Farthest Reef (29 page)
Authors: Karl Kofoed
Tags: #Fiction, #Action & Adventure, #Science Fiction, #space
Sporting a bit of a tan, Stubbs was wearing shorts and a colorful Hawaiian shirt. En route to the house, Mary had noticed several people dressed as brightly and felt compelled to inquire about it. Stubbs just laughed. “The Captain’s wife led a revolt, it seems. A fashion revolt.” He looked at the Captain, who stroked his gray stubble thoughtfully, listening to the Commander. Stubbs blinked and forced a smile. “Sorry, John.”
“Computer,” said Stubbs. “Display recording of Howarth’s egg. Random examples.”
The computer chose
Diver’s
forward cameras as they were diving toward the giant orb. “This is thirty seconds before
Tai Chi
was lost,” said Stubbs as the events played before their eyes. They all drank their geebrew and watched as the camera followed the motion of the ship. The record showed that
Diver
had narrowly missed the surface. The picture show ended with Johnny standing in front of the great stain they had left on the surface.
“All this is history,” said Stubbs. “The computer could have … well, you were exploring an alien place.”
“Johnny was collecting samples. Looking the place over,” said Tony, sitting in a chair next to the food panel. As the picture had played he’d only watched it in glances.
Alex remembered Tony being quite cool through it all, but the rerun seemed to disturb him. “Not jets for goin’ back, ’eh, Tony?” he said.
“What the heck was that thing?” answered Tony.
Stubbs nodded. “By now, sentiments like that have been heard all over the ship.” He turned toward the screen and regarded the lingering image of the stain. “The crew should be moving into the speculation phase.”
“It was disorientation,” said Alex. “With something that big and flat in front of you it seems easy to just lay down on it. But it was glowing and …”
“There was chatter back and forth.” Stubbs raised an eyebrow and looked at Alex.
“Of course there was. And a mistake was made by our crew,” said Johnny, standing by the door. “I’m done with the med check. They told me to come here.”
The Captain moved over on his white foam sofa and made room for the Professor, but Johnny got a geebrew before he sat down. As he withdrew a brew filled cup from the wall slot, he looked at the image on the screen. “We can’t change what happened. We have to go get them. That’s all that matters. We wanted to punch into the shell ourselves, but if we vanished …”
Stubbs held up his hands. “I see no fault. Your actions were appropriate. You’ve trodden alien ground. To find fault with mishaps is pointless. If errors were made, they were made by the crew of
Tai Chi
, and they paid for their blunder, if that’s what it was. You came back for reinforcements. That was …”
“What d’ it matt’r? What’re we gonna do? What?” insisted Captain Wysor. “We’re pissin’ time ’way.”
“We all know what needs to be done,” replied Stubbs, casting a baleful eye on the Captain. “And we’re all eager to do it.”
Alex was exhausted. Aside from a few fitful naps, he hadn’t really slept during the entire mission. He suspected Mary felt the same way. “We need sleep if we’re going back,” said Alex, looking at her.
Mary nodded and yawned. “Sorry,” she said, covering her mouth. “When will the other shuttle be ready?”
“’s ready, Mary Se’enteen,” said Wysor. “We can’ …”
Stubbs interrupted. “The shuttle is being fitted with a new gee-system and we’re adding more … systems.”
“
Shuttle
Galileo
will be ready for launch in four hours
,” offered the computer.
6
Stubbs elected to join the rescue mission. He went from the meeting directly to the shuttle
Galileo
with Alex and Mary, who decided to nap aboard
Diver
until the launch. Alex was thinking about it when as he buckled himself back into
Diver’s
pilot seat. Mary was already strapped in the co-pilot position. Through the cabin windows they watched the tech team scrambling to prepare
Diver
for the trip. Sciarra was with them, directing the installation of a new radar system.
“About that nap,” Alex said, closing the window shutters. But just then the hatch opened and Johnny arrived with news that cost them any notion of sleep. There were two last minute additions being made to the ship; one alive, the other deadly.
“We’ve brought some stowaways in our hold, Alex. Just in case.”
