by Sharon Lee
Dragon’s Back Mountain. Priscilla drew a careful breath. Korval and Erob. Allies down the centuries. And a—pod?—situated on Dragon’s Back Mountain. A gift, perhaps? Korval tended to protect its own interests closely, and Erob was seated upon an outworld, far from the homeworld’s assistance, should it be attacked.
The counter blazed against her hand and she abruptly recalled yos’Galan’s butler. A modified war robot, as Shan had told her, and, with its other duties, entrusted with the defense system surrounding Korval’s valley.
Merciful Mother.
“Priscilla?” Rusty’s voice carried concern. She shook her head, focused her thoughts.
“Yes. Rusty, do me the favor of sending to Pod seventy-seven in—in the code I will upload to you in a moment. Inquire into the state of its defenses.”
“Defenses? Priscilla, how do we know it’s not some wise-ass Yxtrang radio jockey, having himself a giggle?”
“We don’t know that until it replies to us in our own code,” she said, reaching to her board. Quickly, she ran her fingers over the sequence, accessing the captain’s key file. She requested and received Korval’s House code, uploading it to Rusty with a finger-tap.
“There. Send the message, please, Rusty. And wire the reply directly to me, whenever it comes in.”
There was a momentary hesitation, then, “Will do. Tower out.”
“Command helm out,” she absently, her fingers moving once again across the board, requesting information available to the Captain’s Key, relative to Pod 77 or Dragon’s Back Mountain, Lytaxin.
***
They were moving out this evening, bound for the quarry and points beyond. Meet Yxtrang before they knocked on the door, that was the gig. Surprise them, maybe. Buy time.
Time for the rest of the defense forces to man the serious talking points. Time for Val Con and Shan and Beautiful to steal the fighters and start their runs.
It was the planes that decided her on Erob’s ruined airfield for the Irregular’s hold-tight.
“No use stealing the damn’ things if you can’t bring ’em home,” she’d pointed out at the coordinating meeting. “We’ll secure the airfield.” She looked up and met Jase’s eyes square across the table. “No problem.”
He’d nodded after a second, and that was that. The only thing she had to do now was make good on her bet.
And not worry.
Walking toward her quarters to get her gear together and maybe grab an hour’s nap, Miri snorted. It was funny how in the thick of things you never had time to worry. You dealt with whatever the gods of battle sent against you and mostly you weren’t even scared.
Before and after—that was the time for nerves and terrors. Double, if you had a lifemate and a new brother and the man who’d guarded your back against his own laying their lives out in a cockamamie death-defying gamble.
She’d already come up with a dozen ways for them to die before they even got to the planes. Miri moved her head, shaking away the tally of possible destructions, but she couldn’t shake away the knot in her gut or the cramp in her chest.
She turned right, nodded at the sentry and stepped into the dimness of her quarters.
Val Con got up from the edge of the cot, came two steps forward and opened his arms.
She flung forward, catching him in a hug as desperate as his own, thought to look at his pattern and felt the chill tingle of his fear in her blood even as she raised her head to meet a nearly savage kiss.
They made love like it was battle-practice, hard and silent and fierce, and when they were through, she held him tight against her still, one fist twisted in his hair.
“Damn you, don’t die.”
Warm breath exhaled into her ear. “I love you, too, Miri.”
He pulled away and they straightened their clothes, found discarded weapons belts and buckled them into place. Val Con touched her cheek.
“I will meet you at Erob’s airfield, tomorrow afternoon.” He lay a finger across her lips and she felt a ripple of dark-edged humor go through him. “No problem, eh?” The finger lifted.
Miri smiled, though it was hard to see him through the tears.
“No problem.”
***
Tactical Defense Pods 72 to 83 were retired from the Korval fleet with the building of the Felicitous Passage, two hundred fifty Standard years ago, according to the sealed file the Captain’s Key had accessed.
Red counter gripped tight in her hand, Priscilla learned decommissioned Pods 72 through 76 had been donated to the scouts.
