The Forever Man by Gordon R. Dickson Read Free Book Online Page A

survives, that’ll be all that’s necessary to lock on to La Chasse Gallerie and jump her to the Frontier, if none of us does—well, we’ve done our best.”
    Once more he paused. Mary said nothing.
    â€œNow,” said Jim, grinning like a death’s head. “If that was a two-hundred-year old man aboard that wreck of a ship there, and maybe burned badly or broken up by what he’s been through so far, that business of jumping and coming out at fighting accelerations would kill him. But,” said Jim, drawing a deep breath, “it’s not a man. It’s a control center. And a control center ought to be able to take it. Have you got anything to say, Mary?”
    â€œYes,” said Mary quietly. “Officially I protest your assumption that Raoul Penard is dead, and your choice of an action which might be fatal to him as a result.”
    Jim felt a kind of awe stir in him.
    â€œBy—” He broke off. “Mary, you really expect us to come out of this all right, don’t you?”
    â€œYes,” said Mary calmly. “I’m not disappointed with life the way you are. You don’t know it, Jim, but there’s a lot of people like you back home, and I meet them all the time. Ever since we started working toward a longer life for people, they’ve turned their back on us. They say there’s no sense in living a longer time—but the truth is they’re afraid of it. Afraid a long life will show them up as failures, that they won’t have death for an excuse for not making a go of life.”
    â€œNevermind that!” Jim’s throat had gone dry again. “Stand to your guns. We’re jumping now—and we’ll be coming out shooting.” He turned swiftly to punch the data key and inform his three remaining other ships "…Transmitting in five Seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Transmit—”

Chapter 4
    Disorientation, nausea…
    The stars were different for the fifth time. Acceleration hit like a tree trunk ramming into Jim’s chest. His fingers danced on the sub-light control buttons. The voice of Raoul Penard was howling his battle song again—
    When you come drive de beeg saw log, You got to jump jus’ lak de frog! De foreman come, he say go sak! You got in de watair all over your back!…
    Time passed…
    â€œCheck Ten!” shouted Jim once again. “All ships Check Ten. Transmit in three seconds. Three. Two—”
    No Laagi ships in the telltale sphere again this time. And the next. And the next—
    Suddenly AndFriend bucked and slammed. Flame flickered for a fraction of a second through the cabin. The telltale was alive with green lights, closing fast.
    Fifteen of them or more… Directly ahead of AndFriend were three of them in formation, closing on her alone. In Jim’s ears rang the wild voice of Penard...
    P’raps you work on drive, tree-four day—You find dat drive dat she don’ pay …
    â€œGunner!” cried Jim, seeing the peen lights almost on top of him. It was a desperate cry for help. In a moment—
    Two of the green lights flared suddenly and disappeared. The third flashed and veered off.
    â€œMary!” yelped Jim, suddenly drunk on battle adrenaline. “You’re a gunner! A real gunner!”
    â€œMore to the left and up, sector ten—” said a thin, calm voice, a voice he could hardly recognize as Mary’s, in his ear. He veered, saw two more green lights. Saw one flare and vanish—saw suddenly one of his own white lights flare and vanish as the scream of torn metal sounded from one of the screens before him. Glancing at the screens, he saw for the moment the one picturing Fourth Helen’s cabin, showing the cabin split open, emptied and flattened for a second before the screen went dark and blank.
    Grief tore at him. And rage.
    â€œTransmit now!” he howled at the other ships. “Check Ten! Check