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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] The lady glanced around in search of aid, then looked helplessly at Hoveler, who-wondering at his own composure-nodded confirmation. Turning back to the holostage, she answered meekly. "Yes, I am." Nick's image on the holostage issued calm instructions. He would have his ship docked at that lock before she reached it. She had better start moving without delay. He concluded: "Bring all those people with you, I have room for them aboard. Bring everyone on the station; there can't be that many at the moment." Meanwhile Hoveler, though dazed by the fact that a real attack was taking place, was remembering the ail-too-infrequent practice alerts aboard the station, recalling the duties he was supposed to perform in such an Page 24 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html emergency. His tasks during an alert or an attack consisted largely of supervising the quasi-intelligent machines that really did most of the lab work anyway. It was up to him to oversee the temporary shutdown of experiments and the proper storage of tools and materials. Reacting to his training, the bioengineer got started on the job. It was not very demanding, not at this stage anyway, and it kept him in a location where he could still watch most of what was going on between the Premier's bride and one of his best pilots. Hoveler used whatever spare moments he had to keep an anxious eye on Acting Supervisor Zador, who the moment the alert had sounded had found herself suddenly in command of local defenses. Obviously Anyuta was not used to such pressure, and Hoveler was afraid that she was somewhat panicked by it. Because just about the first thing she did was to reject Hawksmoor, who at least sounded like he knew what he was doing, in the role of rescuer. Another message was now coming in on holostage for whoever was in charge aboard the station, and Hoveler could hear it in the background as he dealt with his own job. It was a communication from another craft, a regular manned courier that happened to be just approaching the station. Its human pilot was volunteering to help evacuate people from the facility, which was almost incapable of maneuvering under its own power. He could be on the scene in a matter of seconds. "We accept," said the acting supervisor decisively. "Dock your ship at Airlock Three." A moment later, having put the latest and soon-to-be-most-famous protocolonist down on the flat top of the console near Hoveler and darting him a meaningful look as if to say You deal with this , she was running after the Lady Genevieve. Hoveler saw Anyuta grab the smaller woman by the arm and then firmly direct her down a different corridor than the one recommended by Nick, but in the correct direction to Airlock Three. At the moment, confusion dominated, with people running back and forth across the lab, and in both directions through the adjoining corridor. Some of the visitors were running in circles. In the next moment the acting supervisor was standing beside Hoveler again, her attention once more directed to the central holostage. "Hawksmoor!" "Dr. Zador?" the handsome image acknowledged. "I am now in charge of the defenses here." "Yes ma'am, I understand that." "You are not to approach this station. We have another vessel available, already docked"-a quick glance at an indicator confirmed that-"and can evacuate safely without you. Take your ship out instead and engage the enemy-" "My ship is not armed." Nick sounded as calm and firm as ever. "Don't interrupt! If your ship is not armed, you will still engage the enemy, by ramming!" "Yes ma'am!" Nick acknowledged the order crisply, with no perceptible hesitation. Once more his image vanished abruptly from the stage. Annie, what the hell are you doing ? Hoveler marveled at the order and response he had just heard, what had sounded like the calm assignment and equally calm acceptance of certain death. Certainly something was going on here which he did not understand-but he had no time to puzzle over it now. Right now he had no need to understand or even think about what might be Page 25 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html happening outside the station's hull. Dr. Hoveler and Dr. Zador, who were both required by duty as well as inclination to stand by their posts, exchanged a few words about the progress of the general evacuation. Then he felt the need to venture a personal remark. "Anyuta." Her attention locked in some technical contemplation, she didn't seem to hear him. He tried again, more formally. "Dr. Zador?" Now she did look over at him. "Yes?" "You should get off this station with the others. You're going to get married in a month. Not that I think there's much chance we're really going to be& but I can do what little can be done here perfectly well by myself." "This is my job," she said with what sounded like irritation, and turned back to her displays. Old friend and colleague or not, the acting supervisor wasn't going to call him by name. Not just now. Hoveler, his own workbench already neatly cleared and now abandoned, stayed at his assigned battle station, which was near the center of the main laboratory deck, not far from Dr. Zador's post. Regulations called for acceleration couches to be available here for the two of them, but, as Hoveler recalled, those devices had been taken away months ago in some routine program of modification, and had never been brought back. The lack did not appear to pose a practical problem because the station would be able to do nothing at all in the way of effective maneuvering. In terms of life support, the biostation possessed a full, indeed redundant, capability for interstellar flight, and had visited a number of planetary systems during the several years since its construction. But it had never mounted more than the simplest of space drives, relying on special c-plus tugs and boosters to accomplish its passages across interstellar distances. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |