by neetha Napew
“You did a wonderful job rescuing me. Shut up. Xonea, get me the medical pack.”
Salo had suffered only moderate lacerations and a few pulse burns. I cleaned him up and temporarily dressed one bad gash. I looked up and saw Joren looming in the viewer. “We’re going back to the homeworld?”
“Yes,” Salo said. “Let the Faction and the League destroy each other.”
“Oh, I’ve no doubt the League will end up littering space, but the Hsktskt won’t stop with them,” I said. “They’re here for more than target practice.”
“Someone signaled them directly.” Xonea sat down beside me.
“What?” I was aghast. “Are you kidding? Why would anyone want to signal the Hsktskt?”
“With the League in orbit, Joren is vulnerable. The Ruling Houses have ordered all offworld traders be detained until we discover who betrayed us.”
“It doesn’t matter who did it. They’ll destroy the planet anyway,” I said. I closed my eyes. Wished I had let them take me back to Terra a year ago.
“We can try to evacuate as many of our people as we can. If the ships scatter hi different directions, transit to other dimensions, most will escape.” Xonea was bleak. “There are not enough ships, however. Only enough for ten or twelve percent of the population.”
No Jorenian was going to celebrate the death of their world.
We landed just before the League began bombarding the surface again. Xonea instructed Dhreen to escort me to the underground medical facility that had been prepared. He and Salo then hurried away to their defense stations.
Tonetka, Xonal, and Sberea were waiting for me. I rushed into my old friend’s arms.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” I told her when she finally let me go. “Has she been driving you crazy, Sberea?”
“As much as she ever has, Cherijo.”
Xonal smiled sadly at us. “Cherijo. It appears you will be free of the League, but not for very long.”
That was better than being a League prisoner. “Have you started the evacuation?”
“Yes. Members of all HouseClans have been selected at random to take the escape vessels. They are reporting now to their Transport assignments,” Xonal said. He looked at Tonetka. “Your name was on the list for our HouseClan, my ClanSister.”
Tonetka sniffed. “Another, younger Torin may have my position. My place is here.”
He nodded. Displacer fire boomed above our heads. “The League is being decimated. They have been signaling for you, Cherijo. Their leader demands a response.”
Shropana was a known threat, the Hsktskt only theoretical at this point. I might be able to buy time for the evacuees if I answered the signal. “I’d better talk to them while I still can.”
Xonal took me through the underground network of tunnels to his defense headquarters, where a vid of Colonel Shropana appeared an instant after he signaled the League.
“Healer. You have reneged on your bargain.”
“I was rescued from a Hsktskt attack.”
“You may still save yourself. I have managed to negotiate a temporary ceasefire with the Faction. They are willing to allow us to leave Varallan space, with you, in return for not interfering in their raid on Joren and the other occupied worlds in this system. That, and a considerable amount of our available supplies.”
“You’re a real humanitarian, Colonel. Forget it.”
“Joren will be destroyed, by one force or another,” he said. “Surely you can see that.”
“I’ll die with my people. Good-bye, Colonel.” I went to terminate the signal.
For a moment, Shropana seemed wistful. “I enjoyed meeting you, Cherijo.”
“Wish I could say the same.” I cut off the transmission. It looked like there was no way out of this. Then something Shropana had said made me smile.
“Xonal,” I said, turning to my ClanFather, “I have an idea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Last Betrayal
Several hours after I arrived on Joren, I left again with Dhreen. Our shuttle flew directly to Shropana’s ship, which looked battered, but remained in full operation. A few vessels had been disabled, but the bulk of the fleet remained intact. We were received in the same launch bay, minus the pomp and ceremony of my last visit.
Colonel Shropana and a small detachment stood waiting as Dhreen landed. We climbed out of the shuttle. I made the introductions.
Shropana nodded to Dhreen, then turned to me. “When you signaled, you indicated you had a specific request before we departed.”
“Yes. We are evacuating approximately eleven percent of the surface population from Joren. If you allow the refugees to accompany us to Fendagal XI, I will cooperate fully with the League for the remainder of my existence.”
