Slave Race 30/? (just because I'm a nice person)
by Nan Smith and Linda Garrick
Chapter 44
"We made it!" Loreen leaned weakly forward across the control panel.
Ed wasn't so sure. He had, during his years with the Jilectan pirate, made many conversions to hyperspace, and never had the transition felt like that. He moistened his lips and checked over the control panel. The readout on the comp had changed into a confused mass of figures. The control panel, itself, showed half a dozen blinking green lights. The Patrol cruiser had damaged them, thrown them off course just at the moment of conversion. How far off course, he had no way of knowing.
"Ed, what is it?"
He swallowed. "Lori, we're not heading for Terra."
"Were we supposed to be?"
"Yes. That's where Cory told me to set for. But something's wrong. They hit us just before we converted, and it messed something up. I don't know where we're going. We're in hyperspace, but..." he stopped.
"You can't get a readout?"
"The shot messed up everything. I...I can't get anything."
She studied the mechanism for a moment. "Can you fix it?"
"I don't know. I can try, but I'm no computer technician."
"Are we in immediate danger?"
"I...don't think so." He leaned forward and tentatively pressed a button.
Nothing happened.
"She's frozen. I suppose when that bolt hit us..." He stopped in mid-sentence at a call from Stephen. "Well, we'd better go let the kids know what's happened. You stay here and watch the comp. If you're worried about anything, call me."
"Okay, Ed." She touched his hand. "Don't blame yourself. At least we're still alive, and not prisoners. It could have been a lot worse."
"But Karl..."
"Cory knows about him, doesn't he?"
"Yes. He told me the Underground was on it."
"Then he'll be okay. The Underground found my parents when they had to run for it. Those people are wonderful, Ed."
She was trying to comfort him, Ed knew. He nodded. "Thanks, honey. Be right back."
He stood up, went out of the control room and into the passenger section. He stopped, appalled.
Lord Comishvor lay face down on the deck. Stephen stood over him, a blaster centered on him. The Jilectan was motionless, his eyes closed, his breathing harsh.
"What the devil...what's he doing here? How did he get on board?"
Stephen made a low growling noise and pointed at Ellie. "Ask this little idiot, Mr. White!"
"I'm not an idiot!" Ellie squealed. She burst into tears.
"But how...?"
The psychic boy cleared his throat and stepped tentatively forward. "Sir, it was my fault. I'm sorry."
Edwin surveyed the boy without favor. He was small and slight, as psychic children usually were. His eyes were blue, his hair too long, falling in a tousled mop almost to his shoulders. Freckles sprinkled his upturned nose, and he was clad in a simple, dark blue jumpsuit. Edwin recognized one of his own pirate outfits, altered skillfully to fit the boy. Miriam's work, no doubt. In his arms, the child still held the now quiet form of Cory's daughter.
"Your fault?"
"Yeah. I'm awful sorry." He gulped. "I just couldn't stand it."
"Neither could I!" Ellie sobbed. "The Jil was crawling up the ramp, begging us to help him! I knew he'd be killed when we took off, so Jack and I pulled him in. Oh, Mr. White, he fainted when we got him inside! I couldn't stand it! I just couldn't!"
Edwin's heart melted. Ellie was an empath, and the boy almost certainly was, too. It wasn't their fault. He went over and drew the sobbing girl close.
"It's okay, Ellie. You couldn't help it, and I probably would've done the same thing." He patted her back comfortingly, glancing across at the boy. "You're name's Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Jack what?"
"Just Jack." He shrugged. "I'm an orphan."
Edwin sighed. He couldn't blame the kid, he decided. He couldn't be much over nine years of age, and had been under the thumb of Comishvor. Edwin had obeyed the Jil, too--in fact, Jack was in this mess because Ed had complied with Comishvor's wishes.
He let go of Ellie and extended a hand toward the boy. "I'm Ed White."
The boy nodded solemnly and shook his hand. "Thanks for takin' me along, sir."
"My pleasure. You got us out of a bad spot back there."
"I did?"
"When you made a run for it. Distracted everybody so Steph could get in his shot."
The boy's tightly drawn lips relaxed slightly. "Thanks, sir, but it wasn't planned. I... just didn't want to be his psychic anymore. He was awful mean to me."
"I don't blame you. He isn't the easiest Jil to work for."
"I've never worked for any others." The boy set the baby down in one of the passenger seats, straightened up and rubbed a hand over his face. "But he was awful. He punished me for nothin' at all, an' his Lady was worse. She hated me. I think she'd have liked t'kill me, if Lord Comishvor'd've let her."
Edwin nodded. "I was acquainted with Lady Gootishville, too. Well, she won't give us any more trouble. Loreen got her."
The boy stared. "You mean, she's dead?"
"You didn't see, huh?" Stephen's voice held a note of pride. "My mom shot her, right between the..."
"Steph, cool it."
"Sorry, sir." The boy grinned, the sobered, his gaze going to the fallen Jilectan pirate. "What do we do with him, now?"
Edwin followed his gaze. "I don't know."
"Did the Undergrounders tell you where to take us, Mr. White? They must have. I saw you setting the comp."
Edwin cleared his throat. "Yeah. I was in contact with Cory, and he told me. But..."
"Oh, great. We're headed for one of their hideouts with a Jil on board."
"No, we're not."
"We aren't?"
"No." Ed cleared his throat a second time. "That Patrol cruiser hit us just as we went into hyperspace. It threw us off course, and now the computer controls are frozen. I can't stop us."
