You Are Here: Tales of Cartographic Wonders
Page 35
A clang reverberated through the craft as one of the robots shot at the dodger’s tail. Because of the crates, Alisa hadn’t been able to land fully on the ledge.
“Or the robots,” Mica added.
“Why don’t you hop out and check?”
“Ha ha.”
Another bullet hit them, this time eliciting a disturbing hiss from the engine compartment. An alarm light flashed on the control panel.
“We’re venting atmosphere,” Alisa said.
“On it.” Mica scrambled back into the tight compartment, lugging her tool bag. She had a couple of patch kits in there, but they would only be useful if she could find the leak and get to it. Where had that last clang come from?
“I’m going to try shooting at those buttons,” Alisa said. “I don’t know if we can get this place any more pissed off at us.”
“No,” Mica barked. “If the bullets ricochet off, they could hit one of the bombs. We’re lucky that hasn’t happened yet with the robots shooting at us.” She wondered if the Starseers had foreseen that possibility and somehow programmed the machines to use trajectories that wouldn’t intersect.
“Oh, damn. Right.”
Mica patted around by hand, hoping to feel a draft where their air escaped into space. She tried to keep her movements calm and methodical, though she couldn’t help but think that the hours of air she had calculated were being dramatically reduced with every second she wasted.
“How are we going to get out of here if we can’t shoot anything?” Alisa demanded.
Mica shook her head, too busy with the leak to respond. Besides, she didn’t have an answer.
The ship lifted slightly. Mica hoped Alisa was moving them closer to the back wall. Maybe the robots wouldn’t be able to target them there.
Mica hissed a triumphant, “Yes,” as her hand found the leak. She rushed to apply one of her patches. A temporary palliative, but it ought to get them back to the base. Assuming they could escape these suns-cursed tunnels.
Another clang sounded, and a second hiss joined the first.
“Marchenko,” Mica growled in frustration.
“It’s not me.”
Before Mica could reply, a much larger shudder went through the ship, as if they had hit something. Mica cursed, imagining leaks springing from all over.
“That was me,” Alisa admitted.
“What are you doing?”
“I hit one of the buttons with the nose of the craft. I’m going to hit the other.”
Another shudder reverberated through the dodger.
“I’m starting to hate flying with you,” Mica growled, twisting onto her back and trying to find the new leak.
“Just now?”
“Actually, I knew I was in trouble as soon as you ignored the admiral and flew into the tunnel. No, wait. I had an inkling before that, too, when I saw the puke all over the cockpit of your ship.”
“The slab in the tunnel moved,” Alisa blurted. “Those are buttons.”
“Good.”
“Turning and heading for it. Damn it, those bombs are all over the place. I can’t go fast. Hope it stays open…”
“So do I.” Mica growled. “I’m going to have to unhook equipment to get to this leak.”
“Just don’t bother the magno-thingie. I’m taking us through the bomb field, and I like things how they are now.”
“I’ll be sure to let Captain Brandt know you liked his magno-thingie,” Mica said and dragged her sleeve across her face to wipe away sweat. “I can’t budge this. I may just have to patch all along the seam for now.”
“The door is closing,” Alisa blurted.
The ship surged forward. Mica gripped a corner, imagining bombs ricocheting away from them and hitting each other.
A scrape coursed through the ship, their belly rasping along something. The bottom of the tunnel?
The ship’s speed increased further, and Mica couldn’t decide if she wanted to look into the cockpit or not.
“Made it under the slab before it closed again,” Alisa said. “Barely. Getting back to the second one as fast as I can. Hoping it’ll still be open. Uh, we’re down to two hours of air, Mica.”
“Working on it,” Mica said as she slathered sealant along the seam. The rest of her team could move equipment around later. Assuming they made it out, and there was a later.
The ship bumped against something, rattling her again.
“Are you hitting every corner?” Mica demanded.
“Only one in four. And I’m barely clipping them. I’m assuming time is of the—there it is.”
“Open?” Mica peered back.
