Ammonite Stars (Omnibus): Ammonite Galaxy #4-5 (69 page)

Ledin stood up. “Are you both all right?”

Tallen raised his head and winced. “I wouldn’t say all right, exactly.” He looked around. “But we are alive.” He pulled himself to a sitting position with a great effort, and held his arm out to Bennel.

“I thank you. I shall not forget.”

Bennel shook his head. “No need. Now we are even. You saved me in that chasm on Kintara, remember?”

Tallen extended his arm, and the two men briefly exchanged a strong forearm shake. Then they both smiled. Tallen found himself more in accord with Bennel than ever before.

Bennel explained the part that the bimorph had played, and Tallen turned to the hovering morphic. “Thank you all, too.”

The visitor spun. “My pleasure. But I think you should be getting back to the New Independence. This planet doesn’t seem to agree with you.”

“You could say that.” Bennel grinned.

Tallen tried to stand, and gave a wince. “What did you do? I feel as if I had been pushed down a flight of magmite stairs!”

“Yes, I had to let you fall down into the crater.”

“I am black and blue!”

Bennel grinned again. “I thought the Namuri could stand pain?”

Tallen glared. “We can, but you didn’t have to put it to the test, did you?”

“You’re welcome.”

Tallen tried to give a ferocious scowl, but even he had to acknowledge it was a small price to pay for his life. After all, there seemed to be no bones broken.

Finally they felt they might have the energy to finish the job. Bennel and Ledin stumbled back outside to haul the two laser machines, together with the box, up to the hatch and secure them in place inside the shuttle.

As they made their way through the hatch for the last time, Ledin waved a hand towards the planet. “I hope we never have to see it again.”

Tallen nodded, with feeling. “I hope
nobody
ever has to see it again!”

The dark planet was disturbed once more by the searing light of the shuttle engines before Yttrea could return to its former harsh isolation. The tiny lifeforms which had somehow scratched a foothold out of the hostile environment were left in peace again, struggling futilely to evolve on a planet which would soon become totally inanimate again.

BACK ON VALHAI, Petra was beginning to feel better. Since the attack on her, very little had happened. But now the Second Valhai Votation was looming up in less than two weeks, and she knew that Mandalon’s enemies would have to make a move soon if they wanted to put an end to his innovations.

She looked around the huge Valhai Voting Dome. She had come here, together with several more of Mandalon’s private guards, to make checks on the security measures being put into place. But something was bothering her; she could feel a twinge of uncertainty which put her teeth on edge.

She had left Mandalon 50 in company of all his ministers, so he must be safe; that could not be the reason for her discomfort. No, it was something else, something nagging at the back of her mind, something which was stopping her from concentrating on the task at hand. She looked surreptitiously around at her fellow cohorts but they were engrossed in what they were doing.

Then she realized what it was. Her orthogel bracelet was missing. That meant that she couldn’t instantaneously contact Arcan. Petra stared down at her bare wrist for a second, her quick mind momentarily dulled and cumbersome.

Then her senses reacted, and she tensed instantly, ready for fight or flight. They were making their move, and she had to be prepared for them.

But the realization had come just a few milliseconds too late. She felt a pin-prick in her arm, and the whole world began to spin uncontrollably, her stomach heaved, and then a forest of horizontal needles seemed to embed themselves in her brain. She fell to the floor almost silently, her eyes rolling upwards inside her head before she had time to finish the thought which recognized that she had been an utter fool.

The triumvirate of guards who had accompanied her rallied around the prone figure, triumph on their faces.

“She won’t be any trouble now,” said Volgorion, with a thin smile. “Get her down to the gate. She will make the perfect scapegoat; when they find her there it will be an easy matter to prove that she was responsible for the whole thing. But we must hurry; the plan must be finished before the orthogel entity thinks to check with either Mandalon or her. And don’t damage her; we want no outward signs of attack.”

The other two guards, both of whom looked more like tree-trunks than people, gave sniggers of enjoyment.

“Only a little bit of thing now she’s out for the count, isn’t she?” said Scurrion. “Seems strange she could have caused us so much trouble. But Zorion will be pleased.”

