On Liberator, a three-man council of war was leaking place.
"Scanners have picked up a Federation scout ship at grid coordinates 4-2-4- 8," Cally was saying. "According to Zen, it must have slipped in low, under our scanners. It has been identified as the scout ship Blackhawk."
"But are you sure that that's where they were taken?" Vila asked, "They could be anywhere on the planet."
"Zen also reports the teleport bracelets are at that location."
"I thought we couldn't get a fix on the bracelets unless they were being worn."
Cally smiled grimly. "Someone must hhave tried one on. The signal lasted only a moments but it was long enough for Zen to get a fix on the location."
Gan looked thoughtful. "That could have been a fortunate mistake. If these troops don't know about our teleporter..."
"Or if they do know, it could be a trap," Vila finished grimly.
"Space Command has kept the secret of the teloport well guarded." This was Cally again, who stood hands on hips staring into Zen's glowing fascia. "The odds are that these men are unaware of our teleport capabilities."
Gan seemed to come to a decision. "I take the chance. Vila, you and I will go get them out. Cally, do you think you can damage that ship without blowing it up?"
"Of course. A shot to the maneuvering thrusters will prevent her from becoming airborne, but the Blackhawk has her protective shields up. You cannot teleport through them, and I cannot penetrate them without destroying the ship.
"There's still a chance." Gan inserted Graces activator key. "Orac, I need the computer command code for the Federation scoutship Blackhawk.. Can you get it?"
"Of course I can," the irascible computer in a box returned curtly, "but I have better things to do."
Vila leaned close to the box. "Lives are at stake, Orac" he purred as he had seen Avon do previously. "Including your own."
There was a moment of silence. "Oh, very well. I shall inform you when I am ready to transmit."
"INFORMATION." Zen's booming voice caused them all to start. "LONC-RANGE SENSORS SHOW A FLEET OF TEN FEDERATION PURSUIT SHIPS ON INTERSECT COURSE WITH THIS PLANETARY SYSTEM. TIME OF ARRIVAL IS 54 MINUTES."
The three exchanged looks of dismay. "We can't do it," Vila protested loudly. "We have to get out of here!"
"Orac. Where's that command code?" Gan roared, cutting him off.
"Coming through in two minutes, 14 seconds."
The big man reached for a gun in a side cabinet and strapped it around his waist. "When you have that code, feed it into Biackhawk s command computers. Then order it to lower shields. Cally, when they go down, blast the maneuvering thrusters. If that ship takes off, we've lost them."
She nodded. "How long will I have?"
"It will only take minutes for them to realize what is going on. You'll have to disable them as soon as the shields go. He raised his voice again. "Orac, as soon as Cally disables the Blackhawk, I want you to put us down at the last reported coordinates of the teleport bracelets. Come on, Vila," he snapped, handing the other a gun, "Let's get to the teleport chamber."
***
The ship rocked under the force of twin neutron blasts, then righted herself on her stabilizer fins. Automatic fire extinguishers kicked into play, dousing the small fires that raged up, but the damage was done. When the smoke finally cleared, the extreme damage to the ship could be seen. Twisted metal had replace both port and starboard thrusters. The little ship would never fly again without extensive repairs in a drydock facility.
Inside the makeshift cell, the three prisoners scrambled to regain their feet.
"What was that?" Jenna asked. "An explosion?"
"Felt like two explosions," Avon put in.
"Or two neutron blasts!" Blake said triumphantly.
A faint sound outside brought him silently to the door. There was a small CliCk as the lock disengaged, and the door began to slowly swing open.
Blake crouched, waiting until a head peered cautiously in before springing into action. He grabbed the head by a handful of hair and, with a tremendous yank, pulled the man the rest of the way into the room.
With a frightened screech, Vila flew head-over-heels into the far wall, then slid down it to sit gazing muzzily up at his attacker.
"Vila!" Blake grinned in welcome. He reached down to give the dazed thief a hand up. "Gan! Are we glad to see you!"
"You've got a lousy way of showing it, Blake," Vila retorted peevishly, but accepted the hand. "You could have killed me, you know." He rubbed the top of his head. "Nearly pulled my hair out, you did!"
"Another couple of years and you won t have that problem," Avon said, with laughter in his voice.
Vila reflected enviously on Avon's thick, dark hair, and then on Blake's full, curling locks, and held his peace. He knew when he was at a disadvantage.
