Almost under his feet a broad pipe emerged from the drum and passed close to the nearest 'monotube' support, which was about fifty metres away. From there he would only have to traverse a couple of smaller conduits to reach it.
He dropped the couple of metres on to the top of the pipe and began to make his way cautiously along its upper curve, drawing the line after him.
As he moved, one of the spots from the Indomitable shifted as well, keeping him in the centre of its reassuring disc of light.
There were fanlike blooms in the substance of the pipe, aligned along its length, forming matching ridges. Frost patterns, he thought; more growth.
Why did he keep feeling that this desolate machine was grown?
Then the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He halted and looked about him, certain for a moment that he was being watched.
He wished he was truly as unimaginative as his shipmates thought him. He knew anything could be hiding out there in the shadowy valleys between the pipes, or up on the tower. But why should anybody hide from one man?
he rationalised desperately. Besides, any crew had had several hours to make their presence known. The craft had to be abandoned and dead. He wished he hadn't thought that last word.
Would he be able to pass this incident off with a light laugh to his trainees at the college as an example of emotion clouding commonsense judgment?
Or perhaps his subconscious had noted something amiss and was trying to warn him. Even a practical engineer could not afford to ignore his instincts, and right now his instinct was telling him to leave this alien place immediately. But he still had a job to do.
Kerven had taken ten more resolute paces when he felt the vibration through the soles of his boots.
It was a slow heavy beat, gradually picking up in tempo, telling of sleeping forces slowly stirring. The whole pipework plain seemed to shimmer and a sparkling haze rose up about him. He blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks, until he realised it was simply dust caught in the spaces between the pipes being displaced by the vibration. But his relief was short lived.A wave of sickness passed over him and he shakily sank forward on to his hands and knees, swallowing hard, unsure whether the nausea was all in his mind or the product of external forces. The vibration was drumming up through him now. Perhaps it was liquid thundering through one of the massive conduits.
The ground suddenly shimmered with unexpected highlights and brief shadows, as though illuminated by a flash of distant lightning. Lightning in space? He twisted about.
Blue-white electrical discharges were arcing between the bases of the spires that ringed the more substantial end of the derelict. Jagged bridges of fire climbed up the huge tapering shafts and flared into space, as though sparking between the electrodes of some primitive electrical machine.
Again and again the lightning bows rose and vanished, even as the pounding under him grew stronger. He sensed that somewhere within the derelict vast energies were being marshalled, and he was witnessing merely the secondary effects of their actions.
Was it a chance power surge from an unattended system - or the deliberate act of the vessel's crew?
Suddenly the vibration under him grew distant and he felt curiously light-headed. The pipe was moving. No, he was falling. Scrabbling futilely, he slid across the curve of the pipe and dropped into the V-shaped valley between it and the next.
Dazed, he found himself wedged between vibrating walls looking up into the black sky and the dazzling point of light that marked the position of the Indomitable . But it was no longer directly above him. Then the red eye of the comm laser began to pulse rapidly, C OF G SHIFT. ABORTING.
PREPARE FOR RECOV-
Another wave of sickness knotted Kerven's stomach and the ground seemed to heave. How could the alien craft's centre of gravity shift? The Indomitable's spotlights blinked out, leaving him in sudden shocking darkness. He began to roll out of the pipe valley, the line tangling round his legs. He slithered ungainly over the top of the pipe and fell on to the side of the next. Now he understood what was happening. Down was no longer where it had been when he had landed. In effect the derelict was tilting up under him, and what had been level ground was becoming a wall. Down was now the ringed end of the hull over two thousand metres below.
A grotesque shadowy form seemed to lunge out of the darkness towards him, its skeletal arms spread unnaturally wide. His cry of fear was cut short as he realised belatedly that it was just his pod, displaced as he was by the gravity shift. It fell past him, tumbling and bouncing away in the starlight across the ribbed field of pipes. Then it was gone.
Kerven tried to halt his progress but the surfaces around him offered no handholds. He fumbled with his thick gloves for the line tangled about his feet, even as he tumbled into the next channel. It curved with the branching pipes, turning ever downwards, and he slid helplessly along it like an unseated tobogganist - towards the distant ring of still arcing spires.
Then there was constriction about his legs and he was jerked out of the valley and into space, twisting upside down, blood rushing to his head in pounding waves.The slack of the line had run out. With a desperate convulsion he managed to free his legs from the entangling line so that he hung, twisting and bobbing but at least upright once more. He glimpsed the Indomitable high above him cartwheeling slowly against the stars. Of course, her own stabilisation must have been thrown off by the gravity shift.
As soon as she was steady they would winch him in, he told himself.
As suddenly as it had begun, the lightning ceased to play about the spires, and the derelict became cold and apparently lifeless once more.
Kerven reached the top of his long arc and slowly began to swing back down again, still trapped by the derelict's local gravity. Had the Indomitable pulled him far enough away to take up the slack he'd had on the surface?
