If Lady A were using TCN-14 merely to eliminate some guards and keep the populace from getting out of hand during her takeover, then her regime obviously would be conducting its business in the most cold-blooded way possible.

Vonnie's voice came over his com unit, breaking him out of his horrified reverie. "We're getting company. Looks like some of our blasterbats are arriving."

"We'll wait until they're all in, then make our haul," Jules said between very tight lips. Then, as succinctly as he could, he outlined the conspiracy's plan to topple the Empire.

Vonnie listened very quietly. Jules knew that quiet mood of hers-it was a rage beyond words, being directed at Lady A and her minions, and he pitied them a little. He himself would rather have a dozen people ranting at him than have Vonnie go suddenly quiet like that.

"We'll get them," was all she said-but her tone spoke volumes.

The hour of ten o'clock came and the men were all a.s.sembled in the designated meeting room. Monitoring via his microphones, Jules could hear their restless stirring becoming suddenly quiet as Howard entered the room. "Now that we're all here," the criminal leader said, "we can begin."

That was Jules's cue. "We move in now," he said tersely to Vonnie. "Give me two minutes to start some confusion, then come in and help me mop up."

He left his closet and ran down the hall to the fire detector. Aiming his blaster at the spot on the wall just below the thermocouple, he shot out a narrow beam of high intensity. The sensor in the wall, detecting the sudden increase in temperature near it, immediately sent in the alarm to the local fire station. At the same time, it began a series of high-pitched wails echoing down the corridors of the old gymnasium building. The alarm did indeed cause confusion in the ranks of the men who'd come to hear Howard's orders. Some sat openmouthed in their chairs, not knowing what to do. Others looked to Howard for his reaction. A handful more panicked, getting up from their seats and running out of the room.

In doing so, they moved straight from the frying pan into the fire-Jules's fire. The SOTE agent cut them down like targets in a shooting gallery with a rapid-fire series of stun-gun bolts. Within a mere ten seconds, six of his adversaries were lying unconscious on the floor, and the fight hadn't even begun.

By now the automatic sprinkling system had turned on, and water mixed with fire-extinguishing foam was spraying forcefully from all the ceilings in the building. Everyone-Jules as well as the gangsters-was soaked as the building tried to defend itself from the supposed menace. The footing was treacherous from the slippery fluids, but Jules did not much care-this was one fight he intended to win effortlessly.

Sliding into the meeting room, his first shot went straight at Howard. Then, with a deft spin like a ballet dancer, he turned and directed his stun-gun fire around the room. Most of the men were too surprised to even reach for their guns before Jules's bolts. .h.i.t home. Those who made at least an attempt to reach for their own weapons still were no match for Jules's DesPlainian reflexes.

By the time Vonnie raced into the building, gun drawn, there was nothing left for her to do. She slogged her way through the water and foam, which was ankle deep in some places, until she reached her fianc's side. "I guess you really meant it when you said you needed me to mop up."

But Jules had no time for even the most basic of humor. "These thugs won't be going anywhere for a while," he said, taking Vonnie by the arm and leading her back toward the front door. "The fire department can take care of them until the crisis is over. We have more important things to do."

There were less than two hours before Lady A's plans were to go into effect. Jules only hoped that would be enough time.

CHAPTER 11.

The Battle for the Pirate Asteroid As Yvette began explaining her plan to Pias, she repeatedly emphasized the crucial ingredient of timing. "Everything has to be coordinated. We have to take each step in order, and we have to make sure the others know what they're supposed to do, or the whole thing goes up in smoke."

Pias nodded. Being responsible for the safety of the more than forty people from their ship under circ.u.mstances like these was not an enviable task. Yvette's plan was deceptively simple-and in its simplicity lay the one hope they had that it would work. "I'm ready to try it if you are."

Yvette turned, pulled her blaster and sprayed its fiery beam over the communications and computer room. The pirates would learn soon enough that they had been here; if the equipment were left intact, they might be able to guess some of what really happened. It would be-better to give them the impression that the escapees were only interested in doing random damage to a vital area of the base. And besides, it would lead to some confusion and diminution of the pirates' abilities to act.

