The Fireseed Wars

II

As Maldar Dard entered Chief Verkan's office, he noted some of the Chief's top men leaving with scowls and frowns on their faces. Among them was Altarn Vor, whom the Chief had appointed his chief investigator into the Barton Shar Fiasco. Verkan was seated at his desk with his face buried in his hands.

"Chief, if you need some time alone, I can come back later."

Verkan looked up and shook his head. "No, it's all right. I'm just tired. Not enough sleep and bad news are a dangerous combination. I had Deputy Altarn do a complete financial workup on the Paratime Police Department and there were some disturbing results. The rot has set in much farther than I'd ever have believed-"

"Surely, it can't be that bad, Chief."

"It's not good. Fortunately, most of the skim comes from outtime strong-arm efforts. It looks like the conspiracy is centered around four or five hundred officers who have some outside credits coming in. But there's some outright murder and kidnapping involved, too. I've put Dalla in charge of Paratime Police reorganization and we're dismissing all the thieves and crooks when they return from their assignments outtime. We're only prosecuting those where crimes against persons were committed. She's also going to setup some traps that will nip this kind of crime in the future before it gets going.

"Unfortunately, newsie Yandar Yadd caught wind of this news and it's going to be featured on the Dhergabar Tonight show. To counter his accusations, I have to appear on the show this evening."

"How much does Yadd know?"

"Only that a few agents have been dismissed, some of whom came to him for exoneration or to smear the Department. I'm sure he'll have plenty of dirt to spread about the force."

And Paratime Police Chief Verkan Vail, thought Maldar. "Do you want me to take him out, Chief?"

"It's too late for that. Dalla argued that we should have put them all on permanent assignment to Second Level Khiftan. I'm beginning to believe she was right."

"If that's the bad news, what's the good news?"

"Barton Shar's cabal is comprised of only five agents. We've captured three of them and put them under narco-hypnotic interrogation. The other two were his handpicked men in Stores and Equipment and appear to have disappeared with Barton. They were the ones responsible for substituting some of the durasteel breastplates with regular steel. They did some other nasty deeds. When we capture them, they'll be lucky to be stranded on an outtime world-if Dalla has her way."

"So what are you going to do, Chief?"

"I'm going to publicly resign and put Dalla forward as interim Paratime Police Chief, at least, until this mess cools off."

For the first time in years, Verkan actually appeared happy.

"But Chief, that's almost an admission of guilt!"

"First of all, the Executive Council has been debating a Censure Motion against me for the last ten-day and this incident will put it over the top. Unless it's contained, this scandal is going to make Management Party and the Paratime Commission look really bad. It wouldn't surprise me if Opposition uses this as an excuse to call for a Vote of Confidence and try to take control of the Council. If they elect one of their own as General Manager, they could reorganize the Department! Can you imagine what it would be like running the Paratime Police and having to answer to the Opposition Party?"

Maldar Dard shook his head. "But you didn't do anything, Chief. It was Barton Shar's handiwork."

"It doesn't matter; all this happened on my watch. I should have caught it during my first year, but I was too busy worrying about Kalvan and my outtime hobbies."

"Your enemies will be dancing in the streets."

"Good for them. I'm not going to be around.

"Where are you going to go?" he asked.

"Dard, I'm heading back to Kalvan's Time-Line to help my friends. If I don't leave soon, it'll be impossible to concoct a story good enough to fool Kalvan about my absence. So I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning for Rathon City. I'll set up my alibi in Rathon and from there travel by horseback to Thagnor City."

And leave Dalla to pick up all the pieces'? Maldar wondered.

Almost as though reading his thoughts, Verkan said, "Dalla ordered me to go. Not that she's happy about it. However, she claims my being on Home Time Line will just set me up as a target for all my opponents to throw darts at. Dalla will tell the media that for reasons of health I'm going to retire from my position as Paratime Police Chief. I've cleared her appointment with the Paratime Commission."

Well, that will really energize the Opposition Party; I hope he realizes he's just put a big bull's-eye on his wife's back.

"Now what was it that brought you to my office, Dard?"

"We think we've located one of the missing Hostigos Study Team members."

"You're kidding."

"A young Greffan maiden, whose resemblance to Student Danar Sirna is uncanny. Apparently, she wound up in a brothel in Hostigos Town in charge of Captain-General Phidestros' healers. I'm certain there's a great story there."

They both laughed. Go on.

"Sirna appears to have been the new Prince of Greater Beshta's mistress until his current fiancee came into the picture. Another scheme of Lysandros: with one marriage, he yokes a prince with Dralmist sympathies to a new prince who doesn't have any ties to Hos-Harphax. Now both of them are in harness and all this doesn't cost Lysandros a phenig!"

Verkan shook his head in amazement. "It appears Lysandros is more devious than we suspected."

Maldar nodded. "Anyway, Sirna, being in the way, was sent off with the new Great Queen of Hos-Harphax to Harphax City. Since Queen Lavena is a Hostigi, both women are fish out of water-as they say on Fourth Level Europo-American-and they appear to have become close allies or even friends. Lavena has even made her a Baroness and given her a significant stipend.

"It was my idea that we could convince Sirna to act as our eyes and ears within the Harphaxi Royal Court."

"Good idea. How do you suspect she'll react to all this?"

Maldar laughed. "With great distress, since she's had over a moon half to contact the Harphax Kalvan Study Team and has made no effort to do so. Once she realizes her position and what we can do to make her life miserable, we should be able to flip her like a pancake."

"Do it. We could really use someone inside the Harpahxi Royal Circle. The situation in the Upper Middle Kingdoms is in flux. According to our man inside Thebra City, Styphon's House fleet is about to ferry Soton's army to Argrys City. Meanwhile, Phidestros is preparing a force to settle the Thaphigos' hash once and for all.

"The Grand Host is on its way to lay siege to Thagnor City. At the moment, we don't know what Kalvan plans to do about it. However, his new fortifications will make Thagnor City a very tough nut to crack. With the Darro Creek running through it and all the hills, Hostigos Town was almost impossible to fortify. That's not the case in Thagnor City, not with Kalvan's new earthworks. It looks like the Grand Host has its work cut out for it."