Slave Race: 33/?
by Nan Smith and Linda Garrick
Edwin White clutched the controls, feeling the blood drain from his face.
"She's dead!" he whispered. "I'll have to glide her in!"
Jack's eyes were enormous. "Have you ever done it?"
"I've never even seen it done. One of the pirates told me how to do it--years ago."
He heard Jack mutter something. Then, "You'll do fine, sir."
"I'd better." Edwin pressed the manual control to extend the escape craft's glide wings. "Packy said you just circle and work your way lower and lower, using your wings to keep your descent gradual."
"Oh." The boy blinked. "It doesn't sound that hard."
Edwin glanced at him distractedly. "What? You don't know how to fly."
"It don't seem like it ought be all that hard."
"This isn't a computer, Jack." Edwin pulled them hard around, keeping them circling and trying to gauge how much he should release the glide wings. "You seem to have sort of an instinctive sense with the comp, but this is different."
"Yeah, but the comp oughta help us. It's still workin' some." Jack bent over the keyboard. "I'll see what I can do with it, an' you hold on to the controls."
Ed nodded, hardly listening, his attention all on his task. Jack studied the board. "Turn us starboard, sir. Now."
Ed glanced at him. "Are you sure?"
"Quick!"
They wobbled suddenly, hard, and, startled, he obeyed. The ship steadied, circling down a hundred meters.
"Now straighten us out and loop her up a bit, sir."
Edwin didn't protest any more, simply obeying instructions. Almost subliminally, he became aware of Jack's mind, as the boy watched the computer readout. The psychic child was quite confident that the comp knew what to do, and insensibly, he found that he was, too.
Jack cast him a quick glance. "The comp's readin' the currents, Mr. White. It knows what t'do. Now spiral us downward and loop her up 'bout half o' what you did the last time."
Edwin couldn't see how the boy was deducing the needed moves, but Jack apparently had information that he didn't possess, with his instinctive understanding of the computer. Edwin simply concentrated on obeying, taking many of his moves directly from Jack's mind. Lower now. Air was whining against the hull and the interior of the little ship was hot. He knew the glide wings were built for this kind of emergency, but his heart was beating light and fast in his throat, all the same. Jack's voice still sounded perfectly calm.
"Starboard, sir, hard. Straighten us out and take us around in a loop t'port. Okay. We're doin' fine."
The deck was warm beneath the soles of his boots. Jack's voice urged him on, strangely soothing, holding at bay the panic just under the surface. Gradually, he began to slow their momentum. They couldn't possibly land on rough terrain at this speed. Clouds blurred the viewscreen, then were gone. The ship slowed still more. Beneath them loomed the planet, and he saw that they were over ocean.
"Land to port," Jack said, calmly. "Not more than ten kilometers. We're gonna make it fine. We got a risin' air current."
The ocean rushed up at them, and the distant strip of shoreline drew gradually nearer as the craft, that had become an unpowered glider, rode the current of warm, rising air. Then it was beneath them, and, at a word from Jack he let their altitude drop off.
With a terrific jolt, their landing gear struck a sand dune. They skidded, bounced, clipped a rock with a mammoth lurch and plowed forward into a second dune. For an instant, flying sand obscured the viewscreen, then began to settle. The ship was still. They had made it.
Jack got to his feet and flashed Edwin a thumbs-up gesture, apparently unruffled by the bumpy landing. "Told you you'd do fine, sir," he said, and vanished through the doorway into the passenger cabin.
Edwin closed his eyes, drew a deep breath and leaned across the control board, resting his face on his forearm.
A hand touched his shoulder. He straightened up quickly to see Loreen standing beside him.
"Good landing, Ed."
"Thanks." He managed a weak laugh. "Jack told me what to do."
"Jack did? I'm not surprised. Lucky we brought that boy along, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Plucky little cuss."
"When Comishvor's not around, he is. That Jil has him scared silly."
"Well, maybe we can remedy that some. He seems to be coming out of it a bit already. After all, he voted death."
