Ted nodded, then looked down at his console as the reports flowed in from all over the ship – both ships.  Spacers were used to normal jumps, but this one had been unusually violent, although no one was quite sure why.  Perhaps it explained, he decided, why the aliens were so lax about chasing the human ships through the tramlines.  Their drives reacted poorly when asked to jump at speed.

“Check the aliens,” he ordered.  Was it possible that they were stunned ... or dead?  “How did they handle the jump?”

“They seem fine, sir,” Major Parnell reported, two minutes later.  “But clearly a little agitated.”

Ted nodded.  Clearly, the aliens had sensed the jump ... but they hadn't suffered any real ill effects.  Were they experienced spacers, then, or were the aliens actually less inclined to be harmed by the jump?

“Understood,” he said, finally.  “Keep an eye on them.”

He keyed his console, linking directly to Anderson.  The Chief Engineer and a third of his staff had taken up permanent residence on the alien ship, despite the doctor’s warnings that they still couldn't guarantee that the environment was safe.  Anderson sounded tired, but very happy when he answered the call.

“The jump functioned as advertised,” he said.  “If we lose the alien Puller Drive next time, sir, we will probably still be able to devise our own version.”

“Glad to hear it,” Ted said.  He looked at the new star system on the display, his eyes tracking the four tramlines leading out of it and back towards human space.  Two of them were useless without the alien drive.  “Can we jump again?”

“I think so,” Anderson said.  “We only need three more jumps to get us back to Earth.”

Ted shook his head in disbelief.  Three more jumps ... when it had taken nine to reach New Russia from Earth.  They’d be jumping through the scene of their first successful engagement, he saw, as the helmsman plotted out the series of jumps.  Three more jumps ...

“The sooner we duplicate this system, the better,” he said, flatly.  “We need it for ourselves.”

***

“I never expected to survive,” Rose said.

Kurt nodded.  She'd come to his office ... but instead of making love to him at once she'd sat down, twisting her hands in her lap.  Oddly, he found himself torn between relief and disappointment.  He might have cheated on his wife, but he wasn’t going to deny that the sex had been great.  But really ... what kind of future could Rose and he have, even if he left Molly for her?  He was old enough – almost – to be her father.  He’d be old and gray long before her.

“Nor did I,” he said.  He swallowed.  It was time to act the mature adult.  “Rose ... what do you actually want from me?”