Vorn and the trooper urged the little group of prisoners into the main crewroom area, holding them in a semicircle.
Another of the invaders came down the stairs. He seemed broader, more powerful than the others. He sprang down the last few steps with a cat-like bound, and surveyed his prisoners.
He lifted off his helmet and put it down. Vorn did the same.
The prisoners stared in astonishment at the heavy, brutal features of their captors, at the broad corrugated brows, the lipless mouths and the wicked red eyes.
All except Kurt, who had seen those ogreish features before.
"Sontarans," he breathed.
The newcomer"s head swung round to look at Kurt. "You know our race?"
Kurt realized that he even knew this particular Sontaran.
"Only by reputation," he said evasively.
Vorn was flattered. "Even primitives have heard of the might of the glorious Sontaran Empire!"
"I didn"t say what reputation," muttered Kurt.
Vorn stepped forward threateningly, but the newcomer waved him aside. "I am Commander Steg of the Sontaran s.p.a.ce Corps."
I know who you are, thought Kurt, but do you recognize me? Lucky I got rid of the beard!
"Why were we shot down the moment you arrived?"
demanded Lisa.
"To establish discipline. I am here on a special mission.
You must learn that nothing, nothing and no one, will stand in the way of that mission."
"Why does your mission involve taking over my s.p.a.ce yacht?"
In any group there is a natural leader, thought Steg. "And you are?"
"Lisa Deranne, Captain of this ship."
"Forgive me, Captain," said Steg. "All primitives look rather alike to me."
Kurt exhaled in silent relief.
Steg began firing questions at Lisa. "What is this vessel"s purpose? Why has it been equipped with solar sails?"
"To race."
"Explain."
"At an arranged time, this ship and others of its kind, will set off to cross an agreed segment of s.p.a.ce, using only solar sails."
Vorn was clearly baffled. "Why?"
Zorelle felt she"d been silent for far too long. "The ship that makes the crossing in the shortest time is the winner."
"Solar sails are clumsy and inefficient," objected Steg. "The crossing would be accomplished more quickly by the use of the power drive."
"That"s not the point," said Lisa wearily.
"Then what is?"
"To race. To compete. What do you do on your planet to amuse yourself, to test yourself to the limit?"
Red fires glowed deep in Steg"s eyes. "Ah! You mean war."
A glowing sphere, trailing tentacles of light, floated along the corridors of Tiger Moth Tiger Moth. Heavy footsteps approached, and the sphere blurred, and re-formed as a Sontaran trooper.
Another Sontaran trooper, a real one, came round the corner.
"You have found nothing?"
"Nothing." The false Sontaran"s voice was flat and dull, but Sontaran troopers are not alert to subtleties of expression.
"Continue the search," ordered the trooper, and moved on.
When the real trooper was out of sight, the imitation glowed brightly for a moment and dissolved into a blur of light.
The glowing sphere floated on its way searching desperately for a way out.
Commander Steg had finished with his questions, and was addressing his captive audience.
"My purpose is simple. I seek an enemy of my people."
"A Rutan?" asked Kurt.
"What do you know of the Rutans?"
Kurt was already regretting drawing attention to himself.
"You"re at war with them."
"Why are you so sure that your enemy is on my ship?"
asked Lisa.
"I am not sure. It is merely a possibility, one amongst many. Your last port of call was s.p.a.ce Station Alpha?"
Lisa nodded. "We carried out our final refit there, took on supplies. But we left some time ago."
"We tracked our enemy to Station Alpha," said Steg sombrely. "We arrived in pursuit, took over the station and searched it. Our enemy was no longer there."
Lisa was beginning to understand. "Alpha is one of the busiest way-stations in the star system."
"Precisely. In the period between our enemy"s arrival there and our own, many vessels arrived and left."
Zorelle laughed. "And I suppose you intend to board and search every one of them?"
"Yes," said Steg seriously. "Every single one."
"That"s outrageous," protested Nikos. "According to all the laws of the Tri-System Alliance "
Lieutenant Vorn cut him off. "Sontarans do not concern themselves with the laws of inferior species."
Mari was horrified "But you have no right "
"We have the power," said Commander Steg. "That is all the right we need."
Lisa was thinking about the implications, for herself, her crew and her ship. "So what happens now?"
"My troopers are currently searching the ship," said Steg. "If we find our enemy we will attempt to capture him alive. If we do not succeed in capturing him, we shall kill him. Then we shall go."
"So whatever happens, my ship and my crew will not be harmed?"
"That is so." Steg rose and walked along the line of his captives. "I have no particular interest in your survival. But I have no reason to harm you. Take care not to give me one."
He paused before Zorelle, who quivered with fear under his burning gaze. "You have two species on your planet?"
"She"s a woman, Commander," said Kurt evenly. "A human female."
Steg moved on to Mari. "This one too is female." The broad three-digited hand touched her hair. "The hair is finer...the thorax of different construction."
As the hand moved over Mari"s body she looked up at the horrifying face so close to hers and gave a gasp of terror.
"Leave her alone!" shouted Nikos. He sprang forward and tried to pull Steg away. The Sontaran swatted him aside, with a casual backhanded blow that sent Nikos flying across the room. He crashed into one of the bunks and fell, and Mari ran to his side. Vorn and the trooper raised their blasters.
Kurt stepped out in front of them. He spoke directly to Steg, using the same flat, level voice. "The other is a young human male, Commander. He is s.e.xually pair-bonded to the young female. It is his instinct to protect her."
"Interesting," said Steg. He waved Vorn and the trooper aside, and moved on to Lisa. "This one too is female?"
Lisa stared back at him.
Steg stroked her dark hair. "Ah yes, she is female. But she is not afraid." He swung round on Kurt. "And you are male, but you are not aggressive in her defence. Are you s.e.xually pair-bonded?"
Kurt glanced at the furious Lisa, and his mouth twitched.
"No," he said solemnly. "This particular female can defend herself."
"She is female like these others but she is Captain?"
asked Steg curiously.
Kurt nodded. "We humans vary a great deal."
"We Sontarans do not," said Steg dismissively. "Variation is inefficient." He addressed the room at large. "Remain here, all of you, and cause no trouble."
Steg sprang to the metal ladder and swarmed up it, disappearing from sight. Vorn and the trooper followed.
Kurt put a hand on Lisa"s shoulder. "You all right?"
She brushed his hand aside. "s.e.xually pair-bonded! That"ll be the day!" She paused. "Did you believe what he said about letting us go?"
Kurt glanced across the room, to where Zorelle and Mari were tending the semi-conscious Nikos. He lowered his voice.
"No. When he goes, he"ll kill us all."
13.
Deal The Sontaran pocket-cruiser and the solar yacht hung together in s.p.a.ce like mating insects, linked at the airlock tunnel.
Inside the solar yacht, a trooper stood on guard by the airlock door.
A second trooper approached. His face was expressionless, as Sontaran faces often are, and the faint glow about his body-armour might have come from the corridor lights.
Without speaking, the second trooper began operating the wheel that opened the airlock door.