The man gaped at Sorus for a few seconds. His eyes were full of terror and death.
But then he gulped, "Yes "Yes, Captain," and his hands sprang at his board.
Yes.
Victory or death.
A moment later Sorus Chatelaine"s only hope spread sizzling echoes through the hull as Soar Soar opened fire. opened fire.
MIN.
Helpless in one of the support personnel g-seats, Min Donner watched Punisher Punisher fight her way toward an intersection with the line of fire between the encroaching Amnion defensive and that part of the asteroid swarm where the cruiser"s sensors had spotted a kinetic reflection anomaly. fight her way toward an intersection with the line of fire between the encroaching Amnion defensive and that part of the asteroid swarm where the cruiser"s sensors had spotted a kinetic reflection anomaly.
If Punisher Punisher could reach that intersection in time-if she could put herself between the big defensive and the place where could reach that intersection in time-if she could put herself between the big defensive and the place where Trumpet Trumpet was most likely to emerge from the rocks-she might be able to give the gap scout enough covering fire to escape. was most likely to emerge from the rocks-she might be able to give the gap scout enough covering fire to escape.
She still had a long way to go. Twenty-five minutes, according to estimates posted on one of the displays. Too slow. The alien had silenced her proton cannon. Obviously she expected to acquire a new target almost at once. Certainly not twenty-five minutes from now.
Yet even Min Donner, with all her fierceness, her instinct for extreme actions, knew Punisher Punisher couldn"t go any faster. Patrice on helm had to work his board like a madman simply to gain this much velocity without sacrificing the evasive maneuvers which frustrated the Amnioni"s cannon-or the rotational thrust which enabled targ to maintain a steady a.s.sault. Min feared that if his burdens were increased one iota, he might crack. couldn"t go any faster. Patrice on helm had to work his board like a madman simply to gain this much velocity without sacrificing the evasive maneuvers which frustrated the Amnioni"s cannon-or the rotational thrust which enabled targ to maintain a steady a.s.sault. Min feared that if his burdens were increased one iota, he might crack.
Secretly she believed that she herself might have already broken if she were in his place.
The limitations which, slowed Punisher Punisher-which might cause her to fail-were human ones. No ship could outperform the people who ran her.
At the best of times, Min had an uneasy relationship with mortality. Now she positively hated it. Humankind needed a better defense than the one Punisher Punisher had provided so far. had provided so far.
Apparently Dolph Ubikwe felt otherwise. If his faults and failings bothered him, he didn"t show it. Preternaturally secure in his g-seat, he rode the thrashing cruiser as if nothing could trouble him. His orders were cheerful: his manner, almost merry. At intervals he produced soft, subterranean sounds like tuned groans, as if he were humming to himself.
He might have been a tension sink, absorbing strain and apprehension and bleeding them away so that the people around him could concentrate.
"News, Porson," he rumbled equably as Punisher Punisher strained ahead. "I want news. I get bored if I"m not inundated with information. Where is strained ahead. "I want news. I get bored if I"m not inundated with information. Where is Trumpet!" Trumpet!"
"I can"t see her yet, Captain," the scan officer admitted apologetically. "All these vectors-the computer has to collate too many new coordinates with too many different instruments. We"re giving it fits. Half my readouts show error alerts.
"Sorry, Captain."
Captain Ubikwe grumbled or hummed. His fingers tapped the edge of his console. "Then what does that d.a.m.n defensive see?" he countered rhetorically. "How does she know so much more than we do? So what if she has better scan? We"ve had time to catch up. If she can locate Trumpet Trumpet, why can"t we?"
Maybe, Min refused to say aloud, somebody aboard Trumpet Trumpet is talking to that Amnioni. Maybe they"ve already given her their position. Maybe Nick b.l.o.o.d.y Succorso is even more treasonous than I thought. is talking to that Amnioni. Maybe they"ve already given her their position. Maybe Nick b.l.o.o.d.y Succorso is even more treasonous than I thought.
That probably wasn"t true. Punisher Punisher would almost certainly hear any message would almost certainly hear any message Trumpet Trumpet sent. No tight-beam transmission could get through all that rock: only a general broadcast would bounce around enough to leak out of the swarm. sent. No tight-beam transmission could get through all that rock: only a general broadcast would bounce around enough to leak out of the swarm.
Despite the cruiser"s distance from the region of the kinetic reflection anomaly, she was fractionally closer to the outer asteroids than the alien was. If anything, she should be able to hear better than her enemy- Matter cannon fire echoed like scorching in the hull. The sinks gave off a keen, palpable whine, as if they were crying. G kicked the ship from side to side, up and down, around in circles. s.p.a.cesickness tugged at the lining of Min"s stomach, despite her experience and training.
