Double Spiral War Trilogy

by Warren Norwood

  “Excellent, General,” Pajandcan’s image said. “We’ve already begun planning on that.”

  Mari was startled. “Good. The Joint Chiefs have surprised me again. How soon can you be ready to –“

  “No Joint Chief approval necessary.” Pajandcan’s face cracked in a static filled smile. “This is part of our extended defense plan. We would request that you choose a coordinator on Delta-One as quickly as possible to facilitate –“

  “Do you have enough reserve without Joint Chiefs’ approval?” Mari asked. He was suddenly worried about Pajandcan’s judgment.

  “Yes, sir. But you’d better tell Schopper yourself.”

  Schopper’s face replaced Pajandcan’s on the screen.

  “You heard what I told Admiral Pajandcan. I want the maximum number of troops you have available, Henry.”

  There was a long pause in the transmission before Schopper answered. “Not enough to do that, sir.”

  “Find enough, Henry, or I’ll relieve you and find them myself. Is that understood?”

  Again there was a pause. “Understood,” Schopper said reluctantly, “but that will strip Delta-Nine below a safe minimum. If the Joint Chiefs find out about this –“

  “You let me worry about minimums. And Henry, don’t forget that I’m still a member of the Joint Chiefs. Now listen to what I’m about to tell the admiral. I want those preliminary plans ready by the time I return.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Thanks, Fortuno,” Pajandcan said as her face returned to the screen.

  Mari glanced at the clock. He had slightly more than five minute to tell Pajandcan what he wanted her to know. “I’ll give you the current setup,” he said, “and the best general approach we could come up with. The details I’ll send in a series of burst messages as soon as it is safe.”

  Giving her first the general disposition of the Uke forces, and then his assessment of their weak points, Mari quickly used all but the last few seconds of his allotted time.

  “The rest to follow,” he said quickly. “Mari, out.”

  The co-sergeant cut whatever response Pajandcan made with a sharp flick of the shut-down switch. “Cut it close, there, General, but I don’t think the Ukes –“

  A distant rumble made them both look up as drops of water splattered the plasheet covering over the communications area.

  “Antenna’s down,” a tech in the back of the area said. “No response on the line.”

  “Ukes are getting better, General. Maybe you’d better – “

  A series of rumbling explosions overhead shook the whole cave. Pebbles and small rocks joined the water showering down on them from its roof. Instinctively Mari crouched beside the bench and checked his pistol.

  His greatest fear was that the cave would collapse on top of him. The sudden claustrophobia made him want to run, but his self-discipline kept him still. In the distance he could hear officers yelling orders, and beyond that the sharp barks of a twenty-one millimeter automatic rifle.

  Mari forced himself to stop the building panic and control his rapid breathing. As he debated what to do next, the twenty-one stopped firing, and the yells became less frantic. He stood up in time to greet a breathless, young, pikean gun-sergeant, her face flushed from running. “All clear, sir,” she panted.

  “What was it, Sergeant?”

  “Two Uke flyers. We shot ‘em down. Lieutenant Morris is calling for salvage parties now to check wreckage.”

  “Who’s in charge out there?”

  “Post-Captain Pena, sir.”

  “Tell him I want to see him,” Mari said. While he waited he poured himself another mug of tea and calmed his nerves. The communications crew was methodically checking their equipment, their voices counterpointed by water and pebbles still trickling from the cave’s roof onto the plasheet. Mari shivered. The last place he wanted to die was in a cave.

  Pena reported a few minutes later.

  “Captain, what is the damage to our antennas?”

  “Can no say yet, Heneral,” Captain Pena said in a thick pikean accent. “We did send parties up the top, but will be several hours before we have report down. All communications lines broken.”

  “We don’t have several hours, Captain. If the Ukes hit the antennas, that means that’s how they found us. So if they’re damaged, we have to get them down and get out of here. I want a report in thirty minutes.”

  “Heneral, we can do no faster than –“

  “Thirty minutes, Captain,” Mari said, “or I’ll relieve you of your diamonds and give them to someone who knows what to do with them. Git!”

