"Loose the headsails! Hands aloft to loose the topsails! Let go fore and aft!"

Captain Rennier's voice boomed out across the ship as he issued the orders that would cut them loose from their moorings at Crescentia. Doppler was standing with the officers on the bridge, watching how the captain's words prompted a flurry of activity, spacers racing nimbly through the rigging or heaving away at lengths of rope as thick as a man's arm.

"Heave up on the bracers!" Rennier shouted. "Brace up!"

The shell-shaped sails, brilliantly white against the blue of the late afternoon sky, unfurled like wings and billowed outwards as they caught the wind. The conducting web within them began shimmering as it absorbed the solar energy, indicator lights on the masts informing the officers of the power that was being fed to the ship's drives. Doppler could feel a slight vibration through the planks beneath his feet as the mighty engines awoke.

"Ventral thrusters, if you please, helm," said Rennier. "Take us up."

Doppler saw the dock slip away beneath them as the ship lifted clear. Mantabirds flocked around it as it rose away from Crescentia, calling in their raucous, musical voices. Turning his head, he saw Amelia standing erect, hands folded neatly behind her, face carefully impassive but eyes alert to every detail. He had already been thinking of the launch of the RLS Legacy, and the sight of her brought those memories back even more strongly. The sails fluttered in the wind until the spacers drew them tight and drew the lashings up.

"Clear two-forty, sir," said Aurora, who was standing at the ship's navigational console, watching the holographic displays. Rennier nodded.

"Very good, navigator. The helm is yours. Take us into space."

"Aye, sir." Aurora stepped forward. "Thrusters to neutral! Helm, bring the bow around northeast-by-north, heading zero-three-zero mark two. Engines ahead, one quarter."

"Zero-three-zero mark two zero, ahead one quarter, aye!" The helmsman echoed the commands as he carried them out, spinning the polished oak wheel. Amelia turned and walked across the bridge towards Doppler, watching the spacer carry out the order with an eagle eye.

"Heading confirmed, ma'am!" Aurora reported. "Engines engaging in three...two...one...mark!"

"Brace yourself, doctor," Amelia murmured to him with a wink.

Shifting his feet on the deck as he felt the ship accelerating, Doppler smiled ruefully as he remembered the last time he had ignored that advice. "Aye, aye, admiral."

"Level the azimuths!" Aurora called. "Full tops and steady on this course."

"Level, full tops and steady, aye!"

"Engines all ahead, cruising speed."

"All ahead cruising, aye!"

"Very good, navigator," Amelia said. "Is our course set?"

Aurora nodded. "Aye, ma'am. We'll hold this course for forty hours until we join the Gannic Route."

"Gannic Route?" Doppler asked.

"It's a trade route," Aurora explained. "It'll take us within a week's sail of the Kovis Twins. Then we'll have to turn to traverse wilderness space."

"Trade protection is part of our role," Amelia went on. "Might as well take the opportunity to show the flag in those parts. Close down from departure stations and commence the watch cycle, Flag-Captain," Amelia nodded to Rennier. "Then report to me in my cabin along with the Chief Engineer."

"Aye, Admiral."

"We've a few last-minute details to discuss about installing your telescope, doctor," Amelia smiled. "Once we're done, you'll be able to get to work."

Doppler nodded, knowing better than to push things to go faster. "Er, thank you."

"In the meantime, perhaps a tour of the ship since you'll be calling it home for the next few weeks?" Amelia glanced around at Aurora. "Flag-lieutenant?"

Aurora made a mark on a chart and nodded. "It would be my pleasure, ma'am. I'm not needed here until my watch begins."

"Excellent." Amelia gave a nod of thanks. "Carry on, then, everyone. You all know where you're supposed to be."

The officers dispersed to their stations if they were on watch, or below decks if they were not. After the excitement of the departure, the ship began settling into a more normal routine as spacers came down the rigging, leaving the sails open above them. Doppler looked behind them and was impressed at how small Crescentia was already, a shining crescent moon hanging in the distance as the swift-moving warship left it behind. His gaze was interrupted by a polite cough behind him as Aurora stepped forward to get his attention.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." Doppler blinked.

"That's quite all right, doctor." Aurora grinned. "Shall we begin?"

