Part 9 (1/2)

”He jokes. Besides, you are ruining the girl's show. This means much to her.”

Nea gave him a grateful glance. The council voted their thanks to Nea and a tribute to her father. She was a.s.signed a half-dozen helpers to fas.h.i.+on as many of the globes as she could. They adjourned.

As The Nebula drove on, it became harder and harder for Odin to judge time. He could only gauge it by some event such as the council meeting and say ”before this” or ”after that.”

He and Gunnar were with Ato in the control room when suddenly warning bells began to jangle and red lights flashed on and off.

Ato adjusted the largest screen. And there, slowly revolving like an hour-gla.s.s of gold amid uprus.h.i.+ng sparks of sun and flame, was The Old s.h.i.+p.

Ato pointed to a bright star. ”Aldebaran. They are headed there.”

His voice was shaking just a bit when he called into the speaker: ”Battle stations, everyone!”

Gunnar took off for the needle-nosed instrument which he had grown to hate.

Odin stood by to help with the screens.

”Watch forward now!” Ato warned. ”Sight at thirty degrees above the equator of The Nebula. Adjust for Doppler--X over Y. We have him on the screens now. This means that he can get a fix on us. Careful now--”

As he watched the screen, Jack Odin saw three tiny sparks leap from Grim Hagen's s.h.i.+p. They danced toward them, growing as they came. At first they were blue, but as they filled the screen, almost hiding the Old s.h.i.+p from his vision, they changed to amber and topaz.

Bells and klaxons shrieked their warnings.

Ato watched and waited. Just as the three growing lights filled the screen he touched a lever. The Nebula danced away. Breathless, Jack Odin altered the screens and watched the three globes of flame hurtle past them.

Far away now, they slowed like living things, puzzled at having lost their prey.

Slowed they merged together--

And turned back upon their quarry!

CHAPTER 9

The three sunlets of flame merged together and dripped yellow blobs of light into the darkness. They grew into a great soap bubble that turned to topaz.

Like something moving in a dream it gained upon The Nebula, until it was pacing beside them--a little larger now and still growing--dwarfing them and filling half the screen.

A shadow--no, two shadows--were growing within it, Odin tried to make them out. But they were dark and wavering. Still, they looked something like a high priest standing above a p.r.o.ne victim stretched out upon some sacrificial altar.

Odin was working the screens like mad. Keeping their entire crew before his and Ato's eyes and at the same time watching the topaz bubble.

The bubble cleared. Over the loudspeakers came Grim Hagen's shriek of wild laughter.

Odin turned another k.n.o.b and the bubble loomed larger.

Grim Hagen stood there, one lean hand rubbing his chin as he laughed at them.