"Mphm," grunted Grimes.
"Mphm," grunted Grimes.
Slowly he opened the pouch at his belt, took from it his tobacco tin and his battered pipe. Carefully he filled the pipe, returned the tin to the pouch, brought out a lighter. He lit the pipe. He squinted at Grimes through the swirl of blue, acrid smoke.
Slowly he opened the pouch at his belt, took from it his tobacco tin and his battered pipe. Carefully he filled the pipe, returned the tin to the pouch, brought out a lighter. He lit the pipe. He squinted at Grimes through the swirl of blue, acrid smoke.
Sonya made a major production of a lung-wracking cough.
Maggie said, "Let the man have his little pleasures—and his aid to cerebration."
Sonya demanded, "What are you doing with him?"
Maggie replied, "I could ask you the same, duckie."
Grimes demanded, "How the hell did you get here?"
Grimes replied, "The same way as you." He gestured toward the nearest hexagonal viewport with the hand that held the pipe.
Grimes stared out into the blackness. There had been three vessels there: Flandry's Vindictive, Irene's Wanderer, his own Faraway Quest. Now there were four. He asked, "And what is the name of your ship?"
"Faraway Quest, of course. She was Delta Puppis before the Federation flogged her to us."
"Mphm," grunted Grimes again, feeling a twinge of envy. His Faraway Quest was an ex-Epsilon Class tramp. He turned to Mayhew. "You might have kept me better informed, Commander."
"Sir, both Trialanne and I tried to tell you as soon as this other Faraway Quest broke through. I couldn't tell you anything before then as she does not carry a psionic communications officer."
"Unfortunately, no," agreed Grimes II. "I tried to convince my masters that a good PCO is worth ten thousand times his weight in Carlotti transceivers—but they know best." He added after a pause, "I can never understand this craving to put oneself at the mercy of a single fuse. . . ."
"And how many times have you heard that before, Maggie?" asked Sonya.
"I've lost count," said Maggie Lazenby.
"But this question of seniority . . . ?" hinted Flandry, obviously determined to extract the utmost in amusement from the situation.
"I am the senior," stated both Grimeses.
"I was here first," said Grimes I.
"Mine is the larger ship," said Grimes II.
Grimes I laughed. "This is bloody absurd, Grimes. Before we get involved in any futile arguments would you mind putting me—us—into your picture?"
"I'll try, Grimes. My masters decided that it was time that somebody took another expedition out to the Outsiders' Ship, and I was given the job. Maggie—you do know Maggie, of course . . .?"
"I do. And so does Sonya."
"And I know Sonya. Quite a family party, isn't it? But where was I? Oh, yes. Maggie, although she's married to me, has retained her Federation citizenship and her commission in the Federation's Survey Service. She's along as an observer for the Federation."
"As Sonya is. But go on."
Grimes II carefully relit his pipe. "Well, we rather suspected that there would be other ships, in addition to the known derelicts, in orbit about The Outsider. But we were certainly surprised to find that one of those other ships, like mine, was named Faraway Quest. Your second-in-command, Commander Williams, was even more surprised. It must have been a shock to him to see my face looking out of the screen when we started nattering over the NST radio. It put him in rather a dither. There he was, conditioned to say, 'Yes, sir; no, sir,' to Commodore Grimes. . . ."
"That doesn't sound like Williams!" said Grimes II.
"Well, as a matter of fact he called me 'Skipper.' But he was in a fine tangle of conflicting loyalties. He suggested that I'd better make contact with you to get things sorted out, and told me where I'd find you. And now, Commodore Grimes, suppose you introduce your friends to me. . . ."
"Certainly, Commodore Grimes," said Grimes who, in a dazed sort of way, was beginning to enjoy himself. "Irene, Trialanne, this, as you see, is Commodore Grimes, who obviously is from a time track not too far divergent from my own. And the lady is Commander Lazenby, of the Federation's Survey Service, and also Mrs. Grimes. Commodore, may I present Mrs. Trafford, who is chief officer and owner of the so-called yacht Wanderer, and Trialanne, one of her PCOs. Oh, yes, before I forget—Mrs. Trafford is also the ex-Empress Irene."
"I am honored," said Grimes II, with a stiff little bow.
"You bloody well should be," growled Irene.
"And Mr. Smith, the managing director of GLASS, charterer of Wanderer. GLASS is an acronym for GALACTIC LEAGUE AGAINST SUPPRESSION and SLAVERY It is, I imagine, a severe pain in the neck to quite a few governments in Irene's universe. . . ."
