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  “This was completely unnecessary.” I knelt beside the fallen drednoc, but without its command core it couldn’t respond or move. “Why didn’t you listen to me when I told you to stand down?”

  The drednocs formed a triad around me and their inert comrade. “These units are programmed to protect Terran female Resa,” one of them said.

  “You could have defended me without hurting the Tingalean.” I had never seen such a display of hostility, especially from the reptilian. Although their poisons made them some of the deadliest beings in the galaxy, Tingaleans were a notoriously placid, nonaggressive species, who dedicated themselves to remaining as neutral as the Jorenians. “Have there been other attacks like this?”

  “Unknown,” one of the drones replied.

  “Well, who was it attacking?” I asked. “You, or me?”

  “Unknown.”

  There were far too many damn unknowns on this planet.

  “Signal Mercy,” I told the drednoc who was responding to me. “Relay what happened here.”

  “Affirmative,” it said. “Does Terran female Resa wish to return to Mercy House?”

  “No.” I stood and went to the air lock, but the door panel remained jammed shut from the inside. “Take me to—”

  Something overhead moved, and bright, hot beams of light sliced down from a maintenance hatch, skewering each of the drednocs. Their emitters burst and sparked as they shook, unable to move, impaled by the light.

  I looked up, but the intensity of the light made it impossible to see what had pinned the drones. I saw armor begin to liquefy around the beams, and remembered that Trellus had once been used to mine arutanium. I flattened myself back against the access way wall. The only thing that could remove and process the mineral was an arutanium particle laser, which would cut through anything it touched— including me.

  Abruptly the powerful mining beams shut off, and all three of the remaining drones went inert and toppled over, spilling pools of steaming fluid from their melted insides. I didn’t wait to see what would come out of the hatch or the air lock, but ran. I was in a section of the access way that offered no exits except to the surface.

  It can’t follow me out there.

  My weighted envirosuit, which had not been designed for speed of movement, dragged at my limbs. I heard a familiar hissing sound behind me and scanned the sides of the access way. I headed for an outer air lock and hurled myself into it, shutting the doors and securing them as the Tingalean had.

  Something threw itself into the panels from the other side, denting the thick plasteel. Then a laser began humming.

  The suit’s gloves made my fingers clumsy, but I enabled my suit’s temperature controls and air supply flow, checked my seals, and opened the doors to the surface. Air rushed around me as the Tingalean used the laser to burn through the air lock’s seal, and I silently prayed that no one else had entered the access way.

  On the surface, I saw that I was only a few hundred yards out from Drefan’s enormous Omega Dome, and decided to walk toward it rather than cross the greater distance back to Mercy House. I forced myself not to hurry so that I wouldn’t trip, fall, and break one of my seals. I didn’t look back at the air lock. The crazed Tingalean had not been wearing protective gear; it had to be suffocating or dead.

  A hiss came over my suit com, making my blood freeze as I slowly turned and saw the reptilian in its own envirosuit, emerging from the surface air lock and moving more rapidly than I had thought possible. Under its arm it carried what had to be the mining laser.

  It had disabled four battle drones. My chances of stopping or eluding it were unlikely. I pressed the com button on my suit control panel, transmitting my audio to any console within range that had an open channel.

  “This is Resa,” I said as I kept moving. “Mercy, if you can hear this, the drones you sent with me are all disabled. I’m out on the surface being pursued by the Tingalean who attacked them. It has a mining laser. I don’t think I’m going to reach Omega Dome in time to escape it.”

  “Dr. Grey Veil?” an unfamiliar Terran male’s voice asked.

  “Yes. Did you hear my last transmission?” I went around the edge of a small crater filled with jagged rock. “My escort was attacked and—”

  “You’re alone out there,” he finished for me. “We picked up your com signal. You have to take cover now. That cluster of basalt pillars fifty yards to your right will do. Stay there until the threat is neutralized. “

  I didn’t know how he could see me, but I wouldn’t waste time finding out. I made my way to the pillars and carefully squeezed into a gap between two of them. The surface began to tremble under my heavy soles, and I saw a long, wide shadow stretch out toward the Tingalean.

