Empire of Light

Chapter Fifteen

The return journey aboard the Mjollnir had proved a difficult time for Ty. As soon as he and Nancy had reached the safety of the frigate, the ship had jumped to a point a few hundred light-years distant, while the Atn's remains were placed under guard in the ship's aboratory complex. Ty had been turned back when he tried to enter the labs, and told in no uncertain terms he was not to be allowed access to the Atn's body for the remainder of the journey.

It had soon become clear there were political machinations taking place far beyond the frigate, which Ty could only guess at. Martinez vanished from the bridge, and if not for Nancy he might never have known the Commander had been confined to his quarters while his second in command, Simenon, assumed control. Other members of Martinez's senior staff had also quickly vanished from the ship's centrifuge, replaced by hastily promoted members of their crew. An angry confrontation with Simenon over access to the Atn's remains had ended with Ty barred completely from the bridge. He had risked his life to retrieve the thing, yet his every request was dismissed out of hand.

On arriving back at Redstone, teams of armed soldiers had boarded the freighter, rapidly separating Ty from the rest of the crew without explanation. Before long he was ferried down to a spaceport and transferred to the windowless rear of a robot truck that drove away immediately.

He still had no idea where he was being taken, or whether or not he was under arrest.

The vehicle drove for over an hour before finally coming to a stop and unlocking its doors. Ty stepped out into what appeared to be an underground garage, where a man with impossibly wide shoulders and a face like granite was waiting for him.

Ty did not fail to notice the way the man's pale grey eyes widened the moment he saw him. Yes, Ty thought, with a growing sense of doom. The man was clearly trying to remember where he had seen him before.

'Mr… Driscoll,' the Freeholder rumbled. 'Welcome to Redstone.'

Ty nodded, and fought back the tight knot of panic gathering in his stomach. He started at a sudden noise, then realized it was only the truck reversing back up the ramp that led into an industrial-sized airlock.

'My name is Rufus Weil,' the Freeholder continued. 'You'll be staying here for a day or two.' Weil paused, and again those pale grey eyes roved around Ty's face, as if trying to place him. 'If there's anything you need while you're here, just let me know.'

'All right,' said Ty, still watching as the airlock's i

'You're in Unity, the Freehold's capital. And you're here because of a matter of security. There are questions over exactly who has jurisdiction over the Mjollnir, and the Senate requests that you stay here until they're sorted out.'

'How long is that going to take?' Ty demanded, feeling scandalized. 'And what about the… remains I recovered?'

'Those are high-level security questions, Mr Driscoll, and I'm not allowed to discuss them. All I can do is ensure you're comfortable while you're here, and apologize for any inconvenience.' He waved towards a nearby bank of elevators. 'This way, please.'

Ty stood his ground, unwilling to share the small, confined space inside the elevator with this Freeholder. He did not want to have to stare into those quietly accusing grey eyes any more than he had to. 'What exactly is this place? Am I a prisoner here?'

'No, sir, you're a guest. This is a residency for officials from other settlements when they're visiting the Senate. You'll have an entire suite allocated for your personal use.' Weil once more indicated the waiting elevator. 'Please, now. You'll be here no more than a few days.'

Ty considered his options and decided he had none. He swallowed nervously and stepped towards the row of gleaming silver doors. As the elevator carried the two of them upwards, in silence, Ty could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. The interior of the elevator was mirrored, so that there was no way he could avoid Weil's persistent, accusatory gaze. Any doubts Ty had that his paranoia was getting the better of him vanished under that fixed stare.

Several minutes later Ty was relieved to find himself alone in what indeed appeared to be a luxury-sized suite, whose picture windows looked out across the city. He listened to Weil's footsteps padding away down the corridor and leaned his head against the door, taking several long, deep breaths until he felt his nerves start to settle back into equilibrium.

No doubt about it; Weil knew who he was – or certainly had strong suspicions. The Freeholder, Ty estimated, was in his mid-to late thirties – just about the right age to have taken part in the abortive, Consortium-backed assault against the Uchidan Territories more than a decade before. Also just the sort of person to wonder if he had seen Ty's face on some long-ago news bulletin.

But even his sudden fear of being uncovered could not entirely distract from the frustration at being prevented from studying the body he had risked his life to recover. He felt sure that within its dusty shell lay the summation of all his life's work: a suitable antidote to the rank failures of the past.

An armchair faced the window. He fell into it, suddenly exhausted, and stared out through the glass. A warning sticker detailed the fatal consequences of either opening or breaking the window without having a breather mask handy. As a native of Redstone, he knew full well how deadly the planet's naked atmosphere was. So if things got bad enough he could…

No. He slammed the arm of the chair and leaned forward, chewing on a knuckle. Suicide was not an option. He had thought it was finished when the Territories decided to hand him over to the Consortium, and even then he had escaped. No matter how bad things looked, there was always a way.

Ty brooded for a while longer, then stood up and stepped over to the door. He was pleased to find it was not locked, but a man of a distinctly similar build and demeanour to Marcus Weil sat in an easy chair down the far end of the corridor, next to the elevator.

'Sir,' said the man, rising, 'can I help you?'

Ty shook his head and forced a smile. 'No, thank you.'

He ducked back inside, closing the door and listening to it click as it swung to. He might not be locked in, and it might be a comfortable suite, but it was definitely also a prison.

He returned to the armchair, and watched the sun track its way across the sky, just thinking. Ty woke, much later, to find himself in darkness.

He shook his head, rubbed tired hands through his hair and staggered into the suite's bathroom. When he emerged from the shower, wrapped in a bathrobe, the first trickling light of dawn was showing itself beyond the glass of the window.

He lay down on top of the bed and soon fell asleep again.

Later in the morning, the same man who had been set to guard him the night before entered the suite with a breakfast tray. He placed it on a table by the armchair, along with a shrink-wrapped bundle.

'Who are you?' Ty demanded, still groggy with sleep.

'Hibbert, Mr Driscoll.' He nodded to the shrink-wrapped package. 'We ran afresh change of clothes out for you earlier this morning. If they're not right, let me know.'

'What happened to Weil?'

The Freeholder regarded Ty with a carefully blank expression. 'Mr Weil works on a different shift, Mr Driscoll. Enjoy your breakfast.'

Despite his misgivings, Ty ate ravenously, delighted to have the opportunity to consume real food after the limited fare of shipboard meals. When he had finished, he stood by the window and watched people passing through the city streets far below.