Out of the confusion, Cray barked, "Captain, I"m picking up a transmission!"
Oh, s.h.i.t.
Dolph c.o.c.ked his head. "VI? I hope it"s good news. I could use some."
"No, Captain," Cray gulped as she studied her readouts. "Down there."
He opened his mouth lugubriously. "What, from the swarm?"
"Aye, Captain."
He made a show of swallowing his astonishment. "Well, don"t keep me in suspense. Who"s sending it?"
Cray gaped at her board for a couple of seconds, then wheeled her station to face his.
"Captain, it"s from Vector Shaheed." Her voice was hoa.r.s.e from overuse. "Aboard Trumpet." Trumpet."
Dolph steepled his fingers, pursed his mouth. "Maybe," he mused, "that"s how our friend out there knows where she is. We"d better look into this.
"What does Dr. Shaheed have to say for himself?"
Cray bent to her readouts again. "He isn"t talking to the Amnioni," she reported. "Or he says he isn"t. He claims this is a general broadcast. For anyone who can hear him.
"Captain"-she struggled to clear her throat-"he says he"s developed a mutagen immunity drug. He says he"s been working on it ever since Intertech shut down their research. Now he"s succeeded. Then-" Cray"s voice failed momentarily. "Then he gives a formula."
A formula! formula! Christ! Min knew how the communications officer felt. She had difficulty containing her own amazement. Christ! Min knew how the communications officer felt. She had difficulty containing her own amazement.
A mutagen immunity drug, the the drug, the one Hashi had developed from Vector Shaheed"s research. The one Hashi had supplied to Nick Succorso so that Succorso could play Hashi"s games with the Amnion. drug, the one Hashi had developed from Vector Shaheed"s research. The one Hashi had supplied to Nick Succorso so that Succorso could play Hashi"s games with the Amnion.
Trumpet was broadcasting the was broadcasting the formula! formula!
Cray hadn"t paused. As soon as she mastered herself, she explained, "That"s just the first part of the message. But all the rest is test designs. To help whoever hears him prove his formula is effective."
Min should have been filled with dismay. Hadn"t Warden agreed to suppress Intertech"s research for a reason? Hadn"t he told her that his survival as the UMCP director depended on his complicity with Holt Fasner? General broadcast! Surely this was a disaster?
But what she felt wasn"t dismay: it was an acute, visceral sense of pride. G.o.d, this was wonderful! A mutagen immunity formula on general broadcast. general broadcast. If Vector Shaheed had thought of this and carried it out all on his own- If Vector Shaheed had thought of this and carried it out all on his own- No, she didn"t believe that. Trumpet Trumpet was too small: with Angus to help him, Nick Succorso could too easily control everyone around him. was too small: with Angus to help him, Nick Succorso could too easily control everyone around him.
There was only one person aboard who might have persuaded Nick or Angus to permit this; only one who"d been trained in the same ethics and responsibility Min herself served- "After that it all repeats," Cray finished. "Continuous broadcast. I guess Trumpet Trumpet is planning to beam it out as long as she can." is planning to beam it out as long as she can."
A grin stretched Captain Ubikwe"s fleshy mouth. He may actually have been amused.
"Well, we can count on one thing, anyway," he remarked. "Our friend as sure as s.h.i.t doesn"t want to hear that. that.
"My congratulations, Director Donner," he drawled over his shoulder. "When you told me Trumpet Trumpet was headed for a bootleg lab so Dr. Shaheed could do this, I thought you were guessing. Remind me to be more respectful." was headed for a bootleg lab so Dr. Shaheed could do this, I thought you were guessing. Remind me to be more respectful."
Min ignored him; hardly heard him. Her head churned with inferences and concern.
G.o.d, had Warden planned for this this, too? Or were Trumpet Trumpet and all her people completely out of control? and all her people completely out of control?
Morn Hyland was aboard. Warden had planned for that. But did he know what she"d become? Did he know what months of zone implant addiction, months of Thermopyle"s and Succorso"s brutality, had made of her?
Did he know that in spite of everything she was still a cop?
How well did even Hashi Lebwohl understand Nick Succorso? Or his own creation, Angus Thermopyle?
The minute anyone around Ma.s.sif-5 picked up Trumpet"s Trumpet"s message, the Amnioni was effectively beaten; checkmated. Even that vessel couldn"t go to war with the whole system. message, the Amnioni was effectively beaten; checkmated. Even that vessel couldn"t go to war with the whole system.
