Seeds of Earth (55 page)

'No.' Theo breathed in deep. 'But I'll be okay.'

'Aye, ye will. Just kid on that it's a ride at the carnival.' Before them the hangar shutter was almost fully open. 'Right, time to leave.'

The first few seconds of smooth forward motion were deceptive - once clear of the hangar, Donny angle d the nose skywards and fired the main thrusters. A hundred invisible sandbags pressed Theo down into his couch but then quickly eased off, even though "heir acceleration did not.

'Inertial dampeners,' Donny said. 'Should've had them on active tracking - sorry 'bout that. Deck gravity is on, though, so you'll be able to get up and walk around soon.'

Theo nodded, staring out the cockpit viewscreen at the darkening sky where stars were growing brighter as they climbed out of Darien's atmosphere.

'Did our sudden departure turn any heads?' he said.

Donny grinned, tapping the headset he was wearing.

'Has it ever! Listen to this ...'

He poked a couple of screen controls and suddenly voices erupted from the console speakers.

'. . . flight is unauthorised and may incur a punitive response -1 repeat, Shuttlecraft
Hermes,
this is Gagarin Tower - you are instructed to return to Gagarin launchway 2. Your flight is unauthorised and may incur . ..'

'Earthsphere shuttlecraft, this is Preceptor-Captain Eshapon of
Purifier
sub-Phalanx Tuva. A soldier of the Brolturan Compact was killed by one of those who hijacked that shuttle. You are instructed to return to Port Gagarin and surrender yourselves . . .'

'. . . hey, this is a traffic control-restricted frequency! Cut your signal immediately!'

'My authority supersedes yours - cease your interference . . .'

'Heracles-ops
to Shuttlecraft
Hermes -
what is your status?'

Donny grinned at Theo then thumbed the reply.
'Hermes
to
Heracles-ops -
please stand by,' then he silenced it.

'We're nearly at low orbit,' he said. 'And I've already laid in an intercept course for the
Heracles . . .
which they'll know all about already . . .'

'How?' said Theo.

'Shared telemetry,' Donny said. 'AH this boat's instrumentation will be showing up on one of the
Heracles's
screens - if they wanted to, they could probably take control of its navigationals as well.'

'So now we open negotiations,' Theo said.

'Aye.' Donny pressed the channel button.
'Hermes
to
Heracles-ops -
my name is Captain Barbour, acting under special orders of President Sundstrom and requesting to speak with your CO.'

'Heracles-ops
to
Hermes -
please stand by ... sorry,
Hermes,
but Captain Velazquez is in a conference call with the Hegemony ambassador and President Kirkland right now but he should be speaking to you in a few minutes.'

'Understood,
Heracles-ops,'
Donny said, cutting the respond.

'Was that wise, giving your name?' Theo said.

Donny shrugged. 'My folks are both dead and I was an only child, so there's nobody for them tae hold hostage.'

'I am sorry to hear that,' Theo said.

Donny grinned. 'Don't be - my friends are my family and I got tae choose every one.' He paused, glancing at the console then the pale blue holodisplay overhead. 'Course has been changed, velocity too - we're picking up speed ...'

Theo leaned on the couch armrest and ran his fingers through his hair. 'So the
Heracles
has taken control of us?'

'Aye . .. dritt, if I knew a bit more I could . ..'

'Heracles-ops
to Shuttlecraft
Hermes . . .'

A small holoplane appeared over the main console, displaying the Earthsphere navy's symbol, two flaming comets against a stylised galactic spiral. Donny sniffed and thumbed the respond.

'Shuttlecraft
Hermes
to
Heracles-ops -
Captain Barbour speaking.'

The opaque holoplane blinked, suddenly showing a craggy-featured man with dark hair and intense, hazelbrown eyes.

'I am Captain Velazquez - why have you hijacked my shuttle?'

'Had to see ye about an important matter, Captain,' Donny said. 'Seemed as good a way as any, given that we're acting under President Sundstrom's executive order ...'

'Kirkland is president now,' Velazquez said. 'Sundstrom's policies have been superseded.'

'That might be the case, Captain,' Theo said, 'if Kirkland actually had a spine and a brain to go with it!'

