Succorso and Beckmann might spend quite a while arguing with each other before Trumpet"s Trumpet"s people began moving around the installation; before they became vulnerable. people began moving around the installation; before they became vulnerable.
Sorus had been coming here for years. She and Retledge had known each other a long time: on one occasion they"d been lovers. And she"d told him Succorso would do anything he could to hurt her. She"d told him why.
At the moment there was nothing more she could do except wait and see whether Retledge took the hint; whether he believed it would be in the best interests of the Lab to let her know what Beckmann decided to do about Succorso. If or when he did that, it would be time to send out her team.
Milos Taverner studied her without blinking: his lidless eyes, yellow and slitted, had no human need for moisture, despite the humanness of his appearance. Not for the first time, he asked her, "What is your intention, Captain Chatelaine?"
His alien tone seemed insufferably steady. He sounded impervious to pain, disconcertion, alarm, or any of the other emotions she carried on her tired back like succubi.
He"d been standing beside her command station for so long now she"d begun to feel that he would be there for the rest of her life; that every decision she made would be scrutinized and challenged by alien exigencies; that every breath she took until she died would be tainted with alien pheromones. Tainted as she was herself: false in the same way. Taverner kept her company whenever she was on the bridge as if his real purpose here was to remind her of facts and compulsions which she could never forget.
She hated that. She"d been showing the Amnion for years that she was smart enough to understand the facts and act on them without their superintendence.
Nevertheless he wanted to know what her "intention" was.
She faced him bleakly. Even though she doubted that he would understand the connection, she countered, "Did you believe me when I told you Trumpet Trumpet would come here?" would come here?"
That had been an intuitive triumph. She might have felt vindicated, if she"d had the energy-and if she hadn"t had so much cold despair locked away at the bottom of her heart. By rights Trumpet Trumpet should have gotten away clean. The gap scout had escaped Amnion s.p.a.ce in a way which should have made it impossible for anyone to follow her. should have gotten away clean. The gap scout had escaped Amnion s.p.a.ce in a way which should have made it impossible for anyone to follow her.
After Soar Soar had rendezvoused with had rendezvoused with Calm Horizons Calm Horizons-to take on new equipment and a supply of specialized mutagens and drugs, as well as to transfer Marc Vestabule and the shuttle crew to the big defensive-the Amnion vessel had moved off to track Trumpet"s Trumpet"s emissions across the debris-and static-cluttered void while emissions across the debris-and static-cluttered void while Soar Soar had headed toward the frontier of human s.p.a.ce. In the absence of any better ideas, Sorus had aimed her ship at the part of the frontier where the Com-Mine belt bordered Amnion s.p.a.ce. That, she"d believed, was the most logical, as well as the safest, place for had headed toward the frontier of human s.p.a.ce. In the absence of any better ideas, Sorus had aimed her ship at the part of the frontier where the Com-Mine belt bordered Amnion s.p.a.ce. That, she"d believed, was the most logical, as well as the safest, place for Trumpet Trumpet to go. The belt offered almost any amount of cover to a ship on the run. And Com-Mine Station was nearby. The Station could provide a.s.sistance even if the cops weren"t ready and waiting. to go. The belt offered almost any amount of cover to a ship on the run. And Com-Mine Station was nearby. The Station could provide a.s.sistance even if the cops weren"t ready and waiting.
Before she"d reached her chosen position, however, Sorus had heard from Calm Horizons. Calm Horizons. The warship had lost The warship had lost Trumpet"s Trumpet"s trail. The astonishing accuracy of Amnion instruments had enabled trail. The astonishing accuracy of Amnion instruments had enabled Calm Horizons Calm Horizons to follow to follow Trumpet Trumpet as far as a red giant well inside Amnion s.p.a.ce; but there the screaming emissions of the star had proved loud enough to conceal the gap scout"s trace. as far as a red giant well inside Amnion s.p.a.ce; but there the screaming emissions of the star had proved loud enough to conceal the gap scout"s trace.