Pods 79 through 83 were used as live target fire in a series of defense exercises during a period of heightened Yxtrang activity.
Pod 77 . . . She scrolled down the file. Theonna yos’Phelium, delm, had bestowed Pod 77 upon Korval’s staunch ally, Clan Erob. Then ordered the report Priscilla now perused sealed. She frowned, leaned back, and then touched the scroll key again, searching—there.
Pod 78, the last entry stated simply, is on Moonstruck. Refer to Plan B.
Her frown deepened. Refer to Plan B? But surely—The screen shimmered and a message box appeared in the bottom left corner, rapidly filling with text.
TACTICAL DEFENSE POD 77 ON-LINE.
WEAPONS CHECK.
INITIATE SCAN.
LONG GUN CHARGED.
SCAN CONCLUSION: MID-ORBIT HOSTILITIES.
INITIATING SECONDARY SCAN.
TARGETING COMPUTER ON-LINE.
TACTICAL COMPUTER ON-LINE.
SCAN CONCLUSION: INVASION CONDITIONS.
MANUAL OVERRIDE DISALLOWED.
ALL SYSTEMS ON-LINE.
ALL SYSTEMS ABLE.
AWAITING TARGET.
***
The scout’s plan was simple: Steal three fighter-bomber craft from those grounded at Field Headquarters, lift and destroy planes, ammunition, armor, and similar other targets before they could be brought against the defenders.
It was a plan somewhat short on detail, but Nelirikk never doubted it would succeed, to the glory of captain and Troop. It was much too audacious to fail.
For this venture, Nelirikk had sacrificed the mustache and the unsoldierly hair, and stood once again in Yxtrang uniform, the officer to whom it had belonged having no further need. He had modified the rank-marks, so that he became an Adjutant of the Inspectors Office, and the scout’s brother had with wonderful skill painted the appropriate vingtai on his face.
“Remember to clean this nonsense off once you’re safely away,” Shan said, standing back to admire his handiwork. “You do look fierce, if I say it myself. One might very easily mistake you for an Yxtrang.”
This was a pleasantry, such as Nelirikk was coming to expect from the scout’s brother, who was by no means as imbecile as he sometimes spoke. Accordingly, he bared his teeth in a grin, displaying the vingtai to best effect.
“Terrifying,” Shan announced, his face betraying no noticeable terror. “I may swoon in fright.”
“Why not sit down, instead?” the scout asked from the doorway. “And allow Nelirikk to decorate you?”
“No need of that,” Shan said, turning to put his brush by. He turned back and Nelirikk gasped, hand slapping his sidearm even as his brain told him that it was impossible that a major of inspectors should be standing before him when only a moment ago—
“Hold!” And that quickly it was the scout before him, face full of danger, poised on the balls of his feet, having taken up the position of shield to—
To who other than Shan yos’Galan?
Carefully, Nelirikk moved his hand from his gun. Carefully, he inclined his head.
“Forgive my error,” he said in the full formality of the Liaden tongue. The scout settled, head cocked to a side.
“And yet it was not an error,” he murmured in Terran. “Your whole body screamed astonishment and alarm. You went for the gun as defense. But, enlighten me—what did you see?”
Shan cleared his throat. The scout spun on a heel to face him.
“I sus
pect he may have seen a Inspector Major here among us. At least, that was the impression I was trying to convey.” He looked up, silver eyes catching Nelirikk’s gaze. “I gather the illusion was convincing? How gratifying.”
“Convincing,” Nelirikk agreed, hoarsely. The scout shook his head.
“I saw you turn to put the brush away,” he said to his brother. “I saw you turn back and Nelirikk reacting to threat. There was no inspector major here.”
“Ah.” The silver eyes widened slightly. “Perhaps now?”
Nelirikk gulped, but this time managed to stand calm as the major loomed over the scout, face pitiless behind the tattoos of rank and accomplishment.
The scout shrugged, read Nelirikk’s face with a quick green glance over the left shoulder, and looked back to the major.
“Nelirikk is convinced, in any case. I see only yourself.”
