"It's kind of like those museum dioramas I used to see pictures of when I was a kid," Harli said as a flock of split-tails appeared and made a diving run over one of the shaking carcasses. Two of them shot back out of the grass a second later with mouse-whiskers clutched in their talons. "Pretty much the whole Caelian ecosystem is about to settle in right here in front of you. It'll be great fun—and very educational—for you to watch. Though I strongly recommend you do so from inside the curtain."
He looked significantly at Eubujak. "Out here, it's not going to be very healthy." He tapped the greenish patina of spores already collecting on the Troft's leotard sleeve. "Especially since you're starting to look a lot like lunch."
Eubujak looked down at his sleeve, then at the increasingly active kill zone between him and the city wall. "There will be consequences," he warned again, and stepped back toward the curtain.
"Only if you try to come out," Harli said. "But don't take my word for it. Feel free to—"
"Harli!" Popescu's voice came urgently from the radio. "Harli, you there?"
Frowning, Harli keyed the transmitter. "I'm here," he said. "What's up?"
"Whistler just picked up visual on two bogies coming in from the east," Popescu said tautly. "Still too far away for a positive ID, but they sure as hell look like Drim warships."
Harli felt his throat tighten. "You sure?"
"Whistler is," Popescu said. "He said he tried hailing, but there was no answer."
Harli looked toward the east, cursing under his breath. The ships that the Tlossie demesne-heir Warrior had promised to send for the prisoners would be transports, not warships. And they definitely wouldn't ignore a hail.
The Drim reinforcements had arrived.
Only they'd arrived a whole damn day too early.
"Get inside," he ordered Eubujak, hooking a thumb toward the curtain. "Get inside. Now."
Eubujak flicked a look of his own toward the east. Then, without a word, he stepped back, pulled up the lower edge of the curtain and ducked down, and disappeared into the enclosure.
"What do you want us to do?" Popescu asked.
For a pair of heartbeats Harli gazed into the eastern sky, trying to think. Rashida and their one functional Troft warship should have dropped off the last load of civilians by now and be heading back to Stronghold to collect the rest of the Cobras. Probably no way they could make it before the new ships arrived.
Or maybe they could. Warrior had said that Drim warships couldn't fire on each other. If he was right about that, Rashida might just barely be able to bring the warship in, grab the remaining twenty Cobras, and hightail it out of here.
But hightail it to where? One of the other settlements, where the invaders would be sure to follow? Somewhere out into Wonderland, where the Cobras would have the lethal Caelian ecology to help take them out?
He glanced over his shoulder at the curtain. Whatever he decided, he realized suddenly, he first needed to move out of Troft earshot. He'd already seen how inventive Eubujak was at getting messages to his fellow Drims.
Unless Harli could come up with something he wanted the incoming warships to know about...
"Here's what you do," he told Popescu. Actually, now that he thought about it, the warships were probably monitoring their radio transmissions anyway. Still, better to double down on this one and stay close to the curtain. "First, get a message to Smitty and have him divert Rashida to the Octagon Caves. Tell him to forget the booby-trap. He's to get the missiles and the rest of the gear out of the chimney, load 'em aboard, and get 'em back here. Got it?"
"Whoa, whoa," Popescu protested, sounding thoroughly confused. "What—?"
"Shut up and listen, you stupid spelunker," Harli snarled. "Don't worry—between the construction crew and the ordnance team he'll have at least fifty Cobras to help him with the loading. While he does that, we're going to fire up the weapons on the downed ship. Our new guests should be flying pretty much straight over us, so we should be able to take out at least one of them before they know what's up. Got all that?"
"Yeah, I got it," Popescu growled. "And lay off calling me a spelunker. Do it again and I'll come over there and pop your wings off."
Harli smiled grimly. Popescu had gotten the message, all right. "I'd like to see you try it," he growled back. "Go on, get moving."
The predators were still churning up the hookgrass. Harli ran as close as he dared to the frenzy, then did a full-servo flying leap that took him safely over the feeding melee. He hit the ground running and headed for Stronghold.
