Starhawk (24 page)

PRISCILLA CONDUCTED HER
first tour the following Monday. But she could not stop thinking that it could have been
her
riding to the rescue instead of Barnicle.
If
she'd taken care of her job and seen to the maintenance of the
Baumbachner
, and if Frank had gotten out of the way and let her go.

Spilled milk. But lesson learned: Be prepared.

Approximately fifteen people showed up in the visitors' lounge for the tour. They were pumped about the rescue and would have loved to board the
Grosvenor
. Unfortunately, it wasn't available, but she was able to do the next best thing. She co-opted Skyview, led her charges into the restaurant at midmorning when it was not busy, and seated them at the long window. Then, using the imagers, she provided a virtual flyby: The
Grosvenor
appeared in the distance, at first nothing more than a dim star that gradually brightened, morphed into several lights, and finally into the vessel itself. It raced toward them, coming so close that they ducked as it passed overhead. When it was gone, they applauded.

Priscilla had been somewhat nervous about that first tour, afraid she'd freeze when she got in front of the group. But the tourists were enthusiastic about seeing the operations center and she took them on a virtual tour of the
Baumbachner
. They took pictures of one another on the bridge and in the passenger cabin. Some even asked her to pose with their kids. Next they went to the Cernan Room, where she'd prepared a virtual display that featured appearances by original astronauts and cosmonauts. Susan Helms and Pete Conrad took questions; Anatoly Solovyev and Roger Chaffee oversaw a display of spectacular pictures of places around the solar system; Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong described the early days. The old Saturn rockets once again lifted off from the Cape, and the command modules splashed down in the ocean. There was some laughter, and one teenager, looking at one of the twentieth-century shuttles, commented on how much guts it must have taken to go into orbit “in one of those things.”

She took them to the science center, which was devoted primarily to managing the telescopes stationed at L4 and L5. One was bringing in images of a galactic eruption that had been in progress for several thousand years. The other was tracking a supermassive black hole that seemed to be swallowing its galaxy. “Where's the hole?” said one of the kids.

An astronomer standing nearby smiled and offered to explain. Priscilla gave way and saw again how much experts enjoy talking about the idiosyncrasies of their profession.

The reaction to the tour was so enthusiastic that they ran thirty minutes overtime. Priscilla enjoyed it probably as much as anyone. The virtual images were dazzling. She made a note to make the imager an integral part of the program. And she'd add a comet, maybe, as well as one of the deep-space stations. And what the hell, why not do a close encounter with an asteroid? She wouldn't be able to use Skyview on a regular basis, though. Management had made a special effort to accommodate her on this occasion, and she couldn't ask them to do that three times a week. But she might be able to set a program up at the Lookout Lounge. That would work just as well. They even had a snack bar.

 * * * 

TWO DAYS LATER,
on the Wednesday tour, as Anatoly Solovyev prepared to take a group of about twenty through the Neptunian rings, she got a surprise. Cal was with them.

He smiled. His lips formed
hi
.

She stared back. Realized her jaw had dropped. Then raised a hand. Hello.

He faded back into the crowd when Solovyev's hologram blinked off. They made stops at the science center, the docks, Lookout Lounge, and the
Baumbachner
. The tour ended, of course, at the gift shop. She thanked everyone for coming. One of the children, a boy about eight years old, wanted to know if she'd ever been out in a ship.

“Yes,” she said. “I've been out a few times.”

“How did it feel?”

The child was an African-American. He wore a huge smile, and his eyes were locked on a picture of the
Thompson
, which adorned the bulkhead. “You'd like it,” she said.

 * * * 

CAL WAITED UNTIL
the group had dispersed. Then he approached. “You put on a pretty good show.”

“Thank you, Calvin. I didn't expect to see you up here.”

“I didn't really want to wait until God knows when. I had a few days off, and I thought I'd come see if I could talk the loveliest woman in orbit into having lunch with me.” His alter ego, Mark Klaybold, was back. How did he manage that?

“Sure,” she said. “That would be nice.”

