by C. Gockel
She smiled and walked to the isolation chamber entrance. She closed herself in and waited for the decontamination spray to dry from her helmet before opening the interior door.
“You know why those novels are important, Dorothy? And why Rebecca thinks they’re old fashioned and naive? Because we outgrew them. They taught us, and we surpassed them. We aren’t cowering in the shadows anymore. And we know better than to blunder our way into someone else’s home.”
Rebecca frowned and sat down beside Hackford. “Do we?”
Spixworth sighed. “The fact that we’re here the way we are, that we’re having this conversation— that we’re even worried about it, would say that we do.”
Leroux spoke sleepily over the feed. “We also might be beneficial— remember that not all species compete. Some rely on each other to survive. Maybe we’ll help whatever’s here. We need this place. Maybe it needs us, too. And— and even if we do harm— are our lives any less valuable than what’s here already? We didn’t come here to plunder. We came here just to survive. Even with all of the Keseburg, we are too small to do systemic damage. It will be generations before we become a real threat.” She yawned. “Anyway, this is too heavy for the middle of the night. I’m going to sleep.”
“Goodnight Joan,” said Dorothy with a smile.
Chapter Twelve
Liu sat on the dusty ground beside the communications panel.
“No, it isn’t that one. We’re getting closer, I got a burst from the Hardcoop but nothing clear. Try the next,” said Al Jahi over the feed.
Liu toggled a button and the array hummed as it began to twist.
“Slow!” snapped Al Jahi.
He turned it off. “Sorry. I don’t think it will go any slower unless I get up there and move it by hand.”
“We may have to.”
“Okay, give me a minute.” He closed the panel and stood up, brushing his suit off.
“Thanks for doing this so early, Gang. I know you could be sleeping.”
“Nah,” he said, climbing up the handholds on the hull, “my sleep schedule is going to take a few days to catch up. It’s almost noon on the Keseburg, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, Noura would be done with morning session about now.”
He reached the top of the ship. “Apologize to Titov for me, I think I’m about to stomp over his bunk.” He shuffled over to the array, kneeling near the small crank. A gleam of rosy light caught the curve of his helmet and he turned his face toward the horizon. “Oh…” he breathed. “Chione, come out here. You’ve got to see this.”
“Is something wrong?” asked Al Jahi.
“No— no, it’s the sun . Is anyone else awake?”
“I’m still up. Barely. Oxwell’s here too.” said Spixworth. There was a pause and then a low whistle over the feed. “Now that— that’s worth the trip.”
Liu sank down onto the metal hull and sat to watch. The sliver of light intensified, the redness softening to a bright copper as more of it inched over the horizon.
“The clouds—” gasped Alice. “Like the edge of a nebula, but so close.”
The airlock hissed and Liu heard Al Jahi on the ladder. He rose to help her up the side. “You ever see this on your other flights?” asked Spixworth.
“No,” he said reaching down to haul Al Jahi up. “We were near asteroids. Either a nearby sun was always visible or we were too far and it was barely a glow. It looked like it does on the Keseburg. Not like this.”
Al Jahi stood beside him staring at the rounded hump of the sun pushing its way into the sky. The dark fled, paling from purple to rose to an orange-gray. The others had fallen silent, but the planet around them began to wake. Small shadows darted over the dusty ground around the Wolfinger, night animals caught by the light.
Spixworth laughed. “You can’t hear this, but Spike started— chirping. I can hear others in the field too.”
“There are things moving over here too,” said Al Jahi. “It isn’t bright enough to see them yet, but this world— there’s so much alive here.”
“I thought it would be peaceful. That’s what you see in the old movies. All that silence, like the world is holding its breath,” said Oxwell, “but it’s loud and busy.”
The sun was lifting itself over the crest of the land, its lower rim coming into view. A deeper shadow passed over him and Liu looked up, startled. Something large, larger than him buzzed overhead and sped off.
“Did you see that?” He turned to Al Jahi.
