William Forstchen - Into the Sea of Stars

Ian switched off the comlink and looked at Smith, who floated on the other side of the airlock.

"So, what are you waiting for, Ian? I've done as you requested, I've let you and the others return to your ship. So go on, get the hell out of here."

"Do you think I'm that dumb?" Ian said, edging his voice with contempt.

Smith's knuckles whitened as he clenched his hands. "Don't push it, Lacklin. You're aboard your ship, now just get the hell out of here."

"Before we can jump to light you could vaporize us with your ship's defenses, or the defenses of any one of a hundred of your other ships."

Smith smiled.

"Checkmate. I could force you to come with us," Ian said.

"Then I'd call your bluff. You'll not take me off this ship to suffer the humiliation of being held hostage."

"Checkmate," Ian replied sadly. Ian drew a deep breath and stepped out of the airlock. There was no other way and he had assumed from the beginning that it would end like this. He held Smith in control only as long as the threat was in front of him.

" Stasz, listen to me."

"Go ahead, boss."

Boss, Stasz had just called him boss! " Stasz, I want you to remove the thermomine from the aft storage area and bring it to me in the airlock."

Smith's eyes grew wider and Ian held the cylinder up as a warning not to try anything.

"Ian, what the hell are you doing?" Stasz replied.

"Don't argue with me on this. He'll vaporize us as soon as we pull out. I'm staying behind with the mine as a guarantee to make sure he doesn't. Now dump that mine and just get the hell out of here."

Afraid that Smith might try a desperate move, Ian held him with his gaze. "An even swap, Smith. They get away and I'll surrender the mine and this trigger, then you can do as you see fit."

A flicker of a smile crossed Smith's face.

"Most noble on your part, Doctor."

Ian felt the airlock open behind him.

"You sure you want to do this?" Stasz asked. Ian looked at him from the corner of his eye. Stasz was floating in the entry way, the ugly black mine tucked under his arm.

"Just toss it over here, get back on the controls and punch it the hell out of here."

"Ian?"

" Goddamm it, do it!" Ian shouted.

"Thanks for saving my retirement," Stasz said sadly, "I'll see they put your name on a gold plaque." And with a reluctant gesture Stasz gave the bomb an underhand toss.

"Ian, my love, you can't!"

With a wild shout Shelley barged past Stasz and ric ocheted off a bulkhead, knocking the slowly tumbling bomb off course. She came straight at Ian, her arms out stretched like a distraught lover reaching for her mate.

She slammed into Ian even as the bomb drifted past him, just out of reach. He could see Smith leaping from the other side, grasping both for the bomb and the alien swizzle stick which had been knocked out of his hand by the impact of a sobbing Shelley.

"Shelley, let go!"

Floating in the zero gravity, the two men slammed into each other-each grappling for a hold.

"Really, Smith," Ian shouted, " two Ph. D.'s should find a better way to settle their disputes." He pulled back his right hand for a roundhouse punch. lan's entire body was thrown into the blow, and Ian was amazed to see blood spray even as he recoiled away.

He slammed up against the opposite wall to be met by a solid blow to his lower back. He had hit the mine, driving it into the wall and activating the last switch.

"Warning, warning, you have preactivated the Clearance Assured AB-23A thermomine. We are happy that you have decided to go with the best bang in the universe. And remember to contact our quality control people if you have any problem.

"Warning, Warning…"

The high-pitched voice, sounding like a video adver tiser, droned on as Ian finally managed to grab a handhold and stopped his wild gyrations. Smith was dazed, and floated before him like a damaged ship that had lost all power to move or react.

"Ian, let's go!" Shelley's hands were yanking on his leg; a sudden tug pulled him back toward the airlock.

She pulled him through the airlock door and hit a button on the control panel; the door slammed shut.

" Stasz, punch us the hell out of here," Shelley screamed.

"The artifact," Ian shouted. "Wait, it's the only thing we have! I've got to go back."

Ian reached over to hit the airlock door release. There was a faint shudder as Stasz cut free from the docking port. Instantly the prejump acceleration kicked on, push ing Ian and Shelley against the opposite wall.

Reaching out Smith snatched the slowly tumbling mine. Pushing off from the wall, he floated down the corridor and stopped at a viewing port.

They were already free and accelerating into their jump.

With his left hand Smith touched his nose and winced with pain.

Damn it, that little guy broke his nose.

But that little guy would be vapor in fairly short order.

He reached over to a comlink board and got ready to call in the command to activate a weapons battery. The mine kept shrieking out its warning and he suddenly realized that the last thing he needed was for that warning to be going on in the background. Some of his "priests" were feeling a little uppity this time around, the way he imagined the pope would feel if God showed up and tried to take over the business. The last thing he needed was for them to think there had been a screw up. First the mine, then a couple of disabling shots.

"Warning, warning…"

"All right, shut up, damn it."

He examined the six numbered levers that were now in the down position. Simple enough. He grabbed hold of the last one and flicked it up.

"Congratulations, you have activated the final trigger. If you wish to deactivate it, please check your service manual at once. To avoid accidents, be sure the manual is the correct one for your model," the voice said cheer fully. "We advise that you now leave the area. Ninety seconds, eighty-nine, eighty-eight…"

Smith let go of the mine and it hovered in front of him.

"Oh, shit."

"Earthbound, Ian?"

"How long would it take, Stasz?"

"Six months seventeen days."

Ian did a quick calculation. That would put them in ten days before registration for the fall semester. Perfect! He could throw together a syllabus and be ready to go. Hell, for that matter they might even want him at Nouveau Harvard after his exploits.

Ian looked around at the others. Smith's system was ten billion kilometers behind them and the initial euphoria over their escape was wearing off.

"What's wrong, Shelley? We could be back in time for fall classes."

"Ian, I just remembered something."

"Yeah, what?"

"Did you file for a waiver from the mandatory recertification seminar?"

"The what?"

"Every third year all professors have to be recertified with six credits of education courses. The seminar was scheduled for the month after we left. You had to file before we left."

"Damn it, Shelley, what are you talking about? Any how, you're my assistant, you should have taken care it."

"I tried to tell you before we left. You had to file at the Provincial Office in person, at the Dean of Education's office."

"Hell, Shelley, they should allow me the waiver now. I can claim life experience. Damn, with all the data I'm bringing back, I can finally get published! I might even make it on the late-night videos. That should be worth six lousy education credits."

"Sorry, Ian, this seminar was on proper use of forms and the motivation of athletics students. They won't let you get a waiver."

"What the hell do you mean! "

"Ian," Ellen interjected, " remember the Chancellor said we all had to follow proper channels."

"And I suppose you did."

"But of course," she said with a self-confident snicker.