The Brothers of the Endangered House of N'Dak

[NDak 0]

“Brother!”

 

“Issaha.”

 

“I am so pleased you’ve returned…there were rumors that your group had been captured!”

 

“What have I told you about listening to the mindless prattle of the junior officers?”

 

Issaha sighed resignedly. “That while underlings can be an excellent source of information for minor gossip, the really good stuff only comes from the officers in medical and at the barber.”

 

Mildly amused, Destorie smiled and sat in the comfortable leather chair that flanked the couch his brother was lazing upon. “See you can learn after all, now be a good little brother and get me something to drink.”

 

Obediently the younger N’Dak made his way across the room to the cabinet that contained the stash he and his brother kept of real alcohol and poured a drink, making his way back across the room and returning to his prone position upon the couch.

 

“You seem…troubled, Sheuji.”

 

“Celaere takes its toll.”

 

“It’s more than that,” Issaha said, taking his own drink in hand. “Something seems to be weighing on you.”

 

A long sigh escaped Destorie and leaned back into the leather chair. Issaha, for all his faults, had an knack for reading his brother, a skill few others in his family, let alone his crew had an ability to master.

 

“I should know better that try and hide things from you.”

 

“Ie,” Issaha said, a bit of triumphant smile on his face reminiscent of his brothers. “Au should know by now I know when au are brooding.

 

“What did au discover on the planet that has au in such a mood?”

 

Destorie sighed again, rubbing at his brow ridges with his left hand. “How much do au know of our fathers dealings with the Tal’Shiar since the…incident?”

 

“What incide…oh.”

 

A moment of silence engulfed the two brothers as they both quietly reflected the incident in question. Issaha finally broke the silence. “Well to be honest,” Issaha said lowly. “Not that much just that he’d been seeing more and more of his…what did he call them…old associates than normal. Especially a Colonel tr’Aimie. Ie, Maec I believe was his name.”

 

“Interesting.”

 

“Why do au say that?”

 

“You must promise to keep au mouth shut on this Issaha.”

 

“Of course…”

 

“I mean it this time,” Destorie said. His voice grew deadly serious with a hint of desperation in his voice. “If word of what I am about to tell you were to fall into the wrong hands…”

 

He paused for a moment and stood up suddenly walking over to a desk drawer and retrieved a small electronic device. Returning, he flipped it open and placed in between himself and his brother on the glass coffee table adjacent to either of them.

 

“Continue,” Issaha said, obviously interested in what ever information his brother had to tell him that was so sensitive he felt the need to use a scrambler.

 

“The Tal’Shiar are using the base below to funnel supplies and weapons to the Sheliak…for what purpose I am not entirely sure of yet, but it is of a mendacious and perfidious nature I am sure.”

 

“What does this have to do with our father?”

 

“I found several supply crates that barred a shipping authorization code of his,” Destorie said with a heavy sigh. “He uses it on occasion when he wants to ship things without anyone noticing…I was able to open the crates…”

 

“And what did you find?”

 

“Latnium.”

 

“Payments?”

 

“I am not sure.”

 

“You think father is helping finance what ever plot the Tal’Shiar is up to?”

 

“I don’t know…it could be that…or it could be a pay off. And it just happened to be directed by the Tal’Shiar to this operation.”

 

“Was there anything else?”

 

Destorie nodded. “There were several isolinear data cards in the containers as well, I wasn’t able to procure many of them due to…certain events, but I did manage to get my hands on one of them.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Clearly we can’t just call father and ask him…”

 

“Clearly.”

 

Silence overtook the room again. “What are you going to tell t’Rexan?”

 

“Everything.”

 

“Everything? But brother, aren’t you worried she’ll use the information to take down father?”

 

“t’Rexan is many things Issaha,” he said thoughtfully. “But she is a woman of her word. I believe if I tell her what I think is at stake here…she will be invaluable to solving this mystery…before someone else does.”

 

“Are you sure can trust her?”

 

“It is a risk that I am willing to take…”