Jordan maneuvered the flitter toward where the gate was.
Tanaka and Cruz had a smaller gate set up this time. Since the plane wasn’t intact, there wasn’t the need for a large gate.
In less time than it took to prep and open it at Grand Lac de Laffrey, the two had the gate open.
“Schmitt, you and your guys have any problem going over?” Bill asked the engineer.
“Hey, we’re Explorers, too. Let’s do it.”
“Brad, you okay with sending John over?” Bill didn’t ask John; it was Brad’s decision.
“Ase kaite inai,” he responded.
“Huh?”
“It’s Japanese for no sweat,” the pilot said.
“Oh, okay. Well, here the plan. Ken, you and your guys and John will help Matt recover parts. I’m gonna stand watch; not because I’m lazy or because I’m in charge, but because I’ve probably got more ground time than anyone else here, including Jordan.
“Once we identify which direction this plane was heading, Jordan’s gonna take a flitter and look for signs of survivors.” Everyone there knew what he really meant, and survivors wasn’t the correct word.
“Mindy and the gate operators stay on this side. Mindy, you maintain watch.” She nodded.
“Two things I don’t want anyone touching without gloves: the crash ‘chutes and anything that looks like an EMP bomb.” Bill held up his tablet and showed them an image. “This is what the one in my plane looked like. If you see it, don’t touch it. Just call me over.
“When we go over, I’m gonna take some quick pics, and then just pick stuff up and bring it back. Any questions?”
There were none.
“Okay, Jordan, go for it. Rest of you, follow him.”
In a blast of dust, Jordan lifted off and cruised through the gate, circling the crash site visible through the opening. He stayed in the air until the remaining Explorers had made it through. All looked warily around while Jordan set down.
“Matt, Ken, keep watch while I take photos,” Bill ordered.
After several minutes of photography, Bill looked around the site in a holistic manner. Jordan joined him.
“I’m thinking they were southbound. That look like it to you?”
“Yep, tail’s to the north, nose to the south. Unless they spun out and pancaked, that’s the most reasonable deduction.”
“Okay, go see what you can find. And, don’t exceed, or come even close to exceeding, the range on that thing.”
“Yessir,” Jordan said, mockingly tossing Bill a salute.
As the others began gathering parts of the crashed plane, Jordan boarded the flitter, and with another cloud of dust, rose and headed north, gaining altitude until he was hovering about 100 meters above the ground. He then began flying in a pattern similar to an aerial survey, going west for a klick, then turning and going east two klicks.
An hour after departing, Jordan returned.
The others stopped working when he landed, congregating around the flitter to hear what he had found.
Getting out, he shook his head.
“Found ‘em,” was all he said.
Everyone nodded in understanding.
“All right, let’s finish this task first. Everyone back to work.”
As the others got back to grabbing plane parts and taking them through the gate, Bill asked, “Jordan, how easy will they be to recover?”
Jordan took a deep breath, dropped his head slightly, then breathed out. “Pretty easy. They’re all desiccated. I’ll probably be able to bring back two at a time.”
“You good for that?” Bill asked.
“No, but it’s gotta get done.” Brightening slightly, he then said, “But, hey, I managed to pull your still-kicking ass out of the bush, so it ain’t all bad.”
“And don’t you forget that, man. We’re all glad you did. Just think, Jack doesn’t have to deal with grass in his diapers anymore,” Bill said, trying to lighten the mood.
The sands were practically empty of plane bits when Jordan returned with the first load. Everyone stopped working to watch as he guided the flitter through the gate and landed it on Hayek. Everyone on Planet 42 followed him through.
As he exited the flitter, he said, “Little help here, please?”
Without a word, Brad and Mindy unhooked the litter slung under the flitter and dragged it out from under the craft. Inside were two desiccated beings, too dry and shrunken to identify their gender, let alone who they were. As the first body was gently lifted out of the litter, Bill raised his arm in a slow salute. It was something he had seen his father do many a time, but not a Corps tradition. The others followed suit, maintaining the pose until the second body had been placed on the ground next to the first.
Both bodies still had their parachutes attached to them. Bill didn’t say anything about wearing gloves. It was too late for that.
Turning to Jordan, he asked, “How much juice you got left?”
“Pretty much maxed out,” Jordan said.
“Okay. Brad?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you change the flitter batteries for fresh ones? I want to recover the other two bodies and get out of here as soon as possible.”
“Sure, give me a couple.” Brad headed off to the parked Caribou. Looking over his shoulder, he yelled to Jordan, “Bring the flitter on over.”
Two hours later and the remaining bodies were back on Hayek, along with all the pieces of the Monarch. The second set of bodies had received the same honors as the first two. All four were encased in rubber body bags that the crew had brought with them. Bill had found the EMP bomb, and, following the same protocol as the first time, secured it in the locker.
Then he gathered the group. “Ken, you guys know what you need to get things back, so nothing new from me. We’ll be taking the remains of the Explorers home tomorrow morning, along with the evidence. Mindy, you refuel yet?” Seeing her nod, he said, “Good.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been an honor serving with you. I wish our expedition hadn’t finished this way, but we all knew it was probable. Let’s get some rest. Romeo 21, we take off at first light.”
