"There's still a platoon in barracks besides the regular security forces, isn't there?"
Carmody nodded. "But Elson's got a Point of Elementals covering Wolf's place. They're supposed to be security against riots, but they're a guard. They won't let us in."
"Are they armored?"
"No. Even for him, that would be too blatant just now."
"Then we don't have to ask," Atwyl said. "Five Elementals won't stand up against a whole platoon."
"Then what, Ham? What do we do when we're inside?"
"We get Wolf out."
"It sounds so simple, but it isn't. Where would he go?"
Dechan looked at the clock. "If you're going to do something, you'd better do it soon."
"You're right. We'll have to decide what happens next after we make sure there is a next. Maybe Jaime'll have some ideas."
* * *
The night was fading into the half-light of predawn when the heavy hovervan whirred down the street toward the Wolf family compound. It might have been a transport truck carrying in foodstuffs from the surrounding countryside to fill the stalls of the fresh-food markets, but it wasn't. Better light would have revealed that its corporate markings were hastily painted and made its military lines readily apparent.
Dechan sat in the hovertruck's cab along with a pimple-faced kid who was supposed to be the best hover jockey in the Home Guard. Atwyl was elsewhere, doing things that were necessary if this scheme was to succeed. Through his earpiece, Dechan could hear the growling of the truck in which Colonel Carmody rode. The platoon of motorized infantry was approaching the Wolf family compound. Dechan popped the plug for a moment, then replaced it after confirming that it was the trucks' snarling engines he heard echoing in the predawn streets.
Carmody was with his platoon of Home Guard. He had to be; no one else could have gotten them out of barracks and persuaded them to face the Elementals guarding the Wolf compound. As it was, Dechan could tell by the colonel's haranguing that some of them were hanging back by the transports. The colonel's arguments shifted to a different sort when the leader of the Elementals confronted him.
Dechan turned on the hovervan's video deck and fumbled with the controls until he had it tuned to the channel from Carmody's truck. They had arranged that the video pickup would cover the gate area so that Dechan could observe as well as listen in to what was happening. He could see Carmody arguing with the Elemental leader. Suddenly, the colonel stopped talking and cocked his head to one side. Then he looked over his shoulder toward the center of the city.
It was painfully obvious to Dechan what was happening. The colonel's headset was spouting a report from one of the spotter posts they had set up on all the probable routes to the suburbs. The assassins were on their way.
The colonel's reaction must have meant something to the Elemental leader as well. He started calling orders to his Point.
"This is going wrong," Dechan told his driver. "Take the van in."
"I don't have orders," the kid objected. "We're supposed to wait for Colonel Carmody's signal."
Dechan slapped him on the shoulder. "Take the van in!"
The picture wobbled as the hovervan's engine gobbled power to spin the fans faster. The truck blasted from the alley where it was hidden and headed for the compound.
Carmody saw it coming and shouted. "Launcher on the gate!"
As the missile team jumped out of the lead transport, the Point commander reacted. He chopped Carmody in the throat and raced for cover, but he wasn't fast enough. The rocket roared past him, impacting slightly off-center on the iron gates. Fire flared over the gate, and the Elemental was flung away like a doll.
One valve was blown clear and the other hung drunkenly as the van barreled toward the gate. The Elementals had opened fire on the Home Guardsmen, who were returning fire erratically. Dechan caught a glimpse of Carmody sprawled awkwardly as the hovervan bucked over the debris and slammed into the hanging gate. Iron rang and the truck's fender crumpled, but the driver fought the slewing van and kept it on course through the gateway.
The hovervan roared up the drive, leaving behind the firing at the gate. With the house set so far back from the street, soldiers on foot would take some time to reach it. The van flashed across the parklike grounds in seconds. The van slowed as it climbed the slight hill, and the driver dropped the speed further as they took the last turn. The move was deliberate; a fast-moving vehicle would likely be taken as a hostile. The fans were muted to a purr by the time he spun the vehicle to a broadside parking position on the green in front of the mansion.
Wolf was waiting on the porch. Behind him, Joshua stood in the open doorway, a laser pistol cradled in both hands. The boy was probably more of a threat to himself than to an intruder. His mother obviously agreed; she appeared and appropriated the weapon. She joined Wolf as the hovervan settled, its fans idling.
Dechan was almost amused to see that Wolf seemed surprised to see him step down from the van.
"Is this a rescue or an assault, Dechan?" he asked.
"Both," Dechan answered perversely. "But I'm with the parties of the first part."
"And who's the other side?"
"I think you know better than me."
Satisfied that there was no immediate danger, the rest of the family boiled out onto the porch to surround the little group. Dechan ignored their questions and spoke to Wolf.
"There's a plot against your life scheduled to be executed tonight."
Wolf looked at the graying sky. "There's not much night left."
"Exactly."
"There's no need for killing," Katherine said. "Don't we have enough dead? We could just leave."
"We could," Marisha said. "But Jaime can't."
"Why not?" Katherine asked.
"Because, whether he wants to be involved or not, he's too good a rallying point for those who oppose him." Marisha's expression was grim. "No one will rally around a dead man."
Katherine looked appalled. "You're talking about murder!"
Dechan snorted. "I don't think they see it that way. This is probably just a necessary precaution in the battle for supremacy in the Dragoons. Is it murder when you have one of your Trials? What about it, Wolf? If you'd fought for yourself in that challenge, Elson would have killed you then. Now, then. What's the difference?"
"There's enough of a difference that it will cause him problems," Wolf said.
"Only if he isn't the one to tell the story," Marisha said.
"There's truth in that," Wolf agreed with a sigh. "Maybe it's not too late to try and fix things."
A sharp series of explosions sounded from the gate, followed by increased weapons fire. "It won't be your choice if you stay here much longer."
Wolf nodded. "Get everyone in the van. We'll go out the back way. Riverview Parkway will put us on the expressway to the port."
There wasn't a lot of talking as the family boarded the hovervan. A loud explosion made Katherine jump and she nearly fell from the tail, but Rachel grabbed her arm and steadied her. Dechan sealed the doors and moved around to the front. The driver didn't let him get seated before he gunned the fans. The van howled away from the mansion, Wolf giving directions from the cargo compartment through the open panel.
The ride to the spaceport was tense, but they encountered no roadblocks, no ambushes. Men wearing Home Guard uniforms were manning the approaches to the spaceport. They waved the van through. Hamilton Atwyl and Brian Cameron were standing at the foot of the passenger ramp when they pulled up.
"I'm glad to see you, Colonel," Atwyl said as Wolf climbed out the back of the truck. "We were worried when we heard that Colonel Carmody was down."