L. E. Modesitt - Ecolitan Matter 03 by Ecologic Envoy

Author:Ecologic Envoy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-01-09T09:25:43+00:00

…XXVIII…

The Ecolitan frowned, slammed his clenched fist into his right palm, once, twice…three times. Finally, he looked out into the darkness where the lights of the towers sparkled. “Flame! Flame! Flame!”

“They want negotiations. There’s every reason to have negotiations. But it isn’t happening.” He glanced down at the small comm unit of the study. “Why? Why doesn’t anything happen?” He should have been in bed hours earlier, but the sense of danger, the nagging, dragging tightness in his gut had not let him rest.

Instead, he had cleaned up and dressed, pulling on a green tunic and trousers, along with his belt and the rest of his easily concealed infiltration equipment.

He took a last look at the view from the small study at the lights of the towers and then tapped the lockplate on the portal into his Legation office.

The first sliver of light from the opening warned him. He drove through the portal even before it was open.

The four figures who seemed to turn in slow motion toward him all had masks slung around their necks, not yet in position. Three were women. The fourth, on the far right, leaning against the big official console, was a man. All wore uniforms.

The first two women sprayed away from the Ecolitan, slammed into the wall by his attack. The third Marine went down as Whaler arced his elbow across her throat.

The man had a nerve tangler halfway from his holster before the Ecolitan slashed it from his hand.

Seconds later, the man in green looked down at the unconscious Marine and looked around the office.

Surprisingly, all four Marines were still breathing, and one of the women on the far side of the office was beginning to scrabble toward the stunner that lay about a half meter from her outstretched hand.

Nathaniel reached it first, readjusted the setting from its near-lethal level, and used it, first on the one conscious soldier, then on the other three.

The masks meant that someone was about to gas his quarters, and the fact that the Marines were in bis-private Legation office meant someone on the Legation staff, besides the unfortunate Sergel, had been in on the operation.

He worried his tongue between his teeth for a moment, tried to think, while moving toward the portal to the staff office.

He had a stunner in each hand. While their high-pitched strumm was noisier than he liked, they were quick. If another crew were waiting, he would need all the edge in time he could get.

Before activating the portal, he adjusted the stunners’ focuses to almost a point.

He looked at the portal, took a deep breath, shook himself gently, then tapped the lockplate.

Again, he came barreling through the portal, low and fast, even before it was fully open. His first shot dropped the single Marine guarding the next doorway. His second paralyzed Hillary West-Coven’s right hand before she could touch the console studs.

“You move, and I’ll put the beam right above your heart.” She froze. No one else was in the staff office. “Stand up and move back from that console.

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