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my_b7_ficCrossover with Farscape (rewrote Liars, Guns and Money)
Tarrant said, "How do we approve of something we don't know about?"
Cally, Vila and Dayna had followed him to the flight deck, curious to see what would happen between an annoyed Tarrant and a sleep-deprived Avon. As Vila had said before they left the teleport chamber, 'If it wasn't free, you'd pay to see it.'
Avon replied, "You could try trust..."
Zen interrupted Avon. "Information. A distress call is being received."
Avon said, "Ignore it. I have a more pressing priority, getting to my destination at the precise time."
"Zen! Put the coordinates at my flight deck console." Tarrant looked at Avon. "Don't worry about your precious time-table. I'll take the Federation ship we've been carrying since the Andromedan War and rendezvous with them."
Dayna looked at Avon and Tarrant. "I'll go with you."
"And I," Cally said quietly.
Vila gulped as all eyes turned to him. "Well... I don't want to go through any charged fluid particles."
Avon ignored the others. "Tarrant, don't be a fool."
"I may be a fool, Avon, but I'm not letting a distress call go unanswered. Why do you care? You don't need any of us, do you?"
Avon snarled something under his breath and turned aside. "If I'm late, Tarrant..." He waved at Zen. "Zen, put the information on that distress call on the main monitor."
A face appeared, oddly distorted by glowing light seeping out of the rags covering the right side of his face. "I found you! He was right! You're on his side, my side now. Your side, my side!"
"He's madder than Meegat," Vila remarked.
"An alien." Avon scowled. "Haven't we had our fill of rescuing homicidal aliens?"
"Have we, indeed?" Cally remarked.
"He didn't mean you, Cally, I'm sure," Dayna said hurriedly, but Cally's expression indicated she wasn't too sure about that.
Avon turned his back on the viewscreen. "If you're going ahead with your heroic rescue, get on with it, Tarrant. Zen! You will allow Tarrant to intercept that 'vessel in distress' and then immediately return to the course I've set, making whatever corrections are necessary to ensure we arrive at the meet-point at the time specified." Then Avon stalked off the flight deck.
Tarrant didn't waste time complaining about Avon, but piloted Liberator towards the small ship. "Cally, what can you tell me about that man?"
Cally frowned. "Not very much. I have an impression of... great confusion."
"Mad," Vila muttered to himself, hands hovering over the Neutron Blaster controls. "Maybe Avon has it right, this time."
"Oh, come on, Vila," Dayna said. "I've run a long-range scan. Whatever he is, he's alone, and hurt...probably dying. What harm can he do to us?"
Cally carefully didn't mention Ensor's son, who had held her at gunpoint and forced Blake to leave the others stranded on Cephlon to absorb a lethal dose of radiation, but her expression did become more thoughtful. She took a gun with her once Tarrant finished the delicate maneuver enabling the damaged ship to float into Liberator's hold. "Vila, come with me. Tarrant, stay alert."
"Why me?" Vila protested.
"Yes, why him?" Dayna got a gun. "I'd like to meet this alien."
"He doesn't look well enough to walk and I don't think you can carry him, Dayna. I'd rather he didn't die before we could talk to him."
Dayna pouted, and considered pointing out that she'd managed to carry Avon to her cave all by herself, but decided against it, because Avon would be even sulkier if he knew she'd told.
Vila looked even unhappier at the thought of carrying a possibly dying alien.
Tarrant straightened from the controls. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
Cally shook her head. "We don't know what Avon was doing. Maybe this is a trap. I'd rather you were here."
Tarrant looked sourly at the controls. "Unless we can break Avon's lock on Zen, I'm fairly useless here."
"You can keep watch on Avon if he comes back to the flight deck. He is behaving irrationally."
"Thank you, Cally, yes, I *had* noticed."
--
Reluctantly, Vila hauled the injured alien off the damaged ship. The alien gave Cally an unnerving grin and cried out, "Cally!" Vila nearly dropped him.
Cally's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"
"He told me! Yes, yes, it was him... wasn't it him?" The alien looked even more confused and tapped the side of his head. "My side, his side? Blake told me!"
"Blake!" Vila exclaimed and came close to dropping the alien a second time. "You've seen Blake! How is he?"
"Dead. No, not dead. He was dead, but he's not dead."
Cally waved at Vila. "We need to get him to the medical unit. He's obviously delirious."
"No, I'm not! NOT, not, not!" With an obvious effort the alien calmed. "My name is Stark. I'm a Stykera."
"Very nice for you, I'm sure," Vila said. "Can you move your feet a bit and help out here?"
Stark rolled his eye. "My people are slaves! Blake tried to free us, and the slavers took him, too! But we can save them all, save Blake. Yes, yes! I have a plan! See, see!" He held up a data-cube.
__
In the medical unit, Cally and the machines examined Stark. "There are signs of severe stress."
"I was dead." Stark blinked at Cally. "Do you have any leather?"
Vila looked at Stark. "You should be asking Avon that."
"Yes, yes!" Stark tried to sit up, but Cally pushed him flat. "Blake told me, he said, 'talk to Avon'!" Then Stark looked at Vila. "I need a mask." He waved at the glowing side of his face, only partly obscured by a dirty rag. "I'm... leaking energy."
"Get him a mask, Vila."
Vila dithered. "Should I leave you alone with him?"
Cally snapped the restraint field on over Stark's treatment bed. "Go on, Vila." Stark looked up pleadingly at Cally. She frowned and went to the wall-com. "Avon, this is Cally in the medical-unit. I really think you ought to hear what our alien has to say." She paused and added dryly. "Our new alien, that is."
--
Avon appeared a few minutes later. He stared at Stark, who was adjusting the mask Vila had found for him in the wardrobe room. "Whatever you have to say, say it quickly."
Stark looked at Avon. "Blake needs you. He's on Domo being held by slavers."
Vila said, "I told you he was still alive!"
"Quiet, Vila." Avon studied Stark. "I don't know what your game is, but the only thing you have right is that Blake is alive. We're going to collect him right now and Domo has nothing to do with him."
Stark shook his head. "I was there! He died, in my arms!"
Avon's face pinched.
Stark went on, "I'm a Stykera! I tried to help him cross over, but he wasn't ready, he wouldn't go! He's alive, but he's hurt. He... he said... 'Avon, for what it is worth, I have always trusted you, from the very beginning'." Stark grinned at Avon's reaction. "I have a plan! Blake is being sold along with 10,000 of my people. This is the blueprint for a Shadow depository!" He held out the data-cube.
Vila's mouth dropped. "What, you mean like a bank?"
Stark nodded. "Yes."
"We're going to rob a bank?"
"Yes!"
Vila grinned.
Cally looked shocked. " Steal other people's currency to help ourselves? We - We cannot do that, I can't."
Vila said, "Of course you can. I'd help you."
Stark said, "Cally, it's not a normal depository. It's one the Shadow cartel uses to hide the money they've made from crime."
"Wait!" Vila said, "I thought you meant shadow like 'sneaky'... you mean the *Shadow* dealers? You're talking about stealing from the Terra Nostra! You *are* crazy! Do you have any idea what kind of security they've got?"
Stark nodded. "Yes, but with that information," he nodded at the data-cube Avon' was holding, "I can control the internal depository door motion detectors. And these... These are a complete set of blueprints-vault layout, everything. In one container is enough wealth to buy the entire shipment of slaves-- and still have enough left over to make all of us filthy rich forever!"
Avon blinked and looked at the data-cube again. Then he looked at Stark. "I don't imagine these plans were left lying about. How did you get them?"
Stark said, "I helped the deposit designer cross over to death. His last thoughts led me to these. They're genuine."
Cally said softly, "Did you kill him?"
"Not exactly."
Avon laughed. "Did the designer have enough time to explain to you how much firepower is actually inside this depository?"
Stark admitted, "Not... Not precisely."
"Oh, that's comforting." Avon turned on his heel. "We're going ahead with the original plan."
--
Avon walked onto the flight deck to find Dayna and Tarrant discussing a cloud of energy-charged fluid particles ahead. "We stay on course," Avon said. Tarrant began to argue, until Avon's gun muzzle dug into his midriff. "Nothing and nobody is going to stop it, you least of all. Now get out of my way and..."
Tarrant swallowed and carefully turned his head to look at the navigation console. "Regardless of any damage it might cause, the turbulence will slow us down, Avon. It might even be faster to go around. Our little detour has put us near the edge of the cloud."
Avon hesitated. "Zen, confirm Tarrant's hypothesis."
"Confirmed."
Avon withdrew the gun, and bared his teeth at Tarrant. "Zen, detour around the cloud. Make absolutely certain that the rendezvous will be met as scheduled!"
--
"Blake can't be down there!" Stark had managed to convince Cally that he wasn't a threat, and he'd been allowed to leave the medical unit and accompany the others to the teleport chamber for Avon's promised 'telling what you need to know'.
"At least let us come down with you," Dayna said. "Blake wouldn't mind, surely."
"It was fairly obvious from the messages that Blake is not..." Avon produced a false smile, "in charge, for once."
Tarrant burst in, "If you think he's a prisoner, all the more reason not to go in alone!"
Avon glanced at Tarrant. "I'll call in every hour on the hour. If I miss one transmission, get out of here."
Cally said, "What? You mean, abandon you?"
Avon replied, "That is precisely what I mean. I don't need any of you. I needed the Liberator to bring me here, so I had no choice but to bring you along, but this is as far as you go."
Stark said, "Blake went down to a planet by himself 'to think'. It was a mistake."
Vila cleared his throat. "Look Avon, at least you could swallow a tracer."
"Why? So you can drop a memorial plaque on the spot where it ceases transmission?" Avon shook his head. "I don't want you with me. I don't want you following me. Understand this: anyone who does follow me, I'll kill them. All right, Dayna."
After Dayna reluctantly teleported Avon, Tarrant and Cally followed him down at a distance.
Vila stayed on watch at the teleport, while Dayna and Stark went to the flight deck.
"You know Avon's wrong, don't you?" Stark said as he looked at the scanners that Dayna had set to investigate the planet.
