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Fenn's heart knocked. "Alive for a purpose," he said. A part of him was surprised at his calm. "A reason. At last." His gaze sought the overhead view of the stars. "And afterward," Guthrie murmured, "you won't have to be angry." On the forty-seventh nightwatch of their journey, Dagny's instruments caught the first sign of hostile ves-sels closing in. 30 A VIEWSCREEN IN the command cabin reproduced the stars outside, but for this moment they had become a mere show, Reality lay in the instruments, readings, read-outs, displays enigmatic to Fenn, once in a while a few low words exchanged between Guthrie and Dagny. "Two of 'em," the download said at length. "Field drive. Converging on us from points far apart. They must have coordinated their flight plans across light-minutes, maybe a light-hour or more at first. I'd guess there are detectors scattered around these purlieus, primed to send the alarm if they pick up anything suspicious, like a trail of neutrino emissions bound toward the lens. They wouldn't have to keep in close touch with the guard ships, just know approximately where they'll be at a given time. A fairly broad beam can carry the report." "They?" asked Fenn, roused out of his forebodings. "Guard ships, I said. Mainly against the Proserpi-nans." "Oh, yes." Recollection came, what Guthrie had told him during the voyage. A host of other preoccupations had driven it largely out of his mind. "But why haven't they made for us earlier?" "Well, surveillance of Proserpina should give ample advance notice of any third attempt on a lens from there, but we've come out of left field. Those aren't c-ships, you know. So, first, they'd have to be warned by the detectors, which can only be limited through a largish distance from the lens they're watching over. Then they'd have to meet us when we've shed most of our velocity, or we'd zip right on past." "I do know!" Fenn snapped. His nerves quivered bowstring-taut. "You told me you were hoping we wouldn't meet them at all." "You're letting excitement interfere with your mem-ory. Hark back. What I said was that they probably wouldn't be near the lens, but out ranging the Kuiper Belt. My guess was that they'd serve as mother ships for little eavesdropper scoutcraft trying to keep tabs on the widespread cometeers. I hoped they'd be too far away to get back here in time, if they did get word of us. Well, evidently they've been more cautious than that, staying closer to home base, at least to the extent of these two." Fenn sighed. "I'm sorry. I did forget. Now what can we do?" "Continue." "But they're armed. Aren't they?" "For their purposes, they'd better be. However, we've also discussed this, you recall. They are just two. Every-thing else that could help them is scattered from hell to breakfast across the Solar System or out of it entirely, doing whatever it is the cybercosm has them doing. We've only this pair to worry about." Guthrie clapped his companion's shoulder. "Go snug yourself down. You can't be of any use in this, and we'll want you in shape for action later." Fenn looked into the specter-face, which smiled, and said through the hammering in his ears, "Do you really believe you can " "Hen," Guthrie said. "We talked about it, but when the chips are down, everything seems different. Right? Not that you're a coward. You're having the usual human reaction to imminent combat. Yes, Proserpinan intelli-gence has worked out a fair-to-middling idea of what those guard ships carry and what they're capable of, and I think Dagny and I between us should have a fair-to-middling chance against them." The smile became a grin. "We've got one very big advantage. I go way back, I'm not quite civilized, I've known war." A chill passed through Fenn. Suddenly amiable, drawl-ing Anson Guthrie was as alien as any machine, or more so. Fenn had encountered violence too, he had been vi-olent himself, but at this instant he saw that he had never unconditionally Guthrie's phrase meant business. He thought he now understood how Chuan felt. The idea dropped from him. His pulse beat high. Guth-rie was his comrade in arms. "Muy bien," he said hoarsely. "Good hunting." In ancient style, they clasped hands. Fenn turned and went aft. Guthrie harnessed his body into the control seat that had been modified to accommodate it. Some king-size boosts were in prospect, and he massed more than when he had been human. The outercom flashed a red signal and chimed. He touched for direct play. A voice sounded from the speak-ers. He had last heard that emotionless musicality in a recording, with Luaine at his side. He wondered tran-siently if she bore him a grudge. Whether or not, he sup-posed she would lend strength of hers to whatever force the Proserpinans marshaled. She'd want in at the kill, unless they figured he'd be the one killed. Aou, scavaire ti sielle.'' "Acknowledging," he said. The voice switched to Anglo. "Attention, spacecraft. You are approaching a gravitational lens facility. Unau-thorized access is absolutely prohibited. Please change your vectors at once, identify yourself, and state your intentions." "What if I don't?" "If you are in need of assistance, inform us. We will render it to the best of our ability. Cease acceleration and we will rendezvous with you." Deceleration, actually, Guthrie thought. Several hours to go yet at this rate, a couple of megaklicks. Not much compared to the stretch we've covered. "Sorry," he said. "This is an enterprise of great pith and moment." "Explain your response." Guthrie gestured expansively, though no one was on hand to see. "I am the captain of the Pinafore, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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