  Captain Dias appeared as quickly as Post-Captain Pena disappeared from in front of him.

  “We should have to move to alternate site, sir,” Dias said with a quick salute. “There was third flyer that escaped.”

  “Very well, Captain. Prepare the move. Where is this alternate site?”

  “Rattail Cavern, sir. About four kilometers up valley.”

  Mari frowned. “You think that’s far enough away?”

  “General Porras thought it was, sir. Rattail is much less easy to find.”

  “How long will it take to set up there? I want to let Porras know we’ve moved as soon as possible.”

  “Five hours. Maybe six. Be dark soon and we can go faster to move the equipment.”

  “Give the orders, Captain. As soon as it’s dark, we’ll move all the communications equipment and –“

  “Signal coming through!” a voice shouted from the communications area. “Ice Cat is operational.”

  “Change one,” Mari said immediately. Ice Cat was the code name for Porras’s attack on Gresham. For some reason it had started ahead of schedule and Mari was loath to break their connection with Porras for any reason, now, if he could hold onto it and still make the move safely.

  “The radio section will remain here until you can set up a new receiver in Rattail.” Mari didn’t know how Captain Pena had managed to reconnect the antenna, but he was going to hang onto that link as long as he could. As Captain Dias left to get the move started, Mari’s thoughts were with Operation Ice Cat.

  * * * *

  Inspector Thel Janette smiled with satisfaction as Xindella’s lightspeed freighter settled onto its pad on Oina. It had taken much longer than she wanted to get the approval from Sci-Sec for this mission, and even longer to pressure Drautzlab into guaranteeing the fifty thousand credits. Yet this stop at Oina was the first real step toward finding Ayne Wallen.

  Only the knowledge that Drauztlab’s first star-size experiment had failed darkened her mood. She was sure that failure was not all the report had indicated, but for the moment she had other things to worry about, not the least of which was dealing with this new Oinaise.

  Xindella had insisted that he could not accomplish this task she had set for him without the assistance of some powerful cousin of his, and Janette had sense enough to accept that reasoning for the time being. However, she was totally unprepared for the human who greeted them when they finally left Xindella’s ship.

  “I’m Captain Teeman,” Lucky said. He was as startled by the imposing beauty of Inspector Janette as she was by his presence.

  “Pleased, Captain,” Janette said, ignoring his outstretched hand, “but I thought we were to meet –“

  “Delightful Childe is mating,” Xindella said as he shuffled past both of them. “I told you that.”

  Before Janette could say anything, Xindella had shuffled around a corner and disappeared.

  Lucky laughed. “He certainly doesn’t have Delightful Childe’s manners, but he’s headed in the right direction. Shall we go, Inspector?” Janette grabbed his arm before he could move and stared at him with cold blue eyes. Her grip was as strong as she was beautiful, but she had immediately lost some of her attraction by grabbing him.

  “Not yet, Captain, uh, Teeman, is it?”

  Lucky slowly removed her hand from his arm. “It is, Inspector. Where’d you learn your manners? Fr
om Xindella?”

  Janette frowned. “Why are you here?”

  She was making it easier and easier for him to dislike her and Lucky knew that she wasn’t likely to impress Delightful Childe much with her attitude. “Because Delightful Childe couldn’t be here. And because I’m his partner. And because he has some totally bizarre notion that I’m going to help you and Xindella rescue some idiot from Texnor. Any more questions, Inspector?”

  “Yes. What do you know about this ‘idiot’ we want to rescue from Texnor?”

  “Not a damned thing, Inspector.” Something about her, certain coldness in her voice, finally pushed him over the edge of anger. Without a word he turned and started walking away from her. Much to his surprise she ran up beside him and slipped her arm gently through his.

  “My apologies, Captain Teeman. I am afraid I was so surprised to be greeted by a human that I quite forgot myself.”

  “Things are strange all over,” Lucky said, looking down at her with a forced smile. Even her arm felt cold on his.

