The Price of Shadow
Part 2



==========

She arrived promptly at the appointed hour.  Actually, it was a few minutes 
before, since she kept her chrono set a bit fast to guarantee promptness.  
Passing the mirror in the foyer, she instinctively checked to see that her 
titian tresses were still tightly locked in their braid before giving her name 
softly to the maitre d'.  Wordlessly, he led her to a table at the rear of the 
dining room where Wesley Paoletti stood beside his chair. 

"Thank you for coming, Ms. Trudeau."  The maitre d' pulled out her chair and 
waited only long enough for her to settle herself. 

"I must say your call was a surprise, commissioner.  I'm not quite sure why..." 

"I invited you for a business lunch, Ms. Trudeau, but that first requires lunch.  
Then we can talk.  Would you permit me to order for both of us?"  

Aiyanna agreed, and as Paoletti instructed the waiter, sat wondering why all 
this charm had not been apparent at the president's reception.  Over the 
appetizer, Paoletti explained the reason for his call.  

"I hope you won't be offended, Ms. Trudeau, but I've done a good bit of checking 
on you."  She was, if not offended, certainly shocked and a bit nervous, but it 
would not serve to say so.  "It was the mention of your concentration in Minbari 
civilization that caught my attention.  If the Ministry of Peace is going to 
establish a world in which humans can live at peace with all races, it is vital 
that we have people on our staff who truly understand those races: how they 
live, how they think, what they value."

Perhaps it was the thrill of the job offer she now anticipated, or perhaps it 
was the wine Paoletti ordered with their main course, but as their meal 
progressed, Aiyanna found herself relaxing, smiling, growing almost giddy.  
Paoletti had clearly done his homework.  He knew the names of courses she had 
taken and the professors who had taught them.  He seemed as interested in her 
opinions of her teachers as in her reactions to their courses.  

Over dessert, the commissioner inquired about her hobbies and used her mention 
of spelunking to segue into questions about her friendship with Doctor Akirai.  
Both Doctors Akirai.  "I understand you and Doctor Akirai are planning to marry.  
When is the happy day?"

Aiyanna blushed a bit.  "We haven't set a date as yet," she explained.  Ever 
practical, she and KJ had agreed not to make firm plans about when or where to 
set up housekeeping until she had found a job.  

"So the doctor wouldn't object to your taking a position in Johannesburg, with 
the Ministry of Peace?" 

"Are you offering me a job, Commissioner?"

Paoletti nodded as he sipped his coffee.  "I've spent the last few weeks 
assembling my team, Ms. Trudeau.  A Minbari specialist was the last piece I 
needed to put in place.  If you're agreeable, we'll assemble in Johannesburg and 
begin our work the first of the month."

==========

After the third sharp stare from a neighboring table, Kijana stopped long enough 
to put the computer on silent operation.  It would slow him down to do it this 
way, but at least he wouldn't be asked to leave.  He had been working in 
alternation, setting the computer on a search and turning to the library's 
ancient books and records to find other answers.  He had counted on the chime to 
alert him to the completion of the search, but now he would have to rely on 
visual indicators. 

Records of the Mars colony went back to the 22nd century, and discussion and 
planning tracked back even farther.  Most historians tied the date to John 
Carter, seeing his expedition as the change from exploration to stable 
settlement.  

An indicator blinked in the lower right hand corner of his screen.  Not the 
search results.  Just mail.  Later. 

Contrary to what some of EarthGov's top names tried to say, calls for Martian 
independence were not a new phenomenon.  He had found references to independence 
movements as far back as the fifth year of the colony.  There was even an 
article that predated Carter's flight and outlined a process for the stable and 
gradual transition from colony to independent state.  

Another blink, this time his search.  He marked his place in the documents and 
turned to the computer. 

What he found more difficult to trace were the reasons for Earth's opposition to 
an independent Mars.  Every indication was that maintaining off-world colonies 
was difficult and expensive, and the hostility of the Martian environment made 
it more difficult and more expensive than most.  

The database had in fact produced little of use, but some of the results pointed 
him in new directions.  A couple of articles he tagged to read later then 
started yet another search.  He scowled at the mail indicator blinking at the 
bottom of the screen.  It was a distraction, a false reading, but the only way 
to eliminate it was to open the mail.  For now, he would rather return to his 
documents.

Throughout history, when major powers refused independence to colonies, an 
economic motive was apparent.  His exploration of the Martian mining industry 
had begun as a search for the economic explanation of Earth's reluctance to see 
Mars stand as an independent state.  What he found instead was a policy of price 
fixing and unlimited demand that seemed calculated to destroy any economic 
advantage there might be.  

The tiny flash reflected in the lens of his glasses.  His concentration would be 
nonexistent until that indicator had been cleared.  Reluctantly, Akirai turned, 
used the motion to stretch cramped muscles, and gave a long yawn before opening 
his mail. 

The hollow in his stomach was not relieved by the second reading.  To be told - 
not asked - to see President Mitchell at 4 p.m. was not joyful news.  He was 
being called on the carpet, and he suspected he knew why.  He checked his 
chrono.  Three fourteen.  If he hurried, he could make back-up copies of his 
research outside the university network.  

==========

He arrived at the administration building at 3:56 and presented himself in 
Mitchell's outer office at 3:59.  Kept waiting as expected, he tried to 
anticipate the upcoming conversation.  Each envisioned scenario called for a 
slightly different style of response, but when he was allowed entry at 4:12 he 
felt prepared for whatever exchange might ensue.  

Conversation was not on President Mitchell's agenda, however.  Kijana was given 
opportunity to say little beyond "good afternoon" and "yes, sir" while Mitchell 
made it abundantly clear that the direction of Akirai's research was of concern 
to the university.  He was not told directly to abandon his work, nor was his 
funding withdrawn, but the threat was clear.  He was not asked nor allowed to 
defend his work, his position, or himself, and at 4:29, he was dismissed.  

