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guard on the harborside of the ice-rigger. They would approach undetected.
Then it was time for Ethan to mount Hunnar's back again and a moment later the
entire party was moving out onto the ice. Hunnar lifted his arms, letting his
outstretched dan catch the wind. Ethan could feel them picking up speed,
accelerating steadily, until they were chivaning silently across the harbor.
The layer of melt water which covered the surface slowed them somewhat and
Ethan readied himself for a fall or two, but the Tran adapted to the presence
of the water well and had no difficulty in maintaining their balance.
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deluge
Hunnar's guess proved correct. As they neared the great icerigger even the
most myopic among them could see that the railings and masthead lookout bins
were unoccupied. Ship slept as soundly as city.
Jacalan and his companions kept throwing nervous glances in the direction of
the buried installation they'd just fled, only to be reassured by the
continued absence of flashing lights or blaring alarms. Their departure had
yet to be detected, and it would be hours before anyone needed to check the
dormitory in person. If all went well aboard the icerigger, by breakfast time
they would have left the harbor behind and would be flying across open ice.
The more kilometers they could put between themselves and Yingya-pin before
their escape was discovered, the better their chances of outdistancing one of
the short-range skimmers.
Hunnar turned and let Ethan slide down. It was hard to walk on the ice in
survival suit boots but not impossible. The layer of water didn't make things
any easier.
They had to move more cautiously than usual. The sound of so many feet
sloshing about seemed deafeningly loud to Ethan.
Half the loyal Tran began to climb the boarding ladders cut into the ship's
side while the rest chivaned beneath the hull. They would board from the
starboard side. A third group led by Skua September headed for the dock. They
would silence any guards ashore and then give a signal, whereupon the final
attack on the icerigger would begin.
Unfortunately, Corfu's minions were neither as lazy nor sleepy as everyone
hoped.
Instead of continued silence, the night air was broken by a hoarse scream.
Ethan tellSbd at the faint, unmistakably whispery hiss of a beamer being
fired. Hunnar muttered something incomprehensible in Tran and started up the
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boarding ladder nearby. No point in holding back now. Staring into the
darkness Ethan could see the soldiers and sailors of the Slanderscree climbing
frantically and knew that on the starboard side of the ship others would be
doing likewise. They outnumbered the mutineers, but that was no guarantee of
success. They had no way of knowing how many guards Corfu had put aboard the
ship itself or what type of armament they carried.
He found himself scrambling up the roughhewn steps, up over the railing and
out onto the moonlit deck. Muffled sounds filtered up from below where what
fighting there was was taking place. He immediately rushed to the far rail and
stared toward the city. Shouts and yells came from the small building at the
far end of the dock where the guards had barricaded themselves. The occasional
flash of a beamer was shockingly bright against the night. Lights were already
appearing in other buildings as those awakened by the noise fumbled for their
lamps. Anxiously he glanced up and back toward the mountain that dominated the
far side of the
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deluge harbor, but there was still nothing to indicate that the alarm had been
carried to their captors.
Dissension and fighting were as natural to the Tran as eating and sleeping.
With luck anyone observing the goings-on in the city would put it down to
normal internecine argument. It couldn't have anything to do with the recently
acquired prisoners. After all, didn't the security monitor continue to show
the captured visitors from Brass Monkey sleeping soundly in their beds?
No, there was no re"ason to believe the nocturnal ruckus was due to anything
out of the ordinary. Even if word eventually reached Massul fel-Stuovic or
Corfu it would take time to raise the alarm up at the underground
installation. Unless
Bamaputra's allies had the use of a communicator. Even if they did, it would
take a while to wake someone like Antal who had the power to make decisions.
His attention was drawn to an alien shape emerging from belowdecks nearby.
Moonlight glanced off a sword wet with blood. Seeing the look on his face,
Elfa hastened over to reassure him.
"Little enough killing there has been. We surprised them in their hammocks.
The traitors Kilpit and Mousokka were in Ta-hoding's cabin. Among those who
remained true there was some sentiment for butchering them all, but Hunnar,
sweet-tongued devil that he is, insisted that those who rebelled had been
swayed as much by the difficulties of the long journey as by this merchant
Corfu's offer and that they might be reinstated as crew once again. Until we
can be sure of them each will be watched over by one whose fealty is not in
doubt. Those who offered no resistance and have expressed remorse will be
given this opportunity. Myself, I think my mate too compassionate, but we need
every hand we can get." She gestured toward the mainmast, where sailors were
braving the frigid wind as they fought to set sail.
Others wrestled to bring in the ice anchors while Ta-hoding supervised the
hasty splicing of the severed steering cables. Ethan ran to watch. September
joined them a moment later, breathing hard.
"You didn't surprise them," Ethan said accusingly.
"Sometimes your target ain't as cooperative as you'd like. That's the real
world for you, feller-me-lad." Behind the survival suit's visor his eyes shone
like tiny echoes of Tran-ky-ky's moons. "We were lucky to do as well as we
did. The bastards had beamers.
"One of 'em was off in a bathroom and got away before we could run him to
ground. He's the one who saw us coming and raised the alarm. The rest of 'em
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deluge divided into two groups. We took the first bunch easy enough but the
others stood their ground well. I'm still not sure we got them all. But we did
get these. Here."
He tossed something small and silvery to Ethan. A beamer. Ethan clutched the
illegal weapon gratefully.
"Older model." September grinned. "Bamaputra doesn't trust his Tran allies all
that
much, it seems. Not that it ain't an efficient killer." He displayed his own
captured handgun. "Both of 'em about half-charged. Use it only as a last
resort."
Ethan nodded briskly and clipped the gun to his belt. He was no soldier, but
he'd done plenty of fighting this past year and the beamer was simple enough
for a child to use. Or a primitive alien unfamiliar with advanced technology.
You pointed it at a target and pulled the trigger as often as necessary until
the charge ran out. He could be at least as accurate as any of Corfu's Tran.
The icerigger lurched, nearly throwing his feet out from under him. Ta-hoding
turned away from the stem and moved to take the wheel.
"What do you think, Captain?" September asked him.
Ta-hoding hardly had time to reply. He was testing the wheel, supervising the
storing of the ice anchors, and trying to set sail in an effective pattern.
Shouts continued to come from over the stern, were relayed to him by another
sailor straddling the aft rail.
"The steering will hold for a while, friend Skua, but not in a strong wind or
at high speed. We'll push it for all its worth and when it snaps again we'll
have to stop and re-splice it, but not a moment before."
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