Dragon and Herdsman

Jack suppressed a grimace. Walking through the middle of a dangerous forest, only this time with no true K'da there to look after them.

"They'll be all right," Draycos assured him. "The Erassvas still have the altered odor that seems to ward off predators. And the Phookas, too, seem somewhat more alert than they were when we first met them."

"Spending a few days running for your life will do that, I suppose," Jack agreed reluctantly. "I just hope it lasts long enough to get them all the way to the other side of the forest." He raised his eyebrows at Alison. "What about you? You want to go back and wait for your friends to show?"

"With Frost still here?" Alison snorted. "No thanks. I'll give them a call and tell them I've made other arrangements. That is, if you don't mind me tagging along a little longer."

"Just like the baby sister I never had," Jack said dryly.

Alison's eyes narrowed a little. "Watch it, pal," she warned. "I'm at least five months older than you are."

"Can we hold off a comparison of birth records until we're clear of this place?" Uncle Virge asked impatiently. "I'd really rather not be around when Frost gets the Kapstan's lifters working again."

"Yes, we can go," Jack soothed him. "Actually, no—we have to find and get rid of that ECHO-transmitter gadget of his first."

"Done and done," Alison said.

"It was fastened to the hull in front of the aft ECHO pole," Uncle Virge added. "I had some time on my hands while drifting down the river, and was able to locate it."

"So it's off?" Jack said, his last unanswered question about Alison finally fading away. Something on the Essenay's outer hull could have been planted there by anyone at any of the spaceports they'd passed through on their way here.

"I already had it neutralized, but Alison insisted on removing it as well," Uncle Virge said. "She seemed to think that it would bring a good price in the proper market."

"Oh, did she, now?"

"Would you rather hitchhike home?" Alison countered. "Gadgets like that can be a good way to keep the fuel tanks filled."

"Whatever," Jack said with a sigh. "Sure, let's get out of here. Oh, and make a pass over the Kapstan on your way out—I want to make sure Frost knows we've left."

"But don't make it too low a pass," Alison warned.

"I didn't mean we would," Jack said, fighting for patience. "So where exactly would you like us to drop you?"

The cockpit was dark as Alison came in, lit only by the various indicator lights on the control boards. "Good evening, Uncle Virge," she said. "How are things running?"

"Smoothly," the computerized personality said tartly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to look over the nav maps," Alison said, sitting down in the pilot's seat. "Jack asked me where I wanted to be dropped off, remember?"

"We could have discussed that from the dayroom or your cabin," Uncle Virge said stiffly. "You shouldn't be in here without Jack or Draycos."

"Come on, give me a break," Alison growled back. "Jack's sleeping off his pain medication, Draycos is giving Taneem advanced English lessons in the dayroom, and I'm going stir-crazy in that cracker box you call a cabin. All I want is to look at some charts and figure out where I want to go. Okay?"

Uncle Virge sighed theatrically. "Fine. But I'm recording everything." One of the displays lit up with a map of the southern Orion Arm. "Jack's heading to Nikrapapo to try to get into the Malison Ring base there," he said. "Somewhere not too far off our vector would be handy."

"I understand," Alison said, bracing herself. If her guess about this ship was correct . . . "You've only got a couple of months left to locate the fleet's rendezvous point, don't you?"

"It's a few days more than that at the moment," Uncle Virge said. "But of course by the time we reach Nikrapapo—"

"Privacy lock code activate," Alison said.

The computer went silent. "Uncle Virge?" Alison called tentatively. "Uncle Virge? Computer?"

There was no response. "I'll be fraggled," Alison murmured to herself. But there was no time now to sift through all the possibilities this suddenly opened up. Swiveling her chair around, she activated the Essenay's private and very expensive InterWorld transmitter.

It took only a minute to make the connection. "Smith," a voice replied.

"Kayna."

"About time you checked in, girl. Let's have it."

She gave her report in clipped military fashion, the way she'd been taught. "Interesting," Smith said when she'd finished. "I trust Morgan has no idea who you are?"

"Not a clue," Alison assured him. "Do you know if Frost got off Rho Scorvi all right?"

"Let me see . . . yes, he checked in with Neverlin from Immabwi. Probably not a very happy camper."

"As long as he made it out alive," Alison said. "We don't want to lose him. Not now."

"Agreed," Smith said. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Alison said, grimacing. A part of her didn't really want to do this. "The Phookas."

There was the faint sound of a sigh. "All of them, I suppose?"