"Gyro, "he said, "did you monitor that message?"

  "Affirmative, "the XO said, from her laser turret. "Snapper told me the moment she detected the new frequency. I wonder if Physic did, too."

  "Affirmative, sir. Physic just signaled that Newton detected the message as well."

  "Wow, "Snapshot said, from her own turret. "Do you think we should respond?"

  "Negative, "Gyro said. "We shouldn't second-guess the skipper. Continue to monitor all frequencies and record anything significant."

  And jo. Gyro figured, that was that.

  But it was not. The message had also been picked up by the junior technarchs An-Wing and Masaryk, who now wanted a piece of the action.

  "Gyro, "An-Wing called, after insistently knocking on the hatch of Gyro's turret until she opened it"We need to talk. As a duly assigned representative of Oriflamme, appointed to investigate the situation on Mexit, I am shocked at the way Bela and t have been systematically ignored in your planning."

  "Yeah, so?"

  An-Wing made an exasperated sigh. "Gyro, think about that last message. Clearly, what you need on the ground is not an armed party—to provoke Brak—but seasoned negotiators with a background in politics and economics."

  "You mean you?"

  "Yes."

  "Lady An-Wing, I'm afraid I can't make that kind of arrangement Until I hear otherwise from Red Sun herself, we'll carry out her last orders to stay here and lie low."

  "Well, couldn't you get my suggestion to her somehow? Like when she does communicate with us?"

  "Fine, "Gyro said. "I'll pass along the message."

  "Very well, "An-Wing replied. "I shall return to my stateroom and await her response."

  "You do that, "Gyro said, letting her iris valve begin to shut before An-Wing was quite done talking. Gyro then called Deep Six on the bridge.

  "Sixer, how did the technarchs hear that last message from Brak?"

  "The same as you, sir. Red Sun made no special request to deny them radio access."

  Gyro growled, deep in her throat.

  "Well, it's denied now. My authority."

  "Yes, sir."

  ***

  Ironically, Liu An-Wing and Bela Masaryk were on Coeur's mind at that very moment. Having heard a detailed description of Brak's forces in the rebel headquarters, she had become increasingly aware of the contribution that diplomacy—at least as a ruse or distraction—might make to her strategy. Protected by an army of brigade strength, Brak simply could not be reached with a conventional frontal assault.

  Lacking a portable laser uplink, which she had left behind for fear of its being captured, and out of radio contact with Lomarica, Coeur had not heard Emperor Brak's radio pronouncement concerning Zorn's prisoners. Nevertheless, she was keen to go cautiously in her planning with the rebels, for the last thing she needed was to risk a lot of valuable Coalition equipment in open combat when her only objective was recovery of the prisoners and Crazy Jane.

  Thanks to his spies, largely house servants of the ruling class of the Federal District, General Lemos knew Crazy Jane to be more or less intact, held in a warehouse somewhere in the derelict old starport. On the up side, the vast starport was fairly close to the prison, just a few hundred meters across an open park. On the down side, Brak had an impressive mechanized force to guard his capital and prevent access to both the Defense Ministry and the starport.

  Among other assets, the Soledad army included no less than a platoon of 20 troopers in heavy battle dress, a dozen TL13 Pyrrhus support sleds, five TL15 grav APCs of the type that raided Brother Anthony's church and two TL15 heavy grav tanks.

  "That's a pretty odd mix, "Gaffer noted. "Solomani support sleds and imperial assault vehicles all jumbled together?"

  "Yeah, it is peculiar, "Coeur agreed, "but the imperials probably left a lot of their heavy equipment lying around when they bugged out and the Solomani moved in."

  Gaffer shrugged.

  "Forget the ancient history, "Coeur said. "Drop Kick, what do you know about those imperial vehicles?"

  "Well, they're pretty nasty, "Drop Kick said, seated on an upturned steel drum and studying the rebel map of the Federal District before himself and his comrades. "Especially those heavy grav tanks. They're twice the size of our intrepid, better armored, and may have a better gun."

  "Yeah, that's nasty all right, "Coeur agreed. "However, I doubt any of their tank commanders are as good as ours is."

  Drop Kick accepted the compliment with a wry grimace. Oh, fine, just get me killed.

