Plague: 15/15
By Nancy Smith and Linda Garrick
Chapter XII
The "Moonbow" came out of hyperspace some hours later, and Fong breathed a sigh of relief. So far the Lady Jils had left him completely alone. Trevor had not been bothered, either. Perhaps Blashvor had spoken to them, he considered, although in his experience such efforts on the part of male Jils rarely bore fruit.
He entered the control room to find Jason and Blashvor studying the screen intently. Before them, against the star-studded background on the screen, hung the soft, hazy configuration of an asteroid belt.
Trevor entered behind Fong and crowded past him to stand behind Jason, one hand on his shoulder. Blashvor glanced at his psychic and inclined his head ever so slightly.
Jason pressed one of the squares on the panel under his fingers, and almost instantly a voice spoke from the unit.
"Jilectan yacht, we have you in our sights. Identify yourselves at once or we open fire."
Jason spoke at once. "Please don't fire, sir. We're unarmed. We just popped into this system to see if maybe Lord Blashvor has a base around here."
Fong felt his jaw drop. He closed his mouth at once, realizing that Jason was simply giving the first phrase of a code.'
Sure enough, the voice from the speaker came back promptly. "Yeah, it's somewhere around here. At least it was the last time I looked. You got business with him?"
"Very important business."
The screen before them lit up with the face of a young man, his head covered with curly blond hair and his chin showing the first sparse attempt at growing a beard. "Hey, Jase!"
"Harry!" Jason said. "I'm sure glad to see you!"
"You too, kid. Is M'Lord with you?"
Blashvor stepped into the camera's pickup. "Right here, Harry."
"M'Lord!" Harry touched his forehead in a respectful half-salute. "I knew that batch of Dishvill's couldn't kill you! It looks like I won my bet."
"I am touched at your confidence in me," Blashvor said. "Is everything in order there?"
Harry seemed to hesitate. "Well, there was some trouble, sir. Some of the men thought you'd probably been killed, and your second lieutenant, Hank Zircon, tried to make himself the new leader. He's in the brig, along with the guys that sided with him. We figured you could decide what to do with them when you got back."
"I see." Blashvor was silent for a moment. "Was anyone hurt?"
"Three of Zircon's men, sir, and one of ours. Wilbur was shot when the coup broke out."
"Are we clear to land?"
"Yes, sir. We'll be waiting for you."
"Very well. Out."
Jason broke the connection and turned to look at Blashvor. "I don't like it, sir. I don't like it one bit."
Blashvor regarded him soberly. "You think it is a trap?"
Jason hesitated. "I don't know."
"Do you think Harry was lying?"
Jason shrugged suddenly. "I couldn't tell. I know you trust him. So do I, but --"
"Do you think he was lying?" Blashvor repeated.
"I don't know. Maybe I'm just jumpy."
Trevor made an uneasy sound in his throat. "They know it's almost impossible to fool you, sir, with Jason here. Why even try?"
"Besides, Harry wouldn't mutiny," Jason said. "He just *wouldn't!*"
Blashvor contemplated the bulkhead for a long moment. Then he sighed. "We will go in," he said. "But with great care."
Under Trevor's hands, the ship navigated the asteroid field and gradually, a large irregular specimen swelled in the screen. That must be it, Fong thought. Blashvor's base, home of his pirate band. He wondered where they were. The Jils would have given a great deal to know the location of Blashvor's base. The pirate was the scourge of the Sector, second only to Lady Dishvill's band, and his raids had increased noticeably over the last three years. He was frustratingly successful, due probably, Fong guessed, to his youthful psychic sidekick. Still, it was apparent to Fong that both Blashvor and Jason were worried about their homecoming.
The asteroid drew gradually nearer until he could see its rocky, pitted surface. At last, the ship touched lightly down and the sound of the repulsers died.
Jason drew a breath and touched the communicator's control again. "Harry."
"Yeah, kid, we see you. A transport's on the way."
Fong could see it now: a small, unmanned robot transport, crossing the rocky surface of the asteroid toward them.
