"Sauler Starport Control receiving. Go ahead, Wasp."
"Control, this is Captain Francois; we're requesting clearance for immediate launch."
"This is somewhat irregular, Wasp. We prefer a four- hour window..."
"Can't be helped, Control. We picked up a tip about a lanthanum strike at La Shend VII, and we need to get there before certain other parties launch in the morning." "I see."
"We plan to be back, though. Will It be possible for us to rent this space to leave our cargo in, while we're away?"
A pause ensued.
"|ust to be clear on this, Wasp: Was your cargo the I 0- ton luxury launch and grav tank?"
"That's affirmative, Control. We'd like to sell them later, but you know how it is. On the way back our hold will probably be full of ore."
"Uh...yeah."
"Trouble?"
"Just thinking. Wasp. The rumor is that mine's been played out for centuries."
Physic smiled.
Good work, Coeur. A cover story that makes us look like Zipper hayseeds.
"We trust our source, Control."
"Hell, Wasp, if you want to go, more power to you. Launch at your discretion."
"Roger, Control. Locking on traffic beam now. Wasp out."
The ship's intercom then beeped for Physic's attention.
"Bridge, go ahead."
"This is Bonzo, Bridge. Scissor is at his post."
"That right, Scissor?"
"Affirmative," the Hiver sent through the translator he must have put back on, "I am at my post in the workshop."
"Good. Secure that station. Bonzo, get down to the hold and help with the tank."
"Yes, sir."
Pensive, Physic turned to Crowbar.
"Is it my imagination, or does he sound fatigued?"
"I noticed that," the engineer said. "But the harbor patrols really come out at night. Gyro and I figured we'd better keep him in the tank in case we were inspected "
"Hrm."
"Do you think we should' ve taken him out?"
"No, water shouldn't hurt Hivers. Oh well, I'll check on him later."
Just then, Deep Six wheeled onto the bridge.
"Relieving you, Engineer Crowbar."
Halfway out of his chair, Crowbar paused to look at the doctor.
"Go," she said. "Warm up the drives,"
"Sir," Crowbar said, finishing his standing motion and pushing his chair out of the way for Deep Six. The engineer then stood clear to let Deep Six roll up to his station, before sprinting aft.
"Sensors nominal," Deep Six said, "communications check. May I ask what the nature of our emergency is?"
"The skipper wants us out of the port in a hurry. How fast can you plot a jump plot?"
"Several preliminary plots are already loaded, sir. How soon is our window?"
"Say, half an hour. Whatever we do, I'd like to be at jump point by 0700."
"Nominal difficulty. I can plot a course to safe jump point in 5.46 hours/'
"Do it."
Outside the bridge window, meanwhile—right beside Physic's seat—the launch just began to stick its nose through the maw of the forward cargo hold. Watching carefully, Physic then saw the launch pull free of Hornet, dragging behind it the inert support sled with a straining tow cable. Grinding its lightly armored belly first on the cargo ramp, and then on the concrete floor of the berth, the sled surely woke up the crews of every ship in the area, but that was probably for the best. Zorn's recovery gang, probably lurking nearby, would know the tank was moving and would be ready to pounce on it before the boundlessly acquisitive administration of the port did.
Almost as soon as the sled came to a stop, Whiz Bang and Bonzo dashed onto the hull with cutting torches and power wrenches. Snapshot and Gyro, meanwhile, began erection of a motorized winch above the turret, while Mercy—abandoning the grounded launch—ran back to Hornet for her air raft. Between the five of them they had the one-tonne fusion gun of the sledfree and loaded onto the air raft in less than 15 minutes.
"Good work," Physic sent to Bonzo. "Now get that thing secured for launch in 20,"
The trooper sent a thumbs-up.
"Is that realistic?" Physic asked Deep Six, since returned to his post.
"Affirmative. Crowbar sends 'power curve nominal.'"
"Weil, my being in this seat isn't nominal," Physic said.
"Clarify. Are you not a qualified pilot?"
"We're all qualified pilots," the doctor replied, "but I want the best person handling the ship."
