Moments later, Tac said, "The signal has changed, sir. Thirty... children... seven... adults... from... consulate... need... help. Now the message is repeating, sir."
"Make us blink at him again, Tac."
"Done, sir. Message is changing again. Nine... seven... b... out... That's it, sir. The laser's gone."
T'Var nodded to the watching Tac officer and silently sat back in his command chair, drumming his fingers on the chair's arm console. After a moment, he poised a finger over his comm unit, then appeared to cancel that motion.
"Have Gold, Green, and Blue commanders meet me in my office," he said.
"T'Kin's group is still two men short, sir."
"T'Kin's been returned to duty? Good. Tell him he's Green leader now and have him report to my ready room with Gold, then get him two more birds and pilots from Red group. T'Mar, you're L'Tan's eyes and ears for this meeting, unless you want to go wake her and bring her up here."
"I wouldn't be her eyes and ears long if I let her sleep through this meeting, Captain. Where's your ready room?"
T'Var pointed at the door to the ready room and said, "Half an hour."
T'Mar nodded and left the bridge. He woke L'Tan a few minutes later and briefed her as he helped her dress. She broke one of the pain pills in two and took one of the halves with a swallow of water, then dropped the other half in a pocket.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Groggy. Tired. Sore. I'll walk it off on the way, though. What do you think, T'Mar? Is it real, or a ruse?"
"Could be either, but what would they gain by this kind of a ruse?"
"Time, maybe. A delay. They undoubtedly know of the council's response."
"Then they must know that T'Bar's leading that response. This won't slow him down unless the council orders him to stand by."
L'Tan took a swig of mouthwash, swirled it around, and spat it into the sink.
"Let's say it's real," she said, handing the bottle to him and rinsing her face.
"Okay. It's real," said T'Mar, reaching to put the bottle back. "Now what?"
"Now we figure out what's on T'Var's mind."
"He called his flight leaders in, so he's thinking of trying to rescue them. How would he do that without risking the ship?"
"Put them on another ship and keep them isolated."
T'Mar said, "We don't have another ship. All we have is fighters."
"So we steal another ship while we're dirtside. Between us, we can probably fly anything ever made."
"You're assuming we're going along?"
L'Tan smiled and said, "I'm sure we can make Captain T'Var see the logic of it."
"Why do you want to go back down there?"
"I wasn't finished. Are you coming along?"
"Only because you're going. Ready?"
"I'm just waiting for you."
As they left the room, T'Mar said, "You know they're going to say you aren't up to it and try to argue you out of it."
L'Tan grinned and said, "They won't when they see us jogging into the room."
"We're going to jog, huh?"
"We are. We're going to wait for someone to enter the bridge, then jog in behind them and over to the ready room."
And so it went. They lingered - apparently talking - near a corridor intersection until someone approached the bridge doors, then loped in behind and past the startled crewman, raising eyebrows all over the bridge.
T'Var saw them coming and wasn't fooled for a moment. T'Mar might have jogged in if he'd been a bit late in arriving, but not L'Tan. She'd have simply marched across the bridge as if the meeting wouldn't dare start without her.
The doctor, however, stared at her in open-mouthed shock. She put a finger to her lips and shook her head in full view of everyone at the table.
"Not a word, doctor. I'm fine."
He stood up, about to speak, anyway.
T'Var said, "Hold that thought, doctor. Sit down, please, everybody. Gold leader is Commander T'Ren, Green is Commander T'Kin, and Blue is Commander L'Nil. Everybody knows the doctor. This is L'Tan, the fabled Stardancer, and this is her aide, T'Mar. Tac, show us where they are down there."
Once all had been seated, the Tac officer tapped up a map on the tabletop and introduced them to various points of interest on the planet's northern continent.
"Most of you will attack bases. Some will deploy to protect the rescue. Precise coordinates will be in your nav computers; all any of you have to do is get back here in one piece."
