Dios stood beside him and clipped their belts to each other; fixed his fate to Angus". Davies did the same on the other side.
There was nothing else they could do; no other precautions they could take. In the small s.p.a.ce of the airlock the constant fury of Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" matter cannon barrage mounted like endless lightning. matter cannon barrage mounted like endless lightning.
Angus grabbed the laser from his pouch; sighted his prosthesis; ran calculations and adjustments through his computer. As if he were committing murder, he pressed the firing stud.
As soon as the iris began to cycle open, a hard fist of atmosphere flung him and his companions like debris out into the embattled dark.
MIKKA.
Somewhere underneath her exhaustion and loss, her physical pain and tearing sorrow, Mikka Vasaczk found the will to survive.
To some extent she was held together by drugs. She"d taken enough stim and hype to convulse a weaker woman; pushed her body far past her normal limits with chemical enhancements. But that only helped her stay awake. It didn"t make her strong.
And her efforts to accept Ciro"s intentions didn"t give her strength. She recognized that his need to follow the logic of his distress to its conclusion was more compulsory than life. Yet he was her brother: he was all she had. Letting him go did little to help her live.
In part she was sustained by the companionable sound of Captain Ubikwe"s voice. By intercom from the command module, he talked to her constantly, feeding her information and commentary in a deep, comfortable rumble which soothed her strained nerves. Apparently the last of his personal concerns had been relieved by Ciro"s departure. He gave the impression that he was no longer worried about anything.
He couldn"t possibly be as sure as he seemed. She refused to believe it. Nevertheless he projected nothing but confidence and relaxation as he described Angus" progress toward Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" airlock; or UMCHO"s attack on Suka Bator, and the withering fire of Min Donner"s response to the station; or Ciro"s awkward-but effective-journey with his grenade. He warned Mikka cheerfully when he was ready to break the grip of airlock; or UMCHO"s attack on Suka Bator, and the withering fire of Min Donner"s response to the station; or Ciro"s awkward-but effective-journey with his grenade. He warned Mikka cheerfully when he was ready to break the grip of Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" docking seals so that Angus could reach the airlock. He told her everything she needed to know in order to power up docking seals so that Angus could reach the airlock. He told her everything she needed to know in order to power up Trumpet"s Trumpet"s drives safely; charge her guns; prepare the dispersion field generator. drives safely; charge her guns; prepare the dispersion field generator.
He couldn"t restrain a fierce cheer when the Amnioni"s proton cannon abruptly exploded, shattering itself to sc.r.a.p in a hail of quantum discontinuities and debris, as well as ripping a brutal hole in the big defensive"s hulls. And after that he was briefly silent while Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" matter cannon roared violence at every human target they could reach. Instead of talking he routed scan and status data to her screens so she could watch the a.s.sault; so she could see that Min Donner kept her promise not to strike back while Angus tried to rescue Davies, Vector, and Warden Dios. At the same time he brought up thrust to hold the module and matter cannon roared violence at every human target they could reach. Instead of talking he routed scan and status data to her screens so she could watch the a.s.sault; so she could see that Min Donner kept her promise not to strike back while Angus tried to rescue Davies, Vector, and Warden Dios. At the same time he brought up thrust to hold the module and Trumpet Trumpet close to the Amnioni"s airlock-and below her field of fire-as close to the Amnioni"s airlock-and below her field of fire-as Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" drives raged for acceleration. drives raged for acceleration.
He must have been desperately busy. He had to reestablish contact with UMCPHQ and Punisher Punisher, and coordinate their tactical input with his own maneuvers. But after only a couple of minutes his voice came back on Mikka"s intercom.
"Well, thank G.o.d for slow brisance thrust, that"s all I can say," he announced happily. "At this rate we"ll be able to keep up with her, at least for a few minutes.
"Looks like Ciro almost missed his chance," he went on with no discernible anxiety. "Guess he didn"t expect that big f.u.c.ker to burn when she did. But his jets saved him. He"s on the hull now. And he"s got his grenade tethered.
