[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
how. Besides, Bil, this mission has several facets. One of them is proving
that camouflaged Hrrubans can infiltrate Khalian positions and obtain valuable
information without detection."
"Ghra, get back here!"
"No!"
There wouldn't be much point of arguing with that particular, pleasant but
unalterable brand of obstinacy, so I didn't try. Nor did I bother to threaten.
Pulling rank on a free spirit like Ghra would be useless and a tactic I could
scarcely support. Also, if she could find out whence came the expected flight,
that would be vital information for the admiral. Crucial for the convoy's
safety!
At least we were now reasonably sure that the Bethesda-based Khalians had not
detected those plasma blasts to clear the debris. Now, if only we could also
neutralize the threat posed by incoming craft crossing the light cone! We
needed some luck!
"Where are you now, Ghra? Keep talking as long as it's safe and detail
everything. Can you analyze what facilities the port has?"
"From what I can see, Bil, nothing more than the colonists brought with them."
Having won her point, Ghra did not sound smug. I hoped that she had as much
caution as camouflage.
Dutifully she described her silent prowl around the perimeter of the space
facility, which I taped. Finally she reached the far side of the immense
plateau, where some of the foot-hills had been crudely gouged deep enough to
extend the landing grid for the huge colony transports. She had paused once to
indulge herself in a long drink, murmuring briefly that the water on the
Ocelot was much nicer.
"Ah," she said suddenly and exhaled in a snort of disgust. "Sensor rigs, which
the colonists certainly did not bring with them."
"You can't go through them without detection. Even if you could jump that
high."
"I know that!" She rumbled as she considered.
"Ghra. Come on. Pack it in and get back to me. We can still do a lunar watch.
Under the circumstances, I'd even try a solar hide." Which was one of the
trickiest things a scout, even an Ocelot, could attempt. And the situation was
just critical enough to make me try. Jockeying to keep just inside a sun's
gravity well is a real challenge.
"You're a brave brain, Bil, but I think I've figured out how to get past the
sensors. The natural way."
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"What?"
"They've even supplied me with the raw materials."
"What are you talking about, Ghra? Explain!"
"I'm standing on an undercut ridge of dirt and stone, with some rather
respectable boulders. Now, if this mass suddenly descended thru the sensor
rings, it'd break the contact."
"And bring every Khalian from the base, but not before they'd sprayed the area
with whatever they have handy, plus launch that scout squadron they've got on
the pads."
"But when they see it is only sticks and stones ..."
"Which could break your bones, and how're you going to start it all rolling?"
"Judiciously, because they really didn't shore this stuff up properly."
I could hear her exerting herself now and felt obliged to remind her of her
risks even though I could well visualize what she was trying to do. But if the
Khalians entertained even the remotest thought of tampering by unnatural
agencies, they'd fling out a search net... and catch us both. Full dark was
settling, so the time of their twilight myopia was nearly past. If she counted
on only that to prevent them seeing her ...
I heard the roll, her grunt, and then the beginning of a mild roar.
"Rrrrrow" came from Ghra and she was running, running away from the sound.
"There! Told you so!"
I could also hear the whine of Khalian alert sirens and my external monitors
reflected the sudden burst of light on the skyline.
"Ghra!"
"I'm okay, okay, Bil. I'm a large rock beside two smaller ones and I shan't
move a muscle all night."
I have spent the occasional fretful night now and again but this would be one
of the more memorable ones. Just as I had predicted, the Khalians mounted an
intensive air and land search. I willingly admit that the camouflage over me
was effective. The Ocelot was overflown eight or nine times - those Khalians
are nothing if not tenacious when threatened. It was nearly dawn before the
search was called off and the brilliant spaceport lights were switched off.
"Ghra?" I kept my voice low.
A deep yawn preceded her response. "Bil? You're there, too. Good."
"Are you still a rock?"
"Yessss." The slight sibilance warned me.
"But not the same rock. Right?"
"Got me in one."
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Where are you, Ghra?"
"Part of the foundation of their command post."
"Their command post?"
"Speak one decibel louder, Bil, and their audios will pick you up. It's dawn
and I'm not saying anything else all day. Catch you at sunset."
