" Igin, is that right?" " Yes, sir." "And you're attached to the Fourth Column of freedom fighters," " commanded by Star Major Hunda?" " Yes, sir." "Strange how you civilians give yourselves these impressive military ranks." "What was Star Major Hunda before the occupation?" " A hairdresser?" " No, sir." " He was my first assistant at Liedenbrank." " Ah, a teacher." "You know that Liedenbrank no longer exists." "IGIN:" "Yes, we'd heard that most of it had been destroyed." "Together with 18,000 defenders, though they were given the chance to surrender." " What was your position at Liedenbrank?" " I was the Director of Geological Studies." "Indeed." "All right, Igin, I'm going to let you rejoin your friends." " You're releasing me?" " Of course, why not?" "And you might tell Hunda that resistance is quite pointless." "By the way, what was your mission?" "We wanted to find out how far the flood level below the city had receded." "Why?" "Hunda thought it might be possible to tunnel under the Magnetrix terminal and lay explosive charges." "Clever." "Yes, that would have made a mess of things." " Is the scheme feasible?" " No, not at the moment." "The water's still too high." "We should have to tunnel over 300 metres." "Well, that's something for you to report, isn't it?" "All right, Igin, off you go." "Thank you, sir." "Too easy, isn't it?" "Just like children, once they've been adapted." "I don't know what the pacification police use, but I wish I could get hold of a shot of it." "Why, sir?" "Next time I go on leave." "I could use it to get my entertainment for nothing." "Check that he's registering." "Yes, we've a clear signal." "He's heading out towards the refineries." "Good." "Call me when you think he's made contact." "Command Central." "Avandir speaking." "Post 3." "Tell Hunda that Igin is coming back." "Hello, Post 3, this is Hunda." "Is Igin alone?" "As far as I can see." "Right." "Hold him where he is." "Tell him to take cover, and I'll send an escort party for him as soon as it gets dark." " What is it, Orac?" " You asked me to report any extension of the Federation command network." "Magnetrix terminal 406 is now programmed in." " What planet does the terminal serve?" " Helotrix." " Helotrix." " It is the main terminal for the planet Helotrix." "The fact is checked and confirmed." "That means the Helots are back in the empire." "But they aren't the sort to cave in so quickly." "It took the Federation years to subdue them on the first expansion." "They've retaken Lubus and Porthia Major in the last few weeks." "If Helotrix has gone, that means the Federation now control most of Sector 4." "If they keep expanding at this rate, Avon, we haven't as much time as you thought." "They'll be knocking on the door in a couple of years." "How are they doing it?" "I don't know, but maybe we should start running." "I always thought your idea of having a combat base was crazy." "Vila, I won't run." "We have to find out what it is they're doing." "Why the old colonies are being conquered so easily." "Then perhaps we can do something about it." "The five of us?" "Oh, and Trooper Orac here." "We need to know how they are doing it." "It's possible that the Federation have some new weapon, something we don't know about." " All the more reason to start running now." " Oh, drop it, Vila." "Avon's right." "If it is something new, how are we going to find out about it?" "There's only one way." "AVON:" "We have to go to Helotrix." "(Rustling)" "Our duty target's nice and steady now, sir." "Hasn't moved for an hour." "Then presumably Igin's got back to base." "All right, prepare for neutron strike." "All launchers mobile, sir." "Ready launchers 3 and 17." "Fifty-metre bracket pattern." " 3 and 17 locked on, now." " Primary relay open." "Safety lock clear." "Fire." "Countdown." "Four, three, two." "They must have had some kind of marker on him." "That should have been me." " It was my idea." " Igin volunteered." "I should never have sent him." "He was too old." "But that's why he volunteered, Hunda, don't you see?" " He wanted to be of use." " Nevertheless, it was my idea, I should have gone!" "Yes, sir, with any luck the rebel's Fourth Column has just ceased to exist." " Well done." " Thank you, sir." "Mind you, I have a sneaking respect for these Helots." "I led a squadron of them once." "Marvellous fighters, especially at close quarters." "They love the hand-to-hand stuff." "Not really necessary, of course, these days, sir." "Don't you believe it, Quute." "You can't do everything with your missiles." "Bunkers, strong points, inner city combat." "You've got to winkle them out with cold steel." "It's the only way of clearing the ground." " Gas, sir?" " It's not always effective." " Do you remember the Fletch expedition of '29?" " No, I