Hunted

Chapter 27: Massacre on Malu III

The last month had brought about a great deal of change in Haley's life, a fact he understood all too well. Even if he could expose Syntek and reclaim his life, it would never be the same. He might be reunited with Janet, get his old job back, be exonerated on the news, but the death of his wife had become the one deep stain that could never be removed from the fabric of reality. And there was something else that would never be the same: Jack Haley.

He came to realize this in the hours after he had learned of Syntek's attack plans. An experienced traveler now, he had found a pleasant little world with a few modern cities but not much else, and had managed to find a bit of food and drink and to get a few hours of sleep. Then, as he pondered what was planned for Malu III, he asked himself if he could just stand by and do nothing. After all, it was not his fight.

Part of him wanted to believe that, the same small part that had wanted to run when the assassins came for Jonathan Morris. But he had tried to save Morris, and now, like then, he would do what he knew was right.

At first, he wasn't sure what to do, only that he had to do something. He considered the Lumen, but brushed that idea aside. They couldn't answer his thoughts directly, so he'd never be sure they were going to act until they did, and if they didn't it would then be too late. And right or wrong, he now felt like Syntek was his burden. That's why he and he alone had to do something, not because he wanted to save the universe or anything so heroic, but simply because he felt strangely responsible for those that pursued him for the device and the knowledge he alone possessed. The Lumen and the Chanok had done enough. Now it was his turn.

Being on Malu III at a little before nine in the morning hadn't been difficult to accomplish. Haley now had ways of getting things done, and not only was he there with time to spare, he was a bit more educated on what was going on.

The five races meeting there were going to try to create an historic accord, a peace and trade agreement that might open up the galaxy for everyone-from vacationers to travelers to people of all races looking for work. Of course, the obstacles were plentiful: past wars, the hatred between the Epuchians and the Fomin, the haughty nature of the Gwar and their attitude that they needed no one else, and, most importantly, the fear of being taken advantage of that underscored the races' general distrust of one another. The Malites were a neutral race known for their levelheadedness and logical thinking, and they apparently had their work cut out for them. The majority of the people on the human worlds thought the conference to be a great start, but gave it little chance of ultimate success.

In the early morning hours after Haley had made his decision to act, he took a slow, deep breath to clear his mind, then started working on a plan of his own. Of course, he could simply tell someone in authority that an assault was coming, which would either be ignored as coming from a "nut" or taken seriously, stopping the conference and the assault, but doing little for him. Then an idea came to him that had promise, and it reconfirmed for him that he had done the right thing in not killing all of Syntek's soldiers in their meeting room. Their deaths would have proven nothing, simply left a pile of bodies behind for which he would be responsible. Even the holo-disk the drill sergeant had used might be termed a plant or a fake, a desperate attempt by a known killer-Haley-to implicate someone else for his crimes. But now he had a plan and if everything went right, he would not only save the diplomats, but would drag Syntek into the light of public scrutiny and start the process of clearing his own name.

Haley knew he was gambling with lives, but it couldn't be helped. He balanced this grim thought with the fact that he was risking his own life to save those in danger, and that if he hadn't become involved, Syntek surely would succeed, at least in the assassinations if not their ultimate goal, whatever that was.