[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
proaching confrontation off Bahati, even the exciting suspicion that Daddy had
personally recommended her for this assignment... all these doubts and fears
and hopes seemed very small and far away. Nancia con-
templated herself, a tiny speck in the universe; as was the planet on which
she sat, the sun that lit the sky around them. All little floating dots in an
infinite pattern; dots winked out or came into existence, but the pattern
swirled on and on forever....
150
Anne McCaffrey 6f Margaret Ball
"Restore full sensor connections." Sev's calm order was like a gentle wake-up
call. Nancia opened her sen-
sors one by one, feeling anew the wonder of existence.
The gritty spaceport floor beneath her landing gear, the smell of engine oil
in the air outside, the sights and sounds of an ordinary working spaceport
were all bright and trembling with new meaning.
"I think you'll do now," Sev said with satisfaction.
"I think so, too," Nancia agreed.
Out of habit, Nancia lifted offas gently as if she were carrying a full
committee of Central Worlds diplomats.
Just because she was decked out in the revolting colors of OG Shipping didn't
mean she had to slam on-and off-world like a mindless drone. Besides, rapid
move-
ment would destroy the trance of peace in which she was still floating. And,
she thought guiltily, it would also bounce Sev around. If Caleb had been
aboard, his comfort would have been her first thought; Sev deserved the same
consideration.
The work of outfitting her as an OG drone had been done at Razmak Base in
Bellatrix subspace. Razmak possessed the very useful quality of being located
just one hour's spaceflight away from a Singularity zone opening directly onto
Vega subspace near Nyota ya
Jaha; Nancia would not have to risk a long flight during which some authentic
OG Shipping employee might notice and report her presence. She arced through
the sky like a silver rainbow and made one sleek rolling dive into
Singularity.
Page 83
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The disadvantage of this particular transition, from a softperson's point of
view, was that the transition through Singularity was subjectively longer than
usual.
Sev had considered this a reasonable tradeoff for the ad-
vantages of Razmak Base; Nancia hoped he would feel the same way when they
exited into Vega subspace.
For herself, Nancia had been looking forward to the
PARTNERSHIP
151
jump- She skimmed the rolling waves of collapsing sub-
space, dove and surfaced and spiraled through the spaces until the
decomposition funnel drew her whirling into its shrinking space. Systems of
linear equations fol-
lowed their orderly dance; space shrank and expanded about Nancia, colors sang
to her and the inexorable regularity of the mathematical transformations
unfolded with the beauty of a Bach fugue. She came out into Vega subspace with
an exuberant shout of joy, the golden notes of a Purcell trumpet voluntary
echoing through concealed passages and empty loading bays, "CUT THAT OUT!"
The outraged shout, echoing where no human voice should have sounded, was like
a spattering of high-frequency power along Nancia's synaptic connectors.
She opened all sensor connections at once. The world was a faceted diamond of
images: painted bulkheads, pseudosteel corridors, Sev still strapped to his
bunk for the Singularity transition, the central cabin viewed from three
angles at once: all framed by the external sensor views ofblackness spattered
by the fire of distant suns.
And Caleb, coming from one of the angles where temporary walls blocked
Nancia's sensor view of her own interior, resplendent in his Courier Service
full-
dress uniform and still green in the face from the extended period in
Singularity. Nancia dosed down all the other sensors and expanded the image of
Caleb.
Her brawn wasn't usually inclined to Service frip-
peries; she had forgotten just how fine a man could look in the uncomfortable
full-dress black and silver of the Courier Service, with the stiff collar
forcing his jaw up and the silver-and-corycium braid winking in rain-
bow lightfires every time he drew a deep breath.
"You've developed a distaste for classical musk?" It was the only thing she
could think of to say # the only thing that was even remotely safe to say.
152
Anne McCaffrey fcf Margarti, Ball
PARTNERSHIP
153
"You were half a tone flat on the high notes," Caleb informed her, using the
same carefully remote voice that Nancia had employed. "And much too loud."
"I suppose I should apologize for the unintended assault on your delicate
sensors," Nancia said. "I had turned off the cabin speakers, and I wasn't
aware that there was another softshell aboard."
"Awhat?"
Had Caleb really spent four and a half years as her brawn without ever once
hearing the slang term that sheUpersons used for mobile humans? Nancia rapidly
reviewed a selection of their communications. It was indeed possible. She had
never realized how much of her communication she censored for Caleb's benefit,
how careful she'd been to avoid offending against his standards of speech and
action.
Maybe she'd been too careful, if he thought he could get away with a stunt
like this.
Page 84
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I think you can figure out what the term means,"
Nancia told him. Then, as she absorbed the emotional impact of what Caleb's
action meant, her hard-won control cracked like a faulty shell. "Caleb, you
idiot, you could have been killedl What if I'd lifted off at full speed?
Hiding in that corner, you'd have been bounced around like three dice in a
cup!"
"You never do bruising takeofls or landings," Caleb pointed out. "Too fond of
showing off your land-on-
an-eggshell, turn-on-a-dime navigational skills."
Nancia was momentarily distracted. "What's a dime?"
"I'm not sure," Caleb admitted. "It's an Old Earth phrase. I think it refers
to some kind of small insect.
Want to check your thesaurus? We could call up the
Old English language files via the Net, too. Something to pass die time."
"Stop trying to change the subject! Why didn't you tell me you were going to
be aboard?"
"Would you have let me come?"
"Well. " . no," Nancia admitted. "I'd have had to tell
Brytey. Your presence could compromise the mission, Caleb, don't you realize
that? I'm supposed to be an unmanned droneship, remember?"
"I know," Caleb said. "Don't worry. I won't com-
promise the bloody mission. But I couldn't let you face this gang of diieves
alone, Nancia. Don't you see that?"
She wasn't alone; she had Sev, who knew all about investigative work and
undercover missions. But she couldn't very well berate Caleb for wanting to
protect her, could she?
"Just keep out of sight," Nancia said finally. "Please, Caleb?" Oh-oh. Sen is
using his cabin. He isn't going to Uke that. "Work it out with Sev. If one of
you can hide, I
guess two of you can. But# he's in charge for this mis-
sion. I agreed to that, and you'll have to do the same."
She took the set of his jaw and the brief upward jerk of his head for all the
assent she was going to get
"Oh. One other thing."
"Yes?"
"Why," Nancia inquired, "did you choose to wear full Service uniform for this
little jaunt? Not that it isn't becoming, but I'd have thought something a
little less conspicuous...."
Caleb explained, patiently and at length, about tradi-
tions of honor on Vega. There seemed to be some connection in his mind between
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]