don't think I do." "Fletch used gas against the Wazis." "Complete massacre, bodies everywhere." "Took dinner with his officers that night, suddenly the Wazis came over the wall, butchered the whole expedition." "It seems Wazis are gill-breathers, they can lie dormant for days." "That's very interesting, sir." " You'll send out a patrol to do a body count?" " Of course, sir." "Well, don't use our own troops." "We've got some adapted Helots under training." "Yes, I've seen them." " What do you think of them?" " They seem like all Helots after adaptation." "Suggestible, obedient and glad to follow orders." "They should make excellent troops." "I don't know." "Something missing, I think." " Fire in the belly, Quute." "You can't fight without it." " No, of course not, sir." " I'm meeting the President-elect later on." " Yes, I'd heard he'd arrived." " He's a Helot, they say." " Practor?" "Oh, yes, born and bred." "It's a good idea getting one of their own to run the place." " Is he adapted, sir?" " It's not necessary," "Practor's been on the Federation civil list for years." "He knows all the ropes." "So it shouldn't take too long to hand over." "Then we can get on to Wanta." " Wanta?" " That's our next assignment." " Something to look forward to, eh?" " Yes, sir, I'm looking forward to that no end." "Where exactly is Wanta, sir?" " How long till we make planetfall?" " Just over two hours." "You'd better check out which gun kits you want." " Do you think I'll pass for a Helot?" " No problem." "When Helotrix was first settled, the old Stock Equalization Act was still in force." "Every Earth race had to be represented." "I didn't know Helots were originally from Earth." "Everyone came from Earth originally." "That's a well-known fact." "It's a well-known opinion, actually." " Most well-known facts are." " But not in this case." "Helotrix is one of the oldest colonies and the first to gain independence from the empire." "Until the Federation grabbed it back." " Come on, Dayna." " Right." "That idiot's looking forward to it." "He can't wait to go snooping around Helotrix." "He's good material, is Tarrant." "One of the best." "He's not the man for the job." "Tarrant has about as much subtlety as a Tarzian Warg Strangler." "All I'm saying is Tarrant's going to walk straight into trouble, and get himself killed or captured." "If he's dead, he can't talk." "But if the Federation find out we're hanging around, we won't stand a chance." "Not in this ship." "At least in the Liberator we could always outrun them." "Vila, if the Federation do have some new weapon, the Helots will know all about it." "All Tarrant has to do is ask a few questions in the right places." "Even your Tarzian Warg Strangler might manage that." "You think so?" "Well, you better give him a list of questions and then a map to find the right places." "Doesn't have much time for Tarrant, does he?" "Oh, well, Tarrant is brave, young, handsome." "There are three good reasons for anyone not to like him." "He has a point, all the same." " About Tarrant?" " (Chuckling) About the ship." "It was never designed to tangle with Federation cruisers." "Oh, I'm working on them." " You are?" " With Orac's help." "These old freighters are fitted with short-burn boosters to help get their payloads into orbit." "Orac is figuring out a way to redesign them to give us extra in-flight speed." " I thought he was keeping unusually silent." " Probably sulking." "One of the almost human things about Orac is that it does not like to work." " Orac." " Yes, Avon." " Any progress with the booster problem?" " There has been no reply yet." "What do you mean, no reply?" "I passed the programme to computers specialising in engineering design." " You mean you can't handle it yourself?" " The art of leadership is delegation." "They'll push out a patrol to check our casualties, so you'll have a chance to catch them in the open for once." "Now, bait the ground well, and then deploy the rest of the column beyond Post 3." " Any questions?" " We'll be in the open, too." "If they send in gunships we'll be cut to pieces." "Take them by surprise." "Hit hard and they'll have no time to call gunships." "And then you get out again fast, all right?" " MAN:" "Prisoners?" " We don't take prisoners." " You should be in command." " I'm passing command to you, Hask." "Take over the column till I get back." "Hunda, why don't you think again?" " Do you have to go?" " Yes." "If I'd have gone last time Igin would still be alive." " And you might be dead." " Look, we're losing this war, but if we can destroy the Magnetrix terminal, we may still have a chance, and it's our only chance." " There are plenty of others." "I'm willing to try." " You're not a geologist." "We need to know the exact point where we