"I wonder what Vestabule would do if someone told him he"s taken on a little extra cargo. Might be fun to see an Amnioni go s.p.a.ces.h.i.t crazy."
Mikka didn"t reply. She couldn"t think of anything she could bear to say.
Apparently Captain Ubikwe didn"t expect a response. He talked on as if he trusted her completely. First he described the efforts of UMCPHQ and Director Dormer"s cordon to fend off Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" fire. Then he relayed everything he could glean about the damage to UMCHO. fire. Then he relayed everything he could glean about the damage to UMCHO.
According to UMCPHQ Center, Holt Fasner"s station had lost firepower and thrust; most of its operational capability. But the bulk of the platform remained intact. Distress flares indicated a high percentage of survivors.
Reports from Earth confirmed that the GCES was safe. Suka Bator hadn"t suffered any significant destruction: Min"s counterattack had prevented UMCHO from sustaining its barrage.
That supplied another small piece of Mikka"s will to endure. She cared about the Council only in the abstract. But the fact that Holt Fasner had felt compelled to attack Suka Bator meant to her that Morn had succeeded; that Morn"s story had persuaded the GCES to reconsider the fundamental structure of power in human s.p.a.ce. And Morn"s determination to expose the crimes of the UMCP mattered to Mikka. It affected her in ways she could hardly name. Without Morn she would never have turned against Nick. Instead both she and Ciro would almost certainly have died with Captain"s Fancy Captain"s Fancy and Billingate. and Billingate.
The course she"d chosen in Morn"s name, under Morn"s influence, had exacted a terrible price. She"d paid blood for it herself. Ciro was about to pay with his life. Nevertheless it was better than staying with Nick: supporting his crimes, enabling his betrayals, while he scorned her for the simple reason that she couldn"t heal the wounds Sorus Chatelaine had cut into him. Despite the cost, she didn"t regret anything Morn had persuaded her to do, directly or indirectly.
Morn"s success gave a touch of vindication to Mikka"s part in making it possible. That helped her cling to life when her brother had already chosen to die.
Ultimately, however, her commitment to survival arose from another, more essential source. Drugs kept her awake. Captain Ubikwe"s voice kept her company. Accepting Ciro"s sacrifice helped her manage her grief. Morn"s vindication confirmed that she"d made the right decisions. Yet in the end it was something else that swayed her. She held the frayed and weary strands of her spirit together because Angus, Vector, Davies, Warden Dios, and Dolph Ubikwe would all die if she didn"t.
At the core she was a woman who served. Nick and Captain"s Fancy; Captain"s Fancy; her brother; Morn: she was the sum and culmination of her loyalties. They defined her. Without them she could hardly say that she"d ever existed. her brother; Morn: she was the sum and culmination of her loyalties. They defined her. Without them she could hardly say that she"d ever existed.
Morn had asked her to do this. People she valued-especially Davies and Vector-were depending on her. In the deepest part of her heart, she would rather die than let them down.
So she did everything that had been asked of her, even though her brother was lost to her, and her throat knotted with sobs whenever she thought of him. She powered up Trumpet"s Trumpet"s drives: slowly at first, leaking energy into them by minor increments so that she wouldn"t attract drives: slowly at first, leaking energy into them by minor increments so that she wouldn"t attract Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" notice; then as fast as she could while the defensive was distracted by Director Donner"s attack on UMCHO. She charged the gap scout"s matter cannon, even though she couldn"t imagine being able to use them. She ran complex calculations through the helm computer, measuring the module"s ma.s.s and notice; then as fast as she could while the defensive was distracted by Director Donner"s attack on UMCHO. She charged the gap scout"s matter cannon, even though she couldn"t imagine being able to use them. She ran complex calculations through the helm computer, measuring the module"s ma.s.s and Trumpet"s Trumpet"s thrust against the potential hunger of a singularity fed by thrust against the potential hunger of a singularity fed by Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" great bulk. And she made herself as proficient as circ.u.mstances allowed with the dispersion field generator. great bulk. And she made herself as proficient as circ.u.mstances allowed with the dispersion field generator.