"I thought he would before he did it. He's been pushed around too much. Something had to give." She sat down beside him and took his hand. "Are you okay? You're white."
"That's my name."
"You know what I mean." She grinned suddenly, like a boy. "Guess I'd be white, too, if I'd had to land us." She looked at the blank screen. "Any idea where we are?"
"No. I wouldn't be surprised if it's an unexplored system, though. I've never been to any place similar, that's for sure." He stood up, bringing her with him. "Let's go explore."
She went with him back into the passenger section and crossed to the airlock. Jack fell in beside them, Ellie on the other side. Stephen, blaster in hand, remained beside the Jilectan.
The airlock slid open and a rush of cool, fresh air met them. Edwin could hear the crash of breakers on the beach. He stepped out of the hatch.
The waves were breaking on the sand a hundred meters away, to their left, and to the right, perhaps another hundred meters away, the beach ended in a wide field dotted with bright yellow flowers. The grass appeared as soft and green as the carefully pruned yard of a Jilectan noble. Beyond the field rose a wooded hillside.
The kids crowded past him. Ed watched them descend the ramp, Ellie running ahead, Jack close beside.
"Hold on, kids!" Loreen called. "We need to look around first."
Behind them within the ship he heard Kimmie start to wail. Loreen half turned.
"I'll go get her. Keep an eye on the children."
"Sure."
She went back into the ship and Edwin descended the ramp to stop beside the two youngsters. The sand below the ship was deeply indented from the force of their landing. Something wheeled past overhead--some kind of flying creature with a magnificent wingspread.
"Look!" Ellie pointed. "Something's moving over there!"
Sure enough, something was moving--something large and bulky, splashing in the waves at the shoreline. He couldn't make out details due to the distance, but it looked like it might mass a hundred kilos. There was a long neck and a small head atop it. As he watched, two smaller creatures, clearly of the same species, splashed out of the waves to join the first.
"Oooh!" Ellie's eyes were wide. "Come on! Let's go look!"
"No, not yet." He caught her by the back of her pantsuit. Loreen came out of the hatch, and, accompanying her, Lord Comishvor, his hands tied behind him. Stephen followed the alien, a blaster pressed against his spine.
Loreen descended the ramp, Kimmie in her arms. The baby stared, round-eyed, at her surroundings.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, Ed, Steph wanted to see, too. I told him just to bring M'lord along. I didn't like leaving them alone together, anyway."
Edwin could see her point. "Okay. I guess it's all right."
Ellie looked at the alien worriedly. "We aren't going to kill him now, are we, Mr. White? He's no danger, is he? We're here. We made it."
Edwin looked around at the wild beauty of this new world. Comishvor seemed about to speak, then apparently changed his mind.
"I think we should wait," Edwin said at last. "At least until we find out where we are." He spoke to Loreen. "It looks uninhabited, but we have no way of knowing for sure until we explore it."
"I've never seen any animals like the ones down there," Loreen said, slowly. "Not even in pictures."
"Neither have I."
"Nor I," Comishvor said, unexpectedly. "And in my profession I have visited countless planets. Nor have I ever heard of a system with this pattern of planetary bodies."
"There are so many systems, though," Stephen put in, dubiously. "I mean, we might not even be in the Rovalli sector anymore. We were in hyperspace for over 200 hours."
"We probably are not, then," Comishvor said. He turned to Edwin. "My psychic, I ask you to trust me. Is my sacred word as a Jilectan still insufficient? We are out of immediate danger. This world appears to have ample food and water. Is my word still to be accounted as worthless?"
Ed struggled a moment, wanting to believe him, but knowing the stupidity of such a move. "I'm sorry, M'lord," he said at last. "You've made too many promises before and broken them when it became convenient. There may be plenty of food and water here, but there are also most likely many dangers. All our lives are still at stake. I don't dare trust you."
