Confrontation

17

Confrontation

    “He’s done WHAT?” shouted Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd terribly.

    The Ruler of Old Rthfrdia stood on one leg, twisting the other foot round his ankle. “Um—he’s called a squadron of the Household Cavalry to meet him at The Mk-L’ster’s hunting lodge.”

    “I knew there was something dashed smoky about that overstrained-brain story!” the old Lord shouted. “It’s one of Mk-L’ster’s cursed plots!”

    Allie switched legs. “Um—yes, sir.”

    “And don't call him ‘The Mk-L’ster’ like a cursed peasant, you’re the Ruler, curse it, boy!”

    “Yes, sir,” he said glumly.

    “And stand up STRAIGHT!"

    “Yes, sir.” Allie stood up straight and looked at him miserably.

    The old man frowned ferociously. “Call out the Palace Guard!”

    “Um, but sir—”

    “I can’t do it, boy!” he shouted.

    “Um—yes, sir. Um—how?” he asked miserably.

    Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd took an amazed breath. Allie watched in some horror as his cheeks, usually pretty much of a maroon shade anyway, turned bright puce. “GUARD!” the old man shouted at the top of his lungs.

    The guardsman on duty outside the room hurried in. “Yessir?” he gasped, saluting.

    Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd glared at All’yhaiyn.

    Clearing his throat, the boy said: “Yes. Um—thank you, Guardsman P’draiiy’h.”—Guardsman P’draiiy’h looked highly gratified at the Ruler’s remembering his name but also puzzled and expectant.—“Um, cuh-could the Palace Guard be called out, please?” said Allie in a wavering voice.

    “Call out the Guard, sir?” he gasped.

    “YES!” shouted Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd. “You heard! And how dare you answer your Ruler back!"

    Allie swallowed. “Yes, call out the Guard, please. And—and could Leader Rh’n’lhd come and see me, please?”

    “Immediately,” said Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd grimly.

    “Yes,” agreed the Ruler.

    “Yessir! Right away, sir!” gasped Guardsman P’draiiy’h, saluting again. He strode over to the door, yelling: “TURN OUT THE GUARD! TURN OUT THE GUARD!”

    “That,” said the old Lord grimly as the Guardsman closed the door behind him: “is how it should be done.”

    “I see,” he said miserably. “Um—sir, you don’t really think—Um, well, what I mean is, Uncle Rh’aiiy’hn’ll be furious if finds I’ve called out the Guard for noth—”

    “Your Uncle Rh’aiiy’hn as we speak is either in the clutches of cursed Drouwh Mk-L’ster and that crowd of parvenu scoundrels from the Parliament he’s in league with, or dead!”

    “Um, he can’t be dead, sir: the Cavalry Leader said he sent his ring-blob; and he told me that if anything ever happened to him the blob would—um—die, too,” he faltered, his voice fading out.

    “Feddo rubbish,” said the old man shortly.

    “Ye— But—”

    “Be silent,” he said, frowning. “Yes,” he said to himself, “I’ll go myself. Can't take chances. If it is one of Mk-L'ster's plots, we'll be ready for him.”

    “But sir, Lord Mk-L’ster can read your—”

    “Be SILENT!"

    Allie was miserably silent.

    “Guard!” the old man shouted,

    A different guardsman belted in, panting.

    "Order the First Squadron of the Guard to stand by to take off, and bring me my blaster immediately.”

    The guardsman glanced at the Ruler in horror,

    “Sir, he can’t do that, if the Guard’s turned out,” said Allie. "No-one's allowed to bear arms in my presence except the Guard. And, um, sir, if we don't send the order to countermand it, the siren—”

    “What? Well, by the bears, have the thing put in the Leader’s lifter!" he said angrily.

    “Yes, sir.” The guardsman jumped as a series of harsh clanging, grating sounds reverberated through the Palace,

    “That must be the shutters,” said Allie, swallowing. “We didn't countermand the standing order to have them lowered, so—”

    “Good,” replied the old Lord grimly. “That’s all: get on with it. –What in the name of the old gods—” he added as six heavily-armed guardsmen, blasters at the ready, dashed in.

    “It’s because the door’s open, sir,” Allie said glumly. “I mean, you’ve—I mean I’ve,” he amended, swallowing, “called out the Palace Guard, so any time I’m in a room with the door open, six guardsmen have to—”

    “Yes, yes, very well!" he said testily.

    “Um. sir, the siren’ll go off if we don't countermand the standing—”

    “Never mind that. –Have my body-armour taken to the lead lifter of Squadron 1, and have the Ruler’s grandfather's body-armour brought to this room immediately. And you: give that blaster to the Ruler,” he added grimly to one of the armed men.

    The man looked numbly at Allie, but no-one spoke, as at that moment a deafening siren went off.

    After some time Allie was able to note glumly: “That was the siren.”

    “Shut that door, man!” said the old Lord irritably as the sounds of women in hysterics could be heard floating along the corridors. “You six, stay with the Ruler.”

    “They have to, sir, now the siren’s gone off. –Sir, did we have to have the siren?” Allie added miserably, as one of the men handed him a blaster.

    “Yes. –And the BELT!” he shouted.

    Hurriedly the man gave the Ruler his blaster belt.

    Five minutes later Leader Rh’n’lhd had dashed in panting, and been roundly rebuked by Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd for not having got there sooner. The emergency lighting system, which hadn’t been used since the last time the shutters were tested, was flickering, Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd and Leader Rh’n’lhd were arguing loudly as to whether the Ruler should be allowed to accompany them to The Mk-L’ster’s hunting lodge, and Allie was climbing slowly into the body-armour that had belonged to his grandfather, silently deciding that it wouldn’t be tactful to point out to Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd that it was designed to be worn when riding a horse.

    Leader Rh’n’lhd, who of course was a member of Clan Rh’n’lhd and thus one of Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd’s own clansmen, had been driven so far as to point out to the old Lord that, in the first place, whoever might have sent for them the Household Cavalry would remain faithful unto death to the Ruler and the Ruler's family, and in the second place it was inconceivable that The Mk-L’ster would want to send for the Cavalry, and the old Lord was shouting at him about impertinence, and kna droppings in league with cursed Feddos being capable of any devious move, when the door was opened by a red-faced guardsman and Mh’aii’rhi Roz rushed in, tears streaming down her face.

    “GET THAT WOMAN OUT OF HERE!” bellowed Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd, turning puce.

    Mh’aii’rhi Roz rushed over to her son, hands outstretched. “Darling, darling boy: are you all ri—Ow!” she screeched, rebounding off his body-armour.

    “It’s this suit of Grandfather’s. It’s got blobs in it,” he said glumly. “I’m all right, Mother."

    “Of course he’s all right, are you BLIND, woman?" shouted the old Lord. “And GET OUT!”

    “Um—yes,” said Allie nervously, standing on one leg and almost overbalancing as the body-suit tried to counter this move. “The Standing Orders say that all female members of the Family must retreat to the Inner Sanctum of the Women’s Quarters when the Guard’s been called out, Mother."

    “Leave my buh-baby at a time like this?" she cried, beginning to sob loudly. “Nuh-never!”

    “Get her out,” said the old man grimly to Leader Rh’n’lhd.

    He nodded, and strode over to the door. “In here, Captain.”

    A large but very young-looking captain, with a wide, florid face under his guardsman's helmet, came in.

    “Escort the Ruler’s Mother to the Inner Sanctum in the Women’s Quarters and see she stays there,” said the Leader.

    “Yes, sir!” he said, saluting smartly, but at the same time turning a vivid scarlet.

    “It’s darling D’nnie!” gasped Mh'aii'rhi Roz. “You wouldn’t separate me from my baby boy, would you?”

