Death Sentence (50 page)

OUT OF CONTROL...

The universe turned flaring bloodred with light that blasted in through the viewport, illuminating every nook and cranny of the
Sholto
's interior in blinding bright crimson. Jamie covered his eyes and gritted his teeth, bracing himself for whatever else might happen. But nothing else did.
Not so bad this time,
he told himself.
Just a little light show.
As long as the light didn't leave them dazzled or blinded--and as long as there wasn't some other invisible, nastier sort of radiation along for the ride--they ought to be all right.

There was nothing left to do but wait it out. It was almost impossible to predict how much subjective time a transit-jump would take, but usually it was no more than a few seconds, or a minute.

It was only after about twenty seconds that Jamie sensed the vibration, the rhythmic shudder, that seemed to be coursing through the ship, fading out, and then reappearing, a little more powerful each time, each pulse coming faster and with greater intensity. The structure of the ship began to creak and moan. The interval between periods of vibration shrank until the shaking was nonstop. The noise was getting worse as well.

"Hannah!" Jamie called out.

"I have no idea!" Hannah yelled back, answering the question Jamie was about to ask.

They had gotten through the transit-jump. But the ship was out of control.

BSI: STARSIDE: DEATH SENTENCE

A Bantam Spectra Book / June 2007

Published by
Bantam Dell

A Division of Random House, Inc.

New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

Copyright (c) 2007 by Roger MacBride Allen

Bantam Books, the rooster colophon, Spectra, and the portrayal of a boxed "s" are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-553-90374-4

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