Dragon and Liberator

"Clever," Alison said. She'd already figured that out, actually, but it wouldn't hurt to stroke Neverlin's ego a little. "You can't risk any direct radio communication with the Hammerfall ships—the K'da would definitely find that suspicious if they spotted it. This way all the Hammerfall Leaders have to do is monitor the Backstop group's position relative to the Advocatus Diaboli and they'll know what you want them to do."

"Exactly," Neverlin said. "The Lordhighest doesn't think the fleet would pick up a tight beam pointed at such angles, but it's better to be safe than—"

"Sir!" the Advocatus Diaboli's captain spoke up sharply. "We've got lifepod separation. Number two, port-side bow."

"What?" Neverlin demanded, crossing over to stand behind him. "Who in—?"

"Never mind who," Frost cut him off. "Where's he going?"

"He's curving around," the captain reported, peering at his displays. "Looks like he's trying to—correction: he's curving around again. Picking up speed."

"Evasive!" Frost barked. "Backstop group—emergency close and engage!"

"What's going on?" Neverlin demanded. "Frost?"

"He's going to ram," Frost snarled. "I said evasive, frunge you."

"Trying, sir," the helmsman shot back. "We're not as maneuverable as he is."

"Backstop?" Frost snapped.

"Backstop Leader," a tight voice came back. "We're out of position, Colonel. No way to get to him in time without hitting you."

Frost glared at the displays, muttering under his breath. Then, abruptly, he turned on the Lordhighest. "The Death," he ordered. "Get him with the Death. Now!"

"You do not order us in that tone—"

"To blazes with my tone!" Frost snapped. "Just kill him."

For a moment the Valahgua gazed at him. Then, he muttered a pair of guttural-sounding words toward his shoulder. There was a slight flicker of the bridge lights—

"Got him," the captain announced. "Helm: hard about."

"Too late," Neverlin said, pointing at the display. "He's going to hit."

The captain must have seen that, too. "Collision!" he shouted. "All hands!"

Lunging to the nearest console, Alison grabbed the handgrip and braced herself.

A fraction of a second later, the lifepod hit.

It wasn't a big impact, not nearly as big or violent as Alison had expected. The Advocatus Diaboli shuddered like a dog giving a final shake as it shed the last bit of water after a dip in a cold lake. But the bridge didn't fill with the screaming of the hull-breach alarm, or even the slightly less strident hooting of the decompression warning.

She took a careful breath, feeling slightly ridiculous. Given the urgency of Frost's warning, she'd expected something a lot more dramatic.

Neverlin apparently had, too. "Is that it?" he asked, sounding flustered and more than a little annoyed.

"No, that is not it," Frost bit out. "Captain, get someone to the InterWorld transmitter and shut it down."

"Shut it down?" Neverlin put in. "But it's not on."

"You worthless fool," Frost snarled at him. "What do you think an emergency beacon is?"

Neverlin stiffened. "Oh no."

"Exactly." Snarling a curse, Frost left the bridge at a dead run.

"What has happened?" the Valahgua demanded. "Neverlin, explain."

"Later," Neverlin said, starting to follow Frost.

"Not later," the Valahgua insisted. "Now."

With a visible effort, Neverlin slowed to a stop. "This ship is equipped with an emergency distress beacon," he ground out. "That beacon is connected to our InterWorld transmitter. In an emergency—such as a lifepod ramming our hull—it sends out a signal that anyone within range can pick up."

He glared at Alison. "And can trace."

"Don't look at me," Alison warned. "Whatever happened, it wasn't my—"

She broke off as a brief staccato of shots sounded in the distance. What in the world? "Whatever happened, it wasn't my doing," she went on, fighting to keep her voice calm and even. The daughter of Aram Davi shouldn't be startled by a little random gunfire, after all. "I suggest you or Colonel Frost start by taking a head count and finding out who's missing."

"No need," Neverlin said bitterly. "It was Harper. It had to be him."

Alison felt her stomach tighten. Harper. Of course. "All by himself?" she asked pointedly. "An interesting trick."

"Braxton's full of interesting tricks," Neverlin said. But there was a glint in his eye as his gaze drifted around the bridge.

Across the bridge, the door opened and Frost reappeared. "The transmitter's been shut off," he said. "If we're lucky, we got it fast enough that no one was able to get a solid fix on it."

"That was my transmitter you were shooting at?" Neverlin demanded. "Blast it all, Colonel—"

"Would you rather have Harper's friends drop in on us while we're in the middle of looting the refugee ships?" Frost asked. "If someone followed Harper to Point Two they're only four days away."

Neverlin's lips pressed together into a thin line. "Captain, get your men busy making repairs to the InterWorld transmitter," he growled.

"Yes, sir," the captain said.