«Captain?»
«What's the problem, Katherine?»
«You've got to get back to the ship. Now, Captain, and make sure Victoria doesn't come with you.»
«Why?»
«Captain, this is Karl. I accessed the analysis network; the satellites are looking for pitchblende, not gold or platinum. Antonio's people are terrorists, they want to build fission bombs.»
Marcus focused his collar sensors on Victoria, who was waiting a couple of metres down the corridor. «Where's Schutz and Wai?»
«On their way back,» Katherine datavised. «They should be here in another five minutes.»
«OK, it's going to take me at least half an hour to get back.» He didn't like to think about climbing fourteen flights of stairs fast, not in this gravity. «Start prepping the ship.»
«Captain, Karl thinks they're probably armed.»
Marcus's communication block reported another signal coming on-line.
«Karl is quite right,» Jorge datavised. «We are indeed armed; and we also have excellent processor blocks and decryption programs. Really, Captain, this code of yours is at least three years out of date.»
Marcus saw Victoria turn to face him. «Care to comment on the pitchblende?» he asked.
«I admit, the material would have been of some considerable use to us,» Jorge replied. «But of course, this wreck has changed the Confederation beyond recognition, has it not, Captain?»
«Possibly.»
«Definitely. And so we no longer require the pitchblende.»
«That's a very drastic switch of allegiance.»
«Please, Captain, do not be facetious. The satellites were left on purely for your benefit; we didn't wish to alarm you.»
«Thank you for your consideration.»
«Captain,» Katherine datavised. «Schutz and Wai are in the airlock.»
«I do hope you're not proposing to leave without us,» Jorge datavised. «That would be most unwise.»
«You were going to kill us,» Karl datavised.
«That is a hysterical claim. You would not have been hurt.»
«As long as we obeyed, and helped you slaughter thousands of people.»
Marcus wished Karl would stop being quite so blunt. He had few enough options as it was.
«Come now, Captain,» Jorge said. «The
«We've fought. But only against other ships.»
«Don't try and claim the moral high ground, Captain. War is war, no matter how it is fought.»
«Only when it's between soldiers; anything else is terrorism.»
«I assure you, we have put our old allegiance behind us. I ask you to do the same. This quarrel is foolish in the extreme. We both have so much to gain.»
And you're armed, Marcus filled in silently. Jorge and Antonio were supposed to be inspecting decks twelve and thirteen. It would be tough if not impossible getting back to the airlock before them. But I can't trust them on
«Captain, they're moving,» Katherine datavised. «The communication block in stairwell three has acquired them, strength one. They must be coming up.»
«Victoria,» Jorge datavised. «Restrain the Captain and bring him to the airlock. I advise all of you on the ship to remain calm, we can still find a peaceful solution to this situation.»
Unarmed combat programs went primary in Marcus's neural nanonics. The black, featureless figure opposite him didn't move.
«Your call,» he datavised. According to his tactical analysis program she had few choices. Jorge's order implied she was armed, though a scan of her utility belt didn't reveal anything obvious other than a standard fission blade. If she went for a gun he would have an attack window. If she didn't, then he could probably stay ahead of her. She was a lot younger, but his geneered physique should be able to match her in this gravity field.
Victoria dropped the sensor block she was carrying, and moved her hand to her belt. She grabbed the multipurpose power tool and started to bring it up.
Marcus slammed into her, using his greater mass to throw her off balance. She was hampered by trying to keep her grip on the tool. His impact made her sway sideways, then the fierce xenoc gravity took over. She toppled helplessly, falling fast. The power tool was swinging round to point at him. Marcus kicked her hand, and the unit skittered away. It didn't slide far, the gravity saw to that.
Victoria landed with a terrible thud. Her neural nanonics medical monitor program flashed up an alert that the impact had broken her collarbone. Axon blocks came on-line, muting all but the briefest pulse of pain. It was her programs again which made her twist round to avoid any follow-on blow, her conscious mind was almost unaware of the fact she was still moving. A hand scrabbled for the power tool. She snatched it and sat up. Marcus was disappearing down a side corridor. She fired at him before the targeting program even gave her an overlay grid.
«Jorge,» she datavised. «I've lost him.»
«Then get after him.»
Marcus's collar sensors showed him a spray of incendiary droplets fizzing out of the wall barely a metre behind him. The multipurpose tool must be some kind of laser pistol. «Katherine,» he datavised. «Retract
«Acknowledged. How do we get you back?»
«Yes, Captain,» Jorge datavised. «Do tell.»
Marcus dodged down a junction. «Have Wai stand by. When I need her, I'll need her fast.»
«You think you can cut your way out of the shell, Captain? You have a fission blade, and that shell is held together by a molecular bonding generator.»
«You touch him, shithead, and we'll fry that fucking wreck,» Karl datavised. «
«But do you have the command codes, I wonder. Captain?»
«Communication silence,» Marcus ordered. «When I want you, I'll call.»
• • •
Jorge's boosted muscles allowed him to ascend stairwell three at a speed which Antonio could never match. He was soon left struggling along behind. The airlock was the tactical high ground, once he had secured that, Jorge knew he'd won. As he climbed his hands moved automatically, assembling the weapon from various innocuous-looking pieces of equipment he was carrying on his utility belt.
«Victoria?» he datavised. «Have you got him?»
«No. He broke my shoulder, the bastard. I've lost him.»
«Go to the nearest stairwell, I expect that's what he's done. Antonio, go back and meet her. Then start searching for him.»
«Is that a joke?» Antonio asked. «He could be anywhere.»
«No, he's not. He has to come up. Up is where the airlock is.»
«Yes, but—«
«Don't argue. And when you find him, don't kill him. We have to have him alive. He's our ticket out. Our only ticket, understand?»
«Yes, Jorge.»
When he reached the airlock, Jorge closed the inner hatch and cycled the chamber. The outer hatch dilated to show him the
«This is a no-win stand-off,» he datavised. «Captain, please come up to the airlock. You have to deal with