    “Orders, Your Royal Highness," he said in a strangled voice as the scarlet deepened.

    “Perhaps Your Royal Highness would care to have this officer appointed as your personal guard for the duration of the Emergency?” said Leader Rh’n’lhd colourlessly.

    “Oh! Yes! Darling D’nnie would make a perfectly splendid personal guard!" she cooed, batting her eyelashes at the scarlet-faced young man. “–But Leader, I can't possibly desert my baby!”

    “Standing Orders, madam,” replied Leader Rh’n’lhd stolidly. “I’m afraid your refusal to comply would result in Captain D’nl’d Mk’D’nl’d U’Haiyh’s having to remove you to your quarters bodily.”

    Mh’aii’rhi Roz gave a wavery giggle and produced a handkerchief from the recesses of her draped garment. She wiped her eyes carefully. “Oh, that would never do!” she said with another giggle. “But may I just hug my darling, darling boy, first, Leader?” she added, batting the eyelashes at him.

    “Certainly, madam."

    “Mother, you can’t: it’s this suit of Grandfather’s!” said Allie on a cross note.

    “Well—well, for goodness’ sake, Allie, tell it to let me!”

    “I can’t, it’s customized for him.”

    “This is ridiculous! Couldn’t you find him a proper suit? He is the Ruler, you know!” she said loudly to Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd.

    “I could take it off,” noted Allie helpfully.

    “CERTAINLY NOT!” he roared.

    Mh’aii’rhi Roz blenched but ventured gamely: “What a masterful man you are, dear Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd: I had no idea, really!”

    “Mother—” began Allie desperately.

    “Oh, very well,” she said, pouting. “But give me a kiss, at least, Allie!”

    “I can’t. I can’t get within a long-sword's length of any being.”

    “I’m not a being!” she wailed, abruptly bursting into tears and casting herself, to the intense relief of every other male in the room, onto the broad chest of Captain D’nl’d Mk’D’nl’d U’Haiyh. “I’m your muh-muh-mother, you horrid buh-boy!”

    The Captain patted her back limply.

    “Get her out of here,” said Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd grimly.

    The Captain looked at him limply over Mh’aii’rhi Roz’s sobbing strawberry-blonde head.

    “That’s an ORDER!” shouted Leader Rh’n’lhd.

    “Yessir!” The stalwart Captain swung the sobbing, gasping Mh’aii’rhi Roz over his shoulder and strode out with her. One of the guardsmen hurriedly closed the door in their wake.

    There was a short silence in the room.

    “He must be strong,” said Allie on an envious note.

    “It's largely a knack, sir,” replied the Leader on a weak note.

    “Never mind that,” said the old Lord grumpily. “Are we ready?”

    The Leader made one last desperate attempt to persuade the old man that the Ruler should not accompany them into danger, but was overborne. Apparently the Ruler needed to learn to be a man. Leader Rh’n’lhd didn't point out that there was little point in learning to be a dead man. There was the small fact that all the Palace outer doors now had blob-locks on them which would not permit of the Ruler's leaving in order to expose himself to danger, but the old man merely ordered Allie to open the Secret Passage.

    “Sir, I’m not supposed to unless the Palace is under siege or—”

    “DO IT!”

    “–or it’s an interplanetary invasion. Well, all right. But Uncle Rh’aiiy’hn will be furious when he finds out.”

    “DO IT!”

    Glumly Allie led the way to the Ruler’s Inner Sanctum, opened the Secret Passage, and led them into it. “This way leads to the river, I think, and this way goes straight to the spaceport, and um, I think that’s the one that comes out in the park, Uncle Rh’aiiy’hn made them block it off, lop-ears kept getting in from the park and—”

    “YES!” shouted Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd furiously. "Which way to the stables?"

    “Um...”

    After two false starts they emerged in the stables. Several startled grooms got hurriedly to their feet.

    “Where are the horses?” said Allie.

    “Sir! The Guards took them into their Emergency Shelter! Sir!” gasped a groom,

    “Good. Well, I don’t think there’s much to worry about, Allry’ck,” he said mildly, “but you’d better all get down there, too.”

    “Yessir! We thought it was only a practice, sir! Thank you, sir!” he gasped.

    “Come ON!” shouted the old Lord angrily.

    Obediently they came on.

    “This is ridiculous!” said Drouwh violently as a shot whistled low over the lodge and a fl’oouu tree went up in a burst of smoke and golden sparks.

    “Yes,” agreed his brother mildly.

    Drouwh gave him a glare, but he was not displeased to find the Regent of Old Rthfrdia entirely cool under fire. After a moment he said: “Look, Rh’aiiy’hn, if we combined our mind-signals, do you think—?”

    The Regent replied regretfully: “No. It appears to be a matter of range, not of—er—volume.”

    “Oh.” After a moment he said crossly: “Well, where is she?”

    “I think she went up to the attics to check for damage,” he replied tranquilly.

    Drouwh paced over to the back door, frowning.

    “Don’t open it, Mk-L’ster, a lucky shot could come right in,” he said mildly.

    Sourly his brother replied: “Call me Drouwh, for the bears’ sake. This may be our last hour.” He peered out of the small window nearest the door. “It’d have to be a cursed lucky shot, this lot are hopeless,” he noted as a blast exploded harmlessly well above the forest.

    “I imagine they’re all too young to have seen action. –Well?”

    “Mm? Oh: like I said: half a dozen—a squadron of the Guard: white lifters with gold insignia all over ’em.”

    “That old idiot, Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd,” deduced Rh’aiiy’hn wryly. “Panicked. I suppose I shouldn’t have sent for the Household Cavalry.”

    “Exactly.” Drouwh peered out again. “That one was too near the vehicle paddock for comfort!”

    The Regent replied calmly: “Are they getting the range?"

    “Apparently not, no,” he said as two more blasts exploded harmlessly over the forest.

    Rh’aiiy’hn smiled a little. “What shall we do, Drouwh? If Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd’s been stupid enough to bring Allie with him—though personally I wouldn’t think—”

    “Wouldn’t you?” he said grimly, turning round, unsmiling. “A matter of days back his head was full of kna shit like making a man of the poor little tyke. I’d wager my entire personal fortune he’s got him with him, the cursed old fool.”

    As he spoke, Jhl came into the kitchen, buckling on a blaster. “Yes, he has,” she said calmly.

    “Where did you get that?” retorted Drouwh instantly.

    “Off one of the cavalrymen on the roof. He won’t be needing it, his arm’s broken. No,” she said as the Regent made to rise: “don’t: you may need to conserve your powers for serious injuries.”

    “Very well,” he said, sitting down again.

    “I’ve ordered them not to fire,” added Jhl casually.

    “That's good: I think the penalty for shooting the Ruler’s something like being fed to the bears in small pieces while the pieces are still alive,” returned Drouwh sourly.

    Jhl merely replied: “It is the old man you thought it was—with the woffly white face-hair.”

    “MOUSTACHE!” he shouted.

    “Yes. –That reminds me: if a kna’s a large grazing beast, where do the kna-worms fit in?” she added calmly.

    Drouwh turned purple, but his brother said tranquilly: “They lay their eggs in the kna droppings. The only known use for kna droppings, in fact."

    “I see.”

    “For the bears’ SAKE!” shouted Drouwh. “What are we going to DO?”

    Jhl looked at him blandly. “What do you suggest?"

    “Uh—get close enough to that squadron to figure out which lifter’s carrying the boy, and shoot the rest out of the sky?"

    “Holding our fire while we get that close, of course,” she said genially.

    Rh’aiiy’hn shot a look at his brother's face and said quickly: “If you can sense that Allie and Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd are up there, Captain, could you perhaps control the lifters?"

    “Not at this range. I can’t tell which lifter the boy’s in, either, from this distance. That’s partly why lifters have the range they do,” she added drily.

