MINDBRIDGE by Joe Haldeman

“I wouldn’t put it so extremely. We admit the possibility-even a high probability-of psychological damage. But the Psych Group assures me that such damage would be reversible. And therapy would begin immediately; Dr. Sweeney himself will be on the Phase IV research team.”

“Therapy as part of debriefing,” Jacque says.

Riley exhales through his nose, twice, and says, “I can understand your apprehension, Lefavre. But one is a Tamer or one is not. You may refuse any mission.”

“In a sense.”

“In an absolute sense. All you have to do is say no.”

Jacque chuckles lightly. “And miss seeing Sirius? Not on your life, Mr. Riley. No sir, not for the world.”

“That’s the spirit, Lefavre.” Riley looks around the table. “Now that goes for everyone. I don’t deny that this is a perilous mission. If you want out, now’s the time. No trouble to make replacements at this stage.”

Nobody says anything. Riley stands up. “Well, I’ve got to move on. Tomorrow you’ll go down to the Krupp factory and be fitted with modified GPEM’s, magnetic ones like Tamer Wachal used on Achernar.

Thank you. You’re a good team.”

The door sighs shut behind him. After a respectful interval of silence, Tamer Jacque Lefavre delivers his opinion:

“Shit. Oh, shit.”

44 – CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tania went first. A ten-day jump to Sirius took enough power to almost completely drain the crystal’s fuel cells. Jacque and Carol had to wait forty-five minutes while they recharged.

“Wonder if we’ll find one another,” Jacque said, standing by the crystal watching Sampson watch a dial.

“That’s up to Tania.” She had the floater.

“You can take your positions now,” Sampson said. “About two minutes.” Vivian and Gus raised their hands in a good-luck gesture. They were the only spectators-standing by GPEM-suited, in case something went wrong.

After two minutes the control room suddenly disappeared and Jacque floundered in total darkness. “Carol!”

She had been standing on his shoulders. “I’m here, Jacque . . . floating somewhere.”

His retinas were adjusting to the darkness. A few stars were visible. Sheepishly he remembered he’d set his optical circuits for the bright control room. He twisted the knob that controlled the sensitivity all the way to the left: stars grew bright all around him and, under his feet, the shiny black hull of a L’vrai ship.

Carol’s helmet appeared above his head; then her shoulders. She was moving out of the spaceship’s shadow, into the light from Sirius.

“I see you now. Are your boots on?” Their boots had magnetic soles.

“Yes, but I guess I’m too far away. Turn on your lights, give me something to aim at.”

Jacque did and Carol rotated slowly around, then threw him a line and he hauled her in.

“Go see what the other side looks like?” Jacque said.

“Just a second.” She wound the slender cable into a tight coil and slid it back into her thigh pocket. “Get anything from Tania?”

“No, not yet.”

“That’s not good.” Tania could be as much as a million kilometers away, much too far to travel on the floater in ten days. Or she might be on the other side of the ship.

They walked around to the other side. Sirius was a bright dot the size of a pinhead; its dwarf companion, a faint point almost lost in the glare.

“Jacque?” Tania’s voice was soft and blurred with static. “Carol? Do you read me?”

They both answered at once. “Wait,” Tania said. “Give me a time reading; see how far away you are.”

Jacque watched the digits shining just above his faceplate display. “Coming up on 11:14 . . . mark.”

“Damn,” she said. “Second and a half, that’s a good half-million kilometers. Looks like we work alone.”

“Guess so,” Jacque said. “Where are you,” Carol said, “are you on a ship?”

Three-second lag. “No, you’re on a ship?”

“On the outside of one, yeah,” Jacque said. “You found a planet, an asteroid?”

“A rock, anyhow. Maybe two kilometers long.”

“Will you just stay there,” Carol asked, “or go off looking for trouble?”

“I’ve been looking for ships. Don’t want to take off without a-wait. Think I see one. Like a dim star but elongated. A short little line of light.”

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