The Corps of Discovery Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3: A multiverse series of alternate history

by James S. Peet

  One day a C-123 landed with nothing but boat parts and a maritime crew. After unloading the parts and moving them closer to the shoreline of Guantanamo Bay, the crew, along with the aircraft mechanics, supply guys, and engineers, began assembling the parts into a small ship or large boat—Bill wasn’t sure which. First, the engineers set up a series of logs to serve as rollers to get the boat into the water when it was assembled. As the Explorers were assembling the vessel another Provider landed with fuel bladders full of diesel fuel for the sea craft. The bladders, which were on pallets, were dragged from the plane and positioned near the dock the engineers had built weeks before.

  Within a day the boat was assembled. It was large enough for the three-person crew and a dozen passengers. Mindy stood next to Bill watching the workers push the boat out into the water, next to the dock.

  “Looks like we’ll be doing fewer water landings and take-offs for the foreseeable future,” she commented.

  Bill just nodded.

  Mindy expanded on her statement for his edification. “This means we won’t have to worry about water landings, shoals, coral heads, or other water hazards. Our threat level just plummeted.”

  With the addition of the boat crew the base had become officially crowded, and the engineers erected another building, this one designed exclusively for cooking, dining, and recreation. Once again, the focus of the Ops Shack became survey operations, but some of the easy chairs were left for those seeking solitude from the larger crowds in the building that became known simply as “the Big Shack.”

  The first task of the new maritime crew was to ferry two ground survey teams to the island of Jamaica, barely 250 kilometers away. Once again, the maps provided by Z21 proved invaluable to the teams, particularly the nearshore bathymetry. The boat was able to make the journey with ease, dropping the two teams off on the eastern side of the islands so they could move westward. Then the boat crew circumnavigated the island, replicating Z21’s work, but from sea level looking shoreward.

  They were back at Carib Base two days later and picked up the other two crews for the first ground survey of the island of Hispaniola.

  While the boat was ferrying Explorers and conducting its own surveys, the ‘Bou Crew were keeping track of the ground crews and providing them with support. In the meantime, Z21 was still flying around the Caribbean, collecting data and making maps.

  Two things became abundantly clear during the ground surveys. First was the lack of sapient beings. Second was the lack of large carnivores, just like on Earth.

  After Cheng had declared the island relatively safe, he gave the Explorers the opportunity to do their own exploring, but with the caveat of having all survival gear with them all the time, notifying Ops anytime they left base, where they were going, and an estimated time back. All Explorers were required to carry two-way radios with them when leaving base.

  Bill and Meri decided to explore more of Guantanamo Bay on their day off, looking for a secluded spot where they could spend some time together without the crush of others all around them. The airfield was on the seaward side of a peninsula extending into the bay from the west, so they decided to cross the peninsula and investigate the beaches on the tip of the peninsula. It was barely a kilometer walk, but being the first time out on their own, the two found it exciting. Exciting, hot, and humid.

  By the time they reached the entrance to the bay they were both beginning to get a bit warm, so Meri suggested they cool off. They were wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts, so Bill stripped off his shirt, intending to keep his shorts on for modesty. He was surprised when Meri apparently had no intention of doing the same and was soon devoid of all clothing.

  “What’s taking you so long?” she laughingly asked, then ran to the water’s edge and did a shallow dive into the bay.

  Bill stripped his shorts off so fast he thought he was going to rip them, then ran to join Meri. Of course, he also wanted to get into the water fast so Meri didn’t see the reaction she was causing his body. Diving in, he was surprised at how warm the water was. He had been hoping some cold water would help his condition, but it was not to be. When he came up for air he was within arm’s reach of Meri, who jumped out of the water and came splashing down on him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him breathlessly. Bill couldn’t help wrapping his arms around her and returning the kiss, feeling her breasts on his naked chest, and then feeling her abdomen bumping against his erection.

