Expedition Nereus

by Ilya Martynov

  43

  A few days later, Linda Robore called around 2 pm. She hadn't been able to contact him in the morning since Jack was absent, and now her voice sounded somehow annoyed because she had to adjust her important schedule.

  "Welcome back, Lieutenant Sallenge," she said with a fake smile.

  "Hello, Director Robore," the officer calmly answered.

  "I hope you received all the essential provisions and equipment."

  "Yes, ma'am. I did."

  "I'm waiting for the data on your accomplished tasks."

  "One minute, ma'am," Jack said, trying to remember where he had placed the thin green info-line with all the recorded data.

  "Hurry up, Jack. I don't have all day," Linda chided the lieutenant.

  "Yes, ma'am. Here is the data." He took the drive from his jacket's left chest pocket and placed it in the teleport. Hundreds of petabytes of information flowed through the small box over a distance of a trillion kilometers.

  "Is that all the data recorded?" she asked after some time.

  "Yes, ma'am. That's everything. But the transfer isn't over yet."

  "I see. Thank you, Lieutenant," Linda answered dryly.

  "I haven't received any additional orders. Ma'am, may I ask..."

  "Your new instructions will be sent once the data transfer is complete."

  "Roger."

  "All in all, we're expecting the duration of your stay on the planet to be extended at least another half-year. You'll be provided everything you need from Earth."

  "Half a year!?" Jack couldn't hold back. He grimaced and his eyes darted back and forth.

  "Get used to it, Lieutenant. That is the nature of space service. We cannot establish a connection with the Avant Light to update its work requirements according to your new tasks. You will receive all new orders via the teleport. Do you have any objections, Lieutenant Sallenge?"

  Jack kept quiet. There was no limit to his disappointment. He hoped they had sent a rescue expedition for him. Now he realized that it wouldn't happen for a very long time. Jack couldn't believe his ears. Although he entertained the possibility, he instinctively rejected such a scenario, thinking it was unlikely. He already didn't know what to do for three and a half months, and now they were telling him to spend at least six more months, if not more.

  "Any objections?" Linda Robore repeated, annoyed.

  "None, ma'am," Jack barely managed to pull himself out of his shock.

  "Good. Data transfer from Nereus complete. Sending the instructions for the first mission."

  "Ma'am, how will I be rescued?" he asked, perplexed.

  "That question hasn't been discussed yet. You must be aware that the funding of such flights is categorized as a separate line of the state budget. Such a decision takes time."

  "And what about the teleport? Don't they..."

  "Lieutenant Sallenge," Robore sharply interrupted. "You are not authorized to dictate to the Center how they manage their cosmonauts! You are under our command. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?" Her face contorted into a repugnant, furious scowl.

  "Aye aye, ma'am," Jack mumbled, looking down still confused.

  "We sent the last teleport on your mission, the last one the Agency was issued. You must also be aware of the prohibition against using such technology. Must I also remind you that such technology is used by the Agency at its own risk after wresting permission from the special authority for extreme circumstances?"

  "I beg your pardon, ma'am."

  "We don't have any more teleports, Lieutenant. We need to equip the rescue expedition that will bring you back. Try to live up to our expectations. Prove us that you're not a random mission participant." She finished her comment with a special smile, but her eyes shifted as if she knew something mysterious and important that others didn't.

  "Roger, ma'am," Jack answered, barely controlling his inner hurricane.

  "Prepare the accumulators for the next transfer. All orders are sent. Good luck! Over and out."

  Now the thin green line had all the new flight coordinates and tasks. Jack figured he'd need to do a lot of things manually without the strict supervision of the Avant Light.

  Jack rotated the info-line and looked at it under the light that streamed through the window. Small golden strings, some thicker than others, could be seen on the green column. Some strings swelled into shining figures before narrowing into a tiny web. There were times when the young and curious mind of Lieutenant Sallenge never ceased being amazed at technology. "How do can so much information about the universe be squished into such tiny femtometers[2]? Amazing!" Rubbing his slightly hairy chin, Jack got up, changed clothes, and went outside.