    “I've heard that Feddo lifters can do—uh—some sort of blob-power thing where they immobilise the enemy lifter,” said Drouwh. “Um, control the blobs?”

    Jhl made a face. “Yes, that is possible. Unfortunately it requires two very experienced qualified Pilots in two very experienced vehicles to carry it out.”

    There was a short silence.

    “Well, look, surely you can reset our lifters’ blasters to, um, stun-power, or something?”

    Jhl had by now discovered, not altogether to her surprise, that the primmo blasters used on Old Rthfrdia only had two settings: Kill, and Off. “Yes, I could. But the results of that setting under gravity are generally that the target lifter spins out of control, faster and faster, and—”

    “YES!” he shouted.

    “Its crew all being out like snu-flies, you see. –Sorry, kfft-flies.”

    “Don’t, Captain,” murmured Rh’aiiy’hn.

    Jhl bit her lip. “Sorry—taking it out on you,” she said to Drouwh. “The Stun setting’s really designed for zero grav."

    “Mm,” he said, chewing on his lip. “Evidently.”

    There was a short silence.

    Jhl sighed. “Look, it can be done: you set your blaster to Stun, go in, zap the lifter, and before it can spin out of control, take over its blobs and land the thing. –At the same time,” she noted drily, “controlling your own lifter's blobs and keeping an eye out for other stray enemies who might be taking pot-shots at you. I’m not denigrating your abilities, but none of you could do it. It takes years of training. The hardest part is grabbing the other lifter’s blobs before they blob out under the Stun effect.”

    “I see. But you can do it?” said Drouwh.

    “Yes. But to be sure of success, you do need two pilots: approach with a pincer movement, you see. Who’s the best lifter pilot here?”

    “Er... I suppose I should say, the Leader of my Household Cavalry Squadron,” said Rh’aiiy’hn with a tiny laugh at the back of his throat.

    “Galloping grqwary gizzards! We all saw the way he threw that thing into the paddock!”

    “Exactly.”

    “Shn’aillaigh’s not bad,” admitted Drouwh slowly.

    “Would it be fair to M’Klui’shke’aigh to let her try?” murmured Rh’aiiy’hn.

    Jhl winced slightly as another shot whistled low over the house, and said acidly: “Doesn’t she have free will?”

    “Certainly. But Sh’n’s a very good fellow who’s had a very hard life; I wouldn't like to see him lose his chance at happiness just when it's within his grasp,” he murmured.

    She shrugged. “I see what you mean. But judging by her performance in that pink thing, she can’t do much with blobs. Whose is it, anyway?"

    “It’s Dh’aaych’s,” said Drouwh uncertainly. “And he’s a decent pilot, with some experience of blobs, I’ll give you that, but not of flying under fire. But he has some experience of hand-to-hand combat. It had better be him, if you want to risk the manoeuvre.”

    “Captain, would you be able to, ah, lend your aid to the second pilot?” asked Rh’aiiy’hn.

    Jhl replied reluctantly: “Not much. You have to concentrate on your own blobs, you see. The blobs in the lifter you want to capture will try to fight them.”

    “I see.” Rh’aiiy’hn got up. “I’ll accompany Lord Dh’aaych’llyai’n, in that case.”

    “No, by the old gods!” said Drouwh in horror. “You can’t do that, Rh’aiiy’hn!”

    “The boy is my responsibility. And I won't be much loss, if it goes wrong.”

    “No, let me go,” he said tightly.

    “Even though this is your clan land, Mk-L’ster, I think that, as Regent, I may order you to carry out my wishes?” he said, raising his eyebrows.

    Storm-clouds gathered on Drouwh’s brow.

    “But I shan’t, I shall merely point out that you’re far more crucial to our joint enterprise than I. Even with M’Klui’shke’aigh’s support I could never persuade your men to follow me, if anything happened to you. Whereas if I wasn’t there, my handful of supporters would merely fade away.”

    Drouwh’s lips tightened, but he didn’t attempt to argue.

    “I don’t like to think what it’ll do to my ship’s credit account, if you get yours, Rhan—sorry: Rh’aiiy’hn—but yeah, it had better be you,” Jhl conceded. “I’ll zap as many as I can on Stun, but I don’t think I ought to risk it with the lifter the Ruler’s in.”

    They looked at her doubtfully.

    She shrugged. “In case I don’t come back. There aren’t many beings in the two galaxies capable of reversing the effect of another being’s Stun blast. –Come on, we’re wasting time,” she added, as Dh’aaych came into the room grinning.

    “Need me?” he said to her. “Better do something pretty soon, that lot of half-baked cavalrymen upstairs are getting itchy trigger-fingers.”

    “I do need you, yes, Dh’aaych. We’ll get our lifters, and isolate the vehicle the Ruler’s in, and slap a blob-hold on it.”

    “Two moons!” he said, his eyes lighting up. “I’m with you, Captain! Lead on!”

    Jhl went over to the back door. “Rh’aiiy’hn will fill you in. And whatever you feel him trying to do, don’t fight it.”

    “Right you are,” he said, dazed but willing. “Er—no: better let me precede you, sir,” he added to the Regent.

    “Yes. Spacers’ etiquette,” said Jhl shortly.

    They went out: the small black-haired girlish figure in her ill-fitting nyr-suede breeches first, then Dh’aaych, grinning broadly, blaster at the ready, and lastly the Regent, looking quite calm, his hand nowhere near his blaster.

    Drouwh sat down suddenly. “Bones of wherever-it-is and its plasmo-blasted moons,” he said feebly. “Spacers’ etiquette?"

    BAR THE DOOR! said a voice loudly in his head.

    SHUT—UP, he sent grimly, getting up to bar the door.

    He caught the ghost of a laugh as the first lifter whined off into the atmosphere.

    “WHAT?” shouted Shn’aillaigh furiously. “You let Dh’aaych go instead of me?”

    Drouwh shrugged. “Nothing in it. You may have a slight edge so far as skill goes, but he’s had more experience with blobs. And you’re a cursed sight more bull-headed than he is. Besides, Rh’aiiy’hn had a strange idea that Sh’n, here, might be quite pleased if we kept you alive.”

    The burly Representative swallowed a laugh, and allowed: “I would that!”

    “Well, you can thank him, if Dh’aaych gets him back to us alive,” he noted sourly.

    “Bears’ teeth: Rh’aiiy’hn went with them?” gasped Shn’aillaigh.

    “No! My Lord, you never let him!” gulped the young Leader of the Household Cavalry squadron, turning as white as his fancy collar.

    Drouwh eyed him drily. “I couldn’t stop him, Leader Kh’ain-Rh’uissh. As he correctly pointed out, his authority outweighs mine, even on my clan land.”

    There was a short pause. Drouwh’s acquaintances looked at him uneasily.

    “Shall I take my orders from you, now, sir?” gulped the Leader.

    “I suppose you’d better.”

    “Of course, Leader!” said Sh’n with a kindly laugh, with difficulty refraining from calling him “lad.” “Who else would you take your orders from?"

    “Uh—well, The Lady is my Lady,” he said, bowing very low to Shn’aillaigh.

    “Aye. But as this is apparently a Palace Emergency, judging by those white things buzzing around out there,” she said drily, “I think The Mk-L’ster’s authority outweighs mine."

    “Yes, Lady. It is a Palace Emergency, that’s true. We heard the sirens as we came over L’pgow."

    “Yes. Did you notice whether that bridge was still out?” she said briskly.

    The young man looked blank. “Bridge? Uh—no, Lady."

    “No grasp of tactics whatsoever,” she said grimly to Drouwh, turning back to the attic window.