  Her reaction was just the opposite of what he expected. Instead of pulling away from him she wrapped her legs against him and pulled closer. “Make love to me here,” she whispered in his ear, guiding herself closer onto him where he was barely penetrating her. The two made love frantically the first time, floating in Guantanamo Bay, with the waves slapping against them, seemingly in time to their lovemaking.

  After the first bout, they made their way back to shore, hand in hand, where they made love again, this time more slowly. Afterward, the two lay on the towels stretched on the beach and looked up at the fluffy cumulonimbus clouds forming overhead.

  “So, how long have you been planning this ambush?” he asked her.

  “Only since I first met you. Do you know how much willpower that took not to jump your bones all these months, especially when we were at Lewis Landing?” Leaning over, she gave him a kiss, which stirred things up again.

  They made love a third time before heading back to base, then rinsed off sand and salt.

  As they approached the base buildings Kim came out of the quarters and spotted them. They must have been throwing off pheromones, had a glow on their faces, or looked like the cat that ate the canary. Whatever the case, Kim took one look at them and said with a grin, “I hope you used protection.”

  The look on Bill’s face made it obvious he hadn’t even considered that, because both Kim and Meri burst into laughter.

  “What?” Bill asked plaintively.

  “Silly, don’t you know all women on field duty get birth control implants while they’re in the Corps?” Meri laughed and leaned into Bill.

  Bill’s was relief palpable.

  “I’m going to put my gear away and get a shower. See you after,” she told him, giving him a quick kiss and headed to the ‘Bou Crew cabin.

  “Good thing you’re making some good bank out here, boy, cause you’re gonna need it to get that girl a proper ring,” Kim said, as they watched Meri walk into her cabin.

  “Y’know, I think you’re right,” Bill said with a grin, then trooped into the Swamp to get a fresh towel and a clean uniform.

  21

  Over the next several months the two air crews, the maritime crew, and the four ground crews worked together to explore all the islands throughout the Caribbean. The crew of Z21 had the added pleasure of surveying the north coast of Suyu, or South America as Bill still thought of it.

  The flitter was needed once on the island of Haiti. Bill had thought Haiti was a French word, because of the French settlement on the island he knew as Hispaniola, but apparently, it was a name from the original inhabitants on Earth, the Arawak. An Explorer made the mistake of stepping wrong while ascending one of the mountains. He broke several bones and had a number of severe abrasions from the ensuing fall. Fortunately, there was nothing as life-threating as a pierced lung or loss of limb, but there was no way the Explorer could continue with the survey.

  The Caribou circled above the ground crew a thousand meters up, and the assistant cargo crew chief pushed the flitter out of the back of the craft. The flitter, flown by the Caribou’s cargo chief, deployed the propellers once it had left the Caribou, flew it safely to the ground, and landed near the ground crew. The ground crew loaded the injured Explorer into the litter basket, and the crew chief took off. With no landing spots nearby for the Caribou, and with the base too far to fly the slow flitter all the way, he headed for the coast. When the flitter reached the coast, Z21 met them and transported both men to Carib Base. The flitter, which was left behind, was picked up
the next day by the boat crew, who returned it to Carib to be reloaded aboard the Caribou for the next emergency. The Explorer was treated by PA Finley who made the medical decision to evacuate him to Hayek on the next resupply, which was due in two days.

  “No sense him sitting here in the sand and sun under the palm trees when he can be home enjoying winter at its fullest,” she said, informing Cheng of her decision.

  Bill and Meri became serious enough in their relationship that they began talking about a future life together. They decided that once they returned to Hayek they would move in together. Bill thought they would have to live off base, but Meri informed him otherwise. Base housing arrangements were by the consent of those who were being housed, not those who housed them.

  By March the entire Caribbean had been mapped, and all of the islands explored, at least to the satisfaction of the Corps of Discovery. All survey Explorers from Carib Base were pulled off duty and given a month’s leave on Hayek, to begin once they crossed over. The ground crews would go through some refresher training and then be reassigned to another survey base on Zion after their leave. The flight crews were told they’d be receiving new orders, but to report to headquarters on Hayek at the end of their leave.

