Dragon and Liberator

"Your excuse," Neverlin said. "You sit around quietly in a lifepod for seventeen days, and then your first word of greeting is to wreck our troop carrier?"

"I thought you or Colonel Frost might put up a fight over whether or not we try to keep Draycos alive," Alison said. "This way, the point is moot. You don't have enough spare room among the rest of your ships to accommodate that many Brummgas while you open the Foxwolf to space." She shrugged. "Besides, the carrier is probably more use to you wrecked than it is whole."

"How do you figure that?" Neverlin asked.

"I presume the plan is for you and the Foxwolf to go running to the refugee fleet as soon as it arrives, claiming the big bad wolf is behind you and pleading for protection. Am I close?"

"Go on," Neverlin said.

"So now you've got a ship with genuine damage that you can show them," Alison said. "It'll also make a good place to stash Morgan and the K'da while we deal with the rest of the fleet."

"Assuming we can coax them out of hiding," Neverlin said. "Or did you have a plan for that, too?"

"Of course I do," Alison said scornfully. "Jack and I are buddies, remember? All you have to do is have the Foxwolf put you on their intercom system and announce you've captured me. I moan a few pitiful words about being alone and scared and tortured, and he'll fall all over himself trying to rescue me."

"Oh, please," Frost said with a snort. "Even if Morgan's stupid enough to fall for that, I hardly think the K'da will."

"Of course he won't," Alison said. "But that doesn't matter. Draycos is noble to the point of practically being a cartoon figure. He'll figure that he'll be able to rescue me no matter what the odds or the situation."

"Not a chance," Frost said flatly. "He's a soldier in a war. He's not going to give up a strong, defensible position just because the enemy asks him to."

"Then he gives it up because he doesn't have any other choice," Alison said. "Because you'll also threaten to pull the Brummgas and Valahgua off and open the Foxwolf to vacuum." She shrugged. "After all, he doesn't know I wrecked the troop carrier."

Frost looked at Neverlin. "What do you think?"

"Actually, it might just work," Neverlin said thoughtfully, his eyes steady on Alison. "It may also give us a chance to kill a second bird with the one stone."

"I hope you meant that figuratively," Alison warned. "Dad wants them alive and unharmed."

"Purely a figure of speech," Neverlin assured her with a genteel smile.

There was a beep from his intercom, and he leaned forward to touch the switch. "Yes?"

"Dumbarton, sir," Dumbarton's voice came. "Ms. Davi's ID checks out."

Alison felt a quiet flicker of relief. Ms. Davi, he'd called her. And he'd said it with the proper tone of respect. So they were indeed convinced.

And everyone in the Malison Ring knew General Aram Davi's reputation for ruthlessness. If Neverlin and Frost decided they wanted her dead, they'd now have to work over, around, or through the rest of the Malison Ring soldiers aboard to make her that way.

But if any of those thoughts were running through Neverlin's mind, they didn't show in his face. "Thank you, Sergeant," he said, and switched off the intercom.

"Well?" Alison prompted.

"We'll try it," Neverlin said. "If Morgan and the K'da take the bait, I want a proper reception ready for them. Colonel?"

"I'll make the arrangements," Frost said, starting for the door.

"One other thing first," Neverlin said, motioning for Frost to stop. "One other question."

"Yes?" Alison asked.

"What exactly did you steal from Braxton Universis?"

"Who says I stole anything?" Alison asked evenly.

Neverlin didn't reply, but merely continued to stare at her. Alison stared back a few seconds, then shrugged. "Fine," she said. "It was one of those high-tech ship tracers you used to follow the Essenay to Rho Scorvi. Dad had heard rumors, and decided he wanted one for himself."

She smiled tightly. "If we'd known you'd already made off with one of them, I wouldn't have bothered."

"They're very useful devices, aren't they?" Neverlin agreed. "At least now we know why Harper was so interested in tracking you down."

"And why I was so interested in getting away," Alison said.

"Yes," Neverlin murmured. "I gather, then, that it was you who were on Rho Scorvi with Jack Morgan." His face suddenly darkened. "You who were shooting at Colonel Frost's men."

"Colonel Frost's men were shooting at me first," Alison countered stiffly. "Besides, at that point they were technically deserters." Deliberately, she turned to Frost. "As were you, Colonel. I had a perfect right to execute any of you if the opportunity arose."

"I'm so glad we're on the same side now," Frost murmured.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be too flippant," Alison warned. "You may have heard that the commandant of the training center I was at was arrested right after I had that run at his computers. As far as Dad's concerned, you're still very much on probation."

"I'll keep that in mind," Frost said.