by Jason Kent
Jennifer looked at her corner of the camp. Her pitifully few possessions; the wet suit, her back-pack with its rebreather, her dive vest, full face mask, and a few all-environment data pads were all she had to work with. The data pads were her office. Without their translation and communications capabilities, talking to the Soo would be nearly impossible.
So, here she was, trapped on a world humans were not meant to survive on with people she did not trust. With all the military personnel dead, leadership had fallen to the senior researcher. Jennifer glanced over at the makeshift table Kalvin Mason had constructed. As usual, he sat there hunched over his own data pads, lost in the abstract world of assumptions and what few facts they had gathered about the Soosuri from Jennifer’s interactions and from what had been retrieved from the ship captured in Earth space. Mason had little leadership experience outside of an academic environment. The adverse conditions and isolation forced upon the small group eroded his influence over the others, especially Tom and Quade, from the moment their spacecraft had disappeared beneath the waves.
Kalil Mahir, the youngest of the survivors, had gravitated toward and eventually fallen under the sway of MacGregor’s strong personality. The electronic specialist had been able to wire up their generator to provide the power needed to run the meager leftovers they had been able to bring below-ground. He had also been able to help Jennifer set up a pretty effective speaker and mike system, tuned to work while she was underwater, allowing her data pad to act as a translator device once there was enough vocabulary and syntax from the Soosuri.
Jennifer dropped down on to the raised ledge which doubled as her bed. It was covered with a thin padded mat from one of the packing containers. Rubbing her bare arms, she wished for the thousandth time, their supplies, inadequate as they were, had included at least one change of clothes.
Laying out her gear so it would dry a little before she put it on again tomorrow morning, Jennifer paused. Holding the helmet in her hands, she stared into the reflection on the face plate. She tried to imagine a plausible future which did not include spending the rest of her life on this Soosuri world and fell short. Sighing, she put the helmet aside pulled her dive vest toward her. As she made a show of checking the contents of its many pockets, she chanced a sidelong glance toward where Tom was pacing, still speaking to Quade in low angry tones, the words indecipherable across the cavern.
Quade was leaning quietly against a stack of packing containers. He was staring directly at her.
Jennifer quelled a shudder and paused at the sight of the dive knife snuggled in its sheath attached to the front of the equipment vest. She wondered if she would be forced to use the nano-blade on someone instead of the intended purpose of freeing the user from snags encountered underwater. She pulled the blue steel blade from its sheath and wondered how much more desperate her situation would become before she was forced to make a decision: flee her fellow humans for her own safety or take action to ensure her own protection.
Jennifer shrugged the vest onto her shoulders, ensuring the self-adhering snaps on the front were clasped. It didn’t cover everything, but at least the vest offered more cover than the body suit even if it was still damp and cold. The extra layer of clothing made her feel less conspicuous and also offered the reassurance of the large dive knife tucked into its slot over her heart. She also patted the pouch holding her multi-tool which offered several smaller blades. Thinking back to Quade’s gaze a moment ago and Tom’s physical attack, she resolved never to go anywhere without one implement or the other.
Shaking her head, Jennifer had to let out a small laugh at this thought. At another time on another world, she would be happy a skin tight outfit drew attention to her. She had known from an early age the sight of a woman’s body did odd things to men. It drove them nuts and even made them a little stupid. Unfortunately, this was not a beach excursion and the open looks she was getting from Tom MacGregor and Quade Pierce were not at all innocent.
A soft splash in the nearby pool caught Jennifer’s attention. She looked and saw a pair of large pale blue eyes with split irises like inverted v’s looking back at her. From the body markings on the part of the smooth head poking above the surface, Jennifer recognized it as the female Soosuri she had been spending so much of her time with lately. Jennifer had dubbed her Sue, after her short name for the Soosuri, Soo, and because Sue sounded a lot like the name she used when referring to herself. Sue was the closest thing to a friend the lone human female had at the moment.
