United States or Bouvet Island ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Honesty compelled him to admit to himself that he was less optimistic than he tried to appear. "It won't be suicide, you know," he said, speaking now to the entire bridge crew. "As I said earlier, if they just wanted me dead, they'd have vaporized the Lindner as soon as we out-transitioned." He hesitated, remembering something. "Oh, yeah. Mister Olorun, how much did we miss their phony beacon by?"
Transitioning out of hyperspace was simple, even in the middle of a programmed course; Ensign Olorun flipped a switch on his Helm console, puncturing the hyperfield and bringing them to rest relative to what little matter was present in interstellar normspace. The Navigator didn't need orders; he began plotting a course to the signal source as soon as the Lindner made her out-transition.
The socio specs may be able to dig something useful out of what he said." "Yes, sir." Willis stood, bleakly aware that the loss of an IBC would be minor next to the loss of a Ranger. If she could have saved him by sacrificing the Lindner, she wouldn't have hesitated.
"Only if he doesn't have a choice; the Empire needs Rangers. And even if he does have to demote me, I won't be dishonored or anything. Something like this happened once before, about four hundred years ago, to a Ranger named Jeff Shining Arrow. He lost his detachment, too got married, had kids so Empress Lindner made him a Duke. Emperor Davis would probably commission me into the Fleet."
Arjen rested, satisfied for the moment with his life. Ranger Esteban Tarlac was on the bridge of the Imperial Battle Cruiser Empress Lindner when the ultrawave body-retrieval signal came in. He looked up, abandoning his study of the Damage Control board, and went to stand beside Captain Jean Willis. In the few seconds that took him, Navigation Officer Mueller had reported to his Captain.
He called on the Lindner every time he needed something with the power of a battle cruiser, and he praised her highly in the mock-serious arguments Rangers had with each other about the merits of their chosen ships even over the performance of such a simple maneuver as the retrieval of body-return containers. Tarlac had often wondered about the puzzle those containers presented.
Robert Forbes of a post in the Lindner bank, as an English correspondence clerk, at a salary in marks which, when translated, meant about £140 a year. Sir James read it, and handed it back. "Well, what's the meaning of that?" "I'm giving up the Foreign Office," said Bobbie, an engaging openness of manner. "It's not a proper place for a young man.
Your safety's a lot more important than the Palace Complex and if he does move against the Palace itself, we'll have unarguable proof of his and the Order's treason." "Very well." Davis didn't look happy, Corina thought, but he did look decisive. "We will leave on the Empress Lindner as soon as this conference is over, then. Kennard and Menshikov are here; I'll leave them in charge.
Maybe it wouldn't be too bad a deal, at that, if he somehow survived. He might be gaining more than he lost . . . a badge for a daughter. Jim and Linda for Hovan and Daria. Yeah, that seemed fair enough. Tarlac smiled, already a bit nostalgic. Guess you'll have to find yourself another Ranger, Jean, he thought. Looks like if I ever ride the Lindner again, it'll be as a passenger.
Chang, Lindner, and Yasunon are the only ones with them so far, though. The rest'll get them as soon as they go into Luna Base for a major refit." They had been walking while he talked, and came to a halt beneath a wide-spreading, though not very tall, tree. Corina didn't recognize the species, but liked its smell. "Is this all right?" Medart asked. "Fine," Corina said approvingly.
Word Of The Day