Acorna's Rebels Part 25

(I want to go home nyowwww,) he said. (I want to go back to the Condor. These silly things we're riding on will never get us anywhere in time to save anybody.)

(RK, you know very well we can't just make Becker take off into s.p.a.ce and land where we need him to. There are rules about bringing s.p.a.cefaring technology out of the Federation port.)

RK yawned. (Rules? You're boring me. There're rules against poisoning cats here, too -yes, I know. I read you very well, at least as well as you read that murdering mule-whatever-he-calls-himself. Besides, you personally won't be breaking the rule. Tell Becker I want to come home. He will come and get me, and he doesn't care about rules any more than I do.)

(Hmmm,) Acorna thought. And as he punctuated his argument with his claws she added: (Ouch! Yes, you have a point. Nevertheless, that is a very obnoxious habit you've developed. That hurts, you know.)

(Tell him and stop whining, Linyaari girl! You are self-sealing.)

Grimla walked out from under Miw-Sher's strokes and nudged RK aside to give Acorna a smile with her delicately curved mouth. She was purring and suddenly she stood on her hind paws, front paws curled daintily close to her own chest, and rubbed her face against Acorna's jaw.

Pash, Haji, and Sher-Paw strolled over to see what was happening and add a few comments of their own.

Acorna laughed, scratched RK's and Grimla's ears in surrender, and transmitted as narrowly as she could, (Captain Becker, your first mate wants to come home and the rest of us could use help.)

(I read you, Princess, loud and clear, and the d.a.m.ned cat, too. On my 'way.)

(On my way.) Becker transmitted the thought to Acorna, and as he did, saw that he was not the only one heading toward his friends. At the Federation gate, a delegation of the four warrior-priests from the Temple were joined by four Federation troops.

There was a hail on the com unit. "Uh, get that, Mac, would you?" Becker asked. "And stall for all you're worth."

"Stall? But, Captain, we have landed and are docked. Why should I stall, and how can I do so?"

"Keep whoever is calling, and I can practically guarantee that it will be Macostut, from stating his business and demanding to see me. Do not let on that you know where I am."

"And where will that be, Captain?"

"I'm going to help Acorna. She just - uh - hailed me on a private channel."

"So you will be trying out the flitter I readied for such an eventuality? It is an excellent flitter, of Linyaari design. I added to it several modifications usually found only on larger Linyaari crafts, such as the excellent Linyaari s.h.i.+elding device. I would be happy to point them out to you. Wouldn't you like me to accompany you?"

"Nope. You're going to have to hold the fort here. In fact your job's going to be much nastier than mine. Get that? Stall. Keep them off my s.h.i.+p." Becker ducked out of sight.

"Yes, sir. Stalling, sir." Mac answered the com call. "This is Special Technician MacKenZ of the Salvage s.h.i.+p Condor speaking. Please identify yourself."

A stern face appeared on the com screen. "This is Lieutenant Commander Dsu Macostut. I must speak with Captain Jonas Becker immediately."

"I apologize, Lieutenant Commander Dsu Macostut, but Captain Becker is indisposed at the moment."

"Indisposed how?"

Oh, it is a highly interesting process, sir. You see, when Captain Becker takes on fuel to maintain adequate personal function and energy levels, not all of the fuel is acceptable to his operating system. Therefore, it is necessary that this excess fuel be ejected at some point..."

Becker grinned into his mustache as he heard Mac's explanation of Becker's digestive and excretory processes, while Macostut stuttered and attempted to break in to notify Becker of the arrest that was about to take place, if the look of the men marching on the Condor was any indication. Acorna's message of trouble plus all those marching men meant Becker's b.u.t.t was going to be in a sling if he didn't get it out of there. But what was Acorna planning? How had she got the high mucky-mucks so riled up in such a short time? The last time Becker had checked in with his friends, everything had been just fine. Peachy keen, even. If they were in hot water now, the Federation had the authority to keep the Condor from leaving this benighted planet if necessary. If Becker brought Acorna and RK and presumably Nadhari back to the s.h.i.+p, they would be in even more trouble than they already were in, wouldn't they?

Then, as he was slipping into the flitter and opening the hull hatch to fly her out, he received another message from Acorna.

