by William Wood
He walked back to the door and looked down the corridor again. It was empty, but he couldn’t see all the way down. The lights on the other end were off, and it was bathed in darkness. Suddenly there was another flicker, and the soft hum of the oxygen pumps died away.
“We just lost life support,” Calvin announced.
Dev walked back into the room. He closed and locked the door.
“What’s next, main power? We need to stop them.”
“How many are there, do you think?” Astra asked.
“Remember the big group we saw outside?” Calvin said. “They could all be on the ship. We can’t go out there. You know how well our weapons work on them.”
“But if we get rid of them, we could repair the ship.”
Calvin stood up and began to pace. “That’s a good idea, it really is, but exactly how do you propose we get rid of them? There are probably a hundred of them out there—and by the way, they are impervious to our weapons.”
“I don’t know,” Dev said, getting upset. “But we have to do something. We can’t just sit here and wait for them to come get us.”
The lights flickered again, and this time they stayed off. The emergency lights turned on. The room filled with a soft red glow.
“We can’t go after them,” Astra said firmly. “I won’t let either of you go out there.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Dev demanded. “This is exactly what happened before. We took off, and the ship started falling apart. The monsters were tearing the ship to pieces. Then people started dying.”
“Exactly,” Astra said. “And the only reason you stayed alive was because you stayed on the bridge. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, I guess that’s right,” Dev said reluctantly. Just then all the computer monitors turned off.
“We have to get off this ship,” Astra said. “There has to be a way.”
“Escape pods,” Calvin said. “This ship has to have escape pods.” “I don’t think we’re that lucky,” Dev said. “They’re probably all gone.”
Suddenly there was a massive bang on the door to the bridge. They all looked and saw a large new dent right in the middle. Then they all looked at each other.
Dev turned and moved away. “I’ll look over here.” Calvin went in the opposite direction. Astra stood up and tried to help. Scribbles stayed next to her the whole time. There was another loud bang on the door. They moved faster. The pounding got louder and faster. The sound of tearing metal filled the room.
“Found one!” Dev cried triumphantly. “Hurry!”
Calvin and Astra hurried to where he was. When they got there, Dev already had the door open. They rushed inside, and Dev closed the door. Astra went to the front. The escape pod was very small. Just room in the front for one person to sit, and there were two benches along both walls in the back. There was a loud bang on the door to the escape pod.
Fortunately, the makers of the escape pod realized that if someone was in the pod, they must have had a great need to get away. There was a large red button in the middle of the console, which was surrounded by small computer screens. Astra hit the button, before they had a chance to put on seatbelts. The escape pod shot out into space. Astra was pressed into the back of her seat. The little robot held onto the back of her chair. Calvin and Dev were thrown to the back of the escape pod, and pressed into the door. After a few seconds, the pressure stopped, and they were able to stand up.
“That was close,” Dev said, plopping down on one of the padded benches and taking a deep breath.
“Again,” Calvin said, sitting across from him. Astra sat back in the chair and closed her eyes. The little robot climbed up into her lap.
Calvin, Dev, and Astra sat quietly for a moment and didn’t speak. After a few minutes, Calvin walked up to the front of the pod and examined the controls. The robot eyed him suspiciously.
Astra sensed that he was standing over her and looked up. She smiled at him. Her smile was very warm. She had a calming effect on him, like a patch of calm sea in the middle of a storm.
“Well, the good news is that when we ejected from the mother ship, we were placed in a pretty high orbit. We should be fine here for a while.”
“What’s the bad news?” Calvin asked, sensing it in her voice.
“The bad news is that we are stuck in orbit around the planet,” she said. “Obviously.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Calvin asked, retaking his seat on the floor in the back.
“The flight computer is damaged,” she said. “I think I can run a bypass. Then we can fly the pod manually. On the positive side, we should be able to stay in this orbit without risk. We’ll run out of food long before then.”
“How about the oxygen supply?” Dev asked.
“That looks like the one system on this thing that’s not damaged,” Astra answered. “We have at least a week of oxygen.”
“And we have food,” Calvin said. “If we ration it carefully, I bet we can last a week or two.”
“I’m sure it we’ll be OK,” Astra said. “Do you mind if I rest first, before I start working on the pod?”
“No,” Calvin said. “I’m really tired, too. Let’s have something to eat first and then get some rest.”
Calvin and Dev opened the backpacks. They ate and had something to drink. There wasn’t very much space, but they spread out on the floor. They used the backpacks as pillows. Calvin fell asleep listening to the sound of the oxygen pumps. Scribbles curled up next to Astra and began softly humming what sounded like a lullaby. The song was soothing. Everyone was asleep in less than a minute.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
DISTURBING DISCOVERY
Calvin woke up seven hours later. He opened his eyes, lay still for a moment, and stared at the ceiling. He heard the soft sounds of the oxygen pump and an occasional tapping sound. Someone else was already awake. He slowly sat up. A dull ache flooded his body. Every muscle in his back and legs hurt. He looked around, once he was sitting up. Dev was still asleep, and Astra was under the computer console.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Good morning,” Astra answered, her voice muffled. She put a tool down on the floor and climbed out. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought,” she said. “I was able to bypass a damaged power generator. We should be able to maneuver now.” She sat down on the floor next to him, picked up a nutrient bar, and took a bite.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“I slept really well,” she said. “I was so tired.”
