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themselves, and instead had simply talked a lot.
There'd already been some personal admissions. That was always an indication
that passengers were coming together, but it usually took several weeks. Embry
confessed the third night out that she was seriously considering giving up
medicine. Couldn't stand people constantly complaining to her about how they
felt. "The world is full of hypochondriacs," she'd said. "Being a doctor isn't
at all the way most people think it is."
"My mother was a hypochondriac," said Toni.
"So was mine. So I should have known before I went to medical school."
"Why'd you go?" asked Hutch.
"My father was a doctor. And my grandmother. It was sort of expected."
"So what'll you do if you give it up?"
"There's always research," suggested Scolari.
"No. Truth is, I'm just not interested. I'm bored with it."
Toni Hamner, despite Hutch's initial impressions, turned out to be a romantic.
"I went to Pinnacle because it was so different. I wanted to travel."
"You did that," said Embry.
"And I loved it. Walking through places built by something that wasn't human.
Built hundreds of thousands of years ago. That's archeology."
"So why are you going home?" asked Scolari.
"My tour was up."
"You could have renewed," said Hutch. "They're paying bonuses to have people
stay on."
"I know. I'd already done a one-year extension. I'm ready to do something
else."
"Uh-huh," said Embry. 'That sounds like a family."
Toni laughed. "At least checking out the prospects."
Scolari nodded. "None on Pinnacle?"
She thought it over. "It isn't that there aren't some interesting men out
there. In fact, there were a lot of guys. But they tend to be married to the
business. Women are more or less perceived as strictly entertainment value."
She never mentioned her ex.
Only Nightingale had not revealed himself, and now they sat, gazing at the
eternal fog while he said, yes, he wished his life was interesting enough that
people would want to read about it. And he said it with such conviction that
she wondered whether he actually believed it.
Scolari went back to the foggy outdoors. "Does anyone," he asked, "have any
idea about the architecture of this place? How big is it out there?"
"As I understand it," Hutch said, "that question has no "
Bill's message light began to blink.
"... no relevance," she finished. "Go ahead, Bill."
"Hutch," he said, "we have a transmission from the Academy."
"On-screen, Bill."
Embry walked in as the fog blinked off and the message appeared:
TO: NCA HAROLD WILDSIDE
FROM: DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
SUBJECT: COURSE CHANGE
HUTCHINS, WENDY HAS FOUND RUINS ON DEEPSIX. DIVERT IMMEDIATELY. GET PICTURES,
ARTIFACTS, WHATEVER YOU CAN. ESSENTIAL WE HAVE DETAILS ON ORIGINAL
INHABITANTS. NO ONE
ELSE WITHIN RANGE. YOU ARE APPOINTED ARCHEOLOGIST FOR THE DURATION. COLLISION
WITH
MORGAN IMMINENT, AS YOU KNOW. TAKE NO CHANCES.
GOMEZ
It had been a mistake. Hutch should have taken the transmission privately. She
stole a glance at
Nightingale but could read nothing in his face.
"Uh," said Scolari, "how far out of the way is that?"
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"About five days, Tom. One way."
The chime sounded for Nightingale's meal. "I don't think I'm anxious to go,"
Nightingale said.
Hell. She didn't really have a choice. They'd sent her a directive. She
couldn't argue it, if only because"
a round-trip transmission would take several days. She'd been around long
enough to know that ruins on a world thought uninhabited was a major find. And
they were handing it to her. Had she been alone, she'd have been delighted.
"I'm going to have to do this," she said, finally. "I'm sorry for the
inconvenience. In the past, when something like this has happened, the Academy
has compensated passengers for lost time."
Nightingale closed his eyes and she heard him exhale. "I assume they'll
charter another ship for us."
"I don't think there'd be much point unless there's something nearby. If they
have to send one from home, it'll take almost five weeks to arrive. By then,
the project will be long over, and we'll be on our way back anyway."
"I'm tempted to sue," Nightingale persisted.
That was an empty threat. Potential travel diversions and inconveniences were
written into everyone's contract. "Do whatever you think best," she said
quietly. "My best estimate for the total delay is about three weeks."
Nightingale put down his knife and fork with great deliberation.
"Outstanding." He got up and left the room.
Embry wasn't happy either. "It's ridiculous," she said.
"I'm sorry." Hutch tried a smile. "These things happen."
Scolari rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair. "Hutch," he said, "you
can't do this to me. I've got a week booked in the Swiss Alps. With old
friends."
"Tom." She allowed herself to look uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, but I think
you're going to have to reschedule."
He stared right through her.
Hutch was by now striving to control her own temper. "Look," she said, "you've
both been around the organization long enough. You know what this kind of
discovery means. And you also know that they haven't given me an option.
Please complain where it'll do some good. Write it, and I'll be happy to send
it."
Toni, when she was told, sighed. "Not my idea of a fun time," she said. "But I
can live with it."
Within an hour Hutch had realigned their flight path, and they were bound for
Maleiva.
She kept out of the way for the balance of the day. If it couldn't be said
that the congenial mood of the first few days returned, it was also true that
the anger and resentment dissipated quickly. By morning, everyone had more or
less made peace with the new situation. Embry admitted that the opportunity to
watch a planetary collision might be worth the inconvenience. As to Scolari,
he might have begun to realize that he was, after all, the lone young male
with two attractive passengers.
Hutch judged the time was right to take the next step.
All except Nightingale were in the common room during the late morning. Toni
and Embry were playing chess while Scolari and Hutch debated ethical problems
served to them by Bill. The immediate issue was whether it was proper to pass
on to others as certain a doubtful religious stance on the grounds that belief
made for a more secure psychological existence. Hutch watched for the chess
game to finish, then called for everyone's attention.
"Usually," she told her passengers, "there's a boatload of people on these
flights, and half of them are archeologists. Does anyone have an archeological
background?"
Nobody did.
"When we get to Deepsix," she said, "I'll be going down to the surface. Just
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to look around, see what can be seen, and maybe collect some artifacts. If
anyone else would like to go, I could use some volunteers.
The work's easy enough." She drew herself up to her full height. They looked
at one another, then gazed at the ceiling or the walls.
Embry shook her head no. "Thanks anyhow," she said. "I'll watch from here.
Hutch, that's the place where they lost a landing party back near the turn of
the century. Eaten, as I recall." She picked up her queen and studied it. "I'm
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