“Governor?” she called.
“Hello!” he greeted. “You’re one of the Barnard’s Star contingent, are you not?”
“I need help,” pleaded Ravana. “My father has been arrested by Dana and I don’t know what to do! Fenris threatened to shoot him unless he took them to Yuanshi!”
“Slow down!” said Atman. “Agent Dana, you say? I confess that I’ve had little direct input on security arrangements but I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“But…” protested Ravana.
“I must dash, my dear,” the governor interrupted. “These people have come all the way from Aram and we’re already very late for dinner!”
Dejected, Ravana watched as Atman and the delegates walked on towards the large ground car parked near the main entrance. Moments later a couple of figures bustled through from outside, who upon seeing Ravana quickly rushed towards her.
“Zotz!” called Ravana, almost crying with relief. “Ostara! You came!”
Ostara ran up and gave her a hug. Zotz looked equally anxious, so after Ostara had released her embrace Ravana gave him a quick hug also.
“What is happening on this crazy moon?” asked Ostara. “Your message had bits missing but it sounded like Fenris has gone mad!”
“He tricked us,” Ravana told her, close to tears. “Fenris has taken the Platypus and forced my father to fly him to Ayodhya. Agent Dana was in on it, too. She arrested him for helping the Maharani escape all those years ago.”
“Dana arrested Fenris?” asked Ostara, confused.
“Agent Dana is working with Fenris,” Zotz reminded her, putting down the large bag he had with him. “Remember what Fenris said in his holovid to Taranis? They’re planning a revolution on Yuanshi and it’s all linked to the kidnapping of the Raja.”
“What?” Now it was Ravana’s turn to look bewildered.
“What do we do?” asked Ostara. “Go to the authorities?”
“Dana is the authorities,” Ravana pointed out. Her cat had returned and clawed gently at her ankles. “Besides, I ran into Governor Atman and he was worse than useless.”
“Then we follow them to Yuanshi,” declared Zotz.
“That was my plan,” admitted Ravana. “But I’d be glad of the company.”
“Easier said than done,” murmured Ostara, looking out across the runway. Of the spacecraft berthed outside, most were short-range orbital shuttles. The information screens showed a recent arrival from Yao Chi, Taotie but no flights to Ayodhya until the morning.
“That’s weird,” Zotz said, tapping his wristpad. “The satellite image for Hemakuta shows two runways at the spaceport, but the screens only list flights for one.”
Without waiting for a response, he wandered down the corridor and was soon lost from sight. Ravana returned to her seat, looked at Ostara and managed a weak smile.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “This trip is turning into a nightmare.”
Ostara came and sat next to her. “I heard what happened in the VR suite. It must be bad enough to suddenly discover you’ve got bits of circuitry in your head, but to find out like that? I think I would have reacted just the same.”
“It was horrible,” Ravana admitted.
Ostara took her hand. “Your father meant well,” she told her. “It wasn’t right that he kept it from you all these years, but that doesn’t make him a bad man.”
“I know,” said Ravana and sighed. “Dana won’t put him in prison for helping the Maharani, will she?”
“It won’t come to that,” Ostara reassured her. “Not if I have anything to do with it!”
Zotz came running back, waving excitedly.
“Come and see this!” he exclaimed, beckoning to them as he picked up his bag.
Intrigued, Ravana and Ostara followed him to a long corridor that led away from the main arrivals and departure lounges. At the end of the passage was a small circular room with a high ceiling, large glass windows and a door that led outside to an expanse of smooth concrete that was the mirror image of the airstrip on the other side of the spaceport. Parked at the end of the deserted landing strip was a large flying-wing spacecraft, one in military green and black camouflage livery but without official markings.
“A second runway,” remarked Ravana. “Zotz, I’m impressed. You were right.”
“The Sun Wukong,” said Ostara, looking at the name on the side of the spacecraft. “Where have I heard that before?”
“Taranis mentioned it during his holovid with Fenris,” replied Zotz. “He said it was bringing equipment to Hemakuta and then returning to Yuanshi.”
“So he did,” mused Ostara. “Perhaps we should find the pilot and ask for passage.”
Zotz gave a crafty look. “Actually, I’m thinking we should just sneak aboard.”
Ravana nodded, thinking only of her father. “I agree.”
“As the responsible adult here, I should forbid such foolishness!” Ostara said severely.
“I have to do this,” Ravana said resolutely. Gripped by a sense of purpose, she suddenly felt much older than her sixteen years. “I will go alone if I have to.”
“Entering a spacecraft without proper authorisation is illegal, not to mention extremely risky!” declared Ostara, then saw Ravana’s woeful expression. “But I have serious reservations over Fenris’ own conduct in such affairs. I would not be much of a security official if I did not take this opportunity to investigate the matter further, would I?”
“Then you’ll come with me?” asked Ravana, clutching her struggling cat to her chest.
Zotz hefted his bag to his shoulder. “I’m game.”
Ostara nodded. “We have to do what we can to find your father,” she said. “This local craze for kidnapping is getting a little out of hand.”
Hanuman cast an expert eye over the flight-deck console and satisfied all was well, buckled himself into his seat. Ganesa had stayed behind on the Sun Wukong and in his absence had arranged for refuelling and prepared the ship for their return flight. Neither of them wanted to be in Hemakuta any longer than necessary, both agreeing the city was far too bureaucratic, false and pretentious for their tastes. Besides, they were both wanted for smuggling offences on Daode and bribes to Que Qiao officials were becoming expensive.
“Did you make the delivery okay?” asked Ganesa.
“Fenris didn’t turn up to the rendezvous, so I left the equipment in the conference hall control room as per instructions,” Hanuman replied. He noticed Ganesa was giving him an odd look. “Is anything wrong?”
“We have stowaways,” she informed him. “In the hold.”
“More rats?” asked Hanuman. Their home port of Lanka was overrun with vermin and it was becoming increasingly tedious to keep them from sneaking aboard and chewing on the ship’s wiring. “Never mind. They won’t last long in there once we hit deep space.”
“Look for yourself.”
Hanuman shrugged. “Computer,” he ordered. “Give me visual on the hold.”
“That command is not recognised,” came the synthesized reply. Hanuman scowled.
“I’ll do it,” said Ganesa, smiling. “Computer, can you put the cargo bay monitor on the main screen, please?”
“Confirmed,” the computer intoned.