Tachyon Web (18 page)

“Boy, Eric,” Cleo added, “getting the opant coat free should have been good enough for any girl. Why did you have to give her the ship, too?”

“Sammy,” Strem went on, “You’re not handing over
Excalibur
. Turn our power to full. Ram us out of here.”

“We would blow up,” Sammy said.

“So what?” Strem retorted. “Better to die than to live and go down in history as cowards.”

“I’m proud of you, Eric,” Jeanie said. “Don’t let them badger you.”

“Thank you, Jeanie,” he said, surprised at how much the remark meant to him. He was trying to play it cool but he was under intense pressure. It would have been nice to have the rest of his friends’ support. Sensing his mood Vani came over and put her hands on the back of his shoulders, massaging his tight muscles.

“
You feel all alone?
”

“Yes. But I’m alone on top of a mountain. The view is excellent.”

The Patrol’s demand, blanketing every light-speed channel and worded in Basic Kaulikan, came a few minutes later.

“
Release
Excalibur,
or one by one, each half hour, a different Kaulikan vessel will be destroyed.
”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The Patrol refused to return Rak’s or Eric’s calls. It seemed that until
Excalibur
was placed outside the flagship, they felt there was nothing to discuss. Eric had not expected them to react so strongly. He had thought that they would rant and rave and then eventually realize that they couldn't get
Excalibur
back, and be on their merry way. Maybe he was being naive, but he still thought the threat was only a bluff. He sat back in his chair after his latest talk with the First Councillor and checked the time: twenty-one minutes left until the deadline.

“Eric, you know how much I hate Mercury,” Sammy said with a yawn, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. He had not slept in a very long time.

“They won’t send you there. I’ll take full responsibility.” It went without saying that his noble offer would do Sammy no good if they all got killed. “Were you able to get through to any of the cruisers?”

“No. What did you tell Rak?”

He took a sip of the coffee Vani had brought him from the galley. She had made it with at least two tablespoons of sugar. Since the demand had come in, she had been very quiet, no doubt waiting for her hero to unfold the next chapter in his marvelous plan. “That I have to meet with him in person,” he said.

“But why? You can talk to him from here.”

Eric set down his drink and stood and stretched. “He wants to see me. And I don’t think he understands The Patrol’s psychology or their military capabilities. He gave me the impression that the Kaulikan fleet was gearing up to resist an attack. I’m afraid he may even try to strike first. I have to talk to him face to face.”

“And tell him what?”

“That The Patrol would never kill a hundred thousand innocent people.”

“And what if they do?”

“I can’t see that. Watching and doing nothing while Kashi was destroyed is one thing, but to take the initiative to murder people…they’re barbarians but they’ve got
some
scruples. Rak is contacting the shuttle guards out back. They’re leaving Vani with me. They’ll cause no trouble when we open the hallway door. Rak gave me his word, and Vani says a Kaulikan never breaks his word.”

“What if the situation develops where
Excalibur
has to leave immediately? You could be left behind.”

That possibility had passed through Eric’s mind. His fantasies of being with Vani had always taken place with her in his world, not the other way around. With everything so up in the air, it would be ridiculous to worry about that now. On the other hand, it was a possibility that it might be wise to plan for...

“I have to talk to Rak. No one else can.”

“Your spring vacation might end up being a long one,” Sammy said gloomily.

Eric slapped him on the side. “Don’t worry. I was getting sick of school, anyway.”

Muttering about foolish risks, Sammy equipped Eric with another implant and a portable translator the size of a fist that would allow him to talk to Rak directly. Neither of them mentioned aloud that he might have to rely upon the self-sufficient translator should it happen that the implant could no longer communicate with
Excalibur
’s computers.

Sammy did not trust Rak. Watching on the remote camera he made sure the guards were at the far end of cargo bay before he opened the hall door. He shut it as soon as they were through, and Eric didn’t even have a chance to say a proper good-bye.