  "You know what I'm curious about, "Zorn said, "Is artillery. I see they've got a battalion of self-propelled howitzers, but I don't see any MRLs or meson guns...."

  "What's a meson gun? "General Lemos asked.

  The spacers around the briefing table glanced around, inviting each other to try tackling that question. Coeur, at length, took up the challenge.

  "I think you'd remember it if they had one, "she said. "Basically, it's a gun that can shoot through solid objects, like mountains and buildings and so forth, but without damaging them. Plus, the target area gets pretty much flattened and vaporized."

  "No, "Lemos said, "they don't have anything like that."

  "Good, "Gaffer said.

  "I am concerned about air defenses, though, "Coeur said. "What can you tell us about those?"

  "Because we don't have aircraft, we don't worry about their air defenses much, "Lemos said, "but they are impressive. Our estimate is that as many as 50 SAM sites are positioned around the Federal District, and God-knows-how-many PDMs in silos in the starport."

  Cardinal Vazquez shifted in the comfortable chair beside Lemos' tool-box seat and coughed, reminding the general of his blasphemy.

  "Forgive me. Your Holiness."

  "Well, those missiles could be a problem for my drop troops, "Gaffer said. "Any idea where their fire control is located?"

  "Unfortunately, "Lemos said, "no."

  "Well, that settles it, "Drop Kick said. "We'll have to recon the area to pinpoint the fire control centers."

  "Yeah, "Gaffer agreed. "It's either that or we go in on the ground."

  "That could be awkward, "Lemos said. "The outskirts of the Federal District are heavily mined, and it will cause delays if we have to assemble forces for a direct assault on the prison."

  Coeur understood the dilemma. On the one hand, the rebels had enough force near the city to support a drop raid, but if the air defense was very thick, a drop raid could not get in. On the other hand, If they delayed long enough to survey the city defenses and/or assemble a large force, Zorn's people might end up executed first.

  "I've got an idea, "she said, finally. "What we need is a second—diplomatic—front."

  "Hey now, Red, "Drop Kick said, giving Coeur a wary look, "you're not thinking of meeting with Brak yourself, are you?"

  "Actually, "Coeur said, "I was thinking of the junior technarchs."

  "Oh, "Drop Kick replied, surprised. Then, smiling wickedly, added, "Sounds better already."

  "What I was thinking, "Coeur explained, pointedly ignoring Drop Kick's unkind sentiment, "was that we might have the technarchs try to con Brak into thinking they're part of a private Oriflammen mission—a follow-up to Zero maybe."

  "Good idea, "V-Max said. "It might make him lower his guard."

  "Every little bit helps, "Coeur agreed. "General, I think we've gone over the preliminaries pretty well, so I'd like to get my people back to camp before sunrise."

  "Yes, that would be wise."

  "As a show of good faith, I'm prepared to stay here, of course, while my people are away."

  Coeur's comrades were disturbed by that gesture—unex-pected as it was—but relaxed when Lemos waved off the offer.

  "Unwise. Better that a commander is with her troops. Naturally, it would be good to have a liaison officer, though...."

  "I'll stay, "V-Max volunteered.

  "Are you sure you want to? "Zorn asked her friend.

  "Absolutely."

  "Praise be to the Defender, "Vazquez replied. "Then you shall keep Brother Anthony with you."

  "I suppose that's acceptable, "Coeur said, "If it's all right with the general. He might prefer someone of a more military nature."

  "On the contrary, "Lemos said. 'Brother Anthony will be a fine liaison."

  "Yes, "Vazquez agreed. 'It shall be a sign of our devotion to the Holy Defender."

  ***

  Somewhat before dawn, the spacers, less V-Max, returned to the air after two hours in the headquarters of the imponsero Phalanx. Last of all, Coeur told the general she would send a laser communicator out to the rebels so they could communicate directly with Lomarica base via Snapshot's probe. Then the spacers were away, leaving a rebel community both excited and uncertain of the future. Even before the broomsticks crossed into Albegar, rumors had spread to the underground shelters of the fighters' families that a momentous time had come.

  Cardinal Vazquez was strangely quiet, though, reflecting upon recent visions of mayhem and bloodshed. Though certain her intuition was correct—that the strangers were to be trusted— her intuition also gave her a sense of foreboding and she prayed for the guidance of her special patron, the holy Saint Graylord.

  Of course, Vazquez was not so presumptuous that she sought a manifestation of the saint—merely clarity of insight and purity of purpose. So when the saint returned her prayer— his holy presence revealed by a familiar electric tingle in her neck—she was stunned.

  But relieved.

  Over the protestations of her bodyguard priests, Vazquez retired alone to a wooded patch outside the warehouse— ostensibly to pray—then slipped away into the rubble with her well-preserved agility. As usual, her patron was calling in the twilight hour—before the sun's most lethal intensity, but after wise people departed indoors and underground to bed. Vazquez knew her faith was no defense against the myriad mines and booby traps strewn among the rubble. Wary of them, she advanced with deliberate caution to a sheltered stream bed where once a concrete storm drain had stood.

  "Beloved Miranda, "came a familiar voice, as if from the very air behind her.

  "Your blessed holiness, ” Vazquez replied reflexively, turning to the voice but averting her eyes and dropping to one knee.

  "Rise and lift your eyes, my daughter."

  With suitable reluctance, Vazquez did as bade, beholding a revelation from God. Hooded Saint Graylord—his hands and face shrouded, but a towering figure all the same—stood between the shimmering forms of two massive angelic guardians, floating in the air as rainbows of light coruscated across their winged and radiant bodies.

  "Gracious Saint Graylord, how may I serve you?"

  "It is written, "Graylord said, "that the day shall come when travellers arrive from the heavens, and stars shall fall from their traces. Then shall kings and princes scatter, and lo, the many kingdoms of the earth shall kneel before the manifested will of the Lord and Defender."

  Vazquez, of course, was familiar with the passage, but remained silent.

  "My daughter, the day has come again when travellers have joined us from the stars."

  "Yes, Your Grace. Even this day, they were led into my presence."

  "Tell me, "Graylord said, "did you sense their purpose?"

  "I did. Your Grace. I feel their hearts are true, and their cause is just,"

  "I am pleased, "Graylord replied, his pleasure reflected in the soft pink hue appearing in the angel's wings. "It was for your special insight that I made you the protector and guardian of the Defender's church."

  "Your Blessed Grace—Is it possible that these might be the ones? I have seen visions of hope and torment..."

  " Be at peace, my daughter. I have seen the seal of the Defender rising gloriously in the east. Blessed are those whose eyes do not see, yet believe."

  "Your Grace, I do believe."

  "And so your esteem is great in Heaven, "Graylord said, whereupon he spread his arms and lifted his shrouded head toward the sky. "May the blessings of the Defender watch over and keep you. Farewell."

  Overcome with emotion, Vazquez could not respond—only look on with stunned amazement as her patron lifted into the air with his angelic guardians and rose on a shaft of light into the early morning sky. Dazzled by the brightness of the light, she thought she saw them climbing toward a rose-colored cloud, but then the holy triad was gone.

  As the trio disappeared from sight, Vazquez surrendered to the forces battling within her and fell to the ground, sobbing with an incomprehensible combination of humility and exaltation, of fear and love—for her patron saint, and the purpose he represented.

  Who t is this feeling? How can I contain these beautiful, terrifying forces without being destroyed? And then she remembered the ancient words. What is this which gleams through me and smites my heart without wounding it? I am both a-shudder and a-glow. A-shudder, in so far as I am unlike it, a-glow in so far as I am like it.

  She did not know how long she laid there, but she eventually stopped trembling and noticed that sunrise was imminent. Rising up and gathering her robes about her, she scrambled back through the rubble to safety.

  That so humble a servant as I should be chosen to beer this duty, Vazquez thought, her heart pounding hard in her chest. Praise be to the Defender!

  Chapter Thirteen

  When Coeur arrived at the G-carrier at 0600 hours, she was naturally pleased to hear that she and the junior technarchs were on the same page—as least as far as negotiating with Brak was concerned. Unfortunately, the Oriflammen wanted more than just an active role—they wanted their active role to be on the ground. Initially Coeur resisted, thinking of their safety.

  Yet there was always the possibility that Brak would insist on a face-to-face meeting, and that, of course, would require the technarchs on the ground. With this is mmd, Coeur tempered her disapproval.