Once again Amnion thinking had been inadequate to deal with human cunning and treachery. Without Sorus to help them, the Amnion would have lost Trumpet. Trumpet. In all likelihood they would also have lost the present, unstable peace. Their undeclared war against humankind would have been doomed. In all likelihood they would also have lost the present, unstable peace. Their undeclared war against humankind would have been doomed.
But Sorus had guessed well when she"d selected her position near the frontier. And after that her guesswork had risen to the level of pure inspiration.
She"d seen a UMCP cruiser arrive near the belt-presumably intending to meet and protect Trumpet"s Trumpet"s return to human s.p.a.ce. She"d seen the cruiser pause unexpectedly to exchange transmissions with some other vessel, one return to human s.p.a.ce. She"d seen the cruiser pause unexpectedly to exchange transmissions with some other vessel, one Soar"s Soar"s scan couldn"t reach through the intervening rock of the belt. scan couldn"t reach through the intervening rock of the belt.
And then Sorus had seen Trumpet Trumpet arrive out of the gap, flare her own transmission in the direction of the hidden ship, and head away, plainly making no effort to contact-much less join-the UMCP cruiser. Almost immediately the cruiser had turned in pursuit of the gap scout. If Sorus had remained where she was, she might have caught sight of the hidden ship if or when that vessel emerged from the belt. But arrive out of the gap, flare her own transmission in the direction of the hidden ship, and head away, plainly making no effort to contact-much less join-the UMCP cruiser. Almost immediately the cruiser had turned in pursuit of the gap scout. If Sorus had remained where she was, she might have caught sight of the hidden ship if or when that vessel emerged from the belt. But Trumpet Trumpet would have been lost. would have been lost.
Soar hadn"t remained there, however. hadn"t remained there, however. Trumpet"s Trumpet"s strange behavior had given her the information she"d needed-the kind of information which made exalted guesswork possible. strange behavior had given her the information she"d needed-the kind of information which made exalted guesswork possible.
"Give chase," Taverner had ordered her. "Trumpet "Trumpet must be caught. The ship must be stopped. If you do not act now, they will attain reinforcements. Your weaponry will enable you to defeat the warship." must be caught. The ship must be stopped. If you do not act now, they will attain reinforcements. Your weaponry will enable you to defeat the warship."
The weaponry he"d referred to was Soar"s Soar"s super-light proton cannon. Apparently he a.s.sumed-as Sorus herself did not-the cops didn"t know that super-light proton cannon. Apparently he a.s.sumed-as Sorus herself did not-the cops didn"t know that Soar Soar had formerly been had formerly been Gutbuster: Gutbuster: that the s.p.a.ce-normal illegal which had once done so much damage with her proton gun now ran under another name-and was gap-capable. Sorus hadn"t bothered to argue with him. Or to obey him. Instead she"d issued orders of her own, building up velocity as hard as she could for an entry into human s.p.a.ce and the gap. that the s.p.a.ce-normal illegal which had once done so much damage with her proton gun now ran under another name-and was gap-capable. Sorus hadn"t bothered to argue with him. Or to obey him. Instead she"d issued orders of her own, building up velocity as hard as she could for an entry into human s.p.a.ce and the gap.
"Captain Chatelaine," Taverner had asked then as he asked now, "what is your intention?"
She"d answered him then-but only after Soar Soar was well under way. was well under way.
If Trumpet Trumpet was acting directly-and willingly-for the UMCP, why hadn"t the gap scout simply tucked herself into the cruiser"s shadow and let the warship protect her all the way back to Earth? Sorus hadn"t been able to think of a reason. Therefore she"d jumped to the conclusion that either Succorso or Thermopyle had his own ideas. was acting directly-and willingly-for the UMCP, why hadn"t the gap scout simply tucked herself into the cruiser"s shadow and let the warship protect her all the way back to Earth? Sorus hadn"t been able to think of a reason. Therefore she"d jumped to the conclusion that either Succorso or Thermopyle had his own ideas.
Ideas which might not please the cops.
Instinctively she"d dismissed Thermopyle, not because he was insignificant, but because he was a welded UMCP cyborg, incapable of initiative or disobedience.
So what in h.e.l.l was Succorso doing?
Taverner had told her that Succorso had a mutagen immunity drug which Hashi Lebwohl had given him.