“Stowaways?” Mary sat up in her chair, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
Johnny began fidgeting with his bubble and two techs floated into the weightless cabin carrying equipment, and the conversation stopped there, leaving Alex and Mary to wonder. Two female techs entered with still more equipment and made Alex leave his seat while they installed what one called his new tactical helmet. Also installed, above the dash, was a projection system they said would display what was in front of them in three dimensions.
Alex and Mary watched mutely while the work continued, then suddenly Mary gripped his arm. “Clicks,” she whispered. “In our hold.”
“Clicks?”
“At least two,” she said. “Babies.”
“Dingers,” said Alex. “What the hell for?”
Mary shrugged. “Stubbs’ idea, I’ll bet.”
One of the women, dressed in drab green coveralls but sporting a gaily colored bandanna, asked Alex to sit in the pilot’s seat while she fitted him with his new helmet. “This is a tactical virtual display helmet,” she told him. “Ever seen one before?”
“No.”
The helmet was a transparent shell with two thin visors attached, one clear and one black. A program was running when the tech officer put the helmet on Alex. Lowering the clear visor, he saw a normal view of what lay in front of the ship, minus the dash. When he lowered the black one, following the tech’s instruction, a tactical grid was superimposed over the normal scene. “This is weapons targeting,” she said.
“Weapons? What weapons?” Mary asked, looking shocked.
Ignoring Mary, the tech officer touched the dash. Suddenly there were targeting crosshairs everywhere Alex looked. His eyes had become the targeting system. “What does this shoot?” he asked, glancing at Mary. When he did so the cross hairs targeted on her. Appalled at the sight, Alex averted his eyes to a girder outside the ship.
The tech smiled. “A pumper … and a LPW.”
“What are they?” asked Mary.
Alex kept his eyes fixed on the girder as he flipped up the visor. “The LPW is a laser weapon,” Alex said.
“And the pumper?”
“I’m not sure.”
The tech smiled and removed Alex’s helmet. “You don’t have to wear this all the time, Captain Rose,” she said as she adjusted the padding inside the helmet. “You can use the viewscreen to target. But you have to do it manually.”
“What’s a pumper?” Mary asked.
“Sonic pulser. Works best in atmosphere,” was the terse reply.
“So we’re going in shooting?” said Alex. “Is that the plan?”
The woman had finished her installation and was packing away tools. “I just install the stuff,” she said. She looked him over from head to toe and smiled. “Good to meet you, Captain Rose.”
“Jeeps,” said Mary. “Do we need weapons?”
The tech officer snapped her tool case shut. “You’re asking the wrong person.”
Johnny’s bubble modifications were finished as well, and the technicians gathered at the airlock to leave.
Tony entered moments later. “The clicks are stowed. The new landing pads are installed,” he told the Professor.
Johnny nodded approvingly. “Sounds good, Tony. Take your seat. We launch as soon as we do a systems check.”
Sciarra’s face fell. “I was hoping for some sleep.” He sighed and went to his seat. Buckling into it, he switched on the radar system and stared glumly at the screen.
“I have two questions for you, Professor Baltadonis,” said Mary. “Why are we bringing clicks? And why carry weapons?”
Johnny smiled. “Insurance and … insurance.” Without elaborating, he lowered his bubble.
“Sheesh!” said Mary, looking at Alex. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to treat this like a military operation.”
Johnny switched on the intercom when his bubble was in place. “Stubbs and I don’t see any other option, but your reaction is noted, Mary. Meanwhile, everyone buckle up. We’ll launch soon.”
Chapter 14
1
Galileo
launched first from
Goddard’s
shuttle bay, commanded by Stubbs. Like Johnny, he had his own virtual bubble. His crew consisted of Dan Hoy, whom Alex had known from the crew of Wysor’s Ganny ship
Cornwall
, and a radar and communication officer named James Wilson. Captain Wysor had volunteered to pilot the ship, but Stubbs insisted that he belonged at the helm of
Goddard
. Reluctantly he sent Hoy, the best of his shuttle pilots. Jim Wilson was from Earth and worked with Sciarra on
Goddard’s
radar system.
