Part 3 (2/2)

Usually it uses someone else's funds for this self-indulgence. That is the basis, for instance, of socialism in practice.” Janja sighed and glanced again at the sleek s.p.a.cecraft awaiting her. Rattan Yao took advantage of the opportunity to let his gaze roam her. She was magnificent! And she had no idea that-just in case-her uniform was that of the personal bodyguard of a certain Ghanji duke. TGO? Her?!? 213 She turned back to him to find him studying the s.h.i.+p. ”I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm too excited and delighted right now to concentrate on definitions and philosophical matters.” ”Obey your teaching, then, Janja-cut through to the core.” She did: ”Right. What is the 'price for all this'?” ”Your devotion and loyalty. Your cooperation. We are providing the best for you, and you realize that your goal is one that TGO does not share fully. We don't mind Jonuta's piddling activities all that much, Janja. The galactic population is so many billions of people I won't even state it-it sounds ridiculous! Jonuta affects only hundreds of lives. When he went too far and destroyed a TGW s.h.i.+p, though, we retaliated. Our way was to crush him financially.” ”A slap on the hand. It hardly proved effective.” She added no more. If he did not know that it had not been Jonuta who destroyed that TGW s.p.a.cer; that it was Corundum who had gleefully done it and set Jonuta up as the culprit-then Janja was not about to tell him. For her to say anything on behalf of Kislar Jonuta would be serving the slaver, not her. That would be altruism and that, in the terms of the long-accepted definition Ratran Yao had just quoted, would be stupid! ”We want you-I'll even say we need you for the mission I've so far only mentioned to you, Janja.” ”You needn't fix me that way with those iceb.a.l.l.s you call eyes, Rat, or try to sell me. The mission you've 'only mentioned' will benefit TGO, me, the galaxy at large- that 'society' you talk about-and more specifically: Aglaya.” ”And more importantly?” He gave her a shrewd look that demanded answer. Janja flipped her fingers. ”What d'you want, Rat, altruistic noises from me about the society of the people 214 who kidnapped me? Of course I have far more feeling for Aglaya than for Resh or Franji or Thebanis or all three combined.” ”Dangerously emotional,” he said, ”but just irrational enough.

Totally rational individuals don't make good TGO agents.” Janja laughed.

”Certainly no one could accuse you or me of being totally rational! I'll be back, Ratran Yao. And I'll be ready for that mission.” He shook his head.

”No-you'll be ready to begin training for it.” And he thought, Oh and I know you'll be back, Janja! The one little thing you don't know about your crewmember Mulkraj is that he's an ex-criminal who is ridiculously loyal to me and TGO. On the other hand he can't function as a diplomish agent because he still just loves to give pain. Any attempt to keep going with that finest-of-the-fine s.h.i.+p, Janja m'dear, and you'll be back anyhow, fast-and ready for medical treatment! ”We take care of our own,” he told her, and thought, and we take care of ourselves . . . make that ”ourself.” As for your crewmember Suko-she can poison you merely with a kiss, and if you should be so stupid as to shoot her, the gas release is automatic and enough to knock you down for hours. Mulkraj, of course, was immune to that gas. And Ratran had told Janja the truth when he said that Mulkraj was one of the very best SIPAc.u.m interfaces and s.h.i.+p-handlers in TGO; and that Suko was indeed both a superb human calculator and gunner. Just make use of those qualities, Janja, and don't even find out about the others. Come back to me, Janja. And, since some said that cynicism had been invented by his employer, Ratran Yao added even to himself: Come back to us, because TGO needs you to get Ramesh Jageshwar. 215 Mulkraj came down out of the s.h.i.+p and toward them. A very tall man who had either had a bad accident or affected a bald head-Janja did not know which, yet-but whose chest was a ma.s.s of curling red hair. So were his legs, for he wore only trunks and boots. His beard was the color of rage and his thighs thick as Janja's waist. The rest of him was in proportion. ”s.h.i.+p's ready and just shuddering to get off this piece of rock,” he announced, in an anomalously high-pitched voice. He waved a hand the size of an outfielder's glove- of course baseball survived the centuries-and smiled his sweetest smile. On him, that was a feral grimace that displayed pale turquoise teeth against a face the color of old leather. ”And the message just came up,”

Mulkraj said, approaching with the gait of a man only three-quarters his size.

