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No problem, Helva assured them. Miss Colmer is& resting, I believe the
professional term is. I shall encourage it. And she proceeded to flood the
pilot s cabin with sleepy gas.
The Manager signaled acceptance, emitting relief that the problem had a
solution. Helva sent everyone off to bed after a protein-rich meal. Kurla and
Nia preferred to bunk on the couches despite the fact that Helva had cleared
the gas from the cabin. Kurla agreed to administer a timed sedative to Ansra
to keep her unconscious while there was no one in the ship.
The cast voted to limit the first rehearsal to 4 hours. However, all
apprehensions vanished when it became evident to the troupe that the
understudies were very discreet with energy emissions. In fact, back at the
ship again, there was a mood close to hysterical relief.
Those Corviki are the quickest studies I ve ever worked with. Tell em once
and they just don t forget, Escalus exclaimed.
Yes, they are holding back, aren t they, Davo agreed. But will they know
how much to emit, to make the show come alive? I mean, there s that old
difference between amateur and pro.
Good point, Davo, Prane said, and one I discussed with Manager. I talked
over unconserved energy levels with him and he assured me that he had taken
measurements during our performance so that they will know when to emit energy
to produce the proper reactions. He has great dominance, that man, great
dominance.
And a fine sense of level integrities, too, Chadress added, nodding
thoughtfully.
You sound more Corviki than human, Nia said in her droll way.
Prane and Chadress looked at her, their expressions puzzled.
Well, you do, Kurla agreed.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you know, Prane said into the
silence, but, to Helva, his joviality sounded forced.
The second rehearsal went so well that Prane decided only one, slightly longer
additional session would complete the contract.
Let s get it over with then, Escalus said. There s something seductive
about that freak-out place that gets to you. I ve a hard time thinking human.
Escalus was right, Helva thought. She found it all too easy to think in
Corvikian terms. And Prane and Chadless seemed to have moved theatre semantics
into another frame of reference entirely. She d heard them discussing staging
in terms of excitation phases, shell movements, particle emissions, subshell
directionals until she wondered if they were talking theatre or nuclear
physics.
She kept an eye on Prane, anyhow. Kurla was too, but playing Juliet to Prane s
Romeo was overloading her circuits sufficiently to cloud her discretionary&
Helva caught herself up sharply. The sooner they all got away from here, the
better.
She watched Kurla administer an additional sedative to Ansra. The woman had
been kept unconscious for 40 hours. Five more wouldn t hurt her. It had
certainly improved the ship s atmosphere.
She told Kurla that she d be down directly and then checked all circuitry on
the ship. Once the Corviki removed that power block they could leave, but she
wanted no last-minute delays.
Prane was offstage when she got down, dominating with his understudy. She
found hers and then was swept into scene of the fourth act.
The Corviki had more trouble this cycle controlling their suppressed energy.
It occurred to Helva that Davo need not have worried that the dramatic content
would be lacking. Remove all the instructors with their frail spirits, and the
Corviki would deliver every bit of excitation required by the formulae.
Helva had to expend effort now to control excitement. Prane did, too, for as
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he and his understudy, the two Balthasars beside them, waited to enter the
churchyard for Romeo s death scene, he seemed to be leaking energy.
The time controls are fixed? he asked nervously. They cannot be altered?
He was on before Helva could answer.
The rehearsal was soon over. The Manager had to exert tremendous control over
his spontaneous emissions as he complimented the actors. He announced that the
information on isotope stabilization had been sent to the ship in a specially
prepared container, and that the ship s power was unblocked. He kept emitting
on such a broad baud that Helva felt the insidious tug of entropy and
resolutely made her farewells.
Transferring back, it took her a moment, a moment of regret that seemed an
eternity, to get her bearings. She detected the container neatly secured in
her engine room, violently radioactive as yet, so it had better stay where it
was.
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