As they left
Goddard’s
orbit and dropped closer to the shadowy planet beneath them, Alex felt confident that they had the hardware and personnel to deal with whatever awaited them. That seemed to be true of everyone except Mary, who sat brooding while both crews chatted over the intercom. He knew what was bothering her. It was in the back of his mind as well. Bad enough that
Tai Chi
had barged into the alien world, now
Diver
would be doing the same thing, armed for war. The question was simple: would the aliens interpret their actions as a hostile invasion? Alex knew they had no choice but to try to rescue Matt and his crew. The weapons were tools to achieve that mission – insurance, as the commander had said.
The computer handled their descent, leaving both crews free to talk, or sleep, as was the case with Tony. Shortly after the first retro burn he pushed two noise dampers in his ears and shut his eyes. It had been two days since he had slept. Since then he had been besieged by briefings, analysis, and planning sessions. Then he had to oversee the installation of
Diver’s
new radar system.
“Well,” Johnny said, “if any of us has earned a few zees, it’s Tony.”
Alex watched the shadowed landscape loom larger through the cockpit windows. The glow of re-entry was beginning to surround them. A final radio message from
Goddard
, before static severed the radio link, described
Diver
and
Galileo
as looking like two tiny green sparks, crawling across the face of the planet.
2
Stubbs wasn’t interested in playing it safe. As soon as the vortex of Old Blue appeared on the horizon he asked Mary, via intercom, if she could hear the sonde Johnny had left on Howarth’s egg.
“I hear it, but you can, too,” said Mary, switching the signal to the intercom. Pops, squeaks, whistles, and static filled both cabins. She looked at Alex and smiled cheerfully. “See?”
Alex couldn’t hear the signal at first, but after listening closely for a moment a soft pinging sound could be heard. He gave Mary a thumbs up.
“Nice t’ know the aliens didn’t eat it,” said a familiar voice.
“Is that you, Dan?” asked Alex.
“Indeed,” said Dan Hoy. “Are we in the pike?”
“We’re that, all right,” replied Alex, happy to hear the man’s homey Ganny accent.
“Tony’s zeein’ it thru’ the firewo’ks, eh?” asked Dan.
“Can’t you hear ’im snorin’?”
“We might need Sciarra’s expertise soon,” cautioned Wilson,
Galileo’s
radar officer.
“Let him sleep, Jim,” said Stubbs. “We’ll follow the signal. According to my console we have a lock at thirteen thousand kilometers.”
On the first trip into Old Blue,
Diver’s
sensors and instruments had garnered a wealth of information about conditions there. Since
Diver
was none the worse for wear, Stubbs and his advisors saw less reason for caution on the rescue mission. They could have gotten to Howarth’s egg faster. A simple command to the computer would put them there in minutes, but Stubbs hadn’t entirely thrown caution to Bubba’s winds. He ordered the computer to proceed slowly enough to avoid unexpected obstacles, even large ones like storm cells. Alex suspected the commander wanted to enjoy the trip as much as time allowed. It was, after all, a rare opportunity for the scientist from Earth to visit a truly alien world. As
Diver
and
Galileo
dove into the thickening frigid atmosphere, they slowed down considerably.
Johnny estimated they’d arrive at their destination in about two hours. To Alex that meant time to nap, but he couldn’t relax knowing that at any moment he might have to pilot them out of trouble. He looked at Mary, hoping to start a conversation that would help him stay awake, but she had been lulled to sleep by the steady drone of the engines and the soft but distinct pinging of the distant sonde.
On its armature attached to Alex’s seat, the new tactical helmet sat ominously, waiting to be used. More from boredom than anything else, Alex took it from its mounting and put it on. Its black military visor snapped down sharply as the targeting system came on. He saw a tactical display, crosshairs and all, overlaying an augmented camera view of what lay before the ship. The clouds rolling toward them were interpreted in shades of blue and rendered in three dimensions. To Alex it looked like they were swimming through a lumpy blue fluid.
