Tachyon Web (17 page)

“
Who?
” Vani asked, worried.

Sammy consulted the scanner and his pale face turned a shade whiter. “There’s two dozen of them,” he whispered. “What a coincidence that they should show up now.”

“It isn’t a coincidence!” Eric yelled, furious with himself. All along, his subconscious had computed the danger. That is why he’d had a bad feeling about zooming out to a comfortable distance. A part of him had known they would be spotted immediately. “The Patrol has been looking for us all along. The interference we had on our communications earlier must have been caused by one of their tachyon sensors groping for us. And just now, when we raced across the fleet, the graviton wave we sent out must have made it a cinch for them to lock onto us.”

Sammy nodded. “They probably figured out that we jumped beyond the web and have been tearing their hair out since, worrying that we’d run into the Kaulikans.”

“
Who is The Patrol?
” Vani cried. The shuttle remained frozen in space only a few hundred yards away. They could actually see the frantic Kaulikan personnel through the shuttle’s windows.

“Our government’s armed forces,” Sammy said.

“A bunch of military maniacs who sat by and watched Kashi get burned,” Eric said bitterly.

“That’s not fair. You don’t know that for sure,” said Sammy.

“Don’t I? I tell you what’s not fair! Last week this young lady standing here had to watch her brother go up in smoke!”

“The Patrol did not ignite the nova.”

Eric chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”

“Now you’re being ridiculous. And what is the point of this endless argument? The Patrol is here and there’s nothing we can do about it. Maybe it’s a good thing.”

“Right, they’ll set everything straight,” he muttered sarcastically, turning away from the window. Everything he experienced in the last two days seemed to pour through him then, an avalanche of images that he only wished he could arrange into a coherent picture that could show him what to do: the initial broadcast they had received, the tape of Kashi’s end, the walls melting, the parks in flames, the people running; the thousands of Kaulikans laboring over the ion drive, which could not compensate for its inefficiency with its size; Vani’s face in the garden as she remembered Belri, her hand slipping through the sandy soil as she spoke of her future. All this talk of ‘racial destiny’ versus ‘individual interference’ had no strength next to the feeling he was left with. He looked at Vani. She was staring at him. Something in her eyes seemed to bring him to a decision. He stepped toward a supply cabinet located above the hyper drive.

“I’m going ahead and pulling the shuttle inside,” Sammy said, watching him.

“Fine.” Eric opened the cabinet and began to search. “How long till the cruisers arrive?”

“About a minute.”

Outside the window the shuttle began to arc overhead, disappearing out of view behind the rear of the ship. A moment later there came a jolt as the force field deposited it inside their cargo bay, followed by a mild vibration – the cargo-bay doors closing.

“We have them,” Sammy said. “I’m anxious to see if our friends are really inside.”

“So am I.” Eric found what he was looking for – a gun – and closed the cabinet.

“Are you going to try and get their guards to surrender?” Sammy asked, seeing the weapon in his hand.

“Not exactly.”

“You know, I’ve been worrying about that. We’ve got them trapped but they’ve still got Strem and Cleo and Jeanie trapped. What should we do?”

“The unexpected.” Eric raised the gun, pointed it at Sammy. “Move away from the controls, buddy.”

“
Eric?
” Vani moaned.

Sammy seldom showed strong emotion. This was a classic exception. Pure unadulterated amazement filled his face. “What are you doing? This is ridiculous! We’ve got the others! We can leave!”

He took a step closer. “Put your hands up. Don’t touch anything on the console.”

Sammy stood slowly, backing away from his seat, his hands raised about as high as his belly button. “Why are you doing this?”

“I want a future for these people.” Keeping an eye on Sammy, he expanded the image of the flagship in the cube, pinpointing the open bay doors, giving
Excalibur
a new destination. Their sensors had The Patrol cruising perhaps thirty seconds away. In less time than that, the cruisers could snap them up in a tractor beam.

“You’re going to take us inside the flagship!” Sammy gasped.

“Yes.” He reached for the button to the graviton drive.

