Dragonback 06 Dragon and Liberator (36 page)

The bridge hadn't changed much since she'd last been there, she
noted as she was led through the door, a burly Malison Ring mercenary
on either side keeping a cautious grip on her upper arms. Even with the
handcuffs, Neverlin had finally learned not to take chances with her.

"There you are," Frost greeted her, as calmly as if she'd just
been out getting the mail. "I understand we've been a busy girl. Again."

"Not as busy as I would have liked," Alison admitted, studying his
face. He seemed way too calm for someone who'd been taken in by her con
as thoroughly as he and Neverlin had.

But then, Frost could afford to be calm. Certainly calmer than
Neverlin. With the collapse of her Alison Davi soap bubble, Frost's own
position in this group was suddenly back to normal again. "Well, we'll
be making up for that soon," he said. "Let me see; what's been
happening since you left? The Lordhighest informs me the K'da/Shontine
warships are now poised to intercept and detain us, still with no idea
that we have the Death waiting for them. The rest of our attack force
has abandoned the original game and is speeding to join us in a
straight-up battlefront configuration."

He gave her an evil smile. "And your friend Jack Morgan has just
put on a burst of speed, apparently in hopes of getting past us and out
of the bubble in time to warn his K'da friends."

Alison looked over at the tactical, her mouth going dry. Frost was
right—the
Essenay
was charging straight up the
Advocatus
Diaboli
's drive trail. "He can't possibly make it in time," she
said. "You can just ignore them."

"It does look that way, doesn't it?" Frost agreed. "But I think
it's a little late to start taking unnecessary chances. Especially
now." His eyes flicked over Alison's shoulder to Neverlin. "Especially
with this particular boy and K'da."

"The story I spun you before wasn't completely bogus," Alison
persisted. "A live K'da would bring an astronomical price at any
bioweapons lab."

"And I thank you for suggesting it," Neverlin said, coming up
beside her. "But there will be plenty of safer specimens for us to
choose from later." He waved toward the display. "Right now, I'm rather
looking forward to watching Jack and his K'da die."

Alison swallowed hard. "You'll be using the Death on him, I
suppose?"

"I think he's counting on that, actually," Neverlin said. "Our use
of the Death would finally alert the refugee fleet to the surprise we
have aboard." He smiled at Alison. "But only if they see us use it."

Alison frowned, looking again at the tactical display. What was
Neverlin up to now?

And this time she saw it. "You're letting the
Foxwolf
pull
ahead," she said. "You're going to lure the
Essenay
in close,
where the
Foxwolf
's bulk will block the refugees' view when you
fire the Death."

"Very good," Neverlin said approvingly. "You really
could
have been General Davi's daughter, couldn't you?" He smiled. "Of
course, there are a few details you don't know."

"It won't work," Alison said, trying one last time. "It
can't
work. There's no way you can use the Death against enough of them
before they realize what's going on."

"We'll see," Neverlin said calmly. "In the meantime, we have Jack
and his K'da to deal with."

At the sensor station, one of the displays began beeping urgently.
"Sir, we have incoming spacecraft," the captain snapped, swiveling in
his seat and keying some switches. "Thirty of them, approximately eight
hundred miles aft. All craft accelerating in our direction."

"Identify" Frost ordered, moving up behind him.

"ID coming up now," the other said. "Sixteen are Malison Ring
Shrike fast-attack fighters. Thirteen register as Braxton Universis
Security cruisers. The thirtieth—"

He swiveled around to face Neverlin, his eyes wide. "It's the
Angelside
,"
he breathed.

Alison felt her breath catch in her throat. The
Angelside
?
Cornelius Braxton's personal yacht was
here
?

This was not good. Not good at all.

"Interesting," Frost said, his voice glacially calm. "Signal
Hammerfall One that we have some fresh targets. He's to split Outriders
Two and Three from his group and send them back to deal with the
intruders."

"Belay that order," Neverlin said. His voice, too, was calm, but
there was a simmering hatred beneath it that froze Alison's blood.
"Hammerfall One will continue its mission to support the
Foxwolf
's
attack. Backstop will turn back to intercept the intruders."

