Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

the drastic driving. She was waiting for them as they unscrambled and

struck

74 fames Blish I

turf, carrying a hooded torch further hooded by her gauntlet, between two

fingers of which she allowed only a razor-edge of red light to shear at the

ground. Even in the dim monochrome, however, Jorn could see that she was

bleeding a black rill from one nostril.

For an instant thereafter he was totally confused. Then, against the

starlight, he picked out the colossal shaft of the Javelin, sweeping

motionlessly into the sky as though she would never end. Beside her, seem-

ingly clinging to one long dully-gleaming curve, was’ the delicate

scaffolding of the elevator, waiting to be extinguished like a flame at the

moment of take-off.

“That way,” the armorer growled, “that way.” She gestured along the sand

and salt with the razor-edge of the torch; but Jorn was already running. He

could hear others behind him. Far away, something-a bomb?-burst open with

a deep, heavy groan, and a minute temblor shook the desert under his

pounding, feet.

Then the aluminum deck of the lift car was ringing with the trampling of

boots as they charged aboard, shoving each other and grabbing for cables or

struts they could only guess were there. “…thirteen… fourteen … Now

by the Ghost … All right, get in, dammit, fifteen!” A whistle warbled

shrilly, almost in Jorn’s ear. The cab shuddered, and then, without any

pause, lurched skyward with a muscle-wrenching jolt.

After that, it did not geem to be going anywhere at all, despite the