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6
NIKATHY
That encounter had not gone the way I wanted it to. When I heard the woman was upset, I had thought to go to her and put her at ease. I thought perhaps I had missed some detail of her accommodations, something that human women required to be comfortable in another's home. But when she accused me of holding her hostage, I lost the little bit of self-control I had been hanging onto. Between her and Cosma, I could use a long break from women of any species for a while.
It was getting late, and I was tired. I passed by the door of my father's office, pausing only briefly before deciding that the papers could wait another day. After all, they'd been there so long already, what difference would it make?
I continued down the hall toward my personal quarters, looking forward to some time alone, when a movement outside one of the windows caught my eye. I stopped, watching with curiosity as a man on a small personal transport pulled up to the gate, punched in the access code, and then came wheeling straight up to the front door. What was the point of a gate if everyone had the code?
The man knocked at the front door, and when I saw Cosma scurry to answer it, I waved her off. "I've got it," I mumbled, sounding more defeated than I would have liked.
She looked from me to the door and gave me a face like she wasn't sure I actually had it under control, but when I narrowed my eyes at her, she nodded and walked away. I took a deep breath and swung the door open, expecting to receive some kind of delivery or perhaps a bouquet of flowers for the funeral. But the man on my front step was hardly a delivery man. He wore an odd uniform that I could not identify, and he held a note in his trembling fingers.
"What is it?"
He looked up at me with wide eyes and held the note out to me. "You need to see this, sir."
I snatched the note out of his hands, already out of patience for his obfuscation. If it was that important, somebody could have called me directly. But when I opened the note and read the hastily scrawled lines on the paper, I felt my blood run cold.
"How do you know?" I asked sharply, instantly alert as my eyes scanned the sky past the man's shoulder.
"The Hive intercepted a radio transmission."
"How much time do we have?"
I had never heard of the Hive, but if what this note said was true, I had a big problem.
"Hours? Maybe a day? Depends on their fuel supplies, I guess."
I nodded, chewing my lip. "And you're sure we're the target?"
"Yes, sir. It seems that they heard about your father's funeral. A lot of people on their wanted list were going to be gathered here for the event."
I closed my eyes, trying to still my mind, and shook my head. Leave it to Pops to start trouble even after his death. "Thank you for telling me," I said at last. "And... thank the Hive."
I still didn't know who or what the Hive was, but I supposed if they were trying to save my ass, I owed them my thanks. That would be a matter for later discussion. For now, I watched the man jog back to his transport and pull out through the gates, and then I closed the door and locked it firmly.
"Cosma!" I shouted, knowing that she was probably just hiding around the nearest corner. She never seemed to be far.
As expected, she popped her head out of the hallway almost instantly and gave me a worried look. She must have overheard some of our conversation.
"I need you to get me the council. Bring them here immediately." She started to march off, but I grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to look me in the eye once more. "And no more foolishness with those idiots from earlier. I don't have time to be watching for daggers aimed at my back right now. Do you understand?"
She nodded vigorously, whimpering as my fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her upper arm, and when I released her, she scampered back, darting for the door.
For a moment, I stood staring at the place where she had been only a moment before. Time was ticking by, and I was acutely aware that every second gone was a second I could not reclaim. I still felt so lost. Pops hadn't told me anything about defending Kychek. He never mentioned any military or anything that would help me right now. In fact, I was starting to believe my father had sworn off violence in his old age, and that was why there wasn't a single gun anywhere in the house, save the one at my hip.
I had to find some answers. I had to know if he had a plan, and I couldn't wait for those scoundrels from the Council to show up and tell me. I wasn't even sure I could trust them. No, the only way I was going to get to the bottom of this was if I went straight to the source.
Crumpling the note and tossing it away, I marched back toward Pop’s office and threw the door open wide. I dropped to my knees, scooping up loose papers that I had thrown off the desk earlier, cursing my bad temper. When I had them moderately straightened out into a thick stack that filled my arms, I got to my feet and walked swiftly toward the room at the end of the hall, pushing the door open with my foot.
"What are you-?" Rhiannon gasped as I burst into her room without so much as a knock.
I went to her bed and dropped the stack of papers into her lap.
"Start sorting. Anything that looks like it could be about military maneuvers or... or... some kind of automated defense system... I don't know! We just need to figure out how to defend this place, and quick!" I exclaimed at last, too troubled to make much sense.
She scoffed at me, crossing her arms and refusing to lay a single finger on the papers in front of her. "So now you want me to be some kind of secretary? You've got to be kidding."
My mouth dropped open. I didn't have time to argue with her. I needed answers, and at least she had eyes to read the papers and sift through them quickly. I started to leave to go get another stack, but she called after me, making me stop in my tracks.
"I'll have you know that I was the leading expert in defensive weaponry in my division. I'm not some stupid girl, here for handling mail and bringing you coffee."
But she had my full attention now, and I came back to look her in the eyes with all the earnestness I could muster. "Rhiannon, this is a matter of life and death. I just received word that the Patrol is on their way here to launch an attack. If we're lucky, we have a single day to ensure the city is safe. So unless you want to end up right back where you started, I think it's best if you stop arguing and start helping."
I flicked one of the papers on her lap, sending it spiraling up toward her face. The shocked expression she wore told me that she finally understood the gravity of the situation, and there would be no more arguing. At least, not for now.
"I'll be right back. There's plenty more where these came from. I have a few other people coming to help, too. But anything we can figure out is a good start."
She nodded, all seriousness as she pushed herself up into a sitting position and pored over the stack of papers in front of her. I watched her eyes scanning the pages rapidly, and I trudged back for more.