49
The return flight was just as boring as the outbound leg. They finally made radio contact with civilization when they were halfway across the Mediterranean. Bill was able to talk with the Port of Buffett’s control tower and requested they make immediate contact with Corps headquarters and relay that the site was cleaned and four bodies recovered. An hour later they were informed that the Corps had been notified and that the response from the Commandant was “Well done. Regrets on the findings.”
As they approached the Port of Buffett, darkness was spreading over the land.
Upon getting landing instructions, Mindy informed the crew that an honor guard of the local militia would be meeting the plane. They had offered to stand guard over the remains of the dead Explorers while the crew spent some time ashore.
Exiting the plane, Bill was surprised to find more than a couple of militia members. Apparently, an entire company had come out. The captain approached Bill and saluted. “Captain Rogers, sir. We heard about the remains and wanted to offer our condolences and our services.” Bill wasn’t sure if saluting in return was proper, but he did it anyhow.
“Thank you, Captain. Your services are greatly appreciated. As you can imagine, we’re pretty tired, especially our pilot and co-pilot.”
“Understood, sir. Once you’re ready, we’ve got restaurant reservations set up for you and your crew. We suspect you’ll prefer to stay in the plane overnight?”
Bill nodded.
After locking up the plane, the six crew members were given a ride to a nearby restaurant for dinner. A step up from the airfield cafe, Bill thought, as he dined on a plateful of fettuccine Alfredo.
Not having to fly to Grand Lac de Laffrey, the plan was to have Bill, Jordan, Matt, along with the remains and the evidence, take the maglev from Buffett to Jongen. The train was scheduled to dep
art at ten o’clock in the morning, so the crew had plenty of time to get ready.
When Bill awoke, shortly after dawn, he was surprised to see a militia truck pulled up outside the plane, about 100 meters away. Militia members still surrounded the plane, facing outward, maintaining their vigil.
Jordan had awoken shortly before him and started a pot of coffee, so Bill got a cup and took a few swigs, feeling the heat of the brew on his lips and tongue, while the scent of the coffee wafted upward. He then headed out the aircraft’s door.
As he stepped outside, the same militia captain who had greeted them the night before approached him, and saluted again. Bill returned the salute, still feeling like a bit of a fraud, until he remembered, Hey, I’m a militia member, too.
“Good morning, sir,” the captain said. It was obvious he was tired.
“Good morning, Captain. Were you out here, awake, all night?”
“Yes, sir. It’s the least we can do.” Gesturing toward the trucks, he said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of having some coffins delivered. I didn’t think it was right that the remains return home in body bags.”
Bill was briefly overcome with emotion, amazed at the young captain’s consideration.
“Thank you, Captain. Not only do I not mind, but I’m grateful.”
“With your permission, then, I’ll transfer the remains.”
“Certainly. Let me let the crew know what’s happening, first.”
While the captain turned toward the truck to arrange matters, Bill returned to the plane. Everyone was awake by now, so he filled them in on the situation.
“Should we do a formal transfer?” Mindy asked.
“I think the captain’s already got that in mind,” Bill said. Looking out the window, he could see militia members lining up in two rows, each facing the other, between the plane and the truck. Four caskets had been placed on the ground near the truck.
The remains of the Explorers had been placed in the cargo hold before they left the Sudanian Savanna, so all six crew members exited the plane and approached the hold. Mindy opened it.
Jordan and Bill entered the hold and picked up the first body bag, carefully handing it to Matt and Ken. As the two walked the remains between the assembled militia, each militia member raised their hand in salute, holding it until the body passed.
As they passed the second body bag out, it was picked up by Mindy and Estela, who carried their human burden through the same honor guard.
When they passed out the third body bag, they were surprised to see the young militia captain and his senior NCO. The older sergeant briefly crossed himself before grasping the handles on his side of the bag.
Bill and Jordan carried the final bag through the honor guard, arriving at the only casket with an open top. Gently, they laid the body to rest in it. As the militia member closed the lid, everyone saluted.
A second militia member placed the flag of Hayek atop the casket. It was yellow with a stylized porcupine in the center and the words “Don’t Tread On Me” underneath. All four caskets bore the same flag.
It took a moment before he was able to speak, and all he could say was, “Thank you,” to the captain.
“Our honor, sir,” he replied. He then directed several of the militia to load the coffins on the truck.
“As soon as you’re ready, we’ll get you over to the train station.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
Mindy gave Bill a hug before he left Romeo 21 for the final time.
“Glad we got to work together again,” she said. “Just wish it had been under different circumstances.”
“Me, too.”
While Bill, Jordan, and Matt were returning to Milton in the same manner they arrived, Mindy would be flying back with the gate and the gate crew.
The rest of the trip back passed in a blur. At each transfer between transport modes, the remains were treated with respect, usually with a local militia component out to provide an escort and honor guard.
Finally, the crew arrived in Milton.
As the trio exited the E-tube, Bill wasn’t surprised to find his wife and son waiting for him or to see Nicole waiting for Matt, or to see Commandant Lewis waiting for all three of them. He was surprised to find hundreds of Explorers.
