@ght-
Joachim studied the detector dials. “They’re easing up.
Not throwing as much at us. Why?’
Trevelyan looked out to the stranger. “Maybe,” he said softly, “they don’t want to annil-iilate us.”
“Hub?” joachiids expression was ahnost comical. “But what-”
“They didn’t assail us with more than we could handle. They’re going slow now, just when any determined commander would be tossing all he bad at us. Are we simply being warned off?”
A buzz cut across his voice. “Everybody in,” said Joachim. He threw ever the engine-room signal switch. “So long, friend.”
This close to star and planet, the hyperdrive built up with distressing irregularity. Trevelyan hung onto a table top, fighting his stomach. It was over in minutes and the red sun was dwindling astern. Space glittered chill around them,
Joachim wiped his face. It was wet. “I wouldn’t want to go through that again!”
Ferenezi’s tones fell dry. “We’ve taken astronomical data on this whole region. There’s a Sol-type star about ten lightyears from here.”
“If the others are there, too-” began Petroff.
Joachim shrugged. “We have to go somewhere. All right, Karl, give me a course for that sun.”
“The aliens, if they are the same as X, know we favor GO dwarf stars,” said Trevelyan. “Has it occurred to you, Hal, that we’re being herded?”
Joachim regarded him strangely. “It’s a thought,” be said slowly. “But we haven’t much choice in the matter, have we?”
Trevelyan left the bridge and returned to his room. Bathed and freshly clothed, he went in search of Nicki. He found her waiting at the door to her apartment. For a moment he stood looking at her; then she came to him and he drew her close.
After a long time she sighed and opened her eyes. “Let’s go to one of the boathouses, she said. “Only place we can have some privacy. The park’s full of working parties. But
I’m off duty just now.”
He glanced toward the apartment, but she gestured him away. “Sean and ‘Lo are in there,” she told him. “He was out in his boat, you know, gunning missiles, and it doesn’t have the computers or the power to escape one. I thought
‘Lo would go to pieces.’*
They went down the corridor. Her fingers tightened convulsively about his. “I thought we were all done for,” she said with sudden harshness. “I knew we couldn’t stand off a real attack, and you were on the bridge and 1 couldn’t be there-”
“It’s all over. Nobody was hurt.”
“If you were killed,” she said, “I’d steal a ship and go hunting for the killer till I found him.”
“You’d do better to help correct the conditions that led to
my being killed.”
“You’re too civilized,” she said bitterly.
The ancient war, be thought, the immemorial struggle of intelligence to master itself. Nicki could never stay on Earth. As if reading his mind, she said slowly, “If we ever get clear of this, we’re going to have to make some decisions.”
“Yes.”
“There isn’t a chance you would stay with the ship?” she asked wistfully. “Be adopted?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t brought up for that. To me, life is more than starjurnping and trading. I can’t escape myself.”
“But you wander a lot on your jobs,” she said. “I could go along. Don’t you ever need an-assistant?”
“When I do, I cet one, another Coordinator, most likely an otberbng. But-we’U see, Nicki.”
They went down a companionway, through the lower level and into one of the boathouses. There wasn’t much room between the boat and the surrounding fliers, but they
were alone, standing in metal and looking out a viewscreen at the stars,
She turned on him fiercely. “You’re wiser than I am. You know better what will come of this. Only I’m not going to set you free. Not ever.”
“If you went from the ship with me,” he asked, “wouldn’t you ever miss it?”
She paused. “Yes. They’re stupid and narrow and mean here, sometimes, but they’re my people. I’d do it, though, and never be so@.”
“No,” he agreed, “you’re not one to back down on a decision.”
He looked out at the steely light of stars. ‘We’ll wait and see.”