Conquerors' Legacy

But perhaps the most traumatic change of all—the most exhilarating and at the same time the most terrifying aspect of the Mindlink—was the fact that in this world within his own mind he was no longer alone.

Bokamba was there, close by his illusory side, his thoughts and emotions and sensations swirling around and within Qui

Human Peacekeepers, we welcome you. Displayed as images and sensations in his mind, it took Qui

Our target is number three, Clipper's voice came in Qui

Bokamba and the other three tails acknowledged. The target had shaded from yellow to red now; and as Qui

We're glad we're in time to help. That was Commodore Montgomery, talking to the Yycromae. What can you tell us about the enemy?

Clipper's signal sparked; and with a wrenching move that momentarily staggered his imaginary combat stance as the gee forces drained some of the blood away from his brain, Qui

There was another flicker from the hull above him, and another laser pulse flashed past. Again it missed, but not by nearly as great a margin. A sudden warmth ran across his right shin, and for a second the ci

And then, at the back of Qui

You took out the laser lens with that last shot, Bokamba informed him.

With another dizzying turn Qui

We won't know until and unless it fires again, Bokamba said dryly.

Which meant that what Qui

If the laser hadn't been put out of commission, on the other hand, he was about to give the Zhirrzh the easiest shot they would ever have.

He had the Corvine almost in position now, swinging around in a tight arc ready to come into line with the laser port and drive down its throat. A green targeting cross flicked into place in front of Qui

Maestro: signal from Schweighofer, Clipper's voice came in his mind. The Cascadia has gotten snarled in the Wolf Pack. You and Shrike break off and go help shoot them loose.

Not now, Qui

Acknowledged, Clipper agreed. One melded-consciousness level below, Qui

And again twitched away as a laser pulse shot past him.

Still active, Bokamba reported, as if Qui

A replay of the laser shot flicked into view, along with a graph of the intensity from the light-leakage precursor Bokamba had identified. Three quarters of a second wasn't a lot of warning, but it would have to do. Watch it closely. Here we go.

He swung up toward the laser port; and as he did so, the mental sensations that were Harlequin and his tail, Savile, flashed and vanished. Another Corvine, this time one from his own unit, had run out of warrior's luck.

Later, he knew, he would be able to feel the pain and loss of these deaths of his comrades. But not yet. For the moment the Mindlink co

He was in line with the laser port now, the green targeting cross dead center on the hole. In his imaginary stance he prepared a right-hand punch....

Concentrating on the target, he completely missed the brief flare from the next laser port to starboard. Bokamba's warning flicked into his mind; firing the missile, he threw the Corvine into a flat dive. The laser beam flashed over his head—

And suddenly the whole of his lower back flared with heat, the sharp tang of pineapple and the stench of burned toast flooding in on him as the Corvine bucked violently. The dorsal stabilizer and engine had been hit, and hit badly.

He fought to bring the fighter back under control, feeling Bokamba in the back of his mind as the other worked furiously to reroute the electronics and create a compensation profile for the remaining engines. The Vejovis missile was nearly to the target port now, he saw, burning with the single-mindedness of its scorpion namesake toward its target. Almost there—