by Jim Laughter
Bobby had been searching for over an hour and still hadn’t found the opening. He’d located the remains of the tailings pile and thus surmised where the tunnel opening should be.
The guide book said the bore was still in existence and safe to enter. Bobby double-checked the book and decided that maybe he was off a bit. He decided to base his bearing on a small rise to his left. He stowed the book in his backpack and hiked up the rise.
The extra elevation allowed Bobby to survey the remains of the old mine and would possibly give him a clue to the entrance location. He pulled out the book again and used the reproduced pictures to identify where the hoist house had been, along with where various equipment buildings had been located.
Thanks to the remoteness of the area, it had survived vandalism by souvenir hunters, so there was still some remains of equipment, now covered with snow. The dryer air had also slowed the deterioration of the few wooden structures. Bobby looked forward to returning in the spring to investigate each piece individually.
Surveying the mining site, Bobby felt the snow shift under his feet. Before he could move, he heard a muffled crack and found himself tumbling down through an opening in the snow. He didn’t have much time to be scared before he landed in a pile of soft snow at the bottom of the shaft.
Except for the light from above, it was pitch dark in the pit where he had fallen. He sensed more space around him than he could immediately see. Finding that he still clutched the book, Bobby switched it to his other hand while he dug his flashlight out of the backpack. When he turned it on, he let out a whoop.
Amid the snow that had broken his fall, he was standing in an obvious mining tunnel. He consulted the drawings of the mine in the book and figured that he had entered the main tunnel through an air vent that had been bored at an angle going up from the main passage. He looked back up the airshaft and saw that it would be an easy climb to the surface.
Taking a moment, he removed his snowshoes and secured them to his backpack, his heart beginning to pound harder with excitement. Bobby began to explore the long-abandoned mine.
∞∞∞
The little ship rose once again from its nest and floated over the pattern of pebbles it was working on. It stared down at the design on the floor of the cave and tried to figure out why it didn’t look like the lights he’d seen in the darkness when he had flown here.
For long minutes, the little ship remained motionless while he compared his efforts with the brief memory. Suddenly, the difference dawned on him and he floated down one of the side passages in search of the correct color pebble. After searching for some time, he proudly returned and placed the prize in the correct spot.
Rising higher to survey his work, the little ship was satisfied. He drifted over by the entrance of the cavern by which he’d come in and shone his lights downward. The design looked just right.
∞∞∞
At first Bobby followed the remains of the mine car tracks back toward what should have been the main entrance. His flashlight revealed the freshly broken timbers and the resultant cave-in. Satisfied about why he had been unable to find the entrance, he retraced his steps back to the vent.
Continuing on past the slope up to the surface, Bobby walked further into the mine. He was surprised at how well everything was preserved, considering the many years since the bore had last been used. He passed several side tunnels and was careful to blaze his trail on the beams.
He noticed that an old spike protruding from a timber had blue paint on it. He puzzled about it briefly and decided that someone had used paint to blaze his or her exit while exploring the mine.
Perhaps Grandpa, he thought.
After tracing out the main passage of the mine, Bobby decided to backtrack to the vent and take a break for lunch. According to his watch, it had been a couple of hours since he’d left the station, and he wanted to leave enough time to return before nightfall. The exploration of the side tunnels would have to wait for another day.
Reaching the vent again Bobby shrugged off his backpack and opened the compartment where he had stored his lunch and thermos of cocoa. Since there was adequate light streaming down through the vent, he turned off his flashlight to save the power cells. He set the book down and took out his lunch and surveyed the area for a place to spread it.
Bobby found a smooth rock to sit on and settled down to eat his sandwiches and enjoy the cocoa. It was warmer here in the mine than he’d expected, but he figured it was due to being out of the wind.
He sat there for a time, slowly enjoying his lunch and imagining all the possible treasures he might find. Sure, others had explored this place before him, but one never knew what treasure might lay behind a rock fall or down a side passage.
Gazing back down the main tunnel, Bobby was startled to see a brief flash of light. He looked down at his own flashlight to make sure it wasn’t the culprit. He considered the possibilities. Bobby was sure there weren’t any other explorers in the mine since he’d found the vent by falling through it.
Setting his lunch down, he switched on his flashlight and headed cautiously back down the passageway. When he arrived at the junction where he’d seen the blue paint, he stopped. Unexpectedly, he heard a faint noise down the side passage. Checking his blaze marks, Bobby started down the passage. It was nearly as big as the main tunnel and continued back into the mountain for some distance.
∞∞∞
The little ship had hovered in one position for some time. He enjoyed the look of his design and the way the light reflected off of each pebble. When he started to glide back down, he saw the pattern sparkle as the angle of the light changed.
The little ship stopped and then shifted to one side. Here the reflected light looked different, and he was pleased with the difference. Soon the little blue ship was bobbing and weaving near the top of the cavern watching the interplay of its lights on the pattern of pebbles below.