Comishvor frowned at him. "You are a fool, Edwin! I will not harm you. We are stranded on what appears to be a deserted world. We have no way to get off of it. You are quite correct in saying that unknown dangers may confront us. You may need my strength and endurance to survive, and I may need your numbers and the abilities of your psychics should I get in trouble. It is foolish to declare each other as enemies."
"You were the one who declared it," Stephen reminded him hotly. "You tried to steal milk from a baby!"
"I am a Jilectan. My welfare naturally comes before that of a Terran female."
"And does it still?" Loreen asked, quietly.
Comishvor returned her gaze coolly. "I am a Jilectan," he repeated.
"In other words," Loreen said, "yes. Well, M'lord, there are three Terran females here whom you precede, not to mention three males whom I suspect you also precede. You wouldn't help us if you had to risk your own life to do it."
"Would you risk your life to help me?" Comishvor asked, coolly.
"I wouldn't, but Ed probably would, and Ellie, too."
"They are empaths. I cannot answer for their weakness. I will not harm you, although I will not promise to risk my life for you. And I will help you if it is possible. My strength may prove a great asset." He paused, regarding her levelly. "And I have given my sacred promise as a Jilectan. The oath is binding. Any of my species who breaks such an oath shall be exiled to the Norithville Regions upon his death." He lifted an eyebrow, still regarding her levelly. "No Jilectan wants that."
"What are the Norithville Regions?" Ellie asked.
"Hell, at a guess," Stephen whispered.
"It is a place of pain and humiliation where the unworthy of my species are sent by the Great Mediator," Comishvor said.
"Who's the..."
"God, El," Stephen whispered.
Loreen was listening, clearly interested. Edwin, himself, was interested. He had never heard the Jilectan mention any sort of religious beliefs, although he had known the species believed in a god, but a god with a drastically different set of values from most Terran deities.
"Is that all you have to do to end up there?" asked Ellie, horror in her tone. "I mean, just break your word?"
"It is. There are other crimes as well which are deserving of the Norithville, but breaking one's sacred oath is among the greatest of the offenses."
"What are some of the others?" Loreen asked, curiously.
"Harming your wife without just cause. Killing a female of childbearing age for any cause." The Jilectan turned to look directly at Edwin. "Release me, my psychic. I will not harm you or your friends. My oath is given."
"Not yet, M'lord," Edwin said, quietly. "First we find out our situation. Lori, you keep him here and keep him covered. Ellie, you stay with her. Stephen and I are going down there to investigate those things." He nodded toward the creatures splashing through the breakers, apparently unaware of the intruders. "We need food, and it looks like we're going to have to kill to get it."
"Can I go too, sir?" Jack asked.
"Sure. Come on." Blaster in hand, Edwin strode down the beach toward the natives.
Before he had covered half the distance the things were sitting up, watching him alertly. He could see them better now. They had oblong, rounded bodies, with long necks and flippered feet. Their heads were small and rounded also, and their mouths gaped open, stupidly, as they watched the approach of the Terrans. For the slow count of ten none of them moved. Then, with a sudden rush, they all turned and made for the water. Clumsy and awkward they might be on land, but in the water they converted instantly to sleek, streamlined beasts, vanishing beneath the waves in dives which would have done credit to the Sector's Olympic Swimming contenders. Twenty meters from shore they surfaced, their heads bobbing above the waves, watching the humans from the safety of their own element.
"They look like sea lions!" Jack said.
"Sea lions?" Edwin repeated, blankly.
"Yeah. I read about 'em in a book at the orphanage. Sea lions live on Terra."
"Are you sure?" Stephen was staring at him. "I never heard of 'em, and I've studied Terran fauna..."
"Sure I'm sure. It was in this book, dated about twenty years ago. It was all about Terran wildlife, donated by somebody. There used t'be millions of 'em, but some disease or other in the 21st century nearly wiped 'em out. An organization got together an' protected 'em, an' now there's a lot of 'em again. They look like those things, except their necks ain't s'long an' maybe these things are some bigger."
