report from the chemical
laboratory. The traces of the gas in the expeller had been analyzed. Even
in the quantity contained in the cylinder, the gas would not have done
more than put him to sleep for several hours.
... 7 ...
"Al-Buraq" had lost her starfish-shape and bright-red glow. She was
a cylinder, flat on the underside, emitting yellow pulses. Flashes of
light revealed spacers entering many ports.
By the time Ramstan was on the bridge, all posts had reported in, the
drunk and drugged were in the various sickbays, and the general-alert
alarm was turned off. The crescent-shaped bridge pulsed whitely from
its spongy deck and those bulkhead areas not having indicator/control
plates. The six commissioned officers and seven warrant officers were
seated in their chairs. Ramstan took his chair in the center of the
crescent. The chair was, like the others, a pseudopod of the deck,
extended by the ship, shaped to fit him as near perfectly possible.
On Ramstan's right was Lieutenant-Commodore (acting full commodore) Jimmy
Tenno. On his left was Commander Erica Hannay. Five meters before them,
the IC panel curved up to a height of 2.8 meters. Thirteen black-lined
circles, extending from the deck to the ceiling, filled the panel. A CO
and WO sat before one.
"All secure?" Ramstan said.
An octagonal in the lower left-hand part of the circle directly before him
flashed yellow-yellow-yellow.
"Drive ready?"
Two tiny arrows flashed, one green-green-green and one
scarlet-scarlet-scarlet.
"Alaraf drive on," Ramstan said.
The green light ceased pulsing.
"Activate Reverse Jump Number One -- RJN 1."
There was no motion, nothing to indicate that the vessel had left Kalafala
behind at a distance of googolplex parsecs and perhaps at a distance of
googolplex millennia.
The scarlet light ceased.
"EV and coordinates."
The circle became black, and Ramstan was looking into space. Stars
flamed white, red, orange, green, blue, yellow, violet. A spiral galaxy,
seen from "above," was a dying albino octopus that had been wounded by
a shotgun loaded with jewels.
The scanners traveled across the circle, and the octopus drifted out of
view on the right side. More stars, a giant red sun, not more than three
light-years away, traveled across a nebula bright as a movie screen. The
upper edges of the gas cloud formed the ragged silhouette of a crouching
and grinning wolf.
Ramstan did not need the pulsing yellow letters that appeared near the
bottom of the circle to know where he was. There had never been any
doubt anyway.
"EV off. M-GD, Walisk window," Ramstan said.
The view faded. The scarlet arrow came to life, pulsed, and would continue
to pulse until Ramstan ordered it to stop.
Ramstan looked to both sides and caught a few officers looking at him
expectantly. He frowned, causing them to look straight ahead. All in
the bridge, everybody in ship, in fact, obviously hoped to hear an
explanation for their sudden departure. He did not have to give one,
and he would just as soon not. If they were not informed, however, they
would resent it, and good morale would boil away. He would have to tell
them something. Fortunately, Branwen Davis and Toyce had given him enough
to shape a half-truth.
He sat brooding while the silence in the bridge stretched like a wire
between two winches. There would be no breaking point because no one
would dare to ask him when he would give the order to resume normal
operations. Nor would any voice the question clogging their throats and
making some cough nervously.
Suddenly, he stood up. Erica Hannay sighed. Tenno, his dark-brown face
oily with sweat, grinned, showing block-like white teeth. Chief Warrant
Officer Vilkas, at the far left, began coughing violently.
Ramstan waited until Vilkas had
laboratory. The traces of the gas in the expeller had been analyzed. Even
in the quantity contained in the cylinder, the gas would not have done
more than put him to sleep for several hours.
... 7 ...
"Al-Buraq" had lost her starfish-shape and bright-red glow. She was
a cylinder, flat on the underside, emitting yellow pulses. Flashes of
light revealed spacers entering many ports.
By the time Ramstan was on the bridge, all posts had reported in, the
drunk and drugged were in the various sickbays, and the general-alert
alarm was turned off. The crescent-shaped bridge pulsed whitely from
its spongy deck and those bulkhead areas not having indicator/control
plates. The six commissioned officers and seven warrant officers were
seated in their chairs. Ramstan took his chair in the center of the
crescent. The chair was, like the others, a pseudopod of the deck,
extended by the ship, shaped to fit him as near perfectly possible.
On Ramstan's right was Lieutenant-Commodore (acting full commodore) Jimmy
Tenno. On his left was Commander Erica Hannay. Five meters before them,
the IC panel curved up to a height of 2.8 meters. Thirteen black-lined
circles, extending from the deck to the ceiling, filled the panel. A CO
and WO sat before one.
"All secure?" Ramstan said.
An octagonal in the lower left-hand part of the circle directly before him
flashed yellow-yellow-yellow.
"Drive ready?"
Two tiny arrows flashed, one green-green-green and one
scarlet-scarlet-scarlet.
"Alaraf drive on," Ramstan said.
The green light ceased pulsing.
"Activate Reverse Jump Number One -- RJN 1."
There was no motion, nothing to indicate that the vessel had left Kalafala
behind at a distance of googolplex parsecs and perhaps at a distance of
googolplex millennia.
The scarlet light ceased.
"EV and coordinates."
The circle became black, and Ramstan was looking into space. Stars
flamed white, red, orange, green, blue, yellow, violet. A spiral galaxy,
seen from "above," was a dying albino octopus that had been wounded by
a shotgun loaded with jewels.
The scanners traveled across the circle, and the octopus drifted out of
view on the right side. More stars, a giant red sun, not more than three
light-years away, traveled across a nebula bright as a movie screen. The
upper edges of the gas cloud formed the ragged silhouette of a crouching
and grinning wolf.
Ramstan did not need the pulsing yellow letters that appeared near the
bottom of the circle to know where he was. There had never been any
doubt anyway.
"EV off. M-GD, Walisk window," Ramstan said.
The view faded. The scarlet arrow came to life, pulsed, and would continue
to pulse until Ramstan ordered it to stop.
Ramstan looked to both sides and caught a few officers looking at him
expectantly. He frowned, causing them to look straight ahead. All in
the bridge, everybody in ship, in fact, obviously hoped to hear an
explanation for their sudden departure. He did not have to give one,
and he would just as soon not. If they were not informed, however, they
would resent it, and good morale would boil away. He would have to tell
them something. Fortunately, Branwen Davis and Toyce had given him enough
to shape a half-truth.
He sat brooding while the silence in the bridge stretched like a wire
between two winches. There would be no breaking point because no one
would dare to ask him when he would give the order to resume normal
operations. Nor would any voice the question clogging their throats and
making some cough nervously.
Suddenly, he stood up. Erica Hannay sighed. Tenno, his dark-brown face
oily with sweat, grinned, showing block-like white teeth. Chief Warrant
Officer Vilkas, at the far left, began coughing violently.
Ramstan waited until Vilkas had
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