As they'd thought, the use of the blaster within this nerve center of the base touched off a series of alarm bells that they could hear ringing far in the distance. "Now we've got to move," Pias said.

"And you know where," his fiancee agreed.

They slipped back into the air vent and closed the grating behind them. Retracing their path quickly down the darkened tunnel, they returned to the outlet that fed the room where their fellow pa.s.sengers from the Querida were kept prisoner. The alarm bells were ringing here, too, and everyone-captive and pirate alike -was uncertain what would happen. The two guards had their blasters drawn and ready to fire at the least suspicious movement from the prisoners.

From her vantage point behind the grill, Yvette opened fire on the guards. Both men dropped instantly as the searing beam from her blaster raked through them. Pa.s.sengers screamed as this new and unexpected development occurred. They were sure it would be their turn next, and they looked around wildly to see what direction the shots had come from and how they might be able to defend themselves.

Pias quickly undid the grating and slithered into the room with Yvette right behind him. It took their friends a frenzied second before they recognized their saviors, but a loud cheer rang out from two-score throats.

Pias held up his hands for silence. "Quiet! We're not safe yet-and if you ever want to be, you'll have to follow my instructions exactly. There isn't time for questions." Although it was Yvette's plan, they had both agreed that he would be the one to appear the leader; it might instill a trifle more confidence in the unenlightened.

"Someone take the blasters from those two guards," Pias said. "They won't need them any more, and we certainly will. Who here knows how to use them?"

Several hands went up, and there was a quick division of their weaponry. There were now five captured blasters plus Pias's ministunner; Yvette kept the blaster she'd been using and gave a, second to the Querida's Captain Bacardi, whom she then took aside and spoke to in private. As Pias gave out two more blasters to members of the ship's crew, keeping the last one for himself, he watched the captain nod silent agreement and slip off into the ventilating duct with Yvette.

Pias took a deep breath. For the next half hour or so he'd be on his own. This would be a test of exactly how much leadership ability he had.

"Our next stop," Pias bellowed, making sure everyone could hear him, "is the kitchen."

"Why the kitchen?" one man asked.

"We'll need supplies if we're going to last for the next four days," Pias said impatiently., "And the longer I have to stand here explaining, the less time we'll have to act. The pirates won't be expecting us to hit the supplies; they probably think we're so seared we'll head straight for a ship. Let's go, on the double. And if you see anyone who isn't one of us, attack first and ask questions later."

They burst out into the hallway, where the alarms were sounding even louder. No one else was in sight at the moment, so Pias led his party down the narrow corridors to the supply pantry. Although the route was strange to him, his knowledge of the way the ventilating shafts went allowed him to find his destination.

At one point a trio of pirates crossed their path at an intersection. They were surprised to see the prisoners traveling freely down the halls, but the surprise was short-lived-as were, in fact, the pirates themselves. The Newforester blasted them down without mercy in a single sweep of his gun, and his group continued on.

The larder, not being considered a crucial spot, had been left unguarded during this emergency. Pias left two men at the door to serve as his own guards, then went into the storage area with the rest of his escapees. He spent the next fifteen minutes frantically directing his people which things would be best to take along and which would be best to leave.

"We'll need supplies for four days," he kept repeating. "Empty those containers over there and fill them with water. Lots of fluids, that's what we'll need primarily. Liquid is bulky and hard to carry, so we have to devote most of our energies to that. Get some of the smaller, more compact foodstuffs-no,'not those cans, we might not be able to open them. Hurry, every second is precious!"

When at last everyone was properly enc.u.mbered, Pias ordered another move-out. They were a little behind his estimated time schedule and he knew Yvette would be waiting desperately for him. He had to herd his group to the room that led to the s.p.a.ceship docks, and he had to hope that Yvette had been able to carry out her end of the plan.

While Pias had been preparing the prisoners for the march on the pantry, Yvette had taken Captain Bacardi aside. "While they're off getting supplies," she said, "you and I have another job. We've got to steal a ship big enough to hold all of us. I know where their dockyards are. Come with me."

The captain nodded and slipped into the ventilating shaft at Yvette's heels. The DesPlainian led him to the outlet into the ship room. Several pirates were now stationed here at their emergency posts. "We'll have to get rid of them before we can do anything else," she said. Patting her own blaster, she added, "I hope you're not squeamish about using one of these."