Edwin glanced respectfully at the boy. "Man! You're a storehouse of weird info, you know that, kid?"
Jack looked pleased, but said nothing.
They approached the waterline. Small creatures skittered away from their feet and Edwin bent, trying to get a look at the things. They were shelled animals of some sort, rather pretty, too, and about the size of a Coralan tree jumper. Might be good to eat. He caught one in his hand, then gave an exclamation of surprise and revulsion as it abruptly oozed a thick, green ichor all over his fingers. He dropped it and rubbed the stuff off on the sand. It left his skin feeling slimy, and there was a faint burning sensation on the areas of thinner skin between his fingers. Better wash it off as soon as he could. "Well, forget those things."
"I'll say! Yuk!" Ellie wrinkled her nose. "They smell awful!"
Edwin agreed. He went down to the water's edge and washed his hand. Even after he had done so, his skin felt faintly slippery. Maybe it was imagination.
"Well, I'm sure these aren't the only life forms this world has to offer. There's probably fish of some kind, and maybe fruit out there in the forest."
"What are we going to have for dinner tonight, sir?" asked Stephen. "All the food's gone."
"We might have to do without tonight. We'll find stuff to eat, but it might not be easy. We..."
"Mr. White!" It was Jack, and at the tone of voice Ed turned quickly toward him.
"What is it?"
"Somethin's wrong! I'm gettin' a warnin'!"
"Let's get back to the ship!" He turned and started to run up the sand, ushering the two boys before him. Jack looked back and gave an alarmed yell. Edwin turned.
The thing was coming up the sand toward them, out of the churning waves. It was shaped vaguely like the creatures that had fled from them, the heads of which they could still see bobbing beyond the breakers, but this one was at least three times larger and apparently much more aggressive. It charged up the beach toward them, moving with incredible rapidity across the sand, its neck extended, the huge mouth gaping wide, displaying long, shining fangs. Stephen also turned, gave a yelp, then leveled his blaster.
The weapon spat, and the shot struck the thing mid center. The creature gave no indication that it had felt the beam, however, but kept coming, apparently unaffected by the terrible wound the blaster had inflected. Stephen fired a second time without apparent effect. The creature was closing the distance rapidly, and Ed pushed Jack aside, leveling his own blaster and firing twice. His first shot missed, and the second creased the creature's shoulder. It still made no sound, but the flesh drew back from it's teeth in a terrifying snarl. Edwin leaped back as the neck shot forward straight at him.
Jack's weapon roared. A great mushroom of flame bellowed from the muzzle, engulfing the attacking monster from the neck down, burning it literally in half. It toppled, the neck flopping limply to the sand. The fanged jaws on the severed head snapped twice, then became still.
"Yowee!" Edwin got to one knee then rose shakily to his feet, staring down at the thing, then at the little boy who still sat in the sand, the blaster gripped between two grimy fists. "Thanks, kid." He bent to lift him upright. Jack accepted the assistance, his face chalk white.
Loreen and Ellie were running down the beach toward them. "Ed! Are you okay?"
"Mr. White! Steph!"
"We're fine." Ed clamped an arm around Jack and turned toward the two females, trying to speak soothingly. "It's dead."
"Good Lord!" Loreen stared down at the beast. "Where did it come from?"
"Out of the sea," Ed told her. "It looked like those ones floating out there, but much bigger and a lot meaner." He spoke to Jack. "Okay now, kid?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah."
"You saved our bacon. Thanks."
"Yeah." Stephen's tone was awed. "Thanks."
"Where did you learn the blaster settings?" Ed asked. "I knew I should set emergency max, but in the panic of the moment I couldn't remember which way to push the lever."
"Neither could I," Stephen said, unhappily. "Did Comishvor let you have a blaster or something?"
"Oh gosh, no." The boy shook his head emphatically. "I read about it in a book."
Of course, Edwin thought. Aloud, he said, "They had books about blasters at the orphanage?"
