he replied instead, turning away and looking out the window and watching the city go by. Part of him did wonder a little what Trorkash's expression was, but he didn't turn to see it. He didn't want to have that conversation yet again. Easier at this point just to accept that as the standard treatment around here.

They flew towards the edge of the city. There was a large open square that could have been a market not far inside the city limits. It looked like a full-scale riot was going on. The aircar settled off to the side in a secured area.

Soldiers held back a mass of Rich'ti. There were a number of brands visible in the crowd. Murder labels were not infrequent among them.

"We won't be ignored, we won't burn!" the crowd chanted repeatedly.

Trorkash got out of the aircar. Kevan followed.

"Obviously you told them about the Brey-hahd. With this going on, everyone will know. If something is done quick, we're going to have this going on globally!" Trorkash said angrily. "You're going to fix this."

"Yes, I told them," Kevan said as matter-of-factly as he could. "It affected them, and at the time I was living among them. If they were ignored and burned off the planet by the Brey-hahd it was going to happen to me, too. Before you try to blame anything on me, remember why I was out there in the first place. Because there was a conspiracy to murder me, which very nearly succeeded."

"As to this," he continued, "this is an internal matter. My government can't have an official stance on how you deal with maintaining peace on your planet. If I am asked, I can go out there and talk to their leaders and see if I can help negotiate a peaceful resolution. It's rather unlikely though, because what they want you won't accept."

"And what is it they want?" Trorkash asked, glaring.

"Maybe you should ask them that. I haven't been given authority to represent them."

"I should just challenge you here and now and kill you," Trorkash said loudly.

"I won't fight you," Kevan said calmly and in a normal tone. "Murder me if you want to. I'm sure that will help." Kevan stood a little straighter, not sure how the Rich'ti would react.

"Enough." Agronet's voice stalled Trorkash from whatever he'd been about to say. "We don't have time for this. Trorkash, take this datapad to Urish'tal. It has classified instructions for her. Allow no one else access to it but her." He handed over a small datapad which had a cover on it. It looked to Kevan as if the cover had a thumbprint scanner at the center of it.

"Kevan, I'd like to speak with you," Agronet said, gesturing towards another aircar nearby. Kevan nodded and followed the Takor to it. Agronet did not speak again until the doors had closed, sealing some of the sound out.

"Before you ask, Agronet, I can't specifically get involved any more than I already have. This is technically an internal matter amongst your race. As I explained to Trorkash, I might be able to mediate some and negotiate a peaceful resolution, but I represent the Human government here, not one side or another of the Rich'ti people."

"I understand that," Agronet nodded. "And I will have to speak to Trorkash again later. He is full of suspicion and anger right now. As for the matter at hand, I was hoping for advice above everything else. I might take you up on that offer to mediate, however. The problem is that I am now suddenly dealing with two groups of outcasts instead of one. They, themselves, cannot seem to agree. I have received an urgent message from the one named Eesh'ket, to let me know that they are also trying to stop this from their end. He suggested that this was a more violent segment of their communities that does not feel a peaceful negotiation will work."

"You have gotten communications equipment out to them then?" Kevan asked.

"Not yet. I was still working on a way to get it to them discreetly for the moment," Agronet replied.

"Then how did Eesh'ket get the message to you?" Kevan asked, remembering how long it had taken to get a message in the last time.

"Strangely enough, it came through Pergute," the Takor answered. "He seems to have a contact to them now from when you tried to reach me before. I have discarded discretion for the moment and sent someone to drop off some equipment for them. Depending on how well they know how to work the equipment, we may have communication up and running with them in less than an hour."

A pit formed in Kevan's stomach as he remembered the tracking device still laying in it's vial on the sleeping furs in his room. He grit his teeth when he realized that there were media cameras all over the place. There would be no way he'd be able to deny being here, and yet the tracking signal suggested he was still asleep in his room. He set that worry aside for later, to focus on the situation in front of him.

"However, if this gets much worse, we will have to fire on them," Agronet continued. "As far as we know, no one has been killed yet, but there have already been several civilian injuries. Some of them have been lobbing rocks into the crowd. Others have gone into one of the community buildings here. We have no information on what's happening inside. Several Rich'ti were injured trying to stop them from going further before we could get an armed force here to discourage them. This is quickly getting out of control."

"What you do here sets the precedent for your leadership, and for how future negotiations are to be conducted. You can act decisively to show that such behavior will not be tolerated, or you can try to prove them wrong and show them that peaceful negotiations can work. Of course, you'll have to convince them to be peaceful first. You might try making it clear that if they stop what they're doing now they can be treated without judgement, but if they continue being violent they can only be judged on the current violence."

"Also," Kevan added reluctantly, "be wary of Pergute. ...I don't trust him."

"What are you saying?"

"Now might not be the best time. You have quite a bit to worry about. But he is part of a secret organization of some kind. I don't know what their agenda is, or what they're capable of, or just what they might have already been involved in. For now just keep an eye on him and we'll figure it out later. For the moment you have your hands full."

"You've learned a lot in a short time here," Agronet said."

"It's been an eventful short time, hasn't it?" Kevan replied with a head roll grin.

"Indeed it has," Agronet said, pushing the door open. "Indeed it has."

As Agronet stepped out of the aircar, one of the male military personnel stepped forward. Kevan thought he must be an officer, based on the emblems that seemed to be stamped in gold into the belt the Rich'ti wore. He stood rigidly after making some sort of gesture with his arm and head.

Some things are universal, aren't they? Kevan thought, with a moment of amusement. It always amazed him to see how many cultures he encountered seemed to like their military units in neat, tidy lines with crisp, uniform appearances in how they moved and held themselves. The Rich'ti seemed no different on that level.

"Any word on communicating with a leader for this madness?" Agronet asked the officer.