” 'The crown goes to the barbarian.' ” Ratran nodded and half-smiled. (Code) ”Crown” went to (code) ”Barbar.” Translation: s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p Coronet was on its way to Aglaya. ”That's it then,” he said. ”Time to go. See you later, Janja. Good hunting.” He turned and walked away. Janja stared as he approached the ”huge chunk of granite” without a touch or another word. Slowly her mouth came open while Ratran Yao approached the obstacle. It masked the entry to the lift that would carry him back down to the s.h.i.+elded installation within this ”unpeopled”

planet. It was also supposedly poison. Not too far wrong at that, Janja thought. Rotten b.a.s.t.a.r.d! She turned to Mulkraj. ”What are your instructions?” ”To obey you, Captain.” ”Umm. Let's go, then.” Tingles of excitement ran through her as she and the hulking Mulkraj paced to the blue and indigo s.p.a.cer without a name, and boarded. 216 ”Sak,” Jonuta said, ”the con is yours. s.h.i.+g will stand by DS and knows he's not to do a d.a.m.ned thing unless it's double-absolutely necessary.” He turned to the smallish youngster from Hakimit Med Center. ”We're always in danger here. Yanger and I are going down in the boat.” The biotechnician nodded, obviously wondering. He wore a sloppy s.h.i.+rt and shorts, one orange and one green. Jonuta was down to tights and a soft s.h.i.+rt of Panis.h.i.+ cotton with three-quarter sleeves. Now the man who habitually stood at the con sat hi the little-used Master's chair to remove his tall boots. Sakyo sat in the Mate's chair, half a meter away. ”Captain . .

. pardon, Captain, but since when do you go down onto Aglaya yourself? You're also about three times better at the con than I am. Sure, Yanger's the new boy here, and s.h.i.+g's tops on the guns. But-” Jonuta let his boot clump down hard.

”But what?” he rumbled, staring. ”But I should send you with a brand-new man?

Or leave him onboard when you'll be busy? Suppose he is the very clever plant s.h.i.+g suspects? No, Sak. With the things that have happened to me in the last half-year, I admit to being nervous. More cautious than ever. I want Yanger with me where I can keep an eye on him, and I couldn't do that here on the s.h.i.+p. I elect me to go down onplanet.” Sakyo still looked unhappy. So did Miko's a.s.sistant. Jonuta smiled, dropped one stirrup-tightsed foot and lifted the other. ”Sak, Sak. I'm not going to pull a blunt 'Cap'n's orders' on you now, and you know I could and that would be an end to it. My stopper has no power-pack. Once we're down, I will exchange it for Yanger's. If he's dangerous-he won't be then! I left Kenowa back on Qalara because I'm nervous and I love her. I left HReenee because I didn't have the guts to leave Kenowa and bring HReenee along! As for her brother . . . he's too flaining 217 unstable to have along on this mission. Believe me, I am thinking, and being cautious!” s.p.a.cefarer Sakyo nodded solemnly. He still looked doubtful. ”Now I think I'll be even more honest, since we all know I don't have to. Sak . . .no one has ever been hurt, going down onto Aglaya.” He spread his hands. ”So I leave you up here, ole Sak-where it might be dangerous if some policer happens to be lurking and eluded our scan. Too, I'll just pluck a phrillia or two, for my lady back on Qalara. Doubtless pinin' away ...

on a shopspree!” Sakyo had to laugh at that, despite the fact that he still was not happy with the arrangement and wanted to show it. He nodded-extra far, Terasak fas.h.i.+on-and swung back to the con. He had no need for touching keys.

Jonuta's ”Mate,” SIPAc.u.m, was reporting constantly, all over the console and on three tilted screens. ”Minimum proximity maximum safe orbit in about two minutes, Captain. Under nine mins to target area.” Joauta rose automatically to reach for the ins.h.i.+p comm. ”s.p.a.cefarer Yanger, suit up and meet me at launch bay in seven repeat seven minutes. Canned air and helmet are not necessary and we will use both anyhow.” He paused. ”Firm, Captain.” ”s.p.a.cefarer s.h.i.+ganu?” ”On DS and just sittin' around, Captain.