“Good. Do you have a favorite place?”

“How about the North Star?”

“Isn't that a little far to go for lunch?” His eyes sparkled, and they started walking.

“Have you been up here before, Cal?”

“No. I was struck by your line about keeping both feet on the deck. I see what you mean. It doesn't take much to get dizzy in this place, does it?”

“Just try to keep your mind off it.”

“That's easy for you to say. I don't like heights.”

“My mother's the same way. But you came here anyhow? I'm impressed.”

“Well, can I tell you the truth?”

“Sure.”

“When you talked about coming to Princeton during the month, you didn't sound very enthusiastic.”

“Oh, I was probably tired, Cal. They keep me fairly busy here.”

“I see.” He hesitated. “I just wanted to make a point.”

“Which is—?”

“I didn't want you to forget about me, to consign me to being a happy memory.” The grin came back, but he looked uncomfortable. “I know it's pretty early to be talking like this. I mean we actually haven't had much time together. But it would be really easy for us just to walk away from each other, for
you
to walk away from
me
, and I don't want that to happen. At least not until you've given me a chance—” He stopped. Looked at her. “I'm talking too much, aren't I?”

“You're doing fine, Cal.”

“I'm glad to hear it.” The concourse was experiencing one of its busier days. Usually, you could circle the entire station and see a total of maybe two hundred visitors. But on that morning, sightseers were everywhere. “When do you expect Easy Barnicle will be back?”

“Probably tomorrow,” she said, as they walked into the North Star.

The host led them to a table in back. They ordered sandwiches and two glasses of chianti.

While they waited, he said all the right things and brought her in from the distant place she'd been inhabiting. “I wish we lived close enough that we could get out periodically. Maybe just go to lunch. But spend some time together. So we could get to know each other.”

“That would be nice, Cal. But I can't see it happening.”

“No. Me neither. You ever do any acting?”

“No,” she said. “I'm too self-conscious.”

“You'd make a great leading lady.” He looked out at the concourse. Or maybe at the bulkheads. “What do you do with your spare time? I don't guess there's any live theater here?”

“No, Cal. There's no way they could find a large enough audience to make it work.”

“Too bad,” he said. “Maybe eventually they'll have one.”

“They could call it the Theater of the Stars.”

“Good. I like that.”

The chianti showed up. He raised his glass to her. “I can't tell you how glad I am you came to the show that night.”

She smiled and touched her glass to his. “I enjoyed it.”

“Priscilla,” he said, “you look kind of sad.”

“I'm fine, Cal.”

“You sure? I'm hoping it's not because of me.”

“No, of course not.” She shook her head. “I'm sorry. This has just been a difficult couple of weeks.”

“What's wrong? Can I help?”

“You already have, Calvin.”

“You know,” he said, “you turn that smile on, and the whole place lights up.”

 * * * 

PRISCILLA'S JOURNAL

I'm not sure what's changed, but Cal seems different now. I've never before felt about anyone the way I'm beginning to about him. And I know I'll look at this one day, and it will probably seem silly. There've been guys before, Mack, Eddie Ruben, Leo Carstairs, Maury. But they were always pleasures of the moment. I never considered any of them as potentially a permanent fixture in my life. I was going off-world. That was where my life would be, and everything else was secondary.

But I've let Cal connect with me somehow. I think of him when I'm sitting at my desk poring over expenditure reports, when I'm watching the HV, when I'm looking out the window at the Atlantic Ocean. I think of him when I'm in the shower and when I'm standing out on the dock wishing I could go somewhere in the
Baumbachner
. He is getting to be the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing at night. It wasn't supposed to be this way, and I'm not sure how it happened.

Worst of all: He's mine if I want him. I can see that. But I can't, in fairness to him, accept any offer. Not unless I walk away from the one thing I've always wanted.

