Lady Lure (22 page)

“I do like a gambling woman.” Halvo winked at
Perri. “Set the new coordinates. If Rolli decides to become
fractious, I will just have to push her disconnect button.”

“Admiral, I must protest your decision,”
Rolli said.

Halvo was still turned toward Perri, so she
saw the anger at Rolli’s response that Halvo quickly repressed. In
the tightening of his mouth she recognized the same worry and
strain she was experiencing. Halvo might conceal his feelings
behind a calm exterior or a joke, but Perri knew he took their
predicament as seriously as she did. The chief difference between
them was that, while Perri conjured up fears out of her
imagination, Halvo had enough real-life experience to know where
the greatest dangers lay.

“Now hear this!” Without warning Halvo swung
around to face the robot, gray eyes clashing with blinking blue
eyelights. He spoke slowly and distinctly. “Far from wanting to put
her into further danger, I am attempting to assure Perri’s
permanent safety. Can you understand that much, you metallic
obstructionist?”

“Of course, I understand.” Rolli sounded so
affronted that Perri began to wonder if the robot might begin to
malfunction again.

“In order to keep Perri safe,” Halvo said,
still speaking to Rolli in the same distinct manner, “some minor,
immediate danger must be accepted. Perri’s safety is of paramount
importance to me. I will say it again. A lesser danger in the
present will prevent serious harm to Perri in the future.” Silence
followed his slowly enunciated words until Rolli finally
responded.

“Understood, Admiral.” Rolli’s eyelights were
still fixed on Halvo’s face.

“Then follow the orders I give you,” Halvo
said.

“Aye, sir.” Rolli turned back to the control
panel.

“That was amazing,” Perri whispered to
Halvo.

“Let’s hope it worked,” he said. “We may be
able to trick the Regulans. Outwitting a robot is another matter
altogether.”

As the
Space Dragon
neared the
frontier between the Jurisdiction and the Empty Sector, it reached
a space buoy that emitted a constant warning signal that could not
be missed or misunderstood by any spaceship with a functioning
communications system. The
Space Dragon
passed the buoy and
continued onward toward a second buoy, which was halfway between
the first buoy and the edge of the Empty Sector.

“Our navigational instruments are beginning
to display fluctuating readings,” Perri said. “I can’t tell exactly
where we are anymore.”

“However, the main controls are still
operational,” Rolli said. “Admiral, our sensors show the Regulan
ship is reducing speed.”

“It worked!” Perri cried. “They aren’t going
to follow us.”

“They may only be hesitating while they
decide what to do next,” Halvo said.

“The second space buoy is dead ahead,” Perri
said. She clapped both hands over her ears. “What a terrible
signal!”

“The Jurisdiction doesn’t want anyone
inadvertently straying across the border.” Halvo cut the comm
system to half power and the shrieking, rhythmic signal became
tolerable. “Perri, can you detect any indication of the
border?”

“Not yet, but the readings don’t make much
sense at the moment,” Perri said, her eyes fixed on the instruments
before her. “What should I be looking for?”

“I’m not sure, but you will probably know it
when it shows on your screen.”

“Admiral,” Rolli said, “the Regulan ship is
increasing its speed and following us.”

“They may think we will lose our nerve at the
second buoy,” Halvo said.

Somehow, despite the undependable
navigational instruments, Halvo and Rolli kept the
Space
Dragon
on a straight course. They reached and passed the second
buoy with the Regulan ship still pursuing them.

“They are going to chase us right up to the
edge of the Empty Sector,” Perri said. “Halvo, what is this pink
line in the middle of my screen?”

“You can’t appreciate it on that little
navigational screen,” Halvo said. “Turn around and look at the main
viewscreen.”

Obeying him, Perri gasped, not in fear but in
amazement. A wide band of pale pink light stretched horizontally
across the viewscreen. Below it a few distant stars glowed in the
general blackness. Above the band of light lay a long swath of
stars that curved backward in the direction from which the
Space
Dragon
had come.

