Alice grabbed the gun, and as her fingers closed on the grip she felt a fierce surge of triumph. That was it! She'd won! She could take Darting back to Chirless in chains, or tied up with a piece of rope at least, and Alice was just picturing the medal she'd receive when the ship's thrusters came on with a thundering roar. Startled, she glanced down through the hatch, and saw the choppy surface of the ocean approaching at terrifying speed.
Darting was still pinned to the roof, but before they could grab her and drag her to safety, the ship began to slow. Despite the anti-gravity, Alice felt a huge weight on her shoulders, and her knees threatened to buckle under the strain.
That was nothing to Darting's problems, though. There was a blur as the older woman went straight though the hatch, arms and legs flailing, and Alice had one final glimpse of her enemy's shocked face before Darting vanished against the vast, empty ocean.
The ship's thrusters continued to roar, slowing the ship's plunge towards the water. Finally, they stopped falling, and as they started to rise again, Alice slammed the hatch and sealed it. Then she glanced at Ben, who looked pale and shocked. "You all right?" she asked him.
He stared at her. "She … fell out," he said at last. "She's gone!"
"Yeah." Alice paused. "At least I kept my promise."
"What promise?" asked Ben, his voice rising. "What are you talking about?"
"I said I'd drop her off at the nearest planet."
Chapter 28
"I think she's their leader," muttered Birch, indicating a red-headed woman stepping out of a van. "I saw her ordering them around earlier."
The woman had one arm in a makeshift sling, and there was a heavy bruise on the side of her face. She held a blaster in her free hand, covering Harriet.
"You can put that away," said Harriet. "Darting agreed to a deal. It's over."
"Sure. I believe you." The woman nodded to her men, and they fanned out, guns at the ready.
Harriet saw her own people aiming weapons, and she realised one itchy trigger finger could lead to a massacre. "Lower your weapons," she said calmly.
"No chance," said the woman.
"I was talking to my people." Harriet turned slowly, and motioned with both hands. "Everyone, weapons down. It's time to talk."
They obeyed, and Harriet turned to the redhead. "Believe me, the shooting is over. Darting's on her way to another planet."
"She'd never surrender!" The woman's grip tightened on her gun. "Did you kill her? Is that it?"
"Why don't you call her? She'll confirm everything I'm saying."
Slowly, the woman took out her commset. She dialled, and waited, but there was no reply. After directing a glance laden with suspicion at Harriet, she tried again. Again, there was no reply. "It says it's out of range."
"Right." Harriet indicated the empty building behind her. "If we'd killed her, you'd be able to hear it ringing."
The woman came to a decision. "Say we talk. What do you want?"
"Nothing. Take that freighter of yours and leave this planet."
"How can we trust you?"
"I give you my word," said Harriet calmly. "Take your wounded and leave this planet for good. My people won't harm you."
"That's it?"
'That's it." Harriet paused. "But if you come back, we'll arrest every last one of you, and you'll spend the rest of your lives in jail. This planet is under Peace Force protection, and you're not welcome."
The woman eyed her thoughtfully, then ran her gaze over Harriet's people. Finally, she stared at Bernie, who stood nearby like a walking, talking battle tank. Harriet knew the robot had to be running on the last dregs of her charge, but the enemy didn't.
"It seems you have a deal," said the woman at last, and she gestured at her people. Harriet sent Birch to fetch the prisoners they'd taken during the attack, then watched as they trooped across the expanse of land towards the redhead. Then, all of the enemy got back into the vans, and with a roar from the engines and a squeal of tortured tyres, they were gone.
"Phew," said Harriet, with feeling. "That was close."
"I don't mean to be picky," said Moira, "but shouldn't you have arrested them?"
"I didn't want to push my luck. They could have slaughtered us where we stood, and if Darting found out her people had taken the planet that would have been it for Alice and Ben, too." Harriet glanced at the sky, concerned. She had no idea how long it would take Alice to drop Darting off, and —
Rrrinnggg!
Harriet felt in her pocket, and took out her commset. "Hello? Alice?"
"Hi sis. Just letting you know we're on the way back."
Harriet's stomach dropped. "What do you mean? We made a deal with Darting!"
"Don't worry, she's out of the picture." Alice hesitated. "Are you still near that dump of a shopping mall?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Hold tight, I'll be back in ten. And Harriet?"
"Yes?"
"Tell the others it's over. We won."
Harriet disconnected. She wasn't sure quite how Alice had managed it, but her sister seemed absolutely positive Darting wouldn't be a problem any more. With a rush of relief, she turned to the others and gave them the good news, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face as they raised their weapons and cheered.
— ♦ —
Harriet sat beside Alice as the jet flew everyone to the Chirless Peace Force station. Ben was in the back, crammed in with the rest of the Peace Force people, and Harriet couldn't help noticing he looked pale and drawn. Alice was her usual chirpy self, but there seemed to be a dark undercurrent to her mood.
"All right. What happened?" Harriet asked her. "Where did you drop Darting off?"
Alice winced. "You
