Vanderdeken's Children

by Christopher Bulis

  'How long until we hit, if we can't get the engines on line?' 'Less than five minutes now,' Lanchard said crisply. 'You can't evacuate the entire ship in that time.'

  'I know - but there's no other choice. With the gravity field that thing generates accelerating us we'll be smashed to pieces for certain.'

  Which meant she would die. He knew as well as she did that, by ancient and well-founded tradition, until everybody had been safely evacuated a captain could not leave her ship.

  'There's one other thing I can do,' she said, opening the general distress channel.'This is the SC Cirrandaria . Our main drive has been sabotaged and we are out of control and on a collision course with another vessel. We are preparing to evacuate the ship. Any craft receiving this message please give immediate assistance.'

  Of course they both knew the only ship that could possibly respond in time was the Indomitable .

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rexton open his mouth as though to protest, but he said nothing. Either his instinct for self-preservation overruled his pride and hatred of the Nimosians, or else he realised there were times when the needs of common humanity came first. She wondered which.

  ***

  Vega strode through on to the bridge from his ready room, where he had been snatching half an hour's sleep.

  'Report,' he snapped.

  'The Cirrandaria is now on an unpowered trajectory that will cause her to impact the alien vessel in four minutes,' Fayle said. 'Her lifeboat ports are opening.'

  'Put us on to an interception course,'Vega commanded.'Ready the tow beam. Communications, inform them that we will attempt to bring them about on to a safe course.They must not try to eject their lifeboats while we are making the beam lock.'

  ***

  In the engine room the Doctor and Manders were working frantically over the cable conduit to restore engine control. Sam could only look on anxiously, holding torches and passing over tools on demand. It was evident that it was far quicker and easier to sever connections than it was to repair them correctly. Still, the task would normally take only ten minutes.

  Unfortunately, they didn't have ten minutes to spare.

  Manders, her arms thrust deep into the void under the floor plate as she microwelded and reinsulated the wiring, said,'With the gravity field that ship generates we'll need all the manoeuvring thrusters working to alter course in time.And I don't think we're going to make it.'

  'Are the inertia! gyro rings still functioning?' the Doctor asked.

  'Yes.'

  'Then forget the thrusters and concentrate on getting the main reaction drive operational. Bendix,' he called out to the first officer. 'Tell the Captain to use the gyros to turn the ship ninety degrees to our present course, then cut in the main drive as soon as it's functioning. A second or two of that will shift our trajectory enough to miss the alien ship. By the time we fall back towards it again we'll have everything fully operational.'

  Bendix transmitted the suggestion up to the bridge. He reported back: "The Nimosians are going to try to lock on a tow beam and pull us clear.'

  'Perhaps they aren't as bad as you've been making out,' Sam said.

  'The Captain says she'll implement your suggestion anyway - just in case,'

  Bendix added.

  ***

  The Indomitable manoeuvred over the falling Cirrandaria .The tow-beam controller was aligning the emitters so that the beam would strike the liner over its centre of gravity to prevent it tumbling.

  'Still getting the erratic energy readings from the alien ship, Commander,'

  one of the monitors reported.

  'Does it match the patterns recorded during the previous gravity shift?'

  'No, Commander.'

  'So, they chose this very moment to try something new,' Vega said softly, glancing at Fayle.'Well, Mr Fayle. Does that strike you as more than a coincidence when the Emindian liner has just reported being sabotaged?'

  'Yes, Commander,' Fayle said stiffly.

  'I agree. All hands, move to amber alert status. Report any unusual observations directly to the bridge.'

  'Beam targeted and locked, Commander.'

  'Power up slowly. This is not a military craft we're grappling. Engage main drive to begin deceleration.'

  ***

  On the bridge of the Cirrandaria they felt the gradual force of the tow beam take hold. The Cirrandaria's own artificial-gravity fields shifted to compensate, keeping the floor under everybody's feet.

  'We are slowing, Captain,' the helmsman reported.

  'Tow beam is holding,' the engineering systems monitor reported.

  'Structural stress within tolerances.'

  lanchard ran a finger across her brow and found it damp with sweat. She spoke into her wristcom. 'Captain to all lifeboat stations: continue embarking passengers but do not attempt to launch unless directly ordered.There's a chance we may save the old ship yet.'

  'Captain!' the crewman monitoring the external sensor displays called out.

  "The energy fluctuations are increasing on the alien ship. The readings are... well, they're going crazy.'

  Rexton was staring intently at the magnified image of the ship on the big screen. Lanchard saw that its more substantial end was presented almost full on now, the tunnel mouth looking uncomfortably as though it was gaping wider to meet them. Within was a pit of darkness - no, streaks of light were starting to form.

  Even as she watched they resolved into starlike points. It was like looking down into a well on a star-spangled night.They grew brighter and blurred and vanished again, falling into the depths. Then, out of the darkness, she saw a red glow that flickered and shimmered but grew steadily stronger.

  The glow became diffuse, swelling until it filled the mouth of the huge shaft.

  It was pulsating more and more rapidly.Then with a surge of power it expanded and filled the screen.