The Kaulikan guards had holstered their weapons and removed their hostages’ binds. Jeanie and Cleo stood near the nose of the shuttle, looking no worse for wear. Strem was by the air lock, showing the guards how the pressure suits fit, obviously glad to be rid of them. Strem and the girls knew about The Patrol’s ultimatum. They did not know about Eric’s meeting with Rak.

“I have to go talk to the bigwigs now,” Eric said, hugging Cleo and Jeanie together as Vani gave the girls a quick nod and a smile before heading for the air lock. “I’m sorry I got you both into this jam.’”

“You kept getting us out of jams,” Jeanie said, following Vani with her eyes. “That girl is gorgeous. I’m glad you two got together.”

Cleo was worried. “You’ll be back soon?”

“Sure.” But all of a sudden, Eric had this feeling he was lying. He thought of Cleo’s crazy concerts that he had gone to, and the headaches they had given him, and of all the times he had watched Jeanie’s dance routines, and the aches of a different kind her long legs had given him, and he felt a lonely tightness in his throat. Before it could spread and weaken his resolve, he hugged them again quickly, and strode away toward the air lock.

The guards were already dressed for the vacuum. Vani was halfway into her suit. He grabbed his own gear and began pulling it on.

“Where are you going?” Strem demanded.

“Rak is worried. I’m going to calm him down.”

“Damn right he should be worried. You know who’s probably out there, don’t you? General Griffin.”

Griffin was the top military commander in The Union. It had been his name at the bottom of the form rejection letter Eric had received in response to his application with the academy. Griffin’s reputation could be summed up in one word: Strong.

“He might be,” Eric said.

“So why are you leaving? After Griffin wastes one of their ships, they’ll let us go.”

“Aren’t you glad to be getting rid of me?”

Strem never could hold a grudge. “I think what you did was dumb, but I can understand you doing what you thought was right.” He started to look a bit worried. “No hard feelings?”

Eric smiled, reaching for his suit zipper. “None.”

“Hey, why don’t I go with you?”

“I doubt the Kaulikans would consider you a trustworthy adviser.”

“Yeah, I guess not.”

Vani surprised Strem by offering her hand. “
If someday you should visit my world again, I will show you all that you missed this time.
”

The portable translator rested on the deck, turned off. Strem no longer had his implant. “What did she say?” he asked.

“That you are more handsome than any Kaulikan male in the entire fleet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she likes your body.”

Strem was impressed. “You’re not a bad looker yourself,” he said, pinching her cheek, causing the guards to laugh, and Vani to blush. “Have you ever thought of dyeing your hair?”

Vani nodded and smiled and quickly scooted into the air lock. Eric picked up the translator and his helmet and shook Strem’s hand. “It’s a long way from the spaceport in Baja, isn’t it?”

“Maybe too long.” Strem fidgeted. “Can’t you just talk to him from the bridge?”

“The situation is too delicate for that.”

“But Griffin’s not going to back down.”

“I think he will.”

“I don’t like this, Eric. I have this bad feeling.”

He nodded. “So do I.”

“Like we’re not going to see each other again?”

“Yeah.” But then he shook his head. “Strem, we got through The Tachyon Web, survived the nova, and snuck inside an alien ship. Hell, I’ll see you again. Like you said, the galaxy’s not that big.”

They said good-bye. The deadline was fifteen minutes away.

The addition of color made his reentry into the Kaulikan community a new experience. Without his contacts, the abstract mosaics on every other wall took on a new richness. They floated away from
Excalibur
past a blaze of millions of carefully fitted tiles that subtly but nevertheless powerfully portrayed a universe caught in a conflict of bright and dark forces. He carried the image into the elevator that led them out of the vacuum and the free fall. Doubts pricked his conscience. Which side would the future place him on in this conflict?