“Me, too,” Calvin said. “I don’t think I moved all night. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was out.” Calvin reached into his backpack and took out a nutrient bar. He removed the silver wrapping and took a bite. “I didn’t like these at first,” he said. “But they’re starting to grow on me.”
“They take some getting used to, don’t they?” Astra asked. “They were designed to be able to fulfill all of your nutritional requirements.” The last part she said in a mocking tone of voice. “That’s what the scientists say, anyway.” She giggled. They ate for a moment in silence.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asked. “Is your planet really untouched by the Goremog?”
“Yes,” Calvin answered. “The planetary disruption network shields the planet completely. My people regard it as our greatest achievement. It allows us to hide from the rest of the universe.”
“Wow, you are so lucky. If our mission fails, do you think your people would let us hide with you, on your planet?”
“I don’t know. If I were in charge, I would let you,” Calvin answered, smiling. “I’ve been imagining my homecoming. In my dream, there is a parade, fireworks, and a lot of food. Everyone is happy to see me. But in reality, what I think is going to happen is nothing short of panic. They will lock me away and interrogate me for a very long time, although they will call it a debriefing. They will want to know everything I did, everything I said, and if I told anyone where our planet is. They will be terrifi
ed that someone followed me home.”
“Wow,” Astra said. “But I can understand why they feel that way. You know what it’s like out here. It’s dangerous. If I could hide my people away safely, I would do whatever it took to keep it that way.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Calvin said. “I should be happy my people are safe. I never thought I would say that. I always thought the rules on our star fleet were way too strict and unfair. But now I understand why.”
“So how do you think they will react to seeing us?” Astra asked.
“Not well, I’m afraid,” Calvin said, choosing his words carefully. “It will have to be handled delicately. My father will know what to do. I’ll ask him the next time we talk.”
“OK.”
“Let’s go find Azure Frost,” Calvin said.
“That brings us to our next problem,” Astra said. “The scanners aren’t working, and I have no way of fixing them.”
“Can we use our handheld scanners?”
“Their range is too short.” There was a stirring behind them.
“Does Azure Frost emit a homing signal?” Dev asked, sitting up.
“No,” Astra answered.
“How about a distress signal? Maybe Ion activated a distress beacon.”
“No,” Astra said. “He would never do that. It would attract the wrong kind of attention.”
Calvin picked up a handheld scanner and turned it on.
“That’s crazy,” Dev said. “If you don’t call for help, you’ll never get it.”
“What good is it to call for help, if you’re picked up by the Goremog?” Astra asked. “My people are being hunted down and destroyed at an alarming rate. There are less than two thousand of us left! We can’t afford to lose any more. We’re going to have to solve our own problems.”
“All right,” Dev said, backing off. “Then what are we going to do?”
“I’m not picking up any signals,” Calvin said. “And the last time I was able to scan the Frost, it was completely dead. There was no energy coming from it at all.”
Dev looked up and took a deep breath. “Can I see the scanner, please?” he asked.
“Sure.” Calvin gave it to him.
“I’ve done this before,” Dev explained. “I had to find a small spaceship that was lost in orbit of my planet. If I can find the right setting, to make it look for fabricated metal alloys, I might be able to find your ship. It won’t give the exact location, but it should at least tell us what direction to go.”
Dev sat, adjusting the scanner. Astra stood up and sat in the pilot’s chair. Calvin stood behind her and looked over her shoulder.
There was a soft hum from the back. The lights on the console lit up. Calvin noticed none of the lights were red. That was good. Astra eased the controls forward, gently testing the repairs. The escape pod slowly moved forward.
“The engines were stressed but seem to be OK now. I’ll keep our speed down, just in case,” Astra said.
Calvin and Astra scanned the horizon, looking for Azure Frost. It would look like a dark spot, against the black of space. It would be extremely difficult to find it visually. The planet rotated below them. It was beautiful. Most of the surface was covered with a deep blue ocean, with small islands sprinkled haphazardly. They were on the sun side of the planet. Calvin hoped that would make it easier to see the Frost.
“I’m getting a reading,” Dev said. “Port side, thirty degrees.”
“Turning,” Astra said. She took the pod in a wide, gentle turn. A dark object appeared in front of them, in a low orbit, almost touching the atmosphere. Dev stood behind Calvin, staring out the window.
As they got closer to it, its shape became clearer.
“That’s not the Frost, is it?” Calvin asked.
“No,” Astra said. “That’s the ship we were just on.”
“Smashed,” Dev said. “Its orbit is decaying. It won’t be long until it falls into the planet’s gravity.”
“Good,” Calvin said. “It will take the monsters down with it.” He stared at it with distaste. Then he saw something strange. “What’s that?” Calvin asked, pointing to a dark cloud around the dying spaceship.
“It’s a debris cloud,” Dev said, staring into his scanner. “I see over two hundred small pieces of metal.”
