Part 17 (1/2)

' and I don't want to hear about how how you did it just yet ' you did it just yet '

'It was only a little comet.'

' did it occur to you what might happen to any nearby s.h.i.+ps?'

'What happens to this s.h.i.+p,' said the Doctor, 'or to any of the others, is nothing compared to what would have happened if I hadn't destroyed Ca.s.sandra. Captain, I've just saved you the 131 nasty decision of what to do with an ultimate weapon. Keep it, and let every power in the galaxy come in search of what you've got? Or destroy it?'

Sokolovsky stared at the Doctor. Vincenzi said, 'Sir, this is turning sour very fast. We counted on a quick getaway, not a month's worth of repair work. Half the s.h.i.+ps in the Task Force will be on their way here by now, and we don't even have a warp drive.'

'I can help there,' said both Doctors. Sokolovsky glared at them. The original Doctor stood up and said, 'I'll make you an offer, Captain. I'll repair your warp-drive system for you if you'll release your prisoners. All of us. Let the original crew use the lifeboats.'

Vincenzi said, 'They could be useful as hostages.'

Sokolovsky shook his head. 'The Task Force won't show us the slightest mercy. Get right on to it. Both of you,' he told the Doctors. 'We'll worry about this particular piece of bizarreness later. Vincenzi, get my crew off this s.h.i.+p.'

The prisoners found themselves shuffled around a lot in the next couple of hours. There weren't enough people to interrogate them properly. Chris ended up by himself in a cabin with the door locked, but no guard.

It was a nice cabin, probably a lieutenant's, with a soft bed and a fresher. He spent a while trying to get the terminal to work. It probably hadn't even been disabled a lot of the s.h.i.+p's computers had been knocked out when the comet blew up.

The fresher was still working. He had a shower and put on half a navy uniform, just the white pants and T-s.h.i.+rt he didn't want them thinking he was trying to impersonate an officer or anything.

He lay on the bed, trying to get some sleep. You never knew when you'd need it.

The ultimate weapon, the Doctor had said. Wonder what it was? No wonder he'd been in a hurry to get there. Both of him.

He hoped the Ogrons were OK.

The cabin door opened. He rolled on to his elbow. 'Oh, hi!'

132.

Roz came in. One of the new soldiers locked the door behind her. 'The Doctor sent me down to see you.'

'Justice,' said Chris.

'Fairness,' said Roz.

They traded a high-five. Chris beamed. 'Good to see you again,' he said. 'How's Fury? Cleaned the place up?'

'You could say that,' said Roz. She turned the lieutenant's chair around and sat on it, leaning over the back. 'I trashed an N-form.'

'Awesome,' said Chris. 'So, uh, which which Doctor sent you to see me?' Doctor sent you to see me?'

'I was hoping you could tell me what was going on there. I can't get anything out of either Doctor they're up to their identical hats in the warp drive.'

'Well, if he hasn't told you, he sure won't have told me,' said Chris. 'He usually briefs you better.'

'Jealous.'

Chris shrugged. 'He knows what he's doing.'

'He'd better, if he's going to go round blowing up planets.

What do you know about the guys who took over the s.h.i.+p?'

'Not much. I don't recognize their uniform. They're obviously not pirates too disciplined.'

'Mmm. Someone's private army, maybe.'

'That's one heck of a bold move,' said Chris. 'Knocking over an Imperial carrier!'

'Maybe there's some cargo we don't know about. Whatever.

We've still got a mission to complete. We don't have time to get caught up in some petty local war.' Roz drummed her fingers on the back of the chair. 'There's a carrier on the way.'

'Which s.h.i.+p?'

'The Pequot Pequot.'

'Indigenous Cla.s.s,' said Chris. 'That's not so bad. They predate the Wars of Acquisition. They don't have any big weapons there'll be a couple of squadrons of fighters aboard.

We'll have to counter with ours.'

'Yeah,' said Roz, 'but Sokolovsky's just put his crew off the s.h.i.+p in lifepods. Who's going to fly them?'

133.

'Are you guys sure about this?'

Son of My Father didn't answer, squeezing himself deeper into the fighter's cabin. It was meant for an average-sized human body, just too small to comfortably accommodate an Ogron's wide shoulders.

Chris reached in and tugged the straps into place. 'Secure,' he said. Son of My Father still didn't say anything. After a moment, the fighter's canopy began to lower with a hiss.

Chris jumped down from the ladder, rolled it over to Sister's Son, sitting in the other fighter. 'Are you really sure?' he said, reaching in to fasten the straps.

'You heard,' said Sister's Son. 'The Pequot Pequot will catch up with us too soon. Me and him will go and make them busy, make them slow.' will catch up with us too soon. Me and him will go and make them busy, make them slow.'

'They've got two squadrons of fighters aboard,' said Chris.

'This really isn't such a good idea.'

'Chris,' said Sister's Son. 'You regular guy. Listen, me and him, we decide what to do. We decide.'

Chris just looked at the Ogron, mouth tugging down at the corners.

'Do this,' said Sister's Son, 'do that, good Ogron, bad Ogron all gone now. We go flying, Chris. OK?'

Chris nodded. 'Try a quick strafing run to distract them, and then pull away. And watch your a.s.s out there.'

'Can't,' said Sister's Son, glancing down at the straps.