Intrepid

Drago, with a confident half bow, began. ''Our four landers have antimatter cells. We can remove them and rig two of them to our auxiliary power supply generators. Those two will get the magnetic containment field up. Then we dump the other two into the main reactor and jump-start the fusion process,'' he said, proud as the calico cat that swallowed the Cheshire canary.

Kris eyed the only slightly controlled rage on the other captain's face. ''Is your Surprise rigged with such capability?''

''Hell no,'' he shot back. ''It would be a violation of Society of Humanity rules as well as Greenfeld regulations. For the last sixty years, since the old Canopus blew up herself and half the Borden station, it's been illegal. A hundred thousand died in one second.''

Kris walked away from the two captains. One offered a solution … that might be suicide and murder. The other offered no solution … and demanded that this one not be tried. Kris found herself staring at a very pale Victoria Peterwald.

''Vicky, what do you think?''

''I don't know what to think, Your Highness.''

''Talk to me, Vicky. I need to know something about what you're thinking.''

''Okay, Kris,'' the young woman said, and took a deep breath. ''I want to save my dad. Other people may hate him, but he's my dad. Maybe not the best one around, but he's all the dad I have. How do we do it?''

There it was. A plea from a younger Peterwald to save the elder. A plea made by a Peterwald to a Longknife. Capulet to Montague. Do I accept it? Kris asked herself.

Stupid question. Her head was in the same noose. Let that starship smash into South Continent, and there'd be rocks and wreckage all over the place. Not to mention certain gun-happy fellows in black uniforms oh so certain that Kris had caused it.

With a sigh, Kris winked at Vicky. Watch and learn, my friend. She whirled to face the captains.

''Captain Krätz, how long would it take one, just one of these ships hanging on to this station to get under way?''

''Twelve hours. Maybe more. This station is a piece of shoddy junk. We'd have to jump up the electric production to get the containment field of a ship up and running, then get a containment chute from the station's reactor to the ship. Most of the plasma would cool in the chute, so it would take a lot of plasma to get the reactor critical. Then you've got to grow the reaction mass, get your own electricity generators going.'' Krätz's voice trailed down into a whisper as he spoke. He finished shaking his head. ''Some son of a bitch set us up.''

''So, you are set up,'' Kris agreed. ''Somewhere about two-thirds of the way into powering up one ship, her dad gets suddenly dead. Out of curiosity, what happens next? Does your ensign get promoted to First Citizen?''

Vicky's eyes got wide with that question. The captain studied the polished toes of his shoes. ''I don't know. You know our attitude toward women.'' Now his gaze rose to take in his JO. ''But I'd fight to my dying breath to protect you.''

''I don't want your dying breath,'' Vicky snapped. ''I want to save my dad.''

The captain's shoulders slumped. ''That I cannot do. No one in the fleet can do that.''

''But someone in the Wardhaven fleet is willing to make a good solid try,'' Vicky growled low. ''A Longknife is willing to risk her neck to save a Peterwald!''

''And maybe kill us all.''

''You just told me that I'm not likely to outlive my dad for more that a couple of months. Strange, Captain, that is one thing we can agree on. Maybe someday I could tame the Palace with a whip and a gun and a gallows working overtime, but not now. Not today. We need to save my father.''

Vicky opened her arms, pleading, ''Captain, please help these people save him.''

''And if they fail?''

''None of us will be any deader than we're likely to be this time next year.''

For a long moment, Captain Krätz continued to shake his head. Then he turned to Kris. ''Your Highness, what can I do to help?''

49

One did not often get permission to blow up a space station and the squadron of ships attached. Kris felt no sense of elation, since that was a prospect she hoped to avoid.

She turned to Drago. ''Get this ship under way—ASAP.''

''Aye, aye, ma'am. I have had men stripping the antimatter pods from the landers. They should be done soon.''

''Two have been off-loaded, Captain,'' Sulwan reported.

''Have them plugged into the emergency generators,'' Captain Drago ordered.

''No,'' came from around Kris's neck. ''The pods that will be fed into the reactors need to be carefully aligned and balanced for the dump,'' Nelly said. ''That's your critical path. The auxiliary power is pretty much a standard rig.''

''Captain?'' Kris said, raising an eyebrow. Around her, quite a few eyebrows were bouncing off the overhead.

''Let's do it the lady's way,'' he ordered,

''Nelly, are there any scientists that can help you on this?'' Kris asked her computer.