==========

He signaled at the door and waited for the identity check.  At the appointed 
hour, Aiyanna would have been waiting by the door to bypass the electronic 
security.  But he was early, considerably so, and even his impetuous fiancée had 
the good sense to screen callers.  She was surprised to see him since dinner was 
barely started, but she happily put him to work slicing mushrooms. 

"Your sister sends her apologies and a bit of good news.  She dropped her things 
and went straight out to the site.  Apparently she got funding to move the dig 
to the new site."

"Really?"  He set the knife down long enough to adjust his glasses.  "I thought 
the finance committee would give her a much harder time."

Aiyanna wrinkled her nose.  "Apparently, they did.  She said she found her 
funding elsewhere."

"And she's acting on it already?"

"So it seems."  A cloud of steam rose from the stove as Aiyanna deglazed the 
sauté pan.  With a flick of her wrist, she swirled the liquid around the vessel 
then presented it to him for the mushrooms.  "I've got some good news too," she 
said as he gathered the pieces to add to the dish.  He tipped his head back to 
look at her, brows arched in an unspoken question.  Only a warm smile came back 
to him until she had settled the pan back on the stove.  Then she slipped into 
the chair beside him.

"I've been offered a job," she said, taking his hand.  "I had a lunch meeting 
today with Commissioner Paoletti from the Ministry of Peace.  He wants me to 
start the first of the month as their Minbari specialist."

He was silent longer than he knew he should be.  "When did all this develop?"  
He tried to make the question sound joyful.  

Aiyanna's smile was constant.  "Paoletti called me Tuesday and asked me to have 
lunch with him today.  He didn't tell me what it was about."

"You didn't tell me that."

"You were so tired when you got back from Mars that I just wanted to see you get 
home and get some rest.  I figured it was nothing, anyway."

"And you've got the job, just like that?"  

She rose to tend the stove and threw a glare over her shoulder.  "Just like 
that?  I'd like to think my incredible qualifications had something to do with 
it."

Mercifully, she did not appear angry, but it had been a narrow escape for him.  
He rose and joined her at the stove, slipping his arms round her waist from 
behind.  "I'm sorry, darling," he said, nuzzling her neck.  "Of course, they 
recognize your brilliance."

She swatted him playfully and slipped out of his grasp.  "I just meant," he 
continued, choosing his words carefully now, "when did they ask for your CV and 
your references?"  

"They didn't ask me for them."  She set the table as she spoke.  "But Paoletti 
said at lunch that they'd already done some checking on me, so I guess they got 
my file.  Do you want to open the wine?"

A quick flick of the blade against the overcoating exposed the cork, but Kijana 
could not so easily uncover the ominous instinct gnawing at him.  As he twisted 
the screw into the soft flesh of the cork, he tried to model the appropriate 
reaction.  "Well, if I had known it was to be a celebration, we could have done 
champagne."

Through the course of the meal, Akirai tried to swallow his misgivings.  His 
beloved was radiant with excitement, and her innocent pleasure in this new 
adventure was delightful to watch.  As they moved to the living room after 
dinner, she peeked at him.  "I thought I might go on ahead, and see what sort of 
flats are available."  Her voice trailed off, its inflection hinting at a 
question.  

"On ahead?"

"To Johannesburg," she explained.  "If I wait until the first, I'll be working 
days and looking at flats at night, and living in a hotel besides.  If I go up 
now, I can find us a place before I have to start work."

Johannesburg.  He hadn't made that connection.  Of course, the Ministry of Peace 
would be headquartered in the regional capital.  The silence in which he 
processed that information lasted a beat too long. 

"KJ, what's wrong?"  She slid to the edge of the couch, her hand trembling 
halfway to his.  "Are you having second thoughts..." 

He swept her into an embrace.  "No, Yani, no.  Sweetheart, I love you, you know 
that."  He angled her body backward so that he could look in her eyes.  "Yani, I 
love you," he repeated, "and I have no doubts about us.  I want us to be 
together and I want it to be forever."  She nestled back against him, and he 
held her silently for a time, knowing his next words must be carefully chosen. 

His fingers traced the ridge of her spine, and when she giggled, he kissed her 
hair.  "Yani, we made a decision to wait, to be sure that we started our life 
together the way we wanted it to be.  It hasn't been easy for either of us, but 
now finally, it seems like things are falling into place."  She pushed away from 
him, and he knew she heard the impending 'but.'  

"This just came on so quickly, Yani.  The part of it that means we can move 
forward is fantastic.  I just..." Storm clouds gathered in the green sky of her 
eyes.  "Is it wrong for me to worry about you?  I'm sorry.  I can't help it.  I 
love you.  All I want in life is your happiness."

"This makes me happy."

"I know.  It's just..." He was not accustomed to being at a loss for words.  
"We've just heard of the Ministry of Peace a few days ago, and now, with nothing 
more than a lunch as process, you're joining them."  He reached out to embrace 
her but she shook off his hands.  "Yani, I know you'll be brilliant in the job, 
but doesn't it feel a little strange to you?"

"KJ, this is the chance I've been waiting for.  I'm not about to start 
complaining that it was too easy.  Little enough in life ever is."

"I know."  He swallowed again, but that bad taste was still there.  "I know."

She turned her back to him then and walked to the window.  The distance between 
them was more than the mileage from Windhoek to Johannesburg.  As she sensed his 
approach, she spoke.  "Should I be looking for a flat for two in Johannesburg?" 
she asked, tears in her voice.  