Silence. Then Stephen spoke slowly, as though disbelieving. "You mean, we don't know where we're heading?"
"No." Ed sat down. He felt suddenly very tired. "If we can repair the comp, I know where to send us, but I don't know if I can repair it."
"How bad is it?"
"I don't know yet. I haven't had time to look. I'm not a computer tech, but I'll see what I can do."
"Maybe I can help. I've been taking computer programming and repair in school."
"Then you probably know more than I do," Edwin said. "Go have a look at it and see what you think."
"Okay." Stephen went past him into the control room. Ellie followed, still sniffling slightly. Jack glanced sideways at Ed.
"Are you mad at me, Mr. White?"
"Mad? Why should I be?"
"I led Comishvor to you."
"You had to. He forced you."
"But I didn't resist. You must know that."
Ed didn't answer. He stepped over to the passenger chair to look down at Cory's daughter. The infant was asleep, her long lashes lying against the smooth, rosy cheeks.
"Stephen knows it," Jack said, bitterly. "He blames me for it. I can sense it. If I hadn't helped Comishvor find you, we wouldn't be in this mess now."
"Stephen doesn't understand."
"And you do?"
"Of course I do. I was Comishvor's slave for sixteen years."
"Oh." A pause. Then, "I didn't think you'd be so nice about it. I sure didn't think you'd let me come with you."
"Well, there was hardly time to shove you out." Ed turned to look at him and gave him what he hoped was an understanding grin. "Take it easy, Jack. When Comishvor tells you to do something, you do it if you know what's good for you. I learned that quick enough."
The boy nodded then grinned weakly in return. "And I guess you're not mad that we brought M'lord on board?"
"Well, I could have done without him, but I understand why you did it. You're empaths--you and Ellie. So am I. Terrible weakness to have, but there's no controlling it. Makes people like you and me do awfully stupid things."
The boy nodded, face slowly suffusing with color. "I'm always doin' stupid things. The other boys at the orphanage called me a sissy."
"You aren't a sissy. Get that out of your head right now. Or if you are, so am I. Now, what are we going to do with him?" Ed surveyed the unconscious Jilectan unhappily. "Run get me the first aid kit, will you? It's in the compartment over there."
The boy hurried to obey. He appeared weak, his movements deliberate as though he was concentrating on keeping his balance.
"When did you eat last, Jack?"
"Uh... yesterday mornin', I guess it was, or day before yesterday, I guess. It must be after midnight now."
Ed swore under his breath and shrugged the pack from his shoulders. After a few seconds' digging, he extracted one of the food concentrate cakes they had taken from the patrolmen. "How's he expect to get good service if he doesn't feed you?"
The boy accepted the food, stuffing it in his mouth. "It was Lady Gootishville's idea," he told Edwin around the mouthful. "She was mad at me 'cause I kept tryin' to escape. Part of her punishment was not feedin' me. And o'course, I got weak enough that I couldn't run, eventually." He finished the cake and licked his fingers. "Thanks, Mr. White."
Ed gave him another cake. "Here, fill up." He knelt beside the Jilectan as the boy crammed the second cake into his mouth.
The blaster bolt had burned away the cloth covering Comishvor's shoulder, searing the skin beneath. The injury involved the entire shoulder and part of the arm and neck as well. The Jilectan was unconscious, his skin clammy with shock. Stephen must be a good shot to have scored so well by the flickering handlights. It was obvious the boy had been aiming to kill.
With Jack's help, he turned the alien over, nearly giving himself a hernia in the process, and stripped away the burned clothing. Again Jack helped, his fingers deft and sure on the burned flesh. Comishvor moaned faintly but remained unconscious.
Together they plastered the wound with burn salve and covered it with plastiskin. Ed elevated the alien's feet and Jack used an emergency blanket to cover him. Ed sat back, wiping his hands on his trouser legs. "There. He'll be okay. Jils are tough." He checked the alien quickly for weapons and found none. "I guess we'll just leave him where he is. I doubt that all of us together could move him."
Loreen entered the cabin. "Ed?"
"Yes?"
"Stephen's got the casing open in there. Is that okay? He says he knows what he's doing...oooh!" She went over to the baby and picked her up. "Oh, Ed, she's so beautiful! Cory's little girl? Yes, she looks like him." Loreen sat down, gazing into the little face. "Is she a psychic, Ed? Can you tell?"
He nodded absently. "Yes, she is. Look, I'd better go see what Steph's up to. Watch Comishvor, and if he moves, call me."
"I will. Ed, just a minute. Ellie tells me that she got a message from Karl just as we were taking off. The Underground arrived and got him away. He's safe."
Edwin felt the tension go out of him. "He's with the Underground?"
"Yes." Loreen smiled down at the cooing infant. "We've been very fortunate, Ed." Her voice was calm now, her demeanor almost serene. "We couldn't expect everything to go right, but I'm not worried anymore. The children are alive and fairly safe, and so are we."
Ed looked at her in awe. He understood now how she had managed to endure those years with Cecil. Loreen was strong. Her inner stamina had carried her through it all--those terrible times when many woman would have folded and admitted defeat. She had walked beside him in these past, dreadful days, not knowing if her son--their son--was going to survive or not--and for that matter, not knowing if any of them were going to survive. She had never complained. And back in the cave, when Comishvor had cornered them, she had fought like a demon. She had shot a Lady Jilectan dead to save her husband and kids, and now she sat rocking a baby as though she were in her sitting room at home, and it was the end of a normal day.
"I love you, Lori," he said.
She smiled up at him brightly. "I love you, too, Edwin," she said.
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