Starplex

A second row of holographic heads appeared above the dolphin faces.

"Good God, I— yes, I'll do it."

"Count me in."

"I'm not sure that I'm the right person, but… yes, okay."

"On my way."

Rissa had moved over to stand .next to her husband. "I'll do what I can," she said.

Keith looked at her. "Rissa…"

"Don't worry, honey. I gotta make sure you get to live all those billions of years."

Keith touched her arm. "Rhombus, assign each of them to a ship.

PHANTOM, convey them there as fast as possible."

"Doing so."

"Good work, everyone," said Keith, leaning forward in his chair, fingers steepled in front of his face.

"JESUS!" shouted Thor. A tiny explosion was blossoming in the display.

"They've shot our watson out of the sky."

"Jag, analyze the weapon used," said Keith. "At least we can figure out what their armament is."

Jag glanced at a square monitor screen. "Standard Waldahud police lasers," he said. But then he rose from his station and gestured toward Melondent, who had been serving as physics officer during delta shift.

Jag touched a few keys. "Transferring physical sciences to dolphin station one," he said. He turned to Keith. "Perhaps… perhaps it would be best if I did not further participate. Gawst did not invoke the name of Queen Trath, so I assume that he and his associates are acting without royal approval — an attempt to garner considerable glory. Still, they are Waldahudin. Perhaps I should return to my apartment."

"Not so bloody fast, Jag," Keith said, rising to his feet. He glanced at Lia

"Ten, maybe eleven minutes."

Keith turned back to Jag. "You had me move Starplex so that we wouldn't be able to see the Waldahud forces massing on the green star's far side."

"I deny that," said Jag, both sets of arms crossed behind his back.

"Your loyalties don't lie with the Waldahudin?"

"My loyalty is to Queen Trath, but there is no evidence that she authorized the attempt to seize this ship…"

"Lia

"Checking. Three. Two were from CHAT-"

"Which is located just outside the Waldahud home system-" said Keith.

"And the third was a commercial unit from a telecommunications utility on Rehbollo."

"It contained personal news," said Jag, "related to an illness in my family."

"Examine those watsons, Lia

"Once I had downloaded the data that I wanted," said Jag, "I released the watsons for reuse — wiping the data first, of

COUrSe."

"We should be able to recover something," Keith said.

"Lia

"Checking," she said, then a moment later. "Okay, the watsons that came for Jag are still on board. We carry over a hundred of them, and those three are still in the queue for reuse." She pressed some keys.

"I've interfaced with all three; they're blank."

"Nothing at all to unerase?"

"No. The data area has been wiped, then filled with a random pattern.

There's nothing left."

"I routinely use a level-seven wipe," said Jag.

"That's two levels above Earth military standards," said Keith. "It leaves things more tidy," said Jag. "You have often remarked on my predilection for neatness."

"This is all crap," said Keith. "I don't believe that it was coincidence that you asked me to move the ship; the Waldahudin couldn't have attacked en masse if we'd been there to see them popping out of the shortcut one by one."

"I tell you, it is coincidence," said Jag.

Keith turned to face the InOps station. "Lia

And terminate all jobs he has ru

Bleeps as keys were touched. "Doing so," said Lia

"You do not have the authority to do this," said Jag.

"So sue me," said Keith. He looked at the Waldahud. "I was one of those who argued against basing any part of Starplex on human military structures, but if we had done so, at least we'd have a brig to throw you in." He faced a set of glowing camera eyes floating above the seating gallery behind the workstations. "PHANTOM, record new protocol.

Name: 'house arrest." Authorizing authority, Lansing, G. K.

Parameters: Individuals under house arrest are denied access to all work areas; PHANTOM will not open doors for them to such. areas. They are also forbidden to use external communication equipment and to give PHANTOM commands above level-four housekeeping. Understand?"

"Yes. Protocol established."

"Record the following: As of this moment — 0752 hours — and effective until terminated personally by me, Jag Kanclaro em-Pelsh is under house arrest."

"Acknowledged."

Keith's voice was controlled. "Now you may leave the bridge."

Jag folded both sets of arms behind his back again. "I don't believe you have the right to bar me from this room."

"A moment ago, you wanted to leave," said Keith. "Of course, that was back when you had the authority to launch a shuttle, and escape to the armada."

Rhombus had left the External-Ops station and had rolled near to the director's console. Lights played over his sensor web, and the web's strands had turned yellow, the color of rage. "I support Keith," said the cool British voice. "You have undermined everything we have worked for. Leave the bridge voluntarily, Jag, or I will eject you."

"You can't do that. It is against the operating code to assault a fellow sentient." Rhombus began rolling toward Jag, a living steamroller.

"Just watch me," he said.

Jag stood defiarit a moment longer. Rhombus closed more of the distance between them, his quartz-rimmed wheels glinting in the starlight of the all-encompassing hologram. The Ib's ropelike tentacles were lifted from their usual bundle, darting in the air like angry snakes. Jag finally turned on his heel. The starfield in front of him split open, and he marched out. The door closed.

Keith nodded thanks to Rhombus, then: "Thor, status of the Waldahud ships?"

Thoraid Magnor looked over his shoulder at Keith. "Assuming they've got nothing better than standard police lasers, they will be within effective range in three minutes."

"How long until our own ships are ready for launch?"

Rhombus's lights blinked out a reply as he rolled back to his workstation. "Two are ready to go now; the other three — grant me another four minutes."

"I want to launch all five at once. Everything goes out the door in two hundred and forty seconds." '

"Will do."

"We'll still be outnumbered, eight to five," said Thor.

Keith frowned. "I know that, but it's only our five fastest ships that are set up for dolphin pilots. Rhombus, as soon as our ships are clear of our docking bays, I want full power to our force screens. Cut the engines; divert everything to the screens."

"Will do."

"Lia

"It'll take a watson three days to get to the shortcut that way;" Lia

"I'm aware of that. Calculate the trajectory. How long do I have until our ships launch?"

"Two-point-five minutes," said Rhombus.

Keith nodded, and touched the privacy button that erected four double force-screen walls around his workstation, creating a sound-killing vacuum gap.

"PHANTOM," he said, "search all computer records for research done by Gaf Kandaro em-Weel and his associates, especially for material that's never been translated from

Waldahudar."

"Searching. Found."

"Display titles and abstracts in English."

Keith sca