Alien Salute

by Charles Ingrid

  Colin scratched his chin reflectively. “Do you trust this Milot?”

  “Not as far as I can throw him which, even wearing a suit, won’t be far. Since the Thraks have allied with us, they expect us to operate on the basis of ‘an enemy of my friend is my enemy also.’ ”

  “Convenient,” Amber muttered.

  “More than convenient. The attitude is the whole purpose of the alliance, I think. That, and the deep infiltration of the Triad and Dominion systems which they could never achieve before. When the wraps come off this alliance in a week, Colin—you’ll think we’ve been invaded successfully.”

  “That bad?”

  “Worse.”

  “Then I’ve come to the right man.” Colin straightened. “You remember the report I showed you.”

  “Vaguely.”

  “I’ve got Denaro there starting the basics of a dig. We discussed it, and we discussed my fears regarding the operation. If we’ve allied with the Thraks, Jack, they’ve given no indication of it on the outer rim. We’ve been harassed to the point of open strafing. I came to ask you to send an independent detachment to cover my people before I have a slaughter on my hands.”

  Jack felt pain in his expression. “If you’d asked me two weeks ago, I’d have had the authority. Now General Guthul is over me. I’d never get orders past him and Baadluster. How recent are your transmissions? Hostilities should have ceased.”

  “Oh, Jack.” Amber sank down.

  Colin shook his head. “I talked to Denaro last night. The Thraks are bold and nasty, according to him.”

  Jack spread his hands. “There’s nothing I can do.”

  Amber got to her feet and went to the door. She paused at the portal and looked back over her shoulder. “The Jack Storm I knew wouldn’t have let that stop him.”

  He looked at her. The scorn on her beautiful face pierced him. He felt it wrenching his gut somewhere just behind his navel. Hadn’t he told himself a variation of that ever since he’d left the dais on Columbia without even an attempt to kill either Tricatada or Guthul? He felt a spasm in his left eyelid.

  “There’s more to it than you know, Amber.”

  “I know you,” she bit off. “And I know that if you have doubts over the Ash-Farel and the Thraks, that they’re well-founded. I have never seen you hesitate to do the right thing, no matter how hard or difficult it was. Until now.”

  Colin put his hand on her elbow. “Amber, dear heart—”

  She shook him off. “Don’t dear heart me! I’m not your little street girl anymore! I’m a woman. I sleep with him and I love him and goddamn it, I can’t even look him straight in the eye any more! So don’t tell me what to do. Tell him.” With a strangled sob, she bolted out the door of the privacy booth.

  Colin looked at Jack with a stricken expression. “She didn’t mean it.”

  Jack swallowed. It was difficult. He returned, “I think she did. And she’s right. I don’t have much time this afternoon because I’m waiting for a contingent of Thrakian warriors to come in. They’ll be blended in with my Knights. I’m supposed to give them armor, for Chrissakes.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “No one does. I haven’t even had the heart to tell the rest of my men yet. They died in droves on Klaktut. They saw things no one should ever have to see. And now I have to go and tell them that the enemy is now our ally.” Jack broke off. His chest felt tight. He hadn’t even worn his armor since they’d come back, unable to take the mental punishment Bogie had given him. Bogie felt that he’d surrendered on Columbia without even a fight.

  But he’d told K’rok he wasn’t finished. He just wasn’t sure of the right time or place.

  He looked at Colin and saw the Walker watching him. Watching him with a speechless pity etched on his handsome yet aged face. “Dammit, Colin, don’t look at me like that!”

  Colin shook his head. “Amber’s right,” he said, wonderingly, and made a move toward the door.

  Jack said, “I could only send ten. And they’d have to leave tonight. No word, no warning.”

  Colin smiled. “I can pilot a corsair.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “I’m a man of hidden talents.”

  Jack thought rapidly. A corsair was much faster than a needier—in and out of hyperspace—quicker because of its smallness. A thirty-man crew was its capacity. Ten or eleven of them, with armor and field packs, would equal that mass.

  “And,” Colin added smoothly, “I don’t know about the alliance yet.”