"No sir," the Rich'ti replied. "There seems to be some confusion on who the leader actually is, even amongst them. We've managed to capture a few, however, without injury. We've been making some slow progress with stun weapons along the fringes. A couple of the captives are awake, sir, but they seem to harbor much anger. We already had to sedate one after he nearly hurt himself struggling against his restraints. The other captives are still unconscious, but we've been attempting to question the two who are awake to find out who we need to communicate with. They seem to disagree on the matter."

"Take us there," Agronet ordered, following it with a small sigh and a shake of his head. Kevan fell in behind the Takor as the officer led them into one of the shorter nearby buildings. As they entered it, he could not be sure what the building was normally used for. It seemed to be currently commandeered by the military, however. It was a large open space that was surprisingly empty, and what looked like a line of offices along two of the walls at one corner. Several military Rich'ti were about, carrying their rifles, and Kevan could see other Rich'ti lying on the ground on their sides with their hands and feet bound behind them and connected by a metal bar. From what he could tell, those were the unconscious ones. He continued following Agronet and the officer, who made their way to one of the offices.

The two awake ones were in one of the offices. They were lying on the floor, their bounds just preventing them from sitting up without help. One was struggling some, the other just glared at them as they walked in.

"Let us go, Pechute," the glaring one said with a little bit of teeth showing.

One of the soldiers accompanying them stepped closer to the captive, holding out some kind of baton weapon with a glowing tip. Kevan squatted down, bringing himself closer to eye level. Agronet followed the example, and gestured for the soldier to move back.

"Tell me what it is you want," Agronet said.

"This can't be the most comfortable way to negotiate," Kevan suggested to Agronet. He turned back to the captive, wondering if they had the concept of Good Cop/Bad Cop here. "What's your name? I haven't had a chance to meet with all the tribes yet."

"I am Ak'hret of the Shur'ai."

"Agronet," Kevan asked, "can the bar connecting his hands and feet be removed so he can at least sit comfortably?"

Agronet didn't answer immediately, and looked to be sizing up Ak'hret. Eventually he nodded and a soldier came forward and undid some of Ak'hret's bindings. Ak'hret repositioned himself to be sitting upright. It didn't look entirely comfortable to Kevan, but it certainly looked more dignified. Kevan hoped that the exchange would show Ak'hret that Agronet was the one in authority, the one that might need to be convinced that the Shur'ai were even capable of peaceful negotiations.

"Who speaks for the Shur'ai, Ak'hret?" Agronet asked quietly.

"Tell him nothing," the other Rich'ti said, snarling. "They will give you nothing in return for your help." He stopped struggling against his bonds long enough to make a low growl in his throat and spit towards Agronet.

"Violence will solve nothing here," Kevan said. "This rioting is hurting the chances for a peaceful resolution that could benefit all Rich'ti - "

"Save your speeches, human," the stuggling Rich'ti interrupted. "We all know how you have manipulated the others to wait quietly for the Brey-hahd to come and kill us all. We will do what we must to survive!"

Ak'hret remained quiet, glaring between Agronet, Kevan and the guards. Agronet rocked back and forth gently on his toes in his crouched position.

"What are your demands?" Agronet asked. "None of you have let us know what it is you expect us to do."

The room grew quiet for a moment, and the one Rich'ti even stopped struggling, seeming to be thinking for a moment. Kevan wondered if the two were even from the same tribe, as he'd been told that each tribe had a community that was made up of those branded for murder and their descendants. He seemed to recall that he'd been told the Shur'ai tribe resided in the desert lands. There was nothing physical that could tell him whether the other one was from the same community or not.

"We want what you have, pechute. We want to have cities and we want ships to defend our skies. We want equal rights. We want you to stop using exile as a way to get rid of people that speak out. And at the very least we want a guarantee that you won't just let the aliens kill us because you don't want us anyway."

Kevan had to work to keep the smile off his face. So many things were just the same everywhere. Sometimes he really enjoyed the way the universe worked.

"Have we ever done anything to prevent you building cities?" Agronet asked. "Ships I can't help you with, there aren't any to spare. As for equal protection? If we can successfully keep the Brey-hahd off the planet then that will keep them off your parts of it as well. If we fail at that, and can't protect ourselves, then obviously we wouldn't be able to protect you, either."

"Now," Agronet said, "the more time we have to spend dealing with behavior like that outside the less time and resources are available for dealing with the Brey-hahd. Right now you're just making things worse for everyone. If you want to be treated as civilized adults then act as civilized adults."

"Here's what's going to happen," he continued. "I'm going to let the two of you go. You have an hour to show me that you are Rich'ti deserving equal treatment. If within that time there are civilized Rich'ti outside ready for intelligent discussion, then that will happen. If at the end of the hour it's still a pack of violent, rampaging animals outside, then that's how you'll be treated. Either way, in an hour the mess outside is over. Is that clear?"

Agronet didn't wait for an answer, but instead straightened back up and nodded at the nearest guard.

"Remove their restraints."

The guard looked less than pleased at the idea, but moved forward and undid the cuffs nonetheless. The two Rich'ti looked suspicious.

"Go." Agronet said, gesturing at the open door. "What you do right now will determine the fate of your colleagues out there. I only hope you do them justice, instead of making this whole ordeal worse for everyone. Your hour has begun. I suggest you move quickly."

The two Rich'ti edged around the guards cautiously, as if expecting to be attacked again at any moment. One of the guards followed them out of the room, giving them escort to the outer door. The other turned to Agronet.

"Do you really think they will do any good, sir?" he asked.

