Dragon and Liberator

"Actually, I think the ship came already equipped with a P/S/11," Jack said. "I think what Uncle Virgil did was downgrade the designation plate."

"We've got a shuttle incoming from the northeast," Uncle Virge reported. "The police are moving to intercept."

"That'll be mine," Harper said. "Or, rather, the one the Patri was sending for me."

Jack sent him a sideways look. "Awfully nice of him."

"Relax; I'm not with them," Harper said. "Really. I just spun them that yarn to get myself into the police station."

"Ah," Jack said, wondering whether to actually believe that. "He's going to be furious when he finds out you killed three of his soldiers, you know."

"No more furious than he'll be when he finds out I lied to him about being one of Neverlin's associates." Harper consulted his watch. "Which should be any time now, depending on when the answer to his query gets back from the Advocatus Diaboli."

Jack frowned at him. "You knew he would check up on you?"

"Of course," Harper said. "But I also know how long it typically takes messages to transfer back and forth between underlings and superiors. I figured I had enough time, especially given how eager the Patri was to let me sneak you out of jail and into his hands."

A shiver ran up Jack's back. "You play dangerous games."

"You should talk," Harper countered. "From where I sit, it looks like you're involved with Neverlin up to your lower lip."

"Jack's involvement is purely accidental," Draycos put in.

"And then we have you," Harper went on, looking over his shoulder at Draycos. "I can't wait to hear your story."

"Jack, I believe it's time," Uncle Virge spoke up. "They're all far enough away."

Jack nodded. "Rev us up."

The board lit up again as the computer reactivated the Essenay's systems. Jack gave everything a quick look, then got a grip on the control yoke. "You might want to hang on to something," he advised Harper. "This could get a little bumpy."

"Keep it slow and casual as long as you can," Harper cautioned. "The more you look like someone out on an innocent late-night errand, the longer it'll take them to notice you."

"Thanks, I know the drill," Jack told him. "Here goes."

He eased the Essenay away from the roof, turning off the chameleon hull-wrap as he did so, and headed at a leisurely pace at right angles to the current focus of the searchers' attention.

For the first thirty seconds he thought they were actually going to pull it off. Then, three of the fighters turned away from their confrontation with the Chookoock shuttle and swung onto an intercept course. "That's it," Jack said, grabbing the thruster control. "Hang on, everyone." Mentally crossing his fingers, he jammed it to full power.

He needn't have worried. The fighters' pilots had apparently been motivated by little more than curiosity about the unidentified craft's presence over the city. By the time Jack's burst of speed turned their idle questions to sharp-edged certainty, the Essenay had too much of a lead.

Six minutes later, with the fighters still trying to play catch-up, Jack keyed in the ECHO. The starry sky in front of them flashed with the usual brief rainbow, and became the blue of hyperspace.

And they were safe. For now.

"Nicely done," Harper said. "Now what?"

"We find someplace to drop you off and get on with our lives," Jack said, frowning at the navigation display. With the data diamonds holding the refugee rendezvous information still aboard the Advocatus Diaboli, the new plan had been for him and Draycos to go to Driftline, where Alison had deduced Frost had been heading when he'd been ordered to Semaline to pick her up.

Of course, that had been a month ago. Frost and Neverlin could easily have changed their plans since then. But Driftline was the only lead they had.

But Uncle Virge had already laid in an ECHO course. Not for Driftline, but some obscure planet named Bentre at the edge of Compfrin space. "Uncle Virge?" Jack asked.

"We'll talk later, Jack lad," the computerized personality said firmly.

"Whatever," Jack said, catching the cue. Apparently, whatever was going on, it wasn't something Uncle Virge wanted to discuss in front of company.

"Meanwhile, we'd be more comfortable in the dayroom," Draycos put in.

"Good idea," Harper said, turning and working his way out of the cockpit. "I'm looking forward to hearing your story."

"I'm sure you are," Jack said, following him out. "Almost as much as we're looking forward to hearing yours."

CHAPTER 6

Alison had just unwrapped a pair of ration bars when the receiver she'd set in her ear picked up the sound of a door opening and an indistinct murmur of human voices. "Hold it," she said softly, gesturing to Taneem. "We've got company."

The K'da stepped to her side, pressing her ear to Alison's just as the muttering voices began to resolve into words. "—hell were they thinking?" Neverlin was snarling.