"We try to be just that," agreed Smith modestly.
"And this, Commodore, is Captain Sir Dominic Flandry, of the Imperial armed scout Vindictive. The young gentleman with him is Ensign Bugolsky."
Flandry smiled, but his eyes were cold, wary. "I am glad to meet you, Commodore. And you, Commander Lazenby."
You would be, thought Grimes.
"In one way your arrival, sir, is welcome. Until now I have been inclined to doubt your alter ego's stories of alternate time tracks and all the rest of it. But now . . ." Flandry shrugged. He went on, "You are welcome to join our discussion."
"What discussion?" asked Grimes II.
"As to who can lay claim to The Outsider."
"You will agree with me," said Grimes I, "that it lies within Rim Confederacy's territorial space."
"Of course," said Grimes II.
"But whose Rim Confederacy?" demanded Flandry and Irene simultaneously. "Yours or his?"
"It's my flag that's planted on it," stated Grimes I stubbornly.
"You and your bloody flag!" snarled Irene.
"As I see it," said Grimes II judiciously, "this is a matter to be decided between Commodore Grimes and myself."
"Definitely," said Grimes I.
"We're surrounded by the bastards," muttered Irene. Then, to Flandry, "You'll not stand for that, Sir Dominic?"
"You," said Sonya, "can fight it out between yourselves which Empire has a claim to ownership."
Flandry flashed a charming smile at Irene. "I really think, ma'am, that we imperialists should stick together."
"GLASS has never approved of imperialism," stated Smith. "In any case, Wanderer is on charter to my organization."
"I seem to remember," said Sonya coldly, "that quite some time ago it was decided that I should preside over this meeting. Even though my husband has been duplicated, I have not. Therefore I suggest that we carry on from where we left off."
"And just why were you so honored, Sonya?" asked Maggie curiously.
"Because I, as an officer of the Federation's Survey Service, am the only one who can claim neutral status."
"But I, too, am an officer of the Federation's Survey Service, dearie."
"Commodore Grimes!" Mayhew called excitedly.
Both Grimeses turned to look at him.
"Yes, Commander?" asked Grimes I.
"Faraway Quest. . . . She's . . . gone!"
"I was in touch with Clarisse," confirmed Trialanne. "But the contact has been broken."
From Flandry's suit radio came a small, tinny voice. "Captain, sir, Faraway Quest, the first Faraway Quest, has vanished."
There was no need for Grimes to stare out through the viewport, but he did so. There, hanging in nothingness, were the three ships, three only: Vindictive, Wanderer and what must be the other Quest, the wrong Quest.
He turned to look at the elaborately grotesque Outsider with something akin to hatred. "That bloody thing!" he muttered. "That bloody thing!" And he thought, My ship, my people . . . where are they? Where-or when-has It thrown them?
The Iralian woman said softly, "Commodore, It is not responsible. Your vessel's Mannschenn Drive was restarted just before she vanished. So I am told by Mr. Tallentire, aboard Wanderer."
"Trialanne! Mayhew! Get in touch with Clarisse. Find out what's happening!"
"Don't you think that I'm bloody well trying already?" snarled Mayhew. "Damn your ship. It's my woman I'm worried about!"
"Sorry, Ken," said Grimes. "I needn't tell you to do your best, and better. . . ."
"Mutiny?" asked Grimes II quietly.
"Be your age, Commodore!" flared Grimes I. "With a handpicked crew, like mine, it's impossible."
"The passengers weren't handpicked, John," Sonya told him somberly. "At least, not by you."
Mayhew, his face white and strained, whispered, "The blame is mine, John. I should have disregarded the Rhine Institute's code of ethics. I should have pried."
"But you didn't. And I didn't order you to. . . ." He looked around him at the faces of the others in the control room. All realized the gravity of the situation.
Grimes II broke the silence. He said, "Much as I hate to leave the Outsiders' Ship to these . . . outsiders, my Faraway Quest is at your disposal, Commodore. After all, we may as well keep this in the family."
"Mutiny is a crime," stated Irene. "All law-abiding citizens should combine to capture and to punish the criminals. I am with you. I am sure that I speak for my officers."
"And count me in," said Flandry, not without a touch of regret.
"Thank you," Grimes said. "Thank you. All of you."
"And where," asked Maggie Lazenby, "do we go from here?"