“Put on a smock and a mask,” Dr. Webb said and pointed at a cabinet. Kessler complied and then looked at Caroline. She smiled, and he approached and took her hand.
“I'm fine,” she said and coughed. He smiled at her.
Van Zant cleared his throat.
Talbot sat up a little straighter. “What is Captain Ibori's condition, Dr. Webb?”
Webb looked up at the display. “Vitals are all stable.” He continued his physical examination. “Good God.”
“What is it, Doctor?”
“There seems to be something attached to her spine and skull. Very fine tendrils, hundreds of them. They all branch out from a root attached to the back of her neck.”
“Can you get them off of her?”
“Unknown, Captain. I'm taking a blood sample.” He stuck a hypo in her arm and a computer screen lit up on the wall console. Data and chemical formula streamed onto the screen. Webb stood and looked at the data. “Yes. There is the isomer of dimethyltryptamine; the same as I found in Captain Talbot's bloodstream.” He waved his hand and another chemical appeared. “But this is something else.”
“What is it?”
Webb tapped a few keys. “I'll be damned.”
“What is it, Doctor?”
“It looks like RNA.”
“Ribonucleic acid?”
“Yes. Memory RNA. Many lifeforms use variations of it to stimulate neurons and encode memories.”
“Is it her own?”
“No, Captain, it is foreign. It is my hypothesis that the tendrils attached to her body are the source.”
“You're saying that something injected her with memory RNA?”
“That's what I'm saying.”
“Whatever did this wanted to control her,” Van Zant said. “It softened her up with the dimethytryptine isomer and then injected the RNA to control her nervous system.”
“Very possible hypothesis,” Webb said. “In Captain Talbot's case, the dimethyltryptamine opened her mind, but her own RNA was the cause of her ... behavior.”
“The implications are obvious,” Van Zant said. “San Miguel can no longer be considered a candidate for colonization. This threat must be studied.”
“I agree,” Talbot said, “but we must return to Silmais Orbital and report to IES Command. The Sally Ride is expecting to set up an outpost on a habitable planet. Will Captain Ibori recover, Dr. Webb?”
“Possibly, but I need to run more tests.”
“Wait a minute,” Kessler said, “what about the rest of the crew of the Lalande? Aren't we going to try and save them?”
“Judging by what was attacking us just before we took off,” Van Zant said, looking at his pockcomp, “I think such an undertaking would be impossible.” He waved his hand and an image of the beast appeared on the computer screen. “Who knows what other deadly lifeforms are on this planet? Then there is the dimethyltryptamine contamination of the environment.”
“We have to try, Captain,” Kessler said.
“Right now, it's not up to me. What do you say, Dr. Webb? Am I fit for duty?” She looked at Van Zant.
“Of course,” Webb replied.
“I yield command to you, Captain Talbot,” Van Zant said.
“Thank you, Mr. Van Zant. Yes, we need to try and save them. Let's get the scientific staff working on a solution.”
“Commander Kessler,” Calhoon called over the intercom.
“Yes, Lieutenant,” Captain Talbot answered.
“We're receiving a transmission from the Carp.”
They all looked at each other.
“Well, this is getting even more interesting, isn't it?” Van Zant said.
Chapter 11: Speaking with the Prophets
My hair's a mess.
Captain Talbot returned to her quarters briefly to don a fresh pair of fatigues. When she stepped onto the Command Deck, all four scientists were present, two sitting at the available science stations, the other two standing beside them. Kessler stood beside the command chair, and Van Zant had taken his customary spot, leaning on the bulkhead just inside the door. Kuusik and Calhoon sat at their regular stations. She imagined the rest of the crew were in the lounge watching on the large multidisplay.
“Sitrep.” She sat in the command chair.
“Welcome back, Captain,” Lieutenant Calhoon said. “Someone or something is hailing the Solstice using the sub's communications.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Answer that hail.”
A man's face appeared on the display. He sat at the computer console of the sub, but his face was covered with several fine blue and black pulsing tendrils, some even penetrating his eyes.
“It's Dr. Kanas,” Kessler said. “He was the Chief Scientist on the Lalande.”
