Grunting, he swung Ganser's supine form to his shoulder and ran panting
to the edge of the anti-shield. He halted a pace before the shimmering
field and pulled a dark-colored disc from his pocket. Set beforehand to
the shield frequency that Harbin would use, its purpose was to nullify
a small section long enough for them to slip through.
Hastily his fingers flipped the trigger and it began to vibrate
furiously in his hand. Instantly an irregular opening flickered in the
lethal shimmer of the shield. Glayne shoved the girl through, then
darted after her with Ganser over his shoulder.
Harbin waved joyously at them from the flier turret, his youthful
face wreathed in smiles. "We can't hold them much longer," he shouted.
"They're nullifying the shield with field scramblers. Hurry!"
Right behind Glayne as he steered Niala through the lock and leaped
in behind her came the portable Kellander crew, still firing as they
backed the gun into the flier. With a _clang_ the locks slammed shut
and the flier's driver engines thundered. With a single motion of his
arm, Harbin released the anti-shield and fed the pent-up driver power
to the jets. With a tremendous heave that crushed Glayne back rigidly
in his seat the flier blasted up from the palace roof.
Harbin flung the flier around in a screaming turn and thundered low
over the vast forest preserves that surrounded the palace. The tall,
scraggly trees seemed to brush against the ship's stubby fins as Harbin
sought to evade enemy pursuit. Grunting with effort, Glayne clambered
up to the nose of the craft and sank back into a shock seat beside the
pilot.
Grimly the Guardian Captain peered ahead at the huge, featureless
ovoid of grey which was fast rushing down upon them. It was the palace
defense shield. If it was the new type, then they were licked because
nothing could get in or out. But the two-way shields were dangerous
and unnecessary as protection for a natural siege position like Gort
Bro-Doral's palace. Hence Glayne had concluded that the Delbans would
keep their old style shield.
Or had he made a mistake in his reasoning? Glayne tensed unconsciously
as the tiny flier flashed toward the grey ovoid. It was all or nothing.
And suddenly the flier slashed through it like so much paper.
Glayne suppressed a sigh of relief at the vindication of his logic.
Now the flier was hurtling over Sterle Capital. Harbin, in an effort
to avoid enemy detectors, was almost flying down the very streets.
Their wild gamble almost looked as if it would pay off. Glayne hoped
fervently that Graysen had managed to evade the two Delban escort
destroyers that had accompanied them to the space-port. The _Algol_
would be a sitting duck over Topo Gulf until the flier arrived.
But after that, Glayne thought grimly, they were clear. No matter
how much power the Delbans could receive from their astounding
transmitter, they could not withstand a sustained ten G thrust like
his crew of heavy planet men. Then he thought of Niala, accustomed to
Terran Standard. He bit his lip. She would just have to take it; there
was no other way.
The flier had left Sterle Capital far behind and was climbing rapidly
into the stratosphere. Evidently the surprise attack had disorganized
the Delban patrols and drawn them like flies to the city. At any rate,
not one was in sight as their flier streaked over Topo Gulf.
Feverishly Harbin doubled the flier back and forth, searching the conic
broadcast beam of the _Algol_, undetectable behind her inert screen.
Finally a welcome series of dots and dashes crackled from the receiver
and Harbin brought the flier around in a screaming turn to follow the
directional beam. Cautiously he slowed the craft as the intensity of
the signals increased. Suddenly the reception maw gaped at them out of
grey nothingness--and the flier shuddered to a stop at the _Algol's_
landing dock.
Hastily Glayne jumped out of the flier and hurried to the navigation
bridge, dropping Niala in her quarters along the way. Harbin would take
General Ganser--the precious, indispensable Ganser--to Surgery for
facial repairs.