Chapter 42

The watch was changing on the flight deck. Up ahead Brad saw three guards and two technicians entering to take their posts; moments later an equal number came out and disappeared down a companionway. Ship’s crew strolled the passageways and on business in and out of maintenance shops, or engrossed in discussions with companions about Drummer’s appeal.

Few noticed Brad or his companions; those who did gave them a passing glance and moved on. The ship was preparing for action, and armed, suited-up crews were to be expected.

Brad signaled a pause. Adari, in flight gear as the others were, joined them and stood with Kumiko laughing and talking through open visi-plates. Hodak, against a bulkhead, held a maintenance manual, slowly flipping pages, apparently reading. Brad and Drummer moved short distances along the corridor, seemingly in thoughtful conversation. The scene reflected routine.

The traffic thinned momentarily. Brad looked quickly along the corridor and motioned. They converged toward the companionway leading to the flight deck.

Brad entered first, followed by Hodak, Adari, Drummer and Kumiko. Inside, Kumiko swung the hatch shut and dogged it.

Myra, pressed into a corner against the far bulkhead by the Chief of the Flight Deck, smiled up at him, eyes wide. Big and chunky, he talked fast, trying to convince her of something that he obviously believed was good for both of them.

Seeing Brad appear at the head of the companionway, Myra pushed the hulk away with one hand and drew her weapon with the other. Before he knew what was happening, the fleshy man with the high hopes was flat on the deck, out of it.

Stooping and pointing, Myra circled toward Brad.

“Two, there, rifles.” In another direction. “One, on the catwalk, rifle.” Over her shoulder. “Two in the control room, sidearms, but they may have rifles stashed close by. Fighters on the cats, ready to go but still on control room switches.”

Brad snapped out orders.

“Hodak and Kumiko, control room. Switch the fighters to self-launch. Adari, the guy on the catwalk. Myra and Drummer, suit up and into the first ship.”

Hodak and Kumiko charged into the control room before Brad finished speaking. Red and orange flashes and a clatter erupted through the doorway, followed by silence. Hodak and Kumiko tore out, bent low, splitting to right and left. They carried rifles raised into firing position.

Adari, eyes and gun elevated, skirted the fighters.

“What the hell’s goin’ on down there?” The shout came from a guard on a balcony above. “Who’re you guys?”

That’s all it took. Shots followed each other closely. The guard fell slowly in the ship’s light pseudo-gravity.

Hodak ran to join Brad. Kumiko headed for the fighters to switch the catapults’ activators to internal controls, arm and charge the guns, and insert into each ship’s computer the capsules Adari had passed to her.

A guard darted by Brad and took cover behind a line of massive consoles. A succession of rifle blasts cracked through the air close above Brad. Crouching, he raised his weapon and fired. The guards would be difficult to get at.

“Down, Brad, flat.”

Hodak’s hoarse whisper carried from two meters behind Brad. As he ducked a soft swishing sound sliced above his head. Glints of light sparkled from a curved, shiny object. Seconds later, the boomerang returned, wetly red.

“Go, Brad.”

Hodak wiped and collapsed the boomerang and slipped it into a sheath along the thigh of his space suit.

Motioning Hodak forward to climb into the nearest fighter, Brad followed. The others, already in place, were racing through their checklists.

Brad began his preflight as he switched his comm to ‘on’.

“Myra, Drummer, do you read?”

“Loud and clear.”

“Adari-Kumiko?”

“Right.”

“Kumiko, did you fix our inter-ship comm the way Zolan told you to?”

“Fixed. They’ll have to search and analyze dozens of scramble channels to find and fix on ours. We have a private and moving channel.”

“OK. Check suits. Batten down and seal up. Now hear this.”

Brad stroked control panel keys, switches and levers as he talked.

“Call signs: Hodak and I are One; Adari and Kumiko, you’re Two, and Myra and Drummer, Three. The job is to keep ‘em confused and stumbling over each other for as long as we can, and hope for the best. The capsule Adari slipped into your computer has the coordinates and formation we hope they’ve assumed. By now they’re well into the faked redeployment. We’re dealing in seconds, minutes if we’re lucky.

“The deployment we triggered concentrates them in three sectors: Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Hodak and I will take Alpha, Adari and Kumiko, you’ve got Beta; Myra and Drummer to Gamma. Your sector coordinates are in the capsule; use standard locks to interface the coordinates with your ship’s flight controls. Go for command decks, weapons control centers, thrusters or other vitals where disabling is money. Try for battle cruisers, but don’t ignore other targets of opportunity. Keep your explosive decompressors and laser-quads at max. Talk as you work so we all know what’s happening. Go.”