"It is necessary," Hadeishi continued in a firm, level voice, "for all human ships, yours and mine alike, to leave this system in the quietest possible manner. No comm transmissions, no hyperspace transit within detection range of the third planet. None of us will be allowed to return. In the fullness of time, a distant picket will be established to keep the unwary from stumbling into danger."
Ketcham gave him a pitying look. "Do you really think that will happen? The Empire will cordon off this sector and leave well enough alone?" He made a disgusted gesture. "If what you say is true, if that world is a ship, they will have survey teams and exploration drones and an entire bloody battle fleet here as fast as a reliable squadron commander can make transit from Earth."
"I know." Hadeishi nodded slightly, acknowledging the man's point. "I am not a well-connected man, Captain Ketcham. I am not reliable. My family is small and poor, though we have a noble name. I do not have any friends — " here he placed a sharp emphasis on his words "- among the great princes or the clan lords. But I do believe in duty and in honor."
Ketcham started to interrupt, his broad face twisting into a furious epithet, but Hadeishi made a sharp motion with his hand, cutting him short.
"I swore an oath, Captain Ketcham, to protect humanity." A finger stabbed at the refinery captain. "Including you and your crew. Now, what you do once you're out of this system is your business. But right now, today, I need your help before you leave."
Ketcham just stared at him. At the same moment, there was a soft chime in Hadeishi's earbug. He almost collapsed in relief and could not keep from swaying a little. The refinery captain did not lower his pistol, but a worried look flitted across his face.
"You're going to let us go."
Hadeishi nodded, realizing the pain in his chest was not all from bruised flesh and bone. "Yes — but I need your help first. I need you to help me restore this system to as close to its original state as possible."
"What? That's insane…there's no way you can disguise the base camp those scientists built on the planet!" He chuckled evilly. "Dropping a nuke or a c-boosted rock won't exactly remove the evidence without making a bigger mess."
"The planet is not my concern." Hadeishi keyed his medband to dump a higher level of painkillers and coagulant agents into his blood. A sensation of spreading dampness was creeping down his chest. Mitsu couldn't see the wound, but he guessed the impact had turned his left pectoral into a pulpy, shattered mass. He tried not to move suddenly or raise his arm. "The judge is taking care of business there. I need you and your ship to restore the mass you've extracted from the belt…uhhh…as near to the source planetesimals as possible."
"Dump my load?" Ketcham's gun rose again, though Hadeishi felt his legs give way. He crumpled slowly to the deck. On the nearly-muted combat channel, he heard Felix hiss an order.
"Hold your position, Heicho!" Hadeishi's exclamation caused Ketcham to stiffen in alarm. The miner had forgotten — in the brief space of time they'd been talking — there were Fleet Marines aboard as well. Now he eased back, squinting into the slowly-settling smoke. "Captain Ketcham, I'm offering you a trade. The ore you've taken aboard while in this system — all of it! — in exchange for your ship and your freedom." Hadeishi coughed abruptly and his head swam with pain.
A spray of reddish droplets glistened on the deck. My lung is perforated.
Ketcham was staring at the blood. His face was a little gray.
"You need to be in medical," he said, lowering the pistol.
"Will you…uhh…help me? Dump your load in predetermined points? Circulate quietly through the belt. We have a nav-track…huh!" Another cough racked him and Hadeishi covered his mouth. His hand was wet when the spasm passed. "My navigator has a plot of your path through the asteroid zone. You can retrace — "
"Medic!" Ketcham was at his side, fingers pressing on the release points around the collar of the combat suit. "Marines — your CO needs a medic right now!"
Hadeishi blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. All he could see was a swirling gray haze. "Susan? Can you hear me?" The refinery captain was still shouting and there were people running in the hallway.
Your signal is very faint on this tap, but I can hear you. What do you want me to do?
Mitsu blinked again. He felt a tight cold sensation in his chest and wondered what kind of drugs the suit was injecting. Was he still bleeding? Had one of the flechettes penetrated, piercing more than his lung, perhaps his heart?
Mitsuharu, you must remain focused and alert. There is still work to be done. Susan sounded very angry. Hadeishi smiled, wondering who had made a mistake on the bridge. Something must have gone wrong to make break her composure. Smith. It must be the midshipman. Poor lad, she'd flay him alive.
Mitsuharu! I'm sending in another assault team. Asale will dock and take you off. Medical bay is standing by right now.
"No, no." Hadeishi stirred, concerned. There was pressing business to conclude. His father would not approve, rushing matters in such an impolite way, but he remembered there was really no time left. A big man was looming over him, blue eyes very bright. The gray haze was thinning. Long rectangular lights were shining through the mist behind his head. "Captain Ketcham, are you going to help me?"
The big man's eyes narrowed. His thoughts seemed to burn so obviously in the broad, high-cheeked face. Fear and avarice and worry struggled to capture his attention.
"Captain," Hadeishi tried to speak clearly, though there was something wet in his mouth. "If you will not help me, then my executive officer will be forced to disable your ship and imprison your crew. You will lose…everything."
Ketcham's face hardened, but at the same time, the spark of concern in his eyes flared into open fear. Hadeishi coughed again and everything became very hazy, very distant. I'm shutting down, he realized, thoughts moving very slowly. The suit is knocking me out…
"Susan." He whispered. "No shot. There is no…shot."
Above Ephesus III
Both rockets sputtered, blew a thin trail of black smoke and died. The Gagarin hung in emptiness, a white-hot sun reflecting in the mirrored upper surface of the wing. The sweep of the horizon was filled with stars, with the darkness of the void. The rust-red disk of the planet below seemed very small and far away.
Gretchen stared anxiously over her shoulder, searching the black vault overhead for any sign of a shuttle. The Midge's radar was scanning wildly, but nothing showed on the scope. Sweat streamed down her face, pooling in the suit, overloading the recyclers. They had passed through a region of intense heat, though now the windows were crackling with ice. Hummingbird was stiff as a board, clutching his restraints, knuckles white.
"Do you see anything?" Anderssen barked at him, craning her neck to try and see past the nauallis. Only stars and the wispy white arc of the planetary atmosphere were visible. Her medband began to chirp in alarm, but she ignored the alert. Radiation, she thought sickly. Doesn't matter.
She realized Hummingbird's eyes were closed and his lips were moving silently.
"Prayer might help," she laughed — only slightly hysterically. "But I need your eyes."
The altimeter began to fluctuate. Tumbling slowly, the Midge began to arc back toward the planet below. Low gravity or no, the mass of the world tugged at them, drawing them back into a hot, close embrace. She punched the old man in the leg as hard as she could.