"Bros, Joe," she said, "will you come with me, please." Her heart was hammering in her chest, but her voice was flat calm. They were being treated like just another underworld courier. But they weren"t "just another" anything and Joat was scared. Her name alone would be ringing up flags...o...b..ard the Dreadful Bride. Dreadful Bride. Belazir t"Marid would be Belazir t"Marid would be glad glad to see her, if not quite as glad as Channa or Simeon would make him. to see her, if not quite as glad as Channa or Simeon would make him.
She was in the hatchway, Bros and Joseph bunched up behind her when an all too familiar voice filled the bridge.
"One moment, Captain."
Joat could feel the blood draining from her face, vision dimming, her tongue thick enough to choke her. She turned to the screen.
"This is a most valuable cargo," Belazir said, with a gentle smile.
Joat leaned against the hatchway casually and raised an eyebrow. It was better than falling down, and she hadn"t the strength to speak. When she"d known him before she"d had places to hide. Here there was nowhere to run.
He looked much older than she would have expected. Dangerous still, but much changed. Yeah. They age quickly, too. Yeah. They age quickly, too. The face had lost its fallen-angel beauty, but none of the strength. And the golden lion"s eyes were utterly mad. The face had lost its fallen-angel beauty, but none of the strength. And the golden lion"s eyes were utterly mad.
"I"ve never damaged a cargo yet," she said at last.
"Still," Belazir said, steepling his hands before him, "I must ask that you leave one of your crew here as hostage. To insure that you will effect delivery with all care and speed."
Joat crossed her arms and walked forward, towards the smiling face in the screen.
"No," she said, calmly. "That"s unacceptable. I need all of my crew. If that"s unsatisfactory, I"m sure Mr. Ciety can find you a shipper more to your liking." She took her seat and looked up at the screen with her arms crossed, face a mask. But I"m glad he can"t smell me. But I"m glad he can"t smell me.
His yellow eyes rested briefly on Joseph, then pa.s.sed over him to linger on Bros.
"That one," he said, as though she hadn"t already refused. "The dark one. We"ll take him on when the cargo is brought to you."
"No," Joat said firmly.
"Yes," Belazir said, equally firmly. His eyes widened slightly and his lips lifted from his teeth in a snarl. "Captain Simeon-Hap." Simeon-Hap."
He knows, Joat thought and her heart sped again and her mouth went dry. Joat thought and her heart sped again and her mouth went dry.
"You will do as you are told. Or you will not be leaving this place. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Master and G.o.d, Master and G.o.d, her mind supplied treacherously. her mind supplied treacherously.
She gripped the console, resolved to tell him that she understood, she just wasn"t going to do it, when Bros"s hand came down on her shoulder, making her jump.
She glared up at him and he surprised her by the regretful tenderness of his smile.
"I"d better go," he said softly.
"But . . . !"
He was out the hatch before she could continue.
"Most wise," Belazir murmured approvingly, "very wise indeed."
The screen went blank, and Joat was on her feet, rushing after Bros.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
"This isn"t right," Joat insisted. She"d caught up with him at the cargo bay hatch; he stood looking back at her, hand on the d.o.g.g.i.ng wheel. "I don"t want you to go."
Bros smiled down at her.
"Would it surprise you to know that I agree with you? I don"t want me to go either."
"Then don"t!"
He c.o.c.ked his head and looked at her affectionately, reaching out to brush her cheek with the back of his hand. Joat started and flinched away from his touch, then scowled at him.
"Is that a look to send a man out to battle with?"
"You"re not going to battle," she snapped, "you"re going to commit suicide. I can talk him out of this, Bros, you don"t have to go."
"He"ll loll us all, Joat. He knows who you are and he wants you dead." Bros leaned close, trying to catch her eyes. "Seg and Amos are too important to Central Worlds to risk. And I got you into this."
There was the sound of the caterpillar lock grappling on and filling with air. Bros snapped forward and kissed her lightly before she could protest. He straightened and glanced at the lock, then back down at Joat.
"And you"re too important to me," he said as the lock opened with a hiss and a pair of black-clad mercenaries stepped out. "It"s a far, far better thing I do . . ." he murmured as they led him away.
Joat watched him go; he never looked back as he was hustled along between his guards, and his step was firm and springy. She could still feel the soft warmth of his lips, and it was as though his kiss had sealed hers shut, for she couldn"t speak. She could only watch with wide eyes as more mercenaries dragged an escape pod down the tunnel that linked their ships.
Joseph"s touch made her gasp and she spun "round in shocked surprise.
"Don"t do do that!" she snarled. "Why is everyone sneaking up on me today?" that!" she snarled. "Why is everyone sneaking up on me today?"
Joseph suppressed a smile.
"Sometimes, Joat, you are more like my Rachel than you would care to admit."
"How shall we stow this, Captain?" Alvec asked.
Joat closed her eyes for a moment, grateful for Al"s understanding. She led him into cargo hold C.
"Here," she said and indicated a rack which would accommodate the rescue pod"s awkward shape.
They were busy for several minutes securing it to the mercenaries" satisfaction; the noncom in charge checked with finicky care.
"See them out, would you Joe?" she asked. "I want a few words with their Captain."
"Get me Belazir," Joat said to the dead-faced woman on the screen.
"Who?" the woman asked.
