Free Rebel by Mike Resnick Page A

took a good hard look at his face and saw something beneath the pain and the sorrow that made her think that the one person in the galaxy she would not want to trade places with was the captain of the Republic ship.

 
    Cole emerged from his cabin one hour later. He stopped by the mess hall, got a cup of coffee, and took the airlift up to the bridge. The makeup of the crew hadn't changed, except for the addition of Domak at the computer controlling the ship's defenses, and he walked over to Briggs.
    "Are we getting close?" he asked.
    "We'll be out of the wormhole in another six minutes," answered Briggs.
    "And is our target still in the area?"
    "I'm not sure, sir. The instruments say so, but they're inaccurate from inside a wormhole."
    "Sir?" said Christine.
    He turned to face her. "Yes?"
    "While you were in your cabin I told Commander Jacovic and Mr. Perez to join us. If you don't want them, I can order them to return to Singapore Station."
    "Who told you to invite them in the first place?" asked Cole.
    "You weren't available, and Commander Forrice is dead. I'm next in command, we're up against a class-M ship, and I thought—"
    "You were right," he interrupted her. "And yes, we can use all the help we can get." He paused. "Has anyone identified the ship yet ?"
    "Yes, sir," said Christine. "Its registry number was embedded in its subspace messages. We are after the Endless Night."
    "Its captain?"
    "Manfred Baltimore."
    "Mr. Briggs, do we know what its defenses are?"
    "I assume they're standard for a class-M warship, sir," replied Briggs.
    "So its weakest point is its shuttle bay?"
    "I would assume so, sir," said Briggs. "But of course they won't have anyone posted there, and these modern class-Ms can seal off any damaged area in a matter of two or three seconds."
    "I know."
    "Then it seems to be counterproductive to attack the shuttle bay, sir," continued Briggs.
    "We're just considering possibilities," said Cole. "Christine, didn't you or Briggs say it was covering a goodly portion of the Frontier with its broadcast?"
    "Yes, sir."
    "Isn't that transmitter also located in the shuttle bay?"
    "Let me check on that, sir," said Briggs. He had in his computer case a three-dimensional schemata of a class-M ship. "Yes, sir, it seems to be wired throughout the shuttle bay."
    "Good," said Cole. "Now see if you can identify a class-M's sensors."
    Briggs uttered a brief command to his computer, and three small protrusions on the ship's exterior began blinking.
    "I see three sets of sensors. Are there any more?"
    "No, sir," replied Briggs. "Or perhaps I should say, there aren't supposed to be any. That doesn't mean that Captain Baltimore hadn't jury-rigged some."
    "Three minutes," announced Wxakgini.
    "Pilot, once we're back in normal space, how long until we reach the Braccio system?" asked Cole.
    "Six minutes at full speed," replied Wxakgini.
    "Christine," said Cole, "as soon as we're out of the wormhole, get me Perez and Jacovic on a scrambled channel."
    "They're in the wormhole right behind us, sir," she said.
    "Then we should have no trouble communicating, as long as we're all inside it, right?"
    "That's correct, sir."
    "Fine. Contact them right now."
    A few seconds later images of Jacovic and Perez appeared a few feet away from Cole. They weren't as clear as usual, but both captains saluted and waited for Cole to speak.
    "Unless it's decided to clear out in the past hour, there will be a class-M Republic ship in the area of the Braccio system," said Cole. "I'm sure you're aware that it has already killed Four Eyes and Jacillios. It is the Endless Night, commanded by Captain Manfred Baltimore. That ship is our target."
    "What approach do you suggest, sir?" asked Perez.
    "We triangulate on it, and try to blind it," said Cole. "Take out its sensors, and blow away the shuttle bay."
    "There won't be anyone down there," noted the Teroni.
    "We're here to kill the ship and crew that killed Four Eyes," said Cole harshly. "I don't want