He took her by the shoulders and turned her to him.  "Yani, there is nowhere I 
want more to be than where you are."  Enfolding her in an embrace, he crooned 
softly into her hair, rocking in time to his little chant.  "You go on ahead," 
he whispered finally.  "I'll come and help you look as soon as I can."

"Let things here wait, KJ.  Let's go to Johannesburg together."

Her enthusiasm coaxed out his smile but reality beat it back.  "I can't, Yani.  
I'm already booked on the Mars Shuttle that leaves tomorrow."

"Mars?  You just got back from Mars!"

"I know, Yani, but there's more research I have to do.  After this trip, I can 
finish up what I need to here, and then look for work in Johannesburg."

"Finish up?  Finish up what?"

"Yani, I'm in the middle of a major piece of work.  I can't just drop everything 
and move to Johannesburg.  There's research I should do here, where mining is a 
primary industry.  The material I need will be easier to find."  He started to 
pace as his mind raced ahead.  "Once I get down to actually writing, I can join 
you in Johannesburg, at least most of the time.  I'll need to find a venue to 
present the paper.  It could be anywhere.  There's no one site for symposia 
anymore.  But I can't sever ties with the university here until I present."

"KJ!"  Her voice slapped at him.  "Listen to yourself.  You're obsessed with 
this Mars business.  You don't have to go on with this.  Johannesburg is a 
center for economics.  You can find a position there and begin a new course of 
research.  Something current, something that will put your name in the center of 
things."  

She laid a hand on his arm, gently.  "You said you worried about me, Kijana.  
Well, I worry about you, too.  And if you persist in this Mars research, KJ, I'm 
afraid.  There's going to be trouble.  There are too many people who will not be 
happy with the hornet's nest you're stirring.  There will be pressure on the 
university and that will get passed along as pressure on you." 

"It already has."  He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't tell her about his 
meeting with Mitchell, but the story came tumbling out. 

"That ends it then.  You have to drop it, KJ.  Come with me to Johannesburg.  
You'll start over.  You'll work on something safe."

"Yani, I can't just walk away from this.  The very fact that there's pressure 
being put on me may be a sign that I'm on the verge of something important."

"And it may be a sign that you're on the verge of something you should not be 
involved with!"

Anger rushed up his spine and filled his head with noise.  A great wave of air 
filled his lungs as he prepared to shout over the pounding.  Both hands raised, 
he clasped his head and blew the air out in a sigh.  "Please, Yani, let's not 
argue about this."  He took her hands.  "Each of us has something we need to do, 
and each of us is worried.  Go to Johannesburg.  Find us an apartment.  As soon 
as I can get back from Mars, I'll join you there." 

She stood silently staring down at their joined hands.  "What do you say, Yani."

"I'm not sure I want you to come to Johannesburg," she said.  She did not look 
at him. 

"You just said..."

"I don't know if I want to start a new position at the Ministry of Peace being 
seen with someone who refuses to drop what he has been told is an inappropriate 
line of research."

"Yani!"

"I'm sorry, KJ.  That's the way I feel right now.  This job is important to me."  
She didn't say 'more important than you are' but he heard it any way.  He felt 
his head bobbing as though of its own volition.  "Maybe I'll feel differently 
tomorrow," she offered, but the words held little hope. 

"Well."  He drew a breath and looked around.  "I guess...  I should probably go 
then."  He crossed the room and released the door latch.  "I'll call you before 
I leave for Mars."

==========

He should not be here.  He knew that.  He should be down in Economics trying to 
find other documented cases of infinite demand.  He should be searching 
government records for a better understanding of the Martian colonial 
government.  Instead, he sat here, curled in a corner on the floor, an ancient 
copy of Voltaire in his hand. 

He flipped the pages aimlessly, searching not for a text but for the peace the 
text would give him.  Peace of mind, peace of spirit.  This was where they 
lived, here in the old volumes, the pages filled with grand ideas and elegant 
words.  He would come to visit them, to live a while among them, and when he 
left, a memory of that peace would go with him. 

Peace.  Now Earth had a Ministry of Peace, and Aiyanna was to be a part of it.  
He flipped the pages.  Could a ministry, a government, truly make peace?  Was 
peace created, or was it learned?  Or, in his case, borrowed?  His eyes drifted 
up from the book in his hand, glided over the shelves of antique volumes.  He 
had borrowed much over the years.  He owed a great debt. 

He turned back to Voltaire but he did not see the words.  Debts owed assaulted 
his mind.  How would he ever reconcile the balance sheet of his life?  He had 
tried to fulfill his responsibilities to Saada, watching over her since their 
parents' deaths, although he was her elder by scarcely a year.  He owed it to 
Aiyanna to let her ride the thrilling currents of this new job, to support her 
as she so patiently had supported him as he established his career.  What of his 
debt to himself, to his own conscience?

He wondered, as the familiar words went by, if Senator Voudreau read Voltaire.  
He wondered if she would defend to the death his right to speak and if he would 
do the same for her.  He knew now that President Mitchell would not defend him, 
no matter how much lip service he paid to academic freedom.  

Freedom.  How many pages in how many books were spent in the attempt to define 
freedom?  A principle, a need, a hunger, a lust...but whose freedom?  After 
centuries, who understood what freedom meant?  Did he?  Did Voudreau?  The 
Ministry of Peace?  Or Free Mars?

When great principles are in conflict, how do you compromise?  Kijana Akirai had 
no answers even as he climbed to his feet to return the book to its place.  Can 
a man, this man, sacrifice a bit of freedom for the sake of peace?  As he 
flipped the pages one last time, he wondered what Voltaire would say.  On a 
random page, the words came into true focus for the first time.

"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong." 

