7
To Loot A City
“Who are you, Citizen?” Sands asked as the woman climbed to her feet. She was tall; with a heart shaped face framed by hair as black as space. Her green eyes flicked back and forth between him and the disheveled Kelt Dalishaar.
“My name is Kimber Crawford. My father is Envon Crawford, the Factor of Titan. I’m a prisoner here.”
“Why?”
“The first councilor is trying to force my father into trade concessions. He’s holding me and our entire delegation prisoner until my father agrees to his demands.”
“Will he? Agree, that is?”
She laughed. The sound was musical. “The sun has a better chance of healing itself tomorrow. Who are you?”
“My associates and I are currently raiding Cloudcroft.”
“A raid?” Kimber asked, clasping her hands together like a child on Christmas morning. “So that’s what’s happening! They rousted me out of bed, but would not tell me what was going on. No chance that my father hired you to rescue me, is there?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Too bad. Still, that’s no reason we can’t improvise, is it? Let my people go and my father will reward you handsomely.”
“I’m sorry, but I have no way of getting you to Titan.”
“No problem. We have our own ship.”
“How would I collect the reward?”
She thought for a moment, and then pulled an expensive ring from her finger. She held it out to him. “Here. Present this on Titan and demand whatever you think fair. Father will honor the debt.”
He made no move to take the ring. Instead, he considered her proposal. If this beautiful lady were indeed the daughter of the Titanian leader, getting her away from Dalishaar would be reward enough. Not only would it take the Alliance’s mind off Micah Bolin’s clients, it would be one more small revenge for Dane’s murder.
“You don’t mind if this lady and her people leave Cloudcroft, do you, First Councilor?” Dalishaar’s scowl was all the answer he needed. He turned back to Kimber. “We will be here approximately one more hour. If you can get your ship ready by then, we will see you away from the city. After that, you will be on your own. I think I should warn you that the whole Alliance fleet is probably waiting for us out there.”
“You get us out of this city and we’ll do the rest.”
“Very well. The first councilor will issue the orders.”
Dalishaar turned to the same aide who had relayed Sands’s earlier demands. He instructed him to see that the Titanian spacers and trade delegation were conducted to the landing bay, and that their ship was removed from storage.
“Is that satisfactory?” Sands asked Kimber when the Alliance leader had finished.
“Very!” She thrust the ring at him once again. “To claim your reward.”
“No reward is necessary. I have my own reasons for freeing you.”
“Then take it as a token of appreciation. It is not every day a damsel in distress is rescued by a knight in armor of midnight black. Aren’t you hot inside that suit?”
“Very!” he replied as he took the ring from her. For one brief moment, she squeezed tightly enough that he could feel her fingers through his gauntlet. He slipped the ring into a pouch, said goodbye, and directed Dalishaar to guide him back to the office where they had left Halley.
Dawn was breaking over the flyway as he rejoined Halley. The first of Bolin’s airships had arrived with the sun. They watched as the freighter approached the city on the holoscreen, its flanks golden. As soon as the ship had poked its blunt nose into a docking ring, the cargo handlers ran a loading bridge out to it. The airship’s bow hatch opened and a steady stream of booty began to flow inside.
“We’re a little ahead of schedule,” Halley reported.
“Excellent,” Sands replied, glancing at his helmet chronometer. It had been 43 minutes since they had first touched down on Cloudcroft’s gasbag and 27 since he had sent the ‘come hither’ message. “Anything to report?”
“No problems. I have been monitoring the signal from the detonator. No one has gone near it, although I did see an aircraft fly over about ten minutes ago.”
Sands turned to Dalishaar. “What aircraft?”
“Probably just a commercial flight that hasn’t heard of your presence.”
“More likely one of your military craft making sure our bomb is really there.”
“No. I assure you that I have given very strict orders.”
“You have done well up until now, First Councilor. I would hate to see your city destroyed because someone got sloppy. Perhaps you should reiterate your orders that no aircraft is to approach this city. None. Zero. If we detect any naval units heading out into the flyway, we will act appropriately. Do we understand each other?”
“I will reissue the orders,” Dalishaar replied. Ever since they had left the VIP apartment, the first councilor’s lip had tended to curl up when he talked. Sands wondered if he were aware of the change. He took it as a sign that his victim had been servile for about as long as he intended to.