T'Var said, "We're open to comments at this point. Our first thought was to use all the fighters. Each one has a space behind the pilot's seat. But that would keep the groups in the area and on the ground too long."
L'Tan said, "We could steal a ship at the local port."
The others were grinning at L'Tan as T'Var asked, "We?"
L'Tan said, "Yes. 'We.' While everybody else keeps the Eiranians busy, drop us at the local port. We'll pick out something suitable."
"Would you care to tell me why I wouldn't prefer to detail a couple of my own pilots for that part of this mission?"
"Because we're volunteering and we'll need all the fighters for cover and none of your pilots have much time in big stuff. I have. How about you, T'Mar?"
"Troop transports, freighters, and armed escort vessels. If we grab something from the local military or police vehicle pool, we won't need special passcodes."
Commander T'Ren spoke in a flat tone.
"Captain, I'm sure we've all thought of this, but those people could be no more than a means of getting the virus aboard the Alliance."
"They won't be coming aboard the Alliance, T'Ren. Not for at least two weeks, and maybe longer. They'll stay aboard whatever ship T'Mar and L'Tan can grab and make the best of it until we decide that they're clean."
T'Ren nodded. "That would seem to mean that Stardancer and T'Mar are going to be stuck on that ship with them."
"That's exactly what it means."
T'Ren, at a loss for words, simply nodded again and looked at L'Tan and T'Mar.
T'Var looked around the table, then said, "If there are no other comments, let's work something out and get this thing underway. After Admiral T'Bar gets here, we'll need his permission before we can take a leak, and he may not agree that this mission is a worthwhile risk."
Chapter Thirteen
Two hours later they had a flexible plan that all thought would work and the meeting ended.
"Talk it over some more," said T'Var. "Sleep on it. See if you can find any weak spots. If nobody comes up with anything insurmountable, we'll launch on schedule. In the meantime, I'll begin laying the groundwork. L'Tan and T'Mar, come with me to the bridge."
Once all were seated and Tac was back at his board, T'Var said, "This is going to have to ring with sincerity, Tac, so I want you to tell me that you have discovered that more than two hundred of our people are being held in their Metara prison, in the southern hemisphere."
"Sure, Captain. I've discovered that more than two hundred of our people are being held in their Metara prison, in the southern hemisphere."
"Good. Now, T'Mar, tell me that you have confirmed that report."
T'Mar grinned. "I have confirmed Tac's report, Captain."
"Excellent. If they analyze the transmission, they'll find nothing but truth. Are they still jamming communications, Tac?"
"No, sir. They stopped jamming after we got away."
"Good. First tell me that it will be at least two days before we can repair comm damage and contact the Confederation, then open a link to Eirania for me, Tac."
"Sir, it will be at least two days before we can repair comm damage and contact the Confederation."
Several moments later, the Tac officer said, "No answer from Eirania, Captain."
"Then we'll send the message on all frequencies and see if they answer after they hear what I have to say."
Tac pressed some buttons and said, "Ready. Talk to screen one, sir."
T'Var cleared hi
s throat and began, "Government of Eirania, this is Captain T'Var of the Confederated ship Alliance. My TAC officer has reported that you are holding more than two hundred Confederation people in Metara prison. That report has been verified by a member of our intelligence community. This message will be repeated every five minutes until someone in authority answers."
Tac clicked off the transmission when T'Var glanced his way and nodded.
The helmsman said, "Sir, I was told that..."
"Quiet, Ensign," said T'Var, "There will be no discussion of this matter. No questions or answers until it has been resolved."
Less than ten minutes passed before the Eiranians responded. At T'Var's command and Tac's press of a button, the face of the Eiranian Defense Minister appeared on screen two.
"Captain T'Var, I am M'hed..."
T'Var let him get just that far before interrupting.
"We know who you are, Minister M'hed, and I'm not prepared to engage in much conversation. What we want to know is why, after slaughtering everyone else, you would choose to take any prisoners at all. What do you want from us?"
For a moment, M'hed looked truly confused, but he straightened his face and said, "We have no such prisoners. Your information is false."