  That day he had no appetite at all. He should have been happy with the Center resupplying him with materials, provisions, and water, but he wasn't. The expedition had already lasted too long, and in Jack's opinion, it was time to return home to his loved ones. For the rest of the day, he did nothing but walk about, pondering possible scenarios and their consequences. His prior enthusiasm to complete his assignments was gone, and now there was some sense of having imposed and artificially-created duties. It was like he had signed up to be the credit warrantor for a friend, only for his friend to fail at making payments and now it was Jack's responsibility to deal with his friend's failures. But Jack had no idea who he was responsible for.

  He felt guilt for his deceased crew members, but did that mean he had to do another's job that they were supposed to do? His line of thought was tangled and confusing like a spiderweb, and it was impossible to sort them out. Jack was upset at his own situation, feeling unable to gulp from the sensation something was stuck in his throat.

  He gritted his teeth and went somewhere to the northeast of the pavilion. Jack had never walked there on foot as it could be dangerous, but now that didn't matter to him. He wandered around in this manner for a couple hours, eventually passing the rocky ridge several times near his home as he tried to identify a new purpose for him. He attempted to grasp on to fragments of some constructed reason, but his brain refused to accept it. That day, he didn't see the wartstones, but Trape stopped by to lie near the quarantine chamber and wait for his friend.

  Approaching the doorway, Jack sadly glanced at it and entered the house. Closer to the evening, Amigo passed by the pavilion, but its sixth sense must have said to leave Jack alone, so the wartstone returned to his pack. Jack didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to this. He gazed around his dwelling with a gloomy expression before stripping off his clothes and falling on his bed. The window panels darkened, the after-hours lighting dimmed, and the house entered into a state of evening drowsiness. That night, Lieutenant Sallenge slept very badly, curling his legs to his stomach. His hope to be rescued was fading fast, and as were his hopes to fall asleep quickly. Thoughts whirled around and spun in his head, causing him to believe he'd never see Earth again or he'd be killed by another predator or poisoned by unfiltered water, ultimately going insane from the agony of thirst.

  His morning run, dry shower, and breakfast awaited him at 5:30 am. This time, he decided to run for longer than usual to try and cheer up quicker after a sleepless night. Browsing through the tasks assigned for the next few days in advance, Jack understood he'd need to travel over a few thousand kilometers. In order to avoid any in-flight malfunctions, Jack commanded Trape to check all the airbike's systems. Trape located a small hole in the cargo compartment, which, to Jack's joy, it quickly repaired.

  This time though, Jack couldn't rely on any invisible yet appreciated help from the Avant Light. He had to carefully follow the route and control the sample-collection without any guidance, which meant the officer understood he would tire out more quickly. As Jack walked towards his aircraft wearing his high-tech light jumpsuit, he wished his pavilion bed were the same as the one in the Avant Light.

  In fact, the bed on the Avant Light was not a bed but a membrane panel with protoplasmatic tension. Microscopic liposome capsules were inserted into a special f
ield that enveloped the person who was lying on it. Not only did the panel assume the form of the person's preferred sleeping position, but it nourished the skin with moisturizing oils contained in the capsules. Jack imagined the soft, cozy, encompassing liposome balls that completely rejuvenated one's body and helped to recover after hard days. He remembered the way his body felt after being refreshed by the fragrant liquid, which had incredibly power revitalizing power. He could spend his entire life living like that, but there was nothing like that in the pavilion. Such technology was too energy-intensive and wasn't specified in the glass house's bundling. The memories of the previous night's restlessness made itself known through the muscle tension between his shoulder blades as Jack climbed on the airbike.

  44

  For this assignment, Jack had to fly above Sector 318 again where the probes indicated a dormant but still active volcano was located. His destination was Sector 320, which was connected to Sector 318. As he reached his objective, Jack felt the autopilot slow the craft from its cruising speed of 6,500 kilometers per hour to 200 and then finally 25. Sector G-320 looked like a large forest zone that was located on two levels. A few thousand years ago, the planet's crust had been fractured, leaving behind with a long and narrow fault. A long channel formed where moisture gathered, transforming life into an oasis.

