by David Drake
"The ship is nearly empty and the enemy is coming," she said with difficulty, her throat suddenly too dry. "We can't get you out, not in the condition you are in. You are in danger of capture, or taking direct assault. Your capsules are ready, if you decide to use them. If you decide not to, you are warned that we will probably not be able to make a second rescue attempt." She had been taught long since about this warning, but never thought she would have to give it.
The injured were silent but for the sounds made by their monitoring machines.
"Well, its up to you," she said, and turned away.
She had almost reached the bridge again when something occurred to her, something so outrageous that she decided it just might have a chance to succeed. She stepped into the Transmissions room and quickly encoded two zaps, firing them off in two micro-condensed bursts.
"With any luck," she whispered, "they won't be noticed, not with all the fighting going on down here."
As if to confirm this, another disruptor blast shook the Suidotal, this time ripping open most of the starboard side.
Sventur ran for the ladders and pulled herself up them while the ship shuddered and moaned like an animal in its death-throes.
Night had settled in over this part of Lontano. The undergrowth and trees were nothing more than dense shapes some undetermined distance away. The brilliant illumination that held the Suidotal like a specimen on a slide was as limited as it was intense, making the darkness more complete.
She was not more than a dozen steps away from the Glavus, at the very edge of the brightness, when a tremendous concussion lifted her from her feet and flung her into the branches of the nearest cover.
Behind her the Suidotal glowed fantastically as the disruptor at last hit with full power, tearing the ship to molten splinters.
3
Dazed, Sventur found herself on all fours trying to figure out how she got there. Her head rang and her eyes were not working quite right. She could smell smoke and the greater odor of hot alloys. Mechanically she began to move away from the heat, uncertain of where she was going.
Then Tech Leader Kurdy Ancelott was at her side, shouting at her to be heard. "Come on, Sventur! We've got to get out of here. The crawlers are waiting."
"Right," she said, amazed at how she croaked when she spoke.
Provisions Leader Sather Crozzer joined them, grinning his ferocious Standbyer grin. He took hold of her arm and hauled her upright. "You were the one who said we had to get moving," he reminded her, and set about getting her through the underbrush. His expression was set and his eyes were very bright with purpose. He refused to look over his shoulder.
"Is the fire spreading?" Sventur asked when they had gone far enough to escape the heat at their backs.
" Some. Not enough to worry us yet. We've got the crew just over the ridge, including the Group Line Chief. He's not in great shape, but he's holding on. We're getting the wounded aboard the crawlers, for speed and protection. Okay? Hsuin's been protesting being taken along. He thinks he'll slow us down too much. He's having trouble with his leg and can't walk at all." Crozzer was looking tired himself, and there were smudges on his face from the fire and smoke.
"He'll be in the crawlers; it doesn't matter," said Sventur, her head clearing now. "The crew can take care of him, even without the Bunters."
"It's harder without Bunters," said Crozzer.
"All their Bunters are down," said Sventur by way of explanation.
Ancelott grunted. "He said that. Must have been hard, working without Bunters."
"They have . . . had wounded on board. Without Bunters, they . . . had only monitors." Sventur hated to think of those unfortunate crew members who had been lost with the ship. She hoped that the end—from the disruptor or their capsules—and been swift and merciful.
"A bad situation. Our Bunters will have to work overtime, once we get back to the ship. We'll manage until then," said Ancelott, and tugged more firmly on Sventur's arm. "The Bastan'gal will start patrolling as soon as the fire's out. We'd better be out of here."
"No argument," said Sventur, and shook herself free of the guiding hold of her two men. "Just tell me which way to go."
"Toward the ridge," said Crozzer.
Without another word, Sventur lengthened her stride and pressed her way through the underbrush and the night.
In the last three hours they had covered a considerable distance back toward the Daichirucken, the crawlers keeping pace with those on foot, occasionally providing something to ride when the ground became too rough for those on foot who had been displaced from the interiors by the injured Only the Mromrosii seemed unaffected by the trek; whether in the crawlers or with those walking, they were unrelentingly active and cheerful.
