The hull shuddered briefly. A soundless plume of steam erupted a few yards above Rees's head and was instantly whipped away, a sign that Gord's ramshackle attitude control system was doing its job.
The hull felt warmer than usual against his face. The wind speed out there must be phenomenal, but the virtually frictionless material of the Bridge was allowing the air to slide harmlessly past with barely a rise in temperature. Rees's tired mind ambled down speculative alleyways. If you measured the temperature rise, he reasoned, you could probably get some kind of estimate of the hull's coefficient of friction. But, of course, you would also need some data on the material's heat conduction properties — 'It's astonishing, isn't it?'
Nead was at his side. The younger man cradled a sextant in his arms. Rees smiled. 'What are you doing here?'
'I'm supposed to be measuring our velocity.'
'And?'
'We're at terminal velocity for the strength of gravity out here. I estimate we will reach the Core in about ten shifts…'
Nead delivered his words dreamily, his attention taken up by the view; but they had an electric effect on Rees. Ten shifts… in just ten shifts he would stare at the face -of the Core, and the destiny of the race would be made or lost.
He pulled himself back to the present. 'We never did get to finish your training, did we, Nead?'
'Other events were more pressing,' Nead said drily.
'Let's find a home where we will always have time to train people properly… time, even, to stare out of the window—'
Jaen started talking even before she reached them. '…And if you don't tell this insufferable old buffoon that he's left his sense of priorities back on the Raft, then I won't be responsible for my actions, Rees!'
Rees groaned inwardly. Evidently his break was over. He turned; Jaen bore down on him with Hol-lerbach following, hauling himself cautiously through the network of ropes. The old Scientist muttered, 'I don't believe I've been spoken to like that by a mere Second Class since — since—'
Rees held his hands up. 'Slow down, you two. Start from the top, Jaen. What's the problem?'
'The problem,' Jaen spat, jerking her thumb, 'is this silly old fart, who—'
'Why, you impudent—'
'Shut up!' Rees snapped.
Jaen simmering, made a visible effort to calm down. 'Rees. Am I or am I not in charge of the Telescope?'
'That's my understanding.'
'And my brief is to make sure that the Navigators — and their Boney so-called assistants — get all the data they need to guide our trajectory around the Core. And that has to be our number one priority. Right?'
Rees rubbed his nose doubtfully. 'I can't argue with that…'
'Then tell Hollerbach to keep his damn hands off my equipment!'
Rees turned to Hollerbach, suppressing a smile. 'What are you up to, Chief Scientist?'
'Rees…' The old man wrapped his long fingers together, pulling at the loose flesh. 'We have left ourselves with only one significant scientific instrument. Now, I've no wish to revisit the arguments behind the loading of this ship. Of course the size of the gene pool must come first…' He thumped one fist into his palm. 'Nevertheless it is at precisely this moment of blindness that we are approaching the greatest scientific mystery of this cosmos: the Core itself—'
'He wants to turn the Telescope on the Core,' Jaen said. 'Can you believe it?'
'The understanding to be acquired by even a superficial study is incalculable.'
'Hollerbach, if we don't use that damn telescope to navigate with we might get a closer look at the Core than any of us have bargained for!' Jaen glared at Rees. 'Well?'
'Well what?'
Hollerbach looked sadly at Rees. 'Alas, lad, I suspect this little local difficulty is only the first impossible arbitration you will be called on to
make.'
Rees felt confused, isolated. 'But why me?'
Jaen snapped, 'Because Decker is still on the Raft. And who else is there?'
'Who indeed?' Hollerbach murmured. 'I'm sorry, Rees; I don't think you have very much choice…'
'Anyway, what about this bloody Telescope?'
Rees tried to focus. 'All right. Look, Hollerbach, I have to agree that Jaen's work is a priority right now —'
Jaen whooped and punched the air.
'So your studies must fit in around that work. All right? But,' he went on rapidly, 'when we get close enough to the Core the steam jets will become ineffectual anyway. So navigation will become a waste of time… and the Telescope can be released, and Hollerbach can do his work. Maybe Jaen will even help.' He puffed out his cheeks. 'How's that for a compromise?'
Jaen grinned and punched him on the shoulder. 'We'll make a Committee member of you yet.' She turned and pulled her way back into the interior of the chamber.
Rees felt his shoulders slump. 'Hollerbach, I'm too young to be a Captain. And I've no desire for the job.'
Hollerbach smiled gently. 'That last alone probably qualifies you as well as anyone. Rees, I fear you must face it; you're the only man on board with first-hand experience of the Belt, the Raft, the Bone world… and so you're the only leader figure remotely acceptable to all the ship's disparate factions. And after all it has been your drive, your determination, that has brought us so far. Now you're stuck with this responsibility, I fear.
'And there are some hard decisions ahead. Assuming we round the Core successfully we will face rationing, extremes of temperature in the unknown regions outside the Nebula — even boredom will be a life-threatening hazard! You will have to keep us functioning in extraordinary circumstances. If I can assist you in any way, of course, I will.'
'Thanks. I don't much like the idea, but I guess you are right. And to help me you could start,' he said sharply, 'by sorting out your differences with Jaen yourself.'
Hollerbach smiled ruefully. 'That young woman is rather forceful.'
'Hollerbach, what do you expect to see down there anyway? I guess a close view of a black hole is going to be spectacular enough…'
A flush of animation touched Hollerbach's papery cheeks. 'Far more than that. Have I ever discussed with you my ideas on gravitic chemistry? I have?' Hollerbach looked disappointed at the curtailing of his lecture, but Rees encouraged him to continue; for a few minutes, he realized gratefully, he could return to his apprenticeship, when Hollerbach and the rest would lecture him each shift on the mysteries of the many universes.
'You will recall my speculation on a new type of 'atom,' ' Hollerbach began. 'Its component particles — perhaps singularities themselves — will be bonded by gravity rather than the other fundamental forces. Given the right conditions, the right temperature and pressure, the right gravitational gradients, a new 'gravitic chemistry' will be possible.'
'In the Core,' Rees said.
'Yes!' Hollerbach declared. 'As we skirt the Core we will observe a new realm, my friend, a new phase of creation in which—'
Over Hollerbach's shoulder there loomed a wide, bloodstained face. Rees frowned. 'What do you want, Roch?'
The huge miner grinned. 'I only wanted to point out what you're missing. Look.' He pointed.
Rees turned. At first he could see nothing unusual — and then, squinting, he made out a faint patch of dull brown amid the upward shower of stars. It was too far away to make out any detail, but memory supplied the rest; and he saw again a surface of skin streched over bone, white faces turning to a distant speck in the air—
'The Boneys,' he said.
Roch opened his corrupt mouth and laughed; Hollerbach flinched, disgusted. 'Your home from home, Rees,' Roch said coarsely. 'Don't you feel like dropping in and visiting old friends?'