“I need to discuss something with you,” Halley said. “Alone.”
“Right. First Councilor, please wait outside with your men. And relax. We’ll be gone within the hour and you’ll have your city back.”
When Dalishaar and his people had left, Sands reached for a cable on his belt, extended it, and plugged it into a mating receptacle on Halley’s suit. They could now talk freely without fear of eavesdropping.
“While you were gone, Lars, I did some poking around the councilor’s desk.”
“And?”
“See the drawers on the right? They are fakes. He has a computer in there. A big one.”
“A private machine?” Sands asked, suddenly interested.
Halley nodded, causing her suit visor to reflect the early morning light that was flooding in through the window.
“Apparently he doesn’t trust the city computer,” Halley said.
“Interesting. Any way to access his files?”
“No, I tried. I can get as far as the system menu. After that, I keep running into password blocks. What does that tell you?”
“That the first councilor has a lot of secrets. How do we go about learning them?”
“Threaten to blow up the city if he doesn’t give us the passwords?”
Sands shook his head. “If he has a normal security system, he’ll have an entire batch of fake files for just such an eventuality. Probably more than one, in fact. He will give us the wrong passwords, and we will get bogus data. Besides, you saw how he is acting. I’d say we’ve pushed him about as far as we dare.”
“Truth serum?”
“Fine. Where do we find any?”
“We could order it up from the local hospital.”
“No, they would probably just give us a syringe filled with distilled water. Besides, it would take too much time. We have a schedule to maintain. You were able to gain access to the system utilities?”
“Yes.”
He unclipped the bag of memory tiles from his belt and handed it to her. “Then record over as many of these as you need. I want a total system backup. We will take everything and let our employers crack the security codes. They can then sort out the real data from the bogus. Make sure you leave a record of your backup. Perhaps we can shake Citizen Dalishaar’s confidence if he thinks we have his secrets.”
“How about a note thanking him?”
Sands could hear the grin in her voice. It was the first time she had smiled since Dane’s death. “Just make sure you don’t leave him a sample of your handwriting.”
She set to work while he turned his attention to the holoscreen. A steady stream of robot vehicles was moving across the loading bridge to the first airship. Meanwhile, a second was docking with another bridge on the opposite side of Landing Bay Six. Within a few minutes, it too was receiving a steady stream of booty. The third freighter, Micah Bolin’s flagship, was hanging back. The weapons aboard the airship were every bit as capable of destroying the gasbag as the bomb up above. Sands could imagine Bolin glued to his screens, nervously monitoring every aspect of the raid.
Sands ordered the computer to show him the landing bay interior. It was even more crowded than the last time he had checked. SparrowHawk was at the center of a large group of stevedores who were passing the smaller booty into the aircraft’s cargo hold. Among the spoils were a number of artifacts from Cloudcroft’s museum. Undoubtedly, some of the items they were taking aboard would contain homing devices, and possibly a bomb or two. Homing devices did not bother Sands. Any signal emitted inside SparrowHawk’s cargo hold would be grounded out by the extensive shielding Bolin’s technicians had installed. A bomb was another matter, however. Hume Bailey was passing everything through a detector before allowing it aboard. He would also inspect for externally attached limpet mines and locator beacons when it came time to leave.
Other Alliance personnel were using the bay’s automated cargo handling equipment to funnel the larger items out to the two docked airships. Although they were not showing themselves, Bolin’s people were being equally cautious.
As he watched, the stream of cargo to the first airship halted and the bow hatch closed. Two minutes later, the freighter broke free of the city. It was immediately replaced at the docking bridge by Bolin’s flagship.
Sands noted that they were still slightly ahead of schedule. The ease with which everything was going set off a small alarm bell deep inside his brain. Dalishaar and his people were being far too docile. That they were planning something went without saying. He hoped that when the counterstroke came, it would be one that he had foreseen.
* * *
“Are you sure this isn’t an Alliance trick?” Ganther Bartlett asked Kimber Crawford as the tube car whisked them toward the landing bay. Imprisonment had taken its toll on the old man. He looked as though he had not slept in a week.
“What do they have to gain by letting us escape?”
“Ask me a question I can answer.”
As they raced along, they passed through many of the same compartments as on the night they had gone to Government Tower to attend the banquet. Most were deserted, but those few people about seemed to be engaged in normal early morning business. If they were worried that their city might be blasted out of the sky, they hid it well. Obviously, there would be no public announcement of the raid until it was over.