“That,” Halvo said, pointing to the gathering
of stars, “is the end of the outermost spiral arm of the galaxy. We
are looking at it edge-on. The Empty Sector is at the very tip of
the arm and beyond it there is nothing for thousands of
light-years.”

“I didn’t know it would be beautiful,” Perri
said.

“The Regulan ship is gaining on us,” Rolli
said. “It is now at maximum speed. It appears they intend to
prevent us from crossing the border.”

“Now that you’ve seen it, Perri, are you
still willing to gamble on the Empty Sector?” Halvo glanced at her
for just a moment before returning his full attention to the
controls.

“Yes,” Perri said. “If we die, let it not be
at Regulan hands.”

“I feel the same way.” Halvo spared another
warm look for her, then said, “All right, Rolli, let’s take this
dragon to top speed.”

“Admiral,” Rolli said, “this is dangerous.
Our outer hull is cracked and most systems are close to shutdown.
Any additional physical stress on the ship—”

“Are you with us? Or do we shut you off?”
Halvo asked.

“I will endeavor to assist you. I merely
wished to lodge an opinion.” Rolli’s voice was almost plaintive,
but in the minutes that followed, the robot promptly did everything
that Halvo ordered.

Having directed all the ship’s energy except
for a minimal life-support system to the engines, Halvo opened the
thrusters all the way. Under his guidance the
Space Dragon
raced toward the band of pink light, which, as they drew nearer,
steadily increased in size until it filled almost all of the
viewscreen. With the navigational instruments basically useless,
Perri had little to do but watch the screen.

“Halvo, I can see stars inside the light,”
she cried.

“There are lots of stars in there,” he said,
“and planets. Entire solar systems. The Empty Sector is huge.”

“Admiral,” Rolli said, “the Regulans are
closing on us.”

“Why aren’t we using Starthruster?” Perri’s
question brought a quick grin from Halvo.

“I am waiting for just the right moment,” he
said.

“When will that be?” Perri cried. “We are
almost on top of that pink light. And Rolli is right. The Regulan
ship is so close that I am afraid they will try to ram us.”

“If they do, they will overshoot their mark.
We won’t be where they think we are. Hold on,” Halvo said just
before he activated Starthruster.

The jolt almost knocked Perri out of her
chair. She heard every creak and groan the
Space Dragon
made. All of the instruments went wild. On her small navigator’s
screen, as well as on the main viewscreen, there was nothing but a
blinding, bright-pink glow. The cockpit lights dimmed. Then both of
the viewscreens went dark.

Perri held her breath, expecting to feel at
any second the awful sensation of the ship breaking apart around
her. Instead, she felt as if she were bouncing and sliding down a
steep hill with no way to stop herself from plunging into an
endless void. She put out one hand, reaching toward Halvo, but did
not actually touch him. She merely wanted to be ready. If they were
to die, she wanted her hand to be clasped in Halvo’s.

And then the
Space Dragon
was drifting
quietly in space. The lights returned to full strength and the
viewscreens cleared. The pink light was gone, though Perri could
discern a faint flush of the color around the edges of the screens.
The picture she saw was of ordinary black space with a few stars
and, here and there, streaks of blue or green, which she thought
might be interstellar gas or cosmic dust illuminated by some unseen
energy source.

Inside the cockpit there was complete silence
for a while, as if the two human occupants and Rolli all needed
time to assure themselves that they still existed. Feeling limp and
weak, Perri stared at her companions before turning back to the
large viewscreen.

“The Empty Sector doesn’t look very
frightening,” she murmured.

“The engines are dead,” Rolli said.

“If we have lights and the viewscreen, then
we still have power.” Halvo hit the start button. The engines
immediately began to throb again. “Any sign of the Regulan
ship?”

“Not on our sensors,” Rolli said, “but I must
caution you, Admiral, that all instrument readings are decidedly
peculiar. The Regulan ship may, or may not, be lurking in our
vicinity.”

“Perri?” Halvo looked at her.

After a moment to collect her thoughts, she
checked the navigator’s panel and said, “I can’t give you any
definite information either. These instruments are useless.”

“Then we’ll do it the old-fashioned way,”
Halvo said, “by sight alone.”

