if Harper knew about Draycos, he'd never seen just
what a poet-warrior of the K'da could do. That might give them the edge
they would need.
In the meantime, Jack had fifteen minutes before the shuttle
arrived. Maybe he could put the time to some use. "I'm sure we can come
to some arrangement," he told Harper. "So tell me. How long have you
been working for Mr. Neverlin?"
"Let's talk about you instead," Harper said. "How long have you—?"
"Because I'd have thought that after the Star of Wonder fiasco Braxton would go over his whole staff with a laser slicer," Jack
interrupted. "How did you get missed? Or are we talking a brand-new
alliance?"
"We know you were on Iota Klestis during the attack on the
K'da/Shontine advance force," Harper said, ignoring the question. "What
we don't know is how you learned about it far enough in
advance—"
"What new alliance?" one of the Brummgas rumbled.
Harper frowned up at him. "What?"
"It said there was new alliance," the Brummga said, gesturing
toward Jack with his gun. "What did it mean?"
"He was talking nonsense," Harper said. "The only alliance is the
one we're already part of."
"It also spoke of Braxton," one of the other Brummgas said.
And suddenly two of the three guns that had been pointed at Jack
were pointed at Harper instead.
"Are you insane ?" Harper demanded, his voice low and
ominous as he looked up at them. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"We know who you claim," the first Brummga said. From Jack's comm
clip came a soft murmur, too soft for Jack to understand. "Maybe you
should be more closely asked at."
Jack, get ready to roll off the chair to your right ,
Draycos's thought came urgently. Steady . . . now!
Jack fell to his right, dropping sideways to land flat on the
floor. He caught a glimpse of Harper and the Brummgas turning sharply
to look at him.
And with a thunderous explosion, the window disintegrated.
Go !
Jack climbed unsteadily back to his feet, blinking back the
swirling dust now filling the room. Through the ringing in his ears, he
could hear Uncle Virge's voice shouting faintly from inside his shirt.
"Come on, lad! Hurry!"
Jack looked toward the side wall. Where the window had been was
now a gaping hole. Beyond the hole, hovering on its lifters with its
ramp gesturing invitingly, was the Essenay .
"Hurry, lad," Uncle Virge said again. "They'll be on us anytime."
"Right," Jack muttered, and he headed toward the ruined wall. He
was halfway there when he heard the flat crack of a gunshot.
He spun half-around, dropping reflexively into a crouch. Harper
was still seated at the desk, with two of the Brummgas still standing
over him. The aliens were waving their guns wildly, their pea-sized
brains probably still trying to sort out whether they should be
pointing the weapons at Jack, Harper, or the new threat that had
suddenly appeared outside.
And then, as Jack watched, there was another pair of gunshots. The
two remaining Brummgas jerked and toppled backward out of sight behind
the desk.
It was only then that Jack saw the small gun in Harper's hand.
There was a sudden surge of weight on Jack's shoulders, and
Draycos leaped out of his collar.
But Harper was faster. Instantly, he lifted both hands, pointing
his gun at the ceiling. "Truce," he called.
The word was barely out of his mouth before Draycos reached him.
Jack caught his breath, but the K'da hadn't missed the signs of
surrender. He leaped up onto the desk but instead of delivering a
killing or stunning blow merely slapped the gun out of Harper's hand
with his paw.
"Jack, lad, come on !" Uncle Virge snapped. "They're
scrambling pursuit fighters."
"On our way," Jack called back, starting again toward the ramp.
"Come on, Draycos."
Draycos flicked his tail and hopped backward off the desk, his
eyes still on Harper. "Take me with you," Harper called, his hands
still in the air. "We may be on the same side."
"You've got your own shuttle coming," Jack reminded him. "You can
take that
what a poet-warrior of the K'da could do. That might give them the edge
they would need.
In the meantime, Jack had fifteen minutes before the shuttle
arrived. Maybe he could put the time to some use. "I'm sure we can come
to some arrangement," he told Harper. "So tell me. How long have you
been working for Mr. Neverlin?"
"Let's talk about you instead," Harper said. "How long have you—?"
"Because I'd have thought that after the Star of Wonder fiasco Braxton would go over his whole staff with a laser slicer," Jack
interrupted. "How did you get missed? Or are we talking a brand-new
alliance?"
"We know you were on Iota Klestis during the attack on the
K'da/Shontine advance force," Harper said, ignoring the question. "What
we don't know is how you learned about it far enough in
advance—"
"What new alliance?" one of the Brummgas rumbled.
Harper frowned up at him. "What?"
"It said there was new alliance," the Brummga said, gesturing
toward Jack with his gun. "What did it mean?"
"He was talking nonsense," Harper said. "The only alliance is the
one we're already part of."
"It also spoke of Braxton," one of the other Brummgas said.
And suddenly two of the three guns that had been pointed at Jack
were pointed at Harper instead.
"Are you insane ?" Harper demanded, his voice low and
ominous as he looked up at them. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"We know who you claim," the first Brummga said. From Jack's comm
clip came a soft murmur, too soft for Jack to understand. "Maybe you
should be more closely asked at."
Jack, get ready to roll off the chair to your right ,
Draycos's thought came urgently. Steady . . . now!
Jack fell to his right, dropping sideways to land flat on the
floor. He caught a glimpse of Harper and the Brummgas turning sharply
to look at him.
And with a thunderous explosion, the window disintegrated.
Go !
Jack climbed unsteadily back to his feet, blinking back the
swirling dust now filling the room. Through the ringing in his ears, he
could hear Uncle Virge's voice shouting faintly from inside his shirt.
"Come on, lad! Hurry!"
Jack looked toward the side wall. Where the window had been was
now a gaping hole. Beyond the hole, hovering on its lifters with its
ramp gesturing invitingly, was the Essenay .
"Hurry, lad," Uncle Virge said again. "They'll be on us anytime."
"Right," Jack muttered, and he headed toward the ruined wall. He
was halfway there when he heard the flat crack of a gunshot.
He spun half-around, dropping reflexively into a crouch. Harper
was still seated at the desk, with two of the Brummgas still standing
over him. The aliens were waving their guns wildly, their pea-sized
brains probably still trying to sort out whether they should be
pointing the weapons at Jack, Harper, or the new threat that had
suddenly appeared outside.
And then, as Jack watched, there was another pair of gunshots. The
two remaining Brummgas jerked and toppled backward out of sight behind
the desk.
It was only then that Jack saw the small gun in Harper's hand.
There was a sudden surge of weight on Jack's shoulders, and
Draycos leaped out of his collar.
But Harper was faster. Instantly, he lifted both hands, pointing
his gun at the ceiling. "Truce," he called.
The word was barely out of his mouth before Draycos reached him.
Jack caught his breath, but the K'da hadn't missed the signs of
surrender. He leaped up onto the desk but instead of delivering a
killing or stunning blow merely slapped the gun out of Harper's hand
with his paw.
"Jack, lad, come on !" Uncle Virge snapped. "They're
scrambling pursuit fighters."
"On our way," Jack called back, starting again toward the ramp.
"Come on, Draycos."
Draycos flicked his tail and hopped backward off the desk, his
eyes still on Harper. "Take me with you," Harper called, his hands
still in the air. "We may be on the same side."
"You've got your own shuttle coming," Jack reminded him. "You can
take that
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