—February 3, 2196

JAKE AND ALICIA
had rented a cabin on the shore of Claytor Lake. She'd brought sandwiches, cheesecake, and lemonade and was in the process of pulling the goodies out of the refrigerator. “I love this place,” she said. “When I was a Girl Scout, we used to come here. We stayed in the cabins, played games in the woods, went swimming and canoeing, and rode the horses.” She gazed across the lake at the line of trees. “I loved camping then.”

“You don't do it anymore?” Jake asked.

“Not really. We got away from it. I haven't been camping in years. Haven't been near a canoe or a horse in years.”

It had been a long time for Jake, too, but he didn't mention it. He saw no advantage in reminding Alicia about the difference in their ages.

It was a cold, gray afternoon, threatening rain or maybe snow. Perfect for providing a warm, cozy environment in the cabin. Alicia was wearing a Madison University pullover. Her hair was cut short under a Patriots baseball cap. They'd brought sweaters, but both were folded on top of a side table. “Jake,” she said, “when you were going to other places, other worlds, did you ever do a boat ride?”

“No,” he said. “I can't recall that we ever
had
a boat with us.”

“I'm trying to imagine what it would be like to be on a lake in a place where there are no people. No anything, really. Is it true that a lot of those places out there are sterile?”

“Most of them,” he said.

“I mean the worlds that are like Earth.”

“That's what I meant. Life is rare, Alicia. People used to think they'd find it wherever there was water. That was because it got started so early here. We had living things almost as soon as it became possible for them to exist. So it sounded as if, when you got the right conditions, you automatically got life.”

“So what happened?” she asked. “Why isn't there life everywhere?”

“Nobody really knows. There are theories, but—” He shrugged.

“Jake, what did it feel like, being in a place that's absolutely empty, except for you and the people you have with you?”

He laughed. “In the beginning, when I was just starting, it was pretty creepy. But you get used to it. I think Priscilla found it a bit unsettling during a couple of our landings.”

“Who's Priscilla?”

“Oh, she's the pilot I told you about. I was the instructor during her qualification flight.”

“I don't think I realized that was a woman.” She bit into her sandwich, and a light dawned. “Oh. She was the one in the news with you.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.” She paused and fingered her link. It was a necklace. “Priscilla Hutchins,” she said. Her image blinked on. She enlarged it, moved it into the center of the room. “She looks pretty good.”

He shrugged. “I suppose,” he said. “She's still a kid.”

“So where did you guys go?”

“Fomalhaut. And we were out near Serenity. And Palomus.”

“Palomus?”

“It was a station. It's near a flare star. That's a star that puts out a lot of radiation.” He bit into his sandwich. It was tuna. “It's good,” he said.

She was wearing an odd smile. “Who else was with you on that trip?”

He tried to let her see there was nothing to worry about. “Nobody,” he said.

“That sounds pretty convenient.”

“There's a strict code of conduct.”

“Well, of course.” She was trying to make a joke out of it, but he suspected it could eventually become an issue.

“When I said we were alone, I wasn't counting the AI. It's programmed to report any questionable behavior. If anything happened, we'd both lose our jobs.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he said. “Really.”

She broke into a wide smile. “It's okay, Jake. I was just teasing.”

 * * * 

THE AFTERNOON WARMED
somewhat, and they went out and sat on the deck, munching cheesecake while a sailboat cruised past. He was here with the loveliest woman he'd ever known. She pretended to be moderately aloof. But that was how he knew she was his if he wanted her. And he
did
want her.

But he wasn't sure he could spend the rest of his life in the Blue Ridge. On the ground. That was the reality. He was beginning to realize retirement was not really all that he'd thought it would be. Driving up and down the mountain road, living a routine existence in which surprises were almost inevitably bad news. He wondered how Alicia would have responded to his old life.

Most of the pilots were single. You couldn't really keep a family together when you were spending most of your time cruising back and forth to Epsilon Eridani. Some people, from time to time, had made arrangements to bring a spouse along. But that didn't work very well either. The spouse, male or female, needed a special kind of personality to be able to live inside the confines of an interstellar that spent most of its time in Barber space, which is to say barely moving through mist in a dark place with absolutely nothing outside to look at. Not to mention the fact that one could expect to spend long periods of time with no company other than the spouse.

