Читать книгу Revenge of the Damned (Sten #5) - Allan Cole - Страница 17

CHAPTER TWELVE

SENIOR CAPTAIN (INTELLIGENCE) Lo Prek stared at the battered mail fiche on his desk. A normal being might have cheered, exulted at closing on his enemy, or snarled in happy rage. But to Prek, the mail fiche merely verified what he had known: Commander Sten was not only still alive but within Prek’s reach.

He had come up with a unique method to check his theory, a method that did not require either approval from his superiors or any out-of-the-ordinary efforts from Intelligence. He had merely prepared a letter.

The letter was packeted in a routine drop to one of the Tahn deep-cover agents within the Empire. The agent was instructed to deposit the letter normally and use a return address of one of his safe houses.

The agent followed orders.

The letter purported to be from one Mik Davis. It was quite a chatty missive.

Davis, according to the letter, had gone through basic training with Sten. “Of course you don’t remember me,” the letter began.

I got washed real quick and never got to the Guards. Instead they made me a baker. Guess, probably, they were right.

Anyway, nothing much happened to me. I served my term, making dough, and got out before the war started.

Got married—got three ankle-biters now—and started my own business. Guess what it is—prog you do—a bakery.

Compute you’re laughing—but I’m making a credit or six. Guess I can’t kick on what bennies I got from the service.

Anyway, here I am out in nowhere and I saw this old fiche, talking about some captain named Sten who’s up there running the Imperial bodyguards. I always knew you were gonna rise to the top like yeast.

I told my lady, and she thought I was blowing smoke when I said I knew you back when. I decided I’d drop a line, and maybe you’d have time to get back to me.

Do me a real favor, if you would. Just scribble out a mininote so my lady doesn’t think I’m a complete liar.

No way I can do paybacks, unless you show up on Ulthor-13, and we’ll take you out for the best feed this planet’s got. But I’d really appreciate it.

Yours from a long time back, Mik Davis

That letter put Prek in a no-lose situation. If the letter was answered, he knew that Sten was still in the ranks of the Empire. If it went unanswered, he knew the same. It would have been delivered at least. Prek had a far greater faith in the Empire’s mail system than did any of its citizens. Instead, the mail fiche bounced, being returned to the Tahn agent in a packet with a very somber, very official, and very formal note.

Dear Citizen Davis:

Unfortunately your personal letter to Commander Sten is undeliverable.

Imperial records show that Commander Sten is carried on Imperial Navy records as Missing in Action, during Engagements in the Fringe Worlds.

If you desire any further information, please communicate with…

Sympathetically…

Captain Prek felt that he had begun his self-assigned mission in an adequate manner. Sten was not only alive but within reach. A prisoner. Prek refused to admit that Sten could have died of wounds or been killed in captivity. He was still alive. He must still be alive. Prek keyed his computer to begin a directory search for the records of all Imperial prisoners of war captured in the conquest of the Fringe Worlds. He felt he was getting very close to the murderer of his brother.

BOOK TWO

SUKI