The Corps of Discovery Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3: A multiverse series of alternate history

by James S. Peet

  Within a week the three Explorers had managed to master the basics of hand-to-hand close-quarters combat, ranging from the use of fingers to the use of knives and other things they could get their hands on. The second week refined their skills, developing the muscle memory to make their actions automatic. Lane made sure to work them through at least three-thousand iterations of each of the basic maneuvers, ensuring that the actions became encoded in their muscle memory. He also advised that they work on it on their own, taking any spare opportunity to at least go through the motions. “Remember, it ain’t practice that makes perfect, it’s perfect practice that makes perfect.”

  After wrapping up this training, the four returned to the pistol range to further develop advanced techniques on close-quarters combat with handguns. Mostly it was combat shooting, or, as John Fairbanks said, “Shoot and scoot.”

  Having spent nearly a year on a trek, Bill was quite familiar with the basics of combat shooting - pay attention, head on a swivel, shoot first, and most accurately. Matt, the one with the least experience on the ground, took the longest to get up to speed, but even that wasn’t too long at all.

  The difference between this and what they had received in their initial training as Probies was that this training emphasized shooting people rather than large animals.

  “Remember, the deadliest predator is the human, bar none,” John said during one training session. “Keep that in mind at all times. Another thing to remember is it ain’t what you shoot, it’s how you shoot. The FBI on Earth did a study and found out good shot placement was more effective than number of shots or bullet size. Keep that in mind, too.”

  Bill found the use of the combat glide, combined with instinct shooting, to be most interesting. The combat glide, developed initially by law enforcement on Earth, then adopted by the military, was a method to maneuver while still maintaining the ability to keep a weapon on target. This entailed walking heel to toe while simultaneously keeping the knees bent and the firearm extended in front of one’s self. This technique let one advance rapidly while the firearm remained level and on target. Bill was surprised to discover it was a technique he had autodidactically developed on his trek as a way of keeping alive.

  Instinct shooting was simply a matter of pulling a pistol out and shooting it in the general direction of the threat. It reminded Bill of the old cowboy shoot-outs. He wasn’t surprised to hear it was extensively developed in the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting on Earth, which was imported onto Hayek. Unlike shooting animals, though, the three Explorers were taught to shoot twice and three times at each target, a system known as double- or triple-tapping.

  During a lull in the training, Bill brought up the question of preparedness.

  “Most of the training we’re getting so far is about killing people. What about conflict avoidance?”

  “Good question,” John answered. “Simply put, all of you already work on that. Think about it. You just spent nine months trekking across two continents and an ocean. Did you ever go looking for a fight, or were you simply avoiding one? Taking that a step further, when you first arrived on Hayek, did you go around pushing your antiquated Earth ideals and opinions on everyone, or did you shut up, open your eyes and ears, and pay attention to what others were doing?”

  Bill and the others had to concede the point.

  “Remember, you’re Explorers. That means you explore. We deliberately don’t send fighters. We want you exploring, not fighting.”

  June rolled around, and along with it came a new cohort of Probies. Probies were probationary members of the Corps of Discovery, new recruits who had yet to go through the training to turn them into Explorers. Their probationary status lasted a year, and then they were considered Explorers.

  Veteran Explorers were encouraged to eat in the same cafeterias to provide these newcomers with their knowledge, experiences, and insight.

  Bill thought back to his first days on Hayek, and just how confusing everything was. A veteran Explorer, Luke Kanehama, had taken him and his roommates under his wing and got them through the first couple of days. Now it was his turn.

  Bill, Jordan, and Matt had made their way to the cafeteria for lunch, passing through mobs of Probies trailing carts piled with personal effects. Lane had elected to avoid the ritual.

  Once inside, they found several tables occupied by chattering Probies, intermixed with a few Explorers. It was easy to differentiate them. The Explorers were in uniforms while the Probies still wore the civilian attire they had crossed over with. When the Explorers spotted Bill, they waved.

  “Damn, boy! You’re a movie star,” Jordan said.

