Part 6 (2/2)
Topaz looked at him sharply. ”What makes you so sure you need an Investigator?”
”My espers have scanned this s.h.i.+p a dozen times, and the results are never the same twice. There's something unusual aboard this s.h.i.+p, something . . . strange.”
”Alien?”
”Possibly. Whatever it is, it's dangerous. That's the one thing my espers do agree on. It's dangerous, it's powerful, and it's hiding somewhere on theBalefire . I need you to help me find out what it is, and how best to deal with it. That is what an Investigator is for, isn't it?”
Topaz laughed suddenly, and Steel stirred uncomfortably at the bitter, unforgiving sound. ”Shall I tell you what an Investigator is for, Steel? The Empire takes us when we're still children, and destroys what makes us human. We're not allowed emotions. They might weaken us. We're not allowed conscience or empathy or compa.s.sion. They might interfere with our training. The Empire shapes our bodies and moulds our minds, and when they've taught us all they know about killing and deception and the uncovering of hidden truths, they send us out among the stars, to the frontiers of the Empire. We investigate new alien cultures as they are discovered, and determine whether they pose any threat to the Empire. If they do, or if we think they might, we have to advise the Empire on how best to subjugate or destroy the aliens. Enslavement or genocide; there's not much difference in the end. They call us amba.s.sadors, but really we're just highly skilled a.s.sa.s.sins. And that. Steel, is what an Investigator is for.”
Steel s.h.i.+fted from foot to foot uncertainly, and searched for something to say. ”Right now, all I care about is whatever's hiding in theBalefire . Are you going to help me or not?”
Topaz shrugged. ”The sooner this is over with, the sooner I can get back to my own business. If there is an alien aboard this s.h.i.+p, I'll find it.”
”Thanks.”
Topaz looked at him suspiciously. ”Why are you here in person, Steel? Afraid the refugees might try to smuggle some valuables past you?”
”I know my duty,” said Steel coldly. ”I carry it out.”
”For a price.”
Steel looked away, unable to meet Topaz's sardonic gaze. ”I hear you had a little trouble delivering our memory crystal, Investigator.”
”Bad news travels fast. A burglar tried to steal the crystal one night; apparently no one had told him I was a Siren.”
Steel smiled slightly. ”How very unfortunate for him. Has he been identified yet?”
”Not yet,” said Topaz. ”Somehow he got away from me.”
Steel raised an eyebrow.
”The crystal was still locked securely within its casket,” said Topaz evenly. ”And it was still there when I delivered it to your security people. As you are no doubt happy to hear, Director.”
”Of course, Investigator, of course.”
Steel took another bite at his sweetmeat, pulled his cloak tightly about him, and glanced curiously at Topaz's choice of outfit. He'd noticed immediately that she was wearing her old Investigator's uniform again, but thought it best not to comment on it if she chose not to. As he watched, Topaz turned slightly away to look at theBalefire' s main airlock, and Steel saw a charred hole in the back of the thick navy blue cloak. He realised he was looking at the hole left by the energy beam that had killed the Investigator's husband. Steel s.h.i.+vered suddenly, not entirely from the cold. How could she bear to wear the d.a.m.ned thing? He shrugged slightly, and looked away. The moon shone palely through the mists, and a light snow was falling. Steel wolfed down the last of the sweetmeat and wiped his greasy fingers on his furs. He quickly pulled his glove back on and beat his hands together to drive out the cold. If Topaz thought her presence was going to be enough to stop him collecting his usual t.i.the from whatever loot the refugees had brought with them, she could d.a.m.n well think again. He'd just have to be a little more careful, that was all.
Captain Starlight sat in his command chair, staring out over the smoke-blackened bridge. His flight computers were silent, their lights dimming as the power levels fell. The main viewscreen was dead, and only static whispered from the speakers. Empty seats that should have held crew members stared accusingly back at him. When he slept, which wasn't often. Starlight heard his dead crew calling to him.
Another light snapped out as the s.h.i.+p's main computers continued shutting down any system that wasn't essential to the s.h.i.+p's integrity. Starlight couldn't bring himself to care. He'd seen the damage reports; the Balefire wasn't going anywhere without a major refit. Darkness gathered on the bridge, and accusing shadows waited at the corners of his eyes.
Starlight stirred slowly in his chair, tiredness dragging at his limbs like chains. Two thirds of his crew lay dead on Tannim, burned to ashes and less than ashes by the Empire h.e.l.ls.h.i.+ps. His s.h.i.+p was a wreck, and he was an Outlaw. Starlight grinned mirthlessly. Poetic justice? Hardly. He'd broken his share of laws and regulations-what stars.h.i.+p Captain hadn't?-but he'd done nothing to deserve this.
