Lieutenant Cousins glared at Alexi’s console, withering contempt dripping from his every word. “You incompetent child! God damn your eyes, Mr. Tamarov, you’re hopeless!”
That was too much. Alexi knew it. So, belatedly, did Cousins. Even Vax caught my eye and slowly shook his head.
Alexi got to his feet, nervously drawing himself to attention. He had opened his mouth to speak when Mr. Cousins forestalled him. “I apologize, Mr. Tamarov.” He glanced around. “To you and to all present. I spoke out of anger and not intent. I mean no disrespect to Lord God.”
Alexi sat in relief, and there was silence in the cabin. I knew Lieutenant Cousins, for all his bullyragging, wouldn’t hold Alexi’s objection against him. Blasphemy was no more tolerated aboard ship than it was groundside. The lieutenant could find himself on the beach for that kind of talk.
For three days Lieutenant Malstrom showed no ill effects.
Then he took to his bed, his side bandaged. We played chess daily, sometimes two or three games. I didn’t quite let him win, but I tried some unusual variations I wouldn’t have risked otherwise. Sometimes they didn’t work.
A week later he raised his shirt to show me his side. The ominous blue mass was gone; in its place was a red welt that was fading in places to white. Unthinking, I clapped him on the shoulder. “It worked!”
He grinned. “I think so, Nicky. Doc says I should be all right.”
“Fantastic!” I jumped up, too excited to be still. “Oh, Harv, sir, that’s wonderful!”
“Yes. I have my life back.”
We were too keyed up for chess. Instead, we talked about what to expect on Hope Nation. We’d both seen the holovids but I’d never traveled interstellar before, and Mr. Malstrom hadn’t been to Hope Nation. He promised to take me sightseeing in the fabled Ventura Mountains during our stopover. I promised him a double asteroid on the rocks at the first bar we came to.
Happy and relaxed, I went back to the wardroom to change.
Vax lay on his side and glowered the whole time I was there.
I said nothing; he did likewise. By the time I left, my good cheer had evaporated.
Alexi had the middy watch when we Defused to search for Celestina.We were fortunate; though far away, her beacons registered on the sensors’ first try. Under Lisa Dagalow’s watchful eye, Alexi plotted a course to the derelict ship. The lieutenant rechecked his figures. They agreed with Darla’s; we Fused again, a short jump to where the abandoned ship floated.
I pulled watch two days later when we Defused once more.
Lieutenant Cousins and I were on the bridge waiting, as the Captain took the conn. “Bridge to engine room, prepare to Defuse.”
“Prepare to Defuse, aye aye, sir.” A moment passed.
“Engine room ready for Defuse, sir. Control passed to bridge.”
“Passed to bridge, aye aye.” Captain Haag glanced at his instruments, then ran his finger down the control screen.
Millions of stars burst forth on the bridge simulscreens. I knew I couldn’t spot Celestinaunaided, but my eyes searched nonetheless.
“Confirm clear of encroachments, Lieutenant.” The Captain waited.
Lieutenant Cousins turned to me. “Go to it, Mr. Seafort.”
His tone held a hint of impatience.
I checked the readouts as I’d been taught. I glanced again, in alarm. Something was there. “An encroachment, sir! Course one three five, distance twenty thousand kilometers!”
“That’s Celestina,you idiot.” Cousins’s scorn brought a flush to my cheeks.
The Pilot intervened. “Maneuvering power, Chief.”
“Aye aye, Bridge. Power up.”
The Captain watched, not interfering. He could maneuver his own ship, of course, but Pilot Haynes was aboard for that very purpose. With squirts of the thrusters, the Pilot eased the ship forward.
Lieutenant Cousins dialed up the magnification on the simulscreens. A dark dot became a blob, then a lump.
Abruptly Celestinaleaped into focus, and I saw for the first time the tragic wreck that had cost two hundred seventy lives.
She spun lazily on her longitudinal axis, crumpled alumalloy revealing a gaping hole in her fusion drive shaft. Tom and shattered metal protruded from both levels of the disk; the passengers and crew had never had a chance.
I was silent, a lump in my throat. Hundreds of colonists had sailed that ill-fated vessel. A Captain like ours. Seamen, engineers, midshipmen like ourselves. My eyes stung.
“Get back to work!” Lieutenant Cousins loomed over me.
“Watch your screens, you--you crybaby!”
“Belay that, Lieutenant!” The Captain’s voice stopped him cold.
From time to time I glanced up from my console to the simulscreen, on which the derelict slowly swelled. Soon, tiny portholes were visible against the white of the disk, shaded almost to black against the interstellar darkness. After a time even Lieutenant Cousins seemed affected; he fiddled with the magnification until suddenly he caught the lettering on the vessel’s side. He spun up maximum magnification, and the letters “U.N.S. Celestina”filled the screen. My breath caught. We were all silent now.
Pilot Haynes maneuvered the ship to within a half kilometer of Celestina.Then he turned the conn back to the Captain, who picked up the caller and spoke to the passengers, who would be crowding the portholes for the extraordinary view.
“Attention all hands. We have Defused. We are now at rest relative to U.N.S. Celestina,destroyed by the Grace of God one hundred twelve years ago this month. Many of us will never pass this place again. It has become custom, in ships sailing this road, to pay our respects to the memory of Celestina.All passengers who wish may go aboard. Our ship’s launch will ferry you across in groups of six. The trip will last approximately two hours. The Purser will announce the order of embarkation. That is all.” Captain Haag put down the caller and stepped to the front of his command console, staring somberly at the simulscreen, hands clasped behind his back.
“Will you go aboard, sir?” Lieutenant Cousins asked him.
“No,” Captain Haag said quietly. “I’ll stay with the ship.” He cleared his throat. “I went over on my last trip, four years ago. I’ll remember without seeing it again.” But his eyes were riveted on the derelict.
The duty roster was posted. The ship’s launch normally held ten. Each trip would be conducted by a lieutenant, accompanied by a midshipman and two seamen. Lieutenant Malstrom drew the first trip. Vax went with him. Two and a half hours later a subdued group of passengers returned, saddened and quiet. On the second excursion Sandy Wilsky went, with Lieutenant Cousins. I was scheduled for the third trip with Lieutenant Dagalow, and back on watch for the fourth.
When my turn came I suited up and joined the seamen helping passengers struggle into their unaccustomed suits.
For convenience, the launch traveled airless. Mrs. Donhauser was in our group, but I was too busy helping the others to say anything to her.
The launch berth was in Hibernia’sshaft, just forward of the disk. We trekked into the airlock joining the two sections of the ship, climbing awkwardly up into the shaft when the lock finished cycling. I felt my weight lessen as I dropped onto the deck of the shaft. Forward of me a hundred meters or so, the cargo hold was stuffed with medical equipment, precision tool and die-making implements, a hi-tech chip manufactory, and other supplies for the Hope Nation colony.
We seated the passengers. The launch’s transplex portholes offered a clear view, and the passengers huddled to peer through them. Lieutenant Dagalow dialed the bridge; a moment later the launch berth airlock slid open.
I glanced hopefully at the launch controls. Lieutenant Dagalow shook her head, smiled gently. “We don’t have time, Nick.” I flushed at the reminder of my incompetence, but merely nodded.