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pommels. Three different metals.
Kahn laid her foil alongside Danner s. Danner started the automatic derobement.
All different kinds of metal: different trade values. And there were other metals
available, like the chain-link of the fence.
Kahn beat aside her blade, thrust hard.  You re not paying attention. She feinted
and thrust again, forcing Danner to parry and retreat. Then she came in with a
corkscrewing motion. Double bind. Danner disengaged, managed to parry Kahn s
thrust to the low line, riposted. She was panting.
 Better. Kahn drove her back.
The fence. It was important, but she could not concentrate with Kahn s blade
flashing. The fence. Metal. If they took it down, melted it&
Kahn s button punched into Danner s solar plexus. Kahn tapped her foot.  You
need to 
Danner held up her left hand, trying to get her breath.  Wait. Kahn stepped back,
head tilted to one side.
Danner transferred the foil to her left hand and used her right to pull off her mask.
 The fence, she said.  That s how we ll do it. It s perfect. And it s metal.
 So when we take down the perimeter fence, Danner explained to Sara Hiam,
who peered out from the tiny screen in Danner s mod,  our spy, whoever she is,
should find that worrying enough to call the Kurst. We ll be listening Sigrid up
there, Letitia down here we ll catch her. Or them. And& well, it would just make
me feel better if we took down that perimeter. There s no history of violence from
these natives; it simply serves to make us feel like we re trapped inside, while they
have the run of the entire planet. Makes good sense from a psychological point of
view.
 You don t need to sell it so hard.
Danner leaned forward.  But you know what the real beauty of it is? The fence is
metal. Tons and tons of metal we can use as trade goods. If we get stranded here. I
thought about it while I was fencing with Kahn. All the metal in those foils. We could
melt it down 
 I m surprised you didn t think of sharpening up the foils and using them as
weapons.
Danner did not know how seriously Hiam meant that.  The metal would be more
useful as trade goods, I think, she said carefully.  And we have plenty of other
material available for weaponry. Projectiles are our best bet in a world like this:
bows, slings, spears. All of which can be made without metals. And we have
ceramics people who can figure out how to work this olla, for blades, if we need
them. What metal we do use will go on things like plows, adzes, scissors, needles,
chisels& tools. Sara was looking at her with a curious expression, almost fondly,
and suddenly Danner felt embarrassed. All her ideas suddenly sounded like the
fantasies of a young girl who had once dreamed of riding a horse over the plains,
yelling, waving her bow and arrows, and challenging the wind.
 You ve done a lot of thinking.
 Yes.
 Good. So have I. Danner, you need to find a way to get the three of us off this
platform without the Kurst finding out. Just in case. I have one or two ideas, but
there are problems.
It was night, and Vincio was off duty, when the call from Sara aboard Estrade
came through to Danner s office.
 Hannah, we have the signal. The doctor looked over her shoulder, said
something. Danner s screen split: Hiam on one side, Sigrid on the other. Sigrid was a
pale woman, with washed-out eyes.
 It s the same frequency, Commander.
 Hold on. Danner used her wristcom.  Dogias. It s coming through. Same
frequency. Keep this channel open. She spoke to Sigrid.  Any direction yet?
 No. But a preliminary scan shows it at the north end, maybe northwest end of
Port.
Danner spoke into her wristcom.  Dogias, Sigrid says north, northwest.
 I hear and obey.
Danner sighed.
 Problems? Sara asked from the screen.
 No. Just Dogias being herself. She shook her head.  Hold a moment. She
punched up Lu Wai s call.  Sergeant, we have the signal.
 Yes, ma am. I heard. I m here with Letitia. I m on it.
 Initial direction is north, or northwest. Take Kahn.
 Yes, ma am.
 And keep this channel open.
 Yes, ma 
Dogias interrupted.  I think the signal originates about three hundred meters in
from the perimeter.
Danner pulled up a map of Port Central.  There are a lot of buildings there.
 Not all on the net.
Danner looked at the screen.  Sigrid, can you tell us whether it s a net signal or
personal relay?
Sigrid smiled faintly as she worked.  Not net, she said eventually.
 Damn, Dogias said.  Could be anywhere, then.
Danner knew better than to tell her to keep looking. Dogias knew her job.
 Lu Wai here. Suggest Officer Kahn and I run standard enter-and-search pattern.
 Negative. Repeat, negative. Leave it to Letitia and Sigrid to pinpoint. Where are
you now?
 About five hundred meters from the perimeter. Between guard posts six and
seven.
 Any activity?
 Plenty. We re right by Rec.
 Status?
 Conspicuous. Both in full armor.
That was not good. She wanted this action to be inconspicuous. Two armored
Mirrors were unusual enough to excite comment from the women going to and from
the bars and screen theaters of Rec.  Keep Kahn armored up but out of sight. You
strip to usual guard attire. I want this kept quie 
Sigrid interrupted.  I have a bearing. Using you as zero, signal emanating from
north 336, west 42. Give or take five meters.
Danner split her screen again, added the coordinates to her schematic of the
complex. Three small buildings directly behind Rec.  Dogias, we have a possible in
the Rec area storage and office row. Can you confirm?
 A moment. Dogias hummed to herself.  Well, well, well, she said, sounding
pleased.  I can tell you exactly where she is. Tell Lu Wai she ll find the spy hiding [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]