“What was it?”
“I don’t know. Bird? It was big. And it’s headed your direction, Spixworth.”
“A bird? We haven’t seen a single one— nothing avian at all.”
“Nick— maybe we shouldn’t—” said Alice.
Liu flicked on the video feed and watched as Spixworth exited the field lab and turned his face toward the sky. “It’s okay, Alice, I just want to get some video. How big is this thing, Liu?”
“Bigger than me. Like— Hardcoop size maybe? You aren’t going to miss it if it gets close.”
“Is it the Hardcoop?”
“No,” said Al Jahi. “Liu and I have been tracking the Hardcoop all morning. That’s what we were working on. It’s in a low orbit right now, but nowhere near that low.”
A sharp glint flickered over the video feed. “There, Spixworth— that’s it!”
“Earth’s holy ocean, would you look at that?” The glint grew to a shine and then a shape, long and thin with massive wings. There was a mechanical buzz as it zipped past and plunged just beyond the river. “It’s landed! Come on Alice, let’s go!”
“Are you crazy?” shouted Alice. “We aren’t going anywhere except back to the Wolfinger to get the Captain.”
“But it could be gone if we don’t—”
“Yeah, or it could eat us or stomp us or something.”
“It looked metal,” said Liu. “I didn’t get a great look, it was going too fast, but it looked artificial. Kind of sounded that way too.”
“Maybe we should wake up Emery too,” said Al Jahi.
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” protested Spixworth.
“Firmly seated in my need for logical functioning,” snapped Alice. “If that thing really is metal, then that means something built it. This is a level 3 incident at least, if not four. We’ll be lucky not to join Hackford in quarantine, even with our suits. We aren’t getting closer until we check with the Captain. We’re going back.”
Spixworth hesitated, his feed still broadcasting a scene of the river. “Now , Nick.”
“Okay, okay,” he said and turned to secure the lab.
“We’ll get the crew up,” said Al Jahi. “I think this will probably be a full meeting.”
Liu helped her climb down, noticing her hand was shaking slightly. He wondered if she were excited or frightened. He wondered which one he was, too.
Chapter Thirteen
“You can’t be serious. This is possibly the most significant discovery in human history and you want to just let it sit there?” Rebecca was fuming.
Stratton folded his arms and stared at the dark well of the nest. “This isn’t what we’re here to do. Mission directives said to make contact if we encountered any life. That doesn’t include investigating ruins. Look, Emery, it’s falling apart. Nothing has been here in a long while.”
“But that flying figure came this way,” said Spixworth.
“Yes, and we ought to keep looking in the direction it headed to see if we can find out where it landed.”
“How do we know it isn’t here? Just because we aren’t looking for ruins doesn’t mean whatever that thing was isn’t interested,” said Rebecca.
“We saw thirty seconds of movement on the feed and you’re attaching motivation to it?”
“I’m keeping an open mind.” Rebecca sighed in frustration. “Listen, Captain, if we don’t investigate this place now, the Admiral will just send another mission to do it after us. We can’t settle here without
knowing who else is here. Or was. And why they aren’t here now. It could push settlement out by several months. A year maybe.”
“We don’t have a year. Our kids don’t have a year. Not for the sake of some ruin,” said Titov, forgetting his helmet was on as he raised a hand to scrape it down his face.
“All the more reason to do this by the book,” said Stratton. “If we make a mistake—”
“Captain,” said Liu, “Spindling aside— we both know the Keseburg can’t afford another outlay like this unless we intend to settle. Not in our lifetime. We’re here. We have the best resources the ship can spare. We won’t get another chance.”
“So we should be spending those resources on activities that will make the most difference. I can’t pull everyone from their research just to explore a derelict cavern.”
“Then let Emery go. She isn’t doing anything useful. It’ll keep her out of the way at least,” sneered Martham.
Rebecca wanted to tell her not to help.
