In the cabin alongside the sickbay, Arthur and Fenchurch sat in silence watching the sleeping girl.
“She’s very beautiful,” said Fenchurch after a while.
“Yes.” Arthur looked again. He’d never really thought of this before. In his mind she was more a strange collection of complex experiences that had come into his life, since Trillian had left her on Lamuella with him, than a real person. It was hard to think of her in such simple terms as earthly beauty.
“There is so much I have to explain,” he continued. “So much to tell you.”
“You don’t have to, not now.”
“But I must, it’s been so strange, so crazy. I need to tell you.”
And so he did.
¨
The Heart of Gold drifted lifelessly through the star-studded spacescape known to the people of Earth, or, at least previously known to the people of earth, in fact, more correctly, known to the people who had previously lived on that planet called Earth that had previously existed in this dimension, as the Milky Way.
Ford and Roosta burst back onto the bridge. Ford’s strange little tool had been joined by a veritable armoury of odd devices from the ships manual repair kit and both of them were strewn with wires and cables.
“I don’t believe it, I really do not believe it.”
“Nor me,” said Roosta
“We must go,” said Slartibartfast, seemingly oblivious to what they had just said. “Much as I sympathise with you all over the state of the poor girl, the fate of the universe is still in jeopardy. We must find the bird and destroy it.”
“We aren’t going anywhere,” said Ford firmly.
“But I must insist. We can look after her when all this is done. She is in no immediate danger, at least no more than anyone else in the Galaxy. We must find the bird…”
“We aren’t going anywhere because we can’t go anywhere”
“What do you mean?”
“The ship is broken. That last use of the infinite improbability drive has burned it out.”
“Wuh…” said Roosta
“The Heart of Gold, the thing that makes it work,” continued Ford, ”is nothing more than a burnt charred lump…”
“Buh…” added Roosta
“…and it its taken all the navigation, the stabilysis system and the automatic sensor field generators with it. We’re stuck here”
“Lu..” Roosta’s voice was a squeak.
“What are you on about?” snapped Ford, glaring at Roosta. He and Slartibartfast were facing the back of the bridge, Roosta was looking at the screens behind them.
Roosta pointed at the screen, eyes wide with astonishment.
Ford and Slartibartfast swivelled round. “What is the swutting photon is that!” blurted Ford.
Right in the middle of the screen was a huge yellow and black, shark-like ship. It grew and grew until it filled the whole screen. In it’s centre a massive hatch opened, the Heart of Gold slipped inside and suddenly the screen went black.
A loud crashing noise boomed out and the ship rocked violently. Ford, Roosta and Slartibartfast were thrown to the floor.
A few seconds later Zaphod, Arthur and Fenchurch rushed into the bridge “What the hell are you guys doing?” they cried together. “Don’t you know we’ve got sick people onboard?”
“It’s not us, something’s happening to the ship,” hissed Ford.
At that moment there was a flash of blue light and two small figures appeared in the centre of the bridge. Ford recognised immediately that they weren’t really there, merely a holographic projection from their own vessel.
“Greetings, lifeforms!” they said together.
“I am Horlau Dreedle” said one.
“…and I am Potu Dreedle” said the other.
“We represent…”
“…the Dreedle Deepspace Breakdown Rescue Company.”
“We can’t help but notice…
“…that your spaceship appears to have broken down.”
“May we ask…
…if you are members of DDBRC?”
“What?” Zaphod asked.
“We operate a rescue service…” said Horlau
“…for travellers in this sector of the galaxy,” added Potu.
“For a small monthly fee…”
“…we will cover you against breakdown, asteroid damage, fuel loss…”
“…and a host of other problems.”
“If you take our Gold Cover we will even transport you and you ship…”
“…if we can’t fix it on site…”
“…to the nearest spaceport.”
“Oh, yeah,” Zaphod was beginning to see the angle. “How much is this fee?”
They named a figure.
“Weeeelaaaah!” said Zaphod.
“Unfortunately, if you are not member…”
“…we cannot help. Goodbye, sorry to have troubled you.”
“Wait!” Ford suddenly had an idea. “How about we pay the fee now?”
“Forget it, Ford, we haven’t got that sort of disposable income.” Zaphod began to turn away.
“Yes, You can join now,” said Horlau, “but you won’t be eligible for recovery until twenty-eight days after your first payment.”
“But, for Zark’s sake, we need rescued Now!” Zaphod banged each forehead with a hand in turn.
“No,” said Potu, “that’s not how insurance works.”
“But,” said Ford, “How about we double the fee. Or triple it?”
“Ford?” Zaphod was beginning to think his semi-cousin had now totally flipped.
The Dreedles looked at each other.
Ford continued “And I arrange so we travel back in time a month so it’s paid then…”
“OK,” Horlau clearly saw good deal when he saw it and to hell with policies.
Slartibartfast interjected, his mind jumping several steps “Can you take us to a planet called Eslovain instead? We can pick up my ship there.”
“Oh, Take-Home service? That will be extra”
“Dine-o-charge?” said Ford, flipping his card out of his pocket.
“That will do nicely!” chimed the Dreedles