XXIV - Friendship

Kamon slept no more that night. He could hardly wait to talk to Elbe, but he dared not call him into the Capitol Building at such an odd hour. What Kamon had planned was unlawful. He would need Elbe's help, but no one must ever suspect that Elbe had a hand in it. Elbe was innocent and eager to please his employer. This loyal aide must be protected. This was Kamon's fight, no one else's.

But there was something he could do immediately. He could call First General Venon Miscus. It was late afternoon in Kefar. The time was right. Somehow he must get through to him...........

First General Venon Miscus sat in the Executive Office presiding over a cabinet meeting. Implementation of a peace agreement was far more difficult than actually negotiating one. She understood this all too well.

Her aide Foros entered the room and came to her side. "General," she whispered, "there's a phone call for you."

"I can't be interrupted now," Miscus replied tersely. Foros should know better than to bother him at a time like this!

"I'm sorry, General," Foros apologized, "but he says it's urgent. It's Councilman Kamon from Marmot."

Miscus' attitude changed immediately. "I'll take the call." She looked at her cabinet ministers. "Ladies, we'll resume this later."

The room emptied. Venon Miscus was left alone. She picked up the phone. "Kamon, I heard about Jasmine. I can't tell you how sorry I am. It's tragic."

"Thank you, General," Kamon's response came through the earpiece. "If I could ask you a favor..."

"Before you continue, Kamon," Miscus interrupted, "you should know that I have already called the Delphi to intercede on Jasmine's behalf. It did no good at all. The Delphi is very displeased with me. In fact, it would be fair to say that our relationship is now quite strained."

"I'm aware that you called," Kamon responded, "and I thank you for that."

"How did you know?"

"The Delphi mentioned it at Jasmine's trial," Kamon answered.

"You were present at the trial?" Miscus could not hide her amazement.

"Yes."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," the general commented. "What is it then that you wish of me? Name it and if it is within my power, it is yours."

"Get me into Ingraham Memorial Temple Prison to see Jasmine," Kamon stated. "The Delphi will currently permit no visitors. Talk to the Delphi. Tell her that I must be permitted to see Jasmine before her execution. Plead with her, beg her, lie to her if you must; tell her there is a chance the peace agreement can be undone, but get me in!"

General Miscus pondered the request, then slowly responded. "I think I might be able to accomplish that."

"I'm sorry, General." Kamon was genuinely apologetic. "I know this is more than an imposition. You're responsible for the welfare of your country and its people. I simply have nowhere else to turn."

"I'll manage, Kamon," Miscus assured him. "My people will not be affected. If I cannot shoulder this burden for a friend who saved my life, who rescued my people, then I am neither a friend nor a leader worth having. What you ask will be done."

"Thank you," Kamon said. "I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Where will you take Jasmine after rescuing her from the temple prison?" General Miscus asked bluntly.

"I--" Kamon was taken aback. "I...haven't really said what I might do," he finally said cautiously.

"Really, Kamon. What you have in mind is obvious."

"I'm sorry, General," Kamon answered. "I thought it best that you not know. You could truthfully deny knowledge of my intentions."

"I can deny knowledge anyway," the General answered. "Stop worrying about me and focus on Jasmine. Besides, you'll eventually need a permanent place to take her no matter what. I offer you both asylum in Kefar. Perhaps if I had some idea where you might be exiting Marmot, I could even have people waiting at the border....." General Miscus was offering a suggestion, hinting at a clandestine operation.

"That's very kind of you, General," Kamon said. The impact of what he was about to do was staggering. Kamon was preparing to abandon the only home he had ever known, to relinquish his heritage. "Frankly, I had planned to hide out in the northernmost mountains of Marmot, the Tysom mountain range in my province of Sparrow Hawk."

"I have no doubt that you could do that successfully," Miscus said, "but you would still be hunted. Consider this, if you happen upon strangers in those mountains, say to them, 'I am looking for the peacekeepers'. If they respond, 'We are the peacekeepers', you have found friends and they will take you to safety."

The Muhoj came to Kamon's mind, the legendary, perhaps even mythical, foreign intelligence unit of the state of Kefar. No one in the government of Kefar had ever acknowledged the existence of such an organization. Kamon was surprised that General Miscus would even hint that Kefar had the ability to enter a foreign country surreptitiously.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kamon finally said. "Thank you."

"Good luck, my friend." With that, General Miscus hung up the phone. She pushed her intercom button. "Foros, tell Theramem I need to see her right away in my office."

Ten minutes later, Theramem, the State Security Adviser, stepped into the Executive Office. "You wanted to see me, General?"

"Yes." Miscus pointed at a chair. "Sit down." Theramem slipped into a chair. "I want a unit of the Muhoj immediately dispatched to the northern border of Marmot. I want them to take the Z-42 stealth hovercraft. I'll be giving them authorization to slip into the Tysom mountain range in northern Marmot. First Commander Lanhart will lead the mission. Bring her to my office. I want to speak with her personally before they go."

Theramem could not hide her surprise...nor her uneasiness. "General, relations between Kefar and Marmot are especially strained right now. I think it unwise to risk sneaking a hovercraft through the Marmot defense radar. Even if the Z-42 hovercraft successfully enters Marmot airspace undetected, suppose an accident happens and it is forced to land. Detection by the government of Marmot would be an interstate disaster. The Muhoj would be exposed; we would have no explanation."

"I'm aware of that," Miscus replied. "But I have faith both in the Muhoj and in the technology behind the Z-42 stealth hovercraft."

"General," the State Security Adviser began uncomfortably. Theramem was not at all sanguine about this use of strategic state resources. It was obvious what this was all about. But how best to put it to First General Miscus? "If I may be so bold, I can understand that you feel a personal debt to both Councilman Kamon and Jasmine. However, I am obligated to point out to you the concerns of state security. I simply believe this is an unwarranted risk, especially at this time."

First General Venon Miscus' gaze turned steely hard. "I gave you an order," she spoke sternly. "Carry it out!"

Theramem straightened in her chair, silently acknowledging the admonishment. The matter was closed. "Yes, ma'am!"

END OF CHAPTER