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tz.theicarushunt-第65部分

小说: tz.theicarushunt 字数: 每页4000字

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by interdicting the place。 I don't think I'd get any sympathy from them if they grabbed us。 And no borandis; either。〃
 〃Though they would probably consider that you had done them a small service;〃 Chort said quietly。 〃You; at least; they could allow to die naturally。〃
 Tera shivered。 〃And on that note; I vote we get going on this。〃
 〃Seconded;〃 I agreed; standing up。 〃Ixil; let's go break out the tools。〃
  
 CHAPTER 15
 
 IT WAS ONE thing; I discovered; to suggest disassembling an entire starship from the inside out。 It was another thing entirely to actually set about doing it。
 Still; it was quickly apparent that the very nature of the Icarus's odd design was going to work in our favor。 On a normal starship all the bulkheads and decks were solidly riveted or welded together; with most of the various sections cast or molded to the specific fit required。 Our bulkheads and decks; in contrast; were fastened together with the same connectors Cameron's people had used on the inner…hull plates; which made disassembly a fast and simple process。 Furthermore; all the interior framing had been created from the same meter…square plates: a single thickness for the inner hull and most of the walls; double or triple thickness for the decks and supporting bulkheads。 In one of my rare moments alone with Tera I asked about that; and she confirmed my guess that Cameron's techs had designed it that way on purpose。 Shaped or molded bulkhead sections might have raised eyebrows with Meima's customs inspectors; but simple meter…square building plates wouldn't even rate a yawn。
 Ixil's inventory included only three of the connector tools; but since there was also a great deal of hauling to be done the limited number worked out just fine。 Cameron; bless him; had used high…strength but low…weight metal posites; which meant that even Shawn and Chort could lug the plates to the wraparound with relative ease。 We rotated jobs every twenty minutes or so; with an eye toward not fatiguing any one set of muscles。 As Ixil suggested at one point; there was likely to be more than enough muscle fatigue to go around。
 For the first six hours we concentrated on simple disassembly; starting with the nonsupporting walls and moving on to bulkheads; shifting the plates into the wraparound and stacking them by the hatch。 At that point; I decided we had enough material to start with Chort's exterior modification plan。 We still had two shipboard suits…the third had been left behind on Xathru when we'd filed Jones's death report…and of course Chort had his own suit as well。 Putting Tera and Nicabar into the smaller and larger sizes; respectively; I sent them out with Chort; the welder; and two connector tools and crossed my fingers。
 It worked out better than even my best level of cautious hope。 Chort; it turned out; was quite petent with the welder; at least as skilled as Ixil if not a shade more so。 The proper positioning of the plates was another worry I'd had; Tera solved that one by the three of them assembling an entire longitudinal section and working it into place between the two spheres before Chort did any welding。 With two of the connector tools now outside; the four of us inside shifted jobs again from mass disassembly to the more delicate task of moving the gear from the now nonexistent rooms to new quarters against the inside of the hull。 The large sphere's gravitational level of 。85 gee made the tasks of lifting and carrying marginally easier while still avoiding the missteps and inertial problems of low…gee environments。
 The days settled into a steady if slightly frantic routine。 Chort spent every waking hour outside; clearly loving it; except for the brief periods when he had to e in to have his rebreather recharged。 Those of us who could fit into the remaining suits…which was everyone except Everett…took our turns outside with him; most of us not nearly as enthusiastic about the wide…open spaces as Chort was。 The rest of our time was divided between more disassembly; shifting the necessary equipment to the inner hull and tossing the rest; or collapsing on our transplanted bunks in the near a that had taken the place of normal sleep。
 With the verbal sniping and general lack of sociability that had marked the trip up to this point I had braced myself for the escalation in overall tension that all this unscheduled exercise was bound to create。 Once again…and this one was really to my surprise…it didn't happen。 There was the occasional snapped word or under…the…breath curse; but for the most part I found my fellow travelers suddenly behaving far more like a seasoned crew than a random collection of semi…hostile strangers。
 In retrospect; I suppose; I shouldn't have been so surprised by the sudden transformation。 Before the Najiki near miss at Utheno we'd been little more than interstellar truck drivers; doing a dull job for low pay; with nothing in particular to look forward to after it was done; and with only the vague threat of a possible hijacking to make it even marginally interesting。 Now; suddenly; we were on the cusp of history; with the chance to make a name for ourselves and at the same time stick it hard to the Patth and their hated economic empire。 We had the chance for immortality…and; even more importantly; for possibly serious riches…and that simultaneous group grab for the brass ring was drawing us firmly together。
 Of course; lurking behind the chance to make history was the darker knowledge that if the Patth caught up with us even our own personal histories would pretty well be over。 That was undoubtedly part of the cooperation; too。
 But whatever the reason; the progress the first four days was nothing short of remarkable。 So much so that midway through the fifth day I pulled Everett and Ixil off the work crews and sent them aft to the engine room to start recalibrating the equipment that the Najiki ion attack had scrambled。 Then; with Chort; Nicabar; and Shawn working outside; I took Tera over to her puter and settled in for a crash course in Alien Stardrive 101。
 The class didn't take nearly as long as I'd hoped it would。 〃That's it?〃 I asked as the last page of data scrolled to the top of the puter display。 〃That's all they found?〃
 〃Be thankful we have even this much;〃 she countered tartly。 But there were worry lines creasing her forehead; too。 Perhaps; like me; she was starting to realize just how much of a long shot this whole scheme really was。 〃The idea wasn't to sit there on Meima until they had the whole thing figured out to five decimals; you know。 The minute they realized what they had; they shot that message off to Dad。 This isn't much more than the five weeks it took to get the Icarus parts shipped in and put together。〃
 〃I suppose;〃 I conceded; scowling at the meter…square opening into the sphere; a disguised access panel that Tera had luckily known how to open。 〃And they never got more than a couple of meters inside?〃
 〃No;〃 she said。 〃They were afraid of crossing circuits or damaging something else along the way。 You can see for yourself what a maze of conduits and loose wires it is in there。〃
 I stretched flat along the hull beside the hole and shined a light in。 She was right: It was a jungle in there。 〃Reminds me of the engine room;〃 I said; playing the light around some more。 It looked like there were panels of glowing lights on what little I could see of the wall through the wiring。 〃I wonder if it was planned that way or if all the cable ties just fell apart over the years。 You said there was another access from the other side of the sphere?〃
 〃Yes; behind the secondary breaker panel in the engine room;〃 she said。 〃They put hinges on the breaker panel so that it swings right out。〃
 〃Has it got a better view than this one?〃
 〃Not really。〃 She gestured toward the access hole。 〃They tried sending in probes; but the umbilicals kept getting caught on the wiring and Dr。 Chou was afraid they'd tear something trying to get them loose。 They had one self…guided probe that got in a little farther; but something confused its sensors and it froze up pletely。〃
 〃Well; we're not going to get anywhere without a plete idea of what's in there;〃 I said。
 〃I hope you're not suggesting one of us

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