"Sir, I could—"
"Fly the ship, handle communications, sensors, and plot a jump point—no, that's too much on one back. Who else is available?"
"Sir, the record of AFV driver Mercy does indicate familiarity with small starships."
"Right," Physic said, snapping her fingers. "Get her up here."
Mercy arrived minutes later and accepted the offer of the pilot's seal with surprise.
"You sure about this?" the trooper asked.
"Sure enough," Physic said, handing the Marine her radio headset and relocating to the computer station at the rear of the bridge. "Deep Six, keep that radio modulated to Red Sun's voice."
"Affirmative."
"Hey, nice," Mercy said, examining the controls after strapping herself in, "A 100-megawatt thrust agency. Yeah, this thing'll move all right."
"Just try not to run into anything," Physic said, activating ship's status panels so she could oversee the imminent readiness of Hornet for launch. The quick work of the crew gave yet more evidence that Scissor and Coeur had picked the right crew for the mission, and Physic was glad to see that they appreciated the gravity of the situation without a detailed explanation. Still, she couldn't help but worry just a little, as she looked across her shoulder at Mercy running down the pre-flight checklist, I can just see it, Physic thought, there at the court- martial hearing:
"Dr. Takegawa, are we to understand that you turned the ship over to a corporal...?"
Aware of their close relationship, Physic didn't expect Snapshot to take the news well that Drop Kick would be staying behind. However, the Oriflammen was actually quite calm on the way out to jump point. Later, Physic would discover this was because she spent every second devising a plan to help out the skipper and the sergeant major. Physic, studying her Hiver Folgorex II data at the bridge computer station, received the details of that plan two hours into the five-hour run to jump point.
"Physic, this is Snapshot. Didn't you say they were going to toast the Port Authority while we were on our way to jump point?"
"Eight hours was Zorn's estimate. That might be past fump point."
"How about this, then, skipper. We've still got five missiles available with warheads. I could launch all but one—so we'd have one in the pipe if we needed it later— and instruct them to go active only when they spotted Zorn's cruiser trying to get past the starmerc orbit patrol."
"How would they know it was Zorn's ship?"
"We recorded her drive emissions at Ra,"
"Ah."
"Nobody'd ever spot the missiles until they fire their thrusters, but they could lock on the nearest patrol ships automatically, up to eight hours after we launch them."
Physic didn't answer immediately.
What a decision. For all I know, Zorn probably cut their throats the moment we left and threw them in the canal. If that were so, and we deployed missiles to protect her...
No, that's not even an issue. If there's any chance that Red and Drop Kick might need our help, we have to do everything we can for them.
"Physic?" Snapshot sent, curious at Physic's delay in answering.
"Roger, Snapshot. Stand by missiles. If we hit jump point before we see an explosion on the planet, you can launch them."
"Yes, sir, Snapshot out."
"Guys," Physic said, turning to look at Mercy and Deep Six, "is there time for me to check on Scissor?"
"jump point in 2.1 hours," the navigator said.
&
nbsp; "That's enough time. Will you flag me if anything happens?"
"Hell," Mercy said, "if you're going to Scissors room we could wave to you through the window."
"Just use the radio," Physic suggested, "Yes, sir."
Two minutes later, Physic was at Scissor's door and palming the door chime. When seconds passed without answer, she chimed again.
"Scissor?" Physic said, switching to conventional knocking. "Scissor, you okay?"
Still, there was no answer.
Fine, she thought, casting aside politeness and palming the door release.
Inside the light was subdued, but a rasping sound from the far corner of the room told Physic that Scissor must be sleeping in the corner.
Well, at least he's alive, Physic thought, angling closer and unclipping the med scanner from her belt. I'll just take a quick scan...
But suddenly. Physic came up short. Two meters away, she saw that a strange black liquid was staining the River's cushions—stinking with a too familiar odor.
"Full light!" Physic ordered.
The ship's computer obliged, illuminating all the room in harsh white light and revealing the pinprick sores on Scissor's body, oozing blackish fluid.