The command module had neither the raw power nor the defenses to save any of them. And Captain Ubikwe was far too busy to cover for her. Whether this mission lived or died rested in Mikka Vasaczk"s exhausted hands.
Alone on Trumpet"s Trumpet"s bridge, alone aboard the gap scout, she readied herself to carry out Angus" orders. bridge, alone aboard the gap scout, she readied herself to carry out Angus" orders.
How much time did she have left? Not much, apparently. According to Dolph, Angus had made his way through the Amnioni"s airlock. He would either find Davies, Vector, and Warden Dios or not; rescue them or not; emerge from the huge defensive or not. But no matter what happened, it wouldn"t take long.
She surprised herself by hoping that Ciro wouldn"t lose heart-or patience-and react too soon. All their lives depended on him as much as on her.
Abruptly Captain Ubikwe called out from her intercom, "I just heard from Davies!" Complex excitement crackled in the speakers. "They"ve reached the airlock. Vestabule is dead! Angus is going to cut the lock circuits to get out.
"My airlock is open. I"m ready for them. Weil go the second they"re aboard."
He would reorient the module and Trumpet Trumpet to put the gap scout"s more powerful thrust between them and to put the gap scout"s more powerful thrust between them and Calm Horizons. Calm Horizons. The rest would be up to her. The rest would be up to her.
"I"m set, Captain," she told him so he wouldn"t think she"d fallen asleep. "If it can be done, I"ll do it."
"Mikka-" he began, then faltered unexpectedly. When he spoke again, strain complicated his eagerness. "They lost Vector. The Amnion killed him."
She groaned. Oh, G.o.d. Vector. Vector. Poor arthritic, valiant Vector Shaheed: brilliant as a geneticist, but barely adequate as an engineer: kind, humorous, and calm. Ciro"s teacher. Morn"s friend. Even though he was hopeless in a fight, he"d volunteered for this mission before anyone else. Poor arthritic, valiant Vector Shaheed: brilliant as a geneticist, but barely adequate as an engineer: kind, humorous, and calm. Ciro"s teacher. Morn"s friend. Even though he was hopeless in a fight, he"d volunteered for this mission before anyone else.
I"ve always wanted to be the savior of humankind.
She might have wept if Dolph hadn"t continued talking.
"I know Angus told Ciro to wait for his signal. But we"re running out of time. You"d better tell him to get back here. We can use your guns to set off the grenade."
The captain must have believed Ciro meant to return. No one had told him otherwise.
Mikka swallowed a knot of tears. Even if Vector was dead, Davies and Angus still needed her.
"I can"t!" she answered. "I"ve run projections on the effects of that grenade. If we want to escape that much g, we need more distance." But distance would bring them within reach of Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" cannon. "That means we need the dispersion field. And I can"t fire through it." cannon. "That means we need the dispersion field. And I can"t fire through it."
Beyond the gap scout, Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" guns raged. The shields and sinks of Min"s ships-and UMCPHQ-lit guns raged. The shields and sinks of Min"s ships-and UMCPHQ-lit Trumpet"s Trumpet"s scan like a pyrotechnics display: blooms and bursts of power, flowers of violence, coruscating up and down the spectrum, shedding color and emission on every bandwidth the instruments could receive. But Mikka didn"t look at the fireshow, for the same reason that she didn"t use her sensors to keep track of Ciro. She needed her attention for other things. scan like a pyrotechnics display: blooms and bursts of power, flowers of violence, coruscating up and down the spectrum, shedding color and emission on every bandwidth the instruments could receive. But Mikka didn"t look at the fireshow, for the same reason that she didn"t use her sensors to keep track of Ciro. She needed her attention for other things.
