Drifter's War Read Free

man-made breakwater. The water was aqua-blue, crystal-clear, and extremely calm. Jet skis zipped this way and that, poorly piloted sailing dinghies drifted aimlessly along the breakwater, and an airboat made its way out through the harbor's entrance.
    When it was clear of the harbor the boat fired its repellors, vanished inside a cloud of steam, and reappeared moments later. Drives howled as it blasted upward.
    There were two docks, one for the boating crowd who owned their own yachts, and one for the guests who wished to rent. A section of pseudo-thatched roof sat on some posts about halfway out. There was a sign that said "Rentals," and an attendant sitting on a stool.
    Lando's heart sank. The rental dock was nearly empty. It was late afternoon, and most of the hovercraft, sea sleds, and water walkers were already in use.
    But there, way out toward the end of the dock, sat a sleek-looking craft that mounted an aerodynamically shaped mast and what looked like an aircraft wing. A skimmer. Not his first choice, but better than nothing at all.
    "Come on."
    Lando sauntered out onto the dock and Melissa followed along behind. She looked over the edge, watched her reflection in the water, and waved to see herself wave back.
    The rental shack didn't have any walls, but the roof provided some protection from the sun, and the attendant had centered himself in the middle of the shade.
    What hair he had was white and cut so short that it fuzzed the sides of his head. He wore a grease-stained yachting hat, a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off, and a perpetual frown. When Lando smiled the frown became even more pronounced.
    "Yeah?"
    "I'm interested in renting a boat."
    "Don't have any. Come back tomorrow."
    Lando raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the end of the dock. "What about that one?"
    "It ain't for rent. Belongs to the manager, Mr. Izzo. Come back tomorrow."
    Lando started to say something in reply but felt Melissa tug on his sleeve. She pulled him away. He frowned. "What?"
    Melissa pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. "Are we going to steal it?"
    Lando glanced at the attendant. He pretended they weren't there.
    "Yeah, I think so."
    Melissa nodded in agreement. "Right. I'll distract him while you take the boat."
    Lando thought about it. There was a comset about four inches away from the attendant's right elbow. A call would bring security on the run. Some sort of diversion would be a good idea.
    "Okay, but come when I yell."
    Melissa smiled mischievously. "Don't worry about me."
    This was the adult Melissa. The same one who could run her father's business affairs, and, if push came to shove, fly a shuttle to boot.
    Lando nodded, smiled at the old man, and strolled out toward the end of the dock.
    The skimmer looked strange. It had a long pencil-thin hull. The winglike structure crossed the top of the mast like a giant T, slanted down to touch the water off the boat's port side, and bobbed up and down with the waves.
    The canopy-covered cockpit was located just forward of the mast and looked large enough to accommodate four people.
    As the smuggler came closer he saw that foils had been mounted on each end of the wing, one of which rested in the water, while the other hung suspended in the air. The leading edge of the wing had slats while the trailing edge was equipped with flaps.
    The wing design gave Lando a pretty good idea of how the skimmer worked. The wing acted as a sail, providing a surface for the wind to push against, but adding something more as well. Air would pass over the down-slanting wing to create forward suction and provide lift at the same time. The result was a wind-powered craft that could achieve speeds of sixty or seventy miles an hour.
    Though not a fan, Lando had seen skimmer races on the vid nets, and knew the ships could really move. Just the thing for an ocean-going getaway. If they could get the skimmer out to sea. If they could lose the pursuit. And if he could keep the damned thing under