“No, sir. The lady, and I use the term loosely-I’m sorry to be so judgmental but it’s true-is about three nuggets shy of a payload. Her name is Kisia Manjari. Her father used to be a big shot.”
“We know all about her and her father,” Baird said shortly.
“Oh.” Reamer blinked. “Oh, of course you do. You guys and Lady Acorna helped bring him down, didn’t you? Well, anyway, Becker and the cat figured they should make themselves scarce but he didn’t say anything about visiting Mr. Harakamian. He said he knew you guys, though, so maybe he met him through your partner, Rafik.”
“It’s possible,” Baird said thoughtfully. “Laxmi, can you secure a channel for us to talk to Rafik? Uncle Hafiz was headed for Rushima. Let’s see if he got there.”
They were told that the Sha.hra.zcu) had just left, but that a spy had been discovered onboard. When Rafik told them who it was, Gill let out a low whistle. About the time his cousin Tapha had been killed, Rafik had regaled his partners with a few stories about Tapha’s dear departed mother, Uncle Hafiz’s first wife.
“So she’s still alive, huh? That whole family is amazingly hard to kill,” Gill asked. “Well, Yasmin’s interference probably explains the unexpected journey Hafiz and Karina are taking in the middle of their honeymoon.”
“Oh yes,” Rafik said. “My honored aunt blew some powder in Uncle’s face that turned out to have ground Linyaari horn as part of its chemical composition. You can well imagine where he’s going now.”
“Yes, but do you think it’s wise for the ShahrazaS to go alone?” Calum asked.
Raflk repeated the conversation he had had with Hafiz, adding that Dr. Hoa had gone with the Harakamians.
When the transmission ended, Judit was shaking her head. “I don’t like it. I just don’t like it at all. Maybe an army isn’t a good idea, but Hafiz and Dr. Hoa going together-it just sweetens the pot for unscrupulous people like the Pipers daughter.” She gave Kisia ManJ art’s father the nickname the enslaved children had called him when he was still an unknown evil controlling their destinies on Kezdet.
A moment later, the communication with Rushima was reestablished and Mercy Kendoros face appeared on the screen. “Judit? I think its about time we got in touch with our brother and the Starfarers, don’t you think? If the Pipers daughter and some of his old network are able to penetrate even House Harakamian’s defenses, we need to be thinking about security. Has anybody heard from Nadhari Kando?”
They continued talking about a lot of people, most of whom Reamer had only heard of, if that, in grave tones that suggested danger. It was way too heavy for Reamer. He’d done his job and brought the trouble to the attention of the people who should be able to fix it, and had managed to take himself and his kids out of harm’s way. He didn’t want to hear any more. He didn’t want to know any more. He was a peaceful sort of guy who mostly minded his own business and let other people mind theirs.
All he wanted was a place to make his living and raise his kids without somebody trying to kill or imprison them. Security arrangements were best left to people who enjoyed being on red alert all the time. He personally was not one of them.
He drifted to the back of the throng of adults and children crowded around the comscreen. A boy too small to see over the heads of the others admired Reamer s belt buckle, which he was at eye level with.
“That’s beautiful, mister. What’s the stone?”
“Turquoise. Pretty rare now.”
“I like the frame you put it in. Is that metal silver?”
“Yeah. I made it myself.”
“Wow! I wish I could do that.”
Reamer shrugged. “It’s not that hard. I brought my tools and a few supplies -with me. Want me to teach you how? “
“Boy, do I! I’d love to make something like that with an acornite in the middle. It would make me feel somehow-you know, closer to her.”
And so Reamer and his kids stayed on Manganos moon. Reamer began teaching the other kids more about looking for gemstones and how to set them in precious metals. Baird and Giloglie looked in once in a while and expressed the wish that they had time to learn.