Grimacing, she helped me carry the flopping alien corpse to the air car and shoved it into the pa.s.senger seat. The driver looked more than stunned.

"I cant deliver this, sir!" she told the Imperator, horrified. "Theyll perm me for sure when I get up to the ship-"

Turov fired two shots. The first blasted a large hole in the drivers arm, destroying her tapper. Before she could even scream, the second shot blew the drivers brains all over the upholstery.

"What the h.e.l.l...?" I demanded.

"The driver has to be in the pilots seat for this to be believable. Dont look at me that way-Ill have her revived and debriefed later."

This woman was ruthless. I shook my head. I didnt like including an innocent bystander, but I knew Turov was right.

Part of me was impressed that shed managed to grasp the essence of my plan and improvise improvements so quickly. Most people just stood around gawking when I pulled stunts like this.

We loaded up the bodies, and I made sure the air car was in full manual mode. I nudged the stick forward just a bit, and it drifted to the edge, nosed over, and dropped down the side of the building like a sled.

We stood there side by side, watching it spin and blossom into flames a few hundred meters downslope.

"Too bad about the pilot," I said.

"Are you kidding me? Thats all you have to say? You almost got our world erased again!"

"Didnt you hear what Xlur said?" I asked. "Were screwed anyway. The Galactics are out there talking to the squids, telling them that were the troublemakers. We pulled the same blame-game on them back on Tech World. Remember?"

I could see by the look on Turovs face she did remember. Wed been together when shed told the squids that we were an independent and neutral ent.i.ty. That we werent part of the Empire proper, but rather mercenaries who worked for them on a for-hire basis. The purpose of that lie had been to deflect the squids into attacking the Empire rather than Earth. Apparently, the Mogwa had come up with the same idea.

Both the Mogwa and Earth had tried to put the blame on the other side. I had a feeling the squids werent really going to care. When they came for us, they werent going to be choosy. They were going to kill everyone who got in their way.

Turov holstered her sidearm and put her gloved hands on her hips. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well report this as an accident. With luck, Xlur will be annoyed but too busy to seek petty revenge. The bigger question is what the squids will do next."

"Thats not what I meant," she said, rubbing her temples. "What are we going to tell Hegemony? They have to know about this. They have to know that Earth is being abandoned by the Empire. Three hundred star systems-isnt that what he said?"

"Youre talking about the size of the squid kingdom? Yeah, I think thats right."

"I just dont believe this," she said, shaking her head.

Walking away from the wreckage and the fallen bodies of Graves and Leeson, I headed for the elevator. Turov followed. We were both a little dazed.

Emergency flying vehicles were converging on our location. I thought it might be a good idea if we werent around to have to answer any embarra.s.sing questions when they got here. The emergency people didnt need any details as far as I was concerned. Theyd queue up the revives and, unless a hold was put on any one individual, all the victims of this "accident" would be returned to life soon enough.

When we were in the elevator car riding downward, Turov put out her hand toward me and gave me an expectant look.

I glanced around quickly. I didnt see any cameras. I shrugged and took her hand in mine. I figured maybe she needed a little comforting. Possibly, this was an opportunity to spark up the brief love affair wed enjoyed back on Tech World.

She shook my hand off of hers with a violent motion.

"No, you idiot!" she hissed. "Give me back the key!"

"Oh, that," I said, and fished it out of my pocket. I handed it over to her with some reluctance.

The Galactic key was quite possibly one of the most powerful devices on Earth-maybe the most powerful device. Giving it up wasnt an easy thing for anyone to do. Id put it in my pocket, and it had felt like it belonged there. Now that it was gone, I missed it.

Turov turned the key over twice in her hands then put it away. I wondered if she was checking to make sure it was the same one. Like I said, she was as paranoid as the day was long.

"Do you think this ruse will work, McGill?" she asked when she was satisfied with the key.

"You mean about crashing the air car? I sure hope so."

She shook her head. "I cant believe what just happened. I cant believe you took such a chance."

"The way I see it, I didnt have much choice. I didnt want to go down saluting an alien and blasting my own brains out."

"I dont mean that part. I mean you took the chance that I had the key on me. What if Id left it in my office or something?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I know you pretty well by now, sir. You wouldnt do that. What good would it be locked in a safe somewhere? If you ever need that thing, it has to be on your person to be useful. I knew you had it in your pocket. Its just in your nature."