can start the shaft." "How long it's going to take, what sort of equipment will be required." "And a dozen other questions that only an expert can decide." "How are you going to get into the city?" "We haven't found an entrance yet that isn't covered." "That's true." "They probably got Igin on their detector screens before he got 50 yards." "I'm going to swim in under the reactors." " I doubt if they thought of that." " I doubt it, too." "That's an impossible swim, Hunda." "Fifty metres underwater in almost total blackness." " You'll never make it." " I think I can." "There are two places along that cooling system where it's possible to surface, and as long as I keep my face to the current, I should be heading in the right direction." "All right, Hask, you take over now." "Get the column moving." "And if all goes well, I'll be back tomorrow night." "Good luck, Hunda." "This is the high chamber, Excellency." "It's still furnished to the taste of your predecessor, but that's easily changed." " Who are you?" " My name is Leitz, General." "Commissioner Sleer sent me to act as His Excellency, President-elect Practor's liaison officer." "Good." "Remarkable person, Sleer." "Thinks of everything." "They think highly of Sleer at Federation headquarters." "So they should." "So they should." "If it wasn't for Commissioner Sleer's pacification programme, my task force would still be bogged down five star systems back." "Adaptation programme, General." "Tell me about it." "How is it done?" " Some new wonder drug, isn't it, Leitz?" " Yes, sir." "The Commissioner controls its manufacture." "It's injected by medical laser, acts immediately and has no side effects." " It changes the personality, I believe?" " Not to any great extent, Excellency." "It simply blocks the production of adrenalin." "The result is that adapted natives no longer resist us." " They continue to work normally?" " Completely." " In fact, the work ethic is often reinforced." " Really?" "Industrial production on Tarsius has risen 19% since the natives were adapted." "That's very impressive." "How many Helots have been adapted so far?" "Do sit down, General." "The majority, I should think." "Commissioner Sleer doesn't waste time." "It's simply that, as my craft came over this afternoon," "I saw some explosions out to the east." "It seemed that fighting was still going on." "Isolated pockets of resistance." "They're being mopped up rapidly now." "You actually saw the destruction of a rebel unit." "Strange that I didn't see any sign of life." "They're very skilled at using cover." "So it would seem." "We employed a live target for that particular strike." "A live target, General?" "Sleer's people picked up a rebel who'd been sent on an intelligence mission." "He was adapted, given a tracer to swallow and sent back to rejoin his friends." "When he reached their base, my missile commander just pressed the button." " That's very ingenious, General." " And very effective." "Well, Excellency, I'll leave you now." "We'll meet tomorrow at the swearing-in ceremony." "Thank you, General." "I'm grateful to you." "We are now holding station 40 miles from the surface." "I do hope this is satisfactory, Master." "So, Tarrant, this is your big moment." " If the teleport works..." " It's working perfectly now, I checked it myself." "Yes, but would you use it yourself, Vila?" "That's the real test." "Oh, get in there and disappear." "Remember, Tarrant, we are only interested in whether or not the Federation have some new weapon." "Whatever else is happening down there, even if they are executing the entire population, you are not to get involved." " All right?" " You know me, Avon." "Report when you contact surface." "Tarrant to Scorpio." "We're on surface." "Scorpio to Tarrant." "Message clear, report again in one hour." " Why aren't they answering?" " I don't know." "Tarrant to Scorpio, are you receiving us?" "He didn't hear." "I fear that sensors indicate audio malfunction." "Tell us something we don't know, Slave." "I do apologise most profoundly if I have given offence." " I assure you that..." " All right, Slave, be quiet." "You'd better check the audio beam." "It looks as if we're stuck here, Tarrant." "I knew I should have brought my night clothes." "Hmm." "Well, they'll obviously be working on the fault." "Nothing we can do about it." "Let's go." "Then from your private suite back into the reception chamber." "This is, of course, a communication centre which gives you video contact by satellite with any part of Helotrix." "You also have a direct audio link via the Magnetrix terminal with Federation headquarters." "Not quite direct, then, is it, Leitz?" "No, sir, I meant that it's private and priority coded." "Years in the civil service have turned me into something of