Cherri Barnes kissed him when he walked back onto the
Udat
’
s
bridge. “Nice to see you.”
He winked. “Thanks. I was worried there for a while.”
“You
were worried?”
I was frightened,
Udat
said.
I know. But it’s all over now. And by the way, I think you behaved commendably while I was out of it. I’m proud of you.
Thank you. I do not want to have to do that again, though.
You won’t have to. I think we’re finally through with trying to prove ourselves.
Yes!
He glanced inquiringly around at his three crew. “Anybody got any idea what happened to our weirdo passenger?”
“ ’Fraid not,” Aziz said. “I asked around the port, and all I could find out was that she’s hired herself a charter agent.
After that—not a byte.”
Meyer eased himself down into his command couch. A small headache was still pulsing away behind his eyes. He was beginning
to wonder if it was going to be permanent. The doctor had said most probably not. “No bad thing. I think Mzu was right when
she said we’d be better off not knowing about her.”
“Fine in theory,” Cherri said irritably. “Unfortunately all those agency people saw it was us who lifted her from Tranquillity.
If she’s right about how dangerous she is, then we’re in some sticky shit right now. They’re going to want to ask us questions.”
“I know,” Meyer said. “God, targeted by the ESA at my age.”
“We could just go straight to them,” Haltam said. “Because, let’s be real here, they’re going to catch us if they want to.
If we go to them, it ought to show we aren’t at the heart of whatever it is she’s involved in.”
Cherri snorted in disgust. “Yeah, but running to the King’s secret police… It ain’t right. I’ve heard the stories, we all
have.”
“Too right,” Haltam said. “They make bad enemies.”
“What do you think, Meyer?” Aziz asked.
It wasn’t something he wanted to think about. His nutrient levels had been balanced perfectly by the hospital while he was
in recuperation therapy, but he still felt shockingly tired. Oh, for someone else to lift the burden from him, which of course
was the answer, or at least a passable fudge.
Good idea,
Udat
commented.
She was nice.
“There is somebody who might be able to help us,” Meyer told them. “If she’s still alive. I haven’t seen her for nearly twenty
years, and she was quite old then.”
Cherri gave him a suspicious look. “Her?”
Meyer grinned. “Yeah. Her. A lady called Athene, she’s an Edenist.”
“They’re worse than the bloody ESA,” Haltam protested.
“Stop being so prejudiced. They have one quality above all else, they’re honest. Which is a damn sight more than you can say
for the ESA. Besides, Edenism is one culture the ESA can never subvert.”
“Are you sure she’ll help?” Cherri asked.
“No promises. All I can tell you is if she can, she will.” He looked at each of them in turn. “Does anyone have an alternative?”
They didn’t.
“Okay, Cherri, file a departure notice with the port, please. We’ve been here quite long enough.”
“Aye, sir.
And, you, let’s have a swallow sequence for the Sol system.
Of course,
Udat
said, then added rather wistfully:
I wonder if the
Oenone
will be at Saturn when we arrive?
Who knows? But it would be nice to see how it developed.
Yes. As you say, it has been a long time.
The first swallow manoeuvre took them twelve light-years from Narok’s star. The second added another fifteen light-years.
Confident the blackhawk had recovered from its ordeal, Meyer told it to go ahead with the third swallow.
Empty space twisted apart under the immense distortion which the patterning cells exerted.
Udat
moved cleanly into the interstice it had opened, shifting the energy which chased through its cells in smaller, more subtle
patterns to sustain the continuity of the pseudofabric that closed around the hull. Distance without physical length flowed
past the polyp.
Meyer! Something is wrong!
The alarmed mental shout struck like a physical blow.
What do you mean?
The terminus is retreating, I cannot match the distortion pattern to its coordinate.
Linked with the blackhawk’s mentality he could actually feel the pseudofabric changing, twisting and flexing around the hull
as if it were a tunnel of agitated smoke.
