"Spinnaker set!"
Lisa paused for a moment. Now came the need for her own special expertise the minutely calculated adjustments that made all the difference. Studying the solar wind readings on her console, she gave more orders.
Together in their virtual reality world, wrestling with wheels and cables in the rigging of the great sailing ship as it sailed through s.p.a.ce, Nikos, Zorelle, Kurt and Mari obeyed her commands and rapped out their replies.
"Port sails inclination, adjust three degrees starboard."
"Port sails adjusted."
"Starboard sails elevate three degrees."
"Starboard sails elevated."
"Mainsail inclination elevate five degrees."
"Mainsail elevation, five degrees."
"Retract spinnaker, two degrees."
"Spinnaker retracted."
Lisa considered for a moment longer and then snapped, "All sails set. Maintain position. Lock off."
Transformed from an ungainly insect into a shimmeringly beautiful b.u.t.terfly, the Tiger Moth Tiger Moth swept through s.p.a.ce, propelled only by the pressure of solar winds on her enormous set of fragile metal-foil sails. swept through s.p.a.ce, propelled only by the pressure of solar winds on her enormous set of fragile metal-foil sails.
The astonishing sight was reflected in the transformation of the hologram on the sail deck.
Mari pushed up her goggles and studied the glowing holograph with awe. It"s beautiful," she whispered.
The crew removed goggles and gauntlets, returned to the real world, and waited for Lisa"s reaction.
She studied her console. She studied the holograph. At last she raised her eyes and surveyed the little group.
"Great!" she said. "Terrific! Wonderful!"
The crew members looked at each other in pleased surprise.
Did she really mean it?
She didn"t.
"More like an arthritic Algolian dung beetle than a Tiger Moth. By the time we set off, the other ships in the race would be halfway home. Mari, you must must be quicker with that spinnaker. Zorelle, your lower starboard sail is two degrees out of line. We"d be going round in circles. Nikos, no problems, well done!" be quicker with that spinnaker. Zorelle, your lower starboard sail is two degrees out of line. We"d be going round in circles. Nikos, no problems, well done!"
By this time, Mari was tearful, Zorelle furious, Nikos was looking smug, and Kurt mildly amused.
"I don"t know why you"re so cheerful, Kurt," said Lisa. "I said elevate five degrees, not six!"
Kurt"s smile disappeared.
Actually, thought Lisa, they"d done better than she"d expected. Not that she was going to tell them so, not yet. You break them down before you build them up.
She looked around her chastened crew.
"We are going to repeat this and similar manoeuvres until you can do them perfectly, smoothly, swiftly, and if necessary, in your sleep. Is that clear?"
In the control room Robar was listening to Lisa over the intercom. He grinned. It was her standard speech with new crews.
Robar was still searching for the cause of the mysterious power fluctuations. He"d checked the control circuits of all the main power units, establishing, at least, where the trouble wasn"t, and was about to go down to the engine room and check the units themselves.
Suddenly an explosion rocked the ship.
Robar scrambled to his feet and went to the command console. He checked instruments and flipped the intercom switch.
"Engineer to Captain. We are being fired on by an unknown vessel."
Lisa"s voice came back. "Are we hit?"
"Minor sail damage," said Robar calmly. "I think it was a warning shot."
"On my way."
Lisa turned to the astonished crew. "Stay here, all of you!"
She turned and ran for the control room, pounding along the ship"s metal corridors.
She found Robar peering at the monitor screen. It showed a blurred, indistinct image of the vessel that had attacked them.
"Can you establish a com-link?"
"Picture keeps breaking up," muttered Robar. He tried again, and a distorted image of a helmeted figure appeared on the screen. "Best I can do."
Lisa stared in puzzlement at the menacing shape. "What the h.e.l.l is that?"
"Beats me."
Lisa spoke into the com-unit. "Who are you? What do you want? Why did you fire on us?"
A gruff, distorted voice came back. "We are sending a boarding party. Co-operate and you will not be harmed. Resist and you will be destroyed. Stand by for boarding."
The figure disappeared and the wheel-shaped alien vessel reappeared on the screen.
Lisa peered at it thoughtfully. Not very informative." "
"What do we do now?"