Meri held back until Lewis had approached Bill and told him that there was a team of investigators from the Hayek Public Safety Force who would take control of the evidence, and that the Explorers were there to honor the fallen Explorers.
Bill, Matt, and Jordan were glad to finally hand over the evidence to the inspectors. Throughout the long journey from Buffett, the three had maintained physical control of it. Bill was tired of wearing surgical gloves.
The four caskets were brought out from the cargo section of the E-tube, flags still draped over them.
As they were carried through the terminal, every Explorer rendered a salute. Every civilian stopped, many of them placing their hands over their hearts. All knew of the attack by the GLF and the damage suffered by the Corps of Discovery, along with the physical and economic damage to Hayek.
Bill watched the coffins exit the building and then turned to his wife, who had made her way to him through the crowd. The two kissed each other and hugged, Meri holding Jack to the side so as not to crush him.
“And the hunter, home from the hills,” she said, quoting Robert Lewis Stevenson.
Bill just nodded.
Lewis said, “Outstanding job, Bill. Go home, spend time with the family, and report to my office tomorrow morning. Bring your compadres with you,” he added, referring to Matt and Jordan. “In the meantime, we’ll be having a memorial service for the crew of 42/1 in two days. We’re waiting for some of the crew’s parents to come over from Earth.
50
Bill was still groggy the next morning when he arrived at the Commandant’s office. It wasn’t because he was still tired from the trip, despite the jetlag. It also wasn’t because he hadn’t had a sufficient quantity of caffeine. He had. It was because he was the father of an infant. And that infant had decided that anyone sleeping was not a good idea. Of course, Jack really didn’t decide that, but it sure seemed like it, Bill thought.
Glenda greeted him and, taking pity on him, brought him a fresh cup of coffee.
Thanking her, he took a big gulp. Must…have…more…coffee…. he thought as he drank the bitter brew.
Bill was soon joined by Jordan and Matt, both of whom looked far fresher and more alert than Bill.
“Man, you look beat,” Jordan said.
Just you wait, Bill thought. What he said was, “Yeah, Jack had a bad night.”
“Ouch. Feel your pain, brother. I know what you mean. My younger sister was the same way. Drove me up a wall.”
Glenda said, “The Commandant will see you now.”
The three entered the Commandant’s office. Lewis was standing in front of the desk and gestured the three of them to take seats.
Then Lewis said, “Once again, I want to state how proud I am of you three. You did a great job sterilizing the sites.
“Jordan, I especially want to thank you for the job you did in recovering the remains of the dead Explorers. It’s not often the Corps is able to recover a body under such circumstances. It goes a long way to helping the families get closure. Don’t be surprised if you’re approached and thanked by any of them over the next several weeks. They’ve been waiting almost a year to find out what happened.”
Jordan nodded.
“So, just to let you know what’s happening. Shortly after you three handed over the evidence to the HPSF investigators, they called me and said they had both fingerprints and DNA on some of it. Not just yours, and not just Meri’s. They’re not saying much else, other than that the trial against the Gaia Liberation Front terrorists they caught should be starting in mid-June.
“As you know, that’s pretty much the beginning of the training cycle for the new Explorers. Because of all the death and destruction caus
ed by the GLF, we had to bring more Probies in from Earth than we were planning on.
“So, what I’m saying is that between the trial, where you, Bill, are a prime witness, and the need for some experienced hands to train a bunch of Earth Probies, you three won’t be going out on any more surveys this year.”
Bill was in shock. Yeah, he was just back from hell on Earth, Well, hell on Planet 42, but surveying was what he signed up for. He felt like he was being punished.
“Damnit, Jack,” he said, feeling the heat rise to his face, “that’s not fair. We’re good. Damned good, and we should be out there doing the job we’re trained for.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jordan and Matt nodding in agreement.
Moving around his desk during this outburst, the Commandant sat down. Leaning back, he laced his hands in front of him, resting them on his practically nonexistent gut, and smiled.
“About that,” he said. “Do you know the Corps’ secondary objective?”
Bill and the others grew silent.
“Our secondary objective, which isn’t really talked about much, is to explore parallel Earths that are developed, and identify technologies that might prove useful to the Corps, Parallel, and Hayek.”
Sitting back, the Commandant’s smile grew even bigger.
“Think about that for a second. New worlds, new civilizations, new cultures, to boldly go, and all that crap. Interested?”
“Oh, hell yeah!” Jordan said.
Bill was a bit suspicious. “I’m waiting.”
“Well, here’s the deal, men. It’s a rather dangerous society we’d be sending you into, but it’s got some really intriguing technology that just might make explorations even easier and safer, along with potentially reducing pollution. They speak English, so you’d mostly fit in. Mostly.”
Looking directly at Jordan, he said, “You’d be in the most danger.”
“Hell, I grew up in South-central LA and been on several ground surveys,” Jordan said. “What could be more dangerous than that?”
“About that,” the Commandant said.
For the next half-hour, he filled the three Explorers in, explaining exactly what the new civilization was like that they would be exploring.
The Corps of Discovery Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3: A multiverse series of alternate history Page 56