Another ghost hissed by. Palagren seemed utterly unaffected. As his fellow Narseil returned to the net, he reported, Legroeder and Freem'n are seeing something I'm not—some sort of third-ring entities. They're losing control. You and I need to steer! He was working urgently to level the ship, oblivious to the ghosts about his head.
// We've identified the voice,// murmured an implant in Legroeder's head. // It's from your memories of the Impris encounter. You heard the crew calling out to you on the L.A.—and at least one of those voices is the same.//
Impris! Legroeder whispered aloud.
Yes? said Palagren. If these are real voices and not just your memories, we must follow them. They may be showing us the way.
Or, Legroeder thought desperately, it may be my subconscious taking us through some delirious hallucination.
Captain Glenswarg wants to know what the hell we're doing, Ker'sell said as he helped Palagren fly. He appeared to have shaken off whatever was alarming him; like Palagren, he was calm as ice now. What shall we tell him?
That we're onto something important and we need to see it through, Palagren said. With your permission, Legroeder—?
Legroeder struggled. Palagren was right; he had to overcome his fear. He finally grunted, Permission granted, and watched with dread as Palagren and Ker'sell steered them toward the waves of light from which the ghosts had emerged. The place that had once been a spider was now boiling and curling over with waves of light, ghosts whirling and diving through the curls. The ship wallowed like an overloaded airplane, dropping toward it. You aren't intending to go through! Legroeder whispered. I'm supposed to be in control; I'm supposed to be in control...
This is amazing! said Palagren. I see glimpses forward and backward, as if time has flowered into beautiful petals. And Legroeder! I see the entities emerging. Some of them are from you and Freem'n—but some are not. Some are from down below, from the underflux! Legroeder, these voices came through that opening. We must go!
All right, Legroeder managed, praying he was not condemning them to Impris's fate. Take us down! And to his implants: (Map everything!)
Palagren banked the ship into a dive.
The waves grew, until the curling crests turned into coiling tunnels of darkness, lit by the glow of flying spirits. Legroeder held his breath, as the ship flew into one of the cresting wave tunnels, along with half a dozen of the faces.
Deutsch cried out in terror.
Legroeder, suppressing his own fear, felt a surge of unreasoning hope. It's all right, he gasped, as the starship plunged through the spectral glow after the whirling ghosts.
The passage seemed to take a long time, and no time at all. The tunnel blossomed open to reveal bright, golden-orange clouds: the clouds of the underflux, he felt certain. He didn't know why, but his fears had begun to melt away.
What is this? Palagren cried.
Legroeder blinked, then saw what Palagren meant—a great, clear orb floating toward them. The ghostly faces were gathering near the orb, their voices fading to a monotonous buzz. One after another, like bees, they plunged into the orb and vanished.
Legroeder's heart was still thundering in his chest, but he forced himself to focus as the ship drifted toward the shimmering sphere. He realized now what it was.
It was a giant raindrop.
And through the raindrop, magnified and distorted as though through an ethereal telescope, he saw something that took his breath away.
A starship, long and silver.
Impris.
Chapter 29
The Flying Dutchman
For a moment, no one stirred. They all saw it, through the raindrop: the spaceship, like an insect caught in amber. Legroeder's pulse raced. He shifted his vantage point from one side of the net to the other, trying to get a clear view of the length of the starship. I guess the only way to reach it is to go through, he murmured, as much to himself as to the others.
The Narseil peered through the raindrop with expressions of wonderment. But at the keel position, Deutsch was quaking in terror. You can't! It's a graveyard ship! Let it rest in peace!
Legroeder looked down toward the keel. What is it, Freem'n? What's wrong?
Deutsch shuddered wordlessly.
Legroeder searched for the source of Freem'n's terror. What did Deutsch see that he didn't? He spoke to his own implants. (Can you connect me to Freem'n's augments? Without exposing me to whatever he's going through?)
// Attempting... //
Palagren called out at that moment, I was wrong. Those are not third-ring entities! They are as alive as we are!
