Mutineer (22 page)

Alexis smiled. That was probably a much more fitting punishment for them than what she’d attempted. What would she have done if Timpson had challenged her?

“You frightened me,
Alexis
.”

Alexis’ heart froze. Had Delaine seen that darkness rising up in her and been put off? Would she lose him too?

“If he had challenged you … I could not bear to see you harmed.”

Alexis laughed, the sound a little shrill to her ears. Was that what he was frightened of? She’d trained with the marines aboard
Merlin
and
Hermione
for almost a year. Though she was nowhere near as skilled as they, the other midshipman barely bothered themselves to practice the minimum required.

“No fear there, Delaine,” she said. “If ever I step onto the field with the likes of Penn Timpson, it won’t be me left lying on the grass.”

He took her hand and placed it on his arm to escort her back to the prison. “There is steel in you,
ma chatte
.”

There’s something in me … I only wish I knew what.

* * * * *

Alexis closed her eyes and settled back against Delaine. They were sitting beneath a tree on a hillside some distance outside of town. In the far distance, she could hear the massive harvesters working the export fields. Nearer, the voices of those from the farms and town working their own fields by hand. The sun was very warm, but the shade of the tree and the occasional breeze made a pleasant contrast, and that breeze brought the scent of cut grain along with the workers’ voices. For a moment, she could almost believe that she was home on Dalthus, the sounds and smells of harvest time were so familiar.

She reached for the remainders of the picnic lunch Delaine had brought for them and found the grapes, taking one and holding it over her shoulder for him. The feel of his lips on her fingertips made her shiver and flush. She giggled suddenly and covered her mouth with her hand.

“What amuses you so,
mon lapin?
”

She smiled and put her head back to rest against his chest. “Only that this is not at all what I should have imagined a foreign prison to be like.”

She’d expected him to laugh, but felt him tense instead and she opened her eyes. The sky was blue and half full of soft, white clouds. The fields were full and prosperous. It was an idyllic sight and a perfect day, but she was suddenly worried. “What is it, Delaine?”

“I had thought to speak of it much later, but …” He took a deep breath. “I would ask that you make the parole to my commodore,
Alexis
.”

Alexis felt a chill run through her. If Delaine was calling her by name instead of his duck or his hen or —
What was that last one? His rabbit?
No, if her name was all he could come up with then it was a serious thing indeed. “Why? After all this time?”

“I will be leaving soon. My commodore, she has received orders to meet a fleet of
le Hanovre
.”

Alexis’ heart fell. She’d known it would happen someday. He had a ship and the ship would have to sail somewhere at some time. She’d miss him terribly, though. She raised her hand to his cheek. “I’ll be all right with the lads, Delaine. Better there than in town with the others, I suspect.”

“
Non
, you do not understand. This fleet will come and
le Hanovre
will … the officers with the parole,
Alexis
, they will be allowed to stay, but your men will go. It has happened before elsewhere. Not always, but … I would not take this chance with you.”

She sat up and turned to face him. “Go? Where will they be taken?”

“Deeper into
Hanovre
. The war is hard and there are few to do the work. I have heard it is … difficult in these places.”

A chill went through her. “You mean some kind of work camp? They can’t do that!” It was expressly against the laws of war to force captured spacers to work for the enemy.

“
Le Hanovre
, I do not think they care.”

“You have to stop them!”

“
Alexis,
I will not be here. My commodore will not be here. We are to sail — all of our ships, all of our men — to meet this fleet and
le Hanovre amiral,
the admiral. Where he will send us, I do not know.” He lowered one hand to the grass and caressed it, seemingly unaware of the gesture. “
Le
Hanovre
, with the war, I think they no longer trust us beneath stars that were once
Français.
”

“Sail to meet them? All of you?” she asked, not understanding. “Even the guards?”

Delaine nodded. “I do not think this admiral knows of your men yet, or he would not have ordered it so.” He shrugged. “But the orders are clear and my commodore, she must obey. All ships of the fleet, all men of the fleet, will sail and meet this admiral. Men from the town will guard you from tonight, until the admiral arrives.”

