Intrepid

''Won't be much to see, but I'll send you the picture,'' Drago said, and ordered his quartermaster to get the scientists off his neck. With quick efficiency, the Wasp prepared to get under way. Today, some things were different. Kris's station came up as a fire-control post. Vicky's high-gee station next to hers had all the readouts of Kris's. Just none of the active controls.

Captain Krätz settled into a high-gee couch next to Captain Drago's station. The State Security colonel was parked at the rear of the bridge, where he could see everything and touch nothing. He had two Marines behind him and Gunny in front.

Jack took position closer to Kris, where he could keep an eye on all of the strangers aboard. With a glint in his eye, he looked ready for anything.

Exactly thirty minutes from when Captain Drago said he could get the Wasp under way in a half hour, the pier tie-downs began to rattle backward, and the Wasp smartly backed away from the dock.

''Nelly, start an intercept clock,'' Kris ordered. A clock before her began to count down. The initial display was 3 HR 24 MIN 24.242 SEC, but it quickly changed.

52

For the rest of Kris's life, she would know exactly when things began to go wrong. And like so many of the things that would go wrong, Kris made the decision herself.

It seemed like a very good idea at the time.

''Stand by for high gee in five minutes,'' Captain Drago announced as soon as the Wasp was away from the pier. ''If you need more time, holler, but don't expect to get it,'' he finished.

Kris mashed her own commlink. ''Professor mFumbo, can your scientists get their best sensors up and running? I want to know everything I can about that ship. If its reactors burp every five minutes, I want to know.''

''We were expecting this call, Your Highness. Our people should have everything we have online well before our captain starts putting on weight. You can count on us.''

''Thank you, Professor, I expected I could.''

Beside Kris, Vicky had a strange look on her face. ''Courtesy, huh. Does it work?''

''When you have the best people who can think for themselves, honey is a whole lot better than a baseball bat.''

Which left Vicky with a thoughtful look.

''Captain Drago, do we gain anything by putting on more than 2.5 gees? I understand the Wasp was only tested up to there.''

''That, sadly, is true. Sulwan, could you please calculate two intercept courses. One at 2.5, the other at 3.2.''

Two lines appeared on the main screen, showing close encounters for both accelerations. ''If we intercept and damage them closer to Birridas, we need to do more damage to their engines, but they have less time to repair them or correct course. Farther back, they have more time to effect repairs, but they are farther off course for a collision.''

Kris studied the lines and the tables. While the distance was measured in millions of kilometers, it didn't really seem to matter all that much on the cosmic scale of things.

''Captain, it's your call, but pushing the Wasp above 2.5 gees doesn't seem to gain me anything.''

The captain said, ''2.5 it is.'' There might have been a hint of a sigh behind his words, but Kris was too busy with her next question to be sure.

''Captain, do we gain any advantage by being under acceleration when we actually make the flyby of the Tourin?''

''Help me follow your thinking, Your Highness.''

''Our closing speed is going to be nothing short of breathtaking. We're going to have to track that ship while firing at close to maximum range. Any wobble could be the difference between hitting it and missing. Between hitting the aiming point and slashing the ship somewhere that could start catastrophic failure for the people aboard.''

The captain was nodding before Kris was half-done. ''Sulwan, can we go from 2.5 gee to zero acceleration?''

''I don't see any reason why not. Though I'd like to practice it at least once before we do it.''

''How long would you need to make sure the ship was rock steady?'' Kris asked the navigator.

''A minute, two to be on the safe side.'' Sulwan glanced at the screen with its expected tracks to flyby. ''Three today.''

''Sounds good to me,'' the captain said.

''One more thing,'' Kris said.

''You are just full of questions, Your Highness,'' the captain said, but his eyes were on his board, monitoring the Wasp's departure from High Birridas at a full gee.

''Chief Beni said I'd have as much as 1.5 seconds at close encounter to shoot. The pulse lasers have a maximum range of forty thousand kilometers. Was he assuming that I'd be firing at them for eighty thousand klicks, both coming and going?''

''Yes,'' Nelly said. ''With the Wasp slowing down on its approach, you may have as much as 1.76 seconds to fire.''

''Captain Drago, how much can you swivel the laser mounts from dead ahead?'' Kris asked.

''Hardly at all. Fifteen degrees to right or left. Battery 1 and 2 have an up thirty degrees. Battery 3 and 4 a down thirty. We can't rotate the batteries to follow the Tourin.''