Dragon and Liberator

There was another flash, then another, then two more in rapid succession. "What in the name of—?" Neverlin demanded.

Abruptly, something seemed to fade into view beside the troop carrier. Something small and quick, firing its missiles into the carrier's small weapons pods and bridge.

And Alison caught her breath. "Chameleon hull-wrap," she murmured.

Frost swore viciously. "It's the Essenay," he snarled. "It's the damn frunging Essenay."

It had been over three hours since that last communication with Langston and Harper, and Jack had heard nothing else from anyone.

He'd tried to ask for details from the next Brummga who came to change his oxygen tank, hoping to find out what all that had been about. But his vac suit radio was still shut off, and he doubted the big alien had even noticed the prisoner's lips moving.

And then, even as he and Draycos were trying to decide whether it was finally time for Draycos to go on the offensive, the troop carrier gave a lurch and began to move.

Any ideas? Draycos asked.

None whatsoever, buddy, Jack answered grimly, pressing his helmet against the bulkhead behind him and trying to decipher the hums and crinkles he could hear through the metal. It sounds like we're under way, but at only half speed. Maybe less.

More maneuvers?

Could be, Jack conceded. You getting anything?

There was a brief sense of movement as Draycos leaned off his back and peered over the bulkhead. The preparation room is still deserted, Draycos reported.

For a few minutes they listened together in silence. The carrier had turned slightly to port side, Jack decided, and was now heading straight forward. If this was some kind of maneuver, it was a pretty simpleminded one.

And then, the faint engine and maneuvering-jet sounds were abruptly drowned out by a much louder thud. It was followed by another, then another, then by a quick one-two pair.

Those are missile impacts, Draycos said suddenly. Someone is shooting at us.

Are we shooting back? Jack asked, straining his ears. To him, all the pounding just sounded like someone taking a large hammer to the carrier's hull.

Yes, Draycos said. But too little and too late. It sounds like the attacker has finished with the defenses and has moved on to the bridge—

"Jack?" Uncle Virge's voice came from Jack's comm clip. "Jack lad? Can you hear me?"

It took Jack a second to find his voice. "Uncle Virge? Where are you? What are you doing?"

"At the moment, beating the stuffing out of the troop carrier you're on," Uncle Virge said with clear satisfaction. "You're still in the starboard scout ship bay, right?"

"Fine time to ask, but yes," Jack said. "How did you know?"

"Langston told me," Uncle Virge said. "He has your comm clip's frequency and pattern—did you know that?"

"Yes, I gave them to him," Jack said. "How did you get in so close without being spotted?"

"I just drifted in nice and slow with the hull-wrap going," Uncle Virge said. "Turns out it works even better in space than it does on the ground, provided you don't lean on the drive. There we go—all finished."

The impacts, Jack realized suddenly, had stopped. So had the sound of the carrier's drive. "Great," he said. "Now all we need to do is figure out how to get me out of here."

"Leave that to me," Draycos said. "Uncle Virge, bring the Essenay to the starboard scout ship hatch and wait."

You sure you know what you're doing? Jack asked.

Very sure, Draycos said. Back to the bulkhead, please. I'm getting off.

"Destroy them!" Neverlin snarled. "You hear me, Frost? I want Morgan and that blasted kid killed."

Alison felt Taneem stir nervously on her skin. Those were her friends out there. . . . "No," Alison spoke up firmly. "Dad wants the K'da alive."

"To hell with the K'da," Neverlin said, throwing her a quick glare. "Frost?"

"We can't reach them," Frost ground out between clenched teeth. "They're out of range."

"Don't be ridiculous," Neverlin snapped. "Turn a couple of Backstop's Djinn-90s around and deal with them."

"We can't move the Backstop ships," Frost said. "They're the ones the Hammerfalls are watching, remember? You want them to end up falling back, then surging forward, then falling back, then surging forward again?"

"If you think I'm going to let them get away now—"

"Enough," the Valahgua cut him off. "The K'da and his boy cannot harm us. Merely jam all communications so he cannot speak to the fleet."

Neverlin took a deep breath, his eyes burning as he glared at the alien. "Full-spectrum radio bubble, Captain," he ordered. "Lock out everything except ours."