They had almost reached their Glavus when the Yamapunkt appeared, circling overhead with most navigational lights off except for the identifying green-and-purple flashes on the rear vane.
"About time," said Crozzer to Sventur as they looked up.
"I wonder where they were?" said Bio-Tech Mondragon.
"Probably lost, or evading Bastan'gal," said Sventur, wanting to end speculation as quickly as possible. "Maybe providing a diversion."
"Or Grands, they might have been leading the Grands astray," said Lauy-Rei from the forward command seat of the front crawler.
The two Mromrosii were huddled in the corner of the crawler, one of them a luminous puce, the other a mauvey-grey. Their high, fast squeaks and clicks were just loud enough to be noticeable and mildly distracting.
"We don't know that the Grands have taken an active part in this. All we know is that Line Commander Fayrborn has run off to their ship. The rest is guesswork." Sventur knew this was useless as she spoke, and had her certainty rewarded by Ancelott.
"We can make some pretty good guesses, Group line Chief. Better than good." Ancelott's glower deepened and he added, "Pogging Grands. They did this to us. Somehow, they did it."
"Save it for later, when we're safe," recommended Communications Leader Parker Parkerman with an annoyed gesture in Ancelott's direction. "Right now we need help. And the Yamapunkt is a Petit ship."
"I don't want to get anyone into trouble," said Sventur with real concern as the Yamapunkt hovered overhead "We know what we think is going on, but if we start making accusations, the Grands could make us look pretty pogging foolish if they have an answer on record."
"And you know sperking well there is an explanation on record," added Lauy-Rei. "And I would like to know what it is."
"How long before they land?" asked Mondragon. "And where are they going to land?"
"I don't know," said Sventur. "Maybe someone in the crawlers has had contact with them while we were gone?" She looked around, waiting for a response from her crews.
"All silent," said Parkerman.
Mondragon sighed. "I wish they'd reached us before now."
"I don't think so," said Lauy-Rei. "It could provide a signal for the enemy to home on."
True," said Sventur, and took a chance with her communicator, ordering the crawlers to halt for the moment, thinking quickly. "We need a break in any case," she added, "Yamapunkt here or not. And the wounded need help."
"That's the truth," said Lauy-Rei, and for the first time since their rescue mission began she looked truly tired.
As the crawlers pulled into a circle, the Yamapunkt dropped lower, still hovering over them.
"What's happening?" Godwendo inquired from the crawler. "What's going on?"
"We're taking a break," Sventur alerted them all. "If it looks safe, we'll arrange for the Yamapunkt to take the wounded."
"Right," approved Crozzer. "Get the Bunters to take care of them, that's the way."
"That's what I thought," said Sventur. "We're in no position to give any treatment—that's Bunters' work, in any case. The sooner the wounded are in their hands, the better."
Crozzer gave a single nod. "Getting on it."
"What word do we have from them?" asked Sve
ntur, looking over at Lauy-Rei. "Anything coming through?"
"Old code," said Lauy-Rei, examining the pattern on the communications display. "Their ship's damaged. They're going to outside voice hailers."
As soon as she said this, a huge, artificial baritone boomed down from overhead. "Good to see you, Petits."
For some reason she could not explain, the phrase bothered Sventur. It was not the blatantly imitation sound of the voice, but something more, something she could not identify. All the relief that had washed over her left her at once. She pressed the emergency-shield trigger before she used her hailer. "We have wounded, Yamapunkt."
Both Mromrosii capered toward the communications display, one of them now bright pink, the other chartreuse.
"We'll take them off your hands. You can have a ride back to your ship, as well, if you like. We can handle a double load that far," offered the manufactured voice.
"Good of you to say so," Sventur responded. "But we don't want to abandon the crawlers unless we have to." She looked around the cramped command center, realizing that some of the others were disappointed to hear her give up the advantages of speed and comfort.
The falsely human voice sounded disappointed. "You're probably being too cautious, Group line Chief Sventur. Let us take you aboard."
