The Doctor smiled faintly. 'No, we won't. But we must get these people out of here first. Can we fit them all into the shuttles?'
'Just about. If we can get back through without crashing.'
'Now we've been through once the autopilots can be set to fly a reverse course.'
'And if the hyperspatial tunnel has closed?'
"There is another way back. You might say 1 brought along some insurance just in case. But I'd rather not strain this part of the continuum any more unless I must -'
A voice came over the helmet radios.'Doctor, where are you?'
The Doctor's face lit up with joy. 'Sam? Sam, are you all right? Where are you?'
'Very close, I think... yes, I can see you now. Just a minute.
And very shortly a young woman had entered the room, trailing a small boy and two more ghosts in her wake, and was hugging the Doctor as well as pressure suits would allow. Their pleasure at being reunited was palpable and even Vega had to smile.
'Didn't I tell you to take care of yourself?' the Doctor chided her gently.
'Sorry,' she said. 'But it got a bit complicated. I did find Dan Junior...' She lowered her voice and spoke urgently.'The ones with him are the ghosts of his parents, I think. Do you know what's going on here?'
'More or less.'
'Can we do anything to help?'
'I'm not sure.'
'Have you seen anything of Lyset?' Delray asked Sam.
'No. I'm sorry. But we did see some ghosts gathering as we came here.
The Engerses think they're Nimosian soldiers that have never got on with the rest of them here.They seem to be up to something. They may be headed this way. I heard someone speaking to them over the radio: a Squadleader Sho? From the way he was talking he sounded a bit loopy.'
'Sho!'Vega exclaimed. He switched to the military band.'Sho, this is Commander Vega. Do you hear me? Sho, respond.This is an order.'
'This is Sho,' came the cool response.'I have located the enemy base where they are holding our men, Commander. I have assembled a force to effect entry and release them. We are attacking in one minute.'
Vega realised his double was by his side. He could just hear him say, 'He must mean the ship.There are over five hundred insane on board. If too many get out at one time we shall never control them.'
'Listen, Sho,' said Vega.'Recall your men and await further orders. Do not attack the ship.'
There was a puzzled silence, then/We don't leave marines in enemy hands. We take care of our own. Every loyal Nimosian knows that!
'You're not Commander Vega!'
And the circuit went dead.
'If there's going to be trouble we must start getting these people to the shuttles,' the Doctor said.'Come along all of you...' He frowned and scanned the room.'Where's Rexton... and Bendix?'
Sealing their suits, they piled out through the airlock. Down on the lower terrace the Doria was taking off, scattering the ring of guards.
'Rexton!' the Doctor shouted into his microphone. 'We need the shuttle to take people back to the ship.'
Rexton's voice came through clearly.
"They won't need taking back when I've finished. If this is the future then I'm going to change it. Nimos may die, but Emindar is going to live!'
Chapter 32
Breaking Point
Lanchard agreed with Gilliam that Wynter's 'corpse' should be taken back to the sickbay, though there was nothing Gilliam could do except put it in storage. On closer examination there was a deep wound in her chest, perhaps from an energy weapon, that must have proved almost instantly fatal. But the body showed no signs of decay. However, Gilliam admitted she wasn't even sure how to obtain an accurate temperature reading. It looked as though it had been preserved in some way shortly after death, but just how she could not begin to speculate.
'This is beyond me, Captain. What do you do with a dead ghost?' The
'body' weighed almost nothing. Gilliam and an orderly with a strong stomach lifted it on to a powered stretcher. Their hands sank with unnatural intimacy into the flesh, which was resilient but drained the heat from them.When the covers were folded over it they seemed hardly distorted by the form underneath, almost as though there was nothing there.
But there was something, Lanchard thought. It could not be ignored even though she wasn't sure what it implied. For the moment she would follow the book, which required that a formal identification be made. With Delray absent that meant asking Evan Arcovian. The prospect of subjecting that poor little man to more grief was not a pleasant one, but it had to be done.
***
Rhonda Plecht did not notice Arcovian coming out of Dr Gilliam's office a short while later, as she entered the extended medical centre. The look of utter despair on his face did not register with her at all. She had more important things on her mind.
Rhonda had come directly from her cabin, where she had been arguing with Lester. Arguing! Lester never argued. But there he was actually defying her, and looking as though he was enjoying it.
She stopped one of the regular nurses impatiently as she hurried by.
'You had a passenger helping out in here a little -while ago. Young blonde woman, Scholl... something. Is she still here?'
'Ms Schollander? She's down the end there, I think...'
But Rhonda was already on her way.
The Schollander woman was tidying an empty treatment cubicle. Rhonda stepped inside, pulled shut the temporary curtains behind her and said without preamble, 'My husband Lester Plecht was in here earlier. I saw you with him. But who was the other woman?'
Ingrid Schollander wearily brushed back a lock of hair that had escaped her cap.'I beg your pardon?'
'She was wearing a blue smock dress...' Rhonda realised it resembled the garb bedpatients wore, and added.'She must have been having treatment here. She had bandages on her face. Who was she?'
