Read The Ship Who Won for Free Online

do though, I'll just send Simeon a microsquirt to
    be sure Maxwell-Corey's left for D sector...."
    "Or someplace else equally distant from us. It isn't as if
    we can't hang out in space for a while on iron rations until
    Sime sends you an all-clear burst," Keff offered bravely,
    although Carialle could see he didn't look forward to the
    notion.
    "If the IG is sneaky enough ..."
    "... And he is if anyone deserves that adjective...."
    "... to scan message files he'll know when Simeon
    knows where we are, and he could put a tag on us so no
    station will supply the 963."
    "We shall not come to that sorry pass, my lady fair," Keff
    said, lapsing into his Sir Galahad pose. "In the meantime,
    let us fly on toward R sector and whatever may await us
    there." He made an enthusiastic and elaborate flourish and
    ended up pointing toward me bow.
    Carialle had to laugh.
    "Oh, yes," she said. "Now, where were we?" The Wizard was back on the wall, and he spoke in the creaking
    tenor of an old, old man. "Good sir knight, thou hast fairly
    won this scroll. Hast anything thou wish to ask me?"
    Grinning, Keff buckled on his epee and went to face
    him.
    While Keff chased men-at-arms all over her main cabin,
    Carialle devoted most of her attention to eluding the
    Inspector General s attempts to follow her vector.
    As soon as she cut off Maxwell-Corey's angry message,
    she detected the launch of a message drone from the SSS-900, undoubtedly containing an official summons. As
    plenty of traffic was always flying into the stations space, it
    took no great skill to divert the heat-seeking flyer onto the
    trail of another outgoing vessel. Nothing, and certainly not
    an unbrained droid, could outmaneuver a brainship. By
    the time the mistake was discovered, she'd be out of this
    sector entirely, and on her way to an unknown quadrant of
    the galaxy.
    Later, when she felt less threatened by him, she'd compose a message complaining of what was really becoming
    harassing behavior to SPRIM. She'd had that old nuisance
    on her tail long enough. Running free, in full control other
    engines and her faculties, was one of the most important
    things in her life. Every time that right was threatened,
    Carialle reacted in a way that probably justified the IGs
    claim of dangerous excitability.
    In the distance, she picked up indications of two small
    ships following her initial vector. All right, score one up for
    the IG: he'd known she'd resist his orders and had ordered
    a couple of scouts to chase her down. That could also mean
    that he might have even put out an alarm that she was a
    danger to herself and her brawn, and must be brought
    back willingly or unwillingly. Would the small scouts have
    picked up her power emissions? She ought to have been
    one jump ahead of old Sennet and expected this sort of
    antic. She ought to have lain quiescent. Oh well. She really
    couldn't contest the fact that proximity to the IG did put
    her in a state of confusion. She adjusted her adrenals.
    Calm down, girl. Calm down. Think!
    Quick perusal of her starchart showed the migration of
    an ion storm only a couple of thousand klicks away.
    Carialle made for it. She skimmed the storm's margin.
    Then, letting her computers plot the greatest possible
    radiation her shields could take without buckling, she slid
    nimbly over the surface, a surfer riding dangerous waters.
    The sensation was glorious! Ordinary pilots, unable to feel
    the pressures on their ships' skins as she did, would
    hesitate to follow. Nor could their scopes detect her in the
    wash of ion static. Shortly, Carialle was certain she had
    shaken off her tails. She turned a sharp perpendicular
    from the ion storm, and watched its opalescent halos
    recede behind her as she kicked her engines up to full
    speed.
    Returning to the game, she found Keff studying the
    floating map holograph over a cold one at the "village
    pub." He glanced up at her pillar when she hailed him.
    "I take it we're free of unwanted company?"
    "With