The Devil's Eye

'What kind of ships?' 'All kinds. Cruisers, escorts, destroyers- thousands of them.' 'Hell, that's good news. Belle, the Confederacy has come to the rescue, after all.' 'Chase, they're not Confederates. They're Mutes.'

FORTY-TWO

Whatever happens from this moment on, Holly, remember that I was here when you needed me.

- Nightwalk

'Belle, are they reacting to us?'

'They know we're here.'

'Okay, give me manual.'

'You have it.'

They were all around us. None that I could see without the scopes. But the kinds of weapons these

things carried made that dim consolation. 'Let me know if we light up, Belle.'

'Of course.'

'Okay, give me a channel to the station.'

'You're open.' 'Samuels, this is the Belle-Marie . Approaching from Sanctum. What is status, please?' 'You'll have to get in line, Belle- Marie . We see you. Hold steady on present course. I'll give you instructions in a few minutes.'

'Ops, I'm out here surrounded by Mutes.'

'That's affirmative. Don't worry about it.'

'Why not?'

'They're here to help.'

'How do you know?'

'They said so.'

'You believe them?' 'What's the alternative?' He signed off. Moments later he was back. 'You're Chase Kolpath, right?'

'Yes.'

'Okay. We're going to move you to the front of the line, Kolpath. You're being taken off assignment. We'll have a replacement waiting. When you dock, please report to the ops center.'

'Samuels, can you tell me why?'

'Don't know why, ma'am. Just come on in.'

The head of the line doesn't mean a whole lot when you're two days out. But I proceeded accordingly. On the way in, I picked up reports that the evacuation was going to go a lot more quickly, and that work was moving ahead on a second, larger, space station. Meanwhile, more shuttles were coming online. Spaceports were being designated around the globe, where landers could descend to pick up passengers. Ships coming in from the Assemblage had already arrived at Sanctum, carrying supplies and engineers. I got in as quickly as I could, burning extra fuel on the way, and reported to the chief of the watch. He said he was proud to meet me, told me a private shuttle was waiting, and handed me two sealed envelopes. One contained the following: Celebration tonight (the 20th) at the Sariyavo Hotel. Your attendance mandatory. Congratulations. Tao Kilgore.

'You Sirian Koslo?' I asked. He grinned 'Yes.' 'Thanks.' 'My pleasure. Go get 'em, Chase.' The other was from Alex: Chase, they're telling us that if you make a reasonable jump, you'll be able to get to the Sariyavo for the party. If not, the Administrator promises me they'll throw another one tomorrow. Or over the weekend. Or whatever it takes. You're the lady of the hour.

If the situation had improved, I wouldn't have known it charging through Samuels. The children were still there, surrounded by dismayed adults, waiting for their rides to arrive. There was still only a handful of Mutes in the concourse. And, considering the way the locals steered clear of them, it was just as well. I was halfway to the shuttle launch area when two CSS agents scooped me up. 'Heard you were on the way, Ms. Kolpath,' one of them said. 'If you'll follow us, please.' I love playing the VIP. They opened the hatch for me, the pilot asked to shake my hand, and they provided a box of goodies to munch on on the way down. My luggage arrived, and they stowed it in cargo. Was there anything else they could do for me? 'Sure,' I said. 'What's it about?' 'You don't know?' 'Should I?'

'Chase, you're the woman who brought the Mutes.'

There were no other passengers. As soon as I was belted down, we were on our way. We passed through some storm clouds and arrived at the Marinopolis spaceport in a driving rainstorm. They transferred me to a government skimmer, and we took off and headed east toward the center of the city. Fifteen minutes later we landed on the roof of what I assumed to be the Sariyavo, where I was handed over to two other agents. They collected my luggage, refused to allow me to touch it, took me inside, down one floor, and opened a door to a luxury suite. Lights were on, candy had been placed on the bed, music was playing softly. 'Your room while you're here, ma'am,' one of them said. She opened a closet to reveal an exquisite black gown. 'I think you'll find it's the right size.' 'It's nice,' I said. And I know that was a dumb response, but I wasn't functioning at full capacity. 'They're just getting started in the main ballroom. When you're ready, call us, and we'll escort you down.' She smiled. 'Take your time. The party won't really start until you get there.'

I could hear the noise before I got out of the elevator. Music. People laughing and cheering. The agents took me to the entrance and turned me over to one of the best-looking guys I've ever seen. Mash Kavalovski. He was the son of a treasury secretary from one of the associated states. The music stopped, and the crowd cleared a space for us. He kissed my hand, and said he was honored to meet 'the hero of the hour.' A cheer went up. A few Mutes were sprinkled through the crowd. Times were changing quickly. Mash danced with me while everybody backed away. Then they all joined in. When the music stopped, Mash handed me over to Alex. 'Alex,' I said, 'how've you been? I missed you.' He was all smiles. 'I missed you, too, love. How was life with the Transit Authority?' Somebody brought me a purple-colored drink that left me feeling as if I owned the world. There were more introductions to people from around the globe. To more people from the Confederacy. To fleet officers. And to Mutes, some in uniform, some not. Eventually I wound up back in Mash's arms. 'Chase,' he said, 'I don't suppose I could talk you into running off to the Golden Isles, could I?' I wasn't very familiar with what passed for dancing in Marinopolis, but I'm fairly flexible. Mash and I were gliding around the floor when the music changed tempo, slowed, and switched to 'Time of Glory.' It was the cue for the Administrator to make his entrance. And there he came, through a side door, still in conversation with someone. He broke it off quickly, mounted a rostrum, and waited for quiet. The music stopped. Everyone turned to watch. 'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,' he said. 'I'd like to welcome you all to this special celebration in honor of some very special people. These have been a pretty happy few weeks. And we have more good news tonight. 'The good news first: The Confederacy has announced that the bulk of its fleet is being committed-' It was as far as he got. The crowd applauded loudly, and for several minutes it would not stop. Finally, when it did, he proceeded: '-The bulk of the Confederate fleet, virtually all of it, is coming here to assist us-' The applause started again. Kilgore tried to continue, but his voice got drowned out. The crowd was out of control, cheering, clapping, embracing each other. I got hugged and kissed and passed around, and I didn't mind it a bit. Eventually he got control: '-There's more-' he said. 'Ladies and gentlemen, it's my happy duty to inform you that we believe we now have the resources to put a shield in front of the world. Even as we speak, work has begun.' If the other announcements had gotten everyone excited, that one blew the roof off. The Administrator took a few sheets of notepaper from his pocket, glanced at them, shrugged, and put them back. It was, I thought, not a time for details. While the hall continued to rock, he shook hands with everyone he could reach, including several of the Mutes. Those who were not in fleet uniforms wore brilliantly colored robes. I knew enough about them now to understand bright colors reflected good times.

Eventually, the audience subsided. 'There's something else,' he said. 'The Coalition wants to recognize some