He walked away, and I regretted having smarted-off to him that way. I gazed up at the skies, wondering as to our fate. It really was hard to think clearly with a ma.s.s of fusion sh.e.l.ls waiting to rain down upon my head.

Twenty-one long hours pa.s.sed before the skies spoke to me again. Just in case Claver needed a little more encouragement, Id spent most of that time pacing around on the surface, watching my tapper.

According to the techs whod set up dishes to track the saurian ships, all seven had remained parked in orbit. That couldnt be a good sign.

Maybe Claver had come up with a temporary dodge, telling them the broadsides werent workable for a set period. That would mean hed followed our agreement to the letter, if not the spirit of it.

If that was the situation, I was as good as dead. At least our drones had managed to spread all over the planet now that the saurians werent around to shoot them down. If some of them managed to keep from being eaten by the local fauna for the next year or so, we should catch a revive-maybe.

At the crack of the twenty-first hour, something finally happened.

It started off as a streak of blue-white. Id seen it before, and Id expected it. The first sh.e.l.l was coming down, falling right toward my position.

I stared at it, unblinking. As a man whos experienced death more times than I can count, I wanted to end it all without cringing. I watched with my spine straight, my mouth clamped closed and my guts still in my belly.

Only at the last second did I realize anything was wrong. The flare of retros-that wasnt right. Sh.e.l.ls didnt slow themselves down as they plunged to the ground.

Instead of air-bursting and creating a mushroom cloud, some tiny portion of which contained my fragmented molecules, the falling object blossomed with white flame and landed. When it thudded into the ground not a hundred meters downslope, I ran to it.

My mind was full of possibilities. Could it be Claver himself? Clearly, it was a life-pod. Who else would be crazy enough to come down here now?

I cranked open the hatch, which had bent a little after rolling down the side of the mountain a few meters. Inside, there was nothing living. There was only a polyhedral crate and a note.

Ripping loose the note, I saw scrawled handwriting.

Ive been executed. Remember our deal, dummy.

It was signed Claver. I opened the crate and stared at the contents. There was a deep-link unit inside.

For the first time in days, I dared to grin.

-50-.

My delight was short-lived. Not ten minutes after Id dragged the crate containing the deep-link unit out of the life-pod and carried it to the mine entrance, the sky erupted again.

This time, the flash and thunder of explosions were unmistakable. Something else was happening up there. Something big.

I heaved the crate onto my back and trotted into the tunnels, grunting with every step. My breath came in puffs, but I didnt slow down. I lumbered awkwardly into the dark and downward. My left foot dragged behind, but I forced myself to endure the pain. I wished I was still wearing powered armor to help me along, but Id given that up.

The rest of my legion brothers were down there, deep in mountain, huddling in the lowest tunnels and hoping against hope theyd live to see the morrow. As far as I knew, I was the only crazy son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h wandering around on the surface with the exception of a few drones that tended the sensors and com dishes.

It took me the better part of an hour to reach my comrades. By that time, my muscles were trembling from exertion. The burden on my back, heavier than a full-grown man, had long ago given me an ache I wouldnt soon forget. My limping bad leg had only made matters worse.

Finally, I tottered into the caverns where I was met with the last thing Id expected: jubilant comrades.

"They did it, McGill!" shouted Carlos, clapping me on the shoulder.

I dropped the deep-link as gently as I could and let myself flop down on my back beside it.

"Did what?" I asked.

"Havent you been watching the tactical displays? The show has been better than a ballgame."

"Ive been carrying this box down from the surface."

Carlos shook his head and loomed over me. He looked down and grinned. "You mean you dont know?"

I wanted to kick him, but I was too tired. Instead I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"The squids came back, man!" he said. "We watched it all-live. The saurian ships met them and they fought. There were eleven squid ships, and the saurians still blew them away. It turns out Imperial broadsides are good for something besides wrecking innocent planets. They toasted all the enemy ships."

Frowning, I knew something didnt add up. After a moment, I had it.

"But wait," I said. "The saurians didnt have the right license to fire the broadsides."