Standing by DS,'' s.h.i.+ganu added, just in the event that Jonuta was not in the mood for the casual touch. ”Good. Captain out and suiting up.” Jonuta did that, hurriedly. He needn't worry much. Aglaya was certified safe. Atmosphere eminently breathable; a bit humid but the word asthma no longer existed.

Gravity heavy but far from crippling-which was why he had increased G on Coronet several s.h.i.+pdays ago (to the dismay of the man from Hakimit Med Center). As for alien viruses and bacteria: well, Aglaya had been visited no one 218 knew how many times, for almost two decades. Aglayans were on a score of planets and five or six s.h.i.+ps in s.p.a.ce. They throve. So did those they came into contact with. Naturally; the descendants of Homeworld had not conquered the galaxy or death or even their violence, but they had very nearly conquered disease, as they had long ago made obesity a matter of individual choice.

Galactics were immune to just about everything, including bugs that hadn't yet been isolated or encountered. So were the inhabitants of Jarpi, now, and Aglayans were made so within minutes after being brought onboard Coronet and the few other s.h.i.+ps that ”visited” the cloud-shrouded but warm and jungled planet, for the same reason. (”In orbit, Captain. Target area eight and a half mins ahead. Scans clear.”) Nevertheless, Jonuta was Captain Cautious. Nineteen years along the s.p.a.ceways, alive and unincarcerated, although he was a partic.i.p.ant in one of its most dangerous businesses. All he had lost was a fortune, which was why he was making this run. Recouping. He would secure his helmet, and he would breathe only the air refined by the systemry of his tailored green s.p.a.ce-suit. He'd take a pulsar beamer along, too, in addition to his stopper-which he would soon trade with the Yanger he was no longer quite sure of. Just in case. The people of Aglaya were after all not mere rabbits! He well remembered Janja's feral attack-on him!-shortly after her capture, and here on his own s.h.i.+p!-and the fact that she had previously punctured Srih's suit after that a.s.s had Poofed her companion, down on the idyllic sylvan planet. I wish I had that to do again, Jonuta thought grimly.

I'd have taken them both and seen to it that they stayed together-and not on Resh, either! Master Janjaglaya of Sunmother, Franjistation Control told us!

Booda's nose, how did she ever do it? Her own s.h.i.+p! His stopper-Yanger's, once Jonuta had it-would be 219 set on Two and would dam' well remain there. The pulsar beamer was strictly for big emergencies. Some of those big Aglayan animals, for instance. Otherwise, he would see to it that no potentially valuable walking cargo was destroyed without a lot of reason! ”Five minutes to target area, Captain.” Jonuta nodded. He made an autocheck of his air purifier-recycler. All go and better than the equipment of most planetary military and even more policers. ”Captain.” That was the voice of Saboura-not-quite-daktari, and Jonuta looked questioningly at the young man.

Helmet on; visor open; suit secure. ”Won't you wish to leave your monitor onboard, Captain?” ”Breath of Booda, Saboura, you are thorough! No, this is just a jaunt down onto a pre-steel-age planet. There'll be HO trouble. If I left the thing I'd be admitting that there's da-” Jonuta broke off. True, he told himself. But he's right. The thing's troublesome and we call it a ”monitor” so that even Sak and s.h.i.+g don't know I'm recording every memory.

Saboura's here and I won't be and Hakimit's a long way away. Earn your nickname, Jonuta! He nodded, beckoned, tipped back the helmet, winced when the smaller man swiftly plucked away the mini-membank. Then Jonuta hurried out of the con-cabin without a word, fastening his helmet as he strode. Good for the legs, this beefed-up gravity. He reached the bay of the in-gravity s.p.a.ceboat a few steps behind Yanger, who had it open and was inside. Jonuta entered the bay and Yanger released the hold. The door closed and sealed. Both men entered the boat. It was small up front, just big enough for the two of them and the necessary equipment and controls. Behind, the hold was 220 not exactly s.p.a.cious, but it would hold as many as four adults, three comfortably.

