Cobra Traitor, page 19
part #3 of Cobra Rebellion Series
And with that, Merrick’s mission was over. He’d already seen from the open door that light from that direction would make any ground movement near the warehouse instantly visible to the guards. If he didn’t leave now, he would be begging to be caught.
Even without the lights, it would probably be useful to make sure the guards’ attention was elsewhere for a couple of seconds. Merrick pulled the biggest of his wood chips from his shirt, aimed at the section of fence thirty meters past his aircar’s bow, and threw it as hard as he could.
The angle was awkward, and Merrick’s range of movement pulled up beneath the aircar was severely limited. But Cobra servos were up to the task. The chip sailed through the air and landed in the grass right at the base of the fence. Merrick got a glimpse of Troft helmets turning that direction as he dropped back to the ground, rolled out from under the aircar, and headed as quickly and silently as he could back toward the house.
He was slipping through the door when the warehouse door again opened and the expected line of Troft soldiers began filing out, marching across the field in single file.
The house was still silent, which probably meant it was unoccupied, which probably meant it was the destination of the approaching soldiers. Merrick made his way down to the basement, wondering briefly if Ludolf’s men had awakened in time for them to get through the tunnel under their own power or whether Ludolf had had to carry them the whole way. He located the proper concrete square, crouched down and fished the wires out of the cracks—
“Interesting,” a soft Troft voice came from behind him.
Merrick spun around, snapping his hands up into firing position and kicking in full light-amps. There was a shadow of movement from behind one of the stacks of boxes—he twitched a target-lock onto the figure—
“Your allies, they are more clever than I expected,” Kjoic said, stepping out from concealment behind the stacks of boxes. “As, too, are you.”
Merrick caught his breath. Kjoic? What in the Worlds was he doing here?
Too late, he understood. Kjoic had been here the whole time he and Ludolf were having their conversation. He’d heard the plan, and watched silently while Merrick went off to sabotage the aircars. Now the trap was sprung, and Merrick had walked straight into it.
He frowned. So where was the trap? This basement was as perfect a spot for an ambush as anyone could ever ask for. What was Kjoic waiting for?
Unless it wasn’t a trap.
Kjoic was standing motionless beside the stack of boxes, his radiator membranes doing a slow flutter. Waiting for Merrick to work it through? “You’re not so bad yourself,” Merrick commented. He shrugged the bags and the remaining two bombs off his shoulder and laid them on the floor, then rose slowly to his feet. “How did you find this place?”
“The inner fence, I noted it had been constructed at an odd angle,” Kjoic said, his radiator membranes settling back onto his shoulders again. Maybe he’d been more than a little concerned that Merrick would take his presence badly and try to do something about it. “I enquired and was told that the occupants of this house had insisted it be left outside the new compound. Suspiciously loud, that demand seemed to me.”
“And of course the commander, not wanting to look like he was being bossed around by a slave, kicked out the occupants and reconfigured his fence line,” Merrick said, nodding.
“Manipulation, it is sometimes easy to accomplish,” Kjoic agreed. “Importance, I suspected the house had it, so I determined to explore. I was examining the boxes when your allies made their unexpected appearance from the ground.”
“Ah,” Merrick said. “Just to be clear, allies isn’t the word I’d use with Ludolf Treetapper. I don’t think he likes me, and he certainly doesn’t trust me.”
“Affection and trust are not necessary for allies,” Kjoic said. “A common goal, it is all that is required.”
“Maybe that’s how it works for you,” Merrick said. “We humans like at least a little trust in the mix. Speaking of common goals, what happened to the idea that we would work out a plan together before we made any move?”
“That question, I could ask it also of you,” Kjoic said pointedly. “The smoke, I saw it from the observation post. The Trof’te response, I also saw that. I believed you had set the fire to draw a response you could use to enter the Drim building.”
“I presume you know better now?”
