boy is not your concern!" Constant declared. "His future is guaranteed!"
"She gave him up!" Laplace argued. "She doesn't care about him anymore!"
"Or the opposite!" Constant returned. "How do you know what She wants?"
"Then his future is now linked to Fidelity Demba," Laplace said. "And there's no guaranty of her future."
"Nevertheless, he is hers now," Constant said. "Not ours."
It was all madness, Etrhnk thought, but interesting.
Laplace struck with more speed than Etrhnk would have guessed he had. Demba hardly moved, and the blow missed her. She made no counter strike. Laplace adjusted. He continued his attack. Demba retreated and dodged or blocked every blow. Etrhnk knew nothing of Laplace's ability, but he quickly surmised that Laplace could not even hurt Admiral Demba. Fortunately, it appeared Demba had no desire to hurt Laplace.
Laplace stopped his attack and his body covering opened into an array of tiny golden hairs - collapsed discs of his natural body covering - exposing oddly colored and patterned skin.
"You don't strike back," Laplace commented to Demba, panting. "Why not?"
"What would it gain me?" she asked.
"My death! Perhaps you could kill Etrhnk next. If he waits his turn."
Laplace spoke nonsense and Etrhnk thought Demba wisely ignored his words. How could the fate of humanity hinge upon creatures of such volatile emotions? They were no better than humans, despite their age.
"Why do you want to kill me and Sammy?" Demba demanded.
"You seek to destroy the Lady in the Mirror," the golden alien replied.
"I'm unaware of that goal," she stated. "She tried to kill me. Will she relent? Will she negotiate?"
"The drive envelope has reached point-nine-nine on the Freedom," Etrhnk said, interrupting. "I can't imagine Jon Horss ordering such a dangerous tactic in dry dock." This was starting to shift from sad fascination to hopeful excitement, he thought. These were feelings new to him, a flavor to life he might enjoy. Briefly.
"What I find impossible to imagine," Zakiya addressed Etrhnk, "is how such a good officer became your flagship captain."
"It negates any attempt to assault the ship by transmat," Laplace said. "I think she was going to run away with your new ship, Etrhnk. She knows more than you think. But perhaps you don't care any longer."
"Are you finished with me?" Zakiya asked the golden being.
"Are you finished with her?" Laplace asked Etrhnk. "Will you not kill her for me?"
"I will not," Etrhnk replied, somewhat surprised at himself. He did not wish to be finished with her.
"I thought not." Laplace unclipped a handle from the belt of his shorts. The handle fit his oddly-arranged four fingers, which wrapped around it in pairs, with no thumb. A blue-white spike of energy popped into existence from each end of the handle, one spike twice as long as the other. The spikes crackled when Laplace waved the weapon at Demba. "This may take a while, but I'll be patient."
A man materialized instantly in the far side of the room. Etrhnk thought this impossible, since the room was shielded from transmat traffic. He recognized the face of the man. Captain Direk, the supposed son of Aylis Mnro. Etrhnk made sure the room armament remained unresponsive to the new intruder by using his shiplink.
"Black queen to white knight," Direk said.
"It is a projected image," Etrhnk said to Laplace, trying to appear helpful. "He should be somewhere else in the room."
"There are two white knights," Laplace said. "Which one?"
He slashed at Demba with his energy weapon and missed her. He moved away from her and toward the image of Direk. The image blinked out and reappeared in another spot. Laplace moved toward the new position. Demba paused for a moment and began walking to where Direk's image first appeared. Laplace stopped and watched Demba. Laplace jerked backward as though held by something around his neck. Laplace twisted against his invisible attacker, fell to the deck, rolled, and tried to stab with his weapon. Etrhnk understood that a man wearing an i-field generator was holding onto Laplace and struggling with him for possession of his weapon.
"Pawn to queen," the image of Direk said.
/
"Sammy!" Zakiya called, hoping the other alien had different concerns for Sammy. The alien female reluctantly released him. Sammy stared at the golden being with intensity and a puzzled frown, then turned to find Zakiya. He scrambled to his feet and ran to Zakiya as fast as he could, throwing his arms around her waist.
/
Etrhnk watched the confrontation and did nothing but glance at Constant. She was obviously sad. Whether she was sad to see the boy leave her or to see himself do nothing to stop him, Etrhnk didn't know. She should understand there was no reason for him to help Laplace, unless Laplace might get himself killed. That could be unacceptable for human civilization, even though, at the moment, he personally did not care.
