Egypt-ian-especially if we’re going to decipher hieroglyph-ics that describe high-tech processes.”
Barbara recalled how Daniel had blasted through the translation of the proto-hieroglyphics on the stone that had covered the StarGate. “I wish your husband was working with us.” Sha’uri gave her an unhappy smile. “So do I, Barbara. So do I.” The young Abydan woman was explaining the tense division of property between Earthlings and Abydans after the seizure of the starship when Charlton returned. “West would have promised us the stars above to let you poke around inside Ra’s Eye,” Sha’uri was say-ing when they heard a male cough outside the tent. “I hope he means-ah, hello, Lieutenant.”
“Ladies,” the young officer greeted them. He turned to Barbara, a spark of interest in his eyes as he took in her tight shorts and T-shirt. “The rest of the technical team should be exiting the StarGate shortly.”
“Fine, Loot,” Barbara said as she headed for the tent flap. Charlton had to hustle to act like a gentleman and twitch it aside for her. “Before we go back into the pyramid, I want to make a stop at the medical tent,” Barbara said as she slipped on a pair of sunglasses. Charlton looked alarmed. “You’re not feeling ill, are you, Doctor?” She shook her head. “I want to see if I can steal one of their lab coats,” she said.
“They’re loose and white, so they’ll help with this intense desert sunshine. And,” she added, grinning as she brushed a hand along her bare thigh, “they’ll help me look a little more profes-sional when I have to greet the troops.”
The smallest lab coat available swirled volumi-nously around Barbara’s shapely figure-apparently in government issue, “small” translated as “medium large.” But Barbara simply buttoned a few buttons and rolled up the sleeves, and had a reasonable facsimile of a caftan as she, Sha’uri, and Charlton set off for the pyramid.
“Make a note-we’re going to need coats like this for everybody,” she told the lieutenant. “And hats. I don’t want anybody suffering sunstroke because they didn’t have a hat.”
“Fifteen hats,” Charlton muttered, jotting down a note.
“So we have fifteen people on the team?” Barbara said. “Does that include me?” “Yes, Doctor, including yourself,” the lieutenant replied. “But not including the Abydan interpreters.”
Sha’uri had raised the shawl she was wearing over her head to avoid the beating suns.
“Quite right.” Barbara smiled at the young woman. “They know how to take care of themselves. Oh, and sunglasses,” she suddenly said. “We have to make sure my people have sunglasses.”
Her own eyewear had to come off when she entered the crippled starship. The relentless glare outside made the directionless light aboard Ra’s Eye seem par-ticularly dim.
“It was worse when we first fought our way aboard,” Sha’uri said. “The lights were hardly work-ing at all, then they went totally dead. Since then we’ve wound up with this dim sort of glow. From what we’ve gotten out of the computer slates, this is emergency lighting.”
Barbara glanced at the young woman, impressed. “So you were able, with Daniel’s help, to make some repairs?”
Sha’uri shook her head. “Our best guess is that some of the circuits repaired themselves. There are references in some of the files we’ve accessed-“ Barbara walked on, frowning in thought. Circuits that repaired themselves? Stardrive could be the least of the things they uncovered aboard this tub. They moved out of the ship and into the ori-ginal pyramid. The metal temporary lights tacked onto stone walls and pillars seemed harsh, an ugly intrusion-lacking the seamlessness of the ship’s high tech, or the clean lines of the low-tech stonework.
A deep throbbing tone seemed to reverberate through the passages. “That’s the StarGate warming up,”
Charlton said. “We’d better hurry, ladies.”
Barbara recalled how Daniel had blasted through the translation of the proto-hieroglyphics on the stone that had covered the StarGate. “I wish your husband was working with us.” Sha’uri gave her an unhappy smile. “So do I, Barbara. So do I.” The young Abydan woman was explaining the tense division of property between Earthlings and Abydans after the seizure of the starship when Charlton returned. “West would have promised us the stars above to let you poke around inside Ra’s Eye,” Sha’uri was say-ing when they heard a male cough outside the tent. “I hope he means-ah, hello, Lieutenant.”
“Ladies,” the young officer greeted them. He turned to Barbara, a spark of interest in his eyes as he took in her tight shorts and T-shirt. “The rest of the technical team should be exiting the StarGate shortly.”
“Fine, Loot,” Barbara said as she headed for the tent flap. Charlton had to hustle to act like a gentleman and twitch it aside for her. “Before we go back into the pyramid, I want to make a stop at the medical tent,” Barbara said as she slipped on a pair of sunglasses. Charlton looked alarmed. “You’re not feeling ill, are you, Doctor?” She shook her head. “I want to see if I can steal one of their lab coats,” she said.
“They’re loose and white, so they’ll help with this intense desert sunshine. And,” she added, grinning as she brushed a hand along her bare thigh, “they’ll help me look a little more profes-sional when I have to greet the troops.”
The smallest lab coat available swirled volumi-nously around Barbara’s shapely figure-apparently in government issue, “small” translated as “medium large.” But Barbara simply buttoned a few buttons and rolled up the sleeves, and had a reasonable facsimile of a caftan as she, Sha’uri, and Charlton set off for the pyramid.
“Make a note-we’re going to need coats like this for everybody,” she told the lieutenant. “And hats. I don’t want anybody suffering sunstroke because they didn’t have a hat.”
“Fifteen hats,” Charlton muttered, jotting down a note.
“So we have fifteen people on the team?” Barbara said. “Does that include me?” “Yes, Doctor, including yourself,” the lieutenant replied. “But not including the Abydan interpreters.”
Sha’uri had raised the shawl she was wearing over her head to avoid the beating suns.
“Quite right.” Barbara smiled at the young woman. “They know how to take care of themselves. Oh, and sunglasses,” she suddenly said. “We have to make sure my people have sunglasses.”
Her own eyewear had to come off when she entered the crippled starship. The relentless glare outside made the directionless light aboard Ra’s Eye seem par-ticularly dim.
“It was worse when we first fought our way aboard,” Sha’uri said. “The lights were hardly work-ing at all, then they went totally dead. Since then we’ve wound up with this dim sort of glow. From what we’ve gotten out of the computer slates, this is emergency lighting.”
Barbara glanced at the young woman, impressed. “So you were able, with Daniel’s help, to make some repairs?”
Sha’uri shook her head. “Our best guess is that some of the circuits repaired themselves. There are references in some of the files we’ve accessed-“ Barbara walked on, frowning in thought. Circuits that repaired themselves? Stardrive could be the least of the things they uncovered aboard this tub. They moved out of the ship and into the ori-ginal pyramid. The metal temporary lights tacked onto stone walls and pillars seemed harsh, an ugly intrusion-lacking the seamlessness of the ship’s high tech, or the clean lines of the low-tech stonework.
A deep throbbing tone seemed to reverberate through the passages. “That’s the StarGate warming up,”
Charlton said. “We’d better hurry, ladies.”
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