"Ommerik?" Sventur inquired, wondering that the Executive Officer of the Yamapunkt would use a ship-created voice to speak with her.
"Communications Leader Gara Gaikhu," the voice corrected, and gave Sventur something of a shock, for it seemed strange that the gorgeous and flirtatious Gaikhu would ever disguise her identity, let. alone her sex.
"Gaikhu," said Sventur. "Where's Ommerik?" She felt herself grow cold as she asked the question. Executive Officer Ommerik was in charge of the Yamapunkt and he should be the one speaking to her, even though Gaikhu was in charge of communications. "I want to make a report to him, so you can relay it to Goriz."
"It's a bad thing about Ommerik," said Gaikhu, still in the communicator-generated male voice of the ship. "We found him two hours ago, dead. One of the pitons from the surface supplies had been . . . He was stabbed."
"Pogging bonocks!" Sventur swore.
"His Bunter found him," said Gaikhu through the machine.
"You made your report yet?" Sventur asked, aware that many of those in the crawlers were listening attentively.
"How could such a misfortune befall Executive Officer Ommerik?" asked the pink Mromrosi. "Surely there has been a breach of security."
"About to zap The Hub. Coded, of course," said Gaikhu. "For the time being, Diam Bontorn is in charge up here; another Lontaniano, like you."
Sventur knew the Protocol Officer of the Yamapunkt slightly, so said, "Not bad."
The voice blared away. "So you know we can manage it. Send the wounded up and we'll get them into care. If you insist on finding your way back, go ahead, but let us take the wounded."
"It'd make more sense for you to send down two Bunters," said Sventur, knowing full well this was an absurd suggestion. She was unable to shake the certainty that there was something very wrong aboard the Yamapunkt. Too much had happened on that ship and in too short a time—it rankled. She chided herself inwardly for such unnecessary caution, but continued to hold to her conviction. "Two Bunters will be enough. Most of the injuries are not serious."
One of the Mromrosii was now a nasty shade of milky-peach, his green eye faded from emerald to bottle. According to the Mromrosii, this happened when they did their version of meditation. The other was a neutral khaki color with faint rosy points on the tips of his proliferation of curls.
There was a pause, then the large voice said, "Right you are. Two Bunters."
Sventur was shocked that Gaikhu had not challenged her request, for it was a radical departure from standard procedure, and more astonished when she saw two Bunters being lowered to them on gravity pads.
A few of the Petits gathered outside the crawlers stared at the cyborgs in amazement.
"You mind telling me why you're doing this, Group Line Chief?" Protocol Officer Lauy-Rei whispered to Sventur.
"Later," Sventur said.
The Bunters came to rest in the middle of the crawlers. As soon as the pads were down, the big machines activated themselves. One trundled toward Sventur's crawler and one to Godwendo's. They moved with steady purpose, as Bunters always did.
"We're getting back to Goriz," said Gaikhu, still deep and masculine-sounding on the hailer. "If you're sure there's nothing else we can do?"
"This is great, Yamapunkt. Thanks for everything. See you in a few hours," said Sventur, watching the Glavus rise. Then she shifted her attention and immediately deactivated the communications bank. "Everyone out of here. Out of the crawlers. Now. All crawlers empty. We're going on foot. Lauy-Rei, make sure we have a zap board with us, just in case." Energy fizzed through her, more than she could ever remember feeling. "Three ES minutes."
There was a hint of protest but it was cut short by Lauy-Rei who snapped, "You heard her. Three minutes and out."
Group Leader Demtro Hoad knelt down beside Sventur in the brush beyond the circle of the crawlers. "Do you mind telling me why we're doing this?" he asked in his most reasonable tone. Behind him one of the Mromrosii glistened the color of tarnished silver.
"I, too, am curious about it," said the Mromrosi.
Sventur had an answer for them both. "Simple precaution. Think a little. The Yamapunkt gave the Grands a huge, flashing beacon to where we are, and the Bastan'gal probably are aware of it, too," she said steadily. "Between all the noise and the long hovering, there probably isn't a Grand from here to the Mon Droit Cassiopeia who doesn't know the location of those crawlers."
