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synchronized and fed to the machines aboard your vessel. If this
satellite is destroyed, cut the number of links in half. Worse, it
will no longer be ble to synchronize the flows, and so the entire feed
will fail."
The viewer panned back to show Thargos standing next small trans matter
disk. He gestured toward it.
"I will remain aboard the satellite until I have your solution. If I
must destroy this relay, I will step aboard my moment before, where I
will be perfectly safe."
The shot focused again on Thargos's grinning features. The
requirements are these, Packlord: First, you and all ships will vacate
Sol System within four TeiTan hours. Second, as surety for your
compliance, you will send to me the boy, Jim Endicott, and the agent,
Korkal Emut Denai."
Jim was mesmerized by the soft pinkness of the gullet behind those
sharp white fangs as they yawned wider.
"I must have your reply in one Terran hour. If a vessel bearing my
hostages has not been launched by that time, I will destroy this
satellite. That is all."
The holoscreen vanished.
Jim felt the heaviness of his sigh as a sudden collapsing sensation in
his diaphragm, as if somebody had just kicked him in the stomach.
"Great," he said. "When do I leave?"
"You don't, of course," Hith replied. "Korkal tells me this Thargos is
no fool, so we know he cannot be serious about his ultimatum. He has
no intention of letting that relay sat survive. Why should he? If he
destroys it, he knows Hunzza will have this system at its mercy. And
so he will blow it up no matter what we do. The rest is a ruse to get
his hands on you. Somehow or other he has discovered that you are
critical to the arrays. If he captures you and destroys the relay,
then Hunzza wins. They won't even have to destroy Sol System, because
we don't have enough force here to stop whatever they want to do. Terra
will fall into their claws like a ripe plum and you with it. I can't
allow that to happen."
"Packlord... Hith..."
"No, Jim. It's too late. I have only one option left. I will destroy
that satellite myself--and this Thargos who presumes to give me
ultimatums--and then take you and the controllers on this ship to
safety. Perhaps the Hunzza won't destroy Sol System. And perhaps in
the fullness of time, you and our scientists working together can
re-create a working mind array using nonhuman brains. They tell me
there is a remote chance that may be possible. So I'm sorry, Lord
Endicott, but that's my decision."
"Pacldord, if there's some way to keep him from blowing that bomb for
even ten minutes, there is another way!"
Hith looked down at his hands, his eyes half-lidded. After a long
moment he looked up again. "I'm listening."
ABOARD ANY UNCONQUERABLE EN ROUTE TO
RELAY SATELLITE NUMBER Two: ETA HUNZZAN FLEETS: 09:00:00 AND COUNT INI
,:
They stood around Tick, who sat in the pilot's chair, them toward Relay
Satellite Number Two.
Korkal said, "Activate the device, Commander Tickeree." Tick's head
was hidden behind his inter force shield, couldn't see his expression.
A series of red dots began to Tick's command panels.
Korkal slapped Tick on one shoulder. "Be very careful of belt switch,
okay?."
"Oh, yes."
Korkal turned to Jim. "You understand what I've done?"
"If you don't personally countermand the arming of the it will detonate
and destroy everything within its range."
"Which will be more than enough to destroy the satellite. us, of
course. As for Thargos's ship, the full power of the weapons systems
are locked on it now. It will be destroyed,"i moment we dock on the
satellite."
"I suppose the pack lord had to have his fail-safe device." Korkal
stared at him. "What did you tell him after he the rest of us out? I
can't imagine he would take this risk."
Jim shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Is everything ready?.......
Korkal glanced at Tick. "Yes. Those Romian yours--150 of them--are
ready to disembark the minute we contact. If Thargos doesn't try to
use his own ship to before we reach him, then we'll be in range to use
the field about five minutes before we dock. We'll activate it
understand how it works?"
"No, not how. But I understand what it will do. Thargos
mistake in using a primitive nuclear device to mine the satellite.
Alba has technology--this suppresser field--that is capable of slowing,
though not stopping, such a nuclear reaction. If he tries to set off
the nuke--which he'll do as soon as he realizes the Pr/de has destroyed
his own ship--it won't blow right away."
"It wasn't really a mistake," Korkal said. 'q'hargos couldn't have
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