“Don’t worry; it’s not necessarily permanent. All I have to do is tell him the right thing, and he’ll be fine.” Ruiz’s injured shoulder was beginning to ache; he had been foolish enough to hold the pepperbox with his right hand. He already wanted to lower his hand, but Publius had no doubt instructed the killmech to seize him if his aim wavered.
“Ah? Well, that’s good news, at least. And what must I do to win your cooperation?”
“Fulfill our bargain.”
Publius made an impatient tsking sound. “Troublesome.”
Ruiz said nothing; Publius’s attitude was hardly a surprise.
Publius sighed. “Well, all right. I know when I’m bested.” His eyes glittered, and he looked as treacherous as it was possible for a human being to look. “What shall we do now?”
“Wait here for half an hour, then follow. We’ll meet you at the sub, and there we’ll put on madcollars.” Ruiz’s shoulder burned with the pain of holding the pepperbox, and he was afraid that Publius would notice his weakness.
Publius gave him a searching gaze. “You wouldn’t be planning any more tricks, would you, Ruiz?”
“If so, it’s no more than you deserve,” Ruiz said wearily. “But no. I need your help. Keep your word, help me and my slaves get off Sook, and you can proceed with your schemes here unhindered.”
Publius drummed his fingers on the table, giving an appearance of careful consideration. Finally he smiled broadly, a horrifying expression. “I’m reassured. It will be as you say. I coupled my sub to your repair chamber; my people are guarding your lock. I’ll call and let them know you’re coming — and tell them not to bother you.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and returned to his lunch.
Ruiz stood for a moment, almost unwilling to believe that Publius would let them go so easily, then he turned and walked off down the tunnel, trailed by Albany.
Albany kept looking over his shoulder until they were well around the curve of the tunnel, and the lights of Publius’s camp were lost to view. “You’ve got odd friends these days,” he said.
Ruiz decided it was safe to lower his arm. The pain as he did so made him sway and miss his footing. He stumbled, but Albany caught him under the arm and kept him from falling. “You holed, Ruiz?” Albany asked.
“No,” Ruiz said. “I think I separated my shoulder a little when we killed the Moc. The painkiller’s wearing off.” He instructed the in-suit medunit to give him another ject, and he felt it begin to crawl toward his shoulder again, little clawed feet prickling over his skin.
“That’s a relief.” Behind his visor, Albany’s eyes were huge. “You got me into this. I’m depending on you to get me out of it. What was that about getting you off Sook? Take me too. I’ve had enough excitement for this century.”
“I can’t pay you until we get back to Dilvermoon.”
“That’s fine. If I ever do get back there, I’m going to have my feet welded to the steel. I’m never going to leave again.”
Ruiz smiled. “You’ve said that before.”
“This time I mean it,” said Albany.
For some reason, Ruiz felt a bit more cheerful, and it wasn’t only due to the warm touch of the painkiller.
He set off down the tunnel again at a good pace.
As they neared the lock, Ruiz raised the pepperbox again.
Albany looked at him. “Wait a bit,” he said. “Let me rig you an explosive charge inside your helmet, with a mouth switch. It’ll be easier for you to handle.”
Ruiz stopped, and wondered why he hadn’t thought to do that. Albany’s trap gear would provide explosives and a remote switch, and the armor would keep Publius’s killmech from seizing his weapon in a moment of distraction.
It took Albany only a moment to pat out a thin slab of explosive, wire it, and slip it under Ruiz’s helmet. “You want the switch hot, for real?” asked Albany.
“Oh yes,” said Ruiz. “I don’t want Publius to take me alive, however this turns out.”
“Whatever,” said Albany, plugging the leads into a squeeze switch. He offered it to Ruiz, who took it and bit down on it, activating the circuit.
“Let’s go,” Ruiz said through his clenched teeth. He restored the pepperbox to his boot and walked on.
When they were within a hundred meters of the tunnel’s end, Ruiz stopped. “Go first,” he said. “Tell them I’ve got a bomb in my hat, just in case Publius told them to grab me if my attention wandered.”
Albany smiled. “Would he do a thing like that?” But he trotted away springily, apparently unwearied by the night’s exertions.
Ruiz found him waiting by the lock, alone, holding his graser alertly. “Any problems?” asked Ruiz.
“No. There were some very odd-looking persons here, but I told them to get back into their boat and they went quietly.”
Ruiz stepped through into the repair chamber, and saw where Publius’s people had cut through the hemispherical shell. Several monstrous faces stared at them through the hole, but said nothing.
Ruiz palmed the sub’s lockplate and put his eye to the ident cluster. After a long moment the lock slid aside.
When they were inside, Ruiz tongued the safety selector and took the detonator out of his mouth. His jaws ached, but he felt a sudden uplift of relief.
The Gench waited in the control room, huddled in the corner, its sensory tufts clenched tight. When it recognized Ruiz, it raised its lumpy body slightly and hooted. “You have survived. I am amazed.”
“Me too,” said Ruiz. “You were wise not to let Publius in.”
“I hope never to see him again,” said the Gench.
“I wish that could be,” said Ruiz regretfully. “But we must invite him aboard, and then hope to control him.”
The Gench sank back down and became still.
“I’m not too happy about that either,” said Albany. “Why don’t we just cut and run, while we have the chance?”
“Do you know a way to get out of SeaStack now?” asked Ruiz.
Albany looked unhappy. “No. The pirate princelings are in a terrible uproar; they’re not even letting each other off-planet, at the moment. They’ve shot down a half-dozen shuttles already.”
That was bad news, Ruiz thought. And very strange news; perhaps there was more than simple greed involved. Would the pirates go so far, cripple the commerce that had made them rich, just to catch a few rogue Gencha, no matter how valuable they might be? He filed the thought away for later consideration; Publius was a more pressing problem. “Publius claims he knows a way.”
“You believe him?”
Ruiz shrugged. “He’s a slippery one, I grant you. But he’s as likely as anyone to have the power to help us, and we’ve got some leverage with him, which we don’t have with anyone else who has any power at all.”
“I guess,” Albany said, but he didn’t look very enthusiastic.
Ruiz looked at him, and felt a sudden illogical affection. For all his flaws, Albany was presently the closest thing to a friend that he possessed; he had demonstrated loyalty and faith. Without Albany, Ruiz would have already failed. “I’m sorry I got you into this.”
“Ahhh…. No, you’re not,” said Albany. But he smiled and thumped Ruiz on his good shoulder. “Listen, watching the monster at his picnic reminded me that we haven’t eaten since yesterday. Can’t fight on fumes, true? We have a few minutes before you have to bite the bullet again. Let’s see what’s here.”