Thorarinn Gunnarsson - Battle of the Ring

“Oh, I have not seen Velmeran since I left on port leave,” she answered quickly, and it seemed to her a very good answer. She did not even know if Velmeran had left the ship. She certainly had not seen any Starwolves she had thought might be Velmeran.

The transport pilot, however, found that a very astonishing answer. Kelvesan, with their insatiable curiosities, were natural if benevolent gossips. They were also remarkably gullible. If Velmeran and Consherra were avoiding each other’s company during port leave…

The lift snapped open and they quickly stepped inside, the pilot setting the controls for his own destination and then on to the bridge. The doors snapped shut and the lift started off with its customary lurch, causing Lenna to stagger. This lift was the fastest she had ever known.

“Valthyrra does need that overhaul,” the pilot observed, smiling.

Lenna only nodded. She had good luck with this particular Starwolf, but she was beginning to think that she had been with him too long. Sooner or later he was going to ask her something and she was going to say the wrong thing. Or, worse yet, the real Consherra was going to be standing on the other side when that door opened. She did not know that he was sharing her game by speaking Terran to her. Then it seemed that the lift began to pick up speed like a fighter going into battle. As the stress increased she moved slowly backward until she was leaning against the rear wall of the lift. Still the force continued to build, until she released her bundle to concentrate on fighting the crushing pressure. Flying alone and empty, she had occasionally pushed her freight shuttle to G’s as high as this, but she had always been supported by a cushioned seat. The Starwolf might have been immune to those stresses, standing idly by the door. But he was aware of her distress, and was regading her closely.

“Are you well?” he asked. “The Methryn is accelerating to starflight, but we are pulling no more than thirty G’s.”

Thirty? Only her Trader heritage kept her conscious during this, unprotected and penned against a metal wall. The pilot suddenly realized what the problem was. He stepped over to her and lifted up her cape, and discovered exactly what he expected not to find. He checked her quickly for weapons, retrieved her bundle, and returned to the lift controls. Pressing a button, he leaned slightly forward to the speaker.

“Attention, bridge!” he said sharply. “Cut acceleration. I repeat, cut acceleration immediately. Class Two intruder alert. Intruder has been apprehended on lift five.”

He looked over at Lenna, who smiled weakly. The next moment she collapsed to the floor as the stress of acceleration disappeared.

“This is Valthyrra Methryn,” came the reply momentarily. “Do you consider the intruder to be under control and not dangerous?”

“No problem here,” he replied. “I suspect this to be a stowaway rather than a spy or saboteur.”

“Very good. I am bringing you straight up to the bridge.”

Velmeran knew that something was wrong when he felt the Methryn cut acceleration and he was on his way to the bridge immediately, so that he was there within a minute of Lenna’s arrival. He was starting up the steps to the upper bridge when he looked up and saw Lenna, pale and shaken, seated at the Commander’s console while Mayelna, Consherra, and Valthyrra’s camera pod faced her from three sides. Realizing exactly what had happened, he turned and retreated quickly the way he had come.

“Just a moment, Velmeran,” Mayelna called after him.

He paused and reluctantly returned to the upper bridge. Ignoring Lenna, who was staring at him in complete astonishment, he smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “She followed me home, Mom. Can I keep her?”

“Ah, so you are the mysterious young Starwolf who inspired this lady to attempt the foolhardy,” Mayelna said.

“You… you are Velmeran?” Lenna asked incredulously, even paler than before. “The Velmeran?”

“Of course he is,” Mayelna answered irritably. “Who did you think he was?”

“Well, he said that his name was Sergei Rachmaninoff,” she explained.

Valthyrra nearly popped her lenses. “Sure, and I’m Fanny Mendelssohn!”

Mayelna glanced up at her impatiently before turning back to the girl. “Were you not aware that he was a Starwolf?”

“No, not until he killed the assassin. I knew that something was odd about him from the start, but I was too busy wanting him to be a Trader who would get me off-world.”

“Velmeran told me — briefly — of his exploits, although I suspect that he deemphasized certain points where you were concerned. Did you really believe that he would want you?”

“Oh, no!” Lenna insisted. “I’m not following after him now. He has been a good friend, but I cannot pretend to love him, and he has told me often enough that he has a mate of his own. I just wanted to see this ship.”

“You surely knew that you could not avoid detection for long.”

“I never meant to. I just thought that if I could get on board, you would have to keep me.”

“Oh?” Mayelna looked mildly surprised. “And do you have any idea what we should do with you?”

“Well, there seems to be a number of options,” the girl replied. “At the best, you might let me go along for the ride until you find a good place to leave me — preferably a Trader. At the worst, you’ll pitch me out the nearest airlock. But the way you’re building to speed, I know that you’re not going to take me back where you found me.”

Mayelna actually chuckled. “You think you know us very well.”

“No, Commander,” Lenna said. “I know your reputation, and I believe it. But I also know that it’s an act. You’re Starwolves and I’m of Trader stock, and that makes us first cousins at least. But that’s all that I can say in my defense. I knew that I was asking for trouble.”

Mayelna regarded her, not unkindly, for a moment, then turned to Velmeran. “Vel aveyssa Jvayralkon tras ayressan?”

Velmeran shrugged. “Val Jvayralkon aveyr. Aveyssa von len tresdon, schayrkonarran, dverron aveyssa von thryverdaison aval, val laeron, faern leivayrdhay Ireykon.”

Mayelna considered that a moment before looking at Valthyrra, who nodded her camera in agreement. Consherra, for once, seemed to have no opinion to offer. At that moment the Methryn made a smooth transition into starflight.

“Well, it seems that you are going along for the ride,” Mayelna said at last. “Unfortunately, you picked a very bad time. We are in something of a hurry and we need to make the best time we possibly can, so you will have to sit there and take a few very high G’s. Consider that your punishment. After that, Consherra will show you to your cabin and indicate the areas of the ship you may visit. The Methryn really is not a warehouse of secrets, so any place you are told not to go is for your safety. Remember also that the deck plan of this ship looks like an explosion in a kite-string factory.”

“Thank you, Commander.” Lenna sighed in relief.

“Just behave yourself, if it is… humanly possible. Velmeran. Valthyrra. Shall we take a little walk?”

“Walk?” Valthyrra asked. “Walk? Who can walk?”

Mayelna sighed. “Just send one of your evil eyes to my cabin.”

Velmeran and the Commander descended the steps together, leaving Lenna to stare in helpless astonishment. She felt a disturbing sense of unreality as she sat pinned in her seat, gasping for breath under the burden of crushing forces while everyone else walked about in complete ease. The Starwolves had solved the problem of moving about under acceleration by adjusting the ship’s artificial gravity one step ahead of the G’s of acceleration, which would otherwise throw all loose objects toward the back of the ship.