"Letting those two go can't make it much worse, I suspect," Agronet answered. "And the potential benefit if they go to their leaders and let them know we want to talk far outweighs the potential risk. This situation is already a dangerous one. The longer we wait and do nothing, the more dangerous it is going to get. Within an hour we should have a line of communications to the other outcast Rich'ti as well. At that time we can start making some sense of all this. In the meantime, tell the men to continue their efforts at stunning the ones at the fringes and bringing them in. The less of them out there causing damage and injury, the better. But stun them only. If we kill any of them I suspect this will quickly go from bad to ugly."

"Yes sir." The Rich'ti made a saluting motion and left the room.

Agronet left the room and Kevan followed outside the building. The sounds of the riot were in the air. There was hollering and yelling and the occasional sounds of something breaking. There were, at least, no sounds of weapon fire.

Agronet got an officer's attention and the Rich'ti ran up and saluted.

"Call for reinforcements to be brought to a staging area close by. They should be armed with stun batons, sleep grenades, and filter masks. It's imperative that if we have to stop this by force that we don't just kill them."

"Understood sir," the officer said before issuing a number of orders through his radio headset.

After that Agronet wandered a few steps away and stood looking off into the distance. Kevan took the moment to look around him. The buildings here looked older and more worn. The paved streets weren't ask crisp looking or as smooth as around the capitol building. The area wasn't as clean, and there was even a little bit of litter here and there. It felt more like a human city to him than an alien one. He shook his head a little, amused that he felt at-home and out of place at the same time.

"That bad?" Agronet asked.

"Sorry?" Kevan tried.

"Does the situation seem so bad?"

"Oh, no... It's just been a very strange series of events since I first met you. And it hasn't even been that long."

"You would not be here if the circumstances weren't difficult," Agronet commented. "As you are well aware, we are not in the habit of inviting other races to come and visit."

"Let's just say that there was a lot left out in the briefing your people sent," Kevan said, chuckling.

"Yes, I would have appreciated some warning as well," Agronet said with an amused look. "Nonetheless, we can only work with what we have available to us I suppose."

"So, what do we do now?" Kevan asked, seeing Agronet's face grow serious again.

"We wait. Until we have someone who can speak for them, we have no other plan but attack. We have given them an hour, assuming our messengers deliver the message. If we do not have any communication from them in that time, then the troops move in. They can contact us any time they like from in that building." He pointed at one of the taller structures. "From what I understand, that's the community building that they have overtaken. There will be plenty of communications equipment available to them in there. Even if they don't wish to come forward and meet with me face to face, they can reach me if they want to. Right now, I am most worried about those civilians inside that building. We have no way of knowing how they are being treated. If they are being murdered, it will cause an uproar amongst the people and make it impossible to move forward in negotiations with the other outcasts." Agronet looked clearly frustrated at the prospect.

"While we're waiting," Kevan said, "I should go back and check my messages. Trorkash didn't really leave me time to do that before rushing me out here."

Agronet just paused and looked at him a moment. He couldn't read what was running through the Takor's mind.

"Trorkash is accustomed to a different kind of position than he has now. He does not consider his current position a promotion. But he is not in a position to give you orders. If I need you here immediately I will make that clear. If I send him because I'm asking to see you, that doesn't mean it can't wait a minute or two."

"You're very accustomed to leading, Agronet," Kevan said. "I'm accustomed to a different sort of diplomatic environment. Trorkash has never been exposed to the environments I'm accustomed to, but that's just because as a race you aren't in the habit of hosting diplomats. Somewhere between what I'm used to and what he's used to we'll find a middle ground."

"That reminds me of something I had been wondering about. I'm not sure how it would be best done, but I was wondering if I could have an aide of my own. Someone to help me with basic questions--where to find things and the like, along with a driver to help me get from place to place. I'm not familiar with your aircars and your driving rules, so having someone else do the driving might be better for everyone. How would it work for something like that?"

"I will see what I can arrange," Agronet said, nodding. "There is a pool of individuals trying for positions as aides to the various advisors. We shall see which of them is willing to take a risky career move and work as your aide instead. I will be sure that they can be trusted, however. Many of them are trying for those positions as a way to move further up in politics and are only concerned with their own rise in status. Some, however, have honorable enough intentions. I will have one of my people select a driver for you as well. I am accustomed to driving myself while planetside whenever possible. You should have a driver by the end of the day, and hopefully an aide can be selected before the end of tomorrow."

"Thank you, that will be most helpful," Kevan said, pleased that the request was received so easily. To his surprise, Agronet responded with something sounding akin to a swear word. It confused him until he realized that Agronet was actually looking past Kevan at something behind him. Kevan turned to see a group of about fifteen Rich'ti headed in their direction.

"The advisors," Agronets said under his breath to Kevan. "They are making my life extremely difficult." Kevan watched as the Takor's face and stance changed to seem as if he was relaxed and pleased to see them. Despite what he might say, Agronet seemed to know certain aspects of diplomacy very well. Kevan stepped to one side and watched as the advisors made their way forward, pushing soldiers and others out of their way to reach the Takor. He suddenly had an image of a pack of hungry wolves flutter across his mind. Many of the advisors cast glances at Kevan as they advanced. Some were curious, some were suspicious, and some were outright disdainful. Kevan sighed, inwardly, at them.

They all started talking at once. It looked like Agronet was trying to ignore them, or at least was pretending to. Kevan quickly got the impression that the advisors were all competing amongst each other for which was more important and more influential. There were several less-than-flattering words he wondered if they had direct translations for.

"You can't seriously be considering negotiating with them!" one of the eventually got through.

"Why not?" Kevan interjected loudly enough to not be dismissed. "They are Rich'ti, aren't they?" For the briefest of moments a new expression flashed over Agronet's face. Kevan didn't see it clearly enough to judge if it was amusement or relief at being rescued.

"They are criminals!" came the reply.

"Some of them," Kevan said with a nod of his yead. "But I've already seen quite a few here not branded."