"Oh, sure. People give all their old books to places like that. Blaster buffs who want updated manuals give their old ones away." He looked around suddenly.
"Where's Comishvor?"
"Hell! I mean heck! Come on!" Edwin started to run up the beach toward the ship. There was no sign of the big alien, but a tangle of rope, untied, lay on the ground beside the boarding ramp.
Edwin ran up the ramp and into the ship. Loreen arrived behind him, panting slightly.
"Where would he go? Why would he just leave like this? He isn't even armed!"
"He isn't?" Stephen also entered through the hatch. "How many blasters did we have?"
"Five," Edwin said. "I have one and Jack, and you, Steph, and Loreen..." He turned to Ellie who was just entering the ship, the baby held tightly against her. "Ellie, where's the other blaster?"
"In the storage cupboard," the little girl said. "Mommy wouldn't let me carry it, so I put it in the cupboard, next to the food. It was there the last time I looked."
"And Comishvor saw it when he started to take the milk," Stephen said. He slid open the cupboard. "It's gone, all right. Blast it, Ellie..."
"That's enough, Stephen!" his mother said.
Ed went out and down the ramp. In the sand, the imprint of Comishvor's footprints were plain to see, headed directly away from the lifeboat toward the wooded land. "Yeah, he's got it. He'd never risk his life by heading out into the woods without some kind of protection."
"I told you we should have killed him." Stephen's voice was cold. "Norithville regions or not, he's not going to risk his neck."
"Well, he hasn't really broken his word, has he?" Loreen sighed. "I guess he figured he was justified in taking a blaster since we refused to trust him." She glanced at the line of large footprints in the loose sand, leading toward the grassy field, and the forest, beyond.
"I guess," Edwin said.
"But why would he leave like that?" Ellie asked in a small voice. "Isn't he scared to be alone out there, even with a blaster?"
"He didn't want to be a prisoner anymore," Loreen said. "He wasn't sure he could handle all of us, so when his chance came, he left. How do you suppose he got loose, though?"
"Telekinesis," Edwin said. "He must have been working on the ropes for some time. His telekinetic ability isn't strong, but if he kept at it I'm sure he'd succeed. Oh well..."
"Good riddance," Loreen said. She turned back toward the water. "The sun's getting a bit low, isn't it? We should start thinking about dinner. Do you suppose that thing Jack killed is good to eat?"
"Maybe." Ed grinned a little, feeling a sudden sense of relief. "I'll go see what I can salvage."
"Shouldn't we try to go after Lord Comishvor?" Ellie asked. She moved the baby from her left hip to her right. "He might get hurt out there."
"No," Edwin said. "We couldn't catch him. Jils are very strong and very fast. We wouldn't have a chance."
"Anyway, why should we?" Stephen asked. "Let him get himself killed. I don't want him around anymore."
Ed couldn't help but agree with the boy. "Come on, Steph. Give me a hand."
Together, they went down the beach to the dead creature, leaving Loreen and Ellie to build a fire and bring eating and cooking supplies from the ship. Jack trailed behind Edwin.
The thing was badly scorched but Ed used a bush knife to hack away a charred hunk of flesh from the lower flank and another from the underbelly. Together they carried their prizes up the sand to where Loreen was busily feeding the fire. Kimmie lay on a blanket in the sand, kicking her feet and babbling at them, and Ellie sat beside her, gazing into the flames as though fascinated. The planet's moon, almost full, appeared over the eastern horizon and moved rapidly upward.
Edwin took the taster from his emergency pack and used it on the salvaged meat. A red light flashed and a reading appeared on the device's tiny screen.
"Hmm. High protein, and safe to eat. I expect it's going to be tough, though."
His prediction proved correct. After they had roasted the meat they sat for half an hour, tearing at it and gnawing with aching jaws.
"My goodness," Loreen said at last, sounding breathless. "This is terrible. I wonder if meat tenderizer would have helped."
"It sure isn't sauteed marshhopper," Stephen put in, wryly.