“Why do you suppose this raider refused a reward?” Bartlett asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’ll reconsider and we’ll be able to thank him properly.”
Their conversation was cut off as the car reached the landing bay. Grim faced Marines carrying riot guns met them. Kimber stepped out of the car and helped Ganth up onto the station platform. They were directed out onto the floor to where Captain Nyquist and the rest of Gotham’s passengers and crew were assembled. Except for being dirty and in need of a shave, they seemed unaffected by their imprisonment.
“Where’s our ship, Captain Nyquist?”
“Coming out of the storage hangar now, Miss Crawford.” He pointed to where a large airtight door swung ponderously open to reveal the sleek prow of Gotham. “What the holy hell is going on?”
“We’re getting out of here. There is a raid in progress and the raiders are freeing us. We are under their protection through launch. After that, we will be on our own. How long until we can get underway?”
“The reactors need to be temperature stabilized. The manual recommends half an hour, but I can cut that to fifteen minutes.”
“As fast as you can, Captain.”
“Aye aye, Miss Crawford.”
Nyquist and his copilot trotted toward Gotham, which was being towed into position on one of the landing bay’s three catapults.
The fat prow of one of the raiders’ airships was visible through the transparent hydrogen lock. Like a baby whale that had finished suckling its mother, the ship cast off and backed away from the city. It turned ponderously, and then accelerated from view. A minute later, a larger airship took its place.
“Our hosts seem to be preparing for their departure,” Kimber said. “I suggest we all get aboard Gotham and do likewise.”
“Agreed,” Bartlett responded.
She helped him to the ship and assisted him into an acceleration couch before moving forward to the cockpit. She arrived in time to hear the end of a string of oaths from the pilot.
“What’s the matter?”
“The reactor controls aren’t responding,” Nyquist replied.
“Then switch to backup.”
Nyquist pressed a series of controls without result. Each failure escalated his profanity. Finally, he twisted in his seat to regard Kimber. “I’m afraid we aren’t going anywhere, Miss Crawford. Someone has shorted out the control system. The failsafes are locking us out of the circuit.”
“Then bypass them!”
“Can’t, not without blowing up the ship.”
“Can we repair the damage?”
“Sure, given enough time. However, gaining access to the affected system is a four-hour job. I’m afraid Dalishaar’s monkeys are one step ahead of us.”
Kimber gazed out through the cockpit window. Beyond the loading airship lay blue sky, white cloud, and freedom. It seemed so close, yet was as far beyond her reach as the parched mountains and valleys of poor, dead Earth.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Halley turned to Sands and said, “Our employer reports that he’s fully loaded and ready to cast off.”
“Tell him to make tracks. We’ll hold on here for another twenty minutes or so.”
After a brief silence, she said, “Acknowledged. They’re unhooking now.”
Sands switched the holoscreen to exterior view. The flagship freighter cast loose, backed away from Cloudcroft’s support truss, and turned to head north. From the airship’s exhaust, it was clear that their drive reactors were at emergency maximum. Even so, it took a long time for its elongated shape to begin to dwindle in size. Beyond it, the second freighter was almost to the limits of visibility, while the lead ship had disappeared. With luck, it had reached the cloud wall and was sowing the rising leg of the convection cell with tons of reflective chaff. Soon the cloud wall would be as opaque to radar as it was to the human eye.
“All right let’s begin cleaning up in here,” Sands told Halley. “Where did you put the note?”
“In the upper drawer of the desk.”
“Good. I’d like to see his face when he finds it.”
Duplicating the contents of the first councilor’s private computer had required only a single memory tile. Much of what they had recorded was operating system, canned software, and the computer’s extensive security system. Amid this dross, however, were the files Kelt Dalishaar felt too sensitive to maintain in the city computer. There was no telling what secrets might come to light if someone had the patience to crack the various security codes that protected the data.
“Hello, Three,” Sands said over his radio. “Are you there?”
“Where else would I be, One?”
“How go things with the ship?”
“We’re fully loaded and ready to lift out. The bay commander has us on the catapult, ready to launch.”
“Any sign of chicanery?”
“None obvious, One. They’re still being good little boys.”