"Yes, well those will have been raised in a culture of barbarism and depravity and violence."

"That might be one way to look at it," Kevan said, trying to sound appropriately cryptic.

"You simply cannot," one of the advisors insisted to Agronet.

"I cannot?" Agronet said back with a hint of a snarl. "It would do you good to remember that you make suggestions and I make policy. It is not the other way around. If one of you strongly disagrees with that grab up a knife right now and step forward. Maybe I'll find your replacement more agreeable."

A hush settled quickly over the crowd, a few protests all but dying on the advisors' lips. Only one spoke up after that.

"You would do well to be more cautious, Takor. We advisors are here to offer you our wisdom. It would be wrong for you to dismiss us without at least considering what we have to say."

"I do consider it, Lar'mont," Agronet replied, turning to face the advisor directly. "I just do not have the luxury of time to consider it for very long before making a decision. We have a war raging above us at our moon, with smaller attacks coming to test our defenses before the war moves here. I do not have time for nonesense such as this right now. Enough Rich'ti have died that I consider all Rich'ti life to be precious! Even those who have been foolish enough to commit a crime. Am I not the Takor above all others now? Am I not responsible for all of their lives? We cast them out because we do not wish to put them in cages or kill them as other races choose to." He gestured briefly in Kevan's direction at that statement. "Why would we go to so much trouble to avoid non-lethal means of punishment, only to leave them to die later? Or to just kill them now, when they are only acting out of their fear? No. That would make us the barbaric ones, would it not? Do not think for a moment, Lar'mont, that I have not given this much thought."

"We are in a difficult time," Agronet continued, adressing all of the advisors with a sweep of his hand. "I haven't the time for squabbling amongst those who are supposed to be helping me find the answers. That includes all of you. So far, in our sessions, I have seen nothing but disagreements and complaints. I want solutions offered by my council of advisors, not more problems. Until you have something worthwhile to offer me, you'd be better off back in your chambers contemplating the problems at hand, searching for those solutions."

"I have issued a request for peaceful negotiations to this faction of outcasts. I have also received word that there is another faction that does wish for peaceful negotiations and is also upset at this new development. If this faction does not choose peaceful talks over rioting, they will be dealt with accordingly. I have the military moving into place with non-lethal ordinance and ammunition. These rioters have been given a time limit. If they do not come forward by that time, we will move in and attempt to subdue them. For the moment, that is as controlled as this situation can get. Your presence is not required here. Please leave. I will keep you appraised if negotiations begin. Thank you."

At that, Agronet turned his back on them, returning his view to the city streets towards the rioting instead.

Stunned and slack-jawed advisors turned next on Kevan. None of them said anything. He was sure that many of them blamed him, but Agronet hadn't walked away, so they said nothing. Kevan kept his face blank.

Then he noticed Pergute in the group, and it was a struggle to keep his face blank. He remembered the tracking device he had left behind in his apartment. He gave Pergute a small nod of acknowledgement, and forced his gaze to survey the group once more until they turned and walked away.

Kevan turned and stood beside Agronet again. "Could I trouble you for a favor?" he asked the Takor.

"Of course, what do you need?"

"Could you radio to get a guard you trust outside my room. Someone's about to break into it if they haven't already."

At that Agronet turned suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"My apartment is going to be robbed, or maybe has been already."

"How do you know this?"

"One of your advisors planted a small tracking device in my food. Urish'tal discovered it before it had gotten far enough in digestion to be difficult to remove. When I was brought here I accidentally left it behind. If they haven't figured out yet that I'm here and their tracking device says I'm still in my room then they will soon. Once they realize that, they will attempt to recover the evidence."

"If an attempt had not already been made on your life, Kevan, I might be inclined to disbelieve you," Agronet said, shaking his head. "Hold on a moment, I have just the person. It is not so simple to radio ahead, however, I will need a communications panel. Let us go back inside a moment." He turned and headed back inside the building. He went to the office they had been in before and accessed the panel just inside the doorway. He tapped some information into the panel and after a moment, a face came up on the screen.

"Agron... I mean, Takor Agronet! What can we do for you?" The amused way in which the person on the other end bobbed his head suggested that the two knew each other rather well.

"Hello, Met'lak. Is Larnet on campus right now?" Agronet asked.

"Let me look," Met'lak turned his head, presumably checking some other screen or something for the answer. "Yes, he is."

"Good. Send him over to the Capitol building immediately. He is to stand guard in front of the Human's quarters. No one is to enter or leave except the human, myself, or Urish'tal. Have his two friends, Mirket and Ezneel take rotation on the duty. Also, send Lineel here. I need her services as the Human's driver and bodyguard."

"I understand. It will be done." Agronet gave information on the locations of the room and the riot, and the two shared a brief nod before Met'lak closed the channel. Agronet turned to Kevan.

"From what I understand from Larnet, Lineel can be a bit... non-conformist in her driving. She likes to bend the rules when she can, but will one day be an excellent pilot. Don't let her scare you with her occasional risk-taking. If you should get into any trouble, she can be trusted to keep you safe. All four of those I have asked for are learning at the fleet academy. Larnet is my son. Mirket and Ezneel are his close friends from his class that I know well. So is Lineel. She is also Ezneel's twin, something that is rare among our people, and is the first female my son has chosen to mate with, although it seems their unions have yet to prove successful. I will keep your room guarded until further notice, and Lineel will see to your personal safety while getting you where you need to go. I had forgotten about the academy as a resource until just now."

Kevan was quietly amused by the amount of information Agronet suddenly had shared.

"Thank you," Kevan said. "Will it be a problem taking them away from their studies?"

"Actually, those four are all ahead in their studies. If they start falling behind they will catch up again. Plus they will gain some experience outside the classroom. I will make sure their instructors know that they are performing a valuable service at my personal request."