“A method that will only be successful,”
Rolli said, “if the image on our viewscreen is an accurate
one.”

Halvo said nothing to that. He just grinned
and pushed a few buttons on the controls. The
Space Dragon
began to move again.

“Without dependable instrument readings,”
Rolli said some time later, “it will be impossible to discover a
planet on which we could land the
Space Dragon
with any hope
of survival.”

“I suppose there are no space stations in the
Empty Sector, are there?” Perri asked. Without waiting for Halvo’s
response to her question she said, “I have learned enough about
navigation to understand that only a narrow portion of the Empty
Sector directly borders on the Jurisdiction. If we leave in any
other direction we will be outside the galaxy proper, with no hope
of ever finding a place for repairs.”

“That’s right,” Halvo said.

“Then why do you keep smiling as if you know
a great secret?” Perri asked.

“I know where we can find the space station
we need,” he said. “Actually, it is a ship that has been placed in
permanent orbit, but it has a docking deck large enough to
accommodate the
Space Dragon
with no trouble, and if I know
my brother, all the supplies we may require will be readily
available.”

Perri gaped at him, too astonished to speak.
However, a robot could not be astonished, and Rolli at once said
what Perri was thinking: “Admiral, your statement requires
explanation.”

“I know it does.” Halvo was not only smiling,
his eyes were twinkling. “My friends, I am about to reveal a state
secret.”

“Is that wise?” Rolli asked. “The value of
any secret lies in keeping it from the knowledge of all but a
chosen few.”

“This secret can be kept easily enough,”
Halvo said. “I can fix your memory banks so you will never reveal
what you learn about Dulan’s Planet. As for you, Perri, I will
accept your word that you will keep the secret.”

“You have it,” Perri said. “Halvo, how can
you have a brother when Jurisdiction law only allows one child to a
couple?”

“If you knew my mother, you would not have to
ask,” Halvo said, chuckling. “How she did it is irrelevant here,
but Kalina did obtain official permission to reproduce a second
time. My younger brother, Tarik, was the result.”

“How can you expect him to help us when we
are now outside Jurisdiction space?” Rolli asked.

“Tarik is outside Jurisdiction space, too. He
lives here in the Empty Sector.” While Halvo’s listeners sought for
words in response to this unbelievable statement, he went on with
his explanation. “Four years ago, the Jurisdiction won a major
battle against the Cetans and then made a treaty with them. Tarik,
who played an important part in the defeat of that warlike Race,
suggested to our father that it would be a good idea to keep a
watchful eye on the Cetans so we could be sure they were adhering
to the terms of the treaty.

“From a voyage he made just before the Cetan
War, a journey that had ranged well beyond the boundaries of the
Jurisdiction, Tarik knew of a suitable planet located not far from
Cetan space. That planet is here in the Empty Sector.”

“Then your brother is one of those you
mentioned who returned from this sector,” Perri said.

“He is,” Halvo said. “Tank is now the leader
of a colony of ten scientists and communications experts who live
on a world they named Dulan’s Planet. They traveled to it on a
captured, refitted Cetan ship that they renamed the Kalina, and it
is that ship that is now in orbit around Dulan’s Planet.”

“You knew about this colony, and yet you did
not tell us?” Perri cried. “This is why you came directly to the
Empty Sector!”

“As I said, the existence of the colony is a
state secret. I could not tell you. But now we are in desperate
need of assistance, and Dulan’s Planet offers the only possible
hope for us.”

“Do you know the coordinates?” Rolli
asked.

“I know where the planet used to be,” Halvo
said, “though in this sector nothing ever remains stable for long.
Still, I think I could find it, if we had instruments that were
working properly.”

“Have you ever been there?” Perri asked.

“No.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“The only thing we can do. We begin exploring
and hope luck is with us.”

Perri wondered if the peculiar effects of the
Empty Sector had already begun to attack Halvo’s brain. He looked
remarkably cheerful. He even whistled a funny little tune as he
checked the controls.

“Admiral,” Rolli said, but fell silent when
Halvo put up one hand for silence.

“Is the food processor working?” Halvo asked
a short time later.