Popescu was waiting for him at the broken section of wall, along with the last of the Cobras still in the city. "I hope that was an act," he said as Harli came up to them. "If it wasn't, I have no idea what you're up to."
"You got it just fine," Harli assured him. "You relay all that to Smitty?"
"Word for word," Popescu said. "So what's our part of the plan?"
Harli pointed at the Troft ship lying on its side. "Basically, we get inside the ship and wait," he said. "I'm figuring that between Eubujak and the newcomers' own eavesdropping they'll get the word that we're going to try to ambush him."
"I thought we couldn't do that," Popescu said. "Didn't Warrior tell you there was an IFF setup on the lasers that would keep us from shooting at other Drim warships?"
"Right, but Eubujak doesn't know we haven't found a way around that," Harli said, gesturing the others to follow and heading at a fast jog toward the downed ship. "I'm hoping one or both of the Drims will land and try to get to us before we can get the weapons activated."
"And when they come charging in we ambush them?" Popescu asked doubtfully.
"I know it's not much of a plan," Harli said, "but with something like seven to one odds against, making them come at us in mostly single file is the best we're going to get."
"Especially since they're not going to have any more experience than we do fighting inside a sideways spaceship." Popescu lifted his radio. "Torrance? We're making our stand in there. Kick everything off standby and run it to full power. Might as well make a good show of it for them."
"Got it," Torrance's voice came back. "I'll start making a list of good places to set up traps."
"Thanks." Popescu lowered the radio and pointed east. "Whistler estimated another ten minutes before they get here. That's not much time."
"We'll make it," Harli assured him. "I just hope Smitty and his crew can figure out what it was I was trying to tell them."
"And can pull it off?"
Harli grimaced. "Yeah. And can pull it off."
* * *
"Got it," Smitty said into the radio. "Going silent now. Good luck."
"You too," Popescu said.
Smitty keyed off the radio and busied himself at the control board. "Well," he said. "Nothing brightens up a dull day like an alien invasion. You two doing all right?"
"Sure," Jody said, trying to keep her voice from shaking as her heart thudded in her throat and her stomach tried to do pole-spins around her esophagus. The Drim reinforcements were a day early. A whole day early.
And she wasn't prepared yet. None of them were.
"I'm fine," Rashida said, and Jody felt a flash of envy at how much calmer the other woman sounded than she did. "But I'm confused by Harli Uy's message. I'm also not familiar with the word verbatim."
"That means Popescu gave us Harli's exact words," Smitty told her, tapping one final key. "Okay, I think I've sent you the course heading for the Octagon Caves. Did it come through?"
"Yes, I have it," Rashida confirmed, and Jody's inner ear registered the change as the ship angled onto a new vector. "We'll be there in approximately eight minutes. But I still don't understand the message. When did Harli Uy send fifty Cobras to the cave?"
"He didn't," Smitty said. "He and Popescu must have figured the Trofts were listening in on the conversation and had to make up a code on the fly. We just have to connect the dots to translate from what he said to what he meant."
Jody winced. And they probably had to do it in the next eight minutes, before they reached the caves.
"For instance," Smitty continued, holding up a finger. "Popescu's not a spelunker, which is a person who likes exploring caves. But I am. That says Harli's counting on my knowledge of the caves, and my skill at moving around in them."
"Right," Jody said, her brain starting to work again "He talked about a chimney, too. That's some kind of cave formation, isn't it?"
"A rock formation in general, yes," Smitty confirmed. "I know of at least three in the caves that can be climbed, the best one right off the rear of the main chamber."
"But there are no missiles there, correct?" Rashida asked, still sounding bemused.
"No missiles, and no fifty Cobras," Smitty confirmed. "I'm guessing both of those were Harli's attempt to dangle enough bait in front of the Drims so that at least one of the ships ignores Stronghold and the other towns and comes after us instead."
Jody winced. "Wonderful," she murmured.
"Hey, that's our job, Jody," Smitty reminded her soberly. "Well, maybe not your job, or Rashida's—"
"It's our job now," Rashida said firmly. "What about the rest of the message?"