Captain Bacardi nodded and tightened his grip on the blaster she'd given him. "Nothing's too much to use on these vermin," he said. "I saw pirates s.p.a.ce half my crew once. They won't get any mercy from me."

"This isn't a vendetta, either," Yvette warned. "We just want them out of the way_ as efficiently as possible. As soon as they're eliminated we put on s.p.a.cesuits from the rack over there and go out to steal ourselves a ship. Understood?"

"Smooth," the captain nodded.

Yvette unfastened the grating and, with a sudden violent kick, sent it flying across the room. The startled pirates within the dome looked up, their attention held for several seconds by the anomalous flight of the ventilator grill over their heads. By the time they could think of anything else, it was too late.

Yvette and the captain emerged from their tunnel, prepared for a fight but also braced with caution. The room they were in was a transparent dome, with the deadly vacuum of s.p.a.ce on the other side. Though the dome's material was tough enough to withstand even micrometeoroid impacts, a stray blaster beam could prove disastrous. It did not fit in with Yvette's plans to puncture the dome and destroy the entire pirate base by explosive decompression.

Therefore, the two attackers did not fire at random as they might otherwise have done. They took their time to aim carefully at the surprised pirates, and each shot they placed was true. By the time the defenders could draw their weapons, the fight was essentially over; they themselves hesitated to risk a wild shot that might damage the dome over their heads, and the fraction of a second their indecision cost them was sufficient. Yvette and the captain were left alone in the dome.

With the fighting over for the moment, the captain looked outside at the crowded s.p.a.ceport field. "Bozhe moi!" he exclaimed. "They've got a whole navy of their own out there."

Yvette had already gone to the racks that held scores of s.p.a.cesuits and took one that was approximately her size. As she quickly clambered into it, she said, "Yes. Pick one that will hold all our people and let's get moving. Whatever ship you pick will have to be lifting off in half an hour."

The long but necessary delay at the food lockers gave the pirates time to zero in on the location of Pias's group. As they made their way out toward the s.p.a.ceship dock, the people from the Querida encountered much more resistance. Twice they were pinned down by enemy fire before they were able to kill their antagonists and move on. Three of the ship's company were cut down by blaster fire in the densely packed hallways. But Pias did manage to shepherd almost the entire contingent safely into the s.p.a.cedock dome, and barricade the door behind them by moving some heavy equipment into place against it. It would take the pirates at least twenty minutes to get through.

There was no sign of Yvette and the captain, but Pias refused to wait. "Everyone take a s.p.a.cesuit," he called, pointing at the racks to one side of the dome. "It doesn't matter whether it's your size or not, you won't be wearing it anyway."

A woman beside him gave him a startled glance. "Then how are we supposed to get out to the ships?" As Pias followed her gesture with his eyes, he could make out two s.p.a.cesuited figures loping across the s.p.a.ceport field back toward the dome. That would be Yvette and the captain-or, at least, he hoped it was. "We don't go out to the ships," was Pias's soft reply. "We stay_ nice and cozy in there"-he pointed at the hole in the wall that led to the system of ventilator ducts-"while we wait to be rescued four days from now."

There was rumblings of mutiny in the ranks, and many of the pa.s.sengers were uncertain of the wisdom of Pias's plan. The arrival of the two s.p.a.cesuited people at the airlock forestalled any questioning; they indeed turned out to be Yvette and Captain Bacardi. and they added their influence to that of Pias. Slowly, and with not a little grumbling, the pa.s.sengers from the Querida complied with their orders. Each took a s.p.a.cesuit from the racks and carried it with him into the air shafts.

"I still don't see why we don't just take a ship and escape," one pa.s.senger muttered.

Yvette overheard him and merely smiled. "You will," she said.

When everyone was back inside the shaft, Yvette and Pias fastened the grating back into place over the hole in the wall. Instead of herding them all away, however, they decided to stick around this area and let people see what happened next. Pias selected three of the top grumblers and made sure they had a good vantage point beside the grill to observe firsthand the events of the next few minutes.