  “Yeah, seems that way, don’t it,” Bill replied, nodding back to the others, then picked up a tray and cutlery before entering the food line.

  After they gathered their food, Matt asked, “Team up or divide and conquer?”

  Looking around, Bill could see that while there were many Explorers in the cafeteria, there were also many tables occupied by Probies without Explorers.

  “Conquer and divide,” he said, heading toward a table that consisted of several young men and women dressed in civilian attire.

  He took a seat; Jordan sat down at an adjacent table, almost back-to-back with him.

  “Howdy,” he said to the small group at the table. “I’m Bill. Welcome to the Corps.” He was greeted in return. “So, where’s everyone from?”

  The Probies went around the table introducing themselves. Of the seven, four were from Earth, two from Hayek, and one from another planet in the multiverse, Transvaal. The name rung a bell with Bill, but he couldn’t quite place it. The accent was also slightly different, English with a guttural accent.

  The two from Hayek clearly knew who Bill was, and hesitantly engaged him in conversation.

  One said, “I was on Bowman Field when you returned, sir. That was one hell of a thing.”

  Still not used to the hero worship thing, Bill shrugged and took a bite of food so he wouldn’t have to respond.

  “I wish I could’ve been there,” the other Hayeker said.

  The rest of the table looked at Bill expectantly, wondering what it was he had done to earn the admiration of the two Hayekers.

  Swallowing his food, Bill then took a sip of juice. “In case you’re wondering what Probie here said,” he said, pointing to the first Hayeker, “they’re talking about me surviving a trek.”

  “What’s a trek?” asked one of the Earthers.

  “It’s an adventure,” Bill said with a slight smile. “Know what an adventure is?”

  The crowd shook their head.

  “It’s someone else in deep shit far away.”

  That caused a bit of nervous laughter. The Probies didn’t quite know what to make of this, or of Bill.

  At this point, Jordan turned and told the table, “Don’t let Bill give you any crap. A trek is a journey an Explorer makes when he or she is stranded and needs to get back home. In his case, the trek took him from the Eurasian Alps to North America’s Great Plains. Notice the ribbons on his chest?”

  The group at the table, along with those within earshot at other tables, looked closely at Bill’s chest.

  “Is that a Purple Heart?” one asked.

  “Yeah. Don’t fall over waterfalls, and avoid cave bears like the plague,” Bill answered.

  “What are the others?” the Transvaal Probie asked.

  “Well, other than the ‘I forgot to duck’ medal, this one’s a Survey Medal.” He pointed to a ribbon with a small metal acorn pinned to it. “The acorn means it’s been awarded a second time.” With a slightly puzzled look, he said, “Not sure why they gave me that. Never finished the second survey.”

  “I think they took pity on you,” Jordan said.

  Bill glowered at him.

  Jordan smiled back.

  The Transvaal Probie was taking in the interactions, staring at Jordan, who noticed the attention and nodded to the young man.

  “Excuse me for staring,” t
he Probie said, “but I’ve never seen a Kaffir before.”

  A hush came over the tables as everyone digested what the Probie had just said.

  Bill was taken aback and was about to rip the Probie a new one over the racial insult when Jordan raised his hand. “You’re kinda new here, aren’t you?” he asked the Probie, who just nodded.

  “Where you from?”

  “Stellenbosch, on Transvaal,” he replied.

  “Hmm. Any non-whites there?”

  The Probie shook his head.

  “So, I’m gonna guess I’m the first non-white you’ve met.”

  “Oh, no. I’ve met and seen a lot, mostly coloreds, but you’re the first Kaffir.”

  Jordan chuckled. “Okay. I’m gonna go with the fact that you’re ignorant, not racist. Although I’m pretty sure you were brought up to believe the White Man is superior to all others.”

  At this, the Probie nodded.

  “Okay, then. Let’s clear up a few things. Calling someone colored, kaffir, nigger, jungle bunny, chink, gook, slope, camel jockey, sand nigger, raghead, spic, beaner, kike, honky, haole, ofay, cracker, redskin, or anything like that ain’t right. Not only is it not right, it ain’t tolerated. Especially here, and especially in the Corps. Doesn’t matter what they say on Transvaal, what matters is what we say on Hayek.

