Infinite Day Read Free Page A

docking,” Hanna said, her high voice shrill and tense. “I was wondering where you were, George.”
    â€œJust been checking the picket line array.” Kala heard defensiveness in the engineer’s gruff voice. “Looks good.”
    â€œWe have no idea whether it will work. None at all.” Hanna’s irritation was plain.
    George stroked his cropped pale hair. “Oh, Hanna, it’s experimental. That’s the point. But the theory is sound. If the filament is long enough—and we’ve strung out a thousand kilometers ourselves—and the detectors are sensitive enough, any high-mass ships passing nearby in Below-Space might register. This is the front line.”
    â€œSo you say. But we haven’t been told that’s what it is,” Hanna grunted. “Not formally. At least, I haven’t.”
    Kala intervened. “Nor I. But why should we be told, Hanna? The Assembly Defense Force gave us orders; we obey.”
    Hanna gave a shrug of her slender shoulders. “It would have been nice to be told. To be treated like adults instead of having to rely on George’s tales.” Her tone left no doubt what she thought of his tales.
    â€œIn Space Affairs, maybe; but we are military now,” Kala said as George leaned over a screen and made some adjustments . I must try to keep the peace . “In the military, there are secrets. We just obey.”
    â€œBlind obedience, secrets . . . and his rumors. It’s not . . . healthy.”
    She’s right about that . Kala realized that now she couldn’t avoid filing one of the new MD21 report forms headed Negative Personal Crew Interactions. Oh yes, we’ve had those over the last week .
    Hanna was continuing. “And we don’t even know they use Below-Space. That’s just another rumor of George’s.”
    â€œThat’s what they are saying in the labs. It makes sense; we’d have seen Gates.” George sounded annoyed.
    â€œGeorge, for an engineer you are very credulous.”
    â€œReally? You were pleased enough when I tipped you off that we were heading out here.”
    â€œEnough! Both of you. I’m trying to dock.” Kala hesitated . . . and shivered. “Anybody else feel cold?”
    George touched some on-screen toggles. She saw him frown. “Odd. Now that you mention it, yes. But there’s no evidence of a temperature anomaly.”
    â€œI must be imagining it. Hanna?”
    She saw an angry shrug. “Yes, I feel cold.”
    The details on the Hills of Lanuane were clear now. The approach angle emphasized how slender it was. The new warships had to be able to get through Gates—by all accounts, a challenging design constraint.
    â€œWe are going to do this on manual,” Kala announced. “With minimal pilot input from the Lanuane . For practice.”
    Hanna sighed. “I read that bit too. ‘Under battle conditions, automatic systems may be unreliable.’ Quote, unquote.” She shrugged again.
    â€œAnd, crew, we need to do it smartish. Leisurely docking is frowned on.”
    â€œWe’re in the army now,” George said with a forced amusement.
    â€œHuh,” Hanna snorted.
    Kala touched the controls. A moment later she heard something. There it was again—a faint noise, from her right. As if something had gently touched the hull. She looked around to see her crew staring at her. “You heard it too?”
    There was a grunt and a nod. George’s fingers began flicking over the keypad.
    â€œWeird. All systems correct. But, Captain, I’m putting us on full diagnostics.”
    â€œGood idea.” Everything we do and say will be recorded. Just in case . “No picket line filament loose?”
    â€œNone.”
    The noise came again. This time it was repeated and came unmistakably from the hull above their heads. Kala felt there was a strange familiarity to it. A