Chapter 7

  The captain's quarters were too small to be an interrogation room, but there was no more suitable room on the “Elena”. Skipper Dorlt had graciously given Valria his cushioned chair behind a desk nailed to the floor. Frankly, the elven woman shouldn't have gotten up at all, but she flatly refused to miss the stranger's inquest. Now the sharp-eared girl was half-reclining in a chair, pale as chalk, clenching the carved armrests to her white knuckles. Her forehead glistened with sweat. The stranger himself sat on a backless stool in the middle of the room. His hands were tied behind his back, and his entire wardrobe consisted of trousers - the rest, including his shoes, had been left on the pier. Lady Maria searched the alien with the skill of an experienced bodyguard, disarmed him, forced him to undress, tied his hands with a leather belt, and only then led him aboard the caravel. The stranger did not protest. Even in his present position, he was very confident, looking at those present with quiet curiosity. Those present reciprocated. The visitor from the other world was lean, wiry, and quite young - Armando would have given him about thirty. His muscular torso was adorned with two small tattoos and a round scar on his right side, like a bullet mark. The man had no other distinguishing features - middle-aged, slightly taller than average, with an unremarkable face and short blond hair.

  - You can call me Alex, - the alien spoke first, glancing at Valria and at master Carlon sitting across from him. The magician sat on another stool, playing with a square brass amulet. Behind the stranger stood Lady Maria, her narrow palm touching the hilt of her sword. In the distance, Sergeant Dallan stood equally still, ready to intervene if the intruder should somehow disarm Maria.

  - Is that a name or a nickname? - The mage asked in a businesslike manner.

  - Both.

  - And I'm guessing you're not a local native?

  - That's right.

  - Where are you from?

  - From... well, I suspect you don't need to explain. From another world.

  Skipper Dorlt, sitting on the edge of his desk, chuckled. He was the only one present in the cabin on behalf of the caravel's crew - Elena, the navigator, had remained on deck, tidying up the ship and dealing with the harbour authorities.

  - Aha. - The imperial mage smoothed his beard with a satisfied look. It looked like he'd squeezed something really important out of the stranger. - Are you a soldier?

  - Yes. Hired. Served in the expedition's operations corps.

  - In security?

  - Including. A limited number of people could pass through the portal to your world, they tried to choose those who had several specialities. And everyone was used to their full potential. Operatives guarded the staff, conducted intelligence, and... carried out force actions. All of them are hired fighters, army men guarding... guarding the portal from the other side.

  - Wait a minute, - Valria said suddenly from across the table. - I have an important question to ask first.

  Master Carlon turned to her, eyebrows raised questioningly. She sat up straighter, moaning softly through her teeth in pain. She looked at the alien's face with a frown and asked:

  - Messire Alex, do you like my ears?

  - Well... yeah. I suppose so. - For the first time, the alien was frankly confused. - They're nice.

  - Do you want to touch them?

  - Er... no, I guess not. - The stranger shrugged. With his hands tied behind his back, it was a little awkward. - It would be... unseemly, I suppose.

  - Good answer. - The wrinkle in Valria's forehead smoothed out. - So meaningful dialogue is possible in principle. Carlon, continue.

  The captain leaned back in her chair, wiped the sweat from her face, and the mage hummed, as if remembering something, and returned to the interrupted conversation:

  - Your unit was following us? There were three of you, besides the local mercenaries?

  - That's right. Except they're not exactly mercenaries. Men of one of the local feudal lords. There were three of us, and you made it easy for me by killing my mates. Not that we're friends, but I didn't want to shoot them.

  - Let's take it from the top. What was your purpose in following us?

  - When the expedition's base was informed of the portal's destruction, the command immediately deployed an expert team to the scene and several operational teams to the field. The experts radioed the information obtained after inspection of the fortress and interrogation of the survivors. They reported the approximate composition of the group of attackers. - The stranger's tone became dry, official. Like a man reading his will aloud. - The operatives were ordered to find the group and capture at least some of the attackers alive for interrogation. We followed one of your likely escape routes. We did some aerial reconnaissance. We spotted you, identified you. We launched a pursuit.

  - How did the survivors describe the attackers, since you recognised us immediately? - Armando asked. Although the original plan had been to have master Carlon do the questioning, he didn't mind the former magistrate's help.

