Part 34 (1/2)

”Terrific,” said Skirata. ”You could have mentioned that earlier.”

But Mereel pushed her along. ”If it doesn't help me reach a ripe old age, then it can stay here.”

”But...”

”Move it.”

”No! I insist we retrieve it.”

Skirata walked ahead to the jetty area. ”Too late.”

”It's biological material.” He paused. ”Alive?”

”Cells in cryostasis.”

”You've got ten seconds to do better than that.”

”It's a template for a new army, better than...”

Skirata waved Mereel on. He didn't even want to know whose cells they were.

”No, you can't destroy it, you must...”

”This is where it stops, Ko Sai.” He thought of telling her that he'd named all twelve Null ARCs, even the six who'd died before they were recognizable as embryos, but this creature wouldn't understand why, and she wasn't worth the explanation. He kicked the mooring line of her runabout submersible with his toecap. ”Mer'ika, open this crate for me, will you? Shove her in and I'll drive. I can manage to fol-low Gi'ka.”

She was still berating him as the two submersibles emerged from the tunnel into sunlit water, and Skirata wondered how he'd ever stood an ocean planet for years. Ko Sai's vessel was too big to dock in Aay'han, so they surfaced and did a hurried transfer through the top hatches.

Vau smiled silently at Ko Sai, pointed to one of the cabins, and ushered her in.

”Mird,” he said, ”keep her there. Understood?” He indicated the imaginary line that separated the cabin from the rest of the deck. ”If she crosses it...” He snapped his fingers, and it seemed to be a code between them, because Mird got very excited and bounced up and down, whining like a pup. ”Got it? Clever Mird!”

Mird remembered her, that was clear. Vau locked the hatch shut anyway.

”If you're going to make a habit of abduction, Kal, we really need to invest in a jail.”

”I'd probably throw away the keys.”

”What are you going to do with her?”

”She can't ever forget what she knows,” Skirata said. ”And I can't keep her around forever. What do you think?”

Vau shrugged. ”Just checking.”

Skirata followed Mereel into the c.o.c.kpit and settled into the seat with a sense of partial closure. He refused to believe Ko Sai was the only geneticist who could ever manipulate aging, and he could never be sure that any solution she offered wasn't a biological b.o.o.by trap. Once someone who knew what they were doing had sifted through all the data, he'd decide whether he needed her at all.

Aay'han pa.s.sed the tethered headless skeleton as she surfaced, and Skirata felt purged of all guilt where Ko Sai was concerned.

In the end it was simply a matter of when, and where. ”I'm glad we don't have to file a cargo manifest, Mer'ika.” The breakwater was in sight now, and beyond it a white beach dappled with the shade of gaudy parasols and scented, chiming trees. He hoped there'd be at least one day's respite here for his motley clan-if they had any idea what to do with it. ”Millions of credits in stolen goods, and a kidnapped scientist.”

”And stolen industrial data.”

”Oh yeah . . .”

”Better not get pulled over by the cops.” Aay'han came alongside the pontoon between two plea-sure boats. Skirata felt bad about Ordo racing across the galaxy to be here and then having to turn around again, but at least he'd have the satisfaction of the look on Ko Sai's face, and a brightly colored drink in a tacky theme cantina like any normal lad. Maybe it didn't matter where they took Ko Sai in the end, because everyone wanted a piece of her.

”Here.” Skirata handed Mereel the remote for the thermal dets. If the signal didn't work from here he'd have to go back and blow the tunnel entrance, because he wasn't about to walk back on a live det. ”You ought to do it. Very cathartic.”

”My pleasure. I declare this facility . . . closed.” Mereel closed his fingers around the small cylinder and rested his thumb on the b.u.t.ton. ”But it's not over yet.” He squeezed slowly. ”Oya manda.”

The b.u.t.ton clicked, and then there was a moment of silence before a sound like an instant, distant storm disturbed the tranquility of the beach. A couple of tourists stopped to look around as if expecting to see some spectacle. And then it was over: Ko Sai's legacy had vanished in flame and tumbling rock, unseen, and the only archive of her life's work was a pile of data chips in Mereel's belt pouches.

”That felt better than I expected,” he said. ”Thanks. Kal'buir.”

Sometimes, just sometimes, even the most pragmatic and rational of men needed to lay their ghosts with a little symbolic gesture.

Meree's smile-harmless, charming, and no guide to his state of mind-still didn't waver.

Eyat City, Caftikar, 478 days after Geonosis ”Medic!” Darman yelled, but there was no response, and he knew he was stupid to expect one.

He popped the seal on Fi's helmet and pulled it off. The built-in armor diagnostics said his brother had a pulse and was breathing, but he wasn't responding. There wasn't a mark on him-no sign of penetrating injury, and no bleeding from mouth, nose, or ears-but Darman couldn't tell about the rest of his body. Katarn armor was sealed against vacuum, and that meant it was also good protection against lethal pressure waves. Darman could recall the whole grisly lecture during training.

”Vod'ika, talk to me.” Darman pushed back Fi's eyelids: one of his pupils reacted a lot more than the other. That wasn't good, he knew. Then Fi lifted his arms and batted Darman's hand away.

”Oww,” he said. ”I'm okay .. . I'm okay.”

”Can you feel your legs?” Darman asked. Fi could obvi-ously move his arms, so at least that part of his spine was intact. ”Come on.” He pulled off Fi's greaves and tapped his s.h.i.+n-bone. ”Feel that?”

”Oww. I'm fine.” Fi drew up his knees and tried to roll over to get up. ”Just-did I fall? What happened?”

”I don't know if it was a b.o.o.by trap or what. The whole wall's gone. Come on, let's get you out before anything else collapses.”

”Might be worse outside.”

Astonis.h.i.+ngly, Fi stood up with minimal help from Dar-man and managed to put his helmet on. He stumbled a few times trying to pick his way over the rubble, but he was moving under his own steam. Darman knew that didn't mean much when it came to blast injury, but Fi had once tested the Mark III armor the hard way by throwing himself on a grenade, so it was going to take a lot to kill him. He s okay. He s okay.

”Where's Miner?” Fires raged outside but it was eerily quiet, the noise of blasterfire and explosions m.u.f.fled by distance. Darman found the front of the building gone, and re-membered Atin had been on the roof. ”At'ika? Atin, it's Dar. You there?”

Atin's voice crackled over the comlink. ”I think I've bro-ken my shabla ankle. I can see Niner. He's giving first aid.” They were all accounted for, then. Darman could spare a thought for the 35th Infantry now that he knew his brothers were alive. The larty had come back to extract them; it touched down in the middle of the road, the port-side hatch of the troop bay closed and blocking the line of sight be-tween the ruined holostation and the buildings opposite. Troopers struggled forward carrying comrades between them, but one trooper was still flat on his back while Niner struggled to place a hemostatic dressing on his chest wound. ”I should be doing that,” Fi mumbled. ”I'll do that. I'm the squad medic ...”

Atin appeared, limping badly. ”Well, we stopped enemy broadcasts just fine. I think that was incoming.”

”Ours or theirs?” Darman asked. Atin took hold of Fi's arm, but he stumbled and Darman had to catch him. ”Hey, you okay?”

Fi swayed a little. ”Just dizzy.”

”You should get that checked out. Sounds like concussion. You're the squad medic, Fi, you should know that.”

”That's what I said, didn't I?”