But she could still kill Trumpet. Trumpet.
And no one aboard the gap scout deserved to die; not scant minutes after they"d achieved this incredible victory.
"Captain Ubikwe." Min"s voice was husky with emotion, but she didn"t care. "We aren"t fast enough. We need more speed."
He glanced back at her. Humor and darkness glinted in his eyes. "Maybe if you and I get out and push, Director Donner," he commented sardonically, "we can save a couple of minutes."
Before she could retort, however, he turned away. Speaking to the rest of the bridge, he went on more sternly, "I don"t think a little extra speed is going to help us. Even if we were at our best, we wouldn"t be able to get where we need to go fast enough. But Director Donner is right. Trumpet Trumpet has earned anything we can do for her. has earned anything we can do for her.
"That Amnioni knows something we don"t. Otherwise we would still be dodging proton beams. It"s time to get ready.
"Engage laser tracking," he told Glessen on targ. "Program torpedoes. And see if you can find a way to pack more charge into the matter cannon. Brace yourself to fire everything on my order. If we want to cover Trumpet Trumpet and survive the experience, we"d better be serious about it. and survive the experience, we"d better be serious about it.
"Try to triangulate, Cray," he continued. "Calculate reflection vectors or something. And give Porson anything you get. It would be particularly useful if we could locate that gap scout.
"As for you, Sergei-" Dolph chewed his lower lip for a moment, thinking hard. Then he said, "When I give targ the order, I want you to stop evasive action. That"ll make Glessen"s job easier. And if we want our friend to concentrate on us, we might as well give her the best target we can."
His people obeyed as if he hadn"t just commanded suicide.
He was doing as much as he could: Min knew that. She approved, despite the risk. And yet her whole body burned like her hands to go faster; go faster; fast enough to fend off fast enough to fend off Trumpet"s Trumpet"s doom. doom.
Morn Hyland was a cop; cop; a UMCPED ensign. In the performance of her duties, she"d given humankind a staggering gift: an effective defense against the Amnion. a UMCPED ensign. In the performance of her duties, she"d given humankind a staggering gift: an effective defense against the Amnion.
Min Donner couldn"t bear the thought of letting her be killed.
"Help me out, Porson," Dolph rumbled. "Where is Trumpet! Trumpet! I"ll take guesswork if you don"t have real data." I"ll take guesswork if you don"t have real data."
"Something-" Porson muttered over his readouts. "Just hints-"
A moment later, however, he said more strongly, "I don"t know, Captain. That looks like two ships."
Blips in tentative colors appeared on the scan schematic which showed the relative positions of Punisher Punisher, the Amnioni, and the seething margin of the swarm.
"Two?" Captain Ubikwe demanded. Captain Ubikwe demanded.
The scan officer nodded. "But I can"t be sure. Unless I"m seeing ghosts, they"re keeping themselves occluded.
"One of them must be Trumpet. Trumpet. The emission match is pretty close. I just can"t tell which one she is." The emission match is pretty close. I just can"t tell which one she is."
Dolph flung a look at Min, but she shook her head. If one was Trumpet Trumpet, the other might be the ship which had followed her out of forbidden s.p.a.ce. Or the vessel might be Hashi Lebwohl"s mercenary. She had no way of knowing.
Her nausea increased. She needed work, activity; something to occupy her mind so that she could forget the distress in her gut. That other ship was a threat. Whoever she was, she would attack Trumpet Trumpet as soon as she got the chance. as soon as she got the chance.
"Are they together?" Captain Ubikwe asked Porson.
"From our point of view, Captain, they might as well be. But they"re still in the fringes. Using the stones for cover. Stationary, it looks like. Down there that much distance is considerable. There may be enough rock in the way to keep them from scanning each other."
Then the scan officer flinched as he saw new data scrolling down his readouts. "Captain, that other ship-She could be the one we saw coming in from forbidden s.p.a.ce. Before we left the Com-Mine belt. Her signature is close, but it doesn"t quite match. Could be damage. If she"s half-crippled, she might look like that."
Not Free Lunch. Free Lunch.
Another Amnioni? An illegal working for the Amnion?
G.o.d, how had either of them found Trumpet! Trumpet!
