later she felt the transport lift straight up on its field drive. Then she was flattened into her seat by at least twenty- five G’s as the little ship climbed steeply. Her space-bred ancestry allowed her to endure this with little discomfort; no true human could have remained conscious under that unrelenting stress. Some would not have survived.
It did not last more than five minutes, presumably all the time it took to get this ship into orbit. She released her straps and searched the rear cabin until she found a small mirror. Quickly reassured that her disguise had not suffered, she went to the forward cabin for a look out its wide windows.
The first thing she saw was the Methryn, no more than twice its own length away and completely filling the forward view. She had seen pictures of the carriers and knew their specifics, but nothing could accurately convey the true size, power, and majesty of these vast ships. The transport overtook the larger ship rapidly, passing beneath its broad belly, making for the small bay that stood open near the front, a pocket of intense light against the blackness.
“Who are you, anyway?” the pilot asked as he maneuvered into position.
“Consherra.” She offered the name of the only female Starwolf she knew, the one that Velmeran had named his mate.
“Consherra!” the pilot exclaimed incredulously. “Well, you are late. I had thought that you had not gone down in the first place.”
Handling arms reached down from the bay to pull the transport in, and the thick bay doors swung shut beneath it. This was not one of the two immense holding bays, of course, and it had looked insignificant against the bulk of the ship. But it was larger than any warehouse in port Kallenes, as Lenna could see now.
“We are home,” the pilot announced as he hastily closed down all the systems aboard the transport. “Half a moment and I will have it open. I suppose that you want to go straight to the bridge.”
Lenna nodded absently. She was too busy thinking ahead to what she should do next to truly appreciate that she was actually aboard the Methryn, and the only uninvited guest the ship had seen in her eighteen thousand years.
8
Lenna stared as she stepped down out of the transport. The smooth inner panels of the bay doors had folded shut to form the featureless deck on which she now stood, still cold with exposure to space. The walls of each side of the bay were filled with racks of two different sizes, the smaller holding transports such as she had just ridden while the other held capture ships and a large type of transport. They were lifted into place by rectractable handling arms such as the set that held her own transport a meter above the deck while five crewmembers in white armor trimmed in black hurried to service it.
“Here!” a voice called from behind. She turned quickly, and the pilot tossed her bundle into her arms. The weight nearly knocked her over backward, and she strained to get it under control before the Starwolves noticed that she was not as strong as themselves.
“Are you going up to the bridge?” the pilot asked as he leaped down beside her. He started toward a shelflike area at one side of the bay, and she thought it best to join him until she could slip away.
“If we are getting under way soon, I should be there,” she answered, recalling Consherra’s duty as helm.
“We will be getting under way immediately. They were waiting for me.”
“I should be in my armor, but no time now,” she said with a touch of regret. In fact, she was wondering if she could hide out easier if she could get herself into a suit or armor, letting the lower arms hang free. She had not yet considered that the Starwolves spoke a language of their own.
“Have you heard what the trouble is?” the pilot asked as she stopped before the lift door to press the call button. “I was wondering what Velmeran had to say.”
“Oh, I have not seen Velmeran since I left on port leave,” she answered quickly, and it seemed to her a very good answer. She did not even know if Velmeran had left the ship. She certainly had not seen any Starwolves she had thought might be Velmeran.
The transport pilot, however, found that a very astonishing answer. Kelvesan, with their insatiable curiosities, were natural if benevolent gossips. They were also remarkably gullible. If Velmeran and Consherra were avoiding each other’s company during port leave…
The lift snapped open and they quickly stepped inside, the pilot setting the controls for his own destination and then on to the bridge. The doors snapped shut and the lift started off with its customary lurch, causing Lenna to stagger. This lift was the fastest she had ever known.
“Valthyrra does need that overhaul,” the pilot observed, smiling.
Lenna only nodded. She had good luck with this particular Starwolf, but she was beginning to think that she had been with him too long. Sooner or later he was going to ask her something and she was going to say the wrong thing. Or, worse yet, the real Consherra was going to be standing on the other side when that door opened. She did not know that he was sharing her game by speaking Terran to her. Then it seemed that the lift began to pick up speed like a fighter going into battle. As the stress increased she moved slowly backward until she was leaning against the rear wall of the lift. Still the force continued to build, until she released her bundle to concentrate on fighting the crushing pressure. Flying alone and empty, she had occasionally pushed her freight shuttle to G’s as high as this, but she had always been supported by a cushioned seat. The Starwolf might have been immune to those stresses, standing idly by the door. But he was aware of her distress, and was regading her closely.
“Are you well?” he asked. “The Methryn is accelerating to starflight, but we are pulling no more than thirty G’s.”
Thirty? Only her Trader heritage kept her conscious during this, unprotected and penned against a metal wall. The pilot suddenly realized what the problem was. He stepped over to her and lifted up her cape, and discovered exactly what he expected not to find. He checked her quickly for weapons, retrieved her bundle, and returned to the lift controls. Pressing a button, he leaned slightly forward to the speaker.
“Attention, bridge!” he said sharply. “Cut acceleration. I repeat, cut acceleration immediately. Class Two intruder alert. Intruder has been apprehended on lift five.”
He looked over at Lenna, who smiled weakly. The next moment she collapsed to the floor as the stress of acceleration disappeared.
“This is Valthyrra Methryn,” came the reply momentarily. “Do you consider the intruder to be under control and not dangerous?”
“No problem here,” he replied. “I suspect this to be a stowaway rather than a spy or saboteur.”
“Very good. I am bringing you straight up to the bridge.”
Velmeran knew that something was wrong when he felt the Methryn cut acceleration and he was on his way to the bridge immediately, so that he was there within a minute of Lenna’s arrival. He was starting up the steps to the upper bridge when he looked up and saw Lenna, pale and shaken, seated at the Commander’s console while Mayelna, Consherra, and Valthyrra’s camera pod faced her from three sides. Realizing exactly what had happened, he turned and retreated quickly the way he had come.
“Just a moment, Velmeran,” Mayelna called after him.
He paused and reluctantly returned to the upper bridge. Ignoring Lenna, who was staring at him in complete astonishment, he smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “She followed me home, Mom. Can I keep her?”
“Ah, so you are the mysterious young Starwolf who inspired this lady to attempt the foolhardy,” Mayelna said.
“You… you are Velmeran?” Lenna asked incredulously, even paler than before. “The Velmeran?”
“Of course he is,” Mayelna answered irritably. “Who did you think he was?”
“Well, he said that his name was Sergei Rachmaninoff,” she explained.
Valthyrra nearly popped her lenses. “Sure, and I’m Fanny Mendelssohn!”
Mayelna glanced up at her impatiently before turning back to the girl. “Were you not aware that he was a
