Crisis Of Empire - Crown Of Empire Part 6

Caroly's was a red-and-silver Kahna World- walker, the 800 series with the acrobatic modifications. The two of them performed intri- cate braiding patterns as they rushed around the tall buildings, never both on the same street at the same time. Thistlewaite was an excellent driver, but his aircar was not as advanced as Wiley's and Caroly's, and he lagged behind.

Maytag lacked such reckless nerve and tended to stick to right-angle turns, executed at unpre- dictable intervals. Neither Thistlewaite nor Maytag were as high as Wiley or Caroly, of course.

Caroly had Bentess Hull riding with him, act- ing as spotter, and a pa.s.senger, the brilliant and erratic Tonio van Lewat in the back.

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Chelsea Quinn Yarforo

Wileywas showing off the Radeo to his three cohorts. Dov Sclerida and his flamboyant girl- friend, Crisianne Nemor, rode in die back, Dov firing his pistol and throwing glue-filled bottles.

His third pa.s.senger was a girl whose name Wiley thought might be Nika, a pretty thing with bronze hair who wasn't as into the partying as the others. Her idea of fun was a bit different. From time to time she reached over to take Wiley s hand and place it on her thigh, but he always ended up with both hands on the steering bar as he attempted another spectacular and danger- ous stunt.

"Hey, look at that!" yelled Dov as he fired at a group of squat, four-legged aliens. They scat- tered as the aircar pa.s.sed over them, the airpads stirring up half a dozen miniature tornadoes.

"Endorites," shrieked Crisianne, waving fran- tically as they pa.s.sed over the group. They dropped four bottles of glowing paint on the shacks where the aliens lived. Her shrieks turned to giggles as the smallest of these collapsed, a brilliant purple sunflower blossoming atop the

rubble.

Thisdewaite and Maytag had found a group of locals apparently playing some kind of game, and they harried the aliens, flying dangerously low to the ground to drive them to run. One of their

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victims threw a rock at Maytags aircar and in the next instant one ofThistlewaite's pa.s.sengers had dropped a bottle full of flaming brandy on his head-

Eveiyone in the aircars laughed as the local staggered and fell.

Wiley rushed the Radeo up the side of the nearest building, to the level where the success- ful aliens lived. Here, Wiley and his friends did nothing more than stare in windows, for, alien or human, at this level the inhabitants could not be attacked with impunity. The aircar did a spec- tacular slow roll, and then once again they hurtled toward the shanties of Undertown.

Dov fired three rounds as they leveled off just above the street. Then his ammunition was gone and he cursed the pistol before reaching for the last of the bottles to throw.

Caroly and his gang whizzed by, Tonio releas- ing bottles of fuel every six seconds, aiming for the sideways. Wiley could hear Caroly bellowing a popular song, trying to compete with the roar of his Woridwalker.

Another, larger aircar appeared ahead of Caroly, and behind it he could just make out a Navy a.s.sault boat, fully armed and blocking the intersection six blocks away. Wiley scowled. Who were they to interrupt his fun?

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Chetsea Quinn farbro

Caroly's Worldwalker balked suddenly, the rotors slowing. Caroly held the steering bar with all his strength, striving to keep the aircar from crashing. Only his autorotating fans allowed him to ride it down to the ground. He heard Tonio yell something, and then they banged into the

street.

Wiiey stared at the wreck of Caroly's aircar. He

realized Caroly was down at the levels they had just buzzed, with no weapons. There would be locals waiting. Then looked down the street in the opposite direction; another a.s.sault boat was closing in on them. More irked than worried, Wiley yelled to Dov Sclerida, "What's your father up to now?" He had to hold the steering bar in this narrow street and could not point out the

a.s.sault boats.

"What are you talking about?" asked Dov,

dropping a bottle of stinkbalm over the side.

"Navy a.s.sault boats," said Wiley, nodding in the direction of the nearest. "I make out six so

far."

"I don't - " Dov began, then broke off in alarm.

"Where'd they come from?" he demanded as if someone was deliberately withholding the answer.

"Look at them," whispered Wiley, his pleasant intoxication fading rapidly. "What do they want?"

The girl beside him reached over and grabbed

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his leg, for once without any seductive intent, her fingers gouging his muscles.

Catching up with his charge s group at last, Wile/s chief bodyguard eyed the a.s.sault boats from the far end of the street. Perhaps these children could be persuaded to find more suit- able entertainment. Though six Navy a.s.sault boats seemed a lot to discipline a baker's dozen of unruly adolescents. He hailed the a.s.sault boats.

"McModor here, from the Secretary's Guaxd,"

he sent. "Come to fetch the Sclerida boy?"

There was no response.

"I'm not reading anything off them," said his second. "No hull signals, nothing."

"This doesn't feel right." McModor hit the send key again. "Lieutenant McModor of the Secretary's Guard, hailing Naval a.s.sault boat, please respond,"

The answer this time came from the boat's guns.

Two blocks over, another a.s.sault boat brought down Thistlewaite's aircar without a single shot.

The revelers were weak with apprehension as they saw the huge boats open their hatches.

Not far away, Maytag did his best to get away

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Chetsea Quinn Yarbro

and in a sudden blazing miscalculation slammed into the side of the building.

Ahead Wiley's aircar wobbled and dropped down onto the street.

Wiley sat, more dazed from the jarring impact than anything he had consumed earlier that eve- ning. "McModor?" For once he was wishing the guard would show up. Yell at him. anything. Any- thing normal. But McModor was nowhere in sight and he became aware of the locals, watch- ing, perhaps waiting for a chance to exact some vengeance. He fumbled with the harness release, his Bngers refusing to cooperate. Finally, he broke free of the harness and scrambled out of the useless aircar. The girl who had been sit- ting with him followed on his heels.