“What about the shakes?”
“It’ll have a medical kit. Just sedate yourself for the trip.”
“That’s it then,” Jim said. “When we get outside, Halbert can head for the freighter. Their attention will be on us if there are any problems.”
Jim ran down the line of suits reading their numbers. “Computer, open a private line between pressure suits forty two, seven, sixteen, eight, fifty four, fifty two and twelve.”
“Line open,” the computer replied.
The team hurriedly donned their suits and stepped into the airlock. As the outer door opened, Jim looked across at the now familiar sight of the colony ship.
“Where’s our shuttle?” Dr. Chin asked, looking around.
“Oh, hell,” Jim said, looking up. “There it is, right above us. If anyone’s sitting on the observation deck, it’ll be within plain sight.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Peter said as he stood upright on the side of the ship and started to walk in the direction of the observation deck. “Judging by the traffic through that storeroom, there’s been a lot of comings and goings. We probably won’t be noticed.”
Jim reached for the controls on his left arm and activated the magnetic boots. He then stepped out and followed Peter up the side. “Damn,” Jim said, trying to straighten. “Every time I do this I get orientation problems.”
“It’s called Corrigan’s syndrome,” Dr. Chin said as he slowly floated away from the ship holding out his jet bar and waiting with Carol gripping his belt.
The two lookouts slowly walked the twelve meters to the base of the observation deck’s transparent bubble. Peter carefully leaned forward and took a brief peek.
“The three of them are sitting there chatting. No one’s looking this way and they have the lights up bright so take a look.”
Jim leaned forward and saw Jennifer as well as the Stutchmans sitting in a circle deep in conversation. Ben, glass in one hand, was waving the other, obviously in the middle of recounting some humorous tale. As he dropped his hand and leaned forward the other two silently laughed.
“Must have been some joke,” Peter said, turning and beckoning to the others. “Pity I can’t see what he’s saying. He has his back to me.”
“Probably telling them about the time he kicked a blind man in the groin for not instantly recognizing him and calling him sir.” Jim thought for a moment. “See what he’s saying?”
“Oh yes, Jennifer’s talking about a restaurant in some place called Oakland. Now Charles is agreeing with her and saying that the large lake near the colony landing site would be an ideal place for whatever it is they’re talking about. Ben just said something and they’re all laughing again. I love watching conversations like this. I learn so much.”
Jim looked up and saw the others as they drifted toward the shuttle.
“The older one caught sight of them,” Peter said after another peek. “He just watched them for a couple of seconds then returned to the conversation.”
“That’s a relief,” Carol said.
Jim turned to watch three suited figures exit the airlock of the colony ship and take off in the direction of the freighter to the rear of the Lydia. “You’re right. People everywhere, no one’s paying us any attention at all.”
“There’s always the chance. Just keep alert.”
They waited a few more minutes taking an occasional peek and generally watching the surroundings. Another group of suited men jetted from a cargo shuttle back to the colony ship.
“On my way back,” Mort said. “There was an extra suit on the shuttle.”
Jim looked up again and saw his shape covered with suits and helmets strapped to various parts of his own.
“Oh shit,” Peter said. “Charles just made a comment about him and the rest are looking up.”
“What did he say?” Mort asked.
“Something about boarding that shuttle too early and it wasn’t supposed to leave for a couple of hours.”
“Lydia shuttle, requesting access to private line,” the computer said.
“Access granted,” Jim said.
“Doing well,” Captain Mull said, “they didn’t lock the shuttle’s computers. I have full access to everything.”
“Good girl Jennifer,” Peter said. “She just made a joke about low life trash not being able to follow orders and suggested that Ben go out and kick a few backsides. The other two are both laughing.”
The two observers stood in silence watching Mort enter the airlock and then took another peek into the observation deck. Nothing was going on so they stood and waited.
“No trouble down here,” Earl said. “No one showed up and we’re in the airlock now getting suited up.”
“We have a problem,” Peter said. “Ben just contacted the landing coordinator and he doesn’t look pleased with the reply. They’re all on their feet and wandering this way.”
Jim looked down and saw the remaining five exit the airlock and start their assent.
“Jennifer just discovered the private line lock out in our suits,” Peter said.
Both Peter and Jim took a pace backward down the side of the Lydia and crouched as the three inside appeared at the transparent wall. They watched as Ben searched the skies above and Charles stood with hands behind his back casually talking.
“Lydia requesting access to private line,” the computer said.
“Denied,” Jim said.
“She’s sort of floundering at the moment trying to override,” Peter said. “I think her confusion is intentional. Time to leave.”
Peter jumped from the side of the ship raising his jet bar. His legs wrapped around Jim’s waist and pulled his magnetic boots away from the surface.
In full view now, Jim saw the three step back from the wall, startled by their sudden appearance. Ben was silently screaming orders at them and Charles leaned forward to look down at the other six as they came into view. Jim felt a sudden amusement at Ben’s reddening face as he thumped with a fist on the transparent wall. With an uncontrollable desire to add to the man’s frustration, Jim pointed to his groin and then to the Ben. The result of his action was a torrent of silent words. Jim was positive he saw Ben frothing at the mouth.
