Robert Asprin - Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe

“What are you expecting to find in the spaceport?” Sasha asked.

“Hopefully a ship to get us away from this complex and off this planet,” Hosato replied.

“I mean, specifically what are we going after. Do you know if there’s a ship standing by for takeoff?”

“No,” Hosato admitted. “We’ll just have to take pot luck.”

Sasha shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. They might have some company ships posted here, but it takes at least half an hour to get them ready for takeoff.”

“I know that!” Hosato snapped. “If we have to take the half-hour, we’ll just have to take it. I’m hoping there’s something ready to go. Either way, we won’t know until we check it out, will we?”

“Don’t get your back up. I was just asking.”

Hosato sighed. The strain of the last thirty-six hours was starting to tell on his nerves. He had catnapped in the crawler, but except for that, had had no sleep since the robot uprising.

“Sorry, Sasha. I’m just a bit tired is all.”

“Shh!” came Rick’s call from ahead.

Hosato hurried up the stairs to join the mechanic at the head of the formation. Rick was squatting on the stairs, a half-dozen steps short of where they terminated at a small landing. Gedge was sitting beside the mechanic, staring groggily at his shoes.

At the far side of the landing were two sets of airlocks with large glass windows in them. Through the farthest set Hosato could see a uniformed security guard apparently in casual conversation with a man in a gray jumpsuit.

“Security,” Sasha hissed in his ear from close behind him. “The double doors are a safety precaution against a failure in the hookups with the ships. They can be opened only from the inside.”

“That’s what we have Gedge here for,” Hosato replied grimly. “Rick. Get Gedge up there and rap on the glass. Don’t let them see your face!”

Rick nodded his understanding. He grabbed Gedge by one arm and stood up boldly in full view of the door. Dragging his dazed charge with him, he strode to the first lock and began rapping frantically on the glass.

Surprised, the interior guard spun around and took in the scene at a glance. What he saw was one of his fellow guards supporting their chief, who was obviously in bad shape physically. Human nature took over.

The guard whirled and shoved his companion aside. He hammered two buttons in the wall panel with his fist, and the double doors opened.

“It’s a trick!” Gedge managed, coming suddenly to life and trying to pull away from Rick.

The guard realized his error—too late.

Rick released Gedge and was through the door in one long bound. “Don’t even twitch, sonny!” he said darkly, leveling his blaster at the startled guard.

The others swarmed through the doors after him, Hosato roughly dragging Gedge with them. Rick relieved the guard of his blaster as Sasha turned her attention to the man in the jumpsuit.

“I’ll ask once,” she announced. “Who or what are you?”

“I’m a… a taxi driver. That’s all!” the man stammered. “I—. I’ve got a ship standing by to fly some bigwigs to a conference on Theta. I’m nobody important. Really!”

Sasha laughed mirthlessly. “Nobody important. Hey, Hosato. It looks like you win. We’ve got a ship.”

“It’s about time we got lucky,” Hosato growled. “Where is it?”

A shrill beeping interrupted them. A communications light was flashing on the wall panel.

“Answer it!” Rick ordered, gesturing at the guard with his blaster.

The man licked his lips nervously, then complied. “Spaceport!” he said into the speaker.

“Seal the spaceport,” came a voice over the speaker. “Possible sabotage attempt in progress. They’ve got the chief as a hostage.”

The guard’s eyes darted to the group in front of him before replying. “Code Victor acknowledged.”

Rick sprang forward to shove him away from the panel, but it was too late. There wasn’t a member of their party that doubted the fact the guard’s signal had pinpointed their location.

“That tears it,” Hosato snarled. “Sasha. Is there any way they can stop our takeoff?”

“Only through the doors there,” she answered briskly.

“Well, we’ll just have to see how good their security system really is. You. Where is your ship and what kind is it?”

“Pad Eight,” the man responded. “It’s a Starblazer II. I Luxury Cruiser.”

“You’d better not be lying,” Sasha snarled.

“It’s there. So help me God. I don’t want any trouble.” The man seemed genuinely terror-struck.

“I can fly it,” Rick volunteered.

“Okay, check it out, fast!” Hosato ordered.

“Cover him, James,” Rick snapped, indicating the guard, and was gone, sprinting down the corridor.

“Gedge!” Hosato said, turning to the security chief. “Fm letting you go—”

“Wait a minute!” Sasha interrupted.

“Shut up, Sasha. Do you hear me, Gedge. I’m letting you go. The men we killed got in the way, but I don’t kill people for convenience. Listen to me, Gedge. Convince those bastards about what’s going on at Mc-. Crae. We weren’t lying. Convince them, Gedge, or on my family’s honor I’ll come back here and kill you, and all the guards in the galaxy won’t be able to stop me!”

“It’s here!” came Rick’s call from down the corridor.

“All right, get him out of here,” Hosato ordered, shoving Gedge into the arms of the waiting security guard. “And move it, before I change my mind. You. The pilot. You too. Move it!”

The pilot needed no additional urging as he hastily followed the others through the doors.

Hosato slammed his hand against the door controls, and they hissed shut, sealing the spaceport against their pursuers.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, starting down the corridor after Rick.

“Hosato,” Sasha said, overtaking him. “Sometime we’re going to have a few words about letting Gedge go.”

“It’s the only chance we have of convincing Raven-steel—”

They both spun at the sound of blasters behind them. The hounds were trying to burn their way through the airlocks.

“Come on, James!” Hosato urged, and the three of them sprinted for the ship.

“You can’t count on Ravensteel to do anything,” Sasha insisted. “Even if they believe Gedge, which is doubtful, they won’t lift a finger. Why should they?”

Hosato sighed. This argument had been going nonstop since they lifted off from Grunbecker’s Planet. He thought it was getting circular, but couldn’t be sure. Lack of sleep was making his mind fuzzy.

“Look, Sasha—” he began wearily.

“Say, I hate to interrupt,” Rick interrupted through the open door to the pilot’s compartment, “but where are we going?”

“What was that, Rick?” Hosato blinked.

“I said, where are we going. I want to get this baby on autopilot and join the brawl. I’ve got a couple thoughts on the subject myself.”

Hosato hadn’t really given any thought to their destination. His main concern had been getting away from Griinbecker’s. Still, everyone seemed to be looking at him for a decision.

“I don’t know,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Pick the nearest free spaceport. We can go our separate ways from there.”

“Just like that!” Sasha shouted. “Go our separate ways. Just turn our backs on the whole mess and pretend it never happened.”

“What do you want us to do?” Hosato exploded. “We barely got out of there alive. If your whole security setup and guard force can’t stop 'em, we sure can’t.”

“If we don’t, who will?” She glared back.

“Hold your fire. I’m coming in!” Rick popped in from the pilot’s compartment and stood grinning at them.