"The Lyonesse is the first of her line," Aurora said, as they left the bridge. "The newest capital ship in the fleet. The first ship that doesn't have to make a tradeoff between speed, firepower and protection, they say. She's 450 feet long and 60 feet in the beam with an astral displacement in the vicinity of 11,000 tons."

"She's certainly bigger than the Legacy," Doppler smiled.

Aurora laughed. "That's not the only difference, doctor. Please, follow me."

She led him the length of the main deck, telling him about the ventral and decks masts and the acreage of canvas they could spread to catch the wind and pointing out the mountings for the six carronades, stumpy, big-bore cannon that were woefully inaccurate at anything but close range but capable of mauling any target that came too near. Doppler ducked his head to follow her down the forward companionway to the gun deck. The ceiling was much lower overhead now, with the thick ribs of the ship now visible, partitioning the deck off into a number of bays. Here the crew moved methodically and carefully around the hunched, powerful shapes of the heavy guns that lined the sides of the ship. The ship creaked gently as it met the astral currents, running fast and free into deep space.

"This is the main battery," Aurora said. "Forty guns, twenty to each side. We can turn the four foremost guns to face directly ahead as bowchasers if we need to."

"They're, er, big," Doppler managed, stepping around one. The dull silver machinery had an almost palpable air of threat and menace.

"They're 110-pounder breech-loading rifles," said Aurora, with an air of amusement. "But it's the autoloaders that make the difference. The guns still have to be trained manually but the ammunition-handling is completely mechanised, which also means we can use heavier shells. We used to have ships with twice as many guns as this one, but the rapid fire the Lyonesse is capable of means that we could still outshoot them if it came to it."

"Well, I suppose that's comforting." Doppler nodded.

"The hull is twelve inches of star oak," Aurora went on. "Six inches either side of a layer of adamantine alloy. It gives us the same protection as two feet of oak for only two-thirds of the weight."

"Efficient," said Doppler, trying to keep up with the barrage of facts.

"The ship is built around a keel of Juraian timber, one long piece from stem to stern all cut from the same tree. And there's a double thickness of the alloy around the engine spaces and the main power distribution conduits," Aurora added. "You could blow almost all the hull off this ship and she'd still be able to fight back."

"Let's try not to put that one to the test," said Doppler. Aurora laughed.

"I pray not, doctor. Shall we proceed? The crew's berth deck is below us, and then I could show you the engine room."

"How many crew do you have?"

"Two hundred and sixty officers and spacers, plus Major Tansley's Royal Marine contingent," said Aurora promptly. "But don't worry, doctor, you've still got a cabin of your own aft. I had a desk moved in there for your work."

"And I'm most grateful for the fact," said Doppler.

"You're a guest of Her Imperial Majesty's Navy," grinned Aurora. "And let it never be said that the Navy is less than generous to its friends."

"Heaven forbid," said Doppler, grinning back.

"Officer on the deck!"

They had descended a flight of stairs to the berth deck. A watchful spacer had seen Aurora's uniform and called her comrades to attention, but Aurora waved them back.

"As you were, spacers. Carry on."

She began leading the way down the middle of the deck. Doppler tried to follow her, giving the occasional nervous smile to any spacer who happened to stare at him. The berth deck had a low ceiling but was well-lit with electric lanterns and open ports to let the daylight in. The crew slept in bunks, sturdily built and bolted firmly to the deck. Off-duty spacers were unpacking their belongings and stowing them as tidily as possible, or were sitting at folding tables between the bunks playing games or talking. In the confined space the noise was such that Doppler could barely hear Aurora's voice as she explained – he thought – about the galley and the ship's cooking facilities. Trying to concentrate, he tripped over a spacer's trunk and stumbled into a bunk with a cry of alarm. Aurora stopped and looked back at him.

"Doctor? Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just tripped a little bit, that's all."

Aurora saw the offending trunk and looked up at the spacer standing behind it severely. "Keep the centre aisle clear at all times, spacer. You know the regulations. What's your name?"

"Spacer Third Class Bushell, ma'am! Seventh Division!"

"Well, Mr Bushell, I'll be expecting more care from you in future."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am." The young man looked sheepish.

"No harm done this time, Mr Bushell. Am I right, doctor?"

