Chaining the Lady

  The hostage bolt missed. Now the Four of Swords fired —and scored. There was a bright splay of light as the globe amplified the reflecting beam. But though struck, the hostage was not dead. The trouble with lasers, she realized, was that unless they struck a vulnerable section, they didn't do much damage. It took several scores to put away an opponent, and in that time the enemy might reverse the advantage by a good or lucky shot of his own.

  So there really was no inherently superior weapon, she concluded. The lasers had speed and range, being impossible to avoid or intercept, but no punch. The missiles had plenty of punch, but could be dodged or triggered prematurely. The magnetic fields were fast and could not be avoided, but their range was short. So it all came out even, with a good sharp ship of any type able to overcome a sloppy one of any other type. Chance was a considerable factor. Ideally, ships should fight in sets, with a Sword to snipe long distance and an Atom to handle any enemy ship that tried to move in close, and—but that led right back to the present mixed-composition fleet.

  The two Swords were very close now, within a thousand miles of each other. Both were firing and scoring, but neither was disabled. In moments one of them would die, though both had been built in the shipyards of Sphere Sol and were crewed primarily by Solarians. Whoever won, Solarians would die. Friend was killing friend.

  Suddenly her sickness of it all overcame her. "Call it off!" she cried aloud. "I can't stand this ritual slaughter!"

  But Skot was away on his assignment, the Knyfh officer had other jobs, and the net was off. She was talking to herself. Her hand went out to activate the net—and she saw the hostage ship explode. Its air gouted out. Though the hull remained almost intact, the ship was dead.

  Then the same thing happened to the Four of Swords.

  Both had been destroyed... seconds before she had been able to call a halt. "Damn my indecision!" she cried, gritting her teeth. Her host's leg started hurting again, and she felt very tired.

  Now she activated the net. "Melody of Mintaka here," she said. "Terminate the contests of champions. Abate truce."

  The sixty-six-thirty-three ratio of hostage to loyal ships had shifted to sixty-one-thirty-one; an improvement, but still highly disadvantageous. Would the Andromedan command have gone along with the one-to-one battles much longer?

  "Truce terminated," Hammer of :: said. "Intergalactic Conventions not in force."

  Skot hurried up. "I have the volunteers. What's this about terminating the truce?"

  "We are about to get down to the real combat," she told him. "In fact, let's give our project a code name, so we don't have to risk enemy interception of the details. Call it... call it the Lan of Yap."

  Skot looked at her strangely. "I don't even know what the program is."

  "That's all right. Transfer over to the Ace of Atoms and tell Captain Mnuhl to implement the Lan of Yap. He'll understand."

  Skot hesitated, then departed again. But Melody's eyes were still fixed on the two drifting, leaking hulks, the Swords of Sol. She shook her head. What a waste!

  16

  Lan of Yap

  *progress report*

  :: proceed ::

  *the following segments have fallen: lodo, bhyo, fa¿, novagleam progress in freng and thousandstar continued resistance in qaval, etamin, knyfh and weew*

  :: knyfh and weew I comprehend they are center galaxy cultures, sophisticated lodo is a surprise I thought it would be another center of resistance, and perhaps bhyo too instead we encounter trouble in the lesser regions! what is there about qaval and etamin? ::

  *they are centers of the cult of tarotism, said to have originated in etamin prior to the first war their spheres orient on tarot symbolism, and the name of qaval derives from qabalah*

  :: does this cult study transfer science? ::

  *not as such but it makes use of animation*

  :: that relates prepare reserves ::

  *POWER*

  :: CIVILIZATION ::

  "That's some strategy!" Skot said as he returned. "Mnuhl gave me the details."

  "I thought he would," Melody said. "Now let's review. Each Knyfh ship has a long-range transfer unit aboard, but three of the four Atoms stayed loyal, and the fourth was destroyed in single combat. So the chances are they can't do it back to us."

  "They would have removed the transfer unit to another ship before risking it in single combat," Skot pointed out. "Mnuhl says it would have to be on one of the two Mintakan vessels, as Knyfh transfer units do not operate outside an Atom-type ship. Something about the magnetic fields—"

  "May my Sphere by sundered by a sour note!" Melody swore. "I'd like to get into one of those ships and find out what happened."

