Diplomat’s Apprentice by L J Dix

Author:L J Dix [Dix, L J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2024-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

By morning, Anwyn had developed at least part of a plan to locate Veraz and the mercenaries, unaware that Mark was simultaneously seeking a means of contacting her. A few quiet conversations within the government compound led nowhere. Veraz and his team didn’t exist.

Her next step was to take an autocar to the main port, where she attempted to learn about the car Shir-ella had rented the previous day. Once again, she was at a dead end. There was no information about the rental. It was as if it had never happened.

Needing time to think, she remained at the port and strolled through the enclosed public areas enjoying the exotic sights and smells. Although Dethelos was a backwater planet, its central port boasted a wide range of races, humanoid and less frequently non-humanoid. In a five-minute walk, she identified at least eight other races and at least twice that many modes of dress.

The shops carried a wide range of off-planet items. Eateries held an equal number of strange and interesting smells, and when she looked at menus posted at their doors, food names as well. She had been off her homeworld several times, but it had always been in more controlled circumstances. Anwyn enjoyed this novel experience.

Still, this wasn’t helping to locate the mercenaries. Since that was her primary goal, she needed another avenue to pursue. With that thought, she headed back to where she could catch an autocar and return to the government compound.

As she approached the autocar rental kiosk, she stopped in surprise. One of the men she had rescued Mark from the previous day was ahead of her, moving at right angles through an intersection of walkways. At least she thought he was one, although he wore a much more professional-looking military uniform. The patch on it identified him as a member of Sevarin’s Rangers.

Anwyn had no idea what that meant, but she lost all interest in renting an autocar and decided to see where he was going, ignoring the small voice in her head that warned this was not the smartest thing she had ever done. She reasoned the same voice would have kept her from rescuing Mark yesterday if she had listened, so it was ignorable.

He walked swiftly through the crowds of people. Those same crowds made it easy for her to follow without seeming to. It didn’t take long for him to reach a less crowded area where she would need to be more careful to avoid detection. He appeared to be heading toward general parking, where those visiting the port could leave their private vehicles.

That was going to be a problem. If he got into a vehicle, she would be hard-pressed to follow. Going back to the autocar rental would take too much time. By the time she got back to parking, he would be long gone. At the gate to private parking, he offered his wrist ID band to the scanner and passed through the security field.

Deciding to take a chance, Anwyn strolled toward the gate, far enough back to hopefully avoid his notice.

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