“Hey Peter,” Jim said with a smile, “you’re not the only one with a plan. Computer, access priority one, override all safety systems and warning delays.”
“Voice print James Young accepted,” the computer replied. “Access priority one granted.”
“Open all airlock inner and outer doors. Open all emergency doors. Shut down service, utility and safety systems. Gravity to zero ship wide.”
Jim watched as the lights went out on the observation deck and loose objects flew into space from various parts of the ship. “Don’t worry about your new one true love, Peter. She’ll be able to close things before the air pressure drops too far. The only ones that’ll get it are those standing near outside doors.”
“Oh, look, freezies,” Peter said excitedly.
“Freezies?” Jim inquired as he looked up and saw two rigid bodies rapidly floating away from the other side of the ship.
“That’s what we in the profession call unsuited torsos that, for one reason or another, find themselves outside a spaceship.”
“I really don’t want to know that,” Celia said.
Just before entering the shuttle’s airlock, Jim looked down and saw the lights return to the observation deck. He could just make out Charles laying on the deck gasping for air and Ben staggering for a seat. “That’ll keep them occupied for a while.”
* * *
The shuttle accelerated toward a selected orbit. Their first concern was to find an area in the foothills of a mountain range just south of the colony’s first base. Small volcanic hills were riddled with caves which Peter decided were far preferable to a camp in the stormy open. A connection with Batalavia was reestablished through the shuttle’s own system. They resumed the conversation with Redmond who was nervously waiting.
“You know you left the line in your cabin open, Jim.”
“Yep, I just kept my fingers crossed that you would stay quiet.”
“I turned off the transmitter and am listening in right now. They’re putting the elder Stutchman to bed. He’s not at all well from whatever you did. The younger is vexed and wants to execute a thousand colonists in retribution for the insult.”
“Oh my,” Carol said.
“It’s all right, Falvy is trying to talk him out of it. She says that, as you’ll not hear about it, the act would be useless and a waste of workers. The elder is agreeing with her.”
“That’s my girl,” Peter said.
“Could she know you’re listening?” Chris asked.
“A security team from the Commonwealth Secret Service just said yes. They’re using total voice analysis. She seems to be intentionally asking questions and making statements to give us information. What do you intend to do now?”
“Hide out on the planet,” Jim said. “We’ll keep an eye on the colony and keep you posted. From there we have no idea.”
“Slowly reduce the guard’s numbers is a likely course,” Peter said. “A throat here, a back there. When they’re cut down to a manageable size, the colonists could rebel. Until one of us comes up with a better plan, that’ll have to do.”
Jim sat bolt upright in his seat with an instant idea. “You have an open line to Charles while he sleeps. You could use the same subliminal suggestion that that religious group tried on Tranquility.”
“Unfortunately that is illegal Mr. Young,” Rossetti said. “It would also have limited affect as he’s not in the same relaxed frame of mind they were on Tranquility.”
Peter turned to Jim and winked. Jim got the meaning. They would at least try the method of mental conditioning and attitude change that involved a direct mind link with a sleeping subject.
“Hurricane coming up,” Captain Mull said from the pilot’s seat.
Jim flipped open the flat screen monitor in the back of the seat in front of him. He switched from channel to channel until he got the monitor of the view below. The shuttle rollercoastered as he watched a close up of the swirling cloud formation.
“There’s a small valley ahead,” the Captain announced. “The weather’s clear and there are plenty of little gullies to hide this craft in.”
“How far from the colony settlement,” Jim asked.
“About fifteen kilometers.”
Jim watched the rocky terrain as it passed beneath the ship. “That’ll have to do. It’ll be a five hour hike over country like this. On the positive side, I can’t see anyone having the vaguest chance of searching for us on the ground.”
“The weather is on our side too,” Levin said. “The pilots we trained aren’t nearly skilled enough to use the new stratos that just arrived.”
“Can’t they do an accelerated course in the corporeality room?” Chris said.
“No ah...” Levin said, looking embarrassed. “When they first came aboard I was readjusting a problem with the distance resolution. As I thought that they may use it against us, I sort of ah... broke it.”
“Levin!” Celia said with her eyes wide in amazement. “You actually did physical damage to an electronic instrument?”
“Oh yes, I really feel bad about it, but it had to be done.”
“Good work Levin,” Jim said.
“Hold on,” Captain Mull said. “Landing at the far end of the gully ahead. The instruments are picking up turbulent up draughts.”
The shuttle shuddered. Jim watched the ground slow as it moved past his monitor then stop and enlarge as they descended. The shuttle moved sideways for a few meters then settled with a mild shaking and thumping as it came in contact with the ground.
“I put us under an overhang,” the Captain said. “A strato would have to be quite lucky to spot us visually, even if it flew directly overhead.”
“I know it’s day on this part of the planet,” Jim said, “but for us it’s night. We’d better get some sleep before we go exploring.”
Seats were leaned back and upper bunks swung down from the ceiling. The craft contained accommodations for fourteen, but as there was gear stowed in the rear, the quarters were slightly cramped. Everyone settled down for a few hours sleep.
