p; “How long?”
“Forever.”
“Then keep him here, immobile, until I tell you to do otherwise.”
“Yes.”
“Now tell me, am I controlling you because I knew the codes, or because I have these jewels?”
“What jewels?” asked the voice.
Rigg opened his hand. A light moved toward his hand and an arm scanned the jewels.
“These are command module jewels. The red teardrop controls the starship of Ramfold. The pale yellow pentacle controls the starship of Vadeshfold.”
“But right now you are obeying me because I spoke to you in command language.”
“You said the codes,” said the voice. “You are acting commander of this vessel.”
“Acting commander,” said Rigg. “Who is the real commander?”
“Ram Odin,” said the voice. “He is dead.”
“So as the acting commander, I’m the only commander, right?”
“Unless someone else knows the code.”
“Does Vadesh know the code? The expendable?”
“I know whom you mean by Vadesh now. Yes, he knows the code.”
“Can he use it to control the ship?”
The voice seemed to Rigg to be almost offended. “Expendables do not control us. We control the expendables.”
“Not very well,” said Rigg.
“Your judgment is misapplied,” said the voice. “Expendables are designed to have almost complete freedom of movement and judgment. They can draw on our data but we do not interfere with their decisions until and unless we are ordered to by a human commander.”
“Vadesh told us this was the control room,” said Rigg.
“That was not true.”
“Is there a control room? A place where I can use this jewel?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take me there?”
At once Vadesh came alive, turning from the wall and heading for the door through which Rigg and Loaf had entered the room. “Follow the expendable,” said the voice.
After one last look at Loaf, lying on the table under the lights, hoses attached to him, the facemask covering his face, Rigg followed Vadesh out into the corridor.
CHAPTER 7
Control
The real control room made far more sense than the medical room that Vadesh had lied about. A single seat in the middle was held up by an arm that could move it in any direction, swiveling as needed. Three main control stations surrounded it, and this far Vadesh had told the truth: One was devoted to navigation, one to life support and other aspects of the internal running of the ship, and the third to the creation and control of fields—including the Wall.