“Tonight?”

“
Oui.
” He looked down. “I am sorry. The orders, they only came this morning. As it is, I take time from my own ship, my
Bélier
, to see you once more.”

Alexis raised her hands to her mouth, trying to take in these changes. He was leaving so soon and what would this new admiral really do with her and her lads?

“You see,
Alexis
, yes? You must give the parole now, before —”

She pressed her fingers to his lips, silencing him. “No, Delaine.
Non
.” She smiled. “You must go with your ship and I must stay with my lads. We can do no other.” She leaned forward to kiss him, sorrow at being parted from him warring with excitement at an idea that was just forming.

“Remember what I told you,” Alexis whispered to Lain and Moberly.

“Aye, sir,” Moberly said. “We’ll take care.”

“See that you do. They’re simply men from the town, set to a task they never asked for. I don’t want them injured if it can be avoided.”

“My lads will see to it, sir,” he said. “Take ‘em down gentle like.”

“And you’ve told them the words I gave you?”

“Aye, sir,” Moberly said, nodding. “Hands up and throw down yer gun, all Frenchified. Couple of the lads had trouble wrapping their tongues around it, but the meaning’ll come through, I think.”

Alexis nodded, though not very confident.
My mangled guesses at the words and their thick tongues, we’ll be lucky to get by without asking the guards to the summer dance
. “Good then. Go see to it. We’ll give it an hour past dark and then move. Lain, do you have the man I asked for?”

“I do, sir. Collison’s the man you want. Pinched fer stealing aircars on Etal and says he can pilot anything and steal most.”

“Good,” Alexis said.

She stood and pulled the blanket of her little compartment aside for them to leave. She laid back down on her cot to wait, wondering if this was the right thing to do. If Delaine hadn’t told her the men would be transferred, she likely wouldn’t even attempt it. Escape depended on too many variables. She had confidence that her men would be able to overpower the guards, but she also had to be right that the antigrav hauler she’d seen in the fields would return early in the morning, before dawn. That was the norm on Dalthus, but she was making a huge gamble that it would be the same on Giron.

Delaine had to be telling the truth that the entire fleet had sailed to meet this new admiral. A single warship in orbit would put paid to any chance they had. At the same time, there had to be at least one merchantman in-system, and at least one of its boats landed at the port. It would be rather embarrassing to break out of prison, steal a hauler, and rush over two thousand kilometers to the port … only to be left standing on an empty landing field when the Hanoverese fleet arrived.

Alexis closed her eyes, hoping to nap, but she still had a decision to make about the night’s plans. What to do about the officers in town? Entering the town to retrieve them would increase the risk to the entire group. And did she really want to? Williard, perhaps, was worth saving, but there was no doubt New London and the Fleet would be far better off to never see the likes of Neals again.

Part of her longed to leave the midshipmen behind, but that was a vengeful, spiteful part of her. In the end, she couldn’t predict the Hanoverese reaction when they arrived and found she and the crew had escaped — would they honor the officers’ paroles, or would they punish them? That was what decided her — no matter her feelings about Neals, she couldn’t take the risk they’d suffer for her actions and decisions.

She managed to sleep fitfully, but wasn’t at all rested when a spacer lightly shook her shoulder and whispered, “It’s time, sir.” In the dark and with his voice so low, Alexis couldn’t tell who it was. She rolled off the cot and put her boots on, having slept in her uniform.

“Sergeant Moberly said as you’re to wait here ‘til it’s over, sir, if it’s all right with you. Be more’n enough confusion out there in a bit.”

“Yes, Scholer,” she said, recognizing him now. “At least until it starts.”

“That’s not what Sergeant Moberly said —”

Somewhere in the darkness there was a muffled
clang
followed by a shout and then more shouting. Alexis ripped the curtain aside and strode out onto the warehouse floor. The lights came on, blindingly bright after the darkness, and Alexis could see that the struggle, at least inside, was over already. Each of the guards, even the ones walking the upper catwalk, was down on the floor, three or four marines and spacers surrounding them.