With a trembling that shook the walls around them, even this far away from the scene, the ship that Captain Bacardi had picked lifted off the ground toward the sky. Once the vessel had left the ground the trembling stopped, but the ship continued to rise silently. The departure was slow at first, but as the ship moved further from the planet's surface, its determination to escape seemed to increase exponentially. It had been programmed on automatic pilot to blast as far and as fast as possible, and it was trying its best to obey the instructions.

It had gone less than a kilometer from its launching site when suddenly it exploded in a flash of brilliance. There was, of course, no sound in the emptiness of s.p.a.ce; one second the ship was a dull form disappearing into the blackness, the next it was a new star blinding the viewers with its intensity. Those who had been watching at the grill pulled back quickly, knuckling their eyes. "What happened?" someone asked.

"The pirates weren't about to let us get away,"

Yvette said quietly. "They'd rather see us dead than allow us to get back to civilization and tell the authorities the location of this base. The defensive armament around this asteroid could easily knock any of those ships out of the sky-and that's what they did. We would never have had a chance to escape. Our only hope is to wait here for four days; help is already on the way."

"But they'll find us and kill us!" one woman cried. Pias tried to give her a comforting smile, but the gesture was lost in the darkness of the tunnel. He had to settle, instead, for a calm tone that he hoped would allay her fears. "No, that's the beauty of this plan. Look at all these events from the pirates' point of view. They know Yvette and I overpowered the guard who'd been taking us to our death. We got away from him and found the rest of you. We all broke out and went to the food locker, where we picked up some supplies to take with us during our escape. Then we came to the s.p.a.cedock dome, took s.p.a.cesuits, and apparently boarded that ship. It took off and was shot down. As far as they're concerned, we're all dead now, and that's the end of the matter. If we stay quiet and inconspicuous, they'll never think to look for us in here. We just have to be careful not to attract their attention."

They started to settle into a boring, quiet routine. They had sufficient air, food, and water, and there was plenty of room for them to move around in to ward off the feeling of claustrophobia. The worst problem figured to be toilet facilities, and even that was taken care of satisfactorily. Yvette had been planning to use one end of the shaft, where there was a slight dip near the air recycling plant, as a drainage trough-uncomfortable, perhaps, but preferable to discovery. But as Pias was going past some of the private quarters, he overheard two pirates talking on the other side of the grill. That particular room had belonged to a pirate who'd died during the fighting with the pa.s.sengers; his personal effects were being removed and divided up among the rest of his fellows, after which the room would be vacant until a new pirate was recruited. When they left, Pias removed the grating and slid into the room through the small opening in the wall. Bolting the door from the inside made it perfectly safe for their use. One 'fresher for forty people was less than ideal, but it was certainly better than nothing.

Time dragged by with immeasurable slowness, and they dared not even engage in any long conversations to ease the boredom. For the most part, people just sat on the smooth metal floor of the air duct, occasionally standing and walking around to keep their muscles from tightening. Most of the pa.s.sengers seemed resigned to their fate and spent their time just sleeping.

Pias and Yvette were nervous at the unaccustomed inactivity. Like tigers in a cage they prowled restlessly up and down the tunnel, spying on the daily activities of the pirates. They paid particular attention to the doings of the pirate leader, Ling. He seemed almost as edgy as they were, snarling irritably at his men, performing his administrative duties in a foul temper, pacing around the partially destroyed communications room like a man expecting an important message any minute. The two SOTE agents decided he must be awaiting some orders from his superiors in this conspiracy.

On the morning of the third day after their escape, Yvette and Pias heard one o the corn officers deliver a verbal message to his commander. "Message relayed from C, sir," the man said. "The imposters have all arrived as planned, and will be in the hall to take up their positions at the necessary time. If the coup goes well, you'll be given your orders to move in about twenty-four hours, but you are not to make any move at all until you receive the word."

"More standing and waiting, d.a.m.n it!" Ling spat angrily. "It's driving me crazy. Smooth, tell C that I acknowledge his instructions... but I don't have to enjoy them. Don't, of course, tell him that."

