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`I'm not sure what I should be looking for, Captain,' Rojer said, too sleepy
still to pretend to understand.
`You're looking at an unarmed Hiver, is what you're looking at, lad,'
Commander Metrios said, smiling with tired triumph. `She's a new ship: not so
much as a scratch on her hull. She's not on search or armed to invade. That's
a colony world and she doesn't expect us. And it doesn't know we're on its
doorstep.
`Yes, sir,' Rojer willingly agreed, hoping that was all that was required of
him.
`This time a Hiver will not escape,' Captain Prtglm said, and his body
mirrored satisfaction and triumph.
`If she doesn't have weapons, she can't defend herself,' Rojer said blankly.
His comment caused all conversation in the big room to cease and he became the
unhappy focus of every eye, especially big poll eyes.
`Where's the glory in attacking an unarmed ship?' he asked, looking directly
at Captain Prtglm. The silence continued, but it had a different quality: a
quality that made Rojer terribly uneasy.
`You've a message you need me to send to the Alliance?' he went on, thinking
that was why he had been sent for. The silence was almost deafening and he was
too muddle-headed with sleep to be able to `read'
the conflicting ones. `Or do you want another probe sent out?' `A
message and a probe, lad,' Captain Osullivan said and then signalled to one of
the orderlies. `Some coffee for Mr Lyon, please. He'll need his wits about
him.' When Rojer settled in the couch on the bridge to
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`path to Earth Prime, he heard and `felt' not so much animosity as cynicism
and dislike: not outright hatred but definitely contempt.
What he did hear, almost spoken aloud the thought was so strong, was: `How can
we be sure the kid'll send what's written?' The captain handed him the
message. `This must be transmitted verbatim, lad.'
`Sir,' and Rojer raised his voice so that he'd be heard across the wide room,
`a Prime, which I am, has the duty to send what he is given to send and forget
what he is not supposed to remember. I've been trained in Tower ethics since I
was old enough to use telepathy for distance speaking ten years ago.
And that is why I was sent to serve on the Genesee, because I can
`path accurately over distance. When you're ready, Mr Metrios, I'll need every
erg those engines can give me right now.
To be sure he had made his point, he read the message in a low voice that
would be audible to the captain, Commander Metrios and the com officer so that
they'd know he had sent what he was asked to send and without comment. He kept
his mental tone even and bland but inadvertently he caught his breath as he
felt his grandfather's touch:
clear despite the distance involved.
That's some report, Roj. You been stirring things up?
Me, sir? No, sir.
Jeff Raven had not held his important position as Earth Prime and the
strongest T-1 in the Nine Star League without sensing what sometimes was not
`pathed. He altered his voice after his official acknowledgement of the
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communique' to a less formal tone.
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Giving you a bit of a rough time, huh, Roj? He was sympathetic but bracing.
Nothing I can't handle, Granddad. I guess I'm just not used to naval ways.
There'll be a reply to this, I'm sure, Rojer. Let's set an arbitrary time
every hour on the hour for reply. That'll make it a tad easier on you. What is
your current time?
Rojer looked up at the digital and told his grandfather the ship's time: 0505.
Then, out loud, he added, `The message has been acknowledged at 0933 Earth
time, Captain, and has already been forwarded to the High Councils. Earth
Prime asks me to be ready to receive a message every hour on the hour: or 0600
Ship's time.' He slipped out of the couch, making himself straighten up.
`If you don't need me now, sir, I'll get back to my `Dinis. If they wake and
find me gone, they won't know where to find me.' Rather awkwardly, Captain
Osullivan gave him a pat on the back. `Do that, lad. Do just that.' The fourth
time Rojer arrived on the bridge for the appointed hour, to his immense
relief, he `heard' his grandfather's alert.
`The generators, please, Commander,' he said, nodding to Metrios.
He lay back and let the gestalt extend his range. He also pushed down all the
negative feelings he'd been subjected to during the last four hours. Hell, he
was only a kid. Why was he getting the stick?
It's not as if he could warn the Hivers. Or even wanted to. If only he'd been
more awake, he would have sensed the vibes in the room and kept his mouth
shut. No-one here could tell what he was thinking.
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Were these some of the reactions his parents and grandparents had had to deal
with when they were among the unTalented?
That message put the cat among the pigeons, lad, his grandfather said,
chuckling. Here are their orders. Repeat mentally and vocally after me. There
3" must be no misunderstanding. Rojer said that much aloud. To Captain Etienne
Osullivan, aboard the AS Genesee in response to telepathed message received
0933 this date by Earth Prime. Reply
1300 hours precisely from Earth Prime Raven to Aurigaean Prime Lyon.
Message reads: No action is to be taken against unarmed ship. No action must
arouse the suspicions of the colony world that it has been penetrated. If
squadron can launch additional reconnaissance units of the new type, details
of the inhabited planets and moons would be of inestimable value in
formulating strategy. Repeat, further reconnaissance may only be undertaken if
there is no risk of disclosing
Alliance presence in the system. When the reconnaissance is completed, or risk
of discovery imminent, Squadron B is to retreat behind heliopause, maintaining
discreet surveillance of system. Do not, repeat, do not engage enemy. This is
by order of the High Councils of the Alliance. Gktmglnt and Admiral Tohl
Mekturian presiding. End of signal. Earth Prime Raven sending.
Aurigaean Lyon receiving at Earth time 1300:10.90 and acknowledging.
Well done, lad.
I'll hope they think so, Granddad.
They will. And you are entitled to call yourself Prime, you know, Generated by
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since you're doing the work of one. That was delivered in a firm admonitory
tone which made Rojer wriggle a little in pride.
Grandfather would not have said something like that if he didn't mean it. Then
his voice took on its `official' tone. A message capsule has also been des
patched. That's what took so long, getting it written down. Naval types! Get
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ready to catch it.
Confirmation of the message, signed, sealed and pick it up for delivery...
Now!
`A message capsule's on its way, Commander,' Rojer said, sitting up and
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