"Captain, RK wanted me to remind you to bring lots of cat food."

Edu Kando stood beside Macostut as their combined troops closed on the Condor.

"I'm sorry about this, Edu," Macostut said. "We would never have let them come near Hissim except that your cousin was with them."

"It doesn't matter," Kando replied. "And it is right that Nadhari is here now. She will come around once she sees the breadth of my vision. Our vision. She lives in the modern universe by preference, after all. You have the chemicals?"

"Oh, yes. But you're on your own as far as getting them to this lake you told me about. If I flew you out there, it would blow my cover and I'd be replaced before our operation got off the ground."

They watched their troops approach the strange patchworked s.h.i.+p. Macostut's last sentence trailed away as a flap of the Condor's skin opened and something large and white with curlicues of color and swags of gilt bunting decorating its wings flew away, out over the wall protecting the port, high above the city and out toward the desert.

"What is that?" Kando demanded, pointing.

"It appears to be a flying horse," Macostut said, shaking his head in disbelief. "How did my people miss that during the inspection?" To his ground troops he said, "Lock that s.h.i.+p down, men, along with any remaining personnel."

But moments later they reported back, as they came out of the Condor. "We are sorry, sir. Whatever personnel were aboard seem to have evacuated on the flying horse thing."

The Makahomian troops wore thoughtful and awestruck expressions as they watched the sky.

Aboard the Condor, white hands burst from the soil in the hydroponics garden and Mac sat up, brushed the dirt and plants from his uniform, considerately replanted Acorna's crops, and returned to the bridge to see what he could do about breaking the just-installed locks on the new computer system without alerting any possible Federation monitors. It would be tricky, but so was he.

Fifteen.

Do you still think this is merely political, Amba.s.sador?" Tagoth asked Acorna.

Acorna shook her head. "No. I looked into the Mulzar's mind. Edu Kando started the plague himself on purpose."

"That's terrible. Why would he do a dumb thing like that?" MacDonald asked.

Acorna said, "The Mulzar seems to want all the things he considers modern and technologically advanced. I think he feels that if he destroys his planet's agrarian economy and undermines the people's religion by killing the sacred cats at the same time, he will force the people of this world into accepting a different way of life for Makahomia. A more galactic way of doing things. He also hopes to force the Federation to aid Makahomia by driving the planet into such a terrible condition that the Federation will have to help. By giving the people, through him, the things he thinks will help accomplish his own goals, the Mulzar hopes to set himself up as both leader and savior of this world. He even expects that all its people will be grateful to him." She brushed the dust off of her face and clothing as she thought, then said, "But I didn't get the sense from the crowd at the temple that he's really in touch with how the people feel. They care about their families, their animals, and the sacred cats. What they don't much care for is the Mulzar."

"Then he'll want to kill us as well as our Temple cats, so no one can stand against him," Miw-Sher said, looking up at her uncle. "Every priest on this planet is in danger."

Tagoth nodded.

Nadhari jumped down from the wagon and stamped a bit to stimulate the circulation to her feet, which had fallen asleep after being braced during the long, b.u.mpy, and-by Makahomian standards-lightning-fast drive from Hissim. She said, "I have to go back to town. I can't let Edu keep lying to the people."

"What will you do?" Acorna asked.

Nadhari shrugged. "Start a little coup all my own, I suppose. I've done that sort of thing before. And these are my own people. It shouldn't be that difficult."

Miw-Sher asked, "We've come a long way. It will be full night before you can reach the city. How well do you see in the dark?"

"Better with an infrared scope on a high-powered laser," Nadhari replied. "Otherwise, about average."

"That is something worth knowing. You and the High Priest share ancestry. If you don't have the gift of night sight, then he probably lacks it as well. The ability runs strongly through family lines. I see as well in darkness as any guardian."

"Nice for you, but I don't see what good it does me. I should have known Edu would try something like this. When he was young, he liked pulling the wings off insects. When he was a bit older, he tormented songbirds, then hawks, that sort of thing. The priests were appalled by the waste of life, but my uncle said Edu was just practicing his warrior skills. I don't think Edu has changed much. He's just more ambitious."