Joris rubbed his big hand over his stubbled face and blinked and said,
"Our only chance, if Orthis' ship and secret are really there, is to
get the ultra-wave equipment to it in time for what we planned." He
went on slowly, "I think our life-skiff could carry that equipment.
If we drop the skiff it could travel on constant velocity for a while
before it would have to decelerate. Meanwhile I could swing the
_Mirzim_ on another course, running back along the rim of the Galaxy,
away from the dark star. The cruiser would follow me. Chances are, with
their radar concentrated on me to catch my lateral-impulse pattern,
they wouldn't notice the skiff at all when she started deceleration."
He sighed. "They'd catch us, of course. But the _Mirzim_ isn't going to
keep on forever after the beating she's taken. The generators are in
bad shape. But we could keep going long enough to give you time."
Edri thought it over. "I don't like it," he said. "But it looks as
though it's that or nothing."
Joris was muttering under his breath about maximum loads and capacity.
"The main ultra-wave equipment," he said, "and three men. The skiff
would keep that. We'd keep the auxiliary ultra-wave set here, of
course."
"Who can you spare? You'll need all your flight-technicians."
"He can spare me," said Trehearne. "I'm the most non-essential. And I
can still stand up if I have to."
Joris nodded. "Yes. Quorn has to go to handle the ultra-wave, of
course--and he can handle the skiff all right."
"Who else?"
"You," said Joris.
Edri looked at the sleeping Arrin. "He ought to go instead of me. He's
worked for it longer than I have." It was obvious that Arrin was unable
to go anywhere, and Edri sighed. He pulled himself erect. "All right,
then. Come on, Trehearne. We'll start loading."
The skiff was contained in a cell of its own, sunk in the side of the
_Mirzim_--a miniature starship with a flight range long enough to give
the crew of a disabled ship a chance to reach safety. But there was no
use trying to think of safety any longer.
Trehearne routed out every man that was off-station and could stand
erect. Following Edri's orders he stripped the skiff of everything they
wouldn't need. Quorn oversaw the removal of the heavy ultra-wave radio
equipment from the _Mirzim_ and its loading into the skiff. He seemed
unnecessarily particular about it. Trehearne swore and sweated but got
it done. Then he went back to the bridge with Edri and Quorn. Joris
studied his instruments.
"Pretty soon," he said. He gave Quorn his flight instructions.
"Trehearne is still a lubber," he remarked, "but he knows enough by now
to give you a hand when you need it."