"Yes, of course, but you don't get anywhere arguing with him." Dayna peered at the readout. "Energy source... might be leakage from a power plant for a good-size base." She gave Cally the coordinates and frowned. "I don't like it."
"You can't argue with Avon." Stark nodded. "Fine. But he's *wrong*." Stark looked upset. "And if he gets killed it'll be that much harder to rescue my people." As an afterthought, "And Blake won't be happy. He *likes* Avon." Stark looked totally bemused at that. "Did I tell you, I think Blake's not quite sane?"
"No, you hadn't." Dayna's frown deepened. "Come on, tell me all about Blake and your people. I'll go crazy myself, if I don't have something to think about."
--
Thanks to the coordinates Dayna gave them, Cally and Tarrant arrived at the underground base ahead of Avon. They watched from hiding as he entered, then approached it. "Damn. Electrostatic lock. It needs a sonal key."
"Or someone who can open it without the key."
--
Vila was decidedly not thrilled. "Beautiful downtown Terminal... did I tell you I hate the name of this planet?" He muttered, but he worked on the lock.
"What is that!" Tarrant shot something black, furry and homicidal.
Vila had the door open and was three feet down the shaft before Cally could shoot the second of the creatures.
"Why would Blake be here?" Vila looked around nervously. "I mean, there's no rebels, no Federation, no nothing here."
"Good question, Vila." Tarrant went cautiously around a corner, then hastily backed up pushing Vila behind him. "Quiet!" he said as Vila started to protest. "It's Servalan."
Cally hesitated, then ducked into hiding with Tarrant and Vila. Servalan had several armed escorts with her, but that wasn't what had held Cally back. "Avon. She must have him."
"And Blake?" Vila whispered.
Cally shook her head. "I believe Stark is right. Blake was never here. Servalan found out that Avon was searching for him, and used his name as bait, to catch Avon."
"No, not Avon. She wants Liberator." Tarrant's eyes narrowed. "Cally, would he trade Liberator for Blake?"
"Once I would have said 'never', but now..." Cally shook her head. "I'm not sure."
"That tears it. We've got to find Avon and get out of here, whether he likes it or not."
"It's a big base," Vila protested.
"Servalan will know where he is," Cally said quietly.
"Yes, but will she tell you?"
Cally looked at Vila steadily. "Yes."
--
One look at Cally's eyes was enough. Well, perhaps the fact that Cally was calmly retrieving her knife from the back of one of Servalan's elite bodyguards at the time might have influenced Servalan's hasty statement, "If you kill me, you'll never get Avon back."
Cally replied quietly. "That is the only reason you are still alive."
--
Avon responded to the injection Servalan's 'doctor' gave him, opening his eyes and looking around in confusion. "Blake?"
"He's not here, Avon," Cally said in a sympathetic tone.
"He never was," Vila added.
Avon got up from the 'treatment table', ignoring all of them and headed for Servalan. "I saw him... I spoke to him."
For once, Servalan allowed her sadism to overrule her common sense. "You saw nothing. Heard nothing. It was a drug-induced and electronic dream. Blake is dead. He died from his wounds on the planet Jevron more than a year ago. I saw his body. I saw it cremated. Blake is dead."
Avon moved even closer to Servalan, his eyes... no one wanted to look at his eyes. He put his hands around Servalan's neck and squeezed while she coughed and flailed at him with her nails and tried to speak. He moved his head enough to keep her nails out of his eyes, but otherwise ignored the damage she inflicted on him.
"Avon! Stop it!" Tarrant's gun moved to cover Avon as well as Servalan's guards. "Avon, I mean it."
Avon glanced at Tarrant, but didn't let up on Servalan, slowly increasing the pressure on her slender throat as her eyes went wide and frantic. "Your brother died because of her." Avon's eyes flickered over to Cally, who was standing, silently watching, keeping her gun trained on the guards. "She murdered Cally's people. She deserves to die."
"Yes, but Avon, not like this, this isn't justice!" Tarrant protested.
"Isn't it?" Avon's thumbs pressed harder, and Servalan's tongue protruded.
Vila said quietly, "I think I'm going to be sick."
Cally said, "It won't bring any of the dead back, Avon." She touched him on the shoulder. "And it wouldn't please Blake to know you'd stooped to her level."
"Blake is dead." Avon looked almost lovingly into Servalan's glazing eyes.
"But he's not!" Vila put in. "Stark said so, remember!"
Avon blinked. "Stark?" He dropped Servalan's limp body to the floor. "Yes. Give me a bracelet."
--
Avon looked at the Shadow repository satellite, floating innocently enough on the main monitor. "We're going to have to go there and have a look for ourselves." Liberator was shielded, so no one knew they were there. Not even the massed ranks of black, heavily armed, ships in orbit.
Dayna protested, "That would be suicide, Avon."
Avon glanced at her. "It's the only way to get Blake."
Tarrant shook his head. "Wait. I know this is important. I know you want to do this-- but it's not possible. It's shielded for one thing, we can't just teleport in."
Avon looked at Tarrant.
"I just don't see how we..."
"We'll go without you. We'll go without all three of you. Cally, it's just you, me and Stark."
Cally replied, "Yes, of course, Avon, but possibly we should..."
Avon showed his teeth. "Are you against me on this, too?"
"No, no, I am with you. It's..."
"I'm going. Whether or not anyone accompanies me is totally immaterial." Avon stalked off the flight deck.
__
Blake dragged Neebrox away from the opening in the cell door. He whispered, "Travis!"
Neebrox glanced out of the opening at a short blonde man talking to Verlis. He sighed. "That's not Travis. You're having visions again."
Blake looked at Neebrox, then glanced out the opening. "Sorry," he muttered, on seeing the man Verlis was talking with.
"Rest, Blake, just rest." Neebrox patted at Blake and urged him back to lie down on the thin mattress, taking up a clean cloth to gently wipe at the wound on Blake's face.
__
"How could he go?" Tarrant said as he entered the flight deck in response to Cally's call. All the others were gathered there, watching the Shadow satellite on the monitor.
"He took Klegg's ship," Cally replied.
Tarrant sighed. "Yes, of course, it's still got Federation markings."
"And the Shadow cartel is run by the President of the Federation," Vila added gloomily. "So they'll let him *in*."
Dayna said, "What do we do now?"
Tarrant frowned. "I can call them and ask for a shuttle, tell them Liberator's an experimental craft, and I'm a wealthy customer."
"They'd have to be crazy to believe that!" Vila protested.
"Probably! But they'll be curious to know what I'm really after. And greedy once they see Liberator. And you'll have the guns trained on them, so they'll be reasonably polite."
"I'm going with you," Dayna said firmly. She plastered herself against Tarrant's side, and put an adoring expression on her face. "What self-respecting tycoon hasn't got a beautiful mistress by his side?"
Tarrant looked uncomfortable. Vila managed to keep a straight face. Stark just looked at all of them, and said nothing.
Cally nodded. "Yes, I would have gone, but you are a better choice this time, Dayna."
Vila turned to Stark. "Don't tell me this is part of your plan."
Stark nodded, " All right, I won't tell you." He continued fiddling with a hodge-podge of vaguely electronic things he'd set up on the flight deck table.
__
Dayna looked up as they neared the dock opening in the satellite. "That's big."
Tarrant agreed. "That's very big."
After the shuttle docked, they were led to the central reception area. There were people and even aliens scattered among the employees and guards. Avon was off to one side in the distance, apparently attempting to look inconspicuous in brown corduroy.
Dayna spotted him and started towards him.
Tarrant saw someone else- a man in black leather, wearing an eyepatch over his left eye, was talking to Servalan. Tarrant recognized her from the back and pulled Dayna behind a convenient pillar just as she noticed Servalan. Dayna squirmed, and whispered fiercely, "I can get her!"
"We're here to get *Avon*."
Dayna reluctantly subsided, moments before alarms began. They whirled, back to back, weapons drawn. Many guards surrounded them, weapons at the ready.
"Hand over your weapons... Slowly," one of the guards ordered.
Faced with impossible odds, they obeyed. The man with the eyepatch approached them. Fortunately, Servalan was nowhere in sight. He asked, "What is your business here?"
Tarrant said, "Good. Very, very good. You're in charge here?"
The man repeated, "What is your business?"
Tarrant said, "This is a depository, right? We have something to deposit."
"What makes you think we'd be interested?
"Have you ever heard of Kairopan?"
Avon took the opportunity of the distraction, and turned to a control panel, attempting to open a security door.
Tarrant said, "Now... I have managed to procure all 11 secret codes...." He glanced at Avon over eye-patch's shoulder. "What we need to do now... is discuss the terms of-- "
"Security breach, portal five!"
Eye-patch whirled and pointed at Avon. "Guards! That man! Seize him!"
Tarrant said, "Oh, shit!"
It seemed as if every guard in the place mobilized to capture Avon. Tarrant bolted in that direction as well. The guards reached Avon first as the door slid open. He fought and they beat him to the ground. Dayna and Tarrant could do nothing except watch.
Avon grinned up at the approaching one-eyed man. "I was told the security here was weak. I was right. The security here is garbage, Travis."
Travis knelt beside Avon, getting a fistful of hair. "Alphas. They're miserable lays, incompetent rebels, and basically inept, but this one... is intelligent. Or so they say."
One of the guards said, "Shall I execute him?"
"No. He also expects to be interrogated, don't you?"
Avon gasped out, "Kerr ... Avon."
"See? It's a dance. Let's not disappoint him."
Travis stood and two guards hauled Avon semi-upright between them, Avon managing a sneering laugh.
"You went to so much trouble to open that door, Avon. Be my guest." He nodded to a guard, who punched Avon in the gut. Avon groaned loudly and doubled over. He was marched away under heavy guard.
Tarrant turned to Dayna. "We have to go."
Dayna lingered for a moment, watching Travis, then followed Tarrant back to the shuttle.
__
Tarrant and Dayna entered the flight deck. Tarrant grabbed Stark by his shirt and drew back a fist. "You! You set Avon up! Avon is down there... because of you!"
Stark replied, "Look, you left him no choice! He had to, had to. It's the only way to save Blake. It's the plan!"
Tarrant flung Stark away from him, toward Dayna. Dayna grabbed him and pushed him up against a bulkhead. "What plan?!," she asked, "What are you talking about?!"
