“How far away is that other plane that was following?” Lacey called out. “Can it get down in front of that mess? How much distance does it have?”
“It’s leveling out, sir. Looks like it’s changed its mind.”
“See, he already knows. That means they’re in contact. They must be together,” Charlie Hu said, trying to take it all in. Keene could only shake his head. Crazier and crazier.
“What was that other plane that just landed?” Delmaro demanded, looking worried now. “Where are the Kronians?”
“If they were in that first one, then they’re stranded at the top end of the runway,” Lacey said. “I can’t get there, neither can you, and I’m just as much in the dark as to what’s going on, whatever you think.” Delmaro’s composure was falling apart. He seemed about to say something, when the screen showing the scene at Gate Three suddenly brightened. He must have had a copy of the same view also, for he looked aside abruptly.
A ring of floodlights had come on, throwing the figures moving out from the gate—now revealed clearly to be FAST troopers—into sharp contrast against the darkness. There were maybe two dozen of them. Then an amplified voice boomed. “Do not make any move! You are covered from all sides. Throw your weapons in front of you and step back three paces with your hands on your heads.” The figures came to a confused halt, some raising arms to shield their eyes against the glare, others looking at each other questioningly. “You have three seconds before we fire,” the voice warned.
Keene, Colby, and Charlie Hu gasped in unison as they recognized the voice. “Jesus! . . . That’s Penalski,” Colby breathed. “He’s doing that with just si—” Keene signed to him frantically to shut up and nodded his head at the screen showing Delmaro. Colby put a hand to his mouth and turned away.
But it was true. Confident of having full surprise on their side, the FAST squad had not deployed into what they had presumed to be deserted surroundings, but just waited before the gate for the turboprop to roll up and deliver the hostages. Penalski had just six men with him out there in the darkness. Crazy Marines!
Delmaro hadn’t heard Colby, however, but was gaping on his screen, seemingly at a loss. Then the sound of a brief burst of automatic fire came from the screen showing the gate, and several of the figures ducked, presumably from bullets passing over their heads. Then, one by one, they began tossing down their guns.
Seizing the initiative, Lacey stepped forward to face the screen squarely. “You are Colonel Delmaro, I believe, right? Well, it’s over. You’re on your own, isolated from your hostages, and your men out here are disarmed. What are you going to do now? Shoot General Ullman? And what do you think that will achieve?”
Delmaro’s eyes shifted desperately. “There are still enough of us in here to take the Boxcar up,” he replied.
“Where to?” Lacey scoffed. “The Osiris? Do you know what happened to the last bunch that tried?” He shook his head. “Give it up, Colonel. Try and carry this through, and you’re definitely finished. Quit now, and you might work out a place for yourself in whatever comes next. But none of you is going to Kronia.”
Delmaro licked his lips and looked away. He seemed to be listening to others off-screen. Then he asked for a fifteen-minute hold. Lacey looked at Keene.
“Give it to them,” Keene murmured. Anything that calmed things down could only help.
“Fifteen minutes,” Lacey agreed.
The wind was causing sand and dust to rattle against the windows of the control tower as Keene and the others watched several vehicles carrying Air Police arrive to provide backup behind the cordon around the stranded turboprop transport. The turboprop’s doors opened, and figures began emerging to surrender in the light from the headlamps of the circle of vehicles. After them, the rescuers began leading out a procession of tall forms who could only be the Kronians. They were difficult to distinguish in the heavy outer garments they were wearing, until Gallian threw back the hood of his flapping parka to reveal his white hair as he shook hands with a helmeted figure toting a submachine gun, who seemed to be in charge of the rescue troops. Keene thought he glimpsed Sariena in the background, but it was impossible to be certain. And then the figure with Gallian turned to say something to one of the soldiers, at the same time removing the sand visor he was wearing and tilting back the helmet to scratch the front of a scrawny head. Keene’s knees almost buckled right there in the middle of the control tower floor. The figure who had arrived in the nick of time with his cavalry from the sky was—Leo Cavan!