Within a few minutes, Moberly came in from outside, leading a file of marines, spacers, and chastened-looking French guards. “Lock ‘em in the office, lads,” he said, “and make sure they’ve no weapons or coms on them.” He crossed to Alexis. “All taken, sir,” he said, “and naught more than a bump or bruise to show for it.”

Alexis reached out and grasped his forearm. “Thank you, Moberly,” she said. “I’m afraid I have something more to ask of you, though.”

“Sir?”

“While Lain’s off to retrieve the hauler, I need a small group to come with me to bring back Captain Neals and the others.”

Moberly paused. “Is that wise, sir?”

Alexis saw the same look of doubt on Scholer’s face, as well as those of the spacer’s nearby. She could understand, even felt the same way herself. Entering the town to retrieve Neals and the others was an additional risk — both from being discovered in the town and from the officers themselves. There was no way of predicting how Neals would react. “Wise or not, it is what we will do, sergeant. I’ll have no one from
Hermione
left behind. No one.”

“Aye, sir.” His brow furrowed. “Four marines, do you think? So’s not to be too many tramping through the town?”

Alexis nodded. “That will do nicely.” She saw Lain approaching with another spacer.

“Collison’s ready to go, sir,” he said.

“Are you certain you can start a Hanoverese hauler, Collison?” Alexis asked. “And fly it?”

Collison grinned. “Never seen nothing I couldn’t steal and fly, sir.” His grin grew wider. “It’s keeping it too long that got me pinched.”

“Well, that won’t be an issue this time,” she assured him. “Once we’re at the port we’ll leave the hauler behind and there’ll be something new for you to steal for us.”

Collison laughed. “Always suspected the Navy was a good fit for me.”

“It’s quite possible it won’t be locked at all,” she said, “if they treat it as we did on Dalthus. There’s little point in stealing something everyone on the planet can recognize.”

Collison looked vaguely offended at the prospect of someone not locking their vehicle.

Alexis clasped him on the shoulder. “We’re all counting on you, Collison. Get that hauler back here instanter.”

“Aye, sir.”

She watched Collison walk away with Lain to join the spacers and marines who were going after the hauler. “You picked steady men to go with them?”

“Aye sir,” Moberly said. “And Lain chose a man or two who knows his way about sneaking in the dark.”

Alexis nodded. The Navy’s penchant for sweeping the gaols for crew was coming in disturbingly handy. “I’ll want only marines with us when we go to town, Moberly,” she said. “I think it best the captain not see any of the spacers until absolutely necessary.”

“And them not see him, sir? The lads’ll not be happy to see him and the others.”

“He’s still the captain, Moberly.” She saw that he looked uncertain. “What is it?”

Moberly hesitated as though deciding whether to speak. “Only that, well, is he, sir? Still the captain, I mean … with him giving parole and all?”

Now it was Alexis’ turn to hesitate. She hadn’t considered that. Parole was an agreement not to escape, after all —
could
Captain Neals and the others accompany them or would it violate their parole? Would the trip into town and its danger of discovery be for nothing? And what would the captain’s reaction be if he must stay while she left?

“Let me and the captain worry about that, sergeant,” she said.

* * * * *

Alexis led Moberly and four other marines out of the warehouse. The night was cool and quiet, with only the occasional buzz of an insect to break the silence. The guards from town had arrived in an old, decrepit ground-truck with an open bed, rather than the ship’s boat the fleet guards had used.
And wouldn’t it make things easier to have that for our use?
But, of course, if the fleet was still guarding them they’d have no opportunity to escape.

“Can any of your men drive this, Moberly?”

“I can, sir,” one of them spoke up.