"But one of them is your son, is there any implied favoritism in that?"

"He has gotten where he is on his own merits and accomplishments," Agronet explained. "If someone suggests he has benefited unduly from my position he will respond to that challenge as he has responded to others in the past."

"So it starts that early?" Kevan asked.

Agronet cocked his head and gave Kevan a strange look. "Sometimes you are deeply insightful, but every now and then you remind us just how alien you are."

"I'm sorry, no offense was intended. There is a lot of the raising of children I haven't had any discussion about. I'm sure the four will be able to tell me a lot."

At that Agronet laughed loudly. "Oh, yes I'm sure they will."

They were interrupted by one of the soldiers coming up to them.

"Sir, there is an incoming communication for you," the male told Agronet.

"I will take it here," Agronet answered, indicating the communications panel he had just used. "Have it routed."

"Right away." The solder looked at the panel a moment, as if making note of some corresponding number to it, and then left the room again. After a few moments the panel chimed with an incoming call. Agronet tapped the button to open his end of the channel and Kevan saw Eesh'ket's face appear on the screen.

"Ah, good. Hello, Takor Agronet. Now that communications are up, let me introduce you to the one who will be speaking for us." Eesh'ket stepped back and to one side so that another Rich'ti could step in alongside him in the camera's view. "This is Chek'tun."

"It is good to meet you Chek'tun," Agronet said, rolling his head in greeting. "What can you tell me about the situation with these rioters?"

"Good to meet you as well, Takor Agronet," Chek'tun replied, with a similar head roll. "They are acting against the agreement of our majority. While we were making plans for diplomacy, it seems they were banding together to strike out on their own. I would like to request that you allow our hunters to come into the city and remove them."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow more of your people into the city at this point," Agronet said. "We are attempting to find their leader and negotiate. If they do not, then we will use the means necessary to subdue them. We will try to use non-lethal force whenever possible."

"While I appreciate your diplomatic approach to the matter," Chek'tun countered, "I'm not sure you realize who you are dealing with. These Rich'ti are unlikely to negotiate anything. If their demands aren't met, they will probably respond with violence. The most vocal and respected of the leaders in there, from what I understand, is a Rich'ti named Moltar. We believe he has been the ringleader in coordinating this. This riot is being perpetrated by the communities of the most dangerous Rich'ti within each of our tribes. You've cast out murderers. We didn't want them amongst our families any more than you did. They formed their own communities, and life within them is known to be violent and dangerous. If you have men in place to subdue them now, then I suggest you do so. Every minute you wait gives them another chance to kill someone, if they haven't already."

"Real change cannot begin if we continue to do what we have always done," Agronet said. "We have already evacuated as much of the public as we can from the area they occupy. There is only so much more we can do right now. The public is watching. They are only now learning what you already know about the Brey-hahd. I will show them that desperate acts are not going to define us as a people."

"A noble sentiment," Chek'tun offered, "but foolish. But it is your decision if you will not let us come get them."

"The people around me are reluctant to negotiate with any of you," Agronet explained. "If there are two groups of Rich'ti in the wilderness, then the actions of one group are less likely to be held against the other group. If these Rich'ti are part of your group, then it is unlikely I will be allowed to negotiate with you."

"Well spoken, Takor. When you have it resolved I would like the opportunity to come and open a diplomatic dialogue in person. Would this be possible?"

"My advisors will be outraged. As soon as this is concluded I will send someone for you." Agronet pressed the button to end the call and rolled his head with a quiet laugh.

"Yes, I think they will be more than a little upset at you letting an outcast diplomat return to the city."

"Not just to the city--to my own offices. I'll need you to be present for that, if you wouldn't mind."

"Certainly," Kevan said with a bow of his head.

"Sir, there's a problem," one of the soldiers poked his head in the door to interrupt. "I think you're going to want to see this." Agronet rolled his head in agreement and followed the soldier. Kevan fell in behind them, frowning.

They moved to one of the other offices, where it looked as if a bunch of computers of varying sorts had been brought in. One area of floor had a bunch of datapads propped up against the wall, each displaying a different image. It looked as if they were tapped into cameras around the area that the rioters were occupying. Additional countertops had been opened from the walls, although Kevan noticed that they folded down from being flat against the walls instead of sliding out from inside them. He could see handles for drawers that were normally hidden behind the panels when they were folded up. It further solidified his theory that this was an older part of town, with less of the newer renovations than the areas he had seen so far.

On top of the countertop panels were more complicated datapads, more like computers. One seemed to display a map of the area, with certain areas highlighted more than others. Another seemed to be a multi-paned display of all the images from the datapads below, giving the viewer a summary view of them. Several others displayed information in the Rich'ti language. He didn't take the time to inspect them, as Agronet was being directed to another screen, one that seemed to be serving as a communications panel. A Rich'ti's face showed on the screen.

"This man has barricaded himself into an office within the community building that seems to have become the outcasts' headquarters," the soldier said pointing. "He says people have been both hurt and killed inside and that they have been forcing the females to mate with them."

Agronet stepped forward, an angry look crossing his face. Kevan suddenly had a bad feeling that diplomacy was about to be thrown out the window.

"I am the Takor. Tell me what you have seen," Agronet commanded the male on the screen in a gruff tone.

"Yes, I know. Honored, Takor. They are killing those who do not do as they ask. They are saying terrible things about how we are about to be destroyed by the Brey-hahd any day now, terrifying the children especially. They are preparing a statement of demands. I think they plan to start killing us one at a time and throwing the bodies outside for you to see until you either meet those demands or they run out of Rich'ti to kill. They are also insisting the females mate with the males, and most of them are male. They've killed two who refused, despite the fact that one refused because she was already pregnant!" The male's voice was verging on the Rich'ti equivallent of hysterical. It was obvious by the male's face that he was shocked by the violence and didn't know what to do. Kevan wondered briefly what the Rich'ti's occupation was.