Doppler straightened his coat and nodded. "Absolutely."

"Very good, then. Carry on, Mr Bushell." Aurora turned her lilac gaze back to Doppler. "We have a large number of new spacers fresh from the recruiting depots on board, I'm afraid. But we'll shape them up soon enough. Shall we continue?"

"Um, actually, if it's all right," Doppler hesitated, trying to be polite. "Not that I'm not enjoying this tour, of course, but...if it would be all right I'd rather get up to the top deck and make sure that SIRIUS is all right."

Aurora smiled. "As you wish. We can always finish the tour later. I'm sure that the Admiral will put the engineering department at your disposal."

"I could do with the help," Doppler admitted.

"I'm sure you'll manage." Aurora smiled again. "Now, then, doctor...this way will probably be the fastest back up top."

Evening fell quickly, and Doppler soon found himself working by lamplight as he toiled to set up the telescope on the foredeck. A clear space had been made and a large metal platform bolted into the white timbers to serve as a solid foundation onto which the telescope fitted. The SIRIUS telescope itself – a large cylinder of brass and copper, dotted all over with lenses, wires, turning handles and other paraphernalia, sat horizontally in its cradle. A chair was attached to one side behind the eyepiece, under which Doppler was lying as he worked on a particularly inaccessible part of the device. A blueprint was open on the deck beside him and he sat up to consult it, accidentally banging his head against the telescope. He blinked back stars for a while and shook his head to clear it.

"Oh, dear...now, let's see here..."

He studied the plans intently for a moment before lying back and resuming his work. It was only a few moments before a polite cough interrupted him. He sat up again, repeating the mistake.

"Dang it all! Yes, what is it?" He rubbed his forehead and looked up at the intruder. The ship's junior lieutenant, who had been introduced to Doppler by the name of Pike, stepped back nervously.

"Er...sorry, sir. The Admiral sends her compliments and invites you to dinner with her in her quarters."

"Oh. I see." Doppler sat up hurriedly and looked at his grease-stained hands. "Um...can it wait a few moments? I'd better go and scrub up."

"As you wish, sir." Pike touched his hat. "I'll tell the Admiral that you'll be along directly."

"Thank you."

Pike vanished. Doppler wiped his hands on a rag, which he stuck absent-mindedly into his pocket, and folded away the blueprints. The prospect of dinner with Amelia was one worth looking forward to – in fact, he remembered, the last time they would have shared a meal on board a ship was on the voyage to Treasure Planet. He made his way back to his cabin to wash and change into new clothes as he realised ruefully just how far the grease from the telescope had penetrated. As a result, it was some time before he presented himself to the Royal Marine guard outside Amelia's cabin.

"State your business, sir," the young soldier said crisply.

Doppler was momentarily taken aback. "Er...dinner?"

"It's all right, private. Let him through."

Doppler turned at the sound of the voice and saw the Sergeant-Major of Marines walking over to them. She was a lanky felinid whom Doppler recognised as an old comrade of Amelia's. Sergeant-Major Ko was a few years older than his wife with grey and white fur and a prominent scar disfiguring the left side of her face. She was walking with the support of a cane, but this did nothing to diminish her authority and the sentry snapped smartly to attention at her command.

"Yes, sar'nt-major!"

Ko gave Doppler an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, doc. Half of my boys and girls here just came out of boot last week. They'll learn."

"I have no doubt," Doppler smiled. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Take my respects to the Admiral, won't you?"

"Of course."

Ko nodded her thanks and glanced back to the sentry. "Carry on, private."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Doppler stepped across the threshold of the door that the guard had opened for him and was back in the opulence of Amelia's stateroom. Without the other officers there, the size of the space was even more apparent and Doppler almost wanted to shout to make sure that Amelia could hear him from where she was sitting at her desk.

"I'm sorry if I'm late. I thought it best that I scrub up before accepting your invitation."

Amelia, who had been scrutinising some paperwork, looked up at him and smiled. "Well, better late than never. I'm glad you could join me. You'd been so occupied by that contraption of yours that I was wondering whether I'd be able to tear you away."

"You'll never have difficulty convincing me to spend some time with you," Doppler smiled back.