"The plan, the plan to get Avon back and to rob the depository."
Dayna said, "But you put the whole place on security alert!" She pulled him away from the wall. Tarrant grabbed him and flung him face first onto the flight deck table. Holding Stark's head immobile with one hand, he pressed one knee into Stark's back.
"It's all part of the plan, you see?" Stark said, "Because Avon's breached the system they'll scramble their codes and while they're resetting their security codes I can link in and they'll never even know... "
Tarrant glanced up at Dayna to see if she believed Stark.
"... but I have to work quickly." Stark said. He pulled away from Tarrant and backed away. Tarrant eyed him from across the room, still angry. "So you'll leave me alone! I've only got six arns before they reset their codes."
"Maybe I should reset your codes?" Tarrant grabbed Stark again, driving him back against the wall. "How the hell are we supposed to get Avon back?!"
"Don't worry about a thing. I've got it all figured out. It's all part of the plan."
Dayna said, "You better have it all figured out. Avon bet his life on that."
"No, he bet Blake's life on that," Stark said.
Tarrant pressed Stark back hard against the wall, then released him abruptly. "You manipulated us."
"This plan... will work."
__
In Travis's quarters, Avon sat on the floor stripped to the waist, arms outstretched and secured to a very large wire 'sphere'. He grunted as his already heavily bruised chest was viciously kicked.
The guard said, "He hasn't said a word."
Travis replied, "He's an Alpha-- he'll die first. Which means all this pain has been for nothing as it will continue to be... but perhaps you like pain."
Avon gasped loudly as Travis twisted Avon's earlobe. "Is that it? I hope so." He took Avon's shoulder in his metal hand and began twisting as Avon screamed.
__
Vila sat in the golden chair as Dayna sprayed a golden 'paint' over his fully clothed body, tool kit stowed in a compartment in the base of the chair. He was sitting in the 'Thinker' pose, with a worried look on his face. "I've changed my mind. I don't like Avon this much. I don't even like Blake this much."
Dayna patted Vila on the head. "It's easy, Vila. Stark's gadget will switch our container for the valuable one." She put the 'gadget' into the space with Vila's kit and snapped the panel shut.
"Hey, *I'm* going to be in this container! That makes it pretty valuable to me!"
Dayna went on soothingly. "All you have to do is open a lock. You live to open locks!"
"I don't intend to *die* opening a lock!" Vila wailed.
"You have to give up the bracelet." Dayna plucked Vila's teleport bracelet from his wrist.
"What!!"
"We can't risk them detecting signals, Vila. Close your eyes." Dayna finished spraying him gold, after Vila reluctantly obeyed.
"But what if something goes wrong?"
Cally looked up and smiled. "We have complete confidence in you, Vila especially where money is concerned."
Vila grinned, thinking of filling his pockets along the way.
"Dayna, swallow this. It will protect you from the effects of the melar gas."
Dayna and Cally each swallowed a capsule.
Dayna asked, "Are you ready, Vila?"
"Do I look ready? The answer is *NO*."
Cally said, "You have nothing to fear. The gas will suspend your biological functions just long enough to avoid being detected by a bioscan. Have courage, Vila." She held a small silver cylinder in front of Vila's face. It hissed as it emitted a cloud of pink gas.
Vila said, "I'll get Avon for this! It's all his fault, and he'll... have to... say..." Vila passed out.
Cally said, "It should have been instantaneous. I'll have to adjust the mix next time."
__
On the flight deck, Stark repeatedly exchanged one chip after another on the device he'd built. "No, no, no! Wrong chip! Bad chip!" He changed another. "Bad!"
Tarrant entered the flight deck. "Haven't you accessed their security systems yet?"
"Soon."
"You said we had less than six arns. ...Less than six hours."
"I know what I said."
"You have less than an hour left and I don't see any progress."
Stark snatched up a bunch of chips and shoved them into Tarrant's hand. "All bad. It's a matter of precision and timing. I must create my link at the precise moment they reset the..." A large holographic image of the Shadow Depository formed at the center of the table. Stark looked startled.... and then triumphant. "We're in. I'm in."
"You're sure this will work?" Tarrant looked dubiously at the image.
"Yes, it'll work. I spent too much time thinking it through."
"Avon spent too much time thinking through half his plans." Tarrant reached across the table to put down the chips Stark had given him. "It didn't help."
Stark pushed him back, nearly shouting, "Your side, my side! My side, your side!" Then Stark looked at the device smugly, ignoring Tarrant. "Now go away. You know… go back to your quarters. Get something to eat, take a nap. Do nothing. That's what Avon said you do best."
Tarrant had been about to leave, but at that, he paused and stared at Stark. He grabbed Stark by the collar and said softly. "We need to set some ground rules, Stark. You don't lie to me." He paused again and twisted the collar tighter. "Did Avon say that?"
"No. I'm sorry... He didn't."
Still speaking softly, Tarrant asked, "Do you have any other lies you want to confess?"
"No."
Slowly Tarrant released Stark. "Good. I'll give you a friendly word of advice, Stark. None of us like lies. Don't do it again." Tarrant left the flight deck.
__
Cally and Dayna entered the central reception area of the depository. Dayna was dressed the same as on her previous visit with Tarrant, but Cally was costumed like a female Amagon pirate in flowing blue-black robes including a black mesh covering her face. She had strings of coins and ropes of gems taken from Liberator's storeroom dangling from her headdress and draped about her neck and waist.
Dayna looked around and sniffed. "We can do better."
Cally said, "Better is whatever I say it is." She strode through the concourse as if she owned it, light flashing from jewels, gold chains, and the butt of her weapon as she headed for the doors where Avon had been caught.
Dayna acted subdued and followed. "Yes." They had discussed it, and decided that while Travis was apparently in a position of authority here, Servalan could hardly afford that open a relationship with the Shadow Repository. Cally was sure this wasn't the 'real' Travis, in any event- she'd seen Avon kill him- this man was apparently playing on Travis's reputation. Tarrant followed the two of them, now wearing a plain dark blue uniform and a prominently displayed gun.
The chief of Travis's guards intercepted them. "May I help you? "
Without turning her head in his direction or pausing, Cally said, "No. Bring me whomever is in charge here."
"I assure you, madam, I am more than capable..."
"Do not give yourself airs." Cally had modeled herself after Servalan, and was emitting an air of icy superiority. "I know a functionary when one crawls in front of my feet. Fetch me your master like a good little minion."
Travis appeared, no doubt summoned by security cameras. "I'm Travis. Are you here to make a transaction?"
"I am Zeldalla."
"Should that name mean something to me?"
"I understand you've been having security problems."
Travis smiled. "You've been misinformed."
"Oh really? My servants..." Cally indicated Dayna and Tarrant with a flick of a well-bangled wrist. "Saw a man get halfway into your vault before you even noticed him."
"Avon? He barely made it through the first door." Travis didn't bother to comment on the fact that Tarrant had previously introduced himself as a wealthy man. It wasn't uncommon for his customers to cautiously send out agents to evaluate his establishment.
Cally asked, "Is he still alive?"
"Last I checked."
"I want him. That man..." Cally's voice went to steel. "He killed my husband on one of his rebel raids."
"I have my own uses for him. He's worth a great deal to me."
"Far more to me." Cally lifted an armload of emeralds and rubies as she pointed a finger at Travis. "The Amagon Code demands I personally repay my husband's murderer... with interest. It is a matter of honour. Price is no object."
Travis's eye evaluated the value of Cally's adornments. There was a fist-size diamond at her throat worth more than Avon's bounty by itself. In any event it would be difficult for Travis to collect the bounty as he was persona non grata in the Federation. "I think we can come to some arrangement. But you couldn't have known he would be here. Why did you come?"
"I have time-sensitive goods. I require a short-term deposit."
Dayna nodded, trying to draw Travis's attention from Cally. "Short term."
"I need storage for one solar day," Cally said.
"One solar day," Dayna added, playing mindless minion to the hilt.
Two guards electronically swept the grav-float that had followed Dayna, Cally, and Tarrant with Vila's 'statue' in the center of it.
The guards reported, "Explosives: Negative. Biologicals: Negative. Power-field emitters: Negative."
Travis examined Vila, whose face had frozen in mid-yawn. The gilded wig that Dayna had put on him cascaded over his shoulders and face in heroic ringlets, further disguising him.
"Terran?" Travis asked.
"Yes. Toltech era. It's a religious artifact, taken from the shrine of the God of Indolence."
"Hmm, it's extremely ugly."
"But priceless. And now, I want that man." Cally casually stripped off most of her jewelry, pouring everything into a glittering heap at Travis's feet. "Now."
Travis turned and waved his hand. A door slid open and two guards emerged, holding a semi-conscious Avon between them.
"I'll show you to the vault," Travis told Cally. "Your guard can watch from the Observation room."
Cally turned to Dayna, "Girl. Take him back to the ship."
Dayna nodded subserviently. "At once, Zeldalla."
--
Cally, minus most of her jewelry, turned to inspect the vault, a huge gleaming metallic chamber, bare except for a control console at the center.
Travis said, "The vault is made from herculanium-bonded steel strong enough to withstand a pulse cannon. Does that alleviate your security concerns?"
"I'll let you know in one solar day."
Travis placed one hand against the control panel, and nodded to indicate that Cally should do the same. She did, and the machine gave off an audible signal.
"The code to your container is now linked to your genetic profile," Travis told her. "Only you will be able to gain access. Here comes your container now."
A large container appeared at breathtaking speed, rushing directly at Cally, only halting at the last possible instant before smashing into her. Cally automatically took a step backwards, arms up in instinctive defensive reaction.
Quietly mocking, Travis said, "The first time can be a little intimidating."
--
Tarrant entered the observation room with a pair of Travis's guards. One of the guards worked a control and the vault room was visible on one of the many monitors.
One of the guards whispered, "Sleer is here."
The other one replied, "Travis should be told." They left rapidly. Tarrant watched them go and then turned back to the screen showing Cally and Travis.
"Hurry, Cally," Tarrant said. "Oh, no..." One of the monitors showed Servalan sweeping imperiously along a corridor, flanked by guards in the same odd red and white uniforms as on Terminal.