For an instant Dolph was silent. The intercom seemed to convey shock; outrage. Then he growled through his teeth, "Mikka, are you telling me Ciro has to stay stay here? He has to set off the grenade here? He has to set off the grenade in person?" in person?"
Dully she replied, "If the rest of us want to live."
There was no other way. When Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" matter cannon failed to kill the module and matter cannon failed to kill the module and Trumpet Trumpet, the defensive would use impact guns, lasers, torpedoes. Then the task of destroying her would fall to Min Dormer"s ships. The Amnioni might do incalculable damage before she died.
"He"ll be killed!" the captain protested. "We might as well murder murder him." him."
The cruelty of being asked to defend Ciro"s decision turned some of Mikka"s grief to anger. "He volunteered," she snapped. "It was his idea."
"Then it"s suicide," the deep voice countered.
Abruptly she started to yell."No, it"s not!" not!" She hardly knew what had ignited in her, but it exploded like the impact of She hardly knew what had ignited in her, but it exploded like the impact of Calm Horizons" guns. Calm Horizons" guns. She seemed to fling a lifetime of pain and anger into the intercom pickup. "It"s She seemed to fling a lifetime of pain and anger into the intercom pickup. "It"s heroism heroism, you self-righteous sonofab.i.t.c.h! If he were a cop cop, you would call it valor above and beyond the call of f.u.c.king duty!" valor above and beyond the call of f.u.c.king duty!"
Shaken by her own fury, she stopped.
Dolph didn"t respond directly. He may have understood her; guessed the implications of a life spent as an illegal. Or he may have realized that no answer of his would help her.
"Christ!" he muttered. "This must be what he had in mind from the beginning. He"s been talking about it for days.
"How long ago did you realize-? No, don"t tell me. I don"t want to know.
"G.o.d, Mikka," he finished, "I just hope you you aren"t feeling that valorous. I"m still not ready to die." aren"t feeling that valorous. I"m still not ready to die."
Mikka Vasaczk sank her teeth into her lower lip until she tasted blood. d.a.m.n it, Ciro! she groaned. Do you have any idea what all this valor valor is costing me? is costing me?
She was not a gentle woman. Under other circ.u.mstances she might have asked her brother that question aloud-and demanded a reply. But she didn"t have time.
Suddenly Dolph reported, "Here they come! And they"re moving fast. fast. Too fast. That"s one h.e.l.l of a decompression blast. If they don"t brake, they"ll-" Too fast. That"s one h.e.l.l of a decompression blast. If they don"t brake, they"ll-"
Events had begun to accelerate out of control. A rush of expelled atmosphere carried them headlong toward the brink of success or disaster.
"Yes!" the captain crowed. "One of them is using his jets. Now they all are. Braking. Adjusting to reach us. s.h.i.t, that was close. A few more seconds at that velocity, and they would have hit too hard to live through it."
Mikka rested her hands on the command board. She"d already planned her vector away from the locus of g, at an angle to the grenade so that centrifugal force would help the small ships win free. And she"d programmed everything to two keys: one for thrust and helm; one for the dispersion field. All she had to do was wait- Angus and the others must have covered the distance at an insane rate. Sooner than she would have believed possible, she heard his voice from the intercom, gasping with urgency and relief. "We"re in! We made it!"
But he didn"t pause to savor his survival. Instead he panted, "Now or never, Mikka! Get your brother back. Or leave him. Just make up your mind!"
He understood Ciro"s condition as well as she did. Nevertheless he pa.s.sed the decision to her as if it belonged to her; as if she"d ever had any say in the matter.
She swallowed blood to reply; but Dolph answered for her. "We can"t do that, Angus." Trying to spare her. "If we stay near enough to use our guns we won"t escape the black hole. And we"re losing position.Calm Horizons is pulling away. Even if we burn, we"re going to cross her fire horizon before Ciro pan get here." is pulling away. Even if we burn, we"re going to cross her fire horizon before Ciro pan get here."
