“I would feel better if we had received some word from the Colonel,” insisted the woman. “It is not like him to fail to respond. It has been over ten hours, since we transmitted the message.”
Linden shook his head, “Frankly, I do not know what additional guidance the Colonel could have provided us in any event. He chose us all carefully, and we have his absolute trust to complete the mission. We are on our own.”
“It is a heavy burden to carry,” she said.
“Perhaps,” his voice grew strong. “But it is one we are destined to carry. The fate of our people is in our hands now. I am confident we are up to the task; we will complete the assignment that the Colonel entrusted us. We will kill this agent of darkness before he can reach Berralton.”
She slowly nodded, “Then we must finish the task soon. Very likely a fleet is already on its way; a rescue mission from the Grand Patriarch. They could reach Selane within less than two cycles.”
“More than enough time,” Linden assured her. He hoped he sounded confident. Their failure to close on the enemy was an increasing concern. The damned ship would land well before the Light Avenger could even make orbit. He did not relish a pursuit on-planet, but unless something catastrophic happened to the enemy ship, he was resigned to finish the task with hand weapons.
“Notify me when the Colonel finally responds,” he said. He turned and walked to his station. The technician watched his receding back, snorted quietly and looked once more at the console. Time and again, she thought Linden had underestimated their target. The minion of darkness continued to evade their best efforts to extinguish his life. There were increased mumblings from others that his survival bordered on the supernatural. What dark power protected this mysterious enemy? She, herself was beginning to wonder.
CHAPTER 34
The fortresses orbiting Selane did not react to the Holmes as it approached Selane without incident. Having slowed sufficiently for the dangerous maneuver, the ship entered the upper limit of planet’s atmosphere at a steep angle under a steady, controlled thrust. The resulting ride down to Selane was noisy. The ship’s inertia dampers performed their job well. Owens and Sharné felt almost nothing of the wild turbulence taking place outside of the hull, but sound was another matter. The Holmes’ energy shields, designed to operate in space, were off-line for atmospheric entry and would provide no protection against the noise that resulted from the friction-generated, superheated air buffeting the ship’s hull. The noise increased in volume as they plowed into Selane’s thickening atmosphere.
There was a good reason why it was called a hot emergency landing. The air screamed its protest and the ceramic-coated hull heated to orange-red as the Holmes pierced the upper atmosphere under throttle. The hull temperature steadily increased and the ship's nose, its leading edges and the auxiliary pods began to glow white. Owens and Sharné had to rely on the ship’s thick hull and the AI’s piloting skills to get them down safely.
The raucous shriek of the air penetrated the triple hull, and the ship’s frame groaned under the strain it was being asked to bear. The din in the bridge was deafening. Owens knew that no human pilot could put the ship through such a maneuver and was thankful that Hec was in control. The modifications made back on Denbus made this operation additionally tricky. The stresses had to be balanced and the ship’s angle of approach had to be maintained with the inhuman precision of an AI, or it would breakup in a spectacular shower of flaming debris.
Owens looked over at Sharné. Her face was white, and although restraint fields held her securely in the copilot’s seat, she maintained a death-grip on the padded arms. He tried to shout encouragement, but his voice was lost in the noise. After what seemed an eternity, the wind shriek finally dwindled to a low whistle, and gradually transitioned into a vibrating rumble as the Holmes applied its emergency braking thrusters to begin decelerating for its landing. The whines of the impeller field generators began to build, muffling the other noises. Even so, they could feel the mechanical clangs and thuds telegraphing the landing struts’ successful deployment. At the last, the hull resounded with a loud thump.
“We’re down,” Hec exclaimed. “I’m extending the ramp.”
Owens felt the restraint field switch off and went over to Sharné to offer his help, which she gratefully accepted. After helping her up from the chair, he said, “Okay, it’s time to go. Grab your gloves and hood.” He shook his head and muttered, “Damn, I really wish we had time to let the hull cool down.” In a louder voice he said, “I’ll get the packs.” He then quickly removed two backpacks from a nearby locker. He motioned for Sharné to follow him as he headed for the airlock.
She hesitated only a moment to steady herself. The sounds of the ship’s hot emergency landing had almost unnerved her. The ringing in her ears began to abate. She was glad to see Owens had not appeared to notice her distress. She took her gloves and hood and started after Owens.
By the time they reached the airlock, Hec had already opened the inner hatch. Owens pulled on his gloves and repeated the instructions he had given Sharné earlier, “Put your gloves and hood on. The ship’s skin is going to be really hot. The hood and gloves are made of the same stuff of your survival suit. They’ll protect you from most of the heat. Without their protection, you wouldn't make it past the outer hatch. Even with this protection, we still have to hurry. So, are you ready?”
She finished putting on the gloves and hood. Only her eyes could be seen behind the small clear visor in the hood. “Yes, I am ready,” she said, her voice slightly muffled.
He nodded, “Okay, remember. These suits aren’t equipped with re-breathers. I taped over the hood’s vents, but it’s not airtight so you don’t want to draw in any of the superheated air around the ship. You need to take some deep breaths before you start and hold your breath until you’re well clear of the hull. I’ll be right behind and I’ll tell you when you can breathe again.”
She lifted the bottom of the hood and had already started her deep breathing and nodded her assent to Owens.
Hec spoke up, “The outer hatch will remain closed until the last minute. Go as fast as you can, don’t hesitate. And don’t worry, I’ll open it in time. I promise.”
“You had better,” Sharné replied. “I would hate to run into the closed hatch with Owens following so close behind. Please take care, Hec.” She resumed her deep breathing.
Owens had already said his goodbye and given some last-minute instructions to Hec before they started their descent. He stayed focused on Sharné. “We need to get going. Are you ready?”
She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them. She took a final breath, dropped the hood back down to cover face and nodded.
He shouted, “Go!”
She jumped at his urging and took off. She hurtled over the shallow threshold of the inner hatch. In two leaping steps, she was just inches from the outer hatch. It immediately blew outward, thudding against the hull, a magnetic field locking it in place and preventing it from rebounding.
She ran into a solid wall of heat. Holding her breath, she continued to the ramp. It was steep, and she was forced to slow her pace. Her strides took her three meters, five meters, but the heat did not seem to abate. At ten meters, she cleared the ramp. The heat was still unbearable. She stumbled at the base of the ramp then regained her footing. The heat was beginning to penetrate her suit; the faceplate was beginning to fog. She started to move forward again, but she stumbled again on the uneven surface. She caught herself and continued forward with a tentative, unsteady stride. She again faltered. She had barely cleared the ramp, still too close to the ship. She could not tell if the heat radiating from ship had lessened.
She felt something hit her from behind. Instead of tumbling to the ground, she was lifted off her feet and found that she was moving. It was Owens. He must be carrying her. She could feel his arms holding her. They were really flying now, and she could sense the temperature begin to drop. She had not realized how fast Owens could run i
n an unrestricted space. They were now well away from the Holmes, and she could feel the heat dissipate.
“Breathe,” Owens said loudly.
She pulled off the hood, let out her stale breath and took in great gulps of fresh cool air. She was soaked in her own perspiration but unhurt. They had made it. Owens had somehow removed his hood and was already breathing easy, continuing to run. He didn’t slow down until they were over three hundred meters from the ship. He finally stopped and put her back on her feet. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “I couldn’t carry you in the confined space of the airlock. You were almost clear on your own, but I wanted to make sure.”
“Thank you,” she said, removing her gloves. “I was having a little difficulty with my footing. I am not used to wearing boots.”
Owens nodded. “Your suit’s inner garment is probably damp. Open the front of your suit, it will help it dry and cool you off.”
Together, they undid the clasps of their suits and felt the cool breeze penetrate the open weave on their inner garments, soothing their warm skin. As they did so, they squinted through the haze of rippling heat and saw the Holmes was already beginning to rise on its impeller fields. Slowly at first, then faster the Holmes rose, climbing rapidly into the clear sky. Dwindling, in the distance, they could still barely make out the ship when the bright flare of its reaction drive engines ignited and the ship itself was no longer visible. The blaze of its exhaust dimmed as the Holmes continued to gain altitude, fighting free of the planet’s gravity.
Owens pulled his eyes away from the rapidly disappearing ship and looked around. They were standing at the beginning of a large meadow. The thick, yellow-green grass rippled in the slight breeze. Ground hugging bushes bearing purplish blossoms dotted the grassy expanse. He looked back to where the Holmes had landed and was gratified that Hec had chosen an isolated, rocky area off at the meadow’s edge. He could see the waves of heat still rising from where the ship had rested just a moment ago. Owens was confident that the rocky surface would act like a heat sink, and the temperature differential left by the Holmes would soon dissipate. He looked back towards the meadow. Beyond it, off in the distance was the edge of what looked like a thickly wooded forest. In another direction, he could see foothills leading to a blue-hazed range of rugged looking mountains.
Owens refastened the front of his suit and Sharné did the same. He checked that his hand weapon was still secure in its holster. Shrugging off the backpacks he had carried on one shoulder, he removed the two-piece rifle from the largest backpack and assembled it. He put it aside and stuffed their discarded hoods in the large backpack. He picked it up and put it on properly, securing the webbed straps, then picked up the other, smaller backpack, handed it to Sharné and retrieved the rifle.
“Put your gloves in one of your suit’s pockets, they might come in handy later. Now we’d better get going.” He gestured toward the distant forest. “I think our best bet is to head for those woods. The heavy foliage should provide us with good cover, and if our pursuers really don’t have the right equipment, they won’t know we’re there unless they visually pick up our trail.”
Sharné was trying to remember what she knew about the planet. As a child she had been taught the basics of its geology, geography and some of its ecosystem, but it had been a long time since the topics had been covered in her schooling. She distractedly took the pack from Owens and put it on. She didn’t seem to notice as he cinched up the straps on her pack for her. What was it about the forest? She could not remember if it was important or not. Perhaps it would come to her later.
Her expression cleared and she said, “Let us hope they do not have scanners. In any event, the forest does appear to offer the best chance for concealment. I am ready.”
“Good, let’s go. Our friends will be arriving soon enough. It would be a real pity to have all of this effort go to waste.” He started walking toward the woods.
Sharné joined him and they walked briskly, side-by-side, the tall grass brushing the tops of their boots. Owens appreciated that her long legs enabled a walking stride almost equal to his own. He was now confident that they would make good time and soon be clear of the meadow. He could have carried her and halved the time it would take to make it to the forest, but he wanted to save his strength, in case he needed it later. He figured they had a significant head-start already.
He looked behind them and was gratified to see their path through the grassy expanse hadn’t left much of a trail. The grass was resilient and he could see that in a couple of hours, their path would most likely disappear. Of course, if their pursuers had portable scanners, the lack of a visible trail wouldn’t make much of a difference. His eyes returned to the direction they were headed.
It wasn’t long before they neared the beginnings of the forest. Owens saw a number of different species of trees clustered between towering conifers; the massive trees dwarfed everything around them. He estimated the closest one’s trunk was over thirty meters in diameter. They looked way out of proportion with the rest of the foliage, and as he gazed at the big trees farther in the distance, his curiosity grew. They were positioned in straight line, almost evenly spaced between each other. His initial thought was that it looked like some leviathan’s overgrown orchard gone to seed.
They stopped at the edge of the forest. Sharné saw that Owens was intently staring at the forest; his expression was one of speculation. “Those trees…” she said, pointing to the huge conifers, “…are ancient. They predate the Golstar civilization by thousands of years. I am told the wood is incredibly strong and cannot be cut using traditional methods. In fact, to my recollection, not even its bark has been breached by any tool or machine. Much research was expended on the trees, but nothing came of it. They remain virtually untouched.”
Owens stared at the nearest tree, “Interesting.”
“Yes, although the giant trees are quite unique, the rest of the native plant life is more mundane. It closely parallels what is generally considered as earth-normal. Other tree species on the planet produce cellulose-based woods and are easily harvested and milled. Some produce quite beautiful wood.”
He walked to the base of the huge tree with Sharné trailing close behind him. He reached out to touch the smooth-looking bark and was surprised at the strange texture of its surface, or more accurately its lack of texture. It felt slick, almost slippery. And it was unusually cold. It was more like a product of manufacture than the offspring of a living seed. It was an intriguing mystery, but one that would have to wait. He turned to Sharné and said, “Sorry. My curiosity got the better of me. Let’s go.” They resumed walking and crossed into the gradually thickening foliage. “So,” Owens began, “people have logged the forest. There are people on this planet after all?”
“Were,” Sharné corrected. “Forests were harvested, but have not been for some time. Over the years there have been numerous scientific and mining contingents conducting various lines of investigation and exploration. There could be someone currently visiting Selane, I suppose, but it is such a large planet, I would think that the chance of encountering anyone would be quite remote.”
Slowing, Owens considered her words as he looked back into the forest. So far, what little he had seen of the planet had impressed him. It was hard to believe such a human-friendly seeming planet would have no settled communities, no permanent population; just one more random piece of a puzzle with no clear pattern.
He stopped, “You mentioned there were animals on Selane and that most were herbivores. Should we worry about the ones that aren’t?”
“I do not believe so. I recall from my early schooling, there are some reptiles and a few small fur-bearing mammals that are meat eaters, the largest being about the size of a spotted kinder crab."”
Owens chuckled, “I guess that would be very descriptive if I knew what a kinder crab was.”
She gave a laugh of her own, “I am sorry. You could not know, now could you? The larges
t of the meat-eating animals are about the mass of medium-sized canines… dogs? And I believe they are nocturnal. Oddly enough their appearance is similar to that of toy teddy bears, but with fangs and gray-green fur. Does Confederated Planets still have teddy bears?”
He smiled, “We do, and they never seem to go out of style. I bought one for a friend’s baby daughter not that long ago. Fortunately, it didn’t have fangs.”
She laughed again. It was only the second time that Owens could recall hearing her laugh. He decided he would like to hear it more often. Damn, even in their current situation, he found her a pleasant distraction. He looked at the ground, and his eyes caught a clump of a leafy, purple-colored plant.
Sharné watched Owens, as he knelt down and pulled a few leaves. He looked at the leaves closely, as if he had just discovered a rare and exotic herb. His avid curiosity and relaxed manner seemed at odds with his imposing physical presence. Watching him, her vision seemed to go beyond corporeal perception. She gazed at him and perceived tangible warmth, an honest basic humanity she had seldom encountered in her life.
He looked up and saw her staring at him. He straightened, his eyes never leaving hers and for a moment, there was something in his eyes for which she had no ready reference. He smiled somewhat sheepishly and dropped the leaves, dusting his hands. “Sorry, I almost forgot why we were here.”
Still remembering the look in his eyes, with some difficulty Sharné refocused her own thoughts on their present circumstances and the critical task at hand. “I too was momentarily distracted.” With an unspoken agreement, they began to walk again and were soon traveling at a distance-eating pace, going deeper into the forest. Unbidden, her thoughts returned once more to the imposing and curiously fascinating man striding purposely by her side.
High above, shielded from their view in the forest’s thick upper foliage, a small metallic sphere floated. Keeping at a discrete distance, it silently followed Owens and Sharné as they made their way through the forest.
Shadows of Golstar Page 38