They're coming from Impris, Legroeder said. I know those voices.
No! cried Deutsch. They're not alive!
// We have a connection,// reported the implants.
Legroeder followed the augment prompts. It was like peering through a telescope, glimpsing what Deutsch saw. Legroeder was astounded by the difference in the view. Deutsch was staring through the raindrop at a broken hull, filled with lifeless bodies. And ghosts, twirling in and out of view.
(This is insane. Why is he seeing this?)
// Unsure... //
(Is he viewing it through his augmentation?)
// Yes.//
Damn. Legroeder called out to his companions, Listen, everyone! We're not all seeing the same image. Freem'n, can you change your view?
No! Deutsch cried in anguish.
Legroeder spoke to his implants. (Do you still have that connection—?)
Before he could finish the question, he was suddenly gazing across a dark gulf—at Deutsch on a lighted stage, crouched down in terror. He called across to the stage. (Freem'n! Disconnect from your augments!)
(I can-n-n't!) Deutsch wailed.
Legroeder thought he knew what was happening. It was the damned raider augments, programmed to instill terror. (Freem'n, your augments are distorting your view of the Flux! You've got to disconnect!)
// Try showing him this... //
Legroeder's implants displayed his view of Impris, its net still active, an automated distress beacon flashing a monotonous plea for assistance. Then a translucent overlay slid across the image... and it was transmogrified into a ghost ship full of corpses and tormented spirits.
// This is what he's seeing.//
(Yes! Freem'n!) Legroeder called. (Look at this!) Legroeder's augments flashed the living-ship image above the stage, where Deutsch could see it.
For a moment, Deutsch seemed dazed. (What are you saying—this isn't—)
(It is, Freem'n! Look with your own eyes!)
(I don't have eyes of my own. Don't you understand? Without my augments, I'm blind!)
(Then find the ones that are doing this, and turn those off. They're programmed to make you afraid!) Could he do it? Legroeder wondered. Or had he been living with the implants too long?
(I don't dare. They'll come, they'll kill me... )
(Who will, Freem'n? Who will come and kill you?)
(They... will. I can't... )
(Won't the augments let you?)
Deutsch was stammering now. (It's not—not that. They'll come, I tell you.)
(Who, Freem'n? The ghosts?)
(Yes! YES!)
(NO,) Legroeder said with difficulty. (They won't. Freem'n, can you trust me on this? Do... you... trust... me?) Dear God, were Deutsch's implants under Glenswarg's control? They weren't supposed to be. But what if the controls were malfunctioning?
Legroeder, what's going on? Palagren asked, his voice intruding on the inner connection. We need to decide what to do. Our position isn't stable. If we're going to pass through that bubble, we should go!
Legroeder tried to control the pounding of his heart. Yes. Yes, I know. I have to work this out with Freem'n. He gulped another breath. (Freem'n, listen to me. You may be having an augment malfunction. You've GOT to check it.)
Deutsch stared at him from across the stage, as if trying to comprehend what Legroeder was saying.
(I'm... afraid.)
(I know you are. You've got to trust me. Do you trust me?)
(I... I'll try.) A terrible tension filled the augment connection.
Then Legroeder's implants said softly, // He has control of his augments.//
The Deutsch on the stage rose partway from his crouch and reached up to a large control panel. He fingered the switches hesitantly, before turning one off... then back on. There was no effect on the Flux image. (It's not helping,) he whispered.
(Don't stop! Try the rest.)
He continued flicking the switches off, then back on, one at a time. None seemed to have much effect, except in color and clarity and sound. He moved to the second row of switches, his hand shaking. OFF. The image changed abruptly. The bodies were gone. The terror was gone. Through the raindrop floated a living ship.
He flicked it back on.
The ghost ship loomed, spirits crying out.
OFF. The terror vanished.
(I'll be God damned,) he breathed. He looked across the stage at Legroeder. (How did you know?)