  - How the locals from the garrison described it, I don't know. - Alex had to turn round to look at the don propping himself against the door. Lady Maria touched the stranger's shoulder warningly. - And the experts have established the size of the group and passed on the identities of the members. Plus a general description. - He coughed and said in a different tone, clearly quoting someone else: - "A fat Arab terrorist, an albino photo model, a reptiloid from Nibiru, a girl knight from an anime, an elf in a D'Artagnan costume, and some other guy no one remembers”.

  - Somehow I think that if I understood more than half of what нщг just said, I would ask the skipper to keel you, sire Alex, - said Vфlria in a slightly strained voice. She was already looking paler than Maria, who had skin the colour of pure snow.

  - And what of the other assailants? - De Gorazzo asked, hoping his voice would not waver. - What about the others in the fortress?

  - We were only informed of those who left. Your group. - The stranger shook his head. - But if someone suitable for interrogation had been captured in the fortress, we would have been tasked with eliminating you, not capturing you. And if two groups had escaped, we'd have been informed, too.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Armando covered his eyes. The alien's answer was ruthlessly logical. The former bailiff hadn't really expected otherwise, but there was a faint hope in the back of his mind. Until now.

  - So you pursued our party to capture prisoners for interrogation, - continued master Carlon. - Were you given a list of questions for interrogation?

  - No. You were to be transferred to base for questioning.

  - You've been chasing us for a long time and caught up with us here. Why did you decide to change side? - the most important question the mage finally asked. - The fight was not in our favour, but even if we had fought back, you could have just retreated.

  - And here we come to the most interesting part. - Alex grinned wryly. - Rats are the first to flee a sinking ship. Because rats are very clever creatures. And they like to live.

  - Explain.

  - Two days ago, we were radioed by base. They relayed new instructions and orders not to trust local allies.

  - King Auguste's men?

  - Including them.

  - What happened?

  - Over the years, we've been smuggling nuclear explosive devices into this world. Atomic bombs, to put it simply. It's the kind of weapon… - The stranger hesitated. - Scary. A single bomb could level the largest city in your world. Invisible rays of radiation will kill all life, even behind stone walls. Dust and water would be poisonous for decades, over a vast area. Just so you understand, this weapon has only been used once in our world, and it scared everyone so badly that it has never been used in another war.

  - But our world is not your world, - Skipper Dorlt said mockingly. The bearded elf seemed to understand the situation on the fly.

  - Yeah. That's what the big boys upstairs must have decided. Atomic bombs aren't just powerful. They ignore the magical defences of your cities and are undetectable by magic. Anyway, in ten years, we've smuggled a dozen bombs into major Coalition cities with the help of local allies. To have... leverage.

  - And to Daert? - Armando raised his head.

  - And to Dert. Also all three Iolian capitals. We couldn't get to the Empire, but there were some contingency plans. Including dropping bombs from dragons and shipping them by sea. Doesn't matter. The main thing is that as soon as our local friends got the news that the portal was gone and the expedition was cut off from the homeland... - Alex sighed. - They acted rationally. A few days ago, our posts at the atomic bombs in the cities stopped responding. All at once. And a group of royal troops approached the main base. A big one. The base is small in manpower, but has a substantial armoury, including the remaining atomic bombs. The head of the expedition, Colonel... well, you should know him as Fulcanelli.... managed to get in touch with Auguste. Threatened him with all sorts of things. We don't have the means of delivery for the bombs, but we're perfectly capable of detonating them right at the base. Plus we're still under the control of the rulers of the five great duchies, who are as proxies for the expedition as Auguste is. At our request, they refused to help him against the rebels within the kingdom. They may support the rebels. Auguste thought for a moment. But we can't call it a stalemate. Our main base is under siege, and our outposts have been lost. There's no contact with home, and there won't be. We're stuck. The allies need our guns, but not us.

  - And you decided to seek help from your enemies? - Carlon squinted.

  - I don't have much choice, do I? - The stranger smirked again. That was a bit of a stretch. - By the way, each bomb had our man with the activation codes to set it off in its place. Radio communications are unstable. I bet those men were taken alive. You need the activation code to detonate the bomb, or you can't. Each bomb has its own code.

  - So King Auguste now has your these bombs and can detonate them at will? - The mage cast a quick glance at Valria. She bit her lip.

  - Theoretically.

  - How much?

