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.I feel there's a connection tomy personal disaster.It's just a guess, Keff.I have no positive data.I couldn't sell it asa certainty.""I trust your guesses more than other people's certainty," Keff said."I've known youthese sixteen years."The miniature Core was installed by Narrow Leg's crew with remarkable speed andefficiency.Carialle felt its power signature, and set up a program so it wouldn't feedback on her own systems.It responded well to the technician who tested it, putting inhis own frequency number, and to Tall Eyebrow, whose new circuitry was tied in aswell."Its range is 18,000 kilometers," the shipbuilder said, with equal references to the X,Y, and Z axes."Enough for a planet plus layers of atmosphere plus error factor."'That means getting in right on top of the DSC-902," Carialle said."We'd better notmiss.I'm calculating their possible location based on the time signature for their lasttransmission.I must work from that assumption."Keff felt stricken, but he nodded.Big Eyes waved for attention."You have permission to lift when you wish." Shelooked at Tall Eyebrow."I go, too?""No," Keff and Tall Eyebrow signed at once."You could be in danger.""We don't know what's out there," Carialle snapped out."No more arguments.Willyou all clear the decks? Keff, TE, secure to station.""Go in peace and safety," Narrow Leg said."Return with honor." He turned toCarialle's pillar, as he had seen the others do."We will assist your launch." Thetechnicians backed away from the blank panel behind which they had secured theCore.They all flew out of the airlock as Carialle shut it on their heels."Come back," Big Eyes signed simply to Tall Eyebrow.Then, she was gone."Damn M-C," Carialle growled as she lit engines.Flames gathered under her exhaustcones, between the landing fins, wreathing her in light.All her indicators read greenand on GO."This wouldn't have happened at all if he hadn't decided I was about to gorogue.He should have believed me! There's something out there, and it's hostile."file:///G|/eMule/Incoming/Nye_Jody_Lynn_-_Ship_06_-.006]%20-%20Ship%20Errant,%20The%20(EDGv1,html).html (116 of 329)15-7-2004 1:12:50 JODY LYNN NYE - [The Ship Who Sang Series - 06] The Ship ErrantOutside, she observed shadows of Cridi behind the windows of the low buildings atthe edge of the field.Farther back, in a great ring around the field, frogs stood, orlevitated, or hovered in their saucer-craft, waiting and watching.The infinity of audiobroadcast frequencies, both private and public, filled with chatter and speculation,hoping for the first successful launch from their planet in half a Standard century."Here goes." She applied thrusters.Carialle felt the invisible hands holding her downto the surface of the planet drop away, and gather at the foot of her ship."Ready," Keff said.Tall Eyebrow cheeped an affirmative."Brace yourselves," she told the human and the amphibioid as she applied thrust."Watch your necks.""Necks?" Keff asked."Wh -- yyyyyy?!"His question became a strained cry as the g-force pushed his head back.Within a halfsecond of putting on her own engines, Carialle felt the envelope rising under herskirts.It felt like everyone on Cridi was helping to push her into space.The forceshoved her hard into the sky like an extra booster rocket, bringing her to breakawayspeed in record time.Flames from sheer friction danced down her sides as she cutthrough the atmosphere and emerged into space, yet her internal temperature remainedstable.The Cores, both inside and outside the craft, were protecting her.She felt theexosphere seal behind her, planetary ozone readings returning to normal withinmilliseconds of her passage.The additional thrust cannoned her forward.She wasmoving 60% faster than she could have gone unassisted.The shields strained againstthe additional pressure but were fully capable of holding.She lit her own full engines,corrected course, and opened all her receivers, hoping for word from Gavon's ship.Aquick slingshot around Cridi, and she was on her way.file:///G|/eMule/Incoming/Nye_Jody_Lynn_-_Ship_06_-.006]%20-%20Ship%20Errant,%20The%20(EDGv1,html).html (117 of 329)15-7-2004 1:12:50 JODY LYNN NYE - [The Ship Who Sang Series - 06] The Ship ErrantCHAPTER 8�^�"This is the end of the ship's ion trail," Keff said, reading the telemetry monitors.The CK-963 zigzagged the empty space between the orbits of the last planet and theasteroid belt that marked the border of the Cridi system.They were within half amillion klicks of the planet, a dusty, battered rock rimed with iron oxide red andnickel oxide blue.The sun was a faint flicker of yellow over Keffs right shoulder."And this corresponds to the last coordinates from which they transmitted to us,"Carialle said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]