He bent instead to the task of unlocking the handcuffs, freeing Blake, and then Jenna, in seconds. He hesitated a moment before starting on Avon, obviously thinking thoughts of sweet revenge, then took a good look at the other man. He noticed, for the first time, the blood soaking Avon's hair, and the set to his pale features. Revenge took a back seat - temporarily. "What happened to you? You look like you tangled with a Denbian."
"Just get these things off me," Avon growled impatiently. Vila freed him without further comment.
Gan waited until each had clipped on a teleport bracelet before raising his own. "Orac - are Blackhawk's shields still down?"
"Shields are being raised now. You have ten seconds."
"Then teleport now!"
A slight disorientation, and five people found themselves standing in the relative safety of the teleport chamber. A collective sigh of relief, then Blake, Avon and Jenna headed for the flight deck at a dead run,
Blake reached the flight deck first. "Zen - status?"
"FEDERATION PURSUIT SHIPS ARE NOW 23 MINUTES, 22 SECONDS FROM FIRING RANGES."
"Get us out of here. Standard by..."
"Belay that, Zen." Avon countermanded the order en route to the weapons console, Jenna a step behind. Blake turned to them, confused.
"What are you doing, Avon? We only have 23 minutes to get out of range,"
Surprisingly, it was Jenna who answered. "We have unfinished business with Mozz. Zen, raise radiation flare shields. Clear the neutron blasters for firing."
Avon's finger hovered over the firing button. "Targeting... Now.'" A faint shudder in the deck bore witness to the fact that the neutron blasters had indeed been fired, "Zen - status of Federation ship?"
"BLACKHAWK HAS BEEN DESTROYED. SENSORS CAN DETECT NO LIFE FORM READINGS."
"Then get us out of here. Speed standard by ten." "CONFIRMED."
Avon and Jenna exchanged satisfied looks, for once totally in harmony. Then Jenna took the pilot's station and Blake moved to her side. "In cold blood, Jenna?" he asked, sotto voce.
She looked up at him, her jaw grimly determined. "No, Blake, cold revenge"
Blake dropped the subject. He himself felt little pity for the men of the Blackhawk, but he would have preferred that they met their end another way. And it would never do to bring it up with Avon.
"Scanners have picked up a Federation scout ship at grid coordinates 4-2-4- 8," Cally was saying. "According to Zen, it must have slipped in low, under our scanners. It has been identified as the scout ship Blackhawk."
"But are you sure that that's where they were taken?" Vila asked, "They could be anywhere on the planet."
"Zen also reports the teleport bracelets are at that location."
"I thought we couldn't get a fix on the bracelets unless they were being worn."
Cally smiled grimly. "Someone must hhave tried one on. The signal lasted only a moments but it was long enough for Zen to get a fix on the location."
Gan looked thoughtful. "That could have been a fortunate mistake. If these troops don't know about our teleporter..."
"Or if they do know, it could be a trap," Vila finished grimly.
"Space Command has kept the secret of the teloport well guarded." This was Cally again, who stood hands on hips staring into Zen's glowing fascia. "The odds are that these men are unaware of our teleport capabilities."
Gan seemed to come to a decision. "I take the chance. Vila, you and I will go get them out. Cally, do you think you can damage that ship without blowing it up?"
"Of course. A shot to the maneuvering thrusters will prevent her from becoming airborne, but the Blackhawk has her protective shields up. You cannot teleport through them, and I cannot penetrate them without destroying the ship.
"There's still a chance." Gan inserted Graces activator key. "Orac, I need the computer command code for the Federation scoutship Blackhawk.. Can you get it?"
"Of course I can," the irascible computer in a box returned curtly, "but I have better things to do."
Vila leaned close to the box. "Lives are at stake, Orac" he purred as he had seen Avon do previously. "Including your own."
There was a moment of silence. "Oh, very well. I shall inform you when I am ready to transmit."
"INFORMATION." Zen's booming voice caused them all to start. "LONC-RANGE SENSORS SHOW A FLEET OF TEN FEDERATION PURSUIT SHIPS ON INTERSECT COURSE WITH THIS PLANETARY SYSTEM. TIME OF ARRIVAL IS 54 MINUTES."
The three exchanged looks of dismay. "We can't do it," Vila protested loudly. "We have to get out of here!"
"Orac. Where's that command code?" Gan roared, cutting him off.
