[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
to bolts and wrenches greedily hauled hemp.
In moments, Gerrard slid up the gunwale and over the rail,
spilling atop Hanna. They tumbled to the deck, ropes coiling
all around them. Their glad laughter gave way to kisses, which
again gave way to laughter.
"It's nice to see you," Gerrard said in understatement.
His fingers stroked her grease-decorated face and hair. "But
you shouldn't have spent so much time primping."
Hanna smiled as she rolled him over. This time she landed
on top, straddling him. Her hands gingerly probed the
lacerations in his shoulder. "Don't you know it's bad manners
to go on a date with an open wound?" Insistently, she dragged
his shirt from his shoulder, and the lightness in her voice
ceased. "I wish Orim were here ..."
"I'm just glad you are," Gerrard said, pulling her fingers
away. "It's not bleeding much now. I'll grab some rags and
wrap it. Orim can look at it once we get above." He looked
about at the ship. "You've been doing some healing of your
own. Weatherlight looks terrific."
"Let's go get you and Sisay some bandages, and then let me
show you what I've done."
Sisay had gained the deck by then-with a bit more decorum.
Together, Sisay, Tahngarth, Gerrard, and Hanna made their way
into the bowels of the ship. Down a ladder and along a
passage, they reached the sickbay. There, Hanna dressed
Gerrard and Sisay's wounds. On a nearby pallet lay Squee,
sleeping fitfully after his long ordeal. Fewsteem and
Dabis happened in, lending two more sets of hands. With
light but weary voices, the crew members each told of what had
happened to them since their parting. They were, Gerrard
reflected, like school kids returning after a long holiday,
happy to see familiar things once more.
Once the bandages were in place, the crew moved to the
engine room, jammed with humming machinery. There, they found
Karn, looking immaculate as usual. His hands were sunk into a
pair of twin ports in the engine. Within lay handles, which he
gripped. Metal filaments jutted from the console into the
joints in his metal fingers, hardwiring him to the power core.
With a thought, he could control all the engine's levels,
harness and shunt its power, even sense the outside world
through the ship's lanterns and weapons and hull. It was his
concentration that kept Weatherlight floating in midair in the
smoky cavern. Karn gave no acknowledgment of his friends'
entry, for his silver shell had gone inert. While engaged this
way, Weatherlight became his body.
Passing him, Hanna reached the forward casement of the
engine, where the Power Matrix rested. She gestured the rest
of the crew up beside her and pointed within. Her face beamed
for the first time in weeks. "I used the Juju Bubble!"
"What are you talking about?" Gerrard asked.
"The bubble. Karn's been carrying it about in his guts
for-how long has it been?"
"A long time," Sisay said. Unbidden, there rose to her
mind an image of First Mate Meida, killed when they retrieved
the Juju Bubble from the Adarkar Wastes. "What did you do?"
Hanna grabbed her arm, leaving a thick, greasy palm mark
on Sisay's skin. "Look. I took the Bones of Ramos and fastened
them into the framework of the Power Matrix, but it wasn't
enough. I'd hoped they would provide the final link that would
channel their power into the Thran Crystal. They didn't until
the Juju Bubble was added."
Sisay shook her head. "I don't understand."
"It was Karn's idea. He brought it out from his chest and
realize what it was for. When we placed the bubble over the
framework of stones, it acted as a kind of lens. It focused
the power. The Power Matrix spontaneously grew to incorporate
it. It was beautiful!"
Sisay laughed. "All right. I'll take your word for it. But
can we planeshift?"
Hanna nodded. "I don't see any reason why not. The ship
actually seems stronger than it ever has been. It might be the
result of having this new power system combined with the
Skyshaper that Karn installed just before we left Rath. But
all indications are that we can travel probably twice as fast
as we could before."
"We can't reach enough speed to planeshift out of here-"
Sisay began.
"We'll have to blast our way into the main cavern and then
out the doors at the base," interrupted Gerrard. "We can wipe
out the rest of the fleet en route."
"Blast our way out?" Hanna echoed incredulously.
Gerrard smiled, turning toward her. "You've said the
ship's more powerful than ever. Let's see how much more.
Battle stations, everyone." He spoke the command quietly, but
the sound of it carried even above thrumming engines.
"Yes, Commander," Captain Sisay said, saluting. With a
grin, she turned and climbed the stairs toward the bridge.
Hanna followed this tongue-in-cheek salute with a similar
kiss. Blushing a little, she said, "Sisay'll need her
navigator to get through these caves." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
to bolts and wrenches greedily hauled hemp.
