Part 19 (1/2)

The mind-link with Maren wasn't established enough for a precise verbal message. But the basic concepts had got through all right. He'd felt the wonder and puzzlement in Maren's mind and the surge of fury when she realised the threat of attack.

He became aware of the rattle of blaster-fire from somewhere nearby.

'Peri!' he thought, and ran from the communications room.

Peri sat in her room feeling a kaleidoscope of conflicting emotions, her mood ranging from exultation to anger, from excitement to sheer misery.

Time and again she replayed the scene with the Doctor, sometimes feeling exultant and self-justified, sometimes repentant. She thought uneasily that having dinner alone with the General could be a very bad idea. It was the sort of thing her mother and her father and her stepfather would have warned her against.

But the very thought produced a surge of indignation. The Doctor wasn't her parent and he had no right to issue orders as if he were. She could still feel the shock of the cold anger in his eyes. She remembered the contemptuous threat to dump her back on Earth, an unworthy companion...

For someone with the most romantic evening of her life ahead of her, thought Peri, she was having a pretty miserable time.

She became aware of the sound of distant blaster-fire and wondered vaguely what was going on. She felt far too miserable to worry about it. Besides, if there was any real danger the Doctor would come and warn her.

The Doctor...

The cycle of conflicting emotions started up all over again.

Peri heard footsteps pounding down the corridor and looked up to see the General standing in the doorway, a blaster in his hands. Behind him she saw one of his aides, the ma.s.sive bearlike figure she'd seen at the reception.

'I'm afraid there's been an unexpected crisis, my dear,' said the General. 'I have to leave Karn immediately.'

Peri felt a sudden surge of relief. The General's departure resolved her dispute with the Doctor with no loss of face on either side, and without hurting the General's feelings.

'I'm sorry,' she said. 'It looks as if our dinner will have to be postponed.'

'Not a bit of it,' said the General. 'I realised events would overtake us, so I made preparations.'

'What do you mean?'

'We shall dine together as planned. Not in my somewhat inadequate quarters in Karn but in deep s.p.a.ce in the state room of my flags.h.i.+p, surrounded by myriad stars! What could be more romantic?'

'Forget it,' said Peri. 'I said I'd have dinner with you: I didn't agree to elope.'

'This isn't an elopement,' said the General.

'No? What is it then?'

'An abduction. Your agreement is not required. Bring her along, Nardo, we're losing time.'

The General turned and ran from the room and the aide advanced on Peri, arms outstretched.

She tried to dodge but he caught her by the arm with one bearlike paw, and tapped her, quite gently, under the chin with an enormous fist.

Peri slumped and Nardo caught her as she fell, throwing her over his shoulder with practised ease. Drawing his blaster with his free hand, he followed the General.

Running across a courtyard close to the Castle s.p.a.ceport, the Doctor heard blaster-fire and the roar of departing s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps.

Commander Hawken appeared with a squad of guards, heading in the same direction. The Doctor joined them.

'There you are, Smith,' said Hawken as they hurried across the courtyard. 'I've had a message back from the squad I sent after the General's raiding party.'

'And?'

'The raiders have vanished. No trace of them at all, and the pa.s.s leading to the Temple is blocked by some kind of landslide.'

The Doctor smiled grimly. Maren had used his warning to good effect.

'What about the General?'

'His troops have broken through to the s.p.a.ceport. He had more men hidden on his s.h.i.+ps and the two forces linked up.

Some s.h.i.+ps have already started to take off.'

'Let them.'

Hawken stared at him. 'What?'

'Have you heard the old Earth story about the soldier who caught a Tartar warrior one dark night? He called out to his officer, ”I've caught a Tartar, sir!” The officer shouted, ”Bring him back to camp.” And the soldier said, ”I'm trying, sir, but the Tartar won't let me!”'

'This is no time for fables, Smith,' snapped Hawken.

'My dear Commander, do you and your security guards really want the job of holding the General's troops captive? Especially since there seem to be almost as many of them as there are of you! No, let the rag, tag and bobtail go, we're well rid of them.

It's the General we want.'

'We may get him yet,' said Hawken. 'His s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p's still here, and there are no reports of him boarding. He was seen heading away from the s.p.a.ceport with one of his guards.'

They pa.s.sed through another building and emerged onto the edge of the little s.p.a.ceport. A running battle was taking place, and the air was loud with the thud of blaster-fire and the sharp crack of laser-rifles.

The last of the General's men were streaming from the adjoining barracks to their s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps, under covering fire from the troops who'd been concealed inside them, and now formed a guard around each s.h.i.+p. Hawken's men were spread thinly too thinly, thought the Doctor around the perimeter of the s.p.a.ceport, taking advantage of what cover they could find.

From time to time one of the fleeing men crumpled and fell, but by and large the retreat went on uninterrupted. The Doctor noticed that casualties were s.n.a.t.c.hed up and carried off by their fleeing comrades. The General was leaving no evidence behind.

One of Hawken's lieutenants ran up and saluted. 'We're managing to contain them, sir, but that's about all we can do.

They're too strong and too well-organised.'

Hawken glanced at the Doctor. 'Containing them's good enough, Lieutenant. There are laser-cannon on those s.h.i.+ps. If they can bring them to bear, they could reduce this place to rubble. Let them go.'

From time to time, one of the little fleet of s.h.i.+ps, its compliment complete, would take its guard-party on board, draw up its landing-ramp and blast off. The General's troops were conducting a well-organised and orderly fighting retreat, one of the most difficult military operations to carry out successfully. It was, thought the Doctor, a significant tribute to the General's training.