"Depressurizing lifeboat bay," Trevor said. Moments later: "Opening lifeboat hatch."
Blashvor and Jason said nothing, until Trevor announced the pressurization of the bay once more. Then Blashvor took out his jeweled blaster, and Fong saw him set it on "kill".
"We will go," he announced. "Follow me."
Briskly, they made their way to the lifeboat bay. Mai Wing met them by the entrance to the bay and accompanied them as they entered the transport and took their seats. Fong found that his heart was beating rather hard. He, too, checked his blaster, and slipped it into its holster. Trevor said something under his breath.
The door slid shut, and on cue, the bay depressurized. At last, the transport trundled out of the lifeboat bay and onto the asteroid's surface.
A sudden banging sound almost under his feet made Fong jump nearly out of his skin. Trevor voiced a breathless oath, and his hand jerked toward his blaster, but Jason and Mai Wing bent down instantly to unfasten a previously unnoticed inspection port located flush with the deck.
The port popped open, and from it emerged a round head, crowned with ragged blue feathers.
"Le'Frit!" Jason said.
The dark eyes of the Procyon were wide, and he twisted his head around completely backwards, searching for something. Over his shoulder, he spotted Blashvor.
"M'Lord!" he croaked. "You musht shtop thish thing! You are moving into a trap! They are going to kill you!"
Jason reached across to the control panel and pushed a control.
Nothing happened. The machine continued on its course toward a collection of domes which must house Blashvor's pirate base.
Jason turned from the controls, his face pale. "It doesn't work, M'Lord. The override's been disconnected!"
"You cannot override it?"
"I don't know how!" The boy's voice squeaked. "Maybe if I had more time I could figure it out, but we'll be there in a couple of minutes!"
Mai Wing spoke up. "M'Lord Blashvor. You said earlier that you would sell that little rock to the Underground, for a fair price. Is your life price enough?"
"You can re-connect the override?"
"I believe so."
Blashvor handed the stone to Mai Wing. She took it and slipped the chain over her head and then stepped over to the board. One hand rested on the board, and the other reached back to casually rest a hand on Fong's shoulder. Fong was aware of a slight feeling of light-headedness as she frowned at the controls. She smiled.
"Just a moment, M'Lord."
There was a pause, Fong's light-headedness increased for an instant, and vanished, and then the transport shuddered and ground to a halt. For a long moment, it remained motionless; then it swiveled around very smoothly, and they were on their way back to the Jilectan yacht.
The Procyon slumped back in one of the seats with a faint trill. "I thought we were finished!"
"What happened?" Trevor demanded.
"It wash Zircon. He wash holding a blashter on Harry, forshing him to shpeak!"
"He sounded awfully convincing," Jason said dubiously.
"If he had failed, they would have thrown him and hish girlfriend out the lock without pressure shuits," Le'Frit informed them. "He knew thish and sho he obeyed."
Trevor muttered a cussword under his breath.
"What will happen to him now?" Jason asked.
"I do not know, Jashon."
They were silent as the little transport trundled back across the bleak surface of the airless rock toward the Jilectan yacht. Fong watched Mai Wing expectantly. She had a look on her face that he was beginning to know, but she said nothing.
The Jilectan yacht, "Moonbow", lifted off the surface of the unnamed asteroid some six minutes later with more speed than finesse. Fong and Trevor watched the indicators closely until the yacht converted to hyperspace, and then were finally able to relax. The pirates had not managed to mount a pursuit in time to catch them.
Fong glanced at Trevor. The former patrolman looked grim.
"So, now what do you do?"
Trevor shrugged. "That's up to Blashvor. He's not beaten yet. Zircon's ambitious, but he isn't as smart as M'Lord by a long way." He swore under his breath.
Privately, Fong wouldn't have wanted to be in Zircon's shoes if the Jil pirate ever got hold of him, but at the moment that seemed somewhat doubtful. He opened his mouth to speak, but the intercom interrupted him. It was Jason's voice.
"Trev, Fong, come to Blashvor's suite right away."