Shropana’s cynical eyes glowed with triumph. “I will grant your request. We will have to disperse the Jorenians among all the fleet ships, however.”
“Thank you. Signal your ships to expect to receive them in one hour.” I gestured to Dhreen. “My friend, of course, will be staying with me.”
“Of course. I’ll show you to your quarters.”
“There’s no need. I remember the way.” I led Dhreen off, keeping my head high and back straight until we were out of sight. “Do you think he believed me?” I murmured.
“I don’t know, Doc.” Dhreen looked ill. “I hope this works.”
All we had to do now was wait. We remained in my quarters, Dhreen near the door panel, me by the viewport. I’d offered to prepare tea for us, but Dhreen declined.
“Last thing I want to do is regurgitate in the middle of this,” he said. He gestured to the interior of my new quarters. I had redecorated-everything was in shades of HouseClan blue. “They must like you.”
“A comfortable cage is still a cage,” I said.
The door panel slid open and Joseph Grey Veil strode in. Only Dhreen’s quick movement diverted the trajectory of the server I threw, and it smashed into a wall panel. Two strong arms clamped around me.
“Cherijo!” Joseph visibly seethed with wrath. “You will cease attacking me every time I approach you.”
I fought to twist free of the Oenrallian’s hold. “Let me go, Dhreen. I won’t kill him. Not right away.”
“Quell down, Doc.” Dhreen gave my creator a hard look. “You should leave.”
I kept struggling. “Five minutes. That’s all I want. Just five minutes.”
My creator addressed the Oenrallian directly. “Perhaps you can persuade my daughter to change her unacceptable behavior.”
“I’m not your daughter!” I yelled.
Joseph Grey Veil contemplated me with mild surprise. “Is this your idea of complete cooperation?”
“When the refugees are safe,” I told him. “Not until then.”
His arms folded. “I am weary of your childish tantrums.”
“Oh? What are you going to do about it? Kill someone else?”
“There will be a great number of Jorenian children traveling with us to Fendagal XI,” he said. “I can arrange to have them brought to the lab.”
“Two minutes, Dhreen!” I struggled wildly. “Give me two minutes!”
My creator decided he’d said enough, or realized he was courting serious injury. He walked back out.
“Why did you stop me?” I yelled when Dhreen let me go. I pushed him out of my way and ran to the door panel. Outside, the corridor was deserted. I whirled around. “Do you have any idea what he’s capable of doing?”
The Oenrallian’s pallid skin was nearly white. “We have to maintain, Doc. At least until the launches arrive safely.”
I flung myself down in a chair. Well, there was that, too.
“Don’t perspire over it.” Dhreen reached over and patted my arm. “You’ll get another chance.”
An acid taste rose in my mouth. “No, I won’t. In a few minutes it won’t matter, I guess.” I huddled in the chair, drawing up my knees, resting my brow against them.
The sen
se of imminent catastrophe was no surprise. I’d arranged everything. This tune, I couldn’t put the responsibility on anyone else. Not even the League.
A signal came to my display.
“Healer.” It was Colonel Shropana. “Please report to launch bay. The Jorenian vessels are on final approach.”
I stood at the side of the League Commander while the large Jorenian launch eased into the bay. Shropana’s men were setting up to help the refugees report in and get their quarters assignments. The Colonel’s stance was that of the omnipotent, benevolent despot-hands folded behind his back, spine straight, chin elevated.
“I might earn a seat on the Supreme Council for the success of this mission,” he said. “Delivering you, now saving the Jorenian refugees from the Hsktskt. All I need is to discover some uncharted world rich in mineral deposits on the jaunt to Fendagal XI. I can store my uniform for good.”
“I hope you get everything you deserve,” I said with complete honesty.
“You have done well, my dear. Not only for yourself, but for these people.” He nodded toward the launch as it touched down on the docking platform.