  "Mintakan Atoms are pretty much like other ships of the fleet," Skot said mildly. "They even have a few magnets. Some spheres won't touch magnets, but Mintaka feels they go well with the type of ship. So probably their capture by the hostages was just the luck of the draw. And since the secret of hostaging remains in Galaxy Andromeda, we shouldn't have much to fear from that particular unit."

  Melody touched his hand. "You are more generous to my Sphere than I am." She returned to business. "Now we have four transfer units, and your volunteers should be arriving soon. Best to have Solarians for the Swords and Spicans for the Cups."

  "Yes. And if I may suggest, we should first initiate distractive action, so that the enemy will not be aware of our real thrust."

  "Yes, of course! What do you have in mind?"

  "A conventional long-range bombardment. If we reset our ships' missiles for fixed-range detonation, they will explode among the ships of the hostage fleet. It is highly unlikely that any will score, but it would resemble an attack."

  "Good enough," Melody agreed, though she was concerned about the waste of irreplaceable munitions. "We can time our Lan of Yap effort to coincide with the arrival of the first missiles." She glanced across the room, her eye attracted by the arrival of four crew members. "Do they understand this will be hazardous?"

  "They do," Skot said.

  "I shall make sure," Melody said. She beckoned them over. Two were female Solarians, but of course she had known that crews were of mixed sexes. Single-sex confinements were unhealthy for a double-sexed species, especially for prolonged tours in space.

  "You are about to become transfer agents, which is what I already am," Melody said. "You will transfer to available voluntary hosts aboard the enemy ships. You will acquaint the members of these crews with the fact that their ships are controlled by enemy officers. You will incite mutiny, which will really be a restoration of management to the proper authorities. If you are unable to take over a ship, you will sabotage it so that it is unable to fight. I estimate your chances of surviving this mission are less than fifty percent. However if this tactic does not work, the chances of the Ace of Swords surviving are also less than fifty percent. You may now withdraw from this assignment if you so choose."

  She looked at each, but no one withdrew.

  "We know the fleet is in bad trouble; Officer Skot briefed us," one of the men said. "That's why we're here."

  Suddenly Melody recognized him. "Gary!" He was the man who had taken her out to fix the light-collector trough, hullside.

  "I qualify," he said defensively. "My Kirlian aura is two point five."

  "Yes, of course." She could not exclude him simply because she knew him. "Do you realize what happens to you if the hostages discover what you're up to?"

  "The same thing that happens to our whole galaxy if the Andromedans win," he replied evenly.

  Melody nodded. "If you do manage to take over your ship, try to conceal that fact from the hostage command. When you hear the code phrase 'Lan of Yap' on the fleet net, identify—"

  Gary snorted with laughter. "Lan of Yap!" Then he was contrite. "Sorry, sir."

  Melody smiled. "Don't be. I picked a code name that no hostage would understand, and that every crewman would appreciate. I am aware of its original meaning."

 
"Yes, sir," Gary said, trying to keep his face straight.

  "When you hear that phrase, if you are in control of your ship, identify yourself on the net and fire on any neighbor-ship that has not similarly identified itself. Then try to disengage from that fleet. Do you understand?"

  "Yes. We do not want our recovered ships firing on each other."

  "Hit and run," one of the women said.

  Melody smiled. "If you rejoin our fleet, we will have you transferred back to your own bodies."

  She turned back to Skot. "Take them to the transfer unit and send them through in rapid order on my signal. Good luck!"

  The volunteers marched out. Melody shook her head. "I am probably sending them to their deaths," she said. "But we can be sure the crews of the hostage ships are loyal, and if they'll just believe the truth, they'll act. An average of four hostage officers on each ship can't stop a crew of a thousand! If we can take over or nullify even ten hostage ships without Admiral Hammer knowing it, it may tip the scales in our favor."

  "I know," Yael said. "I sure hope it works. I wish I could go myself."

