Free Firemask: Book Two of the Last Legion Series by Chris Bunch

transmitter.
    “That’s it,” Garvin said. “Crank ‘em up, and get ready to move.”
    The drives on the two Cookes whined to life.
    • • •
    The speedster drove hard past Lanbay Island, into Dharma Bay. Loy Kouro was at the controls, Jasith Mellusin beside him. They were barely fifty meters above the water, at full speed.
    Kouro was furious. “The biggest damned thing since the war, and I’m off playing with you!”
    “Loy,” Jasith pointed out, “taking an extra two weeks for our honeymoon was your idea.”
    “Whatever,” Kouro said. “What the hell do you think these people want, anyway?”
    “I’m pretty sure it won’t be good,” Jasith said.
    “In ten minutes,” Kouro said. “We should be able to see Chance Island.”
    • • •
    “This is Scimitar Alpha,” Ben Dill said. “Inbound from Balar. ETA Mahan three zero. Scimitars Beta and Gamma monitoring transmission. Over.”
    The three
aksai
, at three-quarters drive, saw D-Cumbre growing large ahead.
    “This is Control,”
Mil
Angara said into a mike, and the scrambled signal spat from a bunker below Camp Mahan into space. “No change to orders. You’re cleared to respond to any hostile action. If none is made, remain out-atmosphere for further instructions.”
    “Clear.” Dill switched frequencies. “You heard the man. Let’s go kill some Larries or Kurans or whatever they’re calling themselves these days. Out.”
    He touched sensors, and missiles armed themselves.
    • • •
    Across D-Cumbre, the scattered soldiers of the Force went to full combat readiness.
    • • •
    In the chatter, no one noted a remote sensor, off the small planetoid of L-Cumbre, as it began reporting:
    SIX OBJECTS ENTERING SYSTEM … ANALYSIS SUGGESTS NOT NATURAL … NONE CONFORM TO KNOWN STARSHIP CONFIGURATION … ORBIT PROJECTED TO INTERSECT D-CUMBRE WITHIN THREE HOURS … SIX OBJECTS ENTERING SYSTEM … ANALYSIS SUGGESTS …
    • • •
    Redruth had opened a folder, was going through exactly what tribute Cumbre would be expected to pay when a man in green entered, went to Celidon.
    He whispered hastily. Celidon’s cool gaze flashed into an angry frown.
    “Excuse me, Protector,” he said. “But the bridge reports increased signals around the planet, and unknown signals from the moon.”
    “What is it?
Caud
Rao, what’s going on?” Redruth demanded.
    Rao shook his head.
    “I don’t know,” he lied. “I’ve been in this room for two hours now. Possibly my executive officer has decided to increase the ready status of my Force.”
    “Celidon!” Redruth snapped.
    “No problem,” the big man said. “If they’re getting cute, we can do the same.”
    He went out the door, toward the bridge.
    Redruth got to his feet, backed toward the door.
    “I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “But if any of you have any ideas — ”
    Caud
Rao had a small ceramic tube, the weapon no metal detector could pick up, leveled.
    “You can stand quite still,” he said calmly. “This has only one round, an old-fashioned pottery ball that’ll shatter quite messily when it hits something, so perhaps you don’t want to breathe heavily.”
    Redruth’s face reddened, but he froze.
    “Now, we’re going back out the corridor to the airlock,” Rao said. “You Council people, move first, and quick. We’re leaving the ship.”
    He palmed the door open, motioned the stunned Council out.
    A crewman came toward them, saw the tiny weapon, and grabbed for his sidearm. Jo Poynton was on him, a palm striking hard into his face, an elbow smashing his throat, and she had his pistol out of its holster before he fell, gurgling, twisting in pain.
    She hefted it, grinned. “Just like the old days. I’ll meet you at the airlock,” and she trotted away.
    “Now you,” Rao said, motioning Redruth out of the conference room. “Think of me as protecting the Protector.”
    “My men’ll never allow this!”
    “Possibly,” Rao said cheerfully. “But you’ll reap