Starplex

"PHANTOM, consult personnel records. Who would make the five most proficient gunners?"

"Calculating. Done: Wong, Wai-Jeng. Smith-Tate, Helena.

Leed Jelisko em-Layth. Cervantes, Clarissa. Dask Honibo em-Kalch."

"Rissa… ?" said Keith under his breath. "If the object is to fire geological lasers," said Thor, "then why not use Snowflake? She's senior geologist."

"We Ibs have lousy aim," replied Rhombus. "Targeting works better when you have a single point of view."

"PHANTOM," said Keith, "find replacements from other species for the two Waldahudin, and set up an immediate intercom between all of them and me."

"Done. Intercom open."

"This is Director Lansing. PHANTOM has determined that each of you has the training and skill to best operate makeshift weapon systems aboard our five dolphin-piloted probeships. I can't order you, but we need volunteers. Are you up for it?"

A second row of holographic heads appeared above the dolphin faces.

"Good God, I— yes, I'll do it."

"Count me in."

"I'm not sure that I'm the right person, but… yes, okay."

"On my way."

Rissa had moved over to stand .next to her husband. "I'll do what I can," she said.

Keith looked at her. "Rissa…"

"Don't worry, honey. I gotta make sure you get to live all those billions of years."

Keith touched her arm. "Rhombus, assign each of them to a ship.

PHANTOM, convey them there as fast as possible."

"Doing so."

"Good work, everyone," said Keith, leaning forward in his chair, fingers steepled in front of his face.

"JESUS!" shouted Thor. A tiny explosion was blossoming in the display.

"They've shot our watson out of the sky."

"Jag, analyze the weapon used," said Keith. "At least we can figure out what their armament is."

Jag glanced at a square monitor screen. "Standard Waldahud police lasers," he said. But then he rose from his station and gestured toward Melondent, who had been serving as physics officer during delta shift.

Jag touched a few keys. "Transferring physical sciences to dolphin station one," he said. He turned to Keith. "Perhaps… perhaps it would be best if I did not further participate. Gawst did not invoke the name of Queen Trath, so I assume that he and his associates are acting without royal approval — an attempt to garner considerable glory. Still, they are Waldahudin. Perhaps I should return to my apartment."

"Not so bloody fast, Jag," Keith said, rising to his feet. He glanced at Lianne. "Time to launch?"

"Ten, maybe eleven minutes."

Keith turned back to Jag. "You had me move Starplex so that we wouldn't be able to see the Waldahud forces massing on the green star's far side."

"I deny that," said Jag, both sets of arms crossed behind his back.

"Your loyalties don't lie with the Waldahudin?"

"My loyalty is to Queen Trath, but there is no evidence that she authorized the attempt to seize this ship…"

"Lianne,' how many watsons did Jag receive in the last two days?"

"Checking. Three. Two were from CHAT-"

"Which is located just outside the Waldahud home system-" said Keith.

"And the third was a commercial unit from a telecommunications utility on Rehbollo."

"It contained personal news," said Jag, "related to an illness in my family."

"Examine those watsons, Lianne," said Keith. "I want to check the messages that they carried."

"Once I had downloaded the data that I wanted," said Jag, "I released the watsons for reuse — wiping the data first, of

COUrSe."

"We should be able to recover something," Keith said.

"Lianne?"

"Checking," she said, then a moment later. "Okay, the watsons that came for Jag are still on board. We carry over a hundred of them, and those three are still in the queue for reuse." She pressed some keys.

"I've interfaced with all three; they're blank."

"Nothing at all to unerase?"

"No. The data area has been wiped, then filled with a random pattern.

There's nothing left."

"I routinely use a level-seven wipe," said Jag.

"That's two levels above Earth military standards," said Keith. "It leaves things more tidy," said Jag. "You have often remarked on my predilection for neatness."

"This is all crap," said Keith. "I don't believe that it was coincidence that you asked me to move the ship; the Waldahudin couldn't have attacked en masse if we'd been there to see them popping out of the shortcut one by one."

"I tell you, it is coincidence," said Jag.

Keith turned to face the InOps station. "Lianne, immediately delist all command authorities for Jag Kandaro em-Pelsh.

And terminate all jobs he has running."

Bleeps as keys were touched. "Doing so," said Lianne.

"You do not have the authority to do this," said Jag.

"So sue me," said Keith. He looked at the Waldahud. "I was one of those who argued against basing any part of Starplex on human military structures, but if we had done so, at least we'd have a brig to throw you in." He faced a set of glowing camera eyes floating above the seating gallery behind the workstations. "PHANTOM, record new protocol.

Name: 'house arrest." Authorizing authority, Lansing, G. K.