--
Tarrant watched on the monitor as Travis's head guard met Servalan and her people in a corridor.
"Sleer. Sleer." The guard tried to get her to stop.
Servalan replied, "I've come for my property."
"If you could just... be a little patient."
Servalan eyed the man imperiously. "I will see Travis- *now.*"
"Yes, but..."
Servalan's gaze hardened.
Back in the observation room, Tarrant called the ship on his bracelet. "Servalan's about to walk in on Cally."
Dayna's voice replied, "Warn her!"
"No! We can't. Travis is right there, he'll hear."
Dayna growled. "I'm putting up the Neutron Flare shields. If anything goes wrong, I'll get Servalan."
"All right... just wait until you're sure it won't matter to Cally or me, please!"
Back on the monitor, the guard was trying to appease Servalan, to noticeably little effect. "Please understand. Travis's policy on client confidentiality is very strict. I could lose my position."
Servalan gave him a frosty smile. "Of course. I understand perfectly." She glanced at one of her guards, who stepped forward and knocked Travis's man unconscious.
Servalan said, "Now it won't be your fault." Then she staggered, suddenly gone gray and breathing raggedly.
Her guard caught her, and nodded to one of the others, who opened a small kit and took out a sealed flat packet. The first guard stripped Servalan's dress down to her waist, exposing her breast on one side while the other peeled open the packet, producing a wet-looking, bluish green, glowing sheet of gelatinous substance.
"All right. Hold still."
Servalan winced as the packet was slapped onto her breast, but as it absorbed into her skin, she straightened, colour returning to her cheeks. She deftly did up her gown and said, "Maintaining this form requires much effort."
The guard nodded. "But we have no choice."
Tarrant stared at the monitor in horror. He whispered, "Andromedans..." He turned back to the screen showing Cally and Travis.
Cally was talking. "I trust your machinery will not damage my possessions."
Tarrant paced restlessly in front of the monitor bank, glancing between 'Sleer' and Cally. "Come on, Cally, get out of there. Come on."
Travis informed Cally, "We often store items far more fragile and valuable than yours."
Another of Travis's guards scurried up to whisper in his ear. "Sleer is here."
Travis jerked noticeably, and immediately turned to Cally. "I have other business to transact now, Zeldalla. If you'd allow my assistant to escort you... "
Cally entered a transport chamber with the guard and it began moving. Tarrant sighed in relief and left the observation room.
__
'Sleer' met Travis in his private quarters.
"Travis," the Andromedan inclined her head.
Travis smiled, "Sleer... How good to see you."
'Sleer's' guards stood at the doorway while she slinked across the room and made herself comfortable on one of the lounges.
"I'm here to claim my property."
"Straight to business?" Travis walked over to her. "We have so much to catch up on since the destruction of Star One." He sat next to her.
"You've seized my property."
"Not seized..." Travis touched her arm with his mechanical hand. "Just... put to use whilst you were away. I'll replace it with an equal value of...merchandise."
"No, for my inconvenience, you'll provide me... With triple the value."
"Double."
"Triple."
Travis nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."
__
Back on Liberator's flight deck, Tarrant said, "All right, we've got Avon, let's reclaim Vila, forget the whole thing and get out of here. "
Dayna said, "But *Servalan*!"
"Isn't Servalan." Tarrant glared at Stark. "She's an Andromedan. For all I know, Travis is too... for all I know, *you* are!"
"What's an Andromedan?" Stark asked.
Cally, who'd just entered the flight deck, answered him, "A hostile extragalactic mesomorph. And if they are here, that's all the more reason we can't leave, Tarrant. At least, not until we find out what they're doing."
Tarrant scowled at her. "How's Avon?"
"Recovering. Is there any sign of Servalan's command ship?"
"None... But Zen did pick up one small non-Shadow vessel approaching the satellite earlier."
"Oh, that's fine," Dayna said. That's probably just a pursuit ship on a stealth trajectory, getting ready to report us to Space Command."
Stark said, "There's no need to panic. We can still pull this off undetected. Look... I've modified these comms so that they'll encrypt all transmissions-- we can communicate safely at all times-- and this passkey has been calibrated to control all their doors. You see... This plan will work."
Tarrant sighed. "I suppose we're committed. I need one more thing. Dayna?"
"Yes?"
"Can you create something for me that reacts with moisture, and by "react" I mean, "explode"?"
Dayna grinned. "I can... prepare some dextronitrate paste."
"Do it, please."
--
Travis was smiling at 'Sleer'. "I'm procuring a quarter sackmar of Borinium ingots for you-- at least three times the value of the property you had stored."
The Andromedan nodded. "How soon will we have them?"
"The arrangements are rather complex."
"And what am I supposed to do while I wait?"
"Accept my apologies." Travis ran his gaze over her body.
The Andromedan ordered her people, "Return to the marauder. I will summon you if I need you. Leave that. Travis will tend to me... Should I require it."
Travis grinned. "True. I know many ways to make you...moist."
--
Avon was lying on a bed in the medical unit, on his side, obviously in pain. Cally was sitting next to him when Tarrant entered.
"How are you doing?" Tarrant asked.
Avon replied, "How do I look?"
"You look like hell."
"Well, now, that's your answer."
Cally said, "The bloodwork showed clear of drugs. It will be some time before the tissue regenerator completes its treatment. The bones are fused and blood replacement is completed." Cally sounded quite annoyed, and looked at Avon as she spoke.
"Yes, well," Tarrant said, "We're going ahead with the plan."
Avon gave Tarrant a false smile. "Because now it's begun, you have no other choice."
Tarrant was annoyed. "Yes, thanks to you forcing the issue!"
"Well, now, someone had to act."
"You mean someone had to jump headlong into danger without looking!"
"What? And you never do?!"
Cally said, "Tarrant, leave him alone."
"Look, if Avon wants to get into it, we can get into it."
"Fine." Cally got up and slapped a packet of meds into Tarrant's hand. "Use this when the internal bleeding starts again." She got up and walked away.
Tarrant looked embarrassed. "I didn't come here to fight. I came to see how you are."
Avon looked at Tarrant, suddenly showing how tired he was. "We've already covered that. Is there anything else?"
Tarrant shook his head, frustrated, and left.
--
Inside the deposit box in the Shadow Repository, Vila's 'statue' wriggled. The gold 'paint' had stiffened, chemically reacting with something in the atmosphere aboard the satellite, and Vila's clothes had locked his limbs in place. Vila muttered, "One: Get up. Two: Use Stark's gadget to locate Servalan's container. Three: Jump into containers full of riches. The trouble is... Step one!"
Vila managed to inch up a laser probe from his sleeve and cut his way out of his clothes. He stood up, dressed only in a thin undershirt and baggy shorts imprinted with bright red hearts, and kicked away the heavy gold shreds of his clothing. "Dayna said this would be easy!" His gilt eyebrows waggled in indignation.
--
Cally, once more in her Amagon costume, stood at the central reception desk in the Shadow Depository.
"Withdraw your possessions already?"
"Yes."
"That's unusual."
In a bored tone, Cally informed him, "My life is unusual."
Dayna nodded eagerly. "Very unusual."
"I said this was a short-term deposit."
"Short-term," Dayna added gleefully.
--
Back in the vault, Vila climbed up the the interior wall of the deposit box. "Damn! Oh!..." An access hatch at the top of the container opened and Vila emerged slowly.
"No self-respecting thief should have to work this hard!" He lifted Stark's 'gadget' in one hand. "All right, let's see if this thing actually works."
There was a distant rumbling noise, and another container started moving towards Vila.
--
Dayna and Tarrant were in the Observation room again.
Dayna said, "So far, we're right on schedule."
"Let's hope Vila is. All he's got to do is switch containers." He starts pressing buttons, changing 'channels 'on the monitors. "If he gets it right, I'll kiss him."
Dayna grinned. "I'll tell him." She watched the monitors intently.
Tarrant stopped working the controls when Travis and Servalan appeared. "Oh, there's the happy couple now."
Dayna made a disgusted sound as they saw Travis licking Servalan's face. Tarrant coughed, but didn't change the setting.
On the monitor Travis murmured, "Are you still angry with me?"
"Mm... Furious." The Andromedan pushed Travis aside, not ungently, and got up, leaving the room.
Travis chuckled and followed. "Good. It adds enthusiasm to our encounters."
In the Observation room, Tarrant watched intently. "Leave that medi-kit. Leave it. Leave it. Yes! Come on!" He dashed out of the Observation Room with Dayna at his heels.
--
In the vault, Cally pressed her hand to the central control panel.
The computer said, "Retrieving container."
Vila was atop Servalan's deposit box, preparing to climb inside, at that moment. The box accelerated incredibly and Vila clung desperately to the opening, screaming as the wind ripped the last of his clothing off. The box changed direction abruptly and he fell inside, still yelling.
--
Dayna and Tarrant entered Travis's quarters. Tarrant headed straight towards the table that held the container of Servalan's gel-packs. He opened one carefully, and smeared it with the dextronitrate paste and then meticulously resealed it so that it looked exactly the same as the others.
--
In his cell, Blake rolled to his feet and began moaning. "No, go, go away." He waved at his head, as if trying to chase away insects. Neebrox woke up and looked at Blake sadly.
--
Cally had several of Travis's guards load her possessions onto a grav-lift. She saw Vila looking groggily out of one of the containers and gestured quickly to the guards at another crate. "You, move that over there." The moment they were out of sight, she shoved Vila back into the container and shut the lid.
Vila grunted, "Oh!"
Cally turned to the guards. "Careful!"
--
Dayna heard a noise in the corridor outside the room. "Quickly, Tarrant!"
Tarrant closed the medikit exactly the way it was.
"Too late!" Dayna whisperer urgently. "Get down!"
Tarrant dropped to the floor, concealed behind the couch. Dayna dived over the couch, landing on top of him. They were both hidden just as one of Servalan's guards arrived and picked up the medi-kit, leaving with it.
--
The guard had just finished giving Servalan another gel-patch.
Travis watched, and said, "The Borinium ingots have been transferred into your container. You'll be pleased with their quality."