Agronet growled. "That's not how Rich'ti behave. Tell the commander I said to send the troops in. Use non-lethal means as much as necessary, but understand I want this over, now."

"Yes, Takor," the soldier said with a salute before turning and sprinting out of the room.

Agronet growled again after the soldier left. The takor put his hand on a table as if to steady himself.

Other soldiers came in to stand before the monitors to coordinate the activity. Kevan and agronet stood back to be out of the way. Officers radioed orders and it all played out on the monitors.

Troops moved in and started with launched gas grenades. Those cameras with internal views showed Rich'ti rapidly falling to their knees coughing and rubbing at eyes. A few screamed out.

"Very few are permanently harmed by the gas," Agronet explained, "but it is extremely irritating and somewhat painful. It affects the eyes and breathing. It doesn't prevent breathing so much to kill, but enough to prevent any but the lightest activity. In many cases it will render them unconscious."

Kevan could see about half the affected Rich'ti end up on the ground. Others tried to rush the exits to escape. Masked soldiers came in with their stun batons. Many of the outcasts took several hits from the batons before they stopped resisting. Some of the outcasts were armed, and several of the monitors showed shootings.

Agronet watched with a look on his face that Kevan wasn't familiar with. He thought it looked grim. The Takor occasionally made a quiet low growling in the back of his throat as the scene played out on the monitors.

Agronet obviously knew at what point the battle was all but won, as he suddenly turned to one of the soldiers and asked where he could find the commander. Once he had acquired an escort to take him to the where the military commander was issuing orders from, he turned to Kevan.

"It appears I will no longer require your assistance in negotiating with this faction of outcasts. I must arrange for holding cells for them until I decide what to do with them. Lineel can take you wherever you need for now. I will arrange for an aide to assist you as well, once there is time."

Kevan turned with some surprise, not having noticed the female Rich'ti come up behind them. Lineel stood, leaning slightly against the doorjamb, although she straightened up when Agronet mentioned her name.

"Lineel," Agronet said, addressing the cadet, "this is Kevan, the Human visiting our world. You will be responsible for his safety and transportation for now. Larnet, Mirket, and Ezneel are on rotation to guard his quarters. They, and only they, may take your place if needed at any point. Be wary. There has already been one attempt on his life."

"I can do that," Lineel answered with a hand gesture that was unfamiliar to Kevan. Agronet narrowed his eyes at her and began growling with a slightly different tone than he had used earlier.

"I mean, yes sir! Understood!" Lineel said, suddenly adopting the saluting gesture Kevan had seen the soldiers frequently using.

"It had better be," Agronet replied before turning back to Kevan again. "I will speak with you later. I will also make sure that the outcast leader of the peaceful group has your communications code so that he can reach you now that they have the equipment to do so."

"Thank you," Kevan replied, nodding. Agronet didn't leave him with time to say much else, as he quickly headed out the door with the escort. Kevan turned to Lineel instead.

"I expected you to be taller," Lineel said, leaning back against the doorframe again.

"I'm often not what people expect. But I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other for a while, so we'll have time to get to know each other."

"Great," she said, "how many people get to chat with an alien? Should be interesting, at least."

"I'll try not to bore you, but no promises. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to go back to my quarters."

"Driving's what I'm here to do, isn't it? Let's go."

She led him outside to a waiting aircar. She stepped ahead of him and opened a door for him to the back seat. Once he was in she got in up front and started it up. He looked out the window quietly at first. He could see the air traffic in neatly ordered lines. They moved towards one line but stayed off to the side of it. They went quite a bit faster than the rest and he chuckled as they sped past them.

"Hey," she said, "you're a government official, right? I've never gotten to drive on Official Government Business before." Her head rolled as she laughed. Kevan chuckled, reminded of so many taxi drivers back home.

He could tell it took them noticably less time to get back to the capitol building than it had when Trorkash had driven the opposite route. Lineel had a small radio headset she was wearing, much like the ones Agronet and the soldiers had all had. She seemed to have a short, heated argument with it before they were able to land. She spoke quietly enough, however, that Kevan couldn't hear any of what she had been saying.

"Problem?" he asked curiously.

"Somebody doesn't understand the chain of command properly," she replied with an amused head roll. "I'll set them right before the day is done. In the meantime, however, it looks like we'll have to park down below." She maneuvered the aircar around to one side of the circle of buildings and he saw an opening in the ground next to one of the shuttle landing pads. She lowered the aircar into it, and they descended into an underground parking area. He was surprised to see at least a hundred aircars all neatly parked side by side along the walls.

He clutched his seat slightly as she sped up, circling around until she found an open spot to put the aircar into. It felt as if the room was barely tall enough for the aircars to maneuver in and he briefly wondered how many accidents they had as a result. Lineel set the aircar down into place softly and without any bumping, and then powered down. The door opened and Kevan followed her out.

"At least any elevator will take us all the way up," she commented as she moved to one of the four elevator areas he'd saw in the room. "That's one nice thing about being at the top. That, and this building has express."

"Express?" he asked, as they moved into the elevator. She started tapping stuff into the panel.

"Yep," she replied. "Express." She pressed the button next the to panel, and suddenly the elevator lurched upwards at breakneck speed. Kevan managed to keep himself from falling, spreading his legs in a wider stance to help his balance. Floors rushed past outside the glass walls at a dizzying pace. Kevan found himself looking at the floor and the door panel to keep himself steady. He was pleased to note that the elevator slowed considerably before they reached the top, allowing for a gentle stop instead throwing them into the ceiling. Lineel was watching him, seeming amused.