Udat
was unable to impose the stability necessary to maintain the wormhole’s uniformity.
What’s happening?
he asked, equally panicked.
I don’t understand.There is another force acting on the wormhole. It is interfering with my own distortion field.
Override it. Come on, get us out of here.
He felt a burst of power surge through the blackhawk’s cells, amplifying the distortion field. It simply made the interference
worse.
Udat
could actually sense waves forming in the wormhole’s pseudofabric. The blackhawk juddered as two of them rolled against its
hull.
It doesn’t work. I cannot support this energy output.
Keep calm,
Meyer implored.
It might just be a temporary episode.
In his own mind he could feel the energy drain reach exorbitant levels. There was barely ninety seconds reserve left at this
expenditure rate.
Udat
reduced the strength of the distortion field, desperate to conserve its energy. A huge ripple ran down the wormhole, slapping
across the hull. Loose items jumped and spun over the bridge. Meyer instinctively grabbed the couch arms even as the restraint
webbing folded over him.
The flight computer datavised that a recorded message was coming on line. Meyer and the crew could only stare at the offending
console in amazement as Dr Mzu’s image invaded their neural nanonics. There was no background, she simply stood in the middle
of a grey universe.
“Hello, Captain Meyer,” she said. “If everything has gone according to plan you should be accessing this recording a few seconds
before you die. This is just a slightly melodramatic gesture on my part to explain the how and why of your situation. The
how is simple enough, you are now experiencing distortion feedback resonance. It’s a spin-off discovery from my work thirty
years ago. I left a little gadget in the life-support section which has set up an oscillation within the
Udat
’
s
distortion field. Once established, it is quite impossible to damp down; the wormhole itself acts as an amplifier. The resonance
will not end while the distortion field exists, and without the field the wormhole will collapse back into its quantum state.
A neat logic box you cannot escape from. You can now only survive as long as
Udat
’
s
patterning cells have energy, and that is depleting at quite a rate, I imagine.
“As to the why; I specifically chose you to extract me from Tranquillity because I always knew
Udat
was capable of pulling off such a difficult feat. I know because I’ve witnessed this blackhawk in action once before. Thirty
years ago, to be precise. Do you remember, Captain Meyer? Thirty years ago, almost to the month, you were part of an Omuta
mercenary squadron assigned to intercept three Garissan navy ships, the
Chengho
, the
Gombari
, and the
Beezling
. I was on the
Beezling
, Captain, and I know it was you in the Omuta squadron because after it was over I accessed the sensor recordings we made
of the attack. The
Udat
is a most distinctive ship, both in shape, colouring, and agility. You are good, and because of that you won the battle.
And don’t we all know exactly what happened to my home planet after that.”
The datavise ended.
Cherri Barnes looked over to Meyer, strangely placid. “Is she right? Was it you?”
All he could do was give her a broken smile. “Yes.”
I’m sorry, my friend.
I love you.
Three seconds later, the energy stored in the
Udat
’
s
patterning cells was exhausted. The wormhole, which was held open purely by the artificial input of the distortion field,
closed up. A straight two-dimensional fissure, fifteen light-years in length, appeared in interstellar space. For an instant
it spat out a quantity of hard radiation equal to the mass of the blackhawk. Then, with the universe returned to equilibrium,
it vanished.
Nicolai Penovich tried not to show how outright shit-scared he was when the stern-faced gangsters ushered him into the Nixon
suite. Not that the macho-routine facade would do a hell of a lot of good, they’d already let slip that the possessed could
pretty much tell what was going on in your mind. But not read it direct, not pull out exact memories. And that was his ace.
One memory, and a prayer.
As prayers went it was a goddamn feeble one to be gambling not just his life but also his life after death.
He was shown into a giant living room with a fluffy white shag carpet and pale pink furniture which resembled fragile glass
balloons. There were several doors leading off to the rest of the suite, plain gold slabs three metres high. The far wall
was a window looking down on New California. The view as the terracompatible planet slowly drifted past was magnificent.
One of the gangsters used his Thompson machine gun to prod Nicolai into the middle of the room. “Stand there. Wait,” he grunted.
About a minute later one of the tall doors opened silently. A young girl walked out. Despite his predicament, Nicolai couldn’t
help staring. She was ravishing, a mid-teens face with every feature highlighted by the purest avian bones. All she wore was
a long gossamer robe revealing an equally sublime physique.
When he thought about it, she was obscurely familiar. He couldn’t imagine meeting her and not remembering, though.
She walked straight past him to a pile of travelling cases on the other side of the living room. “Libby, where’s my red leather
playsuit? The one with the silver chain collar. Libby!” Her foot stomped on the carpet.
“Coming, poppet.” A harried woman shuffled into the lounge. “It’s in the brown case, the one with your after-party informal
collection.”
“Which one’s that?” the girl complained.
“This one, poppet. Honestly, you’re worse now than when we were touring.” She bent over to open the case.
Nicolai gave the nymphet a more intense scrutiny. It couldn’t be . ..
Al Capone hurried in, followed by a number of cronies. And there was no doubt at all of his identity. A handsome man in his
early twenties, with jet-black hair, slightly chubby cheeks which emphasised his near-permanent soft smile. His clothes were
as antique (and as ridiculous to Nicolai’s eyes) as the other gangsters’, but he wore them with such panache it really didn’t
matter.
He took one glance at Jezzibella and grimaced. “Jez, I told you before, will you stop goddamn prancing around in front of
the guys like this. You ain’t wearing diddly.”
She looked back over her shoulder, pouted, and twirled a lock of hair around one finger. “Oh, come on, Al baby, it gives you
a kick. The boys can all see what it is you’ve got, and they can never have. Living proof you’re top doggy.”
“Jez-us.” He raised his eyes heavenwards.
Jezzibella sauntered over to him and pecked him lightly on the cheek. “Don’t be long, precious. I’ve got parts of me that
need a serious seeing to.” She beckoned Libby to follow, and made for the door. The woman walked after her, a garment made
up from about five slender red leather straps draped over her arm.
Jezzibella treated Nicolai to a cutely bashful smile from the middle of a cloud of gold-blond curls. Then she was gone.
Al Capone was staring at him. “You got something on your mind, fella?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’ve got some information for you, Mr Capone. Something that could be very useful to your Organization.”
Al nodded curtly. “Okay, you got through the door, that proves you got balls enough. Believe me not many get this far. So
now you’re here, make your pitch.”
“I want to join your Organization. I hear you make room for non-possessed people with special talents.”
Al pointed a thumb at Avram Harwood III who was standing among the little cluster of lieutenants. “Sure do. If savvy Avvy
here says what you got is good news, then you’re in.”
“Is antimatter good news?” Nicolai asked. He caught the shudder of horror on the broken mayor’s face.
Al rubbed a finger thoughtfully over his chin. “Could be. You got some?”
“I know where you can get it. And I can assist your starship fleet when it comes to handling the stuff. It’s a tricky substance,
but I’ve had the training.”
“How come? You’re a fed, or close to it; a G-man for sure. I thought it was illegal.”
“It is. But Idria is a small asteroid sharing a star system with some powerful institutions. A lot of groundside politicos
talk about strengthening our general assembly into a system-wide administration or union. Some of Idria’s council and SD officers
don’t appreciate that kind of talk. It took us a long time to gain our independence from the founding company, and it wasn’t
easy. So we made preparations. Just in case. Several of our companies make components that can be used to build antimatter
confinement systems and drives. Strategic Defence Command also established a link with a production station.”
“So you can get it anytime you want?” Al asked.
“Yes, sir. I have the coordinate of the star which the station is orbiting. I can take you there.”
“What makes you think I want this stuff?”
“Because you’re in the same position Idria was. New California is big, but the Confederation is a lot bigger.”