9)

'Finally! Welcome back, Kurt!' An older man reached out his arms in an affectionate gesture. Kurt allowed him this short ceremony. After all, the man was his Chancellor and his father.

"Now, you'll finally have your chance to prove yourself in front of the Council," the man said with a smile after they broke their hug.

Nepotism was a respected practice in the State. Ultimately, who better trained for the job than one's own children? However, having the right parents wasn't enough. You had to prove yourself worthy sooner or later.

"Have you got the location of the aliens' base?" The older man asked after they sat down. They were in the private part of the Council building, where all the members resided. This particular room was extremely lavishly decorated. It belonged exclusively to the Chancellor and it was where he met the most important guests. Rich carpets on the floor, carefully chosen sculptures and paintings

– only the best the State had to offer. The rarest diamonds of human creativity from the last centuries. Kurt couldn't help but to be impressed everytime he stepped in here. Today, however, he had other things on his mind.

"Not yet, Father," he answered, accepting a drink from a servant with a short nod. "But I believe I'm closer than ever."

"Hm… " the Chancellor didn't seem impressed. "I thought that you'd be ready by now. I've already scheduled the Council meeting for this afternoon…"

Kurt was, of course, ready in that he had an absolutely clear location of the base in his mind. As projected by Katija before she died. For some reason, though, he was unwilling to reveal it just yet. Something in the way Katija treated him, left a lot of doubt as to the course of his actions. Granted, she had abducted and abused him. And yet, he was prepared to believe her. He felt he needed to check whether anything she told him was true. If indeed there was a chance to end this conflict without any more bloodshed, it was his responsibility.

"I'll need another expedition, Father," he finally said, getting up. "With any luck, I should be ready by tomorrow. If you can just delay the final meeting…"

The Chancellor gestured for Kurt to sit back.

"I hear you had problems with the Tarrans," he said. "Tell me what happened, Son."

*Uh-oh,* Kurt thought. *Not good!*

"I ran into one of them," he said aloud. "Your Soldiers saved me."

The Chancellor gave him a careful look. Kurt knew he wasn't gullible at all.

"They've repaired all the damage to my memory," he ventured anyway. "I remember everything I knew before, including all the secret information. That woman never had a chance to get it out from me."

The old man nodded thoughtfully. There was no telling if he believed his son. One thing was certain, though. Kurt knew he'd be getting a secret escort, just in case. He would have to deal with it later. Right now it was important to get the Chancellor's consent to another trip. And his support.

"Where would you like to go?" The Chancellor asked after a pause.

"Back to Cormion," Kurt knew that lying now wasn't about to do him any good. He'd be discovered soon enough. "I believe all the clues are there."

The Chancellor sat there for a while, apparently pondering what he heard. Finally, he nodded his head.

"You'd better leave now, my Son," he said. "The sooner we know all the tactical data, the better. We've got to strike by the end of the week or we're risking to be discovered. Did you know that Tarrans have spies among us?"

Kurt nodded slowly. "That woman was a priceless source of information. It's a pity your Soldiers killed her in the end."

"They had their orders," the Chancellor replied coldly. "Now you've got yours," he added, raising from his seat. Kurt got up as well.

"Good luck, Son," the man dismissed him and left the room. No doubt to give further orders for his beloved son to be spied upon. Kurt shrugged and left the room.

10)

Outsmarting the Soldiers was never an easy thing to do. The formation has been in service for the State for over two hundred years now. It comprised of only the best and carefully trained men. Luckily, Kurt had undergone the same training as part of his preparation for future duties as a senator. He was now able to use their own tricks against them.

His small shuttle darted off the planet's surface, submitted to navigational grid control and then just disappeared. Kurt managed to block all the sensor frequencies the Soldiers used to detect his small craft.

*Senator Wesley must be gritting his teeth by now,* he thought, plotting in a direct course to Daharra – the planet where all his doubts started.

'What do you mean you can't track him?!' Chancellor Bovis was furious.

'Sir,' Wesley, responsible for the stealth operations of the Soldiers, bowed respectfully. 'Your son must have inherited his father's ingenuity. He managed to avoid our sensors.'

Bovis looked at him, not amused.

'Flattering won't get you anywhere,' he replied forcefully. 'Inherited or not, he has fooled you.'

'Yes, sir.'

'But,' Bovis glanced at his subordinate. 'He can't fool me. I know where he's headed.'

'You do, sir?' Wesley was impressed.

'Alert your men on Daharra. The alien base must be located somewhere in that system and I'm sure my son if going to lead you right there!'

*You are Kurt?* The thought in his mind was so unexpected it almost made him jump. He had just landed on the planet and wasn't really expecting to make contact so soon.

*You know who I am,* he thought back. *The question remains who you are.*

*I'm Katija. Don't you recognize me?*

This caught him off guard. He dropped the tool he'd been using to alter the energy patterns of his shuttle engines to mask its presence and slowly slumped down on the floor.

*Katija is dead…* that thought escaped him almost involuntarily.

*She is,* the sweet voice in his voice replied ever so gently. *But I'm still alive. And I appreciate what you're doing for us.*

*Who… who are you?* Kurt was almost afraid to ask this question.

*I'm Katija, I told you. Or, better still, the original Katija. Unaltered.*

Kurt felt his heart sink. This was all so incredible. The woman he met just a few days ago, gone, then back then killed and now… back again? And in what form?

*Will I…* he found it hard to even think about it. *Will I see you?*

He heard a soft laughter in his mind.

*If you wish?*

'Listen!' For some reason he felt angry now. So angry that he started speaking aloud, regardless of the fact there was no one there to hear him. It didn't impair the telepathic communication, though.

'I came here because Katija managed to convince me there was a chance to end this conflict with no more lives lost in the process. I was supposed to be here and listen to what you have to say. I'm fed up with all the tricks so if you only want to play with me, I'm going back and presenting the Plan to the Council. You'll be crushed before you understand what's happening!'

There was a pause. A long one. Kurt was beginning to think that he's lost the contact when he finally heard the voice again.

*We're sorry about what happened to you. We know it must be disconcerting. And we do appreciate that you're still willing to hear us out, even though you know the truth.*

*Okay,* he decided to accept this apology. *What do I do now?*

*We've got to move you to a safe place. Your men have followed you here…*

*Impossible!* Kurt moved to check his sensors but the voice stopped him.

*They're smarter than you think. Never underestimate your enemy…*

He thought for a while. She was right. They were his enemies now. At least until he decided what to do.

*Where do I go?*

*Leave the shuttle here,* the voice replied. *We'll guide you to one of our ships and then we'll take you to a place where we can talk.*

*Can't we talk here?*

*We want to show you something…*