If Gay could do this, we would be almost independent of juice-and have

a new "bug-out" sanctuary each time she landed herself. Power packs-Zebbie had a hand-cranked D.C. generator-but heavy work for husky men for endless hours. (40 hrs from zero to full charge; you see why Zebbie would rather buy fresh charges.)

We had been skipping along nearly three minutes, over four thousand klicks, before spotting a Bingo (by Zebbie). I called a "Hold" and added, "Where, Zebbie?"

He nosed us down. Farm buildings and cultivated fields-a happy contrast to the terrain-barren, green, flat, rugged-all lacking any sign of humans, in the stops we had made. "Astrogator, record time. Continue."

Then over three minutes with no Bingoes- At elapsed time 6m4s Jacob called out, "Bingo! A town."

"Hold! Onion towers?"

"I think not, dear. I see a flag-dare we go nearer?"

"Yes! But anyone use a scram at will. Jacob, may I have the binoculars, please?"

The Stars and Stripes are engraved on my heart, but in the next moments the Cross of Saint Andrew and the Cross of Saint George were added. It was an ensign with a blue field and some white shapes-three half moons in three sizes.

"Gay Deceiver."

"I'm all ears, Hilda."

"Move current program to standby."

"Roger Wilco Done."

"Gay Bounce. Zebbie, let's sweep this area for a bigger settlement."

Zebbie placed a locus around the town, radius five hundred klicks, and started "A Tramp Abroad" with vertex time cut to one second. Thirty-one minutes later we had a city. I guessed it at a hundred thousand plus.

"Captain," Zebbie said, "may I suggest that we bounce and try to raise them by radio? This place is big enough for A.A. guns or missiles-"

"Gay Bounce!"

"-and we know that their Slavic neighbors have aircraft."

"Is your guardian angel warning you?"

"Well... 'tain't polite to ground without clearance; such rudeness can make one suddenly dead."

"Gay Bounce, Gay Bounce. Are we out of reach of missiles?"

"Captain, British and Russians of this universe are ahead of us in spaceships or they wouldn't be here. That requires us to assume that their missiles and lasers and X-weapons are better than ours."

"What's an 'X-weapon'? And what do you advise?"

"I advise evasive tactics. An X-weapon is a 'Nobody-Knows."

"Evasive tactics, your choice. I assume you won't waste juice."

"No juice. Jake, gallop in all directions. Up, down, and sideways. Don't wait for 'Execute'; jump as fast as you can. That's it! Keep moving!"

"Captain Auntie, may I suggest an easier way?"

"Sneak un. Deetv."

"Zebadiah, how big is that city? Kilometers."

"That's indefinite. Oh, call it eight klicks in diameter."

"You've got that one-second 'Tramp' program on hold. Change locus. Center on that biggest building, make the radius six klicks. Then start program and Pop can rest."

"Uh....eety, I'm stupid. Six klicks radius, ten klicks is a minimum- A bit tight?"

"Meant to be. Shall I draw a picture?"

"Maybe you'd better."

(Deety had defined an annulus two kilometers wide, outer radius six, inner radius four. We would "circle" the city six klicks above ground, random jumps, sixty per minute. I doubted that even robot weapons could find us, range us, hit us, in one second.)

Deety loosened her belt, slithered forward, and sketched. Suddenly Zebbie said, "Gotcha! Deety, you're a smart girl."

"Boss, I'll bet you tell that to all the girls."

"Nope, just smart ones. Gay Deceiver!"

"Less noise, please."

"Program revision. A Tramp Abroad. Locus a circle radius six klicks. Center defined by next Bingo. Acknowledge paraphrase."

"Revised program A Tramp Abroad. Circle twelve klicks diameter center next real-time Bingo."

"Jake, put us over that big building downtown. If necessary, make several tries but don't hang around. Once I like the position I'll say the magic word, then scram."

"Aye aye, Chief."

Jacob made a dozen jumps before Zebbie said, "Bingo Gay Bounce" and a light appeared on the display. He started the program and told Gay to increase scale; the light spread out into a circle with a lighted dot in the center. "Captain, watch this. I've told Gay that every stop is a Bingo. You may be surprised."

"Thanks, Zebbie." The circle was becoming freckled inside its perimeter. With no feeling of motion, the scene flicked every second. It was mid-morning; each scene was sharp. That big building would be dead ahead-blink your eye and you're staring at fields-then again at the city but with that building off to starboard. It put me in mind of holovideo tape spliced to create confusion.

Zebbie had on his phones and was ignoring everything else. Jacob was watching the flickering scenery, as was I, as was Deety-when Jacob suddenly turned his head, said, "Deety-please-the-Bo-" and clapped his hand over his mouth.

I said, "Two Bonines, Deety-quickly!"

Deety was reaching for them. "You, too, Auntie Cap'n?"

"It's this flickering." I gave one to Jacob, made certain that he saw me take one. I had not been motion-sick since I had been made Captain. But any time my husband must take one, I will keep him company.

Today I should have taken one as soon as I spotted that British flag; Bonine

tranquilizes the nerves as well as the tummy....nd soon I must act as- ambassador? Something of the sort; I intended to go straight to the top. Dealing with underlings is frustrating. In college I would not have lasted almost four years had it been up to the dean of women. But I always managed to take it over her head to the president; the top boss can bend the rules.

(But my senior year the president was female and as tough a bitch as I am. She listened to my best Clarence-Darrow defense, congratulated me, told me I should have studied law, then said, "Go pack. I want you off campus by noon.")

Zebbie pushed the phone off his right ear. "Captain, I've got this loud enough to put on the horn. Want to talk to them?"

"No. I've never grounded outside the States. You know how, you do it. But, Chief Pilot-"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"And Copilot and Astrogator. Stick to the truth at all times. But do not unnecessarily give information. Answer questions uninformatively-but truthfully. If pressed, tell them, 'See the Captain."

"My dear," Jacob said worriedly, "I've been meaning to speak about this. Zeb has had diplomatic experience. Wouldn't it be wise for us to place him in charge on the ground? Please understand, I'm not criticizing your performance as captain. But with his experience and in view of the fact that our principal purpose is to obtain certain things for his car-"

"Gay Bounce Gay Bounce Gay Bounce! Astrogator."

"Yes, Captain."

"Place us in a parking orbit. Soonest."

"Aye aye, Ma'am! Copilot, don't touch the verniers. Chief Pilot, check that the car is level. Gay Deceiver."

"On deck, Deety."

"Program. L axis add speed vector three point six klicks per second. Paraphrase acknowledge."

"Increase forward speed three and six tenths kilometers per second."

"Chief Pilot?"

"Level."

"Execute." Deety glanced at the board. "Gay Deceiver, H-above-G will soon stop decreasing, then increase very slowly. In about fifty minutes it will maximize. Program. When H-above-G is maximum, alert me."

"Roger Wilco."

"If-when one hundred klicks H-above-G, alert me."

"Roger Wilco."

"If-when air drag exceeds zero, alert me."

"Roger Wilco."

"Remain in piloting mode. Ignore voices including program code words until you are called by your full name. Acknowledge by reporting your full name."

"Gay Deceiver," answered Gay Deceiver.

"Is that okay, Captain? Smart Girl can't hear the short-form programs now,

until she hears her full name first. Then you would still have to say 'Gay' to alert her, and 'Home' or whatever to scram. But there should be loads of time, as she'll tell me if anything starts to go wrong. You heard her."