The two SOTE agents, listening in secret, had gotten an earful. The word "coup" had put them instantly on their toes, but they were powerless to do anything more than speculate at present. The reference to the impostor puzzled them until, after talking over in quiet whispers with the pa.s.sengers, they learned that each of them had had personal identification taken away-rings, ID cards, et cetera.

"That's why they had a copy of the pa.s.senger list," Pias said. "They're going to impersonate all the n.o.bility that was aboard the Querida. But how can they hope to get away with an impersonation like that? The computers should be able to spot the frauds in a second."

"It's possible to make exact robot doubles of people," Yvette told him. "Jules and I already ran across one that was frighteningly perfect."

"There were thirty n.o.bles on the pa.s.senger list. Could they make that many robots?"

"I don't know. Jules and I have only learned about three more on the loose-and two of those were made to look like people from high-gray worlds, which wouldn't match any of these pa.s.sengers at all. They apparently are very difficult machines to construct, but even so this conspiracy is well financed. I'd have to think about it some more."

"That mention of twenty-four hours-it must refer to the Princess's wedding. That's scheduled for tomorrow."

"I know." Yvette slumped down to a sitting position against the wall. "It all makes me feel so impotent, knowing something's going to happen and being unable to do anything."

Pias gave her a smile. "We have an old saying on Newforest- 'You can't steal a chicken while wearing boxing, gloves."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that the first thing you have to do is take off the gloves. We've got moves on right now, and we can't do anything else until we get them off-which won't be until your family rescues us tomorrow. Besides, your brother's on Earth; he's probably already got everything well in hand."

Yvette did not tell Pias about one other thing that was worrying her-this new factor of a boss known only as "C." Ho%v did he relate to Lady A in the conspiracy's hierarchy? Was he her boss, her equal or her subordinate? And did the existence of an A and a C also indicate the possibility of a "B" running around somewhere behind the scenes?

There were no answers to her questions, and she dared not risk breaking the cover of all the people here just to find a little more information. She could only hope her father would get here soon and rescue them so that they could send the news about the attempted coup back to Earth as fast as possible.

The attack, when it did come, was so skillfully done that it was halfway over before the pirates even realized it was occurring. The big circus ship emerged from subs.p.a.ce more Than a full light-second away from the pirates' asteroid-well out of its detection range. It launched a projectile at its target that looked like merely another rock, a piece of s.p.a.ce debris no more than a dozen meters in diameter. Because the rock was so small, and because it had no means of self-propulsion for the pirates' sensors to detect, it failed to activate the automatic alarm system. The course it was traveling would take it no closer than a hundred meters from the base, so there was seemingly no reason for concern. However, shortly before the rock reached its nearest point to the asteroid, it burst apart and elected a score of figures clad in s.p.a.ce battle armor. Like the tiny car that pulls into the center of the circus ring and disgorges limitless numbers of clowns. the rock had been packed full of d'Alemberts waiting for just the proper moment to emerge. Activating small airjets on their suits, they rocketed silently down to the surface of the asteroid without giving the inhabitants the slightest notice of their existence.

Another rock flew past shortly behind the first. This one also sprang apart to release its contents-a few more members of the d'Alembert clan as well as all the equipment the invading force would need. These, too. were jetted down to the surface without detection.

Now the invaders were ready to get to work. Three of them separated from the group and went to the outside gum emplacements. Once the fighting started on other fronts, the pirates would not be paying attention to more alarms ringing; it would then be the job of these three to dismantle the automatic blasters that guarded the asteroid, so that the circus ship and its naval companion could come in closer and use their own weaponry to aid in the battle.

The rest of the d'Alemberts cl.u.s.tered around the four main airlocks of the pirate base. With them they had small boarding hatches, identical in concept with the ones the pirates themselves had used to break into the Querida. These people were used to working as a team, as they regularly put up the Circus's tents wherever they played. Within a matter of only a few seconds, the attack was ready to begin in earnest.

Alarm bells started ringing within the base as the d'Alemberts applied their cutting torches to the outside of the airlocks. They wasted little time with formality; they were through the outer walls before most of the pirates even realized precisely what was going on.

The defenders had little time to get into their own battle armor before the fighting was underway.

