“Easy, Harry,” Rembrandt ordered, her voice still tight with tension. “Look, Colonel. We’re going after the captain, no matter who gets in our way. Now stand back or fall back. It’s your choice.”
“You know, don’t you, that they’re likely to kill him if you try to take him by force?” Battleax’s voice was suddenly soft.
“There’s that possibility,” the lieutenant acknowledged. ‘”But there’s as much a chance that they’ll kill him if we don’t. You see, his father won’t pay the ransom.”
“It don’t make no difference,” Chocolate Harry put in.
“What was that, Sergeant?”
“You folks may know more about the military than me,” C.H. said, “but let me tell you somethin’ about criminals. They’re lookin’ at some serious charges now that they’ve moved up to kidnappin’. They’re not gonna want to leave any witnesses around, and the biggest witness against them is the cap’n. They gotta kill him whether the money gets paid or not.”
“We’re the only chance Captain Jester has of coming out of this alive,” Rembrandt continued quietly. “We’ve got to at least try. If we just sit around …” She shook her head, letting her voice trail off.
“I see,” Battleax said thoughtfully. “Tell me, Lieutenant, since you won’t let me relieve you of command, would you be willing to accept me as a civilian advisor?”
Lieutenant Rembrandt’s face split in a sudden smile.
“I’m always ready to listen to advice, Colonel,” she said. “I’m still fairly new at this.”
“You’ll do,” Battleax said. “However, there’s one thing I think you should consider in your plans-something I get the feeling you’ve overlooked in your enthusiasm. There are large numbers of civilians in the complex who are legitimate innocent bystanders. I think it would be wisest in the long run if an effort was made to ensure they didn’t get caught in your cross fire.”