==========

"We live for the One.  We die for the One."  Those words echoed in Jeffrey 
Sinclair's brain long after the ceremony ended.  As he smiled his way through 
the reception afterward, he was unsure what he should be feeling.  He had opened 
the Rangers to humans as well as Minbari; this class was the first to include 
them.  He was pleased with that, and proud. 

It was his own role in all of this that troubled him.  In a few hours, after all 
this bowing and backpatting was done, he would give each member of this new 
class an assignment, and for most, it would be a place of danger.  Leading 
people into battle was something he understood; sending them out to die was not 
a role he welcomed.  

As soon as propriety allowed, Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair slipped away to his 
office.  He settled as comfortably as he could into the efficient minimalism of 
the Minbari décor and began a final reading of the files on his newest Rangers.  
He was a third of the way through when the door signal chimed.  Sinclair looked 
up, startled to realize the room was now in darkness.  He called for lights then 
called the open command.  

In the doorway stood a human in the uniform of the Rangers.  "Forgive me, 
Ambassador," said the pale figure, bowing slightly, "I know how busy you are." 

Ranger One rubbed tired eyes.  "Come in, Latimer.  How can I help you?"  He 
tried to remember what he knew of the new Ranger.  An Earther, in his thirties, 
originally from...was it Geneva?  He hadn't gotten to the Ls yet. 

Latimer stood at attention before the Ambassador's desk, looking to Jeffrey 
Sinclair's weary eyes as nervous as teenager on his first date.  What would he 
be asked to do?  "Ambassador, I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour.  I realize 
I should have made an appointment."

"It's all right, Latimer.  You've done me a favor.  I needed a break.  Please, 
sit down.  What can I do for you?"

The Ranger perched awkwardly on the edge of a chair, arms and legs so coiled 
with tension that Sinclair thought he would rocket away at the merest touch.  
"Ambassador," he began, finding eye contact and immediately dropping it again, 
"I know that you'll be making decisions about our assignments shortly."  He 
glanced up and Sinclair nodded.  "Sir, there's information that I've never given 
you, which could be relevant, and I wanted to tell you before you made your 
decisions."

Irritation straightened Sinclair's spine and the tiny muscles round his eyes 
fluttered as he tried to keep his face impassive.  Any man who would come to him 
looking for special treatment had no business in the Rangers, and he intended to 
tell Latimer just that.

"Ambassador, I never listed this under special training or skills, and I never 
told anyone about it, and maybe it has no relevance at all, but I wanted you to 
know that I am a physician.  University of Edinburgh Medical School.  
Xenobiology undergraduate.  Residencies in surgery and trauma.  If my medical 
training can be useful anywhere, Ambassador... well, I wanted you to know." 

Relief rushed through Latimer's body almost as quickly as the words rushed from 
his mouth.  His piece said, he crumpled just a little, for the first time 
sitting in the chair rather than on it.  Sinclair's fists pushed into the 
desktop as his body rose out of the chair, and he stared silently at Latimer as 
he came around the desk.  

"That's one hell of a chunk of your life to forget to mention, Latimer." 

"Yes, sir."

Head cocked to one side, the older man squinted his eyes, as though some change 
in vision would explain this revelation.  "Why?  Why would you just leave out 
such a part of who and what you are?"

Latimer was silent and when he raised his face toward his commander, his eyes 
searched the air for an answer.  "I guess," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper, 
"I wanted to forget.  I thought I could put that part of my life behind me, that 
I could start all over here."  His eyes were focused somewhere over Sinclair's 
shoulder, watching, Jeff realized, some long ago trauma. 

There was a second chair on Latimer's side of the desk, and Sinclair dropped his 
body into it.  "What changed your mind?" he asked, leaning toward the young man. 

Latimer shrugged and shook his head.  "I think maybe I understand a little 
better now what the Rangers are about.  When I came to Minbar, I came to 
receive.  I realize now that being a Ranger isn't passive but active.  It's 
about what I can give, what I can do."

Sinclair nodded but said nothing.  For several minutes, they sat together in 
silence.  A whispered question broke the silence.  "What did you come to 
receive?"

The reply was barely breathed.  "Forgiveness."

A moment later, Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair rose and returned to his desk.  
"That will be all, Latimer."

The Ranger rose, acknowledged the man with a bow, and crossed to the door. 

"And Latimer?"  The young man turned back to Sinclair.  "Pack for Mars.  I have 
an assignment for you."

==========

"Back so soon, Doctor Ack-a-rye?"  

It was the mispronunciation of his name that really got his attention.  While he 
was amused to discover that the security agent checking his identicard was the 
same man who had checked him through customs on his last trip, he was a bit 
irritated to have to make chitchat.  He wanted to check into a hotel, find a 
tolerable bed and some decent food, and try to call Aiyanna again.  

Their conversation before he left earth had been brief, and while nominally they 
had made up, KJ knew things still weren't right between them.  It didn't help 
that he didn't want to tell her why he had come back to Mars.  

The hotel room was small, but adequate to his needs: a bed, dresser, and desk, a 
small bathroom, and a vid unit.  He threw his bag on the bed and went to the vid 
unit to order the call.  At this hour, there might be a queue for channels, and 
the smaller hotels would not get priority.  He unpacked while he waited for the 
call to go through, but the message soon came back that his party did not 
respond.  He wondered if Aiyanna had already left for Johannesburg. 

His computer and the various documents he had brought along nearly covered the 
little desk.  He set his work out in as orderly a fashion as he could, then 
double checked to be certain he had the one piece of paper he needed for 
tonight.  He grabbed a jacket and headed out again. 

It was not hard to find the bar whose name was scribbled on that paper.  It was 
in one of the smaller domes, outside the sanitized tourist areas, but there was 
a tube stop nearby, and he only had to change lines once to get to it.  As he 
walked the few blocks from the station to the address he had been given, he 
tried to look as though he fit into the neighborhood, although he wasn't sure 
who would fit into this neighborhood or why.  It was made up of large, boxy 
buildings, all dark, most in disrepair.  They might be warehouses or factories, 
he thought, but there were no signs.  No markings on the buildings, no hints of 
what they contained, no signs of life. 