Bodily weight and fresh honey air returned. They removed their helmets and exited onto another one of the Kaulikans’ long corridors. The shuttle guards left for duties unknown while two women in blue suits appeared for Vani and Eric. They were taken to an elaborate control center that impressed Eric as a war room. It was dominated by four large screens set before rows of manned computer boards. A hundred uniformed people were present and half of them were in motion. A tense chatter congested the air. The situation was clear: Emergency. The large screens alternated different views of The Patrol’s battle cruisers, sleek and cold, shining with the reflected light of the distant nova, confidently arranged in a tight formation. Plus, there were flashes of the preparations being made inside various Kaulikan ships: slow, cumbersome missiles being loaded, primitive beam weapons being aimed. He had to get Rak's finger off the trigger.

Their escorts led them to an elevated room at the rear of the control center through whose glass walls the hive of activity could be overseen. Here there was a surprising lack of equipment, only a single computer and keyboard set near the head of an oval table around which four Kaulikans were seated: two men and two women, all dressed in silky white gowns that reminded Eric of ancient Roman senators.

The man at the head of the table stood and the others followed his example. He was taller than any Kaulikan Eric had seen, younger than his fellow Councillors, and marked from them by a bright blue sash tied around his waist. His face lacked his race’s usual softness, yet it was not a hard face, rather one whose warmth had been molded through years of painful choices to something closer to wisdom. Vani trembled visibly with awe.

“
Rak
,” she whispered.

The First Councillor raised his palm toward Eric, then toward himself, welcoming him. Their escorts pulled up two chairs. Rak indicated Eric should take the one closest to himself. Eric set the translator on the table and turned it on. He sat down, glancing at Vani, who was keeping her eyes downcast.

“
I appreciate you leaving your ship to come and speak with us
,” Rak said. The translator gave Eric the English in the neutral mechanical voice. Still, he was struck by how much deeper Rak’s actual words were than his fellowmen’s. He could have been an Earthman. “
I trust this device you have brought will allow us to communicate easily?
”

“Yes.”

“
We have nine minutes till your Patrol’s deadline. As you know, they refuse to speak with me, except to say that when your ship is placed outside ours, they will withdraw. You understand why I am reluctant to comply with their demand?
”

“Yes.”

“
Word of the capabilities of your ship has spread throughout our fleet. This is unfortunate because it has given my people a hope that is now difficult to take away. Had the rumor of your remarkable propulsion systems not spread, I would comply with the demand rather than risk this danger. As it is, I am undecided. I tell you this so you will have a clear grasp of our situation before offering advice.
”

“I understand,” Eric said. The eyes of the four High Councillors were on him, and behind them he could feel the heartbeats of millions of Kaulikans spread throughout the fleet. The memory of the end of Kashi gave him the nerve to speak persuasively. “I say do nothing. My people’s armed forces will not purposely kill your people. Their threat is an idle one.”

Rak listed to the translation, all the while studying him. “
Are you sure of this?
”

“I cannot be sure.”

“
Your Patrol's vessels are small compared to ours. Should their demand be genuine, do they possess the power to destroy one of our ships?
”

“Most definitely.”

Rak glanced to the other Councillors. One of them, an elderly lady with pale green eyes and a high birdlike voice, spoke. “
Commander Eric, toe are a peaceful race, but in the construction of our fleet we did give some thought to defense. Your Patrol has only twenty-four ships present. They have threatened us with violence. This Council has considered the possibility of destroying them before they have an opportunity to try to carry out their threat.
”

“That is out of the question. I have seen the limits of your technology. Your antimatter missiles, your lasers, they would be like smoke against the screens of The Patrol cruisers. Besides, there are more than two dozen ships in this vicinity. I estimate there are over a hundred.”

The old lady was skeptical. “We
have no evidence of their presence.
”

“They are probably observing from a distance. But they could, if they wished, enter your fleet and be invisible to you. They possess sophisticated cloaking devices. Not that more is necessary. One Patrol cruiser alone could destroy every ship in this fleet in a matter of seconds.”

“
Yet you maintain that we should not give in to their demand?
” Rak said.

“I emphasize their strength so you will discard any idea of using violence against them, before or after the deadline.”

The old lady was unconvinced. “
How can we be sure you are not trying to manipulate our decision for the benefit of your Patrol?
”