Chapter 30

"Ge' th'lan'err in wherre ye can, bu' do i' fas', Arrlen," came MacPherson's voice over the lander's communicator. "Then leave yer lock close' until I say. We'rre gaein' firrs' as soon as ye'rre on, closin' up la'err."

It was now evident why the lander departures from Eden had been sequenced as they had. Nassir, as much the more experienced pilot, would have to slip his vehicle into the uncomfortably narrow slot left by Yuan, who'd taken up more than her share of the available space in the docking bay.

But rather than wasting time complaining about the tight fit, the young man simply went in. The clearance between the landers was not much more than two meters, but he negotiated it skillfully and called "down" into the communicator the instant his ship touched the bay's base.

Unnecessarily, he realized, as he noticed the sudden slight brightening in the bay's opening. The captain, he realized, had been observing his progress in the bay's monitors and had initiated acceleration before he even had time to speak. The illumination he was seeing, he knew, was the scant escape of plasma from the big thrusters' exhaust. They were under way.

In short order the bay doors began their agonizingly slow closing. In due course his view first narrowed and then was eclipsed as they came together. After yet a further few minutes MacPherson's voice again came over the communicator. "Prresurrize'," he said. "Ge' 'em oo' as quick as ye can, bu' rremain a' th'con'rrols."

Slightly puzzled by the last directive, he nevertheless relayed to Heisinger. She took over hurrying the Edenites out and through the bay exit, while Igwanda sprinted over to Yuan's unit and did the same there.

"Hoo much time d'ye nee' t'ge' yersel' t'th' exi' frrom wherre ye si', Arrlen?" he heard MacPherson asking.

Now completely baffled, he looked at the distance, estimating. "I don't know, sir. If I run, maybe thirty seconds?"

"Make i' forr'y-five. Se' yer timerr t' ain minu'e thirr'y." He meant, Nassir realized, the ignition timer for the shuttle. "Wai' until I tell ye. Then hi' i', an' rrun forr all ye're worrth t'th' doorr. We'rre openin' th'bay again starr'in' forr'y-five secon's afterr I say."

He began to understand the captain's plan as he followed his orders. So, on the bridge beside MacPherson, did Meiersdottir, who looked at him in surprise.

"You're ejecting both landers?" she asked.

"Aye," he said. "As quick as I can."