“Yes. No, wait. It’s dropping.”
Once again the ship surged forward. Something groaned in protest.
A jolt ran through the ship, the belly skipping off the floor again. The force threw Mica against a lumpy equipment panel, and she cracked her elbow.
“Made it,” Alisa said.
“Are you sure?” Mica groaned. Or maybe that was the ship groaning. Three-hundred-year-old craft should be treated with more respect.
“And we’re out,” Alisa added, her voice triumphant.
“I’m ecstatic.” Mica kept working on the patch.
“That was the most deadpan expression of ecstasy I’ve ever heard.”
“Maybe because we still have to face Admiral Banerjee.”
“He’ll forget he’s irked with us when he sees my footage of the weapons cache.”
“Yes, I’m sure centuries-old rockets will turn the tide of the war.”
“Mica,” Alisa said, glancing back, “has anyone ever told you you’re a hard woman to please?”
“Not that many people try to please me.”
“Does that make me a rare and unique individual?”
“Oh, I think you knew that.”
*
Mica had never been so relieved to see a hangar bay in her life. She almost thumped Alisa on the shoulders as they flew through the doors and touched down, but she didn’t want to distract her. It would be a shame to crash now, after what they had survived.
Red lights flashed in the bay, and the doors shut behind them. As soon as the atmosphere returned, several soldiers jogged toward the dodger, followed by a more sedately striding Admiral Banerjee. Alisa had explained the situation to him and the rest of the officers in Control on the way back, officers who’d thought their relic of a ship had crashed into the surface of the asteroid. The video and promise of weapons had distracted Banerjee from chastising his wayward lieutenants, but Mica was sure he wasn’t pleased with them for disobeying orders. With the evacuation looming, and a treasure they had to figure out how to retrieve, maybe the admiral would forget to admonish or punish them.
Alisa popped the canopy and climbed out. Mica grabbed her tool bag and followed her down.
“Lieutenants,” Banerjee said, eyeing each of them. “While I’m relieved not to have lost two officers to a crash, I am somewhat perplexed as to how you came to be on this adventure you described. I’m quite certain I ordered you to wait until a squadron could be sent to help you.”
“Oh, did you?” Alisa smiled. “I believe you were in the middle of saying something as we flew in and lost the signal.” She turned toward Mica, apparently wanting corroboration.
“He was in the middle of saying something,” Mica agreed. That was the most corroboration she would offer.
“One might have flown back out again in order to ensure one heard the order fully,” Banerjee said. “Some soldiers consider the words of an admiral important.”
“The tunnel was too tight for maneuvering, and then we got trapped inside in some kind of Starseer maze.”
“Yes, I’ve had time to skim your video. Did you get a good look at the glowing thing?”
“Didn’t see anything glowing,” Alisa said. “We were a little distracted by all the bombs and bullets.”
“Our science officer thinks it might be a Starseer artifact, something that could be useful
in giving the empire a good kick in the ass.”
Mica blinked. Was it possible that something useful—even helpful—would come out of that crazy misadventure? Something that wouldn’t have been acquired if not for her assistance? Maybe she wasn’t wasting her time out here, after all.
“Excellent news, sir,” Alisa said. “If you go back with a team, you’ll want me to lead the way, I’m sure.”
Mica snorted. Was Alisa truly volunteering to go back? She was definitely a nut.
“You’ll have to,” Banerjee said. “The entrance you went through disappeared or was camouflaged somehow, because our people didn’t see it when I sent a squadron out. It must have been triggered to appear only for Starseer craft.”
“Ah. Then we better keep this ship. And upgrade it. Lieutenant Coppervein has my wish list.” Alisa grinned at Mica.
“Better hand it off then. Orders came in for her. For both of you, actually.”
“Oh?” Alisa leaned forward, looking excited by the prospect.
“Orders, sir?” Mica asked, feeling wary rather than excited. She always expected the unexpected to be unpleasant.
“Since this base is being closed down, and we don’t know where it’ll get moved to next, several officers are getting transferred. You’re both heading to the Silver Striker.”
