He hugged the girl to him; she seemed more desperately frightened than
he had realized. And again, as always when it came to comforting
somebody, he felt as awkward and clumsy as some big lumbering repair-tug
out in space--say--trying to patch a small trim patrol craft.
But especially, he felt helpless in the presence of this frail,
clinging, lovely piece of femininity he wanted so dearly. Nevertheless
he could keep on trying--blundering though his words and gestures might
be.
"Carolyn, you think I wanted to chance making you a widow twenty-four
hours after you became a bride?" Lance took a deep breath. "So I did
maintain the percentage wasn't great. Still, it does exist. I'm aware of
that. I just don't let it concern me. But you, Carolyn--don't you see,
hon? Lance Cooper couldn't let anything bad happen to his best girl."
"I'm trying to understand," said Carolyn.
Lance's blunt, serious face peered into hers. "Tell you what I will
promise to do."
Hope cleared away some of the mistiness in Carolyn's eyes. She looked up
at him. "What, Lance?"
"Once I've knocked off my shell-back trip through the hype, we'll stage
the fanciest wedding this old space base ever goggled its eyes over.
I'll even see to it, the chaplain samples the spiked punch. And you
remember what a raconteur the padre proved to be when Light-Colonel
Galache got spliced?"
Carolyn Sagen managed a wan smile.
Lance revved his pep-talk up a few hundred r.p.m. "After all, think of
it this way. Suppose I hadn't beat my brains out to get into
hype-training? I'd never have wound up at this base. You and me would
never have met. I'd never have fallen for you like a ton of
space-ballast."
"Oh, I know you're right," said Carolyn, clinging more tightly than ever
to Lance's solid frame. "You're always right, just like the Space
Service is always right. But I have a woman's intuition. And I ... I
sense--"
Unable to finish, she released her grasp and once more withdrew into
herself.
* * * * *
Lance's big muscular hand reached out, tilted the girl's chin upward.
Her face was tear-stained for sure, now.
"Honey, this won't ever do."
"I can't help it."
"You're torturing yourself with useless premonitions." Lance wiped the
briny shine from the girl's cheeks as he talked, his own voice getting
hoarser. "Carolyn, I love you so much that I ... well, you know I happen
to hunger for you more than I do that Christmas tree on my control deck.
But I just couldn't give up a chance to solo out to the stars. I
couldn't, baby. I'd probably be court-martialed, anyhow," he added.
"No, Lance. They wouldn't do that. Not unless you actually got into
space, then turned back. I asked Major Carmody."
"Carolyn! You didn't?"
The girl nodded, affirming the truth of what she said. "Lance, I had to.
T-there are some things I know about that you don't." A note of sudden
urgency now tinged her voice. "Strange unfathomable things. Many of the
other pilots who've come back have not been right. I think it has
something to do with their having been outside of normal space--"
He stared at her. "I just now realize you're trying to tell me
something."
"Lance, I happened to overhear Dad telling Mother something one night.
Apparently, he'd been rolling and tossing in bed, couldn't sleep. And
Mother's looked after him so long, she just had to know what was wrong.
They went downstairs and she poured him a stiff drink. Then in return,
Dad poured out his troubled soul to her. And Lance--"
"Yes, Carolyn?"
"The most probable reason why some hype-pilots never quite make it back
to our world is that the men involved--"
"The men? You mean, the pilots?"
"No, the brass. They haven't told the pilots about the fissioning of
anything that gets into hyperspace--"
Carolyn's breath gave out in a sudden gasp. Her eyes moved away alarmed,
and Lance's own glance turned simultaneously. He saw Colonel "Hard-Head"
Sagen and two other officers coming across the area.
[Illustration]
Time had run out on them.
"Carolyn," Lance said, hurriedly. "I've gabbed with quite a few vets of
hyperspace. At the Club and in my training, both. Sure, a man feels like
he's been crammed into a concrete mixer when he's burning up light-years
in a hyper ship. But after a while, I'm told, even your brains get used
to being bounced around." Lance took the girl's hands and squeezed them
between his. "So let's not worry, huh?"
Carolyn started to say something in rebuttal, but her father and his
aides were already upon them.
Colonel Sagen was a tall thin man of erect military carriage. His
features were crisscrossed with radiation scars and his voice boomed out
like a military drum. Yet when one got to know him, he wasn't so gruff.
On the base, he commanded two thousand military personnel and half that
many scientists and techs: a tough job, and one that he was giving his
best.
After returning Major Lance Cooper's brisk salute, the colonel unbent
and gave his prospective son-in-law a hardy handshake.
"Lance, I hope you'll be able to keep more of a rein on this little
space-filly of mine, than I've been able to. She was determined to see
you off."
"I was glad to see her, colonel."
The colonel smiled. "Can't think of a man on this base I'd rather turn
Carolyn over to."
"Thank you, sir," said Lance.
"Been counting the minutes to take-off, I suppose?"
"He's hardly had a chance to, Dad," Carolyn broke in. "What with me in
his hair!"
One of the colonel's aides glanced at his watch, then opened up a brief
case and took out a sealed envelope. The colonel relieved him of it and
handed it to Lance.
"Your flight orders, Lance. Got the preset tapes installed and checked?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, you should know your onions now, if you're ever going to. Best of
luck, son."
"Thank you, colonel."