Yet Angus insisted, "Mikka?" Apparently he wanted to hear it from her. "He"s your brother."
Somehow Mikka mustered the instinct for action with which she"d earned her place as Nick"s command second. "I"ll tell him." That talent may have been the only part of herself she"d ever truly respected.
"Secure for hard g. This is going to be rough."
"She"s right," Captain Ubikwe rumbled in confirmation. "I"m initiating reorientation now." Then he added, "Welcome aboard, Director."
She heard an unfamiliar voice in a hurry respond, "Thank you, Captain. This is turning into a real thrill ride."
Dolph snorted a laugh; and at once inertia pushed Mikka against her armrest as he fired maneuvering thrust, turning the command module and Trumpet Trumpet to align the gap scout"s tubes. to align the gap scout"s tubes.
While the two vessels swung to their new att.i.tude, she keyed her pickup to Ciro"s frequency. "Ciro, can you hear me?" Her voice glowered like a threat despite her grief. "It"s time."
To her surprise, he answered immediately.
"I hear you, Mikka."
Across the static of Calm Horizons" Calm Horizons" barrage he sounded distant and frail; utterly alone. barrage he sounded distant and frail; utterly alone.
"They"re back," she said. "All except Vector. The Amnion killed him." Ciro had loved Vector. Quickly she continued, "But we got Dios. We"re on our way."
Through her teeth she added, "I told Angus I would give you the signal. I wanted a chance to say good-bye."
For a moment he didn"t say anything. If he felt Vector"s loss, he didn"t show it. Instead he offered simply, "Good-bye, Mikka."
The finality in his voice made her think that he was about to silence his transmitter.
"Listen to me!" she rasped. "In a few seconds we"re going to burn. Watch our thrust torch." Otherwise Trumpet Trumpet would be hard to spot against the background of the battle. "And wait! We need distance. Wait until you see would be hard to spot against the background of the battle. "And wait! We need distance. Wait until you see Calm Horizons Calm Horizons open fire on us. Then open fire on us. Then kill kill that f.u.c.ker." that f.u.c.ker."
Now he didn"t hesitate. "I"m on it." Without transition his voice took on a new quality-a sound like the grip of his hands on his impact rifle. "Thanks, Mikka. I have to finish what Captain Chatelaine started. And pay them back for Vector. I"m glad I can try to save you at the same time."
His last words carried past the emission-roar of guns; the killing emptiness of the gap between them.
"I love you."
Mikka said, "I love you, too, Ciro." But she couldn"t hear herself. She"d already touched her first key; and the fierce thunder of Trumpet"s Trumpet"s drive drowned her out. drive drowned her out.
ANGUS.
He wanted to reach Trumpet. Trumpet. That was the only escape he"d been able to imagine for himself. Board the gap scout before Mikka started burning: close the airlocks connecting the two vessels. Then he might stand a chance. If Ciro"s grenade devoured That was the only escape he"d been able to imagine for himself. Board the gap scout before Mikka started burning: close the airlocks connecting the two vessels. Then he might stand a chance. If Ciro"s grenade devoured Calm Horizons Calm Horizons-and Trumpet"s Trumpet"s thrust was powerful enough to break the grip of the black hole"s feral g-and Min Donner"s ships relaxed their guard when they saw the Amnioni die: then Angus might be able to take the gap scout and run. thrust was powerful enough to break the grip of the black hole"s feral g-and Min Donner"s ships relaxed their guard when they saw the Amnioni die: then Angus might be able to take the gap scout and run.
If he did all that, he would have to take Mikka with him. But the idea didn"t trouble him. She would be the best second he"d ever had. And he didn"t think she"d object. Ciro would be dead; no longer in need of her. On top of that, she might not like the uncertainty of her future in the cops" hands. She might welcome the chance to get away from them.