∞∞∞
As he progressed further into the side tunnel, Bobby caught sight of more reflected flashes of light. He didn’t hear anything, and still couldn’t make sense of what his eyes reported to his brain.
He crept forward slowly, occasionally catching another flash of light. Bobby tried to be as quiet as he could, but as usually happens when he tried to be quiet, he stumbled and made more noise than if he’d walked normally. He froze for what seemed like forever but nothing happened.
Again, Bobby crept stealthily forward, his senses strained to catch any clue of what was ahead. After another dozen yards or so, he noticed a change in the shape of the tunnel ahead. It appeared that the passage opened out into a larger chamber or gallery.
Edging forward even slower, Bobby approached the opening. His heart thundered in his ears as he reached the edge. He noticed that the floor dropped away sharply from the entrance. Easing himself forward, he shone his light downward and peered over the lip.
∞∞∞
Right in the middle of one of his many gyrations, the little ship heard a sound from the spooky passageway between the mine and the cavern. Being unexpected, and the first noise he’d heard from that direction in some time, the little ship felt afraid. He dove to the floor and skirted just above his precious design to one of the side passages. Reaching a safe place, he turned around and settled to the floor.
After a moment, the little ship remembered to turn off his lights. Then he saw the reflection of another light source on the rocks of the cavern. He waited fearfully, not knowing what he was afraid of or why. The light grew brighter and its pattern crept down the wall. It made its way slowly to the level area where his precious pebbles were exposed to whatever was about to appear over the ledge.
In the light from above, the little ship noticed that some of the pebbles were out of place, dislodged when he had swooped down on them. No knowing why, the placement of those pebbles took on extreme importance and the little ship rose and zipped back into the main cavern to repair the damage.
∞∞∞
&nb
sp; The sight that first greeted Bobby’s eyes when he looked over the edge was the colors of all the rock formations in the cavern. In the light of his flashlight, he noticed a hot springs bubbling off to one side. Figuring that the spring might explain the warmer temperature of the mine, Bobby began to relax. He remembered that some types of rocks emitted light when their temperature changed.
Continuing to shine his light around the cavern, Bobby spotted a pattern of pebbles on a level area off to one side. He was entranced by the way they glittered and how they reflected the beam from his flashlight.
Bobby was studying the pattern of pebbles when a large blue shape darted across his field of vision and was gone. He felt his heart stop and found that his voice had left him. Staggering backward, he turned and ran, seeking the safety of the outside world.
Faster and faster he ran, forsaking stealth for speed. At the junction, he saw his blaze mark and turned up the tunnel toward the vent. Arriving at the remains of his lunch, Bobby grabbed his backpack and started the climb up the slope of the vent. More snow and debris tumbled upon and behind him as he clawed his way upward.
Regaining the surface, he paused just long enough to reorient himself and then plunged through the snow, back down the trail he’d created earlier. Reaching a clear level area, he strapped on his snowshoes and bolted down the trail toward the village as fast as the snowshoes would carry him.
After putting a quarter of a mile between himself and the mine with nothing happening, Bobby slowed to a more even pace. Thinking back, he realized he’d left his thermos and book behind in the mine tunnel. As he continued homeward, he calmed down and reconsidered what he’d seen. It couldn’t have been any animal he knew about because of its color and size. It had made no noise either. The further he got from the mine, the more confident Bobby became.
Upon further reflection, Bobby decided it must have been his imagination that had created the thing. Considering the fact that he’d been exploring an abandoned mine, it didn’t take a great leap of logic to come to the conclusion that he thought he’d seen a ghost in the dark.
Bobby laughed at himself for such a notion. He resolved not to tell Grandpa Gary about the incident. The thought of his grandfather made him remember the book and thermos he had left behind.
Feeling a cold sweat, Bobby realized he would have to go back for the items or face his angry grandfather. Neither prospect gave him any comfort.
∞∞∞
The little ship stayed in his hiding place long after the strange light had vanished and the noises had ceased. He finally ventured back out into the cavern and turned on a single light and surveyed the pattern for any damage. Finding a few pebbles out of place, the little ship carefully restored the pattern with his mechanical hands and surveyed the work from above.
Satisfied he was alone, the little ship grew curious about the strange light. He rose higher and reentered the tunnel going back into the mine. Looking at the floor, he saw some kind of prints in the dust. He followed these to a place where they went up a slope toward a shaft of light.
Since the passage upward was much too small for him, the little ship didn’t follow the tracks any further. He looked around before going back to the cavern and spied the book and thermos.
Curiosity caused him to gather up these new treasures. With them safely tucked in his arms, he floated back down the tunnel toward his nest in the cavern.
∞∞∞
On Firstas, Empress Ane and Betty were having an impromptu meeting with Ramor and Krel at Krel’s living quarters. What started out as a simple dinner soon developed into part of the ongoing brainstorming about the situation of the missing ship. Betty brought the others up-to-date with the information she’d received from the chief of security back on Shalimar.
“So we now have an accurate time of when the little ship disappeared?” Ane asked.
“Yes,” answered Betty. “The problem now is how this information might be useful in our search.”
