“As far as we can determine, sir…” the lieutenant answered, “when you step through a gate you just are there. It’s as if you hadn’t been at another point. We’re still trying to figure out the physics for it. But that’s the effect.”

“Okay,” the admiral said, shaking his head. “I sometimes long for the days of Halsey. Captain? You understand the mission?”

“Three weeks to a month to even get there, sir,” Blankemeier said. “Unknown time on site and in the area looking for the hostiles and getting a handle on the situation. Then another month back. I hope we don’t take damage like the last time. Leaking air for that long would be… tough.”

“You’re just there to find out what happened, Captain,” the admiral said. “Try not to get into any furballs. But… It’s like old time ship captains. If you decide that it’s necessary to take action, take action. You’re going to be very much on your own until the eggheads figure out how to replicate that drive.”

“We’re doing our best…” Bill and the lieutenant said almost simultaneously.

“Sir,” Bill added, grinning.

“I see that you and the lieutenant will have a lot to talk about on the trip,” the admiral said, standing up. “Start your recall. I want you under weigh in no more than two days.”

“Sir, that may be impossible,” Commander Coldsmith interjected.

“Say again?” the admiral replied.

“I’m not sure we can get all the personnel through pre-mission physical that fast, sir,” the commander said uncomfortably.

“Damn,” Miller interjected. “I’d forgotten about pre-mission physical. How could anybody forget pre-mission?”

“We try not to think about it, Chief,” Blankemeier said, nodding. “But that’s a real problem.”

Pre-mission physical was extremely… extensive. Its purpose — besides determining that the person was ready for the rigors of space flight on the Blade — was to ensure that the person that Earth sent out was, in fact, the same person Earth got back. It involved not just all the normal procedures of a physical, blood and urine tests, heart checks, etc., but extensive mapping of the person’s brain and body chemistry. The point was to ensure that the person who came back was not carrying any alien parasites or stranger beings.