What would she have done in his place?
Knowing that the Amnion couldn"t follow her-and that the cops couldn"t follow fast enough to stop her-she"d have headed for the best and most secure bootleg lab she knew, so that she could try to a.n.a.lyze and profit from her precious cargo before the cops or anyone else interfered.
Only one place fit that description. And it just happened to lie on Trumpet"s Trumpet"s heading away from the Com-Mine belt. heading away from the Com-Mine belt.
Driving her crew to their limits, Sorus Chatelaine had brought Soar Soar by great leaps to the Lab. To Deaner Beckmann"s brilliant-and brilliantly defended-exercise in futility. by great leaps to the Lab. To Deaner Beckmann"s brilliant-and brilliantly defended-exercise in futility.
Yet now, here, where any fool could see the benefits of leaving matters in her hands, Milos Taverner challenged her to justify herself again.
She didn"t expect him to understand her retort, but she stood by it anyway, grimly claiming responsibility for her own d.a.m.nation.
At first he didn"t appear to comprehend her question. ""Believe" is not an Amnion concept," he answered in his inflectionless voice. His mutation had taken place scant days ago, yet already he seemed to be losing his ability to think like a human-the very ability for which he"d been a.s.signed "decisiveness" aboard her ship. But a moment later he added, "In your terms, however, it might be correct to say that we did "believe" you You are human. Among humans false dealings are endemic. Perhaps they are congenital-an organic flaw. Yet we have the means to ensure that you are not false to us." He placed no stress on the threat. He didn"t need to: it had been a fact of her life ever since she"d stumbled into the hands of his kind. "And I acceded to your judgment in this matter. Does that not indicate "believe"?"
Sorus snorted to herself. She wasn"t interested in Amnion hairsplitting.
"Was I right?" she demanded.
Taverner considered the question as if it weren"t rhetorical. "Your prediction of Captain Thermopyle"s actions has proved to be accurate. Your perception of his motives may also be accurate."
"Then leave me alone," she rasped. "Let me work. I"m still human. I know how to go about this. Having to explain myself all the time just wears me out."
Taverner studied her for a long moment. His unblinking eyes and pudgy face gave no hint of what might be in his mind. Then, however, he surprised her by stepping closer to the command station, bending forward, and crooking one index finger as if he wanted her to put her head near his.
Taken aback, she leaned to comply.
In an oddly conspiratorial, almost human whisper, he breathed so that no one else could hear him, "Captain Chatelaine, you must be made aware that the Amnion have developed airborne mutagens. These are slow acting and somewhat crude, but they suffice to meet the present need."
She stared at him. Airborne-Panic clutched her stomach. Only years of dark resolve and bitter discipline enabled her to keep herself from grabbing her gun and blasting him in the face so that he wouldn"t say what came next.
"Sacs of them," he went on quietly, almost inaudibly, "have been set upon the scrubber pads of this vessel." That must have been done while equipment and supplies were being loaded from Calm Horizons. Calm Horizons. "I am able to trigger their release. If you deal falsely with us, I will provide that your crew does not." "I am able to trigger their release. If you deal falsely with us, I will provide that your crew does not."
Constricted rage and hopelessness boiled inside her, blocked from any outlet. "You b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she murmured through her teeth, "that wasn"t part of the deal."
What did I do it for, all these years of betrayal and harm, if you"re going to take even my crew away from me?
But her protest was a lie, and she knew it. She hadn"t done it for them: she"d done it for herself.
His response was as low as the murmur of Soar"s Soar"s support systems. "Your statement is not correct. We did not enter into a "deal" with you. You are ours. Until now your crew has been left human so that they might function in human s.p.a.ce effectively. However, the present need transcends former policies. support systems. "Your statement is not correct. We did not enter into a "deal" with you. You are ours. Until now your crew has been left human so that they might function in human s.p.a.ce effectively. However, the present need transcends former policies.
"You do not wish to explain your intentions. Very well. Do not. Your humanness remains necessary. But understand the consequences if you deal falsely with us."
Sorus understood. Oh, she understood. The Amnion had owned her for years. Taverner had only raised the stakes, not changed the nature of the game.