  - I know of twelve. Maybe more. Twenty more are stored at the base. Only the top leadership of the expedition knows their activation codes. That's five people. And here's where it gets interesting again.

  - Go ahead.

  - Final instructions. All field operatives are ordered to converge on the Erdo Islands if possible. For the past year, our command has been making contacts there. The Republic is the last Coalition country we had no control over. So our contacts there are the freshest. And they're all ours. I mean, directly related to the expedition, not local allies. Messire Fulcanelli and the other expedition leaders want to airlift to the islands, if they haven't already. They'll be welcomed there by a couple of merchant clans. And we who were in the field should join them, on our own. There'll be a minimal garrison at the base.

  - What interest do the Erdos clans have?

  - Weapons, knowledge, unique goods, support for our operatives in political assassinations and so on. Eventually, they come to power in the Republic.

  - I see. - Valria squirmed in her chair. - Your Fulcanelli has decided to run away, and create a new nest for himself and his associates. The bombs will remain on the base, but without his knowledge, they won't explode. And King Auguste won't be able to get him in Erdo. Especially if the aliens take over the country.

  - Theoretically, - the stranger repeated. - It couldn't be a better plan. But I don't believe in it.

  - Why's that?

  - It's the convulsions of a chicken with its head cut off. We don't have a rear end anymore. And we're too few to play our own game. If we leave the bombs at the base, we'll lose our last trump cards, and we won't have enough hand weapons and precious little things like medicines to last long. The Erdos will eventually abandon us, too. Or our old allies will somehow get their hands on us. It's only a matter of time before the expedition is finished. I think everyone has realised this by now, but... - the alien shifted his gaze from the elven woman to the mage. - Most of the expedition participants consider themselves white people in the land of the aborigines. They don't see the natives as equals. Especially the administrators, technicians, scientists, who have never left the base. They despise you and... fear you like savages. So they stick together, trying to somehow... take control of the situation, to stay in the tops.

  - And you decided to go the other way? - Valria, who was sweating again, remained silent, and the mage took over the conversation. - What makes you think we won't get rid of you too, taking your equipment and squeezing out all your knowledge?

  - And I suppose you will. - Alex moved his elbows, kneading his bound hands. - It's just a little more likely. The old allies have already made up their minds about us. They've been getting value and knowledge from our world for years. Now they have captured specialists to milk information out of. And you, whoever you are, are new. I am the first and so far the only alien to volunteer to help. I can be of use to you. If you don't want to run into any of our other task forces, I can help you evade them. If you want to find Fulcanelli's hideout in Erdo, I'll help you find him. And then you'll evaluate me and decide I'm valuable.

  - Second. - Valria said it so quietly that the people in the room barely heard her voice.

  - What? – Master Carlon did not understand.

  - We're interested in the second thing, - the pointy-eared girl repeated a little louder. - To find Fulcanelli. Sorry, mates, but homecoming is postponed. If there are two dozen creepy non-magical bombs out there, and there are people out there who are the only ones who can detonate them, those people must either die or sail with us to Elvart.

  There was a brief silence in the cabin. The skipper suddenly jumped down from the table and approached the prisoner. He asked in his usual light-hearted tone:

  - Tell me, lad, what trading clans do your clans in Erdo co-operate with?

  - First and foremost, Tagawa. One of the most powerful and wealthy in the country. But not the most powerful. I understand their leader will eventually have to take over the presidency, or whatever it's called. Taiko, I think. There's a couple of smaller ones on the side.

  - I know which forces in the Republic will not want Tagawa in power. - The bearded elf winked at Valria. - Everyone has enemies in the Republic. You can't find an ally there without making common enemies. I can get you a few meetings with the right people. It's up to you to persuade them to help and decide what to do next, sorry.

  - Thank you, Captain. - The girl gave Dorlt a weak but warm smile. He laughed:

  - Ha-ha-ha-ha, girl, you're the captain, remember? I'm the skipper.

  - It's a deal, - Valria nodded. - Thanks again. Well, Alex. Consider your status changed from prisoner to battle slave. You will be given three meals a day, but no pay or trophies for now. If you prove yourself, you'll get a place in my company. If you fail, make up your own mind. You seem to be clever. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to bed. Dallan, you're coming with me. Doc Maria has prescribed warmth for me. The rest of you are dismissed.