Agreed, Draycos said. But won't those aboard the Gatekeeper then know immediately that we have no leak?
The minute they get close enough to get a good whiff, Jack confirmed. That's why we'll have to hit first and fast and then go to ground. I hope you know somewhere aboard where we can do that.
There are several such hiding places, Draycos assured him, gazing out at the Gatekeeper and forcing his brain to work. So far Jack had been carrying the burden of planning here. It was about time Draycos picked up his share of the load. If we haven't got a leak, can we make one?
Sure, but what's the point? Jack asked. The minute the mercenaries in there see me, the game will be up.
Unless those who meet us are Brummgas, Draycos said. I doubt they'll be nearly so good at distinguishing one of Frost's mercenaries from another.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack frown down at him. Probably not, the boy agreed cautiously. But we don't even know if there are any Brummgas aboard. Let alone that Frost will let them play reception committee.
Actually, aside from the Valahgua manning the Death weapons, I expect nearly all aboard will be Brummgas, Draycos told him. Very likely all those we watched being brought from the Chookoock estate, in fact.
Okay, buddy, you've now officially lost me, Jack said. I thought we'd just decided the Gatekeeper was their primary attack ship. Neverlin's certainly not going to leave that part of the scheme in Brummgan hands.
They aren't here to handle the attack, Draycos said. They're here to create the proper illusion. As I said earlier, the Valahgua can imitate Shontine voices well enough to fool the fleet's warriors. What they can't imitate is the heat signature of five hundred K'da and Shontine crew members aboard ship.
He caught Jack's flicker of understanding. So Frost has loaded the ship with warm Brummgan bodies?
Exactly, Draycos said. The refugee fleet's sensors can't read individual heat emissions through the hull but only the sum total. Three hundred Brummgas should be just about right.
And the spectrum from a living being probably looks different from ordinary heaters or anything else Neverlin might have used, Jack said.
Exactly, Draycos said. I'm sure Neverlin would have preferred to use humans, but I'm guessing neither he nor Frost had access to the necessary numbers.
Hence the whole deal with the Patri Chookoock, Jack said slowly. So if we can avoid the handful of Malison Ring mercenaries Frost has watching over the Valahgua and Brummgas, we may be able to push our own game a little longer.
As long as we can, Draycos said. The more quiet time we have to seek out and sabotage the Death weapons, the better.
Ahead, the marker lights came on beside one of the Gatekeeper's hatches. There—that's our target hatch, he told Jack, flicking out his tongue toward the lights.
I see it, Jack said. Hop off, will you? I've got a job for you.
What job? Draycos asked as he leaped out of Jack's collar to land on the deck behind him.
"Go to the nearest weapons blister and get under the control board," Jack said. "Right up against the inside wall there should be one or more blue-striped tubes labeled coolant."
"Understood," Draycos said. Turning, he headed aft.
"And hold your nose," Jack's voice wafted down the corridor after him. "I wasn't kidding about the smell."
Five minutes later, with the stench of calozyne curling his nostrils, Jack brought the patrol ship to a smooth docking alongside the Gatekeeper.
Draycos was waiting for him at the hatch. "You were right about the smell," the K'da said as he laid his paw on Jack's hand and slithered up onto his skin. What's our plan?
We stay with the Chiggers story as long as possible, Jack told him. He started to take a deep breath, instantly changed his mind. He straightened the collar of his flight suit, checked that his tangler was riding loose in Chiggers's holster, and touched the hatch release.
The hatch slid open. Beyond the docking collar was a medium-sized bay with the same light tan walls and deck Jack had seen in the wreckage of the Havenseeker, back on that fateful day when he and Draycos had first met. Squaring his shoulders, trying to act as if he owned the place, he stepped through the hatchway into enemy territory.
But for the moment, anyway, the enemy seemed to be unaware they'd been invaded. The only other occupants of the bay were a pair of Brummgas working at an open access panel, and their only reaction was a curling of their own nostrils against the smell leaking out into their world.
Like I own the place, Jack reminded himself. "Hey—you," he called toward them. "Get me a sealant tube, will you?"
One of the Brummgas half-turned, his cheeks wrinkling in disgust. "Get it yourself," he said, pointing a thick finger at a tool chest along the wall. Turning his back on the insolent human, he returned to his work.
Smiling to himself, Jack headed for the toolbox. Do we need to take the time to fix the leak? Draycos asked.
Unfortunately, yes, Jack said. The idea is that Chiggers came aboard, did his repairs, and then made himself scarce before anyone could find him and give him some other job to do. Vanishing without fixing the leak would look suspicious.
Understood, Draycos replied. The K'da's tongue flicked briefly through the air beneath Jack's chin. But be careful. I can taste a hint of human scent beneath the smell of the Brummgas.
Plus a few Valahgua?
He sensed a darkening of Draycos's mood. Yes.
No problem, Jack said, trying to hide his sudden twinge of fear. A people who had defeated K'da warriors weren't a group he really wanted to run into. Even if their Death weapon was sort of cheating. We'll just have to be a little extra careful, that's all.
The toolbox contained two different tubes of sealant. Jack wasn't sure which would work better for a calozyne pipe, but for the length of time the repair needed to hold it probably didn't matter. Selecting the more expensive-looking tube, he headed back to the patrol ship.
The hole Draycos had sliced in the pipe was small and easy to get to. Jack squeezed a generous portion of sealant across it and watched a minute to make sure it was solidifying properly. Then, capping the tube, he went back into the docking bay and returned it to the toolbox. Which way? he asked Draycos as he straightened up again.
Take the door to your left, Draycos told him. The Death weapons will most likely be mounted in the bow. Probably in the weapons bays, where they'll have an ample source of power.
Sounds reasonable. Just point the way.
He was halfway across the bay when a figure stepped through the door ahead of him. It was a human figure, dressed in a Malison Ring uniform, peering down at a notepad in his hand.