  The instructions for this task said the researcher needed to wear a protective fiber helmet that could withstand and soften strikes. Jack's initial assumption was that the helmet was to protect his head from branches, falling from stairs, or some animals.

  At first, the lieutenant wanted to dismiss this means of protection since it seemed extremely inconvenient. Making it worse was that the helmet was designed to be worn by Anne, whose head had a different size. Even automatic resizing didn't help to adjust the device to be a comfortable fit for Jack.

  "I think this thing is going to get me lost, killed, or, even worse, eaten," Jack thought as he prepared for the mission.

  Putting on Anne's helmet, he recalled the airbike would record everything and forward it to the Center. He also remembered his promise not to violate instructions, partly because he didn't want to anger the Madam.

  Jack had decided to nickname Linda Robore "Madam" for her strict, severe nature. In addition to the helmet, he brought along two plasma rifles and a small backpack with gloves and some airtight polymeric flasks. The lieutenant hopped onto the charred soil, which was cover with the remains of fallen leaves and grains, which were either fruits or special plants, before heading to the upper level of the forest.

  The small of fresh leaves reminded him of his walks around the parks and forests that were near Aeronaut City. In contrast though to Earth's wooded areas, there was no twittering of birds to be heard as they flitted about the treetops. The sounds of the local forest blended into a low, hollow rumble that bled through the humid air. The slightest rustle made Jack flinch. His head was always turning, scanning for any source of sound.

  At times, he heard the snapping of branches that fell from trees of small bushes. Something was rustling through the branches above. Jack tilted his head back and flipped through different visualization modes. There was nothing big and noticeable from what he saw.

  "Maybe the wind is shaking the branches. That or the local plants have animal-like traits. It's a pity the probes learned nothing about this."

  The trees seemed to be incredibly huge. Such prehistoric giants easily surpassed, 150, 200, or even 300 meters. He couldn't see the back on the trees' roots like he could on Earth. Instead, the trees were covered in some sort of bumpy, rubber-like material. Jack surmised that such a structure of the tissues helped the plants preserve moisture inside the stem. Branches were poking out in every direction, resembling long thin cones that were covered in rectangular brown leaves, They seemed to pierce and slice the thick air. Jack watched where he stepped, trying not to tread on something unpleasant. His legs were sinking into the fertile soil. He painfully remembered the unpleasant experience after those mushrooms attacked him with poison needles. Jack shuddered.

  His helmet was equipped with a transparent shield that could perform a screen's functions. It displayed the images of objects that had to be collected as samples. Jack carefully picked up a few strange balls from the ground. Next, with his hands gloved, he reached out to grab onto a small, narrow thorn-like branch of some tree. It turned out to be more difficult to tear this branch from the tree than the lieutenant expected. He was forced to use his laser knife's self-guiding photonic ray cutter. The point on the knife's edge emitted a stripe of green light that was thinner than a human's hair and able to cut any soft tissue in its way. Sometimes Jack had to use special manipulators equipped with nano-particles to sever off what he needed, but fortunately this time he didn't need them. As soon as he sliced the branch off, a dark-purple resin-like liquid poured out of the cut. Having collected some of the liquid in a flask, the lieutenant continued forward.

  Jack progressed deeper into the forest, gradually going down a hill. A slow-flowing cold stream separated the upper level from the lower one. The river flowed into small ponds surrounded by tubular plants that looked like open trashcans. Their sides, like a thin net, filtered the humid air near the mouth of the stream. A sticky substance in the net trapped algae, small pieces of fruit, and even, perhaps, some insects.

  Jack didn't know if there were insects on Nereus. Or at least, he never noticed them so he could only speculate about the small creatures that could get stuck in the plant's trap. Jack thought of calling the plants "tubals" when he witnessed one of the plants suddenly twist into a narrow spiral tube. The plant seemed to consume organic material that got stuck to its walls.

