Nimisha's Ship
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Nimisha's Ship». Краткое содержание книги:
When Nimisha takes an experimental ship on a solo test flight, something goes horribly awry, marooning her light-years from home on a planet as deadly as it is beautiful. Now the ruthless members of a rival branch of the Rondymense family are given the chance they've been waiting for: to reclaim the Ship Yards by any means necessary.
Only Nimisha's ingenious child, Cuiva, stands in their way. But for how long? For just when her daughter needs her most, Nimisha is in a precarious situation herself--and unable to help. But Nimisha has never given up in her life--and she's not about to start now . . .
"That would be useful if Meterios happened to admit the infallibility of Artificial Intelligence."
"She denies it?" Doc said, indignantly. "Maybe I can help out here."
"So Globan says, and I'd hate to lose him. He's fitting in here so well. And we need more colonists. Almost none of the science crew want to leave-not with all these undocumented primaries and systems to be listed." He grinned. "Qualta's in heaven and hopes her rejuv will last long enough for her to complete the maps."
"My orders," Doc began firmly, "are to assist Lady Nimisha in all matters."
"Even to shanghaiing an officer off-planet?" Nimisha asked, chuckling.
"If need be."
Jon rubbed his chin again. "Orders would work best. She can't quibble with direct orders."
"She's already ignoring one of the specific orders she was given, Jon." Nimisha said.
"True…"
"It won't be long before Rustin's here," Jon said. "He can say he intercepted new orders for her at the pulse beacon."
"Any information reaching the beacon is supposed to be forwarded to both Helms," Nimisha reminded him.
"But, if you tell Rustin what's been going on here, wouldn't he help?"
"Docs he know Captain Nesta?" Nimisha asked.
"Whose side would he be likely to pick? Yours or hers?"
"Point." Nimisha said, eyeing him askance. "I'd rather we covered that before Caleb reaches Erehwon."
Jon cocked his head at her and she shook hers.
"We were very good friends," she said, "but having met you…"
"Propinquity is a decided advantage," he said, pulling her into his arms and grinning at her.
"And five children," she added.
"Will you hold that against me forever?" he asked with a chagrined expression.
"Now and then, perhaps," she admitted. "It's just as well we have the Sh'im to take over, or my attitude would be considerably different."
"You do have your implant operational, don't you?" he asked.
"As of the day I delivered the triplets."
"Then shall we?"
"I was wondering when you were going to get up the nerve to ask again."
Jon," she began later, "speaking of orders, can you be ordered away from here?"
"Hell's bells, luv, I was on an exploratory mission that, with due modesty, I can say I have acquitted to the best of my ability. As well as taking a cursory look at two other M-type planets in the immediate vicinity. I'm certain that we have a case for making Erehwon the center for further investigations. Since my knowledge of the area is intimate, I might even get bumped up in rank to administration. Which would suit me admirably."
"You want to be an admiral?"
"That'd keep me in administration, which wouldn't hurt my feelings. Depends on how my initial reports and performance are received."
"Another good reason for getting Meterios out of the picture and on a long and uninterruptible trip back," she said.
"I agree. I like Erehwon. I like the life we've been carving out here. I love you."
She stood up and curled her arms about his neck. "I rather thought you might, but d'you realise that's the first time you've admitted it?"
"Out loud." He curved his lips in a very tender smile. "I rather thought you'd've guessed as much."
"I did, but I'd rather hear you confirm the situation."
"Then, Lady Nimisha, I respectfully request a similar confession from you," he said softly into her ear, holding her very tightly.
"I do love you, Commander Jonagren Svangel," she said softly, "though I certainly never expected to."
"Well, you have designed the perfect long-distance yacht: You are free to set that inventive mind of yours to new challenges."
"Hmmm. What a good idea."
Jon gave her another long and deeply stirring kiss before he swung his feet over the bed and reached for his discarded coverall. "I want to have a private word with some of Meterios's crew. And Dr. Qualta."
"And I think I'll just dash off a little note to await Caleb's arrival at the beacon. Something about orders he's received for the Acclarke."
"They'd have to be at the beacon," Jon said, stamping into his boots. "Headquarters would have had word by now of the loss of the space station and the Acclarke, but he wouldn't have any pulses while on IS drive. So make it clear he's stripped them from the beacon now that it's been repaired and we can get messages to and from."
"Dear heart, don't worry. I come from a very long line of devious women."
Her first instruction to Helm used the cipher she and Caleb had set up for private messages. He'd know to accept and read it by himself. In the opening paragraph, she suggested that the Five B Helm beam orders directly to Captain Meterios on Four's comunit. That would be less suspicious than for him to have documentation to give her. While a pulsed beam message carried no signature, Caleb did know one of Admiral Gollanch's private codes to give authority to such new orders. By citing Meterios as a xenophobe, she'd gain Caleb's understanding of their need to rid the planet of her presence. A pulsed explanation would reach the admiral well in advance of the Acclarke. She also asked Caleb how to keep the useful crewmembers on Erehwon. The long trip home under such a captain was likely to cause severe disciplinary problems. Since the original tour of duty had been four months, not much attention had been paid to matching psych profiles. With a Helm to guide a ship through IS drive, no human watch was actually required, and Helm could always rouse the captain for any emergencies requiring human intervention. Not that Nimisha had much faith in Meterios's ability to handle real emergencies. She must have exhibited some initiative to get to be a courier captain but Nimisha couldn't imagine it.
When Jon returned, unable to check with all the people he wanted to speak to, she showed him her message.
"In any case, we have her for not attempting to return back to base as her orders specifically state," he said. "Send it."
She did, and marked off yet another day until she would see her daughter again. The waiting was worse now that Cuiva was so close. While she had been busy, while she had been making a new life here on Erehwon, and with Jon, she had been able to censor painful thoughts and the realisation that she had missed so much of Cuiva's youth. And the Necklacing. That was such an important moment in a girl's life. It had been in hers, when she was suddenly about to take her place in Society and be allowed to talk to adults without waiting to be spoken to: to be grown-up! She only hoped that her dam had not constricted Cuiva to what Lady Rezalla thought was proper for a First Family body-heir to learn. And in that, Nimisha would be to blame, having such an unusual interest as ship design. Cuiva would have had no one like Lord Tionel to stand up for any individual interests she might have developed. Well. Lady Rezalla was fair…
CHAPTER 11
We are emerging into normal space, Captain Rustin, in precisely nine minutes at my mark," Helm said. "Mark."
"About bloody time," was Caleb's soft murmur.
He had risen well before time and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before translation could occur. Kendra had joined him; since she was such a light sleeper, she woke no matter how carefully he had tried to slip out of the bed. He devoutly hoped that Nimisha would accept his new alliance without rancour. He suspected she would be sensible, but she'd been alone a long time. Would Kendra understand? Probably. They'd developed a very good rapport. Although the Five B's initial orders had only covered a three-month trial run, he had been careful to match the psych profiles of all aboard the Five B to form a good environment for Cuiva's benefit. The result had been felicitous, if startling, when Mareena favoured Gaitama and Nazim and Perdimia had paired off. He wondered how Cuiva would take to that, but Perdimia had made it clear to Nazim that Cuiva remained her first order of business. Since he was a Rondymense employee, he accepted that equably.