Dragon and Judge

DRAGON AND JUDGE

TIMOTHY ZAHN

For all those who work for justice

  Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 1

" 'The quick red fox jumps over the—' " Taneem paused, her glowing silver eyes narrowing in concentration, her whiplike K'da tail making little circles in the air behind her long, gray-scaled body. " 'Lassie dog'?" she suggested.

" 'Lazy dog,' " Draycos corrected, keeping his own tail motionless. Having grown up among the Phookas instead of proper K'da, Taneem's body language was very different from his. He didn't want to make any gestures that she might interpret as impatience. "The 'y' at the end of the word makes the 'a' long."

" 'The lazy dog.' " Taneem gave her tail another flick. "There are so many rules to this language," she said ruefully.

"And so many exceptions to those rules," Draycos agreed, his mind going back to his own introduction to written English. He and the others of the K'da/Shontine advance team had learned a fair amount of the spoken language from their peoples' earlier contacts with the Chitac Nomads. But it wasn't until the advance team had been ambushed and destroyed, and Draycos had linked up with Jack Morgan, that he'd been introduced to the written form. "But you'll make it through," he assured Taneem. "I know you will."

"Then I will," she said firmly, turning back to the display. " 'When the tall cliff is lit by the sunlight . . .' "

Draycos listened with half an ear, his eyes tracing down the smooth lines of her neck and across the sleek scales along her flank. She did so much remind him of the other Taneem, the friend he'd lost so many years ago to the Valahgua and their horrible Death weapon.

Which made it even more of a shock sometimes when he remembered that only a couple of weeks ago this Taneem had been little more than an animal. A Phooka, rooting around in the forest of Rho Scorvi for grubs, with no knowledge of starships or computers or written English.

Or of war or hatred or enemies. Enemies who had launched a war of conquest against the K'da and Shontine in their distant homelands, ultimately driving them out and into a fleet of refugee ships that was still making its long journey here to the Orion Arm part of the galaxy.

Enemies who had now made that same long trip across space in order to intercept and destroy those K'da and Shontine refugees. Bringing his gaze back to Taneem's silver eyes, Draycos wondered if he'd really done her a favor by taking her away from that simpler, safer life.

Taneem finished the page, and Draycos keyed for the next one. Nothing happened. Feeling his tail curve in a frown, he tried again. This time the next page came up.

But that second's delay meant that the ship's computer was busy. Very busy.

Had Jack made it in?

"Please continue with your exercises," Draycos told Taneem as he headed for the dayroom door. "I'll be back soon."

He found Jack in the Essenay's cockpit, sitting in the pilot's seat and glowering at the displays. Alison Kayna was standing behind him, leaning an elbow on the back of his seat as she gazed thoughtfully at something on a handheld computer. "Anything?" Draycos asked as he padded up behind Alison.

"No," Jack growled. "For a minute there I thought we were in. But then it locked back up on me." "I told you it wouldn't work," Alison said. "Malison Ring computers aren't easy to get into without the proper passkeys and protocols."

"I suppose you want to give it a try?" Jack suggested acidly.

"Well, not now I don't," Alison said. "The whole system's been alerted."

"What do you suggest?" Draycos asked.

"We pull up stakes and try a different base." Alison cocked her head. "Only next time / get to try first."

"Forget it," Jack said. "My ship. My mission."

"Your ship, Draycos's mission," Alison corrected calmly. "It's his people at risk out there, not yours."

"Maybe his people happened to be the first ones on the field," Jack countered, "but that doesn't mean the rest of us are sitting on the sidelines. Once the Valahgua finish them off, what's to keep them from turning that Death weapon of theirs on everyone else in the Orion Arm?"

"Numbers, for a start," Alison said, shutting off her computer. "If and when you're ready to give up on that, I've got something to show you."

"Fine," Jack said, keying a handful of switches. "I'm done."

"Thank you," Alison said. "Uncle Virge? Pull up your record of the Iota Klestis battle, will you?"

"Jack, lad?" Uncle Virge asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Jack said in a tone of strained patience. "While you're at it, go ahead and call the port tower for clearance. We might as well get off this rock."

"Preferably before the Malison Ring traces your intrusion attempt," Alison said.