“I’ll go with her,” said Liu. “Pilot’s no good on a landed ship anyway, and Al Jahi and I both know that the interference is too heavy to get the link with the Hardcoop to actually work. We’re just wasting time.”
“The lab is running a large batch of samples,” said Titov, “They won’t be ready until tomorrow. And if it helps Peter get here quicker, I’ll do anything. Besides, Hackford would want some data for her research and she’s still got a day in quarantine.”
Stratton hesitated, concentrating hard on the shadowy opening below them. “You have one day, Emery,” he said at last. “Make an initial survey. If you don’t find anything of immediate use, then we have other work to get back to. But at least it’ll satisfy the Admiral.”
“Yes, Captain,” said Rebecca. Her tone was flat, but a sizzle of energy burst through her.
“Emery,” he said, catching her arm as she turned to retrieve their equipment, “A cure for Spindling, a living, intelligent creature, or something that would kill us all. That’s it. Anything else will have to wait. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I vote we steer clear of whatever would kill us all,” said Spixworth.
Liu laughed. “Yeah, I like the other options better.”
“Titov, Liu, you’re with Emery. The rest of you have projects to complete. Keep your feeds on and if you do find something, for Earth’s sake, follow protocol.” The Captain corralled the others away from the nest and back toward the river. Rebecca looked at Liu and Titov.
“Ready?” she asked.
Liu switched his helmet light on. “Not sure how much use I’ll be underground instead of in the air, but I’ll do my best.”
Titov anchored a guide beacon and set its ping. “Let’s go find some intelligent life.” His voice dropped to a low murmur. “Maybe we can replace Martham,” he said with a grin.
A long, sloping ramp of packed earth spiraled down into the hole. Portions had slumped or were riddled with deep grooves where slim rivulets of rainwater had made branching paths. There was no rail and the ramp was slender, even in the places where it was whole.
“Whoever made this must have been really small. Or really graceful,” said Liu, clutching at the dirt wall as he sidled sideways past a hole in the ramp.
“Maybe it was for defense,” said Rebecca. “A bottleneck to protect whatever is underneath from being overrun.”
“I don’t think it worked.” Titov jumped back as the side of the ramp slid away under one foot. Liu caught him.
“Don’t assume anything yet. This could just have been a temporary entrance or one that isn’t used anymore. There could be a bustling city underneath us.”
“I don’t know, Emery,” said Liu, picking his way forward after her, “A city that pays no attention to what’s happening above? We landed not even three miles away. Anything on the surface must have seen us this close.”
Rebecca shrugged. “We haven’t seen anything on the surface. Maybe it’s like the ocean was to Earthlings. Barely explored with massive ecosystems untouched by whatever is down here. Maybe that’s why this ramp is so—” she leaped over a gap and turned to reach a hand back to Liu, “temporary. The only people that used it were scientists and explorers.”
“Madmen like us,” laughed Titov, springing past the hole. The light from above was receding as the path curled around on itself, the spiral tightening.
They fell silent, concentrating on the uneven ramp as the darkness took hold and their vision shrank to the three sharp rounds of light their helmets made. Emery could hear her own breathing, harsh and deep. It irritated her. The fabric of her suit lining felt too tight and damp. She tried to hang on to her excitement and push aside the discomfort.
“We should have brought Hackford here first,” muttered Titov. “Feels more like home. You’ve got walls around you instead of all that massive space with no edge.”
Rebecca stumbled and reached to steady herself on the wall, instead falling into open air. She grunted as her shoulder slammed into hard packed earth. Jagged lumps stabbed into her arm and hip. “Ow.”
Liu helped her up. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, just— there’s a tunnel here.”
“Check your suit,” said Titov, flooding her eyes with the light from his helmet. She squinted and held up an arm. He didn’t stop to apologize but pushed her carefully back into the side tunnel, gripping her arm and then her leg as he checked for tears. Titov blew out a shaky breath a moment later. “You’re safe. Just a scuff on your shoulder but it didn’t rupture.”
