Stephen Berry - Final Assault

"You sonofabitch," said Heather, looking at Hochmeister and raising the Magnum. "The bugs are back and you sold out."

He shook his head. "No. That one was one of Guan-Sharick's loyalists, working for me by mutual agreement.

"My offer to you still stands, MacKenzie," he said. "It won't be repeated."

"Step away from that console, Admiral."

Hochmeister looked up and behind her. "Ritter, kill her if she takes another step."

Heather turned at the snick of rounds being chambered-Colonel Ritter and three SKs stood in the doorway.

"I opened the door while you looked at the bug," said Hochmeister as they took her gun away. "Get your ordnance people in here, Colonel," he ordered.

"Excuse me, Admiral," said Heather as they handcuffed her hands behind her back. "When you opened the door, how many times did you push the switch?"

"Twice." Frowning, he looked at the small green button, then back at Heather. "Nothing happened the first time. Why?"

She laughed-a high clear sound that echoed through the room. "Baby chick takes all the king's horses and all the king's men. When this installation's on alert condition, that little green button becomes a booby trap-one opens the door with five seconds' delay. More than once within five seconds…"

"Destruct sequence activated." It was a recording, playing automatically from the overrun defense center. "Mark thirty. Twenty-nine

"Cut that cable!" Ritter ordered the three-man ordnance team just coming down the stairs, packs in hand. He pointed at the line running from the console to the frowning bomb.

As the first man touched the cable a green laser beam fired from the wall, boring a neat hole in his chest. He crumpled at Hochmeister's feet.

"I don't suppose there's a deactivation code?" said Hochmeister to MacKenzie. Behind them, Colonel Ritter was shouting into his transceiver to find and cut the auxiliary power.

"You might try 'Sic Transit Gloria Mundi,'" said Heather.

Hochmeister smiled ruefully, shook his head and took off his biofocals, polishing them carefully as the recording said, "Fifteen. .."

"Final matters," said the admiral. "You've always had my respect, MacKenzie. It's unfortunate we have to end this way."

Before Heather could more than open her mouth, three figures appeared in the room's center. Two SKs on the stairway raised their weapons, only to drop them as red lightning flashed from S'Rel's eyes, touching the machine pistols.

"Three, two…" said the PA system as Guan-Sharick stared at the console. Console and cable vanished.

"One," said the tape, and clicked off.

"Hold your fire, Colonel," called Hochmeister.

Ritter raised his hand as more SKs rushed into the bomb room. "Hold your fire," he repeated.

"Not that you'd get a shot off," said S'Rel, eyes scanning the troopers' faces. "I'm very good at this."

"Got yourself into a mess, Heather?" said John, walking over to the physicist-guerilla.

"John, I don't know where you came from…"

"A shuttle, parked outside, my dear."

"… but I'm delighted and relieved to see you." She turned her back to him, manacled hands outthrust. "The big thug in the corner has the key."

"I don't believe it's been established whose side they're on," said Hochmeister, pulling on his glasses. "Whose side are you, Mr. Harrison?"

"Our own, I'm afraid," said John, turning from Heather to face the admiral. He nodded toward the blonde. "You've met Guan-Sharick before."

Hochmeister bowed slightly. "Not in such a comely guise.

"Your associate's come to a bad end," he said to the transmute, indicating the dead S'Cotar by the stairs.

The blonde shrugged. "We've come to make you an offer you can't refuse, Admiral."

"Himmler once said the same thing to me," said Hochmeister. "And I said no."

"We're taking all your atomic weapons, including reserved fissionable materials," said the transmute.

"What for?" said the admiral.

"Fuel."

"What are you fueling-the moon?"

"About the same size," said John. "Only made of battlesteel and loaded with armaments. It's parked in orbit, needing a refill."

"Why tell us at all?" said the admiral. "Why not just take it?"

"We would have," said S'Rel. "Except that you people were about to dispose of this material-and yourselves-very dramatically and very uselessly. Instead, we'll dispose of it for you."

The bombs and Guan-Sharick were gone.

"Do you know how much work," began Heather, her face very pale, "how many people died…"

"We're off to fight the AIs on their own turf, Heather," interrupted John. "If we don't win, you'll all die. They know you're here, they'll come for you when they've finished with us."

"Harrison," sighed Hochmeister, polishing his biofocals, "take it all-all the filthy stuff. Just make sure, if you're cleaning us out, to do the same for the Russians."

"That's very generous of you, Admiral," John smiled. "Especially since you don't have any choice."

Guan-Sharick reappeared. "Ready to go?"

"One thing," said John, turning to Heather. "Tell my blond friend where you want to go-softly."

"I'm not a taxi," said the transmute as Heather crossed the room. She whispered something in Guan-Sharick's ear. The blonde nodded.

"Long life and happiness," said John as the two disappeared.

"It's unlikely she'll have either," said Hochmeister as the transmute reappeared.

"And the same to you, Admiral," said John.

Only Germans were left in the bombless room.

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

"Yes, Line?" L'Guan looked up from the I'Wor board-it was DTrelna's move.

"The Margrave of U'Tria's scout craft has just cleared jump point-Combine T'Lan cruisers are in pursuit."

"I believe FleetOps was calling them 'armed merchantmen' during my tenure," said L'Guan, watching DTrelna's hand hover uncertainly between two pieces.

"Those the same slime who've been sitting around jump point the past week?" asked D'Trelna, moving his flanking captain two squares to the left.

"The same," said Line. "The margrave double-jumped them-came insystem already jump-plotted for further in."

"He had a thirty percent chance of not blowing his drive," said L'Guan, moving his man.

"What's FleetOps doing about him?" asked L'Guan.

"Busily flashing seize-or-destroy orders to Home System Command," said Line. "The Margrave's destination is K'Ronar-there's no way he can avoid the picket ships."

"See if you can tightbeam him," said L'Guan, taking DTrelna's consort.

It took a moment, then L'Wrona's face appeared to the right of the game table, just above a colorful clump of tropical flora long extinct on K'Ronar itself. Staring at the margrave, D'Trelna could see through him to the waterfall beyond.

"Got it," said L'Wrona, staring at the small image in the pickup. He tapped his breast pocket.

"His tactical situation's utterly hopeless," said Line, projecting a second window beside the first: three distinct groups of red blips were closing from two sides on a single green one; a second group of eight hostiles followed behind. As the two officers watched, a group of five yellow blips detached themselves from the region fronting Line and moved toward the green target blip. .-rural,'' said Line, "I am granting the -. irgrave's ship extended sanctuary under the terms of General Order Seven. Do you concur?"

"What is General Order Seven?" asked DTrelna. I'Wor forgotten, he was intent on the other, deadlier game unfolding on the tacscan.

" 'Any vessel or crew whose presence is a necessary constituent to the defense of the planet may, at the discretion of both Line and the Line Duty Officer, be granted extended sanctuary,'" said L'Guan, eyes shifting between L'Wrona and the tacscan.

"Now would not be too soon," said L'Wrona, punching in a countersalvo as the first wave of missiles came in. He threw an arm over his eyes as fierce red fusion beams flashed from Toy, touching the six silver shipbusters streaking in on the scout craft. Orange-red explosions mushroomed around the craft, enveloping it in a fiery globe that was gone as quickly as it had come.