Progenitor - Michael Jan Friedman [84]
Gerda turned to Wu, her eyes alight with triumph. “She’s escaped the sinkhole!”
“So she has!” the commander returned.
But it wasn’t over yet. The Belladonna still had to escape the sinkhole’s pull.
“Her impulse drive is giving out,” Kastiigan said, putting a damper on his colleagues’ enthusiasm. He pointed to the monitor that showed him the other ship’s energy levels. “Another few seconds and she will be without propulsion.”
But in the meantime, she was getting closer to the Stargazer. And the closer she got, the less energy it took to maintain the tractor beam that held her in tow.
Wu felt a muscle in her jaw begin to spasm. Wait, she told herself. Just a little longer . . .
To their credit, none of her bridge officers questioned her judgement. Paxton, Dubinski, Kastiigan... they remained silent and uncomplaining, watching along with Wu as the Belladonna slowly climbed out of the swirling plasma of the accretion bridge.
And just as the commander had hoped, the Stargazer began to win her battle as well. Even without any help from the research vessel’s impulse drive, the starship pulled away from the sinkhole—further and further, giving her crew more reason for optimism with each passing moment.
Then something strange happened, something Wu had never experienced in all the time she had spent on the Crazy Horse. Someone on the bridge began to cheer. And someone else joined him. And before the second officer knew it, everyone around her was cheering or applauding or grinning at her with unmitigated pride.
Part of her noted that it was very much against regulations to cheer on the bridge of a starship. But it was a very small part. The rest of her enjoyed every second of it.
Chapter Twenty-five
JITERICA FELT A WAVE of relief as she studied the readout on her console in the Belladonna’s small but efficient engineering facility.
Despite her best efforts, the ship’s impulse drive had failed. But it had held out long enough to do what was required of it.
The Belladonna was out of danger, the sinkhole falling farther and farther behind her with each passing moment. Her crew was safe. The ensign took pride in that outcome.
Abruptly, she realized that there was a hand on the shoulder of her containment suit. Turning her helmet, she saw that the appendage belonged to the Belladonna’s captain. He and his son had come down to engineering without her realizing it.
The captain smiled in the depths of his beard. “Thank you,” he said, “from the bottom of my old, black heart.” Then he held out his hand.
Jiterica knew what she had to do with it. After all, she had seen humans do it often enough on the ship. Exerting the requisite control over her containment suit, she placed her gauntlet in the man’s hand.
His smile widened as he clasped it. “Ever have a yen to visit the colony on New Stockholm, Ensign?”
“No,” Jiterica had to confess. She didn’t even know what system New Stockholm was in.
“Well,” the captain said, “you should. It’s a beautiful place. If you ever feel like seeing it, look me up. I’ll be happy to show you around.” As he looked around the engineering facility, his face finally showed the stress he had been under. “I think after this, I’ll be content to stay at home for a while.”
It occurred to Jiterica that she couldn’t “look him up.” She lacked an important piece of information.
“What is your name?” she asked.
The captain’s eyes opened wide as he realized his omission. “Hansen,” he said. “Erik Hansen.” He put his arm around his son’s shoulder. “And this is Magnus. I’m sure he’ll be happy to show you around as well. But you’d better visit soon, or he’ll be off on a voyage of his own.”
Magnus rolled his eyes. “I’m only thirteen, Dad.”
“In years,” said his father, who was obviously proud of him. “But you’ve already got more smarts than most grown men.”
The boy looked at Jiterica and shrugged. Parents, he seemed to say. They’ll embarrass you every chance they get.
The ensign knew the feeling. Hers were the same way.
Simenon stopped pacing the small meeting room when he heard its only door