Otherwise he'd hit the hull as fast as he'd left it. He tried to haul himself up the line, but it slid through his thick gloves. The dimly starlit bulk of the derelict was filling the sky again and it seemed as though the gaping maw of its black tunnel mouth was waiting to swallow him. For a moment he thought he saw something moving within that blackness: blue white sparks stretching and falling into a dull red glow lurking infinitely far in its depths.
The monstrous cathedral spires of the tunnel rim appeared to stab up at him. What if they discharged again while he was this close to them? But then he was past them and swinging over the curving plain of the main hull.
He was slowing - the new mass centre was now behind him, residing somewhere about the tunnel mouth. But even so he was still travelling dangerously fast. If he hit at this speed he would tear his suit open, even if he didn't break half the bones in his body. The snaking pipes were only metres away now. Instinctively, he pulled up his legs as far as he could, trying to get out of the way. He almost succeeded.
His left foot struck the side of a conduit with sickening force, sending him spinning obliquely towards one of the 'monotubes', which now seemed to run down the hull like a monstrous guttering pipe. He missed the tube itself but passed underneath a support pylon and his line wrapped about it.
Abruptly, he was pulled up into an ever-tightening curve, flipped over and jerked to a sudden halt, dangling free in the space between hull and tube.
Before he could recover his breath the line started to run back around the pylon, hauled upward by the still uncontrolled motion of the Indomitable , dragging him with it until his harness jammed against its flanged edge. He heard the pylon groan as the tension increased and he twisted desperately about, trying to find a hold so that he could release himself.
'Slack! Give me slack!' he shouted by reflex into his useless helmet microphone.
As he clasped the flange there was a sharp metallic click. He felt the tension vanish and the line whipped away into space.
His harness clip had snapped.
Weakly he drew himself up and clung to the pylon, wrapping his arms and legs through it
s lattice. Now all he could do was hold on, he told himself. As soon as the Indomitable was stabilised and they realised what had happened they would recover him somehow. He still had an hour and a half of life support left.They would find him in time and drop a fresh line. They would do something. Commander Vega would never abandon one of his crew.
Another wave of sickness passed though him and he felt the vibration returning, throbbing through the structure and setting the pylon shivering.
The tingle of some massive static charge soaked through his suit and set his hair on end, though he saw no lightning discharge. He felt the centre of attraction shift slightly, as though settling into its new location, and he tightened his grip. He didn't try to analyse what was happening; his future trainees would have to do without an explanation. Life had become a simple matter of holding on and waiting. Nothing else mattered.
Only when all was still again did he realise his left leg was hurting like hell.
He didn't dare examine it. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain.
And then, for the second time, he felt their presence. Even unimaginative children have nightmares. He remembered as a child being terrified to look at the fearful things that had invaded his bedroom in the dead of night, and hoping the covers he had pulled over his head would protect him until morning. But there was no morning out here and he knew that this time they wouldn't go away. He was utterly alone and they were stealing closer and closer... With a whimper he opened his eyes.
They stood under the pylon looking up at him. Impossible things reaching out with what served them as hands, wanting to enfold him in their horrible embrace.
Kerven cried out in utter terror - shocked beyond any thought of consequences or reason. All he knew was that he had to get away from them.
He let go of the pylon.
He was still screaming when he smashed into the flared ring of the tunnel mouth two thousand metres below.
Chapter 4
Executive Pressure
Sam felt a sombre mood descend over the Cirrandaria in the hours following the Nimosians' disastrous attempt to secure a foothold on the alien ship.
At first there had been mild alarm and not a little excitement when the gravity waves generated by the derelict had struck and Captain Lanchard had hastily put them into a higher orbit. The Indomitable , being closer to the derelict, had evidently been more seriously affected. But as soon as she was stabilised they saw several shuttlecraft leave her bays and begin quartering an expanding volume of space about the huge craft. It was obvious they were searching for survivors of the mission. From the reluctant manner in which they were recalled after several hours, it was equally obvious they had been unsuccessful. Captain Lanchard announced, in the spirit of the common bond between spacefarers, that she had sent a message to her opposite number on the Indomitable expressing sympathy for the loss of their crew. It had been acknowledged with grave formality.
There was a slight but noticeable shift in feeling towards the Nimosians. A sneaking admiration for their ingenuity and boldness, coupled with a secret sense of relief that they had failed.
'Perhaps this'll frighten both sides off,' Sam suggested to the Doctor in his cabin, as he finished dressing for dinner.
A surreptitious trip to the TARDIS an hour earlier had allowed them to pack some bags, which had then been dispatched by internal cargo tube to their rooms, both of which were adjacent to the promenade deck and sumptuously furnished. Sam could happily have spent longer in her bathroom merely experimenting with the accessories provided, but there was just time for a quick shower, choosing a few pieces of jewellery, and slipping on a sheer floor-length dress of deep metallic blue she had been wanting to try out for some while. The Doctor, of course, had freshened up but not changed his costume. Style and fashion, beyond the ensemble he was comfortable with, apparently held little interest for him. But he had deferred to the occasion sufficiently to put a fresh red rose in his buttonhole.
Examining his new floral display critically in a mirror, the Doctor shook his head in answer to her suggestion.
