Returning his gaze to the city once more, be could sense the first stirrings of an evening land breeze on his cheek. It carried the peculiar fragrance of age, masonry, dust, and a touch of growing things from the fields beyond. Narrowing his eyes, he thought he could recognize the Rocotzian section where he had spent the previous evening; of course, he couldn't be sure. Atop City Mount, the monstrous Gradgroat-Norchelite monastery was now a multitude of lights, surmounted by its glowing golden spire. His breath caught as he let the nighttime beauty surge over him. Atalanta was relatively safe from attack so long as Vice Admiral Zorn Hober and his 12th Battlecruiser Squadron were in residence. Tomorrow, however, he knew the powerful squadron was scheduled back into space. After that the city lights would not go on again until the 12th-or some comparable protection-was once again in residence at the base.
He shook his head. War! How good it was to him-and how utterly horrible to nearly everyone else. For a Carescrian, it was easy to forget that the Universe contained an almost infinite variety of realities-and that those having anything to do with poor, impoverished Carescria were nearly incomprehensible anywhere else. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue swept over him. Another long day, and no doubt about it.
Hands still in his pockets, he retraced his steps along a now darkened main deck to the main hatch, and from there to his cabin. His last conscious thought was a promise that he would spend the next day learning a little about the city and its people-on foot, the way a Carescrian would, not aboard a tour bus. If Atalanta could produce someone like Claudia Valemont, then it was well worth a proper effort....
For the second morning in a row, Brim was roused out of his bunk early-this time by the ship's siren and a blaring call for "Action Stations" from the message frame on the back of his door. Jumping blindly into a battle suit, he fought his way though the orderly confusion in the corridors and companionways to his station on the bridge.
Ursis had arrived there no more man a metacycle or two before him, but the Bear already had power to Defiant's gravity generators. By the time Brim slipped into the left-hand Helmsman's console, the ship was ready to taxi, although he was unsure whether or not he was. Ruefully, he recalled the old adage: "Sound sleep is the sleep you're in when you get wakened," or something like mat. He was living proof.
No more than a c'tenyt to starboard, two large merchant ships were burning fiercely on their gravity pools. And even as he watched, a series of distant explosions erupted halfway up City Mount Hill. Lights were going out in huge patches all over the city. Nearby, along the darkened canal-side roadways, speeding emergency vehicles were weaving desperately through lines of personnel carriers rushing crews to their respective ships.
But strangely-to Brim, at least-no bolts of defensive firing arced through the dark sky anywhere. And for that matter, the source of the destruction was not obvious, either.
Normally, you could see a disruptor go off. He raised an eyebrow.... Through the confusion of voices on the bridge, behind him he could hear Collingswood and Calhoun in busy conversation with the Port Authority. "Mr. Chairman," he said as a sleep-rumpled Waldo hurried into the Cohehnsman's console beside him, "put me in contact with the tower, please."
"A moment, Lieutenant Brim," the Chairman's voice intoned a few moments later. "All tower channels are presently in use."
Suddenly, Brim felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped.
"Sorry to startle ye, laddie," Calhoun said softly, "but the alert's been canceled. You'll probably want to call off the Chairman," he added.
Brim frowned and turned in his seat. "Canceled?" he asked incredulously. Giant flames were even now leaping thousands of feet in the air from the stricken section of Atalanta. "I don't understand...."
"Operations calls it a case of coordinated sabotage," Calhoun replied, "both here and in the city. There's no' an enemy ship anywhere in the remote vicinity of Hador. They've verified it with every scout and picket ship out there."
Baffled, the younger Carescrian shook his head and turned back to his console. "1 won't need that tower channel, Mr. Chairman," he said. "Cancel the request."
"Aye, Lieutenant," the Chairman intoned. "Your request is canceled."
Suddenly, Brim turned back to Calhoun. "Sabotage, my foot!" he exclaimed. "I'll bet that was a bender."
Calhoun's eyebrows rose for a moment; then he glanced at Collingswood in the next console. "Makes some sense, doesn't it. Regula?"
Brim turned even farther in his seat to note the Captain's reaction.
Collingswood frowned for a moment. "Well," she said, "the possibility had entered my mind." Then she nodded thoughtfully. "There is one thing, however," she added, looking Brim directly in the face. "Nobody reported energy beams during the 'attack.' And unless the Leaguers have also invented a new type of disruptor, someone somewhere should have seen energy beams, don't you think?"
Brim could only nod agreement. "Aye, Captain," he admitted. "Someone should have."
"That is not to say I absolutely believe the sabotage story, either," Collingswood added, getting up from her console. "For the time being, however, I am more inclined that way-especially since I cannot think of anything I can do about the incident." She smiled. "At any rate, I still have a few metacycles of sleep coming, and I do not intend to lose any more of them than necessary. So, if you gentlemen will excuse me..."
Brim grinned. "Good night, Captain," he said.
"Good night. Captain," Calhoun echoed, "and good night to you, laddie," he said, standing at his own console. "The Skipper's got a fine idea if I have ever heard of one."
Moments later. Brim was almost alone on the bridge. "Good night, Waldo," he said as the lovely young Helmsman made off toward the rear of the bridge. He smiled to himself.
He'd never even had time to say hello.
Quitting his own console, he walked over to where Ursis was shutting down the starship's power systems again. "Quickest flight we ever made," he said, placing a hand on the Bear's shoulder.
"Is true," Ursis growled, throwing the main breaker and shutting off the console's instrumentation. He grinned a toothy grin as he stood. "And speaking of truth," he continued,
"I could not avoid overhearing your bender theory."
"You think it might be benders, too?" Brim asked on their way to the rear of the bridge.
"I do," Ursis said, ushering Brim Into the companionway before him, "in spite of the lack of evidence...."
Brim shook his head vigorously. "Unfortunately, I can't figure out what kind of weapons they're using. Collingswood's right-there's no disruptor I know of that doesn't leave a very visible path of ionization."
"That is also true, my impatient friend," the Bear said with a smile. "However, the other morning is the first time you or I even heard of benders. Real ones, anyway." He nodded his head as they stopped at his cabin. "This is a puzzle-to be sorted out in its own good time.
Someone will eventually accomplish it. Perhaps even us. In the meanwhile, we do our best, which includes sleeping whenever possible...."