— 121 —

The Pioyugov crew grew more sullen and fearful daily. Months had passed. They were sure they'd never get home. Jo was not sure she did not agree.

It was hard to sustain an allegiance to Seeker's obsessive search for a Guardship that was never there when they reached its last reported destination.

The Pioyugovs had come near rebelling twice. Seeker had charmed them. Signs were the storm was gathering again. Charm would not work a third time.

Jo told AnyKaat, "I've got to talk him into heading for Starbase. Any bright ideas?"

"Lay it out and pound on the facts."

"Big help. We're going to run out of luck. We've had more than our share already. They know there's a Traveler loose out here. These Pioyugovs are sneaky, but nobody's good enough to get away from a whole fleet."

"Tell him."

Amber Soul answered her knock. She laid a finger to her mouth, a surprisingly human gesture. He is listening. They have ended their silence.

There was an undercurrent of excitement here. Whatever Seeker sensed, it was significant.

I will let him know you are here when the moment is opportune. Unless I will serve. He will want to inform you.

"We need to talk to him."

Amber Soul went to hover over Seeker, who had installed himself in a reclining chair of primitive manufacture. It was entirely mechanical.

Seeker distracted the eye from the chair, though. He was doing nothing to conceal his appearance. That, while bifurcate and bilateral, was as far from human as Jo could imagine. He looked like a snake that had tried to turn into a man and had gone down a blind alley toward albino, fishy horror built on birdlike feet. In places he was semitransparent.

Jo was not sure she ought to believe her eyes even now.

She turned her back so she could keep her mind on business. AnyKaat copied her. They spent twenty minutes rubbing water out of her eyes and wishing they were somewhere else.

Lieutenant Jo?

She turned. Seeker had on his public face. "Amber Soul says you've been listening in on the Outsiders."

The Web is awash with their communications. So heavily it is impossible to follow everything. I will have to use Amber Soul as well if we are to keep abreast, if the deluge continues.

"What's happened?"

They have begun their counterattack, starting with great confidence that they will cause Canon and the Guardships much grief and force the Guardships to withdraw.

"They won't do that. The Guardships don't defend Canon, they exterminate Canon's enemies. There's a difference."

Their mission of vengeance is... different.

Their command force came onto the Web not long ago. It sent the order to begin, working against a count approximating one hundred of your days. There are many forces involved. One seems headed for Capitola Primagenia.

"Shit! That would be a kick in the balls." Capitola Primagenia! That would set Canon's Rims afire. They might burn for centuries.

Of interest to us is that ships have been sent to follow and report on Guardships. They may find VII Gemina for us. And a ship has been assigned to track us down.

"That's about why I'm here. If we don't light out pretty soon the crew will kill us. They're too scared to reason with."

Instruct the Chief Operating Officer to move toward friendly space. He is not to follow the direct strand. The hunter is coming that way. Go. We are in a race. Minutes may be critical. It is a long run to an anchor point where we can present the pursuit with more options than it can follow.

Jo went, boggled and baffled, found the Pioyugov Chief, told him he could head for home and cautioned him that a hunter might be on their track.

Jo was in the galley when she felt Seeker's compelling summons. She dropped what she was doing and went. As Amber Soul beckoned her into the suite alarms sounded. "Proximity!" Jo cursed. "That sonofabitch took the direct strand."

Yes.

"Him and me are going to have a talk."

Wait! Hope is not yet lost. It will take the hunter time to reach a turn node. We will have a fourteen-hour lead when it begins its chase. It will need several days to catch up. There is a Guardship we can reach first.

"Which one?"

I do not know. They are using a code for unhurried reports. Its identity matters less than its proximity.

"To you, maybe. I'd as soon take my chances with the Outsiders as be saved by IV Trajana again."

It is the only safe isle in a hostile sea.

"I'm going to have my meeting of the minds with the Chief."

I shall be along presently.

Jo stopped off to consult her arsenal before visiting the bridge.

Jo or AnyKaat remained on the bridge every moment, armed and angry. They made sure the Pioyugovs held the heart of the strand and ran in the red.

They understood better a day later, when Seeker came onto the bridge. The hunter is a new type. It has more power than expected. It is gaining faster than expected.

"Catch that, genius?" Jo snapped at the Chief. "You wind this son out and stretch it or I'm personally going to make sure those bastards take you alive."

— 122 —

Six Tregesser ships left P. Benetonica 3B together: three overstaffed Haulers, two crowded Travelers, and a Voyager carrying Lupo Provik, his family, and T.W. Trice. House Tregesser's fleet would limp fora while. Provik did not intend sending those ships home.

House Tregesser belonged to Tina Bofoku and Cable Shike now. And Shike would have no trouble running it his way. It would be a long time before the Directorate recovered.

Lupo watched his homeworld dwindle. T.W. joined him. She was on the same wavelength. "Shike killed them, didn't he?"

"I think so."

"I checked every angle I could think of."

"He did it. Even if he and Tina can account for every second."

"Maybe if we knew what he planned before he walked into the Pylon and found out you weren't gone."

"It doesn't matter. He won't last. The Guardships or Outsiders will finish him before the year is up."

"I'm glad you finally took my advice." For years she had urged him to get out.

"We finally could afford to."

— 123 —

WarAvocat rested his hands on the back of Aleas's seat. A black ship model floated before her. Its length to thickness ratio was the highest he'd ever seen. That indicated a high powered linear accelerator type starspace drive. Ought to be a going sonofabitch running a straight course.

"New approximation?" The original had been watching them for two days.

"Yes. And Gemina doesn't like it. These bulges along here, all the way back, are riders." She tapped her board. Two lesser hulls separated from opposite sides of the main. "The riders' drives are always clear. They can output with the rider nested. These blisters between riders are fighters. They nest nose down thirty degrees with their drives clear."

"They can thrust to maneuver the main?"

"Gemina says the whole can outrun and outmaneuver most anything."

"Tractor vanes on the riders, too?"

"Light duty but mounted so they can supplement those on the main."

"A beautifully wicked piece of machinery."

"Probe has both oxygen and methane readings from inside."

"Let's see what it can do."

WarAvocat launched five riders and a dozen pursuit fighters on silent approaches. He and Aleas moved to WarCentral.

"WarAvocat. Target is moving."

Impossible. "No way could he have picked up our secondaries yet."

"Gemina concurs. Target action is independent of ours."