I didn't have to wait all day for her next words, but it felt like a bloody
Jovian year, and at that, I didn't realize that she was whispering to me for
the first nanoseconds.
"They're coming in from the seven hundred quadrant, Bil. Straight from Target.
As if they'd planned to intercept. And they'll be crossing the eight hundreds
by noon tomorrow. By all that's holy, there'll be no way they'd miss the
ripple cone. You've got to warn the admiral to scatter the convoy. Now. Get
off now." She gave a little chuckle. "Keeping 'em up half the night was a good
idea. Most of 'em are asleep. They won't see a thing if you keep it low and
easy."
"Are you daft, Ghra? I can't go now. You can't move until dusk."
"Don't argue, Bil. There's no time. Even if they detect you, they can't catch
you. Go now. You go FTL as soon as you're out of the gravity well and warn the
fleet. Just think of the admiral's face when he gets a chance to go up Khalian
asses for a change. You warn him in time, he can disperse the convoy and call
for whatever fighters Persuasion has left. They can refuel from the convoy's
pods. What a battle that will be. The admiral's career is made! And ours.
Don't worry about me. After all, I was supposed to subject the camouflage to a
real test, wasn't I?" Her low voice rippled slightly with droll amusement.
"But..."
"Go!" Her imperative was firm, almost angry. "Or it's all over for that
convoy. Go. Now. While they're sleeping."
She was right. I knew it, but no brain ship leaves a brawn in an exposed and
dangerous situation. The convoy was also in an exposed and dangerous
situation. The greater duty called. The lives of many superseded the life of
one, one who had willingly sacrificed herself.
I lifted slowly, using the minimum of power the Ocelot needed. She was good
like that; you could almost lift her on a feather, and that was all I intended
to use. I kept at ground level, which, considering the terrain, meant some
tricky piloting, but I also didn't want to go so fast that I lost that
camouflage net. If I had to set down suddenly, it might save my skin.
I'm not used to dawdling; neither is the Ocelot, and it needed finesse to do [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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how. Besides, Bil, this mission has several facets. One of them is proving
that camouflaged Hrrubans can infiltrate Khalian positions and obtain valuable
information without detection."
"Ghra, get back here!"
"No!"
There wouldn't be much point of arguing with that particular, pleasant but
unalterable brand of obstinacy, so I didn't try. Nor did I bother to threaten.
Pulling rank on a free spirit like Ghra would be useless and a tactic I could
scarcely support. Also, if she could find out whence came the expected flight,
that would be vital information for the admiral. Crucial for the convoy's
safety!
At least we were now reasonably sure that the Bethesda-based Khalians had not
detected those plasma blasts to clear the debris. Now, if only we could also
neutralize the threat posed by incoming craft crossing the light cone! We
needed some luck!
"Where are you now, Ghra? Keep talking as long as it's safe and detail
everything. Can you analyze what facilities the port has?"
"From what I can see, Bil, nothing more than the colonists brought with them."
Having won her point, Ghra did not sound smug. I hoped that she had as much
caution as camouflage.
Dutifully she described her silent prowl around the perimeter of the space
facility, which I taped. Finally she reached the far side of the immense
plateau, where some of the foot-hills had been crudely gouged deep enough to
extend the landing grid for the huge colony transports. She had paused once to
indulge herself in a long drink, murmuring briefly that the water on the
Ocelot was much nicer.
"Ah," she said suddenly and exhaled in a snort of disgust. "Sensor rigs, which
the colonists certainly did not bring with them."
"You can't go through them without detection. Even if you could jump that
high."
"I know that!" She rumbled as she considered.
"Ghra. Come on. Pack it in and get back to me. We can still do a lunar watch.
Under the circumstances, I'd even try a solar hide." Which was one of the
trickiest things a scout, even an Ocelot, could attempt. And the situation was
just critical enough to make me try. Jockeying to keep just inside a sun's
gravity well is a real challenge.
"You're a brave brain, Bil, but I think I've figured out how to get past the
sensors. The natural way."
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"What?"
"They've even supplied me with the raw materials."
