by Timothy Zahn
"Did it work?" Jody asked.
Uy shrugged. "Better than anything else we'd tried, which isn't saying much. The volley stopped the tank, though the spotters said the windshield instantly blackened where the lasers hit, which blocked most of the blast and limited the damage. The Trofts' helmet faceplates work the same way, incidentally, which makes fingertip lasers useless against them. A close-in antiarmor shot will overwhelm that particular defense, though. We found that out later."
"Also the hard way, I expect," Freylan murmured.
"Very much so," Uy said. "As I said, the attack stopped the truck, though the spotters think the driver was still alive when they hauled him out and took him back to the ship. But before the Cobras could shift aim to the next truck in line, the northern ship decided to up the ante and fired a missile into the house. The blast not only killed all six Cobras, but also two civilians in the house next door."
Jody winced. "And after the trucks came in and started unloading soldiers, I take it you took a crack at them, too?"
"Of course," Uy said. "We had slightly better luck here. Hardly surprising, I suppose, since one-on-one ground warfare was what Cobras were originally designed for. Turns out their stunners work just fine straight through Troft armor, though you have to get within two or three meters for that kind of shot. The sonics and arcthrowers are good for a couple of meters more, and antiarmor lasers can nail them at about ten meters--twelve or thirteen if you aim for the faceplates. All told, we took out probably fifteen of them."
"At a cost of . . . ?" Jody asked carefully.
Uy exhaled. "Fifteen more Cobras and five civilians. After that, the Trofts declared something they called martial stasis and ordered everyone to stay indoors under penalty of immediate execution."
Jody felt a shiver run up her back. Stronghold's original Cobra contingent had only numbered about a hundred and twenty. In a single day of facing down the Trofts--possibly even in just a few hours--they'd lost over a third of them. "What about food and water?" she asked. "Are the Trofts supplying those to the people?"
Uy shook his head. "They're apparently assuming we all have our own supplies--which we do, of course--and that we can make do until they decide the resistance has ended and that we can start coming out and shopping again."
For a moment no one spoke. "I didn't see any of the trucks you mentioned on our way in," Freylan said. "Did they pull them back into the ships?"
"I doubt it," Uy said. "I obviously haven't gotten any word from our spotters since we were all sent to our rooms, but my guess is that they're just hidden or camouflaged enough to make them hard to spot." He smiled tightly. "They know enough about Caelian to know there are a lot more Cobras here than the ones they've got pinned down in Stronghold. They aren't going to want to make it too easy for any fresh attackers to sniff them out."
And even Stronghold's remaining Cobras were probably not nearly as pinned down as the Trofts might think, Jody knew. But she knew better than to say that out loud.
"What I do know is that the Trofts have also instituted foot patrols," Uy continued. "I see them passing by as they roam the streets. We've had a couple of incidents nearby where they've fired shots, but whether they were shooting into the buildings or at someone outside I couldn't tell. I don't even know if anyone was killed or wounded. I've asked the soldiers outside to allow me to speak with one of their senior officers, but so far there's been no response."
He took a deep breath, his eyes locking on Jody's face. "So," he said, and stopped.
Jody grimaced. She knew what he wanted to ask: whether his son was all right, how many Cobras there were out there, and what they were planning.
And they both knew that she couldn't say a thing, about any of it.
"I have another question," Freylan spoke up. "You said the big ramp opened to let the floatcycles and trucks out. I also noticed two smaller hatchways on either side of the main ramp--horizontal ones, maybe three meters long and one high. Any idea what those are for?"
"You have sharp eyes," Uy complimented him. "Those are the access hatches for a bunch of dart-shaped flying things like the two they sent out to meet you a few minutes ago. Sensor drones, probably, since the first thing they did after the ships landed was to pop those hatches and send out a dozen of the things."
"A dozen from each ship, or a dozen between them?" Freylan asked.
"Six from each ship," Uy said. "More specifically, three from each of the hatches."
"Are they still out there?" Jody asked, her stomach tightening. If the Trofts had drones watching every move her father and the rest of the Cobras made . . .
"No, and they probably won't be sending more out any time soon," Uy said. "That was the other minor success of the day: we managed to nail seven of the drones--three that were hovering over Stronghold during our first attack, and another four when they were returning to their ships. As far as I know they didn't send any of them out again until the two that escorted you in."
His throat tightened. "All of that cost us another two Cobras."
"I'm sorry," Jody said quietly.
"As are we all," Uy said. "One other thing which may interest you. A couple of our spotters told me that, given the ship-mounted lasers' firing pattern, they think the weapons are automatically aimed but manually fired."
"Really," Jody said. "Yes, that is interesting. Do they have any ideas as to why the Trofts would set it up that way?"
"I assume it has to do with avoiding misfires," Uy said. "Or possibly sensor-locked fire controls are too easy to confuse or manipulate. I just thought it was curious, and that maybe you would, too."
"Yes, indeed," Jody said. And with that, she decided, she had enough to fill a preliminary report. Time to check in with her father on the other side of the wall. "I appreciate the information--I can't tell you how concerned Freylan and I were when we saw all those laser burns."