Hoad shook his head. "Come on, Sventur. You don't really think that—"
He was cut short as a shattering beam of light lanced down from the sky, incinerating the crawlers as it touched them.
"Soko!" exclaimed Hoad.
"Exactly," said Sventur.
The half-dozen irregular moonlets known as Le Node bumbled along through the sky at the end of the night. The small party of Petit Harriers used what little extra light Le Node provided to increase their speed over the rough terrain.
"I don't know how much longer we can keep going," said Group Leader Sather Crozzer. "Even the Bunters aren't holding up well. And Group Line Chief Hsuin can't take much more."
Sventur sighed, for her feet had been aching through the last hour. She let herself come to a halt. "All right. There's a hollow down the hill." She pointed away into the darkness. "We can rest there for a while, but only for a while. If the Grands aren't chasing us, you can be pogging certain the Bastan'gal are."
Lauy-Rei, who had been scouting ahead on the right, came stumbling back toward them. "He's right, Sventur. We can't keep this pace up much longer, dawn or no dawn. We need rest, especially the injured. We have to let the Bunters get to work on them."
"You have a point," said Sventur, accepting the inevitable and needing to sit down long enough to ease her feet.
"We're all exhausted, Group Line Chief," said Mondragon, his voice very weak. His bruised shoulder had swollen and given him a hunchback appearance. "I know I have to rest." He stared at her, then dared to ask his question. "Why wouldn't you let us go aboard the Yamapunkt?'
The two Mromrosii frolicked up to them, one robin's-egg blue, the other periwinkle. "Yes, Group Line Chief, we of the Emerging Planet Fairness Court would like to hear your answer."
There were mutters seconding the question as the rest came nearer. "Yeah, Sventur," said Navigator Gos-Raidan. "Hsuin needs rest and care. You didn't let him have it."
"I didn't think he'd get it on the Yamapunkt," she said slowly. "The ship was too visible. Anyone could make it a target, and that wouldn't do anyone any good." She shoved her free hand deep into her cargo pocket and pulled out two more sheets of high-nutrition rations. "Here," she offered.
A few of the Petits pulled off sections of the concentrated food—it w
as tasteless as waste-paper but incredibly nourishing—and obediently chewed.
"At least we have Bunters to carry Hsuin and Thorgemann," said Ancelott, who was nursing a bad abrasion down the right side of his face. "We couldn't have come this far without them."
Parkerman coughed once, and said, "This isn't some kind of test, is it?"
"But why did we have to come this far?" protested Miya Maht. "All right, I admit that the Yamapunkt could be an obvious target, but—"
"Remember what happened to the crawlers," advised Porree. "It could have been us if Sventur hadn't ordered us out."
"Granted," said Maht impatiently. "But that doesn't mean we have to wander all over the continent in order to get out of range. One of those orbital ships could pick us off in ten seconds if they decided to stop us."
"And that's why we've kept moving," said Sventur as she tore at the rations sheet with her teeth. "Once they realize we weren't in the crawlers, they'll probably begin searching for us. The farther away we are from where they expect to find us, the better chance we have of surviving," she said in her most reasonable tone. "I'm trying to buy us a little time and get us out of the danger zone if I can."
"What good will that do?" Ancelott asked.
"I don't know yet," Sventur admitted. She would not tell anyone about the coded zaps she had sent from the Suidotal just before she left it.
Most of the Petit Harriers nodded, though Executive Officer Khirmian TeRoumei looked seriously displeased and Group Leader Kurdy Ancelott swore in Hathaway jargon which few of the rest understood.
The periwinkle Mromrosi, who had scampered along beside them without complaint, now spoke up. "It is a circumspect decision you have made, Group Line Chief Sventur. A wise leader takes necessary precautions, no matter how distasteful. You have very good sense and better instincts, which are rarer. Therefore I must suppose your actions will continue to be in the best interests of the Petit Harriers under your command, and endorse your plan." He turned a deep golden-russet while he said this; Sventur wondered what the color signified.