His link chimed. It was Frank Irasco.

“Hi, Frank,” he said. “How you doing?” He thought about using the earpod but decided he didn't want to cut Alicia off.

“Okay. How's life in paradise?”

“Not bad,” he said. “I'm near a lake with a beautiful young woman.” Alicia's grin widened while she simultaneously rolled her eyes.

“The lady obviously has good taste,”
he said.
“Jake, we need your help.”

“What's wrong?”

“The
Vincenti
's missed a position report.”

“Where is it?”

“Last we heard, it was orbiting a nomad.”

“Where's the nomad?”

“Four light-years.”

All right. That wasn't bad. The jump would take a little more than a day. Figure a couple more days to zero in. Maybe a week altogether, round-trip. “When was the report due?”

“Seven hours ago. I'm hoping something just broke down somewhere, and it'll still come in. But meantime, I need to be sure we're ready to do something if we have to.”

“You're not going to just reroute somebody?”

“Nobody's close enough to get there before we could, Jake. And we're under a little pressure these days. As I'm sure you realize.”

“Okay, I can understand that.”

“We'll make it worth your while.”

“Why don't you send Priscilla?”

“Jake, she doesn't have the experience. If those people are in some kind of trouble out there, I need somebody I can trust. Not that I can't trust her, but— Well, you know what I mean.”

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“No. She doesn't know anything about it.”

“Why me?” he asked. “Isn't there anybody else up there?”

“Not right now. I have to bring somebody in. You're the guy we want, Jake.”

Damn. The whole thing with Priscilla was a farce. They claimed she was there in case of emergency. But when they get one, they don't trust her enough to send her out. Alicia was watching him, but her face remained noncommittal. If he declined this kind of request, what would she think of him?

“All right,” he said, “I'll make a deal with you. I'll do it, provided you make Priscilla available. Invite her to go along.” That got a raised eyebrow from Alicia. “If there's a problem out there,” he added for her benefit, “I might need help.”

“Okay,”
he said.
“I'll take care of it.”

“And make it sound like your idea.”

“Fine. When can you get here?”

“I'll leave tonight.” He caught a sudden bleak look in Alicia's eyes. Jake covered the mike. “I'll only be gone about a week,” he said.

She did not look happy.

Frank was saying something and he'd missed it. “Say again, Frank. You broke up.”

“If you hustle, you can make the evening shuttle out of Reagan.”

“Okay,” he said. “One other thing: What ship do we have available?”

“The
Baumbachner
.”

“That thing's a wreck, Frank.”

“Actually, it's in pretty good shape. And at the moment, it's all we have.”

He signed off and gave Alicia a shrug.

“What's a nomad?” she asked.

“It's a planet with no sun.”

“No sun? How does that happen? Does it burn out, or what?”

He was suddenly aware he was gulping down the cheesecake. “Something happens that pulls the world out of orbit. Most likely it would be a passing star.”

“Is the mission dangerous?”

“No. There shouldn't be a problem.”

“How can you say that when that other ship is missing?”

“It's not
missing
. It just didn't file its position report on time.”

“How does
that
happen? Aside from maybe that it crashed? Or got attacked by aliens?”

“Come on, Alicia, relax. There are no aliens. At least none that would be dangerous to us.”

“So what's the routine? Does the captain file the report?”

“The captain's responsible, but the report is normally transmitted by the AI. Automatically, every twenty-four hours.”

“You ever hear of this happening before, Jake?”

“Yes.”

“And what caused it?”

He would have preferred not to respond. “We never found the ship.”

“Oh.”

And there'd been three other cases. One ship had exploded when the star drive apparently let go. The other two also had never been heard from again. But he said nothing. Oh for four didn't sound good. “Everything okay, Alicia?”

“Yeah.”

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head.

“Alicia, I trust Priscilla. I know her. If there
is
a problem, she's the one to have on board.”

She looked at him for a long minute. “Okay,” she said.

 * * * 

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