one."
"With three dead Brummgas behind me?" Harper countered. "Don't be
ridiculous."
Jack hesitated. Harper was probably right about that.
Question was, could Jack and Draycos trust the man? Jack looked at
Draycos, but the K'da was looking back at him. Waiting for him to make the decision.
And as he gazed at those glowing green eyes, a memory popped back
into Jack's mind: he and Draycos on Sunright, with Jack unwilling to go
charging back into danger to rescue Alison and some of their fellow
Whinyard's Edge soldiers. A warrior does that which is right ,
Draycos had told him. Not because he may profit from it. Because it
is right .
If they left Harper here, the man was dead. Pure and simple.
Either by the hand of the Brummgan legal system or by the far more
personal hand of the Patri Chookoock.
And there was always a chance he and Harper were on the
same side. "Come on, then," Jack told him.
Turning back to the ruined wall, he steeled himself and leaped the
two feet across to the end of the ramp. Draycos was right behind him,
with Harper a close third. "We're in," Jack called toward the airlock's
camera/speaker/microphone module. "Close up and head to the roof."
"Right," Uncle Virge said.
"Wait a second," Harper protested as the ramp slid back into place
and the outer hatch closed. He started toward Jack, stopping abruptly
as Draycos stepped warningly into his path. "The roof ?"
"They'll be looking for someone running," Jack called back over
his shoulder as he headed for the cockpit. "So instead we go to ground."
The Essenay was already settling onto the roof beside the
police station's set of big relay dishes when Jack reached the cockpit.
"Hull-wrap on, everything else power crash-down," Jack ordered the
computer as he slid into the pilot's seat.
"Got it," Uncle Virge said, the cockpit's lights and power
indicators already winking out. "Jack, lad, bringing on another
passenger—"
"Save it," Jack said. He turned as Harper came up behind him,
Draycos close on his heels. "Just relax, Mr. Harper. It's under
control."
He saw Harper's eyes flick to the single part of the board still
showing indicators. "Chameleon hull-wrap?" he asked.
"That's right," Jack confirmed. "A very good one, too."
"It still won't fool them forever," Harper warned. "We may look
like a section of roof from above, but there's no way to hide the
ship's actual bulge from anyone looking straight across the rooftops at
us."
"We aren't going to stay here forever," Jack assured him. "As soon
as those fighters and police aircars get far enough away, we'll be
making a break for it."
"And at night a sideways look isn't going to do anyone much good
anyway," Uncle Virge added. "Trust me, we've done this before."
"I'll take your word for it," Harper said, glancing around. "I
give up. Where are you?"
"Uncle Virgil's not actually here right now," Jack said, tensing a
little as he always did whenever someone asked about his dead uncle.
"He just added a personality simulation to the computer so I wouldn't
get lonely when he was away."
"Interesting." Harper leaned over Jack's shoulder toward the P/S/8
designation plate on the computer-interface board. "That kind of
personality simulation usually requires at least a P/S11. You must have
upgraded your system somewhere along the line."
"Actually, I think the ship came already equipped with a P/S/11,"
Jack said. "I think what Uncle Virgil did was down grade the
designation plate."
"We've got a shuttle incoming from the northeast," Uncle Virge
reported. "The police are moving to intercept."
"That'll be mine," Harper said. "Or, rather, the one the Patri was
sending for me."
Jack sent him a sideways look. "Awfully nice of him."
"Relax; I'm not with them," Harper said. "Really. I just spun them
that yarn to get myself into the police station."
"Ah," Jack said, wondering whether to actually believe that. "He's
going to be furious when he finds out you killed three of his soldiers,
you know."
"No more
"With three dead Brummgas behind me?" Harper countered. "Don't be
ridiculous."
Jack hesitated. Harper was probably right about that.
Question was, could Jack and Draycos trust the man? Jack looked at
Draycos, but the K'da was looking back at him. Waiting for him to make the decision.
And as he gazed at those glowing green eyes, a memory popped back
into Jack's mind: he and Draycos on Sunright, with Jack unwilling to go
charging back into danger to rescue Alison and some of their fellow
Whinyard's Edge soldiers. A warrior does that which is right ,
Draycos had told him. Not because he may profit from it. Because it
is right .
If they left Harper here, the man was dead. Pure and simple.
Either by the hand of the Brummgan legal system or by the far more
personal hand of the Patri Chookoock.
And there was always a chance he and Harper were on the
same side. "Come on, then," Jack told him.
Turning back to the ruined wall, he steeled himself and leaped the
two feet across to the end of the ramp. Draycos was right behind him,
with Harper a close third. "We're in," Jack called toward the airlock's
camera/speaker/microphone module. "Close up and head to the roof."
"Right," Uncle Virge said.
"Wait a second," Harper protested as the ramp slid back into place
and the outer hatch closed. He started toward Jack, stopping abruptly
as Draycos stepped warningly into his path. "The roof ?"
"They'll be looking for someone running," Jack called back over
his shoulder as he headed for the cockpit. "So instead we go to ground."
The Essenay was already settling onto the roof beside the
police station's set of big relay dishes when Jack reached the cockpit.
"Hull-wrap on, everything else power crash-down," Jack ordered the
computer as he slid into the pilot's seat.
"Got it," Uncle Virge said, the cockpit's lights and power
indicators already winking out. "Jack, lad, bringing on another
passenger—"
"Save it," Jack said. He turned as Harper came up behind him,
Draycos close on his heels. "Just relax, Mr. Harper. It's under
control."
He saw Harper's eyes flick to the single part of the board still
showing indicators. "Chameleon hull-wrap?" he asked.
"That's right," Jack confirmed. "A very good one, too."
"It still won't fool them forever," Harper warned. "We may look
like a section of roof from above, but there's no way to hide the
ship's actual bulge from anyone looking straight across the rooftops at
us."
"We aren't going to stay here forever," Jack assured him. "As soon
as those fighters and police aircars get far enough away, we'll be
making a break for it."
"And at night a sideways look isn't going to do anyone much good
anyway," Uncle Virge added. "Trust me, we've done this before."
"I'll take your word for it," Harper said, glancing around. "I
give up. Where are you?"
"Uncle Virgil's not actually here right now," Jack said, tensing a
little as he always did whenever someone asked about his dead uncle.
"He just added a personality simulation to the computer so I wouldn't
get lonely when he was away."
"Interesting." Harper leaned over Jack's shoulder toward the P/S/8
designation plate on the computer-interface board. "That kind of
personality simulation usually requires at least a P/S11. You must have
upgraded your system somewhere along the line."
"Actually, I think the ship came already equipped with a P/S/11,"
Jack said. "I think what Uncle Virgil did was down grade the
designation plate."
"We've got a shuttle incoming from the northeast," Uncle Virge
reported. "The police are moving to intercept."
"That'll be mine," Harper said. "Or, rather, the one the Patri was
sending for me."
Jack sent him a sideways look. "Awfully nice of him."
"Relax; I'm not with them," Harper said. "Really. I just spun them
that yarn to get myself into the police station."
"Ah," Jack said, wondering whether to actually believe that. "He's
going to be furious when he finds out you killed three of his soldiers,
you know."
"No more
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