“I guess he's not dead,” Talbot said with a glance at Kessler. She touched a key on the arm of the command chair.
“Hello Dr. Kanas. I am Captain Caroline Talbot of the HSS Solstice. It is a pleasure to meet you. Are you alright? We can fly to the location of the sub and rescue you.”
Kanas' jaw moved, but his mouth didn't open. He moaned, and then finally spoke. “You must come.” The sound of his voice was odd.
“He looks bad, Captain,” Kessler whispered in her ear.
Van Zant appeared at her right side. “He's been compromised by whatever intelligence controlled Captain Ibori.”
“Then Dr. Webb can treat him,” she whispered, and waved them away. “The Solstice can be there in twenty minutes, Dr. Kanas.”
Kanas moaned again. “No. J-J-J-Just you.”
“I don't understand, Dr. Kanas.”
Kanas moaned again, and then shook his head and looked down. He coughed and shuddered, then looked up. “You must come alone, Captain. There isn't much time.”
That's the real Dr. Kanas. “Alone?”
“The Prophets want to ... speak with you.”
“Who are the Prophets?”
“The dominant life form on this world, Captain. They will release those crew of the Lalande that wish to be freed, but on condition of speaking to you. They promise you will remain unharmed and be returned to the Solstice.”
Fear flared in her stomach. “'Those that wish to be freed,' Doctor?”
“I will remain on this planet.”
“Are you a hostage, Doctor?”
“I am not, and some of the other crew want to remain as well. The Prophets will not let the others go until you speak with them.”
“Hold, please.”Talbot pressed a key to pause communications.
“Let me take your place,” Kessler said.
“These Prophets want to speak with the captain, as master of this vessel,” Van Zant said. “Who knows what they'll do? They may take you over, indeed all of us, and use the Solstice for their own ends. I suggest we return to Silmais Orbital and make our report.”
“And leave the crew of the Lalande here?” Kessler asked.
“That's life in the Exploration Service.”
“Y'know, you're a real-”
“Stop it,” Talbot said. She remained silent for several moments. “We are the invaders here. It is obvious that we are not welcome. These Prophets probably want to make that clear, and we can't leave the crew of the Lalande on this planet.”
“I'm coming with you, Captain,” Kessler said.
“Dr. Kanas said I must be alone.”
“Whatever message the Prophets want to send us, it must be important,” Van Zant said. “See if you can strike a deal. If someone must go, I will.”
“You?” Can I trust him?
“The mission of the General Intelligence Directorate is to evaluate all alien threats to the Union. It is my duty to go.”
Talbot sighed. “I know that, Mr. Van Zant. You don't need to keep reminding me.” She tapped the key on the command chair. “Dr. Kanas, if the Prophets' message is that important, then three of us will speak with them: Commander Kessler, Mr. Van Zant, and myself.”
Kanas' face looked blank for a few moments, and
then he moaned; his face shuddered and the tendrils pulsed. “Only you three, and you must not come in the Solstice. While you are speaking with the Prophets, the Solstice must remain in orbit. Go to the coordinates where I first descended, by the big island. Whoever was in the sub for your survey knows where that is.” His face disappeared from the display.
“We can take the fast boat,” Kessler said. “The Solstice can drop us off a hundred kilometers away.”
What am I doing? Talbot shuddered to think this may be the end of her command, the end of her life. But if she did not try to retrieve the crew of the Lalande, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.
Talbot, Kessler and Van Zant stood at the edge of the largest ventral hatch. Kessler lowered the fast boat down onto the water using the crane. He tossed down a duffle bag and slid down the cable to the deck of the boat. Van Zant and Talbot followed.
“We can track you using the satellite network,” Calhoon said over Talbot's pockcomp. “Safe travels, Captain.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Survey 1 out.” She watched the Solstice ascend for a few moments. That's my ship. Will I see it again?
Kessler had already stepped to the controls, but Talbot touched his shoulder. “I'm driving, Commander.”
He looked like he was about to argue, but then held up his hands and stepped back. “Okay, Captain.”
