“The force fields have to do work on it, directing the hydrogen into the ramjet system and diverting all matter from the hull. This action has its reaction on us. Moreover, it will take place extremely rapidly. What the fields can do in, say, an hour, they may not be able to do in a minute. We must hope that they can, and that the material components of the ship can endure the resultant stresses.

“I have spoken with Chief Engineer Fedoroff at his post. He thinks probably we will not suffer grave damage. He admits his opinion is a mere extrapolation. In a pioneering era, one learns chiefly by experience. Mr. Iwamoto?”

“S-s-sst! I presume we have no possibility of avoidance? One day ship’s time is about two weeks cosmic time, no? We have not a chance to go around this nebu— nebulina?”

“No, I fear not. In our own frame of reference, we are accelerating at approximately three gravities. In terms of the outside universe, however, that acceleration is not constant, but steadily decreasing. Therefore we cannot change course fast. Even a full vector normal to our velocity would not get us far enough aside before the encounter. Anyhow, we haven’t the time to make the preparations for such a drastic alteration of flight pattern. Ah, Second Engineer M’Botu?”

“Might it help if we decelerated? We must keep one or another mode operative at all times, forward or backward thrust, to be sure. But I should think that deceleration now would soften the collision.”

“The computer has not made any recommendations about that. Probably the information is insufficient. At best, the percentage difference in speed would be slight. I fear… I think we have no choice except to— ah—”

“Bull through,” Reymont said in English. Telander cast him a look of annoyance. Reymont didn’t seem to mind.

As discussion progressed, though, his glance darted from speaker to speaker and the lines between mouth and nostrils deepened in his face. When at last Telander pronounced, “Dismissed,” the constable did not return to Chi-Yuen. He pushed almost brutally through the uncertain milling of the rest and plucked the captain’s sleeve.

“I think we had better hold a private talk, sir,” he declared. The choppiness he had been losing was back in his accent.

Telander said with a chill, “Now is hardly the time to deny anyone access to facts. Constable.”

“Oh, call it politeness, that we go work by ourselves instead of bothering people,” Reymont answered impatiently.

Telander sighed. “Come with me to the bridge, then. I’m too busy for special conferences.”

A couple of others seemed to feel differently, but Reymont drove them off with a glare and a bark. Telander must perforce smile a bit as he went out the door. “You do have your uses,” he admitted.

“A parliamentary hatchet man?” Reymont said. “I fear there’ll be more call on me than that.”

“Conceivably on Beta Three. A specialist in rescue and disaster control might be welcome when we get there.”