The D’neeran Factor by Terry A. Adams

shaking.”
    â€œWake fast. Happens.”
    It came out in a mumble. Tam touched her shoulder anxiously.
    â€œDid you hear the alert?”
    â€œYes. I did. What alert?”
    â€œYou and some of the others. Briefing Room Two. I’ve only got a minute, I have to get back.”
    â€œAll right,” Hanna said vaguely.
    â€œPromise? You won’t go back to sleep? Promise.”
    â€œPromise.”
    â€œI have to go. Hurry.”
    â€œThank you,” Hanna said. She heard the swish of the door as it closed.
    She got up, feeling heavy and unwieldy as a statue come to life. It seemed that she could only think one thought at a time, very slowly. There was a weight of nothing tangible in the pit of her stomach. When she started for the door, she stumbled.
    The walk took forever.
    When she entered the briefing room all the heads turned toward her—again—as if the scene from a few hours ago were being repeated. Her stomach lurched and she stopped dead. But there were only three people there—Erik, Koster, and Hanna’s chief from Navigation.
    â€œYou’re late,” Erik said, not quite in a snarl.
    â€œI’m sorry….” She pushed a hand through her hair and looked at them blankly. It struck her that the discontinued stimulants were taking their revenge. The thought did not console her.
    â€œDismissed. Except you,” Erik said, looking at Hanna. “Sit down.”
    She did. She was acutely aware of the hard seat of the chair. The pale blue of a wall was garish. The others’ footsteps thudded loudly as they left. Koster gave her the strangest look—half smug, half resentful.
    When the door shut Erik said, “Why didn’t you come when you were called?”
    â€œI didn’t hear. I was sleeping,” she said, longing for more sleep.
    He looked as if he didn’t believe her. He said, “I don’t have time to go through the whole thing again. You know about Beta?”
    She tried to remember something about a Beta, and shook her head.
    â€œSignal Beta. An hour ago. My God,” he said impatiently, “how could you miss it? Another alien transmission, an exact duplicate of the first one, except that the locus referents are different.”
    â€œWhat?” Hanna said, startled into wakefulness. Erik went on without slowing down.
    â€œWe’re making the first Jump in that direction in four hours—sooner, if Navigation gets it worked out faster. You’re staying behind. Shuttle Five’s ready—should be ready by now. Get in it and take off. I want maximum distance between you and this ship when we Jump. I don’t want you smeared all over the cosmos. Get moving.”
    â€œBut—but—” A sense of time-run-out seized her. She could not remember why. She tried to pick out sensible questions from the mass of them that assailed her. “What about communications? I’ve never flown one of those shuttles—how can— When are you coming back for me? You’re coming back, aren’t you?”
    â€œOf course we’re coming back!” Everything she said irritated him. His anger had lost none of its edge. He said with plain restraint, “I don’t have time for details. Communications has a station assigned to you. You can get all the information you need from them. You shouldn’t have any trouble with the shuttle—if you’re the hotshot pilot your dossier says you are.”
    She nodded. She wondered why she had never noticed that Erik’s beautiful blue eyes were so small.
    â€œBut how long will I be out?” she said.
    â€œI don’t know. At least as long as it takes us to calculate the parameters for a second Jump. You wanted to do this, dammit, and now you’re doing it, so get started!”
    She got up cautiously, mindful of her leaden feet. “I didn’t want to do it,” she said. “Commissioner Jameson wanted me to do it. Why