The Man-Kzin Wars 02

“The Boy Scout? Not on your life—”

“You can give it to me. No, don't move, any of you.” The voice came from, the transfer booth behind them. A woman's voice, sneering but triumphant.

“Efficient as usual,” Montferrat said, with a fired slump of the shoulders. “Allow me to introduce my ambitious chief assistant.”

“Indeed, dear Chief,” Axelrod-Bauergartner said as she strolled around to where everyone was visible. The chunky weapon in her arms was no stunner, it was a strakkaker, capable of spraying them all with hypervelocity glass needles with a single movement of her finger. “Drop it, commoner,” she continued in a flat voice. “Thanks for disarming the Chief.”

Yarthkin's stunner fell to the ground. “Did you really think, Chief, that I wasn't going to check what commands went out under my codes? I look at the events record five times a day when things are normal. Nice sweet setup, puts all the blame on me… except that when I show the kzin your bodies, I'll be the new commissioner.”

The tableau held for a moment, until Montferrat coughed. “I don't suppose my clandestine fund account?” He moved with exaggerated care as he produced a screenpad and light-stylus.

Axelrod-Bauergartner laughed again. “Sure, we can make a deal. Write out the number, by all means,” she taunted. “Porkchops don't need ngggg.”

The stylus yawped sharply once. The woman in police uniform fell, with a boneless finality that kept her finger from closing on the trigger of the weapon until her weight landed on it. A boulder twenty meters away suddenly shed its covering of vegetation and turned sandblast-smooth; there was a click and hiss as the strakkakers magazine ran empty.

Yarthkin coughed, struggled not to gasp. Montferrat stooped, retrieved his stunner, walked across to toe the limp body. “I knew this would come in useful,” he said, tapping the captured hgbt-pencil against the knuckles of one hand. His eyes rose to meet Yarthkin's, and he smoothed back his mustaches. “What a pity that Axelrod-Bauergartner was secretly feral, found here interfering with the Hunt, a proscribed weapon in her hands… isn't it?” His gaze shifted to Ingrid and Jonah. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

The woman halted for an instant by Yarthkin. “Hari—” she began. He laid a finger across her lips.

“G'wan, kid,” he said, with a wry twist of the lips. “You've got a life waiting.”

“Wait a minute,” she said, slapping the hand aside. “Murphy's Balls, Hari! I thought you'd grown up; not enough, evidently. Make all the sacrificial gestures you want, but don't make them for me.” A gaunt smile. “And don't flatter yourself, either.”

She turned to Jonah, snapped a salute. “It's been… interesting, Captain. But this is my home… and if you don't remember now why you have to get back to the UN, you will.”

“Data link—”

She laughed. “It would take hours to squirt all that up to Catskinner and you know it. Get moving, Captain. I'll be all right. Now go.”

He started to protest and his finger throbbed unbearably. “All right, but I'll wait as long as I can.”

“…You’ll do nothing of the sort.”

He hesitated for a second more, then walked to the transfer booth.

Ingrid turned to face the two men. “You males do grow up more slowly than we,” she said with a dancing smile in her eyes. “But given enough time… There are some decisions that should have been made fifty years ago. Not many get another chance. Where are we going?”

Montferrat and Yarthkin glanced at each other, back at the woman with an identical look of helpless bewilderment that did not prevent the policeman from keying the booth.

“All three of us have a lot of catching up to do,” she said, and disappeared.

“Well.” Montferrat said dazedly. “Well.” A shake of his head. “You next.”

“Where did you send her?”

Montferrat grinned slightly. “You'll just have to trust me to send you there, too, won't you?”

“Claude—”

“You've been there. My family's old lodge. I've kept it hidden from— from everyone.” He laughed slightly. “You've already had a head start with her. A few more days won't matter. But when I get there, I'll expect equal time. Now get moving, I have to set the stage.”

“Better come now.”

“No. First I see that the Sol-Belter gets offworld. Then I fix it so we can follow. Both will take time.”

“Can you bring that off, Claude?”

“Yes.” He straightened, and the look of the true Herrenmann was unmistakable. “It's good to be alive again”.