things on the bridge?”
“The ship is in perfect operating condition,” he said, coming to stand next to me and watch the practicing Centaur troops.
As we watched, two collided in a high-speed accident. Newcome winced.
“Will that trooper survive, Colonel?”
“Maybe,” I said. “If he does, he’ll be more careful the next time.”
“Right…well…right…” Newcome said. He often said this when he wasn’t sure how to react.
“What’s on your mind, Newcome? Are you just on a stroll?”
“No sir. I’m here to report something.”
I glanced at him for the first time. He looked slightly nervous. The man was brave enough, but it didn’t come naturally to him. I guess living under Crow had been rough on these guys. The survivors were all shifty-eyed types.
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
“There’re rumors floating about the ship, sir…rumors about your robot.”
I nodded. I’d heard plenty of complaints about Marvin from the first moment he’d put himself together. I said nothing, allowing Newcome to make his case.
“They say we’re going out to the frontier in order to disturb the Macros, and that the entire scheme was cooked up by Marvin. Is there any truth to these wild tales?”
“Aren’t you curious about what’s on the other side of the last ring in the chain?”
“Not curious enough to risk my neck to explore it.”
I grunted unhappily, then pointed outside at the Centaurs.
“You see those people, Newcome?”
“People? You mean the native levies, sir?”
“Yeah. To me they’re people. Just like you and me. They’re under my protection— our protection.”
He stared at me uncomprehendingly.
“You know what they have, Admiral? They’ve got something I find many Earthers lack. I’m talking about balls, big furry ones.”
He made a disgusted face, and I grinned at him.
“What do bollocks have to do with space exploration, Colonel?”
“They have everything to do with it,” I said. “You have to take the initiative in war. You can’t sit on your butt and expect the enemy to do the same.”
“War, sir? We’re at peace at the moment.”
“Oh no,” I said, thumping him on the back. “Don’t ever let me hear you talk like that.”
He stumbled and had to throw his hands up to catch himself to keep from bumping his nose on the glass.
“Hmm,” I said, frowning. “You’ve left handprints on my observation glass.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll have it cleaned.”
There was a sarcastic edge to his words, and I could tell my thumping his back hard enough to make him stumble had pissed him off. I grinned. I liked him better when he was annoyed with me. It proved he wasn’t a wimp after all.
“See that you do,” I said. “Now, to explain further: we are at war. As long as the Macros exist, there will never be peace. They haven’t forgotten us, and we haven’t forgotten them.”
“But it’s been so long, sir. I would think they might have given up, sealed up the ring and written off this corner of the galaxy.”
“A nice thought, but unlikely. Even if it’s true, we can’t confirm it so we must proceed as if it’s not true. To do otherwise is to invite extinction.”
He nodded. “Yes, I understand your point. We must prepare as if our doom is coming at any moment—especially in the absence of hard data. You propose to get that missing information with this venture?”
I considered for a moment before finally deciding to tell him the truth. I’d planned on keeping my secret until we’d reached the Thor System, but as that was only a day or two away now, the moment seemed opportune.
“Yes,” I said. “The rumors are true. We’re going out there to investigate the Thor ring. We don’t know where it goes, but we know the Macros are on the far side of it. If they’re building a fresh armada out there, I want to know about it.
Newcome’s eyes widened. “We’re really going to fly through the ring?”
I laughed. “Is that what the rumors
“The ship is in perfect operating condition,” he said, coming to stand next to me and watch the practicing Centaur troops.
As we watched, two collided in a high-speed accident. Newcome winced.
“Will that trooper survive, Colonel?”
“Maybe,” I said. “If he does, he’ll be more careful the next time.”
“Right…well…right…” Newcome said. He often said this when he wasn’t sure how to react.
“What’s on your mind, Newcome? Are you just on a stroll?”
“No sir. I’m here to report something.”
I glanced at him for the first time. He looked slightly nervous. The man was brave enough, but it didn’t come naturally to him. I guess living under Crow had been rough on these guys. The survivors were all shifty-eyed types.
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
“There’re rumors floating about the ship, sir…rumors about your robot.”
I nodded. I’d heard plenty of complaints about Marvin from the first moment he’d put himself together. I said nothing, allowing Newcome to make his case.
“They say we’re going out to the frontier in order to disturb the Macros, and that the entire scheme was cooked up by Marvin. Is there any truth to these wild tales?”
“Aren’t you curious about what’s on the other side of the last ring in the chain?”
“Not curious enough to risk my neck to explore it.”
I grunted unhappily, then pointed outside at the Centaurs.
“You see those people, Newcome?”
“People? You mean the native levies, sir?”
“Yeah. To me they’re people. Just like you and me. They’re under my protection— our protection.”
He stared at me uncomprehendingly.
“You know what they have, Admiral? They’ve got something I find many Earthers lack. I’m talking about balls, big furry ones.”
He made a disgusted face, and I grinned at him.
“What do bollocks have to do with space exploration, Colonel?”
“They have everything to do with it,” I said. “You have to take the initiative in war. You can’t sit on your butt and expect the enemy to do the same.”
“War, sir? We’re at peace at the moment.”
“Oh no,” I said, thumping him on the back. “Don’t ever let me hear you talk like that.”
He stumbled and had to throw his hands up to catch himself to keep from bumping his nose on the glass.
“Hmm,” I said, frowning. “You’ve left handprints on my observation glass.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll have it cleaned.”
There was a sarcastic edge to his words, and I could tell my thumping his back hard enough to make him stumble had pissed him off. I grinned. I liked him better when he was annoyed with me. It proved he wasn’t a wimp after all.
“See that you do,” I said. “Now, to explain further: we are at war. As long as the Macros exist, there will never be peace. They haven’t forgotten us, and we haven’t forgotten them.”
“But it’s been so long, sir. I would think they might have given up, sealed up the ring and written off this corner of the galaxy.”
“A nice thought, but unlikely. Even if it’s true, we can’t confirm it so we must proceed as if it’s not true. To do otherwise is to invite extinction.”
He nodded. “Yes, I understand your point. We must prepare as if our doom is coming at any moment—especially in the absence of hard data. You propose to get that missing information with this venture?”
I considered for a moment before finally deciding to tell him the truth. I’d planned on keeping my secret until we’d reached the Thor System, but as that was only a day or two away now, the moment seemed opportune.
“Yes,” I said. “The rumors are true. We’re going out there to investigate the Thor ring. We don’t know where it goes, but we know the Macros are on the far side of it. If they’re building a fresh armada out there, I want to know about it.
Newcome’s eyes widened. “We’re really going to fly through the ring?”
I laughed. “Is that what the rumors
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