"Liaden Universe - 04 - Plan B" - читать интересную книгу автора (Miller Steve)

The recent revolt had not been an entire success, for Korval's old ally and sometime bedmate had prevailed. Still, it would be a generation before the economy of the planet healed, and the political conflicts would take a dozen dozen relumma to settle.

More, there was rumor that one string not yet strung to the bow of the alliance was now gone. The Commander allowed himself a faint smile: fight them over and over, covertly, and even Korval must fall. They had almost been eliminated twice now.

The Commander blinked. This time, perhaps. Onhis watch.

This nearly open flight was unfortunate, and unexpected. That Korval searched for their missing delm-to-be was certain. To allow them to locate and reclaim Val Con yos'Phelium would be an error. A very serious error.

A most successful Agent, Val Con yos'Phelium. There was that in the madcap Korval genes that inspired its members to excellence, whatever course they might chart. Before the adjustment of his loyalties, Val Con yos'Phelium had ridden the mandate of his genes to a certain pinnacle of achievement: Scout Commander, First-In. A man of infinite resource, a pilot from a clan that bred for pilots; intelligent, flexible andЧafter suitable trainingЧexquisitely deadly, he had among his armament the greatest of all an Agent's weapons, the Probability Loop.

The Loop allowed an Agent to calculate odds of mission success and personal survival. To some extent, it served as a predictor of coming action, and as a strategy program. There were, of course, certain other mandates implanted, as well as a self-destruct subroutine. These mandates and subroutines were provided to ensure that an Agent remained loyal to his mission, to the Department, and to the Plan. It should not be possible for an Agent of Change to break training.

And, yet, there was evidenceЧdisturbingly strong evidenceЧthat Val Con yos'Phelium, delm genetic of a clan that seemingly valued random action just slightly less than piloting skill, had broken training.

So. Agent of Change Tyl Von sig'Alda had been dispatched on the trail of a rumor, to seek Val Con yos'Phelium along the ways of an interdicted world, to offer transport to the home world, to debriefing and recalibration. Had the Agent merely come against mischance, these things would be accepted. Had he suffered severe mischance, Agent sig'Alda was to bring his Commander a body, a skull, sections of vertebraeЧproof. An Agent was no such thing to be carelessly left lying about the galaxy, after all. Especially no such Agent as Val Con yos'Phelium.

Commander of Agents came to the end of the file and closed it with a flick at the keypad. He leaned back in the chair which conformed to his body's shape, and briefly closed his eyes.

Agent sig'Alda had been gone some time. It was understood that ransacking a low-tech world for one manЧor one corpseЧmight consume time. The Commander was prepared to wait some small time longer, before loosing another Agent to the search.

Commander of Agents opened his eyes, seeking the smaller second screen.

This screen showed a sector map. Marked plainly on the map was Interdicted World 1-2796-893-44, where Tyl Von sig'Alda sought Val Con yos'Phelium. An amber light near the world marked the location of sig'Alda's ship, as reported by the concealed pin-beam locator beacon. Some time ago, the beacon had reported that it was on world and Commander of Agents had allowed himself hope.

Alas, the ship lifted very soon, thence to dawdle in orbit now several more days, so the scent that had enticed Agent sig'Alda to the planet's surface must have proved false.

Commander of Agents moved his eyes to the chronometered wall. He was due in conference very shortly, where another portion of the Department's Plan would be reviewed.

Korval's links with outside interests were being attended to, carefully. It was the Commander's thought that Korval had dwindled to the point of being too few to attend to their own security. Thus a test case. It would do Korval no good, shouldDutiful Passage fall.

Hands on the armrests, the Commander pushed his chair back, glancing to the beacon screenЧand freezing.

For the beacon's light was no longer the placid amber indicative of a stable position. It blazed green on the star map, its glow eclipsing the world called "Vandar" by its natives, the pre-Jump coil-charge smearing the telltale into a blur. Coordinates appeared at the bottom of the screen, the beacon phased from green to turquoise, then flared into nothing as it and the ship around it entered Jump.

Commander of Agents reached forth a hand and tapped a command into his keypad. The home system of the interdicted world melted from the screen, replaced by another map, this with a ship route limned in red.

Commander of Agents leaned back in his chair, and allowed himself to believe that all was well.

Tyl Von sig' Alda was Jumping for Waymart.

And from Waymart it was but two Jumps to Headquarters.

STANDARD YEAR 1393

VANDAR ORBIT AND JUMP

She was quick, canny, and careful, a former mercenary master sergeant with the battle wisdom of a hundred combat encounters behind her.

He was not without resources, trained first as a scout and then as an Agent, but the knife nearly penetrated his guard, so smoothly did she manage the thing. He snatched her wrist as it snaked past, shifted balance for the throwЧand ended the move in an ignominious twisting breakaway as she broke his grip and rode the attack forward.