"But…" It was Richard who was prompting.
"Yes, the but," Ian replied. "There're two buts here. We can go back home and turn over this investigation to the bureaucracy. I want you to think about that. Think about our beloved Chancellor. For that matter, think about most any bureaucrat you've ever known. When presented with a problem like this, what will they do? For that matter, what does any bureaucrat excel at?"
"They'll screw it up," Stasz replied.
"That's my point," Ian said softly. "Out toward Delta Sag there is one hell of a mystery, and I fear what someone like the Chancellor and his kind would do to that situation. I'd rather have a group of half-assed intellectuals like ourselves in the driver's seat. And this might sound strange coming from old Ian Lacklin, but damn me, I'm just plain curious. This journey has scared me from day one. It's still scaring me, but I guess I'm getting used to it. We've come this far, I think it's worth the risk to take the final step. The historian in me is dying to know just what really happened to Franklin Smith's people."
"Let's hope you don't die finding out," Stasz replied.
The others fell silent; Ian nodded to each and floated out of the room to his small retreat in the aft storage area. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the rod that Elijah had given him. He couldn't tell any of them the real reason that he wanted the expedition to continue, at least not yet.
Even more than finding out about Smith, he now wanted to find out about the alien who came for dinner. If one alien was in the area, there might be another. Ian only hoped that he found them before Smith did. Elijah had been unable to enter the alien's ship, which apparently disappeared while its pilot was becoming dinner for one. Ian thought it might have been launched by a dead-man switch hidden in the alien's equipment or by a timing circuit in the autopilot. The only thing to survive their first encounter was the small cylinder Elijah said had been carried in a metal holster on the alien's carapace. Ian didn't want to consider the possible consequences of Smith's people having the first contact with another civ ilization. First contact, that is, if one didn't consider Eli jah. But how would Smith react to the visitors from Earth?… Ian again examined the strange artifact in his hand. It did look somewhat like a swizzle stick with a blue button on top, but he had yet to work up the nerve to press down on that button. Considering where they would be in a matter of hours, he suddenly realized that the only evi dence of intelligent nonhuman civilization should be safely stored away. And he knew the perfect place. While the arguments continued up forward, he poked around in Richard's affects and placed the object in his comrade's portable drinking kit. The artifact fitted in like it had been made to match.
"Ready for translight," Stasz called.
"'And who will turn back from the greatest hunt of all,'" Elijah shouted as the faint tremor of the overdrive system began.
Ian opened his eyes for a moment to look forward. Delta Sag was straight ahead, its Doppler shift already noticeable. Soon the jump would kick in completely and radical distort would slide its light through the visible spectrum. The jump would be a short one, then their destination would no longer be a mere pinpoint of light, a distant star. For the first time in over half a year, their cabin would again be flooded with the light of a sun.
The jump shifted up with Stasz's shouted reminder of the chance of breakup. Ian leaned forward, his stomach rebelling in protest.
Chapter 11
Automated Archival Unit 2
First Completion Date: 2087
Primary Function: Archival. A farsighted effort instituted by the United Nations Historical Preservation Organ ization. Having evaluated the prospects for war, a multinational team set out to provide as complete a record as possible of the history of mankind on Earth. Replicas of all major works of art were pro duced, all major libraries were copied. The data was placed aboard four units, two of which were suc cessfully launched from Earth orbit only days before the first nuclear exchange of the Holocaust War.
Evacuation Date: August 1, 2087.
Overall Design: O'Neill Cylinder, 400 meters by 100 me ters. Minimal life-support systems. Design was to be largely self-sustaining and self-navigating.
Propulsion: Plasma Drive.
Course: SETI Anomaly One. Political/Social Orientation: None.
"We've locked onto that signal, Ian. It's just come out of occultation by a gas giant, four A.U. ahead. There's strong background interference from a number of radio sources closer in to Delta."
"Shelley, which unit is the beacon from?"
"Ian, it's Archival 2!" The tone of her voice caused the others to turn and look in her direction. Ian was already pushing forward to peer over her shoulder at the display screen.
"The jackpot!"
Ian and Shelley started to hug each other, and in her enthusiasm Shelley planted a long kiss on Ian that had the others clapping and cheering.
"All right, all right," Richard said, his curiosity no longer capable of being contained, "what's Archival 2? Is it Smith's unit?"
"No, it's just the mother lode of a historical dream. It's the archive ship, launched just before the war. It con tains everything, Richard. Everything you could imagine. The only complete record of everything from before the war. Good lord, Beaulieu will kiss my feet just for the chance to look at it, just to touch it for one minute. We'll be blowing our noses on honorary doctorates for this!" Ian floated out of the room weeping with joy.
"I guess that means we go to Archival 2," Stasz said quietly with an attempt at understatement.
" Stasz, you said you were picking up a lot of back ground interference. What is it?"
"Oh, only a broad spectrum of interference from a large number of radio frequencies-what you'd pick up in near- Earth space. You know, a first-class civilization, billion-plus-people level of communication…" His voice trailed off.
"I think we better tell Ian," Ellen replied, her anxiety now obvious.
"You'll get an argument over it," Stasz responded. "That mad historian wants his archival unit first."
"Where are the signals centered?" Richard asked.
"In toward Delta Sag. Initial printout indicates a small planetary body; it all seems to be coming primarily from that one source."
"Anything from the region of Archival 2?"
"Nothing."
"Fine then," Richard replied. "Originally we had planned to stay out here and monitor them for several weeks before we made the move. But let's get into Ar chival 2 instead. He'll see the wealth of information there, the historian in him will want to preserve it at all costs, and, I daresay, we'll be hauling back to Earth with the news within a day-this Franklin Smith adventure for gotten. So, let's go on in."
Stasz gave a grunt of assertion, and even Shelley seemed satisfied with Richard's conclusion.
Elijah sat in the back of the cabin, silent, staring at the ball of light whose heavily filtered globe now filled the monitor.
"Hard dock."
Ian was out of his seat and pushing off for the airlock, calling for the others to follow.
Within minutes he was suited up and urging on Shelley and Ellen, acting like a little boy whose parents refuse to get out of bed on Christmas morning.
Stasz came back to join them, and from a small attache case he produced three stun pistols.
"Ian, you better take these along, just in case."
" Stasz, there hasn't been anyone aboard that vessel since it launched a thousand years ago."
"Bull. This thing's in orbit when it should be heading for the galactic core, that beacon is in perfect working order, and we've picked up strong transmissions from only ten A.U. away. They've been here, Ian, they might be in there now."
"Well, if that's the case, I guess we'll just have to talk it out when we meet them."