Free Final Assault by Stephen Ames Berry

said Line. "Not unless you convince me that Implacable constitutes a direct threat to the security of the planet."
    "She's an armed heavy cruiser in the wrong hands," said L'Guan.
    "Similar arguments have been made by FleetOps as recently as today and as long ago as the First Dynasty. They are not evocative."
    "May I speak with N'Trol?" said D'Trelna.
    "Certainly," said Line. The diorama on the wall vanished, replaced by K'Lal's startled face.
    "This is Defense Sphere Command," said Line. "Put Commander N'Trol on."
    "Speak freely," said A'Tir, drawing her side-arm as N'Trol walked to the engineering station's commscreen. Ignoring her, he stepped into the pickup. "Commander N'Trol," he said, sinking into the padded flight chair. A familiar face appeared in the pickup.
    "Quite a mess, N'Trol," said D'Trelna. "What are you and the crew doing with the throat-slitters?"
    "A mutually uneasy alliance," said N'Trol. He was aware of someone behind him. An Ml 1A barrel tapped softly against the back of the chairarm.
    "And if you do get away, where are you going?" asked the commodore.
    N'Trol shrugged. "I don't know what the jump coordinates are—a passionate secret of
    A'Tir's. This whole thing's her empty-headed gesture."
    The corsair commander stepped into the pickup, standing to the left of the engineer. "Line has made no attempt to stop us, D'Trelna—we're almost in clear space."
    Stricken, D'Trelna turned to L'Guan. "Do something, please. My men will be dead the instant those butchers are through with them."
    "Don't you think I know that, D'Trelna?" The admiral looked weary and far older than he was. "There's nothing I can do—nothing anyone but Line can do."
    "Commander A'Tir." It was Line.
    A'Tir's eyes narrowed. "Yes?"
    "If we meet again, it will be to your disadvantage," said Line.
    "I'm not coming back here alive," said A'Tir, reaching past N'Trol to flick off the commlink. The last thing the two men in the command center saw was N'Trol's wink.
    There was a glum silence in the room, broken a few minutes later by Line's announcement: "Implacable has jumped."
    D'Trelna sat up. "Of course," he muttered.
    "Of course what?" asked the admiral.
    "N'Trol told us. 'Haven't seen the jump coordinates'—meaning he had. 'Passionate.' 'Empty-headed.'" D'Trelna looked at L'Guan, face set and certain. "A'Tir's gone to rescue K'Tran."
    "From a fleet of mindslavers? And rescue what?" said L'Guan. "The R'Actolians cut K'Tran up—his brain's doing their tactics for them, his body's on ice somewhere in one of those monstrosities—your own report said so.
    "True," said D'Trelna. "But the same process that took K'Tran apart can put him together again."
    "Still . . ."
    The commodore held up a hand. "The power of love, Admiral."
    "Love? Those two?" said L'Guan. "K'Tran and A'Tir?"
    D'Trelna nodded. "Her, certainly. Him, I don't know."
    L'Guan shook his head. "Even the most feral of creatures mate, I suppose." He rose.
    "Stand you to a drink, D'Trelna?" he said. "There's a pleasant little bar the other side of that waterfall."
    "FleetOps and Councilor D'Assan each desire urgently to confer with you, Admiral," said Line as the two officers left the room.
    L'Guan laughed. "One or both of them tried to kill us last night and now they want to confer.
    "Tell them the commodore and I are plotting their mutual destruction over brandy. I'll call them when we're through."
    8
    "Fine;' said captain P 'Qal. "Let's say I believe you. You forged an alliance with the mindslavers, stopped the AI vanguard cold out in the Ghost Quadrant and you took this lovely pleasure dome." His hand swept the room. "Let's say I even believe that Combine T'Lan is an AI nest and you two"—his eyes shifted between R'Gal and S'Rel—"represent the heroic immortals who stood against your own kind for honor, truth and justice."
    "Ease off, P 'Qal," said S'Rel.
    "Believing this," continued the captain, "and, for various reasons, I do, why should I give you the portal device? My sense