They drifted through the night, and it seemed suddenly as if they were utterly alone. His eyes were hidden, but she could sense the tension in his body. “Would you feel more comfortable,” he asked, “if I went back with the Wendy?”
“Why no. Of course not, Tor. Why would you do that?”
He hesitated a long time. “I thought it might be a little easier on you.”
“I’m fine. I’m glad to have you here.” What kind of guy is this?
He hoisted himself around the central axis, bringing them face-to-face. “You know why I came,” he said.
“Because of me.”
“You knew from the start.”
“No,” she said. She was no longer sure what she’d known. “But I’m glad you came.”
He nodded and squeezed her shoulder. Then she turned her attention to the stealth effects. The panel was precisely where she knew it would be. She lifted it and shut down the circuitry. The satellite blinked into visibility.
The Wendy was considerably larger than the Memphis, and her cargo doors were twice as big. Even so, the dishes would be a tight fit. They were mounted on shafts that would have to be cut as close as possible to the antenna.
She didn’t really need Tor’s help. He was with her as a safety factor, because the regs prohibited one person from going outside alone. But since he was available, she had him use light line to secure the three units that comprised the vehicle to each other, so nothing would drift off.
“Hutch.” Bill’s voice. “The Wendy is on final approach.”
“How long?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. Patch me through.” She waited through a series of electronic connections, then heard the carrier wave. “Kurt?”
“Good morning, Priscilla. Bill tells me you’re out slicing up my artifact.”
“Yep. It’ll be wrapped and ready for delivery when you get here.”
“Okay. I have two loads of supplies for you. If you’ve no objection, I’m going to move one of those over first. Then we can stow the satellite.”
“That’s fine.”
“I’ve got enough stuff to keep you going another eight months. I hope they’re paying you overtime.”
Hutch selected the point of separation, fired up her laser, and cut the dish free. “Oh, yes,” she said. “The pay is generous. As always.”
Chapter 15
HUTCH WANDERED THROUGH the storage section with Tor, making mental notes. The meat would go here, perishables there, snacks in the upper cabinets. Bill’s voice sounded on the allcom: “Hutch, Captain Eichner is on his way.”
They joined the others outside the cargo bay and waited while Bill launched the lander to make room for the incoming shuttle.
The Wendy Jay, floating in the distance, was gray, angular, utilitarian, not much for looks. Pods stuck out fore and aft. It was normally a survey vessel, loaded with sensing gear.
Hutch turned off the artificial gravity. Nick made a face, signaling that he didn’t like zero gee, that his organs had begun to move around.
“It’ll go away in a second,” she told him.
“Hutch, it never goes away in a second.”
Bill picked up the approaching shuttle and put it on-screen.
Hello, Kurt.
As if he were reading her thoughts, it blinked its lights.
“I’ve got the goodies,” he said. “You really only have four passengers?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“They sent enough stuff to take you to Eta Carina.”
He needed only a few minutes to cross the two kilometers or so between the two ships, easing into the bay and settling against the cradle. Clamps locked the shuttle in place, the door closed, and gravity came back. When air pressure was restored, he opened up, looked around the launch chamber, and climbed down.
Hutch did the introductions. Kurt, it turned out, had ferried Tor to Outpost. “I was sorry to hear that Herman was one of the casualties,” he added.
“You knew Herman?” asked Tor.
He released the cargo hatch and opened up. “I met him at an Academy function. He seemed reasonable for a—” He hesitated, suddenly realizing where he was headed. For a contact nut. For a fanatic. “—For a man who’d already put away several drinks,” he finished. Hutch thought it a good recovery.
They began unloading. It was easy work, especially in the light gravity. When they’d finished, they collected the satellite core and the supports for the dishes and loaded them. They were too long for the compartment, but as long as he left the hatch open it would be okay. The other pieces would go back to the Wendy on the second trip. Hutch thanked everybody at that point and said she and Kurt would take care of the rest. She was talking about moving the bodies.
“I’ll help,” said Tor.
George looked grateful to get away from that part of the job. “Okay, good,” he said. “I have some work to do in mission control.” It sounded pompous, and he knew it, so he flashed a weak smile and cleared out.
Hutch led the way to the freezers. She opened up, and Kurt looked at the bodies and shook his head, but he didn’t say anything.
They were wrapped in plastic envelopes. It was a long walk back, so Hutch killed the gravity again. Tor carried one and Kurt took the other. Hutch trailed behind. She’d already filled in the other captain on the details of the attack, and she could see that he wondered how she could let such a thing happen. But he didn’t ask that question so she made no effort to answer it, other than to say, on a private channel, that she’d seen it coming.
They stowed them in the shuttle cargo compartment, where they’d left room.
Kurt climbed into the vehicle, and Hutch jumped in on the passenger’s side. “We’ll be back in a bit,” she told Tor.
“You have anybody over there to help?” Tor asked.
“We can manage,” said Kurt.
Tor was holding the door and gazing at Hutch. “Why don’t I come along and lend a hand?”
“If you like.”
“Sure.” He looked at Kurt. “You are coming back, right?”
“There’s another load.”
Hutch climbed down. “In that case, I’ll stay put. Sounds like work for guys anyhow.” She removed her e-suit and handed the harness to Tor. But she saw a flicker of disappointment and added a broad smile. “I’ll see you in an hour or so.”
TOR WOULD HAVE liked to have her along, but it was okay. He had broken through, and he wondered happily if any other man had ever traveled so far, hundreds of light-years, for a woman.
Kurt flipped a few switches, the area sealed itself off, and air pressure in the launch chamber began to drop. “Been a rough ride, Tor?” he asked.
“Yes. You could say that.” He pushed back in his chair. The restraints settled over him. “I guess you know the details?”
“I know enough.”
“Angels,” Tor said. “You should have seen the females. You wouldn’t have believed it.”
“Beautiful?”
“Yes. Until you got to the teeth and claws.”
The turntable on which they were docked rotated 180 degrees to face the launch door. Kurt spoke briefly to Hutch, but Tor didn’t catch it. More lights blinked on inside the vehicle. The engines ignited.
“We were surprised,” Tor said. He felt a compulsion to talk about it, and he wondered if he’d spend the rest of his life doing that. Collaring people at parties, spilling it out to casual strangers. “How could we possibly have known?”
Kurt nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Hutch warned us.”