“I have heard Ludolf Treetapper’s statement,” Kjoic said. “I have no reason to distrust it. So you merely took advantage of the fire?”
“Exactly,” Merrick confirmed. “I was going to go to the crash site to look for Anya, as we agreed, but along the way it occurred to me that there was another place she might go instead where it would be safer for her to wait. I was on my way when I saw the smoke, and continued on to see if she was in danger. Once I got there, as you say, it seemed like a good opportunity to get into Svipall and possibly into the Drim’hco’plai warehouse itself. So I took it.”
“And if you had succeeded in obtaining the Drim’hco’plai war drug with this plan?”
“We would have worked it out,” Merrick said. “Just as you no doubt also planned to meet with me once you left Svipall.”
Kjoic’s radiator membranes twitched. “The drug, you believe I already have it?”
“Don’t you?” Merrick countered. “You’re here. Speaking of which, how are you here?”
“I believed you had dissolved our alliance,” Kjoic said. “I knew I must move quickly if I were to forestall your anticipated attempt to obtain the drug on your own. I therefore determined to approach the Commandant of the Drim’hco’plai facility and reveal my identity.”
Merrick felt his mouth drop open. “You what?”
“Calmness, regain it,” Kjoic said. “I revealed only my identity as representative of the Kriel’laa’misar. My true mission, I did not reveal it.”
“So what, you told them your demesne-lord sent you to look in on his investment?”
“Essentially,” Kjoic said. “Though I made my demands somewhat more forceful than you perhaps might think.”
“Oh, no, I’ve seen Troft arrogance and demands,” Merrick assured him. “How did you explain suddenly showing up out of nowhere? Didn’t he want to know how you got here to Muninn?”
“The question, he did indeed ask it,” Kjoic said. “My answer, it was veiled. I stated I had been on Muninn for several weeks inspecting the other facilities.”
A shiver ran up Merrick’s back. “There are other places like Svipall?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Kjoic said, his voice going a bit drier. “Nor do I expect it likely. But seldom is a Trof’te commander told the entire truth. Doubt of my word, he will have none.”
“Unless he talks to whoever’s running the planet.”
“Who also will not doubt my word,” Kjoic said. “The withholding of truth, there is a long tradition of it.”
“Okay,” Merrick said cautiously. To him, it seemed an insane way to run a war. But then, he already knew that Trofts were seldom closer than mere allies of convenience.
And really, if it came to that, he and Ludolf’s group were pretty much running things the same way. “And yet you claim you don’t have the drug?”
“If I did, I would not still be here,” Kjoic said. “There are many space-worthy vessels on Muninn I could steal or commandeer.”
“So what happened? Don’t they trust you?”
“Trust, it is not the issue,” Kjoic said. “I am a representative of the Kriel’laa’misar, but a representative without the funds or authority for payment.”
“Ah,” Merrick said, nodding. Of course the Drims wouldn’t hand over the drug without getting paid for it. That was the whole point behind Kjoic’s presence here in the first place. “But they did at least show you the lab and storage facilities, right?”
“They did not,” Kjoic said, his voice going dark. “Your escape, the result of it was the tightening of all defenses. The center floor is now home to guards and weapons. The test subjects, they are also no longer brought into the Drim’hco’plai building.”
Merrick winced. Infiltrating the village and the drug test had seemed like a good idea at the time. It had gained him important information, but at a cost that might turn out to be higher than they could afford. “I wondered why they’d enclosed four houses. So this is where they’re keeping the gunship pilots and the human test subjects?”
“Additional soldiers, they have also been bivouacked here,” Kjoic confirmed. “They are those who are assigned to guard the village and the outside perimeter. All who are not already well known to the Commandant are sequestered in this village within a village. Further chances, the Commandant does not wish to take any.”
“Wonderful,” Merrick growled. “So you have no idea where the drugs are being manufactured and stored?”