“I’m sure they think the same thing.” I wondered how long it would take. Maybe another minute. “Tell me, Colonel, do you know anything about prehistoric Terra?”
The thick lips stretched over his teeth. “Only that your people spent centuries trying to annihilate one another.”
“That we did,” I said. “Terrans have always been very good at wreaking havoc. Some of our idioms are based on events that occurred during such conflicts.”
“We should discuss it in the future,” Shropana said. “My people have similar linguistic oddities.”
“There’s one expression that comes to mind at the moment. Do you know what a Trojan horse is?”
“No, I don’t believe I do.” Shropana’s gaze sharpened as he noticed my expression. “Perhaps you would explain it to me. At once.”
“Oh, I don’t have to.” I nodded toward the Jorenian vessel as its hull doors opened. “You’ve just let one land inside your ship.”
The Colonel’s powdery hair flew as he whipped his head around and saw what had stepped out onto the docking ramp. “No,” he whispered. Then, with a terrible shout, “No!”
The occupants of the launch streamed out into the bay. I dropped to the deck and covered my head with my arms as soon as weapons began firing. The Colonel seized me and yanked me back up. His claws cut into my flesh as I struggled to free myself.
“What have you done?” he shrieked as he shook me.
I gazed into his rounded, terrified eyes. “It’s called payback, Commander.”
He shoved me aside. I hit a wall panel and let myself slide to the floor. Weapons discharged heavy, ceaseless streams of deadly energy, and bodies thumped as they fell beside the launch and all around me. I peeked through my arms and saw Shropana charge directly into the fray. His Commander’s tunic probably saved his life. He was captured and disarmed in seconds.
Once the weapons stopped firing, something picked me up from the deck. I regained my balance and looked around me.
Monsters surrounded me. Ten-foot-tall, six-limbed, nasty-looking monsters. One of the giant reptilian beings stepped toward me. The grey uniform it wore over its monstrous frame bore the insignia of what appeared to be a high-ranking command officer.
A Hsktskt officer.
One sinuous limb aimed a rifle at my head. Huge, lidless yellow eyes inspected me. Just like old times, I thought, and held out my empty hands.
“I’m not armed,” I said.
The Hsktskt removed something from an inner fold of his uniform and tossed it to me. It was translation gear, to be worn on the head. I slipped it on, and positioned the tiny receiver in front of my mouth. The fate of Joren depended on what happened in the next few minutes.
“I’m not armed,” I repeated. “Stop pointing that thing at me.”
The Hsktskt warrior’s enormous jaw dropped open, and a thin, sinuous black tongue lashed out. “You haven’t changed, Doctor.” He barked out a series of orders and the bulk of his troops disappeared into the bowels of the ship. He made a curt gesture with his rifle, and Colonel Shropana was dragged in front of me. “The fleet leader?”
“Yes. Colonel Shropana. League Troop Commander.” I looked at the Colonel’s colorless, twisted features. No one had bothered to strap a translator on his head. “I’d introduce you, Colonel, but I don’t know how to pronounce this Hsktskt officer’s name.”
“These vessels are now property of the Hsktskt Faction,” the monster announced. He jabbed the end of his rifle into Shropana’s belly. “I am OverLord TssVar. Tell him to remember the name or die.”
I told him.
“What have you done?” Shropana said, this time choking the words out in a raw croak. He was forced on his knees before me by the soldier holding him.
Diplomacy tune. I checked with the monster in charge. “May I speak with this one, OverLord TssVar? Just to xplain things.”
The Hsktskt nodded.
I turned to Shropana. “You came here, attacked my people, held them hostage by threatening to destroy their world unless I surrendered. I’ve just returned the favor, times sixty.”
“Sixty?” The Colonel closed his eyes. “The other refugee launches.”
“Bingo.” I pointed toward the external viewer. “As we speak, your entire fleet is being boarded and taken over by OverLord TssVar’s soldiers.”
“But they are Jorenian launches!”