    “Apparently not. –You will take your orders from me, Leader. And my first order is,” he said heavily as the young man snapped to attention, “get those idiots off the roof. We don’t want any more wounded, and side-arms are no use against lifters. And in case any try to land, deploy half your force outside, round the house and the vehicle-paddock.”

    “Yessir. I’ve done that, sir, the Regent said the Feddo lady said I had to."

    “BEARS!” shouted Shn’aillaigh bitterly.

    Drouwh’s lips twitched but he said evenly: “That lady is not a lady: she’s a Federation Space Fleet officer with the rank of Lieutenant-Pilot—that means she’s done Pilot training—and a Master’s Ticket—that means she’s a ship’s captain—and the sooner you get used to calling her ‘Captain,’ the better it will be for your career.”

    “Yessir,” he said numbly. “Sorry, sir."

    “She’s had more experience of combat than the lot of us put together,” said Shn’aillaigh heavily. “Not that that’s saying a thing, in the case of those unfledged smah-birds of yours.”

    “Yes, Lady. No, Lady,” he agreed meekly.

    “Get on with it, then,” said Drouwh.

    “Oh! Yessir! –Group, call the men in from the roof!” he said hastily.

    The Group-Master hastened to obey.

    “Where shall I station them, sir?” the Leader asked Drouwh.

    “Use them to reinforce the men at the windows."

    “Yessir!” Even though The Mk-L'ster was not in uniform, and not even in the skirt, the young man saluted him.

    “By the bears!” said Shn’aillaigh with a sizzling indrawn breath, as the Leader, deciding to station himself at an upstairs window overlooking the vehicle paddock, went off to do so.

    “Green troops,” said Drouwh dispassionately. "It’s to be hoped it doesn’t come to a fight.”

    “Uh, this isn’t a fight,” she noted as a chance shot took the corner off a chimney.

    “No: we’re not shooting back.”

    “N—Someone is!” she gasped. She belted for the front of the house, blaster at the ready.

    “Shn’aillaigh!” he shouted. “Oh what's the use?” he muttered. He ran out, shouting: “Shn’aillaigh, hold your fire, it’s R’rt Fh’laiin!”

    Sh’n raised his eyebrows. “And that leaves us,” he noted to the pink-cheeked cavalryman who was standing at the window, blaster drawn. “Are we supposed to guard this room?"

    “Yessir,” said the lad stolidly, not taking his eyes from the view.

    Sh’n sighed, but went over and joined him. After watching for a moment he said: “The pale green and pale pink lifters are on our side.”

    “They aren’t firing,” the boy said glumly.

    Fighting down an urge to shout at him, the Representative explained: "No, they can't risk hitting the Ruler.”

    “Oh. No. Um, if it’s Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd, sir,” he said awkwardly: “why’s he firing at us? Don’t he know the Regent’s here?"

    Representative M'Klui’shke’aigh had also been mulling that one over. But as it didn’t take mind-powers to realise that the elderly Lord had very little but yi’ish between the ears, he replied: “I would imagine he thinks Lord Mk-L’ster’s kidnapped him. I think he’s the sort whose only response to an emergency is to go in, blasters blazing. –Doesn’t stop to think.”

    “Aye, that’d be him, all right,” the lad said glumly. "Known for it, round the Palace, he is. –Crams his fences, too.”

    Representative M'Klui’shke’aigh was blank for a moment. Then it dawned that it was an equestrian term. He supposed that would strike a cavalryman forcibly, yes. “That’s him, aye.”

    A white lifter had attempted to intercept them. They had both dodged with ease, but it had successfully cut them off. Can you reach him? asked Rh’aiiy’hn’s soft voice in Jhl’s head.

    No. Stay out of range, I’ll draw him off.

    NO! Rh’aiiy’hn sent in agony, but it was too late: Dh’aaych’llyai'n had swooped away, and the Captain had swooped in.

    Far below, R’rt Fh’laiin’s neck was craned. “Green: who is it?”

    “Her,” replied Shn’aillaigh, not looking round.

    They and R’rt stood and stared, ignoring the faint pleas of the Group-Master standing in the back doorway to come inside.

    “Hah!” cried R’rt Fh’laiin as two shots zapped by the green lifter. “Missed!”

    “He’s a rotten shot,” said Shn’aillaigh.

    “Getting the range,” said the stolid R’rt.

    “If that fool gets the Captain’s range,” said Shn’aillaigh, not looking round: “I’ll eat a whole hggl, raw—wool and all—wrapped in your skirt, R’rt M’W’llaigh Mk-D’rm’d!”

    The groom grinned, but didn’t look round.

    “Ouch!” gasped the Group-Master as a golden shower of sparks seemed to rain all round the lifter.

    R’rt Fh’laiin came to himself. “Group-Master, return to your post.”

    “Yessir!” he gulped, scrambling off.

    “Come inside,” said The Black Mk-D’rm’d irritably to his two companions. “Setting the troops a bad example. We’ll be able to see just as well from that upstairs room that gives onto the flat roof.”

    “Aye: come on, Lady!” gasped R’rt, rushing inside.

    Shn’aillaigh gave her childhood’s friend a filthy look, but ran inside.

    Meanwhile, Drouwh had returned to Sh’n’s side. “What was that?” asked the Representative as the blast seemed to dissolve in a shower of golden sparks round the green lifter, leaving it unharmed.

    “No idea,” he grunted. “Some Feddo thing. –I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM!” he bellowed as his sister and the three Mk-L’ster youngsters burst in.

    “No!” cried K’t-Ln. “It’s not fair! We can hear you all, loud as loud, and we can’t see, in that beastly room with the shutters up!”

    Drouwh sighed. “Well, I suppose they're not firing at us at the moment. Come here, then.”

    They clustered eagerly at the window.

    Dh’aaych whistled admiringly, as the green lifter danced in the sky.

    “Concentrate,” murmured the Regent.

    “They’re not chasing us, sir, they’re all watching the dog-fight!” he replied with a laugh.

    The Regent looked again. So they were.

    “Six,” said Dh’aaych’llyai’n. “One squadron. –How’s she do it?” he said as there was another blast, and another great foaming shower of golden sparks round the green lifter, leaving it untouched.

    “I’m not sure. I think she’s put a shield around the entire ship,” he murmured.

    Dh’aaych whistled again, but pointed out: “To her these toys probably ain’t even ships."

    “No,” Rh’aiiy’hn agreed faintly as the Captain’s lifter stood on its nose and did a flip.

    Dh’aaych swallowed. ““Ugh! This slug’ll never manage that sort of manoeuvre!”

    “Mm,” he agreed vaguely, trying to put a shield around their own lifter while watching the Captain manoeuvring to get near enough to the white lifter to—

    “Bears’ teeth,” said Dh’aaych numbly as the white lifter shimmered ice-blue for an instant, disengaged, and drifted neatly down to the vehicle paddock far below. “She’s done it!”

    “Yes,” he said vaguely. “During that last shot she got near enough to... Curses,” he muttered.

    Dh’aaych eyed him with considerable sympathy but didn’t utter.

    MOVE! shouted a voice in his head. LEFT, LEFT, LEFT! FWS AT PERIHELION MINUS TWO POINT FOUR-FIVE-THR—

    Dh’aaych had moved. “Can you tell her that I don’t understand all this peri-whatsit stuff, sir?” he gasped.

    “She’s just realised that, Lord Dh’aaych’llyai’n,” he murmured. “And I’d be very glad if you’d call me Rh’aiiy’hn.”

    “Thank you, Rh’aiiy’hn. Honoured if you'd call me Dh’aaych,” he grunted.

    Rh’aiiy’hn glanced doubtfully at him. He peeked at his mind, wondering if— But no: Dh’aaych’llyai’n had certainly had the thought that Drouwh wouldn’t much like that, but apart from that there was only gratification. And a certain grudging liking and admiration. Flushing a little, Rh’aiiy’hn looked away.