Amelia laughed as she stood up. She had hung her heavy gold-encrusted uniform from the back of her chair, but she still wore a red silk sash that provided a brilliant contrast to her white waistcoat and shirt. Two places had been set at the end of the long conference table and a number of dishes waited for them under polished silver covers.

"I'm afraid I've dismissed my steward for the night," Amelia said. "We'll just have to muddle through by ourselves."

"I'm sure we can manage." Doppler smiled as he drew back Amelia's chair for her. She sat with a smile of thanks and reached out to take the lid off a bowl of soup. The smell struck Doppler even before he was able to sit down and uncover his own bowl. He sniffed the air appreciatively.

"I say, that's rather good!"

"Don't believe all of the rumours you hear about the Navy's rations," Amelia grinned. "And besides, there are some perks to flag rank."

"So I see." Doppler smiled. "Well, I must say that it's nice to share a meal with you again, whatever the comestibles on offer."

"It certainly is." Amelia smiled back across the table. "How long has it been?"

"Longer than I care to remember," said Doppler ruefully. "Between your duties and my getting caught up in the SIRIUS project it's been a little difficult to match up our schedules."

"One of the benefits of spacing is that you leave all those ground-bound problems behind," Amelia agreed, sipping her soup. "Though not, I realise, entirely in your case since you brought SIRIUS with you. I trust that there were no problems with the installation?"

Doppler shook his head. "No, no problems. Your engineers did a splendid job today. I'm about halfway done calibrating it, too. If all goes well, we may be able to run a test program on it by tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm pleased to hear it." Amelia said. "I wouldn't want this mission to be over before it began, after all."

"Which reminds me," Doppler smiled. "I think I owe you more thanks than I've given you for this. For letting me use your flagship for this research, I mean."

"Well, it seems to be the ideal vessel for the job," said Amelia. "And besides...you were right about our schedules lately. This seemed to be the only way to make sure that I got to see any of you."

Doppler reached across the table and took her hand gently. "I'm grateful for that reason, too."

Amelia smiled and patted his hand. "As am I. And I trust that you were able to make all the necessary arrangements at home before leaving?"

"The children are safe and sound with Mrs Hawkins," Doppler nodded. "I do hope they won't be too much of a handful for her, though."

"I'm sure she's more than capable." Amelia smiled sadly. "Though I do hate having to leave them...even if they're still too young to really know why."

"They'll understand one day," Doppler said reassuringly. "But I know what you mean. I don't like it either. If only there was a way I could have stayed back on Montressor..."

"Not for the first time, I find myself wondering whether we're parental material." Amelia sat back and put her empty soup bowl to one side.

"The fact that you're wondering that means that you probably are," Doppler said.

"I do hope so." Amelia looked downcast for a moment before she roused herself and leaned over to take the lid off another dish. "Ah, yes, I think you might like this. Fresh pasta from a Barellian merchant liner that came into port just this morning! Mr Simons was able to obtain a sack or two for my cabin supplies."

"Sorry?"

"My private steward," Amelia explained. "Aurora is splendid, of course, but cookery is not part of a Flag-lieutenant's job description."

"I was a little surprised that she wasn't here," said Doppler, helping himself to the main course.

"She'll be in the wardroom," said Amelia. "It's a tradition on the first night of a voyage for the officers to invite the ship's captain to dinner."

"But you're not there?"

Amelia smiled kindly. "I think you've forgotten, my dear. I'm not a captain any more. Flag officers are a species apart. Which is, of course, all the more reason to be glad that you're here, otherwise I'd be dining alone."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want that," Doppler smiled back. "So what do they do at this traditional first night dinner?"

"Offer up hopes for a safe and timely voyage," said Amelia. "And the Naval toast, of course. As it's Friday, I believe it should be, 'a willing foe and room to steer' tonight."

"I could quite happily do without the willing foe," Doppler remarked.

Amelia laughed. "Yes, I hope that particular tradition won't need invoking. So how about we try something else?"

Doppler picked up his glass and smiled. "To scientists and spacefarers?"

Amelia laughed again. "I rather like that one, yes."

"I'm glad you approve."

"Very much." Amelia touched his glass with hers. "After all, scientists and spacefarers do seem to be a good match..."

"Action stations! Action stations! All hands to action stations!"