"Sir, five Djinn-90s can't take on two wings of Shrikes," Frost
said urgently.

"Don't worry, Colonel; they'll have all the help they need,"
Neverlin assured him. "As soon as we've dealt with the
Essenay
,
we'll be circling back to join them."

He half-turned, and it seemed to Alison that he was looking
straight at her. "I'm going to deal with Mr. Braxton personally.
Captain, what's the
Essenay
's status?"

"Coming up fast, sir," the captain said. "Another thirty seconds
and he'll be alongside us."

"And the
Foxwolf
?"

"In position and ready," Frost assured him. "The enemy ships won't
see a thing."

Neverlin nodded. "Good. Lordhighest, contact your operators." He
looked again at Alison. "Tell them to prepare to fire."

The
Essenay
was nearly to the
Advocatus Diaboli
's
stern now. "Steady on," Jack said aloud. They were empty words, he
knew, said for no better reason than to fill the empty space around
him. In less than a minute the
Essenay
would be alongside
Neverlin's ship.

And with a push of an alien's hand on a button, Jack and Draycos
would die.

There is no shame in being afraid
, Draycos's thoughts came
through the pounding of Jack's heart.

I know
, Jack said. But he couldn't help but feel some shame
anyway. Some shame, some fear, and a lot of regret.

He didn't want to die. But then, he didn't suppose anyone ever
really
wanted
to die.

Careful, Jack
, Draycos warned.
The
Gatekeeper
has
positioned itself directly in front of us. Its drive glow may mask the
refugees' view of the
Advocatus Diaboli
as it fires
.

Already spotted that
, Jack assured him. In his own
ham-handed way, he thought with dark amusement, Neverlin was still
trying to outthink him and Draycos.
You just watch and
—

He broke off the thought. No, Draycos wouldn't watch and learn.
Very soon now, neither he nor Draycos would ever learn anything again.
Here
we go
, Jack said instead. Twisting the control yoke completely
around, he sent the
Essenay
spiraling into a half circle around
the
Advocatus Diaboli
, coming out on the far side of the ship
and well clear of the
Foxwolf
's blockage.

And it was time.
It's been an honor to know you, Draycos
,
he told the K'da, reaching down to stroke the K'da's head as it lay
flat against his right shoulder. Strangely enough, the words didn't
sound corny to him, as he'd been afraid they would.

And an honor to know you, as well, Jack
, Draycos replied.
Good-bye,
my friend
.

Good-bye
. Taking a deep breath, Jack threw full emergency
power to the
Essenay
's drive, sending the ship jumping forward
and outward along the
Advocatus Diaboli
's, side.

He had just enough time to see the burst of debris and dust and
compressed air that exploded from the
Foxwolf
's side, swirling
blackly directly in his path and completely blocking the view of the
distant K'da/Shontine defenders.

And then, the violet cone of the Death cut across space in front
of him, slicing across his view of both the
Foxwolf
and the
masking cloud of debris.

He twisted the control yoke again, trying to pull the
Essenay
out of the beam's path.

But it was too late. Before he could do more than gasp, the violet
cone swept back toward him, passed unhindered though the canopy—

And cut through him like a tingling knife.

The voices were still murmuring around Alison, murmuring like a
mountain brook in the distance. There were words there, too, she knew.

But with her head bowed, her eyes closed, and her heart aching,
she hardly heard any of it.

Jack and Draycos were dead.

Vaguely, distantly, she heard someone calling her name. Blinking
the tears out of her eyes, she looked up. "What?" she asked.

"I was just telling you not to take it so hard," Neverlin said.
"After all, you'll be joining them soon enough."

Alison took a deep breath. This was no time to fall apart. "As
will you and Frost and the Valahgua," she said. "I know Cornelius
Braxton, and you're not going to find him an easy nut to crack."