Round the next corner, Kijana stopped short.  The street was filled with people 
moving noisily from one to another of the gin joints that lined the road.  There 
were, he noted as he extricated himself from the grasp of a solicitor, other 
amusements here as well.  His target was a small bar about halfway down the far 
side.  He pushed his way through the crowd to the bar, asked for a beer, and 
took stock of the crowd.  The bartender reappeared with a dark bottle for which 
he exchanged a credit chit.  Akirai took a long draught from the bottle before 
easing between bodies to the tables in the rear.  

A muscular young man pushed in front of him, silently blocking his path.  KJ 
spoke only a name.  For a moment, there was no reaction, then a shrill whistle 
rang out, and the man stepped aside.  Akirai was beckoned to a table where two 
men in identical black leather spent the next hour interrogating him.  
Ultimately, he was dismissed with no resolution. 

He stopped to eat at a little shop near the hotel before returning to his room.  
There were two messages waiting for him.  The first, from Aiyanna, gave him the 
name and access number of her hotel in Johannesburg.  The other, audio only, 
gave only a time and place.  Deciding it was too late to call Johannesburg, 
Akirai undressed and fell into bed.  Tomorrow he would hear the Free Mars side 
of the story. 

==========

He made certain to call Aiyanna's hotel before he went out the next morning.  
Informed she had already gone out, he left a message.  The allowed transit time 
was ample, placing him at his destination early enough to wander through a 
nearby park.  At the appointed hour, he made his way through the shopping 
arcade, slipped out a maintenance access, and took the stairs down to the 
tunnels that served the loading docks.  

The first blow fell hard across his back, a crushing thud that bent him over and 
drove the air from his lungs.  Though he tried to turn to face his attacker, 
another truncheon, this time to his midsection, laid him on the ground.  Beyond 
that, he found it hard to separate the beating into separate blows.  While 
consciousness remained, he could only try to fend off his masked assailant.  

==========

Sound was first to penetrate the darkness.  Only later was Akirai able to open 
one swollen eye and bring the face above him into some sort of focus.  

"Can you hear me?" repeated the pale blond man whose hands steadied Kijana's 
head.  He tried to nod.  "OK, just lie still now until we see how badly you're 
hurt."  His hands moved swiftly over Akirai's head and neck, down his arms and 
legs.  "I don't think any major bones are broken," he said, "but I'll bet..." 
Akirai let go a yelp of pain as the man's hands skimmed over his ribcage.  "Yep, 
looks like you've got a couple of broken ribs.  I'm going to try to wrap them to 
give you a little support and then we'll see if we can get you up and get you to 
a hospital."

The stranger ripped a long strip of fabric from the edge of the duster he wore.  
"I'm sorry," Akirai gasped.  He wanted to apologize for the damage to the man's 
clothing, wanted to tell him he would replace the garment, but the first two 
words exhausted him.  

"Don't try to talk.  It's going to take whatever energy you've got to get out of 
here."  He tied off the makeshift bandage.  "Let's try to get you up," he 
continued, lifting one of Akirai's arms and placing it round his shoulders.  
"This is probably going to hurt like hell, but we can't exactly call an 
ambulance down here."

Only as his Samaritan lifted him to his feet did Kijana realize that he was no 
longer in the loading dock tunnels.  The pain was blinding, but when it eased 
and his head cleared, he saw his surroundings more as sewer than tunnel.  The 
man was right; no ambulance would come down here.  No one would come down here.  
His unconscious body had been dumped, he realized, where no one would find him.  

And yet he had been found.  "Who're you?"  His voice was a wheeze, and every 
word drove a blade into his lungs.  

The man shifted his weight.  "I'm not important.  Do you know who you are?  Do 
you remember what happened?"  Akirai managed both questions with a single nod, 
though he wasn't certain that pain was any less than trying to talk.  "Robbery?" 
the man asked.  Kijana's free hand felt for his wallet.  Finding it where it 
should be, he pulled it out for inspection.  His credit chits, his room key, 
even his return ticket for the shuttle, were still there.  "OK, then, let's try 
to get out of here."

They traveled, Kijana estimated, less than a mile all told, but the trip 
consumed hours.  Walking, even with assistance, exhausted him.  Repeatedly they 
stopped to let him catch his breath, a futile task given the degree of pain that 
trying to fill his lungs caused.  His rescuer navigated for them, choosing, 
wherever possible, level paths over slopes, slopes over stairs, and stairs over 
ladders.  Only one climb was unavoidable, a simple steel access ladder.  Six 
steps were all he would need to climb it, but it was wide enough only for one.  
Unassisted, he made the six most painful steps of his life.  

It was dark when they reached the street level but he could be no more specific 
about the time.  "We need to get you to the nearest hospital," his rescuer said, 
but as he looked around them, Kijana realized neither of them knew where that 
was. 

"Hotel," he whispered, tossing his head toward the lights of the main dome.  The 
reverberations of pain in his skull reminded him that was not a good idea.  He 
had to remember not to do that again.  Whoever had dumped him had left him 
closer to the hotel, close enough to walk, or, in his case, limp.  At each 
corner, they rested, the stranger supporting him and urging him on.  

It was near dawn when the man eased Akirai down onto the bed in his hotel room.  
Sleep followed quickly.  When he woke, there was light from the window.  His 
torn and blood stained clothes lay over the back of the desk chair, his ribs 
were firmly wrapped, and several wounds wore bandages.  Tentatively, Kijana 
turned his head to the left.  There beside him, his rescuer slept, his slender 
body draped awkwardly over the chair.  

