by Darren Beyer
“Grae, what are you doing?”
He didn’t answer.
“Hallerson is not our mission. You kill him, and our mission is over. Think like a leader!”
Grae pulled his head away from his rifle, and for a few moments he looked Ivey in the face. When he returned his view to the scope, his eyes opened wide with alarm. Erik appeared to be staring right at him.
“Shit,” Grae whispered. “It’s time to get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 30: Ouricscen
OLIVER, where are the pressure suits stored?” Jans focused on the terrain through the front window of the cramped crew compartment of the six-legged rover.
“Pressure suits are typically stowed in the fore and aft floor compartments.” Something about OLIVER’s tone and light German accent was oddly reassuring.
“You two should put them on,” Jans called over his shoulder from the driver seat.
As the rover bounced along the uneven terrain, Hatim unbuckled his safety belt, and made his way to the floor compartment at the rear of the cabin. Mandi watched him, then pulled the emergency med kit from its clamp on the bulkhead and moved to Jans’s side.
“First, I need to take care of your leg. That thing cut you deep. We can’t have you getting an infection.”
“There’ll be time for that after we get to the escape ship. I need to concentrate on driving.”
“Don’t be such a baby. OLIVER, are you able to drive yourself?”
“The ‘I’ in my name stands for independent. I am fully capable of operating as an autonomous vehicle.”
Mandi smirked and raised an eyebrow at Jans. “Please take over driving responsibilities.”
“I have the controls,” OLIVER responded.
Jans raised his hands off the steering wheel, waited a moment to make sure OLIVER was driving, then pivoted his leg toward Mandi.
“Okay, let’s get this over with.”
She opened the med kit and retrieved scissors, wound closing gel, and gauze. When she cut Jans’s makeshift bandage away, some blood began to flow, and she grimaced. After wiping it away, she pulled the wound open and filled it with gel.
“Whoa, that stings.”
“Sorry.” Mandi pulled a bandage from the med kit, wrapped the wound, then replaced the kit and moved to the forward floor compartment. As she knelt to open it, the rover rolled over a rock and bounded off the ground. Mandi floated off the floor for a moment, then landed off balance as the rover’s six articulated legs cushioned its landing.
“Take it easy, OLIVER!” Mandi snapped.
“I am sorry,” OLIVER said. “But from behind us I have detected lights from what I believe to be one of the Mitsubishi R7 rovers operated at Ouricsen Station. I thought it prudent to increase my driving speed profile.”
Mandi braced herself and made her way past Hatim to the rear of the compartment, where a small airlock provided just enough room for two people. Basketball-sized windows on the inner and outer doors yielded a narrow view through the airlock and out the back of the rover.
For a long few seconds Mandi scanned the terrain. With the massive gas giant out of view on the opposite side of the moon, only the distant Tau Gruis star washed the surface in its alien twilight. Then, for the briefest of moments, a slight flash of light caught Mandi’s eye. She focused on the area where she thought it had come from, and was rewarded with another glimpse of white light.
She turned her head toward Jans, who caught her eye. “They’re following us—and gaining.”
Hatim stood, trying to get a look. “Can’t this thing go any faster?”
“This thing,” OLIVER said, “is designed for mobility across rough terrain. More common rovers, such as the Mitsubishi R7, have a speed advantage over less challenging landscapes.”
The three shared an amused look at OLIVER’s apparent offense at being compared to a “common rover.”
“OLIVER, how long until they catch us?” Jans asked.
“That is difficult for me to say, exactly. I do not know the driver profile of the person controlling the R7 rover.”
“Assume the fastest possible driver.”
“Under this assumption, and with my current driver profile, an R7 rover would catch us between twenty-three minutes, nineteen seconds and twenty-five minutes, six seconds from now.”
“How long until we reach our target location?”
“With my current driver profile, and taking the most expeditious route, we will reach our target location between thirty-seven minutes—”
“Thank you, OLIVER,” Jans interrupted. “If you were to proceed at maximum speed, what is the quickest we could arrive?”
“If I were to engage the lowest passenger comfort profile, we would arrive as soon as thirty-three minutes, forty seconds from now.”
Mandi let out a heavy breath. “Well, that math doesn’t work out.”
“OLIVER, please get us to our destination as quickly as possible.”
The increase in speed was notable—as was the decrease in passenger comfort. Mandi had to fight to maintain her balance as she looked to the open aft floor compartment. Inside the shallow storage locker were two helmets stowed next to two folded suits. These weren’t like the bulky spacesuits she was used to; if anything, they looked more like advanced wetsuits. It was hard to imagine these could keep the vacuum of space at bay. Each came with a small, integrated backpack.
Jans peered over Mandi’s shoulder. “Interesting. That may be nanoweave. Your mother developed a light combat suit using it.”
“I have—had—some nanoweave gloves. They shrink to fit and are all-weather, but aside from that—how does it work in a spacesuit?”