T'Var sat very still for several beats, then stood up and took a step toward the screen, his face grim.
"I expected you to deny their existence, but I am not inclined toward patience, M'hed. In lieu of orders to the contrary, I will act as I see fit to remove any of our people now in your hands from your hands, and in my present mood, my methods may very closely resemble your own. I warn you to let nothing happen to any of our people until we have come to an agreement for their repatriation."
Turning to face the Tac officer, he asked, "Tac, you said it would be two days before we can contact the Confederation, correct?"
"Yes, sir, I did."
T'Var returned his gaze to M'hed and said, "Two days, M'hed. Your weapons can't even reach us. You'll have no hope at all against the Confederation fleet. Consider your options most carefully before you respond."
The Eiranian Defense Minister's face became an unreadable, malevolent mask as he drew himself up as stiffly as possible.
"To the best of my knowledge, we are holding no prisoners. We will recontact you if we choose to do so, Captain T'Var. M'hed out."
The picture disappeared on screen one. T'Var stood gazing at the empty screen for a moment, then said, "Tac, you have the conn. T'Mar and L'Tan, let's take a walk."
It was no coincidence that T'Var headed them in the direction of 3410, and not long after they left the bridge, T'Var said, "L'Tan, I'm not sure you should go."
"Why not?"
"For one thing, you're as pale as a ghost. Is it pain, fatigue, or both?"
"Both, and the condition is temporary. I'll be fine by the time I have to fly anything, T'Var. If I'm not, T'Mar will pilot and I'll take an extra pill, but I'm going."
T'Var stopped walking and lightly grabbed her elbow.
"You'll go if I okay it, L'Tan. If I don't like what I see in the morning, I won't risk a damned thing on your ego and you'll stay right here."
L'Tan glared at him coldly for a moment.
"This isn't simply ego, Captain T'Var. This is a matter of getting some of our people away from those religious psychopaths. That, and plain damned vengeance for all the people they killed. I'll be in a restraint field in a fighter and whatever ship we steal. I won't feel a damned thing until the mission is over."
"I know how badly you want to do this, but I'm not convinced, L'Tan. The doctor will look you over in the morning, then we'll talk about it again."
T'Mar said, "I'll be with her. She'll be fine."
T'Var cast a flat gaze on T'Mar and said, "You're still a ghost to me, T'Mar. I can see you and talk to you, but I still don't know what you really are yet. Nobody would tell me a damned thing about you; they just left you attached to L'Tan."
"Then there's probably nothing I can do to ease your mind, Captain."
L'Tan asked, "You called someone about T'Mar? Who?"
"HQ. They confirmed that he's one of our spooks, but that's all."
"So? Why isn't that good enough for you?"
T'Var simply glared at them for a few moments, then his glare softened and he grinned slightly as he said, "Right. He is one of our spooks, after all."
T'Mar said, "Well, that vote of total confidence will look good in my resume."
L'Tan chuckled and said, "I'll put mine in to balance things a bit."
T'Mar nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. That might help."
At the door to room 3410, T'Var said, "Just in case I decide to let you two go along, try to be ready on time, okay?"
Without waiting for comments or agreements, he turned and walked away.
L'Tan said, "If I can walk and breathe, he'll let me go."
"Only because he knows he'd never hear the end of it, I think. Let's get you into a hot bath, then into bed. I'll be getting you up an hour early to soak you again and rub you down. If you look like this tomorrow, he'll ground you, L'Tan."
She snapped, "Are you my aide or my mother?"
"T'Mar," he said to the door. Once they were inside, he said, "You can't fire your mother, L'Tan. I guess that makes me just an aide. Only an aide. Merely an aide, and one who wants his boss in good working order when the shooting starts, so we're going to peel you, soak you, and sleep. Tomorrow could turn out to be a busy day."
L'Tan slipped out of her blouse and skirt and sat on the bed as T'Mar undressed.
"You're pretty bossy for an aide. I may have to fire you."