Volgorion nodded. “You will be well-rewarded. We all will, when Zorion takes his rightful place as head of all Sell. But first we have to complete our task. You two, get on with your part. And make sure nobody sees you as you take her down into the tunnels. The last thing we need is for somebody to guess exactly where they are. She won’t come around for over six hours, but here is some more of the concentrated clorohexanone. When you dump her, give her another injection. That should keep her under for twelve further hours, by which time it will be far too late for our great Namuri.” He laughed, and gave the inert body a kick. It landed with a satisfying crump of tissue. “She should have minded her own business.”

The third guard, Hebeton, nodded solemnly, and repeated his instructions, numbering them off on his fingers. He was not renowned for his quickness of mind. “Take to tunnels. Injection. Got it.”

Volgorion sighed. “And don’t forget the nitrate-oil mix we will need later on.”

Hebeton stared. “What is that for?”

Scurrion, who was faster both mentally and physically, nodded. “I will make sure of that. Any other instructions, chief?”

“Don’t be seen or heard. Nobody must have any inkling of where we have taken her.”

“You’ve got it.” Between the two of them, Scurrion and Hebeton took hold of Petra’s limp arms and legs and began to manhandle her out of the Valhai Voting Dome. The passageways down to the tunnels were directly underneath the dome, and they only needed to wait.

After a short time, they heard Volgorion’s querulous voice, demanding instant obedience from the two guards stationed at the entrance to the tunnels. They had been deliberately chosen as loyal to Mandalon 50, so that their word would be believed if they were questioned later.

“ATTENTION!” Volgorion strode up to them in his usual haughty way, and gave the troop command in a harsh shout. His guards automatically took the standard ten steps forward and came to rigid attention.

Volgorion fixed them with his beady gaze. “It has come to my notice that some guards are leaving their posts when on duty.” The two guards shuffled uncomfortably, their eyes not leaving their first officer’s face.

Scurrion and Hebeton had carried their burden noiselessly past the backs of the two guards as soon as these began moving, and had already disappeared into the tunnel. Hebeton was a heavy man, but he could move as silently as Scurrion when necessary. It was a quality that made him an excellent asset. Within the time it took Volgorion to give both guards a cursory inspection, the girl and her captors had disappeared.

VOLGORION HURRIED TO the meeting where he knew that he would find Mandalon, and whispered into the Sellite leader’s ear, with a deferent pose.

“Vanished?” Mandalon looked instantly wary. “How can she have vanished? What do you mean?”

“Should we sound the alarm, sir?”

Mandalon glared at the man. “Of course. She wouldn’t have just vanished on her own, now would she?”

Volgorion bowed obsequiously. “Then, sir, may I suggest that we put contingency plan 3 into operation? Your safety is paramount at all times.”

Mandalon 50 thought. His first guard was right. Contingencies had been drawn up for just such events, and however much he was tempted to go and search for Petra himself, he knew that he couldn’t. He dropped his head, feeling for the small, almost invisible sliver of orthogel which was fixed over the top of one nail. At least he could call Arcan at any moment.

Volgorion noticed the gesture, and his hawk eyes fixed on the nail. The head of Sell had given himself away. Now it would be a simple matter to remove the orthogel. He smiled to himself. Today was turning out to be a most auspicious date in his calendar. He – and his house – would have escalated the ladder of importance substantially by the end of the day. He breathed in with satisfaction.

“You had best accompany me to the safe section,” said Mandalon, with a sigh. “but then I want you to take charge of the search for Petra. Personally, mind, Volgorion!”

“I will take care of the matter myself,” the man promised, his eyes glittering.

Mandalon thought it rather touching that the man seemed so affected by the Namuri girl’s disappearance. He followed the guard out into the long corridor. “I will rely on you then, Volgorion.”

“Oh, you may certainly rely on me, excellence,” came the suave reply.

To add action to words, Volgorion grasped the boy by the arm, and pulled him around so that the young leader of Sell was facing him. “You must be careful, Excellency. There may be traitors amongst—”

But there was no need to say more. Thedulon had stepped out of the dark recesses of the corner, and the injection of concentrated clorohexanone had penetrated his arm before the boy was even aware that anything had happened. Volgorion caught the small figure in his arms as it threatened to crash to the floor, and Thedulon stepped forwards neatly to slip his shoulder under the boy’s other arm. Then they bustled quickly towards the
vimpic
rooms, towards the access tunnel which had a hidden exit there. It took them only moments.