    STAY ALERT! shouted Jhl irritably.

    “Sorry, Captain!” they both replied quickly.

    “Pack of FWs,” she muttered.

    “What is that?” demanded Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd fiercely.

    “A PlayWay Reonia, sir,” said Leader Rh’n’lhd, trying to keep his mind on his piloting. “The new Mark VI, I think. They’re not usually armed.”

    “Not that, you ghrr-brain!” he snarled. “That—that way it’s deflecting the blasts!”

    “Some new Feddo shield, sir, I suppose,” he said glumly.

    Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd snorted richly. “Aye, I dare say. –And I wouldn't take any bets that that particular whatever-it-is isn’t armed to the teeth, either!”

    “It hasn’t fired a plasmo-blast yet.”

    “IT HASN’T NEEDED TO, KNA-BRAIN!” he yelled.

    “No, sir. –Your Royal Highness, I must beg you to use the straps!” he said on a desperate note as Allie came to peer over their shoulders.

    “WILL YOU SIT DOWN, BOY!” roared the old Lord.

    Allie sighed, and returned to his seat.

    “Do your—” began Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd.

    “I am, sir,” he said glumly, buckling himself in. "Leader Rh’n’lhd, what did they do to that lifter when it turned sort of blue?”

    “It’s a Feddo thing, sir,” said Leader Rh’n’lhd, trying to keep his mind on his piloting and wishing that someone in the two Rthfrdias would tell the pair of them to shut up. “Blob control. It’s very dangerous: you have to get within range and disable the pilot, and then take control of his blobs before they’re, um, stunned, too.”

    “Disable a kna dropping of a useless kna-worm!” snarled the old man.

    Allie had his nose flattened against his port. “I can’t see...” he reported sadly. “It’s an awfully long way down... It’s landed, anyway.”

    Nobody replied, and he relapsed into silence.

    After some time, during which Leader Rh’n’lhd realised with dismay that, having knocked off Lifter 4 of his squadron, the pale green PlayWay Reonia was going for Lifter 2 using precisely the same tactics, which of course that kna-brain of a  Bh’ay’llaaiyh was failing to counter, Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd said grimly: “Isn’t that pink thing Dh’aaych’llyai'n U-Fl’aiir’th’s toy?”

    The Leader winced.

    “Yes, that’s right, sir! He took it to Sfthnyxer before the World Shield, he's got Feddo—” Allie broke off, gulping. “Blobs in it,” he finished glumly.

    Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd took a deep breath. “Shoot it down!”

    “Sir, to do that we’d have to get within his range, and it’d put the Ruler in danger!”

    “I’m not afraid, Leader!” lied Allie hurriedly.

    “I said, SHOOT IT DOWN! –The boy’s got to learn to be a man,” he growled. “Not some cursed lap-pet of the Court cats!”

    Leader Rh’n’lhd swallowed. “Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd, we still don’t know for sure if the Regent has been kidnapped; wouldn’t it be better to— Curses,” he muttered as, without even the anticipated showers of golden sparks around the enemy lifter, Lifter 2 of his squadron glimmered ice-blue for an instant, and descended neatly to the vehicle paddock.

    “Are you refusing to obey a direct order, Leader?"

    “No, sir,” he said glumly. “We don’t know that Lord Dh’aaych’llyai’n’s lifter is armed,” he added weakly.

    “I like him. Don't shoot him, Leader,” said Allie.

    “Is that an order, Your Royal Highness?” he said on a hopeful note.

    “WHAT?” thundered Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd.

    Allie shrank into himself. “No,” he muttered.

    “Coming for us,” murmured Rh’aiiy’hn.

    “Aye,” said Dh’aaych, grinning. “Now let’s see what this old slug can do!” He swooped away. The Regent had to suppress an urge to shut his eyes.

    “Not bad!” approved Dh’aaych. “That’s the Leader,” he noted. “I’ll pop one across his bows, shall I?”

    NO! ALLIE’S ABOARD!

    “No need to be so loud. Well, now we know your range, eh?” he grinned.

    Rh’aiiy’hn realised with resignation that Dh’aaych’llyai’n was thoroughly enjoying himself. “Yes.”

    “Better send it to the Captain,” he said casually, standing the pink lifter on its tail and simultaneously side-slipping sharply to the left.

    “Yes!” he gasped.

    “Always wanted to try that in full grav,” Dh’aaych admitted, grinning, as the white lifter shot off at a tangent.

    “I’ve told the Captain that— Curses!” gasped Rh’aiiy’hn as one of the other lifters sent a shot past them. “That I’ve found my range.”

    “Good,” he murmured, swooping up and back in a huge arc and firing his blaster. “Hah! See that?” The end of the second lifter’s tail-fin disintegrated with a great flash of flame.

    “Is he crippled?” asked Rh’aiiy’hn hopefully.

    “No. And I’m not gonna shoot to kill, there’s no need to keep yelling it.”

    “They are my people,” he murmured.

    “Yes, Your Royal Highness,” said Dh’aaych drily as the Leader's lifter swooped in again. “Send him—message—you’re aboard!” he gasped, as the Leader fired.

    “He can’t hear me. He’s—” He swallowed a gasp. “Concentrating on his driving.”

    Dh’aaych had momentarily shot out of range. He breathed heavily, grinning. “Fun, eh? Can you send the boy a message, then?"

    “No. He can’t receive,” said Rh’aiiy’hn. –NO! NO!

    “It’s all right,” said Dh'aaych feebly as the lifter the Captain had been chasing suddenly shimmered like blue ice, then went belly-up and stayed like that. “She’s got him. That blast went nowhere near her. Pity she can't simultaneously maintain that shield and fire. Got something to do with webs of force or something.”

    “Mm. She’s sending: can we draw off the Leader while she goes after—”

    “Got it,” he agreed, swooping in again. “Hah!” He loosed a shot across the Leader’s bows. It exploded harmlessly, but near enough for the white lifter to rock alarmingly.

    “Don’t,” said Rh’aiiy’hn, very pale.

    “That an order, Your Royal Highness?” he grinned, boring in.

    “No. Use your judgement.”

    Dh’aaych’llyai’n didn’t reply in words but Rh’aiiy’hn felt the answer very strongly: I AM, GHRR-BRAIN.

    “Come on!” squeaked K’t-Ln breathlessly, jigging.

    R’rt Fh’laiin put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Take it easy, with that leg of yours, Miss K’t-Ln.”

    K’t-Ln didn’t look round. “It’s much better, Prince Rh’aiiy’hn did something to it.”

    “I think he should have been a Full Surgeon,” said M'ri.

    “Shut up, ghrr-brain, he’s the Regent. –Come ON!” she hissed, clenching her fists, as Dh’aaych’s pink lifter swooped up and back on itself in a mighty arc.

    Shn’aillaigh was also watching the skirmishes in the sky with clenched fists. “I could— BLAST HIM, DH’AAYCH, YOU KNA-BRAIN!” she bellowed.

    “My dear, I think that’s the Leader,” said Sh’n gently, taking her elbow. “It’s very likely the Ruler’s aboard: Dh’aaych won’t risk harming him.”

    Shn’aillaigh shook him off angrily. Sh’n bit his lip a little but said nothing.

    “Surely you’re not implying that that pink thing of Dh’aaych’s is armed, Shn’aillaigh?” said R’rt Fh’laiin in a shocked voice. “Isn’t that illegal?”

    “Shut up!” said Drouwh with a laugh in his voice. Suddenly he put his arm round A’ailh’sa and said into her coppery curls in a muffled voice: “I’m frightened, too, little sister, and so are all of these, though none of them are admitting it.”