Angus had endured a lifetime of terror during the crossing between the defensive and the command module. The velocity of his expulsion from Calm Horizons Calm Horizons had increased his usual fear of EVA by several orders of magnitude. Instinctively he believed that if his zone implants hadn"t protected him his own blood pressure would have burst his heart. had increased his usual fear of EVA by several orders of magnitude. Instinctively he believed that if his zone implants hadn"t protected him his own blood pressure would have burst his heart.
Once the module"s airlock had cycled shut behind him, however, surrounding him with sweet, safe air so that he could breathe again, rip off his helmet, and really breathe breathe, he forgot everything except escape. He needed a ship: needed to run. run. Nothing else could relieve his fury at the Amnion-or his dread at what Warden Dios and Hashi Lebwohl might do to him now. Nothing else could relieve his fury at the Amnion-or his dread at what Warden Dios and Hashi Lebwohl might do to him now.
But Trumpet Trumpet was denied to him. Dolph Ubikwe had already sealed his hatchesair-a predictable precaution in case the grapples failed and was denied to him. Dolph Ubikwe had already sealed his hatchesair-a predictable precaution in case the grapples failed and Trumpet Trumpet"s power pulled the two small ships apart.
And there was no time. Mikka hit thrust so hard, generated so much acceleration g, that even Angus" reinforced strength might not have been enough to preserve him while he fought to gain Trumpet"s Trumpet"s bridge. He was barely able to flip himself into one of the module"s g-seats and close the belts before the howl of the drive threatened to squeeze him unconscious. bridge. He was barely able to flip himself into one of the module"s g-seats and close the belts before the howl of the drive threatened to squeeze him unconscious.
He couldn"t escape. He was a welded cyborg: the child of the crib. He"d spent his whole life fleeing; but he"d never escaped anything.
Once he"d confirmed that Davies and Dios had also reached the protection of the g-seats, he let his tired limbs settle into the cushions as if he were surrendering to his mother; to Warden Dios and despair.
He didn"t see chaos erupt across the module"s scan as Trumpet"s Trumpet"s dispersion field transformed matter cannon beams to boson madness. He wasn"t looking. But he felt the birth of the black hole. A terrible gravitic fist slammed against him when Ciro"s grenade bloomed into ravening and incalculable hunger. dispersion field transformed matter cannon beams to boson madness. He wasn"t looking. But he felt the birth of the black hole. A terrible gravitic fist slammed against him when Ciro"s grenade bloomed into ravening and incalculable hunger.
Then he knew absolutely that Dios had won. Ciro"s rifle had supplied enough energy to spark the grenade"s nascent singularity. The forces he"d unleashed had killed him nanoseconds ago-a quantum eternity within the discontinuities of the event horizon. Now those same forces fed on Calm Horizons- Calm Horizons-dragged the immense defensive down to the size of a pinpoint- -fed and grew stronger.
Just for an instant Angus wondered whether Mikka had considered how the black hole"s power would increase as it consumed Calm Horizons. Calm Horizons. But after that he wondered nothing; thought nothing. In spite of his zone implants, the pressure of g drained the blood from his brain, and he fell from consciousness into his mother"s forlorn embrace. But after that he wondered nothing; thought nothing. In spite of his zone implants, the pressure of g drained the blood from his brain, and he fell from consciousness into his mother"s forlorn embrace.
Finally fatal g faded to lightness like crossing the gap into death: a lifting evaporation so poignant that he didn"t think he could bear it. After aeons of cruel ma.s.s-ages which his computer measured in far smaller increments-the burden of his mortality dropped away, and he felt himself drift through relief and darkness as if in some nameless, essential form he"d been cut loose.
Somehow during the past few days he"d learned how to access his datalink without thinking about it. His computer informed him coldly that he"d been unconscious for thirteen seconds. So apparently he wasn"t dead. A dead man might not have been able to extract an answer from the machine window in his head.
Yet everything that had ever weighed him down was gone: ma.s.s; flesh; dread. Thirteen seconds had brought him to the far side of an inner abyss-a personal fissure like the cracks in his discarded faceplate.