Dragon and Judge

"I . . . don't know . . . what—" Jack tried to say, pulling at Bolo's arm as he fought desperately to get air into his lungs.

"Save it," Bolo snarled, squeezing his arm even tighter. "This slurry pipe here, the one you cut or broke open to get some fresh air? It's really good at conducting sound, too."

Lifting Jack half off his feet by his neck, Bolo dragged him around the corner to stand in front of the tunnel entrance. "You—down in the mine!" he shouted. "I've got your friend. Come out or I'll blow his head open."

There was no answer. Jack could feel Draycos moving around on his skin, and could sense that the K'da was trying to talk to him.

But he couldn't understand. He couldn't feel or hear or concentrate on anything except the arm choking the life out of him. White sparkles were starting to dance across his vision, and he could feel his knees starting to wobble as the strength drained out of his legs. His hands, clutching uselessly at Bolo's arm, were going numb.

"You hear me?" Bolo's voice came distantly in his ears. "Come out!"

The jabbing pressure on the back of Jack's head disappeared. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bolo's other hand appear over his shoulder, pointing his gun down the tunnel.

And suddenly Jack was shoved violently forward against Bolo's arm as Draycos burst from the back of Jack's shirt between the two of them, breaking Bolo's grip on Jack's throat.

Someone screamed, but whether it was Draycos or Bolo Jack couldn't tell in his daze. He staggered forward away from the sudden clattering noises behind him, one hand clutching his aching throat. The side of the tunnel loomed ahead of him, and he barely got his other hand up in time to keep himself from running face-first into the rough stone.

From behind him came a sudden loud thud, and then an equally sudden silence. Still gasping in air, he turned himself around.

Draycos was crouched on the assembly room floor, his neck arched, his jaws partially open. His glowing green eyes were on Bolo, sprawled on the floor beneath him. Bolo's gun was also on the floor, lying in the dust a couple of feet from the man's limp hand. "Uh-oh," Jack murmured.

"I'm sorry," Draycos said, looking at Jack. "I was only trying to disable him."

"It's okay," Jack said. It hurt his throat to talk, and his voice was unexpectedly raspy in his ears. "Hard floor in here."

"Harder than I realized," Draycos said ruefully, looking Jack up and down. "What about you?"

Jack shook his head. "I'll be okay. You?"

"I'm unhurt," Draycos said. He looked back down at Bolo. "What do we do now?"

Jack gazed down at the dead man, a strange mixture of emotions swirling through him. Uncle Virgil, criminal though he was, had consistently hammered into Jack that he was never, ever to kill anyone.

Of course, that hadn't been so much from respect for life as it was the fact that killing during one of their jobs could bring huge penalties down on top of them. Still, the training was there, and it had taken firm hold over Jack's heart and soul. So much so, in fact, that when he and Draycos had first linked up he'd made a point of explaining to his new partner that K'da warrior rules about summary justice didn't apply here in the Orion Arm.

And yet, despite all that, Jack couldn't help but feel a dark satisfaction at Bolo's death. After eleven years, justice had finally been done for his parents.

Resolutely, he turned his eyes away. "What we do," he told Draycos, "is get in that aircar and get the blazes out of here."

"What about Jonathan Langston?" Draycos asked.

Jack grimaced. He'd forgotten all about the Golvins' secret prisoner. "What about him?"

Draycos cocked his head slightly to the side, and Jack grimaced again. "You're right," he conceded with a sigh. "Fine. We'll go back and get him out."

"We must at least try to determine whether or not his story is true," Draycos said, stepping away from Bolo and padding to Jack's side. "You must find a way to convince the One to allow a hearing."

"Not necessary," Jack assured him. "Langston's telling the truth."

Draycos's neck arched with surprise. "How do you know?"

"Simple logic," Jack said, rubbing at his throat. "Tell you later."

They went out to the aircar and Jack climbed into the pilot's seat. He glanced around, checking the controls—"Uh-oh," he muttered.

"What is it?" Draycos said, lifting his head from Jack's shoulder.

"That," Jack said, pointing at a small flat box half hidden beneath the instrument display panel. "It's a UniLink, a gadget for patching through to the nearest InterWorld transmitter and sending direct messages." He pulled it out on its attached cable and peered at the display. "And I'd say it's just been used."

"Do you think Bolo sent out word of your death?"

"Let's hope that's all the message said," Jack said, tucking it back away out of sight and turning on the main engines.

"Wait a moment," Draycos said. "Can we use that to contact the Essenay?"