To The Stars

“Analyze it and sleep on it before I see you again. In any case there is nothing to be done yet, not until we are closer to Earth’s orbit. I’m going to lock you in a cell for awhile. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. After Captain Lastrup’s company I’ll enjoy the solitude. How is he?”

“Under sedation. He is in a bad way mentally and will need treatment.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. This is war. In the same situation he would undoubtedly have killed you.”

An aide interrupted with a printout which he handed to the Admiral, who read it slowly, then raised his eyes to Jan. And smiled as he extended his hand.

“Welcome aboard, Jan Kulozik. This is the confirmation that I was waiting for. One of our ships is in orbit around Halvmork, unspaceworthy after the fighting. But its communication apparatus is operational and they are hooked into the Foscolo net. They have checked your story out with the people there. What you have told us is the truth. There is an additional message here that they confirmed all of the personal parts of your story with your wife. She sends her love.”

Jan seized the Admiral’s outstretched hand. “It’s my pleasure to serve with you, sir. I’ve had no part in the rebellion up until now…”

“You have done more than most people. You are the one who saw to it that the corn was waiting when the ships arrived — it would have burned except for your leadership. Do you realize how many lives that food saved?”

“I know, I realize that it was important. But it was a passive action that’s over and done with now. The reason that I was arrested and transported in the first place was because of my activities in the resistance. Now that the planets are free, and the last battle is about to begin, you must understand, I want to take a part in that.”

“And so you shall. Just as long as you make yourself available at all times for our intelligence people. They’ll want to pick your brain. Then we may need you as well for liaison with the Israelis once the fighting starts. Satisfactory?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll do whatever is asked of me. By training I’m an electronic engineer and I used to specialize in microcircuitry design. But it has been mostly mechanical maintenance the last years.”

“That is first class — and there is a very good chance that you are just the man we need. I want you to meet another technician, Vittono Curtoni. He is in charge of our armament, and has designed most of our defenses, including what everyone refers to as the secret weapon. I understand there are still some teething troubles with it, so perhaps you could be of help.”

“That would be ideal.”

“Good. I’ll arrange transport to the Leoizardo.” The Admiral raised his hand and an aide came hurrying over.

One of the scouts vectored to the flagship while Jan suited up again, then transferred to it. He stayed in the open airlock so he would not waste any time pressurizing and depressurizing. Through the open hatch he could see the arc of deep spacers that spread out and away on both sides. One of the ships was coming close, growing larger and larger until they killed their momentum just a few meters away. Jan kicked out and drifted across the gap to the waiting and open airlock of the Leonardo.

A lean, black-haired man with a great brush of a moustache was waiting for him inside.

“Are you Kulozik, the one who is supposed to help me?” he asked, with more suspicion than enthusiasm in his voice.

“lf you’re Vittono Curtoni, then I’m the one. Yes, I hope that I can help. I know I can if you can use the services of an experienced microelectronic engineer.”

Curtoni’s wariness vanished instantly. “Can I use you? Can a starving man use a grilled pig? Let me show you what we have been doing.” He led Jan deep into the ship, talking rapidly and scarcely stopping for breath.

“Jury-rigged, all of it, invented, manufactured and tested all on the same day. Sometimes. Admiral Skougaard, of course, a great help. Would have taken years instead of months if he hadn’t turned over all the Space Forces I blueprints and specs to us. He had been collecting them for a very long time, both the successful weapons and the proposals that were never carried through. What do you know about space warfare?” He lifted one quizzical eyebrow as he turned to face Jan.

“I’ve been in a space battle, but that was personal contact and hand to hand fighting. About battles between opposing forces — about all I know is what I see in the films.”

“Exactly! Films like this, I imagine.”

They entered a workshop, but Curtoni led Jan away from the machines and instruments to an ordinary TV set with a row of chairs before it. Curtoni keyed in a code and turned the set on.

“Sit, enjoy,” he said. “This is an archaic film from the dawn of history that I found buried in the memory files. It is about a war among the stars, there — see!”