Doppler awoke with a start, sitting up so sharply that he caused a cascade of books and papers to fall from his small bedside table. The ship's klaxon was howling and the corridor outside his room was filled with running feet and shouted orders. Above the wail of the siren, Captain Rennier's voice came over the loudspeakers again.

"Action stations! Action stations! All hands to action stations!"

Doppler tumbled out of bed and fumbled for his shoes and his spectacles. Fortunately he had fallen asleep more or less fully dressed. He threw on his burgundy coat and hopped around the room for a moment as he tried to jam his shoe on and tried to catch up with what was happening. The urgency of the alarm seemed real enough and he wondered whether the ship was under attack. Finally ready, he opened his cabin door cautiously and looked out, hoping that he wouldn't be bowled over by a hurrying spacer. Nobody else was in sight in the narrow corridor that ran through the officer's quarters, but a door to another cabin suddenly opened and Lieutenant Pike dashed out.

"What's happening?" Doppler called, raising his voice above the klaxon.

"I don't know!" Pike adjusted the ride of the sword he had buckled onto his hip. "But you'd better get to the bridge, doctor!"

"Er, yes. Yes, of course." Doppler watched the young officer hurry off towards the gun deck and turned his mind to determining the quickest way up on deck. As a supernumerary, his action station was on the bridge, mainly, he suspected, to make sure that he was somewhere he could be seen and was unlikely to touch anything regrettable. He hastened up a flight of stairs onto the deck, almost colliding with a column of marines as they jogged past him.

"Move yourselves! Move! The enemy won't wait for you!" Sergeant-Major Ko was following them, her cane tucked under her arm as she herded them towards the forecastle. Spacers were racing up and down the rigging, and the shouts of officers and petty officers cut the air. The sound of the klaxon below decks was more bearable up here and Doppler ran breathlessly up the stairs to the bridge. Amelia was there, pacing to and fro, while Rennier was standing at the rail, holding small brass devices in their hands. Aurora was busy at the ship's main console, her face illuminated by the holographic displays, Midshipman Collis and Lieutenant Grath by her side.

"Damage control parties report ready fore and aft, ma'am," she said.

"Very good, navigator." Amelia didn't stop her pacing.

Doppler looked around the ship and then raised his eyes to scan the sky around them. As far as he could see in the early morning light, there was no enemy in sight. It had been four days since they had left Crescentia and two days since they had joined the Gannic trade route. A few white dots here and there in the distant ether hinted at the presence of merchant ships, but there was no immediate threat that he could see.

"Fire control status, Master Gunner," Amelia said.

Constantine, standing at his own console, was frowning in concentration. "All crews at stations and all circuits connected, ma'am. But I've got a red light on the bow shell hoist."

"Clear it," Amelia's voice was curt. "Major Tansley?"

The marine commander saluted as he hurried up to the bridge. "All my lads are in position, ma'am."

"Very good. Stations below?"

"Engineering reports ready, ma'am," said Grath. "Magazines manned and sealed. Ship's surgeon reports sick bay is standing by."

Doppler looked at Amelia again, desperately wishing he could go to her and ask what was happening, but she was clearly preoccupied by whatever emergency was overtaking the ship. Even so, her keen eyes remained attentive to every detail unfolding on the deck of her flagship. She frowned and turned sharply, raising her voice.

"Mr Constantine! The breech operator on the port bow carronade is not attending to his duty! I want his name!"

"All internal bulkheads read closed, ma'am," said Aurora. "Power distribution steady at one zero zero."

"How's that shell hoist, Mr Constantine?" Rennier asked.

"Cleared and cycling, sir!" Constantine reported. "Board is green!"

Rennier turned to Amelia and touched his hat.

"The ship is at action stations, Admiral. All systems functional."

"Time?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.

Rennier clicked the device in his hand, which Doppler could now see was a stopwatch. He scrutinised the display for a moment before replying to Amelia.

"Six minutes, fifty four seconds, ma'am," he said.

"Not good enough, Captain," Amelia shook her head. "Not nearly good enough. I want a four in front of those numbers by the time we get back to port."

"Aye, ma'am. We've still time to whip these lubbers into shape." Rennier nodded.

"Stand the crew down, if you please." Amelia nodded to him. "And Mr Constantine? Talk to Chief Engineer Vendross and see about getting a crew to inspect that shell hoist. I don't want it pulling that trick on us when we do this for real."

"Yes, Admiral!"

"For real?" Doppler blinked. "You mean this was just..."

"A drill, doctor. Practice." Amelia nodded. "We have a new crew on board. They have much to learn."

Doppler sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair, which he hadn't even had time to draw back into his customary tail. "I don't suppose you'd care to give me some warning next time?"

"That would rather defeat the purpose of the exercise, now, wouldn't it?" Amelia smiled kindly. "I apologise for the inconvenience, doctor. Perhaps some breakfast would help to make amends?"

Doppler smiled wryly. "I suppose it would, yes."

"Then would you care to meet me in my cabin in, shall we say, fifteen minutes?" Amelia grinned. "That should give you enough time to dress properly.

"Dress properly? Oh..." Doppler looked down and realised that he had put on his coat inside out. Looking up, Amelia caught his eye and winked. He grinned back and pulled off the coat.

"Well...I'll just go and...and do that, then. Yes."

By the time Doppler arrived in Amelia's grand stateroom, the crew had gone back about their business and the atmosphere of the ship was a good deal more relaxed. As he closed the door behind him, he saw that three places had been set at the long table and his sensitive nose quickly detected the smell of eggs and bacon somewhere nearby. Aurora was standing by the table in conversation with the ship's chief surgeon, a tall Macropodian in a long white coat. The conversation was unusual in seeming to be entirely one-sided, with Aurora doing all the talking, until Doppler realised that the doctor was mutely writing her responses on a notepad.

"Ah, good morning, Doctor." Aurora caught sight of him. "The Admiral will be with us shortly. In the meantime, I assume that you remember Surgeon-Commander Gray?"

"I'm hardly likely to forget the doctor who delivered our children." Doppler smiled at the Macropodian, who merely gave him an economical nod of recognition in return. Doppler thought about extending a hand, but thought better of it. Surgeon-Commander Eleanor Gray was an old comrade of Amelia's, but Doppler had never felt quite at ease in her stern, silent presence.

"Um…I trust that there's no medical emergency on board?" he said, trying to make conversation.

Gray shook her head, but seemed disinclined to offer further enlightenment. Doppler held her gaze for a moment before he looked away awkwardly. Aurora took pity on him.

"There's tea and coffee on the sideboard if you like," she said. "The Admiral's steward will be bringing in breakfast for us."

"Us?" Doppler looked surprised.

"The Admiral has me take breakfast with her every now and then," Aurora said. "I may be the ship's navigator, but I'm still her Flag-lieutenant, and it helps to stay on top of business."

"Of course." Doppler smiled at how Aurora still referred to Amelia by her rank even when she wasn't in earshot. He went to the sideboard, where a samovar of bright silver and gold was sitting by a rack of cups, saucers and glass bottles of tea leaves and coffee. He chose a cup and was filling it with hot water by the time the cabin door opened again and Amelia stepped through.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," she said. "Ah, doctor. Good to see you."

It took Doppler a moment to realise that his wife hadn't been addressing him, but had been speaking to Gray. The surgeon nodded cordially and passed Amelia a sheet of paper, which she read closely.

"I see. And this is all?"

Gray nodded.

"Do they require isolation?"

Gray shook her head.

Amelia nodded. "Very good, then. Carry on."

Gray touched her forelock in salute, glanced at Aurora and Doppler, and left the cabin, her heavy tail bumping on the door coaming. Doppler relaxed as the door closed behind her. Amelia smiled at him and made her way to the head of the table.

"Do sit down, you two," she said. "You must be hungry."

"Is there anything the matter?" Doppler asked as he took his seat. "I mean, with Dr Gray here, I thought…"

"It's one of the many paradoxes of spacing," said Amelia, "But a ship is never so unhealthy as when it first leaves port. We've got scores of people all packed on board. It doesn't take much for a common cold to run riot in the first few days of a voyage. Once it passes, funnily enough, a well-run ship is extraordinarily healthy because it has no contact with anyone or anything that could introduce new illnesses on board. But those first few days need to be managed."

"Ah? Well, I suppose that makes sense."