  This drednoc was twice the size of Mercy’s, with a different configuration of extensors and attachments. It looked more like a man—like a mechanical giant of a man—with a larger sensor case, grapplers made to appear like humanoid arms, and two lower appendages that functioned like biped legs. It gave off strange vibrations, and as it passed the pillars, they caused dust from them to slowly rain down on my helmet.

  The Tingalean enabled the laser and aimed it at the pillars, completely ignoring the drednoc. The giant came up and snatched the laser out of the lizard being’s hands just as it fired, shifting the beam up into space. The drednoc backhanded the Tingalean, who sailed over the airless surface and landed near the junction of two access ways. It pulled open a hatch and disappeared into it.

  “It’s gone,” I said, trying not to hyperventilate as the drednoc lumbered over to the mining laser and picked it up. It switched off the power cells and continued on its way to Omega Dome. “Drefan, can you hear me?”

  “Yes,” he said as the drednoc disappeared inside the dome. “You should come inside now, Doctor. Enter where you see the red light.”

  Just such a light pulsed three times above an air lock, but not the one the drednoc had used. I wriggled out from between the pillars and hurried toward it.

  Seven

  I went inside and passed through the same series of air locks and decon procedures as I had at Mercy House. Whatever the colonists’ problems, they were absolutely the cleanest beings I’d ever encountered.

  I expected to be met by another drone, but the being who stepped through the last of the decon chambers was a Chakacat, a feline who walked upright like a person. This one wore an abbreviated leather garment around its hips, and a weapons harness made of four narrow straps wrapped diagonally around its lean torso. I had assumed its species was peaceful, but this one carried power and blade weapons.

  I had already met one of its kind on board the Sunlace, a former domestic companion named Alunthri. Although that one had been a gentle, intelligent creature who spoke better than some of the Iisleg I had known, it had taken some time for me to becomeaccustomed to the idea of a walking, talking, hermaphroditic feline.

  This one had the same silvery pelt and bullet-shaped head as Alunthri, but it was larger, and its muscles more developed. An alien wariness sharpened its clear, colorless eyes as it returned my scrutiny. It also held a weapon trained on me.

  “I am Keel, the games master’s assistant,” it told me, showing small, sharp teeth that matched the golden color of its talons. “Were you injured during the attack, Dr. Grey Veil?”

  I shook my head as I began stripping out of the suit.

  “Answer me with words, if you please.”

  It didn’t understand body language? Alunthri had certainly read mine well enough. “I am fine.” I straightened my garments and eyed the weapon it was lowering. “Where is my husband?”

  “Come with me.” It extended a paw toward the outer corridor.

  The interior of Omega Dome proved to be as austere as Mercy House was luxurious. I noted a shield-shaped medallion in the center of all of the wall panels, and the distinctive emblem inside the three-cornered symbol of protection. A Terran letter “D” formed from the image of a half-waned moon with a sword
running diagonally through it.

  “The ‘D’ stands for Drefan?” I asked the cat.

  It hesitated a moment too long before it answered me. “Yes.”

  Clear viewer panels began to appear, and I looked through one to see two groups of males attacking each other in the middle of a jungle. The ferocity of the battle startled me. “There are people fighting in there.”

  “Some of them are colonists,” the Chakacat said. “Most are simulated combatants. The quality and variety of Omega Dome bloodsport simulations are renowned throughout the quadrant. Our programs are still as close as you can get to authentic combat without entering a slaver arena or joining the military. “

  “I have been in authentic combat,” I told it. “I did not find it entertaining.” As we walked on, I passed five more panels before I asked, “How many of these simulation chambers do you have here?”