"Right," Jody seconded, ashamed of her momentary twinge of self-pity. They had a job to do. Besides, her parents and brothers were undoubtedly in far worse danger on Qasama than she was here. "Harli talked about booby-traps. Was anything set up?"
"Not yet," Smitty said, and Jody thought she could hear a new note of respect in his voice. Probably for Rashida—she was certainly behaving more like a Cobra than Jody was. "That work was supposed to start tonight, after Stronghold was evacuated and the prisoners had been settled in their new home and we had a little breathing space."
"He also talked about the weapons in the downed ship," Rashida said. "But he can't actually use those, can he?"
"Not unless he's got a miracle up his sleeve," Smitty said. "That must be the same window-dressing as the missilles in the chimney—he's giving the invaders another target to go after."
"So if they're smart, they'll assign one ship to each of us," Rashida concluded. "And with the implied threat of immediate attack, we may hope they'll come after us quickly, without careful tactical thought."
"Exactly," Smitty said, nodding. "Your best chance when you're outnumbered this badly is to get the other side moving faster than they can think."
"Hopefully, that means he already has a plan for Stronghold," Jody said.
"Or else he's making it up as he goes," Smitty said. "Of course, he's also got twenty Cobras to work with. We've just got you two and me."
"And these," Rashida reminded him, lifting her arm to show the sleeve of her Djinni combat suit.
"For whatever that's worth," Jody said.
"Oh, it's worth a lot," Smitty said. "More than that—" He tapped the edge of his control board. "We've got this."
Jody frowned. "The sensors?"
"The ship," Smitty said. "You're forgetting Popescu's threat to pop Harli's wings off."
Jody felt her back stiffen. "And Harli saying he'd like to see Popescu do it."
"Exactly," Smitty said as he got to his feet. "I'll be right back. Jody, you'll have to keep an eye on the sensors."
"Where are you going?" Rashida asked.
"We've got everything we need to make one hell of a booby-trap," Smitty told her as he headed for the door. "Namely, a bunch of high-explosive missiles tucked under our wings."
He threw her a tight smile. "We just have to figure out a way to set them off."
* * *
[The images, what has become of them?] Inxeba demanded, gesturing angrily at the dark displays where the views from Azras had been up until thirty seconds ago. [Their return, I demand it.]
[The images, they cannot be returned,] one of the Drim officers reported, peering at his couch's board. [The images, they have been shut off at the source.]
Inxeba swore viciously. [Captain Vuma, I would speak with him.]
[Captain Vuma, he is not responding,] the officer told him. [Captain Vuma, I fear he has been taken prisoner.]
[Captain Vuma, you believe he has been taken prisoner?] Ukuthi asked. [Captain Vuma, you do not believe he has been killed?]
[Officer Cebed, he has misspoken,] Inxeba bit out, sending a glare at the Troft who'd just spoken. [Captain Vuma, he has most likely been killed.]
[The enemy war pattern, perhaps you know more of it than I do?] Ukuthi suggested politely. [News from Caelian, the courier ship brought it?]
Deliberately, Inxeba turned to look at him. [News from Caelian, what would you know of it?] he demanded in a low voice.
[News from Caelian, I know nothing of it,] Ukuthi assured him. [Captain Vuma, I merely observe Officer Cebed assumed his capture. The enemy war pattern, I therefore conclude it to favor capture over death.]
[Captain Vuma's fate, it will ultimately reveal the enemy war pattern,] Inxeba said stiffly.
[The choice of capture, it reveals an enemy's confidence,] Ukuthi continued, as if talking to himself. [Such restraint, it has a strong appeal to the ethos of other Trof'te demesnes.]
[Your silence, I will have it,] Inxeba snarled off. He spun half around on his couch and glared again at Cebed. [The two Purma warships, what is their status?]
[The two Purma warships, they are ready to lift,] Cebed reported, sounding like he wished he was somewhere else.
[The delay, what then is its purpose?] Inxeba demanded. [The ships, send them at once.]
[The order, I obey it.] Hurriedly, Cebed keyed his board. [The ships, they are sent. Their arrival at Azras, eleven minutes there will be until it.]