A sense of fatigue as crushing as stone settled into the curve of muscle where her neck met her shoulders. She couldn"t make him go away, so she sighed instead, "I told you. I know what I"m doing." For a moment gray weariness seemed to fray the edges of her vision. Then she added, "And if I"m wrong, we"ll still have time to do it your way."
Taverner appeared to accept her a.s.sertion. Nevertheless he stayed at her side while she waited to hear from Chief Retledge.
"Captain Chatelaine?"
The Security chiefs voice on her intercom sounded clipped and sure of itself. Retledge was like Beckmann in that respect; he didn"t try to second-guess his decisions when he made them.
Sorus shook herself alert. "Chief Retledge. Thanks for calling. Am I allowed to ask what"s going on?"
Milos Taverner gazed at her incuriously, as if he didn"t care what she did.
"Dr. Beckmann has given Captain Succorso and Dr. Shaheed permission to use one of the labs," Retledge reported crisply. "The rest of Trumpet"s Trumpet"s people are here, too. My men are keeping an eye on them." people are here, too. My men are keeping an eye on them."
There: confirmation. Sorus had been right all along. Vector Shaheed was going to a.n.a.lyze Lebwohl"s mutagen immunity drug so that Succorso could start selling the formula. She resisted an impulse to shake her fist in Taverner"s face.
But Retledge couldn"t know what his information meant to her. His thoughts were elsewhere. He paused for an instant, then went on, "Captain Succorso didn"t mention you." A note of grim humor came across the intercom speaker. "A curious omission, I think. If you believe him, the enemies he worries about are all somewhere else."
Sorus c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise, but didn"t respond.
"Of the two of you," Retledge went on, "I know which one I would rather trust. But I"m not going to let anything happen. Trumpet Trumpet came in. She does what she"s here for. Then she goes. Clean and simple. Is that clear, Captain?" came in. She does what she"s here for. Then she goes. Clean and simple. Is that clear, Captain?"
Sorus controlled a retort. Life is trouble. n.o.body gets out alive. If you don"t cover your own a.s.s, don"t expect me to do it for you. Instead she drawled, "Sure, Chief. Leaving that sonofab.i.t.c.h alive was the worst mistake of my life." Her mouth twisted on the lie, but she kept her tone casual. "I don"t want to make any more."
Succorso hadn"t mentioned her? What the h.e.l.l did that that mean? mean?
Retledge said, "Good." Her intercom clicked as he silenced his pickup.
She felt too tired to move. Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and fell into fatigue as if she were plunging down the gravity well of her buried despair. But Taverner didn"t take his gaze off her: she knew that without looking to confirm it. His attention leaned on her, making demands she couldn"t refuse.
What game was Succorso playing now? now?
She didn"t know. After half a minute she pulled the ragged pieces of herself together and sent out her team.
Forty-five minutes later she met their return in the airlock which connected Soar Soar to the Lab. to the Lab.
Milos Taverner stood beside her. She would have preferred to leave him behind, but she hadn"t wanted to argue with him. However, she"d insisted that he wear eyeshades to conceal his alien-ness.
The four members of the team weren"t necessarily her best people, but they were well suited for this a.s.signment. One of them, her targ second, was so large and loud that his friends said of him that he couldn"t sneeze without setting off proximity alarms on nearby ships. Another, Soar"s Soar"s cabin boy, was simply the most beautiful youth she"d ever seen-a flagrant invitation to pederasty enhanced by his own rapacious appet.i.tes. The third, one of the engineers, was a woman with a weird talent for appearing demure while nearly falling out of her shipsuit. cabin boy, was simply the most beautiful youth she"d ever seen-a flagrant invitation to pederasty enhanced by his own rapacious appet.i.tes. The third, one of the engineers, was a woman with a weird talent for appearing demure while nearly falling out of her shipsuit.
Sorus had chosen them because they were good distractions. Without much effort they could hold every eye around them almost indefinitely.
The fourth member of the team was her command third. She"d put him in charge because he was quick, decisive, and knew how to make total strangers do what he told them.
As ordered, her people had brought a boy with them. He might have been fourteen or sixteen years old, but the white fear on his face made him look younger.