  There was a delay while she organized the details with Captain Mnuhl and made sure the other ships had their volunteers ready. A contingent of Lan of Yap transferees were to make a special effort to recover the two Mintakan vessels. Shuttles carried volunteers from all the Spheres to the four ships with transfer units, so that there were enough to send at least one agent to each hostage ship.

  "Bombardment commenced," Mnuhl announced on the net. The hostages would overhear this, but it didn't matter since it was only a distraction. It didn't even matter if Admiral Hammer fired back, so long as he didn't know what was going on. Maybe he was laughing over-confidently at this seemingly ludicrous ploy. But his thinly spread hostage officers would hardly be paying much attention to what was going on in the depths of the crew quarters....

  The missiles started exploding. But there was no apparent damage, and the enemy did not return fire. Admiral Hammer was biding his time, refusing to be shaken or to waste ammunition.

  More time passed. Under Mnuhl's directions, the loyalist fleet shifted about, getting into battle formation, but not approaching the enemy. Admiral Hammer must really be wondering!

  How was Gary doing? The girls? The other Sphere volunteers? Were they getting through to the crews of the hostage ships? How would it show? Captain Mnuhl was giving them ten minutes: not much time to infiltrate and take over a ship.

  There was one positive sign: All of the volunteers had been transferred successfully. That meant they had found willing hosts. Surely the crews were aware that something was going on; they should be ready to listen.

  "Do you really think it'll work?" Yael asked worriedly.

  "You know I'm afraid it won't," Melody told her. "You can feel the courses of doubt washing all through our nervous system."

  "Yes. But Gary is pretty competent, and Skot—"

  "Skot! He's not going out there!"

  "Yes, he is," Yael said. "I got to know him while you were buzzing around the fleet. He's a man of action."

  Melody spoke into the ship's circuit. "Skot of Kade report."

  "Admiral, he has transferred," a voice replied.

  "Then who in the orchestra is talking now?"

  "Bnalm of Knyfh, sir. It was necessary to have an officer take over in the Solarian's stead."

  "I told you," Yael put in.

  Melody closed her eyes. "Oh, Skot, you just had to get in on the action!" she muttered, pained. "But I needed you here."

  Llume approached. "Skot knew that a high-Kirlian entity would have a better chance of getting through than a low one, and his officer's expertise would enable him to operate the ship more effectively. I would like to go also."

  "Llume, you know you're a prisoner of war! Even if I could trust you aboard an Andromedan ship, it would be unethical—"

  "I am a Slash," Llume said.

  "Precisely. An Andromedan—" Melody paused. "Oh. You mean you honor the Lot of *?"

  "I could readily disable a hostage ship."

  "No," Melody said firmly. "You will not turn traitor to your galaxy on my account."

  Llume retreated. Melody tried to analyze the strong emotion she felt, but was interrupted by Captain Mnuhl's announcement on the net. "Lan of Yap."

  Tensely, Melody watched the viewglobe. Nothing happened. But of course it would take a moment for the agents to react, assuming they had completed their takeovers. To orient on the other ships, to make their announcements....

  The net erupted. "Trey of Swords—Milky Way." "Fourteen of Cups—Milky Way." Then a jumble of voices.

  Suddenly there was firing in the hostage fleet. It seemed to have turned on itself, with ships battling each other at point-blank range.

  "Phenomenal success!" Mnuhl's exultant voice came over the net. Melody had supposed Knyfhs lacked emotions, but of course she was wrong about that too. "Three... four... six ships blasted! Seven!"

  "Like a chain of fireworks!" Yael exclaimed. "There's another—and another!"

  "It worked!" Melody said unbelievingly. "It actually worked!"

  "I must admit I had reservations," Mnuhl said. She could barely distinguish his voice amid the melee of communications, but the proximity of his ship gave him an advantage. "I anticipated perhaps two ships inactive. But now we have ten inactive! Hammer was caught completely offguard!"

  "He was deceived by the nonmilitary mind," Melody murmured, still hardly believing it herself. Yet the evidence was before her. Hard-hitting Hammer had never thought of resubversion.

  "Analysis," Mnuhl said. "Initial optimism exaggerated. Ten enemy ships destroyed, but this does not indicate that a similar number have been retaken. Some may have fired upon two or more neighbors. Projected losses to enemy, all factors; sixteen vessels."