"Coming through in two minutes, 14 seconds."
The big man reached for a gun in a side cabinet and strapped it around his waist. "When you have that code, feed it into Biackhawk s command computers. Then order it to lower shields. Cally, when they go down, blast the maneuvering thrusters. If that ship takes off, we've lost them."
She nodded. "How long will I have?"
"It will only take minutes for them to realize what is going on. You'll have to disable them as soon as the shields go. He raised his voice again. "Orac, as soon as Cally disables the Blackhawk, I want you to put us down at the last reported coordinates of the teleport bracelets. Come on, Vila," he snapped, handing the other a gun, "Let's get to the teleport chamber."
***
The ship rocked under the force of twin neutron blasts, then righted herself on her stabilizer fins. Automatic fire extinguishers kicked into play, dousing the small fires that raged up, but the damage was done. When the smoke finally cleared, the extreme damage to the ship could be seen. Twisted metal had replace both port and starboard thrusters. The little ship would never fly again without extensive repairs in a drydock facility.
Inside the makeshift cell, the three prisoners scrambled to regain their feet.
"What was that?" Jenna asked. "An explosion?"
"Felt like two explosions," Avon put in.
"Or two neutron blasts!" Blake said triumphantly.
A faint sound outside brought him silently to the door. There was a small CliCk as the lock disengaged, and the door began to slowly swing open.
Blake crouched, waiting until a head peered cautiously in before springing into action. He grabbed the head by a handful of hair and, with a tremendous yank, pulled the man the rest of the way into the room.
With a frightened screech, Vila flew head-over-heels into the far wall, then slid down it to sit gazing muzzily up at his attacker.
"Vila!" Blake grinned in welcome. He reached down to give the dazed thief a hand up. "Gan! Are we glad to see you!"
"You've got a lousy way of showing it, Blake," Vila retorted peevishly, but accepted the hand. "You could have killed me, you know." He rubbed the top of his head. "Nearly pulled my hair out, you did!"
"Another couple of years and you won t have that problem," Avon said, with laughter in his voice.
Vila reflected enviously on Avon's thick, dark hair, and then on Blake's full, curling locks, and held his peace. He knew when he was at a disadvantage.
He bent instead to the task of unlocking the handcuffs, freeing Blake, and then Jenna, in seconds. He hesitated a moment before starting on Avon, obviously thinking thoughts of sweet revenge, then took a good look at the other man. He noticed, for the first time, the blood soaking Avon's hair, and the set to his pale features. Revenge took a back seat - temporarily. "What happened to you? You look like you tangled with a Denbian."
"Just get these things off me," Avon growled impatiently. Vila freed him without further comment.
Gan waited until each had clipped on a teleport bracelet before raising his own. "Orac - are Blackhawk's shields still down?"
"Shields are being raised now. You have ten seconds."
"Then teleport now!"
A slight disorientation, and five people found themselves standing in the relative safety of the teleport chamber. A collective sigh of relief, then Blake, Avon and Jenna headed for the flight deck at a dead run,
Blake reached the flight deck first. "Zen - status?"
"FEDERATION PURSUIT SHIPS ARE NOW 23 MINUTES, 22 SECONDS FROM FIRING RANGES."
"Get us out of here. Standard by..."
"Belay that, Zen." Avon countermanded the order en route to the weapons console, Jenna a step behind. Blake turned to them, confused.
"What are you doing, Avon? We only have 23 minutes to get out of range,"
Surprisingly, it was Jenna who answered. "We have unfinished business with Mozz. Zen, raise radiation flare shields. Clear the neutron blasters for firing."
Avon's finger hovered over the firing button. "Targeting... Now.'" A faint shudder in the deck bore witness to the fact that the neutron blasters had indeed been fired, "Zen - status of Federation ship?"
"BLACKHAWK HAS BEEN DESTROYED. SENSORS CAN DETECT NO LIFE FORM READINGS."
"Then get us out of here. Speed standard by ten." "CONFIRMED."
Avon and Jenna exchanged satisfied looks, for once totally in harmony. Then Jenna took the pilot's station and Blake moved to her side. "In cold blood, Jenna?" he asked, sotto voce.
She looked up at him, her jaw grimly determined. "No, Blake, cold revenge"
Blake dropped the subject. He himself felt little pity for the men of the Blackhawk, but he would have preferred that they met their end another way. And it would never do to bring it up with Avon.