Lisa"s first thoughts were for her ship.
"I"m going to retract the solar sails on automatic. Whatever happens I won"t risk any more sail damage."
"I"ll go down to the power room and start checking those drive units," said Robar. "May as well keep busy."
Lisa flicked a switch on the intercom. "Captain to crew.
The vessel that fired on us is an unidentified battle cruiser.
They"ve got us covered with their s.p.a.ce cannon and they"re sending a boarding party. That"s all I can tell you because that"s all I know. I"m going to retract the solar sails from here on automatic override. Stay where you are until further instructions. Captain out."
Switching off before anyone had a chance to argue, Lisa set to work.
An opening appeared in the central dome of the Sontaran War Wheel and a smaller ship emerged, on course for the solar yacht.
In the a.s.sault craft"s control-room, Steg was listening to Sarg"s final message. "Admiral to Commander. We are now proceeding to the next interception point. The admiral wishes to remind the commander of the supreme importance of this mission."
The recycling vats for both of them if they failed, thought Steg wryly. He watched the solar yacht growing large on his monitor screen.
With a sudden burst of speed, the War Wheel vanished into the distance.
The Tiger Moth Tiger Moth hung helplessly in s.p.a.ce. One by one her solar sails began retracting and folding back. Only the damaged sail refused to return to its place. hung helplessly in s.p.a.ce. One by one her solar sails began retracting and folding back. Only the damaged sail refused to return to its place.
The Sontaran a.s.sault craft was very close now.
With no information beyond Lisa"s announcement, the crew was getting restless.
"This is an outrage," said Zorelle. "I shall protest in the strongest possible terms."
Nikos too was in a truculent mood. "Are we just going to stand still for this?"
"What do you suggest we do?" asked Kurt.
"Fight!" said Nikos heroically. "I"ve got a blaster!" He produced it from the pocket of his coveralls.
There was an echoing clang as another ship locked on to them.
"They"re here," said Kurt. "Whoever they are."
"I"m going to talk to them," said Zorelle. "I shall tell them who we are, demand an explanation."
"I wouldn"t," said Kurt. "You heard Lisa."
"Our captain is more concerned for her precious sails than for our lives."
"True enough," agreed Kurt. "But she told us to stay here."
"I intend to deal with this matter myself," said Zorelle. She turned to Nikos. "Well, are you coming?"
Nikos flourished his blaster. "I most certainly am!"
Mari gave him an admiring look. "If you"re going, I"m going too."
Led by Zorelle they all headed for the door. Kurt hesitated for a moment, shrugged and followed them.
A few minutes later they stood waiting in the wide metal corridor by the airlock door.
Nothing happened.
Then slowly, very slowly, the airlock door began to open.
Nikos raised his blaster but Kurt put a restraining hand on his arm.
Something came rolling towards them through the gap in the airlock doors. It was small, round, metallic and faintly glowing.
"Run!" yelled Kurt, urging the others before him.
The grenade exploded with a shattering boom, pouring out clouds of smoke. Caught by the blast, Kurt was flung across the airlock corridor.
The others turned and fled.
Squat armoured figures appeared from the airlock, charging through the drifting smoke, blasters in their hands. Their leader paused to look down at Kurt"s body, and spoke into his helmet com-unit. "One target down," said Lieutenant Vorn.
"Proceeding."
Spreading out through the ship"s metal corridors, the invaders hunted down the Tiger Moth Tiger Moth"s crew with ruthless efficiency.
Nikos took Mari"s arm, hurrying her along before him. He heard pounding feet close behind him, and swung round and fired. The pursuing Sontaran trooper staggered back but the Sontaran behind him shot Nikos down.
"Second target down."
Mari screamed, and the Sontaran shot her down as well.
"Third target down. Proceeding."
Fuelled by sheer terror Zorelle was running surprisingly fast so fast that she ran blindly into a dead end. She turned and saw a squat figure blocking the end of the corridor.
It fired and the force flung her back against the bulkhead.
She slid slowly to the ground.
"Fourth target down. Search proceeding."
In the control room, Lisa finished retracting the solar sails and locked off. As she straightened up, she saw a squat, helmeted figure standing in the doorway of the control room.