    “I’m admitting it,” said the burly Sh’n on a wry note. “But then, I suppose I don’t count.”

    A’ailh’sa went very pink. “Of course you do!” she squeaked.

    Shn’aillaigh hadn’t looked round, but she swallowed hard. “We’re all shit-scared,” she said shortly.

    “I’m not!” cried T’m crossly, his ears very red. “If any of them FWs come down here, I’ll show them a thing or two!”

    “You and your short bow,” noted K’t-Ln.

    “I can shoot a blaster!” he cried.

    “If it should come to our having to defend the house—which I very much doubt,” said Drouwh on a sigh, “you will most certainly be required to shoot a blaster.”

    T’m gulped. “Galaxies,” he said weakly.

    “So SHUT UP!” shouted K’t-Ln, her eyes on the pink lifter in the sky.

    “Curses!” gasped Dh’aaych. He could feel the Regent silently lending his strength to his. He wrenched the wounded lifter up and away.

    “Bad?” asked Rh’aiiy’hn.

    Dh’aaych was past telling whether he was hearing the cool voice or whether it was in his head. “No,” he grunted. “Didn’t get the blobs.”

    “No.” Rh’aiiy’hn undid his straps and got up.

    “Siddown!” gasped Dh’aaych as the wounded pink lifter bucked and swayed. “Left side fin, I think.”

    “Yes.” Rh’aiiy’hn bent over him from behind. “Left side fin.” He peeled back Dh’aaych’s left sleeve and slapped a plasmo-blob on the wound.

    “OW!” he yelled.

    “Sorry. The Captain assures me these first-aid plasmo-blobs are the latest thing, only I’ve never used ’em before.” He returned to his seat and concentrated briefly on the wound. “Better?”

    “Yes,” he said grumpily, “and never mind about me, what about the lifter?”

    Rh’aiiy’hn listened to the blobs. It wasn’t hard, once you’d picked up the trick of it. “The fin’s shattered, as you thought. The cabin’s safe: the automatic reseal’s holding, but it’s taking some of the energy from the blobs.”

    “I can feel that,” he grunted. “They feel soggy. –And?”

    “No structural damage. It seems to be affecting the balance, though.”

    Dh’aaych grunted, pulling a face.

    All right? said the Captain’s voice in their heads as the pale green lifter swooped past. I’ll give him one to teach him a lesson!

    DON'T! cried Rh’aiiy’hn, but too late, she had whirled away and was homing in on the Leader from behind. “Watch that other one,” he warned.

    “Mm: he’s not a bad shot.” Dh’aaych dodged, winced, dodged again, and fired a shot above the closer of the two remaining white lifters. The blast exploded just above it. “'Hah! –I could get him, y’know,” he noted.

    “Well, don’t,” said Rh’aiiy’hn grimly.

    “Or Your Royal Highness’d have to see I was prosecuted for murder?”

    “Something like that.”

    To his surprise Dh’aaych grinned suddenly and said: “You’re a good man, Rh’aiiy’hn.”

    “Thank you,” he said feebly.

    “Look, this is no good, that kna dropping’s got Dh’aaych’s range!” said Shn’aillaigh grimly.

    “Yes,” agreed Drouwh. “Better draw him off. I’ll take a Cavalry lifter, they’re a bit heavy but they’ve got decent blobs.”

    “No!” said Sh’n urgently, clutching at his sleeve. “Our cause needs you, Mk-L’ster!”

    “You’ve got the Representatives, Sh’n, you don’t need me.”

    “We do. The people won’t rally to any of us,” said R’rt Fh’laiin, very pale.

    “I’ll go,” said Shn’aillaigh shortly.

    “No!” said Drouwh angrily. “We discussed that, Shn’aillaigh—”

    “I didn’t. I’m a better pilot than you.” She strode over to the door.

    “Wait,” said K’t-Ln hoarsely. She pushed past the others. “I’ll come, too. I can’t drive a lifter, but I'm good with blobs.”

    “Right. Let’s go.”

    “Shn’aillaigh—” began Sh’n.

    “What?” she said, glaring at him.

    “Nothing. Only good luck, my dear,” he said huskily.

    Her jaw hardened. “Thanks. My share of the quog enterprise goes to you if I’m killed. These are my witnesses. –Come on, kid.” And she and K’t-Ln went out.

    “That was legal: you’re on clan land,” said Drouwh without emphasis.

    The Representative was very pale; he nodded.

    Abruptly M’ri burst into noisy tears.

    “K’t-Ln’ll be all right!” cried Tim valiantly.

    “They’ll both be all right,” said R’rt Fh’laiin grimly. “I’m going, too. That’ll leave you one of the Cavalry lifters, plus Sh’n’s. –Don’t stop me, Drouwh,” he said as his friend put a hand on his arm: “I’ve had enough of feeling useless!” He strode out, the sweet mouth tightly compressed.

    A’ailh’sa put her hand over her mouth. Suddenly she ran out in his wake.

    “Don’t—let—her!” sobbed M’ri.

    “She'll have gone to her room," said Drouwh with a sigh, not bothering to check. “Go to her if you like, M’ri.”

    “No—um—” She broke off.

    Drouwh didn't notice that T’m had stealthily kicked his sister's ankle. His attention was on the scene outside. “Get going, Shn’aillaigh!” he muttered.

    “There she goes,” said Sh’n, as the heavy black Cavalry lifter rocketed up.

    They watched in breathless attention.

    R’rt Fh’laiin was opening the black Cavalry lifter’s hatch when a hand grabbed his arm. He spun round, gasping. “What the— Get back to the house!”

    “No, I’m coming with you, R’bbie. If you die, I want to die, too!”

    He went very white. “Get back to the house, Lady A’ailh’sa: you’re holding me up. Every second’s delay may mean a life.”

    “I’m coming. I know lots about blobs. And I helped Shn’aillaigh before. I know part of it was the Captain, I’m not that dumb, but part of it was me!” She glared at him. “And you’re not good with blobs!”

    R’rt Fh’laiin glanced up at the sky as two blasts resounded in quick succession. “Bears’ teeth! –Get in, then, on your own head be it.”

    A’ailh’sa tried to clamber in but the hatch of the military vehicle was too high for her in her draped, fl’oouu-green garment. Angrily she wrenched at it, throwing trailing yards of skirt onto the ground.

    “Buckle the straps,” he said through his teeth as she sat down beside him, panting.

    Silently A’ailh’sa buckled the straps.

    “And if you say as much as a word—”

    Don’t talk, I can hear you, the clear girl’s voice said in his head. Go.

    Gritting his teeth, R’rt Fh’laiin went.

    “Reinforcements!” said Dh’aaych with a laugh.

    Fools, returned the Captain grimly.

    “They’ll draw those other two off,” said Rh’aiiy’hn.

    That or kill themselves.

    “Can you tell them the Ruler’s not aboard those two?” he asked. “–She has,” he said to Dh’aaych.

    “Good. Better send ’em Your Royal Highness’s permission to shoot, or pardon in advance, or something. Who are they?”

    “I’m sorry, Dh’aaych: it’s Lady Shn’aillaigh in HC15, and Lord Mk-D’rm’d in HC02.”

    “He’ll need it,” he grunted.

    “It has the same blob-power as the other, though.”

    “No: HC02 was refitted not long since with new blobs.”

    “Oh,” said the Regent weakly.

    Dh’aaych grinned. “Lifters are an interest of mine, y’know. When we’re out of this, I’m gonna have a go at that green job. She tells me it’s a PlayWay Reonia Mark VI!”

    “That’s nice,” he murmured.

    Dh’aaych just laughed, and twirled away to the Captain's side.

    Good, sent Jhl grimly. Stay in formation and do what I tell you.