Kjoic’s radiator membranes vibrated slightly. “That statement, I did not make it,” he said in an almost-innocent tone. “The drugs, they are being stored and created in the northeast corner of the building.”
Merrick frowned. “You’re kidding. How do you know that?”
“The location, it was obvious from the pattern of guards and barriers,” Kjoic said. “The logic, it is interesting, is it not?”
“The logic, it stinks,” Merrick said with a snort. “Putting it in that corner means it’s right by an outside wall. An attacker wouldn’t even have to go through the village to get to it.”
“Yet the outer wall, we will have to go through it,” Kjoic warned. “It is not as easy to breach as you might think. The soldiers guarding the perimeter, they are also present and alert. The Commandant, he undoubtedly expects a thief to believe the goal is deeper in.”
“Thereby giving the soldiers more time to take him down while he’s searching in the wrong place,” Merrick said. “Okay, maybe it’s smarter than I thought. It might still come back to bite them.”
“We shall hope,” Kjoic said. “But the pilots, they will soon arrive. You must depart.”
“Yeah,” Merrick said, eyeing him closely. “One last question. You knew I was going to sabotage the aircars out there. You also know that Ludolf Treetapper is planning a revolt in Runatyr. Are you going to do anything about either of those?”
“The Drim’hco’plai, they are not my allies,” Kjoic said, sounding vaguely surprised that Merrick would even ask. “Nor is Muninn a world of the Kriel’laa’misar. What the humans do to them is not my concern. Indeed, their revolt may assist us in our own task.”
“That it may,” Merrick said. Above him, he could hear the sounds of footsteps as the line of Trofts he’d seen emerging from the Drim building reached the house. “I’ll be in touch,” he murmured, heading back to the hidden trap door. He lifted it—
“You will keep me informed?” Kjoic asked.
“I’ll do my best,” Merrick promised, frowning as something suddenly struck him. If he modified his original Plan A…“Tell me, can you fly one of those aircars out there?”
“Yes.”
“You may need to take one up to help battle a threat sometime in the next couple of days,” Merrick said. “When you do, remember that the one currently closest to the Drim building is your best bet. Sorry—I didn’t get its number.”
“The number, I will obtain it,” Kjoic said, his radiator membranes fluttering. “Your plan, can you explain it?”
“No time,” Merrick said, lowering his voice to a whisper and pointing to the ceiling. “But if I can work it out, you’ll know it when you see it.”
“Very well,” Kjoic said. “Be safe, Merrick Hopekeeper.”
The tunnel Merrick had seen at the bottom of the hidden shaft wasn’t very long, really only long enough to reach the house next door, the one directly across from the Trofts’ new fence. But the tunnel’s middle section had been widened into a room that was in many ways a smaller version of Hanna’s forest hideaway.
Waiting there for him was Ludolf.
“You were gone a long time,” the other said, his voice heavy with suspicion.
“I wanted to do the job right,” Merrick said, looking around. The room had floor-to-ceiling wood shoring but, like the outer room of Hanna’s base, was largely devoid of equipment, weapons, or even adornment. Fleetingly, Merrick wondered if there was another hidden room lurking behind it. “As it was, I had to skip one. Some techs came out to work on one of the aircars before I could get to it.”
“Just that one?”
“Just that one,” Merrick confirmed, watching his facial infrared pattern change. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“You were watched from outside,” Ludolf said calmly. “Why did you hesitate so long after entering the house before coming here?”
“I wanted to look over the boxes in the basement,” Merrick said. “I figured I had a few minutes before the masters arrived, and I wanted to see if there was anything there we could use.”
“Was there?”
Merrick shrugged. “I really couldn’t tell. It was too dark to read most of the markings, and I didn’t want to risk making noise by opening any of them.”
He held his breath. But there was no twitch in Ludolf’s infrareds. Apparently, he was satisfied with the explanation. “So what is this place?” he continued before Ludolf could speak. “Svipall’s version of your forest hideaway?”