Velazquez regarded him from the screen. 'And you are?'

'Karlsson, former major in the Darien Volunteer Corps.'

The
Heracles's
captain nodded. 'Major Karlsson, Viktor Ingram's right-hand man - hoping to overthrow another government, Major?'

Theo gritted his teeth. 'If the government's corrupt, I see no problem with the notion.'

'The probabilities are not in your favour, I'm afraid.' Velazquez seemed to grow impatient. 'Gentlemen, what is the reason for this charade?'

'Ourselves and a group of researchers are formally requesting political asylum aboard your vessel, sir,' said Donny.

'Thought it might be something like that,' Velazquez said. 'Why did Sundstrom want these researchers kept out of Hegemony hands?'

Donny shrugged. 'The president originally had a deal with the Imisil to get them away, but as ye can see they've been kicked out. And before ye ask, we don't know anything about what's in their heads, but I guess it must be important. . .'

And deadly,
Theo thought, remembering Pyatkov's attitude.

'I understand your position, gentlemen, but there is a problem.' Velazquez glanced at something nearby. 'A Brolturan soldier died during your illegal hijacking and both High Monitor Kuros and the Brolturan commander are screaming for the arrest of those responsible. So if I brought the
Hermes
on board my ship with the aim of offering its passengers asylum, this would cease to be a security matter and become a diplomatic incident.'

'And yet you've changed our course to meet the
Heracles
out beyond high orbit,' Donny said. 'And in just a few minutes, too.'

'Yes - there is only one option open to you. When we rendezvous, you will get those researchers into the emergency suits then send them out through the airlock. I will then be obliged to take them on board as Distressed Persons Adrift under the Rescue and Emergency protocol.' 'But not us,' Theo said.

'Correct. My report will state that you abandoned your passengers then took off for that forest moon.'

Theo and Donny glanced at each other in puzzlement.

'And why are we doing that?' said Donny.

'Captain Barbour, if you were better trained you would notice that the
Purifier
has launched two interceptors and that they are already halfway here. I sugge
st
that you get those people ready.'

Theo looked at Donny. 'Is he telling the truth?'

Without answering, Donny punched up a display that showed two bright specks moving round the planet's curve towards where another pair of dots, blue this time, were converging. Resigned, Theo went with him to explain the situation to the Enhanced. It was oddly awkward - he couldn't tell from their expressions if they understood or were angry or calm. Then the one called Julia asked to speak with Captrin Velazquez, who assured her that anyone left behind by the shuttle would be brought to safety within the
Heracles.
Listening closely to Velazquez's careful wording, she nodded, once to the captain, once to Donny and Theo.

After that the Enhanced were quickly suited up in lightweight metallic blue rigs, and their progression through the airlock went ahead, first pair, second pair, and Julia last. As she ducked through the hatch she paused to look back at them.

'Thank you for helping us,' she said. 'I don't understand why you did this, but thank you.'

Theo and Donny said their own goodbyes then, as the hatch closed and cycled through, they exchanged a puzzled look, before hurrying back to the cramped cockpit to check the long-range sensors. Even as they saw that the two interceptors were now between them and Darien, a voice came over the ship-to-ship.

'Attention
Hermes,
this is Flight-Marshal Kowalski. Strap yourselves in, gentlemen - we're about to send you on a bit of a ride.'

'Better do what the man says,' Donny muttered.

Outside the cockpit viewport, the long, tapering shape of the
Heracles
loomed at an angle, its grey and silver hull sporting rows of dark, opaque blisters. Then, as they fastened their restraints, Theo heard a muffled, intermittent hum and the
Hermes
turned, giving them a transient view of the Enhanced being snagged by power grappler lines and reeled into an open hold in the
Heracles's
belly. Then the green orb of Nivyesta swung into view and stopped.

'Thruster systems initialised,
Hermes
- stand by for fast burn.'