[The time, perhaps it can be put to use,] Ukuthi suggested. [The situation at Caelian, I would like to learn of it.]
[The situation at Caelian, it is not your concern,] Inxeba said tartly. [The control of Caelian, the Drim'hco'plai were assigned it.]
[The truth, you speak it,] Ukuthi acknowledged. [Yet the enemy's war patterns, they would be useful to know.]
[The war patterns, those of the two human demesnes are different,] Inxeba said. [Your supremacy, only on Qasama have the Tua'lanek'zia granted it to the Balin'ekha'spmi.]
[The Tua'lanek'zia, perhaps they would believe it otherwise,] Ukuthi suggested.
[The Tua'lanek'zia, do you wish to ask it of them?] Inxeba countered.
For a dozen seconds the two Trofts stared at each other, their radiator membranes half extended. It was clearly some kind of confrontation, but like nothing Merrick had ever seen before.
It was also clear that there were high stakes being played for. He kept himself as motionless and unobtrusive as possible, wondering if Ukuthi was going to get caught up in the moment and forget his larger plan.
To Merrick's relief, he didn't. [The Tua'lanek'zia, I do not wish to ask it of them,] Ukuthi said, lowering his head in an abbreviated bow as his membranes folded themselves back onto his upper arms.
[The subject, it is then closed.] Inxeba shut his beak with an audible click, then turned back to the displays.
The minutes crept past. Merrick spent the time looking back and forth across the various city views, trying to guess what the Qasamans might be up to. But aside from the blank screens and the still suspicious-looking street work in Purma everything looked normal.
There were still two minutes to go until the Purma warships' arrival at Azras when the eight blank displays suddenly came to life again. [The enemy, their ignorance is now revealed,] Inxeba said with malicious satisfaction. [The drone sensors, that they can be activated by other Drim'hco'plai warships was unknown to them.]
Merrick studied the displays. They seemed to be in the same positions they'd been in when the cameras were cut off, hovering about fifty meters above the Azras cityscape. In contrast with the earlier shots, though, six of the eight monitors now showed streets that were largely deserted, with only a few people still visible. Only on the two that gave a view of the main gate—or rather, where the main gate had o
nce been—was there any human activity.
And surrounding that activity was utter devastation.
Merrick felt his stomach churn. He'd gotten a glimpse of the destruction earlier, but the probes' cameras hadn't really been focused on that area before. Now, they were showing the Trofts' handiwork in all its terrible glory. A long section of the wall had been leveled, along with an entire row of the buildings just behind it. Dozens of people lay unmoving among the rubble, most of them men but a few of them women. All were battered and bloody, and all still had the bare arms and shoulders that had been mandated by the occupying forces in their effort to thwart attacks by combat-suited Djinn.
[The pavement, to the right look at it!] one of the officers said abruptly, jabbing a finger at the edge of the monitor.
Merrick felt his stomach tighten. Barely visible amid the broken stone and twisted metal was a crack in the street, perhaps half a meter wide.
But it wasn't like the other cracks he could see, the ones presumably created by the falling buildings. This one was straight and smooth, cutting across the pavement at perfect right angles. And the men he could see working feverishly at its edges weren't digging out bodies, but seemed to be trying to remove a pair of long girders, probably pieces of the wall, that had wedged themselves into the opening.
Somehow, the attack by the warship had popped open one of the entrances to the Azras subcity. Not only opened it, but jammed it open.
With a pair of Troft warships only a minute away.
An unpleasant tingle ran through Merrick's skin. It was still possible that the ships hadn't noticed the security breach. If Merrick acted right now, if he killed Inxeba and the officers in this room before they could sound the alert, the Qasamans might have a chance to get the gap sealed in time.
Once again, Merrick felt his hands curl into laser firing positions. Once again, hesitation at the thought of betraying his pledge to Ukuthi slowed his resolve.
And then it was too late. [An opening, in the pavement there is one!] the officer continued excitedly. [The subcity, it lies open before us!]
[The opening, we see it,] someone on the warship acknowledged. [The soldiers, I am preparing them. A landing site, I have located one.]