The voice shut off so abruptly that Hazard could picture Buckbee slamming his fist against the Off key.
«How long ago did this come through?»
«Transmission terminated thirty seconds ago, sir,» said Yang.
Hazard looked down at Varshni’s slight form. He knew that Varshni had heard the ultimatum just as he had. He could not see the Indian’s face, but the slump of his shoulders told him how Varshni felt.
Yang asked, «Sir, do you want me to set up a link with Graham?»
«No,» said Hazard.
«I don’t think they intend to call again, sir,» Yang said. «They expect you to call them.»
«Not yet,» he said. He turned to the wavering form beside him. «Better straighten up, Mr. Varshni. There’s going to be a lot of work for you and your damage-control team to do. We’re in for a rough time.»
Ordering Varshni back to his team at the ruins of the bridge, Hazard made his way toward the CIC. He spoke into his helmet mike as he pulled himself along the passageways, hand over hand, as fast as he could go:
«Mr. Feeney, you are to fire at any satellites that fire on us. And at any ABM satellites that begin maneuvering to gain altitude so they can look down on us. Understand?»
«Understood, sir!»
«Miss Stromsen, I believe the fire-control panel is part of your responsibility. You will take your orders from Mr. Feeney.»
«Yes, sir.»
«Miss Yang, I want that simulation of our position and altitude updated to show exactly which ABM satellites under hostile control are in a position to fire upon us.»
«I already have that in the program, sir.»
«Good. I want our four lifeboats detached from the station and placed in positions where their heat shields can intercept incoming laser beams.»
For the first time, Yang’s voice sounded uncertain. «I’m not sure I understand what you mean, sir.»
Hazard was sweating and panting with the exertion of hauling himself along the passageway. This suit won’t smell new anymore, he thought.
To Yang he explained, «We can use the lifeboats’ heat shields as armor to absorb or deflect incoming laser beams. Not just shielding, but active armor. We can move the boats to protect the most likely areas for laser beams to come from.»
«Like the goalie in a hockey game!» Feeney chirped. «Cutting down the angles.»
«Exactly.»
By the time he reached the CIC they were already working the problems. Hazard saw that Stromsen had the heaviest work load: all the station systems’ status displays, fire control for the laser-armed ABM satellites, and control of the lifeboats now hovering dozens of meters away from the station.
«Miss Stromsen, please transfer the fire-control responsibility to Mr. Feeney.»
The expression on her strong-jawed face, half hidden inside her helmet, was pure stubborn indignation.
Jabbing a gloved thumb toward the lightning-slash insignia on the shoulder of Feeney’s suit, Hazard said, «He is a weapons specialist, after all.»
Stromsen’s lips twitched slightly and she tapped at the keyboard to her left; the fire-control displays disappeared from the screens above it, only to spring up on screens in front of Feeney’s position.
Hazard nodded as he lifted his own visor. «Okay, now. Feeney, you’re the offense. Stromsen, you’re the defense. Miss Yang, your job is to keep Miss Stromsen continuously advised as to where the best placement of the lifeboats will be.»
Yang nodded, her dark eyes sparkling with the challenge. «Sir, you can’t possibly expect us to predict all the possible paths a beam might take and get a lifeboat’s heat shield in place soon enough …»
«I expect—as Lord Nelson once said—each of you to do your best. Now get Buckbee or Cardillo or whoever on the horn. I’m ready to talk to them.»
It took a few moments for the communications laser to lock onto the distant Graham, but when Buckbee’s face finally appeared on the screen, he was smiling—almost gloating.
«You’ve still got a minute and a half, Hazard. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses before we had to open fire on you.»
«I’m only calling to warn you: any satellite that fires on us will be destroyed. Any satellite that maneuvers to put its lasers in a better position to hit us will also be destroyed.»
Buckbee’s jaw dropped open. His eyes widened.
«I’ve got fifteen ABM satellites under my control,» Hazard continued, «and I’m going to use them.»
«You can’t threaten us!» Buckbee sputtered. «We’ll wipe you out!»
«Maybe. Maybe not. I intend to fight until the very last breath.»
«You’re crazy, Hazard!»
«Am I? Your game is to take over the whole defense system and threaten a nuclear-missile strike against any nation that doesn’t go along with you. Well, if your satellites are exhausted or destroyed, you won’t be much of a threat to anybody, will you? Try impressing the Chinese with a beat-up network. They’ve got enough missiles to wipe out Europe and North America, and they’ll use them. If you don’t have enough left to stop those missiles, then who’s threatening whom?»
«You can’t …»
«Listen!» Hazard snapped. «How many of your satellites will be left by the time you overcome us? How much of a hole will we rip in your plans? Geneva will be able to blow you out of the sky with groundlaunched missiles by the time you’re finished with us.»
«They’d never do such a thing.»
«Are you sure?»
Buckbee looked away from Hazard, toward someone off-camera. He moved off, and Cardillo slid into view. He was no longer smiling.
«Nice try, Johnny, but you’re bluffing and we both know it. Give up now or we’re going to have to wipe you out.»
«You can try, Vince. But you won’t win.»
«If we go, your son goes with us,» Cardillo said.
Hazard forced his voice to remain level. «There’s nothing I can do about that. He’s a grown man. He’s made his choice.»
Cardillo huffed out a long, impatient sigh. «All right, Johnny. It was nice knowing you.»
Hazard grimaced. Another lie, he thought. The man must be categorically unable to speak the truth.
The comm screen blanked.
«Are the lifeboats in place?» he asked.
«As good as we can get them,» Yang said, her voice doubtful.
«Not too far from the station,» Hazard warned. «I don’t want them to show up as separate blips on their radar.»
«Yes, sir, we know.»
He nodded at them. Good kids, he thought. Ready to fight it out on my say-so. How far will they go before they crack? How much damage can we take before they scream to surrender?
They waited. Not a sound in the womb-shaped chamber, except for the hum of the electrical equipment and the whisper of air circulation. Hazard glided to a position slightly behind the two women. Feeney can handle the counterattack, he said to himself. That’s simple enough. It’s the defense that’s going to win or lose for us.
On the display screens he saw the positions of the station and the hostile ABM satellites. Eleven of them in range. Eleven lines straight as laser beams converged on the station. Small orange blips representing the four lifeboats hovered around the central pulsing yellow dot that represented the station. The orange blips blocked nine of the converging lines. Two others passed between the lifeboat positions and reached the station itself.
«Miss Stromsen,» Hazard said softly.
She jerked as if a hot needle had been stuck into her flesh.
«Easy now,» Hazard said. «All I want to tell you is that you should be prepared to move the lifeboats to intercept any beams that are getting through.»