reached the ship. But one of the other Cobras, a man named Kemp, was on guard in the troop guard room just inside the door. "What's going on?" Jody panted as she charged in. "Where's Harli?"
"Communications room," Kemp told her, his voice grim. "Deck one—top of the ship. Traffic Control's spotted a Troft ship on its way in."
Jody felt her pounding heart try to seize up inside her. "One of these?" she asked, gesturing at the mass of the warship around them.
"Harli doesn't think it's a warship," Kemp said. "Too small. More likely a courier here to check on the situation."
Jody winced. A courier wouldn't be as bad as a full-fledged warship. But it would be bad enough. "We can't let it see what happened here."
"No kidding," Kemp growled. "He's up there trying to see if that Vil woman can wave them off."
Jody nodded. "I'll see if I can help."
The warship had nine decks, which meant eight flights of narrow stairs between her and the comm room. Coming on top of that hundred-meter sprint, Jody's legs felt like rubber by the time she finally emerged from the stairway onto Deck One. Following the sound of voices, she stumbled her way down the corridor to the comm room.
There were three people already there. Rashida was seated at the main console, with Harli and another man standing stiffly behind her. Harli looked back as Jody came in, a warning finger at his lips.
Jody nodded. Like she had extra breath to spare for questions right now anyway.
[The proposed landing area, it is not on our schedule,] a Troft voice was coming from the speaker. [The primary attack site, it is elsewhere on the planet.]
[The primary attack site, it is secure,] Rashida replied in fluent, flawless cattertalk. [The site, you may visit it afterward. But the scouting party, it is in danger. The soldiers, they must be first retrieved.]
Frowning, Jody beckoned to Harli. He hesitated, then silently crossed to her. "What?" he whispered.
"Kemp said you were going to try to wave them away," Jody whispered back. "But she's inviting them down?"
Harli's eyes narrowed. "Is that what she's saying?"
"You don't understand cattertalk?"
"Not a word. What's she saying?"
Jody focused on the conversation again. "It sounds like she's telling them there's a scouting party somewhere else on Caelian that needs to be picked up," she said. "She's insisting they do that before they swing by here."
Some of the tension smoothed out of Harli's face. "No, okay, that's good," he said. "She convinced me there was no way they were just going to go home without a look, so I told her to try to stall them. A little side trip into Wonderland ought to do the trick."
At the console, Rashida looked back at Jody, her face tense, her eyes desperate. "I hope you've got a Plan B," Jody warned. "Because it doesn't look like they're going for it."
"Hell," Harli muttered, turning back to Rashida. She shifted her eyes to him and gave a small shake of her head.
"Plan B?" Jody prompted.
"Yeah, yeah, hold on a second," Harli said, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for inspiration. "Okay. If they insist on coming down, tell them fine, come ahead. Then shut down the comm."
Rashida nodded and turned back to her board. [The primary attack site, you may come to it,] she said.
[The instruction, I obey it.]
Rashida touched a switch, and a row of lights went out. "I'm sorry," she said, turning to Harli again. "He insisted."
"That's all right," Harli said, pulling out his field radio. "No—wait a second," he said, stepping back to Rashida's side and running his eyes over the board. "I remember there being some kind of external loudspeaker system that keys in here somewhere. Find it for me, will you?—it'll be a lot faster than using the radios."
Rashida peered at the board, pointed to a set of controls. "There."
"Turn it on," Harli ordered. "How long before they get within eyeshot?"
"Not long," she said, keying the controls and handing him a slender mike. "Five or ten
"Communications room," Kemp told her, his voice grim. "Deck one—top of the ship. Traffic Control's spotted a Troft ship on its way in."
Jody felt her pounding heart try to seize up inside her. "One of these?" she asked, gesturing at the mass of the warship around them.
"Harli doesn't think it's a warship," Kemp said. "Too small. More likely a courier here to check on the situation."
Jody winced. A courier wouldn't be as bad as a full-fledged warship. But it would be bad enough. "We can't let it see what happened here."
"No kidding," Kemp growled. "He's up there trying to see if that Vil woman can wave them off."
Jody nodded. "I'll see if I can help."
The warship had nine decks, which meant eight flights of narrow stairs between her and the comm room. Coming on top of that hundred-meter sprint, Jody's legs felt like rubber by the time she finally emerged from the stairway onto Deck One. Following the sound of voices, she stumbled her way down the corridor to the comm room.
There were three people already there. Rashida was seated at the main console, with Harli and another man standing stiffly behind her. Harli looked back as Jody came in, a warning finger at his lips.
Jody nodded. Like she had extra breath to spare for questions right now anyway.
[The proposed landing area, it is not on our schedule,] a Troft voice was coming from the speaker. [The primary attack site, it is elsewhere on the planet.]
[The primary attack site, it is secure,] Rashida replied in fluent, flawless cattertalk. [The site, you may visit it afterward. But the scouting party, it is in danger. The soldiers, they must be first retrieved.]
Frowning, Jody beckoned to Harli. He hesitated, then silently crossed to her. "What?" he whispered.
"Kemp said you were going to try to wave them away," Jody whispered back. "But she's inviting them down?"
Harli's eyes narrowed. "Is that what she's saying?"
"You don't understand cattertalk?"
"Not a word. What's she saying?"
Jody focused on the conversation again. "It sounds like she's telling them there's a scouting party somewhere else on Caelian that needs to be picked up," she said. "She's insisting they do that before they swing by here."
Some of the tension smoothed out of Harli's face. "No, okay, that's good," he said. "She convinced me there was no way they were just going to go home without a look, so I told her to try to stall them. A little side trip into Wonderland ought to do the trick."
At the console, Rashida looked back at Jody, her face tense, her eyes desperate. "I hope you've got a Plan B," Jody warned. "Because it doesn't look like they're going for it."
"Hell," Harli muttered, turning back to Rashida. She shifted her eyes to him and gave a small shake of her head.
"Plan B?" Jody prompted.
"Yeah, yeah, hold on a second," Harli said, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for inspiration. "Okay. If they insist on coming down, tell them fine, come ahead. Then shut down the comm."
Rashida nodded and turned back to her board. [The primary attack site, you may come to it,] she said.
[The instruction, I obey it.]
Rashida touched a switch, and a row of lights went out. "I'm sorry," she said, turning to Harli again. "He insisted."
"That's all right," Harli said, pulling out his field radio. "No—wait a second," he said, stepping back to Rashida's side and running his eyes over the board. "I remember there being some kind of external loudspeaker system that keys in here somewhere. Find it for me, will you?—it'll be a lot faster than using the radios."
Rashida peered at the board, pointed to a set of controls. "There."
"Turn it on," Harli ordered. "How long before they get within eyeshot?"
"Not long," she said, keying the controls and handing him a slender mike. "Five or ten
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