Patterns flickered on the console, then Theo felt a momentary kick of acceleration before the inertial dampening cut in. He sat there in the couch's firm embrace for a minute, breathing the plastic-tainted air, feeling the vibration of the shuttle's engines with his back, neck and arms, realising that his fear was still there but caged, shackled by old combat reflexes. The knack was in using your fear, knowing when to ignore it, when to listen and how to use it to stay alive. But now the kind of trouble that was looming was one in which he was completely reliant on Donny Barbour's skills to avoid dying in a fireball of destruction when those Brolturan fighters caught up with them.

And now Kowalski was back on the comm, telling them where the two-man escape pod was and how to set the autopilot for a bail-out when they hit Nivyesta's upper atmosphere. He also gave Donny a quick rundown on the shuttle's weapons (or rather weapon, a single laser cannon), countermeasures and shields.

'But you shouldn't get into the situation where you have to use them,' said Kowalski. 'Anyway, you've got another twelve minutes before you enter high orbit around that moon. After that, you're on your own. Good luck,
Hermes.'

'Aye, thanks,
Heracles
- when this is all over, we'll have ye round for a few drinks and all the steak ye can eat!'

'We wouldn't miss it for anything,
Hermes -
safe journey.'

The mood of the exchange was light and amiable and to Theo seemed to underline the gravity of their position. 'So how bad is it?' he said.

Donny gave a little smile and a sidelong glance. 'No' much gets past you, does it, Major?'

Theo shrugged. 'I know the sound of bad odds, especially when I hear them not being mentioned. What are our chances?'

Donny pointed at the holodisplay. 'Those interceptors are closing on us faster than we'd reckoned - they might catch us just as we hit atmosphere.'

'At which point we're dead.'

'Well . . . aye, unless we try something a wee bit unorthodox.' He leaned closer. 'Set the autopilot to aggressively engage them just after our pod separates. The shuttle only has to keep them occupied for a few minutes, long enough for the pod to reach low altitude.'

Theo nodded, feeling a twinge of nausea and a tremble in his hands and legs, and smiled. It was just his fear, rattling its cage.

'Okay, if that's our only shot,' he said. 'We'll make it a good one.'

The minutes fled past, Donny working at the console, setting up parameters for the autopilot while Theo checked the supplies for the pod. A small hatch in the bulkhead behind the cockpit led down a few steps to the open pod, into which they would have to crawl. Theo had raided the shuttle's medical and ration lockers and was stowing the booty away when Donny called down to him.

'Have we got everything?'

'We have - where are the hunters?'

'Practically on top of us. Ye've got it all packed away, aye?'

'Yes, is it time?'

'It certainly is, Theo.'

Theo heard the pod's own hatch thud shut and seal with the whine of motors.

A horrible realisation struck him and he lunged round in the tiny space to get at the hatch, trying to find controls to open it, but there were none.

'Theo, I know that this is a rotten trick ... aye, I know, but it's the only way. Better get strapped in twenty seconds and you're away.'

'Donny, you damn bloody fool!' Theo raged as he hurriedly crawled back round again and tugged several broad straps tight over his body. 'Is this some kind of Caledonian-warrior-self-sacrifice thing . . .'

'Dinna be daft! - if we both left in the pod, those interceptors would pick us off with missiles. This way at least one of us stands a chance. Don't get me wrong I've every intention of living to a ripe old age . . . right, hold on tae yer hat!'

There was a cluster of small bangs and suddenly the pod lurched and dropped, Theo's stomach protesting as the tiny craft seemed to flip over then right itself.

'Donny! - what's happening?'

'I won't be able to speak much soon, Theo - just got my hands full with these two, but then they did come in staggered overwatch formation . . . right, got tae go. Good luck and good hunting, Major, and I'll see ye on the bright side!'

Then the channel went dead.

You're a fool, Donny Barbour,
he thought as the pod shuddered about him.
If I didn't know any better, Id say we were related. "When next we meet we'll drink the finest whisky and tell magnificent lies about our family trees.

But a faint and hollow dread told him that he was thinking about a dead man.

54

DONNY

As he cut the channel, the Brolturan interceptor was on his tail, lining up for a point-to-point attack. Donny grinned. He knew he'd been in the enemy's range for over thirty seconds, but the pilot had obviously decided that with such a weak opponent he could afford to relax and indulge in a bit of exhibition gunnery.