The Fleet by David Drake & Bill Fawcett

Author:David Drake & Bill Fawcett [Drake, David & Fawcett, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780441240937
Publisher: Ace
Published: 1990-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

But he did realize when, after a while, the movements of the room stopped.

They would be coming now.

He squinted toward the door, hoping to protect his eyes against the sudden burst of light which would come forth when it was opened. His finger was ready on the trigger.

Then the telephone rang.

Robert Sheckley 151

* * * XIII.

"Yes, who is this?" Esplendadore barked into the telephone.

"Sir, I am Allan Bantry, Alien Psychologist for the Fleet."

"Bantry, I don't know what the hell you are doing on the phone. Where's Haskwell? Where's Wintage? Where's my Chief of Staff."

"Actually, sir, they're off with the troops. They're planning a commando action to rescue you."

"Damn good show," Esplandedore said. "Tell them to get those men moving at once. Where the hell am I, by the way?"

"Admiral, your suite of rooms has been cut loose from the main complex and carried a distance of almost half a mile from base perimeter. I'm working to have television reception restored to you. There it is, now you can see for yourself."

The TV monitors flashed into life. On three sides, Esplendadore was looking down into a pit slanting downward into a deep chasm. On the fourth side, he saw a narrow tongue of land extended over the chasm. His suite of rooms seemed to be perched on that tongue of land.

"The reason I want you to delay the commandos," Bantry said, "is that I'm afraid too much movement could collapse the tongue of land your suite is perched on and send the whole thing into the pit."

"Well, hell, that's no good," Esplendadore said. "Tell them in my name to hold off, or to find some other way of hitting at the bastards who have kidnapped me. By the way, who did kidnap me?"

Bantry hesitated. "Sir, you aren't going to like the answer."

"What has that got to do with it? Just tell me!"

"You aren't going to like this at all, sir."

"Bantry, stop blabbering and tell me."

Bantry cleared his throat. "Admiral Esplendadore, what would you say if I told you that the connections attaching your suite to the rest of the building have been severed by the actions of several million hard-backed beetles each about the size of a one-credit coin?"

152 KLAXON

"I'd say you were crazy, mister, and that you're talking yourself straight into a court-martial."

"That's what I was afraid of," Bantry said.

"I suppose these beetles picked me up on their backs and carried me here?"

"I'm afraid that's exactly what happened sir. Several million beetles can carry extremely large objects."

"I warn you," the Admiral said, "an insanity plea is going to do you no good… You're sure this is what happened, Bantry?"

"Yes sir."

"Is anyone there with you? Any responsible officer?"

"Your batman, Captain Walters, is here."

"Put him on. Walters? What about all this?"

"Nobody knows exactly what's happening," Walters said. "But what seems to be happening is, someone or something is directing these millions, maybe billions, of beetles. Something or someone with intelligence. Maybe it's the Khalia, sir."

"You actually saw this happen?"

"Yes sir. I watched the beetles take you away.

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