Prophets

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Descent

Know when to hang on, when to let go, and when not to get on the ride.

—The Cynic’s Book of Wisdom

On the road to hell, seat belts are optional.

—ROBERT Celine (1923-1996)

Date: 2526.6.3 (Standard) 750,000 km from Salmagundi-HD 101534

Hours after they took Nickolai away, Mallory prayed for the wisdom to know what his purpose in this debacle was. Even as they approached a planet and relative safety, Nickolai’s words still burned in his ears, his accusations about Mosasa and his fatalistic belief that the Eclipse was doomed.

Half of him wasn’t even surprised when the cabin started shaking.

The klaxons and emergency lights announced a hull breach and Parvi’s panicked voice burst though the PA, “Everyone to the nearest lifeboat/cabin now! We’ve had a critical overlo—”

A massive explosion threw Mallory out of his cot. When he pushed himself off the floor, he found himself floating upward. Something jerked, and the lights went out.

After several moments, a dull red light came on above the doorway and began flashing rhythmically.

The lifeboat’s going to launch.

Mallory pulled himself to the wall so he could fold the cot shut, locking it against the wall. Then he pushed himself to the opposite wall as his cabin vibrated with the first shock of the bolts blowing free between the lifeboat and the rest of the ship. He unfolded the acceleration couch as the second shock hit. How many? he wondered as he wrapped himself into the safety harness. He counted the third shock, and the cabin felt as if it was half floating. Four. Five. Six.

A giant invisible fist slammed into his gut as the lifeboat’s engine kicked in, blowing him away from the Eclipse. It only took a second or two for him to realize that the lifeboat was doing more than clearing the vicinity of the Eclipse. Even through the blast of two or three Gs of forward acceleration, he could feel the pitch and yaw of the boat maneuvering beyond the impulse to escape.

The too-long acceleration must have nearly played out the small disposable drive attached to the boat. Once it cut out and Mallory was able to free himself from the acceleration couch, the nav computer spoke over the PA. “Three hours until atmospheric insertion.”