nobody salutes anybody whenever we're out of the ship."
"I know, sir."
"I'm sure you do, but since the guy who gets saluted instantly has a bull's-eye pinned on his back, I hope you don't mind my repeating it."
"Yes, sir. I mean, no, sir." Pampas looked flustered. "I mean . . ."
"It's okay, Bull. Just relax and get on down to the shuttles."
"Aren't you going there?"
"I was, but I thought of one last thing I have to do. I'll be down shortly."
He stopped at the airlift and contacted the bridge.
"Christine, is Val there yet?"
"Right here," said the Valkyrie's voice, and a moment later her image replaced Christine's.
"This figures to be absolutely routine," said Cole. "I don't know what the hell Lafferty feels we had to come all the way out here to see, but we've checked it out and the whole system looks to be deserted except for Lafferty's ship. We'll be taking off in the shuttles as soon as we get to the asteroid belt, and we'll land wherever he wants us to. I don't know how long we'll be on the ground, but I can't imagine it'll be more than twenty minutes, maybe half an hour. Should be a piece of cake."
"Fine," said Val. "Now tell me why you contacted me."
"It looks to be routine, but I could be wrong. I'm going to feed a seven-digit code into the computer. That'll serve as our password. When we come back, if we can't supply it, blow the shuttles to hell and gone."
"Wait a minute, Wilson!" said Sharon's voice.
"What is it?"
"What if you're incapacitated? Does anyone else know this code? You can't program it into the shuttle, because that way the shuttle will respond no matter who's aboard it."
"Good point," acknowledged Cole. "I'll give it to Jacovic and Braxite as well." He paused. "I'm going down to the shuttle bay. I'll feed you the code once I'm onboard the Kermit."
Cole entered the airlift and floated down to the shuttle bay on an almost-solid cushion of air. I can remember when visiting a friend in an isolated, deserted star system wasn't a military operation fraught with security concerns , he thought, and wondered if it would ever be that way again.
"Everybody aboard?" he asked as he entered the Kermit.
"Yes, sir," said Braxite. "Commander Jacovic showed up about a minute ahead of you. He's in the Archie."
"Fine," said Cole. "Let's go."
As the Kermit took off, Cole sent the code back to the ship's computer, then relaxed as they began following Lafferty's ship.
"What do you suppose we're going to see, sir?" asked Braxite.
"Beats me," said Cole. "If I knew what it was, I'd probably have told Lafferty that it wasn't worth a trip out here." He stared at asteroids in the viewscreen. "I keep wondering what the hell you can find or hide in an asteroid belt."
"We'll find out soon enough, sir," said Braxite. "He's slowing down."
A small two-man shuttle emerged from the belly of Lafferty's ship. "We're just about there," said his voice. "Follow me."
"We've been following you," said Cole irritably.
"See that golden one off to starboard?" said Lafferty. "That's our destination."
"It's a big one," remarked Cole. "Are we landing there?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Jacovic, have your crew get into their space suits." He turned to his own crew. "You do the same."
"Very slowly now," said Lafferty, "or you might overshoot it."
"Overshoot what?" said Cole.
"You'll see."
Lafferty's shuttle began circling the large golden asteroid, with the Kermit and the Archie following him. Finally he slowed down even more, and then landed.
"Preparing to land, sir," said Idena Mueller, who was at the controls. "I still don't see what's there."
"We'll find out soon enough," said Cole, testing his suit's oxygen. "Put me through to the Archie , coded and scrambled."
"It's done, sir."
"Jacovic, this is Cole. I want you to start lagging behind."
"Do you want us to go into orbit, sir?" asked Jacovic.
"No, I don't think so. I've walked into my share of traps, and this just doesn't feel like one. Just stay about two minutes behind us.
"I know, sir."
"I'm sure you do, but since the guy who gets saluted instantly has a bull's-eye pinned on his back, I hope you don't mind my repeating it."
"Yes, sir. I mean, no, sir." Pampas looked flustered. "I mean . . ."
"It's okay, Bull. Just relax and get on down to the shuttles."
"Aren't you going there?"
"I was, but I thought of one last thing I have to do. I'll be down shortly."
He stopped at the airlift and contacted the bridge.
"Christine, is Val there yet?"
"Right here," said the Valkyrie's voice, and a moment later her image replaced Christine's.
"This figures to be absolutely routine," said Cole. "I don't know what the hell Lafferty feels we had to come all the way out here to see, but we've checked it out and the whole system looks to be deserted except for Lafferty's ship. We'll be taking off in the shuttles as soon as we get to the asteroid belt, and we'll land wherever he wants us to. I don't know how long we'll be on the ground, but I can't imagine it'll be more than twenty minutes, maybe half an hour. Should be a piece of cake."
"Fine," said Val. "Now tell me why you contacted me."
"It looks to be routine, but I could be wrong. I'm going to feed a seven-digit code into the computer. That'll serve as our password. When we come back, if we can't supply it, blow the shuttles to hell and gone."
"Wait a minute, Wilson!" said Sharon's voice.
"What is it?"
"What if you're incapacitated? Does anyone else know this code? You can't program it into the shuttle, because that way the shuttle will respond no matter who's aboard it."
"Good point," acknowledged Cole. "I'll give it to Jacovic and Braxite as well." He paused. "I'm going down to the shuttle bay. I'll feed you the code once I'm onboard the Kermit."
Cole entered the airlift and floated down to the shuttle bay on an almost-solid cushion of air. I can remember when visiting a friend in an isolated, deserted star system wasn't a military operation fraught with security concerns , he thought, and wondered if it would ever be that way again.
"Everybody aboard?" he asked as he entered the Kermit.
"Yes, sir," said Braxite. "Commander Jacovic showed up about a minute ahead of you. He's in the Archie."
"Fine," said Cole. "Let's go."
As the Kermit took off, Cole sent the code back to the ship's computer, then relaxed as they began following Lafferty's ship.
"What do you suppose we're going to see, sir?" asked Braxite.
"Beats me," said Cole. "If I knew what it was, I'd probably have told Lafferty that it wasn't worth a trip out here." He stared at asteroids in the viewscreen. "I keep wondering what the hell you can find or hide in an asteroid belt."
"We'll find out soon enough, sir," said Braxite. "He's slowing down."
A small two-man shuttle emerged from the belly of Lafferty's ship. "We're just about there," said his voice. "Follow me."
"We've been following you," said Cole irritably.
"See that golden one off to starboard?" said Lafferty. "That's our destination."
"It's a big one," remarked Cole. "Are we landing there?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Jacovic, have your crew get into their space suits." He turned to his own crew. "You do the same."
"Very slowly now," said Lafferty, "or you might overshoot it."
"Overshoot what?" said Cole.
"You'll see."
Lafferty's shuttle began circling the large golden asteroid, with the Kermit and the Archie following him. Finally he slowed down even more, and then landed.
"Preparing to land, sir," said Idena Mueller, who was at the controls. "I still don't see what's there."
"We'll find out soon enough," said Cole, testing his suit's oxygen. "Put me through to the Archie , coded and scrambled."
"It's done, sir."
"Jacovic, this is Cole. I want you to start lagging behind."
"Do you want us to go into orbit, sir?" asked Jacovic.
"No, I don't think so. I've walked into my share of traps, and this just doesn't feel like one. Just stay about two minutes behind us.
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