(Later,) Legroeder sighed, as the stage darkened and vanished. Back in the normal net view, he saw the Narseil waiting at their stations with a strange mix of patience and agitation. They reminded him of horses stamping restlessly, breath steaming. Through the raindrop, the other ship was beginning to drift out of his view. Palagren was right; they were going to lose it if they didn't hurry. We have to go through, Legroeder said. And quickly. Are we agreed?
The Narseil agreed with almost unnerving speed. Deutsch was still nervous, but didn't object. Palagren, Legroeder said. What are our chances of finding our way back out?
Palagren's hesitation sent a chill through his blood. We can't be sure until we're on the other side, can we?
Legroeder cursed, as the other ship drifted a little further to the side.
A com-window opened from the bridge, and Glenswarg called, Riggers, report! That looks like a ship in our monitors. Is that Impris?
Legroeder's heart was in his throat. Yes, Captain. We believe it is. She appears to be in a separate fold in the underflux. But we believe we can... reach her. His voice caught. Request... permission... to make a final transition to the next layer of the underflux. Sir.
The captain's voice was sharp. Final transition! Are you telling me we're already in the underflux? When did we cross over?
We—just a few minutes ago, Captain. It was an... extremely hectic moment. Too hectic to communicate with the bridge? he could hear the captain thinking. Captain, I'm afraid we had a tiger by the tail, and there was really no chance to explain.
Glenswarg sounded as if he was torn between fury and disbelief. You mean you took it upon yourselves to risk this ship—? Hold on. Seconds passed, and the riggers in the net looked at each other and looked at Impris, slowly sliding away. Legroeder forced himself to breathe slowly, wondering what he would do if Glenswarg said no.
The com came to life again. Cantha has shown me where we are and what you've done. Or what he thinks you've done. What he can't tell me is what our chances are of getting out the way we came in.
Legroeder blinked. Only a third of Impris was visible now. Captain, we're doing everything we can to chart our course in. It took our combined efforts to find this entry point. But we did find it, so we have that over the Impris crew. But I can't tell you it's a sure thing. Legroeder peered at Palagren, who shook his neck-sail: nothing to add.
How soon do we have to go through? We're losing the view of the ship out here.
Legroeder felt flushed with urgency. You're seeing what we're seeing, Captain. It may be now or never. We think it's worth the risk.
Goddamn alien riggers, he imagined the captain thinking. But Glenswarg surprised him. Proceed, then. Permission given.
Permission to proceed, Legroeder echoed, then called to the others, Let's go before we lose her.
Palagren reached far out from the bow of the ship and touched the shimmering surface of the raindrop. It quivered as his hand went through. It was no longer possible to see Impris.
All together now, Legroeder whispered. There was very little movement of the ship, and the surface tension of the raindrop was just strong enough to resist even that motion. If we can all just relax and let it pull us through... His heart was pounding. (Help me relax... )
The implants gave him a soothing chant... and he breathed deeply and felt himself calming...
And the ship began to ease forward into the drop of water. The raindrop dimpled inward, stretching for a dozen heartbeats. Then, with a sudden release, the drop shimmered open and flashed closed around them. For a whirling moment, Legroeder had a dizzy sensation of time and space being stretched and twisted and folded in some utterly incomprehensible manner. He felt the ship speeding and somehow blurring... and yet seemingly not moving at all. And then suddenly all of those feelings drained away, and he was floating in a warm, clear sea. It looked like the Sargasso they had just left, but glowing a deep, enveloping cyan.
Some distance off their port bow floated a ship, long and silver, like a dolphin frozen in the act of leaping.
There she is! Deutsch breathed.
Impris, Palagren said, his voice laced with wonder.
Ker'sell was dumb with amazement.
As Legroeder tried to find his voice, a call came from the bridge. We've got it on the screen here! Cantha called excitedly. We somehow bridged a dozen light-years to Impris. I'm analyzing now. We had a big spike in the quantum wave flux readings.
Before Legroeder could answer, Captain Glenswarg's voice cut in. Can you bring us alongside?
Attempting to do so now, Legroeder answered. But there's almost no moving current. It's going to be tricky.
