Stars in the Sand (25 page)

 “
I can’t tell you that, either.”

 “
Of course not. I still require proof. Of your loyalty, if nothing else.” He reached over to a wall and tapped a button. A door opened, and a pair of men dragged a woman into the room, writhing and trying to get out of her restraints, wearing the uniform of the Cabal Fleet.

 “
This woman was caught trying to enter our facility. She must be dealt with.” One of the newcomers passed a pistol to him, and he reached down to unchain her, pulling the handcuffs away.  “I want you to eliminate her.” He passed her the pistol.

 “
Kill her in cold blood?”

 “
She is an enemy, of both of us.”

 “
I’ll be avenged!” the woman screamed. “My people will come for me.”

 “
No doubt,” the man said. “You, however, will not be here to witness it.” Turning to Orlova, he said, “Well, what are you waiting for? In battle you would kill without thinking.”

 Shaking her head, she said, “This isn’t a battle, it’s murder.” She dropped the pistol.

 “
Hector,” the man said, and one of the others pulled a pistol out of his pocket, leveling it at her. “I would suggest you do as I say. What is the difference? If she was on the bridge of an enemy starship, would you not do your duty?”

 “
Not in cold blood,” she said, waiting for the bullet.

 The man smiled, pulled out a knife, and walked over to the woman on the floor, slicing her bonds with two quick flicks. He helped her to her feet, and Orlova shook her head.

 “
May I introduce you to the leader of our cell. You may call her Delphine; that is, naturally, not her name, but it will serve for the purposes of conversation.” Another door opened, and Nelyubov walked in. “Your comrade likewise passed the test.”

 “
What if I had fired?”

 “
The gun was loaded with blanks, and it would have been your final act in this world. Until we meet again.”

 The others walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone with Delphine, who said, “I am glad to finally meet members of the Triplanetary Fleet. You have struck several serious blows against our common enemy.”

 
“
I hope so,” Orlova said. “How long were we out?”

 “
Ninety minutes. No-one knows you were restrained, and our meeting will be short. You wish to rescue your people?”

 “
That’s why we’re here.”

 “
A laudable goal,” she said, “and you have my sympathies, but our actual ability to provide aid is limited. We are a small group, constantly hunted, with only limited resources, you understand,
and the risk of the action you propose is grave.”

 “
But you can help.”

 She nodded, saying, “We can provide some intelligence, perhaps some equipment.”

 “
That’s all?”

 “
It has taken years for us to build to our current state. We cannot take any risks until the day we are able to rise up and overthrow our oppressors. Tell me; will the Triplanetary Confederation invade the Cabal?”

 “
I don’t know,” Orlova replied. “That isn’t my decision.”

 “
Of course, but I thought, I hoped...but never mind. We do not even know if your friends are on this planet, but there is a high-security auction of penal work contracts. That much I do know. Perhaps the most useful thing we can provide you are these.” She pulled three old-style communicators out of her pocket, passing them to her. “These work with the internal communications network of the city itself, and will work within a ten-mile radius. Naturally, they are untraceable.” She smiled, then said, “And replaceable. They will cease to operate after five days, and you can tap a button to scramble them before that. Ensure they are not captured.”

 “
We will,” she said. “Can you get us any plans of the auction rooms?”

 “
They’ll be taking place in the City Hall; I think we can help you there.” She raised a hand, and said, “I want to make it clear. If you run into trouble, we will not aid you.
Frankly, I would rather this mission did not take place at all.”

 “We came here to get our people back, and we're going to do it.”

 
She sighed, then said,
“
You had better return to the surface now, before you are missed. We will contact you again in twenty-four hours.”

 “
Thank you.” She paused, then said, “You didn’t ask if we can help you in return?”

 “
This is not a barter, Lieutenant. We will help as much as we can,
if you are set on this course
.” She gestured to a door, then said, “That will take you back up to the restaurant. I understand the chef has packed your lunches for you.”

 Orlova turned to look at the door, and when she turned back, Delphine was gone. The two of them looked at other, and made for the exit.

Chapter 24

 City Hall was a tall, imposing structure, neo-classical columns made of polished stone reaching up dozens of feet, statues of presumably long-dead dignitaries presiding over the steps up to the entrance. Marshall walked through the threshold, followed by Caine, and almost laughed when he saw the inside; nothing but a collection of prefabricated buildings thrown together, with the facade laid on top of it. Either at some point the money had run out, or the bureaucracy simply refused to abandon their lair.

 A tall, hawk-faced man wearing a guard’s uniform walked crisply over to them, his boots snapping on the floor, obviously sizing them up. He had a gun mounted in a holster at his belt, and a slight bulge under his jacket, combined with one loose button, suggested that he had a back-up concealed weapon as well.

 “
Can I help you?”

 “
Yes,” Marshall said. “I hear there is an auction coming up. I was considering placing a bid, but I wondered if it would be possible to inspect the...merchandise.” He desperately tried to make his voice sound natural, but inside, he wanted to throw up. Nevertheless, apparently the guard’s assessment of his status had risen a few notches, and arrogance gave way to deference.

 “
Of course. They’re in the basement level, under maximum security. You are aware that this is a penal auction, yes?”

 “
So I understand.”

 Nodding, he said, “That could be good or bad, of course. I’d rather wait for a normal indent auction myself. The trouble with penal bids is that you are stuck with them forever.”

 “
Perhaps I can make a better deal.”

 The guard waved to a figure standing in the corner, “Fontaine, would you help these people?”

 A slender woman walked over to them, gray hair curled around her head, wearing a suit that looked as if she was long-overdue for fitting.

 “
Potential buyers?” she said with a menacing smile.

 “
If the merchandise is worth it,” Caine replied.

