Kinsmen 01 - Silver Shark

hadn't caught her. Doreem's face looked grey. Edu stared at her, wide-eyed.
    "What happened?"
    "They arrested Kosta!" Tonya breathed.
    "What?"
    "He got a recommendation for a job," Charles said, his face pale. "They looked at his job history and made him log into the bionet. He had no choice."
    And the moment he logged in, his mind lit up with an AI's mark.
    Her mind slipped into battle calm. "Where is he now?"
    "The Security Forces took him away," Tonya said.
    He was in physical custody. There was nothing she could do through the bionet or out of it.
    "They're going to deport him. Melko will kill him," Tonya moaned.
    Melko would definitely kill him.
    Doreem Nagi pushed away from his grandson. His knees began to bend. "Please save my grandson..."
    She caught him before he knelt. "Don't kneel. Please."
    Charles helped him back up.
    There was only one solution. "Come with me."
    They followed her to the elevator. She brought them to fifteenth floor and led them to the conference room only a few feet from hallway leading to Venturo's office. It was the same room she'd sat in six weeks ago, waiting for her interview. The irony.
    "Please rest here," Claire told them. "Bathroom is on your left. Wait for me. Don't go anywhere and don't speak to anyone. Refer anyone who asks why you are here to me."
    Charles and Edu gently lowered Doreem on the couch. Claire turned and strode down the hallway.
    Ven's office walls were transparent. She saw him behind her desk, watching her as she walked.
    She had no idea what she would say.
    Claire stopped before the door and rapped her knuckles on it. The glass slid aside and she entered the office.
    "Sit down," Ven said.
    She saw the set line of his jaw. His face was grim, but whether it was anger or determination, she couldn't tell.
    "I need help," she said.
    He leaned back. "I'm listening."
    "A young man from my building on Uley is in trouble."
    "How bad?"
    "He logged into the bionet where he was bitten by an AI defensive protocol. The protocol belonged to a security forces installation. He has been arrested. If he is deported, he will be killed on arrival to Uley."
    "Would they really kill him?" Ven asked.
    "Yes. They informed us that anyone who returned to the planet would be terminated." She leaned forward. "He is a child, Ven. Barely eighteen. He has his whole life ahead of him."
    "And this is important to you?"
    "Yes. His grandfather made sure that my mother didn't die alone in poverty."
    Venturo's eyes were still dark. "I can't call to the security forces and demand they let him go. I need a reason. Can you claim that the boy is your relative?"
    She was an orphan, and Doreem would do anything to save his grandson. "Yes."
    "Then there is a way we can quash the deportation. You would have to become a client of the Escana family."
    She blinked.
    "As a client, you become an honorary kinsman and can't be deported. Neither can your family. As your patron, I would be expected to make the call to security forces and demand the boy's release." Venturo leaned forward, his arms on the desk. "The relationship between patron and client is complicated. The client serves the patron's family with devotion and loyalty. If the patron gives an order to the client, that order can't be refused, even if it costs the client his life. However, the patron, in turn, is obligated to use his influence and resources to take care of his client and assumes responsibility for the client's actions. Being a client is an honor. You're worth it."
    He fell silent.
    Claire waited. There was more coming, she could feel it.
    "I dreamed about you last night," he said. "When I woke up, I had a moment of clarity. I realized why I've been trying to include you in things I like and hoping you might like them as well. I need to know where we stand. As a client, you can't be fired. You're not really an employee - you receive a stipend from the family. You can't be deported. It would make certain things a lot easier. For example, if you want to reject an invitation from me, you could do so without..."
    "Venturo," she said softly.
    "Yes?"
    "What do I have to do to become a client?"
    "You would have to swear an oath linking you to the Escana family. And, of course, there is a mind link."
    A wave of ice-cold fear washed over her. "A mind link?"
    "Becoming a client requires a demonstration of absolute trust and submission," Ven said. "A sacrifice must be made. If you were a fighter with combat enhancements becoming a member of a