Read Online Heaven's Reach by David Brin - Free Book Online Page B

center represented this hapless vessel. Several other bits of yellow glimmered nearby, drifting slowly toward the upper right.
    The Jophur have cut loose all the captured decoys. I guess that means they know where
Streaker
is.
    He thought of Gillian Baskin, so sad and so beautiful, carrying burdens he could never hope to understand. During his brief time aboard the Earth vessel he had a feeling … an impression that she did not expect to carry the burdens much longer.
    Then what was it all for? If escape was hopeless, why did Gillian lead her poor crew through so much pain and struggle?
    â€œBehold the Jophur battleship,”
said Rety’s teacher. A blurry dot appeared toward the top right corner, now moving rapidly leftward, retracing its path at a close angle toward Izmunuti.
    â€œIt has changed course dramatically, moving at maximum C-Level pseudospeed.”
    â€œCan you see
Streaker?
” Dwer asked.
    â€œI cannot. But judging from the
Polkjhy’s
angle of pursuit, the Terran ship may be masked by the red giant star.”
    He sensed Rety sitting cross-legged on the floor next to him, her eyes shining in light from the hologram.
    â€œForget the Earthers,” she demanded. “Show us where we’re headin’!”
    The display changed, causing Izmunuti and the Jophur frigate to drift out of view. A fuzzy patch moved in from the top edge, slippery to look at. Rows of symbols and numbers flickered alongside—information that might have meant something to his sister but just seemed frightening to Dwer.
    â€œThat’s the … 
transfer point
, right?” Rety asked, her voice growing hushed. “The hole thing that’ll take us to the Five Galaxies?”
    â€œIt is a hole, in a manner of speaking. But this transfer point cannot serve as a direct link out of Galaxy Four—the galaxy we are in—to any of the others. In order to accomplish that, we must follow transition threads leading to some other hyperspatial nexi. Much bigger ones, capable of longer-range jumps.”
    â€œYou mean we’ll have to portage from stream to stream, a few times?” Dwer asked, comparing the voyage to a canoe trip across a mountain range.
    â€œYour metaphor has some limited relevance. According to recent navigation data, a route out of this galaxy to more populated regions can be achieved by taking a series of five transfers, or three transfers plus two long jumps through A-Level hyperspace, or two difficult transfers plus one A-Level jump and three B-Level cruises, or—”
    â€œThat’s okay,” Rety said, clapping her hands to quiet the machine. “Right now all I want to know is, will we get to the point all right?”
    There followed a brief pause while the machine pondered.
    â€œI am a teaching unit, not a starship navigator. All I can tell is that our C-Level pseudomomentum appears adequate to reach the periphery of the nexus. This vessel’s remaining marginal power may be sufficient to then aim toward one of the simpler transfer threads.”
    Rety did not have to speak. Her smug expression said it all. Everything was going according to her devious plan.
    But Dwer would not be fooled.
    She may be brilliant
, he thought.
But she’s also crazier than a mulc spider.
    He had known it ever since the two of them almost died together, months ago in the Rimmer Mountains, seized in the clutches of a mad antiquarian creature called One-of-a-Kind. Rety’s boldness since then had verged on reckless mania. Dwer figured she survived only because Ifni favors the mad with a special, warped set of dice.
    He had no idea what a transfer point was, but itsounded more dangerous than poking a ruoul shambler in the face with a fetor worm.
    Ah, well.
Dwer sighed. There was nothing to be done about it right now. As a tracker, he knew when to just sit back and practice patience, letting nature take its course. “Whatever you say, Rety. But now