“I read about a Dublin startup in Popular Mechanics last year. They developed a prototype that snugged to fit you like those gloves and your mother’s combat suits, but was thicker and created a flexible pressure shell. It supposedly moved with you.” Jans reached for the backpack and turned it over a few times, inspecting it. “Solid air, but it’s a lot more compact than anything I’ve seen before. This is some advanced stuff.” He put the pack down and picked up a helmet. He tapped the back of it. “This is the controller.” He handed the helmet to Mandi, pulled out the suit, and held it up. “These are more than prototypes. They’re production. Military grade.”
Mandi stood, bracing herself against another rover bounce. With one hand, she let the suit fall open. She half hoped, half expected to see it shaped like a woman’s jumper. Instead the shape was more like a set of coveralls crossed with overly large toddler’s pajamas, complete with feet and gloves. A series of nearly parallel, black, wire-like lines ran across its surface, crisscrossed by angled blue lines. A side zipper provided access. As Jans retrieved the second suit, Mandi stepped into hers. She started by slipping her feet into the booties, then put her hands into the gloves. It was way too big; she practically swam inside it.
“Not very flattering,” she said, holding her arms out to inspect herself. “Zipper up and put your helmet on.”
Mandi did as she was told. As soon as the helmet was situated snugly on her head, the suit automatically snugged up against it, creating a seal, and the rest of it contracted around her body.
“Whoa!”
Jans gave her a slight smile.
Mandi moved her arms and legs and twisted at the waist. It felt no different than a ski suit. When she opened and closed her fingers, she could see her forearm muscles moving under the suit. Jans handed the second suit to Hatim before moving to the aft storage compartment. But when he opened it, he paused.
Mandi looked over his shoulder. “What’s the—oh shit. Where are the other suits?”
“The suits act as control devices for my operation,” OLIVER responded. “As such, I am able to track their locations. I am detecting only two control devices onboard.”
“You didn’t think that was something you should have mentioned?” Jans said.
“In prior excursions, standard pressure suits have been stowed.
However, I have no ability to locate them. I had no reason to believe such suits were not on board.”
Jans peered through the airlock out the rear of the vehicle. When the pursuing rover’s lights again reflected off some rocks, his eyes narrowed, and he shifted his focus to something distant off to their side.
“OLIVER, are those hills off to our left?”
“That is the Conte Massif.”
“Are you able to traverse it?”
“The Conte Massif is part of a fault system comprising numerous steep cliffs and other areas difficult to traverse. I have been through portions before.”
“Is there a path we can take through it that will get us to our destination?”
“There is. However, it will add significant time to our journey. I estimate between eighty- three and one-hundred and one minutes.”
Jans stared out the window, pondering their next move. “OLIVER, turn us toward the massif, and plot a way through.”
Mandi hung on tight as OLIVER abruptly changed direction. “You want us to take a longer route?”
Jans raised an eyebrow in mock annoyance. “OLIVER, who travels faster over rough terrain, you or the pursuing rover?”
“I am significantly faster, and able to traverse terrain the R7 would be completely unable—”
“Thank you, OLIVER.” Jans smiled. “This buys us some time. I’m betting they’re tracking us from orbit, but they’re following us, not cutting us off, so they probably don’t know our destination. With only two suits, it’s going to take extra time to tag-team it to the launch vehicle. This gives it to us.”
“Sir,” OLIVER interjected, “based on the orbital parameters you provided on the Sirius Star, we will no longer be able to meet the launch window necessary for a rendezvous in its current orbit. The orbital period is two-hundred and seven minutes, fourteen seconds.”
“Shit. Are you able to raise communications with the ship?”
“I am able to do so through a relay using the communications array at Ouricsen Station.”
“Please calculate a likely timeframe for our launch and get in contact with Sirius Star. Tell them to alter their orbit to match.”
OLIVER was quiet for what seemed like minutes.
“I am unable to establish communications with the Sirius Star.”
OLIVER’s cabin rocked to stay level as the advanced vehicle began to climb the near-vertical wall of black rock. The first two sets of balled feet rolled up the low cliff face while the third provided support on the ground. Slowly, the front two balls gained purchase at the top. They then began moving forward, pulling the rest of the rover up with them.
“Amazing.” Even in peril from pursuers bent on their capture, or worse, on a moon a hundred light years from home, Jans looked like a kid discovering his latest favorite toy. “European engineering.” He smiled at Mandi.
She rolled her eyes. “Tell me again why we’re doing this?”
“Distance, time—putting more of it between us and them.”
“I got that part, but why this?” Mandi gestured toward the cliff with both hands. “I’m sure there’s something a little less—vertical—that they can’t follow us over.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Jans said with a wink.
Mandi shook her head and moved to the rear of the rover to look through the airlock windows. Even in the dim twilight, their pursuers’ rover was clearly visible less than a kilometer away. The light bar mounted above its crew cabin rotated and tilted upward to shine directly into the windows, forcing Mandi to shield her eyes.
She turned toward Hatim and Jans. “They’re right there. They closed the distance.”
OLIVER’s cabin rocked again as the balls of the rear legs cleared the top of the cliff.
“They sure as hell can’t follow us up here.” Jans looked out the side window and up into the dark sky. “I think we’ve picked up some time, but we still need to contact our ship. OLIVER, any luck contacting the Sirius Star?”
