"Don't worry about it, son. I say that every morning when I go to the bathroom," Topaz said wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "So isn't anybody going to say it?" he demanded.
"You are a genius." RJ walked over and kissed him on the check. "Aren't we all very impressed at how clever and resourceful Topaz is?" She started clapping, and the rest joined in. Topaz bowed less than graciously.
"However!" RJ said holding up her hand and stopping the applause.
"However?" Topaz asked with a mock pout.
"Yes. However, we don't have time to celebrate. David's right. The call from the station does change everything. Stratton, Bradley and the others are expected back on the station. If they don't show up there soon, they will be under suspicion, if they aren't already, and we miss a valuable opportunity to gain access to the station. One I don't think we can afford to waste." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded her head as if to answer a question that no one had asked.
"Give me a minute," she said and then turned and walked away into the brush.
They watched as she left.
"I hope this means she finally has a plan," David said.
"Or at the very least that she's going to make one," Topaz said nodding. "It's rather unnerving to have a leader who suddenly stops leading"
David nodded his head in agreement.
"Hey! Look, Haldeed! I think I've got it this time," Taleed said as he threw another rock. This time the rock hit Haldeed between the eyes
Haldeed slung his hands around angrily,
You are either a very bad shot or a very good one
.
"I
. . .
I'm sorry. I wasn't throwing the rock at you, I was throwing it to you," Taleed insisted.
Perhaps you should try throwing something softer than a rock
, Haldeed suggested rubbing his head.
"Yes, maybe I should," Taleed said and went in search of something to throw.
Bradley caught Stratton's attention and shrugged towards an area behind one of the skiffs. Bradley left and was followed a few seconds later by Stratton. They stopped in a grove of small trees about fifty feet behind their own skiff.
Bradley looked back in the direction of the group, then back at her. "I'm not sure I'm exactly comfortable with that lot making decisions that affect us all," he said.
Stratton nodded. "I know what you mean. We have the only viable ship, and I would think that would at least buy us one vote. We're being left completely out of the loop."
"Do you trust her?" Bradley asked.
"RJ?" Stratton asked.
"Yes, RJ. Who else?" Bradley said a little impatient.
"I trust her to get us all killed if it serves her purpose. I think we, unlike her own people, have the unfortunate position of being expendable to her. I trust her not to kill us or double cross us, but I don't trust her not to get us killed," Stratton said. "She's a freak with feelings, that in itself makes her the scariest thing I've ever seen, but then there's the
. . .
"
"Disorganization, the obvious insanity," Bradley supplied.
"Yeah, those," Stratton said with a laugh. "Decker's getting better, but he certainly isn't ready for open combat, and I can't even guess at what she's got going on in her head. What she's going to order us to do."
"Have you noticed how her right arm jerks all over the place? What's up with that? Is that some sort of nervous twitch?"
"No, I read about it in a briefing. It's some defect caused by a flaw in her genetic engineering," Stratton said. "From the way she acts, I don't think it's the only one.
"We could sneak back to the skiff. We might be able to get Jackson inside and get the hatch closed before they figured out what we were doing," Bradley said.
"That's a risk I don't think we can intelligently take," Stratton said in disbelief. "These people aren't exactly the kind of people you want to catch you in a double cross. I doubt we could even get past them. Have you watched Poley? The one they call her brother. In spite of what she said, I'm guessing he's some sort of freak, too. I imagine that he kills completely without conscience. He appears to be watching everything at once, and yet he rarely speaks, and his features hardly change. No, I don't like it, but I'm thinking we're going to have to go along with whatever plan she comes up with. Unless you just want to blow our brains out right here."
"Now that's good, clear thinking."
They both practically jumped out of their skin as RJ seemed to fold out of the plants behind them. "She's absolutely right, Bradley. We don't like to be double crossed, and if I even think that something you're doing or are likely to do is going to cause me or one of my crew to be injured or even that it may endanger our mission, I'll kill you without conscience. That's just the sort of girl I am. You know – flawed and defective." She turned and started back towards camp, then turned around. "Well, come on. I've got my plan."
They nodded and started after her. When Stratton came up even with RJ the woman draped her arm over Stratton's shoulder, causing Stratton to jump. "By the way – just for the record – Poley is a robot with AI, not a freak." She turned her head and looked right into Stratton's eyes. "Oh, and here's something else. I don't
like
being called a freak. I can handle being called disorganized, insane, even flawed. But don't you ever call me a freak again. Understand?"
"I.. I'm sorry," Stratton said. She was glad when RJ released her and walked on ahead. She turned to look at Bradley, and she didn't have to tell him how scared she was. He could see it in her eyes. She let out a long, slow breath and then started to breathe normally.
"I am going to work very hard at never pissing her off again," Bradley said in a whisper.
Stratton whispered back. "If she wasn't intending to use us for cannon fodder before, I'm pretty sure she just changed her plans."
"And you see? I can still hear you. So please shut up," RJ yelled back at them. "Or I'll make up a cannon fodder assignment especially for you."
RJ walked back into camp and right up to the fire. They followed and sat on the ground behind the others.
"All right," RJ said with a broad smile, "I have a plan."
"Yes!" David said in an excited tone.
