uncooperative waste recycler back in the hygiene suite. Come on, show me something I want to see.
The VoidCorp ships closed in, the corona discharge around their guns flickering hotter. They're afraid, Gabriel thought suddenly. They're afraid. They don't quite know-
White fire went off so close to Gabriel, out the cockpit window, that for a moment he thought it was Helm again, appearing to drop one last cherry bomb. But this was somehow much bigger. Gabriel turned in his seat to see, not a kilometer from him, such a blaze and fury of starrise as Corrivale had never witnessed. Whole oceans of white fire streaked and rolled around a shape many times larger than even the biggest of the VoidCorp ships. It was tremendous, the kind of size that makes you think it is going to fall over on you even though you're in zero-g. Sunshine was a bumble bee beside her bulk, a huge behemoth with six outriggers supporting weapons pods themselves the size of the smaller VoidCorp vessels. It took something like a minute before the fire of her starrise drained and vanished away. 'This is the Concord dreadnought CSS Trader Dawn,' said a calm voice down comms. 'We are here to assist the Phorcyn and Inoan ships Glatha, Orniol, Enryn and Meshugga and the Phorcys-registered ship Sunshine with their emergency relocation of the free sesheyan colonists of Rhynchus. We are carrying the final thousand free sesheyans, evacuated just before the last of the planet's atmosphere became unbreathable. Under Concord statute, a disaster of planetary proportions automatically invokes General Order Eighteen, requiring all vessels within one starfall to render assistance. Do you wish to render assistance, VoidCorp vessels?'
The silence that followed the question was eloquent. Gabriel took what he thought might be his last couple of breaths before becoming superheated plasma.
'Concord vessel,' said the VoidCorp vessel after a moment, 'these ships are carrying sesheyans who are former undocumented VoidCorp Employees. The Treaty of Concord requires that they be turned over to the Company for reassignment or cancellation of contracts forthwith.' Gabriel swallowed, knowing what 'cancellation of contracts' meant in this context. 'On the contrary,' said another voice, and Gabriel's mouth abruptly went dry. 'This is Lorand Kharls, Concord Administrator for this area, aboard Trader Dawn. I regret to inform you, Flag Captain Nil 47 01GBH, that your claim over these sesheyans is unsubstantiated. If you had knowledge of such a group of 'escaped' Employees, you should have previously filed a request with the Council for their recovery and repatriation under the appropriate articles of the Treaty of Concord. Unfortunately you have filed no such request, not so much as a request for the assignment of a fact-finding team, which the Concord would certainly have honored and investigated through the correct channels. Instead, you have merely turned up in this system and begun attempting to bully independent operators from another system who have been engaged in a massive and difficult humanitarian effort organized in response to an appalling natural emergency that will itself require investigation. Perhaps you would like to assist us with that?' Another of those silences. 'Administrator,' said the voice from the biggest ship finally, 'we contest your claim.'
'Contest away,' said Kharls, 'but do so through channels, because, by my oaths, if you attempt to do it here and now, my judgment of all the parties involved is already on file with the Concord. In implementing that judgment, I would not leave one of your ships' atoms sticking to another, or those of anyone in your ships, either. Just so that you understand my intentions. I would dislike having to implement a judicial decision on someone incapable of understanding it.' You could just hear the cold smile. 'Not that I would fail to implement such a decision, I would simply dislike doing so. You do understand?'
A long silence. 'I believe we do, Administrator.'
Another long silence. Gabriel waited for the shooting to break out.
'Then get out of here,' Lorand Kharls said, 'and go file your forms. I'll see you in court-if you dare.' The pause that followed was very long indeed, and Gabriel wondered whether someone on board the biggest ship was thinking, Oh, why not? This is as good a day to start a war as any other. Then the biggest ship made starfall. Slowly it sank into drivespace, the light sheeting violet-blue around it as it vanished, a subdued color of retreat, of defeat.
Not permanent, Gabriel thought. No one would be so foolish as to think that. But right now, even temporary was better than nothing.
'Refugee vessels,' said Trader Dawn comms, 'you are invited to make planetfall on Grith at Diamond Point where immigration formalities will be completed. And welcome.'
There was a muted cheer from the backmost sections of Sunshine where the young sesheyans were not quite clear what was happening, except that it sounded like they had won.
Gabriel sat back in his chair and breathed out a breath he realized he had been holding for a long, long time.
Enda collapsed her side of the fighting field and got up, looking out at the great ruddy disk of Hydrocus. 'If you need me,' she said, 'I will be using the sanitary facilities.'
Gabriel laughed and turned back to the tank-then blinked, for the symbol for incoming comms from a Star Force vessel was there. He reached into the tank and told it 'go.' The tank cleared. A moment later, Elinke Dareyev was looking at him.
Gabriel stood up. Partly from respect, partly ... He glanced over his shoulder, saw Enda was still standing there. 'Captain,' she said.
'I see he hasn't gotten you killed yet,' Elinke said.
'I do not expect that outcome,' said Enda. She bowed politely and took herself away down the hall. 'I just wanted you to be clear about something,' Elinke said. 'It was none of my intention to save you. None whatsoever, and I wish to God I had had no part in this operation or in saving your lying, guilty skin. If I had my druthers, you would be roasting in whatever hell is reserved for marines who betray their brothers and sisters.'
'Your druthers aside, Elinke,' Gabriel said, 'if you're suggesting that you grudge the rescue of three thousand sesheyan refugees just because I happened to be involved, then you are in need of professional help. Better go find some while you still have time.' With some satisfaction he watched her bristle, but the satisfaction was sad.
She just looked at him for a moment, then finally said, 'From now on, stay out of my way.' 'I was doing my best,' Gabriel said, 'but I can't help it if you keep following me around.' She reached out to cut the connection.
'That night in Diamond Point,' Gabriel said. 'After the restaurant. You were there in the street.' Elinke stared at him. 'So?'
'Thanks,' Gabriel said, 'for checking to see if I survived.' She sniffed and cut the link.
A few minutes later, Enda came back into the room behind him. 'Well,' she said, 'I suppose that was unavoidable.'
'Maybe so, but there's still one problem.' 'What would that be?'
'I didn't see her there that night. I see her there now-that is, I remember her being there as if I'd seen her, but that night-I never saw her at all.' Enda looked at him thoughtfully.
'Interesting,' she said. 'Now just where have you put my squeeze bottle?'
Chapter Nineteen
THE NEXT FEW days were fairly hectic, spent partly in Diamond Point and partly in Redknife. Gabriel finally got to meet Helm in person and shake him by the hand, though he was apparently mortified beyond belief to have missed the final showdown at Corrivale by a matter of minutes. 'Damned drivespace error,' he muttered over a drink with Gabriel and Enda down in 'the shed' in Redknife.
'Lose some of those guns,' Gabriel suggested. 'Lighten your ship a little. Less error.'
'You were pretty glad about those guns when they saved your hide,' Helm said.
Gabriel pushed him in the shoulder in a friendly way. 'I'm kidding you. Helm. We couldn't thank you enough if we both had a fraal's lifetime.'
'Not your debt,' Helm said. 'I'm going to take it out of Delde Sola's hide when I see her. Someday you may owe me something else, and then watch out.' He drank a long draft of his drink, swore briefly at the heat, and then asked, 'Where you going now?'
'We haven't decided yet. Some possibilities have been presenting themselves. Maybe we could go over to Algemron, do some courier work.'
'Courier work is crap. Why not come do armed escort with me?' 'We don't have that kind of weaponry.'