  Rather than wait for one of the larger Providers to come in and take them out, one crew of Explorers loaded up in the CL-415 and the other three crews boarded the Caribou. Thus began a three-day flight back to the Initial Point. The two pilots decided to fly in formation the entire way, just in case any problems developed.

  As they approached Primary Base, Bill was struck at just how busy the airfield was compared to the relatively backwater field on Carib. While Carib Base housed two airplanes, there were dozens operating out of Primary Base, most of them the bigger C-123s. There were also several seaplanes and Caribous on the apron. For the first time in a long time, Mindy had to put the seaplane into a flight pattern and was put in line to land. After landing, she told the crew and passengers to remain near the plane while she and the Caribou’s pilot reported in at the Field Manager’s Building for further instructions.

  Grabbing a jacket from her hanging locker, Mindy exited the plane. A gust of cold air entered, reminding all that they had been in the tropics for several months, and that early spring on the Columbia Plateau was still downright cold. Everyone started digging jackets from their duffels or hanging lockers.

  Mindy was back in five minutes and gave the crew the low-down. “They want us to cross over at the next gate opening, so we need to move the bird over to the waiting convoy.” She pointed to a line of trucks and a couple of planes near the gate. “Crossover’s tomorrow morning. My crew, stay on board tonight.” She told the ground crews, “You can either stay on board or hang out in the transient quarters. It’s up to your team leader.”

  The team leader looked around at his crew and said to Mindy, “If it’s all right by you, we’ll spend the night here. Wouldn’t want to miss crossover.” He grinned, reaching into his duffel to pull out a bottle full of an amber liquid. Holding it up so Mindy could see it, he said, “And if it’s all right by you, I’d like to celebrate a bit by sharing this with everyone as a reward for a great survey. We all survived!”

  An entire bottle split between eight people wouldn’t amount to anyone having more than a couple of shots, so Mindy agreed, but not until they had moved the birds into line. Soon, all were sipping from canteen cups, enjoying the sweet-tasting liqueur. Bill, who had gotten used to sipping whiskey, was surprised at the sweet scent and flavor and asked what it was.

  “Nectar of the Irish gods” proclaimed the ground survey leader. “Irish Mist, a mix of Irish whiskey and honey mead. And remember, it’s for sippin’, not sluggin’, lad.”

  Everyone decided to avail themselves of the dining opportunity presented by the base rather than consume flight rations, as they had every night since leaving Carib. After several months of flight or field rations or Carib Base’s cook’s relatively plain cooking, they were ready for a change.

  Soon they were seated and eating. Meri and Bill sat together, as usual, and made plans for their leave, which included spending lots of time with each other, a lot of it without anyone else, and some spring salmon fishing on some of the rivers of Cascadia. Bill had heard about the 50 kilo Chinook salmon, or hogs as they were called, and was hoping to catch one, just for the experience.

  After supper, the crews took showers and retired, sleeping on the planes. Bill felt a bit sorry for the Caribou crew, as they didn’t have the same accommodations as the seaplane. Rather than having bunks, they slept on the floor of the cargo plane. But he didn’t feel sorry enough to give up his bed, and Meri adamantly refused to share his bunk with all the others in the same plane.

  Early the next morning, the crews were awake and waiting. Crossover was expected to take place at eight fifteen, as soon as the incoming resupply was on Zion. They made coffee in the plane and those who ate chose flight rations.

  Fifteen minutes before crossover Primary Base radioed Z21 and requested confirmation that all passengers and crew listed on the manifest Mindy had provided earlier was correct. Mindy was quick to respond, then turned and gave the crew and passengers a thumbs-up. She started the engines, making sure they were warmed up early.

