The Siege of New Terra (Star Sojourner Book 7) Read Free

Deneb while Chance and I take on the three by the river.”
    “Y'all want me to
kill
him?” Bat's eyes widened in darkness.
    “If you can catch him off guard,” I said, “order him into the ship and go in with him so the infras won't pick up either of you. But don't put yourself in danger to save him, Bat. Believe me, he wouldn't do it for you.”
    Bat lowered his head and nodded. “OK.”
    I patted his shoulder.
    “Chance,” I said, “we've got to waste those three and throw two bodies into the river.”
    “Yeah. Then we take their place for the infras. I got no quarrel with that.”
    I finally stopped shaking in the hot, humid air.
    “What scares me…” Chancey said.
    “Is that these scuds murder their hostages when the ransom creds don't show up,” I finished his thought. The decapitated heads of hostages had been sent back to their families when the ransom wasn't paid. “These people are animals,” I said. “Suppose…” I wiped my face and some bugs on a sleeve and stared at the hovair. “Suppose…”
    “C'mon,” Chancey said, “what're you thinking?”
    “They might kill Joe before this night is over, Chance, unless…”
    “Suppose. Unless … Chancey repeated.”Spit it out, tag."
    “Change of plans,” I said. “Suppose we create a diversion?”
    Chancey glanced at Bat. “We're listening, man.”
    “Suppose we…” I started.
    “There he is!” I heard the human call. Huff had emerged downriver from the three pirates and ducked back under as they fired at him.
    “Chancey, Bat,” I said. “I've got an idea.”
    “We're friggin' listening, man!” Chancey said. “Will ya friggin' tell us?”
    “Suppose, after we get rid of these scuds,” I said, “you trot back to Sojourner, Chancey, while Bat and I wait inside the hovair, if all goes well.”
    “And?” Chancey said.
    “At my signal on the comlinks, you take off and buzz the camp.”
    “Can do.”
    “All hell's going to break loose, Chance,” I said. “That's when Bat, Huff, and I land the hovair near the big tent, grab Joe and go.”
    Chancey grinned his lopsided grin. “Sounds like a plan, Superstar.”
    “A dangerous one for you,” I said.
    “For all of us,” Chancey added
    “Remember, Chance, Joe's being held in the big tent.” I glanced at the grounded craft. “We could probably make it to the hovair under cover of trees, but that would mean abandoning Huff.”
    “We don't leave nobody behind,” Chancey said. “Not even the fur ball.”
    I patted his shoulder. “If things go wrong and we can't meet back at the gorge, we'll meet upriver, at the tributary. Agreed?”
    They nodded.
    “Bat? You up for this?”
    Bat squeezed out his soaked cap, crammed it back on his head and smiled. “I signed on, didn't I?”
    “I hope you don't live to regret it,” I told him.
    “I hope none of us does.” He crossed himself, fished inside his wet shirt, pulled out a crucifix and kissed it. “I truly hope none of us does, bubba.”

Chapter Two
    I guess the three pirates near the river felt pretty safe from us. They were covered by the circling hovairs. The land between them, and Bat and me, was stark and open, lit only by moonlight, with a few stands of spindly-trunked entwined Bonsai trees. Our stinglers are short-range beam weapons. The pirates must've figured we'd be fried by the ships' big guns before we got close to them. They were probably right. But what they didn't figure on was our bag of tricks.
    Chancey trotted away, staying under the cover of a grove of entangled trees as he headed for the hovair. The Deneb had gone inside. Bat and I moved along the muddy slope behind the river until we came to a stand of trees that spread down to the water's edge.
    By the ruddy light of the moon, we found what we wanted, a good-sized boulder. It was hard to pry it out of mud that sucked it back in. Finally, with our backs against it, our feet sliding, we got it rolling down to the river.
    “Yes!” I said as it bounced