  "Maybe you're right, An-Wing, "Coeur consented, after Newton established a link with Hornet. "Maybe it could be useful to have you down here. I just hope you realize how dangerous this planet is."

  "Captain, "An-Wing replied, "we appreciate your concern. However, it is our countrymen that were lost down there."

  "And, "Coeur surmised, "your government will be displeased if you aren't down here."

  "Yes, Captain. Quite displeased."

  Coeur sighed, looking out a darkened side cockpit window. Long before the morning sun had crested the eastern ridge, Bonzo and Whiz Bang—behind Coeur at the cockpit controls— had darkened all the windows for their own protection, and relied primarily on sensor data to watch the hillside camp.

  "All right, An-Wing. tell me this. Do you know how to use a parachute?"

  "A parachute? "An-Wing asked, quizzically.

  "I didn't think so. Is Mercy there?"

  "Right here, skipper."

  "Mercy, I've got a question for you. Could you fit three people in your tank? For a short trip, I mean?"

  Mercy whistled.

  "Jeez, I don't know—that would be a tight fit But I suppose it could be done, if one person was small and sat on the other one's lap."

  "All right, then, "Coeur said. "An-Wing, you and Masaryk can come down to the surface. ”

  "What? In a tank?"

  "It's either that, or you hop out of Hornet in a parachute."

  "In that case, I guess we'll go in the tank."

  "Fine. Mercy, you and Drop Kick alert us whenever you're ready to launch. I'd rather you came down at night, but it sounds like Brak's impatient to start lopping off heads, and I'd rather have the technarchs make their first contact down here—as they're willing to take the risk."

  "No problem, "Mercy said. "There's a large marsh due west of your position. If Gyro and Sixer drop us off there, over the horizon, we can fly on in NOE."

  "Sounds like a good plan, "Coeur said. "Let's do it."

  ***

  As soon as Deep Six completed the communication with Coeur, Gyro notified Vi Et Armis of Hornet's imminent launch. In return, the pirate produced an unexpected bit of news.

  "We could cover you if you'd like, Hornet, "said Boomer, the man who was Gyro's opposite number on the patrol cruiser— acting commander and chief of gunnery. "Our drive boys have restored power to our lasers."

  "Outstanding, "Gyro said. "But I'd just as soon have you stay here."

  "Hey, our people are down there, too."

  "True, but so are a whole lot of deep-site meson guns."

  "We don't know that for certain. Gyro."

  "Well, we do know this: We know there used to be deep-site meson guns, and we don't know where they are now. That's a good enough reason to keep your ship safe here on the back side of Elojo."

  "Well, you know, "Boomer said, "as long as we're being paranoid, we might as well consider the possibility that some of the meson guns—and their fire control sensors—are hidden on this moon. If that's the case, then we're no safer here than we'd be in orbit around Mexit."

  "Point taken, Armi$. However, we haven't seen a lick of evidence that Elojo's anything but a dead rock. Therefore, I'm going to assume that any guns and fire control sensors that exist are on the planet, and you're going to stay put on the back side of this moon and monitor telemetry from Snapper's satellite. If you see anything happen to us, you can come running then."

  "All right" '

  "Of course, "Snapshot said, jumping on the line, "If you see us vaporized for no apparent reason, then you'll know there is definitely a meson gun down there."

  "Right, "Gyro said. "So don't say we never did anything for you."

  "Roger, Hornet. We'll slay put Godspeed. Armis out."

  A few minutes later, Hornet launched for a second trip into Mexit's atmosphere—though this time with Gyro in the pilot's couch and Red Eye in the laser turret. Assured by his performance in earlier gunnery simulations. Gyro was certain the Marine gunny would be the second best choice to take over her gun— the best being Snapshot at the port missile turret.

  Coming down in morning twilight, Hornet sailed over the eastern edge of the Aguja Prieta Mountains, 500 kilometers west of Soledad. at an altitude of 10 kilometers, then quickly dipped to five kilometers above the lakes and swamps at the foot of the mountains. Though her hull doubtless glistened in the light from Opaco, Hornet attracted neither obvious attention nor fire, and slowed to a scan1200 kph to let the mighty intrepid grav tank exit.

 

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