Brad said.
"Either one will detract from the image we're
trying to build. He should know ASAP what you
found. I'll pass it along to him. Stand by with
Kumiko in case Drummer needs some technical
advice on weapons or engineering."

"Right."

Hodak turned to leave, and his eyes met Scarf's.
Hodak grinned, and gave Scarf a thumbs up. Scarf
glowered and turned away, moving back to the net.
Hodak disappeared down the passageway.

The ship advanced along a rail into a gallery at
the mouth of the tunnel. Captain Hyk turned
to Drummer.

"The Dragon is at launch station," he said.

Drummer and Brad stepped from the command deck
to a small balcony overlooking a shallow pit covered
by a pale, translucent screen. A network of lines,
representing tunnels and galleries, formed on the
screen, each incorporating a tiny, yellow moving
and blinking light to indicate a warship under
Drummer's command. As each light reached launch
position, it halted and changed from yellow to
green. Drummer and Brad watched the last of
the yellows convert. All green, ready to launch.

Drummer picked up a microphone, Brad beside him.

"This is Drummer," he said. "Operation
authenticator Tornado Six. Execute. First wave.
Launch."

Five green lights flashed to red and disappeared,
on their way to predesignated stations outside
Fandango: one off each blunt end of the Depot
cylinder and the remainder at the entry to the
gateway force field.

Ten seconds later Drummer repeated his codes and
launched the second wave. The corresponding lights
on the screen flashed red and out. New green lights
appeared in their place, this time moving in arcs
converging on the cylinder centered in a sphere:
the depot in its force field cocoon.

The converging lines massed, reformed, and spread
into a pattern resembling the spoke tips of an open
umbrella, with the Gateway, the crowded transports
and the depot centered at what would be the
umbrella's handgrip.

##

Drummer turned his head and looked at Brad.

"Went off rather well," he said.

"Seems so. That was the easy part. I don't envy
you the next."

Drummer touched a switch connecting him to the
bridge.

"Captain," he said. "Launch the Dragon. Take your
position at the coordinates I gave to you. Activate
our comm system to the depot."

The ship shuddered as it shot from the gallery and
headed for the concentration of spacecraft above
Pluto. It slowed as it passed through the umbrella
fo