“Why did they leave the caves? Wasn’t there more safety and protection with the numbers there?” Zeigler asked.
Naarmegen passed the question on. Anger flashed in Rakki’s eyes when he answered. His hand move unconsciously to rub his leg. Zeigler caught the words “one only could rule,” “betrayed by lies,” “left as dead, for the . . .” something that sounded like some kind of scavenger, or maybe ants or worms, and, “he with holes in teeth,” pointing to his mouth.
“There was a rivalry to be chief—one of these to-the-death things,” Naarmegen supplied. “He was tricked into going out somewhere with some of the other guy’s cronies. On the way they jumped him, skewered the buddy he was with, and tossed Rakki over a cliff. But Yobu sent the one called Enka out looking. He found Rakki just about ready to snuff it, and the others went there and got him. I guess, obviously, they couldn’t go back.”
“Is that where he messed up his leg?” Zeigler asked.
“Rakki, when you fall from cliff.” Naarmegen pointed. “Your leg is broken then?”
Rakki nodded curtly and glowered. “And pierced by spear. Many days, they carry . . .” Zeigler missed the rest. White-haired Yobu added some more.
“The rival’s name is Jemmo. He’s still there, at the caves. But one day Rakki will rule them. And some swamps—I’m not sure where they fit in. Revenge seems to be an obsession.”
Zeigler had noticed how Rakki’s eyes would stray toward Kelm when Kelm came close as he ambled about, checking over the surroundings and developing his Earth legs. Rakki watched the other SA troopers who were present too. What seemed to interest him was their guns. He seemed to know what they were. However proud and defiant the eyes that met Zeigler’s consciously, the glances when Rakki didn’t realize Zeigler was watching betrayed envy of the strangers’ power. And that could be the pointer to finding the kind of opening for a mutual advancing of interests that Zeigler was looking for.
A message an hour or so ago from Serengeti had brought the news that the Pragmatists’ bid to expand their powers back on Kronia had failed. Before very much longer, therefore, Zeigler expected to receive the code notifying him that Blue Moon was going ahead, which meant he should take any opportunity that presented itself to prepare accordingly. Recruiting the small Tribe here at Joburg would not bring about anything decisive; but they were natural fighters, and it could help. However, if they could lead him to this other group, who by the sound of things numbered considerably more, that could make a significant difference.
And there might well be more still to be found, scattered around in this ruin of a continent, beyond those.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Since their emergence as a recognized political force, the Pragmatists had built up their organizational center and focus of support on Iapetus, second outermost to Phoebe among Saturn’s principal moons. After their failure to open a back door to power in the Directorate arm of the Kronian Congress, Valcroix and Grasse departed from Titan for Iapetus with a coterie of leading Party names, staff, and sympathizers aboard a local transorbital called the Eskimo. Most observers of the scene concluded that the intention was to consolidate after their defeat and consider where they would go from there.
A day out from Titan, Eskimo vanished without warning. It was the kind of thing that could happen at any time in a region still subject to hazard from rogue objects of all sizes, and the incident was recorded as “Presumed Impact Destruction. Unconfirmed.” Many felt inwardly, though it would have been in poor taste to say so, that perhaps Kronia had been spared much in the way of future complications that it really didn’t need right now. Those who believed it was Kronia’s destiny to found a civilization intended by Divine Purpose interpreted the event accordingly.
* * *
Aboard the Trojan, still following the initial part of the course that would take it to Jupiter, Colonel Nyrom met privately with Lieutenant Robin Delucey in a sparsely furnished staff office in Accommodation Module 3, not currently being used. Since the ship was carrying a large consignment of material and industrial equipment for the cache to be established somewhere in the Jovian system for future use, occupancy was relatively light for a vessel the size of the Trojan, comprising the crew and the SA contingent, and scientific groups concerned with the mission’s survey work.