In moments, Gerrard slid up the gunwale and over the rail,
spilling atop Hanna. They tumbled to the deck, ropes coiling
all around them. Their glad laughter gave way to kisses, which
again gave way to laughter.
"It's nice to see you," Gerrard said in understatement.
His fingers stroked her grease-decorated face and hair. "But
you shouldn't have spent so much time primping."
Hanna smiled as she rolled him over. This time she landed
on top, straddling him. Her hands gingerly probed the
lacerations in his shoulder. "Don't you know it's bad manners
to go on a date with an open wound?" Insistently, she dragged
his shirt from his shoulder, and the lightness in her voice
ceased. "I wish Orim were here ..."
"I'm just glad you are," Gerrard said, pulling her fingers
away. "It's not bleeding much now. I'll grab some rags and
wrap it. Orim can look at it once we get above." He looked
about at the ship. "You've been doing some healing of your
own. Weatherlight looks terrific."
"Let's go get you and Sisay some bandages, and then let me
show you what I've done."
Sisay had gained the deck by then-with a bit more decorum.
Together, Sisay, Tahngarth, Gerrard, and Hanna made their way
into the bowels of the ship. Down a ladder and along a
passage, they reached the sickbay. There, Hanna dressed
Gerrard and Sisay's wounds. On a nearby pallet lay Squee,
sleeping fitfully after his long ordeal. Fewsteem and
Dabis happened in, lending two more sets of hands. With
light but weary voices, the crew members each told of what had
happened to them since their parting. They were, Gerrard
reflected, like school kids returning after a long holiday,
happy to see familiar things once more.
Once the bandages were in place, the crew moved to the
engine room, jammed with humming machinery. There, they found
Karn, looking immaculate as usual. His hands were sunk into a
pair of twin ports in the engine. Within lay handles, which he
gripped. Metal filaments jutted from the console into the
joints in his metal fingers, hardwiring him to the power core.
With a thought, he could control all the engine's levels,
harness and shunt its power, even sense the outside world
through the ship's lanterns and weapons and hull. It was his
concentration that kept Weatherlight floating in midair in the
smoky cavern. Karn gave no acknowledgment of his friends'
entry, for his silver shell had gone inert. While engaged this
way, Weatherlight became his body.
Passing him, Hanna reached the forward casement of the
engine, where the Power Matrix rested. She gestured the rest
of the crew up beside her and pointed within. Her face beamed
for the first time in weeks. "I used the Juju Bubble!"
"What are you talking about?" Gerrard asked.
"The bubble. Karn's been carrying it about in his guts
for-how long has it been?"
"A long time," Sisay said. Unbidden, there rose to her
mind an image of First Mate Meida, killed when they retrieved
the Juju Bubble from the Adarkar Wastes. "What did you do?"
Hanna grabbed her arm, leaving a thick, greasy palm mark
on Sisay's skin. "Look. I took the Bones of Ramos and fastened
them into the framework of the Power Matrix, but it wasn't
enough. I'd hoped they would provide the final link that would
channel their power into the Thran Crystal. They didn't until
the Juju Bubble was added."
Sisay shook her head. "I don't understand."
"It was Karn's idea. He brought it out from his chest and
realize what it was for. When we placed the bubble over the
framework of stones, it acted as a kind of lens. It focused
the power. The Power Matrix spontaneously grew to incorporate
it. It was beautiful!"
Sisay laughed. "All right. I'll take your word for it. But
can we planeshift?"
Hanna nodded. "I don't see any reason why not. The ship
actually seems stronger than it ever has been. It might be the
result of having this new power system combined with the
Skyshaper that Karn installed just before we left Rath. But
all indications are that we can travel probably twice as fast
as we could before."
"We can't reach enough speed to planeshift out of here-"
Sisay began.
"We'll have to blast our way into the main cavern and then
out the doors at the base," interrupted Gerrard. "We can wipe
out the rest of the fleet en route."
"Blast our way out?" Hanna echoed incredulously.
Gerrard smiled, turning toward her. "You've said the
ship's more powerful than ever. Let's see how much more.
Battle stations, everyone." He spoke the command quietly, but
the sound of it carried even above thrumming engines.
"Yes, Commander," Captain Sisay said, saluting. With a
grin, she turned and climbed the stairs toward the bridge.
Hanna followed this tongue-in-cheek salute with a similar
kiss. Blushing a little, she said, "Sisay'll need her
navigator to get through these caves." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]