Relatively comfortably, anyhow. ”Good for you, Yanger. You're on time and I'm seconds late. That's a bonus for you. Situation?” Jonuta rolled into the seat and lay back. So did Yanger, beside him. ”Ready. All checked out and ready, Captain.” Jonuta reached past him to actuate the com. ”Sak?” ”Aye, Captain.

Coming up on it in less than a minute, Captain.” ”Unwind and make one unwinding pa.s.s, Sak. Take up geosynchronous...o...b..t when you come around again, and we'll see you soon.” ”Aye Captain. I read three humanoids in the target area, Captain. Pheromonal readings indicate two female, one male. Any time, Captain.” ”Now, Sak.” ”Now, Captain. Go with the Way. See you later.” ”Later, S-” Thump and hiss, and the boat was away. It rushed down, racing free into Aglaya's ridiculous cloud layer. Jonuta eased in the controls. Then he began piloting the shuttleboat down to Aglaya. Coronet was gone on, circling the planet, invisible above the clouds. Gauges showed the two men velocity, alt.i.tude, distance from Coronet, and the small craft's worthiness. All systemry perfect. One screen showed them the immediate path ahead. Another gridded the planetary surface below. Radar fed into computer and computer simulated hills and forestation onscreen. Jonuta had been here before, to this same area. It was a good place. An immense savannah of waving chartreuse gra.s.ses bordered on two sides by forest in turquoise, chartreuse, puce, and yellow. In the dark of that forest dwelt the kith of Janja and others he had taken here. They came fearlessly out onto the savannah; Jonuta had never visited 221 Aglaya without catching one or more natives, all pale and blond, out in the tali gra.s.s. Once he had taken a big cat here, too. Not alive. Clouds blew by the boat, tearing. ”Easy breezy,” Jonuta told Yanger.

”We swoop over right above them, put 'er down fast, and pop out like collectors with nets. And back up we go, to rendezvous with Coronet. And then it's back to Qalara. Let me see your stopper, Yanger.” The comm crackled.

Sakyo's voice, none too clear, but there and excited. ”Captain! s.h.i.+p, Captain!

All we scan is its heat, coming in fast and low, Captain-lower than we are headed for where we were-pos! Headed for you, Captain! Looks like deliberate intersect, Captain!” ”Swing 'er back, Sak, and stay off the air!” Jonuta slapped off the comm. ”Heat only, hmm? Somebody's got a mighty fine s.h.i.+p. How could it just happen that there's such a fine s.h.i.+p here just now? Doesn't look like a just-happening, hmm, Yanger. No wonder we didn't 'see' it-we should have, even with everything focused on the ground.” Stupid, he told himself.

Not cautious enough, Captain Cautious, he told himself, directing a radar sweep and swooping the boat into the steepest climb he dared. Warning lights flashed red, then orange. ”Captain!” Yanger jerked out, his voice too high.