Vertebrae by vertebrae, Kijana lifted his body from the bed.  Upright, he paused 
to allow the room to choose a position.  Asleep in the chair, his savior had a 
boyish look, but Akirai guessed they were of about the same age.  The blond 
might even be a bit older.  His clothes were of a style Akirai could not place.  
The blouson top and loose, flowing duster seemed Minbari in their styling, but 
other details gave the look of a warrior's uniform.  The edges of the duster 
were ragged from the makeshift bandaging.  When the man woke, he would 
apologize.  

He eased himself slowly from the bed, careful not to wake his Good Samaritan.  
It would have worked too if the floor had not come crashing up at him half way 
between the bed and the bathroom.  

"We've got to stop meeting like this," the man joked, and Kijana noted that it 
hurt when he laughed.  "Which way?" he asked when they were upright again.  
Akirai managed enough words to steer them to the bathroom, and by the time he 
was finished there and they had limped back, he was grateful for the bed. 

They talked about the hospital again, or more accurately, the man talked about 
KJ needing a hospital and KJ shook his head as negatively as the pain would 
allow.  The blond assured him that pain was a concussion, but Akirai was 
unmoved. 

"Your name?"  Kijana asked again.  

The beginning of another brush-off melted into a compassionate smile.  "Terrance 
Latimer.  Terry."

Akirai smiled as well.  "Kijana Akirai."

"I know.  I saw your identicard, Doctor."

"KJ."

"Rest, KJ.  You've got a lot of healing to do."

"I'm in your debt," he said, deciding the rest of the planned sentence wasn't 
really so important. 

"Just rest."

Rest he did, and sleep, long labored slumbers filled with surreal nightmares.  
He slept, he thought, more than he was awake, and what wakeful time he had was 
filled by once unconscious tasks like meals and personal hygiene.  When he was 
strong enough to sit up and talk normally, he sent a message to Aiyanna, audio 
only.  Full of apologies and assurances, it did not mention the beating he had 
taken or the quest he had undertaken.  

Terrance did ask, eventually, and when Akirai confessed the story, scolded him, 
but only a little.  KJ in turn asked his own questions, about the odd uniform 
and distinctive badge Terry wore.  Reluctant at first, Terrance ultimately spoke 
about a group of watchers, human and Minbari, scattered throughout the known 
worlds, to listen, to observe, to prepare, and to protect.  

Kijana listened, fascinated.  "Why did you choose this life?" he asked.  

"To atone," Latimer answered, "for past sins."

==========

"And I'm telling you that if you go in there with a backhoe, you are going to do 
significant damage to the structures down below and destroy any artifacts in the 
surface layers!  Not to mention the fact that you may give your operator a nice 
little ride.  Straight down.  Several hundred feet straight down!  So why don't 
you just go back out there, Mr. McKenna, and talk to your crew and do the job 
you were contracted to do, or I will find someone who will."  The burly man left 
the tent in a huff, and Saada Akirai breathed a long sigh.  

"This is a side of you I haven't seen before, Doctor."  Saada spun to the 
mellifluous voice.  Morden stood framed in the tent flaps, a gleaming smile 
lighting his face. 

"Doctor Morden," she said, "I didn't hear you arrive."

"I was eager to see how things were progressing, Doctor.  I hope you don't 
mind."

"No, of course not."  She drew her jacket closer around her, and belted it 
tightly. 

"You've already done a good bit of digging, I see." 

"The hand work, yes.  Now I'm trying to make McKenna understand that if he goes 
barreling in there he's just going to collapse the surface layers down onto the 
area of primary interest, and we'll have to dig it all out again."

"It can be difficult to get what you want, Doctor, but you strike me as 
determined.  Please, though, if there's any way I can help, just tell me."

Saada felt a shiver trace her spine as she thanked him. 

"Have you turned up anything of interest in the upper layers, Doctor Akirai?"

"Yes," she said excitedly, grateful for an external focus for the conversation.  
"Let me show you."  Carefully, she lifted a drop cloth to reveal a table full of 
bits and pieces, an unsolved jigsaw of metal and stone.  She described each one 
for him, classifying, analyzing, hypothesizing, all in her best clinical manner.  

"And the markings?  You still think this is some yet undocumented language?"  
Her response was affirmative.  "This is quite impressive, Doctor.  I wonder if I 
might ask a favor of you.  I will be meeting with several of my associates this 
week.  I know they would be most interested to see these markings firsthand.  
Would you trust me to borrow a few pieces to show them?"

Some unnamed fear prickled up the flesh on the crest of Saada's shoulders.  
"Doctor Morden, if this is some sort of ruse to bring IPX in on this project..." 

Morden sobered, and raised a hand to halt her.  "Doctor, please, save that tone 
for McKenna and his crew.  I have told you I no longer work for IPX.  I have no 
contact with them and no allegiance to them nor they to me.  I could be dead for 
all they care.  Now if you don't want these pieces to leave the site, feel free 
to say that, and I will respect your wishes.  But please don't question my 
veracity."

Hers was an outwardly gracious but inwardly grudging agreement.  Several 
specimens were carefully wrapped and prepared for transport, and Morden signed 
for receipt of them, all by the rules. 

==========

Latimer had watched over Akirai for several days.  Akirai tried to count it by 
the number of meals Terry had fed him, but so much of his memory was blurred 
with his dreams that he soon abandoned the effort.  He continued his apologies 
and his offers to compensate Latimer for his time and torn clothing, but the man 
demurred. 

"I need to go out for a while today.  Is there anything you'd like me to do for 
you while I'm out?"  Terrance asked as he finished changing the dressings on 
KJ's wounds.