“Well, get to it, Simcoe,” Alexis said. She took a seat in the driver’s compartment with Simcoe while Moberly and the others clambered into the back. They’d taken the time to arm themselves with the stunrods and pistols of their former guards, but Alexis dearly hoped they’d not have the need to use them.
In and out, then back here with the officers to meet the hauler. After that …

Well, after that she had only the vaguest of plans. Cram the men into the hauler and make for the nearest port. Hope that a ship’s boat from some merchant was on the landing field and could be taken. Hope further that they could take the merchant ship itself and that Delaine had told her the truth about all of the local fleet’s ships having left the system to meet the Hanoverese.

The quiet whine of the truck’s motor and the soft sound of its tires against the road barely disturbed the night as Simcoe pulled away from the warehouse and headed toward town. In a surprisingly short time they pulled to a stop in front of the building that housed
Hermione’s
officers. It had been a vacant shop and residence when they’d arrived and had been rented to house the officers much as the warehouse had been converted into a prison for the men.

“We should go to the back, sir,” Moberly advised. “If there’re servants they’ll be housed back there and might think it’s a tradesman come early, or a servant from another house.”

Alexis nodded. “Lead the way, sergeant,” she said. “This is your bailiwick.”

The six of them made their way to the alleyway behind the building and Moberly knocked sharply on the rear door. When there was no response for several minutes, he knocked again, then a third time. Finally they saw a light in the window and heard a shuffling behind the door before a voice called out.

“
Que?
”

Moberly opened his mouth and looked at Alexis, eyes wide and panicked. Alexis met his gaze, heart beating wildly.
No, we didn’t consider that bit, did we?
She stepped beside Moberly and leaned close to the door, wracking her brain for what French she’d picked up from Delaine and the guards.
And hope it’s more than ‘my little hen’
.

“
Pardonnez-moi, madame. Je suis tombé …
”
I’ve fallen and …
o
h, hell, what’s the word for leg?
“…
ma cuisse est blessé.
” She blushed and bit her lip.
Have to go with ‘thigh’ and not just leg … and you’d think with all the body parts Delaine murmured in my ear …
No, Delaine’s murmurings were quite a bit more … specific. Alexis flushed, knowing it wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

“
Oh cher!
”

Alexis heaved a sigh of relief as she heard the rattle of the lock and stepped back from the door. “Don’t harm her,” she whispered to Moberly.

He nodded and as the door started to open pushed forward, shouldering the door open and grasping the old woman behind it. He spun her around and clasped a hand over her mouth before she had time to more than gasp in surprise. The four other marines hurried past him, Alexis following behind.

“
Calmer
.
Non blessé
.
Calme. Nous serons partis
,” she whispered to the old woman, trying to calm her and assure her that they’d be gone soon and not harm her. The woman’s eyes were wide and darting around the room and she was breathing harshly behind Moberly’s hand. Alexis was certain she was butchering the words, but her meaning seemed to be getting through. “
Calmer. Sil vous plaît? Nous voulons …
”
Well, no, I don’t actually
want
them, I suppose.
“
Les
New London
hommes.”

The woman stopped struggling and stared hard at Alexis. She made muffled noises behind Moberly’s hand, trying to speak. “C
alme, oui?
” Alexis whispered and the woman nodded. Alexis nodded to Moberly and he took his hand away from her mouth.

“
Vous venez pour les hommes?
” she whispered.

“
Oui
,” Alexis said, nodding. “We’ve come for the men, the New London men,
oui.
”

The woman jerked her head to the side, spitting on the floor. “
Vous êtes les mutins? Bon! Prendre les! Les tuer, les brûler avec le feu, bon débarras!
”

Moberly’s eyes widened in surprise at her tone and his grip must have slackened, for the woman shrugged out of his grasp and leaned back against the tall kitchen counter. She crossed her arms and raised her chin. “
Bâtards! Imbécile!
”

Alexis raised an eyebrow. She’d caught only a little of that.
Something about killing them and … fire? I see
Hermione’s
officers have endeared themselves as always.
She laid a hand on the woman’s arm. “
Bientôt,
” she said.
They’ll be gone soon.