The chapter title pretty much sums it up, really.
Still a bit dazed from the purchase of Tug One, to say nothing of Heller's sudden appreciation of the value of blackmail, Gris finds himself "hazed" aboard the vessel "the way they do animals that have gotten out of pasture." The word you're looking for is herded, Hubbard.
Heller gets Gris up in the navigator's seat and straps him in tight, warning that the tug's extreme and sudden speeds could be dangerous (Heller himself is, of course, relaxing on the edge of his seat without any restraints). He talks about the tug being able to move in any direction, though from the description we've been given all the engines would seem to be on the vessel's rear. But eh, hate to nitpick over thruster placement when the vehicle's primary engines somehow manipulate time.
Gris gets to endure a quick and unpleasant trip from the Fleet base to an Apparatus hanger, choking on Tug One's dusty interior and sick to his stomach after thoughts of revenge against Heller set off his indigestion. Heller gets his ship set up in a horizontal landing position and orders the blustering hangar chief to get a cleaning team to service his new baby, palming the Apparatus scumbag a bit of cash to ease the transaction.
And then old Atty, Heller's Fleet buddy who tagged along for the trip, corners Gris and confesses that young Heller is a bit of a speed demon, and worries that Tug One will be the death of him. So the officer decides it's Gris' responsibility to ensure Heller's safety, and of course he threatens the Apparatus agent with the wrath of the entire Fleet if Heller comes to harm.
The chapter ends with a habitually miserable Gris being sick again. That's it for this exciting installment from Mission Earth! I find myself looking forward to the parts of the book where Gris is going around murdering people, because at least something is bloody happening.
Back to Chapter Four
Waiiit...that's it? The end of the book? Normally I'd say "you're kidding," but I somehow know you're not. Good god...is it just me or did ... nothing, yknow, happen? Or at least nothing which could have been summed up in half a chapter AT MOST?
ReplyDeleteUgh. Anyway, so do you already have the remaining firestar- I mean, books ready to go? Do you need them located and somehow donated to you? Seriously, I'm willing to help provision your brave, suicidal textual mission if needed. Email me at my Gmail address, same name.
Keep up the good work! After this, you will have proven yourself to be either mentally indestructible or a pudding-head... we shall see.
Don't make me start jonesing....withdrawals from a year of almost daily dosings of Battlefield Spork were not pleasant.