much of a smell.
King made her way to a large department store in the suburbs and got rid of her false identity, then headed for the spaceport.
She had her own extraction plan.
***
The heavy cruisers dove at the still-grounded liners, springing their doublecross� And then Vian's patrol ships bounced them.
"A Bahtrinian sandwich," Goodnight said.
Vian touched his mike: "All ships� lock on your targets� Make sure no collateral damage� Fire at will!"
Missiles shot from the patrol ships' launch tubes down at the Roh Bahtrinian warships, who hadn't seen anything above them, intent on stopping the "robbers."
One cruiser took two hits, tucked, and pinwheeled into the ground; the second was struck three times. It broke off, careening through the air.
One Bahtrinian destroyer tried to keep up the attack, was hit once in the drive tubes, and made a hard but survivable landing.
The two liners were clear of the ground, their escorting destroyers above them.
At full drive, they made for space.
"Two jumps," Friedrich ordered, and the navigators of the liners fed prearranged settings into their drive computers.
The starships vanished into N-space, quickly followed by their destroyers.
"Very good, Admiral," Goodnight said. "Now take us home."
The RP�rendezvous point, predetermined�was repressed glee. The for-hires were paid off, in gold from the liners, plus a hefty bonus, and went on their way, swearing that if ever Star Risk needed anything�anything, including their first born�they had but to ask.
Even the frosty Vian allowed that he'd had a most satisfactory experience, for the least time spent and without any casualties, and hoped they'd keep him in mind for the future.
The only one missing was Jasmine King, and she made her own way back to Trimalchio IV before the others arrived.
"Hokay," Goodnight said. "Now that the smoke's cleared, and little ears have gone about their business, what the hell happened? Obviously, this was a crook run from the beginning. But why?"
"Messr. Grok?" Riss indicated.
"I had looked up a few estimates of what was supposed to be in the Roh Bahtrinian Repository," the alien said. "I decided to keep a running count on the amount of gold and such� if no other reason, if the Bahtrinians accused us, after the fact, of having sticky fingers. I counted only about half, perhaps two-thirds, of the estimates, and decided something had gone wrong."
"It had," Riss said.
"I still don't get it," Goodnight said. "Why the robbery�phony robbery?"
"Messr. von Baldur?" Riss said.
"Chas, sometimes I suspect you of simplemindedness," Friedrich said, a touch smugly. "Obviously, they borrowed the treasury some time ago, as they told us. What they didn't bother to add is that while that treasury was being hidden wherever it was being hidden, someone, or more likely several someones, made unauthorized withdrawals from that money, probably without telling their fellow politicians.
"When it was time to pay up, full accounting, those someones could not, or did not want to, make restitution. So they came up with the story that the repository now had additional security, and that the robbery was the best way to handle things.
"Of course, what they intended was to have their naval units hit us in midpayback, and then, in the course of the blood and slaughter, they would report that one ship managed to escape, which is where the missing loot was off to."
"That's not that bad a plan," said Goodnight.
"No," King said. "If you assume the people you're going to pull it on aren't very bright."
"Still," Goodnight said. "It's pretty damned unique."
"Aren't they all," Riss said, yawning and thinking about a tall, cool drink on her island. "Aren't they all. But once again, truth, justice, and the suspicious way of life triumph."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOUR � ^ � M'chel Riss was fully engaged, without her usual ally, Jasmine King, for tech
King made her way to a large department store in the suburbs and got rid of her false identity, then headed for the spaceport.
She had her own extraction plan.
***
The heavy cruisers dove at the still-grounded liners, springing their doublecross� And then Vian's patrol ships bounced them.
"A Bahtrinian sandwich," Goodnight said.
Vian touched his mike: "All ships� lock on your targets� Make sure no collateral damage� Fire at will!"
Missiles shot from the patrol ships' launch tubes down at the Roh Bahtrinian warships, who hadn't seen anything above them, intent on stopping the "robbers."
One cruiser took two hits, tucked, and pinwheeled into the ground; the second was struck three times. It broke off, careening through the air.
One Bahtrinian destroyer tried to keep up the attack, was hit once in the drive tubes, and made a hard but survivable landing.
The two liners were clear of the ground, their escorting destroyers above them.
At full drive, they made for space.
"Two jumps," Friedrich ordered, and the navigators of the liners fed prearranged settings into their drive computers.
The starships vanished into N-space, quickly followed by their destroyers.
"Very good, Admiral," Goodnight said. "Now take us home."
The RP�rendezvous point, predetermined�was repressed glee. The for-hires were paid off, in gold from the liners, plus a hefty bonus, and went on their way, swearing that if ever Star Risk needed anything�anything, including their first born�they had but to ask.
Even the frosty Vian allowed that he'd had a most satisfactory experience, for the least time spent and without any casualties, and hoped they'd keep him in mind for the future.
The only one missing was Jasmine King, and she made her own way back to Trimalchio IV before the others arrived.
"Hokay," Goodnight said. "Now that the smoke's cleared, and little ears have gone about their business, what the hell happened? Obviously, this was a crook run from the beginning. But why?"
"Messr. Grok?" Riss indicated.
"I had looked up a few estimates of what was supposed to be in the Roh Bahtrinian Repository," the alien said. "I decided to keep a running count on the amount of gold and such� if no other reason, if the Bahtrinians accused us, after the fact, of having sticky fingers. I counted only about half, perhaps two-thirds, of the estimates, and decided something had gone wrong."
"It had," Riss said.
"I still don't get it," Goodnight said. "Why the robbery�phony robbery?"
"Messr. von Baldur?" Riss said.
"Chas, sometimes I suspect you of simplemindedness," Friedrich said, a touch smugly. "Obviously, they borrowed the treasury some time ago, as they told us. What they didn't bother to add is that while that treasury was being hidden wherever it was being hidden, someone, or more likely several someones, made unauthorized withdrawals from that money, probably without telling their fellow politicians.
"When it was time to pay up, full accounting, those someones could not, or did not want to, make restitution. So they came up with the story that the repository now had additional security, and that the robbery was the best way to handle things.
"Of course, what they intended was to have their naval units hit us in midpayback, and then, in the course of the blood and slaughter, they would report that one ship managed to escape, which is where the missing loot was off to."
"That's not that bad a plan," said Goodnight.
"No," King said. "If you assume the people you're going to pull it on aren't very bright."
"Still," Goodnight said. "It's pretty damned unique."
"Aren't they all," Riss said, yawning and thinking about a tall, cool drink on her island. "Aren't they all. But once again, truth, justice, and the suspicious way of life triumph."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOUR � ^ � M'chel Riss was fully engaged, without her usual ally, Jasmine King, for tech
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