Neverlin shook his head. "You still don't get it, do you, Alison?
Even having seen it demonstrated right in front of you, you still don't
get it. The Death is literally the ultimate weapon. It doesn't matter
how many people Braxton brought with him. He's dead, and so is everyone
with him."

"Sir, the
Essenay
's gone into a half-powered drift," the
captain reported.

"Very good, Captain," Neverlin said. "Swing us around and bring us
up behind Backstop. No rush—give them time to reform into their attack
cluster."

"Yes, sir."

"It's a shame we couldn't be on the same side, Alison," Neverlin
went on, his voice lowered. "You're obviously a girl of many talents."

Alison flicked her tongue across her upper lip. There was only one
chance left for her now. "What if I told you I was ready to join up
with you?" she asked.

Neverlin smiled. "You really think I'd believe you?"

"I could pay for my life," Alison offered. "I still have a few
secrets. Things I know that would be very valuable to you."

"What sort of secrets?"

"The sort that would be very valuable to you," Alison repeated.
"Or to anyone else who knew them."

For a moment Neverlin eyed her closely. Then, he looked at the two
Malison Ring mercenaries still holding on to her upper arms. "Three
paces back and wait," he ordered them.

One of the soldiers glanced at the other. "Sir, Colonel Frost
said—"

"Three paces back," Neverlin repeated.

"Yes, sir." Letting go of Alison's arms, the two men stepped back
as ordered.

"Now," Neverlin said, his eyes back on Alison. "Go on."

"Your side of the bargain first," Alison said. "I want in on the
deal with you and Frost. I especially want in on anything the weapons
labs turn up out of all this."

Neverlin smiled thinly. "You have a particular interest in
weapons?"

"My father does, yes," Alison said. "And of course, I want to not
be turned over to the Valahgua."

"That might be difficult," Neverlin warned. "You've cost them a
great deal of time and trouble."

"You're helping them get what they want," Alison countered. "I
think they can afford to concede a point or two."

"Sir?" the captain called. "The
Essenay
's on the move
again."

"It's just the ship's computer flailing around," Neverlin called
back. "Ignore it."

"Yes, sir."

"Well?" Alison asked.

"All right, I'll play," Neverlin said, inclining his head to her.
"If these supposed secrets are actually worthwhile, you have a deal."

Alison took a deep breath. Taneem would understand, she told
herself. Surely Taneem would understand. "Okay," she said. "Here it is.
. . ."

Before Jack could do more than gasp, the violet cone swept back
toward him, passed unhindered through the canopy, and cut through him
like a tingling knife.

Nothing happened.

Carefully, Jack opened his eyes, only then realizing that he'd
even shut them.
Draycos
? he asked warily.

I'm here
, Draycos said, just as warily.
What happened
?

You tell
me,
buddy
, Jack countered, looking down at
his chest. Draycos's gold-scaled head was visible through the open
collar, one green eye looking up at him.
I thought the Death killed
everything it hit
.

It does
, Draycos said, sounding as puzzled as Jack felt.
It
always does
.

Well, it didn't this time
, Jack said.
Not unless
incredibly grubby flight suits are allowed into the afterlife
.

Could they have missed
? Draycos suggested doubtfully.
That
tingle felt rather like a near miss
.

That was no miss, near or otherwise
, Jack said firmly.
I
saw it go through me. I
felt
it go through me
.

Then I have no idea
, Draycos conceded.

"Jack?" Uncle Virge asked tentatively. "Are you all right, lad?"

"Apparently so, Uncle Virge," Jack assured him. He blinked once,
shook his head to clear it, and for the first time since the Death had
passed through him he focused on the view through the
Essenay
's
canopy.

Not surprisingly, he'd let go of the yoke when the Death hit. As a
result, the
Essenay
was more or less in drift mode, its nose
angling off its original course, its engines backed off to half speed.
The drive glows of the
Foxwolf
and
Advocatus Diaboli
were already a good distance ahead, still heading for the refugee fleet.

And then, as he watched, the
Advocatus Diaboli
detached
itself from the larger ship and started an almost leisurely curve to
the side. "Neverlin's pulling away," he announced.