The Ship Who Sang Read Free Page A

with physical desires.
    â€˜Well Helva, it’s been swell meeting you,’ said Tanner suddenly as she and Jennan were arguing about the baroque quality of ‘Come All Ye Sons of Art.’ ‘See you in space some time, you lucky dog, Jennan. Thanks for the party, Helva.’
    â€˜You don’t have to go so soon?’ asked Helva, realizing belatedly that she and Jennan had been excluding the others from this discussion.
    â€˜Best man won,’ Tanner said, wryly. ‘Guess I’d better go get a tape on love ditties. Might need ’em for the next ship, if there’re any more at home like you.’
    Helva and Jennan watched them leave, both a little confused.
    â€˜Perhaps Tanner’s jumping to conclusions?’ Jennan asked.
    Helva regarded him as he slouched against the console, facing her shell directly. His arms were crossed on his chest and the glass he held had been empty for some time. He was handsome, they all were; but his watchful eyes wereunwary, his mouth assumed a smile easily, his voice (to which Helva was particularly drawn) was resonant, deep, and without unpleasant overtones or accent.
    â€˜Sleep on it, at any rate, Helva. Call me in the morning if it’s your opt.’
    She called him at breakfast, after she had checked her choice through Central. Jennan moved his things aboard, received their joint commission, had his personality and experience file locked into her reviewer, gave her the coordinates of their first mission. The XH-834 officially became the JH-834.
    Their first mission was a dull but necessary crash priority (Medical got Helva) rushing a vaccine to a distant system plagued with a virulent spore disease. They had only to get to Spica as fast as possible.
    After the initial thrilling forward surge at her maximum speed, Helva realized her muscles were to be given less of a workout than her brawn on this tedious mission. But they did have plenty of time for exploring each other’s personalities. Jennan, of course, knew what Helva was capable of as a ship and partner, just as she knew what she could expect from him. But these were only facts and Helva looked forward eagerly to learning that human side of her partner which could not be reduced to a series of symbols. Nor could the give and take of two personalities be learned from a book. It had to be experienced.
    â€˜My father was a scout, too, or is that programmed?’ began Jennan their third day out.
    â€˜Naturally.’
    â€˜Unfair, you know. You’ve got all my family history and I don’t know one blamed thing about yours.’
    â€˜I’ve never known either,’ Helva said. ‘Until I read yours, it hadn’t occurred to me I must have one, too, someplace in Central’s files.’
    Jennan snorted. ‘Shell psychology!’
    Helva laughed. ‘Yes, and I’m even programmed against curiosity about it. You’d better be, too.’
    Jennan ordered a drink, slouched into the gravity couch opposite her, put his feet on the bumpers, turning himself idly from side to side on the gimbals.
    â€˜Helva – a made-up name . . .’
    â€˜With a Scandinavian sound.’
    â€˜You aren’t blonde,’ Jennan said positively.
    â€˜Well, then, there’re dark Swedes.’
    â€˜And blonde Turks and this one’s harem is limited to one.’
    â€˜Your woman in purdah, yes, but you can comb the pleasure houses—’ Helva found herself aghast at the edge to her carefully trained voice.
    â€˜You know,’ Jennan interrupted her, deep in some thought of his own, ‘my father gave me the impression he was a lot more married to his ship, the Silvia, than to my mother. I know I used to think Silvia was my grandmother. She was a low number so she must have been agreat-great-grandmother at least. I used to talk to her for hours.’
    â€˜Her registry?’ asked Helva, unwittingly jealous of everyone who had shared his