"Next time, Lineel?" he told her, as if administering to a child, "Some warning would be appreciated. You might bear in mind that, as a visitor to your world, I may not always know exactly what you mean when you say something."

"Right," she said with a slight sigh. "Understood." She moved forward through the hallway, and he followed her to his quarters. A Rich'ti male leaned against the doorway, although he quickly straightened up when he saw their approach.

"This is Larnet," she said. "Larnet, this is the human, Kevan."

"Honored," Larnet said with a nod. The youth didn't resemble Agronet in any appreciable way. Kevan wondered who the mother was, and if it was anyone he'd met. He didn't recall seeing anyone Larnet resembled.

"Has anyone tried to get in to my room?" Kevan asked.

"A couple of times technicians came by. One said he was supposed to adjust an environmental control, another came by saying he was here to update a communication system. I told them both they'd have to come back another time."

"Thank you," Kevan replied, "I imagine this isn't the most exciting post you could have."

"You don't know our instructors or my classes," Larnet said with a roll of the head. "Although I'll admit I'm curious what's going on."

"Yeah, so am I," Kevan said. "Come on inside." He led them inside. He moved straight to the sleeping furs, and there was the tracking device in it's vial.

"What's that?" Lineel asked.

"A tracking device," Kevan answered. "Someone thought it would be a good idea to keep tabs on where I went."

"Why would they need to do that?" Larnet asked.

Kevan shrugged, momentarily forgetting that the gesture would mean nothing to the Rich'ti.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," he admitted, slipping the vial into his pocket. "Seeing as how I'm the only human on the planet, it would be easy to keep track of my movements without a tracking device."

"If you'll excuse me, however, I ought to check my messages," Kevan finished, moving to his computer. As he flipped on the screen, he saw that he already had another four messeges in the queue.

Larnet left the room, presumably taking up his post outside the door again, while Lineel settled down on one of the mats. He could feel her periodically watching him as he went through the messages. It occurred to him suddenly that Pergute was probably aware that Agronet had been poisoned. If Pergute had been the one to help Urish'tal translate her message into English, then he already knew that piece of information. That realization disturbed Kevan greatly.

He opened the second message first, seeing that it was from a doctor who'd name he didn't recognize. It said that a team of experts had been assembled, and that they thought they had figured out what was needed as the antidote. A second copy of the message had been translated into rough Rich'ti, and extensive diagrams had been attached, which looked like models for molecule structures. He immediately forwarded the Rich'ti version to the address he had for Urish'tal with an added message that he had a version in his own language if she didn't understand anything and that she should ask for his help instead of going to Pergute. He didn't specify why, but suggested he would speak with her about it in more detail later on.

The other two messages in his box were more routine. One was a news update that seemed somewhat less important to him based on his own situation, and the other was a form letter response to one he'd sent out. He opened up a new message and started by attaching some of the video footage and other information he'd gathered about the Brey-hahd to it. After he'd added everything he wanted, he composed a long, detailed message about what his government could expect to happen if they did not send help for the Rich'ti now. He did his best to be both concise and persuasive and read it three times before sending it off to a long list of people who would be involved in making the decision. He also made a point of including a couple of people who would not be involved, but would have an opinion leaning in Kevan's favor and would not be afraid to voice it. By the time he was finished, there was a message from Urish'tal, requesting he come to her lab as soon as he could.

"I need to go to the medical bay next," he said to Lineel. She just nodded and followed him outside. Larnet was still guarding the hallway.

"I'm needed in the medical bay for a moment," Kevan explained to Larnet. "The only adjustments I'm expecting to the room are some sanitation and washing facilities. Anyone that shows up for that should be able to tell you what they're wanting to install. When you get a chance, get something to take notes with. If anyone comes wanting to see me for something get their name and general business so I can contact them back. Anyone with a legitimate desire to speak with me should be willing to cooperate with that."

"Understood," Larnet said with a nod.

Lineel followed him to the medical center, saying nothing. Urish'tal was there reviewing something on a portable data unit. She cleared the screen immediately when they came in.

There were a number of privacy bubbles already up. At a quick glance it looked like about half the beds were in use. Two other medics were moving about from bed to bed, vanishing into and reappearing from the privacy bubbles.

"Will you excuse us a few minutes?" Kevan asked Lineel.

"I'm here, I'll wait," she replied, leaning up against a wall out of the way. "I'll try not to cause trouble."

"Good," Kevan said, "I think that's my job."

"This way," Urish'tal said, gesturing towards one side of the room. She led him into an office off the main room where a few mats were set up on the floor. The largest one had a panel in front of it, and she sat down and started tapping something into it. As Kevan took a seat on one of the other mats across from her, panels in the floor and walls slid open and data displays extended out of them. He recognized some of the information that he had forwarded to her.

"Is this room private?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes," Urish'tal said, nodding. "You cannot see it, but it is shielded similarly to the tables in the other room. I have activated it already. The visual shielding is unecessary here so you aren't seeing that effect."

"Good," Kevan nodded. "I just wanted to be sure."

"Why shouldn't I trust Pergute?" Urish'tal cut straight to the point. "I do need some assistance in understanding some of this information, and I have questions."

"Pergute is who put that tracking device in me," Kevan admitted. "He has also briefly mentioned being a part of some underground group. Although he had said they supported Gertat, I have no idea where their loyalties lie now or how far their influence goes. The fact that they put a tracking device inside me has left me extremely suspicious of him and whomever his associates are."

"I see," Urish'tal looked thoughtful for a moment. "Does Agronet know all of this yet?"

"I have warned him not to trust Pergute but I haven't had the opportunity yet to explain all of it to him," Kevan replied. "We've not had much time for private conversations yet. How much does Pergute know about Agronet's condition?"