“Remember this,” began Krel, “the security chief is going to have troopers recheck the records using the more accurate timeframe as a reference point.”
“But the problem still remains. What are we looking for?” Ramor asked in an exasperated tone.
“What would be ideal is sensor and visual records of the area over the institute at the time the little ship disappeared,” Betty said.
“With as many ships as there are normally orbiting Shalimar, it shouldn’t be too difficult,” Ane added.
“But you have to remember one thing, My Lady,” Krel interjected. “All of the ships in orbit have their detectors aimed away from Shalimar, not toward it. Out there,” he pointed toward space, “is the direction we expect attacks from, not planetside.”
“Then what we need is records of any sensors scanning the planet,” said Ane in a quiet voice. “There’s not much chance, but one can hope.
Chapter Ten
The shipyard foreman on Theta took the call in his office. It had already been a hectic morning and the one thing he didn’t need right now was more hassles. The overhaul of the cruiser was proceeding on schedule but he could already foresee problems with the recalibration of the drive system along with the new sensor equipment.
Fortunately, the crew of the cruiser had started reporting back from their leave. The extra available manpower was a real bonus. Being already familiar with the ship and most of its systems made integrating them into the refit effort an easier task. Picking up his telephone, the foreman wondered what new wrinkle was about to be delivered into his hands.
“Yes, this is Murphy. May I help you?” he said into the receiver.
A young male voice responded.
“This is Trooper Lareson at Communications. I have a priority message for you from Shalimar.”
The foreman wondered what was up. Calls from Shalimar were rare and usually spelled trouble of some sort. He’d heard about the battle against the Red-tails between Shalimar and Firstas. That the Red-tail activity had been increasing was common knowledge. The fact that their tactics had changed and their fleet strength increased was not.
The foreman cleared his throat while he waited for the connection.
“This is Trooper Pike of Security Division on Shalimar,” the voice began. “Am I speaking to Mr. Murphy, head of the overhaul division?”
“Yes, I’m here,” the foreman answered, “go ahead.”
“According to our records, you have the heavy cruiser 633479 registered out of Theta there for refit and overhaul,” the younger man said. “Is that correct?”
“Yes it is, Trooper,” Murphy responded. “Is there a problem?”
“Not an urgent one. However, Our Lady has requested priority treatment of the situation,” replied the trooper.
The thought that the empress was involved made the foreman listen more intently. If she put a priority status on something, it was serious indeed.
“How may we be of service?” Murphy asked.
“We are requesting that you check all the sensor records of that ship from while it was in orbit over Shalimar,” Trooper Pike said.
“But those records are at least three weeks old,” responded the foreman.
“We know, but Our Lady has a priority on this, and we’ve had some difficulty contacting all of the relevant ships,” replied the communications trooper.
“Are there any specific records you’re looking for?” the foreman asked. “Knowing that would help narrow down our search.”
“Yes, we want the records of any sensors that were aimed planetside the day and night preceding the cruiser’s departure from Shalimar.”
“Thank you,” replied Murphy. “I’ll get people right on it.”
“Our Lady will appreciate it,” came back the trooper. “Send pertinent records directly to the Ebilizer Institute.”
“We’ll do that,” the foreman answered.
The connection was broken and he hung up the instrument. For a moment, he pondered how best to go about it a
nd then he left the office and headed for the cruiser. Donning his hard-hat as he walked, he strode toward the waiting ship.
∞∞∞
Its new treasures overjoyed the little ship. In short order it had figured out how to open and close the thermos and even how to pour the now cold contents into the cup and back again. He’d tried to figure out what that dark substance was but had no name for it.
The little ship’s sensors recorded that the original contents of the strange container had started to change after a few cycles of rest. He carefully put the thermos down into the bubbling water of the hot spring and rinsed it out. He then set the treasure beside his nest.
The other object was even more fascinating. With his mechanical hands he slowly turned the pages of the book and stared for hours at the pictures. The strange symbols printed across the pages seemed to bear some relationship to the pretty pictures.
After puzzling over them, the little ship found that he remembered these marks were words used for communication. He carefully deciphered the first words in the book and through a means he didn’t understand, was able to turn these into audible sounds.
“End The,” the little ship spoke aloud for the first time. He went to the line above and tried it. “mine Zahab the of history the concludes this And,” he read aloud.
Gleeful at his success, the little ship continued to read the book aloud for the rest of the day, carefully turning the pages from left to right, entranced by the printed words.
∞∞∞
Ramor pushed himself back from his test equipment and wiped his brow. Looking over at Betty, he nodded and she shut down the recorder she’d been monitoring. Across the floor in front of them rested the Mary Belle, her cargo hatch was open and a cable stretched out of it to the external connection on the side of Baby.
“That does it for now,” said Betty as she wiped her hands on a rag and picked up her notes. Another worker disconnected Baby. She immediately flew forward and settled down by the nose of her mother. After the worker had coiled the cable up and laid it inside the cargo hold, Mary closed the hold doors.
