for once. He tapped the metal with his knuckles. Russell slapped his palm on the side of the ship, and a door opened. Reaching upwards, Ysao swung inside. Leiko went after him.
Jimson touched the metal skin. It was smooth and cool. The ship reminded him of pictures he'd seen of whales, or giant turtles. She was round. Light pulsed near them, tossing rainbows off the Morgana 's side. "Go in," said Russell.
Jimson hesitated at the door. It was several feet off the ground. "How do I—"
"There's a ceiling bar," directed Russell. "Grab for it." Jimson felt for it, locked his fingers around it, and pulled himself clumsily inside. His knee scraped the opening as he went through. Russell followed him, lifting himself like an acrobat on a chinning bar. His hand slapped a plate just inside the door. It slid shut. "Ysao?" he called.
"Yo." The sound was muffled. Russell laughed.
"Trust an engineer to find the Drive Core." He touched Jimson's shoulder. "You look around," he invited. "If you want to know anything, ask me."
Jimson said, "I was wondering how long you've been a Starcaptain."
"I've been a Starcaptain for six years," Russell said. "I trained to be a navigator. That took me two years. I went to work in a nice legal job, too, navigated cargo ships for one of the combines. But you know me. I get bored fast. I got curious about the places I wasn't going to—and I got very tired of taking orders. I wanted to be my own boss. So I came back here and went through four more years of training, and came out with this." His hand brushed the medallion on his chest. "Made some good friends then, too." His eyes were looking into a private place. Jimson waited, not wanting to disturb him. The green eyes changed as if shutters had fallen over them. "I had another ship before this: a lovely old hulk named the Mariana ."
"Did something happen to her?"
"I sold her. She was close to being scrap anyway. I bought this ship and renamed her Morgana two years ago—in fact, De Vala bought her for me. It was my pay for the job I did for him."
"Russ!" Ysao was calling from wherever he was.
"Coming! Feel at home," he said to Jimson.
As a home, the ship was one big round room. Leiko was standing, smiling, before a curving wall with two chairs in front of it. The wall was a collage of screens and dials and buttons. Along another curve of wall there were bunks, six of them, in two rows of three, and a food unit with a table which could be lowered out of the wall. There was a cubicle that might be a bathroom. There was no privacy. It was disturbing not to have divisions: walls, doors, rectangles and squares. Up the wall, over the ceiling, and down the other side, hung rungs. A ladder? No, they stuck out too much. Jimson scowled at them. They looked like giant towel racks.
There was a picture on the wall. He went up to it. It was one of his own: a landscape, rare for him, in colored pencil: an orchard in blossom, with petals thick as fleece. The orchard on North Island, on New Terrain, where Russell and he had walked, talked, made love in the sun.... Russell's hand fell on his shoulder. "What are you—oh."
Jimson said, "I did that five years ago."
Russell said, "I bought it five years ago. Saw it at a show on Cameo."
"Why did you buy it?" Jimson asked.
For a moment he thought Russell would refuse to answer. The green eyes shuttered. But Russell said, "I bought it because it reminded me of you." He turned then to the food unit. The table came out of the wall, and benches came out of the table. "If you'll drag Leiko from the pilot's chair, I'll get Ysao away from the Drive, and we can talk."
Leiko came to the table reluctantly. "This is a beautiful ship."
"Just tell me where we're going," Ysao said. "I'm in."
Russell looked at Leiko. "I don't know," she said. "Talk about it."
"The Crystal Masks," Russell said. He turned to Jimson. "Ever heard of them?"
"No."
"Nor I. But De Vala has, and he wants one. He described them to me. They're
Jimson touched the metal skin. It was smooth and cool. The ship reminded him of pictures he'd seen of whales, or giant turtles. She was round. Light pulsed near them, tossing rainbows off the Morgana 's side. "Go in," said Russell.
Jimson hesitated at the door. It was several feet off the ground. "How do I—"
"There's a ceiling bar," directed Russell. "Grab for it." Jimson felt for it, locked his fingers around it, and pulled himself clumsily inside. His knee scraped the opening as he went through. Russell followed him, lifting himself like an acrobat on a chinning bar. His hand slapped a plate just inside the door. It slid shut. "Ysao?" he called.
"Yo." The sound was muffled. Russell laughed.
"Trust an engineer to find the Drive Core." He touched Jimson's shoulder. "You look around," he invited. "If you want to know anything, ask me."
Jimson said, "I was wondering how long you've been a Starcaptain."
"I've been a Starcaptain for six years," Russell said. "I trained to be a navigator. That took me two years. I went to work in a nice legal job, too, navigated cargo ships for one of the combines. But you know me. I get bored fast. I got curious about the places I wasn't going to—and I got very tired of taking orders. I wanted to be my own boss. So I came back here and went through four more years of training, and came out with this." His hand brushed the medallion on his chest. "Made some good friends then, too." His eyes were looking into a private place. Jimson waited, not wanting to disturb him. The green eyes changed as if shutters had fallen over them. "I had another ship before this: a lovely old hulk named the Mariana ."
"Did something happen to her?"
"I sold her. She was close to being scrap anyway. I bought this ship and renamed her Morgana two years ago—in fact, De Vala bought her for me. It was my pay for the job I did for him."
"Russ!" Ysao was calling from wherever he was.
"Coming! Feel at home," he said to Jimson.
As a home, the ship was one big round room. Leiko was standing, smiling, before a curving wall with two chairs in front of it. The wall was a collage of screens and dials and buttons. Along another curve of wall there were bunks, six of them, in two rows of three, and a food unit with a table which could be lowered out of the wall. There was a cubicle that might be a bathroom. There was no privacy. It was disturbing not to have divisions: walls, doors, rectangles and squares. Up the wall, over the ceiling, and down the other side, hung rungs. A ladder? No, they stuck out too much. Jimson scowled at them. They looked like giant towel racks.
There was a picture on the wall. He went up to it. It was one of his own: a landscape, rare for him, in colored pencil: an orchard in blossom, with petals thick as fleece. The orchard on North Island, on New Terrain, where Russell and he had walked, talked, made love in the sun.... Russell's hand fell on his shoulder. "What are you—oh."
Jimson said, "I did that five years ago."
Russell said, "I bought it five years ago. Saw it at a show on Cameo."
"Why did you buy it?" Jimson asked.
For a moment he thought Russell would refuse to answer. The green eyes shuttered. But Russell said, "I bought it because it reminded me of you." He turned then to the food unit. The table came out of the wall, and benches came out of the table. "If you'll drag Leiko from the pilot's chair, I'll get Ysao away from the Drive, and we can talk."
Leiko came to the table reluctantly. "This is a beautiful ship."
"Just tell me where we're going," Ysao said. "I'm in."
Russell looked at Leiko. "I don't know," she said. "Talk about it."
"The Crystal Masks," Russell said. He turned to Jimson. "Ever heard of them?"
"No."
"Nor I. But De Vala has, and he wants one. He described them to me. They're
Similar Books
