Silent Woman, Cloud Dancer, and the Chows went about checking on and seeing to everyone else, although Cloud Dancer and one of the Chows had been pretty badly battered. They were particularly concerned with China, now over five months pregnant and beginning to show, but the mere fact that she'd been limp, essentially unconscious, had protected her. Except for a few bruises where straps had cut into her arm and shoulder, she seemed fine. Reba Koll refused all attention. Although by far the oldest of the lot, she seemed to have neither cut nor bruise.

"We are getting a call from behind us, faint but clear," Star Eagle informed them. "I will pipe it in."

"Nagy to Raven, come in. Nagy to Raven, please respond," came the faint call.

"Jam him if he tries to call in to the fleet," China ordered the pilot. "Can I respond to him?"

"Go ahead. Use the headset," the pilot answered.

"Nagy, whoever you are, this is Captain Nightingale. If you proceed after us any farther, I will inform the fleet that you are an enemy vessel in rebellion against Master System. Break off. You've lost."

There was a pause. "Yeah, well, what the hell. We're not coming hi that hornet's nest after you. That was pretty slick, what you pulled. You should'a died. All our systems here insist that you're dead now."

"We're alive, Nagy. We're alive and we're leaving, but don't worry, you'll hear from us again."

"Well, maybe, maybe not. You might con all those old fleet pilots there for a little while, but you know that Master System will be on you before you break orbit. So you're gonna hide out there, a fourteen-kilometer-long spaceship? You can get lost there, but that's gonna be real obvious if you show up anyplace inhabited. You're in command-not Koll or Raven?"

"That is correct. You were beaten by someone you turned into a blind babymaker.

Don't sell us short again."

"Oh, I won't. I don't have to. You either stick Koll out that air lock, if you can, or I've seen and heard the last of you, I warn you. That's not Koll you're carrying, it's something that'll kill you all. Only we can protect you. Come about and we will protect you and you will all survive. Anything else and you carry your own deaths with you."

Koll gave a chuckle. "Don't pay him no mind. 1 ain't gonna hurt any of you.

Don't have to."

"Is he telling the truth? Are you not Koll?"

"No, I'm not Koll, but I'm no danger to this crew. To him and his master, Clayben, I'm death incarnate. It's too involved to explain right now. You just fought one hell of a fight, and you're almost home, honey. Now all you have to do is trust him or trust me. You can't get all them rings without me, so think it over good. You took a lot of risks there. You know what happens if you take his protection. You pick now."

China didn't have to think very far on it. One of these days one of the risks wasn't going to pay, but considering the alternatives, it was not something she worried about.

"We'll be back, Nagy, count on it," China said. "We'll be back to blow your little empire to the outer reaches of eternity, and Master System with it. You go back there and tell them that, Nagy. You tell them-and you watch your back and sweat a little and keep out of dark corners. I don't need the light for that. You made everything darkness for me. No one-not you, not Melchior, not Earth or Master System will stop us. There'll be no place to hide when we return, Nagy, and we have the universe to use and prepare. We'll be back-and damn you all!"

They slowly closed on one of the monster ships of the ancient fleet, whose great bulk was dwarfed by the colors of massive Jupiter, which filled half the sky.

Raven and Warlock looked at each other and nodded. We'll be back!

Hawks put his arms around Cloud Dancer and Silent Woman and hugged them before they all had to be strapped in again. He touched the Melchior tattoos on their faces and on his own and promised himself that one day such a design would be a mark of honor, of revolution. It would be a long journey to that day, and he did not know what lay ahead, but he knew one thing full well.

We'll be back!

The Chows assisted China to her chair, beaming with pride at her will and courage.

We'll be back!

The one they knew as Reba Koll relaxed and flicked her strange tail, thinking.

Up until now escape had been the only motive, no risk too great to take. Against all logic and all odds they'd come very far indeed, but there was a long way to go. Now, nothing seemed impossible.

We'll be back! And we'll have five gold rings to stuff down Master System's infinite throat until it chokes!

For now-to the stars!

The Rings of the Master continues with Pirates of the Thunder

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Jack L. Chalker was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 17, 1944, but was raised and has spent most of his life in Baltimore, Maryland. He learned to read almost from the moment of entering school, and by working odd jobs amassed a large book collection by the time he was in junior high school, a collection now too large for containment in his quarters. Science fiction, history, and geography all fascinated him early on, interests that continue.

Chalker joined the Washington Science Fiction Association in 1958 and began publishing an amateur SF journal, Mirage, in 1960. After high school he decided to be a trial lawyer, but money problems and the lack of a firm caused him to switch to teaching. He holds bachelor degrees in history and English, and an M.L.A. from Johns Hopkins University. He taught history and geography in the Baltimore public schools between 1966 and 1978 and now makes his living as a freelance writer. Additionally, out of the amateur journals he founded a publishing house, The Mirage Press, Ltd., devoted to nonfiction and bibliographic works on science fiction and fantasy. This company has produced more than twenty books in the last nine years. His hobbies include esoteric audio, travel, working on science-fiction convention committees, and guest lecturing on SF to institutions such as the Smithsonian. He is an active conservationst and National Parks supporter, and he has an intense love of ferryboats, with the avowed goal of riding every ferry in the world. In fact, in 1978 he was married to Eva Whitley on an ancient ferryboat in midriver. They live in the Catoctin Mountain region of western Maryland with their son, David.