‘I have never heard of such a thing,’ said Kosa, moving alongside her, taking her arm to guide her back to the couch. ‘Are you sure you were not blinded first and then saw nothing?’

‘Which am I to be, a liar or a fool? Of course I saw what I saw. Or didn’t see!’ Dosellua got up again, fending off Kosa’s attempts to comfort her. She could not stand still, filled with agitation. ‘Just before we broke realspace I saw with the last of my othervision. There is nothing ahead.’

‘So why can’t we continue?’ asked Aeschelus. ‘If there is no storm we should make swift progress.’

‘I fear we will make no progress, captain. The warp is dead and we shall be too.’

‘Rest, cousin, I will speak with the captain,’ said Kosa, entrusting her to the care of Qurius again. With a flick of the eyes, Kosa directed Aeschelus to the main doors.

‘What is it, Navigator?’ the captain asked when they had both exited, the stricken Navigator and her cousin left behind the closed portal.

‘I do not know why Dosellua has reacted so badly, but she may have a good point. If we are in a warp lull we may not be able to continue. Using only the impeller motion of the Geller field, it would take us deeper into the becalmed stretch and we may be months from catching a current to take us clear. If at all.’

‘It is possible to use the movement of the translation itself to create some momentum within the warp.’

‘A slingshot jump?’ Kosa pursed her lips in thought. ‘It is possible. More likely a series. Once we lose headway we would have to drop back into realspace, recharge the warp engines and then slingshot again. It could take a dozen jumps to get across the lull.’

‘Do you think I would countenance abandoning our mission, Navigator?’

Kosa looked Aeschelus in the eye and then sighed.

‘No, of course not, captain.’ She took in a breath. ‘I expect you want to continue without delay?’

‘Your expectations are correct.’

‘Then I shall conduct the jump myself.’ The Navigator looked ­unenthusiastic at the prospect. ‘We still have the correct heading for Casparill. It should take perhaps ninety minutes to recali­brate for a slingshot translation.’

‘Do it.’

Aeschelus turned away without waiting for any further confirmation. He would get Ithraca’s Vengeance to its destination if it took a hundred jumps. There would be no more failures, no more retreats.

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX