evolved slowly from human stock during their long adaptation to the crushing stresses of spaceflight. But as quick and strong as she was, she could not begin to match the tremendous power and durability of the Kelvessan, that space-faring race known as the Starwolves. Theirs was an entirely artificial biochemistry, able to endure the flesh- ripping accelerations of their swift fighters and carriers, possessing speed-of-light reflexes and the strength to function under crushing G’s. Hers was only nature’s best mimicry of their artificial perfection.
The Starwolves had been created in the depths of time five hundred centuries before, as the last, desperate attempt of the fading Terran Republic to resist the tyrannical conquests of the Union. And after all that time, both they and their ancient war still existed, the Starwolves winning every battle, but lacking the independent initiative to pursue the war to its conclusion. The Starwolves had themselves been evolving with time, only now achieving the self-possession to determine their own future plans, and the first thing they desired was an end to this long, pointless war.
It seemed that both sides were equally determined to have a final end to this long conflict. The Union was dying, ravaged from within by genetic deterioration. It had its own brutal plan to save themselves, but they first had to be rid of the distraction of the Starwolves. The last battle had begun, and Lenna had been a part of it from the first when she had been a stowaway on the carrier Methryn. She had stayed on as their expert spy, able to go places where their elfin faces and double sets of arms would betray them immediately for what they were.
But now times had changed, and the old days were gone forever. She had left the Methryn over a year earlier, having decided to stay with her mate Tregloran when he had gone over to be the captain of the newly-built Vardon, leaving Velmeran and Consherra and all of her old friends. She thought that she would still be seeing enough of them, considering how closely the two ships would surely be working together. Tregloran was himself no longer the eager, awkward boy she had first met, but the calm, rational leader he had been trained to become, in most ways a lesser copy of Velmeran himself. It was hard enough to have a relationship with someone of a completely different species, although people in every sense of the word had been doing that for a very long time. Part of the problem was in having a mate who was still very young, while she watched her comparatively short time slipping by.
Lenna looked up, checking their approach on the scan monitor. The ship was making a secret approach, dropping out of starflight well short of its destination, then coasting in at high speed, braking gradually only near the end of its run. As an atmospheric-capable missile carrier, the aging ship did possess rather antiquated stealth capabilities, at least as far as Union technology had been capable of achieving. Certainly it lacked the ability to cloak like the big Starwolf carriers. They could not hope to remain undetected all the way in, but this tactic might allow them to get fairly close. Then they would break for a rapid dash in, accomplish their mission, and retreat as fast as that small but spirited stardrive would carry them.
“There’s a lot of natural debris in this system,” the captain offered, glancing at her over the back of his seat. “We could still swing back out and hide ourselves, in case you need us.”
Lenna shook her head firmly. “They would know that you hadn’t left and that would put them on their guard. Besides, they’re subtle, I can tell you, waiting to pounce on you when you least suspect.”
He shrugged. “I just want it understood that we’re willing to do that for you, if it would help. You’re a long way from home, and no one has told me how you plan to get out again.”
“No?” Lenna was surprised; security dictated that outsiders, even these allies, should know as little as possible of secret missions. But things had gone a little too far. “Bill has an achronic transceiver all his own. Once we discover what we’re after, we’ll call in the Starwolves to take care of things.”
Lenna did not really care to talk about a coming mission this late in the game. She knew the plan already, but even after all these years she was still subject to stage fright. Things had been much easier when she had only worked alone or with Starwolves, but that had not lasted long.
The Union was losing its internal battle of control; it’s bold but wholely unnecessary program of mass sterilization had been predictably very unpopular. More and more colonies and impoverished fringe worlds were turning to the Starwolves to support their dangerous bids for independence. In the past ten years, a broad underground network of rebellious spies and quiet saboteurs had extended deeply into even the inner worlds.
This little freighter had been called up just for her use from the underground; she had been working with their people quite a lot over the past few years. Most often she pretended to be one of them, hiding her association with the Starwolves. Rebels were occasionally caught, and she did not want the Union to learn that the Starwolves were using a spy who actually lived and worked with them. A large part of her unique advantage was that no one had ever expected her existence, more than human but less than Kelvessan and well able to live with either race. Even the two crewmembers of this little ship had no idea of her name or past, just as she knew nothing about them.
As often as she had been through this before, she still worried about these two. While she might be going into a secret enemy stronghold, it was possible they had the more dangerous part. They had to get in close enough to put her and Bill overboard and then disguise that landing by drawing attention to themselves, leading the inevitable attack away by staying out of starflight until the last possible moment. Only a stingship could follow this swift freighter into starflight; at least they did not have to worry about those vicious ships, which lacked the support of a local orbital base.
Of course, the Union was far from defeated, having made strong gains of its own. The worlds it had lost were not missed, for the most part. It had been more a case of trimming the fat, minor distractions that had been turned into major liabilities for the Starwolves to protect. The consolidation of their military command under Donalt Trace had been tremendously beneficial to their defensive efficiency, and the new fleet of Fortresses was a threat even the Starwolves had to consider. There were now twenty-five of the immense ships, two more than the current number of operational Starwolf carriers, and Trace was bringing them into the fleet at the rate of just over one a year.
And now what? There was a secret Union base on this glacier-locked world, but the Starwolves had known that for decades and, seeing no danger in it, had politely pretended ignorance. Lately there had been rumors of an inordinate amount of activity at this supposedly small and remote base, that had been going on for years. There were rumors of a new super-weapon developed by the Union to defeat Starwolves, one that Commander Trace felt would end the war in a matter of weeks. There were even rumors, which had since been confirmed, that Donalt Trace came here as often as he could manage. A Starwolf drone had tracked his ship to this world, and every indication was that he was still here.
“You worked with the Starwolves before?” the captain asked, realizing too late that he had been indiscreet. “No, forget I said that. Starwolves make good allies, but it’s dangerous to be involved in their business. But I suppose that I don’t have to tell you that.”
Lenna shrugged. “With what I’ve been involved in, I don’t see how I could be in any more trouble, if the Union ever did catch me. I’ve been into quite a lot of mischief over the years, which they probably put down to quite a few very different people. I try never to show them the same face twice.”
“Sorry?”
Lenna shrugged again, disinterested in this subject. “You’d never recognize me yourself, if you did happen to see me again.”
That was true enough. The Starwolf medics she had worked with over the years had learned a thing or two about humans, or at least about Traders, a related but radically different subspecies, to which she belonged. She was no longer completely dependent upon unreliable cosmetics. At that moment she was several shades darker than her usual self, and the light-sensitive contact lenses meant to protect her eyes from snow blindness had also changed their color to black.
The main scanner made a small but insistent beep, demanding attention. Lenna glanced over the back of the captain’s seat. A small ship was closing quickly from behind, still moving in from one side.
“That’s it,” he said, indicating the ghostly image. “I don’t yet know what, but something is definitely after us. Do we go ahead and attempt our run?”
“How far do we have to go?” Lenna asked, seeing only one ship about the size of their own freighter on the scan.
“Not that far, but it will take some smart flying or they’ll have us for sure.”
Lenna considered that briefly, and waved the pilot out of his seat. “Let me take over — I’m of Trader stock. As long as this ship can take it, I can outfly anyone they could be sending against us.”
“This old bird can take it,” the captain agreed as he turned over his place to her without question, moving
