Part 20 (1/2)

Leaving the beach, they'd skirted a broad crater in the jungle floor, then picked up a trail that ran due west-a trail along which bits of duraplast paving could sometimes be seen, glinting dull gray through the rich green flora. Seeing the old road surface, Zahava wanted to ask if the crater was other than natural, but didn't dare break the tense silence of the march.

Crossing a deserted two-lane stretch of contemporary highway, they'd climbed a forested hill. Leaving all but G'Sol and Zahava behind, L'Kor had led the way to the crest, where the rain forest broke into rolling savannah.

”Number two squad to feint at the gate,” said L'Kor as Zahava continued looking through the binoculars. ”The rest of us over the fence, just below here, and straight in.”

”Neat and simple,” nodded the captain.

”Perhaps you'll have adjoining brainpods,” said Zahava, handing L'Kor the gla.s.ses. ”Look again-in the gra.s.s to either side of the gate.”

L'Kor adjusted the binoculars, looked and swore, seeing the twilight gleam faintly off the gun-blue blades that kept watch. ”Slaughter machines,” he said, handing G'Sol the gla.s.ses. ”Waiting for prey, like a swamp-suck cl.u.s.ter.”

”So much for Y'Gar,” said the captain, handing back the binoculars.

”And probably his Guard,” said Zahava.

”What do you mean?” said G'Sol.

”Replaced by combat droids, I think,” said the Terran. ”Or would the exarch's lads ignore those machines?”

”No,” said the major, slowly shaking his head. ”A proud old regiment-it wouldn't turn traitor. They're dead-or worse.”

”Worse,” said Zahava.

”What now?” said G'Sol after a moment.

Now some hard talk, thought Zahava.

”You've been letting emotion dictate strategy, Major, Captain,” she said. She pressed on as L'Kor started to speak. ”In your position, I'd probably have done the same.” Not really, she thought. ”You live on a sleepy, time-forgotten world, suddenly confronted by monsters come to take you for spare parts. You've two small advantages-the AIs are unaware of your existence, and of my presence. You were about to go blasting into the Residence and p.i.s.s away those advantages for some sloppy notion of revenge.”

L'Kor tried to speak again. She cut him off. ”Stop thras.h.i.+ng about! Hit them hard!” She punctuated this last by stabbing her finger at L'Kor's chest. ”Disrupt their operations, kill their personnel. You can't defeat the AIs, but you can hurt them.”

The sun was gone, so she didn't see the major's face flush. But his anger came throughMoud and strong. ”You know nothing about us or our world! You've been here less than a day, yet you think you can-”

”She's right,” said G'Sol quietly. ”We've been stupid and ineffectual. This is our last chance to fight smart.” She turned to the Terran. ”What do we do?”

”Raid their processing center,” said Zahava quickly. ”Where is it?”

”The old s.p.a.ceport,” said the captain. ”It's just a huge clearing now-they built right in the center of it.”

L'Kor held up a hand. ”Wait,” he said, temper under control. ”Fine. We get in, we blow it up. There's no chance we'll get out. They'll counterattack with everything they've got.”

”We fall back through the tubes,” said G'Sol. She turned to the Terran.

”If we can find the entrance,” said L'Kor. ”And if it's intact.”

”What ...” began Zahava.

”Subterranean travel system,” explained the captain. ”Imperials built it, we stripped it, centuries ago. It connected the princ.i.p.al points on this island and the rest of the archipelago.”

”If the entrance is obvious,” said the Terran, ”the AIs will have found it.”

”It isn't,” said G'Sol. ”But I know where it is.”

”How?” said L'Kor.

”University field trip,” she said.

”What? Five, seven years ago?”

”Yes.”

”No,” said the major. ”I'm not risking all our lives on a half-remembered field trip, Captain.” Turning abruptly, L'Kor walked back toward the brush.

”He'll come around,” said G'Sol as the two women followed.

”When?” said Zahava. The captain didn't answer.

A woman in mufti had joined the waiting troopers. She was talking to the senior NCO when L'Kor stepped into the clearing.

”They're processing the children tomorrow,” said the woman in a rush. She was young, round-faced, her eyes s.h.i.+ning bright and angry in the light from the battletorches. ”The order just went out to the education commission. The bus convoy's to be at the processing center by noon.”

”Lieutenant S'Lat, Zahava Tal,” said the major.

The lieutenant nodded at the Terran, then continued. ”They're to be s.h.i.+pped from their schools first thing in the morning. The usual lie-inoculation and relocation. What are we going to do, Major?”

Zahava felt Lieutenant S'Lat would do something alone if she had to. Then the Terran looked at the questioning circle of faces surrounding L'Kor, and knew the lieutenant wouldn't be alone. You're about to have a mutiny, Major, she thought.

”Some of you think I've avoided engaging the enemy because I'm a coward,” said the major, eyes at the troopers. ”I'm not a coward. I'm not a fool. I wasn't going to squander our lives-I wanted us to buy something with them. Now's our moment-we'll buy the children back. We'll take the AIs ' butcher hall, get the children out the tubes, fight a holding action, then blow the place up when the counterattack breaks through.

”Anyone wants out, fall out,” he said in the same easy voice. ”You're free to go.”

No one moved.

”Very well,” he said. ”We'll commandeer some transport and go in behind the bus convoy.”

”It's not your fight,” L'Kor said a few moments later as the unit moved quietly down the hill toward the road.

”Of course it is,” said Zahava. ”Those machines want us all dead, every human in this galaxy. It's as much my duty to fight them here as it would be yours to fight them on my world.”

”We'll all be killed,” said the major.

The Terran shrugged, a gesture lost to the night. ”We all die.”

Zahava glanced up when they reached the roadway. The stars were out, a few of them growing fainter, moving away from D'Lin-AI s.h.i.+ps headed into s.p.a.ce. And where are you going in such a rush? she wondered as they set up the ambush.

D'Trelna entered the bridge and went to his station, acknowledging the commandos' salutes with a curt nod. ”Well?” he said, sinking into the flag chair.