Chapter 11
“Jim, this thing’s starting to rock,” Carol said as she shook his shoulder.
“What?” Jim said, sitting up.
The whole craft was slightly swaying. Others were awake and he saw Captain Mull scramble for the instrument panel. The monitors lit up as she touched a control.
“One hundred and ten kilometer per hour winds outside,” she said as she switched off the panel. “The anchors on this thing can take up to one hundred and eighty without supplemental reinforcing.”
Jim looked at his wristwatch. They had slept for four hours. He got up and wandered to the front of the cabin. Flopping into the copilot’s chair, he switched on a large external monitor screen. The dull gray of late afternoon illuminated the dismal scene of a rock strewn ground punctuated by patches of mulch weed. Pieces of the new vegetation flew in all directions. A large piece of weed, with bulbous root still attached, narrowly missed the monitor camera. Jim ducked due to reflex.
All in the shuttle slowly crawled out from under blankets and dressed. Haggard faces looked up with tired smiles as Jim visually checked each one.
“What’s the matter Sam?” Carol said.
Jim looked and saw Sam sitting, looking down at his boots.
“Ah gots used to them there computer thaings, ah gots used ta tellin’ them machines ta go git me stuff and a talkin’ with people hundreds a miles away, but ah still cain’t git used ta lookin’ at ma boots ta see which one ta put on which foot.”
“Ah…” Carol said, momentarily confused. “What’s the problem?”
Jim chuckled to himself. “Carol, in Sam’s time there was no left and right boot. They were both the same and fit either foot.”
“Ah,” Carol said.
Jim turned and went back to looking at the monitor.
“So this is our new home,” Chris said, leaning over Jim’s shoulder.
Sam joined them. “They was a tellin’ me that in two months there’d be blue skies and slight breezes.”
“Oh yes,” Chris said, “new technology discovered in the conversion of the planet Hebram. It was the first colony planet in over a hundred years and they used the opportunity for experimentation. You spent time there Jim. How long did a storm like this last?”
Jim grimaced as he remembered trying to sleep with the roar of the wind and the flapping of his cabin walls. “Sometimes all night,”
“This one will probably last about half an hour,” Chris said. “Right now the automatic and manual systems are draining its energy into the upper atmosphere and onto mountain ranges. A lot of inertia has to be removed from the atmosphere. They’re using the storms themselves against each other.”
“Changin’ the direction of the wind,” Sam said, “well ah’ll be.”
“Yes, Stormy’s probably up there now working on this one,” Chris said.
Jim turned around with a smile. “Sam, you’re storm buster Thomas’s hero.”
Sam shrugged. “Don’t know why, ah’m jest a farmer that got maself caught up in a war.”
Jim watched a small stream of rainwater as it cascaded down the face of the gully’s cliff wall. “That guy’s quite enthusiastic. During the first two weeks after wake up he spent a twenty hour day in 3V classes.”
“How does they do that thaing, force the wind ta change from north ta east?”
“Simple,” Chris said. “Create pressure barriers and air flow channels. They use warm air heated by broad beam lasers, and cool air by shielding air masses from the sun with ionized gasses in the upper atmosphere. They can also open up sections of cloud cover by direct heating.”
“They guide the wind, Sam,” Jim said. “Run it into mountain ranges where it
loses strength.”
“Them mountains must be some windy place.” Sam said.
“That’s good for the planet,” Chris said. “They’re trying to wash the volcanic soil into giant flood plains, future fertile valleys. The main coordination is from a government computer on Ploschard.”
Jim thought for a moment then remembered the current political situation. “The Stutchmans have threatened to break with the Commonwealth government. How does that affect the technical assistance?”
“I spoke with Tal while you were all asleep” Chris said. “They’re threatening them with our wellbeing to assure continuing cooperation. They’re also holding the cargo ship that Halbert was trying to escape on.”
“Hostages?” Jim said. “Assholes haven’t changed much, have they? I suppose they’re threatening us with his wellbeing too.”
“No, he contacted the Montoyas from the ship. Two colonists are going to hide him there and keep him supplied with what he needs. Luckily he never met the Stutchmans face to face so they’re going to try and pass him off as a colonist.”
Jim turned his seat to face the rear. “Time for a council of war. We have to catalogue our assets and discuss our liabilities.”
Tired faces peered from under light composite material blankets as members of the party slowly worked their feet around and toward the deck.
“Peter, you’re in charge of the military operations.”
“No, no, no, no,” Peter sang as he sat upright. “I’m trained as an individual operand. Having one partner is a crowd to me.”
“Earl?”
“Ex tank drivers make lousy infantry.”
“Chris?”
“Home Guard cargo master and pulse gunner. I know nothing about moving troops in the field.”
“Sam?” Jim asked in desperation.
“From a watchin’ them there 3V shows ah founds out that formin’ a firin’ line an’ a firin’ by battalion ain’t no good no more, and we ain’t got no bayonets fer an on line rush.”
Earl looked around rubbing his bald spot. “But you learned about Indian tactics in Arizona didn’t you?”
To Wake the Living (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 2) Page 21