"So I had Dr Gray conduct a survey of the crew. There are a few minor cases that have spread among the crew, but nothing serious and nothing that would require us to turn back." Amelia took a cup of tea proffered by Aurora with a smile. "All is well, I'm glad to say."

"And I'm glad to hear it," Doppler said. "Er…is there anything else I should know about?"

"Only to enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetables while they last," Amelia said. "We can only carry a few days' worth of fresh food even on this ship. Speaking of which…"

A door, discreetly white-panelled to blend into the walls of the room, opened and a spacer emerged carrying a tray on which plates had been neatly arranged. With steps as deft as any waiter in a high-class restaurant, he placed serves of eggs and bacon in front of Aurora and Doppler and a bowl of muesli in front of Amelia and stood back.

"Will there be anything further, Admiral?" he asked.

"Not at present, Mr Simons." Amelia shook her head. "Carry on."

Simons nodded and left the room quietly. The food smelled enticing, but Doppler politely waited for Amelia to begin before he picked up his own knife and fork.

"I trust that your installation is going to plan?" Amelia asked. "You mentioned calibration tests today."

"Yes, if all goes well." Doppler nodded. "I'll just need to make a few exposures and run them through the spectral analyser."

"Excellent." Amelia smiled.

"Your engineers have been most helpful connecting it to the ship's power grid," said Doppler. "I was rather worried about having to do that myself."

"Why is that, doctor?" asked Aurora politely.

Doppler coughed and looked down at his plate. Amelia grinned.

"Let's just say that the question, 'how many astrophysicists does it take to change a light bulb?' has an answer somewhere in excess of one."

"Oh, I see." Aurora smiled. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing that you're on board with us, then."

"Quite so." Doppler agreed. "The Navy is certainly better-organised than the university."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Amelia. "And we're still on schedule, are we not, Ms Mayflower?"

Aurora nodded. "That we are, ma'am. The solar wind is a little weaker than we anticipated but we've run up new sails and charged the engine capacitors to compensate."

"Very good." Amelia took a sip of tea.

"Can I expect any more...exercises like this morning's?" Doppler asked nervously.

Amelia gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid so, doctor, yes. This is a flagship, after all. If you're engaged in some particularly sensitive research, I can arrange for you to be exempted from the drill."

Doppler looked relieved. "Thank you. That would be appreciated."

"Although I must insist that you remember where your station is in the event of an emergency," Amelia went on. "I can't have you being a liability to yourself."

"I understand." Doppler nodded. "I promise I won't let you down."

"I have every confidence in you." Amelia smiled. "Now. Any communications from the ethernet?"

Aurora picked up a few sheets of paper. "Nothing much, ma'am. Just housekeeping, really. The RLS Plenitude has resupplied the outpost at Port Duncan and is returning to Crescentia. The repairs on Pier 144 are commencing as planned. Nothing that affects us out here."

"Indeed not." Amelia sighed happily. "I won't lie and say that I'm disappointed. The paperwork was always my least favourite part of the job."

"I can believe that," said Doppler. "I did always think it strange to see you working behind a desk and not in space."

"The price of flag rank." Amelia smiled sadly. "Which makes me even happier to take advantage of situations like this when I can get into the sky again."

"You seem to manage it all very well," said Doppler chivalrously.

"I have an excellent aide." Amelia gestured at Aurora, who smiled modestly.

"I'm proud to be of service, ma'am."

There was a knock on the door. Amelia put down her knife and fork and stood up.

"Enter!"

Midshipman Collis stepped inside and touched his hat. "Captain Rennier's respects, ma'am, but you're needed on the bridge."

"What is it, Mr Collis?"

"A ship in distress, ma'am. Or so we think."

"Very well. My compliments to Captain Rennier, and I'll be there directly."

"Aye, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." Collis vanished.

Amelia smiled at Doppler and Aurora. "It seems that we may have a small diversion on our hands. With any luck, it won't interfere with our plans."

"No, no, it's quite all right." Doppler said. "I just hope it's nothing serious."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Amelia stood up. "Navigator?"

"Coming, ma'am." Aurora stood as well.

"Er..." Doppler put his napkin aside nervously. Amelia smiled.

"Yes, Delbert. You, too."