  “Now, let’s compare the two of us, as befits our status as Explorers. Well, in your case, Wannabe Explorer.”

  This got a few chuckles from the now extremely attentive crowd.

  “When we go outside to explore the great wilds of whatever planet the Corps deigns to let us play in, you, lad, are obviously at a serious disadvantage due to your weak genetic makeup. I, on the other hand, have been blessed with superior genes. Do you know what genes I’m talking about?”

  The Probie shook his head again.

  “Melanin, son. Melanin. As you can see from this beautiful dark luster of my skin,” at which point Bill interrupted. “Coffee with a heavy dose of cream, don’t you mean?”

  Scowling at Bill, Jordan continued. “Whatever. The fact is, I’ve been blessed with an abundance of melanin, which protects this lithe body from the harsh UV rays of the sun while out on surveys. You, my pale friend, though, suffer from a lack of melanin, putting you at a genetic disadvantage.

  “So, what I’m trying to tell you is, leave your ignorance at the gate, and remember that we’re all human. More specifically, on this base, we’re all Explorers.” Jordan ended his small speech with a smile.

  The young Probie’s eyebrows raised, and Bill could see he was taking in Jordan’s words of wisdom.

  “What he said,” Bill finally added.

  Reaching out to Jordan, the Probie said, “I’m Piet Botha, and I’m very pleased to meet you. I’ve clearly got a lot to learn.”

  As Jordan took the Probie’s outstretched hand in his, Bill could practically feel the tension in the area dissipate. Clearly, evidence that the Corps knows what it’s doing when it selects new Explorers, he thought, taking another bite of his lunch.

  One of the antiquated skills taught was photography. When Bill saw the training on the schedule, he chuckled. What can they teach an Aerial Survey Specialist about photography that I don’t already know? His degree in geography, along with his prior duties as an A.S.S. (and, yes, they did jokingly pronounce the job title by its acronym) had him utilizing remote sensing platforms, such as high-speed digital cameras, along with Lidar and Radar.

  Lane, being the Cultural Survey Specialist of the group, was the one who trained them. When the group first entered the conference room for the afternoon’s training session, there was a cardboard box on the table. Lane reached into the box and handed out a camera to each one of the Explorers. “I hear this is the type of equipment we’ll be using. Period technology.”

  Bill manipulated the camera, eventually getting the pebbled leather cover unsnapped so it fell to the front of the camera, hanging by its two snap buttons on the bottom back of the cover. Instead of a detachable lens, it had a fixed 44-millimeter lens. The name of the camera engraved in black lettering on the all-aluminum body’s face top was one Bill recognized from his original timeline: Kodak.

  “What you’re holding in your hands is apparently a rather common camera for the masses,” Lane continued, holding his up. “The Kodak Signet 35. We actually had this on our Earth’s timeline, but production stopped in the 1950s. On Discordia, they still produce them. It’s a 35-millimeter camera, which means it uses real film, not pixels. It’s a lot different than what I’m sure you’re used to. Anyone ever use a film camera?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Hell, I’ve never even seen one,” Jordan muttered.

  “That’s probably true for all of you. Okay, who’s taken a basic photography class?”

  It turned out they all had. Bill and Matt’s photography was related more toward remote sensing, being an ASS and a Co-Pilot respectively, although Matt had gone through the same photography training as Jordan. Jordan, with his time spent doing ground surveys as a biologist, was used to carrying a camera around with him in the field and had extensive experience with it. He used it more than he used his rifle, the venerable ER-1, but probably not by much, considering the hungry fauna that existed on his usual surveying terrain.

  “So, you all know about f-stops and timing?”

  The men nodded again, but this time Bill said, “I could go for a quick refresher if you don’t mind. Most of what I do is automatic.”