"I can't eat it!" Ellie sounded ready to cry. "My teeth won't chew it, and it tastes awful!"
"I'll cut it up for you." Jack took her plate and used a pocketknife to slice the meat into tiny pieces. The girl hiccoughed, then managed a smile. "Thanks, Jack."
He grinned back at her. "Maybe you oughta try soup tomorrow, Mrs. Warren." He hesitated. "I mean, Mrs. White."
"Well," Edwin said, trying to ease the uncomfortable pause that followed. "What do you think we should call this critter? We're eating it, so we ought to name it."
"We should call it rubber marshhopper," Stephen suggested, a bit lamely.
Jack choked on a bite of meat. Ellie pounded him on the back.
"Well, since it looks like a Terran sea lion," Loreen said, "why not call it a sea lion?"
"But it's not a sea lion," Ellie protested. "I've read about sea lions. This is much too big!"
"You don't even know what a sea lion is," Stephen said, scornfully.
"I sure do! They live on Terra, and they almost died off a hundred years ago, but some people formed a society to save them and they survived. I've read about 'em."
Ed managed to conceal a smile. Jack spoke up. "How about mega sea lion? That just means a big sea lion."
"Let's just drop the sea," suggested Loreen. "Make it a megalion."
"But it's not a lion, Mama. A lion..."
"It's just as mean as a lion, El. Maybe meaner."
"I vote for Megalion," Edwin said. He glanced around. "Any objections?"
There were none. Edwin grinned, tearing a piece of meat off with his teeth and chewing laboriously. "I christen you a megalion, and I hope we never have the misfortune of meeting any of your brothers, buddy."
"Amen," Loreen said, and laughed.
In spite of the less than palatable meal, they ate well, and afterwards felt better. The sun dipped to the horizon, and small, black creatures fluttered against the sky. Edwin stood up, peering at the forest perhaps a kilometer away. Where had Comishvor gone, he wondered. The sky was darkening. Surely the Jilectan would not wish to be out there at night. God only knew what kind of nocturnal life inhabited this planet.
One of the flyers wheeled past overhead, then circled above them, uttering shrill, chirping sounds. After three passes it shot away toward the water, followed by three of its fellows. Plenty of life on the planet; that was for sure, but no type of life that he had ever heard of before. The waves on the shore made a quiet, restful sound. Edwin found himself relaxing. For the moment, at least, they were safe.
Ellie came up beside him and a small, chilly hand slipped into his. "Mr. White...I...feel sick."
Edwin turned quickly back to the others. Jack was on his feet, staring at the darkening forest in the distance. "I...I think somethin's watchin' us, Mr. White."
Edwin had felt nothing, but then, he wasn't a precog. "Where is it, Jack?"
"Out there, I think." Jack pointed toward the forest.
They all looked and Stephen gave a sharp exclamation. "Karl!"
"Karl!" Loreen screamed the name, staring at something Edwin couldn't see. He squinted, peering into the dusk.
"Karl! It's Karl!" Stephen was on his feet, running forward across the beach toward the forest. Loreen followed him, sobbing the name of her eldest son, her arms outstretched in greeting.
**********
Chapter 51
Cory Livingston stood in the scout ship's control room, watching the stars drift by. A rainbow nebula was to the left, shining against the darkness like a band of colored fire. Gregory and Alice Cornwall stood behind him, their eyes also on the screen. Leroy Burke's assistant, Lance Wilson, stood on Cory's right, also watching. A non-psychic, Bob Flores, was at the controls.
Cory concentrated, trying to reach out with his mind to the thousands upon thousands of stars encircling their craft. They were in the Jorgeen sector and had been for ten hours. Karl would be joining them in another vessel, if all went well, within seventy more hours. There had been a delay--some sort of long range precognition, if he understood it correctly, from some psychic back at Lavirra, who felt that everyone should stay put for awhile--that something was brewing. Whatever it was, Cory hoped it would be over soon. He wanted another person up here who might be able to pick up something. So far, in spite of the short jaunts to different areas of the sector, he had come up with zilch.
