That was a shot to the jaw. Kris put all the sincerity she had into the reply she gave Ron. ''You've seen every cent I've spent on Chance. I've bought food, energy, a ship. To the best of my knowledge, I have not bought any people.''
''I think I trust you on that, Kris. Do you trust the other Longknifes not to have?''
At that question, Kris let out a dry snort. ''I'm not sure I trust any Longknife as far as I could throw them.''
Ron shook his head. ''Strange, that was my attitude toward all Longknifes until I met you.''
Ron rung off and Kris headed for the door. ''Where do you think you're going?'' Jack demanded.
''Down to talk to Captain Slovo,'' Kris said. ''You stay here. If things go to hell, I trust you on the auto guns. Anyone here you trust more than you?''
Jack eyed Penny; she did not meet his eye. ''You win this one. But so help me, if anything happens to you, I'm turning loose the 6-inch lasers to fillet those ships. No warning given.''
''I understand. We're a second away from hell and the sulfur fumes are getting awfully thick.''
Captain Slovo apparently took his time climbing the stairs out of the dock, Kris was trotting up to Pier 1 area as he started walking toward her. She saluted; he returned the honor. ''Did you have to turn off the escalator? That was a long climb.''
''You are not that old, and you're not in bad shape.''
''Compared to those babes in arms, I am.''
''You have my sincerest sympathy, trying to educate Hank.''
''Yes, there is that. Well, I am supposed to prove Peterwald personnel can indeed trespass on your command. Have I done it?''
''You know there's a five-millimeter auto cannon aimed right at your heart.''
''I hope you have a good man on the trigger.''
''First Lieutenant Jack Montoya of the Marines.''
''Good hands to have my life in.''
''My life's been there many times.''
''Someday I must read the full folder on you.''
''Why are we having this chat?'' Kris said.
''My master told me to come out here, bay like a dog, and see what happened. He didn't tell me when I could come back in. Oversight on his part, I hope.''
''I've got a ship I think you'd make a very good captain of.''
''Are you attempting sedition?''
''Hardly,'' Kris said. ''You just told me you had no place to go, and I just offered you one.''
The captain chuckled wryly. ''We would have quite a time, but I think that I should assume that I have done my duty to Greenfeld, and can now return. Though I suspect the commodore may be disappointed that you did not shoot me down on sight, thereby opening up all sorts of new options to him.''
''And without you to provide unwanted advice and wisdom.''
He did not react to Kris's last words, but started to turn. Kris held him with her eyes. ''Captain, this could get very bloody very fast now. Hank is not playing with toys, or paying for someone else to write a term paper for him.''
''Dear God, don't I know.''
Kris went on. ''There are a lot of people involved here that I like… Hank excluded. I'll do my best to see that Hank has chances to call it quits without bloodshed. To back out even if things do get bloody. But I do not intend to let him add Chance to his daddy's holdings by walking through a pool of blood.''
''I understand you very well. ‘Tis a pity he does not.''
The captain made his way slowly toward the stairs, evincing no eagerness for what he was returning to. Kris quick marched back to the Command Center.
''What was that all about?'' Jack asked as she came in.
''Any change in our status?'' Kris demanded, got head shakes, and then turned to answer Jack. ''I think the good captain was set up as a sacrificial lamb. If I'd been trigger happy about my No Go Zone, he'd be dead. As it is, watch for more walkers. How many troops do we have to keep an eye on anyone who wanders out of the ships?''
''You could use us,'' an enthusiastic teenager with pink spiked hair said from her station at a monitor.
Kris considered that option, found it about as effective as ordering a puppy to lick burglars to death, but lacked other options. Still… ''Maybe eager teens could carry the right message if we had them handing out flyers that said ‘You wander our station at your own risk. There are auto guns zeroed in on you and we are prepared to use them.' Penny, print up a couple hundred flyers. Have some of the young folks overnighting on the Patton hand them out at the ship piers.''
''How about we change your message to ‘and our Marines are prepared to use them,' '' Jack said.
''Now that's scary,'' Chief Ramirez said.
''I'm doing it, and I'll get them to the Patton in ten minutes,'' Penny said. ''Hey, anyone seen Chief Beni? Aren't he and his drinking friends usually back by now?''
''He wasn't on the eleven thirty that brought me up,'' Ramirez said. ''Might be hard to catch a cab down there tonight.''
Kris had other worries. Hopefully, the fellow would stay out of harm's way. That was all he usually wanted to do.
Liberty boats began to climb into orbit. They docked with their ships and Kris got a quick call from Captain Slovo. ''We have a bit of a problem, Your Highness. You don't want us on your station, but our liberty parties returning are a very mixed bag. Simply put, crewmen from the Incredible are now on three other ships. You mind if they trek back to their bunks?''
''Of course not, Captain,'' Kris answered in full Noblesse Oblige. ''I assume they'll do a straight line for their ship.''
''Ah, yes, Your Highness, but, there is the matter that many of them are not in the best of shape. Could you please turn on the escalators?''
''Done,'' Jack said, tapping his board. ''Just remember whose finger is on the auto guns.''
''Actually, I'd prefer not to mention the guns to them.''
''Think Hank's listening to his flag captain?'' Penny asked.
''I think Hank wants to have as many of his sailors ready and armed as possible for a bit of saber rattling tomorrow,'' Kris said. ''The way things ended up tonight, they aren't, so he sends Slovo to beg.''
''Should we be helping him?'' Jack asked.
''There will be plenty of empty bunks on those ships tonight. No, let's let Hank do his thing. We've just got to make sure he falls flat on his face when he does it.''
Kris glanced at the clock. It was well after one. Except for a brief nap, she was running on adrenaline and four hours' sleep—not a good mix for battle. She turned to Chief Ramirez, ''I'm going down for the night. Wake me at six, seven if things are quiet. Jack, Penny, you split the watch tonight.''
Jack nodded without taking his eyes off his board. Penny said, ''Yes,'' as she left to get fliers for the kids on the Patton.
''Which one of you is going to bed now?'' Kris demanded.
''I will, after I get the fliers out,'' Penny said.
''I can have a kid run the fliers down,'' the chief offered.
''I want to talk to some seniors,'' Penny said. ''This isn't just handing out paper, it's knowing when to duck if Jack opens fire.'' Jack nodded.
Kris headed for bed but, tired as she was, sleep was a long time coming. What would Hank do? What should she do?
She wanted to be where Hank was when he made his move. That was an easy call. But where would he move… the station or the planet? If he rushed the station, he'd control the space above Chance… and access to the jump points that lead to all those alien worlds. Let's not forget that, Short Fork, she could almost hear Tommy saying. Oh God, she missed him, his easy smile, his way of cutting through her presumptions.
Kris slammed that door shut. Tom was gone.
Hank was here. Now. What was he going to try tomorrow?
Clearly he wanted a riot on the ground. How many Peterwald takeovers started with a barroom brawl—a local disagreement that got out of hand and ended with troops marching in and knocking heads. Everything pointed to Hank leading his troops down to Last Chance, gunning down a few ''terrorists and hostage takers,'' and setting up a pliant government.