Free Zero's Return by Sara King Page A

brought the wristcom up,
thinking Daviin had hung up on him.  To his surprise, the Jreet was there, but
his expression was grave.
    Upon seeing
Joe’s face, Daviin grimaced.  “You look like something a Dhasha shat out,” he
muttered, but it was halfhearted, at best.
    Joe narrowed his
eyes.  Usually, Daviin would spend at least an hour lecturing him on the
different hells he would enter for his lack of discipline.  Never before had he
just let it go with a single line.  “All right,” Joe growled, “what the hell’s
wrong?  Another Neskfaat?  Dhasha allied with the Jreet?  Forgotten side with
the Huouyt?  What?”
    His old friend
looked extremely uncomfortable.  “Forgotten gained the recognition he wanted
for his species and then disappeared.  We’ve heard nothing more from him since
the captured Geuji were granted communications amongst themselves.”
    Recognizing the
Jreet way of beating around the bush, Joe muttered, “Spit it out, Daviin.  I’m
missing an important meeting.  J.B..  I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”
    Joe knew the
call was serious when threats of intentional inebriation didn’t even get a
twitch of response from the Jreet.  Instead, Daviin gave him a look
of…apology?  He straightened, obviously steeling himself, then said, “Joe,
Earth is about to get convicted of violating the Second Law of Congress, with
intent to violate the First.”
    Joe froze, the
smirk sliding from his face.  “Excuse me?”
    Daviin continued
to look uncomfortable.  “I’m calling to invite you to Koliinaat.  To stay.  As
my guest.”
    “Just hold up a
second,” Joe snapped, shoving himself away from the door.  “What the ash are
you saying?!  Earth was burning around with genetics?  Was it that flake my
brother got mixed up in?”
    Daviin
grimaced.  “Not just that.  They uncovered an entire program.  Shapeshifting,
telemorphosis, telekinesis, telepathy…”  The Jreet’s scaly ruby head turned
away for a moment before reluctantly returning to face Joe.  “Mekkval and
Aliphei have already made up their minds.  The Humans will lose the Trial.  And
since Humans only have one planet, they’re all being branded as traitors.”
    Joe’s heart
stammered at the word ‘traitors.’  He swallowed, his chest suddenly afire with
adrenaline.  “Did you just say they’re killing all Humans?”
    “No,” Daviin
said reluctantly.  “A total recall.  One of Mekkval’s nephews died in rooting
out the secret installations.” 
    As soon as Joe
heard the word ‘nephew,’ he knew who it had been.  “Keval,” he whispered, his
heart stammering for his old friend.
    Daviin nodded
his ruby head in commiseration.  “Your Second in hunting down the Prime
Sentinel Raavor ga Aez, yes.”
    “Soot,” Joe
managed.  Keval, like his father, Bagkhal, had been one of the good guys.  One
of the only Dhasha that didn’t take slaves, or eat sentient creatures.  One of
the only ones Joe had been able to call a friend.
    Seeing Joe’s
reaction, Daviin gave him a moment of silence before he went on.  “It just took one of the Human experiments to kill Keval and twenty others.  All
war-hardened Dhasha, some with hundreds of turns in service.  Dead by one single Human, you understand?  The Dhasha want blood.  I’m pushing for penance,
instead.”
    Joe’s heart was
hammering like a miscalibrated engine drive.  “Define ‘penance,’ Jreet.”
    Daviin’s scaly
ruby face again grimaced.  “It is not my place to say.  I’ve already violated a
few dozen non-disclosure laws with this call.  But I wanted you to know I’m
sending my fastest ship—”
    “Now hold on a minute,” Joe snapped.  “Sending your fastest ship for what ?”
    Daviin
hesitated.  “To pick you up.”
    “To move me to
Koliinaat,” Joe said.
    “As my guest,”
Daviin agreed.
    “Because they
think I was somehow involved with the experiments and they’re recalling me to
Earth.”
    Daviin’s
reluctance was