She didnt say anything after that which spoke volumes to me. I knew Id guessed right.

-4-.

I spent that night in a hotel in Central City. The city consisted of a ring of modern buildings which surrounded Hegemonys ziggurat. Looking out through and immense window at the streets and towering structures, I couldnt help but stare at the monstrous headquarters building in the middle of it. The hotel was over hundred stories tall, but was utterly dwarfed by the primary structure.

Staring quietly, I tried to come to terms with the events of the day. Id just murdered the highest ranking being in this part of the Galaxy on that distant roof. It didnt seem real to me now.

The hotel was nice, but the prices were incredible. I didnt have any Galactic credits anymore, and Hegemony credits spent like water in this town. Still, I decided I might as well treat myself since I was stuck here anyway. Turov had ordered me to stay local in case any of the bra.s.s from Central demanded a briefing. I knew what she really wanted was a witness to back up her story when it came down to it.

Along about midnight, I fell asleep. Drunk on fifteen flavors of alcohol, I pa.s.sed out and began snoring in front of the wall-screen. Id treated myself to the minibar, despite the fact I knew better. Credits were leaking out of me like air out of a half-credit balloon.

The door chimed, but I didnt get up. I sort of blearily opened my eyes then shut them again. The door chimed several more times and a knocking sound began.

With a groan, I heaved myself to my feet. I reached for my pistol and took it with me to the door.

Honestly, when I opened it, I thought I might find a pack of goons there out in the hallway waiting for me. I could hardly have blamed anyone whod sent them. After todays impromptu murder of a Galactic official, right here on Earth, I had no right to expect anything other than arrest or outright a.s.sa.s.sination.

I opened the door anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of goons, Imperator Turov stared up at me. She was still wearing her uniform. I wondered if she slept in it.

"Imperator, sir?" I asked. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Youve been drinking again?" she asked, walking past me. She looked around the hotel room as if she expected to find someone. "Are you alone, Specialist?"

"Yes sir-at least I was."

"We have to get our stories straight, McGill," she said, sitting on my couch and brushing away a clattering pile of tiny plastic vials. They were mostly empty, so I didnt mind.

"Uh..." I said, closing the door and sitting beside her. "Is there going to be an inquiry or something?"

"What do you think?"

I nodded. "Whos asking about what happened?"

"Everyone is. The press, the Hegemony Consul himself-everyone. No Galactic has ever died on Earth before. Did you know that?"

"No, but I could have figured-"

"This is a big deal, McGill. Pull yourself together."

"Ill try, sir," I said, opening a can of pop and wondering if her visit was purely business. Right now, it kind of looked like it was, but a mans mind always wandered after midnight.

"Even Graves is baffled about the details," she continued worriedly. "Fortunately, I dont think hes foolish enough to tell anyone if he suspects what actually happened. h.e.l.l keep quiet, but I still wished wed had the forethought to erase his mind and Adjunct Leesons."

"Hmm...I dont think there was time. We had to create that accident and move on before the emergency people got there."

"Youre probably right."

"Have you contacted Graves and Leeson yet?"

"No, I was not able to do so. They got revives, but they were picked up by Hegemony goons."

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully. "Ill tell you who your weak point is: Leeson. Hes a good man, but he doesnt have the kind of elastic mind that these situations require."

Turov shook her head and chuckled. "Elastic mind, huh? Is that what you call it? Yours must be like a giant rubber band in your skull."

"Ill choose to take that as a complement, sir. Would you like a drink?"

I could tell she was tempted. Shed smiled at me while talking about my rubber-filled skull. A smile and a drink after midnight-well, thats the sort of thing that gets a lady into all sorts of trouble after a stressful day at work.

"No James," she said with a hint of regret. "Ill pa.s.s."

From the appraising look in her eyes, I figured she knew what I was really asking. I sighed but didnt press the matter.

We talked after that, laying out the details of our plan to bamboozle anyone who asked exactly how the disaster had gone down. Maybe it would work, or maybe it wouldnt. It was hard to say.

By two a.m., Turov was gone. Unfortunately, I found it hard to go back to sleep after her visit, and I stayed up until just before dawn.

