"You be all right?"

"They're asleep. And I'll keep a gun in my hand."

Twelve minutes later there was a tentative tap at the door. "What?" Jo snapped.

Muffled, nervous, "Hoke, ma'am."

Jo headed for the door. "The famous eunuch to be."

Lupo hugged Two when they brought the Lieutenant aboard. "We did it!"

Jo sat on a rough Hauler bunk, back against the bulkhead, trying to understand. The Ku had been sound asleep. But when the door opened, he had plucked the weapon out of her hand.

The door there opened. A man stepped inside.

Lupo Provik!

"Good evening, Lieutenant."

"You can't get away with this."

"I already have. I'm tempted to let the people who replaced you go on to Starbase."

"Replaced?"

"Tomorrow the Merod Traveler Fanta Palonz takes on passengers. Seven answering the descriptions of your party, with proper documentation, will board. They will disappear at D. Chuchainica 3B."

Jo was scared like she had not been scared for a long time. "Why tell me?" The fear stemmed less from her circumstances than from recognition of the ruthless efficiency with which they had been engineered. In that moment she knew who had engineered the ambush in the end space.

"I want you to understand the full compass of your predicament, Lieutenant."

"I'm dead."

"No. This has been a bloodless operation. My associate Kez Maefele has scruples. He'd like it kept bloodless. His solution appeals to the poet and gambler in me."

She refused to ask.

"He wants to take your arms, credit, and documentation and dump you in a DownTown on a world pacified by VII Gemina. He thinks someone from a Guardship ought to experience that life. He says that's more just than spacing you."

"It's murder all the same."

"No. Real murder would be to eject you with the trash while we're running the Web. Which is your other option."

"You're a real smooth talker, aren't you?"

"I try. The point is, you and your people can get out alive. If you don't try to be heroes. I try to keep the Ku happy. No. Don't consider it. I'm a killer."

Jo relaxed. If he read her that easily, he might be as good as he thought. "You do what you want to do. But if you turn me loose, I'll find you again."

"That's the spirit. Keep it up. You might pull it off." He left Jo wondering what kind of man he was.

— 94 —

It took Turtle four months to weave the cautious itinerary that let him deliver the Guardship soldiers. The fleet directive was no trouble. The soldiers themselves were. Provik's preferred solution looked much better toward the end.

Getting them through station was easier than he anticipated. Almost two years had passed since the Concord nonsense, but disorganization persisted for lack of qualified survivors.

Nothing had been done to clear the wreckage of Merod Schene. The surface survivors still lived in camps set up by VII Getnina. House Merod had evacuated their favorites and then downscaled their interest. The left behind could do as they pleased.

Seeds of a new society, scattered on soil fertilized by blood. Turtle almost wished he could stay to watch its evolution.

The worst of the survivors, the weird and deadly and crazy, lived in the ruins still and favored the night.

Turtle explained that to the Lieutenant. "You find the Immunes. Mention me. Line up with them. Show the world how mean you are. Don't tell anybody you were Guardship soldiers. Ever. Stick together. You and the other woman are reasonably attractive. That will cause problems. Different rules obtain here."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Repaying a debt you would have to be Ku to understand." He offered her a plastic box. "The interest on that debt. Two handguns. Two rechargeable charge packs. Treasures greater than serviceable women. Use them sparingly and guard them well. Goodbye, Lieutenant."

"Not goodbye, Ku. Till we meet again."

"Don't, Lieutenant. I will kill you the next time." Turtle left them. He felt sad. They were all on the skids to Hell.

It took him two months to reach Tregesser Prime because of the dislocations caused by "the War."

The most feared woman on V. Rothica 4 joined the two most feared men. "It was them."

Cable Shike snapped, "About damned time. I'm sick of this hole." He had not wanted to come. Blessed had insisted.

Four and Five were sick of Merod Schene, too.

Shike said, "Let's whack them while they're dizzy and get out."

The letter of Lupo Provik's word was good. Provik had given the Ku what he asked. But there had been no promise not to tie up loose ends after the five reached Merod Schene.

Five said, "Guess I'd better get Crash."

"He won't play it straight," Shike said. "He'll give you that frog grin and say he'll go with the job, but he'll only go till he scrubs the three men. No way is he going to spiff those women."

Crash Gutsyke was a second-rate gang boss. He had ambitions.

Five said, "I know the type. Thinks he'll claim his pay, drill you and me, then expand his harem by one more." Five laughed.

Even Four was amused.

Just by moving in a careful formation, they drew attention. The bold came to look. The timid moved away. Jo tried to swallow her contempt and could not. Never had she seen such scum. Like the dregs of Canon had been dumped here.

Their search for shelter took them ever nearer the ruins.

At first she was unsure they were being stalked. But the camp became less crowded toward the city. It became obvious. There were ten of them, at least. She passed the word. Everyone had noticed.

She had given her weapon to Hoke though the Ku had meant them for her and AnyKaat. Hoke was an irresponsible dickhead, but he had been regimental small-arms champ and under fire was liquid helium.

Three very large men stepped out to block the lane ahead. Others began closing in, hauling out knives and swords.

"Kill," Jo said.

Jug had point. He kicked the middle blocker in the nose, driving the bone back into whatever the man used for brains. Hoke shot another and turned, began shooting to the left. AnyKaat was a beat late but started shooting to the right.

Jug broke the neck of the last blocker and looked around for another victim. He lurched. Fire and gore erupted from his back.

Hoke had killed another six men when it happened to him.

Jo dived for his weapon. She came up with it, looked around, saw the survivors in flight, shot two, saw Shaigon's head explode.

AnyKaat, using both hands to steady her aim, squeezed off a shot at three people on a rusty knee of the ruined city. One pitched backward. "Shit. I hit the wrong one."

Jo got behind Hoke's body. "Get down!"

AnyKaat zigzagged toward the ruins.

Jo tried to give covering fire. Twice Hoke's body jerked and belched fire and blood.

Jo got three more shots before her charge pack went. Only the last did any good. Like AnyKaat, she missed the gunner and hit someone else.

She jumped up and zigzagged after AnyKaat, making sudden pauses to snatch weapons from the dead. The air blistered around her, too close to believe anyone could shoot that straight and guess her next move that well. Then the gunner decided to worry about AnyKaat.

Jo found AnyKaat in the shade of a slab of rusty iron. She was seated on rubble. Her right calf was bloody.

"Bad?"

"Shrapnel. Just a little chunk taken out. Direct hit would have taken it off. I won't be dancing for a while. One of those people was Cable Shike. Blessed Tregesser's bodyguard."

"We know where we stand, then." She popped the charge pack out of her weapon, placed it in sunlight. "That might pick up enough power for one or two shots before dark. Give me yours."