"Captain Garras, I'm going. If I'm a civilian, I can volunteer, can't I?"
With a sidelong look at Skinner, Garras nodded.
"Good. Then it's settled," she said. "Now will you two stop your bloody arguing and get down to discussing details?" With that, she stalked off back among the trees.
Garras and Skinner turned to Kusac, who spread his hands expressively.
"Don't blame me," he said, backing off hurriedly. "We couldn't help but overhear you."
A stunned silence remained after Kusac left.
Vanna began to laugh. "I told you that one was strong-minded," she said to no one in particular. "Manipulate a mind like that, Guynor? I'd like to see anyone try! Anyway, it's academic. In risking Kusac, we risk Carrie, too, whether or not she goes."
As she'd intended, it eased the tension and Garras resumed his seat.
Skinner looked across at him, a rueful expression on his face.
"Carrie's her father's daughter," he said. "I've had some rows with Peter in my time and doubtless will again," he sighed. "Well, it looks like she's taken the decision out of my hands, Garras. Carry on. This seems to be your show. You're the ones with all the answers."
"Not all of them, my friend," said Garras. "We're working together."
Guynor had been hovering at his elbow for several minutes. Finally, the smell of food drew his attention. He held out his hand and was given a plate of warmed up stew and a mug of c'shar.
Garras eyed the stew then his First Officer quizzically.
"It was all I could think of that was quick," said Guynor, retreating hurriedly back to the pod.
"We'll move out at the twenty-third hour, zero two hours your time," he said to Skinner between mouthfuls of food.
"We'll need all personnel aboard the groundcar so any nonessential items will be left in the pod. We can always retrieve them at a later date." He looked over at Skinner again.
"Can you go over our munitions with Guynor and work out a distribution of weapons? We have some explosives as well as longer range energy rifles. He'll fill you in on how they work. I want Carrie and Kusac both carrying our hand guns."
As he turned round to place the empty plate on the ground he saw Carrie beside the pod.
An exclamation from Mito drew Skinner's attention. Following her gaze, he noticed Carrie, too.
Mito reached out to touch the dress she was wearing.
"Where did you get that?" she asked. "It's lovely." She touched the robe only to have her hand pass right through it and come up against something solid. With a small yowl of fright, she leapt backward.
"It's all right, Mito," Carrie reassured her. "It's only our illusion. Do you think we'll get past the guards safely?"
Garras sat up slowly.
"Gods," breathed Vanna, walking round behind her, "I wouldn't have believed it possible!"
"We?" asked Garras.
Everyone experienced a slight blurring of their vision and then Carrie appeared clad in her usual shirt and trousers with Kusac standing slightly to one side behind her.
"We," she said.
"I thought it wiser not to suddenly appear as a Valtegan in the middle of our camp," said Kusac, grinning.
"A sensible precaution," said Garras, picking up his mug. "You two never cease to amaze me. If you can maintain that illusion for any length of time you should have no problem with the guards."
"We can maintain it long enough to get into the Base complex," said Kusac. "After that..." He shrugged. "We'll have to use stealth. At least we can tell Telepathically when anyone is coming."
"You'll be armed," said Garras.
As Kusac opened his mouth to object, Garras stilled him with a gesture.
"No arguments. You're taking firearms and you'll use them if you have to. That's an order. I want you out of there alive. I'll run both of you through a crash course in how to use the energy pistols when I'm finished here."
"Anders." He called the Terran over. "You'll be piloting the groundcar. This is what we plan to do."
Anders joined the semicircle round Garras, crouching down beside Carrie.
Garras leaned forward and began to draw in the dirt with a claw tip.
"We'll exit the vehicle near the edge of the swamp, under cover of the trees, leaving Kusac and Carrie to be flown to the Base. You'll then land as close to the gates as possible, leaving the hatch open and facing away from the guards. That way the rest of us have instant access if we need it."
"You two," he pointed at Carrie and Kusac, "will then proceed into the main building. The rest is up to you."
Skinner stirred, feeling he ought to make a contribution.
"I can see a couple of problems. Davies won't be able to watch for Carrie and Kusac returning, and keep an eye out for any Valtegans coming up on the opposite side of the craft. I can't see that there is any appreciable advantage to be gained by keeping the hatch open. We'll be in constant communication with the craft. We can warn them in the event of any threat."
"I also suggest that both Carrie and Kusac wear a wrist comm so they can contact us if they need help."
Garras nodded. "Fair enough. If the alarm is sounded, then you and Carrie," he pointed to Kusac, "make for the main gates and the groundcar. We'll come in after you."
