There was just no way around it. The ship was an impenetrable maze, its key elements linked in a hopelessly inefficient and disorderly manner. Derec could think of only two explanations for it. One had to do with defense. The arrangement probably served to disguise the crucial targets, and was certain to frustrate intruders.
The other explanation was that the ship was just what it appeared to be-a jury-rigged mishmash of ships that had never been intended to be joined together.
Whichever was the case, Derec was on the verge of concluding that the ship was too complex for him ever to hold its plan in his head, when he felt a queer momentary sensation of being turned inside out. The moment he felt it, he started back toward the laboratory, his jaw set in a grim expression. He wanted to believe it was only a moment of dizziness, a sign of creeping fatigue, but he could not.
For the feeling was nothing new to Derec. It was a Jump, that oddly incomprehensible, almost mystical, momentary transition through hyperspace that transferred a ship and all it contained from one point in space to another, light-years away. Wherever they had been, they were somewhere else now. Far away from the asteroid base-far away from any ship that might have been en route there to rescue him.
He should have guessed that the raiders had Jump technology, for the design of the ship would never have stood up to any sort of conventional propulsion. But he had not, and the discovery jolted him, bringing back full force the feeling of powerlessness that he had felt in the robots’ custody.
No one’s going to find me now, he thought despairingly. Not if I live to be a thousand-
The lab was empty except for the robot when Derec reached it.
“Alpha.”
“Yes, Derec.”
“Did you monitor a Jump a short time ago?”
“No, Derec. Since the reflexes of my positronic brain are so much faster than yours, robots do not experience the disorientation common among humans.”
“Then you can’t tell me anything about it-how far we might have Jumped.”
“Without knowing the power curve of the vessel’s drive, I would not have been able to interpolate from the duration of the Jump in any case,” the robot said. “However, that does not rule out secondhand evidence concerning our destination.”
“What secondhand evidence? Where did you get it?”
“Sir, Aranimas and Wolruf held a discussion about this in my presence.”
“When?”
“This evening, less than one decad ago. It was my impression that they had come here to find you, but in your absence lingered to examine me. Wolruf described the work she had observed you doing, told how my position varied each time she visited, and pointed out to Aranimas several of my access ports and described what lay under them.”
“I thought she was spying on me,” Derec fumed. “What else happened?”
“Aranimas seemed disturbed that you were absent without supervision, and ordered Wolruf to watch you more closely in the future-”
“Get to the point. Where are we? Where are we going?”
“I was forced to make certain inferences from what I heard, but I believe we are making an inbound approach to a site where Aranimas expects to obtain a large quantity of additional robots.”
“Repeat the relevant part of the conversation.”
“Yes, Derec.”
The voices were so faithfully duplicated that if Derec closed his eyes he would have sworn Aranimas and Wolruf were in the room with him.
“We’ave been away from Mrassdf a long time,” said Wolruf. “The Narwe arr restless for their ‘ome ‘erds. Even I grow weary from time to time. Iss it truly necessary to go to another ‘uman nest?”
“I will not go back empty-handed,” Aranimas said.
“ ’U have the jewel, this robot, and more besides. ‘U have exceeded ‘ur promises to Wiwera. Surely enough glory will flow from those accomplishments-”
“It is not for discussion,” Aranimas said curtly. “I will have robots to serve me. The human Derec said that there would be robots at any human world, that they would trade with us if we come in peace. We will allow them to think we come in peace and then take what we need. Then, and only then, will we set course for Mrassdf.”
Wolruf’s voice took on a pleading, whining tone. “The Narwe are truly worthless ones, there can be no doubt. But if we were to lose the jewel in hand while reaching for a bit of glass-”
The robot interrupted himself. “At this point, Aranimas produced a weapon I cannot identify and pointed it at Wolruf. It seemed to cause Wolruf great distress.”
Then it continued in Aranimas’s voice. “You disappoint me, Wolruf. I thought you had more vision than that. Without the robots, I will have to surrender that jewel to Wiwera when we return-which I have no intention of doing. Better that you and I are turned to atoms here than to give up the key to such as Wiwera.”
The robot fell silent, and Derec found himself with nothing to say. One more stop, and the raiders were going home with their treasure. Where that stop was, there was no guessing. There were hundreds of Spacer facilities scattered over hundreds of light-years. It could be a Customs station lying between Settler and Spacer territory, a mining or processing center, or even one of the research complexes. It might be staffed with humans, humans and robots, or robots alone.
It didn’t matter. He would never see it.
Aranimas would use him-his knowledge, his voice, perhaps even his image-to gain entry to the installation. And when the alien’s business there was done, the ship would leave for Mrassdf, where Derec was destined to be nothing better than a slave, and perhaps nothing more than a curiosity.
The realization of his impotence shattered Derec. He had taken the lone road and done everything he could by himself. He had schemed and blustered and fought and finagled his way past each succeeding challenge.
But the challenge now facing him seemed insurmountable. Sometime within the next few days, he had to escape-from a ship in which he could not yet even find his way around, from a jailer whose capabilities he had not yet fully gauged, to a refuge whose promise of safety was more hopeful than real.
The fight drained out of him as he confronted the bleak possibilities. Aranimas had all the advantages. He would have Derec watched constantly while they were docked at the installation-if they docked at all. And Derec could not move sooner, for he could never hold the ship. He was outnumbered eighty to one by the crew.
All Derec had was the robot, and that was not enough. I can’t do it, he thought despairingly. But I can’t just give up-
The conflicting thoughts chased each other through his mind, neither gaining the advantage. Weary and confused, he retreated to the far side of the room and huddled there against the base of the wall.
I’ve got to have help, he realized at last. I’ve got to stop trying to do it all myself-got to trust someone. It’s that or resign myself to living the rest of my life on an alien world-
And then it came to him that there was someone else on board who was just as alone, just as helpless, who might take not only comfort but courage from a companion. Someone, in fact, who had already proclaimed herself Derec’s friend.
If she’ll help, Derec thought, we just might do it, at that-
An hour of waiting had slipped by. Reinvigorated by hope, Derec’s attention had wandered from watching the doorway to playing with the pieces of the puzzle.
“ ’Ur back,” a gruff voice intruded.
Derec raised his head and looked toward Wolruf. “I went walking. You’ve been looking for me, haven’t you?”
“Aranimas was looking for ‘u,” Wolruf corrected. “‘U stay ‘ere now, okay?”
“Is he coming back?”
“Boss iss resting now. ‘E’ll come to see ‘u in the morning. Best ‘u be ‘ere,” Wolruf said, turning away.
“You got in trouble with Aranimas because I was gone, didn’t you?” Derec called after her.
The caninoid stopped, looked back, and shrugged.
“I’m sorry,” Derec said. “I put you in a bad position.”
“Iss nothing new. I put myself therr enough.”
Derec smiled. “Tell me something, Wolruf. What are you doing here? Why are you working for someone like Aranimas?”