At that moment, Akirai knew he had reached a new stage in his recovery.  Latimer 
had not left him since he regained consciousness in the tunnel.  "I'd like you 
to stop fussing over me and give your own life priority," he scolded.  "I can't 
imagine how much I've disrupted it for you."

Latimer just smiled.  "I shouldn't be long.  Don't try to do too much."

The admonition was sincere but unnecessary.  Kijana sat up at the desk for a 
time, sending Aiyanna and Saada mail to that carefully avoided any mention of 
his physical condition, and trying to organize some of his research.  The effort 
quickly tired him, and he gladly eased himself back into the bed.  The sound of 
Terry keying open the door roused him from another nightmare.

As Latimer emptied the little sack of groceries and pharmaceuticals he had 
brought with him, Kijana inquired about his excursion.  Though the questions 
were courteously vague, they went unanswered.  Finally, Latimer brewed two mugs 
of tea, brought one to KJ, and sat down beside the bed. 

"I did come across some information you might find interesting," he offered.   

Akirai gulped down a mouthful of hot liquid.  "Me?  What did you hear?"

"Did you make your contact Tuesday night in a bar called Zero G?"  KJ nodded.  
"Well, it looks like you were set up, my friend."

"No!  You think?"  The mockery was accompanied by a wince as he painfully 
shifted position. 

"I do think."  Terry smiled and sipped his tea.  "And I think it wasn't by Free 
Mars."  That got Akirai's attention.  "There are a lot of unsavory people in 
Free Mars," Latimer admitted, "but not all of them.  I have sources I believe I 
can trust.  They tell me Zero G was raided Tuesday night and a lot of Free Mars 
people were rounded up."

He nodded in response to the look of puzzlement on Kijana's face.  "As a result, 
the runner who was supposed to meet you never got there."

"Then who?" 

"That, my friend, is a wonderful question," Terry said as he rose to refill his 
cup.  "Shall we discuss your enemies?"

It was a brief conversation, but there was a sense of relief in confiding to 
Terry about the argument with Voudreau and the warning from Mitchell.  Still, 
they were on earth and this was Mars. 

"Doesn't your research connect the two?"

"The planets, yes, but not the people.  There's nothing to connect Mitchell or 
Voudreau to Free Mars."

Latimer's eyes narrowed as he considered that comment, and his mouth shaped a 
question.  Then he shook his head and walked away from the bed.  

"Terry?  What is it?"

"I don't know your Mitchell," he said, "but Senator Voudreau recently expressed 
some concerns about a businessman by the name of Taro Isogi."  He turned to KJ.  
"Mean anything to you?"  

"Future Corp?" 

Latimer nodded.  "Isogi was proposing a project that would have allowed Future 
Corp to expand to Mars.  Mars Conglomerate was, naturally, opposed.  The Senate, 
primarily Senator Voudreau, was reluctant."

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with Free Mars?"

"Shortly after a meeting which came close to sealing the deal, Isogi was 
attacked by a man who shouted 'Free Mars' as he charged." 

"What stake does Free Mars have in the deal?"

"None, or, if any, the project would have been to their advantage.  We have the 
word of someone close to Free Mars and to the negotiations that the murderer 
wasn't one of theirs."

"So someone wanted it to look like Free Mars attacked Isogi?  Have you talked 
with him about his enemies?"

"KJ, Taro Isogi is dead."

==========

He hadn't expected her to meet him.  He had sent a message to Aiyanna before he 
left Mars, giving her all the details of his trip and assuring her that he would 
soon be with her in Johannesburg, but he hadn't anticipated her meeting his 
flight.  The trip had left him a bit more willing to believe Terry's warnings 
that he wasn't up to traveling yet, and all he wanted now was rest.

Her smile was a beacon guiding him through the maze of Customs and baggage 
claim.  When he finally emerged, she greeted him with a hug that proved how 
fragile his ribcage still was.  Aiyanna frowned with concern as she examined his 
obvious cuts and bruises.  He tried not to let her know there were others.  

"KJ, what's happened?"

"It's nothing, darling.  I had a little accident, that's all.  I didn't say 
anything because I didn't want you to worry needlessly." 

She ran a finger over the bandage on his brow.  "This doesn't look like a little 
accident.  Are you limping?" 

"I'm just stiff from the trip, Yani.  Nothing a hot shower and a good night's 
sleep won't cure," he lied. 

"Well, that I can arrange."  She led him to a shuttle bus that deposited them in 
the heart of the city, then guided him from thoroughfare to side street to 
little lane and finally into the lift of a small apartment house.  The flat 
Aiyanna had rented for them was ample, with an extra room to serve as an office.  
Its architecture had a somewhat antique charm that included a brick fireplace 
and elegant French doors that gave onto a miniscule terrace.  The streaming 
light through that glassy wall enhanced the illusion of space, as did the 
current lack of furniture. 

"Yani, this is beautiful!"

"Isn't it?  I looked at a lot of flats but they were all either dark and tiny or 
way beyond our budget.  And then the Commissioner heard we were looking for a 
flat and he made a few calls.  And here we are!"

Kijana set his bag down by the fireplace.  "Speaking of the Commissioner, 
shouldn't you be at work?"

"We agreed that I should spend today with you.  My desk is clear, and there's 
nothing urgent coming up.  Besides, it's been so long since we've been 
together."  She smiled and wrapped her arms around him again.  "I'll have to be 
in the office tomorrow, but today's for us."

He smiled through the pain and wondered how he could pull this off without her 
discovering the extent of his injuries.  "Let me get a shower and some clean 
clothes," he suggested, kissing her gently, "and then I'm all yours."  

"Are you hungry?  I can fix us some lunch while you clean up."

"Sounds great!"  He seized an idea.  "Was that a park we passed?  How about a 
picnic?" 

