daughter, Alacrity realized. Energy bolts were exchanged below; beams in various hues and intensities lanced up at them, making molten metal run and spit from the railings and grating.
"Ho, she's dead."
Floyt got his arm under the blond head, trying to gather her up. A brief burst of flechettes from below spattered against the adit ceiling behind them. "At least let's get her out of the line of—"
A mixed barrage of solids and energy hit the catwalk, and Alacrity, amazed in its aftermath that they file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (31 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
were untouched, saw when arguing was no good any more. He wrestled Floyt loose and propelled them both back up the steps.
"I'm all right. I'm all right." Floyt clapped Alacrity's shoulder tiredly. "We have to help Redlock and Dorraine."
"Ho, we owe Redlock for his help, and I guess we both have kind of a crush on Dorraine, but King's Ransom ought to be here any second. We're only gonna get in the Celestials' way."
"Then why didn't Redlock wait?"
"Huh? I guess he—I—damned if I know."
"They're going to blow the place up. Maybe if you'd looked around a little more instead of gaping at the harp, you'd have noticed."
Alacrity let loose his hold on his friend as the enormity of it hit him. "No! They can't!"
Charges were plastered all over the vault. "Probably the only reason they haven't been detonated's because the governor's got the intruders bottled up in here. The only way Redlock can win is keep them pinned down till help comes. I wonder how he knew?"
Alacrity glanced over the woman's body. "And his rearguard's dead."
Floyt hiked himself up. "I think two of the Severeemish are dead or wounded down there; I couldn't get a good look, with all the firing and the obstacles."
They studied their options. Floyt thought he caught a glimpse of Dorraine; Alacrity saw a dark figure in a chinstrapped battle helmet—not one of the Pearl's landing party—who snapped off a round with an energy rifle of some kind, then ducked back under cover, all too fast for Alacrity to get off a shot.
There were coruscations of crossfire and ricochet; panels blew out in showers of sparks and liquefied metal and glass. Bullets sent fragments whining. The noise was appalling.
A number of triangular passageways ran from the vault off the lowest level of catwalk. It looked like the surviving intruders were withdrawing into two of these.
As Floyt watched, Dorraine fired down a tunnel with one of her lovely little imitation derringers. It gave a high report and a more powerful beam than he'd expected. Redlock was by her side, and they advanced into the tunnel, from which came sounds of more shooting. A quiet descended on the vault itself.
"We can at least give the wounded a hand," Floyt said, starting to get up. Alacrity, who'd been making frantic adjustments to his pistol, caught Floyt's sleeve and pointed to a lift. In seconds they were dropping to the bottom level, crouched behind the lift's gates.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (32 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
A hasty scatterbeam shot splashed off the vault wall near the lower catwalk. They couldn't see where it had come from, and could only hope it had been stray fire from an intruder in one of the tunnels.
When they reached the bottom, they found that one of the wounded Severeemish was Seven Wars. A short distance away lay the body of one of the Corporeals—the Severeemish bodyguards. A flechette burst had ripped his tough skin; his blood looked altogether human.
Floyt and Alacrity, weapons ready, squatted next to Seven Wars. He was barely conscious, clutching a deep wound in his side.
"See what you can do," Alacrity said. Extremely jittery, he went to make sure the immediate area, at least, was
"Ho, she's dead."
Floyt got his arm under the blond head, trying to gather her up. A brief burst of flechettes from below spattered against the adit ceiling behind them. "At least let's get her out of the line of—"
A mixed barrage of solids and energy hit the catwalk, and Alacrity, amazed in its aftermath that they file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (31 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
were untouched, saw when arguing was no good any more. He wrestled Floyt loose and propelled them both back up the steps.
"I'm all right. I'm all right." Floyt clapped Alacrity's shoulder tiredly. "We have to help Redlock and Dorraine."
"Ho, we owe Redlock for his help, and I guess we both have kind of a crush on Dorraine, but King's Ransom ought to be here any second. We're only gonna get in the Celestials' way."
"Then why didn't Redlock wait?"
"Huh? I guess he—I—damned if I know."
"They're going to blow the place up. Maybe if you'd looked around a little more instead of gaping at the harp, you'd have noticed."
Alacrity let loose his hold on his friend as the enormity of it hit him. "No! They can't!"
Charges were plastered all over the vault. "Probably the only reason they haven't been detonated's because the governor's got the intruders bottled up in here. The only way Redlock can win is keep them pinned down till help comes. I wonder how he knew?"
Alacrity glanced over the woman's body. "And his rearguard's dead."
Floyt hiked himself up. "I think two of the Severeemish are dead or wounded down there; I couldn't get a good look, with all the firing and the obstacles."
They studied their options. Floyt thought he caught a glimpse of Dorraine; Alacrity saw a dark figure in a chinstrapped battle helmet—not one of the Pearl's landing party—who snapped off a round with an energy rifle of some kind, then ducked back under cover, all too fast for Alacrity to get off a shot.
There were coruscations of crossfire and ricochet; panels blew out in showers of sparks and liquefied metal and glass. Bullets sent fragments whining. The noise was appalling.
A number of triangular passageways ran from the vault off the lowest level of catwalk. It looked like the surviving intruders were withdrawing into two of these.
As Floyt watched, Dorraine fired down a tunnel with one of her lovely little imitation derringers. It gave a high report and a more powerful beam than he'd expected. Redlock was by her side, and they advanced into the tunnel, from which came sounds of more shooting. A quiet descended on the vault itself.
"We can at least give the wounded a hand," Floyt said, starting to get up. Alacrity, who'd been making frantic adjustments to his pistol, caught Floyt's sleeve and pointed to a lift. In seconds they were dropping to the bottom level, crouched behind the lift's gates.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (32 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
A hasty scatterbeam shot splashed off the vault wall near the lower catwalk. They couldn't see where it had come from, and could only hope it had been stray fire from an intruder in one of the tunnels.
When they reached the bottom, they found that one of the wounded Severeemish was Seven Wars. A short distance away lay the body of one of the Corporeals—the Severeemish bodyguards. A flechette burst had ripped his tough skin; his blood looked altogether human.
Floyt and Alacrity, weapons ready, squatted next to Seven Wars. He was barely conscious, clutching a deep wound in his side.
"See what you can do," Alacrity said. Extremely jittery, he went to make sure the immediate area, at least, was
Similar Books
