Sarge snapped. "You think Colonel Frost is
going to make jokes about us having to put down again?"
"Who said anything about us having to put down?" Chiggers
asked. "There's an outpost town right on my glide path. You go ahead
and I'll drop down and get this fixed. Shouldn't be more than an hour
or two behind you." He snorted. "Fact is, the way Driscol flies, I
might even beat you there."
"I don't like this," Sarge growled.
"Would you rather go back to Frost and tell him we left one of the
29s behind because you were afraid I might get lost?"
Sarge hissed an irritated sigh. "All right, fine. Just make it
quick. Driscol, you stay with him."
"I don't need him," Chiggers put in before Driscol could respond.
"Besides, he might run into my breath and hurt himself."
"Chiggers—"
"See you, Sarge," Chiggers said. "When I get to Point Two I'll
tell Frost you're on your way."
There was a soft click as Chiggers shut off his transmission, and
another as Uncle Virge closed down the speaker. "One of the ships is
breaking formation," he reported. "He's heading back down."
Draycos lifted his head from Jack's shoulder for a better look at
the display. The patrol ship was definitely curving back toward the
surface. More important, none of the others seemed to be following.
"Can you locate his landing point?" Draycos asked.
"He said there was a town on his flight path, and there are only
two settlements of any real size along that vector," Uncle Virge said.
"Make for the first one," Jack told him. He looked down at Draycos
again. "We are planning to meet him, aren't we?"
"Absolutely," Draycos confirmed, feeling a sense of relief. So
far, this was working exactly the way he'd planned.
"And once we do that?" Uncle Virge prompted.
"He should have this Point Two already programmed into his ship's
computer," Draycos said. "If we can retrieve that information, we can
find them."
"And then what?" Uncle Virge countered. "Harper seemed to think
Neverlin would put a couple of midway points into his schedule."
"And I'm sure he was right," Jack said. "Neverlin and Frost
probably won't give anyone else the actual rendezvous point until the
last minute."
"So I repeat: then what?"
"We'll figure out something," Jack assured him. "Let's just first
make sure we get to Chiggers before he fixes Draycos's leak."
CHAPTER 9
The patrol ship was nowhere to be seen when the Essenay reached the settlement Uncle Virge had mentioned. "Wonderful," Uncle
Virge growled. "Now what?"
"Calm yourself," Draycos said. "He must have found someplace out
of sight to make his repairs."
"I only see two buildings big enough," Jack said, pointing out the
canopy at the town stretching out in front of them. "Looks like both of
them have doors big enough for the 29, too."
"Odd," Uncle Virge muttered. "I wonder what they want with hangars
that big out here in the middle of nowhere."
"Don't know," Jack said. "Don't really care, either. Either of you
have any preference as to which one we look at first?"
Jack felt some weight come onto his shoulder as Draycos lifted up
his head for a better look. "He's in the farther of the two," the K'da
said.
Jack frowned down at him. "How do you know?"
"There are swirl marks in the dust on the near side of that
building," Draycos said. "The other has no such marks."
"Meaning something has just flown in there," Jack said, nodding
agreement. Turning the control yoke a few degrees, he angled the Essenay toward the building Draycos had indicated.
"I don't know," Uncle Virge said doubtfully. "If it was me, I'd
have come in strictly on lifters with no drive at all."
"That takes more time, and Chiggers is in a hurry," Jack reminded
him. "Besides, he doesn't know anyone else even knows about this little
patrol ship deal."
"It's still sloppy," Uncle Virge declared. "So what's the plan?"
Jack looked down at Draycos again. "Over to you, symby," he
invited.
"The leak is near the rear of the cabin," Draycos said. "If he's
found it and is
going to make jokes about us having to put down again?"
"Who said anything about us having to put down?" Chiggers
asked. "There's an outpost town right on my glide path. You go ahead
and I'll drop down and get this fixed. Shouldn't be more than an hour
or two behind you." He snorted. "Fact is, the way Driscol flies, I
might even beat you there."
"I don't like this," Sarge growled.
"Would you rather go back to Frost and tell him we left one of the
29s behind because you were afraid I might get lost?"
Sarge hissed an irritated sigh. "All right, fine. Just make it
quick. Driscol, you stay with him."
"I don't need him," Chiggers put in before Driscol could respond.
"Besides, he might run into my breath and hurt himself."
"Chiggers—"
"See you, Sarge," Chiggers said. "When I get to Point Two I'll
tell Frost you're on your way."
There was a soft click as Chiggers shut off his transmission, and
another as Uncle Virge closed down the speaker. "One of the ships is
breaking formation," he reported. "He's heading back down."
Draycos lifted his head from Jack's shoulder for a better look at
the display. The patrol ship was definitely curving back toward the
surface. More important, none of the others seemed to be following.
"Can you locate his landing point?" Draycos asked.
"He said there was a town on his flight path, and there are only
two settlements of any real size along that vector," Uncle Virge said.
"Make for the first one," Jack told him. He looked down at Draycos
again. "We are planning to meet him, aren't we?"
"Absolutely," Draycos confirmed, feeling a sense of relief. So
far, this was working exactly the way he'd planned.
"And once we do that?" Uncle Virge prompted.
"He should have this Point Two already programmed into his ship's
computer," Draycos said. "If we can retrieve that information, we can
find them."
"And then what?" Uncle Virge countered. "Harper seemed to think
Neverlin would put a couple of midway points into his schedule."
"And I'm sure he was right," Jack said. "Neverlin and Frost
probably won't give anyone else the actual rendezvous point until the
last minute."
"So I repeat: then what?"
"We'll figure out something," Jack assured him. "Let's just first
make sure we get to Chiggers before he fixes Draycos's leak."
CHAPTER 9
The patrol ship was nowhere to be seen when the Essenay reached the settlement Uncle Virge had mentioned. "Wonderful," Uncle
Virge growled. "Now what?"
"Calm yourself," Draycos said. "He must have found someplace out
of sight to make his repairs."
"I only see two buildings big enough," Jack said, pointing out the
canopy at the town stretching out in front of them. "Looks like both of
them have doors big enough for the 29, too."
"Odd," Uncle Virge muttered. "I wonder what they want with hangars
that big out here in the middle of nowhere."
"Don't know," Jack said. "Don't really care, either. Either of you
have any preference as to which one we look at first?"
Jack felt some weight come onto his shoulder as Draycos lifted up
his head for a better look. "He's in the farther of the two," the K'da
said.
Jack frowned down at him. "How do you know?"
"There are swirl marks in the dust on the near side of that
building," Draycos said. "The other has no such marks."
"Meaning something has just flown in there," Jack said, nodding
agreement. Turning the control yoke a few degrees, he angled the Essenay toward the building Draycos had indicated.
"I don't know," Uncle Virge said doubtfully. "If it was me, I'd
have come in strictly on lifters with no drive at all."
"That takes more time, and Chiggers is in a hurry," Jack reminded
him. "Besides, he doesn't know anyone else even knows about this little
patrol ship deal."
"It's still sloppy," Uncle Virge declared. "So what's the plan?"
Jack looked down at Draycos again. "Over to you, symby," he
invited.
"The leak is near the rear of the cabin," Draycos said. "If he's
found it and is
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