  “Three hundred and fifty singles, seventy-two doubles, and twenty-eight multiples, and a grand central arena for large team play. This is central control. “ The Chakacat stopped in front of a room without a viewer and tapped a keypad with one claw tip. The panel opened to reveal a room filled with monitors and controls, much the same as the one at Mercy House.

  “Do you people do anything on this planet that is not watched by another?” I grumbled as I walked in.

  “I take it you don’t think highly of spectators,” a man said as he came out from behind one of the consoles. He did not rise out of his seat but tapped the controls on one arm and made it glide across the floor toward me.

  This Terran male’s upper torso bulged with heavy muscles, but he couldn’t leave his chair. Space yawned where his lower limbs should have been. Other parts of him were missing as well.

  “See anything you like?” he asked.

  “I can see that you have one arm and no legs,” I said, annoyed by his self-effacing taunt. “Why are you in that chair? Were you not properly fitted with prosthetics?”

  “I forgot how direct healers can be.” He sounded more amused than offended. “As it happens, I do have prosthetics, but they are uncomfortable, and I prefer the chair. It’s faster.”

  “Artificial limbs are not only for your personal benefit,” I pointed out. “They improve your appearance and how others perceive you. How uncomfortable are they? Perhaps they were not fitted correctly.”

  “Oh, they fit. Only too well.” He rested a hand on his thigh, which ended where a knee should have been. “The discomfort is, shall we say, more spiritual.”

  I had dealt with amputees on Akkabarr, and after an engineering accident on the Sunlace during our jaunt to Joren. Loss of mobility and body function often inflicted more pain than the actual injuries. Sympathy, however, rarely helped alleviate the victim’s suffering.

  “I see,” I said briskly. “So you wallow in that chair and your self-pity, and insure that everyone around you does the same. Not how I would wish to live, but you must do as you will.”

  “We any of us rarely do as we will, Doctor.” He offered his hand in Terran fashion. “James Drefan, Games Master. You have many names, according to the bounty particulars, but I believe that you are called Cherijo.”

  “Yes.” I turned to Keel. “Where is Reever?”

  The Chakacat was standing between me and the only exit, like a guard. “He will join us shortly.”

  “While we wait, Doctor, would you be so kind as to remove your weapons and put them there?” Drefan gestured to a nearby table.

  I was not eager to give up my blades. “Why do you want them?”

  “No one is permitted to carry real weapons inside the dome for safety reasons.” He smiled a little. “There are, shall we say, too many temptations to use them.”

  “I am feeling one right now.” I reached under my tunic and removed my blade harness, dropping it onto the table.

  Drefan eyed it. “We did scan you for weapons before you entered the dome, Doctor.”

  Reluctantly I bent down and removed the sheaths strapped to my calves, and added them to the others.

  “Thank you. Are you hungry? I can dial up a meal for you.” The Terran looked over my shoulder at Keel, who took my blades and departed. “Davidov’sblockade has reduced us to living on synthetics, but they’re edible.”

  “I thank you, no.” I sensed I was being analyzed, measured, or otherwise toyed with, and my patience stretched thin. “Where is my husband?”

  Drefan consulted one of the monitors. “At the moment, it appears that he’s crawling through one of the simulator power conduits.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Your husband is determined to escape my custody. “ He turned the screen so that I could see the image of Reever inching his way through an alarmingly narrow passage. A panel opened, and he was pulled out. “Ah, there. Keel has arrived with some drones to retrieve him.”

  I watched the screen as the feed switched to another area, where my husband was fighting a domestic drone. The Chakacat stood by and held a weapon trained on Reever.

  “What have you done to him?”

  “Nothing, except refuse to allow him to leave the dome,” Drefan assured me. “This would be his third attempt to escape since my salvage drones brought him in. Apparently he’s not interested in accepting our hospitality.”

  I gasped as two more drones joined the fight. “Tell him to stop.”

  “I’ve tried, several times. He won’t listen to me, and I’m running out of drones.” Drefan looked at me full-face for the first time, revealing a smooth socket where his right eye should have been. “Perhapsyou’d care to save my equipment and relay a few words of reassurance to him.”

