Your Truth is Out There (Find Your Truth Book 1) (33 page)

Alcorn afforded himself another moment to look at them both, and then turned to Qilzar, who was watching Lhvunsa, with much the same look of dedication to her that Alcorn felt. He pretended not to notice and walked on in the direction of the cafeteria.

“We’ll need to go this way,” he said in a soft voice as he walked by.

Qilzar cleared his throat and turned to follow.

“Yes, of course,” said the gray-skinned non-terrestrial. “I do hope you know what you’re doing. This isn’t Earth, you know, and these aren’t primitive criminals we’re dealing with.”

Alcorn looked away and smiled. As annoying as Qilzar had already proven himself to be, he was also extremely sharp and had, on more than one occasion, thought of things he, the four-star general, hadn’t. If there was one thing Alcorn had learned over the years, is that often the people who were the most difficult to deal with personally, could also have the most to offer, if you knew how to treat them. Gsefx had said Qilzar could be an asset if he could be trusted, and he was right.

“That’s why I wanted you with me,” said Alcorn, turning back to Qilzar. “I know strategy and tactics, and those things don’t vary too much, regardless of how primitive or advanced a culture becomes. You know a lot more about what goes on out here than I do, and have already saved our bacon more than once. Together, we should do pretty well.”

“Saved our bacon? What, in the name of the Gods, does that mean?”

“It’s just a primitive Earth expression, meaning you’ve saved us by thinking of things I haven’t,” said Alcorn, turning and walking on. “You’re a good man, Qilzar.”

“I am no such thing,” said Qilzar, in his most offended voice, but following along, nonetheless. “I am a Dremin, and to call me a man is to equate me with the likes of you, which, no offense, is beneath me by several millennia.”

“No offense taken,” laughed Alcorn. “You’re a good Dremin, then. How’s that?”

“Better, although other Dremins might disagree on that point. General, there is still one thing that bothers me.”

“Hold that thought,” said Alcorn, lowering his voice to a whisper as he moved them both against the wall. “We’re about to enter the Great Hall again, and even though it was quiet the last time we came through, there’s no sense in taking any chances.”

“Yes,” said Qilzar, “I quite agree.”

Alcorn peaked around the corner and slowly worked his way until he had a full view of the room. He took a few more steps, carefully examining the room before motioning the ‘all clear’ to Qilzar.

They walked steadily, but warily, through the Great Hall, remaining alert while in such a wide open space, only relaxing when they made it to the other side without incident, and the walkways became closer and easier to navigate. There were no bodies here, unconscious or otherwise, which was fine with Alcorn. They continued making their way toward the main bay, balancing caution with speed.

“What was it you wanted to ask me back there?” said Alcorn, when they were in a passageway safe enough for conversation.

“What do you mean?” said Qilzar.

“Back there, before the Great Hall, you said there was still one thing that bothered you. What is it?”

“Oh yes, that. When Lhvunsa was first put into the cell with me, she accused me of telling Ricnor about the paintings and of bringing him into all of this in the first place. She said that she and Gsefx would never forgive me.”

“Yes, but apparently, that’s not the case,” said Alcorn. “You didn’t bring Ricnor into this. Someone else did.”

“That’s correct,” said Qilzar. “But Lhvunsa and I figured that out by ourselves, alone in a cell. How did Gsefx figure it out?”

Alcorn stopped and looked at Qilzar appraisingly.

“You and Lhvunsa figured it out by yourselves, while locked alone in a cell?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Qilzar,” said Alcorn as he turned and continued on his way, “did I say you know a lot more about what goes on out here than I do? You simply know a lot, period. I’m not sure how you figured it out, but it’s pretty damned impressive.”

Qilzar’s gray face flushed into a brighter shade of gray.

“Thank you, General,” he said. “But, to be honest, it was more Lhvunsa’s doing than it was mine. She had me recount my abduction, step-by-step, every last detail, which led back to Galacticount, which led her straight to Xtlar, the one Ricnor reports to. He also happens to be my boss, as well.”

“X-who? No … no—Gsefx said it was someone named … uh … umm … Piggy … something-or-other.”

