A Deepness in the Sky

Trud motioned for Pham to move back toward the ceiling, out of range of this random ziphead commentary. "They'll go on like that forever."

But Pham turned back to the ziphead, abruptly giving her all his attention. "What do you mean ‘we have a deadlock'?" he said quietly.

"Pus take it, Pham! What does it matter!" But Trinli jerked his hand up, commanding silence. The gesture had the peremptory confidence of a senior Podmaster—and Silipan's protests died on his lips. Inside, his fear just grew and grew. So much for miracles. If there had been any chance for keeping Nau out of L1-A, it was vanishing in this delay. And Silipan knew what was in L1-A. Oh yes. Beyond all automation and subtlety, L1-A would give the Podmaster back his absolute power. The clock at the corner of Trud's vision counted mercilessly on, the seconds of life dribbling out. And of course, the ziphead wasn't even paying attention to Pham, much less his question.

The silence stretched for ten or fifteen seconds. Then, abruptly, Bonsol's head snapped up and she stared directly into Pham's eyes—the way a ziphead almost never did, except when role-playing. "I mean you're blocking us and we're blocking you," she said. "My victory thought you were all monsters, that we couldn't trust any of you. And now we are all paying for that mistake."

It was ziphead nonsense, just more portentous than most. But Pham pulled himself down to Bonsol's chair. His mouth was half-open as if in unutterable surprise, the look of a man whose world has suddenly been blown apart, who is falling headlong into insanity. And when he finally spoke, his words were crazy, too. "I—mostly we're not monsters. If the deadlock were to end, can you run everything? And afterwards...we would be at your mercy afterwards. How can we trust you?"

Bonsol's gaze had wandered. She didn't answer, and her hands roamed her console. Silent seconds ticked by, but now a cold surmise stole up Trud's spine.No.

Sharp on ten seconds, Trixia Bonsol spoke again: "If you restore full access, we can control the most important things. At least that was the plan. As for trust..." Bonsol's face twisted in a strange smile, mocking and wistful all at once. "Well, you know us much better than the reverse. You must choose your own monsters."

"Yes," said Pham. He rubbed his temple and squinted at something invisible to Trud. He turned to Silipan, and he was smiling the same feral smile as when he had popped up in the supply closet, the smile of someone who is risking everything—and expects to win. "Let's restore all the comm links, Trud. It's time to give Nau and Brughel the ziphead support they deserve."

FIFTY-NINE

Nau watched Qiwi guide their taxi in; ahead and below were the snow mounds that he had piled around the L1-A lock. With only the automation aboard the taxi, Qiwi had found the sluiceway, overridden the hatch safeties, and rescued them—all in a few hundred seconds. If only she would last a few more seconds, he would have an absolute whip hand. If only she would last that few more seconds...He saw the looks she was giving her father. The sight of Ali was somehow pushing her toward the edge of understanding.Pestilence! Just get us safely down, that's all I ask. Then he could kill her.

Marli looked up from his comm gear. There was surprised relief on his face. "Sir! I'm getting acks back from the ziphead channels. We should have full automation in a few seconds."

"Ah." Finally some unexpected good news. Now he could limit the destruction necessary to regain control.Except this is Pham Nuwen you'reup against, and almost anything is possible. This could be some incredible masquerade. "Very good, Podcorporal. But for the moment, don't use that automation."

"Yes, sir." Marli sounded puzzled.

Nau looked out the taxi's window. Strange to be seeing raw nature with no enhancement. The L1-A lock was about seventy meters away now, deep in shadow. There was something strange about it...the lip of metal was highlighted in red.But I'm not wearing huds.

"Qiwi—"

"I see it. Someone is—"

There was a loud snapping sound. Marli screamed. His hair was on fire. The hull by his seat was glowing red.

"Shit!" Qiwi boosted the taxi up. "They're usingmy electric jets!" She spun the taxi even as she jinked it back and forth. Nau's stomach crawled up his gut.Nothing is supposed to fly like this.

The glow on the L1-A lock, the hot spot in the hull behind him—the enemy must be using all the stab jets within line of sight. Each jet by itself could only be an accidental, local danger. Somehow, Nuwen had ganged dozens of them to shine precisely on the two targets that mattered.

Marli was still screaming. Qiwi's piloting jammed Nau up into his restraints, turned him as he came back down. He had a glimpse of the podcoporal in the arms of his fellows. As least he wasn't burning anymore. The other guards' eyes were wide. "X-rays," one of them said. The splash from those electron beams could fry them all. A long-term peril, all things considered—