    The remaining white lifters of the First Squadron of the Palace Guard were dashing in mad pursuit of the two black Household Cavalry lifters that had joined the fight. Blasts exploded aimlessly: the black lifters dodged and twirled as the guardsmen tried to get the range.

    “FIRE, curse you!” shouted Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd.

    Leader Rh’n’lhd’s lips thinned. He fired, but the shot missed the pale green Feddo lifter by about a light-year.

    “What’s wrong with you?" shouted the old man.

    “We're not in range, sir. –Sir, don’t do that!” he gasped as the old Lord tried to take control of the lifter’s plasmo-blasters.

    “Is he fighting you for control, Leader?” asked Allie in horror as the white lifter bucked and swayed alarmingly.

    “Yes! For the bears’ sake, Lord!” he gasped.

    Allie undid his straps and got up. “Stop it,” he said softly, putting his borrowed blaster to the old man’s temple. “Believe me, it’d give me great pleasure to blast you away.”

    Clenching his fists, the old man spluttered: “You impertinent jackanapes!”

    “Shut up. Release those controls or I’ll put you under arrest.”

    Yes, thought Leader Rh’n’lhd: Please, please: do it! The old Lord was silent, but control of the fire-power was returned to him. “Thank you,” he croaked.

    Allie was breathing hard. “That’s better,” he said as the ship steadied.

    After some moments the old man said heavily: “Go and sit down, boy. I was out of order. I beg your pardon, Leader.”

    “Sir,” said Leader Rh’n’lhd with great restraint: “I think it might be better if you sat at the back, with the other passengers.”

    “Yes,” said Allie pleasedly. “Get up, Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd: you have my seat; I’ll sit there.”

    Silently the old man changed places with him.

    Allie buckled himself into the co-pilot’s seat, grinning.

    “Thanks, sir,” murmured the Leader with a sigh.

    “My pleasure. –To your right!” he gasped.

    Leader Rh’n’lhd had seen the approaching green lifter: he swerved violently, firing as he went.

    “Do it!” gasped Shn’aillaigh, sweating.

    K’t-Ln was very pale. She hadn’t thought it would be this hard, there were an awful lot of blobs in the black Cavalry lifter, and they were very strong. She concentrated madly on urging them to go faster.

    “Whew!” said Shn’aillaigh, sagging. “Out of range!”

    “Yes. –We’ve come a long way, we’re almost to L’pgow,” she said in astonishment, glancing down.

    “Yes: drawn him off good and proper. Now: in the sun, then when he looks for us,” she said, getting into position, “we’ll come straight at him.”

    “Yeah, good: blast him out of the sky!”

    Shn’aillaigh grinned and nodded. They positioned themselves, waiting…

    Meanwhile, R’rt Fh’laiin was in trouble.  “Leave it!” he shouted.

    A’ailh’sa said nothing but he sensed her determination.

    “A’ailh’sa, you haven’t got the power to put a shield round the lifter: LEAVE IT!” he shouted. “Help drive the cursed thing: it’s bucking like a bull kna!”

    “All right,” she said in a tiny voice.

    To R’rt Fh’laiin's intense relief the big Cavalry lifter steadied almost immediately. “Come ON!” he grunted. “Curses!” he gasped as the white lifter whining in pursuit of them got off a shot that grazed their right tail fin. The Cavalry lifter was a left-hand drive: he wasn’t used to that, which didn’t help: he kept feeling he ought to be in the other seat. "Are you all right?” he gasped.

    “Yes,” said the girl faintly.

    He glanced at her. She was very pale, but didn't actually look as if she was about to pass out—or chuck up, he’d seen young lads do that under fire, before now. “All we have to do is keep running: draw him off. Try to do what I do.”

    “Yes.”

    R’rt Fh’laiin could see that the white lifter, which had misjudged their speed and position and skidded far off to their left, was repositioning itself, about to come at them again. RUN! he sent frantically at the blobs.

    A’ailh’sa's face whitened. She could feel the blobs were trying to say they weren’t fast enough. They kept asking for more from her. RUN! she sent.

    The big black lifter rocketed off in the direction of the horticultural developments. The white lifter whined in pursuit, firing as it came…

    Sweat poured down Dh’aaych’s face. He was dimly aware of the quiet presence of the man next to him, but all his forces were concentrated on his ship’s blobs. It was almighty difficult, the blobs hadn’t done it before...

    Slow and steady, ordered Jhl. She could feel Rh’aiiy’hn’s cool concentration and Dh’aaych’s sweaty desperation: she wasn’t too Vvlvanian-cursed sure she was getting through to Dh’aaych.

    The white lead lifter shuddered suddenly as its pilot momentarily lost control. They weren’t close enough. Together, she sent steadily. Close!

    The two pastel lifters, pretty little kfft-flies in the summer sun, closed steadily on the white lifter…

    Leader Rh'n'lhd was very pale: this was undoubtedly some cursed Feddo trick. They’d get him in a pincer movement and then blast him out of the sky. And of all times for his blobs to go soggy on him! What was wrong with the Federation-cursed things? He could sense the boy beside him was rigid and terrified. He fired at the green enemy, wishing fervently he had a reliable gunner aboard instead of six useless guardsmen, a fool of an old man, and a frightened boy! And at that they were overloaded, the white lifters took six passengers comfortably. No wonder the blobs were soggy!

    He’d missed: they were still closing. He concentrated fiercely on aiming at the pink one, trying to close his mind to all speculation as to what they were up to— FIRE!

    The straps tightened fiercely as the pink lifter’s forward port shattered in the blast that had detonated just outside it. A blinding wind lashed their faces. Rh’aiiy’hn felt the blobs trying to seal the hole. No, he sent grimly. Concentrate.

    “I am!” gasped Dh’aaych’llyai’n into the icy wind.

    Rh’aiiy’hn was aware the man was hurt: he himself was cut around the face, but it wasn’t much. He could feel the Captain checking for injuries to themselves and their ship. He made no attempt to send to her or to correct Dh’aaych’s assumption that it was he whom he had just addressed. He bent his whole mind to urging their blobs to take over from the white lifter’s blobs.

    Jhl’s lifter was bucking like a Quarvaynian oorlp. Useless vacuum-frozen piece of space junk! Will you DO IT! Its blobs didn’t like having to pull together with Dh’aaych’s blobs: curse the day the vacuum-frozen engineers had discovered blob-culturing, curse all blobs and especially curse all FW primmos and their pathetic little internecine squabbles and their primmo minds and their plasmo-blasted, Vvlvanian-cursed hopeless lifters—the blobs in Dh’aaych’s lifter were now resisting her blobs—and CURSE VACUUM-FROZEN SHANK’YAR VT R’AAM TO BLERRINBRIG'S AND GONE, BEYOND THE LAST BLACK HOLE AND ROUND THE TWO GALAXIES!

    Rh’aiiy’hn was white to the lips. Blood trickled from the cuts on his forehead but he was unaware of it. Tears leaked from his eyes, and were immediately lashed from his face by the howling, icy wind. He could feel that Dh’aaych was about to pass out but there was no way he could reach him: even if the straps hadn’t had him in a stranglehold the wind was pinning him into his seat. Help me, Old Woman! he sent frantically. I've never asked you for anything before, and I’ll never ask again, but just this once: help me to help her!

    The pink lifter shuddered violently: Dh’aaych had fainted.

    The Regent of Old Rthfrdia had never been required to drive himself in his life. I can’t! thought Rh’aiiy’hn in terror. A shot from the white lifter slammed past his bows. He felt the blast scorch his skin. Then the Captain’s message: Steady.

    The nose was dropping. Help me! he sent, the thought undirected and terrified.

    You can, Rhan, said the Captain’s voice in his mind. Think “Straight.”