  "They lost five before," Melody said. "That brings them down to forty-five, against our thirty-one. We're gaining on them."

  "Yes, certainly," Mnuhl agreed. "It was a tactical masterstroke. But we remain at a disadvantage. We have merely culled their most vulnerable units, and they still outnumber us."

  Now a separation took place in the enemy fleet. "Our retakes are drawing apart, as directed," Melody said. "Six ships."

  "An apparent loss of ninety percent of our transfer agents," Mnuhl reminded her. "Considering the success, a favorable ratio."

  A favorable ratio! Was Skot of Kade among the statistics of acceptable loss? Gary? The two young women? The other gallant Knyfhs and Polarians and Canopians and Spicans?

  "Recoveries are being pursued," Mnuhl reported.

  "Can we help them?"

  "Only by closing upon the enemy fleet."

  "Do it, then. They took a terrible risk for us; we can do the same for them." Then, conscious that the enemy could overhear this dialogue, she stopped talking on the net.

  Llume rolled near again. "You can help them only by distraction," she said. "They will be subject to the fire of the enemy for some time."

  "No, we can surround our six ships and protect them," Melody said. "The hostages won't be able to—" But then she realized what the problem was. It took a lot of energy to accelerate, and a lot to decelerate a huge spaceship. The six fleeing ships had a head start, but the pursuing hostage fleet would be in phase with them. The loyalist fleet, approaching from the opposite direction, could pass right through both the six and the forty-five without having any protective effect.

  The Ace of Swords began to move, the chemical acceleration pressing Melody sidewise. She suffered vertigo; now she could not decide which way was down. Her command seat held her in place, however.

  Llume had no problem; she merely tilted on her wheel to match the new vector and stayed in place.

  "Well, at least we have six more ships," Melody said. "Counting those recoveries, we shall have thirty-seven to their forty-five. That's not such a bad ratio."

  "Not such a good ratio either," Llume warned her. "By this time Admiral Hammer will have rou
nded up some captive transferees and will know everything they know. He will rout out any others remaining in his fleet and try to use them against you. If he retains a transfer unit—"

  "Sour grapes," Yael said. "You thought of a good tactic, so everyone says it doesn't count."

  Sour grapes: another Solarianism. Melody traced down the imagery. Grapes were succulent fruits of Sphere Sol that developed on vines. When ripe, they were sweet, suitable for consumption. A carnivore was said to have desired some grapes, but found them to be out of reach. A carnivore? Such a creature consumed flesh, not fruit. There must be a confusion.

  The other Polarian host appeared. It was Captain Mnuhl. "There will soon be battle," he said. "Ships will be lost, and we may become unable to remain in contact. I think it wise to employ the Knyfh cluster-charge. This is a generalized magnetic field similar to the net that poses no threat to individual ships, but will tend to draw derelicts in to a common center. This will facilitate rescue of personnel in the absence of Intergalactic Convention."

  "By all means," Melody said. "We shall want to save any entities we can, from any ships—ours or theirs. The great majority of entities are ours, and there is information we'll want from any hostages we might capture."

  He made a glow of agreement and departed.

  The two fleets accelerated toward each other, the six repossessed ships between. Melody was pleased to note that one of the six was Mintakan. Had they recovered the missing transfer unit, or had it been destroyed? She wished she could be sure it was not operating in the remaining enemy Atom. Llume had made a good point there.

  In the globe it seemed as if the six ships would be crushed between the converging masses of the two main fleets, but she knew that they were mere dust motes in the hugeness of space. With an average separation between ships of five thousand miles, there would be no collisions. What seemed like masses in the globe were actually diffuse clouds in space.

  What she could see in her globe, the Andromedans could see in theirs. When the Ace of Swords got close enough to fire on the enemy, the enemy Swords would be close enough to fire on the Ace. Suddenly she had a queasy feeling; she felt incompetent to handle it. She wanted to turn command of the ship over to Skot for the action, and of course could not, and not merely because he was gone. The hero-fool! She envied him.