She stepped to the controls and pushed the button to start the motor. I should go out on surveys more often. She grasped the wheel, pushed the throttle, and the boat accelerated. The navigation waypoint led her straight toward the islands; they looked like domes, almost perfect. They traveled in silence, not saying a word to each other. As they drew closer, the stellar primary descended and the night grew. The red flying creatures appeared above, and she suddenly saw a glow emanating from the water. She looked down and saw hundreds of glowing jellyfish. Kessler turned on the lights against the growing gloom, but the jellyfish cast enough light for sight.
She rounded the largest island and the waypoint throbbed on the navigation console. “We're here.” The island loomed above them like a wall. Something splashed in the water. They all looked and saw a face emerge. It had large eyes, a crest of fins on the top of the head, and other fins extending from the cheeks. The large mouth opened revealing scores of tiny sharp teeth.
Talbot screamed and stepped back, and Kessler pulled his blaster pistol. More faces appeared, but nothing climbed onto the boat.
“I've seen those things before,” Kessler said.
“They're under control of the Prophets,” Van Zant said, “like every other life from on this planet.”
Another face appeared. It was Dr. Kanas, but a jellyfish covered his mouth and nose. He climbed into the boat and pulled the creature off; a long tendril attached to the creature came from his mouth. He leaned over and coughed, water and phlegm splashing on the deck. He was naked, but blue and black tendrils covered his long and lean body. He looked at each of them in turn, his arms by his sides. A long and pulsing tendril, thicker than the others, drooped from the back of his neck and into the water. His body shuddered and he shook his head. “You need to get in the water.”
“What?” Kessler said.
“You need to be suspended in the water to talk to the Prophets. A bethra can attach to your face; it will provide you with oxygen.”
“We have our own gill breathers, thanks.”
“As you wish. Just prepare yourselves.”
The three of them donned diving equipment and looked at each other. “I'll go first,” Kessler said.
“We all go together,” Talbot said. “Ready?”
They all slipped into the water and adjusted their buoyancy. The island loomed just a few meters away. The glowing jellyfish filled the water with blue and white light. After several minutes, streams of smoke ejected from the island; the jellyfish swarmed around them. Talbot almost panicked; her breaths turned to gasps and her heart pounded in her chest.
Chapter 12: My Father
“Nature is more beautiful and complex than we can possibly imagine,” her father said. He sat at a portable table and looked through a microscope. Still early, the day was already hot and humid, and would be for another eighteen hours until the stellar primary sunk below the horizon.
Caroline looked up into the hazy sky, the yellow star a mushy ball just clear of the horizon. Sound from the surrounding jungle filled the air. The trees and thick brush grew right up to the three meter high wire fence surrounding the two hectare compound. The jungle pulsed with life: twitterbugs chirped and flew by in clouds of hundreds; the warbling mating cries of the gorgon rat rose from the vegetation; snufflepugs rooted along the fence, their long snouts pushing into the deep black soil to snatch up the small golden-maned trisks.
“Are we going into Matsue Station today?” she asked, twirling her brown hair in her fingers. She looked at him from under her brow, a slight smile on her lips. He was tall and thin, with wiry limbs, a large nose, deep-set green eyes, bushy brows, and a high forehead. His brown hair was streaked with gray, and his skin was rough and red.
“We'll be passing through,” her father said, not looking up from the microscope.
“I want to go to the Ichiba.”
“Will Saba be there?”
She blushed hot and tossed her hair. “Maybe.”
“Have you finished your maths?”
At the age of twelve, Caroline was already a master at calculus. “Yep.”
Her father looked up from his work. “Well, perhaps we'll go on the way back. We've got a field trip. Remember that broker we spoke to the other day?”
“The stinky one with the bug eyes and dirty clothes?”
“Yes, that's the one. His name is Sachi. He's new to Grell, and despite his looks he has deep pockets. He sells to Conodont, a company with even deeper pockets.”
“Big payoff?”
He smiled. “Big payoff. Go get your things.”
