War Of Honor

grinned at Llewellyn again, 'let the exec take his pinnaces out and play Preston of the Spaceways shooting up her impeller rings with their lasers.'

'Oh, frabjous day!' Llewellyn murmured.

'I see you're really looking forward to it,' Ferrero observed, and Llewellyn chuckled. Then the captain turned to Communications. 'Are you ready to transmit, Mecia?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Then go ahead. And just to be certain they get the point, Shawn, lock them up with your fire control lidar and stand ready to fire that warning shot.'

'Aye, aye, Ma'am.'

Lieutenant McKee leaned closer to her microphone. 'Sittich, this is the Royal Manticoran Navy cruiser Jessica Epps. You are instructed to reduce acceleration to zero, cut your wedge, and stand by to be boarded for routine search and examination.'

The crisp, uncompromising demand went out over a directional com laser. It was extremely unlikely that Governor Chalmers would fail to realize what was happening when Jessica Epps boarded the false Sittich, but it was remotely possible. Harris' fire control systems were more likely to be detected by the system sensor arrays than McKee's communications laser, and if Ferrero actually had to fire a warning shot, the detonation of its warhead would definitely give the game away. But if she could keep Chalmers from figuring out what was happening, he was much more likely to be sitting there, still all fat and happy, when the warrant for his arrest arrived from the Confed government.

And slaving is probably the one thing that will actually get a Silly governor arrested, she reflected. Not that what passes for a government out here really has any particular moral objection to it. It's just that the Queen has made her own feelings on the trade abundantly, one might almost say painfully, clear. And no Silly in his right mind wants to cross her or her Navy on this one. Besides—

'Incoming message!' McKee announced suddenly, and something about her tone snapped Ferrero's head up. She spun her command chair back towards the com officer.

'It's—' McKee broke off and looked up at her captain, eyes huge in surprise. 'Skipper, it's Hellbarde!'

'Hellbarde?!' Ferrero stared at the lieutenant for perhaps three seconds, then darted an accusing look at her tactical plot. There was no sign of the Andermani cruiser on it.

'Shawn?' she snapped.

'I don't know, Skipper!' the tac officer replied. 'But I'm on it.'

His hands were already flying across his console as he, his ratings, and CIC went suddenly to a full-press sensor sweep. They were no longer trying to creep quietly up on an unsuspecting prey, and their active arrays lit up surrounding space like a beacon.

'Skipper, you'd better listen to this,' McKee said urgently, pulling Ferrero's attention back from the tactical section.

'Put it on speaker,' Ferrero instructed.

'Aye, aye, Ma'am.'

There was a brief moment of silence, and then a familiar, harsh-accented voice banished it.

'Jessica Epps, this is Hellbarde! You are instructed to shut down your targeting systems and break off your approach immediately!'

'Shut down—?' Ferrero looked up at Llewellyn.

'Another incoming message,' McKee broke in before the exec could reply. 'This one's from 'Sittich.' '

'Speaker,' Ferrero snapped.

'Jessica Epps, this is the Andermani merchant ship Sittich! What seems to be the problem? Sittich, clear.'

'Another from Hellbarde, Skipper,' McKee said, and Ferrero gestured for her to put it on speaker, as well.

'Jessica Epps, this is Hellbarde. Shut down your targeting systems now!'

'Got her, Skipper!' Harris announced, and Ferrero looked back down at her plot as a bright red icon abruptly appeared. It was no more than ten million kilometers behind Jessica Epps, only a little over half a light-minute, and Ferrero swore mentally. No matter how good the Andies' new stealth systems might be, there was no way Hellbarde should have been able to get in that close without being detected on passives even with Jessica Epps under complete em-con!

'Skipper, Sittich is transmitting again,' McKee reported.

'Her acceleration is climbing, too, Ma'am,' Harris added. 'She's up to three-point-two KPS squared.'

'Instruct her to heave to immediately, Mecia!' Ferrero snapped.

'Aye, aye, Ma'am.'

Ferrero rubbed her forehead, her brain racing. Obviously, Hellbarde had followed them to Zoraster—probably to continue her provocative harassment. And because Jessica Epps had been concentrating so hard on being unobtrusive while she lay in wait for the slaver, she hadn't realized Hellbarde was even there. But why was she interfering like this? Unless —'Tell Hellbarde to stand clear!' she said sharply. 'Inform her that we're stopping and investigating a suspected slaver!'

'Aye, aye, Ma'am.'

McKee started speaking rapidly into her microphone once again, and Ferrero grimaced at Llewellyn.

'Gortz is looking for another opportunity to harass us, and I'm not in the mood for it this time,' she half- snarled.

'Skipper,' the exec said, 'it's possible he thinks we're the ones doing the harassing.'

'Give me a break, Bob! We're conducting a completely legitimate search of a suspected slaver using a false transponder code, and Gortz damned well knows it! Unless you want me to think we have better sensor data on Andie merchant ships than an Andie warship does!'

She snorted contemptuously at the notion.

'Jessica Epps, shut down your fire control! We will not warn you again!' the voice from Hellbarde snapped.

'Skipper,' McKee said urgently, 'we've just picked up another transmission from 'Sittich'! Hellbarde's transmitting omnidirectional, and they must have picked it up. They're hailing her and asking for protection.'

'Well,' Ferrero said, 'they're nervy bastards, I'll give them that!'

'What if Gortz believes them?' Llewellyn asked.

'Ha!' Ferrero replied. Then she shook her head. 'On the other hand, it would suit the Andies just fine to pretend they believed it. Long enough to twist our tails, anyway! Record for transmission to Hellbarde, Mecia.'

'Recording, Ma'am.'

'Captain Gortz, this is Captain Ferrero. I don't have time for your stupid games today. I've got a slaver to board; if you want to talk about it later, I'll consider it then. Now break off and get the hell out of my way!'

'Recorded, Ma'am,' McKee said, and Ferrero hesitated for just an instant as she realized she was even angrier than she'd thought. It showed in both her choice of words and her tone, and a small voice in the back of her brain told her she should reconsider before she sent it. But it was a very small voice, and she decided to ignore it. It was about time Kapitan zur Sterne Gortz and the other arrogant pricks aboard IANS Hellbarde got a dose of their own enlightened communications technique! What were they going to do about it at this range, anyway? With Jessica Epps' overtake advantage, she'd have reached and boarded 'Sittich' by the time Hellbarde could get into her missile range of Ferrero's ship.

'Ma'am, 'Sittich' is transmitting to Hellbarde again. She says we've threatened to fire into her if she doesn't stop.'