“No!” Sammy yelled, diving toward him. Eric saw him coming. He had the gun level and he had time to pull the trigger. But this wasn’t some alien come to arrest him. This was…Sammy. He dropped the gun and tried to shove him away. Sammy was considerably weaker but every bit as quick, and as he fell backward onto the floor he grabbed Eric s arm and pulled him with him. The confrontation was not going to last. Eric could subdue him in seconds. The problem was he didn’t have those seconds. Tangled on the floor in a knot of arms and legs, he glanced over at the screen and saw all two dozen of The Patrol cruisers entering the fringe of the Kaulikan fleet.

“Vani!” he shouted. “Push that large white button!”

Vani did not hesitate. She hit the button. The flagship did not merely rush toward them: one instant they were outside it, the next inside. But even here
Excalibur
began to wobble violently as the long invisible arm of The Patrol reached out to snap them back.

“Tractor beam!” Eric cursed, throwing Sammy aside and jumping back to the controls. The Kaulikan docking bay was huge, brightly lit, cluttered with small craft of a variety of designs and sizes. At a glance he saw several clear control booths crowded with watching people. But the wide bay door held his attention, obviously straining to close against the pressure of a projected graviton flux. Had there been atmosphere in the bay, no doubt he would have heard loud screeching. Twice the doors appeared to make a breakthrough, almost sealing, only to be pried apart by forces, though still distant, of a far higher magnitude. He began to manipulate
Excalibur
’s graviton flux, setting in motion a counterforce, a far weaker field but one having the advantage of proximity. The doors paused, suspended, trembling, then rifled shut. Vani let out a cry.

“
Eric!
”

The stun beam hit him between the shoulder blades. His mind registered the spot but he was unconscious before he reached the floor.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I can’t believe you shot me,” Eric said, lying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. He had awakened a couple of minutes before to Vani applying a damp towel to his forehead. She continued to kneel by his side, worried. He could probably sit up but was enjoying the ‘fallen hero’ scenario. Besides, Sammy was standing over him, still holding the gun.

“I can’t believe you pulled a gun on me,” Sammy said.

“That is not as bad as actually going ahead and pulling the trigger.”

“You started it.”

“Are we still friends?”

Sammy glanced out of the window, and Eric did likewise. A cluster of small craft had barricaded the closed bay doors.
Excalibur
’s position remained unchanged. “I don’t know,” Sammy said. “Now,
I’m
a hostage.”

The situation had a certain ironic symmetry to it: the shuttle guards had Strem and the girls; they had the shuttle guards; the flagship had them; and The Patrol had the flagship. He realized their words were not being translated into Kaulikan for Vani’s benefit. “You turned off the translator?”

“I don’t want the two of you making plans behind my back.”

“Sammy!”

“Oh, all right.” He reactivated the bridge speakers.

“
Does all this mean we will see Lira soon?
” Vani asked.

He finally decided to sit up. He had a bump on his head, a strained muscle in his lower back, and an overall jangled nerve sensation that was an inevitable by-product of being stunned, but he would live awhile longer. “I’m working on it,” he told her, patting her knee and climbing into a chair. “How long was I out?”

“Ten minutes. You snore.”

“Have any Kaulikans come knocking on our door?”

“No, and none of them will,” Sammy said, seriously. “I’m maintaining our force field. Eric, may I ask, what in the galaxy came over you?”

Eric winked at Vani. He felt better than he had in a long time. It was because he was doing the right thing, he was sure. “I guess I’m just a sucker for a pretty face.”

“You’ve gotten us into a very dangerous situation.”

“No more dangerous than when you popped us out of hyper space next to the nova.” He sat up in his chair. “Would you put that gun away.”

Sammy jammed it into his belt. “I think I’ll keep it handy.”

“Don’t act so shocked. You saw it coming. And you know what I’m doing is right.”

Sammy scratched his scraggly head. “What
are
you doing?”

Someone started to bang against the locked door at the end of the living quarters hallway that led to the cargo bay. “Have you had a chance to see who it is we picked up?” he asked.

“No, I was too busy trying to protect the ship from the outside, never mind the inside.”

