“The constellations dOD’t look any different! No, wait, they do a little.” Ferenczi was at another port, his body black
against the Milky Way. “That ridge shape wasn’t there before.”
Joachim pointed to the lurid brilliance of Canopus. “We’re still in the general region,” he said. “But vortices have been known to throw sbips-anv distance.”
“There’s a sun pretty close to us. Look over here.” Joachim went to where yotmg Petroff Manuel stood, legs spread wide as he stared down into the port under him.
Yes, a nearby star, a reddish one maybe only ligbt-hours off. Its luster hurt Ms eyes.
He blinked, looking away from it to the soothing gloom of the bridre. Gravitationally overhead, a port glittered with stars. He glanced at it and grew stiff.
“Thunder and furyl” he breathed. “Lads, come over here. We’ve arrived!”
They followed Mm with their eyes and saw the conflguration in the sky. A filamented web of light sprawl ‘ ed in the sickle-sbaped curve of a dozen bright stars. “The nebular” shouted Joachim. “The storra threw us to where we were going!”
Ferenczi’s teeth gleamed in his shadowy face. Joachim turned from the frosty riimbus and his voice snapped. “Work to do, lads.”
He saw Trevelyan and Nicki by one of the ports. They were looking at each other, eyes into eyes, hands clasped. Briefly, Joachim smiled. Life went on. Whatever happened, fife went on.
“All right, break it up over there,” be called. “Save it for later.”
“We will!” There was a sob of laughter in Nicki’s voice.
Slowly, Trevelyan turned and walked over to the captain. Nicki followed, brushing back her tangled hair with hands that trembled a little. Joachim was already on the intercom. Some parts of the @hip’s communications system were out, but he was able to call most stations. The answers came shakily, not fully believing in salvation.
“All right.” Joachim faced back to Ms officers. “We’re
banged up, but we seem to be in running order. Kc-irl, take charge tip here, and if anyone calls asking for orders, you give ‘em. Meanwhile, straigl-iten up this rness a bit. Find out where we are, as nearly as you can, and study that red sun. I’m going on a little tour of inspection. Want to come, Micah?”
“Yes, of course. Not much I can do here.”
“You did enough, lad. If it hadn’t been for you, this boat’d be split right down the middle.”
“Well-” Trevelyan’s bruised lips managed a smile. “Coordinators do come in bandy.”
Joachim looked archly at Nicki. “Make nice pets too, huh?”
She didn’t answer. She was wiping the blood from a cut in Trevelyan’s face.
They went down the companionway. It had been taisted into an S, and its lower end had tom loose from the deck plates. Beyond the hall, their wide-angled flashlights touched on havoc. The park was a heap of windowed trees, shattered fountains, and blackened grass. A thin haze of smoke
bung in the unmoving air.
“Ventilators dead hereabouts,” noted Joachim. “Tbat’R
rate high on the fix-it list.”
They walked the length of the park. A man lay sprawled against a dwarf oak, eyes bulging sightlessly and neck aivi37. Beyond, there was a woman with a broken leg, but already someone was tending her. It was quiet here, little sound or motion.
“Your people rally well
said Trovelyan. “No panic.”
“We’re the star-bom,” said Joachim, shrugging. Then:
“Htillo, somebody seems unhappy.”
He led the way, pushing through a tom hedge into what had been an arbor. Ilaloa was crouched there, shuddering with sorrow. Sean sat by. Near them was a dead man with
a knife in him.
Joachim bent to look at the corpse. “Abbey Roberto,” he murmured.
‘He tried to kill Ilaloa,” said Sean, tonelessly.
“Hmm, yeah, I reckon he had some funny ideas. But so do ship courts. However”-Joachim pulled out the knife”Roberto must have got his when he stumbled onto a jagged edge of something.” He wiped the knife clean and returned it to Abbey’s sheath.
“Thanks,” said Sean.
“Forget it, lad. We’ve got troubles enough as is.”
They rounded the ship, looking in everywhere and gatbering a picture of the damage. Casualties were fairly lighta few dead, a score or so seriously injured, the rest only superficially hurt. There was a tremendous wreckage of the more fragile equipment, but nothing irreparable; and the essential structure of the ship was intact. Joachim left a trail of organized working parties.