Read Online Dragonback 05 Dragon and Judge by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online
Authors: Timothy Zahn
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information. Not yet. I think it's
in this safe they want me to open."
"Why haven't they opened it themselves?"
"Maybe they tried and couldn't," Alison said. "I think that's why
they've been chasing so hard after Jack these past couple of months.
His Uncle Virgil used to be one of the very best at this sort of thing."
"Then you also must fail in your attempt," Taneem said. Some
weight came onto Alison's shoulder as the K'da lifted her head
partially from the skin. "If the location is in the safe, you must not
open it."
"I wish it was that easy," Alison said. "But it's not. They've got
four safes—maybe only three if the one on Draycos's Havenseeker was too badly wrecked in the crash—and the whole Orion Arm to choose
safecrackers from. Sooner or later, somebody will get one of them open."
"Then perhaps we can destroy it?" Taneem suggested hesitantly.
"Perhaps we can destroy all of them?"
"We can't do that," Alison said. "There are just too many things
we don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for instance, what happens if none of the advance team
shows up at the meeting point?" Alison asked. "Do the refugees just
wait there until someone does? Do they go home? Do they continue on to
Iota Klestis, which Neverlin and Frost already know about?"
Taneem's glowing eyes seemed to dim a bit. "I don't know," she
admitted.
"Neither do I," Alison said. "Besides, this is way too good an
opportunity to pass up. Ever since Draycos's team was attacked, he and
Jack have been playing catch-up."
"What does that mean?"
"Neverlin and his buddies have always had the initiative," Alison
explained. "That means they were always deciding what to do, and Jack
and Draycos were always having to react to their action and try to
block it. But if we can get to the refugee fleet information first,
we'll finally be ahead of the game."
"The game?" Taneem echoed. "Is that what this is to you, Alison? A
game?"
Alison was still trying to come up with a good answer for that
when, behind her, there was a soft click and the stateroom door slid
open.
"What do you want?" she demanded, sitting bolt upright as
Dumbarton and Mrishpaw strode into the room. On her shoulder, she felt
Taneem's weight vanish as the K'da again flattened herself and moved
out of sight. "How dare you just waltz in here?"
"Can it, kid," Dumbarton said. "Colonel wants your clothes."
"My what ?"
"Gotta scan 'em," he said.
Alison clenched her teeth. With Taneem riding her skin . . .
"Fine," she said. "Go on out. I'll toss everything out to you."
"Just do it," Dumbarton growled, not making the slightest move
toward the door. "We haven't got all day."
"I'll tell Colonel Frost," Alison threatened.
Striding over to the intercom on the nightstand, Dumbarton jabbed
one of the buttons. "Colonel?" he said. "Dumbarton. She's being
uncooperative."
"I just want a little privacy," Alison called toward the intercom.
"You think you've got something we haven't all seen before?" Frost
countered.
"Colonel—"
"You got two choices, kid," Frost cut her off. "Take 'em off
yourself, or Dumbarton and Mrishpaw will do it for you." There was a
click, and he was gone.
"Well?" Dumbarton asked.
Alison glared at him. "Fine," she gritted. Rolling to the opposite
side of the bed, she put her hand on the edge of the mattress as she
threw off the comforter and swung her legs over the side.
And to her horror felt a surge of weight on the back of her hand
as Taneem dropped off onto the floor.
Alison clamped down hard on her tongue, potential disaster
flashing in front of her eyes. Taneem clearly had it in mind to hide
under the bed. Only it was a pedestal bed, fastened to the deck, with
barely a three-inch overhang.
For the moment, the K'da was out of the mercenaries' view. But
Dumbarton was already headed back around the side of the bed, clearly
intent on catching up with Alison and making sure she didn't waste any
more of his time. As for the Brummga, all he had to do was unglue his
big feet from
in this safe they want me to open."
"Why haven't they opened it themselves?"
"Maybe they tried and couldn't," Alison said. "I think that's why
they've been chasing so hard after Jack these past couple of months.
His Uncle Virgil used to be one of the very best at this sort of thing."
"Then you also must fail in your attempt," Taneem said. Some
weight came onto Alison's shoulder as the K'da lifted her head
partially from the skin. "If the location is in the safe, you must not
open it."
"I wish it was that easy," Alison said. "But it's not. They've got
four safes—maybe only three if the one on Draycos's Havenseeker was too badly wrecked in the crash—and the whole Orion Arm to choose
safecrackers from. Sooner or later, somebody will get one of them open."
"Then perhaps we can destroy it?" Taneem suggested hesitantly.
"Perhaps we can destroy all of them?"
"We can't do that," Alison said. "There are just too many things
we don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for instance, what happens if none of the advance team
shows up at the meeting point?" Alison asked. "Do the refugees just
wait there until someone does? Do they go home? Do they continue on to
Iota Klestis, which Neverlin and Frost already know about?"
Taneem's glowing eyes seemed to dim a bit. "I don't know," she
admitted.
"Neither do I," Alison said. "Besides, this is way too good an
opportunity to pass up. Ever since Draycos's team was attacked, he and
Jack have been playing catch-up."
"What does that mean?"
"Neverlin and his buddies have always had the initiative," Alison
explained. "That means they were always deciding what to do, and Jack
and Draycos were always having to react to their action and try to
block it. But if we can get to the refugee fleet information first,
we'll finally be ahead of the game."
"The game?" Taneem echoed. "Is that what this is to you, Alison? A
game?"
Alison was still trying to come up with a good answer for that
when, behind her, there was a soft click and the stateroom door slid
open.
"What do you want?" she demanded, sitting bolt upright as
Dumbarton and Mrishpaw strode into the room. On her shoulder, she felt
Taneem's weight vanish as the K'da again flattened herself and moved
out of sight. "How dare you just waltz in here?"
"Can it, kid," Dumbarton said. "Colonel wants your clothes."
"My what ?"
"Gotta scan 'em," he said.
Alison clenched her teeth. With Taneem riding her skin . . .
"Fine," she said. "Go on out. I'll toss everything out to you."
"Just do it," Dumbarton growled, not making the slightest move
toward the door. "We haven't got all day."
"I'll tell Colonel Frost," Alison threatened.
Striding over to the intercom on the nightstand, Dumbarton jabbed
one of the buttons. "Colonel?" he said. "Dumbarton. She's being
uncooperative."
"I just want a little privacy," Alison called toward the intercom.
"You think you've got something we haven't all seen before?" Frost
countered.
"Colonel—"
"You got two choices, kid," Frost cut her off. "Take 'em off
yourself, or Dumbarton and Mrishpaw will do it for you." There was a
click, and he was gone.
"Well?" Dumbarton asked.
Alison glared at him. "Fine," she gritted. Rolling to the opposite
side of the bed, she put her hand on the edge of the mattress as she
threw off the comforter and swung her legs over the side.
And to her horror felt a surge of weight on the back of her hand
as Taneem dropped off onto the floor.
Alison clamped down hard on her tongue, potential disaster
flashing in front of her eyes. Taneem clearly had it in mind to hide
under the bed. Only it was a pedestal bed, fastened to the deck, with
barely a three-inch overhang.
For the moment, the K'da was out of the mercenaries' view. But
Dumbarton was already headed back around the side of the bed, clearly
intent on catching up with Alison and making sure she didn't waste any
more of his time. As for the Brummga, all he had to do was unglue his
big feet from
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