  “Real quick, then, without all the higher math. The f-stop is the size of the aperture. It controls not only the amount of light that enters the camera but, more importantly, the depth of field. That simply means how much of the area in front of and behind the object you’re focusing on is in focus. The smaller the number, the greater the aperture opening. The greater the aperture opening, the less depth of field you’ll have. For example, an f-stop of 22 will have a smaller opening but more depth of field than an f-stop of 5.6. Most cameras have f-stops between f/2 and f/22. The camera you’ll be using goes from f/3.5 to f/16.

  “The shutter speed controls how long the film is exposed to light. The more light, the more the film is exposed.”

  Lane reached back into the box and extracted several small yellow metal cylindrical canisters with green lids and set them on the table. “This is your film.” Picking one of the canisters up, he unscrewed the top and pulled out another cylinder, this one black and yellow with the word “Kodak” printed on the side, along with “Tri-X Pan”. Extending from the body of the cylinder was a plastic-looking strip of paper with holes stamped in along the top border.

  Holding the canister up so all could see, he pointed to the plastic-looking strip of paper. “This is the actual film. It’s a gelatin-silver film, which means it’s a combination of gelatin and silver. The gelatin keeps the silver stable. It’s kept rolled up in the canister until you wind it up inside the camera to expose it to light. Exposure to light excites the silver-halide crystals in them, causing them to coalesce on the surface of the film. This creates a latent image.

  “Once you develop the film, the silver halides become the dark part of the film, creating the contrast.”

  Lane set the film back on the table and reached into the box again, pulling out a strip of developed film. It was gray with dark images on it. Passing it around, he instructed the men to look carefully at it. “Hold it up to the light. Notice how the face is darker than the surrounding area. That means, in reality, the face is lighter than the surrounding area. That’s why we call this a negative, in that it’s the reverse, or negative, light image of the actual thing.”

  Bill and the others held the thin film up to the light to look through it, seeing to what Lane was referring. There were five images on the strips, indicating five separate photographs, each one successively darker.

  “You’ll notice each photo is darker than the one before it. That’s because they were taken using increased time. The time is usually set i
n fractions of a second, from as fast as 1/4000ths of a second to more than thirty seconds. Of course, this bad boy,” Lane held up the Kodak, “only has four shutter speeds.

  “Along with controlling how much light gets in, the shutter speed also allows you to control what type of photo you want as it relates to motion. A fast shutter speed will freeze a moving object, while a slow shutter speed will make it look all fuzzy, due to the object moving.”

  Lane then set out a couple of pictures on the table, showing the same waterfall. One was clearly taken with a fast shutter speed, the water looking like it had frozen in place, with even frozen droplets suspended in mid-air. The other showed the water as a flowing, fuzzy mass.

  “One thing to remember is that the human eye sees at about 1/250th of a second, so if you set the shutter speed faster, you’ll get this freezing motion. Set it at that speed, things, particularly if they’re moving fast, become blurry. All that’s fine for dramatic photography, but when we take pictures, we want everything clear. Remember, this is still a survey, so we’ll be taking a ton of pictures. Try to use as small an f-stop and as fast a time as possible. Catch as much as you can of the event.”

  Picking his camera back up, Lane told the others to do so and to look through the viewfinder. Of course, being somewhat antiquated technology, there was no LCD display on the back of the camera. There also wasn’t a mirror reflecting light from the lens. Instead, what Bill saw when he looked through the viewfinder was Lane and a shadow image of the older man.

  “This camera uses a rangefinder system, which means you need to bring the two images you see together to be in focus. The two images are the view from the viewfinder and the view from the lens. Because they aren’t on the same plane, they don’t align, or, to use the proper term, they’re in parallax. You’re seeing the same thing from two different angles. The shadow image you see is from the mirror inside the camera. The further apart those two images, the less in focus everything is. Once the images line up and look like a single image, then you’re in focus. Give it a try.”

  The three men aimed their cameras at different objects in the room. As Bill spun the focus dial on the lens, he could see the shadow image of Lane separating. Turning the dial in the opposite direction brought the images together until he could only see one image.