  Small plants gathered along the stream, reminding him of moss and horsetails. A brownish-green carpet surrounded the stream, transforming the landscape into something that looked like underbrush. Lieutenant Sallenge quickly glanced at the mossy needles at the tops of blackish-green stems of horsetail trees, trying to identify something familiar and close to him. The helmet's visor displayed a shrinking red oval that was pointed to a plant in Jack's field of vision. He carefully snipped off the top of the horsetail and packed it into a leakproof flask.

  "The probes must have been here and seen this," he thought. "But where did the entire shuttle with two more probes go? That's the main question."

  Straightening up, Lieutenant Sallenge noticed with his peripheral vision that something dark and flat flew above the sparse tree branches. Taking a closer look, he distinguished a leathery cloak connected to rudimentary wings and lower limbs. Jumping from one branch to another, the creature seemed to hover using its stretched skin. Jack saw a tiny tail helping the creature control his movement through the arrow and a pointed, narrow snout.

  A creature no more than one meter long, but many earthly birds would envy its graceful flight. Sticking to another tree trunk, it remained still as if trying to hide. Its paws grabbed the edges of its leathery cloak, turning it into a heavy, rubber tail. Jumping from one spot to another, the creature repeated the same controlled movements. Its ritual of freezing and waiting fascinated the young officer so much that his mind suggested "lurking prowler", but the gracefulness of its flight led Jack to name it "glider". Clinging to another trunk, the glider not only froze but it changed colors according to the tree's back.

  Entranced by the glider's graceful movements, he momentarily forgot why he was there. Then he heard a crack of branches being snapped behind him followed by a whistle. The next moment Jack felt something big, heavy, and pointed powerfully strike the top of his head. knocking Jack off his feet and falling to his knees. His head felt heavy and bright spots flashed before his eyes. His head throbbed fiercely, as well as his neck.

  Raising his head slightly, Jack spotted the huge body of a brownish-yellow creature flying above me. Its two wings ended in sharp points resembling spades, about half-a-meter long. One of these points struck Jack's protective helmet. The creature rammed its spile-paws into the tre
e bark, hanging for a moment until pushing off the trunk and rushing downwards. Because its limbs looked like spindles, Jack called the creature a spindler. Its spiles provided the creature a highly threatening look, but the most amazing part of the spindler was its head.

  It looked like a truncated cone, with its lower part pointing down. A few rows of outer triangular teeth were located around the jaw. The spindler could use them to sink its teeth into the tree back and rotate 360 degrees, which would leave deep gouges from which thick tree sap would flow. Due to its appealing fragrance, the sap attracted many gliders, which then drew spindlers to hunt them.

  Sometimes the spindler clung to the trunk with its jaw and twisted, waiting for the opportunity to strike an unsuspecting glider as it flew by. Jack witnessed it with his own eyes how a spindler skewered a glider with its sharp, spade-like paw. The glider's blood flowed out, drenching the spindler. If it hadn't been for the protective helmet, the spindler's paw could have easily split Jack's head. Perhaps Jack stayed alive only because the spindler didn't see him as prey. If it had been otherwise, the research officer would have never seen his glass home again.

  Waiting for the spindler to fly away so that he could take a few more samples, Jack gradually made his way back to the upper level of the ancient alien forest. On his way back, he filled the last flask with water and climbed on his aircraft.

  Leaving the forest, Jack saw two huge figures to his left, about 200 meters from the airbike. Using his binoculars, he peered at them. Huge four-winged dark-gray creatures that resembled both birds and bats with stripes on their back hovered in the air above the forest. The frontal wings spanned four meters in length, while the bodies, together with their skinny tails, extended three meters. The back wings were practically motionless. The front pair was enough for the creatures to manipulate the air flow. The back wings seemed useless, but Jack knew that nature rarely created something for no particular reason. They were clearly predators, so perhaps the wings helped the animals attack. Watching them as they hovered majestically in the air, Jack named the creatures "black wingers". As if sensing something new and strange, the black wingers started turning towards him. Reluctant to fight with other predators, Lieutenant Sallenge pressed on the acceleration and sped away, putting as much distance between his airbike and the black wingers as possible. That was enough adventure for him for that day.