"Back off-"
Kodir's warning voice sounded from behind him. Kuat glanced over his shoulder and saw that she had
scooped up the vibroblade. With her knees bent in a defensive crouch, Kodir used the weapon to keep the Knylenns and their affiliates at bay.
"Maybe you could hurry a little," said Kodir, glancing back at Kuat." I'm not going to be able to hold them forever."
"This won't take long." A single motivator unit ran all the functions of the life-support system; Kuat grasped the top of the unit, gave it a turn to the right, and yanked it out of the center of the machinery's circuits.
An inhuman screech sounded from the amplified speaker mounted above. As if Kuat of Kuat had struck a blow at the heart of a living beast, the portable life-support system shuddered and sank lower upon its treads, nearly toppling Khoss of Knylenn from its upper platform. The grey, withered face of the Knylenn Elder showed no sign of animation as Kuat grasped the bottom edge of the cylinder and tugged it free. Like an ancient warrior's battle shield, it crashed on top of the other discarded sections of the machinery's exterior.
The vibroblade brandished by Kodir of Kuhlvult didn't cause the others in the gathering place to take a step backward, pushing themselves away from the hulk of unpowered devices in front of them. It was what they saw, revealed at the machinery's heart.
Inside the opened cylinder, the corpse of the Knylenn Elder hung suspended-not held upright by the tubes and wires of the life-support system's various components, but by a simple leather strap crossing the body's shrunken chest. The flesh dried upon the protruding bones was as cold and lifeless as the surrounding metal, as though the skeleton were merely some part of the machinery's framework. A last trace of the odor of decay had been released by the opening of the cylinder; a few of the Knylenns and their affiliates turned away in horrified disgust.
The Knylenn Elder had been dead for a long time; long before the portable life-support system had carried the disguised corpse into the gathering place. That much was obvious.
"Not a bad piece of work; very well designed." With an engineer's clinical admiration, Kuat pointed out the rest of the details. He pointed up at the wires and servo-linked pneumatic tubes running through the metal collar and into the base of the Elder's skull." As you can see, there was no need to go to the expense of preserving all of the body in a lifelike state; only the head of the Elder was necessary to give the impression that he was still alive and functioning. A few simple, real-time animating devices, a synthesized voice, and a database of vocabulary and mannerisms, all under the control of the Level 1 droid intelligence that was supposedly monitoring the life-support system's components and the corresponding vital signs-basically, not an elaborate construct at all. But well done, nevertheless." Kuat looked up at the pallid face of Khoss." Who did you hire to do the work for you? Must have been expensive." He slowly shook his head." Offhand, I'd say it looks like a Phonane Mimesis Studios job-it's the kind of thing they specialize in. But it might also have been-"
"How did you know?" Khoss's hands were white-knuckled and trembling as they grasped what was left of the cylinder before him. His voice sounded more agonized than the fake Knylenn Elder's had been." It was perfect. It's been over a year since the Elder died, and no one else has ever suspected. . ."
"They might have had their suspicions." Kuat cast an amused glance at the others in the gathering place." Perhaps they just didn't want to say anything about it, since they had already decided to go along with your plans to wrest control of Kuat Drive Yards from me. And. . . I imagine you had a few accomplices." Kuat looked again at the person standing atop the dead machinery." I remember the Knylenn Elder well; he was not a stupid individual. Whatever his own ambitions for the Knylenn household, I doubt if he could have been convinced to go along with this plan of yours."
"Is that how. . ."
"It was enough to arouse my own skepticism," replied Kuat." But I needed proof-and that wasn't long in coming. It just shows that you're not cut out to be an engineer, Khoss; you rely too much on clever machines. Someone who works with and designs them always knows that the human element is inescapable. And decisive." He shook his head in mock ruefulness." It's always the simple things that trip people up. You programmed the droid intelligence in that device of yours pretty well; it was do ing a decent enough imitation of the Knylenn Elder. But it got the facts wrong. It would have been very difficult for the Elder to have sworn before our biological mothers that he would outlive me, since our mothers never met. Mine died in giving birth to me. I was raised in the household of Kuat by the father from whom I received my inheritance. So when your phony Knylenn Elder didn't catch me out in a simple falsehood-that's when I knew it wasn't really him."
One of the Kadnessi, the male who had spoken up before, looked puzzled." I don't understand," he said." Why would Khoss go to such elaborate lengths to make it appear that the Knylenn Elder was still alive? As soon as the word of the Elder's death would have gotten out, that would be when Khoss would have been acknowledged as the heir of the Knylenn household."
"That's not difficult to figure out." Kuat smiled." It's not enough to inherit the title when the oaths of fealty from the other ruling households were given to the person of the previous Knylenn Elder. None of you has ever sworn an oath to Khoss of Knylenn." The notion brought a laugh from Kuat." Why should you have? So for Khoss to proceed with his campaign to drive me out of the leadership of Kuat Drive Yards, he needed all the authority that went with the Knylenn Elder still being alive, without the inconvenience of the old man disagreeing with him about what should be done. The real question, of course, is. . ." Kuat's voice darkened with sly hints." Just how convenient was the Elder's death? Perhaps our dear cousin Khoss might have. . . helped the process along. Just a little bit."
"That. . . that's a lie." Khoss of Knylenn's face had paled to a bloodless white." If you're saying I killed him-that I had anything to do with his death-"
"A very serious charge," said the Kadnessi. He nodded solemnly, a gesture that was repeated by others in the crowd, including the Knylenns and their associates." This will bear investigation. And if it should turn out to be true. . ."
"Then the murderer's own life is forfeited." Kodir of Kuhlvult spoke the words with evident satisfaction." That is the law, as ancient as the ruling households themselves. It's a capital crime for a designated heir to take an Elder's life. And the punishment must be exacted, or the households would be awash in the blood of the victims."
Atop the disabled machinery, the ruined manifestation of his scheme, Khoss was reduced to sputtering incoherence. His fists clenched as his face distorted with the rage of the impotent and guilty.
Kuat knew what to expect; he saw Khoss's muscles tensing for one final act. It was no surprise to him when the defeated Knylenn heirling leaped from the machinery's elevated platform, his hands clawing for his enemy's throat.
This time, there was no need for assistance from Kodir. Kuat took care of the problem himself. The butt of one upraised hand caught Khoss at the edge of his jaw, snapping his head back; a blow from Kuat's other fist sent the Knylenn sprawling at the feet of his kinsmen. He didn't get up, though his chest could still be seen rising and falling, laboring for breath.
"Let me know," said Kuat coldly," what you decide about him. It would probably be best, for Kuat Drive Yards' public relations if the execution were performed in as quiet a manner as possible. This kind of squabbling within the ranks is always seen as a weakness by outsiders." He turned and strode away, toward the gathering place's exit.
Fenald had just started to regain consciousness, and feebly raised a hand toward Kuat as he passed by him. Kodir planted the sole of her boot in the man's chest and knocked him back flat against the floor.