Zach Hughes: Tiger in the Stars

lady. Yes, you're right. Forty-plus ships have disappeared. All, presumably, at a considerable distance from the Earth. For example, the shortest jump we programed into a blink test ship was a quarter light-year. We were going to program some shorter jumps, but the program was stopped. At first, since we were dealing with something totally new, it was decided not to allow a ship to blink back into space too near Earth. We didn't know what happened when a ship came back in, you see. We had no idea what disturbance it would make. We knew what happened at the start of a blink, because old John Blink had sent small generators off into nowhere; so did we in the beginning of the program. The effects of reentry into normal space—» «If your blink ships went out for a quarter light-year, they'd be in the

approximate position of turnover and the initial blast of deceleration for a homecoming ship,» Hara said. «A sudden and spectacular burst of power,» Heath mused. «Yes. However, we have to assume that the manned ships disappeared at turnover to gather any valid assumptions of correlation.» «If anything could go wrong, it would be at turnover,» Hara said. «You're moving at just under light, still pushing to maintain speed against the resistance of the constant. You cut power for a period of hours, turn the ship on her gyros, then build the drive to full power in a matter of minutes.» «It's all assumption,» Heath said. «And I must say that I resent highly your walking in here and coming up with an assumption I should have made years ago.» «Sorry about that,» smiled Hara. «We know what happens when a ship turns and builds power to decelerate,» Heath said. He let his feet drop to the floor and squinted at Hara. «How much do you care about this Plank of yours?» «Quite a lot,» she said. «Enough to stick your pretty neck out?» «That depends on the possibility of it doing any good,» she said. «There is a completed blink test vehicle in mothballs over on the dark side,» Heath said. «It could be made operational within weeks. In the meantime, we could mount the control console aboard a hydrodrive ship. Take both of them out. Move the blink ship in short jumps. Find out what happens when she comes back into normal space.» «I like that,» Hara said, smiling. «It won't be simple,» Heath said. «But the secretary is coming in a few days. Annual inspection. He knows me and thinks I'm a pest. He wouldn't give me two minutes of his time. But a pretty first nav. officer just back from her second Centauri run…» «What do you expect me to do,» she asked, «vamp him?» «If all else fails,» Heath said, «I expect you to blackmail him.» «I don't like that,» Hara said. «Do you want to be an admiral or find out what happened to Plank?» «Both,» Hara said. «Forget it.» CHAPTER FIVE Secretary Maxwell Seagle was not a run-of-the-mill politician. He had

the look of a spacer about him. In the last years of his reasonably expected vigor, as he faced retirement and the brief downhill plunge of old age, he stood tall and straight. As a young man he'd made Mars flights on the old solid fuel rockets and he had fought for space from the time he was an adult. He had tightly curled gray hair that had once been blond; his skin, although showing the effects of his age, was still bronzed and tight on his well-formed face. He had been Space Secretary for three decades. On his rare inspection trips Seagle wore the uniform of a fleet admiral. He enjoyed the trips, looked forward to them. He was always trying to get away from his office, and the pressure of his position was always preventing it. During the trip out on the moon ferry he had scant time to look out a viewer to see Earth behind him, blue and beautiful, because he was on the radio with various congressmen and senators lobbying against still another attempt to cut space's budget. But as the ferry neared and began preparations for landing, he cut off his political activity and concentrated on the sensation, always new, of landing on a surface other than Earth's. He found the moon base to be functioning perfectly, the service ships to be in gleaming condition, the men and women of the service sharp and eager. He donned LSG for his self-promised excursion outside, hopped and grinned like a small boy, ate a huge meal and toasted the future of the

service to a gathering of officers and civilian workers. He slept the sleep of the happy man and dreaded the return to office routine. He talked personally with the last ship's captain to make the Centauri run and smiled when he shook hands with a pretty first nav. officer named Sahara. Sahara returned his smile and held onto his hand for long seconds. She was standing in a reception line and had little time to make her request.

