inward, he nodded to himself. ‘Someone knew. Someone’s beaten us to it.’
Ebert was standing with his captain, Auden, laughing, his head thrown back, when Karr arrived. Signs of a heavy fire-fight were everywhere. Body bags lay off to one side of the big intersection, while the corridors leading off were strewn with wreckage.
Karr looked about him at the carnage, then turned, facing Ebert. ‘Who was it?’ he demanded.
‘Who was what?’ Ebert said tersely, almost belligerently.
‘Was it DeVore?’
Ebert laughed coldly. ‘What are you talking about, Major Karr? They were
Ping Tiao.
But they’re dead now. Eight less of the bastards to worry about.’
Karr went still, suddenly realizing what had happened. ‘You killed them?’
Ebert looked at Auden again, a faint smile reappearing. ‘Every last one.’
Karr clenched his fists, controlling himself. ‘Is there somewhere we can talk?’ he said tightly. ‘Somewhere private?’
Auden indicated a room off to one side. ‘I’ll post a guard.’
‘No need,’ said Karr. ‘We’ll not be long.’
When the door closed behind them, Karr rounded on Ebert.
‘You stupid bastard! Why didn’t you report what you were doing? Who gave you permission to go in without notifying me?’
Ebert’s eyes flared. ‘I don’t need
your
permission!’
Karr leaned in on him angrily. ‘In this instance you did! Marshal Tolonen put me in charge of this investigation, and while it’s still going on, you report to me, understand me, Major Ebert? Your precipitate action has well and truly fucked things up. I had this cell staked out.’
Ebert looked up at the big man defiantly, spitting the words back at him. ‘Well, I’ve simply saved you the trouble, haven’t I?’
Karr shook his head. ‘You arrogant bastard. Don’t you understand? I didn’t want them dead. We were going in tonight. I wanted at least one of them alive. Now the whole bloody lot of them will have gone to ground and the gods know when we’ll get another chance.’
Ebert was glaring back at him, his hands shaking with anger. ‘You’re not pinning this on me, Karr. It’s you who’ve fouled up, not me. I was just doing my job. Following up on evidence received. If you can’t keep your fellow officers informed...’
Karr raised his hand, the fingers tensed, as if to strike Ebert in the face, then slowly let the tension ease from him. Violence would achieve nothing.
‘Did any of our men get hurt?’
There was an ugly movement in Ebert’s face. He looked aside, his voice subdued. ‘A few...’
‘Meaning what?’
Ebert hesitated, then looked back at him again. ‘Four dead, six injured.’
‘Four dead!
Ai ya
! What the fuck were you up to?’ Karr shook his head, then turned away, disgusted. ‘You’re shit, Ebert, you know that? How could you possibly lose four men? You had only to wait. They’d have had to come at you.’
Ebert glared pure hatred at the big man’s back. ‘It wasn’t as simple as that...’
Karr turned back. ‘You fucked up!’
Ebert looked away, then looked back, his whole manner suddenly more threatening. ‘I think you’ve said enough, Karr. Understand? I’m not a man to make an enemy of.’
Karr laughed caustically. ‘You repeat yourself, Major Ebert. Or do you forget our first meeting?’ He leaned forward and spat between Ebert’s feet. ‘There! That might jog your memory. You were a shit then and you’re a shit now.’
‘I’m not afraid of you, Karr.’
‘No...’ Karr nodded. ‘No, you’re not a coward, I’ll grant you that. But you’re still a disgrace to the T’ang’s uniform, and if I can, I’ll break you.’
Ebert laughed scornfully. ‘You’ll try.’
‘Yes, I’ll try. Fucking hard, I’ll try. But don’t underestimate me, Hans Ebert. Just remember what I did to Master Hwa that time in the Pit. He underestimated me, and he’s dead.’
‘Is that a threat?’
‘Take it as you want. But between men, if you understand me. You
Ebert was standing with his captain, Auden, laughing, his head thrown back, when Karr arrived. Signs of a heavy fire-fight were everywhere. Body bags lay off to one side of the big intersection, while the corridors leading off were strewn with wreckage.
Karr looked about him at the carnage, then turned, facing Ebert. ‘Who was it?’ he demanded.
‘Who was what?’ Ebert said tersely, almost belligerently.
‘Was it DeVore?’
Ebert laughed coldly. ‘What are you talking about, Major Karr? They were
Ping Tiao.
But they’re dead now. Eight less of the bastards to worry about.’
Karr went still, suddenly realizing what had happened. ‘You killed them?’
Ebert looked at Auden again, a faint smile reappearing. ‘Every last one.’
Karr clenched his fists, controlling himself. ‘Is there somewhere we can talk?’ he said tightly. ‘Somewhere private?’
Auden indicated a room off to one side. ‘I’ll post a guard.’
‘No need,’ said Karr. ‘We’ll not be long.’
When the door closed behind them, Karr rounded on Ebert.
‘You stupid bastard! Why didn’t you report what you were doing? Who gave you permission to go in without notifying me?’
Ebert’s eyes flared. ‘I don’t need
your
permission!’
Karr leaned in on him angrily. ‘In this instance you did! Marshal Tolonen put me in charge of this investigation, and while it’s still going on, you report to me, understand me, Major Ebert? Your precipitate action has well and truly fucked things up. I had this cell staked out.’
Ebert looked up at the big man defiantly, spitting the words back at him. ‘Well, I’ve simply saved you the trouble, haven’t I?’
Karr shook his head. ‘You arrogant bastard. Don’t you understand? I didn’t want them dead. We were going in tonight. I wanted at least one of them alive. Now the whole bloody lot of them will have gone to ground and the gods know when we’ll get another chance.’
Ebert was glaring back at him, his hands shaking with anger. ‘You’re not pinning this on me, Karr. It’s you who’ve fouled up, not me. I was just doing my job. Following up on evidence received. If you can’t keep your fellow officers informed...’
Karr raised his hand, the fingers tensed, as if to strike Ebert in the face, then slowly let the tension ease from him. Violence would achieve nothing.
‘Did any of our men get hurt?’
There was an ugly movement in Ebert’s face. He looked aside, his voice subdued. ‘A few...’
‘Meaning what?’
Ebert hesitated, then looked back at him again. ‘Four dead, six injured.’
‘Four dead!
Ai ya
! What the fuck were you up to?’ Karr shook his head, then turned away, disgusted. ‘You’re shit, Ebert, you know that? How could you possibly lose four men? You had only to wait. They’d have had to come at you.’
Ebert glared pure hatred at the big man’s back. ‘It wasn’t as simple as that...’
Karr turned back. ‘You fucked up!’
Ebert looked away, then looked back, his whole manner suddenly more threatening. ‘I think you’ve said enough, Karr. Understand? I’m not a man to make an enemy of.’
Karr laughed caustically. ‘You repeat yourself, Major Ebert. Or do you forget our first meeting?’ He leaned forward and spat between Ebert’s feet. ‘There! That might jog your memory. You were a shit then and you’re a shit now.’
‘I’m not afraid of you, Karr.’
‘No...’ Karr nodded. ‘No, you’re not a coward, I’ll grant you that. But you’re still a disgrace to the T’ang’s uniform, and if I can, I’ll break you.’
Ebert laughed scornfully. ‘You’ll try.’
‘Yes, I’ll try. Fucking hard, I’ll try. But don’t underestimate me, Hans Ebert. Just remember what I did to Master Hwa that time in the Pit. He underestimated me, and he’s dead.’
‘Is that a threat?’
‘Take it as you want. But between men, if you understand me. You
Similar Books