"I can imagine," Uy said, giving her a strained smile. "But enough talk. Can I now interest you in some food?"
"Yes, please," Jody said. She stood up.
And abruptly swayed, her knees buckling under her and sending her toppling toward the floor.
Both men lunged toward her. Uy was closer and got there first, catching her in a cradling embrace before she could hit the rug, pulling her in close to his chest. "Ms. Broom?" he asked anxiously.
Jody leaned in close to him. "West-facing bedroom," she whispered. "Any cameras?"
She felt the governor twitch as he realized that her collapse had been a fake. "No cameras," he whispered back. "At least one microphone."
"Sorry," she said aloud, breathing heavily into his neck as she pushed herself weakly away from him. "Sorry. That was embarrassing."
"Don't worry about it," Uy said, easing her around into a sitting position on the floor. Freylan had his own grip on her arm now, helping her down. "Are you feeling ill? Do you need to lie down?"
"I'm okay," Jody assured both of them. "But I think maybe I'd better lie down for a while. I guess I was more tired than I realized."
"Caelian can take a lot out of a person," Uy said. "Come on, let's get you to the guest room. Mr. Sonderby?"
The men each took an arm and helped Jody to her feet. Then, walking her like a toddler, they took her out of the living room, down a short hallway, and into a small but cheerfully furnished bedroom.
"Can I get you anything else?" Uy asked as they sat her down on the edge of the bed.
"No, this will be wonderful," Jody assured him. "Maybe Freylan can take you up on that offer of food."
"Actually, I think I'm too tired to eat yet, too," Freylan said. "It's not like either of us got much sleep out on the river."
"I suppose not," Jody said, putting a warning finger to her lips. He nodded, touching his ear to show he understood. "Maybe the governor could find someplace for you to lie down, too."
"I was thinking I could just stay here with you," he suggested. "I mean, not with you," he added, his face reddening. "I could sleep in that c
hair over there."
Jody frowned. Trouble? she mouthed silently.
You might need me, he mouthed back.
She hesitated, then nodded. "As long as you don't snore, sure, help yourself."
"I'll leave you two alone, then," Uy said, backing toward the door. "Whenever you're ready for food, just let me know." With a final nod at each of them, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Now what? Freylan mouthed.
I need to find something to signal with, Jody mouthed back, looking around the room. The Trofts had taken her flashlight, and a quick check of the lamps showed that they were the multilevel type that would be useless for Dida signaling. Uy undoubtedly had a flashlight out there somewhere, but getting to it with Troft cameras watching could be tricky. "I meant what I said about the snoring," she said aloud as she went to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer. There was a pen and a pad of note paper inside, along with a small box of tissues, a small reader, and a set of book chips. No light. She started to close the drawer--
"You know, this bed really is big enough for two," Freylan said, coming up suddenly behind her and grabbing her hand. As she frowned at him, he reached into the drawer and pulled out the notepad. "I mean, I could sleep on one side and you could sleep on the other," he went on, stepping back and holding up the pad so that Jody was looking at its surface. He rotated it ninety degrees, turning the edge to her, then rotated it back up again. He repeated the operation, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
Jody smiled tightly, inclining her head to him. Providing her father and the other Cobras were paying attention, it should work. "Fine," she said, taking the pad from him and walking around the end of the bed toward the window. "Just be sure you stay on that side."
"I will," he promised, sitting down on the bed with a slight but audible creak from the frame.
Jody reached the other side of the bed and sat down facing the window. One of the trees beyond the wall had an odd look, and with a shiver she realized it was one of the ones that the Troft ship had blasted last night in an effort to kill the Cobra holding on behind it. Holding the pad up in front of her chest, she flipped it over and back five times. Dit dit dit dit dit. Calling--anyone there?
She repeated the signal, and again, and again, systematically checking out all the different trees she could see from her vantage point. Nothing. Were all Cobras positioned off to the side where they couldn't see her? Or could she be too far inside the window for even a Cobra to spot the flashing white of the paper?
And then, from one of the trees just to the left of the blasted one, she spotted a small, flickering light. Dit dah dit dah dit dah. Received and understood--stand by.
Taking a deep breath, she set the pad flat against her chest and waited. Two minutes later, the light began to flash again. Dit dit dah dit dit dah. Ready--proceed.
Squaring her shoulders, hoping her fatigued brain remembered everything Uy had told them, she began her report.
* * *
Paul finished his report, and for a minute the rest of the Cobras in the circle were silent. "Seems pretty obvious to me," Harli said at last. "The doorways at the base of the ship are easiest to get to, which means they're the ones that'll be the most heavily guarded. These upper ones, the big ramp and the little drone ports, are the ones they're not expecting trouble from. Ergo, those are our best bet."
"Except that all three are way too high for us to get to," Matigo pointed out. "Unless you know a way to rewire the spookers for more altitude?"
"No, but I wasn't really planning on a frontal assault," Harli said. "I was thinking more along the lines of delivering a package or two. Tracker, what's the explosives situation?"
"We've got enough to make a good-sized crater," Tracker confirmed. " 'Course, we're first gonna have to find a way to make the Trofts open up and say ah."
"I assume you're suggesting we throw a bomb in through one of the ports?" Paul asked.
