Cobra Alliance

something approaching civilization before disappearing into the cultural depths.' He exhaled loudly, shaking his head. 'You win. Get out of there and forget your phone. You've got half an hour's head start before I notify Zhu's office that you're gone.'

'Thanks—I owe you one. And tell Zhu to relax—I'll be back in a week, and the Committe's hardly likely to be gone by then. He'll have plenty of formal dinners left to inflict on me.'

'I'll quote you exactly. So long.' Dyon disappeared from the screen.

Grinning, Jonny got to his feet, fingering the portable field phone in his belt. He could leave it behind, as Dyon had suggested... but even though he was no longer on round-the-clock call, he was still a Cobra. He compromised, switching the phone off but leaving it in his belt, and left his office.

Chrys was already in the anteroom, chatting with Jonny's assistant. 'All set?' she asked as he entered.

'All set,' he nodded. 'I'm officially off-duty, leaving the fate of Caravel District in Theron's capable hands.'

Theron Yutu grinned. 'With any luck the district'll still be here when you come back, Syndic,' he said. 'How off- duty are you?'

'I'm taking my phone, but it's going to be off,' Jonny told him. 'You reveal the override code to anyone short of a genuine emergency and I'll take you to Dawa District and let the gantuas walk on you.'

'A fate worse than debt,' Yutu agreed solemnly. 'Have a good time, sir; Mrs. Moreau.'

Chrys had left the car poised for a quick getaway, and a minute later they were driving through the moderate Rankin traffic, heading for the local aircar field. 'Any problem with Corwin I should know about?' he asked Chrys.

She shook her head. 'Tym and Sue said they can keep him overnight if we don't make it back by then. How about you? Any problems because of the other ship out there?'

He glanced at her. 'You never cease to amaze me, Hon—I just heard about that a few minutes ago myself.'

She smiled. 'That is all I know, though—the bare fact of a second incoming ship was coming through on Theron's net as I got to the office. Is it bad news?'

'Not as far as I know. There's a member of the Central Committee aboard who I gather wants to tour the Dominion's colonies out here. I've included myself out of any ceremonies for this next week.'

'I wonder if the Dominion's planning to cut our supply shipments,' Chrys mused. 'Or whether the Trofts are making trouble.'

'If there's anything I need to know, Theron can find me,' Jonny shrugged. 'Until then, let's assume the visit is just political and act accordingly.'

They reached the airfield a few minutes later, and a few minutes after that they were heading for Capitalia at a shade under Mach Two. There had been times—a lot of them, in fact—when Jonny had regretted accepting the position of syndic, of having exchanged the day-to-day problems of a single village for the executive headaches of an entire district. But having an aircar on permanent call was one of the spangles of the job that occasionally made it worthwhile.

Not having to risk his life fighting spine leopards and falx, of course, was another big plus.

The last of the star ship's passengers had been down for some time when Jonny and Chrys arrived at the starfield, but with processing and all the first of them were only then beginning to emerge from the entrypoint building. Taking up a position off to the side, they waited.

But not for long. Suddenly, Gwen Moreau was there... and Jonny, a corner of his mind still expecting the ten- year-old girl he'd left back on Horizon, nearly tripped over his tongue calling to her. 'Gwen! Over here!'

'Jonny!' she smiled, bounding over with an echo of the high spirits he'd always associated with her. For an instant he was tempted to respond by tossing her into the air, as he'd always done back home. Fortunately, probably, he resisted the urge.

The introductions and greetings were a flurry of smiles, hugs, and general giddiness. Chrys and Gwen had known each other well enough through tapes back and forth that the awkwardness Jonny had half feared never materialized. Gwen asked about her nephew, was assured he was like any other two-year-old—except smarter, of course—and Jonny was just turning to lead the way out when she stopped him with a hand on his arm and a mischievous grin. 'Before we go, Jonny, I've got a little surprise for you,' she said. 'Someone I met on the ship who's going to be working in the same town I am.' Her eyes flicked over his shoulder.

A ship-met fiance? Jonny thought. He turned, expecting a stranger... and felt his mouth drop open. 'Cally!'

Cally Halloran's grin was a thing of truly massive proportions. 'Hi, Jonny. Damn, but it's good to see you.'

'Same to you with spangles,' Jonny grinned. 'Chrys, this is Cally Halloran, one of my teammates in the Adirondack war. I thought you and Imel were planning to stay in the Army for the rest of your natural lives.'

'Imel's still there,' Halloran nodded, 'but you clowns out here gave the brass too many ideas of what Cobras could be used for. I finally had one Iberiand forest-patrol mission too many and put in for a transfer here.'

'If you're expecting palace guard duty work in Dawa District, you can forget it,' Jonny warned. 'Chances are you'll be doing jungle duty and heavy manual labor besides.'

'Yeah, but here I'll at least be working more on my own, without some middle-level Army officer looking over my shoulder.' He waved a hand skyward. 'Or maybe even get to help open up a new world like you did.'

'Palatine and Caelian?' Jonny shook his head in mild disgust. 'You want Army thinking, there it is in spades. We've barely got a third of Aventine even surveyed, let alone settled, and they open up beachheads on two other worlds. Talk about straining resources and manpower—especially Cobra manpower—'

'Jonny,' Chrys interrupted smoothly, 'you promised you wouldn't plunge us into Aventine's politics for at least the first hour. Remember?'