a pedant." "You mustn't let it worry you, Leitz." "LEITZ:" "The Supreme Empress?" "Servalan?" " Is your Excellency certain?" " Of course, I knew her well." "Killed in the rearguard action at Gedden." "I knew she was reported dead, sir." "I never heard any details." "There was a great deal of confusion when the High Council were restored to power." "Most of the old guard were killed in the fighting." "They remained loyal to Servalan right till the end." "And a lot were executed later, weren't they?" " All the leaders were purged." " The penalty for choosing the wrong side." "I myself was under arrest for a short time." "Well, I suppose it's better to die bravely in the field than to face execution later." "PA SYSTEM:" "Attention, citizens." "Attention." "This is a census call." "Assemble in the concourse now." "Use entrances 1 and 3 only." "I repeat, entrances 1 and 3 only." "Let's try over there." " Ah." "Any ideas?" " We'll have to go through him." "That's what they're expecting, friends." "Follow me." "If you want to stay alive." "We'll lie low till the check is over." " DAYNA:" "What's the check for?" " Catching people like us." "The unadapted." " Unadapted?" "What do you mean?" " You're off-worlders." " Who are you?" " You got us right the first time." "We're friends." "Of anyone fighting the Federation." "Now what's this about people like us being "unadapted"?" "(Whistle blowing)" "Avandir, behind you!" "RADIO:" "Hello, Red Leader." "This is Strike Control." "What is your position?" "Red Leader?" "Are you receiving me?" "Ow!" "Sorry, sir." "I think we just lost our Helots." " What?" " They went out with a bang." " You mean the patrol's been ambushed?" " It reads that way, sir." "That Hunda and his rabble are becoming more than just a nuisance." "Well, the teleport audio system seems to be working all right." "Orac, how do the sensors check?" "The sensors are clear." " So what went wrong?" " Hard to say." "What did you do?" "What any skilled technician does with solid-state circuitry." "He kicked the living quartz out of it." "It's probably one of the relay triggers." "We'll have to go over the whole system when we get back." "All right, try and contact Tarrant now." "SOOLIN: (Over radio) Tarrant." "Tarrant, come in please." "Avon certainly chooses his moments." "Well, at least they've fixed the teleport." "And we've had a demonstration of the Federation's new weapon." " Isn't there any defence against it?" " Only to shoot first." "We can move out of here soon." "They won't run another census today." "What did I say?" "Didn't I tell you Tarrant would blow it?" "We don't know that for certain." "Right now, he's probably strung up while they thread red hot filaments through his nerve centres, if he's got any." "It'll be, "Where'd you come from?" "How'd you get here?" "Are there any more like you?"" "For pity's sake, Avon, get this ship moving while we still have a chance." "Slave, I want an infrared surface sweep every 30 seconds." "Immediate notification of any launchings." "At once, Master." " That'll be too late." " I don't think so." "We can't be sure that anything has happened to them." "Maybe it just wasn't convenient for them to answer." "Right, like their arms are being pulled out at the shoulders." "Vila, until we are attacked, we are staying." "Blake would have been proud of you, you know." "I know." "But then he never was very bright." "(Beeping)" "House computer." "You require?" "You've allowed access to my private lift, to whom?" "A visitor." "Top priority." "What are you..." "No sign of him?" "In the first days of the occupation, this was always our meeting point, but maybe he stopped coming." "Don't you have any other way of contacting him?" "I mean, you just turn up here at this time of day?" "It seems a bit haphazard." "We didn't have time to get organised." "What, so you've no contact with other resistance units?" "None." "Maybe mine's the only column still fighting." "There's Leitz now." "These are friends." "Dayna, Tarrant." "They're from Earth." "Enemies of the Federation." " Have you any news of the other columns?" " Nothing good." "Two has been practically wiped out." "One and Three have suffered heavy casualties and pulled back into the White Mountains to regroup." "So mine is the only unit still functioning." "And you can expect to come under heavy attack in the next few days." "The General is getting impatient." "Yes, well, we beat off their last attack." "Shot down two gunships." "I heard." " How did you get into the city?" " I swam in under the reactors." "Well, I'm sorry you took such a risk to hear bad news." "Well, that isn't why I came." "I wanted to see how far the flood level's fallen." "Why?" "I had hoped we could tunnel in from the lower city and lay mines under the Magnetrix