She grinned broadly.  "I'll pack a basket."  

==========

Under the warm flow of the shower, Akirai tried to take stock of his bruises.  
The rich browns of his skin camouflaged some of the minor bruises, but much of 
his midsection and back were still deep purple.  He could not let Yani see that.  

He dried and dressed in the softest, most comfortable clothes in his bag.  
Tentatively he exercised the stiff muscles in his back and hip, practicing, as 
best he could in the little bath, walking without favoring the leg.  When he 
emerged, Aiyanna was setting a folded blanket beside the picnic basket.  

The afternoon sunlight was vibrant, its brilliant gold sparkling on rusty 
foliage.  A few oaks had shed their colors early, enough to give the couple 
crackly piles of leaves to play in.  They twirled about like children, kicking 
up spouts of fiery flutters, laughing in ways almost forgotten.  Under a willow 
tree, they spread their blanket, within sight of an ancient fig. 

The meal they shared was simple and the conversation common.  They chewed on 
crusty rolls and rustic conundrums, savored mellow cheese and cherished 
memories.  As the sun began to set, they wrapped themselves in the blanket of 
one another's bodies and warmed themselves with wine.  He was tired and a little 
tipsy by the time Aiyanna led the way back to the flat. 

Once inside he dropped down onto the couch, the single piece of furniture in the 
room.  Aiyanna bustled about in the kitchen, and from the sounds, he guessed she 
was setting things away.  Her voice, as though from far away, offered to make 
tea.  Answering seemed far too complicated, but the thought of the liquid's 
warmth suffusing his body spread a sweet relaxation over him.  

His dreamer's mind rode the jolt of pain back through time and space to the 
loading dock tunnel.  Defensive instincts unbridled by his conscious mind lashed 
out at his attacker.  A cry, part pain, part indignation, called him back to 
wakefulness just as Aiyanna tumbled back onto the floor. 

"Oh god, Yani, I'm sorry!"  He rolled from the couch to gather her into his 
arms, but her body did not mold to his.  

She drew away from him carefully.  "What's going on, KJ?"

"Honey, I must have been having a nightmare.  It was just an accident.  I'm 
sorry.  I'm so sorry.  Did I hurt you?"

"You're getting to be quite accident prone, KJ."  He shook his head, but could 
not clear his confusion.  "You never did tell me about this accident you had on 
Mars," she said, reaching out to lift the edge of the bandage on his forehead. 

He took her hand.  "That's not important, Yani."

"KJ!  You go back to Mars after I ask you not to.  You drop out of communication 
for days, then send cryptic messages about why you're delayed.  You come home a 
head wound and a limp, and when I try to touch you, you throw me halfway across 
the room.  And this you want me to believe is caused by accidents and 
nightmares?  Kijana, we can't build a marriage on lies."

He drew as deep a breath as the bruises would allow, blew it slowly out, and 
took both her hands in his.  They looked so fragile there, pale pink porcelain 
perfectly formed and embellished only with the ring that sealed their pledge.  
Staring at the dance of fire in their diamond, he searched for words gentle 
enough to tell her and faith deep enough to believe she could understand. 

"I went back to Mars because I wanted to understand the Free Mars position," he 
said, lifting his eyes to hers.  "I had arranged a meeting with them."  He saw 
her mouth curl in anger and he struggled to purge emotion from his voice.  "I 
was attacked and beaten.  That's what I didn't want you to know.  I didn't want 
you to worry."

"If you don't want me to worry, then drop this horrid project!  KJ, what will it 
take for you to see that this is a very bad idea?"

"Yani, if someone is willing to go to such lengths to stop me..."

"If someone is willing to go this far to stop you, you could get killed!"

He slumped back against the couch.  He had no answer for that one.

"KJ, please, promise me this Mars thing is over."  He started to shake his head.  
"No!  Do not tell me no.  You can't tell me no.  KJ, people are questioning your 
loyalty!"

"What?"  He straightened up again, drawing a protest from his back.  "What are 
you saying?"  

"KJ, I'm working at the Ministry of Peace.  People there are not at all happy 
that you insist on pursuing this thing."

"Who exactly?  What have they said to you?"

"They keep asking about where you are and what you're doing and why you're so 
fired up about this research.  KJ, the commissioner told me flat out yesterday 
that there are people in EarthGov who feel you should be classified as a 
terrorist because of your support for Free Mars."

"What support?  Yani, I haven't taken a single political position.  Hell, I 
haven't even published my findings yet.  This is all speculation and innuendo."

"I don't care, KJ.  It's dangerous, professionally and personally.  Look at 
you!"  She slipped across the floor to sit beside him.  When she spoke again, 
her voice was soft.  "You're here now.  Stay with me.  We'll get you healed up, 
furnish this place, and set up housekeeping.  You can find a position here.  I'm 
sure that if I tell the commissioner you've given up this Mars thing, he'll be 
willing to help you find a position at the university here."

The last struck a nerve.  "Are you reporting to Paoletti on me?  Is that part of 
your job?"

"KJ!  Commissioner Paoletti has been very kind to me - to us!  This apartment!  
I'd never have found this on my own!  It wasn't even supposed to be available.  
The last tenant moved out in the middle of the lease, and Paoletti pointed me to 
it the very same day!  He's taking an interest in us, KJ.  He wants us to settle 
here and be happy.  But this research of yours is creating very large problems.  
It has to stop."

He drew his knees up toward his chest, encircling them with his arms.  Letting 
his head drop forward, he closed his eyes and watched the mind movie of all that 
had happened and all that might happen.  He formed several explanations for 
Aiyanna but he didn't give them. 

"Let's get some sleep, Yani," he said at last.  "In the morning, I'll go back 
and start packing up my things."  She smiled then, and kissed him, gently.