Dolph"s tone took on an edge. "Be ready, Glessen," he warned. "Our friend is going to fire. When we see which target she picks, we"ll know which of those two ships is Trumpet" Trumpet"
"I"ve already got her, Captain!" Cray put in excitedly. She a.s.signed a label to one of the blips on the scan display. It indicated that Trumpet Trumpet was the nearer of the two ships-nearer by an insignificant thirty or forty k. "That broadcast can"t be coming from the other ship," she explained. "The reflection vectors are wrong." was the nearer of the two ships-nearer by an insignificant thirty or forty k. "That broadcast can"t be coming from the other ship," she explained. "The reflection vectors are wrong."
"Good." He grinned his approval. "Porson," he went on at once, "I can"t tell by that schematic. Is Trumpet Trumpet occluded from our friend?" occluded from our friend?"
"Looks like it, Captain," Porson answered.
"Good again. Now-"
Before he could finish, emission numbers along one of the screens flared in new directions. At the same instant the scan display showed a detonation among the rocks of the swarm; a concussion as vehement as a bomb. Hard radiation and brisance globed outward like the effects of a thermonuclear explosion.
The blast wiped Trumpet"s Trumpet"s blip off the screen as if the gap scout had ceased to exist. blip off the screen as if the gap scout had ceased to exist.
Afire with alarm, Min strained against her belts; fought Punisher Punisher"s wrenching stagger so that she could see the numbers clearly, understand what they meant.
"Proton cannon!" Porson cried. "The defensive fired! Direct hit! Trumpet Trumpet is-" is-"
Gone. Smashed. No mere gap scout could survive a direct hit by a super-light proton cannon.
But an instant later the scan officer yelled, "No! She"s there, I see her! The defensive hit rock!"
Then he called urgently, "Captain, that was Trumpet"s Trumpet"s cover! She"s wide open!" cover! She"s wide open!"
"Now, Glessen!" Dolph ordered; loud and sharp as breaking granite. "Everything!"
Immediately the targ officer leaned his palms onto his board as if he were pushing all his keys at once.
At the same time the cruiser"s stumbling rush stabilized as Patrice simplified her maneuvers; pulled her onto a direct heading toward her goal.
Lasers wailed into the dark in coherent streams. Punisher Punisher lurched as flights of torpedoes blasted from their cradles. The hull-burn of the matter cannon sharpened like screaming as Glessen fed every possible joule of charge to the guns. With every force and weapon she possessed, lurched as flights of torpedoes blasted from their cradles. The hull-burn of the matter cannon sharpened like screaming as Glessen fed every possible joule of charge to the guns. With every force and weapon she possessed, Punisher Punisher hammered at the Amnioni, striving at the outer limit of her strength to attack the big defensive so hard that the alien would have no choice except to deal with her, try to beat her, before firing on hammered at the Amnioni, striving at the outer limit of her strength to attack the big defensive so hard that the alien would have no choice except to deal with her, try to beat her, before firing on Trumpet Trumpet again. again.
It couldn"t work. Punisher Punisher was too far away; lacked the sheer might she needed to coerce reactions from the Amnioni. The defensive had already shown her capacity to withstand continuous matter cannon fire. Lasers could be deflected by glazed surfaces, stymied by shields-or ripped completely apart by the chaotic energies unleashed when matter cannon bursts struck particle sinks. And torpedoes were too slow; limited by thrust to s.p.a.ce-normal speeds. was too far away; lacked the sheer might she needed to coerce reactions from the Amnioni. The defensive had already shown her capacity to withstand continuous matter cannon fire. Lasers could be deflected by glazed surfaces, stymied by shields-or ripped completely apart by the chaotic energies unleashed when matter cannon bursts struck particle sinks. And torpedoes were too slow; limited by thrust to s.p.a.ce-normal speeds.
The best Punisher Punisher could do wouldn"t stop the Amnioni. could do wouldn"t stop the Amnioni.
And Trumpet Trumpet had no more cover. She didn"t have time to run. Even at full burn, she couldn"t acquire enough velocity to go into tach. Her image on scan shone hot with emissions as her drive roared, hurling her into motion on a line past had no more cover. She didn"t have time to run. Even at full burn, she couldn"t acquire enough velocity to go into tach. Her image on scan shone hot with emissions as her drive roared, hurling her into motion on a line past Punisher Punisher toward open s.p.a.ce; blazing desperately for speed. But she was too late; inevitably too slow: the alien"s targ would track her with ease. toward open s.p.a.ce; blazing desperately for speed. But she was too late; inevitably too slow: the alien"s targ would track her with ease.
As soon as the defensive recharged her proton gun- Then, without warning, new numbers blazed on the screens: new force vectors streaked the vacuum.