“Just— relax, Titov. Hackford’s fine. Leroux said her tests—”
“Hackford’s locked up in a plastic box. She’s scared witless. She’s not fine. And she was exposed up there. Not down here. For all we know whatever lived here died of some horrible plague. We have to be careful.”
Liu held up his hands in surrender. But it seemed to make Titov angry. He rounded on Liu. “You don’t get it. None of you, except maybe Al Jahi. You don’t have kids. The next gen is a distant concern. Something vague to worry about and chew over in Zachary’s with your neighbor. Like next year’s cloth production or how much fresh food has gone up at the market. Well, it’s not to me. I have Peter. Chione has Dia and Noura. We obsess about Spindling. About how many more months the Keseburg’s going to keep moving. About what’s going to happen to us. This is it, this is my only chance to save Peter. It’s not about if we can make a sustainable life here. It’s not about if we’re going to ruin some space porcupine’s life or kill off some insects with pesticide so we can grow food. I don’t care. You understand? It’s about my son. Even if it costs this planet a species— it’s my son.” Titov paused for a deep breath and carefully brushed some grit from Rebecca’s sleeve. “So. We are not bringing anything infectious back to the Wolfinger. Or the Keseburg. Or the surface at all. We’re going to be careful. We’re going to find Emery’s dead aliens and hopefully something useful. And we’re going to tell the Admiral that the planet is safe and that we should begin settlement as soon as possible. That’s what we’re down here for. So there are no questions and no long, drawn out surveys because of some sink hole. Peter doesn’t have that much time. Dia doesn’t have that much time. And several dozen others who are just a statistic to people like you.”
“They aren’t—” started Liu.
“Let’s go,” growled Titov. “This way, the ramp is too dangerous.” He pointed down the tunnel and headed off.
“What is it that I said?” whispered Liu into a private channel.
Rebecca shook her head. “It isn’t you. The medical team says the mobility suits are failing. Without a cure, Peter would be on a lung machine within five years. And after that…”
“Soil and Rain,” sighed Liu. He trudged after Titov and Rebecca followed them.
Chapter Fourteen
Issk’ath had returned to the nest. What it needed for travel had not been in its original build. But Issk’ath knew what it required was insid
e the eroding chambers. It skittered down the ramps into the deepest chambers, back through its memory to the place where it had been constructed. The nest’s lower levels were damp. The water table had risen without the colony’s constant use, and corrosion had made brittle, ruddy lace of the still machinery that had made the colony what it was. No light reached this place, except for the golden glow that streaked over Iss’kath’s chassis in slim threads and defined its optical sensors. Issk’ath did not need light to avoid the fallen debris or the long abandoned warrens of small animals that had sought shelter in the abandoned tunnels. It had other senses. Many. And unfailing memories of the nest. Not only its own memories, but those of the colony collected within. Everything was too familiar, too known. Iterated.
But there was something novel, an unfamiliar sensation that waited for Issk’ath down in the dark. It wanted . For the first time, it craved something. It was not a directive, it was not a programmed impulse embedded from the outside. It yearned for something wholly for its own sake, not the colony’s. Not the planet’s. Just for itself, just for Issk’ath.
The entrance to the industrial chambers had collapsed, the way forward blocked by dirt and stone. Issk’ath was not built for heavy lifting. It would have to retreat and find one of the colony’s diggers. It scanned the crumbling metal figures around it and calculated the chance of finding one that needed only minor repair. It picked its way back toward the ramp, its angular head swiveling as it scanned the dark, seeking aid many seasons too late.
Issk’ath’s tympana vibrated. Falling rock, scrabbling. Another animal perhaps. Issk’ath ignored it until a different noise reached it. An animal call. But not familiar. It came again, different this time, the tones pulsing in different sequences. The sound came from above. Something was in the nest. Something new . Issk’ath abandoned the silent diggers in favor of waiting to see if the creature would come closer. It remained still, unwilling to frighten it away.