Something small floated by the left side. At first Calvin thought it was a person. It had arms and legs. When they passed another one, Calvin saw that it was moving.
“What are they?” Astra asked.
“No, they can’t be,” Dev whispered. “Please tell me they aren’t what I think they are.”
“They are!” Astra shouted. She shoved the throttle full forward and yanked hard right. The pod jumped forward, and there was a loud pop.
“We just lost an engine,” Calvin said, holding on to the back of her chair. They passed through a small group of floating Terrors. Several of them banged against the hull as they passed. Calvin closed his eyes, and hoped one of them wasn’t clinging to the hull of the escape pod.
Astra pushed the pod as fast as it could go, well past the safe level. Red lights flashed on the control panel.
“Look out!” Dev shouted, as a small group of Terrors appeared in front of them. Astra yanked hard on the controls, the pod dived down and hard to the right.
Dev stepped back and sat down on the floor, his eyes on the scanner.
“I think we’re clear,” he said. “Give me a second. I’ll see if I can find the Frost.”
Astra reduced speed, and the angry sounds from the engines quieted.
“It’ll be OK,” Astra said, reading the concerned look on Calvin’s face. “The engines will cool down.” Calvin took a deep breath.
“Wait, I think I found something,” Dev said. Several minutes passed. The engines pulsed softly, and the red flashing lights on the console changed to yellow.
“I think I found it,” Dev said. “Turn to starboard, thirty degrees.”
Astra turned in the direction Dev indicated. Five minutes later, “Turn starboard, five degrees.”
Astra complied. Ten minutes later, a dark object loomed in front of them. Its shape was unmistakable. Calvin and Astra gasped at the same time. Azure Frost looked dead, tumbling slowly end over end. The hull was burned and blackened. A debris cloud surrounded it.
“Look at that,” Astra said quietly. “Look at that.” There were several large gaping holes near the engines. “What did I do?” Tears rolled down her cheeks. Calvin desperately wished there was something he could say, but even in his mind, everything sounded hollow and empty. He simply put his hand on her shoulder.
Astra slowed the shuttle to a crawl, so they could have more time to examine the hull of the Frost.
“Let’s see if we can get into the shuttle bay,” Calvin suggested.
“Would you please take the controls?” Astra asked, starting to shake.
“Sure,” Calvin said. Calvin sat down in the pilot’s chair after Astra got up. She sat on the arm of the chair and leaned against Calvin. He could feel her shaking.
Calvin piloted the shuttle to the back of Azure Frost and was relieved to see the bay doors were open. He carefully aligned the escape pod’s attitude with the Frost and slowly entered the shuttle bay. He landed gently on the floor and shut down the engines.
“The shuttle bay seems to be intact,” Calvin said. “Is it possible to use the handheld to contact the Frost and remotely close the bay doors?”
“Let me have it, please,” Astra said. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Dev handed the scanner to her. Astra took it and began working. The machine emitted several angry beeps. It didn’t take her long to come to a dismal conclusion.
“I was afraid of this,” Astra said. “The Frost has no power. I can’t connect to the computer.” Her mood was very dark. “But even if I could, there’s no reason to think we’d be able to create a safe room, with breathable air.”
Calvin tried to think quickly. He had to get them thro
ugh this.
“We still have the portable shield generators,” he said. “We can use them to go out there, search the ship, and find Ion.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Astra considered the plan. “But they’re unpredictable. There’s no guarantee they will last long enough to do what we need to do.”
“How many do we have?” They went through all of their supplies and piled them neatly on the floor.
“We have ten,” Astra said.
Silence fell over them, as they each contemplated what they should do next. Astra seemed depressed and didn’t speak. Dev had his eyes closed and his head down. Calvin looked from Astra to Dev, hoping someone would say something, but no one did.
Calvin knew what they were going to have to do. They had to use the unreliable shield generators to go out and look for Ion. Waiting wasn’t going to change anything—unless Ion heard them land and suddenly showed up, which he had a feeling was not going to happen.
“OK,” Calvin said. “Here’s what we should do. We each take three shield generators. We all go outside, search the ship quickly, and then get back here. Hopefully that will give us enough time to find Ion. Whoever finds him, bring him back to the pod. I’m hoping, if we can find and fix him, he can finish repairs that we need to survive: power, life support, hull breaches. What do you think?”
“That’s a good idea,” Astra said, perking up a little. “We should each take a different area, so we don’t waste time looking in the same places twice.”
“Good idea,” Dev said.
“And,” Astra said, “keep an eye out for anything that might be useful—specifically tools and more portable shield generators.”
With that, they each picked a search area. Astra decided to look in the engine room, since she believed Ion was more than likely down there. Calvin took the bridge, and Dev was to take the middle decks.
“When we open the door,” Astra said. “All of our air is going to be sucked out. If I don’t let the air out first, everything will be sucked out violently, including us.”
“How long will it take to remove the air?” Dev asked.
“About twenty seconds,” Astra answered. “What do you want to do with that?” She pointed to the fourth segment, which was now blocking the door.