'I don't remember anybody else apart from the nurse.'
'I saw you both with him the other day. You must know her.'
'Yes, I was with your husband the other day, but there was no other woman.'
'Don't lie to me, you stupid girl! What are you trying to hide? Is there some sort of conspiracy between the three of you?'
The younger woman's mouth set in a firm line.'Look, I'm very busy. In case you hadn't noticed there are a lot of people here who need help. Why don't you stop browbeating that poor husband of yours and lend a hand? You might learn a bit of humility along the way. And don't call me a stupid girl!'
'How dare you speak to me like that!'
But Ingrid Schollander did not shrink or turn away. Instead she stepped closer and said,'I can speak to you however I like. I think you are a very selfish woman, and I don't know why Lester has put up with you for so long.'
Rhonda was not used to being defied. Suddenly she felt terribly afraid that this juvenile, so full of the warmth Rhonda knew she lacked, and her unknown co-conspirator would somehow steal Lester from her. In a sudden panic she thrust out a hand to push her away.
She honestly had not realised she'd picked up an instrument from the tray beside the bed. It was as though her hand did not belong to her. The thing fitted neatly into her palm and hummed slightly as she clenched it tight. It slid so easily into the middle of Ingrid Schollander's chest.
For a moment the young woman looked at her with wide surprised eyes, reaching up as though in disbelief to the handle of the instrument protruding from her chest. Then with a single and oddly slight gasp of pain she fell backwards on to the bed.
Rhonda stared down at her for perhaps ten seconds, seeing the dark stain spreading across the front of Ingrid's overall.Then she edged out of the cubicle through the curtains. A few people glanced at her curiously. They must have heard something of their argument but had been too busy with their own duties to investigate.They didn't know what had happened.They wouldn't know until somebody opened the curtains again. In the general state of things that could be several minutes.
Num
b with shock, face expressionless, Rhonda walked briskly past them and out into the corridor.
She had to think. This was not something she had planned. How would it affect them socially? Lester's career would be damaged. Did they know somebody who could help them, to explain that it had all been an accident?
There was something sticky on her hand. She held it up and saw it was blood. There was a smear on the side of her dress as well. The realisation helped decide her priorities.
First she must wash and change.
***
Fayle entered Chen's cabin with the most peremptory of knocks. Borix, who'd been sympathising with Chen, excused himself and made a discreet exit, leaving Chen standing uneasily before the Indomitable's second in command. Fayle came straight to the point. 'In a few hours we shall have enough shuttles protected from the interference effect to make a mass landing on the alien ship. The Emindians will probably try to stop us. One way or the other I need every single member of the crew to be at full strength. Your record has been excellent up to now, Chen, so I'm giving you one last chance to explain the problem and pull yourself together.
Otherwise I'll have you declared unfit for duty and sent home for reassessment. Do you understand?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Can you guarantee to give one hundred per cent to this ship?'
Chen looked wretched. 'I want to, sir... but he won't let me.'
'What?'
Chen's eyes seemed to be focused at some point over Fayle's shoulder.
'He keeps telling me to get out of here or else we're all going to die. I know it can't be who it seems, but I can't make him go away. I only heard him at first, but now I'm beginning to see him, too.'
'What are you babbling about, man?'
'My brother!' Chen shouted back.'I know he's on the Starflre, but he's also here right now. I swear it! And he's only got one arm!'
Fayle gaped at him in disbelief, then growing anger.'You're finished, Chen.
You've let that ship get to you. Can't you manage without imagining your brother's here to hold your hand? There's no place in the service for weaklings...'
And to emphasise his last point he stabbed a scornful finger into Chen's chest.
A cold hand grasped his wrist, twisted his arm behind him and slammed him against the wall. Fayle spun about in a blazing rage to face his unseen assailant, only to have the furious words boiling up inside him die in his throat.
A man-shaped shadow seemed to stand in the cabin between him and Chen. Fayle couldn't help but notice that the shadow's left arm was missing.
***
Lanchard was in the shuttle bay to welcome the craft that had just arrived from theKorgon .The party included not only the engineers that Prothero had promised, but relief medical staff, too. At last the military were showing they were good for something besides posturing, she thought.Then a call came through from Gilliam.
'Captain, one of our civilian helpers has been murdered. We think we know who did it...'
***
Lester Plecht hardly had time to register his wife's return to their compartment before she had swept through to the bathroom. He followed diffidently after her, determined to make up for the earlier row. If only she would listen to him for once.
To his surprise he found she had torn off her dress and had flung it on the floor. It had a dark stain on its side. Rhonda was bent over the sink scrubbing furiously at her hands.The water was running pink.
'Rhonda... what's the matter? Have you hurt yourself?'
She turned a ghastly drawn face to him, even as she continued washing.
Flat words tumbled out. 'It was an accident... I didn't mean it. She shouldn't have spoken back to me like that. It was very impolite.'
'Who, dear? What accident?'
'But she probably had it coming; scheming to take you away like that. Must find that other woman. She'll confirm it.'