Shan smiled and became once more a slim man of slightly less than middle height, slanting white eyebrows showing pretty against the smooth brown skin of his face.
“Recall that you were the only one of us who could curb Anthora when she was in a mood to have her way. It’s doubtful that we’ll meet with an Yxtrang of such discriminating will. And if we do,” his mouth tightened. “If we do, I’m afraid I have other defenses.”
“Do you?” The scout sighed. “These are new abilities, brother?”
Shan nodded. “I warn you that the explanation will be a thing devoid of sense. Though I am, of course, willing to try.”
“Leave it for the present,” said the scout, “if it’s nonsense. When this is over, let us share a glass or two and tell each other fantastic stories.”
“Done.”
“Done,” the scout echoed and stepped aside.
“So the two of you, fine-looking pilots, both, will proceed boldly across the field, pausing only to distribute explosives at likely looking Communications centers. You will then claim your planes and board. In the meantime, I will advance by a more circuitous route and stealthily steal my own. We will then proceed as discussed, each making at least one pass over the airfield before peeling off in his assigned direction. Questions?”
There were none. They had been through this before. And, after all, the plan was simple.
The scout nodded. “Good. It’s time we were gone.”
DUTIFUL PASSAGE:
Lytaxin Orbit
In one hour, Standard, the Yxtrang Eye would be fully open, at once clearing a firing path from the battleship to Erob’s House and placing the thickest layer of shielding ships between the battleship and the Passage.
Priscilla had run the math a dozen times in the last few hours, assigned the tactical comp to find the means by which the Passage could divert, prevent, or minimize the Yxtrang’s beam.
The answer came back negative.
She had copied their situation files and downloaded them to Pod 77. What, if anything, that ancient non-sentient made of those facts, she had no idea. Subsequent efforts to engage it in dialog had met with no response. Perhaps it had simply stopped functioning.
Ren Zel, hastily briefed on his return to the bridge, stood silent, his eyes on the screen displaying the movement of the Yxtrang shield.
“No answer whatsoever?”
“Nothing,” Priscilla said. “I wonder if I’ve offended it.”
“Overloaded it, possibly,” he returned, eyes still on the screen. “You say it is very old, and a defense logic. It would perhaps not be equipped to sift through such levels of data as the Passage—” He stopped and drew a slow, careful breath.
“Or perhaps it is.”
Priscilla looked to the screen, saw the message window filling with words.
TACTICAL DEFENSE POD 77 ON-LINE.
DOWNLOAD DATA ANALYSIS COMPLETE.
DEFENSE PLAN FORMULATED.
PHASE ONE ENACTED.
UPLOADING TO MOBILE UNIT TARGETING COMP.
Ren Zel flung forward, clearing a tertiary screen and accessing the targeting computer in three rapid keystrokes. Priscilla sat rapt, the red counter in her hand, watching the words form on the screen.
ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL OFFENSIVE ACTION: 43 UNITS.
SYNCHRONIZING MOBILE UNIT TARGETING COMP.
“It’s uploaded settings for guns seven and nine,” Ren Zel told her, fingers moving across the board, “and instructions to fire to those coordinates in forty Standard minutes.”
TACTICAL DEFENSE POD 77 ON STAND-BY,
CONDITION ORANGE.
The words stopped and Priscilla stirred at last.
“Remove Pod seventy-seven’s instructions from the targeting command queue, please, First Mate.”
He spun his chair around, showing her a face which was entirely devoid of emotion.
“I cannot,” he said quietly, and she read the effort he expended to hold to calmness. “The file is sealed.”
“Sealed, is it?” She reached to her own board. “I’ll pull them—”
Ren Zel cleared his throat.
“Forgive me. I should have said that the instructions and the coords are under the seal of Delm Korval.”
“Under delm’s seal?” Priscilla felt a thrill not unlike terror. Theonna yos’Phelium had left the power to implement delm’s seal resident in the ancient defense pod. Theonna yos’Phelium had been a far-seeing delm, indeed.
Or a frothing madwoman.