Etrhnk wondered if he would need to stop Constant from coming to her fellow being's aid. He felt she disliked Laplace, based on how differently from Laplace she regarded the child. She seemed content to let Laplace control his own fate. Perhaps Constant still expected Laplace to survive. Perhaps she knew better than Laplace what Demba could do. Etrhnk had given her accurate reports of Demba's actions in the Big Ball. Demba might kill Constant if she tried to intervene, and she knew it. Still, for all his sins and theirs, it would be a cataclysmic event for the human race if either of these ancient creatures died.
Captain Direk became visible. Etrhnk could see he was slightly injured. He was choking Laplace with one arm while using his other to hold the wrist of the arm that controlled the energy knife. Direk was much larger than Laplace but the alien had a free arm to use, as well as his legs. Their legs tangled in the struggle and they fell, still locked together. Laplace stabbed the floor with the shorter spike and barely avoided the longer spike as Direk landed on top of him. They rolled around the bright energy spike, barely avoiding its cutting field. The weapon began to die, its light dimming. Laplace released his grip on the weapon in order to gain more leverage. The choking hold of Direk was also beginning to affect Laplace, increasing his desperation. The cutting weapon lost its spike and toppled over on the floor. Laplace stopped struggling; he seemed unconscious.
Direk released the golden body and got to his feet. He stared briefly at Constant, then Etrhnk. He turned to Zakiya and Samson. "Pick Samson up," Direk ordered, and moved quickly to stand beside them.
Laplace was not unconscious. He reached for the depleted weapon handle, grasped it in his four fingers, and made a real metal blade spring from inside the grip. He threw the knife into Direk's back. Direk barely reacted but when he spoke, his voice lacked firmness. "Exactly on three you must jump upward at least twenty centimeters. One-and-two-and-three."
They jumped off the floor and disappeared instantly. Etrhnk was still surprised, even though he understood what made them disappear: not a transmat but a small gate! He now saw how deep and powerful this conspiracy was. He was gratified to think it had a better chance to succeed than he would have thought before. He was even more intrigued to know what that conspiracy hoped to accomplish.
Etrhnk watched Laplace recover from his fight with Captain Direk. He waited for the consequences. He started as Constant reached up to place a hand on his shoulder.
"What have you done?" She sounded gravely concerned, not her usual carefree attitude. Perhaps she always did care but never wanted Etrhnk to know.
"The wrong thing," Etrhnk replied.
"All because you thought I wanted to see Samson."
"I did as Laplace ordered. Then I called you. He is your child, isn't he?"
"Not any longer. I can't keep him safe. Thank you for calling me. I could almost hope your thoughtfulness means you have feelings for me."
She forced her way into his arms. He handled her carefully, waiting for Laplace to skulk away. When they were alone Constant seemed to change, giving in to some sorrowful emotion she had been containing.
He held her gently, appreciating fully the magic of her reality. He liked the way the short round feathers of her body folded into near invisibility as his fingers touched her. It revealed skin beneath, skin of many colors, soft skin. He touched her face, brushed the longer and mobile golden plumage. He was surprised to find dampness upon her cheeks, dark streaks in the feathers.
"You weep," he remarked.
"I've seen the future," she uttered sadly, "or the past. I don't know the difference any longer. I never thought it would hurt me this much!" She hugged him as hard as she could and rubbed her face in his uniform, perhaps to dry her tears. "If only there was more time! If only I could change time!"
Etrhnk discounted Constant's words and what they might mean to him. He was to her but a leaf on a tree that would be shed in autumn. He took some small satisfaction in discovering that Constant could have meant a great deal to him, if he lived longer. If he could have felt sad, now would be his saddest moment. To die was one thing; it was the final insult to ego. To die ignorant and unfulfilled was... unacceptable.
2-10 Stealing Freedom
He held her arm so tightly that he trembled. She was devastated that Sammy was again a victim of violence. She ordered him to stay at the hospital but couldn't enforce it. He wouldn't leave her side, wouldn't release his grip on her. Fortunately, Aylis hadn't seen his injuries, or else the situation would have been more complex, the delay much longer. Sammy needed her, not
Cryptikon Far Freedom Part 2 Page 16