-----
On to part 2
Tarrant said, "How do we approve of something we don't know about?"
Cally, Vila and Dayna had followed him to the flight deck, curious to see what would happen between an annoyed Tarrant and a sleep-deprived Avon. As Vila had said before they left the teleport chamber, 'If it wasn't free, you'd pay to see it.'
Avon replied, "You could try trust..."
Zen interrupted Avon. "Information. A distress call is being received."
Avon said, "Ignore it. I have a more pressing priority, getting to my destination at the precise time."
"Zen! Put the coordinates at my flight deck console." Tarrant looked at Avon. "Don't worry about your precious time-table. I'll take the Federation ship we've been carrying since the Andromedan War and rendezvous with them."
Dayna looked at Avon and Tarrant. "I'll go with you."
"And I," Cally said quietly.
Vila gulped as all eyes turned to him. "Well... I don't want to go through any charged fluid particles."
Avon ignored the others. "Tarrant, don't be a fool."
"I may be a fool, Avon, but I'm not letting a distress call go unanswered. Why do you care? You don't need any of us, do you?"
Avon snarled something under his breath and turned aside. "If I'm late, Tarrant..." He waved at Zen. "Zen, put the information on that distress call on the main monitor."
A face appeared, oddly distorted by glowing light seeping out of the rags covering the right side of his face. "I found you! He was right! You're on his side, my side now. Your side, my side!"
"He's madder than Meegat," Vila remarked.
"An alien." Avon scowled. "Haven't we had our fill of rescuing homicidal aliens?"
"Have we, indeed?" Cally remarked.
"He didn't mean you, Cally, I'm sure," Dayna said hurriedly, but Cally's expression indicated she wasn't too sure about that.
Avon turned his back on the viewscreen. "If you're going ahead with your heroic rescue, get on with it, Tarrant. Zen! You will allow Tarrant to intercept that 'vessel in distress' and then immediately return to the course I've set, making whatever corrections are necessary to ensure we arrive at the meet-point at the time specified." Then Avon stalked off the flight deck.
Tarrant didn't waste time complaining about Avon, but piloted Liberator towards the small ship. "Cally, what can you tell me about that man?"
Cally frowned. "Not very much. I have an impression of... great confusion."
"Mad," Vila muttered to himself, hands hovering over the Neutron Blaster controls. "Maybe Avon has it right, this time."
"Oh, come on, Vila," Dayna said. "I've run a long-range scan. Whatever he is, he's alone, and hurt...probably dying. What harm can he do to us?"
Cally carefully didn't mention Ensor's son, who had held her at gunpoint and forced Blake to leave the others stranded on Cephlon to absorb a lethal dose of radiation, but her expression did become more thoughtful. She took a gun with her once Tarrant finished the delicate maneuver enabling the damaged ship to float into Liberator's hold. "Vila, come with me. Tarrant, stay alert."
"Why me?" Vila protested.
"Yes, why him?" Dayna got a gun. "I'd like to meet this alien."
"He doesn't look well enough to walk and I don't think you can carry him, Dayna. I'd rather he didn't die before we could talk to him."
Dayna pouted, and considered pointing out that she'd managed to carry Avon to her cave all by herself, but decided against it, because Avon would be even sulkier if he knew she'd told.
Vila looked even unhappier at the thought of carrying a possibly dying alien.
Tarrant straightened from the controls. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
Cally shook her head. "We don't know what Avon was doing. Maybe this is a trap. I'd rather you were here."
Tarrant looked sourly at the controls. "Unless we can break Avon's lock on Zen, I'm fairly useless here."
"You can keep watch on Avon if he comes back to the flight deck. He is behaving irrationally."
"Thank you, Cally, yes, I *had* noticed."
--
Reluctantly, Vila hauled the injured alien off the damaged ship. The alien gave Cally an unnerving grin and cried out, "Cally!" Vila nearly dropped him.
Cally's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"
"He told me! Yes, yes, it was him... wasn't it him?" The alien looked even more confused and tapped the side of his head. "My side, his side? Blake told me!"
"Blake!" Vila exclaimed and came close to dropping the alien a second time. "You've seen Blake! How is he?"
"Dead. No, not dead. He was dead, but he's not dead."
Cally waved at Vila. "We need to get him to the medical unit. He's obviously delirious."
"No, I'm not! NOT, not, not!" With an obvious effort the alien calmed. "My name is Stark. I'm a Stykera."
"Very nice for you, I'm sure," Vila said. "Can you move your feet a bit and help out here?"
Stark rolled his eye. "My people are slaves! Blake tried to free us, and the slavers took him, too! But we can save them all, save Blake. Yes, yes! I have a plan! See, see!" He held up a data-cube.
__
In the medical unit, Cally and the machines examined Stark. "There are signs of severe stress."
"I was dead." Stark blinked at Cally. "Do you have any leather?"
Vila looked at Stark. "You should be asking Avon that."
"Yes, yes!" Stark tried to sit up, but Cally pushed him flat. "Blake told me, he said, 'talk to Avon'!" Then Stark looked at Vila. "I need a mask." He waved at the glowing side of his face, only partly obscured by a dirty rag. "I'm... leaking energy."
"Get him a mask, Vila."
Vila dithered. "Should I leave you alone with him?"
Cally snapped the restraint field on over Stark's treatment bed. "Go on, Vila." Stark looked up pleadingly at Cally. She frowned and went to the wall-com. "Avon, this is Cally in the medical-unit. I really think you ought to hear what our alien has to say." She paused and added dryly. "Our new alien, that is."
--
Avon appeared a few minutes later. He stared at Stark, who was adjusting the mask Vila had found for him in the wardrobe room. "Whatever you have to say, say it quickly."
Stark looked at Avon. "Blake needs you. He's on Domo being held by slavers."
Vila said, "I told you he was still alive!"
"Quiet, Vila." Avon studied Stark. "I don't know what your game is, but the only thing you have right is that Blake is alive. We're going to collect him right now and Domo has nothing to do with him."
Stark shook his head. "I was there! He died, in my arms!"
Avon's face pinched.
Stark went on, "I'm a Stykera! I tried to help him cross over, but he wasn't ready, he wouldn't go! He's alive, but he's hurt. He... he said... 'Avon, for what it is worth, I have always trusted you, from the very beginning'." Stark grinned at Avon's reaction. "I have a plan! Blake is being sold along with 10,000 of my people. This is the blueprint for a Shadow depository!" He held out the data-cube.
Vila's mouth dropped. "What, you mean like a bank?"
Stark nodded. "Yes."
"We're going to rob a bank?"
"Yes!"
Vila grinned.
Cally looked shocked. " Steal other people's currency to help ourselves? We - We cannot do that, I can't."
Vila said, "Of course you can. I'd help you."
Stark said, "Cally, it's not a normal depository. It's one the Shadow cartel uses to hide the money they've made from crime."
"Wait!" Vila said, "I thought you meant shadow like 'sneaky'... you mean the *Shadow* dealers? You're talking about stealing from the Terra Nostra! You *are* crazy! Do you have any idea what kind of security they've got?"
Stark nodded. "Yes, but with that information," he nodded at the data-cube Avon' was holding, "I can control the internal depository door motion detectors. And these... These are a complete set of blueprints-vault layout, everything. In one container is enough wealth to buy the entire shipment of slaves-- and still have enough left over to make all of us filthy rich forever!"
Avon blinked and looked at the data-cube again. Then he looked at Stark. "I don't imagine these plans were left lying about. How did you get them?"
Stark said, "I helped the deposit designer cross over to death. His last thoughts led me to these. They're genuine."
Cally said softly, "Did you kill him?"
"Not exactly."
Avon laughed. "Did the designer have enough time to explain to you how much firepower is actually inside this depository?"
Stark admitted, "Not... Not precisely."
"Oh, that's comforting." Avon turned on his heel. "We're going ahead with the original plan."
--
Avon walked onto the flight deck to find Dayna and Tarrant discussing a cloud of energy-charged fluid particles ahead. "We stay on course," Avon said. Tarrant began to argue, until Avon's gun muzzle dug into his midriff. "Nothing and nobody is going to stop it, you least of all. Now get out of my way and..."
Tarrant swallowed and carefully turned his head to look at the navigation console. "Regardless of any damage it might cause, the turbulence will slow us down, Avon. It might even be faster to go around. Our little detour has put us near the edge of the cloud."
Avon hesitated. "Zen, confirm Tarrant's hypothesis."
"Confirmed."
Avon withdrew the gun, and bared his teeth at Tarrant. "Zen, detour around the cloud. Make absolutely certain that the rendezvous will be met as scheduled!"
--
"Blake can't be down there!" Stark had managed to convince Cally that he wasn't a threat, and he'd been allowed to leave the medical unit and accompany the others to the teleport chamber for Avon's promised 'telling what you need to know'.
"At least let us come down with you," Dayna said. "Blake wouldn't mind, surely."
"It was fairly obvious from the messages that Blake is not..." Avon produced a false smile, "in charge, for once."
Tarrant burst in, "If you think he's a prisoner, all the more reason not to go in alone!"
Avon glanced at Tarrant. "I'll call in every hour on the hour. If I miss one transmission, get out of here."
Cally said, "What? You mean, abandon you?"
Avon replied, "That is precisely what I mean. I don't need any of you. I needed the Liberator to bring me here, so I had no choice but to bring you along, but this is as far as you go."
Stark said, "Blake went down to a planet by himself 'to think'. It was a mistake."
Vila cleared his throat. "Look Avon, at least you could swallow a tracer."
"Why? So you can drop a memorial plaque on the spot where it ceases transmission?" Avon shook his head. "I don't want you with me. I don't want you following me. Understand this: anyone who does follow me, I'll kill them. All right, Dayna."
After Dayna reluctantly teleported Avon, Tarrant and Cally followed him down at a distance.
Vila stayed on watch at the teleport, while Dayna and Stark went to the flight deck.
"You know Avon's wrong, don't you?" Stark said as he looked at the scanners that Dayna had set to investigate the planet.
"Yes, of course, but you don't get anywhere arguing with him." Dayna peered at the readout. "Energy source... might be leakage from a power plant for a good-size base." She gave Cally the coordinates and frowned. "I don't like it."
