The Aftermath

for a tight laser beam transmission,” he said. It was a statement, not a question.

“You want to speak to your mother and sister?” asked Elverda.

Theo nodded. “I want to let them know I’m alive, without that Valker or his crew hearing me.” Silently he added, But I don’t know how long I’m going to stay alive. The two of us—Dorn and me—against ten of them.

Dorn was standing behind Elverda, in the command chair, moving his prosthetic arm in a circle, testing its bearings.

“Do you know how to activate the laser?” Elverda asked Theo.

“Yes ma’am,” he replied, his fingers playing across the console’s keyboard. Looking up at the comm screen he saw the battered hulk of Syracuse looming close enough almost to touch. A tiny red dot showed where the laser was aimed. Theo played the controls, marching that red dot across the vessel’s curving hull until it locked onto the optical receiver built into the backup control pod. The dot suddenly changed to green and Theo pressed the key that opened the communications link to the receiver.

Okay, he said to himself. Nobody hears this except Mom, on the receiving end of the laser beam.

“Mom, Angie,” he called. “It’s me, Theo. I’m on Hunter. They picked me up after Valker’s thugs tried to kill me. I’m okay. I’m coming back to help you.”

No response. Theo pressed the repeat key, but still there was no answer from Syracuse.

“They’re not in the control pod, I guess,” Theo said, as much to himself as to Elverda and Dorn. “But the intercom should relay the message.”

* * *

Victor was weighing the possibilities. That’s definitely another ship attached to Syracuse, he told himself. On his main display screen he could see the smaller vessel linked to Syracuse like a lamprey eel that’s attached itself to a hapless fish.

And there’s Hunter, heading in.

He couldn’t be patient any longer. He got up from the bridge’s command chair and went to the communications console.

“Attention Syracuse,” he said, his voice brittle with tension. “This is Pleiades. I heard your call and I’ll rendezvous with you in…” He glanced at the digital clock readout on the screen. “… in seventy-eight minutes.”

* * *

Pauline was in the locker area just outside Syracuse’s main airlock, checking the seals and connections of Angela’s suit, when the intercom speaker in the overhead announced, “incoming message.” She ignored the statement. Getting Angie suited up and ready to escape the ship was more important.

“Another message,” Angela said. “That makes two.”

Satisfied at last that her daughter’s suit was spaceworthy, Pauline reached for the leggings of her own suit and sat on the bench that ran in front of the lockers.

“Never mind the messages,” she said. “The important thing is to get off this ship before Valker comes back.”

Angela stood stiffly in the cermet suit, the visor of her bubble helmet raised.

“But aren’t you going to check the messages?” she asked.

“They’re probably for Valker, from his crew.”

“But—”

“There’s nobody out there to send messages to us, Angie,” Pauline said, grunting with the effort of tugging on her heavy boots.

“Maybe it’s from that other ship heading toward us,” Angie insisted.

Pauline almost smiled. She’s still young enough to hope for a miracle.

“That’s the Hunter. The only people aboard her are an old woman and a priest. I’m hoping that we can get to them before Valker seizes their ship. Maybe we can get away on their ship, if we’re lucky.”

Angela gave her mother her stubborn scowl and clomped to the comm panel mounted on the bulkhead. “It wouldn’t hurt to hear what they’re saying,” she said, holding her gloved hand up to the panel.

She’s right, Pauline realized. Shrugging, she said, “Go ahead, then.”

Angela pressed the comm unit’s on button and said, “Play first message, please.”

They heard, “Mom, Angie. It’s me, Theo. I’m on Hunter. They picked me up after Valker’s thugs tried to kill me. I’m okay. I’m coming back to help you.”

“Theo!” both women cried in unison.

“He’s alive!”

“He’s coming back!”

Pauline redoubled her efforts to get into her suit. “We’ve got to get to him before Valker’s crew takes over that ship,” she said.

“We should send him a message,” said Angela. “Warn him.”

“No, we can’t do that,” Pauline countered. “Valker and his people would hear any message we sent, unless we used the laser unit and that’s back in the pod.”

“Besides, we need Hunter close enough for us to get to,” Angela agreed.

“That’s right.” Pauline added silently, But not so close that Valker and his scavengers get to her first. She slipped into the hardshell torso and Angela came away from the comm panel to help her seal it to the leggings.

* * *

Back on Vogeltod’s bridge, Valker listened to Victor Zacharias’s message.

“Pleiades!” he exulted. “That’s a fine ship. And there’s only one man aboard her, a thief, at that.”

“Unless he’s picked up a crew,” Kirk muttered.

“Good point,” said Valker. “Let’s break out the weapons.”

Like everything else aboard Vogeltod, the weapons supply was a hodgepodge of pieces stolen, scavenged, or bartered from other ships. There were four genuine laser pistols, complete with compact power packs attached to their belts. There were two cumbersome laser welders that could cut metal and easily slice flesh, although it took two men to carry each one of them and their bulky power packs. There were a variety of tools such as cordless drills and wrenches that could be used as knives or bludgeons. There was even an old-fashioned air pistol that fired tranquilizing darts, although Valker wondered if the tranquilizer was still potent after all the years the darts had lain unused. Finally, there was a belt of minigrenades, powerful enough to blow down an airlock hatch.

Valker looked over his grinning crew, each of them now carrying sidearms or tools-turned-weapons strapped to their hips. Two of the men hefted one of the bulky laser welders and its power pack between them. Valker himself had taken a laser pistol and flung the belt of minigrenades across his broad shoulder.

“You look like a band of real fierce pirates,” he said, laughing.

“We’re ready for anything,” said Kirk, brandishing a power drill whose bit was almost as long as his forearm.

“Yeah!” Nicco agreed. “And after we’ve taken these two ships, we get the two babes. Right?”

Valker had to force his smile, but he said, “Right.”