"What's our situation exactly?" asked Carson. "We're getting our power from Wink, right? That's not a very reliable source."

She nodded. "We should have all the power we need. We can switch to internal if we have to, but we won't be using much other than heating and lights. The shuttle's batteries are designed for a much heavier workload. I suspect we'd be okay for six months or more on internal alone. Not that we'll be here that long," she added hurriedly.

"How about air?" asked Janet. "How much air do we have?"

"For five people?" Air was their potential problem. "If we used only the shuttle tanks, we'd be limited to about a week. But we're getting our air from Wink. We'll continue to do that as long as it's available. When it freezes out there, we'll switch to our own system. But we should be fine. There are a lot of things we need to do though, and we have to get to them before it gets too cold outside."

"Food," said Janet.

Hutch nodded. "That'll be your job, okay? We'll assume rescue will be late."

"Where do we put the food?" asked George. "Space is limited in here. We know where to get more if we need it. Why not leave it outside? It's not as if anything will spoil."

"I'm not so sure," said Hutch. "We're talking cold. Better we have it in here where we can control temperatures. I don't want to leave anything to chance."

"Okay," said Carson. "What else?"

"Water. Frank, you take care of that." She told him where to find containers, and then turned to Maggie. "Cargo area divides into three sections. There's a washroom at the rear. We'll expand that, and use the other two sections as living quarters. See what you can do in the way of furnishings. Oh, and if you can get us a supply of towels, soap, dishes, that would help." She glanced around the cabin. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Where are you going?" asked Carson.

"The bridge. We have to tie into the ship's communication system. Back here, we won't know what's going on."

"We'll need the Flickinger belts, too," said Carson.

"Right. We've got six in storage. I'll bring them back. You guys should take a few minutes and make a list of what we need. Try not to miss anything." She opened the hatch and climbed out. The air seemed less cold than it had.

She went only a few steps before she smelled something burning. "We've got a fire somewhere," she told the link. That brought everyone boiling out of the shuttle.

It was coming from one of the ducts. They traced it to the food processors, and minutes later they were all on the scene.

One of the units had overheated and burned out its wiring. They tried to shut it down, but the override didn't work, and they ended by disconnecting it.

The temperature was now near freezing, and no one had anything heavier than a light jacket. They were thoroughly chilled when they returned to Alpha.

"I'll go with you to the bridge," said Carson. "I don't think anybody should go anywhere alone anymore."

That made sense to Hutch, but before she could reply, Janet held up her watch, and pointed out the window. "It's still dark," she said.

It was by then almost 7:00 A.M., GMT. Ship's time. The lights should have brightened in their simulation of the day-night cycle.

Hutch took care of her technical chores first, ensuring that she had full control of Winckelmann's communication systems. For good measure, she also connected routine shipboard controls. She wondered how long her circuits would last after the starship froze over. It occurred to her that Wink might suffer a complete communications blackout. Maybe, if that happened, she could launch Alpha at noon April fourth, on the assumption that Valkyrie would be in the area. But that was risky: if the rescuers failed to arrive, there would be no guarantee they could reconnect with the ship's air supply. Furthermore, she wondered whether the shuttle bay doors would respond when the time came.

She consulted the computer:

Q. AT CURRENT RATE OF HEAT LOSS, AT WHAT TEMPERATURE, AND AT WHAT TIME, WILL SHUTTLE LAUNCH DOORS BECOME INOPERABLE?

A. AT 284 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. 031903Z.

"Uh-oh," said Janet. "The nineteenth? Wasn't that last week?"

"I think we can write off the computer," said Hutch.

Daylight arrived at 1010 sharp. It snapped on, bright, intense, noon at sea. They were spread out through the ship, foraging what they could, and they greeted the sudden illumination with cynical cheers.

They set themselves up as comfortably as conditions allowed. They disengaged chairs and tables from the main cabin, found three divans, and anchored them in their living quarters. They even mounted a few prints. Maggie put a crystal dolphin on one of the tables, and Janet tried to rescue the occasional plants that were scattered around the ship. But it was much too late for them.

As a safety precaution, Hutch shut down all unnecessary systems. The rings no longer turned, and their simulated gravity ceased. Everything had to be bolted down. Drinks were taken through straws, and the shower was an adventure.

On Monday the 28th, the fourth day after the collision, they received a reply from Nok. Hutch read it, and then handed it around:

RECEIVED YOUR 03/241541Z and 03/241611Z. UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE NO SHIP TO SEND. HAVE PLACED YOUR REQUEST ON GENL BROADCAST TO NEAREST VESSEL, SURVEY SHIP ASHLEY TEE, CURRENTLY IN HYPER. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME BETA PAC APR 11 RPT APR 11. GOOD LUCK.

"My God," said Janet, "that's two weeks. What happened to the Valkyrie?"

Hutch slumped into her seat. "Maybe they canceled the run. They do that if there's no reason for a flight. Maybe it needs maintenance. Who knows? What difference does it make?"

LIBRARY ENTRY

During my entire career, which has embraced a number of notable successes (if I may be allowed the indulgence), along with some spectacular failures, I know of no single event that has so frustrated me as being sealed inside Winckelmann and its shuttle craft, within a few million kilometers of an archeological puzzle of overwhelming dimension. And being able to do absolutely nothing about it.

My companions share my concern, although they are distracted by life and death issues. I'm scared too. But I'd still like to get a look at the Football. What is that thing? Incidentally, I should record here that I'm glad we have Hutchins along. She is something of a jerk. But I know she'll pull us out of this. If it can be done.

— Margaret Tufu's Journals, dated March 29, 2203

Published posthumously by

Hartley & Co., London (2219)

(Edited and annotated by Janet Allegri)

"We're going to have to come up with something else."

Ship's temperature had dropped to -30 °C. Electronics systems had begun to fail. Water lines had long since frozen. Hutch, concerned that a hatch somewhere might freeze and cut them off from other parts of the ship, left everything open.

Janet found an auto-kitchen on C deck and carried it back to Alpha. It was capable of making sandwiches, coffee, and snacks. They also commandeered a refrigerator.

The day after the bad news had come from Nok, Wink's lights went out. Hutch thought she could restore them, but saw no point in making the effort. So they huddled in their warm, illuminated cocoon, in the belly of the dark ship.

And they worried about the air supply. They were still breathing from the ship's tanks, and tapping the snip's power. But the loss of the lights had shown them the future. Any time now, the voltage that drove the recyclers would fail, or the pumps would freeze, or any other of a dozen misfortunes would shut down the oxygen supply. Then they would have to switch to the onboard tanks, and from that time they would have one week left. Plus roughly twenty-four hours with the Flickinger belts. The Ashley Tee was due, at best, in thirteen days. Which meant that if the ship's air supply failed any time within the next five days, they would not make it.