Free Rebel by Mike Resnick Page B

anyone escaping on a shuttlecraft. It won't be protected by their shields, because the transmitter's wired into the bay, and they can't send out a distress signal through the shields."
    "We can't match firepower with it," said Perez. "Even after we blind and partially disable it, its weapons will still work. Without sensors, they won't be able to target us at more than about fifty thousand miles, but if we just stay back and take target practice, their defenses will still protect them, sir."
    "I know."
    "Then I don't understand," said Perez.
    "In the hold of the Teddy R are two dozen heat-seeking mines that are programmed to ignore this ship. If we can damage the Endless Night to the point where it has to get within fifty thousand miles of us for its weaponry to be effective, we'll post ourselves sixty thousand miles away and begin retreating while unloading the mines. As it pursues us, with its sensors gone, there's every likelihood that it'll collide with one of them."
    "And if it doesn't?" asked Perez.
    "Then we'll keep our distance and try to think of something else."
    "You say you want to destroy it . . ." began Jacovic.
    "That's right."
    "What if they fly the equivalent of a white flag?"
    Cole's face hardened. "We'll show them the same consideration they showed Four Eyes."
    "Sir," said Jacovic, "I think you should consider demoting or replacing me before this action commences."
    "Oh? Why?"
    "I will not attack a ship or a crew that has surrendered."
    "I'm not about to replace you," said Cole. "You're a fine commander and an ethical officer. That's why you were in command of the fifth Teroni Fleet."
    "And why I left it," Jacovic reminded him.
    "This is personal," said Cole. "I won't ask you to do anything you can't do. Stick by your principles. If it becomes necessary, I'll handle the unethical behavior."
    "Sir?" said Briggs.
    "What is it?"
    "We're about twenty seconds from returning to normal space."
    "Thanks." Cole turned to the two images. "There will be no ship-to-ship communications until I break radio silence. If we can hear each other, you can bet the Endless Night can too. Let's get to work."
    He nodded to Christine, who ended the transmission, then called down to Gunnery. "Val, are you awake down there?"
    "We're ready. Just get close enough to the damned ship for us to get it in our sights."
    "Start by killing the sensors, and if Perez or Jacovic haven't beat you to it, take out the shuttle bay."
    "Right."
    "Bull?"
    "Yes, sir."
    "Activate the mines and get ready to jettison them, one every three seconds, on my command."
    "Yes, sir," said Pampas.
    "Got 'em!" announced Briggs.
    "Can you get a visual on them?" asked Cole.
    The young lieutenant shook his head. "They're too far away, but they can't hide their neutrino activity."
    "Where are they?"
    "On the far side of Braccio V, sir."
    Cole frowned. "That's a gas giant. There's nothing there."
    "There's something there—the Endless Night," said Briggs.
    "All right," said Cole at last. "They assumed that we were going to come to the Braccio system, and since the only inhabited planet is Braccio II, they figure that's where we'll go. The Teddy R can't land, but we'd go into orbit and send down a shuttle, and we'd all be sitting ducks." He paused. "Where's Jacovic?"
    "I'm sure he's spotted the Endless Night, sir," said Briggs. "It's on the far side of the sun, heading toward Braccio VII, another gas giant."
    "And Perez?"
    "I've temporarily lost him, sir." Then: "Wait! There he is! He's at Braccio II."
    "Shit! The Endless Night will blow him right out of the sky!"
    "I don't think so, sir," said Briggs. "He's not in orbit, sir. He must have spotted the Endless Night too, because he let it get a good look at him, and now he's keeping the planet between them. I think he's trying to entice it there so you and Jacovic can attack it while it's concentrating on Perez and the Red Sphinx."
    "Let's see if you're right. Pilot?"
    "Yes?" said Wxakgini.
    "If the Endless Night gets