  “Indeed they are. Shall I tell you about the man I want to rescue, or shall I save that until we meet Delightful Childe?”

  “Might as well save it, ‘cause I have no intention of helping you, Inspector.”

  “And why is that?”

  Lucky thought she sounded genuinely dismayed. “Because Texnor is one of the nastiest places in the galaxy for one thing. For another, there’s only one thing I want from the U.C.S. and you can’t get it for me. There aren’t enough credits in your pockets or anyone else’s to lure me back into the U.C.S. except for my own reasons.”

  “You sound bitter, Captain.”

  “You’re damned right I’m bitter,” he said, pulling his arm away from hers. “Aren’t you? Or hasn’t this war affected the cold hands of Scientific-Security?”

  “What is it you want from the U.C.S.?” she asked, ignoring the question.

  “None of your business.” Lucky was ready to be shed of her. The rest of the way to Delightful Childe’s he kept his mouth shut and let her ask questions of the thin air. Finally she got the hint and quit asking.

  Janette was amused and annoyed by Captain Teeman, but she knew that there was more to him than he was willing to show her. Because she understood that she had approached him wrong, she made a mental note to try a softer note with him later. Might even offer to teach him some zero-g exercises.

  Hours later Lucky’s opinion of Inspector Janette had changed considerably. Not only had she seemingly convinced Delightful Childe that there was more than a matter of credits involved with ‘rescuing’ Ayne Wallen, she had almost convinced Lucky. But rescue had turned out to be the wrong word. Kidnapping was a more appropriate term. She had given them absolutely no indication that this Ayne Wallen wanted to leave Texnor.

  “All right,” Lucky said during a brief lull in the conversation, “I’m convinced that you’re a super snoop and that this Wallen character is a real threat to peace. I even believe that you and Sci-Sec have a respectable plan for getting us safely dirtside on Texnor. But how in a blazing nova are we going to find Wallen? And then, how are we going to get him out of there? Especially if he doesn’t want to come?”

  “As I told you, Captain, we have connections on Texnor.” Janette was beginning to wish that Xindella had attended this meeting. At least she could bluff him.

  “That is insufficient and vague,” Delightful Childe said with a sharp snort. “You ask us to risk a ship and Captain Teeman’s life on this venture, while revealing far too little about your plan. I fear we must decline our assistance.”

  Lucky was surprised and pleased by Delightful Childe, but kept his mouth shut and watched Inspector Janette to see how she would respond to that.

  “Then Xindella and I will proceed alone,” she said with much more confidence than she felt.

  “That would be difficult,” Delightful Childe said, holding his head higher above the screen and showing his teeth. “Cousin Xindella sends his apologies, but claims it is necessary for him to return to Patros.”

  “He cannot!” Janette said. “He promised to –“

  “He is leaving now,” Delightful Childe said calmly. “I believe you are – what is the gentoungue word? – ah, yes. I believe you are stranded here, Inspector.”

  Janette was furious, but she quickly brought her anger under control enough to sputter, “Stop him. Stop him.”

  “Stop him? I cannot do that. Xindella is free to come and go as he chooses. There will be other ships to take you to Patros, Inspector.” Delightful Childe did not like her very much, but he, too, felt anger toward Xindella for placing this unwanted burden on him. “Perhaps we could arrange for Captain Teeman to take you there.”

  Lucky laughed. “Sorry, Inspector, but it looks like you’re stuck with us for a while, because I’m not about to take you to Patros for less than ten thousand credits.”

  Janette had a sudden idea that tempered her anger. “On one condition,” she said slowly. “I’ll pay you the ten thousand credits to take me back to Patros, but there is a star in the March Cluster I want to visit on the way.”

  “The March Cluster is neither on the way to Patros, nor inhabited,” Delightful Childe said. “Why should you wish to visit it?”

  “For ten thousand credits, I’ll visit where I please,” Janette said.

  “Outside the U.C.S.,” Lucky added.

