LINKS
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The Christa Affair
Chapter Forty-Nine
"I can't let you do it, Captain," said Tabor as he entered the room. "Somebody upstairs wants him alive." One of his weapons pointed at Karli, the other at Katya's back. "Get away from the console. Now! I don't want to kill her." Jashi felt sure the threat was directed at Karli.
Katya hadn't moved since the Federation agent first spoke; now he turned his attention to her. "Lose the hardware, Princess." Katya's Carlson bounced on the soft carpet; at Tabor's instruction she kicked it under the bed.
Tabor relaxed, but only slightly. His eyes darted warily about the room. They were all still either wearing or carrying a weapon of some sort, but no one moved. "What do you want?" asked Jashi.
"Only him."
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter, that's my deal. I've neutralized the crew of Licti's cruiser." He looked at his chronometer. "In five minutes the power will go out. It's storming out there. Getting across to the ship will be easy, and the big guns can't run on auxiliary power." There was a long silence. "Come on, Captain! It's your only way out of here and you know it! Surely he's not important enough to commit suicide for."
Jashi wondered absently if Tabor had been responsible for the power failure in Extasy, the night they had tangled with Pig-Mug and his friends. He realized he had no choice. "Okay," he said resignedly.
Tabor holstered his weapon. He walked to Katya, still standing where she had frozen when the agent entered, and forced her to the floor. Moments later he straightened; the Princess lay face down on the carpet, her arms bound behind her back with Silkk, her ankles lashed together with more of the same.
Tabor looked at Jashi. "You want to blow the transport facility, it's right thru there," he said offhandedly, indicating the door thru which he and Katya had entered the room -- the one that wasn't supposed to be there. He looked again at his chronometer. "You got four minutes till the power goes; if you're not back by then you'll be stranded."
Jashi inspected the small room beyond the door. It was featureless, and contained only a three-cavity transport facility and a multi-person lift-shaft extending downward thru the floor. The transporter was locked into a target location -- plainly labeled "Estara". "Roi, Toko."
"Jashi, our explosives are in the cases. They won't open, remember?"
Jashi's heart sank. Once again, fate had outwitted them. Not only was he going to loose Licti, they couldn't put the Estarani out of business either! "Use mine, Captain," Tabor yelled from the bedroom. "The grey bag, in the corner." Inside, Jashi found a high-yield thermonuclear device.
Jashi didn't like it. Karli didn't either; she protested vigorously. It's all we have, dammit! he responded in desperation; they both knew he was right.
Roi and Toko stepped into the transporter and vanished. The seconds ticked by. With Tad's help, Tabor had Licti rigged to travel, his bonds fashioned into a crude sling that Roi could strap across his shoulders; Licti was unconscious, victim of a hypo administered by Tabor. Joei was awake, groggy but rapidly becoming more alert; Jashi gave her another whiff of inhalant. He looked at his chronometer; it was going to be close. He wanted to ask about their parents -- knew it would have to wait till later -- and he wanted some answers from Tabor, too.
The final minute was half-gone when Roi and Toko reappeared. Their faces were ashen, but there was no time to inquire what they had seen. Jashi hoisted Joei to her feet; Roi shrugged into the jury-rigged harness, easily lifting the somewhat-abbreviated, newly-deposed King. They were ready to move. Tabor counted the seconds; at zero the lights went out, to be quickly replaced by the soft glow of the emergency system. Jashi hoped Tabor knew what he was talking about when he said the lift-shaft would run on standby power.
"Lets go!" ordered Tabor. "I secured the room at the bottom; won't be any trouble till we start for the ship. About three hundred yards straight east."
Roi stepped into the tube with his burden, followed by Tad and Toko; Jashi passed Joei into their care. "Right behind you," he said.
As they dropped away down the shaft, Tabor turned back to the bedroom. He walked to where Katya lay, bound hand and foot, and drew his weapon. Jashi was right behind him; he put his hand on the agent's arm as the muzzle came to bear on Katya's head.
Tabor shook him off roughly and stepped back; his Carlson now pointed at Jashi. "It's none of your affair, Captain." His eyes were cold, deadly. "I have my orders."
Jashi wondered \whose\ orders. No matter, he could tell the agent would kill \him\ if necessary. "Why?"
"I'm running out of time, Captain," Tabor answered icily. "If it matters, I \didn't\ betray you to the natives. There were some changes while I was away; the dissidents are all dead. If I hadn't climbed a tree for a better look, I'd have been staked out in that field right along with the rest of you." The agent paused, waiting. "I had nothing to do with DeCarlo's escape either," he added. "I was just as surprised as you. Now get out of my way!"
The idea of killing Licti didn't bother Jashi; killing DeCarlo hadn't either. Those they'd killed on the way up were just soldiers, or thugs -- Katya was a victim. (.... "Where are you, Captain?....") inquired Tad from below.
"Jash! Let's go!" called Karli from the entrance to the lift-shaft; still he hesitated.
Without warning Katya swung her feet at Jashi, catching him at the ankles with incredible force. She was moving even before he hit the floor; somehow, she had worked loose from her bonds. The sling of Jashi's alien weapon slid from his shoulder as he fell.
It was the fastest thing Jashi had ever seen in his life. In one incredibly swift move, Katya caught the weapon in mid air; she turned and shot Tabor thru the chest before the astonished agent could point and squeeze.
Jashi's own Carlson was exhausted. He scrambled toward his dead brother; they hadn't removed the gun from Rang's body. Already Katya's weapon was swinging toward him and he knew he would never make it. He remembered reading somewhere that a female Uzosi's reflexes were seven times faster than a Terran's. The Carlson came free and he rolled to face her, crouched on his knees.
Her haste spoiled her aim, or perhaps it was the sound of the lift-tube cycling as it deposited Toko and Tad in the adjoining room. The beam passed between Jashi's arm and his ribs. The stench of burnt flesh assaulted his nostrils and the pain was incredible; his arm hung by a thin strand of muscle, burned almost in two just below the shoulder. Jashi watched in horror as his Carlson slipped from the fingers of his suddenly-useless right hand. Karli's weapon cut Katya in half before she could fire again; Jashi recognized the telltale sound as the last of the charge drained from the powerpack.
It should have been over... It wasn't. Incredibly, Katya was still conscious. The beam of Karli's Carlson had cleanly severed her trunk at the waist; dying, and in unbelievable pain, the Princess managed one final act of defiance. Jashi watched in disbelief as she raised herself to her elbows, then fully upright. He saw the weapon as she brought it to bear between his eyes; he was powerless to stop her. His head exploded, and the lights went out.
CHAPTER FIFTY
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