 “
Do you have a permit?”

 Marshall glanced at Caine, then back at her, “I can get a permit, but I’d rather not go to the trouble and expense unless I think it is going to be justified.”

 “
Oh, naturally, but I fear that I must insist. We don’t want people simply walking in to gawk at the unfortunates.” She chuckled, then said, “They’re in enough trouble already.”

 Somehow resisting the urge to hit her, he patted his hand on his wallet, replying, “Surely there must be some alternative.”

 With a smile, she replied, “I suppose it will do no harm, this once. Don’t tell anyone you have been, though. I’m a jailer, not a tour guide. Come with me.”

 Leading them down a staircase, they stepped into a long, twisting corridor, carved out of the rock, following seams of minerals. The relics of long-ago mining were left on the floor, burn marks from clumsy blasting, a few memorial plaques in a variety of languages scattered around.

 “
This dates back to the first settlers here. Before the domes, they lived underground. The City Fathers keep talking about turning this into a tourist trap, but it makes such a good cell, and budgets being what they are,” she said, shaking her head. She pointed at another plaque in the corridor, and continued, “That was my grandfather, fifty years ago. Astounding how things change.”

 “
I’m sorry,” Marshall said.

 “
Whenever you build a new world, there is a price to be paid. Still, there’s a lesson there. He was an indent, as was my grandmother, and they managed to build themselves up.”

 “
And now you keep indents prisoner, run the auctions,” Caine said.

 “
Ironic, isn’t it. This way,” she said, gesturing down a side passage. They walked for another few minutes along a twisting tunnel, before coming to a stop in a cavern. There was a glass partition running down one side of it, a door in the middle, and on the far side were twelve people, sitting in a trio of loose clumps.

 It took every ounce of self-control Marshall had not to react, not to immediately attempt to free them, for those were the missing Espatiers. Names on a screen, listed as missing, presumed dead, and all of them were there. Sergeant Forrest, Private Kelly, Private Knight, all of them. None of them looked any the worse for their ordeal.

 “
Are they physically fit?” Caine said. “No permanent injuries?”

 “
Of course not!” the woman replied. “We would not sell damaged merchandise. Not that a lot of them don’t have a few scars, of course.” She frowned, then said, “There is a restriction about taking them off-world. I should tell you that, to be fair. One of the oil ships will probably buy their contracts, I expect. Life expectancy out there is down to five years, now.”

 “
Can they see us?”

 “
One-way glass.”

 Marshall longed to speak to them, to tell them that hope was on the way, but he looked at Caine, who shook her head almost imperceptibly. Reason had to override passion today if he was going to get them out of there; all he could do was continue to bide his time.

 “
Auction’s in four days, in the morning. Plenty of time for you to get a permit if you still  want one. Interested?”

 
“
Not now I know about the off-world restriction, damn it.”

 She shrugged, then said, “I know, pretty unusual. Not much choice with this bunch. I don’t know where they came from, and I don’t really care, but they must have done something pretty bad. Attempted to escape, perhaps, from an indent contract. There’ll be another auction coming up in about a month…”

 “
We won’t be here then,” Caine said. “But thanks for the help.”

 With a smile, she said, “I don’t mind doing favors, especially if they are reciprocated.”

Marshall slipped a hand into his wallet, coming out with a hundred-credit note, and made to shake her hand. Afterward, the note was gone, and her smile had widened.

 “
If you’ve finished, we can go back upstairs.”

 “
Thank you,” Marshall said, with a last long look at his people in the cell. Now that he knew they were there, he was more determined to break them out, to get them home, than ever before. There had to be an answer, and he was lost in thought as they navigated their way back to the surface, walking out into the street without another word.

 He walked towards the heliport
at a quick pace
, Caine struggling to keep up with him as he weaved silently through the crowds. Right now, they were in the middle of town, with no obvious way out. It might be possible to get them out of their cell, but getting outside and back to their shuttle was going to be far more difficult.

 They were the only passengers on the transport helicopter this time, the solitary companion in the cabin a guard who spent most of his time looking out of the window. Marshall was glad of the distraction, and was bursting for a chance to talk, knowing that he didn’t dare say a word unless he was in a secure location, and the shuttle was the only such he knew of on this planet. The only place he could trust, in any case.

 Donning his respirator, he walked out to the tarmac, heading for the waiting shuttle, eating the distance away with long, loping strides, the oily puddles splashing up to his trousers. He slammed on the airlock button for entry, climbing into the passenger cabin with a triumphant smile on his face, reinforced when he saw Cooper and Cantrell sitting inside.

“
Corporal, I’ve found them!” he said. “They’re in the detention area underneath City Hall, waiting to be auctioned off; we’re going to have to move quickly if we’re going to get them out. I want you and Cantrell back out there right now, scoping out the odds of breaking in tonight.”

“
Captain,” Cooper began, but Marshall carried on talking.

“
I’m going to let Race know the news, see if we can get some orbital coordination in on this. I want our eyes in the sky watching every move they make. Then we can get the hell out of here and back to Alamo.”

 “
Where?” an unfamiliar voice said, walking into the cabin. He turned to see a scrappy young woman wearing battered clothes standing at the threshold, eying him warily. Marshall turned to Cooper, his smile vanishing in a heartbeat.

 “
Cooper, you’d better have a damn good explanation.”

 “
This is Jacqui, skipper. She helped us get away from the security forces, and in exchange, we offered her passage from this planet.”

 “
You did.”

 “
It seemed like the right thing to do.”

 “
What the hell is going on?” Jacqui said, pulling a pistol out of a hidden pocket. “You didn’t think I only carried two, did you? Or that I’d go anywhere unarmed with people I didn't trust?”