RJ smiled at him and then continued. "The way I see it, the battle is on two fronts – the station and the palace. So we are going to have to break into two units. We will transfer enough power from the fully powered skiff to fly the other as far as capitol. That should still give us plenty of fuel to make it to the station. Jackson, can you fly the skiff?" RJ asked.
"Yes," Jackson answered.
"Good, that makes my plan that much easier. Now here's what we're going to do
. . .
"
David didn't know how this had happened. RJ had taken Poley, Topaz, Levits, Stratton and Bradley with her to the station while he was stuck going with the natives, Jackson and the wounded guy to the capital. Apparently he was being left behind because he had just recovered from space sickness and couldn't go back into space right away. RJ explained that it was just as well since those going with her were all familiar with space and spacecrafts. David pointed out that he had as much experience in space as Topaz did, and RJ quickly reminded him that Topaz hadn't been sedated through most of it. Levits had quickly added that Topaz also hadn't slung shit all over everybody.
David knew the truth of why he had been chosen to stay planet side, and even though he really didn't like the whole space package, it still chapped his ass to be left behind because he was considered too sickly and too stupid to be taken on the space part of the mission.
"What's wrong?" Janad asked from where she sat beside him.
"I don't like being left behind is all. I want to be part of the team," David said.
"You
are
part of the team," Janad said taking his hand in hers. "Part of
our
team."
"You know what I mean, Janad," David said. "I wanted to go with RJ. I have always gone with RJ."
"You don't want to be with me," Janad said with a mock pout. David smiled in spite of himself. "See, that's better. We need you here with us, David. They have all the high techs; we need you more than they do."
Taleed, who was playing with his new hands nervously, looked up at David. "I only hope I can do my part," Taleed said. "What if I am no better a leader than my father?"
"You will do fine, My Prince," Janad said.
"But I
. . .
I have never talked to the populace in a mass before. What if I don't say the right thing?" Taleed asked nervously. "I don't know what to say – how to tell them that everything they believe is nothing but lies. I could ruin everything by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time."
David laughed. "Well, then perhaps this really is where I am most needed, because I know everything about talking to the masses. It has been proven that I am
not
a great leader. I am, however, a grade-A, number one bull-shitter. I'll teach you a few things, help you know what to say, and how and when to say it – but you have to promise me one thing."
"What's that?" Taleed asked anxiously.
"That you never let the fact that people will listen and follow you let you lead them where you know in your heart they should not go," David said.
"I promise." Taleed said with a sigh.
That is a possible solution to one of my problems, but there can be no easy solution to the other. They tell me to overthrow my father – as if it is nothing. I am to take what is his and make it mine, and then what of him? He is a proud man, and right now – according to what the aliens have told me – he is a very sick man, maybe even dying. How will I live with myself if I betray him, and can I really hope to take power without betraying him?
Taheed looked out the window at the ship that had landed below. He knew looking at it that it was a machine of battle. He took a deep breath and let it out.
"Ziphed, my brother," he said heavily.
"Yes, my lord," Ziphed answered. Ziphed's radiation sickness had quickly escalated so that he now had to have two younger priests to support him. They were sick, too, but with less of the gold metal around their necks, and younger – and therefore stronger – constitutions, they were not dying as fast
"Go and meet their Leader. Tell him that all of his men must come out of the ship. Bring dancers there to entertain them so that they do not become suspicious. Tell him that only he and two of his men may enter the palace. Tell them that this is our custom during the days that
Azure Lune
shines brighter than
Grande Lune
.
Pretend as if all is well between us, and we still wish to trade with him
. . .
"
"But, My Lord
. . .
You said
. . .
the plague they brought, the kidnapping of the Prince."
"I said
pretend
.
We must know what our enemies want. We must be prepared if they attack."
"But, My Lord, if we should try to trick the Reliance, if we try to make a show of force
. . .
"
"Ziphed, am I not a god? Look at how I have been cured of the illness while you are almost dead. Surely you would not now question the will of a god?"
"No, Sire, all shall be as You have commanded." As hard as it was for him, he bowed to his King, and then with the help of the younger priests he left the throne room.
"Toulan!" the King called. The head of the King's army ran to his side.
"Are all the King's Guard in the palace?" Taheed asked.
"As many as could be brought back, and also many war ready veterans as we could gather from the surrounding villages, just as you commanded, My Lord," he said.
"Then alert the guard. Do you remember your instructions?"
"I do, and I will carry them out upon your command."
The King took a deep breath. "Then all that remains, my friends, is for fate to find us." He stood up and moved to embrace his manservant Yashi. He patted him hard on the back with his stumps. "Today our fate is no longer in the hands of the priests. Today, my noble brothers, our fate is our own. And tomorrow when the sun rises, no matter what our fate, this will be a new world."
David didn't like the information that was coming from the receiver. He liked it when they had one plan, and that plan didn't change. He hated it when you had a perfectly good, feasible plan, and then someone screwed it up, and you had to come up with a whole new plan. He especially hated it when it fell to him to make that new plan.
"Apparently he took a troop of fifty elites including three GSH's and a fully loaded battle cruiser," RJ was saying.
"How do you know?" Jackson asked.