Grinning harshly, the command third saluted Sorus. "Captain." Then he pointed at the boy. "According to Trumpet"s Trumpet"s manifest, his name is Ciro Vasaczk, but Succorso calls him Pup." manifest, his name is Ciro Vasaczk, but Succorso calls him Pup."
He was exactly what Sorus needed.
Pup was stocky, a bit too wide in the hips. A plain shipsuit a size too large for him rumpled at his wrists and ankles, but at least it was clean. The pallor of his skin seemed to emphasize the whites of his eyes; his mouth hung slightly open. Nevertheless he didn"t struggle or shake. His gaze attached itself to Sorus as if he knew immediately that his life was in her hands; hers and no one else"s. If she didn"t take pity on him, no one would.
Just a kid, she thought, gripped by a self-disgust she couldn"t afford. Perfect.
"Pup?" she said quietly. "I prefer Ciro."
One of his eyebrows twitched. He looked too frightened to speak. But then he surprised her by saying through his fear, "Captain Succorso won"t like this."
She studied him gravely. "Of course he won"t. That"s the point.
"Any problems?" she asked her command third.
The man shook his head. "We found him in what Beckmann calls the refectory. He was sitting at one of the tables, trying to fill out a req. You think he"s scared now, but he wasn"t any calmer when we located him. I guess Succorso told him to order supplies, but didn"t bother to let him know what they needed." He glanced to the other members of the team. "Security never saw us with him. They had other things on their minds. As far as they know, he wandered off while they weren"t looking."
Sorus nodded. "Good." Retledge"s men would begin hunting as soon as they noticed the boy"s absence, but the nature of the search would be conditioned by the idea that Ciro had gone somewhere on his own-perhaps simply exploring, perhaps acting on Succorso"s orders.
She intended to put him back where he could be found before Security had time to become urgent.
Saluting, she dismissed her team. They filed out of the airlock behind her, leaving her alone with Ciro and Taverner.
Taverner hadn"t spoken. He might have been blind behind his eyeshades-blind and deaf, unaware of anyone else"s presence.
She considered suggesting that he do her dirty work for her. But she didn"t want that, in spite of her self-disgust. Her responsibility for her own actions was all that kept her sane-and human.
"Ciro," she asked distantly, as if she were lost in thought, "do you know who I am?"
The boy didn"t react. He stared white panic at her, betrayed nothing else.
"Do you know who this is?" She indicated Taverner with her head.
Ciro didn"t so much as flick his eyes in Taverner"s direction.
She let a little weariness creep into her tone. "Why do you think I had you brought here?"
A moment pa.s.sed before he decided to answer. "I thought you wanted crew. Ships like this do that. I"ve seen Nick do it, when he was desperate. Steal crew-" Slowly the muscles at the corner of his jaw tightened, thrusting out his chin. "I"m not really a cabin boy. I"ve been trained for engineering.
"But that"s not it." Just for an instant his voice rose as if it were about to break. Then he controlled it. "You aren"t interested in me. You said so. You want to use me against Nick." He swallowed hard. "Or Trumpet." Trumpet."
Sorus sighed to herself. So Ciro could still think, despite his alarm. And he had engineering experience. That was good, from her point of view. But it would make what was about to happen that much worse for him.
"That"s right," she answered. "In fact, you"re essentially irrelevant-I mean you personally. I could have used anyone. You just happened to be available.
"Pay attention to me now," she told him as if she thought he might be capable of attending to anything else. "Your life depends on it. I want you to understand this situation. I want you to understand that I"m serious."
He gave a quick nod like a jerk. His eyes never left her face.
Taverner stood without moving. Just once she would have liked to see him appear restless or uncomfortable. The fact that the Amnioni didn"t fidget made her feel jittery by comparison.
Harsh with vexation, she began, "I"m Captain Chatelaine. This ship is Soar-we Soar-we were at Thanatos Minor when were at Thanatos Minor when Captain"s Fancy Captain"s Fancy went down. I"m the woman who cut your Captain Succorso. went down. I"m the woman who cut your Captain Succorso.
"I serve the Amnion."
Involuntarily Ciro"s jaw sagged.