”What the vug!” ”Easy. Just take it-” ”h.e.l.lo, s.p.a.ceboat,” the comm said, crackly, and Jonuta tuned it almost automatically. The light was so yellow it was almost white; the d.a.m.ned specter-s.h.i.+p was almost on top of them! ”We monitored your conversation. Going down to dirty your hands yourself this time, hmm Captain Cautious? 222 Remember Janja, Jonuta? She's here, Jonuta! I am worthy of.a.glaya and of the s.p.a.ceways, Captain Slaver!” Already Jonuta was working at evasive action, letting her talk, trying to ignore Yanger who seemed looking for a convenient panic b.u.t.ton. Almost negligently, in pa.s.sing, Jonuta's racing hands touched DS keys so that the s.p.a.ceboat sent its small-arms fire ripping out in two directions while he wove and climbed, swerved and twisted his guts, but it was all for nothing. Janja had him locked in and she didn't just fire; she kept firing in a sweep that would doubtless give rise to new tales and legends among the ”barbarians” down onplanet. / am worthy of Aglaya, Jonuta, she had told him a year and more ago, and you are not. I have only this thought for you, and this promise: ! will kill you, slaver. And this time she did. Jonuta and Yanger knew no pain, only a violent lurch, the bare beginning of an eye-searing flash (which instantly blinded them both, but that didn't matter) and the merest beginning of violent nauseating disconcert. Then they knew nothing at all. They and the s.p.a.ceboat detonated together, in air, and became thousands, millions of tiny bits, thousands of tiny bright streaks rus.h.i.+ng down to Aglaya. As it happened, no Aglayan was hurt. A leapfoot took a piece of terribly hot something, but survived. Jonuta and Yanger did not. ”Gone, Captain Janja, gone!” Suko exulted. Janja sat staring at the screen. ”A shame, really. Death must have been instantaneous. What was that lurch? Did he hit us with something?” ”Forget it. Nothing worth thinking about. Nothing we can't rub out with a nailfile when we get back.” That was Mulkraj, and he grinned his hideous grin. Janja glanced up at a tilted screen. ”And here comes 223 Coronet back. Without its captain! I hate to harm Kenowa, d.a.m.n it. . , .” ”That s.h.i.+p came directly here from Jarpi,” Mulkraj said. ”This is a slave run. That means he's got Jarps in the cargo hold. Besides-one of ours is...o...b..ard.” ”What?” The hairless dome nodded as Mulkraj, not waiting for instructions, keyed in hot evasion and fast reds.h.i.+ft. ”Firm. We've had constant reports on Jonuta for months. That's how we were able to be here when he arrived-you don't believe in this kind of coincidence do you? No no-Yanger joined Ms crew on Qalara, and we are not going to fire on a s.h.i.+p with one of ours...o...b..ard.” Janja noticed that he wasn't bothering to call her ”captain” now, and he was telling her what they were and were not going to do. She firmed her mouth. But it didn't matter. TGO or not, she was not about to go after or fire on a s.h.i.+p with ”walking cargo” onboard. Nor did she think that Coronet would pay much attention to a command to shut down and stand by for a Red Rover. Acceleration bit her hard then, and a moment later it was worse, as Mulkraj took them ”up”

ten and ”over” six and dead ahead and ”up” and. . . . ”They're not trying for us,” she murmured, staring at the screen. ”They're going down.” ”They can't believe it,” Mulkraj told her. ”They scanned and found the whole sector clear and clean. As far as they know we appeared out of nowhere and did the impossible. Look-not a piece of anything of that s.p.a.ceboat-or anything or anyone in it-was bigger than my torso. And that was plasteel. It's done, Captain. How do you feel?” ”Sated,” Janja breathed. ”No-the opposite. But don't you get any ideas, little fellow! How do I feel. A lot better than the last time-the time I only thought I'd killed the slaving swine!” She smiled.

”This time I feel very, very good. Exulted and exalted-heroic! Pos, a hero, Mulkraj. 224 We're heroes, the three of us. Thousands will thank us without ever having heard of us! Those are words another s.p.a.cefarer said to me once, Mulkraj; another former slave. And this time I won't be feeling any let-down ... I know what I'm going to do next! Jonuta's life wasn't my life and the end of his doesn't end mine or my purpose. This time I'm full of purpose up to here!” The nameless s.h.i.+p shot away from Coronet and Aglaya and then Aglaya's sun. Mulkraj nodded, leaned back. ”Tachyon Trail at first opportunity,” he told the computer. ”Give us all warning possible.” ”Acknowledged,” the vocally interactive computer said, because it had been programmed that way, because humans liked to know they'd been heard and noted. ”And what is your purpose now, Captain Janjaglaya? What will you do now?” Mulkraj asked, gazing at the woman beside him. His brows were up in a travesty of Rattan Yao's wide-open expression, which was a travesty to begin with. ”You know, little fellow, you know. Back we go, and I start teaming for the next mission. Rat says I'm needed on this one. Take us back to the Rat's nest, Mulkraj.” Behind her in the doorway of the con-cabin where she had silently moved, Suko let her breath out with a smile, and bolstered her stopper. Captain Janja streaked out along the s.p.a.ceways.

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