"Exactly," Harli said, nodding. "If Dad's right about the lasers being fired manually, it should work. Actually, I should have figured that one out on my own--auto-fire is way too easy to manipulate. If we toss in a few mining explosives, there's a good chance they'll get in before the gunners spot the threat and take them out."
"We can't just use them as is, though," Tracker warned. "Right now, everything's got hard-wire triggers. We'll have to put together some timers or else rig up something wireless to set them off."
"That's okay--we've got time to work that out," Harli said. "Go grab everyone who's got explosives experience and get them working on delivery packages. Let's be optimistic and make four, one for each of the ports. Kemp, Matigo, you grab your spookers and head toward Essbend. They should have been here by now--maybe they missed that last message Dad was able to send out."
"Or they may be tied up with something else," Matigo suggested.
"In that case, untie them and tell them to gear their rears on over here," Harli said grimly. "They can leave a squad to guard the town, but everyone else is with us. We're going to need everyone we can get if we're going to take these bastards down."
"Got it." Matigo gestured to Kemp, and together they strode off into the woods.
Harli eyed Paul. "You got a brave little girl there, Broom," he said, almost grudgingly. "Don't worry--when the time comes, we'll get her back out."
"I know," Paul confirmed, feeling a familiar tightness in his chest. It was a tightness that had been with him almost continually during his long years of service to Aventine. It was the tightness that came of knowing that someone he cared about was in continual, deadly danger.
He'd mostly come to terms with that feeling as far as his two Cobra sons went. He'd never counted on having to feel that way about his daughter. Or his wife.
Caelian and Qasama, the two most dangerous places in the known universe. And he'd sent members of his family to each of them.
With an effort, he pushed away the dark thoughts. Dark thoughts in the face of danger were a good way to get yourself killed. "What do you want me to tell her?" he asked.
"Tell her--" Harli broke off as he sent a flurry of fingertip laser fire at a group of doremis that had just launched themselves from low-hanging tree branches toward the two Cobras. "Tell her we'll contact her tomorrow morning," he said as the birds thudded into the carpet of dead leaves at their feet. "Let's make it right at nine-twenty. By then we should have the bombs ready and either have Essbend's group here or at least on the way."
"Right." Paul turned and started to climb back up his signaling tree.
"And if she can," Harli added, his voice sounding a little embarrassed, "have her tell my father that we're all right."
"I will," Paul promised.
And as he resumed his climb, he wondered distantly if Harli was also feeling that same tightness in his chest.
* * *
Jody had fallen into a light doze on the bed when she was startled awake by Freylan's hand tapping against her cheek. She opened her eyes, and was opening her mouth to speak when he touched a finger to her lips. Frowning at the unexpected intimacy, she reached up and started to push the finger aside.
And then the reality of their situation came roaring back through the fog, and she nodded both understanding and her thanks. What is it? she mouthed.
He pointed to the window. Your dad's signaling.
Jody sat up, blinking her eyes to focus again. Dit dit dit dit dit, she could see the small light flashing from the tree.
She picked up the pad. Dit dit dah dit dit dah, she sent.
Three minutes later, with a quiet sigh, she again laid the pad aside. What is it? Freylan mouthed.
More instructions tomorrow at nine-twenty, she told him. Hang loose until then. Harli Uy's best to his father.
Freylan grimaced. Hang loose.
Jody nodded. Like they were really going to relax here in the middle of an occupied city. You hungry?
Still more tired than hungry, he told her.
Me too. Pulling h
er feet up, she lay back down on the bed. Fifteen minutes, she promised herself, and then she would get up and go find food.
It was after noon when Governor Uy finally came in and woke them up with the news that lunch was ready. A few minutes later Jody dragged herself out of the room and headed toward the dining room, an equally bleary Freylan beside her.
It was, she decided, going to be a long, long day.
Chapter Sixteen
The next twenty-six hours were a flurry of work and preparation, with the added complication of continually having to shoot, stun, or beat back Caelian's assortment of deadly wildlife. For Paul, who'd already gone through one mostly sleepless night, the list of the day's activities promised to be an uphill climb.
Fortunately, Harli was a good enough leader to know better than to push his men too hard, especially with a Caelian Cobra's need for extra alertness. Despite his long to-do list, he made sure each member of the group got at least two four-hour sleep periods sometime during that long day and night. Paul, who knew nothing about explosives and was clearly considered by most of the others to be useless as a guard, got somewhat more.
Aside from the sleep and meal breaks, though, the group worked around the clock. By nine-fifteen the next morning, everything was ready.
Except that the Essbend Cobras still hadn't arrived.
"What the hell is keeping them?" Harli fumed as he glared westward, as if sheer force of will would enable him to see through a hundred thirty kilometers of wilderness to Caelian's second largest settlement.
"So do we wait?" Matigo asked.
Harli's jaw tightened. "No," he said. "Everyone's ready, and delay just gives the Trofts more time to spot the teams." He lifted a finger suddenly. "You know, come to think of it, maybe we can use this to our advantage. Broom?"
"Ready," Paul said.
"Okay," Harli said slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. "Send this to your daughter . . ."
