The Sergeant's Adam's apple was doing a full dervish dance. ''Sorry, Your Highness, we were only trying to protect you.''
''We appreciate your protection,'' Kris said, cutting him off even as she noted her transformation from ''ma'am'' to ''Highness.'' ''This matter has been well handled up to this moment. Let us leave it at that.''
Tom moved through the guards with a regal dignity of his own, as befitted a Princess's courtier. The guards morphed from roadblock to honor guard without moving so much as a step. As Tom passed through, he rewarded them with a nod as royal as any Grampa Ray bestowed. Only when Jack had closed the door behind them did he deflate with a sigh that would have been the envy of all his Irish grandmothers. ''Holy Mother of God, I thought they had me there,'' he said collapsing on the couch.
''We'd have retrieved you sooner or later,'' Kris assured him.
''You need me sooner. Can Nelly do her bug-catching thing?''
I AM WORKING ON IT. I AM WORKING ON IT, Nelly told Kris.
''Just a moment,'' Kris told the rest. The air sparkled and zapped around them.
HEY, SOME OF THESE ARE MINE! TOM BROUGHT BACK SOME RECON BUGS
INTERROGATE THEM LATER. TOM NEEDS TO TELL US SOMETHING.
I AM VERY AWARE OF YOUR PRIORITIES, KRIS, JUST A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE.
Kris drummed her fingers on the end table as she knelt beside Tom. Penny had settled in beside Tom, an arm around his shoulders. Abby stood behind Kris. Jack moved around so he had a good view of Tom… and the door.
''All clear,'' Nelly said. ''Tom, you brought back some of my recon nanos from the yard!''
''I was hoping to pick up a few. I borrowed Abby's second computer, and it reported I got rid of all this morning's drop real fine. You can have yours back, Abby. I picked up new ones for Penny and myself at the embassy.''
''Was that what took you so long?'' Penny demanded, bouncing on the couch with impatience.
''Well, wouldn't you know but the Ambassador himself wanted to tell me to tell Kris not to do anything ‘unseemly.' His word. ‘We will work all of this out. We don't need her youthful exuberance leading her into some unseemly display.' ''
''I'll try not to be unseemly,'' Kris said, adjusting her robe to make sure it was properly closed where she knelt.
''Penny's boss also took me aside for a little talk.''
''Oh dear,'' Penny said.
''Kris, he also doesn't want you to do anything.''
''Penny, you left me with the impression this boss of yours had guts. He sounds like a ninny who raids the Ambassador's long skirt collection.''
''He usually isn't. Tom, did he give you a reason why Kris should lay low? Does he have some irons in the fire?''
''Doesn't he wish he had. He didn't say a lot, other than to make sure I was who I claimed to be and to get as much out of me about what Kris has been up to for the last week.''
''What'd you tell him?'' Kris growled.
''Only what he'd get from reading the papers,'' Tom said, primly brushing the legs of his slacks.
''So he didn't tell you why he wants us to be good little children and wave as the army marches off to war?'' Kris said, letting the sarcasm run free.
''Yes, he did tell me,'' Tom said, real worry showing on his face. ''I don't know how to tell you this, Kris. He wouldn't tell me how he knows it, but he says that Sandfire has something personal against you. I told him I knew a few good reasons. He seemed disturbed I knew so much about all that led up to the mess at the Paris system. Anyway, he says that Sandfire wants you personally in chains when this is over. Sandfire seems to think Hank Smythe-Peterwald's dad would love to have you served up naked to him. What happens next involves knives and doesn't end with you alive,'' Tom finished with a hard swallow.
That knocked Kris back. Literally. She settled into a cross-legged sit. She'd been afraid before, terrified even. It usually came before the shooting started. Once outgoing and incoming were flying, she was too busy staying alive to bother with fear. Suds rolled down her forehead; she wiped them away. Abby produced a towel and wrapped it expertly around Kris's head. Kris sat lotus and tried to calm the sudden roiling in her belly.
Sandfire wants me a prisoner, tortured, and dead, she said to herself, tasting it. Feeling it.
No surprise there; she knew she'd been dodging Sandfire's assassins for at least the last year. When Eddy was kidnapped and killed, was it Sandfire? Was he going for the both of us? Did poor Eddy's demand for an ice cream cone save me?
Sandfire, I hate you.
Kris stood up slowly, not leaning on anything, anyone.
''Sandfire wants a war started. I want it stopped. Sandfire wants me dead. I like being alive. Nothing's changed. Nelly, let us know when you have something to show us on the yard.''
''Nelly,'' Jack said, ''do you have any access to the lasers on this station?''
''What do you mean?'' Kris growled.
''Nelly, do you have any way you could shut down the lasers they've got targeted for ships making for a jump out of here?
''Nelly, ignore that. Concentrate on the yard mapping.''
''Kris, Jack, I can do both,'' Nelly said.
''Talk to me about the lasers, '' Jack demanded.
''Display what you have mapped of the yard,'' Kris said. AND DON'T YOU SAY A WORD TO JACK.
KRIS, I CAN DO BOTH, AND MAYBE IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA IF YOU AND I DID GET OUT OF HERE.
I DON'T WANT OUT OF HERE.
I DO! Great, now her computer wanted to live forever.
''Nelly, talk to me,'' Jack repeated.
DON'T. SHOW ME THE YARD.
''I have filled in the yard to some extent,'' Nelly began as the screen across the room turned from a lovely view of snowcapped mountains into a schematic of the station. ''So far, our recon shows no other entry to the yard besides the elevators.''
''Show me the lasers,'' Jack said softly.
A dozen batteries began flashing red.
''Where's the yard's power plant?'' Kris demanded.
In the center of the yard a large block flashed yellow. ''The fusion reactor is here, '' Nelly said. ''The magnetohydrodynamic plasma track runs around the reactor.''
''That is unsafe, '' Tom said, forming each word separately.
''As I said, this place was a rush job,'' Penny put in.
''Build it in a hurry, lose it in a second,'' Tom recited.
''Nelly, can you take out any of those lasers?'' Jack asked.
''I have an eighty-five percent probability of penetrating the batteries on A and C levels,'' Nelly said. The eight lasers in the old section and the upper section flashed faster. ''I have no access to the ones in the yard.''
''They won't be there after we blow the yard,'' Kris said. ''We can steal a ship and get out of here real easy then.''
''And I don't think you or Tom will have any problem dodging the two or three yard lasers left active when we break out of here tonight,'' Jack said. ''Tom, you good on defense?''
''Not as good as Kris is. Something about the hair on the back of her neck tells her just when to jink from a laser hit.''
''We're not leaving tonight,'' Kris said firmly.
''My job is to keep you safe,'' Jack began slowly, as if talking to a very stubborn four-year-old. ''This is not some Navy show. You heard Tom. The objective of this situation is you—your personal demise. My orders are to keep you alive, if necessary, in spite of yourself. You've known since this started there was more to it than Tom. You've known since the Ambassador passed along Sandfire's invite to the first ball that someone was showing an awful lot of interest in you. Now we know you are the target. I'm taking over, and you are leaving now.''
''You did notice that someone is starting a war that will kill a hell of a lot more people than just little old me,'' Kris said. She started edging away from Jack… and backed into Abby. ''Penny, you're with me.''
The Lieutenant shook her head. ''Kris, those had to be Sandfire's people who beat me up. Given a choice between another session with them and a fifty-fifty chance of being shot escaping, I think fifty-fifty are lovely odds. And did you hear Tom? They beat me up. Sandfire wants you dead.''