"You can't argue with Avon." Stark nodded. "Fine. But he's *wrong*." Stark looked upset. "And if he gets killed it'll be that much harder to rescue my people." As an afterthought, "And Blake won't be happy. He *likes* Avon." Stark looked totally bemused at that. "Did I tell you, I think Blake's not quite sane?"
"No, you hadn't." Dayna's frown deepened. "Come on, tell me all about Blake and your people. I'll go crazy myself, if I don't have something to think about."
--
Thanks to the coordinates Dayna gave them, Cally and Tarrant arrived at the underground base ahead of Avon. They watched from hiding as he entered, then approached it. "Damn. Electrostatic lock. It needs a sonal key."
"Or someone who can open it without the key."
--
Vila was decidedly not thrilled. "Beautiful downtown Terminal... did I tell you I hate the name of this planet?" He muttered, but he worked on the lock.
"What is that!" Tarrant shot something black, furry and homicidal.
Vila had the door open and was three feet down the shaft before Cally could shoot the second of the creatures.
"Why would Blake be here?" Vila looked around nervously. "I mean, there's no rebels, no Federation, no nothing here."
"Good question, Vila." Tarrant went cautiously around a corner, then hastily backed up pushing Vila behind him. "Quiet!" he said as Vila started to protest. "It's Servalan."
Cally hesitated, then ducked into hiding with Tarrant and Vila. Servalan had several armed escorts with her, but that wasn't what had held Cally back. "Avon. She must have him."
"And Blake?" Vila whispered.
Cally shook her head. "I believe Stark is right. Blake was never here. Servalan found out that Avon was searching for him, and used his name as bait, to catch Avon."
"No, not Avon. She wants Liberator." Tarrant's eyes narrowed. "Cally, would he trade Liberator for Blake?"
"Once I would have said 'never', but now..." Cally shook her head. "I'm not sure."
"That tears it. We've got to find Avon and get out of here, whether he likes it or not."
"It's a big base," Vila protested.
"Servalan will know where he is," Cally said quietly.
"Yes, but will she tell you?"
Cally looked at Vila steadily. "Yes."
--
One look at Cally's eyes was enough. Well, perhaps the fact that Cally was calmly retrieving her knife from the back of one of Servalan's elite bodyguards at the time might have influenced Servalan's hasty statement, "If you kill me, you'll never get Avon back."
Cally replied quietly. "That is the only reason you are still alive."
--
Avon responded to the injection Servalan's 'doctor' gave him, opening his eyes and looking around in confusion. "Blake?"
"He's not here, Avon," Cally said in a sympathetic tone.
"He never was," Vila added.
Avon got up from the 'treatment table', ignoring all of them and headed for Servalan. "I saw him... I spoke to him."
For once, Servalan allowed her sadism to overrule her common sense. "You saw nothing. Heard nothing. It was a drug-induced and electronic dream. Blake is dead. He died from his wounds on the planet Jevron more than a year ago. I saw his body. I saw it cremated. Blake is dead."
Avon moved even closer to Servalan, his eyes... no one wanted to look at his eyes. He put his hands around Servalan's neck and squeezed while she coughed and flailed at him with her nails and tried to speak. He moved his head enough to keep her nails out of his eyes, but otherwise ignored the damage she inflicted on him.
"Avon! Stop it!" Tarrant's gun moved to cover Avon as well as Servalan's guards. "Avon, I mean it."
Avon glanced at Tarrant, but didn't let up on Servalan, slowly increasing the pressure on her slender throat as her eyes went wide and frantic. "Your brother died because of her." Avon's eyes flickered over to Cally, who was standing, silently watching, keeping her gun trained on the guards. "She murdered Cally's people. She deserves to die."
"Yes, but Avon, not like this, this isn't justice!" Tarrant protested.
"Isn't it?" Avon's thumbs pressed harder, and Servalan's tongue protruded.
Vila said quietly, "I think I'm going to be sick."
Cally said, "It won't bring any of the dead back, Avon." She touched him on the shoulder. "And it wouldn't please Blake to know you'd stooped to her level."
"Blake is dead." Avon looked almost lovingly into Servalan's glazing eyes.
"But he's not!" Vila put in. "Stark said so, remember!"
Avon blinked. "Stark?" He dropped Servalan's limp body to the floor. "Yes. Give me a bracelet."
--
Avon looked at the Shadow repository satellite, floating innocently enough on the main monitor. "We're going to have to go there and have a look for ourselves." Liberator was shielded, so no one knew they were there. Not even the massed ranks of black, heavily armed, ships in orbit.
Dayna protested, "That would be suicide, Avon."
Avon glanced at her. "It's the only way to get Blake."
Tarrant shook his head. "Wait. I know this is important. I know you want to do this-- but it's not possible. It's shielded for one thing, we can't just teleport in."
Avon looked at Tarrant.
"I just don't see how we..."
"We'll go without you. We'll go without all three of you. Cally, it's just you, me and Stark."
Cally replied, "Yes, of course, Avon, but possibly we should..."
Avon showed his teeth. "Are you against me on this, too?"
"No, no, I am with you. It's..."
"I'm going. Whether or not anyone accompanies me is totally immaterial." Avon stalked off the flight deck.
__
Blake dragged Neebrox away from the opening in the cell door. He whispered, "Travis!"
Neebrox glanced out of the opening at a short blonde man talking to Verlis. He sighed. "That's not Travis. You're having visions again."
Blake looked at Neebrox, then glanced out the opening. "Sorry," he muttered, on seeing the man Verlis was talking with.
"Rest, Blake, just rest." Neebrox patted at Blake and urged him back to lie down on the thin mattress, taking up a clean cloth to gently wipe at the wound on Blake's face.
__
"How could he go?" Tarrant said as he entered the flight deck in response to Cally's call. All the others were gathered there, watching the Shadow satellite on the monitor.
"He took Klegg's ship," Cally replied.
Tarrant sighed. "Yes, of course, it's still got Federation markings."
"And the Shadow cartel is run by the President of the Federation," Vila added gloomily. "So they'll let him *in*."
Dayna said, "What do we do now?"
Tarrant frowned. "I can call them and ask for a shuttle, tell them Liberator's an experimental craft, and I'm a wealthy customer."
"They'd have to be crazy to believe that!" Vila protested.
"Probably! But they'll be curious to know what I'm really after. And greedy once they see Liberator. And you'll have the guns trained on them, so they'll be reasonably polite."
"I'm going with you," Dayna said firmly. She plastered herself against Tarrant's side, and put an adoring expression on her face. "What self-respecting tycoon hasn't got a beautiful mistress by his side?"
Tarrant looked uncomfortable. Vila managed to keep a straight face. Stark just looked at all of them, and said nothing.
Cally nodded. "Yes, I would have gone, but you are a better choice this time, Dayna."
Vila turned to Stark. "Don't tell me this is part of your plan."
Stark nodded, " All right, I won't tell you." He continued fiddling with a hodge-podge of vaguely electronic things he'd set up on the flight deck table.
__
Dayna looked up as they neared the dock opening in the satellite. "That's big."
Tarrant agreed. "That's very big."
After the shuttle docked, they were led to the central reception area. There were people and even aliens scattered among the employees and guards. Avon was off to one side in the distance, apparently attempting to look inconspicuous in brown corduroy.
Dayna spotted him and started towards him.
Tarrant saw someone else- a man in black leather, wearing an eyepatch over his left eye, was talking to Servalan. Tarrant recognized her from the back and pulled Dayna behind a convenient pillar just as she noticed Servalan. Dayna squirmed, and whispered fiercely, "I can get her!"
"We're here to get *Avon*."
Dayna reluctantly subsided, moments before alarms began. They whirled, back to back, weapons drawn. Many guards surrounded them, weapons at the ready.
"Hand over your weapons... Slowly," one of the guards ordered.
Faced with impossible odds, they obeyed. The man with the eyepatch approached them. Fortunately, Servalan was nowhere in sight. He asked, "What is your business here?"
Tarrant said, "Good. Very, very good. You're in charge here?"
The man repeated, "What is your business?"
Tarrant said, "This is a depository, right? We have something to deposit."
"What makes you think we'd be interested?
"Have you ever heard of Kairopan?"
Avon took the opportunity of the distraction, and turned to a control panel, attempting to open a security door.
Tarrant said, "Now... I have managed to procure all 11 secret codes...." He glanced at Avon over eye-patch's shoulder. "What we need to do now... is discuss the terms of-- "
"Security breach, portal five!"
Eye-patch whirled and pointed at Avon. "Guards! That man! Seize him!"
Tarrant said, "Oh, shit!"
It seemed as if every guard in the place mobilized to capture Avon. Tarrant bolted in that direction as well. The guards reached Avon first as the door slid open. He fought and they beat him to the ground. Dayna and Tarrant could do nothing except watch.
Avon grinned up at the approaching one-eyed man. "I was told the security here was weak. I was right. The security here is garbage, Travis."
Travis knelt beside Avon, getting a fistful of hair. "Alphas. They're miserable lays, incompetent rebels, and basically inept, but this one... is intelligent. Or so they say."
One of the guards said, "Shall I execute him?"
"No. He also expects to be interrogated, don't you?"
Avon gasped out, "Kerr ... Avon."
"See? It's a dance. Let's not disappoint him."
Travis stood and two guards hauled Avon semi-upright between them, Avon managing a sneering laugh.
"You went to so much trouble to open that door, Avon. Be my guest." He nodded to a guard, who punched Avon in the gut. Avon groaned loudly and doubled over. He was marched away under heavy guard.
Tarrant turned to Dayna. "We have to go."
Dayna lingered for a moment, watching Travis, then followed Tarrant back to the shuttle.
__
Tarrant and Dayna entered the flight deck. Tarrant grabbed Stark by his shirt and drew back a fist. "You! You set Avon up! Avon is down there... because of you!"
Stark replied, "Look, you left him no choice! He had to, had to. It's the only way to save Blake. It's the plan!"
Tarrant flung Stark away from him, toward Dayna. Dayna grabbed him and pushed him up against a bulkhead. "What plan?!," she asked, "What are you talking about?!"