  The same warnings that were issued before Bill’s crossover from Hayek were announced on Zion, only this time he heard them through the aircraft’s radio. Mindy put it on the intercom for the ground crews who were sitting in the bunks. Crossover was actually announced for the incoming traffic, with the warning to remain stationary until given the go-ahead to transit back to Hayek.

  When crossover happened, the crew got to watch it from a different perspective, and they were amazed at the number of trucks that came rolling through the gate. Bill didn’t quite know what to expect, but this was far more than he had figured on. Of course, having dozens of planes and thousands of personnel scattered around the globe, the supply needs were quite large, particularly fuel, aircraft parts, and food.

  Soon the departing convoy was given orders to begin movement through the gate. Mindy gave the CL-415 more throttle and taxied the plane forward through the gate and onto the tarmac of Bowman Field, where she was directed to park the plane on the apron. Mindy shut down the engines and announced over the intercom, “Welcome home, guys.” Cheering broke out and Bill realized that, even though he was still considered a Probationary Explorer by the Corps, he was now a veteran. He noticed the other Explorers putting their ribbons back on their uniforms, so he did the same. He had to pull his out of one of the drawers under his bunk where he had stashed it after Cheng’s ceremony. He put it on, looked up, and saw Kim grinning at him, wearing hers.

  “We made it!” she practically shouted, reaching over and giving him a high-five. Bill hadn’t felt this proud since getting the letter accepting him into the Corps.

  “We sure as hell did, didn’t we?” he said.

  “Listen up!” Mindy announced. “For those just finishing their first survey, we’ve got to check in with headquarters before we go on leave. I’ll get a jeep to drive you to your quarters so you can dump off your gear, but don’t take too long. Just store your rifles, dump your gear, then get on over to headquarters. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some serious downtime away from you ugly mutts.”

  The ground survey crew was the first out, as they didn’t have any equipment or clothing stashed in the plane, just their primary survival gear, backpacks, rifles, and duffels with uniforms. The plane’s crew emptied their lockers and drawers into their duffel bags, then retrieved all their secondary survival equipment from under the crash seats and stowed them in the duffel bags. Stepping out of the plane, each wore their survival vests under their jackets, their suspenders and belts over the jackets, backpacks on their backs, and carried partially-filled duffel bags in one hand, and rifles in the other.

  “The problem with living in a plane is all the crap you gotta carry,” Doug said as they staggered to the waiting
jeeps. The ground crew was already gone.

  “See you in a few,” Mindy told Bill and Kim as she dumped her gear in the rear of a jeep and jumped into the front seat. Nodding to the driver she gave him her address while Doug loaded his gear and climbed in, precariously perched on the small bench seat with his feet on the pile of equipment.

  Bill and Kim loaded their gear into the other jeep and Bill deferred to Kim, taking the rear seat and letting her sit up front. “Welcome back,” the driver said. “Where to?”

  They gave the driver their addresses, and with a “hang on” they were on the way. The cold spring air felt refreshing on Bill’s face, but he was glad it was only for the mile-long trip. As they were moving Bill pulled his tablet from his pants cargo pocket, where it had been living the past several months, and activated it. Seeing the basewide wi-fi network connect, he sent a quick email to Meri to meet after they processed through headquarters. Almost immediately he received a response stating she would meet him there.

  After getting dropped off, Bill lugged his gear up the steps of 117 Jaskey Lane. He dug his ID from his wallet, inserted it, and heard the lock disengage. He shouted “Hello” into the house. There was no answer and the house smelled like it hadn’t been lived in for several months. It had obviously been taken care of, though, because Bill didn’t see any dust anywhere.

  He headed to his room where he left the rifle on the bed, the backpack and duffel bag on the floor, and then his belt and vest on the bed. After divesting himself of all unnecessary items, he put his rifle and PDW away in the gun safe, then headed down the stairs to the first floor as Jordan came in.

  “Hey, took you long enough,” Bill said, ragging on Jordan a bit.

  “Yeah, well, we had the slow co-pilot driving,” Jordan shot back, meaning Meri.