like Reivaro said,” Pierce said. “Heavy stuff, too, a lot heavier than the fabricators are used to. No telling how long they’ll hold up before this wrecks them. Yates’s spitting nails—Reivaro’s had to confine him to his house.”
“With more Cobras siphoned off for guard duty, no doubt.”
“Well, he’s sure not going to waste his Marines on that,” Pierce said. “They’re all busy watching his headquarters and his hindquarters. If you didn’t accomplish anything else with that raid last night, you at least put the fear of God into him.”
“Good,” Lorne said. “The more effort he puts into watching his own back, the less he’ll have for watching everything else’s. You think Matavuli will be willing to go?”
“If I can convince him he can make the trip plausible,” Pierce said. “Reivaro spent a lot of today ramping up the threats and warnings. Yates’s factory was just the first—they’ve already confiscated a couple of homes and at least one ranch for operational bases and troop quartering. Matavuli’s got a family and a crew of ranch hands to support, and the Troft invasion pushed him pretty close to the line. He can’t afford to take another hit.”
“He should be fine, provided he goes to the Dome first,” Lorne said. “The other trip can be slipped in afterward, with an equally reasonable rationale. There won’t be anything suspicious for Reivaro or anyone else to point to.”
“Assuming Reivaro needs anything more than his own fevered imagination,” Pierce growled. “But this sounds like our best shot. Assuming it works, how and when do I contact you?”
Lorne pursed his lips. One day for travel each direction, just to be on the safe side, plus another three or four for the necessary work… “You still stationed at Smith’s Forge?”
“Officially, yes, but Reivaro’s signed me for a couple of shifts a week on Archway patrol,” Pierce said. “Don’t know if that’ll hold up, but for now that’s my schedule.”
“Where are you supposed to be the day after tomorrow?”
“That’ll be one of my Smith’s Forge shifts,” Pierce said. “How about Whistling Waller’s Tavern? It’s at the south end of town, right up against the fence.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Lorne said. “Hopefully, Matavuli will be able to get you a preliminary report before we meet.”
“Unless Reivaro decides to shift everyone and everything around again,” Pierce said acidly. “He’s like a sociopathic kid with a new set of toy soldiers.”
“Yes, that sounds like him,” Lorne said carefully, a bit taken aback by the anger simmering beneath Pierce’s professional calm.
And belatedly, it occurred to him that while he and his mother had been holed up in the cave all day, resting and thinking, Pierce and the other Cobras had been facing Reivaro and his Marines, taking and obeying orders, with the collars wrapped around their necks a constant reminder that they were a single infraction away from instant death.
Lorne might be on the run, but in many ways he had it easier than anyone else in the province.
“So that’s it?” Pierce asked.
“That’s it,” Lorne confirmed. “I take it I head back the same way I came?”
“Unless you’d rather swim it this time.” Pierce shook his head. “I can’t believe there’s still stuff tucked away in the nanocomputer that we didn’t know about. They might at least have mentioned the wire-walking thing to us.”
“That assumes they knew about it themselves,” Lorne pointed out. “Who’s to say they did?”
Pierce grunted. “Which begs the question of what else might be in there nobody knows about. But never mind that now.” Reaching down, he picked up the cable and then set his heels back in the impressions in the ground. “Be sure to unhook the grabber and toss it back once you’re over. Those things don’t come cheap, and Matavuli will skin me alive if I lose it.”
“Understood,” Lorne said. “Good
“With more Cobras siphoned off for guard duty, no doubt.”
“Well, he’s sure not going to waste his Marines on that,” Pierce said. “They’re all busy watching his headquarters and his hindquarters. If you didn’t accomplish anything else with that raid last night, you at least put the fear of God into him.”
“Good,” Lorne said. “The more effort he puts into watching his own back, the less he’ll have for watching everything else’s. You think Matavuli will be willing to go?”
“If I can convince him he can make the trip plausible,” Pierce said. “Reivaro spent a lot of today ramping up the threats and warnings. Yates’s factory was just the first—they’ve already confiscated a couple of homes and at least one ranch for operational bases and troop quartering. Matavuli’s got a family and a crew of ranch hands to support, and the Troft invasion pushed him pretty close to the line. He can’t afford to take another hit.”
“He should be fine, provided he goes to the Dome first,” Lorne said. “The other trip can be slipped in afterward, with an equally reasonable rationale. There won’t be anything suspicious for Reivaro or anyone else to point to.”
“Assuming Reivaro needs anything more than his own fevered imagination,” Pierce growled. “But this sounds like our best shot. Assuming it works, how and when do I contact you?”
Lorne pursed his lips. One day for travel each direction, just to be on the safe side, plus another three or four for the necessary work… “You still stationed at Smith’s Forge?”
“Officially, yes, but Reivaro’s signed me for a couple of shifts a week on Archway patrol,” Pierce said. “Don’t know if that’ll hold up, but for now that’s my schedule.”
“Where are you supposed to be the day after tomorrow?”
“That’ll be one of my Smith’s Forge shifts,” Pierce said. “How about Whistling Waller’s Tavern? It’s at the south end of town, right up against the fence.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Lorne said. “Hopefully, Matavuli will be able to get you a preliminary report before we meet.”
“Unless Reivaro decides to shift everyone and everything around again,” Pierce said acidly. “He’s like a sociopathic kid with a new set of toy soldiers.”
“Yes, that sounds like him,” Lorne said carefully, a bit taken aback by the anger simmering beneath Pierce’s professional calm.
And belatedly, it occurred to him that while he and his mother had been holed up in the cave all day, resting and thinking, Pierce and the other Cobras had been facing Reivaro and his Marines, taking and obeying orders, with the collars wrapped around their necks a constant reminder that they were a single infraction away from instant death.
Lorne might be on the run, but in many ways he had it easier than anyone else in the province.
“So that’s it?” Pierce asked.
“That’s it,” Lorne confirmed. “I take it I head back the same way I came?”
“Unless you’d rather swim it this time.” Pierce shook his head. “I can’t believe there’s still stuff tucked away in the nanocomputer that we didn’t know about. They might at least have mentioned the wire-walking thing to us.”
“That assumes they knew about it themselves,” Lorne pointed out. “Who’s to say they did?”
Pierce grunted. “Which begs the question of what else might be in there nobody knows about. But never mind that now.” Reaching down, he picked up the cable and then set his heels back in the impressions in the ground. “Be sure to unhook the grabber and toss it back once you’re over. Those things don’t come cheap, and Matavuli will skin me alive if I lose it.”
“Understood,” Lorne said. “Good
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