* * * * *
We had just about forgotten the colonel, not to mention Mr. Yardo who
contributes another "Ha! Ha!" so this reminder comes as a slight
shock, nor do we see what he is talking about but this he proceeds to
explain.
"I don't know why M'Clare thought it necessary to stage this
discussion. I am already acquainted with his plan and have had orders
to co-operate. I have expressed my opinion on using undergraduates in
a job like this and have been overruled. If he, or you, imagine that
priming you to bring out his ideas like this is going to reconcile me
to the whole business you are mistaken. He might have chosen a more
suitable mouthpiece than that child with the curly hair--"
Here everybody wishes to reply at once; the resulting jam produces a
moment of silence and I get in first.
"As for curly hair I am rising twenty-four and I was only saying what
we all thought, if we have the same ideas as M'Clare that is because
he taught us for four years. How else would you set about it anyway?"
My fellow students pick up their stylers and tap solemnly three times
on the table; this is the Russett equivalent of "Hear! Hear!" and the
colonel is surprised.
Eru says coldly, "This discussion has not been rehearsed. As Lizzie ... as
Miss Lee says, we have been working and thinking together for four years
and have been taught by the same people."
"Very well," says Delano-Smith testily. "Tell me this, please: Do you
regard this idea as practicable?"
Cray tilts his chair back and remarks to the ceiling, "This is rather
a farce. I suppose we had to go through our paces for the colonel's
benefit--and Mr. Yardo's of course--but can't we be briefed properly
now?"
"What do you mean by that?" snaps the colonel.
"It's been obvious right along," says Cray, balancing his styler on
one forefinger, "so obvious none of us has bothered to mention it,
that accepting the normal limitations of Mass-Time, the idea of
interfering in Incognita was doomed before it began. No conventional
ship would have much hope of arriving before war broke out; and if it
did arrive it couldn't do anything effective. Therefore I assume that
this is not a conventional ship. I might accept that the Government
has sent us out in a futile attempt to do the impossible, but I
wouldn't believe that of M'Clare."
Cray is the only Terry I know acts like an Outsider's idea of one;
many find this difficult to take and the colonel is plainly one of
them. Eru intervenes quickly.
"I imagine we all realized that. Anyway this ship is obviously not a
conventional model. If you accept the usual Mass-Time relationship
between the rate of transition and the fifth power of the apparent
acceleration, we must have reached about four times the maximum
already."
"Ram!" says B suddenly, "What did you do to stop the Hotel scope
registering the little ship you picked up me and Lizzie in?"
Everybody cuts in with something they have noticed about the
capabilities of this ship or the hoppers, and Lenny starts hammering
on the table and chanting! "Brief! Brief! Brief!" and others are just
starting to join in when Eru bangs on the table and glares us all
down.
Having got silence, he says very quietly, "Colonel Delano-Smith, I
doubt whether this discussion can usefully proceed without a good deal
more information; will you take over?"
The colonel looks round at all the eager earnest interested maps
hastily put on for his benefit and decides to take the plunge.
"Very well. I suppose it is ... very well. The decision to use
students from Russett was made at a very high level, and I suppose--"
Instead of saying "Very well" again he shrugs his shoulders and gets
down to it.
"The report from the planet we decided to call 'Incognita' was
received thirty-one days ago. The Department of Spatial Affairs has
certain resources which are not generally known. This ship is one of
them. She works on a modified version of Mass-Time which enables her
to use about a thousand channels instead of the normal limit of two
hundred; for good and sufficient reasons this has not been generally
released."
Pause while we are silently dared to doubt the Virtue and sufficiency
of these reasons which personally I do not.
"To travel to Incognita direct would take about fifteen days by the
shortest route. We shall take eighteen days as we shall have to make a
detour."
But presumably we shall take only fifteen days back. Hurrah we can
spend a week round the planet and still be back in time for
Commemoration. We shall skip maybe a million awkward questions and I
shall not disappoint Dad.
It is plain the colonel is not filled with joy; far from it, he did
not enjoy revealing a Departmental secret however obvious, but he
likes the next item even less.
"We shall detour to an uninhabited system twelve days' transit time
from here and make contact with another ship, the _Gilgamesh_."
* * * * *
At which Lennie DiMaggio who has been silent till now brings his fist
down on the table and exclaims, "You _can't_!"
Lennie is much upset for some reason; Delano-Smith gives him a
peculiar look and says what does he know about it? and Lennie starts
to stutter.
Cray remarks that Lennie's childhood hobby appears to have been
spaceships and he suffers from arrested development.
B says it is well known Lennie is mad about the Space Force and why
not? It seems to have uses Go on and tell us Lennie.