Dragonback 06 Dragon and Liberator (38 page)

He looked at Frost. "Meanwhile, we still have the Death, and we
have solid Valahguan tactics with which to use it against both the
invaders and Braxton."

"And those other Malison Ring ships, too?" Frost asked, an odd
edge to his voice.

"Did General Davi develop immortality for his men when I wasn't
looking?" Neverlin retorted. "Of course those other Malison Ring ships,
too."

"I was thinking of the possible future consequences," Frost
persisted. "Those Shrikes wouldn't be here if General Davi didn't
already know what was going on."

"But he
doesn't
know what's going on," Neverlin reminded
him smoothly. "He has only Braxton's version of events, a version that
won't survive beyond the next few hours. Don't worry, Colonel.
Our
story is the only one that will ever leave this place."

He turned back to the Valahgua. "The mission is still on,
Lordhighest. Order your people to continue as planned."

"They will continue until death," the Valahgua promised. "What of
Morgan and the K'da?"

"As I said, they won't be around much longer," Neverlin assured
him. "Since Morgan was kind enough to warn Braxton about the Death, I
notice his ships have scattered out of their attack clusters. While
they're trying to figure out how to regroup to face us, we'll have the
Backstop force come back and deal with the
Essenay
. Colonel?"

Frost pursed his lips but nodded. "Yes, sir," he said. "I'll give
the order."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Jack growled as, for the third time,
the
Advocatus Diaboli
veered sharply away just as the
Essenay
was getting close. "Hold
still
, will you?"

"So that you can dock and get aboard?" Uncle Virge said. "Not
likely."

Do you want me to try
? Draycos offered.
I know some
maneuvers Neverlin won't be expecting
.

Thanks, but I'd rather have you riding my skin in case they try
the Death on us again
, Jack said.
Don't worry—he can't outrun
us forever
.

"Movement," Uncle Virge said. "Those five Djinn-90s ahead of us
are looping back."

Jack looked at the display. The fighters were curving around, all
right, heading back toward the
Advocatus Diaboli
and
Essenay
.

And meanwhile, the
Advocatus Diaboli
had just straightened
out again. Straightened out very invitingly, in fact.

Draycos spotted it, too.
He's trying to lure you onto a path
that will give the Djinn-90s a clear shot
, the K'da warned.

Just means I have to finish this before they get in range
,
Jack said.

But that was easier said than done. The
Advocatus Diaboli
kept backing away as Jack tried to get the
Essenay
close enough
for a crash-dock. He kept half an eye on the bigger ship, the other
half on the ranging data for the Djinn-90s scrolling across the
navigational screen.

It was going to be close.

"Wait a minute," Uncle Virge said, sounding puzzled. "Something's
wrong. Three of the Braxton ships have started in toward us again. On
full power, too."

"Which three?" Jack asked.

"The big yacht and two of the Security ships," Uncle Virge said.
"They're moving into attack formation."

Braxton's trying to draw away the Djinn-90s
? Draycos
suggested.

Jack hissed between his teeth. Yes, that was exactly what Braxton
was trying to do.

The problem was, by the time they got into attack range of the
Malison Ring fighters, they would themselves be within range of the
Death. "Get me a signal to them," he told Uncle Virge. "Mr. Braxton?
Yo—Mr. Braxton?"

"I'm here, Jack," Braxton's voice came. "Hang on—we're coming."

"Well, don't," Jack said tartly. "Didn't you hear what I said
about the Death?"

To his amazement, Braxton actually chuckled. "Perfectly," the
older man assured him. "It just so happens I have a little surprise for
Mr. Neverlin. Suban, would you like to say hello to Jack?"

Jack frowned. What in the world—?

And then a strangely deep, strangely alien voice came over the
speaker. "Hello, Jack," it said. "It is good to hear your voice again."

Again
? "Who is this?" Jack asked.

"I am now called Suban," the other said. "But you knew me as Snip."

Jack frowned even harder.
Snip
? It sounded familiar. . . .