The nebula attracted him, though. Maybe...
"Bob, take us to that system."
The pilot nodded. "Okay. Here we go."
**********
Marilyn Burke and Karl Warren brought their ships down to a landing on the field and disembarked. The instructor, Ted Moon, got out behind Karl, nodding at the boy approvingly.
"You're a natural, young man," he said quietly. "I give you an A-1 rating."
"Thanks, sir."
Marilyn stood still behind him as Moon shook the boy's hand. The instructor spoke solemnly. "You've got your wings, Cadet Warren, as we say. A qualified fighter pilot. Best I've ever trained, except for Marilyn, of course."
Marilyn smiled widely, then put an arm around him and hugged him soundly. Karl met her eyes and smiled back. "Come on, let's go get a coke. I'm buying."
"Okay by me!" She grabbed his hand and together they started to run toward the cafeteria.
A voice speaking in Karl's mind brought him to a stumbling halt. Marilyn came to a screeching stop, obviously also hearing the telepathic message. "It's John!"
*Mari, we have an emergency! I just heard...*
A loudspeaker boomed out over the base grounds--the deep, grammatically correct tones of Major General Walter Kaley, C.O. of the station.
"Attention, please. Attention please! We have a code five. Repeat, code five!"
"Oh my gosh!" Marilyn whispered.
Karl understood. Code five was the code which announced that circumstances had developed which might lead to the discovery of the base, and that the need for evacuation was very likely.
*John!* He heard Marilyn's voice in his mind, calling her cousin. *What's happened?*
*I just heard! Westover and Linley stowed away on a Jil ship and found out it was heading for the Ladreen System--a research ship. They tried to get off so they could get out of hyperspace and warn us, but it took 'em awhile. The ship's due to arrive here in about forty minutes.*
"Prepare for immediate evacuation," another voice boomed over the speaker. "All pregnant women and psychic children to the first transports."
"I wonder if that includes us," Marilyn said, sounding a little sulky. "We're psychic children, I suppose."
Karl took her hand. "Let's go get our stuff ready."
"Yeah." Marilyn went with him toward the married officer's quarters. "Hey, I just remembered. You're sort of alone, aren't you? Your grandparents went with Cory."
"Miriam's here."
"They'll probably put her on the first transport," Marilyn said. "She's a non, but she's married to a psychic, and they already have a psychic baby. Good grief! She might even be pregnant again by now!"
*Cadets Marilyn Burke and Karl Warren report to the shuttle hangers.* The voice of Ted Moon spoke in Karl's mind. He and Marilyn glanced at each other, then turned to run for the hangars.
There were other cadets and junior officers there already--the brightest and the best of the class, Karl saw. Susie, Marilyn's younger sister, was there along with her copilot, Jim Santos, the non-psychic brother of Janice Westover's psychic partner, Bill. Her cousin, John, was also present, as well as Stanley and Lorin Ranger, psychic partner brothers. There were a lot of other cadets as well, and plenty of older pilots, too, all psychics, filling the vast hangar, all their attention focussed on Ted Moon and a taller, much larger figure who stood beside him. As Karl came to a stop, a screen on the wall lit up, showing a larger image of the two men.
The man faced them squarely, hands on his hips. He was a handsome fellow, Karl saw, his features familiar somehow--dark and aquiline, with large eyes and high cheekbones. Then it hit him. This was former Strike Commander Ronald Griffen, one of the Underground's high profile acquisitions from the Viceregal Patrol. His defection had caused almost as big a splash, six years ago, as Mark Linley's had.
"Colonel Griffen," he introduced himself briefly. "You are all aware of the situation, I believe. A Jilectan research ship is on its way and will arrive in about thirty minutes. We must attempt to prevent it from sending any message back concerning this system. That may be difficult. We don't know exactly where it will emerge from hyperspace, which is why you have been called in. All of you are to take your ships up and cover your designated areas of the system. Keep your scanners on full. The more ships, the greater our chance of immobilizing this ship before she can send a message back to her bosses. We may fail, but we must try.