  “No.” Jack felt himself smiling in return. “You don’t. It would be difficult for me to withhold troop protection from you without telling you my reasoning.”

  “And,” the Walker added, “you could go along to make sure diplomacy doesn’t get out of hand.” Jack nodded. “Find a corsair and it’s a deal.”

  “Good.” Colin opened the portal. Amber stood beyond. She grinned. “When are we leaving?”

  Chapter 30

  To give her credit, she didn’t look surprised when Jack answered, “There’s no ‘we’ about it. You’re staying here. We’re taking a corsair. There’s room enough for me and Colin and seven Knights.”

  She brushed her hair back from her face and said nothing as Jack pressed a button, then bellowed, “Lassaday! Get up here!” and turned back to her. “No arguments?”

  She looked to Colin. “Even a saint needs a bodyguard.”

  The older man smiled wearily. “Ah, my dear. You’ve done a better job protecting this old husk in the past than I have—but I bow to Jack’s decision. This is one trip it won’t be easy getting back from.””

  “Since when has that ever stopped me?”

  “Since now.” Jack’s eyes darkened and she stilled her tongue, knowing when she’d gone far enough with him.

  Lassaday came panting onto the bridge. “Yes, sir?”

  “What’s the last word on our new recruits?”

  “Th’ bugs, ser, are in quarantine now. They’ll be waitin’ for pickup just after darkfall.”

  Colin said, “I’ll go get ready.”

  Lassaday let him pass and looked at his commander with a quizzical expression.

  “Can you get along without me for a few weeks?”

  “With that stinking bear of a humanoid and those bugs?” Lassaday made a face as Jack looked at him, then said, “If I have to.”

  “Good. I need seven volunteers, a suicide mission, seasoned only—and men who can keep their mouths shut. And no one, such as yourself, vital to keeping a chain of command here at the center.” Which, Jack reflected sadly, left out Lassaday, Travellini, and Rawlins.

  “I’d give my right nut to go with you,” Lassaday returned. He sighed. “When d’you want them?”

  “We leave at dusk.”

  The sergeant crossed his bulky arms over his chest. “What’s up, commander?”

  “Our renegade Walker saint is about to embark on a mission which will seriously jeopardize our new alliance with the Thrakian League. Since I cannot reveal the treaty to him at this time, I have no choice but to accompany him in hopes of settling whatever grievances may occur without serious diplomatic breaches.”

  “Ah.” Lassaday smiled widely. “I sincerely hope you get a chance to kick ass, ser.”

  “Me, too, Lassaday, me, too.”

  Jack looked the ground shuttle over. Colin sat next to him, muffled in a work jumper that neatly hid his Walker robes, which he had politely declined to remove in favor of being inconspicuous. Now, dressed as a port traffic director, he was in danger of being drafted to dock vehicles, but at least he was somewhat disguised.

  The ground shuttle vibrated as seven Knights in full armor got aboard. Jack checked them out.

  “Aaron.”

  “Sir!” His voice betrayed the tension his young face hid.

  “Garner.” No surprise there, the grizzled streetwise veteran hardly missed a chance to follow Jack into the tough spots. “Feeling fit?”

  “Guaranteed, sir.�
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  “Tinsdale.”

  “Sir.”

  “I asked for experienced men.”

  “I was a mercenary, sir. One of the few you missed when you took out General Gilgenbush’s fortress satellite a few years back.”

  Surprise flooded Jack. Those were survival days when it was just him and Amber against the system. “Is this a grudge, cadet?”

  “No, sir. I hate Thraks damn near as much as you do.”

  Jack had to live with his qualms. If Lassaday had singled out the man, Jack had to trust the sergeant.

  “Maussaud.”

  “Sir.”

  No problem there. He’d gone to Bythia and back with Jack.

  A lean Knight in deep blue armor sat. Jack didn’t recognize the battle suit. He pointed. “Sound off, cadet.”

  “Skyler, sir.” The voice was a trifle hollow.

  “Experienced?”

  “Lassaday sent me, sir.”

  Jack fought a smile. “All right then.” He saw two gray suits move into the other bank of seats on the shuttle.

  “Rodriguez, sir.”