"The plan, the plan to get Avon back and to rob the depository."
Dayna said, "But you put the whole place on security alert!" She pulled him away from the wall. Tarrant grabbed him and flung him face first onto the flight deck table. Holding Stark's head immobile with one hand, he pressed one knee into Stark's back.
"It's all part of the plan, you see?" Stark said, "Because Avon's breached the system they'll scramble their codes and while they're resetting their security codes I can link in and they'll never even know... "
Tarrant glanced up at Dayna to see if she believed Stark.
"... but I have to work quickly." Stark said. He pulled away from Tarrant and backed away. Tarrant eyed him from across the room, still angry. "So you'll leave me alone! I've only got six arns before they reset their codes."
"Maybe I should reset your codes?" Tarrant grabbed Stark again, driving him back against the wall. "How the hell are we supposed to get Avon back?!"
"Don't worry about a thing. I've got it all figured out. It's all part of the plan."
Dayna said, "You better have it all figured out. Avon bet his life on that."
"No, he bet Blake's life on that," Stark said.
Tarrant pressed Stark back hard against the wall, then released him abruptly. "You manipulated us."
"This plan... will work."
__
In Travis's quarters, Avon sat on the floor stripped to the waist, arms outstretched and secured to a very large wire 'sphere'. He grunted as his already heavily bruised chest was viciously kicked.
The guard said, "He hasn't said a word."
Travis replied, "He's an Alpha-- he'll die first. Which means all this pain has been for nothing as it will continue to be... but perhaps you like pain."
Avon gasped loudly as Travis twisted Avon's earlobe. "Is that it? I hope so." He took Avon's shoulder in his metal hand and began twisting as Avon screamed.
__
Vila sat in the golden chair as Dayna sprayed a golden 'paint' over his fully clothed body, tool kit stowed in a compartment in the base of the chair. He was sitting in the 'Thinker' pose, with a worried look on his face. "I've changed my mind. I don't like Avon this much. I don't even like Blake this much."
Dayna patted Vila on the head. "It's easy, Vila. Stark's gadget will switch our container for the valuable one." She put the 'gadget' into the space with Vila's kit and snapped the panel shut.
"Hey, *I'm* going to be in this container! That makes it pretty valuable to me!"
Dayna went on soothingly. "All you have to do is open a lock. You live to open locks!"
"I don't intend to *die* opening a lock!" Vila wailed.
"You have to give up the bracelet." Dayna plucked Vila's teleport bracelet from his wrist.
"What!!"
"We can't risk them detecting signals, Vila. Close your eyes." Dayna finished spraying him gold, after Vila reluctantly obeyed.
"But what if something goes wrong?"
Cally looked up and smiled. "We have complete confidence in you, Vila especially where money is concerned."
Vila grinned, thinking of filling his pockets along the way.
"Dayna, swallow this. It will protect you from the effects of the melar gas."
Dayna and Cally each swallowed a capsule.
Dayna asked, "Are you ready, Vila?"
"Do I look ready? The answer is *NO*."
Cally said, "You have nothing to fear. The gas will suspend your biological functions just long enough to avoid being detected by a bioscan. Have courage, Vila." She held a small silver cylinder in front of Vila's face. It hissed as it emitted a cloud of pink gas.
Vila said, "I'll get Avon for this! It's all his fault, and he'll... have to... say..." Vila passed out.
Cally said, "It should have been instantaneous. I'll have to adjust the mix next time."
__
On the flight deck, Stark repeatedly exchanged one chip after another on the device he'd built. "No, no, no! Wrong chip! Bad chip!" He changed another. "Bad!"
Tarrant entered the flight deck. "Haven't you accessed their security systems yet?"
"Soon."
"You said we had less than six arns. ...Less than six hours."
"I know what I said."
"You have less than an hour left and I don't see any progress."
Stark snatched up a bunch of chips and shoved them into Tarrant's hand. "All bad. It's a matter of precision and timing. I must create my link at the precise moment they reset the..." A large holographic image of the Shadow Depository formed at the center of the table. Stark looked startled.... and then triumphant. "We're in. I'm in."
"You're sure this will work?" Tarrant looked dubiously at the image.
"Yes, it'll work. I spent too much time thinking it through."
"Avon spent too much time thinking through half his plans." Tarrant reached across the table to put down the chips Stark had given him. "It didn't help."
Stark pushed him back, nearly shouting, "Your side, my side! My side, your side!" Then Stark looked at the device smugly, ignoring Tarrant. "Now go away. You know… go back to your quarters. Get something to eat, take a nap. Do nothing. That's what Avon said you do best."
Tarrant had been about to leave, but at that, he paused and stared at Stark. He grabbed Stark by the collar and said softly. "We need to set some ground rules, Stark. You don't lie to me." He paused again and twisted the collar tighter. "Did Avon say that?"
"No. I'm sorry... He didn't."
Still speaking softly, Tarrant asked, "Do you have any other lies you want to confess?"
"No."
Slowly Tarrant released Stark. "Good. I'll give you a friendly word of advice, Stark. None of us like lies. Don't do it again." Tarrant left the flight deck.
__
Cally and Dayna entered the central reception area of the depository. Dayna was dressed the same as on her previous visit with Tarrant, but Cally was costumed like a female Amagon pirate in flowing blue-black robes including a black mesh covering her face. She had strings of coins and ropes of gems taken from Liberator's storeroom dangling from her headdress and draped about her neck and waist.
Dayna looked around and sniffed. "We can do better."
Cally said, "Better is whatever I say it is." She strode through the concourse as if she owned it, light flashing from jewels, gold chains, and the butt of her weapon as she headed for the doors where Avon had been caught.
Dayna acted subdued and followed. "Yes." They had discussed it, and decided that while Travis was apparently in a position of authority here, Servalan could hardly afford that open a relationship with the Shadow Repository. Cally was sure this wasn't the 'real' Travis, in any event- she'd seen Avon kill him- this man was apparently playing on Travis's reputation. Tarrant followed the two of them, now wearing a plain dark blue uniform and a prominently displayed gun.
The chief of Travis's guards intercepted them. "May I help you? "
Without turning her head in his direction or pausing, Cally said, "No. Bring me whomever is in charge here."
"I assure you, madam, I am more than capable..."
"Do not give yourself airs." Cally had modeled herself after Servalan, and was emitting an air of icy superiority. "I know a functionary when one crawls in front of my feet. Fetch me your master like a good little minion."
Travis appeared, no doubt summoned by security cameras. "I'm Travis. Are you here to make a transaction?"
"I am Zeldalla."
"Should that name mean something to me?"
"I understand you've been having security problems."
Travis smiled. "You've been misinformed."
"Oh really? My servants..." Cally indicated Dayna and Tarrant with a flick of a well-bangled wrist. "Saw a man get halfway into your vault before you even noticed him."
"Avon? He barely made it through the first door." Travis didn't bother to comment on the fact that Tarrant had previously introduced himself as a wealthy man. It wasn't uncommon for his customers to cautiously send out agents to evaluate his establishment.
Cally asked, "Is he still alive?"
"Last I checked."
"I want him. That man..." Cally's voice went to steel. "He killed my husband on one of his rebel raids."
"I have my own uses for him. He's worth a great deal to me."
"Far more to me." Cally lifted an armload of emeralds and rubies as she pointed a finger at Travis. "The Amagon Code demands I personally repay my husband's murderer... with interest. It is a matter of honour. Price is no object."
Travis's eye evaluated the value of Cally's adornments. There was a fist-size diamond at her throat worth more than Avon's bounty by itself. In any event it would be difficult for Travis to collect the bounty as he was persona non grata in the Federation. "I think we can come to some arrangement. But you couldn't have known he would be here. Why did you come?"
"I have time-sensitive goods. I require a short-term deposit."
Dayna nodded, trying to draw Travis's attention from Cally. "Short term."
"I need storage for one solar day," Cally said.
"One solar day," Dayna added, playing mindless minion to the hilt.
Two guards electronically swept the grav-float that had followed Dayna, Cally, and Tarrant with Vila's 'statue' in the center of it.
The guards reported, "Explosives: Negative. Biologicals: Negative. Power-field emitters: Negative."
Travis examined Vila, whose face had frozen in mid-yawn. The gilded wig that Dayna had put on him cascaded over his shoulders and face in heroic ringlets, further disguising him.
"Terran?" Travis asked.
"Yes. Toltech era. It's a religious artifact, taken from the shrine of the God of Indolence."
"Hmm, it's extremely ugly."
"But priceless. And now, I want that man." Cally casually stripped off most of her jewelry, pouring everything into a glittering heap at Travis's feet. "Now."
Travis turned and waved his hand. A door slid open and two guards emerged, holding a semi-conscious Avon between them.
"I'll show you to the vault," Travis told Cally. "Your guard can watch from the Observation room."
Cally turned to Dayna, "Girl. Take him back to the ship."
Dayna nodded subserviently. "At once, Zeldalla."
--
Cally, minus most of her jewelry, turned to inspect the vault, a huge gleaming metallic chamber, bare except for a control console at the center.
Travis said, "The vault is made from herculanium-bonded steel strong enough to withstand a pulse cannon. Does that alleviate your security concerns?"
"I'll let you know in one solar day."
Travis placed one hand against the control panel, and nodded to indicate that Cally should do the same. She did, and the machine gave off an audible signal.
"The code to your container is now linked to your genetic profile," Travis told her. "Only you will be able to gain access. Here comes your container now."
A large container appeared at breathtaking speed, rushing directly at Cally, only halting at the last possible instant before smashing into her. Cally automatically took a step backwards, arms up in instinctive defensive reaction.
Quietly mocking, Travis said, "The first time can be a little intimidating."
--
Tarrant entered the observation room with a pair of Travis's guards. One of the guards worked a control and the vault room was visible on one of the many monitors.
One of the guards whispered, "Sleer is here."
The other one replied, "Travis should be told." They left rapidly. Tarrant watched them go and then turned back to the screen showing Cally and Travis.
"Hurry, Cally," Tarrant said. "Oh, no..." One of the monitors showed Servalan sweeping imperiously along a corridor, flanked by guards in the same odd red and white uniforms as on Terminal.
