Jessica stepped backward. Her mouth hung open. “How could you know that?”
Yori said, “I know everything. I’m the one who gave you that information, Jessica. Perhaps you don’t remember that. Maybe, when I built that memory palace in your mind, I forgot to include myself within it.”
Talon asked, “Memory palace?”
Yori said, in an absent tone, “It is an old-world memory trick. Listen, Jessica. I have already begun to do my best to clear those from below that need my help the most. I have run of ships that are already smuggling out hundreds of people every day, but even I can only do so much.”
Jessica said, “Yori, sending a few hundred people off a planet at a time is not going to save this planet or its people. We have to do more!”
He finally set the blaster down, but within a very easy reach. His eyes went from Jessica to Talon, and his lips thinned. “What do you mean we? I have been right here, fighting to help those below since the day I met you, Jessica. I have risked everything to help topple the system and to save lives, and you are standing there telling me that we have to do more? As I recall, you are the one who has been gone.”
“Not through any fault of my own!” Her voice rose again. “Goddammit, Yori, they are turning this planet over to the Gorlites and we—”
“We can’t save everyone.” Yori’s tone was flat. His eyes went to Talon. “I am so sorry. It seems we have not been formally introduced. I’m Yori. Leader of whatever resistance is left, which is not much since the Capos broke the back of the network.”
Talon heard Jessica’s indrawn breath. His eyes turned to her just in time to see her go deathly pale. She staggered forward, one hand flattening on the top of the desk. Her voice was a croak. “What do you mean?”
Yori stared at her. “You don’t know?”
Her head shook side to side. Talon wanted to reach out a hand and steady her, but he still was not sure if there was a personal relationship between her and Yori and if there was he did not want to intrude upon it.
Jessica swallowed hard. “Tell me what happened.”
Yori sighed. “They found most of our best and put them to death. Quietly of course. They interrogated many, but since none had a chance to escape once captured, I don’t know what was given up. I do know that the lower tunnels were searched thoroughly so someone must have spoken on that part of it. They did find the door to this place, but naturally, when they arrived they found nothing but empty rooms.”
“Because you were watching,” Jessica muttered.
“I am always watching.” Yori’s fingers went to his temples. “I only came here today because someone spotted you at the hub. I knew you would come here and I had to either warn you to get out or kill you if you were a traitor now.”
Talon held his breath. His eyes went from one to the other. Jessica straightened. Her voice was a rasp. “We need an army, Yori.”
“You won’t find one here. Those from below won’t fight for the most part, and those that will are too few. The above grounders will be too busy fighting for space on the Federation ships, and they will want to make damn sure to carry as much of their wealth with them as they can too. There will not be room for those below so…so they will die at the hands of the Gorlites, or be sold off to whatever slaver ships want them while the war wages. The only thing we can do is take as many off as possible as fast as possible before the above grounders know what is about to happen.”
Jessica’s voice was bitter. “You know most already do.”
He nodded. “I do. Still, there is no way they are going to warn the below grounders.”
Talon asked, “Then why don’t we warn them?”
Yori slid his eyes to Talon. Talon locked his gaze onto Yori’s and didn’t blink or look away. Yori’s icy eyes were equally steady, and the tension drew out. Talon knew part of it was his jealousy. He wanted Jessica for himself, and she might already belong to this charismatic human. The other part of it went deeper.
Talon spoke. “I am from Revant. My planet was murdered by the Federation, and my family was killed by Gorlites. But before any of that happened, there were good and wise rulers who argued against taking action, who argued the do the best we can, and hope for the best tactic. That was a wrong move. Most of my race is dead now, and those that remain have either become citizens on other planets or, if they were truly lucky, they are on the private planet my siblings and I purchased for a new homeland.
“My siblings and I were sold by the Gorlites, and right to the Federation. We slaved for decades in the mines. I watched my people die from hunger and thirst and overwork, from the poison dust and the burning crust of the mining planet. I know you want to save your people, I do. I also know you’re facing the decision of how many it is possible to save versus fighting a war that would kill a huge number of your people, many of whom may be reluctant to fight, especially against the Gorlites.
“I am willing to fight them. I have been doing my best to kill that whole race off for years, and I will fight with you. But I need an army, Yori. We need an army and the best way to get an army is not to hide the truth of what is about to happen, but to tell the population so those who would face death bravely may fight for those who can or will not.”
He fell silent. Yori’s fingers stroked along the butt of the blaster, and his eyes dropped.
Jessica said, “Yori, there has to be a way to make people know. You have all the tech available and all the information. We had a plan to use the system to take the system down once, remember?”
Talon’s ears perked up. “You mean like a telecasting system? A system the population can tap into? Even those below ground?”
Yori said, “Yes but there’s a problem. We don’t have the tech anymore. The ones who could have patched into it and used the tech to beam that transmission are all dead or imprisoned.”
Talon looked at Jessica. His forehead creased. “How many of yours are in prison, Yori?”
“Three dozen. The rest, about sixty, are dead.”
Talon considered that. Three dozen people and he had a crew. It was not enough, not at all.
Jessica asked, “What about the other cities? Do they know?”
Yori’s lips thinned. “Yes, and it’s not any better there. The resistance across the planet has been taken, Jessica. Whoever’s behind the impending coup, they’re erasing all loose ends. You and I are loose ends and if I get caught now the people I can help will die. I can’t endanger what little network I have left.”
Talon decided it was time to speak up. “Where’s this prison?”
Jessica turned to face him, a frown crimping her forehead. “It’s off planet, at the bend in the outer rim. Why?”
He said, “It sounds like we need to break them out of there.”