"What are you talking about, Ghra? Explain!"
"I'm standing on an undercut ridge of dirt and stone, with some rather
respectable boulders. Now, if this mass suddenly descended thru the sensor
rings, it'd break the contact."
"And bring every Khalian from the base, but not before they'd sprayed the area
with whatever they have handy, plus launch that scout squadron they've got on
the pads."
"But when they see it is only sticks and stones ..."
"Which could break your bones, and how're you going to start it all rolling?"
"Judiciously, because they really didn't shore this stuff up properly."
I could hear her exerting herself now and felt obliged to remind her of her
risks even though I could well visualize what she was trying to do. But if the
Khalians entertained even the remotest thought of tampering by unnatural
agencies, they'd fling out a search net... and catch us both. Full dark was
settling, so the time of their twilight myopia was nearly past. If she counted
on only that to prevent them seeing her ...
I heard the roll, her grunt, and then the beginning of a mild roar.
"Rrrrrow" came from Ghra and she was running, running away from the sound.
"There! Told you so!"
I could also hear the whine of Khalian alert sirens and my external monitors
reflected the sudden burst of light on the skyline.
"Ghra!"
"I'm okay, okay, Bil. I'm a large rock beside two smaller ones and I shan't
move a muscle all night."
I have spent the occasional fretful night now and again but this would be one
of the more memorable ones. Just as I had predicted, the Khalians mounted an
intensive air and land search. I willingly admit that the camouflage over me
was effective. The Ocelot was overflown eight or nine times - those Khalians
are nothing if not tenacious when threatened. It was nearly dawn before the
search was called off and the brilliant spaceport lights were switched off.
"Ghra?" I kept my voice low.
A deep yawn preceded her response. "Bil? You're there, too. Good."
"Are you still a rock?"
"Yessss." The slight sibilance warned me.
"But not the same rock. Right?"
"Got me in one."
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Where are you, Ghra?"
"Part of the foundation of their command post."
"Their command post?"
"Speak one decibel louder, Bil, and their audios will pick you up. It's dawn
and I'm not saying anything else all day. Catch you at sunset."
I didn't have to wait all day for her next words, but it felt like a bloody
Jovian year, and at that, I didn't realize that she was whispering to me for
the first nanoseconds.
"They're coming in from the seven hundred quadrant, Bil. Straight from Target.
As if they'd planned to intercept. And they'll be crossing the eight hundreds
by noon tomorrow. By all that's holy, there'll be no way they'd miss the
ripple cone. You've got to warn the admiral to scatter the convoy. Now. Get
off now." She gave a little chuckle. "Keeping 'em up half the night was a good
idea. Most of 'em are asleep. They won't see a thing if you keep it low and
easy."
"Are you daft, Ghra? I can't go now. You can't move until dusk."
"Don't argue, Bil. There's no time. Even if they detect you, they can't catch
you. Go now. You go FTL as soon as you're out of the gravity well and warn the
fleet. Just think of the admiral's face when he gets a chance to go up Khalian
asses for a change. You warn him in time, he can disperse the convoy and call
for whatever fighters Persuasion has left. They can refuel from the convoy's
pods. What a battle that will be. The admiral's career is made! And ours.
Don't worry about me. After all, I was supposed to subject the camouflage to a
real test, wasn't I?" Her low voice rippled slightly with droll amusement.
"But..."
"Go!" Her imperative was firm, almost angry. "Or it's all over for that
convoy. Go. Now. While they're sleeping."
She was right. I knew it, but no brain ship leaves a brawn in an exposed and
dangerous situation. The convoy was also in an exposed and dangerous
situation. The greater duty called. The lives of many superseded the life of
one, one who had willingly sacrificed herself.
I lifted slowly, using the minimum of power the Ocelot needed. She was good
like that; you could almost lift her on a feather, and that was all I intended
to use. I kept at ground level, which, considering the terrain, meant some
tricky piloting, but I also didn't want to go so fast that I lost that
camouflage net. If I had to set down suddenly, it might save my skin.
I'm not used to dawdling; neither is the Ocelot, and it needed finesse to do [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]