Blashvor was seated in a reclining chair when they arrived, a glass of white wine in his hand and a pensive expression on his face. Jason was standing by the sofa, kicking one of the legs absently, apparently staring at a fanciful seascape on one tapestried bulkhead. Mai Wing sat primly in another chair, looking thoughtfully at the door. She straightened up as Fong and Trevor entered and gave him a breathtaking smile.
Blashvor sat up, almost spilling his drink, and then finished it off in one gulp and set the glass down on a table.
"This new development," he began without preamble, "is, to say the least of it, inconvenient. Zircon chose his time well. Le'Frit informs me that many of our people would side with me, but Zircon, at present, holds the whip hand."
"What do we do now?" Trevor asked. "Don't you have any way to handle it?"
"You know me better than that, Richard," Blashvor said, reprovingly. "But, I fear, it will take time, and that is unfortunate, as it will give Zircon time to consolidate --"
"I believe I may have your answer," Mai Wing said.
Blashvor, interrupted, was silent for five startled seconds. He turned slowly toward her.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Wing?"
"Actually --" Mai Wing got to her feet. "It's Colonel Wing. Lieutenant Colonel Wing, Terran Underground, Lord Blashvor. And, I think I may have your solution."
One of Blashvor's eyebrows slid up. "Is this official?" he inquired.
"Yes. I propose a deal. You have a serious problem and so do we. We must find the other parts of the weapon against the globes. If you will help us obtain them, the Terran Underground will help you get your pirate band back."
Her words fell into a pool of complete silence. Then, Blashvor spoke doubtfully. "You have the authority to make such a bargain?"
"Yes," she replied. "I'm a roving agent for the Underground, and this is an emergency situation. My superiors know how dangerous these things are, and they'll back me up."
Blashvor looked at her hard for several seconds. She met his gaze with one of her own -- cool, slightly humorous, but completely open. The Jilectan laughed suddenly.
"Very well, Colonel Wing, I accept your bargain. On my word as a Jilectan, if you help me to regain control of my people, I will help you to obtain the two jewels that complete that weapon."
"I accept your word as a Jilectan, Lord Blashvor," Mai Wing said serenely, "in the name of the Terran Underground. I propose a toast to seal our bargain."
"You understand Jilectan custom well, Colonel," the pirate said. "Le'Frit!"
The ragged-feathered Procyon appeared from an alcove. "M'Lord?"
"Hoth berry wine for the lady and myself!"
The Procyon departed, to return some five minutes later with the bottle of wine, poured some into Blashvor's glass and then filled another for Mai Wing. Soberly, the Jilectan pirate raised his glass, and the tiny woman mirrored the action.
"To a bargain of honor," Blashvor said.
"May both sides fulfill their obligation," Mai Wing intoned.
They drank, and then Blashvor flung his glass against the bulkhead, shattering the fragile crystal. Mai Wing's followed it.
Fong saw Le'Frit sigh, roll his eyes, and go forward to clean up the mess.
Blashvor was not watching his servant. He was looking at Mai Wing, a half-smile on his face.
"You waited until you had me at a disadvantage, Colonel, and then you sprang your trap. I congratulate you on your insight."
Mai Wing smiled back. "We really need your help, Lord Blashvor, as much as you need ours. And, who knows? Perhaps something more permanent -- and profitable -- might develop. You never know."
Blashvor burst into uninhibited laughter. Fong found himself laughing, too. Jason joined in, and even Trevor's face was split with a sardonic grin.
Blashvor wiped his eyes. "Strike Commander," he choked, "I both envy and pity you, to have such a wife. I fear your life will never again be at peace, but I would give all my Ladies to have such a one as yours at my side!"
He surged to his feet. "Very well, Mai Wing, we are in your hands, and there is a great deal to do! Come! This is no time to be sitting around, talking! We have a galaxy to save!" He swept grandly out the door, Mai Wing and Jason in his wake. Trevor looked at Fong, one eyebrow raised.
"Wish I could get away with lines like that."
Fong shook his head unbelievingly. "You and me both," he said.
The End
