Up top, I threw myself into the train and onto a cushioned seat, ignoring the stares from Cities folk at a woman tech in this part of town. The Boulevard began to flash by the windows.
I thought: I wonder what’s happening on the Kestrel.
Chapter 15
Aboard the RS Kestrel, trouble was happening. Captain Nestra stood in the power room, assessing the damage. “Whatever happened to quality control?” she inquired laconically.
The power room supervisor felt his earn bum. “This is hardly my fault, Captain. It’s a new panel. They’re supposed to be good for a thousand entries.”
“It wasn’t, though, was it? All right, citizen, why don’t you see what you can salvage of the mess. Officer Rami?”
Choris Rami, a set look on her young, well-scrubbed face, came over to stand beside the Captain.
“It looks like we’re not going home this way. We’ll have to turn back to Baret Station, we’ll never make a gravity landing. You know what this will do to the schedule.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“We’re gong to have a bunch of unhappy people here. Let ’em vent as much steam as they want, and assist them in filing their complaints. At least half of ’em will want to. Right?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“And now we’ll have to send a message to those other unhappy folks, back home, and listen while they tell us it’ll go on all our records.” She sighed and turned to leave, but Officer Rami spoke up.
“We can’t notify them, Captain, the transceiver’s on the blink.”
The Captain stopped. “Since when?”
“It was reported two hours ago.”
“Rami, m’dear, what are the odds on a landing panel and a transceiver going out at the same time? Hmm? And you didn’t think to tell me about it sooner?”
“Captain, the transceiver is down about half the time anyway. It’s a piece of junk, sir—I’m quoting yourself.” The Captain stood there with a look of distant thought on her face more appropriate, Rami thought, to a garden back home than a system transport. Then she said gently, “That spy I like. Teal, or Tall—”
“Tal Diamond.”
“Bring him out here, Rami.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ten minutes later Tal was brought in. His hands were bound, humanely, in a stretch-loop. Rami said, “He hasn’t been out. I checked the door-seal—there was a mark we left when we closed it up, and it was still there.”
“Hello, Officer Diamond.”
“Hello, Captain.”
She glanced to the panel. “We’ve had a bit of trouble here.”
Tal took a step closer an looked it over. “It doesn’t look good. I’m not much of a technical expert, though, being from the Three Cities. Sorry I can’t help you.” She smiled. “I wasn’t gong to ask you to repair it, officer. We don’t put prisoners on work detail here. It’s against Bureau of Transport rules.”
“Oh.”
“Besides, repairing it will give my power room supervisor something to do while he’s thinking of how to make this sound plausible in his record.” The supervisor glanced over at them from where he stood by the panel. He did not look happy, or patient with the Captain’s style of speech.
“Then, may I ask—”
Just then the supervisor pried open the panel door with a metal pick, in one massive levering-off that contained all the frustrations of his day. The panel fell open. The circuit-glow inside ignited into a fireball, and pieces of red-hot metal and melting plastic exploded over the room. A jagged piece of metal, about the size of a large ring, was on a trajectory for Tal. He knocked it aside, simultaneously reaching with his other hand to deflect a piece of inner paneling that was about to hit the Captain’s face. He dropped the piece a half-second later, and clasped the burnt hand with his other one.
Captain Nestra and Officer Rami hit the floor, a bit late. The explosion was over. They lay there for a few seconds, then looked up at Tal, who said, “I think that’s it.”
They stood up again, the Captain with some difficulty. She got to one knee and held out a hand for Tal to assist her the rest of the way. He did so.
Officer Rami was untouched. The supervisor had a piece of metal half-buried in his shoulder. “Call Medical,” said the Captain.
Tal said carefully, “I believe that significant portions of equipment are booby-trapped by your own government. As a guard against terrorism. I’ve heard that your people are supposed to follow certain procedures in opening up such equipment, which I did not note your supervisor to do, or the results—”
“Shut up, Diamonder. I’m not blaming you for this one.
Tal shut up. The Captain continued to stand there, obviously playing back everything in her mind. “You saved my life, or from certain injury.”
It was not phrased as a thank you. Tal did not reply. “You shouldn’t have been able to, Officer Diamond.” He shouldn’t have been able to. He’d reacted too quickly for a human—so quickly that they hadn’t even been able to take in what he’d done till now. No doubt he should have let that piece hit the Captain, but he’d been acting on reflex at the time. The Captain continued, “Officer Rami, check his bonds.”
Rami looked over from where she’d been examining the supervisor’s wound. “They’re not broken, Captain.”
“They’re stretched beyond the point they should be. He needed both hands a certain distance apart, to help both himself and me. Was this loop set for humans?”
“Of course, Captain.” But Rami came over, felt the loop dangling from Tal’s wrists, and looked at him, puzzled.
“And there we are,” said the Captain softly.
Sounds came from out in the corridor; Medical was already on its way. The Captain said, “I want our guest to have a full physical examination, Rami. And a security watch.”
Tal waited, feeling as naked as if he’d taken out his lenses in public—something he had never done, even as a child.
Rami said, “Captain, that seal on his door was unbroken. If there’s somebody else running around the ship doing sabotage—”
“I know. We’re going to put a watch on
