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Blackjack did blink back a minute after he left. All in one piece, thank goodness. He reported it was a fine, sunny day in the past. His landing point was only about ten yards from the forest. He could see the castle in the distance.
I retired with Astrid, Cajun and Tarum to a small room. I sat across from him at a table while Astrid and Cajun pointed their guns at him. I laid my Desert Eagle on the table.
“So was the plan to maroon us in the past, or kill us on the way?” I said.
“It was to maroon you and your squad. The man whose orders I followed wanted to kill you personally and watch you die.”
“He likes the personal touch, does he? Who’s the man who gave the orders?”
“He told me his name was General Conbor. He came with the Soltarians.”
I grunted. Sometimes in life you have to deal with the unexpected.
“I should have tracked him down and killed him long ago. Well, live and learn. I won’t make the same mistake twice. But first things first. Where exactly were you going to beam us to?”
“About thirty miles from the castle there is a valley surrounded by mountains. I was told to beam you to the valley. General Conbor planned to have his armed force on the mountain passes. They would open fire as soon as your squad materialized. You would have no cover, no place to hide. The battle would have been over within a minute... except for you.”
“What did the general have planned for me?”
“If possible, you were not to be harmed. He wanted to kill you personally. A knife fight. One on one.”
I frowned. “If I recall, on Vanodor, Conbor did wear a couple of knifes on his uniform. For a high-tech man, he liked more primitive weapons. The natives said he was skilled with them. When he wanted to execute someone, he or she was tied to a pole and he would toss his knife at them. Rumor was he could hit the heart almost every time.”
“He said he was your sworn enemy and you would die by the knife.”
“To paraphrase Cardinal Richelieu, I have no enemies, the Federation has enemies. Freedom has enemies. But if I had any, he’d be at the top of the list.”
Astrid had her gun pointed at Tarum. She eased it up until the barrel was pointed at the ceiling.
“Why did you do what he ordered? He’s the man who destroyed your race,” she asked him.
“Because the remnants of the Cappnid race are being held prisoner three hundred years in the past. Conbor and the Soltarians did manage to take some of their weapons to the past. They carved out an area in the northern hemisphere, which is where they are now. The ones of my race who survived are being herded into camps, but he said he would not exterminate them if I did what he ordered. He said my ancestors can have half the planet; the southern half. He will build up his forces and, when they take off into space to conquer other planets, they will leave and my race can stay in peace. The Soltarians will leave and not return if we do what he said. And if I deliver Major Ryvenbark to him.”
“And you believed them?” I said.
Tarum shrugged. “We had no choice. Our planet was devastated by their attack. Before we could get to the past, eighty percent of our race died. I wanted to save the rest.”
“How many of the invaders died when you modified the toxin?”
“Many. But I don’t know the numbers. There are thousands in the past, both men and women. But as I told you, they breed fast. In a generation or two they can repopulate the planet. There are also at least three other humans with the general. One is a military man. The other two are scientists. With the robots and the knowledge they have taken into the past, they would be a danger to your race. I said fifty years before, but that might have been a pessimistic prediction. Certainly within a century they will have the capacity that your civilization has today. That will include space travel and powerful weapons. Two hundred years in the past, I don’t think your race would withstand them.”
“I wouldn’t want to take the chance. Is what you told us about the castle true? The Soltarians have their base there, their weapons and their scientific information are stored there?”
He nodded. “They are in no danger from the population. Not three hundred years ago. We had no weapons back then. When they have built other facilities I’m sure they will move some of their equipment, but right now everything is in the castle.”
“Good.”
“What do we do?” Cajun said.
“If there are no other major surprises, we follow our basic plan. Tarum, do you know how many soldiers Conbor took with him to the mountains?”
“Close to a thousand.”
“He certainly wanted the odds on his side.” I looked at Astrid and Cajun. “We travel back to the past, take out the Soltarians at the castle, destroy their weapons and their scientific capabilities and then wait until the soldiers return and destroy the rest of their forces. As for the rest of the scattered Soltarians on the planet, we’ll let the Sandeling winter take care of them. Tarum, there won’t be any more major surprises, will they?”
“No, major.”
“Good, since you were trying to do your best to save your race and because none of my men were killed, I’ll overlook your previous questionable behavior. If you stay honest with us, we should be able to save your race. Any more deceptions and the game is off, understand?”
“Yes.”
As we filed out, I motioned to Blackjack; he walked over and pointed to Tarum, his back toward me.
“Keep your eye on him. I don’t trust him, not a hundred percent anyway.”
“Sure will, major. Don’t worry about a thing.”
We walked to the transporter.
“It’s easier if we split the group into thirds,” Tarum said. “Would your squad like to go first, major?”
“That will be fine.”