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DD seemed excited, turning to his master. 'Yes, the ship is ready, and I would very much like to leave here, Margaret.' Obviously, the older woman hadn't considered a real possibility for escape in a long, long time.

Orli stretched her other hand through the gap. 'Please, Margaret?'

Before she could answer, groups of Klikiss raced up and down the tunnels in a fury, apparently summoned by an urgent call. The older woman cocked her ear as if hearing something that no one else understood.

DD swivelled his head. 'I have detected an ultrasonic signal from the breedex.'

'Something's happening.' Even deep in the tunnels of the ancient city, they could hear whistling and clicking, great clashes, weapons detonating.

'Is it the EDF?' Nikko called from the cell. 'Does that mean we're rescued?'

'I doubt the Eddies would get off their butts and do anything,' Tasia said. 'But maybe the Roamers came. They might've gotten tired of waiting to hear back from us.'

Margaret's face showed real alarm now. 'No, it's not the human military. I think we've been attacked by another subhive.'

You mean other Klikiss are attacking?' Robb said. 'Attacking us?'

'Attacking the breedex. The rival subhives have already begun to stake out their territory and destroy each other. Now we'll see if the Llaro subhive acquired enough unique knowledge to guarantee a victory over these rivals.'

'Don't expect me to lead the cheering section,' Tasia said.

Klikiss raced through the corridors, preoccupied with the crisis and ignoring the prisoners. Margaret and DD got out of the way. An explosion cracked the roof of Orli's cell, and a curtain of dust sifted into her hair. Several more pale humanlike hybrids lurched past with an awkward gait, followed by a towering domate, a new domate. ft, too, had a hint of oddly human features.

When the creatures had scuttled past, Davlin took advantage of the disturbance and began to hurl himself at the stiff web strands that formed the bars. This is our chance - your chance, too, Margaret! While they fight the other bugs, they won't care about a few humans. We can run right past them.' With a full body blow he smashed into the barricade, and some of the resin broke away from its anchor point on the stone wall.

'He's right,' Margaret said, hurrying over to help him from the outside. 'Yes, I can go. I can be… free.'

DD strutted to Orli's cell, fixed his compy hands on one of the strands, strained, and broke it free. The girl squirmed through the sticky bars as DD moved to the larger cell, uprooted more of the webbing, and peeled the bars away enough that the other four prisoners could break free.

With Klikiss fighting Klikiss, the small group left the chambers behind and began to run.

One hundred and twenty-six

Admiral Sheila Willis

General Lanyan's troop transport set down with an un-r necessary flourish of landing jets in a cordoned-off space I on the pontoon base. As ordered, Willis had dispatched skimmers to the Company Works and brought in Drew Vardian, transported Allahu from his home made of giant, empty medusa shells, and fetched five token homesteaders from outlying islands, as well as two prominent medusa herders. For good measure, she even brought in the three rowdy teenagers who had stolen the recirc-sorters from the mineral-extraction towers.

Willis asked every one of her troops stationed on Rhejak to put on their dress blacks, despite the tropical heat, and had them line up for inspection. Uniforms neat, hair combed, and boots polished. She pursed her lips. It wouldn't do to make a bad impression for the General. Her expression quickly degenerated into a scowl.

For the past several hours, the Jupiter had broadcast incessant images of the massacre on Usk. Willis couldn't imagine what the General thought he'd accomplish by that, except to bring out the worst in the Rhejak colonists. It seemed he wanted their fear more than their cooperation. So she obliged him, letting the man dig his own grave.