Use extreme care, Glenswarg said, quite unnecessarily.
* * *
For a while, they hardly managed to move at all. The Phoenix net simply could find no purchase in the Flux. While they were preoccupied trying, Legroeder was startled by a small voice calling:
Ahoy there! Ahoy, ship!
Legroeder looked up.
It was not one voice but several—distant, haunting, echoing across the still, silent surface of the sea. Legroeder scarcely dared breathe. Did you all hear that? he asked his companions.
I heard it. It sounded human, said Palagren.
Human, yes. Legroeder peered across the empty sea between the ships. Impris! he called. Can you hear me?
The response was distorted, as if from over-amplification. Finally Legroeder made out the words, —hear you! We hear you!
Legroeder called back, This is Phoenix, Impris. Please stand by! He reported to Glenswarg: We have contact, Captain, we have voice contact. After all these years, the Impris crew was still alive! His heart raced with excitement. Now, if they could just find a way to bring the ships together.
Palagren, let's trade positions. I'd like to try something at the bow. The Narseil rigger acknowledged, and blinked instantaneously to the stern, while Legroeder blinked to the bow. Legroeder drew a breath, settling into position. Testing the flexibility of the bow net, he began to stretch forward from the bow, out into the stillness of the Flux. Let's see how far I can reach...
Hold on, Deutsch said, making an adjustment in the net. A moment later, Legroeder found himself stretched out as though on a tremendously long bowsprit. He managed to reach about a tenth of the way to the other ship before it began to feel unstable.
May I try? asked Deutsch, as Legroeder drew himself back in. My augments might prove useful here.
Legroeder frowned at the thought of Deutsch's augments, but perhaps Freem'n was right. All right. Do you want to switch positions?
Deutsch shook his head. Right here is fine. From the keel position, beneath the bowsprit, he stretched a long arm—a ridiculously exaggerated version of his mechanical telescoping arm—out over the sea toward the marooned starship.
Legroeder shouted from the bow: Impris—we are trying to reach you! Can you stretch your net out farther?
There was
an indistinct return shout from Impris. Deutsch continued telescoping his arm—and the net, with his tuning, stretched out like a slow-motion sunbeam. On Impris, after a moment, Legroeder saw a tiny flash of gold light, then a halo growing around the ship's bow. Three tiny shadows moved in the glowing halo: human figures.
Legroeder felt a rush of hope, as the figures grew in size. Eventually he began to make out their faces across the distance. He became aware that Deutsch was having a difficult moment as the faces became more distinct; they were the same faces Legroeder and Deutsch had seen earlier as ghost images. Legroeder murmured reassuringly to his friend: It was their faces we saw, Freem'n—live men, not dead men.
Deutsch grunted acknowledgment. See if you can get them to do what I'm doing, he said.
Legroeder called out again to the Impris riggers. He had a sudden, eerie vision of being adrift on a life raft, trying to reach out and lock hands with survivors on another raft.
Even as he thought it, the net changed to reflect the image; and across the water, seconds later, he could see the Impris riggers reaching out shadowy hands. Deutsch's long reach lengthened even further. But the ships were just too far apart, and in the end they pulled back, frustrated.
Legroeder glanced back at the Narseil. Any ideas?
Well, I wouldn't want to try the long-range grapplers, not without knowing how they'd behave in this underflux fold, Palagren said. It's unfortunate we can't just throw them a line.
That's it! Deutsch rasped.
Legroeder peered down at him.
Excuse me? said Ker'sell, with an edge of puzzlement. At least he no longer sounded hostile; the appearance of Impris seemed to have allayed his suspicions.
We'll throw them a line! Deutsch explained. If we focus together... As he spoke he crafted the image: a huge coil of line to be hurled out over the water. It would be net-stuff, of course, just a way of coaxing the net into stretching out beyond its ordinary limits. We'll have to do this together. On the count of three.
The four riggers jostled for position to exert their influence on the image. Finally four arms held the coil of line together. They swung it forward and backward.
Eternity's End Page 44