“OverLord TssVar and his soldiers needed a way to infiltrate the Fleet with minimum resistance. Jorenians are a very hospitable people. They invited the Hsktskt to land on the opposite side of the planet a few hours ago.”
“The Hsktskt will invade Joren anyway,” Shropana muttered.
TssVar’s gear picked that up, and he didn’t like it. I could tell from the way he stuck his rifle barrel into the Colonel’s face. “Does this fool think he speaks for the Hsktskt?”
“The OverLord wants to know if you’ve appointed yourself spokesman for the Faction,” I said to the Colonel. I never thought diplomacy could be this much fun.
Shropana gulped and shook his head.
“Tell the coward a Hsktskt does not violate his oath.”
“OverLord TssVar has given his oath he and his troops will not invade Joren,” I said. “He wants you to know the Hsktskt keep their promises.”
TssVar walked away to consult with one of his officers reporting back from the initial occupation assault.
“You see, Colonel, League cruisers are a valuable commodity,” I told Shropana. “The Hsktskt were happy to negotiate with me for them. They’ll get more for sixty of your cruisers than they would for whatever was left after the attack on Joren, slaves included. The bonus is they won’t have to kill the entire crew. They’ll keep them alive to pilot the vessels back to the Faction.”
“Why would the butchers negotiate with you?” the Colonel growled. “You’re nothing but a Healer! You know nothing about war!”
“Patril, Patril. Rule number one: Never mess with a Hsktskt. Rule number two: Never mess with a Hsktskt’s obstetrician.”
That really confused him. “What has that got to do with this?”
TssVar trudged back over to us. The deck shook with each heavy footfall. When he reached Shropana, the viewport-sized eyes revolved toward me.
“I do not need this one,” TssVar said. “I will kill him.”
“He could be useful. Keep the others in line,” I said. Not that I cared, one way or another. I simply didn’t want to get League blood all over my tunic. “As you can see, he’s easily motivated.”
TssVar appeared to be thinking it over.
“Why is he listening to you?” Shropana asked.
“I told you.” I smiled. An insulting grin cuts deeper than displacer fire. “Never mess with a Hsktskt’s obstetrician.”
“You delivered one of these monsters’ whelps?”
OverLord
TssVar took exception to the insult. One of his limbs lashed out and caught the Colonel across the face. Shropana yelped and cowered away.
“I wouldn’t talk about his children like that, if I were you,” I said.
“You mean-“
“Yep.” I turned to the Hsktskt Commander. “I meant to ask you, OverLord. How are the kids?”
The League Fleet surrender was rapid, nearly bloodless, and complete. All communications were immediately jammed, so no one got a message off for reinforcements. None of the other planets in the Varallan system was going to signal the League. They were quite happy with the arrangements we’d made. The Trojan horse had worked perfectly.
The Hsktskt stationed several officers on board each ship to supervise the jaunt back to Faction-occupied space. Crews were surprisingly cooperative. I discovered why when I overheard’one Hsktskt giving orders to some captive League troops.
“You! Move this cargo bin or I will rip out your liver!” the Hsktskt bellowed. All captives were now wearing the headgear that allowed them to understand the Hsktskt language. “You there! Your flesh looks tender! Hasten your pace or I will dine on your fat limbs!”
After my startling revelation, Colonel Shropana had dissolved into hysterics. TssVar had him dragged off to detainment.
Soon after, I was summoned from the launch deck to the new command center.
TssVar sat behind a display, studying the schematics for each of his newly acquired vessels. The soldiers with him trudged out of the room, leaving us alone together.
He nodded toward the seat before his desk. “Sit, Doctor.”
By now I felt a little nervous myself. To TssVar, I might be just another commodity. The question was, did he know how valuable a commodity I was?
“My troops prefer battle, yet I favor an acquisition effected with little conflict.” TssVar blanked out the display he was studying and turned his huge head. Monster and Terran stared at each other. I tried not to fidget. “It has been some time since we last met.”
“Not so long. It seems like only yesterday you were jabbing a rifle at me and making a bunch of nasty threats.”