The view was fascinating enough, but the multicolored grids and throbbing yellow crosshairs were disconcerting. Alex raised the black visor, as the tech had shown him, but left the thinner transparent one in place. The view wasn’t as threatening, but it was still a mind-bending sight as the two shuttles pushed on through storms, methane blizzards, and hail.
Johnny announced he was going to switch on the cabin’s holographic display. Alex removed the helmet and placed it back on its mount. The Professor warned the crew that the view would be extraordinary, but Alex wouldn’t have chosen that word to describe the scene. Alarming was more like it. Johnny’s display made it appear that the front of their ship had vanished entirely. Alex looked at Mary, but she was still asleep. He wondered what her reaction would be when she awakened and saw the illusion. Looking around the cabin, he debated whether he should wake her. Tony was still asleep, too, and Johnny was secure in his bubble.
Alex was thirsty and had to pee. He called out as softly as possible to Johnny. “Professor, I need to get some coffee and, um …”
“Very well,” said Johnny’s voice, “I’ll watch our heading.”
Alex made his way in the reduced gravity to the rear of the ship. As he hastily relieved himself, he noticed his bearded face in the mirror above the hydro sink. It showed a week’s growth, and his sandy gray hair needed washing and combing. He would have showered and shaved then and there, but he didn’t want to leave the ship pilotless for long. After a stop at the food panel for a muffin and a coffee he quickly returned to his chair. As he strapped into it Mary awoke and squinted at him. Then she saw the holographic display. As he had feared, Mary shrieked.
Startled into consciousness, Tony awoke with a loud snort and fell out of his chair.
“What the hell was that?” yelled Johnny, raising his bubble.
Embarrassed, Tony scrambled back into to his seat. “Sorry,” he said. Then he saw the hologram and his eyes widened. “What the hell?”
By then
Galileo
, having heard the commotion, called to them on the intercom. “Baltadonis,” inquired Stubbs, “do you have a problem?”
Triggered by the radar, the proximity alarm suddenly sounded and everyone froze, staring at the projection. Mary had recuperated enough from her shock to straighten in her chair and face front. “I still hear the sonde,” she said, trying to sound calm.
Other than the undulating blue globules of atmosphere there was nothing visible directly ahead of them. “We’re not seeing anything on the radar,” said Johnny. “Are we, Tony?”
Sciarra looked at his screen. “There’s something two clicks ahead. No definite shape.”
“Storm cell?” asked Stubbs.
“I think it’s the top of the reef,” said the voice of Jim Wilson.
“Are w’ deep enough?” asked Dan Hoy.
“We should be getting there soon,” answered Johnny.
Alex remembered the balloons that supported the heated pylons. “The mini-reef. With the balloons,” he offered.
“It could be anything.” Mary squinted at the hologram, trying to see farther ahead.
“Jeez, Johnny,” said Tony. “That projection is almost too good. I mean, you can hardly see the front of the ship.”
“Turn it off, Johnny,” pleaded Mary.
“Switching it to the viewscreen,” said the Professor.
As the holographic projection vanished Mary leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Good,” she sighed. “Thank you!”
Johnny lowered his bubble again. “Tony and Jim, let’s see if that new radar … and my new imaging program … is any good. I’m upping the power to
Diver’s
radar forty percent.”
“Copying that,” said Tony.
A new image formed on the viewscreen, showing a vast froth of bubbles floating in a broad patch, perhaps fifty kilometers wide. “There’s your upper reef, Commander,” Alex said.
Tony looked skeptically at his own radar screen, then at the projection on the viewscreen. “Do we need to blast the radar?” he said. “It’s not exactly a stealthy approach, is it?”
“We’re on a rescue mission, not an attack run,” declared Stubbs.
“What do you propose we do when we get to the sonde, commander?” asked Alex. “Blast our way in?”
“Oh, of course,” answered Johnny.
“Is that the plan?” asked Jim Wilson.
“One step at a time, Jim,” answered Stubbs. “We’re playing this by ear, as they say.”
“What did the staff make of the egg?” asked Alex.
“It’s artificial,” offered Johnny. “And it shares some characteristics with Jupiter’s reef.”