'Rhonda... have you hurt somebody? Who?Tell me!'
Her eyes suddenly wouldn't meet his. "That... Ingrid person you were so friendly with. It was an accident. I didn't know what I was doing...'
Lester felt the life drain out of him.'Is it bad?' he asked faintly.
'I don't know... I think she may be dead.'
'"May be"...? "Don't know"? You mean you left her? You didn't get help!'
'It was too late!'
'You mean...'
'Yes, all right, she was dead! So you see I couldn't get involved. Think what people would say -'
Lester hit her with the force of all the little resentments that had grown within him through the years.
Rhonda fell to the floor, her hand going to her bleeding lip, too amazed by his action to make a sound. He looked at her, then at his fist. For the first time ever he'd shut her up. For the first time he had her complete attention.
For the first time he mattered.
As though in a dream he stepped forward and grasped her by the hair.
***
When Castillo and a couple of security men arrived two minutes later, Rhonda Plecht was lying unconscious in the bathroom, her face in a growing pool of blood. Her nose, several teeth and her jaw had been broken as though by a frenzied assault. There was no sign of her husband.
***
Lester Plecht ran desperately through the Cirrandaria's maze of passenger-deck corridors. The ship's routine had been so disrupted they were not that busy. Those few people he passed only stared at him curiously.
He was appalled at what he had done. If only it had been simply revenge for Ingrid it might have been crudely justified. But that had been only the spark. It had really been his own revenge. Now he had made himself as bad as Rhonda and destroyed the memory of Ingrid's brief, uncomplicated friendship. He had to get away. But how could he? Where could he go?
As he stumbled on it seemed that harsh throaty laughter followed him.
***
Admiral Mokai studied the tactical display on the screen in the Starfire's battle room impatiently. They dared not get too close to the alien ship, the focus of all their attention, until they had negated its interference field.
Therefore neither side could form a proper close protective globe around it because it limited their room for manoeuvre. So both capital ships were holding station more or less on opposite sides of it, shielded by a constantly shifting screen of supporting craft. Each watching the other in case they left some sort of tactical opening.
How could the Commander of the Indomitable have undertaken a joint mission to the alien ship with the Emindians? Mokai wondered. Unless he had some idea of gaining an advantage by it. His second, Fayle, had not been very helpful, and had hinted that his commander was going soft. But Fayle sounded bitter and resentful, so how reliable was his opinion? Mokai cursed softly under his breath. How was he supposed to fight if he couldn't rely on the quality of the men under him?
The civilian liner also posed a problem. A shuttle had been sent across to it from the Korgon .'Who or what had been in it? If hostilities broke out the Cirrandaria would have to be taken care of as cleanly as possible...
His thoughts were interrupted by a message.
'Urgent call from the Indomitable , sir. Officer commanding says he has received some sort of warning. He says there's going to be a disaster.'
'What? Where's this supposed to come from?'
'A source on our ship, apparently.'
'On our ship? The man must be mad.'
'He did sound, er... a little excited, sir,' the operator admitted.
***
Lester found himself on the deserted lifeboat deck. There was still debris from the attack in corners. A few small, lost, personal scraps, dark stains that the robot cleaners had not yet been able to lift from the expensive wooden deck boards. Opposite him was the row of lifeboat hatches.
He rushed to the nearest and hauled on the hatch handle. It opened easily and he scrambled inside, slamming it shut behind him. He did not know there were safety locks to prevent what he was att
empting unless the abandon ship alarm had been sounded. But these had not reset after their previous activation.
He'd seen enough of the internal layout earlier to know where the controls were, and strapped himself in before them. Normally every lifeboat should have been manned by at least one qualified crewman. But they had been constructed with emergencies in mind and the possibility that, in extreme circumstances, they might be operated by untrained personnel. The essential controls were large, easy to operate and very clearly marked.
He released a protective cover, threw a switch, twisted a large red handle and punched a green button.
'Launching sequence activated,' came an impersonal synthesised voice.'Brace for ejection. Five, four, three...'
***
The alert sounded on the bridge, but by then it was too late. The lifeboat erupted into space in a cloud of gas and fragments of sealing strip.
Immediately it turned by itself and headed for the nearest Emindian ship.
***
Inside the lifeboat the computer voice said, 'Autohoming activated.' Lester stared at it aghast. He didn't want it to take him to an Emindian ship. He would just be brought back to the Cirrandaria again, to face reality. His eyes fell upon a button marked OVERRIDE. He pressed it.
'Target overridden. Selecting new objective.' The lifeboat swung round towards the next Emindian ship. 'No, no! You stupid machine,' Lester shouted, hitting the override
again. Then he thought he heard the same laughter in his ear that had followed him along the corridors. But he could see the whole ulterior of the compartment from where he sat and it was quite empty. But it didn't feel empty. Instead it began to feel very cold.
***
The Emindian task force, alerted by the Cirrandaria , tried to capture the wayward lifeboat with a tow beam. But the small craft proved an unexpectedly elusive target, almost as though there was something about it that was preventing their beams from making a full lock.
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