  “And Patma.”

  Jack nodded to Colin. “There’s our lucky seven.”

  The prelate returned a shaky smile. “Let’s hope so.”

  *And me you get as a bonus,* Bogie remarked.

  Jack looked down the back of the ground shuttle. “We’re stealing a corsair. We’re going in under the pretense of taking out the twenty-four Thrakian recruits who’ve been sent to us under the new alliance exchange program. That will get us in past security. What will get us out is keeping your cool and following my lead. Colin is unarmored. Protect him at all costs if any trouble breaks out. But I don’t want any heroes. Understood?”

  The affirmatives echoed. Jack put his helmet on. He sat down to drive.

  WP security took a long look at Jack. Finally, he removed his helmet to look the man in the eye. The sentry was framed by needlers and corsairs at his back. Jack sorely wanted to walk over him and be on his way. “I was told quarantine was lifted.”

  The man shifted unhappily. “Yes, sir. You understand, commander, I have to be careful.”

  “I understand that you’re holding us up. You’ve got the port screwed down and locked tight, but the longer you hold those Thraks bottled up here, the more risk you run that someone’s going to see them. I got the impression we’ve been trying to avoid that.” Jack leaned on what he knew of World Police procedure.

  Unhappiness etched deep into the WP man’s face. “You got that right, Commander Storm. And that one ton Milot is eating us out of the cafeteria. All right. Berth 41.”

  Jack eased back into the driver’s seat and pulled the shuttle around the security post.

  He waited until he was out of earshot before muttering, “Good. Berth 41 is out in no man’s land.”

  Colin was scanning the printout Jonathan had given to him before leaving.

  Jack looked over at it. “Where in the hell did he get that?”

  The reverend looked up. “I don’t think hell had a thing to do with it. I don’t know where Jonathan gets things like this. I just know he does.” Colin tapped a plastisheet. “There’s a corsair being reoutfitted in Berth 17. It’s the best bet of five listed here. It’s supposed to lift midday tomorrow.”

  “That means the crew is still out enjoying the sins and virtues of Malthen tonight. Sounds good.” Jack checked the overhead map and steered toward Berth 17.

  As he pulled toward the cradle where the slim silver form rested, a hairy black object lumbered in front of the shuttle. Jack hit the brakes, throwing Colin forward against the dash. His helmet went rolling on to the asphalt, and the form bent to retrieve it.

  “Jack, my commander. I be thinking you’d never get here in time for dinner.” K’rok grinned at them over the dash. Behind him, in the distance, a contingent of WP trotted, weapons up.

  “Shit.” Jack helped Colin up. “Make a run for it. They’re after K’rok, but they’ll stop anyone who looks suspicious. Garner, the rest of you, let’s go!”

  The Milot paused. The whites of his eyes showed. “What be this?”

  Jack took his helmet. He looked at his old foe and friend. “I don’t think it would help you to know. We talked once, on Lasertown. I have the same doubts you do.”

  But K’rok nodded. “You are leaving?”

  “I’m on escort duty, but I didn’t have time to ask Guthul’s permission.”

  “Nor did you intend to.” The ursine form sighed heavily. “We have secrets, you and I. I have lived long under the Thraks. I have never been liking it.”

  Jack slapped K’rok’s shoulder. “You run the Knights for me until I get back.”

  “I will. I be running a little interference for the Thraks, too.” K’rok stepped back. He saluted.

  But Jack was looking over the Milot’s shoulder at the wing of WP guards which was now on the run. He slammed the Milot over even as laser fire pinged the ground shuttle’s hood. K’rok hit the ground with a heavy thud and had the sense to lie still.

  Jack put his helmet on as he ran.

  Patma went down just outside the main lock. Jack vaulted his still form. He could see from the damage that he’d lost a man already. Even as he dove through the main lock, the corsair shuddered. Colin was powering up for launch. The lock closed on his heels as two of his men grabbed him and pulled him into the main corridor.

  The irrevocable had begun. Ten days in hypnosleep, and then they would see what Colin’s new world had to offer them.

  The corsair slipped out of hyperspace and Colin sat back with a heavy sigh. “So far, so good.”

