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Authors: Brian Daley
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slitted eyes. Lost to the normal passage of time, he wavered, wrist entering the harp's turmoil.
Dimly, he heard alarms and bells.
"Alacrity! Get back here!" Floyt stood at the other end of the narrow gantry, unable to force himself out to the alien starfoam. Alacrity, silhouetted against the majesty of it, was roaring, glorying. Some of the damaged equipment had begun sputtering, smoke wreathing from it.
Alacrity couldn't resist wondering what would happen if he leaned over just a little further; if his head entered the causality harp. If it swept through his skull and into his naked mind.
He bent forward, but the harp seemed to be withdrawing from him. Alacrity took a deep breath, preparing to swing himself out further. Then he realized perplexedly that the harp wasn't withdrawing; the gantry was moving backward. Arms grabbed him from behind and dragged him down to the gantry surface. All in a moment, the harp subsided, becoming an almost invisible, almost silent ghost.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (37 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
Floyt was on top of him, holding him. Alacrity's outstretched hand pulled further and further back from the harp.
He didn't struggle. Craning his head, he saw Redlock arrive, Dorraine and the rest following. Alacrity looked at the darkened harp sadly, but told himself it didn't matter. He had his affirmation.
When the gantry was fully withdrawn, Redlock helped them both to their feet. "Snap out of it, Fitzhugh.
There's no time for this!"
Floyt noticed woozily that, down below, Sortie-Wolf was kneeling by his father's side. The surviving Celestials and the Corporeal were checking the bodies of the intruders. Several members of Redlock's party were missing.
"What—what's wrong?" Alacrity slurred.
"We can't disarm all the explosives in time. This entire place will go in minutes."
Others were already crowding into the lift, bearing Seven Wars. The slain Corporeal was left behind, for lack of room and time. Alacrity came around enough to support himself on Floyt's shoulder.
As they hurried past it, Floyt caught a look at the screen where Alacrity had entered his question. The red indicator light still shone.
Alacrity watched the seething nebulae of the causality harp as the lift rose past it, gazed back at it over his shoulder as Floyt pulled him back from the edge.
At the top they were met by heavily armed Celestials in company strength. After some initial confusion, Redlock got everyone moving for the exit.
Just as they came to the mouth of the adit, ground-shaking explosions rolled up from the vault of the Precursors.
CHAPTER 4—THE VERY STUFF AND PITH
When the surviving members of the landing party struggled from the adit, they were still under cover.
Floyt looked up to see King's Ransom hanging low overhead, blocking out a good deal of the sky.
To Floyt, Governor Redlock's flagship would always resemble the fabulous jeweled eggs Carl Faberge made for the czars centuries ago on Terra. But this bauble was six kilometers stem to stern and, all the sparkle and trimming aside, a superdreadnaught that had trounced whole fleets of conventional warcraft.
Landing boats from King's Ransom had encircled the adit's entrance, the Blue Pearl, and the wrecked file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (38 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
intruder stealth ship. Aircutters and other vessels from Frostpile maintained close surveillance over the valley; the landing zone was crawling with Invincibles, Celestials, and Redlock's space marines.
Over by one big Celestial landing boat, Charivari and Yumi and some others from the Pearl waited.
Floyt went over to speak to Yumi, but a pair of Invincibles, a lieutenant and a captain, barred his way.
Yumi said softly, "Kindly let him by,
Dimly, he heard alarms and bells.
"Alacrity! Get back here!" Floyt stood at the other end of the narrow gantry, unable to force himself out to the alien starfoam. Alacrity, silhouetted against the majesty of it, was roaring, glorying. Some of the damaged equipment had begun sputtering, smoke wreathing from it.
Alacrity couldn't resist wondering what would happen if he leaned over just a little further; if his head entered the causality harp. If it swept through his skull and into his naked mind.
He bent forward, but the harp seemed to be withdrawing from him. Alacrity took a deep breath, preparing to swing himself out further. Then he realized perplexedly that the harp wasn't withdrawing; the gantry was moving backward. Arms grabbed him from behind and dragged him down to the gantry surface. All in a moment, the harp subsided, becoming an almost invisible, almost silent ghost.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (37 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
Floyt was on top of him, holding him. Alacrity's outstretched hand pulled further and further back from the harp.
He didn't struggle. Craning his head, he saw Redlock arrive, Dorraine and the rest following. Alacrity looked at the darkened harp sadly, but told himself it didn't matter. He had his affirmation.
When the gantry was fully withdrawn, Redlock helped them both to their feet. "Snap out of it, Fitzhugh.
There's no time for this!"
Floyt noticed woozily that, down below, Sortie-Wolf was kneeling by his father's side. The surviving Celestials and the Corporeal were checking the bodies of the intruders. Several members of Redlock's party were missing.
"What—what's wrong?" Alacrity slurred.
"We can't disarm all the explosives in time. This entire place will go in minutes."
Others were already crowding into the lift, bearing Seven Wars. The slain Corporeal was left behind, for lack of room and time. Alacrity came around enough to support himself on Floyt's shoulder.
As they hurried past it, Floyt caught a look at the screen where Alacrity had entered his question. The red indicator light still shone.
Alacrity watched the seething nebulae of the causality harp as the lift rose past it, gazed back at it over his shoulder as Floyt pulled him back from the edge.
At the top they were met by heavily armed Celestials in company strength. After some initial confusion, Redlock got everyone moving for the exit.
Just as they came to the mouth of the adit, ground-shaking explosions rolled up from the vault of the Precursors.
CHAPTER 4—THE VERY STUFF AND PITH
When the surviving members of the landing party struggled from the adit, they were still under cover.
Floyt looked up to see King's Ransom hanging low overhead, blocking out a good deal of the sky.
To Floyt, Governor Redlock's flagship would always resemble the fabulous jeweled eggs Carl Faberge made for the czars centuries ago on Terra. But this bauble was six kilometers stem to stern and, all the sparkle and trimming aside, a superdreadnaught that had trounced whole fleets of conventional warcraft.
Landing boats from King's Ransom had encircled the adit's entrance, the Blue Pearl, and the wrecked file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruis...aley%20-%20Jinx%20on%20a%20Terran%20Inheritance.htm (38 of 320)19-2-2006 17:12:28
[Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
intruder stealth ship. Aircutters and other vessels from Frostpile maintained close surveillance over the valley; the landing zone was crawling with Invincibles, Celestials, and Redlock's space marines.
Over by one big Celestial landing boat, Charivari and Yumi and some others from the Pearl waited.
Floyt went over to speak to Yumi, but a pair of Invincibles, a lieutenant and a captain, barred his way.
Yumi said softly, "Kindly let him by,
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