Part 9 (1/2)

”No time for that now,” said L'Wrona. ”Why didn't you abort launch on computer warning?”

”There was no computer warning,” said T'Ral, busy logging the incident.

Captain and commodore exchanged worried glances. ”Get N'Trol on it,” said D'Trelna. He walked with L'Wrona back toward their stations. ”Mindslaver. Corsairs. That.” He jerked his head toward Egg, still hovering by the flag officer's chair. ”Now the computer,” he said, turning for the door.

L'Wrona stared after him. ”Where are you going, J'Quel? We're about to engage.”

”Engage nothing till I'm back,” he said as the doors opened. ”I'll be in the facility.”

7.

The deck whirling toward him, John grabbed a railing as it flashed by-only to have his grip wrenched loose by the force of his fall. Screaming, arms and legs flailing, he fell the final hundred feet to the deck-and vanished inches above the battlesteel.

Standing behind the railing, T'Lan watched Harrison's disappearance without expression. He stood there an instant longer, drawing the logical conclusion, then busied himself at the command station.

”Sure you want to do this?” asked N'Trol. He stood at the bridge engineering station, finger poised over the Execute b.u.t.ton on his console.

”s.h.i.+eld frequencies matched,” said L'Wrona, ignoring N'Trol. ”Stand by for linkage.”

The camouflaged bulk of Victory Day Victory Day filled filled Implacable's Implacable's main screen. The cruiser was pa.s.sing over the corsair, heading for the mindslaver. main screen. The cruiser was pa.s.sing over the corsair, heading for the mindslaver.

”Ready for linkage,” said A'Tir, her image in both N'Trol and L'Wrona's comm screens.

”Execute,” said L'Wrona.

A'Tir and N'Trol both pressed a switch.

Implacable's sensors went blind for an instant as Victory Day Victory Day flared bright as a sun. When sensors cleared, they showed the corsair, shorn of her camouflage, running close to flared bright as a sun. When sensors cleared, they showed the corsair, shorn of her camouflage, running close to Implacable Implacable as both s.h.i.+ps charged the great, grim bulk of as both s.h.i.+ps charged the great, grim bulk of Alpha Prime. Alpha Prime.

”Alpha will fire now,” said Egg. It hovered beside the tactics console, tied to will fire now,” said Egg. It hovered beside the tactics console, tied to Implacable's Implacable's computer by a tendril of soft blue light. computer by a tendril of soft blue light.

Thick as a shuttle, dark blue fusion beams lashed at the cruisers-and were stopped by the strangely elongated s.h.i.+eld projected by the two s.h.i.+ps, a sharp-tipped golden cone racing toward the mindslaver.

”What kind of a s.h.i.+eld is that?” asked D'Trelna. He stood beside Egg, staring at the main screen.

”One mutated and strengthened by a s.h.i.+eld-shaping algorithm, Commodore,” said Egg. ”Note the characteristic yellow hue.”

”And the slaver's s.h.i.+eld?” asked D'Trelna.

”Breached by our own,” said Egg. ”We've effectively tunneled through it.''

Now halfway to target, the s.h.i.+eld was glowing, the portions around the beam points shading over into a sullen umber. Behind D'Trelna, alarms buzzed at engineering and command stations, warning of s.h.i.+eld generators pushed beyond design.

”We're through!” called K'Raoda as the fire suddenly slackened. Following behind their s.h.i.+eld, both s.h.i.+ps had pa.s.sed the point where all of Alpha Prime's Alpha Prime's port batteries could bear on them. Only two of the slaver's main batteries were firing now. port batteries could bear on them. Only two of the slaver's main batteries were firing now.

”She should stand off and blast us,” said D'Trelna, watching their s.h.i.+eld fade back into yellow.

”Were Alpha Prime Alpha Prime entirely rational, Commodore,” said Egg, ”we would be dead.” entirely rational, Commodore,” said Egg, ”we would be dead.”

”Gunnery,” called L'Wrona over the commnet, ”we're inside her s.h.i.+eld. Take out that starboard battery.” He switched channels. ”K'Tran, take out their port battery.”

Victory Day and and Implacable Implacable fired together, fierce red beams exploding into slaver's nearest fusion turrets, sparking twin towers of yellow-green flame that billowed outward, then were gone. Two scorched and jagged craters marked their pa.s.sing. fired together, fierce red beams exploding into slaver's nearest fusion turrets, sparking twin towers of yellow-green flame that billowed outward, then were gone. Two scorched and jagged craters marked their pa.s.sing.

”I have positioned the s.h.i.+eld's apex directly over the presumptive location of the sally port,” said Egg. ”We should leave now.”

”You heard that, K'Tran?” D'Trelna said into the commlink.

”On our way.” The corsair's face appeared in the screen. ”Rendezvous in s.h.i.+eld cone. See you on the slaver's bridge, D'Trelna-or in h.e.l.l.” K'Tran disappeared.

”h.e.l.l, probably,” muttered D'Trelna, turning for the door. ”Let's go, Egg.”

The blue tendrils vanished as the slaver computer followed D'Trelna. As the two pa.s.sed the captain's station, L'Wrona signed off on his log entry and stood. ”Commander K'Raoda, you have the conn,” he said, falling in beside D'Trelna. ”Luck, T'Lei,” he added.

”Luck to you too, H'Nar. Commodore,” nodded K'Raoda, taking the captain's chair. He watched as the doors hissed shut behind the trio, then swiveled back to his console. ”Hold her here, Commander T'Ral,” he ordered. ”And so advise our . . . allies.

”Launch control,” he said into the commnet, ”sortie party is on its way. Stand by shuttle.”

The bridge crew watched as, a few moments later, the screen showed two armed shuttles meet and proceed toward Alpha Prime. Alpha Prime.

”Slaver is jamming all communications to the shuttles,” reported K'Lana.

”What about us and the corsair cruiser?”

The comm officer shrugged. ”Hasn't affected us yet.”

K'Raoda glanced at his instruments. The commlink to Victory Day Victory Day showed green. ”Computer,” he said, punching into the complink, ”monitor carrier frequencies to corsair cruiser-report any change in status.” He turned back to the main screen, then frowned at the silence. ”Computer,” he said, annoyed, ”acknowledge order.” showed green. ”Computer,” he said, punching into the complink, ”monitor carrier frequencies to corsair cruiser-report any change in status.” He turned back to the main screen, then frowned at the silence. ”Computer,” he said, annoyed, ”acknowledge order.”

”It can't.”

K'Raoda turned. A worried looking N'Trol stood beside the captain's station.

”Explain,” said K'Raoda, looking back at the screen.

The shuttles were now just two silver needles receding against the mindslaver's ma.s.s.

”Someone who knows Imperial computer theory better than anyone now living has dropped a stasis algorithm into the computer.''

K'Raoda swiveled to face N'Trol, shuttles forgotten for a moment. ”Impossible,” he said, shaking his head. ”That's a myth-a cybernetic wild tale from before the Fall. It must be some sort of system failure-maybe something latent, from when Fleet applied the overlay.”

”Shuttles halfway to target and closing,” reported T'Ral.

”Acknowledged,” said K'Raoda.

”Fine,” said N'Trol with exaggerated patience. ”There's no such thing as a stasis algorithm. But something is moving through that machine.” He jerked a thumb aft, in the general direction of the computer. ”Something that's freezing its basic operating systems-suspending them for later reactivation.”

”How do you know?”