“Pigawitts?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“No, it couldn’t be Pigawitts. Could it?” Qilzar seemed truly puzzled. “Why in the galaxy did he think it was Pigawitts?”

“Apparently Gsefx and his team found some discrepancies buried pretty deep in this guy’s books when they were going through them. He thinks that’s why they took both you and Lhvunsa hostage, instead of just one of you. They wanted to make sure they pulled him away from digging any deeper.”

Qilzar seemed to consider the possibility for a moment.

“I can see the logic there, I suppose, but whoever kidnapped me had to have access to my vehicle, which means they had access to the Galacticount parking area.”

“Would that include Pigawitts?”

“Not normally, although he did come into the offices for meetings on occasion. I’m trying to recall if he was there the rotation I was … yes, yes he was there! I remember seeing him with Xtlar … Oh Gods!”

Qilzar stopped and the brightness left his face, leaving him an ashen gray.

“What? Qilzar, what is it?”

“What if Xtlar and Pigawitts are working together? Gsefx could be walking into a trap.”

Alcorn thought for a moment. He didn’t know either of the beings Qilzar was talking about, nor did he know the situation they all lived in. But he knew enough. He knew Gsefx.

“You bring up a fair point, Qilzar, to be sure, and even though I don’t know either of them, I have to trust your judgment about the possibility of the two of them working together.”

He raised his hand to ward off Qilzar's intended interruption.

“Be that as it may, I also have to trust in Gsefx. And in Henry. They are far from helpless. Think about it for a minute. Regardless of whether or not Xtlar and Pigawitts are working together, where would Gsefx confront either of them?”

“In their offices, I imagine,” he said, after taking a moment to think about it. “For Xtlar, that would be Galacticount, where Gsefx and I both work, or worked. I don’t suppose either of us will have a job any longer, even if we do find a way to get out this whole thing alive. For Pigawitts, it would be at his offices. They’re both on the planet Laxor.”

“And both are relatively public places, as well, I imagine. Right?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” said Qilzar.

“Where it would be difficult, if not impossible, to make a move against Gsefx and Henry,” said Alcorn. “Plus, Gsefx still has to get and then review the proof first, which should give him better insight as to who is really behind all of this.”

“Perhaps, but …”

“But nothing, Qilzar,” said Alcorn, signaling that they needed to continue on their way to the main bay. “We have to trust that Gsefx can take care of himself, if for no other reason then there’s nothing we can do to help him. Besides, he does have Henry with him.”

“You keep saying that. What good is the artist going to be in this situation?”

Alcorn looked startled.

“I thought you’d seen his paintings.”

“Well yes, I’ve seen one of them. It’s exquisite, but what has that got to do with helping get Gsefx out of danger?”

Alcorn’s startled look changed to disappointment.

“Here I was,” he said shaking his head, “starting to actually believe how much further advanced you were than I, and yet after seeing Henry’s works you have to ask that question.”

“Just what is that supposed to mean?” said Qilzar, drawing himself up in a most offended way.

“It’s not
supposed
to mean anything. It
actually
means that if you had looked at that painting, and really knew what you were seeing, you’d know what Henry has to offer. And you’d know that Gsefx is much safer with him than with any of us.”

“Just what is it that he has to offer?”

“He sees the truth, Qilzar. He sees the truth in everything. In people, in situations, in … hell, I don’t even know, just everything. He will know if this Xtlar is lying, or if Pigawitts is, or if they’re both telling the truth. He will be able to tell if they are in any danger well ahead of time.”

Qilzar looked unconvinced.

“That seems unlikely,” he said. “But even if it’s true, what good does it do to know that Xtlar is lying to them if they’re already trapped in the room with him?”

“That’s where our trust has to come in, Qilzar. Trust in Gsefx’s instincts.”

Alcorn stopped and looked at Qilzar.

“How long have you known Gsefx?” he said.

Qilzar looked up, as if he was counting in his head.

“I’ve known him for nearly ten turns, and worked closely with him for the past six,” he said, “why?”

“What is a turn?” asked Alcorn. “Is it anything like a year, the length of time it takes Earth to orbit our sun?”

