The inventory in her mind stopped as she heard the panel relays click into the final stages before separation. She whirled at a grunting sound and saw Murdoch and Ferry struggling in the short passage to the freighter’s hatch, Murdoch slowly pushing the old man backward toward Hali. Once more, the panel clicked. One by one, the hatches to the docking bay hissed shut. Bolts clicked into their locks, sealing the bay and the four of them from the rest of Ship.

There was a scream from Murdoch and she saw his ear skid like a fragile blossom across the red-smeared deck. It was then she realized that Ferry had recovered the scalpel. She whirled to the panel, threw it open and found a hold program key. In desperation, she hit the key.

I hope I haven’t trapped us.

An ominous ticking issued from the control panel.

Ferry thrust her aside, slipped a small metal wafer into a slot in the panel. His trembling hand touched the add program key and the freighter’s hatch popped open. They pushed the gurney inside and, as they moved, Waela sat up. She looked at Ferry, then at Hali, and said: “My child will sleep in the sea. Where the hylighters calm the waves to the touch of a cradle, there my child will sleep.”

Her head fell forward onto her chest. They slipped her from the gurney and wrestled her gently across to a passenger couch, locked her in it. As they worked, Hali heard the freighter’s hatch hiss closed. The freighter quivered. Ferry propelled her toward one of the forward control couches and they strapped in.

“You ever fly one of these?” Ferry asked.

She shook her head.

“Me neither. I had simulator experience, but that was a long time ago.”

His hand hesitated over the launch program key and, before he could move, the red automatics light flashed on the board. Hali looked forward to the plaz curve nested into the bay, expecting it to separate. Nothing happened.

“What’s wrong?” She felt hysteria bubbling in her throat. “Why doesn’t it launch?”

“Ferry! Ekel! Shut that thing down and come back inside!”

“Murdoch,” Ferry said. “Always spoiling things. He must’ve escaped from the bay. He’s taken over the auto-pilot and we can’t release the docking bolts.”

“Ferry, Ekel—if we don’t get TaoLini back into Sickbay, she could die. You want that on your conscience? Don’t let yourselves in for trouble over a . . .”

Ferry snapped off the vocoder.

Hali took a deep breath. “What now?”

“This will either be the ride of your life or no life at all. Hang on.”

Ferry cleared the console and hit the reset key, then override and manual. His finger hesitated several blinks over launch program.

“Hit it,” Hali said.

He depressed the key. A powerful trembling rippled through their cabin.