Had Sue witnessed the earlier exchange? What could she be thinking of these odd creatures who had arrived so unexpectedly in their midst? Jennifer had tried to explain their situation and, even without Tom’s promptings, had tried to find out if the Soo could help them off the planet or even all the way home. Unfortunately, these Soosuri appeared to have no access to any space-faring technology or any other technology of any kind.
If the data from the Soosuri ship had been interpreted correctly, this planet was filled with renegade Soosuri who were considered dangerous enough to place the planet on a quarantine list in Six’s nav database. Those who had sent Jennifer and her team had hoped this group might be able to form some sort of alliance against the ruling class which it was assumed had directed the attack on Earth more than a year ago. So far, Jennifer had seen no signs these particular Soosuri were dangerous or even equipped to pose a threat to other Soosuri elsewhere in the galaxy. What then was the purpose of the navigation quarantine marker? The mystery of this Soosuri group’s isolation had taken hold of Jennifer’s imagination, but so far she had been unable to get their side of the story. Either she was phrasing the abstract question improperly or she was misinterpreting the answers.
Sue continued to stare at Jennifer.
Jennifer gave a small wave and managed a wan smile.
The Soo responded with a good imitation of the wave using one her tentacles ending in an articulated three-fingered ‘hand’. Sue wore a gold band around one of her fingers. The Soo called the ring an aniyu. Jennifer understood it had some religious significance but Sue had yet to expand much on the topic. Sue then disappeared below the dark surface of the pool, leaving only a few ripples.
I’ll have to bring up the ring tomorrow, Jennifer thought.
Jennifer stared at the dark pool for a moment, suddenly jealous of Sue’s freedom under the water. If her rebreather could carry enough filter charge, she could simply stay with Sue in the series of submerged caverns Sue and her family group occupied. At least there, she would not have to worry about falling prey to her own kind after she fell asleep. “Bunk mates with an alien,” she said softly, adding a quiet chuckle. “That’d be something for the trip report.”
Not wanting to talk to any of the other team members, Jennifer busied herself sorting the information she had gathered over the past few days on her data pads. The computer translation program was smart enough to incorporate all the new words she had picked up but she still needed to be sure the context was correct by verifying the program’s interpretations. Finishing more than an hour later, she tapped the transmit icon, sending the latest updates over the local wireless net Kalil had established. The others seemed content to let Jennifer be the only active link between the humans and the Soo. Mason used the translation device every now and again to try and talk to the Soo who would occasionally gather in the pool, but he rarely ventured far into the watery caverns beyond the camp. Kalil was simply more comfortable with his computers as Rider was comfortable with his rocks and dry tunnel explorations. Tom and Quade wandered some of the same tunnels as the geologists, searching for evidence of technology but they had turned so xenophobic they seemed hardly able to even look at one of the Soo. They certainly had no desire to spend any time in the water.
Unwrapping a nutrition bar, Jennifer leaned back against the cave and drew her knees to her chest. As she ate, she took in the rest of the crew. Tom was still slouching around the storage containers tucked along the far wall. The packing containers
had held everything which had been salvaged from the camp and shuttled down here. It had been difficult to navigate the tunnels but at least they had shelter and easy access to the Soo. The decision to transfer the camp down here had shown the first true schisms among the survivors. Three wanted to stay and wait on the wind-blasted surface. Jennifer and Mason convinced them shelter was preferable to waiting in the open for another ship. Their transponder would be interrogated by any ship approaching the planet and would be able to pinpoint their position should anyone come looking for them. Jennifer smiled to herself at the thought of the ‘HELP’ sign Kalil had proposed to create using rocks. That might work on an island in Earth’s Pacific Ocean, but she doubted it would do much good here.