terminal, but the floodwater's too high." "In the early days of the fighting, we blew the reservoirs." "The terminal is their communication centre?" "If we could knock it out, they'd be isolated." "Couldn't you infiltrate an assault group?" "Or is it too heavily defended?" "It's not defended, but the city's sealed off." " What is it?" " Sealed off." "About 100 years ago they sealed off the old monorail." "Hunda, if you could find it..." "I know where it runs." "It's still shown on the plans." "You could bring an army in through there right into the heart of the city." "You're right." "We could destroy the terminal and their command HQ in one strike." "We'll win this war yet!" "I must get back to my column." "I don't think we'll meet again." "I hope you get the information you need." " Oh, and, Leitz." " Yes?" "Remember to keep your head down when we come in." "What's the information you need?" "We've come to learn what we can about the new drug the Federation's using." "Pylene-50." "What do you want to know?" "(Alarm beeping)" " So Pylene-50 is actually made here?" " It has to be." "It only remains stable for a few days, and then the enzyme bonds break up and it's no longer effective." "If we could find a sample for analysis..." "Where's the synthesising plant?" "You're sitting on top of it, but it's guarded night and day." "It's worth taking a look." " I wouldn't leave without." " Well, be careful." "I wish I could help you, but I can't stay any longer." "You've been a great help already, Leitz." "We're very grateful." " Have you fixed its position?" " Not enough time, sir." "But it's above Roche's limit, so it must be a spacecraft." "Or a spy satellite." " What's that thing called?" "Orac?" " Yes, sir." " Means nothing to me." "How was it detected?" " A one-in-a-thousand chance, General." "The operator happened to pick it up while running a routine line scan." "And what was this data it was taking from the terminal?" "A study on freighter design modification." "Information being relayed from Space Centre." "Sounds like a bit of commercial jiggery-pokery, Quute." " I shouldn't worry about it." " That's not really the point, sir." "These spaceship builders, they're always at each other's throats." " Underhanded bunch." " Yes, sir, but..." "Most of them are Scalerians, you know." " Utter rogues." "Corruption's a way of life." " Yes, sir, but..." "Can't fight worth a damn, either." "It's a security problem, General." "It means that whatever's up there must be able to take information from databanks anywhere in the Federation." " Really?" " Yes, sir." "What, you mean, troop movements, that sort of thing?" "An open book, General." "Then put a stop to it at once." "Yes, sir, well, if you would authorise a search and destroy mission..." "Absolutely." "No, Commissioner, the video system's been destroyed." "All right, Leitz." " See nothing's touched and inform the General." " I already have." "He's here." "Good." "Tell him I'll take charge of the investigation." "We need an arrest before Headquarters are told of Practor's death." "Somebody wanted to make very sure of him, eh?" "Commissioner Sleer said to touch nothing, sir." " Sleer's taking charge?" " Yes, sir." "Well, it's a police job, I suppose." " You searched the apartment?" " Yes, General." "The computer must have let him in." "So the killer is somebody Practor knew." "I'd say that limits the field a bit." " Where were you when he was killed?" " I had to meet somebody on the concourse." "So the killer could have seen you leave and knew he was alone." "It's possible, sir." "Of course, you can prove you had this meeting." "That might be difficult." "Why?" "Because my meeting was with Hunda, General, and two off-worlders." "Hunda is a rebel leader." "Yes." "He managed to get into the city." "You see, since I arrived here, I've been coordinating the resistance." "I've kept in contact with all the rebel columns." "This is treason, Leitz." "I could have you shot out of hand." "No, I don't think so." "I was acting under Commissioner Sleer's instructions to obtain advanced knowledge of their plans." "You mean you're a double spy." "It was my information which led to the destruction of their second column." "And Hunda's column is about to walk into a similar trap." "Go on." "He's planning a raid on the Magnetrix terminal." "At dawn he'll enter the city by the old monorail." "Once his column's inside the tunnel, all you have to do is blow it in, General." "Blow it in." "That's all I have to do?" "Yes, I suppose so." "It'll finish the resistance." "You mentioned two off-worlders at this meeting." "Yes." "They're interested in the adaptation drug." "I sent them to the laboratory." "I expect they're dead now." "TARRANT:" "It's a photocell lock." "Here's a key." "Tarrant, wait." "Here's