"You will each be assigned a section to cover. When the ship comes out of hyperspace, jam its transmissions immediately, if you can. You will quickly have reinforcements. When reinforcements arrive, escort the research ship down and await further instructions." He paused, then concluded with, "That's all. Good luck."
"To your ships," Moon said. "You'll each be assigned your section before take-off."
Karl headed for his skipper, Marilyn beside him. Excitement and fear ran through him. The long-range pre-cogs had been right, then. Something had been brewing. No simulation here. No test. They were heading into battle.
He ran aboard his ship, seated himself and let his fingers play over the now familiar controls. The repulsers roared to life.
*Warren,* came Moon's telepathic voice in his mind, *You will be covering section 17-G.*
*Yessir.*
*You are cleared for take-off.*
*Yessir.* The little ship eased forward out of the hangar.
Learning to be a combat pilot had been easy and fun. Ted Moon was an apt and interesting instructor, and competition with Marilyn had added extra spice to the lessons. Karl knew he was good, and Moon had confirmed it. The psychic instructor had told him privately that he suspected some sort of psychic predisposition toward his rapid acquisition of piloting skills. Karl was willing to agree. Normally the training took a minimum of twelve weeks. He had mastered it in two. He had a talent, perhaps reinforced by his recent mistreatment by the Jilectans. Learning to be a combat pilot had, he knew, been excellent therapy for him.
The stars brightened overhead and he set for Section 17, which covered a space just beyond the asteroid belt, a likely spot for the ship to emerge. How long now, he wondered.
Marilyn's voice spoke in his mind. *Hi, Karl! I'm in 17-H, right next door. Hope they come out right between us! I'd love to nail the trenchers!*
*Mari!* came a reproving voice. *I'll tell grandfather on you!*
*Go ahead, sis! You do it yourself! I've heard you!*
Section seventeen. He had arrived. Karl cut the repulsers, set controls, and waited, inert in space.
Around him he could feel the others--psychics all, waiting, comrades and trusted allies. What a contrast to the way he had felt back on Corala! Back there he had been horrified and ashamed to discover he was a psychic. Now he was proud of it. He was one of the valued ones--the hope of humanity, like Alan Westover, himself. In three years he would be an officer. He was respected and admired by his comrades for his unusual and useful talents. The very fact that he was here now was evidence that they thought him capable and gifted. He hadn't been in training long enough, and it was only because Captain Moon had recommended him that he was included in the force assigned to protect their people during the evacuation.
*They're here!* The voice spoke loud in his mind--the telepathic voice of Juli Mantova, one of the skipper pilots. *All pilots, section 13-B.*
The engines came to life under his touch. 13-B was a good distance off, and by the time he made it, most of the others were already there--skippers, scouts and larger ships surrounding a medium-sized Jilectan vessel. Across the side of the ship Karl could make out the name--"The Pride of Galanthzor". Man, who thought that up, he wondered.
The Underground ships were swarming around the Jilectan vessel like a mass of Coralan fire ants around a pool of spilled nectar. The com informed him that the Jilectan ship had already surrendered without a struggle, and that, as far as anyone knew, no message had gone out.
To port, a ship emerged from hyperspace. Karl started automatically to swing around toward it, then saw his comp register it as a Jilectan escape craft. Westover and Linley had arrived.
Westover's telepathic voice spoke in his mind. *Hello, Karl. Made fighter already, huh?*
*Yessir. How are you, sir?*
*At the moment, very tired.*
A shrill whistle over the com cut off Karl's reply. Linley's voice spoke, requesting the status on the intruder. Karl heard someone reply, telling him that apparently no message had been sent.
"We won't know for sure though, until we question the crew," the voice on the com said.
"Return to base. All fighters, return to base."
Karl touched his controls and headed back.
**********
(tbc)