"All of it, actually," Urish'tal said with a grimace. "As he was assigned to be the new Proonk Takor Human, Agronet had authorized me to use his help in translating what I was sending to your people. At the time, we still had no reason not to trust him."

"Well," Kevan said after a pause, "Pergute probably knows I know about him. If nothing else, I was out in public this morning and forgot the device in my room. I ran into Pergute while I was out. If they were monitoring at all, they'll know the device is out of me. I think Pergute can pretty much only assume he's the only suspect."

"However," Urish'tal said, "he is the best resource we have for translation."

"What about Sarsh'ta?"

"Pergute is the better translator."

"Do we trust him with it? Considering what's at stake? I could bring a copy out to her and we can see how the two translations compare if we're having Pergute do it."

"No," Urish'tal said. "Her outcast status makes that a politically dangerous move."

"Then we have no choice but Pergute."

"So it would seem. In other circumstances this would go a long way towards creating positive opinion about your people. Unfortunately, it will probably never be made public. Agronet's advisors will probably all be informed, which will at least help influence them."

"In the meantime, while I have you here," Urish'tal gestured at the displays around her, "perhaps you can help me with a few of my questions on these?"

"Certainly," Kevan nodded.

They spent the better part of an hour going over the data that his people had sent. Some of the translations had not been included in the information the Rich'ti had initially sent to the Humans, so there were many medical terms that were still written in English as opposed to Rich'ti. As Kevan still had some difficulty with reading some of the language, Urish'tal showed him how to access his own computer from a Rich'ti computer station and he forwarded the English version to her so he could make comparisons. He was surpised to be able to tap into his computer so easily and wondered about how secure his messages and files actually were. He wondered just how much practice Pergute was getting with his translations.

Kevan was able to answer quite a few of the translation questions, but there were some snags when it came to the medical context. He was not a doctor, and didn't understand some of the terminology himself, much less the Rich'ti equivallents. In the end, she was still particularly frustrated over one of the enzymes they were suggesting that seemed vital to the antidote.

"I believe I can find or create equivallents to the rest of these, if I'm understanding them correctly," she said frowing, "but this one appears vital, and I've never seen anything resembling it before."

"It seems like it's extracted from a plant, although I'm not familiar with the specific variety that is mentioned," Kevan said, peering at the screen that talked about it. "Tell you what, compose a message with your questions and I will forward it to the right individuals. Go ahead and have Pergute make the translations. To be honest, he may be better at translating the written format anyway. I've not had as much experience reading your language."

"Very well," she replied, "I will have it to you shortly."

There was nothing else he could help with, so he excused himself and stepped out of the office. Lineel was still waiting near where she had been left, but she was inspecting some of the equipment and displays.

"Sorry to leave you waiting out here," Kevan apologized.

"It's nothing. If you want to talk about boring I can tell you about some of the lectures I'd be sitting through about now. Don't worry, you aren't keeping me from anything important."

"Has there been any update on how things are going with the riot?"

"I haven't heard," she said. "I'm sure the news channels are talking about it."

"I'd like to had back to my room and find out, then."

"Certainly," she said and gestured for him to follow her.

Back outside his quarters there was a new male standing guard. He was tall and lean, with dark fur.

"This is Mirket," she said. "Mirket, this is the human Kevan."

"Honored," Mirket said. "Do I salute?"

Kevan thought about it for a moment.

"No, that won't be necessary," he decided. "I'm not military."

"Very well," Mirket replied, nodding formally and resuming his rigid stance in front of the door. Kevan headed into his room, holding back an amused laugh. He briefly checked his messages for anything important before switching on the holographic video display that was a part of the room. He'd seen the control panel for it, but didn't know where to expect the image to appear. He stepped back to see that it was conveniently located over what had looked like an end table next to the bed. He plopped down on the bed, gesturing that Lineel should grab one of the guest mats lying about the room.

They watched in silence for a while, and Kevan found himself amazed at just how much footage the press was able to get of the riot. He briefly reminded himself of the hovering cameras he'd seen before and suspected that they could send those into dangerous areas while staying safely behind the lines of police keeping them away. He was also surprised to see that they showed the bodies of those who'd been killed - some victims of the rioters, and some of the rioters that the military had been unable to take down with non-lethal measures. Kevan noted that the wounds on those shown as victims were far more violent than those on the rioters were.

The military seemed to have it under control, although they were still rounding up a few stragglers that seemed to be trying to flee back out of the city. The rioters had been separated into groups of fifty and were under heavy guard until more restraints could be brought in. Quite a few looked unconscious, but there were several rioters who remained awake. One started screaming things towards one of the cameras, saying the Brey-hahd were going to kill everyone on the planet, before being silenced by being hit across the chest with a stun weapon that knocked him unconscious. Later, he saw similar scenes as the cameras showed views at other guarded groups.

There were brief interviews with a couple of soldiers, who really didn't say much. Eventually, they announced that an interview with both Agronet and the military commander of those troops would be coming in a few minutes. They also mentioned upcoming interviews with victims who'd been inside the community building that the rioters had taken.

Agronet was interviewed first, and it was explained that the military commander was still busy finishing it up. They called it an interview, but to Kevan it was a press conference. A group of reporters gathered around him and all shouted out their questions.

"There are a number of things to be addressed today," Agronet began. "I understand you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them as I can at the end."

Agronet started with the Brey-hahd war. He gave a little more information on how it was going, listed out the colonies that had been lost, but not describing specifically what had been done to them. He gave some additional numbers of losses, and mentioned that plans were still being finalized about what to do about the lunar colony. He left out the possibility of the moon collapsing.

"Gertat had started negotiations with the humans for a cooperative military venture against the Brey-hahd," Agronet reminded them. Kevan could tell he was building to a conclusion. He wondered if the Rich’ti had speechwriters or not. "I am co