The next morning my tapper woke me up. Id put it into silent mode, but a summons from Legion Varus broke through such settings.

The tapper didnt just chime, it vibrated. No one liked that feeling; the nerves in your arm jiggled and tingled irritatingly. It was like having someone buzz your funny-bone with a jolt of electricity.

Gasping awake, I fought to make my eyes focus on my tapper.

"Varus summons," I read out loud. "All able-bodied personnel are ordered to transport themselves to the Mustering Hall immediately."

I headed for the showers with a groan, ma.s.saging my temples. I seriously doubted if I qualified as "able-bodied" right now. After washing up and eating, however, I found I felt a lot better. Checking out of the hotel without even daring to look at the total at the bottom of the bill, I took the cheapest public tram I could find to Newark, where the North America Sectors Mustering Hall stood tall.

The trip reminded me of my initial visit to this place years ago. Back then Id been a kid, as green as long gra.s.s. A lot had changed since those days. Physically, I was no more than a year older-but my mind was a different thing entirely.

I contacted a few of my friends with my tapper, but no one seemed to know what was going on any more than I did. Probably, they knew even less than I did.

Walking up to the smart-door on the Mustering Hall, I applied my palm to the pad beside it. The door buzzed but didnt open.

There was a long line behind me. They groaned and shuffled as I tried the door repeatedly, each time achieving the same results. Everyone had to log in through that door, and they didnt want to wait around for me to get through.

"Come on, splat!" shouted a regular trooper a few spots behind me in line.

I turned on him, glowering. It was then he must have noted the specialists stripes on my sleeve and the Wolfshead of Varus on my shoulder.

He was a regular from Solstice. I could tell his legion by the rising sun patch on his shoulder. Solstice was a well-known outfit-but they didnt have the same kind of rep that my legion did.

"Uh, sorry Specialist," he said. "Proceed, by all means."

I pushed my palm against that door at least ten more times. Each time it buzzed, turned red, and made me wait a few seconds before I could try again. Behind me, the crowd had begun to filter away in disgust. I didnt care. They could go around to another entrance on the far side of the building if they wanted. It was a bit of a walk, but- The door opened suddenly. This baffled me, as Id just tried again and gotten another red hand symbol.

The mystery was immediately solved when I realized two Veterans had opened the door from the inside. They were Hegemony, and they were all out of smiles today.

"Specialist James McGill?" the closest man asked.

"Thats me, Hog."

His face darkened a shade or two. Calling a Hegemony man a "Hog" was an insult that had preceded countless bar-fights.

"From Legion Varus?" he asked.

I slapped my Wolfshead patch and looked at him like he was an idiot.

Roughly, the two men reached for me.

Now, at this point, I feel I have to explain myself. Ive not had an easy life in the legions. Far from it. When faced by others from diverse outfits, Id never been treated well. In fact, the last time Hegemony had sent MPs to my house down in southern Georgia District, Id sent them home for a revive. All three of them.

On top of this history of bad blood, I had a hangover today, and I was steaming mad at that d.a.m.ned door.

I broke the first mans arm. That was something of a surprise to me as well as to him. I did it on reflex. He reached, and I grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, off-balance. I brought my knee up and his extended arm down. The two parts met around where his elbow was-bending it backward until it snapped. This action took about a half-second.

Shocked by this turn of events, the second man backed up and reached for his sidearm. I put my hand on my own in response. Neither of us drew, we just stared at one another for maybe two long seconds.

The first guy was on his knees, hissing like a snake. He was too concerned about his dangling arm to do much else.

"McGill?" asked the second man. "Why the h.e.l.l did you do that?"

"You dont just grab a man from Varus. And you dont draw on him either, not unless you want to run yourself through the guts of a revival machine for fun. Now, Hog, why dont you tell me what this is all about?"

The hog swallowed hard. "Weve got orders to bring you up to the Equestrians office. Thats why the door stopped you until we could get here."

The Equestrian. I let that roll around in my head for a second. The rank of Equestrian was one notch higher than Imperator, which was Turovs rank. True bra.s.s. Id never even laid eyes on an Equestrian. Outwardly, I didnt let any of these thoughts show, but it was a struggle not to look impressed.

"Am I under arrest?" I asked.