“That could change anytime now. I want the rest of you aboard when we arrive in the bay. If they’re going to jump us, that will be their last chance.”
“I’ve already reminded the port captain how much damage a fusion powered aircraft can do inside a city. I think he was suitably impressed.”
“See you in a few minutes. We’ll give the freighters time to reach the cloud wall, then get the hell out ourselves.”
“Suits me fine,” Crandall’s electronically generated voice said. “I’m getting the distinct impression these people don’t like us.”
“Can’t say I blame them,” Lars replied.
He and Halley gathered up their equipment, and then exited the office. They found the first councilor and his staff gathered in the living room. Dalishaar had taken the opportunity to change out of his robe. He was once again the very essence of a man of power. That worried Sands. Getting caught without one’s pants tends to sap self-confidence. Now that Dalishaar had been given time to make himself presentable, no telling what ideas might be going through his head.
“This is what we will do, First Councilor,” he said as the waiting Alliance dignitaries got to their feet. “You, I, and Number Two will take a tube car to the landing bay. The rest of your people will wait here in Government Tower. You will stay in the bay until we have completed our launch. Any sign of interference and we blast our way free. No need to tell you what will happen to you personally if we do that, is there?”
“None at all.”
“Let’s go then.”
Dalishaar led them to the lift, and from there, to the tube station. The three of them squeezed into one of the little cars and were whisked toward the rim of the city. Despite his misgivings, they arrived without incident.
There were two ships on the catapults that accelerated heavier-than-hydrogen craft away from the city. SparrowHawk was on the portside catapult. It was sealed up and ready for flight save for the starboard hydrogen lock, which was standing open. The black clad form of Ross Crandall stood outside the open port. A larger craft was on the starboard catapult. Sands recognized one of the winged spacecraft used for transit between Saturn and its moons. He ordered Halley to get aboard SparrowHawk, then grabbed Dalishaar by the arm and dragged him across the deck toward the spacecraft.
“You people should have been away by now,” he shouted at Kimber as he neared the ship. An old man turned around at the sound of his voice.
“You must be our benefactor,” he said. “I am Ganther Bartlett, Miss Crawford’s chief negotiator.”
“Never mind the introductions. What the hell are you doing here?”
“We’ve been sabotaged.” He hurriedly explained about the damaged reactor.
Sands frowned. “You should have said something. We could have gotten you out on the airships. Now, it is too late. How many of you are there?”
“Eleven.”
“What about it, First Councilor, can the Alliance provide a ship?”
“Sorry,” Dalishaar said. There was no mistaking the note of triumph in his voice. “None available.”
“Get one!” Sands ordered.
“You aren’t going to set off your bomb over this,” Dalishaar replied confidently. “You might if we thwarted you from leaving. These…” he gestured toward the assembled Titanians “… aren’t that important to you. Besides, if you destroy Cloudcroft, you will kill them too.”
Sands turned to Kimber Crawford. “I’m afraid he’s right. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
“Wait a minute!” the old man said. “Surely you have room aboard your ship.”
“For eleven people? Hardly.”
“How about one person?”
He hesitated, and then said, “That might be possible.”
“Take Miss Crawford. Get her away from here.”
“I won’t leave you, Ganth!”
He turned to Kimber. “You must. Without you, Dalishaar has no leverage at all against your father.”
“He’s right, Miss Crawford,” a man in the uniform of a Titanian spacer said. “Once you are safe, there will be a Titanian fleet on its way to free the rest of us in a matter of hours.”
The man Kimber had addressed as Ganth turned back to Sands. “Please take her. You will be amply rewarded.”
“I can squeeze her in,” Sands replied. Events were moving entirely too fast for his peace of mind. He considered that this might be a ploy by the Alliance to put a spy aboard his ship, and then dismissed the thought out of hand.
“Were I you, Miss Crawford, I would not go with him,” Dalishaar said.
“Why not, First Councilor?”
“You know nothing about these people. They may cut your throat as soon as they are out of sight. Besides, traveling with them isn’t safe.”
“What he means,” Sands said, “is that he will try to blow us out of the sky the moment they deactivate our bomb.”
Kimber smiled at Dalishaar. “It’s true that I don’t know what sort of cutthroats I’m throwing in with, but I do know the ones I’m leaving behind.” With that, she turned to Sands. “Shall we get away from here?”