quarters. The red light was on,
indicating that he did not want to be disturbed.
She pressed for entry anyway, and held down
the communicator button. “Dad?” she asked. She waited, but there was no reply. “Dad?”
She waited for a few minutes, then knocked loudly on his door, but he still
didn’t answer. Getting worried now, she stood there biting her nail as she
wondered whether she ought to try and enter his room without his permission. He
would be angry if he was there and she burst in. But what if there was
something wrong, if he had drunk too much, and was ill?
Quickly making a decision, she reached into
her pocket and took out the small screwdriver she had put in there for this
very purpose. She used it to lever open a small panel next to the entry pad,
revealing the circuitry of the door.
She jumped a little as a low voice said:
“What are you doing, Andi?” It was the Waiter, who was observing her on the
cameras that were stationed at various points throughout the ship.
“Nothing to concern you, go back to sleep,”
she muttered. “Clearance code Alpha November 239.” It was her own personal code
that she had programmed into the Waiter—unknown to Deneb—that allowed her to do
pretty much whatever she wanted.
“Yes, Andi.” The Waiter fell silent.
Carefully, she loosened the green wire
leading to the lock and then, using a pair of pliers, also from her pocket, she
cut it.
The door slid back silently, and stayed
open. Andi held her breath, expecting a sharp reprimand, but none came, so she
peered into the room, then stepped inside. It was empty. She crept through the
lounge area, noting, to her surprise, that there was still an almost full
bottle of whisky beside the chair, and went through to his sleeping room. She
peeped around the corner.
The bedcovers were straight, and obviously
hadn’t been slept in.
Andi stared at them, wondering in her
sleepy state where he had gone. Down to the mess to get something to eat? Up to
the bridge to check the flight path? And then her eyes fell on a notepad on a
nearby table, the blue light at the top flashing to indicate that there was a
message to be read.
Hesitantly, she picked it up, pressing the
button to bring up the waiting message.
Dear Andi (it read)
If you’re reading this, then you’ve
disobeyed the red light on the door and come into my room! Don’t worry, I’m not
cross. I knew you’d find a way in when I didn’t appear, and that’s why I’ve
left you this note.
Don’t be angry with me, although I know you
will be, but I’ve gone back to Thoume to try to find the girl with the Golden
Star. I know you think it’s because of the ship’s account, but it’s not just
that. I keep thinking of her in that awful place, and I know I’ve got to do
something to get her out, something to help Clios and her people.
Give me five days. If you don’t hear from
me by then, you’ll know that something’s gone wrong. If that happens, please
forgive me, and know that I was only trying to do the right thing. Head back
for Earth, Andi love, and contact the ORC. They’ll help you decide what to do
with your life.
I love you very, very much. Your father,
Deneb.
Andi put the notepad on the table. An image
flashed through her mind—a knight of Old-Time England, dressed in armor, riding
astride a large white destrier. Off to rescue a princess. Off to save the
world.
“Waiter!” she yelled.
“Yes, Andi?”
“Where is Deneb?”
“In the cargo bay, Andi.”
She ran out of the door and down the
corridor, pulling her warm robe closely around her pajamas. He must have
awakened her just as he left his room, so she should still have time to catch
him. She sprinted down to the elevator and, once inside, shouted: “Cargo Bay! Please!”
“Yes, Andi.” The Waiter closed the doors
and the elevator began to sink slowly through the levels.
“Faster, Waiter!”
“Safety regulations state that the optimum
rate for an elevator to
indicating that he did not want to be disturbed.
She pressed for entry anyway, and held down
the communicator button. “Dad?” she asked. She waited, but there was no reply. “Dad?”
She waited for a few minutes, then knocked loudly on his door, but he still
didn’t answer. Getting worried now, she stood there biting her nail as she
wondered whether she ought to try and enter his room without his permission. He
would be angry if he was there and she burst in. But what if there was
something wrong, if he had drunk too much, and was ill?
Quickly making a decision, she reached into
her pocket and took out the small screwdriver she had put in there for this
very purpose. She used it to lever open a small panel next to the entry pad,
revealing the circuitry of the door.
She jumped a little as a low voice said:
“What are you doing, Andi?” It was the Waiter, who was observing her on the
cameras that were stationed at various points throughout the ship.
“Nothing to concern you, go back to sleep,”
she muttered. “Clearance code Alpha November 239.” It was her own personal code
that she had programmed into the Waiter—unknown to Deneb—that allowed her to do
pretty much whatever she wanted.
“Yes, Andi.” The Waiter fell silent.
Carefully, she loosened the green wire
leading to the lock and then, using a pair of pliers, also from her pocket, she
cut it.
The door slid back silently, and stayed
open. Andi held her breath, expecting a sharp reprimand, but none came, so she
peered into the room, then stepped inside. It was empty. She crept through the
lounge area, noting, to her surprise, that there was still an almost full
bottle of whisky beside the chair, and went through to his sleeping room. She
peeped around the corner.
The bedcovers were straight, and obviously
hadn’t been slept in.
Andi stared at them, wondering in her
sleepy state where he had gone. Down to the mess to get something to eat? Up to
the bridge to check the flight path? And then her eyes fell on a notepad on a
nearby table, the blue light at the top flashing to indicate that there was a
message to be read.
Hesitantly, she picked it up, pressing the
button to bring up the waiting message.
Dear Andi (it read)
If you’re reading this, then you’ve
disobeyed the red light on the door and come into my room! Don’t worry, I’m not
cross. I knew you’d find a way in when I didn’t appear, and that’s why I’ve
left you this note.
Don’t be angry with me, although I know you
will be, but I’ve gone back to Thoume to try to find the girl with the Golden
Star. I know you think it’s because of the ship’s account, but it’s not just
that. I keep thinking of her in that awful place, and I know I’ve got to do
something to get her out, something to help Clios and her people.
Give me five days. If you don’t hear from
me by then, you’ll know that something’s gone wrong. If that happens, please
forgive me, and know that I was only trying to do the right thing. Head back
for Earth, Andi love, and contact the ORC. They’ll help you decide what to do
with your life.
I love you very, very much. Your father,
Deneb.
Andi put the notepad on the table. An image
flashed through her mind—a knight of Old-Time England, dressed in armor, riding
astride a large white destrier. Off to rescue a princess. Off to save the
world.
“Waiter!” she yelled.
“Yes, Andi?”
“Where is Deneb?”
“In the cargo bay, Andi.”
She ran out of the door and down the
corridor, pulling her warm robe closely around her pajamas. He must have
awakened her just as he left his room, so she should still have time to catch
him. She sprinted down to the elevator and, once inside, shouted: “Cargo Bay! Please!”
“Yes, Andi.” The Waiter closed the doors
and the elevator began to sink slowly through the levels.
“Faster, Waiter!”
“Safety regulations state that the optimum
rate for an elevator to
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