"Oh my Cod," the doctor gasped, rushing forward and dropping to her knees beside the unconscious form. Ignoring the grime of Scissor's body, she pressed her pocket scanner against its torso with one hand and felt for a pulse at the base of the prime limb with the other.
What happened? I've never seen it happen this fast...
"Good, you're not in a coma," she muttered, peeling open her medical pouch and locating her hypodermic injector. It was, fortunately, already loaded with Hiver - specific antibiotics, which she injected directly into the torso.
"Doctor," a muffled voice said. "Is that you?"
The question, issuing form the translator under Scissor's body, was reasonable, given that the Hiver could not seem to lift its prime limb.
"Gaia, Scissor—this couldn't have happened in the last two hours."
"Negative...was ill...earlier in day,"
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Impractical...must maintain...deception in...cargo hold."
Physic cursed herself for not realizing earlier why Scissor's synthetic speech was disjointed: Scissor was exhausting itself entering the text with the fingers of its tail limb.
"Don't talk' Physic said, settling down to the floor and laying a hand on the grimy tail. "I'll...do what I can."
Which is nothing.
Cod, why couldn't you have given me one more day?
in her turret a few minutes later, Gyro was staring at the receding planet Sauler through her gunsight when the message came from Physic.
"Gyro, I've got an emergency here, so you'd better get to the bridge. You can have Whiz Bang take your station."
"Do you need help?"
"None you can give. Just go."
"Roger, understood."
Obviously notified separately. Whiz Bang arrived at the port laser mere seconds later, and Gyro waited until he was settled in her gunnery chair before dashing to the bridge. There she found the environment unusually calm for an emergency situation.
"Care to take the helm, Gyro?"
"Negative, Mercy," Gyro said, settling into the chair at the computer station, "Flying's your speciality."
"Gyro, jump point is in two hours," Deep Six said.
"Anyone in the neighborhood?" Gyro asked.
"Negative. Orbital patrols are clustered at the planet."
"A nice clean getaway' Mercy added, "so far."
"Do you have evasive maneuvers ready?"
"Standing by, sir."
Gyro paused, scratching her forehead.
"All right, then. What's the emergency?"
"Scissor has taken ill," Deep Six reported. "Physic is attending him,"
"Is it serious?"
"I believe the doctor's description was 'grave/" Deep Six reported, "though she indicated that she would call if there were any developments."
Crave? Gyro thought.
"That's all she said? Crave?"
"Affirmative."
Gyro fought off an urge to call and disturb Physic, knowing very well that the doctor didn't throw around dire diagnoses without good cause. Still, she couldn't suppress all of her curiosity, and she found herself looking out the bridge window at Scissor's stateroom periodically.
There a bright light blazed, unusually bright for normal ship's illumination. Yet the intensity of that light suggested Physic must need the illumination for some sort of delicate medical procedure—perhaps surgery—and therefore Gyro held faith that as long as that light blazed Scissor must still be alive.
As long as that light stays on.
Two hours later, another light distracted Gyro's attention from the port fork's inboard window. On the duplicate passive EMS displays of Mercy and Deep Six, the heart of Sauler Down port suddenly flared with a pinpoint explosion alongside the Trans-Isthmus canal.
"Detonation astern, Gyro. Bearing 181."
"I see it, Deep Six. Time to jump point?"
"lump point in two minutes."
"That's some crackerjack timing," Mercy said. "Suppose Red Sun planned for us to see it?"
"Unlikely," Deep Six said. "Zorn's vessel has not yet lifted off, and she could not be aware of cur status."
"All the same, that's a pretty big blast," Gyro said. "Are you sure that's not nuclear?"
"Affirmative," Deep Six said, "Although it was clearly a substantial explosion. All of the starport transmitters have been knocked off the air."
"What about the orbital patrol?"
"Scanning," the navigator said. "Emergency traffic on all channels. And we are being advised to hold our position."
"Screw that," Mercy said.
"Right," Cyro agreed. "Mercy, lay off maneuver burns— don't give them anything to lock onto."