"I'm not worried. You won't fire me until you've found someone better."
"Um," said L'Tan, with an uplifted finger. "Good point. But, my, we're very proud of ourselves, aren't we?"
"Just stating a fact, ma'am. I'm here because someone else couldn't quite be what you wanted, although that may only have been an issue of gender. Now, let's get you wet and lose some more of that bruise."
L'Tan ran a hand up his thigh and said, "And if I want a bit more than a rubdown, what then?"
T'Mar grinned and said, "Find a way to call it therapy and I'll do it, ma'am."
She grasped his protrusion and grinned back at him as she squeezed it.
"It's therapy because I say it is, and I want some therapy now, sir. The shower can wait a little while."
"Ah, well... Since you put it that way..."
L'Tan kept her grip on him as she lay back on the bed.
"And since I won't let go until I get my way..."
T'Mar stretched out beside her and kissed her, then began her therapy by lightly kissing his way down to her thighs. He found her damply ready for him and paused to look up at her.
"You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?"
"A little while," said L'Tan with a small smile. "Only a little while."
"Well, then, you must have come up with some ideas about how you'd like things to proceed, so why don't I just turn the event over to you and see how you handle it? Maybe I'll learn something."
"Lie back. The first thing you may as well know now is that I like to be on top most times."
T'Mar lay flat on his back and said, "Gee, lady. I never would have guessed..."
With a grin, L'Tan rolled over to straddle him and leaned to kiss him, then guided him into herself. When she was fully impaled, she kissed him again and sat back upright.
"Sometimes..." she said, beginning a posting motion, "Sometimes a woman just wants... To get down to the basics. We can be as impatient as any man."
"When the mood strikes," said T'Mar.
"Exactly. When the mood strikes, and it struck me when I thought about our last shower. Actually, I've thought about our last shower quite a lot."
T'Mar ran his fingers down her arms and said, "Must have been that backrub, right? I'm good at backrubs."
L'Tan grinned down at him as she worked, watching his fingers continue to trail the
ir tingling course along her thighs.
"Sure," she said, "It must have been the backrub. Keep doing that, will you?"
"Planned to. Got nothing else to do with you on top, you know."
She laughed and said, "You don't feel underemployed to me at the moment."
"Well, I guess that's the true test of things, isn't it? Take a break, there, and lean forward. I have an urge to nibble on your neck and shoulders."
"Such a demanding man," she said, leaning for him.
T'Mar lightly licked her shoulder and said, "Strictly a matter of taste, ma'am. There's more to a woman than most men realize, I think."
L'Tan giggled softly, startling him. She didn't seem the giggling type. Placing her nose almost on his, she asked, "But you think that you realize how much more there is, do you?"
He nodded and gave her an innocent sort of look. "Sure. Well, I like to think so, anyway. At least, I like to think that I'm on the right path to discover how much more there is."
She snickered and wiggled her hips.
"You poor, bravely intrepid seeker of wisdom. I'll try to be gentle with you."
L'Tan pushed herself back upright and sat looking down at him for a moment, then wiggled her hips again and stretched her arms out to each side.
"How's your back?" asked T'Mar.
"That's what I was just testing," she said. "Well, kind of. I don't seem to hurt at all right now."
"Are you going to tell the doctor how I cured you?"
L'Tan laughed. "No, I'm not going to tell him how you cured me, and neither are you."
T'Mar shook his head slightly.
"Selfish woman. Healing knowledge should be shared."
She slapped his thigh lightly and said, "Not this time. You're actually fun to be with, T'Mar. Men are usually only interested in getting on, getting off, and getting off. I haven't met too many who like to play and don't seem concerned about when their time will come, so to speak."
T'Mar shrugged, such as he could while lying on his back.
"Creating a good time is as important as getting laid, and I like being up and inside more than going off and sliding out. I guess I have priorities, ma'am."
L'Tan laughed again and said, "Every time you say something that ends in 'ma'am', you sound like an overly polite country boy."
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