“A warship.” Alisa clenched a fist, then thumped Mica with it. “Maybe we can get our chance to make a difference, eh?”
Hm, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad heading off to a new assignment and taking the offensive against the empire. At the least, it might be nice to know someone ahead of time, someone who shared Mica’s sarcastic streak. Even if Alisa was entirely too optimistic for her own good. Or the good of the person standing next to her.
“More likely, you and your crazy flying will break half their fighters,” Mica said, “and I’ll spend the entire time fixing them.”
“I’m sure I couldn’t possibly break more than a quarter of them. And just think of how important you’ll feel when you’re the one to fix them.” Alisa winked, saluted the admiral, and strolled out of the hangar.
Important, right. Still, with people as determined as Alisa flying into battle, maybe the Alliance had a chance.
“Coppervein?” the admiral prompted, probably wondering why Mica hadn’t acknowledged him. “Problem?”
“No, sir. I’m ready to go, sir.” Surprisingly, she found that she was.
* * *
Lindsay Buroker
Lindsay is a full-time independent fantasy author who loves travel, hiking, tennis, and vizslas. She grew up in the Seattle area but moved to Arizona when she realized she was solar-powered. This story is part of Lindsay’s popular Fallen Empire series. Find out more at lindsayburoker.com.
Editor’s Note
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Other Anthologies from SFFWorld.com
The End
Visions of Apocalypse
Lucky or Unlucky?
Thirteen Stories of Fate
Wars to End All Wars
Alternate Tales from the Trenches
Ecotones
Ecological Stories from the Borders
Between Fantasy and Science Fiction
Copyright Notices
“Introduction” Copyright © 2016, N. E. White.
“The Map of Secret Desires” Copyright © 2016, Alec Hutson.
“The Road to Pareidolia” Copyright © 2016, P.J. Richards.
“Forward” Copyright © 2016, Igor Ljubuncic.
“Eleusinian Mysteries” Copyright © 2016, Charlotte Ashley. First appeared in Luna Station Quarterly Issue #23, February 2016.
“The Bronze Man and the Second Son Copyright © 2016, Lee Blevins.
“The Shape of the World’s Skin Copyright © 2016, Adam R. Shannon.
“The Bilingual” Copyright © 2016, Andrew Leon Hudson.
“Literary Walks: The Cartography by Martin Croft Copyright © 2016, Neil James Hudson.
“The Cell Wall” Copyright © 2016, Christopher Walker.
“The Final Atlas” Copyright © 2016, Robert A. Francis.
“Mapping the Buzz of Insects” Copyright © 2016, Daniel Ausema.
“Flow of the Road” Copyright © 2016, Jason LaPier.
“Wetware” Copyright © 2016, Wilson Geiger.
“Walked About” Copyright © 2016, Jez Patterson. First appeared in "Cold Feeling" (Cold Horror, Volume 5) by James Livermore, February 2016.
“Mapping Out the Future” Copyright © 2016, Kate Coe.
“Safe Haven” Copyright © 2016, Lynn Rushlau.
“The Memory Monster” Copyright © 2016, Joseph A. Lopez.
“Remnants” Copyright © 2016, Lindsay Buroker.
Table of Contents
YOU ARE HERE
Contents
Introduction
THE MAP OF SECRET DESIRES
THE ROAD TO PAREIDOLIA
FORWARD
ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES
THE BRONZE MAN AND THE SECOND SON
THE SHAPE OF THE WORLD’S SKIN
THE BILINGUAL
LITERARY WALKS: THE CARTOGRAPHER BY MARTIN CROFT
THE CELL WALL
THE FINAL ATLAS
MAPPING THE BUZZ OF INSECTS
FLOW OF THE ROAD
WETWARE
WALKED ABOUT
MAPPING OUT THE FUTURE
SAFE HAVEN
THE MEMORY MONSTER
REMNANTS
Editor’s Note
Other Anthologies from SFFWorld.com
Copyright Notices