    Rh’aiiy’hn had closed his eyes. His face contorted. STRAIGHT…

    “Aiyee!” screamed K’t-Ln.

    The white lifter hadn’t had a chance: Shn’aillaigh had come out of the sun at him and blasted him to the end of the Known Universe.

    Shn’aillaigh was panting. “This thing’s got more fire-power than I thought!” she gasped.

    Sweat trickled down K’t-Ln's face: she brushed her eyes with the back of her hand, licked the salt off her top lip, and grinned. “Galaxious!”

    “Come on!” said Shn’aillaigh with a laugh. “Where’s R’rt Fh’laiin gone?"

    K’t-Ln concentrated. “Bears!” she said, going very white. “Over there!” She pointed.

    Shn’aillaigh didn’t ask: she just went.

     The watchers below were tense and silent. Only three lifters were now visible in the sky above them: the Captain’s, Dh’aaych’s, and a white one. All three seemed to be lumbering sluggishly, but from time to time the white one got off a shot. They could see the pink lifter had been hit. Several of the blasts came perilously near the green one, but there were no great foaming showers of golden sparks: whatever sort of a shield the Captain had had up round her lifter, it apparently wasn’t there now.

    “Something's gone wrong,” said M’ri fearfully.

    “K’t-Ln’s all right,” said T’m sturdily. “I can feel her.”

    “T’m, what a lie,” she said faintly.

    “I can! T’m’s Kitten’s helping me!” he cried.

    “That means The Old Woman’s helping him,” murmured Drouwh.

    Sh’n looked at him uncertainly. “Can’t you contact her, Drouwh?”

    “I’m trying to. I’m cursed if I know what to say, though,” he said, his face tilted up to the sky. “I don’t think she’s interested in cursed Feddo-style lifter fights."

    “Just ‘Help’ might do it,” said the Representative drily.

    “Shall we all think ‘Help’?” said M’ri timidly.

    “Aye: it can’t do no harm. Though ’tisn’t as if it’s The Mk-L’ster himself up there,” said R’rt dubiously.

    “Thank you, R’rt M’W’llaigh Mk-D’rm’d,” he said through his teeth.

    “But it’s the Regent!” quavered M’ri. “Doesn’t she like him?"

    “Never heard she held much brief for the Royal Family,” said R’rt with a faint sniff. “She’s an Islander, after all!”

    “She... I think she approves of Rh’aiiy’hn,” said Drouwh uncertainly.

    Sh’n squeezed M’ri’s shoulders. “Let’s all think ‘Help Rh’aiiy’hn, Old Woman’, then.”

    “Yes,” agreed Drouwh, lips thinning, as the pink lifter’s nose dropped horribly. “Come on, T’m: you, too.” He took his little sweaty hand.

    “And T’m’s Kitten,” he said faintly.

    “Yes. –Right: everybody think ‘Help Rh’aiiy’hn, Old Woman’,” said Drouwh.

    Everybody stared tensely at the sky, thinking: Help Rh’aiiy’hn, Old Woman!

    R’rt Fh’laiin had barely had time to be astonished that A’ailh’sa hadn’t screamed when the white lifter blasted the better part of their tail off, before he passed out.

    A’ailh’sa was no longer conscious of fear, or even of R’bbie beside her: it was only her and the blobs. FASTER! she sent.

    MORE! demanded the blobs.

    Tears began to rain down the girl's cheeks. I can’t! I can’! I hate you, you beastly blobs: go FASTER!

    MORE… more... The drive was whining in agony: the black lifter lost way, and the white enemy turned for the kill.

    NO! screamed A’ailh’sa’s mind. I HATE YOU! Why can’t you go HYPER?

    “Bears’ claws! What was that?” gasped Shn'aillaigh as the glittering black lifter seemed to blink out for a moment, then raced for the stratosphere, so fast the eye registered only a streak against the blue. “He didn’t get him, did he?"

    “No. –Get them: it’s A’ailh’sa as well...” K’t-Ln swallowed. “I don’t understand, Lady Shn’aillaigh: I think their blobs have gone into hyperdrive. But I didn't think these lifters could!”

    Shn’aillaigh was jockeying into position behind the white lifter. She took a second look at her blobs. This one certainly couldn't. “Must be that,” she grunted.

    “We’re not in the sun: he’ll see us!” gasped the girl.

    Shn’aillaigh’s teeth showed for an instant. “No: in his blind spot. Wait, wait—”

    “NOW!” they screamed together.

    The white lifter disintegrated into a megazillion particles in a blaze of red flame.

    Jhl was soaked in sweat: the mn-mn silk and the nyr-suede clung to her. Plasmo-blasted FW hunk of mok shit! The man in the pink lifter was no longer panicking, but he couldn’t keep the hunk of space junk straight while the blobs tried to talk to each other. The white lifter was preparing to fire again: she could feel it.

    Straight, Rhan, together, TOGETHER…

    Suddenly the two pastel lifters steadied. The two sets of blobs were talking to each other.

    Bones of Brqa and all fourteen of its moons! thought Jhl shakily.

    Fool, said a voice in her head. Jhl wasn’t too plasmo-blasted sure if it meant her or the Regent of Old Rthfrdia. Do what you want to, said the voice.

    She was vaguely aware that Dh’aaych had passed out and that Rh’aiiy’hn, though he hadn't realised it, was losing a lot of blood where a shard of the forward port had lodged in his chest. She ignored these inessential factors and concentrated on directing the blobs to capture the white lifter before the pilot could get off his shot.

    I see, said the voice. Jhl was aware that it was telling some other presence to help: then she suddenly had full control of all three sets of blobs and the white lifter was hers!

    Fools, said the voice. You should have called on me before.

    Jhl was now aware of the sweat cooling down her spine. Thank you, Old Woman, she sent shakily.

    She thought the presence said again: Fools, and that there was a faint giggle—from the same mind or a second one, or were they both one?—and then the presence faded.

    That was The Old Woman of Slrw, sent Rh’aiiy’hn very clearly.

    Yes. Rhan: put a plasmo-blob on your chest NOW! she replied.

    She felt his surprise and then the beginnings of his pain and panic. Then the cool mind controlled the panic and ignored the pain, and he applied a plasmo-blob.

    Don’t try to control your blobs, directed Jhl. From here on in it’s as easy as falling on a flop couch!

    Even above his pain and his exhaustion she caught the echo of his involuntary mind-picture of the two of them falling entwined onto a flop couch and his wry grimace as he realised that she was undoubtedly picking that up…

    “What is it?” said Allie tightly as the two pastel lifters ranged alongside theirs. “Why aren’t you firing?”

    Leader Rh’n’lhd had gone chalk white. “They’ve got us in tow—taken over our blobs."

    “Well, DO SOMETHING!” shouted the old Lord. “BLAST THEM!”

    “Lord, none of our blasters will work. They’ll have taken over all our blobs.”

    No-one spoke, but there was the stealthy sound of half a dozen blasters being drawn.

    “He’s right, Lord,” gulped a guardsman.

    “Then draw your swords and shin-knives!” shouted Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd.

    Allie twisted round in his straps and looked at him uncertainly. The old man had his shin-knife in his teeth and was unbuckling his straps. He stood up, very grim, and drew his sword.

    “Sir,” began the boy hesitantly: “they have superior weapons and we’re clearly out-numbered. I think for the men’s sake we should—”

    Lord Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd transferred the knife to his left hand. “NO!” he shouted. “A Fh’Ly’haiyn and Rh’n’lhd never surrenders!”

    “No,” agreed Allie glumly. Their lifter was circling to land, as steady as a rock. He unbuckled his straps, stood up with some difficulty in his unwieldy body-armour, and drew his sword.