  I leaned over the console and enabled the audio. “Duncan, I am here with Drefan. Stop fighting them. Let the feline bring you to me.”

  Reever shoved the one drone that he hadn’t yet disabled out of his way, and came to the vid screen. “How did you get here?”

  “I grew tired of waiting for you to come for me.” I touched the screen with my fingertips. “I am all right, Duncan. Go with the cat. It will bring you to me.”

  He nodded and turned to the Chakacat. “Take me to her now.”

  Drefan reached over and shut off the vid. “You’re very devoted to each other, I take it.”

  “Take it however you like.” I watched my husband and the feline retreat out of sight. “It’s a mistake to come between us.”

  “Admirable.” Drefan moved his chair around me to access another screen. “But on Trellus, that sort of bond could be rather dangerous.”

  “To anyone who threatens us, yes.” I faced him. “Why did that Tingalean attack me? Is it sick? Has it gone mad? Is that why Davidov has quarantined the colony?”

  “I wish I had the answers you desire, Doctor, but I am as mystified by these events as you.” He input some data on the console, his one hand moving back and forth along the keys with considerable speed. “What is your connection with Davidov?”

  “None. I met him only yesterday.”

  “And your husband?” He looked up as the Chakacat and Reever came in. “Reever, how kind of you to join us.”

  I saw the blood on my husband’s tunic and in his hair a moment before I embraced him. “What did they do to you?”

  “Nothing yet.” He looked over my head at the crippled Terran. “Why is she here? What do you want from us?”

  “Your wife owes me nothing. Her debt belongs to Mercy, and I believe they’ve amicably settled the terms of repayment.” Drefan studied us for a moment. “She can pay your debt to me, if she is willing.”

  Reever’s mouth flattened. “You will not use her in your games.”

  “I confess, I am intrigued by the idea of forcing a surgeon to do battle, especially one who cannot be killed,” Drefan said, “but no, I do not want her for the games. I merely ask that she perform the same services that she promised to Mercy. Full medical examinations for every member of my staff.”

  His request surprised me as much as Mercy’s had. There had to be
more to this than the fact that Trellus had no physician on colony. They were worried about something specific, a serious health issue, and they wanted me to find it or confirm it.

  “If the colonists are suffering from some sort of illness,” I said, “I will be glad to treat them. But I have to know what is happening here.”

  “There is no plague for you to cure this time, Doctor,” Drefan said. “Only the most common of injuries and sickness. Before Davidov came, we would send them off colony for treatment. Now we do what we can for each other, but I would feel better having a professional check out my people.”

  Reever looked at me and shook his head slightly.

  “My wife will examine your staff,” he said to Drefan. “That will satisfy my debt to you?”

  “For the salvage, yes,” the games master said. “You will soon need protection from Posbret and some of the other colonists, which I can also offer.”

  “We can deal with them ourselves,” I told him before Reever replied.

  “If that is your wish. There’s only one more thing.” The crippled Terran changed the image on the viewer to that of the surface, where Moonfire had crashed. “If you intend to leave Trellus, you will need viable transportation. That appears to be a problem.”

  “If you want the ship for salvage,” Reever said, “take it.”

  “On the contrary. I have sent my engineers out to examine the damage to your scout, and they tell me that we have the parts and resources required to fix it.” Drefan gestured toward a screen that showed the Renko in orbit. “We might even be able to distract Davidov long enough to allow you to launch and escape before he notices.”

  He had given it some thought, I noted. “You expect us to take you along?”

  Drefan smiled at me. “No. I’m staying here. Once you’re out of range of Davidov’s signal jammers, you can transmit our relays to the quadrant authorities, and they will send the militia to deal with him.”

  I knew we couldn’t leave Trellus unless the Jorenians sent a rescue party, or Moonfire could be repaired. At the same time, I didn’t trust Drefan and his eagerness to help us. He didn’t know us, and he wasn’t being truthful with us.