Dragon and Herdsman

CHAPTER 27

"I hope you realize, Jack lad," Uncle Virge said sternly, "that by all rights you should have had your whole arm torn off at the shoulder."

"Okay, so it was a gamble," Jack admitted, wincing as the Essenay's medic chair finished bandaging his left arm. Even through the painkillers the elbow and shoulder still ached. "But I figured that if Taneem could get around onto my back fast enough most of her momentum would spread itself over my whole body and just shove me down into the water instead of breaking my arm."

"Thereby offering you an excellent chance of drowning," Uncle Virge countered. "Wonderful set of options you gave yourself."

"Yeah, but it worked," Jack reminded him. "Better than just worked, too. If Taneem hadn't been up there distracting Frost's men, you might not have gotten away with that sucker shot that took them down."

"It was not a sucker shot," Uncle Virge said stiffly. "I'd been locked onto your comm clip signal for two hours, just waiting for you to give the order to go into action. Why didn't you?"

"For starters, we weren't sure you were still even with us, let alone hanging just offshore," Jack said. "Anyway, what are we arguing for? You crippled the Kapstan, and Frost and his buddies are miles away by now trying not to drown. Life is good."

"Anyone home?" Alison's voice called from out in the corridor.

"Like there's somewhere else I could go?" Jack called back.

She stepped through the doorway, Draycos and Taneem at her side. "Not really," she agreed. "What's the damage?"

"Just a sprain," Jack told her, lifting his bandaged arm for her inspection. "No bones broken, no ligaments or tendons torn. A week or so and I should be fine."

"I owe you my life," Taneem said, ducking her head shyly. "I do not know how to thank you for that."

"No thanks needed," Jack assured her. "K'da warriors' ethic says you do what's right no matter what the risks." He lifted his eyebrows at Draycos. "Right?"

"Correct," Draycos said.

Uncle Virge snorted again. "Courage and ethics are fine in their place, Jack lad," he said. "But there's a not-so-fine line between them and reckless stupidity."

"Actually, I have to agree with Uncle Virge on this one," Alison seconded. "That was a pretty boneheaded thing to try."

"There was nothing boneheaded about it," Jack insisted. "It was simple basic physics. The big danger with water landings is hitting the surface, right? I just arranged things so that I was already through the surface, and she never actually hit it."

"It was still a terrible risk," Taneem said. "I will dedicate my life to repaying my debt."

"Fine," Jack said. In his opinion, she was blowing this way out of proportion. But there would be time enough later for Draycos to talk some perspective into her. "I take it that means you've decided to stay with Alison?"

"You weren't really expecting her to go back to the Erassvas, were you?" Alison asked.

"I just wanted to make it official," Jack said, trying very hard not to be irritated. Now that they were safe, Alison's knack for rubbing people the wrong way was coming out full bore again. "Besides, it's not just up to her. K'da don't impose on someone without the host's permission."

Alison looked down at Taneem. "Actually, this is pretty cool," she said, stroking the gray K'da's crest gently with her fingertips. "I'll let her stick around. At least until the rest of her people get here."

"Her people are out there," Uncle Virge muttered.

"Her former people," Jack told him firmly. "Speaking of which, did they all get across the river okay?"

"They swam it like fish," Alison assured him. "Large, lumpy fish, of course, but fish nonetheless."

"Hren said they would attempt to cross the forest and then circle back around the edge to rejoin the rest of their group," Draycos added.

Jack suppressed a grimace. Walking through the middle of a dangerous forest, only this time with no true K'da there to look after them.

"They'll be all right," Draycos assured him. "The Erassvas still have the altered odor that seems to ward off predators. And the Phookas, too, seem somewhat more alert than they were when we first met them."

"Spending a few days running for your life will do that, I suppose," Jack agreed reluctantly. "I just hope it lasts long enough to get them all the way to the other side of the forest." He raised his eyebrows at Alison. "What about you? You want to go back and wait for your friends to show?"

"With Frost still here?" Alison snorted. "No thanks. I'll give them a call and tell them I've made other arrangements. That is, if you don't mind me tagging along a little longer."

"Just like the baby sister I never had," Jack said dryly.

Alison's eyes narrowed a little. "Watch it, pal," she warned. "I'm at least five months older than you are."

"Can we hold off a comparison of birth records until we're clear of this place?" Uncle Virge asked impatiently. "I'd really rather not be around when Frost gets the Kapstan's lifters working again."

"Yes, we can go," Jack soothed him. "Actually, no—we have to find and get rid of that ECHO-transmitter gadget of his first."