"What kind of weapons have you got?" he asked Skinner, sitting up again.
"We have eleven projectile submachine pistols of our own and three captured Valtegan energy guns," he replied. "We've got plenty of ammunition for the pistols, but I don't know how much of a charge the energy guns have. No one could figure out what made them work in the first place."
"Show them to Guynor. He may be able to adapt something from our system. We each have a side arm, and Guynor mentioned rifles in the pod as well as explosives. If you've anyone good with explosives, perhaps they can work out some kind of small projectile bombs."
"Kusac, are you now planning to let Carrie appear to be entering alone?"
"No, that was just for our little demonstration," he said.
Garras nodded. "Right, let's get to it," he said, rising to his feet. "We've a lot to do between now and nightfall."
* * *
Once dusk fell, the time spent waiting until they could leave seemed like an eternity.
Carrie changed into the green one-piece her brother had brought, filling the pockets with extra charge packs for her gun, a torch, trail bars, a couple of drink sachets, and a hank of fine nylon rope from Davies.
"Where d'you get that?" she'd asked him.
"Skai and I can get most things given enough time," he'd replied with a wink.
Pockets organized to her satisfaction, she donned the hooded robe and fastened it with her belt, making sure the knife was easily reachable. At the other side, she hung the energy pistol and its holster.
"Have you briefed them fully on what to do, Mito?" asked Garras for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, Captain," she sighed.
"Go over it once more," he said.
"No," she said. "If I do it again, they are likely to forget due to saturation. They know what they're doing. Kusac does have some computer skills."
"What are you going to do if the computer doesn't accept the Search code?" asked Guynor suddenly.
Kusac looked up at him. "Read it from an operator and find a more suitable terminal if necessary," he replied.
"What happens if you're disturbed?" demanded Skinner.
"We won't be," replied Carrie. "One of us will always be on guard. We will sense if a Valtegan comes near us. You know all this," she said in exasperation.
"You might be taken on the way out," argued Skinner.
Carrie glanced at Kusac briefly. "We won't be taken alive," she replied harshly. "Now leave it, all of you."
"I've got a question for you," said Kusac suddenly, looking at Garras. "Where are we going when we leave here? If we're discovered, there could be a planet-wide search for us."
"We're heading for our base in the caves," said Garras. "It's mo
re easily defended if they track us there. We should be able to hold out until help comes."
"How long do you anticipate that will be?" asked Nelson.
"At the most a week. When our ship arrives, it'll come in fighting."
"I hate to interrupt you, folks, but it's time to leave," said Davies.
There was a general shuffling of bodies as they prepared for takeoff.
Carrie felt herself going cold with fear. Her stomach began to churn and she felt light-headed. She groped for Kusac's hand, finding reassurance in its warmth.
Don't be afraid, Leska. Fear will weaken your will and concentration. Breathe deeply and remember all we have practiced. We will succeed, came his thoughts.
She took a shaky breath and forced herself to relax.
"Did you remember to get an imprint of what Valtegan Jo knows?" asked Richard urgently, leaning forward to touch his sister on the shoulder.
Carrie nodded. "Everything has been gone over dozens of times," she said tiredly. "Let me rest, please. I know you're concerned, but all you're doing is getting me worried."
The rest of the trip was in virtual silence. Flying so heavily laden in the dark without lights taxed Davies' ability to the full and there were several near misses as he skimmed low over the forest to touch down briefly near the edge of the swamp.
The radio burst into life, demanding their clearance code, destination, and the reason for their arrival.
Jo answered as best she could, claiming, "A Terran female from Geshader."
Carrie felt her blood run cold. This was suddenly too like what Elise had been doing. Pray God, they didn't meet the same fate.
"We'll be waiting opposite the gates, amid the trees at the edge of the perimeter," said Skinner, the last to leave.
"Davies, remember to lock the hatch and power down as if no one is aboard," he hissed, sticking his head back inside. "Good luck!"
As the craft hovered before landing, the guards at the gate trained a spotlight on them and moved forward to await their arrival.
Davies shut the engine down.
"Up and out you two before they decide to come over to us. Take care."
Carrie and Kusac scrambled to their feet, grabbed their packs containing the computer and the interface, and jumped out. The hatch slid shut behind them. It was a lonely sound.
Breathe deeply, Leska, came Kusac's thought. Good. Now, create your illusion and we will go before they come to investigate.
Quickly but carefully, Carrie drew the illusory robe around her, until she was almost aware of it herself. She looked at Kusac, nearly drawing back in shock from the Valtegan beside her.