“I suppose for our purposes, yes, consider them the same,” said Qilzar with a sigh. “What are you getting at?”

“What I’m getting at, is that you’ve known Gsefx for a lot longer than I have. You know far better than I do what he’s capable of, yet you have far less faith in him than I do; someone who’s only known him for a few hours.”

“Perhaps,” said Qilzar, “or perhaps it’s that, since you have only known him for a few hours, as you call them, you don’t understand just how much he means to those of us who have known him for a lot longer. Perhaps if you did, you’d be trying harder to find a way out of here instead of bickering about how we should simply trust in his ability to survive.”

“Perhaps we can do both,” said Alcorn, “the main bay is just through those doors ahead of us.”

Alcorn watched Qilzar’s eyes as he looked at the doors, and saw a brief flicker of doubt, quickly followed by deep resolve. The kind of resolve that showed just how much Qilzar cared for his friend.

“Lead the way,” said the Dremin.

While Alcorn didn’t fully agree with Qilzar’s assessment of Gsefx’s situation, he did share his concern. Gsefx and Henry were both at risk, as they all were, and would continue to be until they could find and stop whoever was at the root of all of this. Of course, there was also the possibility that Qilzar was right and Gsefx was in over his head, but that was not something he wanted to think about. He squared his jaw and walked toward the door, ready to face whatever might be waiting on the other side.

Lhvunsa held her head high and walked away from Qilzar and the Earthling, Alcorn, as if she feared nothing. She had lost herself just moments before but she was back now. The General had brought her back and now she was expected to go on, as if everything was fine and her whole world hadn’t just completely shattered. Perhaps Gsefx would be able to take care of himself, as Alcorn suggested, but it didn’t make it any less difficult for her. She made it around the corner and through a set of doors before dropping to the floor again, this time in a pile of tears.

“Lhvunsa, are you okay? What’s wrong?” It was Theo.

“Nothing,” she said through her tears. She held up her hand to keep him back. The last thing she needed was to be rescued again. “Just … give me a …” the tears overtook her words.

“Sure,” said Theo as he plopped down next to her.

Lhvunsa continued sobbing, all the while waiting for Theo to offer some words of comfort, or encouragement, or something else to get her to stop, but nothing came. He remained silent. When she finally looked up at him, he was sitting there next to her, his knees pulled up and his arms folded across them, with his head resting comfortably and eyes closed. Was he asleep?

“Theo?” she asked tentatively. “Are you sleeping?”

“No, just waiting,” he said. “As much as I would love to find Henry’s paintings, I’m in no big hurry to blindly run around this complex hoping to stumble upon them. My dad is a brilliant man, but sometimes he doesn’t really think things through very well.”

Lhvunsa smiled.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I suppose you’re right.”

She paused for a moment and then continued.

“Thank you,” she said.

“For what?”

“For letting me cry, and not trying to stop me or comfort me or do all of the things most males try to do when they encounter a weeping female.”

“Sure thing,” said the younger Alcorn with a smile. “My mother is a very strong woman. She’s had to be to be married to my dad for all these years. But I learned early on that there were times when she just needed to sit and cry. She and my dad have always been very close, they’re a team really. Actually, more so than I ever knew. But, with his position in the military, he wasn’t always around, which meant my mom had to carry the load by herself a lot of the time. Sometimes it got to be too much and she’d break down and cry. I’d try to comfort her, and sometimes she’d let me, but most of the time she’d tell me that she was okay, just like you did, and that she just needed some time to herself to let out some of the things inside of her.”

“Later on, she would explain to me that when she cried it wasn’t always because she was sad or upset or having a breakdown. Sometimes she just needed to let things out so they wouldn’t hold her down any longer, and that it was okay for her to do that.”

Lhvunsa was stunned. She tried to say something, anything, but found that she could do nothing but stare at the General’s son.

“What?” asked Theo. “Stop looking at me like that. You’re kinda creeping me out.”

Lhvunsa shook herself free and looked away as well.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just that … I would never have expected … your world and your people are still in very primitive stages of development, yet you and your father show incredible signs of maturity.”

“Umm … thank you … I think.”

“It is a great testament to you that you are so advanced. Are all of your race similarly mature?”