Caroline ran into the prefab and grabbed her field bag; she stuffed it with a jacket, her general sensor unit, a pocket computer and tablet, and a few changes of clothing. From the closet she retrieved her MLA rifle; at 1.75 meters, the weapon was longer than she was tall, but light in the hands. She rooted around in a crate and found several magazines of ammunition and stuffed them in her bag.
She emerged from the prefab and strode toward the Maxxor. The vehicle's light blue paint was chipped and worn, and the body had several large dents. Her father had spent almost all the money they had on replacement tires. The vehicle had eight of them, knobby and black. She climbed up the steps and stowed her bag in a crate and locked down the rifle in the rack. The interior had three bunks, a small kitchen, a lab, and storage bins.
She crawled into the passenger seat as her father entered the vehicle. He stowed his own things and then sat in the driver's seat.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
He started the vehicle and grasped the wheel. Turning it about, he pushed a button and the compound gate slid open. He gunned the motor and drove out onto the narrow and bumpy earthen road. Young trees and small shrubs had taken root on the path, and several small creatures darted into the jungle as the vehicle drove by.
“We're going to have to get this cleared soon,” her father muttered
Caroline knew that tone of voice; she heard it often. He's worried about money again.
After half-a-klick, her father turned onto a wider road. Though paved, the road was buckled and cracked, and vegetation had taken root. They passed paths and roads leading to other settler compounds, set back from the road into the jungle, but no other vehicles.
Her mother had hated it here. “The bush” she had called it, and she had complained about the heat and the bugs and the food right up until the day she left.
“Me, or him!” she had shrieked at Caroline, standing in the door of the prefab, her bags on her shoulder. Her father leaned against the kitchen counter, hands in his pockets, and looked at the floor.
&
nbsp; “No!” Caroline had wailed, the tears and snot thick on her face. She had been nine years old, and deep down, she still wondered if she had made the right choice.
Matsue Station was a haphazard collection of prefabs, some stacked five high, adjacent to a ten hectare concrete pad that served as a spaceport. The whole was surrounded by a three meter high fence topped with electrified wire and lights. As they pulled up to the gate, another vehicle exited. Her father stopped and lowered the window.
“Gabbi.”
“Charles. Where you headed?” the woman asked. She waved at Caroline. “Hi, Sweetie!” Gabbi had dark, curly hair and a round face. Caroline stayed with her when her father made trips off-world.
“Up to Essex Plateau. Chance of a find.”
“Listen, Sanchez was up there a couple of turns ago. He says the rindycats are as thick as fog.”
“We'll be alright.”
She pointed to a gleaming spacecraft resting on the concrete pad. “The Exploration Service arrived twenty-four hours ago. Rumor has it they're surveying for more settlement.”
“Before you know it, we'll need to lock our doors.”
“And I'll need to head further into the frontier. Good luck!” She waved and drove off.
“What are we looking for?” Caroline asked as they drove through the station.
“In Grell's tree of life it is known as polymitarius flava, or the filigree flower. It's hard to find.”
“Why are we looking for it?”
“I think it contains a catalyst that can speed up and enhance the effect of drugs. Much more efficiently than any other process.”
“So?”
“If I can isolate the gene that produces the catalyst, I can stake a claim and sell it for a lot of money, maybe help some people.” Some people called Caroline's father a genetic prospector. Her mother had called him a pathetic dreamer. Once a professor of botany at the prestigious Olorin Institute, he had convinced his wife to give up their comfortable life, and her career, and settle on the world of Grell, near the Coreward Frontier. Caroline knew nothing of that comfortable life; she was born on Grell.
They drove for several hours through the jungle and Caroline crawled into her bunk and fell asleep. When she woke the vehicle had stopped, and light streamed in through the open hatch. When she emerged from the Maxxor she saw the yellow star high in the deep blue sky. The air felt much cooler and a breeze ruffled her hair. Instead of jungle, rolling grasslands dotted with stunted trees extended to the horizon. Her father stood and looked out over the grassland through a pair of electronic binoculars. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and his bag and rifle lay on the ground next to him. He turned and looked at her.
The Dreaming Oceans of San Miguel Page 7