--
Tarrant watched on the monitor as Travis's head guard met Servalan and her people in a corridor.
"Sleer. Sleer." The guard tried to get her to stop.
Servalan replied, "I've come for my property."
"If you could just... be a little patient."
Servalan eyed the man imperiously. "I will see Travis- *now.*"
"Yes, but..."
Servalan's gaze hardened.
Back in the observation room, Tarrant called the ship on his bracelet. "Servalan's about to walk in on Cally."
Dayna's voice replied, "Warn her!"
"No! We can't. Travis is right there, he'll hear."
Dayna growled. "I'm putting up the Neutron Flare shields. If anything goes wrong, I'll get Servalan."
"All right... just wait until you're sure it won't matter to Cally or me, please!"
Back on the monitor, the guard was trying to appease Servalan, to noticeably little effect. "Please understand. Travis's policy on client confidentiality is very strict. I could lose my position."
Servalan gave him a frosty smile. "Of course. I understand perfectly." She glanced at one of her guards, who stepped forward and knocked Travis's man unconscious.
Servalan said, "Now it won't be your fault." Then she staggered, suddenly gone gray and breathing raggedly.
Her guard caught her, and nodded to one of the others, who opened a small kit and took out a sealed flat packet. The first guard stripped Servalan's dress down to her waist, exposing her breast on one side while the other peeled open the packet, producing a wet-looking, bluish green, glowing sheet of gelatinous substance.
"All right. Hold still."
Servalan winced as the packet was slapped onto her breast, but as it absorbed into her skin, she straightened, colour returning to her cheeks. She deftly did up her gown and said, "Maintaining this form requires much effort."
The guard nodded. "But we have no choice."
Tarrant stared at the monitor in horror. He whispered, "Andromedans..." He turned back to the screen showing Cally and Travis.
Cally was talking. "I trust your machinery will not damage my possessions."
Tarrant paced restlessly in front of the monitor bank, glancing between 'Sleer' and Cally. "Come on, Cally, get out of there. Come on."
Travis informed Cally, "We often store items far more fragile and valuable than yours."
Another of Travis's guards scurried up to whisper in his ear. "Sleer is here."
Travis jerked noticeably, and immediately turned to Cally. "I have other business to transact now, Zeldalla. If you'd allow my assistant to escort you... "
Cally entered a transport chamber with the guard and it began moving. Tarrant sighed in relief and left the observation room.
__
'Sleer' met Travis in his private quarters.
"Travis," the Andromedan inclined her head.
Travis smiled, "Sleer... How good to see you."
'Sleer's' guards stood at the doorway while she slinked across the room and made herself comfortable on one of the lounges.
"I'm here to claim my property."
"Straight to business?" Travis walked over to her. "We have so much to catch up on since the destruction of Star One." He sat next to her.
"You've seized my property."
"Not seized..." Travis touched her arm with his mechanical hand. "Just... put to use whilst you were away. I'll replace it with an equal value of...merchandise."
"No, for my inconvenience, you'll provide me... With triple the value."
"Double."
"Triple."
Travis nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."
__
Back on Liberator's flight deck, Tarrant said, "All right, we've got Avon, let's reclaim Vila, forget the whole thing and get out of here. "
Dayna said, "But *Servalan*!"
"Isn't Servalan." Tarrant glared at Stark. "She's an Andromedan. For all I know, Travis is too... for all I know, *you* are!"
"What's an Andromedan?" Stark asked.
Cally, who'd just entered the flight deck, answered him, "A hostile extragalactic mesomorph. And if they are here, that's all the more reason we can't leave, Tarrant. At least, not until we find out what they're doing."
Tarrant scowled at her. "How's Avon?"
"Recovering. Is there any sign of Servalan's command ship?"
"None... But Zen did pick up one small non-Shadow vessel approaching the satellite earlier."
"Oh, that's fine," Dayna said. That's probably just a pursuit ship on a stealth trajectory, getting ready to report us to Space Command."
Stark said, "There's no need to panic. We can still pull this off undetected. Look... I've modified these comms so that they'll encrypt all transmissions-- we can communicate safely at all times-- and this passkey has been calibrated to control all their doors. You see... This plan will work."
Tarrant sighed. "I suppose we're committed. I need one more thing. Dayna?"
"Yes?"
"Can you create something for me that reacts with moisture, and by "react" I mean, "explode"?"
Dayna grinned. "I can... prepare some dextronitrate paste."
"Do it, please."
--
Travis was smiling at 'Sleer'. "I'm procuring a quarter sackmar of Borinium ingots for you-- at least three times the value of the property you had stored."
The Andromedan nodded. "How soon will we have them?"
"The arrangements are rather complex."
"And what am I supposed to do while I wait?"
"Accept my apologies." Travis ran his gaze over her body.
The Andromedan ordered her people, "Return to the marauder. I will summon you if I need you. Leave that. Travis will tend to me... Should I require it."
Travis grinned. "True. I know many ways to make you...moist."
--
Avon was lying on a bed in the medical unit, on his side, obviously in pain. Cally was sitting next to him when Tarrant entered.
"How are you doing?" Tarrant asked.
Avon replied, "How do I look?"
"You look like hell."
"Well, now, that's your answer."
Cally said, "The bloodwork showed clear of drugs. It will be some time before the tissue regenerator completes its treatment. The bones are fused and blood replacement is completed." Cally sounded quite annoyed, and looked at Avon as she spoke.
"Yes, well," Tarrant said, "We're going ahead with the plan."
Avon gave Tarrant a false smile. "Because now it's begun, you have no other choice."
Tarrant was annoyed. "Yes, thanks to you forcing the issue!"
"Well, now, someone had to act."
"You mean someone had to jump headlong into danger without looking!"
"What? And you never do?!"
Cally said, "Tarrant, leave him alone."
"Look, if Avon wants to get into it, we can get into it."
"Fine." Cally got up and slapped a packet of meds into Tarrant's hand. "Use this when the internal bleeding starts again." She got up and walked away.
Tarrant looked embarrassed. "I didn't come here to fight. I came to see how you are."
Avon looked at Tarrant, suddenly showing how tired he was. "We've already covered that. Is there anything else?"
Tarrant shook his head, frustrated, and left.
--
Inside the deposit box in the Shadow Repository, Vila's 'statue' wriggled. The gold 'paint' had stiffened, chemically reacting with something in the atmosphere aboard the satellite, and Vila's clothes had locked his limbs in place. Vila muttered, "One: Get up. Two: Use Stark's gadget to locate Servalan's container. Three: Jump into containers full of riches. The trouble is... Step one!"
Vila managed to inch up a laser probe from his sleeve and cut his way out of his clothes. He stood up, dressed only in a thin undershirt and baggy shorts imprinted with bright red hearts, and kicked away the heavy gold shreds of his clothing. "Dayna said this would be easy!" His gilt eyebrows waggled in indignation.
--
Cally, once more in her Amagon costume, stood at the central reception desk in the Shadow Depository.
"Withdraw your possessions already?"
"Yes."
"That's unusual."
In a bored tone, Cally informed him, "My life is unusual."
Dayna nodded eagerly. "Very unusual."
"I said this was a short-term deposit."
"Short-term," Dayna added gleefully.
--
Back in the vault, Vila climbed up the the interior wall of the deposit box. "Damn! Oh!..." An access hatch at the top of the container opened and Vila emerged slowly.
"No self-respecting thief should have to work this hard!" He lifted Stark's 'gadget' in one hand. "All right, let's see if this thing actually works."
There was a distant rumbling noise, and another container started moving towards Vila.
--
Dayna and Tarrant were in the Observation room again.
Dayna said, "So far, we're right on schedule."
"Let's hope Vila is. All he's got to do is switch containers." He starts pressing buttons, changing 'channels 'on the monitors. "If he gets it right, I'll kiss him."
Dayna grinned. "I'll tell him." She watched the monitors intently.
Tarrant stopped working the controls when Travis and Servalan appeared. "Oh, there's the happy couple now."
Dayna made a disgusted sound as they saw Travis licking Servalan's face. Tarrant coughed, but didn't change the setting.
On the monitor Travis murmured, "Are you still angry with me?"
"Mm... Furious." The Andromedan pushed Travis aside, not ungently, and got up, leaving the room.
Travis chuckled and followed. "Good. It adds enthusiasm to our encounters."
In the Observation room, Tarrant watched intently. "Leave that medi-kit. Leave it. Leave it. Yes! Come on!" He dashed out of the Observation Room with Dayna at his heels.
--
In the vault, Cally pressed her hand to the central control panel.
The computer said, "Retrieving container."
Vila was atop Servalan's deposit box, preparing to climb inside, at that moment. The box accelerated incredibly and Vila clung desperately to the opening, screaming as the wind ripped the last of his clothing off. The box changed direction abruptly and he fell inside, still yelling.
--
Dayna and Tarrant entered Travis's quarters. Tarrant headed straight towards the table that held the container of Servalan's gel-packs. He opened one carefully, and smeared it with the dextronitrate paste and then meticulously resealed it so that it looked exactly the same as the others.
--
In his cell, Blake rolled to his feet and began moaning. "No, go, go away." He waved at his head, as if trying to chase away insects. Neebrox woke up and looked at Blake sadly.
--
Cally had several of Travis's guards load her possessions onto a grav-lift. She saw Vila looking groggily out of one of the containers and gestured quickly to the guards at another crate. "You, move that over there." The moment they were out of sight, she shoved Vila back into the container and shut the lid.
Vila grunted, "Oh!"
Cally turned to the guards. "Careful!"
--
Dayna heard a noise in the corridor outside the room. "Quickly, Tarrant!"
Tarrant closed the medikit exactly the way it was.
"Too late!" Dayna whisperer urgently. "Get down!"
Tarrant dropped to the floor, concealed behind the couch. Dayna dived over the couch, landing on top of him. They were both hidden just as one of Servalan's guards arrived and picked up the medi-kit, leaving with it.
--
The guard had just finished giving Servalan another gel-patch.
Travis watched, and said, "The Borinium ingots have been transferred into your container. You'll be pleased with their quality."
-----
On to part 2
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