  A column of ruddy-tinted sparkling radiance erupted from the shaft and struck Cirrandaria .

  Chapter 22

  Cavern

  The end of the alien ship rested inside a huge, approximately ovoid, cavern.Their torches could illuminate only the nearest rock face with any clarity. The rest was lost in almost total darkness, broken only here and there by a few faint yellow-white glimmerings which might have been artificial lights several kilometres away. The far end of the ship faded into the uncertain gloom.

  Sho turned to Lyset, looking wild-eyed and angry, and touched helmets.

  'What is this place?' he demanded.

  'Well, it's not Kansas,Toto..."The ancient literary allusion was lost on Sho.

  She said as evenly as she could manage,'How should I know? The Doctor

  - the Moderator - said this whole ship was an experimental hyperspace bridge. Well, it looks like he was right. Crossing that interface must have taken us somewhere else.'

  Sho appeared to calm down slightly."Then I shall reconnoitre. If this is where the controllers of the alien vessel have their base they may have brought some of my squad here.They may still be alive.'

  Lyset wanted to get back to Don and the Cirrandaria . But this discovery was so fantastic that, despite her recent ordeal, it piqued her curiosity. If only she had her camera. A trembling underfoot reminded her of one reason why they had left the ship. Maybe it was worth exploring until it settled down again.

  'If we're going, let's go.' She looked about her. 'Is that some sort of gantry?'

  In the dim light it was just possible to make out a framework tower extending from the rock wall. It connected with the flange structure about three hundred metres from where they stood, holding the great projecting horns clear of the cavern walls.

  'Yes,' Sho said.'Probably to prevent the craft from drifting. We shall climb down it to the cave floor.'

  They set off across the pipework field beside the flange wall.

  Climbing it would be like mounting a series of small cliffs smothered in tree roots, she thought. But at least there would be plenty of footholds.<
br />
  As they proceeded the whole cavern seemed to rotate about them. The ship's own local gravity field was stronger than that of whatever place they were in, and so down remained in the general direction of its long axis.

  Lyset suddenly felt sick and she reminded herself firmly that a spacesuit helmet was no place to throw up.

  Her steps were getting lighter and she began to bounce in exaggerated strides across the hull. It was as though she was wearing seven-league boots. The alien ship's centre of gravity was changing again. If it shifted all the way, she thought, they would effectively be at the top of a four-kilometre sheer wall! Sho must have realised the same thing, for he lengthened his own strides.

  They didn't need to climb the first flange wall. A single bound carried them to the top.Three long strides took them to the second. Another bound. They soared over the next terrace top. They were definitely getting lighter. As she touched down she felt a vibration through the soles of her boots. Then the gantry was before them. It had seemed spiderlike from the distance and dwarfed by the alien ship's hull. But close to she saw it was formed of a latticework of heavy beams.A final leap took them to its base. Running up inside the framework was a ladder with rungs a metre apart, ideal for a low-gravity environment. They began to climb hand over hand.

  After they'd ascended only a hundred metres her legs were gently pulled away from the ladder in the direction of the invisible far end of the alien ship. The centre of gravity had shifted, but distance was moderating the effect. Lyset was breathing heavily by now and her arms were beginning to ache. She wondered if she could attract Sho's attention long enough to suggest they take a rest now they were out of danger.Then she blinked.

  Why was it getting brighter?

  A dull red glow was emanating from the huge tunnel mouth below her, illuminating the depths of the cavern. She climbed faster.

  Two-thirds the way up the ladder all relative gravity faded away as the field of the ship and the surrounding cavern equalised. Sho swung about gracefully and she copied him. She needed to push to get herself started down again, but then she could glide, letting the side rail of the ladder slip through her fingers.The radiance was extending into a misty sparkling haze about the mouth of the shaft. By its light she saw balconies studding the walls about her, and the dark mouths of smaller cave openings, planed shelves of rock and strips of window reflecting the light in the distance. The ship was a massive dark cylinder hanging above them, apparently supported by several slender pylons similar to the one they were climbing.

  Sho's hand slapped her leg. She looked down and saw rock floor just below them. She slowed her rate of descent and hit ground, staggering slightly even though the gravity was less than that on the alien ship. A path, looking as though it had been cut by a laser, led away from the base of the pylon and twisted between the rugged upthrusts of rock.

  Should we follow it? she wondered. Then she saw Sho staring upward, rifle unslung and cradled ready in his arms. She followed his gaze. Smoke seemed to be pouring from several of the dark cave openings opposite the glowing hull mouth. What was happening now?

  Then a sense of scale asserted itself. It was not smoke.

  Fire blazed from Sho's gun even as his mouth opened in a soundless scream.

  Chapter 23

  The Shadow Host

  The impact as the red glow enveloped the Cirrandaria was transmitted through the tow beam to the Indomitable , making the ship shudder.

  'An energy beam of unknown composition has surrounded the Emindian ship,' a monitor reported. 'It's acting like an attractor field, pulling the ship towards the shaft mouth.'

