It takes about ten minutes before the workmen leave, looking a bit hurried as they do so.
The three of you enter the room, George rushing. "We've lost a bit of time, but it's better if we don't kill workmen--people understand if we kill security troops, but workmen are generally just trying to make a living."
Again they leave you to watch the door while they move around placing explosives on critical joints of these mechanical arms.
George hits the button on the harness and speaks into the air. "Beta Team finished and ready for pickup."
Toni's voice comes back. "Got you, Beta Team. Standby for pickup."
At that moment an alarm sounds.
"It's the abandon ship," Tom says.
"Yes, hopefully it means that Alpha Team has finished placing their markers and is also ready for pickup. They were going to sound the alarm so that the workers would get off alive--we're just after the ship, of course, and there aren't enough security forces aboard to justify killing everyone. At least, that's what we think, and if we think so, then even if we're wrong the people who hear about it will also think that."
You feel the dematerialization again, and the room dissolves around you to be replaced by the transmat room.
"Out of the way," Toni says. "Alpha team is waiting."
"Come on," Tom says. "If we're going to see whether this works, we need to be on the bridge." He heads in that direction.
--M. J. Young
I'll follow him. I've always enjoyed a good fireworks show.
You see the huge station floating in space, now surrounded by tiny specks which seem to be drifting away from it.
Suddenly it shudders. Its lights flicker and go out, and there is a slight distortion of its line near the center.
"Looks like we did it," George's voice says from behind you. "Now we just have to pick up the stuff Alpha Team tagged before Federation assault ships engage us. Give a hand moving stuff, will you?"
He heads back toward the matter transmitter.
--M. J. Young
Eh, not as extravigent as I was hoping. Oh well, I'll go follow him to the transmitter to help with the old grunt work.
Toni is busily sweeping the sky, apparently; the system is able to locate the transport harnesses they put on various objects, but she has to select which one to transport. Burly has already taken some large crate down to engineering, and will be down there. Most of the crates go to engineering, but a couple go to medical and a couple to the bridge and a few to the galley. To make carrying them easier, John instructs the computer to lower the internal gravity. This is peculiar, because the crates are now easier to lift, but still require some force to move.
When Toni and Phil are satisfied that everything has been collected, Gary sets a winding course out of the area before Federation ships arrive. It takes a few more hours to get everything where it belongs, and even then a couple of crates were delivered incorrectly and have to be moved to the right spot.
Then John says that everyone should get some rest. He assigns George to keep an eye on the bridge while he gets four hours of sleep, after which he'll take over there so George can rest. Ann will sleep at her post, her subconscious monitoring communications. Everyone else should get as much rest as possible.
--M. J. Young
Ok I'll head over to my sleeping area too.
When you awaken, all is quiet in your cabin.
--M. J. Young
I'll slip out slowly. get changed into my normal clothing and get ready for work with George.
The computer informs you that George is on the bridge.
When you arrive, there are quite a few people on the bridge. A weary captain is pouring over computer readouts with Phil, and several others have their eyes on a screen on which a display of objects in space is visible. One of these, near the very edge, appears to be moving with the ship. Gary, Ishara, Marilyn, George, and even Tom have their eyes on this screen.
--M. J. Young
"whats that?"
Some people look around, trying to figure out who was supposed to answer the question. George steps over.
"We seem to have picked up a tail. They're very good, staying right on the edge of scanner range so they can see us but we can't get a clear scan of them. John has tried a few tricks--changing course, changing speed, nothing too outrageous--but they've stayed their distance. We're not sure whether to tip our hand that we know they're there, or outrun them, or leave them as they are. There are risks to each plan, of course. They might be the lead scout of a larger pursuit force which is out of sensor range, in which case doubling back might put us in trouble, and we don't really want them following us. On the other hand, they might be there to spook us into rushing headlong into an ambush being prepared ahead of us somewhere. So for the moment we're watching and considering our options."
--M. J. Young
"Alright tell me anything you need me to do and I'll jump on it."
"Right now," Captain Alexander says, "I would suggest taking a seat and bracing yourself. Gary, we've been playing mouse long enough. Let's lose this tail. I'd say that that star ahead of us is about ten minutes out; that's long enough that we can put some distance behind us if we open up to full, and then we can use the gravity there to pull us around onto a new heading with enough velocity that he won't be able to find us on the other side. In fact--" The captain thinks for a minute. "Set course as if we are going to cut in really close and make such a turn, then we'll get off his scanners, pass under the star, but resume course on the far side. When he hits the star, he'll assume we turned, and will waste a lot of time trying to figure out where we chose to go. Do it."
Tom has already scrambled to one of the seats along the wall, and Gary is making adjustments on his console.
--M. J. Young