"Graves mentioned that in the unit announcement," Carlos said. "I guess there is a clause that allows them to fire in self-defense. The Empire owns those ships, and they dont want them destroyed just because no one aboard has a license. They can fire as long as the other side fires first."

I thought about it hazily for a second, still lying on the ground. What a strange, twisted-up set of rules we lived by. Life under the Galactic Empire had always been like that. You often couldnt do what came naturally. You had to check and triple-check countless rules. I could imagine the saurian commanders taking the first few strikes while frantically reading their contracts and consulting with legal experts. In the end, theyd apparently decided they were allowed to use the big guns and had unleashed their power.

Struggling to get up, I groaned. Carlos lifted me to my feet. He frowned at my leg. "Youve got to do something about that leg, man."

"Later. What about the saurian ships? How many did they lose?"

"Five of them went down! Isnt that great? Only two escaped the system. Thatll serve those lizards right. They came out here and got themselves snotted-up, down and sideways. Couldnt have happened to a nicer bunch, huh?"

Another thought occurred to me as I pushed him aside and headed to the command chamber. Maybe I wasnt the hero of the hour. The saurians had been still sitting in orbit, plotting our destruction right up until the squids had attacked. That meant they hadnt given up. Maybe theyd been searching for a way they could legally bombard us, or even calling for a Nairb judgment in their favor. Quite possibly, all Claver and I had been able to do was delay them long enough and tie them up in a legal argument until another enemy arrived.

Tired and sore, I ordered a few lounging recruits to carry the crate for me, which they did without complaint. When I got to the officers chambers, I was challenged by guards, but they let me through when they figured out who I was. Apparently, they had orders to let me pa.s.s.

Tribune Drusus met my eyes the moment I arrived. He looked at me with a mixture of wonder and mistrust.

"Was this battle in s.p.a.ce part of your grand scheme as well, Veteran?" he asked.

Everyone was staring at me in silence. I felt those eyes. A dozen officers were present and as many more noncoms. They were curious. They wanted to know how this attack had fallen into place.

I wanted to lie. I wanted to take credit for all of it, but I knew that was a bad path. I couldnt back up any fanciful stories. Whatever I said would fall apart in the end.

"Sometimes," I said vaguely, "a man just gets lucky, sir. I do have one more gift for you, however. A deep-link unit."

That got the attention of everyone, especially the techs. They swarmed me like a pack of hungry coyotes, investigating the crate like it was road kill. Natasha herself was on-hand when the box was opened and did a full diagnostics check on the unit.

"The system appears operational," she said a minute later, "except for power. Theres no cell. I think we can work around that, though."

The techs then carted it off to their workshop. Natasha stayed behind and gave me a real smile.

"I dont know how you got this," she said, "but you must have dragged it all the way down here from the surface."

"On my back," I admitted. "Im a little sore."

She kissed me then, and I smiled. Then she was gone, chasing after the deep-link unit with the rest of the techs. Youd have thought it was Christmas.

The excitement of the day turned into exhaustion after that. I found my way to my kit in a lonely chamber. My spider-silk bag was there, and I have to admit, Id never felt anything quite as good as the moment I eased myself into it.

I awoke an unknown number of hours later. The chamber was dark except for a few small, glaring lights.

"Have you got the IV in?" asked a female voice. "Hes waking up."

"Ive got it, Ive got it!" Carlos said.

I frowned. Carlos with an intravenous needle? The thought was horrific.

Struggling into a sitting position, I caused both of them to squawk and scramble.

"Hey buddy, just relax," Carlos said.

The other voice turned out to be Annes. I hadnt recognized her at first. I realized then that Id been drugged.

"What are you two doing?" I demanded.

"Just lie back and relax," Carlos said. "Well be done in about-"

My big hand lashed out and grasped Carlos neck. Ive got fingers that are longer than normal-it comes with being over two meters tall. I squeezed until his eyes bulged.

"Get that IV out of my arm, you ghoul," I said, slurring my words.

Annes face came up into my swimming vision. I glared at them both with mistrust.

"James," she said calmly. "This isnt an attack. Were trying to fix your leg."

"Im not a bad grow," I lied in a growling voice.