another one." " What do you make of it?" " It's a Tangran code." " That's what I thought." " I wonder..." "You just saved our lives." " That other one must have been booby-trapped." " Yeah, that was a trick, tiny diffusers." " Nerve gas?" " I expect so." "Let's just pray there isn't a backup system." "Ladies first." "You're so gallant." "In my hand I have an electrical contact." "If it closes, it will detonate 700 kilos of glycerol trinitrate." "Put your guns away." "Put them away!" "Nitroglycerine?" "It's a bit outdated, isn't it?" "It was all I could make with my limited resources." "And it is still a highly effective explosive." " You're not from the Federation, I gather." " No." "Your surreptitious entry told me as much." "Who are you?" "Where are you from?" "Come now, I may be friendlier than you think." "My name is Dayna." "This is Tarrant." "We're Federation outlaws." "Yes." "Yes, I remember those names." "There was a reward for your capture." "You and your friends have a ship called the Liberator." " Am I right?" " We had a ship called the Liberator, it was destroyed fairly recently." "Memory is one of the few faculties I have left that still functions perfectly." "My name, by the way, is Forbus." "The inventor of Pylene-50." "Forbus, you weren't really going to press that contact, were you?" "The explosion would have killed you, too." "That would seem a waste at the present time." "When I die, I should like Commissioner Sleer right beside me." "But you work for Sleer, manufacturing Pylene-50." "I am compelled to work for Sleer." "That inhuman devil is the cause of it." "Sleer is responsible for what you see." "And now, only Sleer keeps me alive." "What happened, what do you mean?" "Pylene-50 used homoeopathically is simply a muscle relaxant." "Sleer discovered that 100 times normal dosage totally subverts the will, tried to force me to part with the formula." "I refused." "I didn't understand Sleer's nature then." "Totally callous, savage ambition." "There is a poison called Tincture of Pyrellic." " Perhaps you've heard of it?" " No." "It is the extract of Pamporanian fungi, it cripples and eventually kills." "Death is agonising and there is no cure." "I have Pyrellic poisoning." "Sleer's doing." "There is an antidote that prevents the poison's spreading." "As long as I take it daily I get no worse, but Sleer, of course, controls my supply." " So long as you manufacture Pylene-50." " That is the threat always over my head." "To work for Sleer or to die in agony." "But, from time to time," "Commissioner Sleer comes in here to taunt me, to gloat." "Now, thanks to my outdated nitroglycerine, Dayna," "I am ready." "I hope Leitz comes as well." "He usually does." " Leitz." " Almost as vile a sadist as Sleer." "Yes, I should like Leitz to be here." "Is something wrong?" "But Leitz told us he worked for the resistance." "But he didn't tell us about that booby-trap door, did he?" "And he must have set Hunda up, too." "That story about the monorail tunnel, it's all a trap." "We've got to tell Hunda and warn him." "Forbus, we came here to get a sample of Pylene-50 in the hope that someone can devise..." "Somebody already has, Tarrant." "These block the effects of Pylene-50, but unfortunately can't reverse them." "And this is the written formula." " Forbus..." " Don't waste time thanking me, my friends." "You must hurry." " Flight commander wants clearance to launch, sir." " All right, go ahead." "Strike leader, this is Control." "You have clearance." " Just launching the search for that spy ship, sir." " Good." "What's the position regarding the monorail?" "The sapper team have laid 18 charges in the tunnel." "They can be detonated either simultaneously or independently." "I suppose Leitz will expect a medal after this." "Surface launch, Master." "What did I say?" "Slave, can you identify them?" "The heat pattern indicates three B 19 cruisers." "Oh, come on, Avon." "Hit that button." "That's a search formation, Avon." "They're not aligned for an attack." "So they're searching." "We're going to wait here till they find us?" "Let's get out." "They must have picked up Dayna and Tarrant, and realised we are up here somewhere." "Slave, set the ship on an evasion pattern, maximum speed!" " That's the first sensible..." " Just a minute." "This is Scorpio." "Come in, Tarrant." "Hold that order, Slave." "TARRANT:" "Soolin, we're almost finished here." "Tell him if he doesn't get the hell out, we're certainly finished here." "SOOLIN:" "Tarrant, we think Scorpio has been spotted." "Teleport up now." "I'm sorry, Soolin, we're not receiving you very clearly." "AVON:" "Tarrant!" "Tarrant!" "Listen..." "Let's go." " Tarrant!" "Tarrant!" " It's no use, he's cut off." " Damn." " Well, that is it." "With those ships