"Done and done," Alison said.

"It was fastened to the hull in front of the aft ECHO pole," Uncle Virge added. "I had some time on my hands while drifting down the river, and was able to locate it."

"So it's off?" Jack said, his last unanswered question about Alison finally fading away. Something on the Essenay's outer hull could have been planted there by anyone at any of the spaceports they'd passed through on their way here.

"I already had it neutralized, but Alison insisted on removing it as well," Uncle Virge said. "She seemed to think that it would bring a good price in the proper market."

"Oh, did she, now?"

"Would you rather hitchhike home?" Alison countered. "Gadgets like that can be a good way to keep the fuel tanks filled."

"Whatever," Jack said with a sigh. "Sure, let's get out of here. Oh, and make a pass over the Kapstan on your way out—I want to make sure Frost knows we've left."

"But don't make it too low a pass," Alison warned.

"I didn't mean we would," Jack said, fighting for patience. "So where exactly would you like us to drop you?"

The cockpit was dark as Alison came in, lit only by the various indicator lights on the control boards. "Good evening, Uncle Virge," she said. "How are things running?"

"Smoothly," the computerized personality said tartly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to look over the nav maps," Alison said, sitting down in the pilot's seat. "Jack asked me where I wanted to be dropped off, remember?"

"We could have discussed that from the dayroom or your cabin," Uncle Virge said stiffly. "You shouldn't be in here without Jack or Draycos."

"Come on, give me a break," Alison growled back. "Jack's sleeping off his pain medication, Draycos is giving Taneem advanced English lessons in the dayroom, and I'm going stir-crazy in that cracker box you call a cabin. All I want is to look at some charts and figure out where I want to go. Okay?"

Uncle Virge sighed theatrically. "Fine. But I'm recording everything." One of the displays lit up with a map of the southern Orion Arm. "Jack's heading to Nikrapapo to try to get into the Malison Ring base there," he said. "Somewhere not too far off our vector would be handy."

"I understand," Alison said, bracing herself. If her guess about this ship was correct . . . "You've only got a couple of months left to locate the fleet's rendezvous point, don't you?"

"It's a few days more than that at the moment," Uncle Virge said. "But of course by the time we reach Nikrapapo—"

"Privacy lock code activate," Alison said.

The computer went silent. "Uncle Virge?" Alison called tentatively. "Uncle Virge? Computer?"

There was no response. "I'll be fraggled," Alison murmured to herself. But there was no time now to sift through all the possibilities this suddenly opened up. Swiveling her chair around, she activated the Essenay's private and very expensive InterWorld transmitter.

It took only a minute to make the connection. "Smith," a voice replied.

"Kayna."

"About time you checked in, girl. Let's have it."

She gave her report in clipped military fashion, the way she'd been taught. "Interesting," Smith said when she'd finished. "I trust Morgan has no idea who you are?"

"Not a clue," Alison assured him. "Do you know if Frost got off Rho Scorvi all right?"

"Let me see . . . yes, he checked in with Neverlin from Immabwi. Probably not a very happy camper."

"As long as he made it out alive," Alison said. "We don't want to lose him. Not now."

"Agreed," Smith said. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Alison said, grimacing. A part of her didn't really want to do this. "The Phookas."

There was the faint sound of a sigh. "All of them, I suppose?"

"All of them," Alison said firmly. "They're wild cards. We can't let them stay on the playing field."

"You're mixing metaphors, of course," Smith pointed out. "But I take your point. All right, we'll deal with them. What about the Erassvas?"

Alison shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Whatever you want."

"We'll handle it," the other promised. "I gather you want to stay with Morgan for the moment?"

"For as long as I can," Alison confirmed. "He's the only inside source there is on this half of the game."

"Okay, but only until he makes you," Smith warned. "Be ready to bail the minute that happens."

"I will," Alison said. "I'll report again when I can."

"Right. Good luck."

Breaking the connection, Alison shut down the transmitter.

She gave it another minute, just to make sure there weren't any lingering effects in the system that the computer might spot and wonder about. Then, leaning back in the chair, she took a deep breath. "Privacy lock code release," she called.

"—it'll be almost exactly two months," Uncle Virge said. "So the less time we have to waste chauffeuring you around, the better."

"I understand," Alison said, getting up out of the chair. "Though come to think of it, let's make it easier on everyone. I'll just stay here with you and Jack for the moment."

"You sure?" Uncle Virge asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes." Alison smiled. "Very sure."