"Belazir, you b.i.t.c.h! Do it or I"ll open fire on the mother ship." you b.i.t.c.h! Do it or I"ll open fire on the mother ship."
Belazir"s face appeared on the screen, his golden eyes laughing, though his face was stern.
"You wished to speak to me, Captain?"
"I"ll be back for my crewman," Joat said tersely.
"Will you?" Belazir asked with a raised brow. "How very nice. You may be sure I shall look forward to seeing you again, Captain Simeon-Hap." He paused, considering. "So much do I wish for such a meeting that I will caution you most strongly, do not open the rescue pod. On pain of death," he said, his voice firm with sincere warning.
Then he was gone and by default the screen returned to the view of Belazir s fleet.
"Only a Kolnari could or would say on pain of death," on pain of death," Joseph said with disgust. "Even then, only Belazir could say it and not sound ridiculous. Come with me, Seg. Let us see what the Kolnar have entrusted to us." Joseph said with disgust. "Even then, only Belazir could say it and not sound ridiculous. Come with me, Seg. Let us see what the Kolnar have entrusted to us."
"Wait," Joat said. "Let"s get a little distance between us. They might have some kind of tell-tale attached to it."
Joseph sighed impatiently, but nodded and took his seat, while Joat checked out the flight plan the Kolnari had given them.
"It"s what we expected," she said, her throat dry and tight. "Our course is set for Bethel."
"I am sorry, Joat," Joseph murmured. "I would rather he had chosen me."
"Don"t be sorry and don"t be stupid," she snapped. "This isn"t finished."
But it was, she told herself. Finished before it was begun. A freighter with a single laser cannon and a few illegal side arms was no match for the Kolnari-mercenary fleet they were leaving behind. And while they ran like cowards Belazir was taking apart the first and only man she"d ever felt something for.
The fighter was designed to do one thing, fight, and it offered few amenities and little comfort. Karak was at the apex of a three-seat triangle, overseeing the other two. None of the seats were moveable; they were designed to put the occupants within touching range of everything essential, and Kolnari ship designers made even fewer concessions to comfort than the Central Worlds Fleet.
It had been part nightmare and part comedy getting everyone suited and out. He"d handily connected the unconscious Sung to the various catheters and waste tubes built into the s.p.a.ce armor. But Soamosa had refused to let him help her, even though she obviously had no idea how to proceed.
Karak eyed her worriedly. From time to time she shifted in a way that spoke of discomfort. But she didn"t complain and he felt a little glow of pride towards her for that.
"I have laid in a course for Bethel," he told her. "We can expect to arrive in four days."
Soamosa started.
"So close!" she said. And she asked herself what the Kolnari were going to do that required their fleet to lie so close to her home. Fool! Fool! she told herself. she told herself. The disease of course! They will want to come and gloat. The disease of course! They will want to come and gloat. She wondered if they would be content with what they saw, or would they amuse themselves by bombing the helpless people of Bethel. The way they had before. She wondered if they would be content with what they saw, or would they amuse themselves by bombing the helpless people of Bethel. The way they had before.
"At the end of four days, my love, it will not seem close, I promise you." His voice was tinged with amus.e.m.e.nt.
Captain Sung began to stir and in moments a thin, heart-broken wailing filled the small cabin they shared. Soamosa leaned towards him and began to murmur soothingly, reaching out for his shoulder.
The Captain batted ill-temperedly at her and increased the volume of his weeping.
Four days! Karak thought in despair. Karak thought in despair. It will be an eternity. It will be an eternity.
"Seg," Joat said, "put on an EVA suit, grab your bag of tricks and report to cargo hold C. We"re going to lock you in and put the air in there on a sealed cycle."
!T"sel looked surprised. "How is it you can do that?"
"That hold"s designed to ship live cargo. Why else d"you think it"s got a double lock?"
"For sterilization procedures, of course," Seg murmured approvingly.
"And Seg, take everything you can think of. Once you"re sealed in I don"t want to keep opening that outer hatch any more than necessary."
!T"sel nodded solemnly.
"I understand and approve, Captain."
"I will accompany you," Joseph said.
Didn"t ask my permission, this time. He"d always been careful of such courtesies before. He"d always been careful of such courtesies before.
"You will also wear a suit, Joe."
He glanced at her in mild surprise and then nodded once. Meaning, it"s still my ship. Meaning, it"s still my ship.
"Yes, Captain," he said and followed Seg.
"Rand? Give me a multiple close-up on the pod."
"Yes, Joat."
Rand flashed four different views of the Kolnari escape pod. Then he brought each view to maximum magnification. The surface was some pebbled synthetic.
"Good," Joat said. "Polarized?"
"Most probably, from the composition-single-molecule silicon and carbon composite," Rand said.
"So far, we"re in the clear," Alvec said, watching the Kolnari fleet on his screen. "No one"s following, no weapons firing. Looks like we"re safe." His voice had a flat, low-affect deadness to it.
"We"re not leaving him there," Joat said. "We got Amos out, we"ll get Sperin out."
He turned his chair around, his face like a lugubrious hound"s.
"Boss, they wanted us to take Amos," he said gently.
"I know that." It was moments like this that you realized Alvec was a very dangerous man.
Joat turned to watch the pod. Behind her, Alvec smiled slowly as he studied the set of her face and the way she held her shoulders. He could almost feel sorry for the Kolnari fleet.