days finding the damned aircar. I guess they put out a reward for information. I'd be a lot more annoyed at those reporters if they hadn't died for their trouble."
"Where am I taking you to, Captain Cole?"
"I'm not a captain," answered Cole. "Has Pinocchio got a slum?"
"Afraid not," replied the driver. "It's not all upscale, but it's all clean and safe." He paused. "There's a military outpost south of town. Do you want me to take you there?"
"No. Just drive us through the city. I'll tell you where to stop."
"What's wrong with getting dropped off at a Republic outpost?" asked Potter.
"I don't want to put myself in a position where they can give me orders just yet. I've got to remain flexible as long as I'm on Rapunzel."
"If you want to organize a militia, I'll volunteer," said the driver. "So will almost everyone I know."
"Here I am, doing my damnedest to stay alive, and you're lining up to get killed," said Cole. "I appreciate your courage and your patriotism, but there's a Bortellite warship on the planet that can destroy anything you throw against it in seconds."
"Why are they after you?"
"Initially to keep me quiet," answered Cole. "Now it's just retaliation because I've alerted the planet to their new status as members of the Teroni Federation."
"I heard the newscasts," said the driver. "There were all kinds of qualifications and a lot of hedging about that."
"That's probably because someone in your government made a sweetheart deal with them, and doesn't want to end it just because they've joined the enemy."
"Do you know that for a fact?" asked the driver sharply.
"No, but it figures. Probably most of your leaders are good, moral, God-fearing men and woman—but it only takes one to sell you out to the enemy."
"Well, it seems to me if the Bortellites heard it, they'll be out of here before any Navy ships arrive."
"I don't think so," said Cole.
"Why not?"
"Rapunzel has something they desperately need," explained Cole. "They know if they leave without it they're never going to be allowed back."
"So they're just going to sit around and wait for the Fleet to show up?"
"I don't know what they're going to do," admitted Cole. "They're just dumb enough to think I'd make a good hostage—my life for what they want." He chuckled ironically. "As if the Navy cares."
"I'm still trying to figure out how they found us so fast," said Potter.
"Once the press found out that you paid for my subspace message, everything followed logically," said Cole. "That was our mistake. Theirs was not figuring that the Bortellites would be watching them."
"The war hasn't reached Rapunzel," said Potter. "None of us are used to thinking like that."
"As long as you're on the run from a common enemy, why don't the two of you stay at my place?" offered the driver.
"You got any family?" asked Cole.
"A wife and three kids."
"Thanks for the offer, but there's no sense endangering five of you."
"It's no trouble."
"Forget it."
"It's my duty," said the man stubbornly.
"I'll tell you what," said Cole. "Contact your wife and tell her you plan to harbor a man that every Bortellite on the planet is hunting. Ask her if she's willing to trade the lives of your three children for mine. If she says yes, we'll take you up on your offer."
"She'll probably turn the security system up to lethal before we get there," answered the driver. "But I've got to do something. We're at war. I can't just turn my back on a man the enemy is hunting."
"You can do something," said Cole. "What's the closest city to Pinocchio? Not a suburb, but a city?"
"Cinnamon, about forty miles north."
"God, who named these places?" said Cole. "All right. Once you drop us off, wait twenty minutes, long enough for us to get off the street and out of sight. Then contact all the major news organizations and tell them you spotted us heading toward Cinnamon." He paused. "No! Wait a minute. It's going to take them an hour or more to determine that we weren't in the explosion.
"Where am I taking you to, Captain Cole?"
"I'm not a captain," answered Cole. "Has Pinocchio got a slum?"
"Afraid not," replied the driver. "It's not all upscale, but it's all clean and safe." He paused. "There's a military outpost south of town. Do you want me to take you there?"
"No. Just drive us through the city. I'll tell you where to stop."
"What's wrong with getting dropped off at a Republic outpost?" asked Potter.
"I don't want to put myself in a position where they can give me orders just yet. I've got to remain flexible as long as I'm on Rapunzel."
"If you want to organize a militia, I'll volunteer," said the driver. "So will almost everyone I know."
"Here I am, doing my damnedest to stay alive, and you're lining up to get killed," said Cole. "I appreciate your courage and your patriotism, but there's a Bortellite warship on the planet that can destroy anything you throw against it in seconds."
"Why are they after you?"
"Initially to keep me quiet," answered Cole. "Now it's just retaliation because I've alerted the planet to their new status as members of the Teroni Federation."
"I heard the newscasts," said the driver. "There were all kinds of qualifications and a lot of hedging about that."
"That's probably because someone in your government made a sweetheart deal with them, and doesn't want to end it just because they've joined the enemy."
"Do you know that for a fact?" asked the driver sharply.
"No, but it figures. Probably most of your leaders are good, moral, God-fearing men and woman—but it only takes one to sell you out to the enemy."
"Well, it seems to me if the Bortellites heard it, they'll be out of here before any Navy ships arrive."
"I don't think so," said Cole.
"Why not?"
"Rapunzel has something they desperately need," explained Cole. "They know if they leave without it they're never going to be allowed back."
"So they're just going to sit around and wait for the Fleet to show up?"
"I don't know what they're going to do," admitted Cole. "They're just dumb enough to think I'd make a good hostage—my life for what they want." He chuckled ironically. "As if the Navy cares."
"I'm still trying to figure out how they found us so fast," said Potter.
"Once the press found out that you paid for my subspace message, everything followed logically," said Cole. "That was our mistake. Theirs was not figuring that the Bortellites would be watching them."
"The war hasn't reached Rapunzel," said Potter. "None of us are used to thinking like that."
"As long as you're on the run from a common enemy, why don't the two of you stay at my place?" offered the driver.
"You got any family?" asked Cole.
"A wife and three kids."
"Thanks for the offer, but there's no sense endangering five of you."
"It's no trouble."
"Forget it."
"It's my duty," said the man stubbornly.
"I'll tell you what," said Cole. "Contact your wife and tell her you plan to harbor a man that every Bortellite on the planet is hunting. Ask her if she's willing to trade the lives of your three children for mine. If she says yes, we'll take you up on your offer."
"She'll probably turn the security system up to lethal before we get there," answered the driver. "But I've got to do something. We're at war. I can't just turn my back on a man the enemy is hunting."
"You can do something," said Cole. "What's the closest city to Pinocchio? Not a suburb, but a city?"
"Cinnamon, about forty miles north."
"God, who named these places?" said Cole. "All right. Once you drop us off, wait twenty minutes, long enough for us to get off the street and out of sight. Then contact all the major news organizations and tell them you spotted us heading toward Cinnamon." He paused. "No! Wait a minute. It's going to take them an hour or more to determine that we weren't in the explosion.
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