And my poor crew . . .
He remembered their voices, screaming from the comm units as theBalefire fought her way through the outer atmosphere, her s.h.i.+elds shuddering under constant fire from the Empire's s.h.i.+ps. He would have waited for his crew if there'd been time, but there was no time, no warning, and he hadn't dared wait. It had been close enough as it was. Ten of his remaining crew were dead. Twice as many more were injured. And his pa.s.sengers . . . his pa.s.sengers. They'd known the risks when they came to him, when the Outlawing of Tannim was only the barest rumour. They'd known what might happen if things went wrong.
They'd known all the risks and accepted them, but neither they nor he could possibly have predicted what had happened; the terrible thing he'd had to do to save his s.h.i.+p. . . .
Captain Starlight stared around his empty bridge. His surviving crew were sleeping in their quarters, or trying to. There was nothing left for them to do now. Nothing left for anyone to do. Starlight rose slowly to his feet, weariness surging through him in a slow, familiar tide. The Port Director was waiting to see him, and Starlight had put it off long enough. He had his duties to perform, while he was still Captain.
They might have taken everything else from him, but he still had that.
Steel glanced surrept.i.tiously at Topaz as she stared grimly into the surrounding fog. He wondered what she was seeing deep in her own thoughts. If there was anything in her of grief or sorrow for the husband she'd lost, she showed none of it to the watching world. Even her revenge had been a cold and determined affair.
A sudden hum of straining machinery brought Steel's attention back to theBalefire , as the main airlock slowly irised open, metal grating on metal amid an outrush of stinking air. Steel scowled, and tried to breathe only through his mouth. He stepped forward and peered warily into the open airlock. The great ribbed-steel chamber was fully a hundred feet across, and dimly lit by a single glowing lightsphere set over the door inside the airlock. The ceiling and the far wall were lost in shadows. The foul smell slowly cleared as Mistport's freezing air entered the chamber, and Steel stepped cautiously in through the open door, followed by Topaz. He'd never liked iris doors. He was always afraid they were going to suddenly contract and close before he could get out of the way. He moved slowly forward, and a dim figure stirred in the shadows at the rear of the chamber. Steel stopped where he was, and frowned uncertainly.
”Captain Starlight?”
The figure moved slowly forward into the light. A tall, grey-haired man with hooded eyes, his cloak hung about him like a dirty shroud. His silver uniform was torn and bloodstained. His face was drawn and haggard, and his deep sunk eyes were full of a weary bitterness.
”I'm Starlight.”
Steel nodded briskly as Starlight finally came to a halt before him. ”Port Director Gideon Steel, at your service, Captain. This is Investigator Topaz.”
Starlight glared at Steel, obviously struggling for control. ”My pa.s.sengers are all refugees from Tannim.
Their planet is dead; they have nowhere else to go. Will they be safe here?”
Steel shrugged. ”As safe as anywhere. Mistworld is a poor world, and a harsh one. Your pa.s.sengers will have to fend for themselves, or starve. And we have to check them out first.”
”Of course,” Starlight smiled wearily. ”We might all be Empire spies.”
”Yes,” said Topaz. ”You might.”
Starlight looked at her, and Steel coughed discreetly.
”How many refugees have you brought us, Captain?”
”There were fifteen thousand. Most are dead now.”
”What happened?” asked Topaz.
”I killed them,” said Captain Starlight.
TheBalefire was full of sound as Starlight led Steel and Topaz through an endless maze of steel corridors. There were constant creaks and groans as metals contracted and expanded under Mistport's varying cold, the brief furtive sounds like so many unseen mice. From time to time a sudden sputtering noise would make Steel jump, as one or another piece of machinery would give up the ghost and cease to function. Starlight and Topaz paid no attention to anything they heard, their faces equally cold and distant. Steel muttered under his breath and did his best to keep up with them. Though he was d.a.m.ned if he could see what all the hurrying was for; the cargo bay would still be there when they got there. The overhead lights flickered uncertainly, and faded one by one as the s.h.i.+p's computers slowly fell apart, their memory crystals gradually wiping clean as the power levels dropped. The air was breathable, but thick with the unpleasant fumes of burning insulation and spilt coolant, suggesting that the circulating pumps were already breaking down. The heating elements were out, and Mistport's cold was already permeating the s.h.i.+p. TheBalefire was dying.
”Why you?” said Starlight suddenly, looking curiously at Topaz. His voice echoed on the still air. ”Why an Investigator?”
”That was my idea, actually,” said Steel quickly. ”My espers discovered something rather unusual aboard your s.h.i.+p.”
”Yes, I remember,” said Starlight. ”But there are no aliens aboard theBalefire .”
”My espers quite definitely detected something. . . .”
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