out there, we can't wait." "They might not be looking for us." "Are you crazy?" "You said yourself that was a search formation." "They haven't picked up Tarrant, so why have they assumed a ship's out here?" "Just a minute." "Orac, that message from Space Centre, how was it relayed here?" "Through Terminal 4006." " The terminal on Helotrix." " Of course, Avon." " That is the nearest terminal to our position." " That's it." "They must have intercepted the transmission." "Computer logic." "The nearest terminal." "So Orac's thick, we all know that." "Let's move!" " I'm going in under them." " What?" "We'll go down to cloud level." "If we stay between them and the planet, we may not show up on their scanners." "Once we're below them we'll be cut off." "We won't stand a chance!" "Slave, give me manual control." "I'm banking on them searching outwards, not inwards." " And if you're wrong?" " If I'm wrong you can say, "I told you so", provided you speak loudly and quickly." "The entrance to the old monorail must be somewhere in this area." "Probably underneath all that rubble." "Must be just beyond the next ridge, near where the armoury used to stand." "Hunda, someone up there." "Cover!" "It's all right." "I know them." "Right." "The raid's off." " Why?" " We've been tricked." "Leitz is a double agent." "If you go into that monorail, you're good as dead, but you could go in where we came out." "We'd be picked off before we got anywhere near the terminal." "Hunda, if you issue your men with these, you'll have a fighting chance." "What are they?" "Some new drug that counters the effects of their medical lasers." "They should be entering the tunnel now." "We'll let them get well in, then blow every charge." "Make it as easy as possible for the poor devils." " We have an entry signal, sir, square 4K." " Square 4K." "Must be a feint to draw attention from their main attack." "They look to be coming through in some strength for a feint, General." "They're moving towards the terminal." "We'll cut them off on the concourse." "Tell Commissioner Sleer I'll need a full troop of guards." "I want to see this." "You coming, Quute?" " What about the tunnel, sir?" " Blow every charge now." "(Beeping)" "You were right, Tarrant." "That was the monorail." "Let's move." "Put down your guns." "Servalan!" "Now!" "You see, I told you, Quute." "They're marvellous fighters, especially at close quarters." "She got away." "It was Servalan, wasn't it?" "Well, we both saw her, and she seemed to recognise us." "Tarrant to Scorpio." "We're ready for teleport." "About time." "Stand by to teleport." "Slave, where are those cruisers now?" "Sector 12, Master." "You outmanoeuvred them with consummate skill." "Thank you." "Set a direct course for base, maximum speed." "Teleport operating." "What are you smirking about?" "Do you realise we've got half the Federation battle fleet looking for us?" "The next time either of you pull a stunt like that, I warn you it may prove fatal." "We've just seen an old friend of yours." " An implacable old friend." " Servalan." " Servalan?" " I thought you said she was dead." " TARRANT:" "We did." " But she's not." "She's very much alive." " You tricked me, Forbus." " No, Sleer, I assure you." "You did something to that last batch of Pylene-50." "I did nothing." "Nothing at all." "Look, let me show you the test sample." "I'm going to cut off your drug supply for three days." " That means you'll die about another 10%." " Oh, no." "Please, don't do that." " Look, this is the test sample." " I told you... (Groans)" "I'm not interested." "I'll teach you to obey me, Forbus, if I have to destroy all your skinny little body." "If you need a witness, Commissioner, I can swear it was self-defence." "What are you doing here?" "I followed you from the concourse." "Those two off-worlders seemed very anxious to find you as well." "They seemed to think they recognised you." "Really?" "And of course, Practor recognised you as well, didn't he?" "That's why you killed him." " What do you want, Leitz?" " The Presidency." "Anything is possible." "Well, after all, somebody has to take Practor's place." "You could use your influence, I'm sure." "And of course, you'd know your secret would be safe with me..." "Servalan." "I'm sure it would." "But I don't submit to blackmail." "There's always a first time." "And it's better than being executed." "After all, how many people have you killed to conceal your secret?" "You mean now?" "Twenty-six... so far." "You can't afford not to believe me, Avon." " How the hell did she get off the Liberator?" " I don't know." "Look, we both saw her." "It was Servalan." "You're just running away from the truth." "All right, I believe you." "I didn't want her to die like that anyway." "I need... to kill her myself."