Soon the major corridors were sizzling with energy as blaster bolts beamed up and down their length. As the d'Alembert forces poured in from four different entrances at once, pockets of defenders found themselves cut off and isolated from their comrades. The d'Alemberts, for their part, were merciless in exterminating anyone who showed even the least bit of resistance.

- Alarms were also ringing in the central control room, indicating that the big exterior blasters were being tampered with. In the general confusion, however, none of the pirates noticed this development until it was far too late to do anything about it.

Some pirates blockaded their sections, hoping to stall for time and get into their battle armor to fight back against these unknown invaders-but they found themselves unexpectedly attacked from a new direction. Blaster bolts coming out of the air shafts struck them down from behind as Pias's and Yvette's forces took advantage of the confusion to a.s.sist in their own rescue. The pirates now did not know which way to turn; even the safest directions were suddenly fraught with unknown peril.

A few of the pirates decided that flight might be the safest alternative-but even that avenue was blocked. As they ran in their s.p.a.cesuits across the landing field where their ships were docked, they were frozen in their tracks by the sight of an imperial battle cruiser looming overhead- just a bit of extra backup Duke Etienne had called for at the last moment. The navy gunners had a fine day of target practice, destroying all the pirate ships on the ground before a single one of them could take to the ether. Within an hour from the moment the battle had started, the pirates were beaming out an urgent message of surrender.

With the cessation of hostilities, Yvette led the pa.s.sengers of the Querida out into the open once more and remanded them to the custody of the naval officers who had landed and were establishing martial order. She herself took Pias by the hand and went with the rest of her relatives back to the circus ship, which had landed near the battle cruiser.

As soon as they'd peeled off their s.p.a.cesuits, the two were ushered into the presence of Duke Etienne. The manager of the Circus embraced his daughter lovingly, then looked over at the man with her. Pias, who had made a point of bringing his hat along, took it off and swept it across his chest as he made a deep bow to his future father-in-law. "I am honored, Your Grace, to make the acquaintance of a person so distinguished as yourself. The progenitor of such a wonderful daughter is a man worth envying."

The duke smiled and turned to Yvette. "I like him already-he has almost as high an opinion of me as I do."

Yvette smiled, too, but she did not forget her duty. "I'm glad, Papa, but right now there's still some more business for us. We've got to send a subcom call to the Head at once. Pias and I overheard some of Ling's plans-there's going to be a coup attempt during the Princess's wedding."

The duke looked grimly down at his watch and made a quick mental calculation. "It may already be too late," he said. "According to everything I know about it, the ceremony was supposed to start half an hour ago."

CHAPTER 12.

The Affair at Bloodstar Hall Bloodstar Hall was steeped in centuries of tradition. Construction had begun on the mammoth structure, located in Angeles-Diego, in 2004. It was called, at the time, the Angels' Palace, and it was being built as a rival to the Houston Astrodome, the New Orleans Superdome, and other megalithic sports structures of the day. The political turmoil of the period, however, delayed its completion for years, and it was not until 2028, well into the reign of King Boris I of Earth, that the Angels' Palace was opened to the public.

Although it defied many of the architectural conventions of its day, the Angels' Palace was subsequently called one of the most marvelous planet-based structures built by man. The exterior was a deliberate return to the ma.s.sive stonework of the medieval craftsmen, though on a scale those worthies would scarcely have considered. Fluted columns stood by enormous gateways of bronze; ma.s.sive bas-reliefs depicting key scenes from the history of western civilization surrounded the upper levels; and almost everywhere one looked were carved stone figures lovingly etched into the naked stone.

Inside, the Angels' Palace was equally impressive, completely covered over by a dome of restful blue in which golden "clouds" drifted at random. With all the seats in, it had a capacity of more than two hundred thousand: remove the seats and nearly half again as many could be packed inside without discomfort. It was the largest stricture of its kind ever attempted by man, and easily one of the wonders of the modern world.

Little wonder that King Stanlev VI of Earth chose the Angels' Palace on February 28.?22_5 as the spot from which he proclaimed himself Emperor Stanley I of the Empire of Earth. As the message was beamed out to all the planets, the majesty of the new Emperor's surroundings lent even more respectability and authority to the unheard-of grab for power he was making.