  'Increase power to main drive by one half,'Vega said.'We're going to rescue the Emindians even if somebody else thinks otherwise.'

  ***

  In the engine room they felt the Cirrandaria's hull groan under the increased strain as Bendix relayed the news from the bridge. Lights began to flash urgently on monitor panels.

  Manders lifted her head out of the floor hatch to call out, 'Everybody suit up. Repair teams to emergency stations. Close all airtight doors. Activate reserve pressure curtains.'

  'Bendix,' the Doctor called out.'We'll be finished in another minute. Have the Captain turn the ship all the way round.Then we'll use the main drive to pull free.'

  ***

  The main bridge monitor screen was filled with the image of the glowing tunnel mouth, slowly growing larger despite the counterthrust of the Indomitable . As she stared more intently Lanchard noted that the beam had a subtle structure. The sparkling points within it, like dust motes caught in sunlight, were descending through the centre of the column and rising in a ringlike formation about the outside. It reminded her of a circulation pattern in a column of liquid. And they were caught in its apex, unable to break free, slowly being sucked down into the centre.

  She frowned.There was something else rising up the outside of the beam.

  Darker fuzzy patches she could not resolve. She magnified one quadrant of the image to the maximum. It was a hazy grey cloud with irregular edges.

  Beside her Rexton drew in his breath sharply and gave vent to a curse which was suddenly cut short as he regained his composure.

  'Ghosts,' he said tonelessly. 'Hundreds of them. They're going to attack us.'

  ***

  They had just scrambled into emergency pressure suits when the ship's speakers came to life: 'All hands to armament lockers. Unidentified beings are riding the beam up to the ship. They may attempt to board us.'

  Bendix started to move, his face very pale.

  'Your weapons are useless,' the Doctor called after him.

  'So? You expect us to give up without a fight?' Bendix snapped. He was already halfway to the lift.

  'No. That wouldn't be the human thing to do,' the Doctor acknowledged gently.

  "This might help them,' Sam said, holding up the normaliser. 'We've got to try. Maybe we can hold them off until you can get the main drive fixed.'

  'All right, Sam. Be careful.'

  She saw the concern in his face and felt the familiar frisson it sparked within her. One of the things she was most proud of in her life was that this man truly cared about her.

  She ran after Bendix.

  ***

  'Have the Nimosians cut their beam for a few seconds so we can eject those lifeboats that are full!' Rexton said. 'At least some of them will get away.'

  Despite the full thrust of the Indomitable's engines they were still slowly descending tail first.There was nothing more they could do.

  "They may not have the power to pull free of the beam from the derelict,'Lanchard snapped, fighting back a sense of sick despair.'Even if they did, what if those things attack them in open space?'

  'It's an acceptable risk.'

  'I will not gamble with the lives of my passengers! Acceptable risks are for soldiers. Gods damnit! We shouldn't be here playing your games. I should have told the board what they could do with their directives. People are going to die because I wasn't brave enough to stand up to you!'

  The main screen was filled by fleeting images of shadows without bodies.

  In the last moments before they struck, Lanchard saw, against all reason in the vacuum of space, that they had wings.

  ***

  Such was the confusion on the upper port lifeboat deck that the ghosts'

  arrival went almost unnoticed at first. People were still pressing forward while others were being turned aside from boats that were full. Children were crying, adults were shouting and families were desperately trying to stay together - all tinted by the red light streaming in through the viewports.The cries of those who saw the first shadows melting through the hull wall on to the deck were drowned in the greater uproar.

  They were almost invisible at first - feeble flickering things whose batwings shrivelled away as soon as they touched solid matter, as though the effort of maintaining them had drained their strength. They became no more than cold wisps of grey mist blowing through the
throng.Then one of them wrapped itself around a man.

  As he screamed in pain and fear the ghost grew, as though feeding on his very life force. It swelled into a translucent thing of teeth and claws and boneless clinging arms, and the people scattered from it in terror.As it became more real the man's struggles weakened, and he faded into grey translucence. Clutching its prize, the ghost ran at the hull and leapt, sliding through the solid metal and glass and pulling the man with it.

  The shadows began to pluck people from the panic-stricken crowd. Each victim melted into insubstantiality and was carried back through the hull into the red haze.Anybody who tried to bar a ghost's passage was knocked aside by a fleetingly solid limb, or slashed by claws and talons.

  Into this nightmare came Bendix and a handful of armed crewmen, with Sam at their heels.

  A shadowy form lunged at them. Sam caught it in the beam of the normaliser and it materialised into a thing with a crocodilian head set on a lion's body, carrying one extra pair of legs. The crewmen fired, knocking the creature out of the air and sending it tumbling backwards. It writhed and twisted under the gunfire, metamorphosing into new forms that swallowed the blast holes in its body even as they were formed.

  'Do it like we did in the engine room!' Sam shouted.

  They forced the creature back to the hull. At the last moment Sam reversed the normaliser's polarity and it fell backwards and was gone.

  ***

  Down in the hold Manders withdrew her arms from the cable conduit and said into her wristcom, 'Captain, main engines back on line!'