“Yes,” Ludolf said. “Though smaller and less elaborate, as you can see. It was designed mainly to store equipment and weapons for when the time came to rise against the masters.”
“Which will soon be upon us.”
“Yes,” Ludolf said. “Tell me, what will be your part in that struggle?”
“I have a plan,” Merrick said. “But to make it work I’ll need to talk to some of the villagers. Especially people who’ve worked and traveled extensively in the forest. Are there men and women like that you can trust?”
“There are a few,” Ludolf said, his forehead creasing. “If you wish merely to travel to Runatyr, there are many who can guide you.”
“Oh, I’ll be going to Runatyr soon enough,” Merrick said. “But I have a couple of stops to make first.” He gestured toward the other end of the tunnel. “Let’s go find some of these trusted friends of yours and I’ll tell you all about it.”
He would, too. Or at least, he would mostly tell them about it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The laser in Jody’s hand flashed, and at the end of the Squire’s lower-level corridor the target Sergeant Plaine had set up on the bulkhead answered with an echoing spark of its own. “Number-two ring,” Kemp announced from behind her.
“I know it’s the number-two ring,” Jody growled, activating her telescopics.
She’d tried firing with the telescopics running. It just made her dizzy. She’d tried extending her little finger along the side of the laser’s grip, hoping her nanocomputer would take the hint and run a target lock for her. Apparently, it had never even occurred to the computer’s designers that a Cobra might occasionally want to fire an actual weapon. All that was left was to try to learn how to shoot by sheer dint of effort.
And that wasn’t going so well, either.
“You’ll get it,” Kemp soothed. “Learning a new skill takes time.”
“Tell that to Rashida,” Jody said.
“Tell what to Rashida?” Rashida’s voice came from behind them.
“Tell you that learning new skills takes time,” Jody said, feeling a fresh wave of annoyance as she turned around. Even focused on her practice, she should have had her audios high enough to spot Rashida’s approach. “He’s trying to make me feel better.”
“And it isn’t working,” Kemp added.
“He’s right, though,” Rashida said, lowering her hand to rest on the laser belted at her side. Apparently, she’d come down for some practice of her own.
Not that she needed it. “Then how come you’re so good so fast?” Jody countered.
Rashida shrugged uncomfortably. “The same reason I learned so quickly how to fly a Troft ship.”
“Fast-learning drugs?”
“Yes,” Rashida said, sounding even more uncomfortable. “I have a small selection that I brought with me.” Abruptly, she straightened to her full height. “And no, I will not give you any,” she said firmly. “They are powerful and dangerous, and you have not been screened or tested for safety.”
“Getting shot at by Trofts is also dangerous,” Jody pointed out. Still, she could feel some of her frustration fading. She could hardly compare her progress to the learning curve of someone on one of Qasama’s repertoire of useful but risky chemicals. “Don’t worry—I wasn’t going to ask. My mother delivered enough tirades against the use of shortcuts while we were growing up. Especially chemical ones.”
“She is wise,” Rashida said, peering at the laser in Jody’s hand. “May I make a suggestion?”
“Sure.”
Rashida glanced at Kemp, then drew her own weapon. “You have a targeting lock that controls the laser in your little finger. Can you not align that finger with the target and activate it?”
Jody stiffened. “It’s okay,” Kemp said quickly. “Plaine’s up in CoNCH with Smitty.”
“Yeah,” Jody said. “Listen, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask all of you. Plaine said he’d been listening to us for a while before his grand entrance. Do any of you remember mentioning that I was a Cobra?”
“Smitty and I have been thinking about that, too,” Kemp said. “Neither of us can recall it ever coming up in conversation since we’ve been aboard.”
“And Smitty and I have closed down that system since Sergeant Plaine joined us,” Rashida added.
“Good,” Jody said. “I couldn’t think of any conversations, either, but I wanted to check with you. If he’s planning some kind of mischief, I may be the only hole card we have.”