Finishing the energy bar, Jennifer decided it would be enough for tonight. She had eaten a little of some raw fish Sue had offered her for lunch. Surprisingly, it was quite good, certainly better than the processed glop coming from the tiny human kitchen. She thanked God again the food on this world was at least marginally compatible with human physiology. Still, it was a good idea not to forget the vitamin and mineral supplements which ensured she received the minimum daily recommended allowance to keep her body functioning properly. She searched the waterproof section of her pack and pulled out the large bottle holding the tablets. Her heart sank a little as she realized there were only enough for three more weeks. After that, how long would they be able to survive off the local food supply?
Jennifer shook out two vitamins, the normal dose. After a moment’s thought, she put one of the vitamins back and popped the single remaining pill in her mouth and washed it down with water from her self-filtering bottle. She stowed the tablets and the bottle back in their allotted places in her pack. She laid the pack close to the wad of padding she used for a pillow. Jennifer felt better having everything she needed, including the rebreather built into the pack, nearby for several reasons. First, if the water began to rise for some reason, the quickest way out was through the watery tunnel nearly two hundred meters long, way too far of a swim to hold her breath. Second, she feared Tom might sabotage her equipment. Her pack offered her some modest means of controlling her situation. It, along with her vest, contained just about everything she needed to survive in the short term.
Maybe she should talk to Kalvin Mason about her fears.
Mason, the default leader of the group, sat huddled over his makeshift table near their small generator. His thin silver hair was now matched by a stubbly beard. The concerns of the past few days weighed heavily on Mason as evidenced by his stooped shoulders and sunken eyes. As his energy levels dropped, Tom and Quade had become emboldened to push for their own agenda. They insisted Jennifer find a way off the island using whatever negotiating tactics possible.
Jennifer snorted at the thought. What did they expect her to do; find the closest dealer and bring them the keys to a shiny new spaceship? She looked at Mason once more and shook her head. He would be of no help deterring Tom or Quade.
At least Rider Thuros seemed unfazed by their predicament. For him, this was merely a chance to perform a thorough survey of the caverns which riddled the island above and below the waterline. Jennifer kept telling him there were probably more interesting geological features below the surface but the older man simply smiled and told her to record everything. He insisted the veins she was finding were very similar to the ones he had uncovered, explaining the entire island had been uplifted from below the water by titanic geologic pressures. Thuros tried to be the source of reason during many of the arguments which flared up in the camp. His main problem was his good-natured way; he could not imagine the others doing anything wrong or out of social bounds. Jennifer smiled to herself at the thought of his naive view of their new world. Jennifer had held off telling him of her suspicions of Tom and Quade, fearing to put him in danger as well. He was an innocent and Jennifer felt the need to protect him. She looked over and saw watched Rider as he examined his latest samples while absently spooning the grey glop provided by the human’s food processor into his mouth. She smiled and hoped she would be able to get him back to earth where he could share his discoveries.
Luckily, one of the pieces of equipment was a neat bit of technology which was supposed to render the local food sources safe to eat. Meant as a back-up for the meager food supply that was to be left behind when a team worked out of the surface camp while the ship performed periodic surveys, it now became their lifeline. Jennifer had sampled a wide range of the local fare to no ill effect. Her favorite Soo food was an underwater fruit called pipinu which was very similar to a pomegranate. Sue had shown Jennifer how to crack open the tough outer skin to get to the smaller seeds inside which exploded when she bit down on them. Mason and the others believed the crew would not be able to survive on the planet’s food due to many technical reasons. Still, they lacked the basic equipment and had not even begun that portion of the survey prior to the loss of the ship and its more robust analysis suites and computer programs. So, they really had nothing but Jennifer’s experience to go on.
Jennifer laid back and tried to take her mind off the food supply and her growing fear for her personal safety, Jennifer ran through the list of Soo words she knew, wondering if she would ever be able to speak directly to Sue without the translator. She drifted off to sleep wondering if she had got the definition for feti’i mixed up with taio. One seemed to be a reference to family while the other seemed to be used to indicate someone with whom you shared a deep friendship. Jennifer had a smile on her face, thinking of the laugh she and Sue would have trying to sort it out, especially since she had heard the terms used to describe several groups which shared intimate relations and had also been used to describe her. Did they consider her more than just a stranger?
Jennifer dozed off only to awaken to a dark cave. She laid still in the darkness, listening. The only sounds which reached her ears were the dripping of water out over the pool and the light snore of one of the others. No one else was moving. She checked her watch; four AM. She tried to go back to sleep for nearly an hour before giving up. Quietly, she slipped over to the latrine set up by the food processor – an arrangement she tried very hard not to think about. She made sure she had the knife in her vest. The precautions proved to be unnecessary as she finished her preparations for another day with the Soo without waking anyone else.
The others began to get up before Jennifer was able to slip into the water and away from the cave. She was double-checking her gear when an argument between Mason and Tom peaked in intensity and caught her attention. She turned to find Tom pressing forward over Mason.
“I’m telling you she’s not trying hard enough!” MacGregor growled.
Mason leaned his thin frame back from the larger man’s presence. “Tom, we’ve talked about this, Jennifer is trying her best to understand the Soo. They have told us there are no ships. Perhaps if Quade were to help…”
“All we’ve got is her word for that,” MacGregor spat. He pointed at Jennifer now. “How do we know she’s not just dragging this thing out? She’s the one getting all friendly with the sushi.” He turned to face Jennifer. “She probably doesn’t even want to leave.”
“MacGregor,” Jennifer called, “I didn’t think it was possible, but you have just proven you’re a bigger idiot than I had ever imagined.”
“You stinkin’…” MacGregor stepped away from Mason toward Jennifer. “It’s about time someone taught you some manners.”
“Whoa, guys,” Rider Thuros stepped in front of MacGregor. “What’s the problem?”
Jennifer fingered the handle of her dive knife tucked beneath a flap on her equipment vest. Was Thuros really that out of touch with reality?
“Stay out of this, Rider,” MacGregor snarled. “I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
Thuros pushed the brim of his hat back on his head and placed his hands on his hips. Meeting MacGregor’s gaze, he used a hard tone of voice Jennifer had never heard before. “No, Tom, I think you need to deal wit
h me right now.”
Jennifer raised an eyebrow. Maybe Rider was more in touch than she realized. MacGregor’s eye twitched as the sturdy little geologist turned to granite between him and his prey. “Have it your way.” MacGregor took a step back and pulled a large handgun from his a deep pocket of his encounter suit. Pointing the weapon at Thuros, he said, “Get over there with Mason.”
Seeing their time had come, Quade pulled out a weapon of his own from a storage box near him – a long spear gun. He used his free hand to lift a large automatic rifle from the same box and tossed it to Kalil Mahir. Kalil caught the weapon clumsily. Quade turned to cover Mason and Thuros.
“Here’s how this is going to play out,” MacGregor said in a low voice, advancing on Jennifer. “You’re going to go out there,” he motioned at the dark pool, “and you’re coming back with a way to get off this rock. A way to get us back to Earth.”
Jennifer had dropped her hands to her sides. Tom did not seem to realize she had the knife hidden in her vest. She did not want to tip him off about its presence. As calmly and with as much courage as Jennifer could manage, she asked, “And if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, one of them dies,” MacGregor said, waving the gun lazily at Mason and Thuros.
“This is absurd!” Mason sputtered.
MacGregor extended his arm, taking firm aim at the Senior Researcher’s chest. “We don’t have to wait until later, Doc.”
Mason opened his mouth to protest again.
MacGregor raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. When Mason clamped his mouth shut, MacGregor muttered, “Smart.”
Quade Pierce gave a soft laugh in the background.
Jennifer looked over at Kalil. The younger man held his weapon awkwardly, unused to its feel and weight. She wondered how dedicated he would be to the other two mutineers if things came to a shooting match.