'No, Sam. If anything this will only strengthen the resolve on both sides: the Emindians to succeed where their rivals have failed, and the Nimosians as expiation for their initial failure. I just hope they don't attempt anything foolish. Meanwhile, we have a few hours' grace to establish ourselves as bona fide passengers, just in case we need to bring ourselves to the attention of the command staff later. Until I can overcome the interference problem we'll have to use the Cirrandaria as a base to monitor the alien ship.This is one occasion where the TARDIS's normal mode of translocation is a distinct disadvantage.'
'How do you mean?'
'Well, if I don't exactly negate the interference of the energy field we might materialise not just inside the ship, but occupying the same space as some part of its solid structure.'
'Ugh, nasty.'
"That's one way of putting it. I made a few tests while you were sorting through your wardrobe in the TARDIS, but I can't negate the field sufficiently to allow materialisation safely in, or even on, the derelict. Unless we steal a shuttle, we'll need the Emindians' cooperation to visit it. And I feel certain we shall have to do just that, sooner rather than later. I sense tremendous potential power contained within that vessel, a power that neither Emindar nor Nimos can be allowed to possess at this delicate stage in their relationship.'
Sam tried to sound offhand: 'Soon be time for us to make a move then.'
He smiled brightly and offered her his arm.'But not before we dine.'
***
The Cirrandaria's main dining saloon was furnished somewhat after the manner of the great Earth liners of the past, which in turn reflected the style of grand restaurants of the period. A forest of marble-faced columns reached up to a six-metre-high ceiling, while a lush undergrowth of exotic plants bordered the walls. A small holographic orchestra played convincingly in one corner. A hundred large round tables, each decked with a brilliant white linen cloth and glittering table service, filled the floor space.
The Doctor's earlier prediction had almost been fulfilled. Thanks to their newly assumed status they had been seated at a table adjacent to the Captain's own. Looking across, Sam thought the Captain looked distracted, and suspected she was putting in an appearance only to reassure the passengers. Seated beside her was a greying but hard-looking middle-aged man, with whom she conducted several brief and apparently terse exchanges during the course of the meal.
Their own table seated eight.As it happened, due to the rotation of places to ensure an interesting social balance at dinner and their integration into the complement, they shared it with Lyset Wynter and Don Delray.The small man they had seen marshalling the crowd on the promenade was also there and introduced himself as Evan Arcovian, Delray and Wynter's agent. As Sam had suspected, Wynter was a professional photographer while Delray was a famous Emindian vid star - a fact Arcovian had made clear to everybody within two minutes of taking their places, by recounting the details of his client's latest epic with bubbling and apparently genuine enthusiasm.
Eventually Delray said,'I think they've got the message now, Evan.'
Arcovian bunked, looking a little like a snubbed puppy. 'Sorry, Don.'
The last three seats were taken up by the Engers family, comprising Daniel, his wife Jeni and Dan Junior, aged about ten.They were senior environmental engineers from a Federation colony world. Dan Junior was looking in awe at Don Delray, who responded by giving him a wink and good-natured smile with practised suavity, which made the boy blush and squirm with embarrassed delight.
'You're his favourite actor, Mr Delray,' his father admitted.
'Glad to know my work gets seen outside Emindar,' Delray said.
Menu pads appeared, hovering over the middle of their place settings, and they keyed in their orders. In a minute the floral display in the centre of their table, which Sam had assumed was real, melted away. Glasses of wine and then their food appeared, rising up
through irising hatches to be placed before the respective diner by disembodied, white-gloved, robotic arms.
Sam almost caught herself saying 'thank you' to them before the arms and hatches vanished to be replaced by the holographic bowl of flowers once more.
As they ate, Sam could not help admitting that Lyset looked extremely attractive. Sam felt distinctly dowdy in her presence and was still wary of her interest in the Doctor. However, Lyset turned out to be disarmingly straightforward about it all.
'And what do you and Ms Jones do, Doctor?' she asked.
'Oh, we're mere Federation functionaries,' he said lightly. 'Civil servants, you know.'
'Odd that I didn't notice you before.'
'We only joined the cruise at the last stop,' Sam said quickly.
'And we've been dining in our cabins up to now,' the Doctor continued smoothly. 'Hyperspace lag, you know.'
'You have an interesting face,' Lyset declared simply, 'and I like interesting faces. If you've the time I'd be pleased if you could sit for me for a proper study.'
'Now you won't get an offer like that very often, Doctor,' said Delray. 'You know how much people have to pay to get their portrait taken by Lyset Wynter?'
'You've seen Lyset's work of course,'Arcovian added.
'I regret we have not,' the Doctor admitted.'Our own work tends to take us to obscure corners of the galaxy.'
'Places you've never heard of,' Sam said.
'We're out of touch for quite long periods,' the Doctor continued, adding gallantly,'Our loss, I'm sure.'
Inevitably, as the meal progressed, the discussion turned to the alien ship.
'What do you think about it, Dan?' Delray asked Engers Junior over dessert.
The boy blushed at being included in the adult conversation. 'I think it's really weird, Mr Delray,' he blurted out.Then added,'If there are aliens on board, will you fight them like you did in The Black Star Squadron ?
Vanderdeken's Children Page 4