“I will initiate another attempt.” OLIVER was silent for an extended time. “Sir, I regret to inform you that I am receiving a message from Governor Ennis indicating that the Sirius Star has been attacked and destroyed.”
Mandi gasped, and Jans spat a curse.
“What do we do now?” Mandi asked. “Blasting off in an escape ship won’t do us much good if no one’s there to pick us up.”
“We have a ship,” Hatim said with a sigh.
“What?” Mandi’s jaw dropped. “You couldn’t have mentioned this sooner?”
“I am not supposed to contact it except in extreme circumstances.”
Mandi’s eyes widened. “I think this qualifies.”
Chapter 31: Ouricscen
OLIVER continued the crawl over the rough terrain. The going was slower than Mandi had thought it would be, and she obsessively looked out the right-side window, trying to catch a glimpse of something that would give away their pursuers’ position. But she saw no fleeting flash of light, no movement in the stark terrain.
Rather than giving her solace, that absence caused her anxiety to grow. Perhaps their pursuers had already arrived at the escape ship and were setting up an ambush—or maybe they were tracking the bug’s every move, and were ready to blast them into a million pieces once they lifted off. A hundred other scenarios, all with less-than-positive outcomes, spun through Mandi’s mind, each in turn compelling her to take another look out the window. Just as she thought she couldn’t take another second of suspense, OLIVER crested one final rocky outcropping and dropped onto the edge of a plain.
“We are nearing our destination.” OLIVER slowed. “We will reach Launch Vessel Alpha Two Zero in approximately nine minutes.”
“This is it?” The edge in Hatim’s voice betrayed his own anxiety. Dressed in the nanoweave suit, he leaned close to the forward window and scanned the empty, flat ground. “Where’s the ship?”
“Launch Ship Alpha Two Zero is hidden beneath a camouflage screen on its carrier. Would you like me to issue commands to deactivate the screen?”
“Please do,” Jans said.
Mandi joined Hatim at the forward window. Next to a tall group of rocks on the opposite side of the plain, a squat, conical capsule came into view, perched on a launch stand on a tracked carrier. Six engine nacelles ran up the sides of the craft, their bells extending just below its base. Its surface, once white, was mottled gray, stained by the same planetary storm-borne dust that seemed to find its way onto and into everything humanity had brought to this moon.
“It’s too close to those rocks to launch from there,” Jans said. “OLIVER, are you able to move the launch vehicle to a safe launch distance?”
“Yes. I am able to connect via RemoteLink, a product of Aynd Corporation. I can control all aspects of the carrier. Would you like me to initiate the move to a minimal safe launch distance?”
“Yes. Can you begin the launch prep sequence?”
OLIVER paused. “No. I cannot. Launch Vehicle Alpha Two Zero has RemoteLink capability, but the software license has expired.”
“Jesus Christ. Really?”
“Yes, the license expired two hundred and thirty-seven days ago. The only way for me to interact with the launch vehicle is to have my programming installed on the ship’s systems.”
Jans shook his head in frustration. “More time added to the mix.”
Beyond the plain, Mandi caught a flash of white light. “I don’t think we have time to spare.” She pointed.
Another flash appeared, and this time Jans saw it for himself.
“OLIVER,” he said, “are you able to transfer your program to the launch vehicle and begin prep?”
“Yes, I am able to do so, but my software license allows for installation on only one device at a time. I would have to deactivate my license on this rover.”
Jans stumbled to the driver seat.
“OLIVER, I’ll take control.” Jans put the rover into high gear and sped down the slope. “Transfer to the launc
h vehicle and begin launch prep.”
“You are about to transfer my software license to another vehicle. Are you sure you want to continue?”
“Jesus, OLIVER. Yes! Go!”
Dust kicked up from the rover’s six balled feet as it hit the edge of the plain and began crossing the ground to the launch capsule. At approximately the halfway point, OLIVER’s voice came across the comm.
“This is OLIVER. My program has been installed on the launch vehicle, the license has been successfully transferred, and I am ready to proceed with launch preparation. Would you like me to continue?”
“Yes, OLIVER,” Jans said with an edge in his voice. “Please expedite.”
With the throttle fully open, Jans continued racing across the open plain. At fifty meters out from the launch vehicle, he swerved hard to the left and locked the brakes. The rover drifted to a stop with its rear end facing the capsule.
Jans turned in his seat. “Helmets on and into the airlock—quickly.”
Groaning, Jans limped to the airlock controls. He patted Hatim on the shoulder, then opened the safety cover as Mandi and Hatim closed the airlock door behind them. Jans fumbled with the unfamiliar controls until finally the door locked and the seals engaged.
Mandi moved to look out the rear window. From within the rocks behind the launch vehicle, another brief flash of light washed across them.
“Jans…”
“I’m working on it,” Jans said. “Germans—great at engineering, but they suck at user interface.” He fumbled a bit more. “There we go,” he said. “Beginning the depressurization process.”
“Jans!” Mandi spun to face him. “They’re coming. And they’re close.”
“Where are we?” The urgency in Jans’s voice carried through the comm.
Mandi was waiting outside the rover’s airlock. Hatim was already climbing up a ladder on the outside of the launch vehicle.