He caught his breath. "
Snip
?" he said. "You mean . . .
Special
Needs Phooka
?"

"You used to rub my ears and jaw to calm my fears," Suban
confirmed. "I am pleased you remember me."

Jack shook his head wordlessly. He'd left Snip and the rest of his
fellow Phookas back on Rho Scorvi with the Erassvas who served as their
hosts. "How did you get—I mean—?"

"We rescued them, of course," Braxton came back on. "A lost colony
of K'da would have been far too tempting a target for Neverlin if he'd
found out about them. We took them off Rho Scorvi, woke them up, and
brought them along as a good-faith gesture of friendship to the K'da
and Shontine."

He chuckled again. "Ironic, isn't it? All along I assumed we were
the ones protecting them. Now, it seems, they're going to be the ones
protecting
us
."

"And you all have them?" Jack asked, just to make sure.

"Everyone aboard these three ships," Braxton confirmed. "That's
why we're the ones moving in."

"But how did you even know about them?" Jack asked.

"Later," Braxton said briskly. "Right now, I see that Mr. Neverlin
has noticed our intentions."

Jack looked at the display. Three of the five Djinn-90s that had
been on course for the
Essenay
had turned around again, heading
back to intercept the incoming Braxton Universis ships. "Leaving us
only two to handle," Jack muttered. "I guess that's better than
nothing."

"It's a lot better than nothing, Jack lad," Uncle Virge said, a
dark slyness in his voice. "One of those two ships is Langston's."

He'd barely finished the comment when the rearmost of the two
approaching Djinn-90s blew the other one out of the sky.

"You're clear, Jack," Langston's voice came over the radio. "What
else do you need?"

"Nothing," Jack said. The
Advocatus Diaboli
, its use as
bait suddenly gone, twisted violently away again.

Only this time the maneuver was too late. "Just get yourself
clear," Jack added as he turned the
Essenay
to follow. "Go hook
up with the rest of Braxton's group and wait to help with the cleanup."

"What about you?"

The
Advocatus Diaboli
loomed directly ahead. Clenching his
teeth, Jack turned the control yoke hard to the left.

With a horrendous grinding of metal the two ships slammed
together. For a long second the
Essenay
slid forward along the
bigger ship's side, still grinding metal.

And then, with a lurch that threw Jack hard against his straps,
the
Essenay
came to an abrupt halt. "Hatches linked," Uncle
Virge announced. "Or at least, close enough."

"Jack?" Langston called. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to destroy the Death," Jack told him. "I don't
suppose you happen to know where they've got it mounted?"

"I saw them kill Harper with it, remember?" Langston said grimly.
"It's in the forward bulk storage room: upper deck, all the way at the
bow."

"Got it," Jack said. "Thanks."

"Good luck," Langston said. "I'll see you later."

Jack grimaced. "Let's hope so."

The
Advocatus Diaboli
shuddered with the impact, the
distant scream of tortured metal echoing through the empty corridors
all the way to the bridge. Alison winced, her ears throbbing with the
screeching.

And then she was nearly knocked off her feet as the
Essenay
caught the larger ship's docking collar.

"He's here," Frost spat. "Sergeant, get a squad to the starboard
docking station."

"No," the Valahgua ordered. "We go instead to the bow. Everyone
goes."

"You want to give Morgan the run of the ship?" Frost demanded.

"He may have all that he wishes," the Valahgua said coldly. "When
we stand beside the Death, we will release it from its mount and sweep
it through everywhere else."

"And then what?" Frost asked. "He and the K'da are immune,
remember?"

"Only if they're together," Neverlin said. "I think we can arrange
something that'll get them apart. Get everyone to the Death weapon
chamber."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Frost warned. "Both of you."

"We do," Neverlin said. "Now get moving."

He gestured to the guards holding Alison's arms. "And bring her,
too. If the Death isn't enough bait for Morgan and the K'da, maybe she
will be."