Volgorion grabbed the inert boy’s hand and examined the nail carefully. Sure enough, now that he suspected of its existence, he could see the thin layer of orthogel which lay over the nail. He grinned to himself in the ghostly darkness of the
vimpic
room, and pulled out his knife. There was one sure way to ensure that the orthogel entity wouldn’t find them before they had had time to carry out their entire plan.

The knife flashed, and Thedulon stepped back hastily, until he saw, with some relief, that the blade had been meant for the head of Sell. There was a small, but efficient, crack of bone, and then the whole finger lay on the desktop which Volgorion had used as a support. Blood dripped down from the wound in the boy’s finger, but neither of his abductors took the slightest notice.

“That should keep the Arcan being out of our way for a while,” panted Volgorion, licking his lips. He was enjoying the adrenalin rush the small act of violence had caused to run through him. Looking down at the inert body, he thought what a pity it was that he could not amputate any more of this meddler’s body parts. He would have enjoyed himself.

But he reined his inner desires back. The plan entailed blaming the Namuri girl; they had to be found together. His black, black eyes flashed in the strange light of the
vimpics
, as he forced his inner longing back inside.

“We must hurry. Come on!”

Between Volgorion and Thedulon they carried the light body across the room, and Volgorion pushed at several notches in the rexelene wall. This slipped back, revealing a flight of rough steps down to the tunnels. He smiled. “May the heavenly apex bless Atheron, who was a martyr to our cause,” he murmured. Then the two burly men took half of the boy’s body each and began to traverse the tunnels at a jog. Their destination was several miles away, and time was at a premium.

Behind them, the rest of the dignitaries were being escorted to their homes safely, and Volgorion was counting on having a few hours before any of the loyal guards thought to check Mandalon’s safe room in the dome. When they did, they would find two unconscious men, and a vial of clorohexanone nearby. No blame could fall on the guards. He grinned to himself. Zorion had almost Atheron’s way with a plot. He left no loose ends. It would be a pleasure to work with him.

TWO HOURS LATER, both groups of guards had met at the rendezvous point. Volgorion and Thedulon found Scurrion and Hebeton waiting for them in the nearest point of the tunnel, just short of the opening into the small gallery which brought the tunnel to an end. Petra had been placed on the floor between them. She was still clearly unconscious. Volgorion and Thedulon carried Mandalon’s body past the other two and walked up to a metallic gate which held manacles. They lifted Mandalon onto the gate, and fastened the shackles around his wrists. Since the gate was inclined slightly backwards, he remained immobile on it, only his head slumping to one side.

Volgorion turned to the others with a pleased grin. “The gate makes it impossible for the orthogel entity to find him,” he told them. “Zorion was informed about it some time ago by Atheron, and we were lucky enough to hear of the gate’s whereabouts from one of our number.” He looked around quickly. “Now, the gate has an influence of approximately fifteen metres, so make sure the girl is inside that distance. We can’t have the orthogel entity picking up on her signature. Both of them must be invisible to it, for our plan to work.”

They measured the distance carefully, and brought Petra’s inert body further in, towards the small opening. Then they positioned her as if she had been moving away from the gate.

“Here.” Volgorion held up a hand, and beckoned Scurrion forwards. “Place the charge here, and here.” He indicated two small indentations in the rock above them. “We need a ten-second fuse to get clear. Once we light that fuse we must get back through the
vimpics
chamber, and carry out the rest of the plan. Thedulon and I will be found unconscious inside Mandalon’s safe room, and you two, Hebeton and Scurrion, make sure that you are seen to be actively looking for the girl. Nobody must suspect us of treason.”

Hebeton nodded slowly. “Look for the girl. Where?”

“Anywhere except down here. All right?”

There were nods all around. “Then, Scurrion, set the fuses.”

Scurrion did as he was told, and then he and the rest of the guards hurried from the doomed area. They were quite a long way away by the time the soft crump of the explosive sounded in the corridors. There was a small rumble of falling rock, and then total silence. They smiled, and touched hands in the system salute. They had carried out their task. It had all gone very well.