Man’s com officer said through Charlie’s implants. “I have an incoming message riding on an old de Maris encryption key from a man who identifies himself as Spacer Turnman. He says it’s urgent that he speak with you. He says he can tell you where the girl is, whatever that means.”
Turnman? Charlie had to think for some seconds before he recalled the man, one of the snitches from the chain. Charlie said, “Put him through.”
Turnman wore de Satarna livery, sat at a console on some ship and had aged considerably in the past year. “Your Grace,” he said.
If the man had had anything to do with Delilah’s abduction, Charlie swore then and there he’d kill him. His voice came out in a growl. “You know where Delilah is?”
Turnman nodded, though his attitude was not confrontational or adversarial. “I accepted a position on Lord Dieter’s staff. I think he was looking to see how he could use me against you, and with no other prospects, I had no choice. The man who kidnapped the princess is one of his agents.”
“And you’re willing to tell me where she is?”
Again Turnman nodded.
“Why?”
Turnman shrugged. “I’m not proud of what I did, Commander.” He used Charlie’s old rank, the rank he’d held on the chain. It wasn’t uncommon for one of the Two Thousand to do so. “And you could have had us executed, but you didn’t, so I figure I owe you this. Maybe it can square things between us . . . a bit.”
“Where is she?”
Turnman gave him the coordinates and explained the conditions of the rendezvous scheduled with the tramp freighter.
“If you’re lying,” Charlie told him, “I’ll find you and kill you myself. If you’re telling the truth . . . well, let’s wait and see.”
Charlie passed the coordinates on to Captain Matula, with orders to, “Get me there, soonest.”
Then he contacted Roacka and told him what he’d learned from Turnman. “I’m going after her.”
For a moment Roacka looked like he might argue, but before he could say anything, Arthur switched into the circuit and said, “You can’t go, Charlie. You’re the man running this show. We can’t take the risk we might lose you.”
Charlie looked at the situation summary on his screens. The recent success of the nine hunter-killers operating independently had improved the numbers nicely, giving him the first real hope they could win this, though it wasn’t a foregone conclusion. He said that now, and added, “And Dieter’s out there. He’s vulnerable. That’s a stroke of luck we can’t pass up. If I can capture him, we can neutralize Nadama. Even if I kill him, it’ll give Nadama pause.”
Arthur started to say something, but Charlie cut him off. “This is a battle, brother. I learned long ago that sometimes we have to take risks when an opportunity presents itself.”
Roacka grimaced and said, “He’s right.” It hadn’t been an enthusiastic endorsement, but Charlie would take it.
“One more thing,” Charlie said. “If Turnman’s lying or double-crossing me and I don’t get back from this, find him and kill him.”
Roacka grinned and nodded.
The invading fleet changed tactics, began sending out small groups of fast ships, leapfrogging one past the other in short micro-transition jumps, attempting to flush out the hunter-killers. It was dangerous since several of the conventional coalition ships could concentrate fire on a single invader, and it also slowed their pace to a crawl.
Five warships from Aagerbanne down-transited on the far side of the system. Charlie ordered them to drive in-system and take up defensive positions near Andyne-Borregga.
Again, all Charlie could do was sit and watch. He had to let his forces fight their battles, and force himself not to call up to the bridge every minute and give Matula orders.
During the next fifteen hours the invaders lost eight more warships, while the coalition lost four conventional warships and two hunter-killers. The invaders inched their way to within one light-year of Borreggan nearspace, and three warships from the independent states down-transited on the far side of the system. Seth Andrews was the captain of one of the hunter-killers that went out with all hands, though he and his crew had been responsible for several successful kills among the enemy’s ranks. Charlie said a silent spacer’s prayer for him.
It had become a battle of attrition. If they could slowly pick away at the incoming invaders, reinforce their own forces with incoming coalition ships, they might win this thing. But if Charlie couldn’t get Del back whole and healthy, it would be