Sammy turned on the cargo bay’s remote cameras. The shuttle rested in the center of the storage area, wisps of smoke rising from the tips of its hot rocket nozzles. Two armed Kaulikans – the guard uniforms were gray, not black, as he had supposed when he’d had his contacts in – were bent over the door, causing the noise. Sammy shifted the picture’s angle and they peered straight through the shuttle’s side windows. Sitting on the floor beneath a third Kaulikan guard, their hands and feet bound, were Strem, Cleo and Jeanie.

“Not a bad plan, huh?” Eric asked.

“If we were somewhere out in space right now, I would agree with you. What are we going to do with these guards?”

“Nothing.” He activated the cargo bay’s speakers. “Hey, Strem, what did you think of the rescue?”

The Kaulikan guards looked up, anxious. Through the remote cameras they could see Strem smiling. “Not bad, not bad,” he said, his voice coming by way of the open shuttle doors, low but clear. “Tell me, where did you stash the opants?”

Sammy and Eric exchanged looks. Vani burst out laughing. “I’m sure they were insured,” Eric said.

Strem stopped smiling. “My uncle never insures anything! Where are they?”

“Cosmic dust,” Eric said. “It was either you or them.”

“Get us out of here,” Cleo said. “I’m hungry.”

“Cosmic dust,” Strem moaned. “He’ll kill me.”

“Don’t worry,” Eric said. “He’ll probably be in jail by the time we get home.” He leaned over and whispered in Sammy’s ear. “I would rather not tell him where we are.”

“He has to know.”

Eric sighed. More arguments. “I suppose.”

“Do something about these goons,” Strem said impatiently. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“I have some good news and some bad news,” Eric began. “The Patrol has two dozen battle cruisers surrounding the Kaulikan flagship.”

“Incredible,” Strem said. “What’s the good news?”

“We’re locked inside the flagship,” Sammy said.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Strem asked. “How did we get here? Eric, if you had anything to do with...”

A signal was coming in on the light-speed channel Rak ad previously used. Eric immediately put Strem on hold. He was beginning to enjoy doing so. Kaulikan men and women in pressure suits were gathering outside, beyond the limits of
Excalibur
’s force field. He waved to them and a few waved back. He opened the channel to Rak. “First Councillor, this is Commander Eric. What’s happening?”

Rak needed a moment to collect his thoughts. “
Commander, I was hoping you could clarify the situation. Are you aware that there are twenty-four alien craft surrounding our flagship?
”

“Yes. Have they tried to contact you yet?”

“
No. Are these your people?
”

“Yes.”

“
On their approach, they projected a force field of a nature similar to what envelops your ship and tried to drag you out of our docking bay.
”

“We felt it.”

“
Why did you first capture our shuttle and then enter our flagship? These appear to me to be contradictory actions.
”

“We took your shuttle because we wanted our people back. We entered your flagship with the hope that you might have a chance to study our drive systems and learn how to reach the stars in hours rather than centuries.”

“I’m thinking of shooting you again,” Sammy said.

Rak was quick. “
That is an extraordinary offer. Do the individuals aboard the vessels surrounding our flagship share the same desire?
”

“I sort of doubt it,” Eric muttered.

“
You took this decision upon yourself. Why?
”

“I like your people. I want to help them.”

“
We are gratified with your concern. Would it be possible for you to lower your defensive screen and allow us to board your ship?
”

“That would be inadvisable at the moment.”

“Have him tell his guards in our cargo bay to drop their guns,” Sammy whispered.

“No,” Eric whispered back. “If Strem gets to me now, he might beat me up.”

“
Commander, in your opinion, could the vessels surrounding the Kaulikan flagship be contemplating violence toward the Kaulikan fleet?
”

“We are a civilized people. They will want to negotiate. Be patient. Wait till they contact you. I will talk to you when they do.” He broke the line.

“I can’t permit this,” Sammy said, uneasily.

“You have no choice.”

“You complained when Strem was giving orders. We all must have a say in this.”

“Fine. It will change nothing.”

Sammy related to the others exactly what had happened. Strem wasted no time in denouncing him.

“A cute alien smiles at you and you have to give away your own people’s greatest secrets! We’ll lose our tactical advantage. You think the galaxy’s big, plenty of room for everybody, but that’s not the way it is. They’ll want some of the choicest planets. There’ll be confrontations, maybe even a war, and it’ll be all your fault!”