"Yes, sir."
"And while we're at it, Sixer, retract the passive array."
"Understood. Array retracting."
That action shut off the high-resolution 200m scan of Sauler aft; it was replaced by a conventional video image on which the fading explosion wasn't even visible.
"Array retracted," Deep Six reported three minutes later. "Hornet is in jump window."
"How much time in this solution?"
"Thirteen minutes, sir."
"All right. Snapshot, you there?" "Right here, Gyro."
"Snapper, fire your salvoes. We need to scoot in a hurry."
"Affirmative!"
With her hands already on her dual missile-release levers, Snapshot fired her ready salvo immediately, then loaded two more missiles and fired those less than two minutes later.
"Go!" Snapshot said. "Missiles away!"
"Sure we can't stay and watch 'em hunt?" Mercy asked.
"Like hell we're gonna stay and watch 'em hunt," Gyro said. "Engage jump drive!"
For a brief moment, Gyro held her breath, remembering the fateful end of Lesson 61C three months before, when a jump drive saved her life. Now it was life, and a real jump drive was their only hope of safety; if it failed, Hornet would soon be the target of a squadron of very angry spacers—a target it could not withstand being for long.
But the jump drive did engage, and Sauler vanished abruptly from the view astern as jump space and the crazy arcs of jump fire closed around the starship.
"Good work, guys," Physic said.
As one, Gyro, Mercy, and Deep Six turned to the aft bridge hatch. There stood the doctor, her torso stripped to a gory black and red-splattered T-shirt.
"Physic," Gyro said, too shocked to say more.
"How is he?" Mercy ventured.
"It's good data," Physic said, with unnatural calm, "what we got from the Sauler station. In a few days, I'll be able to synthesize an effective vaccine. But not today."
"Doctor," Deep Six said, "what happened?"
"Scissor is dead."
"Oh my God," Gyro gasped.
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"I tried everything I knew," she said. "It wasn't any use. He was too far gone."
"But I was with him in the tank," Deep Six said. "Surely I would've noticed that he was ill..."
"I don't know—it's the damnedest thing I ever saw. It's almost as if he willed himself to live—to suppress the virus—until we reached Sauler. Then it just exploded inside him. By the time I opened him up, I couldn't find enough healthy tissue to fit in a coffee cup."
At the computer station, Gyro felt the gorge rise in her throat, but choked it back.
"Anyway, the stateroom's a real mess, so I wouldn't try to go in there. Just leave it, and I'll clean it up tomorrow."
Physic then turned to go.
"Doctor," Gyro said suddenly.
Physic paused and looked back at the gunner.
"Is there anything we should do? You are still in command, sir."
"Steer for home," Physic said. Then she stepped through the door and let it close, It would be several minutes before anyone noticed that the light had gone out in Scissor's stateroom.
"Physic, I'm receiving a transmission for you."
"Take a message, Florence."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, doctor. RCS Apollo insists on speaking to you personally."
Kneeling beside the naked Manipulator Dina, who lay on the floor gasping through the nose on its back, Physic debated whether to obey the summons or tell Commodore Ramirez to stuff himself. Dina was on the verge of respiratory shock after five months in a vac suit with higher-than-atmospheric pressure, and it wouldn't do to have this kill the agronomist after all the trouble Physic had gone through to save its life, "Sir," Florence said, "I shall attend to the director,"
"All right," Physic said, "but just watch her respiration. If it goes too high.,."
"I shall inject five ccs of metabolic neoproxyn. Yes, doctor."
"just don't want to lose her, that's all," Physic said, relocating herself at the laboratory radio. "This is Physic, go ahead."
"Sorry to disturb you, doctor," Commodore Ramirez said, "but we have a situation up here."
"Injuries?"
"Not that kind of situation, doctor. We've picked up a liferaft near Guldan IV, and your captain is in it."
Oh my God.
"Mind you, we almost blew her up. The patrol cruiser that dropped off the liferaft practically precipitated on top of Asp Alpha, and there was an exchange of fire."
The Death of Wisdom Page 24