«Sir,» she said, holding the secretary's hand in her strong grip, «I request an appointment.» «You'll have to see my secretary.» Seagle moved on down the line, but not before nodding at his secretary and gesturing toward Sahara. She saw the secretary, was told that the chiefs time was severely limited, but that she might be squeezed in for two minutes just before the ferry lifted off for the trip home. She presented herself at the ferry dock an hour ahead of time, waited, saw Seagle board, reminded the secretary's secretary that she had an appointment, and boarded the ferry while the ground crew was making last-minute checks. Seagle was seated in the lounge. He rose when Sahara entered, looking very smart in her best uniform. «Sir,» she said, «I would not ask you to see me if I didn't feel it necessary. I know your time is limited.» «We have very little of it,» said Seagle. «So, Sir, I will not go into too much preliminary,» Hara said. «I have been cleared to know the number of ships that have disappeared on the Centauri run.» Seagle frowned. «May I ask why?» «Because the last ship to disappear was captained by…» She paused, wondering how to phrase it. She decided to be slightly sticky about it. «… the man I love and intend to marry.» «I see,» Seagle said. «I have been talking with Commander Heath—» Seagle made a motion with one hand, a motion of complete disgust. «—and we've come to a conclusion,» Hara continued. «We feel that there is a correlation between the disappearance of manned ships and the disappearance of the blink test vehicles.» «Nonsense,» Seagle said. He was angered. He had been expecting some simple request from the pretty nav. officer, a request that he could grant with a smile, thus enhancing his image with the service. «Our theory is that both types of ships disappear in the same general

area, the area of turnabout. We propose to use the last blink test vehicle—» «No,» Seagle said. «—to run a series of tests in the turnabout zone, far enough from the moon so that any accident would have no effect on—» «If Congress thought I was wasting money on the blink drive they'd cut me to the bone,» interrupted Seagle. «Sir, do they have to know? The ship is built. It couldn't cost much to make it operational.» «A dollar would be too much. No. I must say no. And you can tell Commander Heath that this latest gambit of his was ill advised. As for you, my dear, I advise you to choose your companions more carefully if you are looking forward to a future in the service.» «Sir,» Hara said, taking a deep breath. «I must tell you that if something is not done with existing equipment to try to solve the disappearances, I will be forced to go to the press.» Seagle's face hardened. «Do I understand what you're saying?» «I'm afraid you do, Sir,» Hara said. «To put it plainly, I'm going to blow the whistle. I'll tell the press that 30-plus ships have disappeared.» «Do you realize what you're doing?» Seagle asked. «I've looked at your record. It's a very good one. It's a shame that you've just tossed away 25 years of work.» «And it's a shame that Congress will know, within a few days, that the service has been concealing most important information.» Seagle opened his mouth. She could see that he was making a effort to control himself. Calmed, he said, «You're quite serious, aren't you?» She nodded. «You're blackmailing me.» «Yes.» «Let me get this straight. Heath wants to take out the last blink ship, jump it out in open space. Observing from a nearby ship?» «Yes, Sir. Short jumps. You see, we don't know what happens when a blink ship comes back. We think that there may be some relation between the blink end and the buildup of power after a ship does the turn and starts deceleration. More than 40 ships have disappeared, Sir, when you count the blink test vehicles. We could gain valuable information through these tests. And, I assure you, they can be done in secrecy. We've hidden some facts from the public, why not hide one more test?» «And you're absolutely sure you want to pursue this course of threat and coercion?» «Yes, Sir.» «I could have you busted, thrown out of the service.» «I've thought about that, sir. That wouldn't stop me from releasing the facts.» «I will not authorize use of the blink test ship,» Seagle said. «On the other hand, I am not going to do anything to stop its use. You may tell Heath that this is his last caper as a member of the service. You may tell him that he can obtain, through channels, permission to run ground tests on the blink ship. Ground tests. You and Heath seem intent on ruining yourselves, so I will allow you to do so. I will not stop you. Do you understand?» «I understand,» Hara said. «Thank you. Sir.» «I don't think you'll thank me when you are court-martialed,» Seagle