“Get them out,” the little man bellowed at his troops. They were pushed and hastened outside; two troopers stayed with their officer, in the bar. It was not until they were passing the niner corridor that other troops intercepted them, other Norway troopers.
“Get to the Australia post,” one yelled at the others, a woman’s voice. “McCarthy’s. Di’s got them all at rifle point. He needs some numbers in there, fast.”
The troopers headed past them at a run. Four of those escorting them kept on, taking them toward the blue dock access door, where guards stood.
“Pass us through,” the officer of their escort demanded. “We’ve got a potential riot situation back there.”
The guards were Australia. The lettering and emblem proclaimed it. Reluctantly the squad opened the emergency doors and let them through the passage.
Thereafter was blue dock, where Norway occupied a berth next India, Australia, and Europe. Damon walked, beginning to feel shock from his injuries, if not pain. There was only the military here, troops coming and going, supply bales being loaded by military crews in fatigues.
Norway’s access tube gaped before them. They walked the ramp, into the passage, passed through that chill into the airlock. Others met them, troops all with Norway’s emblem.
“Talley,” one said with a surprised grin. “Welcome back, Talley.”
Josh bolted. He made it as far as the middle of the access tube before they caught him.
iv
Signy looked up from her desk, for a moment dialed down the com noise, the reports of her troops on the docks and elsewhere. She gave a quizzical smile at the guards and at Talley. He was considerably the worse for wear… unshaven, diry, bloody. There was a swelling on his jaw.
“Come to see me?” she mocked him. “I hadn’t thought you’d ask again.”
“Damon Konstantin… they’ve got him aboard. The troops have got him. I thought you’d want to talk to him.”
That perplexed her. “You’re trying to turn him in, are you?”
“He’s here. We both are. Get him out of there.”
She leaned back, looked curiously at him. “So you do talk straight,” she said. “You never talked.”
And now he had nothing to say.
“They played games with your mind,” she observed. “And now you’re a friend of Konstantin’s, are you?”
“I appeal to you,” he said in a faint voice.
“On what grounds?”
“Reason. He’s useful to you. And they’ll kill him.”
She regarded him from half-lidded eyes. “Glad to be back, are you?” There was a call blinking, which was something com evidently could not handle.
She dialed up the sound and punched it through. “There’s a fight broken out,” she heard, “at McCarthy’s.”
“Di out of there?” she asked. “Give me Di.”
“Busy,” she heard. She waved a hand at the guards, dismissing the business of Talley. Another light was flashing.
“Mallory!” Talley shouted at her, being forced out the door.
“Europe’s wanting you,” Com said. “Mazian’s on.”
She punched through. They had gotten Talley out, to lock him up somewhere, she hoped.
“Mallory here, Europe.”
“What’s going on over there?”
“I’ve got trouble on the dock, sir. Janz needs instruction, by your leave, sir.” She punched out on him. “He’s down,” she was hearing on another channel. “Captain, Di’s shot.”
She clenched a fist and held it back from the unit “Get him out, get him out, what officer am I talking to?”
“This is Uthup,” a woman’s voice came back. “One of Australia’s shot Di.”
She punched another button. “Get me Edger. Quick!”
“We’re through the door,” she heard from Uthup. “We got Di.”
“General alert Norway troops. We have dock trouble. Get out there!”
“Edger here,” she heard. “Mallory, call your hounds in.”
“Call yours in, Edger, or I’ll shoot them on sight. They’ve shot Di Janz.”
“I’ll stop it,” he said, and cut out. alert was sounding in Norway’s corridors, a raucous klaxon, blue lights flashing. Boards and screens in her office were coming to life as the ship turned out to emergency ready.
“We’re coming in,” Uthup’s voice came back. “He’s still with us, captain.”
“Get him in, Uthup, get him in.”
“Going down there, captain.” That was Graff, heading to the dock. She started pushing buttons, hunting a visual and cursing at the techs; someone should have it on vid. She found it, the group coming in carrying more than one of their number, Norway troops pouring out onto the dock in haste and taking up positions around the umbilicals and access. “Get med on the com,” she ordered.
“Med’s ready,” she heard, watched a familiar figure reach the troops and take charge. Graff was out there. She found leisure for a quieter breath.
“Europe’s still holding,” com advised her. She punched that channel.
“Captain Mallory. What war are you fighting out there?”
“I don’t know yet, sir. I’m going to find out as soon as I can get my troops aboard.”
“You’ve got Australia’s prisoners. Why?”
“Damon Konstantin’s one, sir. I’ll be back in touch as soon as I can get a word out of Janz. Your leave, sir.”
“Mallory.”
“Sir?”
“Australia has two casualties. I want a report.”
“I’ll get one to you when I can learn what happened, sir. In the meanwhile I’m dispatching troops to green dock before we have some sort of trouble with civs over there.”
“India is moving forces in. Leave it at that, Mallory, and keep your troops out of there. Off the docks. Pull them all. I want to see you at soonest, hear?”
“With a report, sir. By your leave, sir.”
The light and the contact winked out. She slammed her fist onto the console and shoved the chair back, headed for the cubbyhole of a surgery in the half corridor off from the main lift topside.
It was not as bad as she had feared. Di kept a steady pulse under the medic’s ministrations, showing no signs of leaving them. Chest wound, a few burns. There was a great deal of blood, but she had seen far worse. A chance shot, in an armor joint. She stalked over to the door where Uthup stood, smeared with blood from head to foot of her armor. “Get your filthy selves out of here,” she said, herding them out into the corridor. “It’s going sterile in there. Who shot first?”
“Australia bitch, drunk and disorderly.”
“Captain.”
“Captain,” Uthup said thinly.
“You hit, Uthup?”
“Burns, captain. I’ll check in when they’re done with the major and the others, by your leave.”