Showdown At Centerpoint by Roger MacBride Allen

Author:Roger MacBride Allen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-05-16T11:01:37+00:00

DOUBLE CONTAINMENT LEFT SIDE RELATIVE INTENSITY.

The dial is marked from one to eleven, with the dial set at the center

point, six. The other two dials appear to control quad mode settings. As we

are clearly in double mode, the quad settings are not of any consequence."

"Twist the double level to one side as far as it will go-" Q9 did so, and

the force field forming the children's containment promptly darkened, so

much that the effect was plainly visible even in the near darkness of the

repulsor chamber. "Turn it the other way," Anakin said. Q9 did so, and the

field faded away again, until it was completely invisible, even in infrared.

Anakin pushed at the field again, and it gave a bit more this time-but even

pushing as hard as he could, he could not get out. "Any more controls on

that thing?" Anakin asked. "That is all," Q9 replied. "Thought so," Anakin

said. "Couldn't feel anything else." "Then why did you ask me?" "Because I

wanted to be sure!" Anakin said. "Don't act so weird, okay?" "Am I still

behaving strangely?" Q9 asked, "Or do you just want me to think I'm behaving

strangely? Is that your plan?" "Q9, we don't have lime for this," said

Jacen. "Later. Whatever it is you're doing, do it later. All right?" Q9

looked at him suspiciously. "I am not 'doing' anything besides following

orders." "Never mind," Anakin said. "Q9-is it all as low as it can go? So it

makes the field as weak this side as it can be?" "As low as it can go

without the key, yes." "All right," said Anakin. "Hope it's good enough.

Here goes." He extended his arms in front of him and spread out his stubby

fingers as far as they would go. He shut his eyes and stepped forward, until

his hands were in contact with the force field. "Gotta move slowly," he

reminded himself. Pushing slowly, gently, he thrust his hand deeper and

deeper into the weakened force field. The field around his hands began to

shimmer and spark, brightly at first, but then fading away, until Anakin was

standing in a pushed-out bubble of the force field, a bubble that was marked

by dim, shimmering flickers of power. Anakin pushed farther on, but seemed

unable to make further progress. "Help me," he said to his brother and

sister. Jacen and Jaina stepped cautiously forward into the extruded bubble

of the force field. Jacen shut his eyes and stretched out his hands. He

frowned and shook his head. "I don't see what you are- Oh, I get it." He

pushed out his hands farther, and Jaina did the same. The bubble lit up

again with shimmers and sparks that did not light up quite as much as they

did the first time, and that faded away more quickly and more completely.

"Try again, Anakin," said Jaina. Anakin pushed on the force field with just

his left hand this time, with slow, steady pressure that stretched the field

farther and farther. And then, moving quite slowly and gently, he bunched up

his fingers into a fist and extended just his index finger. He pushed

forward with his finger, stretching the

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