[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

out the threat. Suddenly the room felt very cold indeed.
"Everyone just relax," Lathe said calmly. "We're not trying to take over. But
I warned you against pulling weapons on us again." He eyed the walls and
Page 105
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
jerked his head toward the door. "Out, all of you. Tremayne?"
Glowering, the Radix leader gave a hand signal. Splitting neatly along lines
in the woodwork, a door swung open around each of the gunports. Six men,
nursing cut lips and sore shoulders, stepped from the dark alcoves and headed
for the door. Lathe motioned, and the Plinry blackcollars returned the
captured lasers to their owners.
"We'll have no more of this eavesdropping," Lathe said as the door closed
behind the guards.
"Don't worry," Cameron growled. "Those men are completely trustworthy."
"No one on Argent is completely trustworthy," Lathe said, "and before you get
your hackles up I
simply mean we're too small a group to take the wrong chance twice. That's why
we didn't tell anyone about our plans this morning. I'm sorry if you feel
offended, but that's how we have to operate here."
"It's not a matter of wounded pride, Damon," Faye spoke up. "Whatever you were
trying to do in
Henslowe, chances are Miles could have made things easier for you if you'd
consulted with him beforehand. Were you hoping to find where a particular
prisoner was being kept? If so, we could probably have gotten that for you
from out here."
Lathe shrugged noncommittally. "There'll be other chances."
"Not if I know Apostoleris," Bakshi said. "He's bound to move the vets now and
wherever they're put it'll cost us a lot of lives to get them out.
That's what your private raid really accomplished."
"Perhaps," Lathe admitted. "If so, I'm sorry. Where would the vets be sent any
ideas?"
"Cerbe Prison's their best bet," Faye said. "It's an old fortress southeast of
here, out in the middle of nowhere. Smallish building, four floors up and six
down, surrounded by a walled courtyard big enough to land a Corsair in. The
wall's got a weapons turret at each corner, controlled either from inside or
from the main building."
"If the quizlers put them there you might as well pack up and leave," Dael
Valentine interjected, his face stormy above his black turtleneck. "In fact,
maybe you ought to leave anyway."
"Easy, Dael," Bakshi murmured.
"Sorry, Comsquare, but I'm getting sick of this. We give them safety and
information by the truckload and get absolutely nothing in return."
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Timothy%20Zahn%20-%20The%20Blackcoll
ar.htm (132 of 209) [12/31/2004 12:16:37 AM]
The Blackcollar
Bakshi cocked an eyebrow at Lathe. "You care to respond?"
"Certainly. If you'd open your eyes and imagination you'd see useful fallout
from our work all around you."
"What fallout?" Valentine snorted.
"Well, for lack of a more obvious example, we just demolished a gate into the
Strip. Someone's got to rebuild it, and one or two of those someones could
build miniature mines into the hinges. You'd then have a one-shot chance later
to bring a carload of stolen parts or whatever out of the Strip without having
to actually ram the gate."
From the looks and murmurs around the table it was clear no one had thought of
that. Tremayne and
Bakshi exchanged glances, and Caine saw the blackcollar nod fractionally.
"Do you promise to consult with us or at least me before any further actions?"
Tremayne asked.
"If it involves Radix personnel, yes," Lathe said promptly. "Assuming there's
time, of course.
Otherwise, I claim the right to act unilaterally."
"That's not good enough," Valentine shook his head.
Page 106
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Lathe shrugged. "It's the best I can offer."
There was a moment of awkward silence. "All right," Tremayne said at last. "I
guess I can see your side of it.
But
 " He leveled a finger at Lathe. "We can play by military rules too. If any
Radix member gets killed because you didn't consult with us you'll face a
summary court-martial. I mean it."
"Understood. You'll let us know right away about any prisoner transfer?"
Tremayne looked at Cameron. "Yeah, I'll get some people on that," the
intelligence chief growled.
"Good. Anything new at the Chryselli front?"
"The fighting's still going on," Salli Quinlan spoke up, somewhat grudgingly.
"Argent's not about to be flooded with returning Ryqril, if that's what you're
worried about."
"I was," Lathe acknowledged. "Thank you." He started to stand up.
"Just a second," Valentine objected. "Assuming it's not tied up with this
precious mission of yours, I
want to know how Caine did his vanishing act from Earth." He sent Caine a
baleful glance. "Fair is fair you don't trust us, either."
"A government man was kidnapped by our people," Caine said evenly. "His ID was
altered, and somehow the computer records were also changed."
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Timothy%20Zahn%20-%20The%20Blackcoll
ar.htm (133 of 209) [12/31/2004 12:16:37 AM]
The Blackcollar
" 'Somehow'? You'll have to do better than that."
"I don't know how it was done "
"Oh, that's helpful. Very convenient, too." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]