The
Advocatus Diaboli
's airlock had been slightly warped
by the impact. But it was functional enough. Slipping inside, Jack
pressed his back against the inner door.
What kind of reception
committee have they got waiting
? he asked Draycos.

The K'da peered over the door.
I see nothing
, he reported,
sounding both surprised and more than a little suspicious.
They may
have set up an ambush in one of the cross-corridors
.

Let's find out
. Hefting his tangler. Jack keyed the door.

It slid open with another screech of tortured metal. He ducked out
into the corridor for a quick look, then ducked back into cover again.

No one shot at him.
I don't smell anyone nearby
, Draycos
said, his tongue flicking up from Jack's shoulder.
Shall I go
investigate
?

Better not
, Jack said.
An ambush we can hopefully spot
before we get in range. They don't have to be nearly that obvious to
turn the Death around and shoot it at us
.

Then let us deal with it
, Draycos said firmly.

They set off down the corridor, Jack holding his tangler ready,
Draycos's tongue rhythmically darting out and tasting the air.

But for all the signs of life they found, the ship might have been
deserted.
Where
is
everyone
? Jack asked as they passed
the ship's midpoint.

In the bow
, Draycos said.
You were right—they're
planning to use the Death against us
.

Good luck to them
, Jack said.
How do they think they're
going to get you to come off me
?

By also attacking us with normal weapons
, Draycos said.
Frost
knows I'll have to leave you if I'm going to defend you against his men
.

Jack chewed the inside of his cheek. Unfortunately, that made a
lot of sense.
So we need to get you to the Death before he can get
his guns lined up
?

Or get me past the guns before we attack the Death
, Draycos
said.

Jack grimaced.
Sounds like your classic chicken-and-egg problem
.

Pardon
?

Never mind—tell you later
, Jack said.
I guess we're
playing this one by ear
.

They continued forward through the still-deserted ship.
Maybe
we can get to the Death room from underneath
, Jack suggested as
they walked.
Or maybe we can just cut off the power
.

We can try
, Draycos said doubtfully.
But I suspect
Frost has blocked any threats that obvious
.

Frost had. They reached the middeck bow to discover that all the
forward compartments had been sealed.
And no one's getting in there
any time soon, either
, Jack said, pointing to a red light on the
door's release switch.
They've opened that whole section to vacuum
.

Including all the power connections to the Death room
?

And including the section's backup generator
, Jack
confirmed.
I guess it's a frontal assault or nothing
.

Then let us not keep them waiting
, Draycos said.

Fine with me
, Jack said, feeling his heart start to race
again.
But we've got one more stop to make first. If they've moved
the Death into a bulk storage room, it stands to reason they must have
moved all the bulk storage itself out. Let's find out where they put it
.

"Hurry up with that thing," Frost growled as the two Valahgua
worked at disassembling the swivels of the Death weapon's mount. "Come
on; come on."

"It is not easy to work in these confines," the Lordhighest
countered stiffly.

He had a point, Alison had to agree. The storage room followed the
shape of the ship's bow, reasonably wide at the aft end by the door but
narrowing considerably toward the bow where the Death weapon had been
mounted.

And with Neverlin, Alison, Frost, the three Valahgua, and six
crewmen crammed in that narrower area, the Valahgua didn't have a lot
of extra room to work with.

"Relax, Colonel," Neverlin said calmly from Alison's side. "We
have time." He nudged Alison's shoulder, nodding back toward the door.
"I trust you approve of our tactical landscape?"

Alison looked toward the room's door, her stomach tightening. The
ship's twelve resident Malison Ring mercenaries were facing the door,
five of them kneeling, another five standing behind them, the last two
another pace back from the double firing line as backup. "It's
beautiful," she said. "Draycos will cut through it like winter wheat."

"I hope he tries," Neverlin said. "I understand K'da evaporate
into thin air when they die. I'd like to see that."

Alison's eyes flicked up to the ventilation grille just above the
door. She hadn't seen Taneem since the K'da had wrecked the jamming
equipment and Alison had ordered her to go hide.