  Janette knew there was little hope now of getting to Texnor, but perhaps there was another approach she could use to get her hands on Ayne Wallen. “Very well,” she said slowly, “outside the U.C.S. But I want to go as soon as possible.”

  Lucky shrugged his shoulders. Marsha wasn’t due to reach Yakusan for another month or so according to her last message, and until then he had nothing better to do. And ten thousand credits was more than he could earn doing anything else during that time. “If this transaction pleases my partner, and you pay the credits in advance,” he said with a nod toward Delightful Childe, “I’ll do it.” The rapid babble of Vardequerqueglot from behind the screen told him Delightful Childe’s mate was nagging him again.

  “Nothing pleases me,” Delightful Childe said, ducking his head below the screen to silence Nondoah. “Do as you will,” he called finally when Nindoah refused to stop talking. Delightful Childe swore in violent gentongue never to mate again.

  Lucky laughed again and Janette allowed herself a smile. Perhaps this trip would not be in vain after all.

  20

  OLMIS HAD MOVED from Wallbank to Yaffee and destroyed seven more Sondak ships with eleven missiles during a Standard month of hunting. After conferring with Bon and Kleber, Ishiwa had signaled for a resupply rendezvous with the hunk-tender off the third star in the Ivy Chain. Olmis was down to two missiles for her forward tube, and one aft, and Ishiwa decided it was time to rearm the ship, and give the crew a much deserved rest.

  Ruto Ishiwa needed a break from their patrol even more than the crew did. In addition to all the battle duties that interrupted his rest periods, he and Andria Kleber had spent every moment they could making love in his cabin. He had begun to think she was trying to set new records for sexual endurance. Andria Kleber was almost insatiable.

  At first her extravagant sexual appetite had been delightfully exciting for him. Ishiwa had reveled in the new joys and desires she had aroused, and the levels of response she had brought him to. However, the more often they made love, the less eager he was to do it again right away. The intensity of her demands had worn away his excitement until his weary body cried for rest.

  Kleber never seemed to need relief from their excesses the way he did. She seemed more than content to hold him when he slept and drain him again when he awoke. When Ishiwa refused to respond to her sexual advances, he felt guilty about leaving her unsatisfied. When he gave in, fatigue later tore at his reserve of strength during his hours on duty. Neither choice satisfied him, yet he was reluctant to put her off any more than he did. Her unlimited desire for him was still enough compensat
ion for his fatigue – but only barely enough.

  “You are tired, Ruto,” she whispered in his ear. “I can feel the trembling in your muscles when you hold me.”

  “Yes, I am tired. The rest will be good for all of us.”

  “Are you angry with me?”

  “No, Andria. Of course I am not angry with you,” he whispered, dreading where this would lead. “How could I be angry with one so lovely as you?”

  “Because I tax your strength. My mother warned me that I wanted more than one man could give. I did not believe her.”

  “Nor should you,” Ishiwa lied, pulling her closer. With a slow soft movement she pulled one of his thighs between her legs and rocked gently against him. He had hoped that just this once she would be willing merely to go to sleep. After a moment’s indecision, Ishiwa chose to respond, and turned his face to hers.

  She reacted without hesitation, and it didn’t take them long to couple. Andria quickly got on top and pressed down on him with deliberate slowness. Ishiwa’s response changed from decision to instinct as he shifted under her sensuous weight.

  They were both panting heavily in their gallop toward fulfillment when the bridgecaller began pinging insistently over their heads.

  Suddenly Kleber giggled. It was so silly that Ishiwa giggled with her. As he twisted to reach for the bridgecaller, his giggles combined with the shudders of pleasure. His body jerked involuntarily as the spasms controlled him. The bridgecaller provided an odd counterpoint to their unrelenting giggles and his delightful collapse into release.

  When he got to the command deck five minutes later, Ishiwa was still weak in the knees, but he was smiling. “What do you have, Bon?”

  “I think we’re being followed, sir.”

  Ishiwa thought there was a leer in Bon’s return smile, but he ignored it. By now the whole crew knew that Kleber was sleeping with him, and Ishiwa no longer cared. “Range?”