She made a small noise of fright which she hastily stifled.
You look equally convincing, came the humorous rejoinder.
They moved out of the cover of the groundcar and into the spotlight's glare, blinking as they walked toward the guards. The guns trained on them lowered and one of the guards spoke briefly to Kusac before turning to his companion and making what sounded like a ribald comment.
Kusac replied equally briefly and they were waved on.
When we get inside, read them, he ordered.
Wanting to run every inch of the way, Carrie clutched her portion of the computer interface and schooled herself to follow Kusac at a sedate pace. They were heading for a large, single-storied building with transparent doors where another two guards stood waiting.
Carrie felt a slight pull on her mind and quickly reinforced her illusion. She saw Kusac's image briefly waver, then re-form. He approached the guards, motioning her to stop.
Again they were challenged, but this time Kusac replied fluently and some bantering followed. Hardly daring to breathe, she waited impatiently until Kusac ordered her to follow. One of the guards lowered his rifle and held the doors open for them.
Once inside the hallway, Kusac led the way off to a passage on the right. As soon as they were out of sight, he slumped against the wall, letting the computer rest on the floor.
"Are you all right?" whispered Carrie, grasping hold of his arm.
"I'm fine," he said, letting his disguise fade. "I'm just getting my nerve back."
He breathed deeply, shuddered, and stood up again.
"I had to 'read' the soldiers at the door or we wouldn't have got past them. Sorry, but I had to pull on you to do it. I think we can drop the illusions now."
"I wondered how you'd suddenly become so fluent," she murmured, relaxing briefly. "Let me access your knowledge, then I can understand them, too. I didn't dare do it myself in case it affected my illusion."
"Haven't got time. They said they had no orders about a female being requested by one of the officers, but that it wasn't unusual. These are the living quarters here. I want to get out of the area before someone sees you and decides he really does want your company. Come on."
He picked up the computer and moved away from the wall, heading down the corridor.
"Where are we going?"
"To their refectory area. It's unlikely anyone will be there at this time of night."
As they hurried through the corridors, Carrie tried to sense any presences around them but she only picked up the sleeping rhythms of the Valtegans on the other sides of the doors they passed.
The lighting was dimmer now, with an orange-red tint, and Carrie began to sweat in the increased heat. She found it impossible to suppress her feelings of déja vu.
Kusac stopped to peer round a corner, then beckoned to her. Ahead of them was a darkened refectory, the serving area obviously closed for the night.
"Where now?" questioned Carrie.
"The office. They have to have one."
They picked their way between the tables until they came to the door leading to the kitchens. Slowly, Kusac opened it and they stepped inside. There was a heavy metallic odor in the air. He sniffed, recognizing it as blood. Carrie stirred restlessly at his side. She, too, had picked up the smell.
She pulled the flashlight from her pocket and turned it on. By the glare of the beam, they could see a desk in front of a wall mounted computer screen.
"Check the rest of the room," hissed Kusac. "They must have a diagnostic point in here."
Carrie quickly swept the beam around the room before flicking it off. Briefly, it had illuminated double doors leading to the kitchen area.
"Nothing," she whispered. "They probably don't have diagnostic ports at every console."
"What's through there?"
"Kitchens. You don't want to go in there," she said, reaching out to hold him back.
"Why?"
"The Valtegans like as much raw meat as they can get. Raw and still bleeding," she emphasized.
Kusac wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"We could wander around looking for a port until dawn at this rate," he muttered angrily. "Is there anyone nearby?"
"No," replied Carrie. "Wait! There is someone heading this way."
"Who?" demanded Kusac.
"A very hungry Valtegan who shouldn't be in this area," she chuckled.
"He'll do. How far away is he?"
"Far enough for us to get out of here and surprise him," replied Carrie, moving toward the door.
Silently, they crept out of the room and waited in the shadows by the entrance.
Leave this to me, came Carrie's thought.
A nervous head poked through the door and looked about quickly. It froze, eyes bulging in fear, then a Valtegan walked stiff-leggedly into the room.
Kusac opened his mouth to protest but Carrie's answer came first.
War, was all she said.
As the Valtegan halted, Kusac moved out of the shadows and helped himself to the soldier's side arm. He placed the muzzle under the other's chin.
"We need to find a diagnostic point for your computer. You're going to take us to one. Do you understand?" he said in perfect Valtegan.
Carrie relaxed her control and the soldier began to slump until Kusac jabbed the gun harder against his jaw.
/> "One sound or one wrong move and you're dead," said Carrie from his other side.
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