“One of your characteristics is comin’ up fast,” said Hoy. “Are you seein’ this o’er there, Alex?”
During the descent the two ships had closed ranks to five hundred meters.
Diver
was in the lead as they entered a clear space. When
Galileo
cleared the clouds the ships drew closer together. Side by side, they leveled their flight angle, still following the sound of the sonde.
“I think I’ve pinpointed the sonde,” said Tony. “It’s dead ahead.”
“Diver
and
Galileo
have reached the target depth
.
I am directed to turn over control of the ships to their assigned pilots
,” announced the computer. “
May I hear verbal confirmation please? First, pilot of shuttle designated
Galileo
, Daniel Hoy. Confirmed?
”
“Confirm’d,” said Dan.
“
Pilot of the shuttle, designated
Diver.
Alex Rose.
”
“
Confirmed?
”
“Confirmed,” replied Alex as he firmly grabbed the drive stick. “Vacation’s over, Hoy,” he said. “Time to trim the sails.”
“
Computer control relinquished on order of mission commander. Harold Grosvenor Stubbs
.
Confirmed?
”
“Confirmed,” Stubbs replied courteously. “Alex, take the lead.”
Alex pushed the stick forward and felt
Diver
respond.
“Ahead fifteen k.p.h.,” Johnny added. “Down five degrees. Switching on infrared running lights.”
Commander Stubbs’ voice echoed the checklist, then added, “Right behind you, Johnny.”
3
It didn’t take long to find a channel that led between the mossy floating clusters. From their vantage point, a hundred meters above the reef, both crews could see that the gas bags that supported the whole mass weren’t the only living things present. As the two shuttles’ lights hit the reef they saw stirrings in the mossy tangle that connected everything. Suddenly dartlike things sprang from everywhere, like shrapnel from a grenade, sending smaller creatures flitting for safety. Some crawled and some flew away, while others slithered into the dark recesses between the balloons.
“No place to stop and have a picnic,” observed Stubbs.
The passage down through the maze of reef seemed wide enough to accommodate both ships as long as they flew in single file. Alex reported as much to Johnny and Stubbs before committing the ship to a dive. “It looks tight, Stubbs,” he concluded. “If we do it single file …”
The Commander was resolute. “As quickly as possible, Alex. Take us in. Single file is fine.”
From the moment the two shuttles entered the cavern, the dart birds were constantly active, jumping back and forth between the gas bags like rocket propelled spiders, leaving trails of silvery threads that gleamed in
Diver’s
lights.
“Those darts are weaving the balloons together,” said Tony.
“Like they’re tryin’ t’ keep us out!” answered Dan. “Do you see that?”
“The channel’s wide enough,” Stubbs reassured them. “This is fascinating, but let’s get mov–” A loud thump was heard on the intercom.
Stubbs?” said Johnny.
“Still here,” said Hoy. “One o’ th’ dart s nail’d us in the cabin winda’.”
Wilson’s voice could be heard muttering, “Just bounced off the glass. No biggy.”
“Proceed.” Stubbs’ voice sounded unsteady and out of breath. “Hang those bastards.”
Alex nudged the stick forward a bit. “Fifty meter spread. Okay,
Galileo
?”
“That’s fine, Alex,” answered Stubbs impatiently. “We’re right behind you. Fifty meters.”
The radar image was still on the viewscreen, but through the windows they could see their surroundings well enough. Shafts of blue light were rising through the channel from far below, moving constantly as the rising warm breezes moved the huge floating structure.
The balloon layer proved to be no more than a hundred meters thick. Below that was the layer of material that fed the living gas bags, a mossy black mass with large nodules at the base of each balloon. Here, too, they saw movement, but no creatures leaped out at them. Only once did Alex see something with legs skitter out of the light.
As they entered a shadowless realm of soft blue light, the scene brightened. Carefully,
Diver
and
Galileo
moved through a seemingly endless forest of thick vine-like cables. At the base of the layer of biota they were spaced closely together and difficult for Alex and Dan to avoid.
Galileo’s
pilot, lacking Alex’s forward vantage point, clipped a few before they moved into more open air.