"Of course not," Anne said soothingly. "Were not running you through a revival machine. That would have been easier, but were trying to fix it the old fashioned way."

I looked down at my leg then. It was a b.l.o.o.d.y mess. She had it open with clamps and artificial veins pumping. Theyd bypa.s.sed my femoral artery with a smart-shunt, and it was pulsating rhythmically.

"What the h.e.l.l are you guys doing?"

"We were ordered to kill you and recycle," Anne said. "Graves wont stand for a man with a limp in his unit. Now, could you please let go of my orderlys neck before he pa.s.ses out?"

I looked at Carlos. He was dressed in surgical greens, and his face was purple. Both his hands were working on my fingers, trying to pull them loose, but he couldnt do it. I was holding onto him and squeezing with the strength of a berserk.

"Sorry," I said, finally letting him go. I lay back down and barely heard his stream of curses and coughs.

"You ungrateful ape," he complained. "My first time in surgery, and the patient tries to kill me. This sucks worse than I expected."

"Youll get used to it," Anne said in a flat voice.

Lying on my back again, my mind calmed. Despite the local anesthetic, I felt them tug and buzz at my leg. They sawed through the femur, twisted it so it would stand straight, then fused it together again using a flesh-printer loaded with bone cells.

"Carlos? Why are you playing orderly?" I asked as they were sealing up my leg.

"I should be asking you how I got this job," he said. "Drusus ordered it. Specialist training-the last kind of specialist Ive ever wanted to be. No offense, Anne, but being a bio totally blows. Its a disgusting and thankless job."

"None taken," Anne said in that same, flat voice. I got the feeling she wasnt enjoying Carlos company any more than he was enjoying his new a.s.signment.

I got to thinking of Carlos as a bio. I visualized him working revival machines, caring for the sick and recycling the dead.

A rumble started in my chest somewhere. I dont know exactly where it came from. At first I thought it was a cough, but it turned out to be a laugh.

Still laughing, I pa.s.sed out and didnt wake up again for a long time.

Summoned to see the tribune, I hobbled through the tunnels on my weak leg. It was straight now and would heal in time, but it still hurt pretty bad.

Drusus looked me over when I arrived. He shook his head and whistled.

"Still operating on a bad grow, Veteran?" he said. "Graves said you were a chicken when it came to recycling, but I didnt believe it. Youre so personally brave in other arenas. Why not embrace death and a quick revive? It solves so much."

Frowning, I shook my head. "Sir, Ive been patched up. The leg is straightened and Ill be right as rain in a few days. I didnt want to bother the revival people, theyve been churning out troops to replenish our losses for days."

"Thats true enough. Well, I guess it doesnt matter. Just try not to limp around Graves, it grates on him."

"Words to live by, sir."

"Now, as to why Ive summoned you. Weve gotten confirmation from the saurians that the ship Claver was on was destroyed."

He gave me a moment to let that sink in. Once it did, I frowned thoughtfully.

"So Claver is dead, right here in this system. He cant get a revive."

"Thats right," Drusus said. "Not unless we give it to him. What do you think we should do?"

I heaved a sigh. "He helped us out in the end," I admitted. "Without him, wed have probably all been permed."

"Thats one way of looking at it. Another way is that without his meddling, we might have never met up with the saurians here. I think he was instrumental in bringing them to this system. What I dont understand is how he knew Earth was coming here at this exact time."

I tossed Drusus a glance then quickly looked away. I couldnt let him read my expression. It was my suspicion that Turov had collaborated with Claver even before we headed out here. It wasnt clear exactly what their plans had been, but I was sure they were self-serving on both sides.

"He gave us the deep-link, and he refused to fire the broadsides on our position in the end. In fact, I think the saurians probably executed him for that before any of their ships were lost against the squids."

"What you say is quite possibly the truth," Drusus said. "Thats why I asked you to come here. Among everyone in Legion Varus, your perspective on this situation is unique. In short, we have options, and its difficult to see how the future might be affected by the choices we make today."

I thought about that. We could leave Claver dead. Maybe the universe would be a better place if we did.

But that was a hard choice for me to make. Claver and I had a deal, and hed kept his part of the bargain.