  “What are we looking for?”

  “Denaro’s got coords pretty well set up. The norcite deposits are in the mountainous area I indicated to you earlier. And locals had superstitions about the regions.”

  “Locals?”

  “Yes. None left. Colinada is a plague planet.”

  Jack sat down, feeling none too sharp after days of hypnosleep. “Colinada?”

  “Denaro wanted to name it for me. I insisted it be feminine. A planet is a lot like a woman, I think. They all have hidden beauty and dangerous wiles.”

  There was a sharp movement in the cabin behind them where three of the Knights were up and about.

  “What’s this about a plague?”

  “The locals were wiped out about forty years ago, The Dominion sent in their best anthropologists and xenobiologists, but the predominant mammals couldn’t be saved. It’s been quarantined ever since.”

  “And it was your bright idea to break the quarantine.”

  Colin rubbed the back of his neck before answering, “Actually, no. We became interested in it after the Thraks did. A few years after their survey, we made one of our own. Plague or not, after Lasertown and Bythia, I could hardly ignore it.”

  “Right.” Jack slumped lower in the copilot’s seat. A red panel went on. “Looks like I’d better get back in armor. And I want you in a deepsuit.”

  “When the time comes, I’ll be ready.”

  Jack feel Colin’s gaze as he left the control cabin. He barely had the suit sealed when he felt the first blow. The corsair rocked. Jack screwed his helmet on and ran forward.

  Colin was getting hastily into a deepsuit. The instrument panel blinked, and Jack could see blips coming across a target grid.

  “Amen,” said Colin. “We’re going to have trouble getting in.”

  Jack looked over the screens. “Not if you’re any good at sewing.”

  “What?” The Walker stared at him in astonishment.

  Jack tapped the target grid. “It’s called ‘Threading the Needle.’ If you can do it, you’ll get us past the Thraks.”

  Colin did a double take, then sat down. His hands shook slightly as he reached out for the controls, taking the corsair off automatic pilot. “This is a young man’s game,” he muttered. Jack stood behind him and finished sealing up the vacuum suit. “You asked to be a player.”

&nb
sp; “So I did, heaven help me. Buckle down back there. This is going to be a little rough.”

  Colin was not normally given to understatement, but the corsair bucked and twisted. Jack swore and reached out to steady himself as the slender vehicle attempted to outrun and outmaneuver the immense Thrakian mother ships riding herd over Colinada’s orbital approaches. He was uncertain whether the old mercenary offensive pattern would work… but it was better than no chance at all.

  There was a high-pitched scream of metal and the ship shuddered violently. Colin thrust out, “Sweet Jesus, we’ve punched through!”

  Jack twisted around.

  “Damage?”

  “In the tail section.”

  “Anybody back there?”

  It was Garner’s shaken voice that answered, “Not now. And the bulkhead’s sealed off.”

  The five remaining Knights fell silent.

  “Who’d we lose?”

  “Tinsdale, sir.”

  Jack took a deep breath. An uneasiness lifted from his shoulders. He never wanted to lose a man, but he had not wanted to trust the ex-mercenary. “All right,” he said.

  The blue Knight got unsteadily to his feet, made his way across the corridor, and disappeared inside the toilet. A sound of retching followed his retreat.

  The flight of the corsair smoothed considerably. Colin inhaled deeply. “I’m picking up Denaro’s homing signal.”

  “Good. They’re on our tail, reverend.”

  “What?”

  Jack shook his head. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? And these are Talons. Keep it on manual and you can outrun them.”

  Colin mopped his forehead with the back of one hand, muttering, “And I thought I had faith.”

  Jack laughed. It was punctuated by an explosion and he had just enough time to grab his helmet.

  Chapter 31

  All right, get your chutes on. We’re going to take this just like a drop.” Jack braced himself in the cockpit hatchway as the corsair shivered again.

  Garner and Aaron had hold of Skyler’s limp form between them as they dragged him into the corridor. Jack sized up the situation and decided they had it well in hand. Skyler’s blue gauntlets twitched as he became semiconscious. “But, commander, this is—”