Priscilla took a breath, felt the red counter warm in her hand and looked to Ren Zel.
“So, we can see it, but we can’t change it.” As she said that her witch sense told her it was true: some ancient Korval necessity now ruled their fate. “Fine. To my screen two, please. Let’s at least find out what we’ve gotten ourselves into.”
***
“Uncle Win Den!” Alys ran headlong out of the house as he was preparing to step into the flitter for an inspection of the outer ring defenses. He waited, remembering to frown.
“Well, niece? I thought you on duty at the core-comm.”
“I was, Uncle. But there was a message . . .” she paused to gulp more air into her lungs. “A message on the telecoder—the old one, that never takes any messages?”
tel’Vosti froze, remembering late night fright stories told him by his uncle, too many years ago, and centering around that particular, always silent, telecoder.
“Go on,” he urged Alys.
“Yes. The message says it’s from the Planetary Defense Unit, and it—” her eyes lifted to his, baffled. “Uncle, it says that it’s activated the meteor shielding over Erob Central Control.”
LYTAXIN:
War Zone
Val Con melted away at the edge of the field, taking his bag of cockpit adaptations and another, similar to the one Nelirikk carried with him. His target was the comm shed at the south end of the field, which housed the back-up space-link. After setting the charges contained in the second bag, he would choose a plane and lift. The mark was one-half-hour.
Shan and Nelirikk walked openly across the field, Nelirikk bearing his bag of explosives, the scout’s brother swaggering empty-handed, as befit the sort of officer he had found in Nelirikk’s undermind. Their targets were the radar support shack and back-up communications.
The field was busy, but not overly so. They had arrived, so Nelirikk thought, in the trough between the first wave moving out and the second. Those who were abroad had duty to attend. No one paid attention to two officers arrogantly and unhurriedly about their own duty. They marched directly up to back-up comm, Shan waiting with cold impatience while Nelirikk deftly jimmied the lock, pushed the door open, stepped back and saluted smartly. In character, he ignored the salute and stamped into the shed, Nelirikk in his wake, swinging the door closed behind them.
“Do not touch that,” he said, pointing at a green striped panel. “Alarm circuit.” He had dropped his bag and fished out two of the scout’s devices.
Shan took one of the explosives, moved to the left, seated it and armed it as his brother had shown him, while Nelirikk did his pa
rt of the work on the opposite side of the shed.
Two minutes later, they were once again striding across the busy field.
At radar support, the door was unlocked. Nelirikk paused, threw a worried glance toward his companion and was answered with a vicious glower from the inspector major.
Well enough, thought Nelirikk. We do what we have come to do. He thrust the door open and brought his fist up in salute. The major tramped by him with no acknowledgment, into the radar shed.
A tech jumped up from behind the board, his face displaying surprise that quickly became chagrin as he read their vingtai.
“Inspectors . . .” The salute was hasty, the face pale behind the tattoos that showed him a specialist, confirmed twice at combat radar, a volunteer who had achieved success in a difficult mission, originally of Ornjal’s Tech Troop. “I was not told you were to be here. I—”
Shan frowned, and the tech gulped. Slowly, the gesture filled with such menace that Nelirikk felt his own heart stutter, the scout’s brother pointed at the door.
“Inspector Major.” The tech saluted. “I received no notice of your coming. Duty demands that I ask to see your passes.”
“We have no time for that!” Nelirikk snarled, moving forward. “There have been security failures at several locations! We must check this facility and certify it! Out, and leave us to duty!”
Despite the sweat beading on his upper lip and the definite paleness of his face, the tech was not so easy to rout. He took a hard breath and met Nelirikk’s eyes squarely.
“I need some ID, sir. You understand. I am required to . . .”
They had given the scout’s brother perhaps thirty words of the Common Troop, without ever expecting he would have need of them.
“Fool!” he roared now, thrusting a hard hand under the tech’s nose. “Papers, damn you!”
The tech jumped, saluted even more hastily, pulling his work orders, his day sheets, his meal cards, as the officer cursed him for a sluggard dog and seemed almost ready to strike him.