They positioned themselves around the door, ready to attack or defend. With a final nod, Braden waved his bracelet in front of the panel. The door opened.
They were bathed in warm sunshine, at least what looked like sunshine. Then the smell hit them. Rank. Pig pen on a hot day. Braden stepped back and allowed the door to close as he coughed. He held up a finger so the companions understood he was going to talk with Holly.
‘I’m not sure we can breathe in there, Holly. It’s bad.’ Braden finished coughing and stood up straight, staring at the wall as he looked at the window before his eye.
‘The methane scrubbers are functioning normally, transferring the excess to a power plant. I can see, from what’s left of the engineering systems, that it is generating optimally. It may smell bad, but I assure you that you can breathe the air.’ Holly finished and waited.
‘Holly. You have to let it go. The vines were evil and now they’re dead. Worrying about these things will give you gray hair. We’ll go in there, but if we die, I’m going to kill you.’
‘I most assuredly will not get gray hair and …’ Braden minimized the window.
Let him chew on that, Braden thought. From questions Holly asked, Braden understood that his illogical statements caused Holly a great deal of grief. He couldn’t work the problems out. Braden learned from the best in how to get under one’s skin. G-War looked up at Braden and nodded.
“Holly says it smells bad, but it’s safe. Maybe we can go up a level. There’s an elevator behind us.” Braden pointed down the corridor a short way. Micah was already headed away from the door, determined not to enter the stench of the Livestock Level.
Micah’s bracelet didn’t work to summon the elevator. Braden tried his too without luck. They shrugged at the same time. Micah hung her head. She took a small towel from her pack and wrapped it across her face. Braden gave her a thumbs up and dug out his own towel.
“Sorry, G, Ess, A-Dog. Let us know if it gets too bad, and I’ll give you my towel.” He stroked Aadi’s neck, then rubbed Skirill’s shoulders where his wings met his back. He liked that. As he reached down to give G-War a scratch, the ‘cat narrowed his eyes. “I just wanted to pet the good kitty.”
They returned to the door giving them access to Deck 10. Braden waved his bracelet and the door opened. They squinted into the sunlight. Braden stepped through. The smell didn’t seem as bad this time. A great plain opened in front of him where herds of animals grazed. Rolling hills hid the far the end of the deck. To the left and right, the plains curved upward until they were blocked by the ceiling, which looked like a blue sky with wispy clouds passing.
The sun shone brightly, although Braden found he could look directly at it without it burning his eyes. It was artificial. He knew that it would set as well. Maintaining a normal day/night cycle was important for all living creatures. Holly called it the circadian rhythm. That meant it would get dark, and he didn’t want to get caught in the open at night.
Skirill’s eyes brightened as he looked at the wide open spaces. Micah nodded to him and he pushed off, flying straight and then sideways. He corrected and angled back in front of the others. He reveled in flying, enjoying the air whipping past his face. He looked around, not seeing any other birds. He looked down and saw cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep. They grazed close to each other, leaving broad open areas between groups of animals.
The companions looked through the Hawkoid’s eyes as Skirill soared over the herd and grazing land. They asked him to fly to the other side to scout the door they needed to find.
He enjoyed the freedom of flying, zig-zagging as he went, looking over the ground the companions would travel on foot.
Once past the herd and halfway to the forward end of the Livestock Level, he saw something that didn’t seem right. This side of the deck had huts, trees, and a lake. There wasn’t any livestock, but he saw large dogs, walking on two feet and carrying tools. They pointed at Skirill as he flew by, and they started howling.
He gained altitude, just to be safe.
There was a great deal of vegetation at the forward end, around ponds, in the rolling hills, and across the plains.
He continued to the other side, but he couldn’t see the wall. The area where it should have been was covered in vines. The metal leaves sparkled as they reflected the sunlight. Skirill flew to the left and continued around the sky of Deck 10. When he had made a circuit of the complete deck, he headed back. He didn’t see the herd or his companions, although they told him they hadn’t moved.
Since he was now heading toward the back of the ship, he turned to his right and continued until he saw his friends. The cylindrical shape of the decks on this ship confused him. He flew up to go around, arriving where he started, having never turned around. He saw the sky, but it wasn’t the sky. He needed to land.
He flew in, hovered sideways, then touched down on Aadi’s shell.
“Thanks, Ess. Sorry about the long flight. This place is confusing, even though you think you can see everything.” Braden tried to calm the Hawkoid by rubbing his neck feathers. Skirill was hot from his efforts. Maybe he had flown too close to the sun. They all snickered at that.
“Big dogs walking on two feet, carrying tools. A rainforest on the other side. It doesn’t feel like we’re on a ship, but living through a nightmare. Here’s a thought. The people on Cygnus VI stay where they are and we go home.” It was hard to argue with Micah’s assertion, but Braden tried.
“We don’t know if they’re hostile,” he started. G-War raked a claw down Braden’s leg, though his armor protected him from the Hillcat’s claws. Braden wondered if G-War knew that it would keep him safe?
‘Dogs. Walking upright. How could that ever be good?’ the ‘cat asked sarcastically.
“Okay, okay. Let me ask.” Braden expanded the window.
‘It looks like the vines have taken over the other end of this deck. Also, there are dogs walking upright carrying tools. I think we need to avoid those. What do you think about all this? Time to return home, maybe?’ Braden asked hopefully.
‘There are access corridors on all levels. If you go up to Deck Nine, you should see an opening. If not on Nine, then Eight, Seven, or Six. One of them will be open.
‘Deck Six is Oceanus. The vines are most likely not growing there. The only drawback is that you’ll have to travel on the water. There should be a raft on the access island in the middle, though. A shame the elevator is not working. That system worked until most recently when it was suddenly taken offline by an event in Engineering.’
‘Give it a rest, Holly!’ Braden minimized his window. Each deck had a ramp that rose to the next deck. It allowed the ancients to move large machinery from one level to the next, and it reduced the numbers of large machinery they needed to carry. Even with a ship this size, there were weight limits. The massive air bubbles of the ten large decks helped the ship in a number of ways.
Getting around wasn’t one of them.
“We go up. The ramp is that way.” Braden pointed to their left, past the herd, halfway to where the land disappeared into the sky. Not far? Braden couldn’t tell for sure. Distance and direction would be problematic the entire time they were on the Traveler.
Braden took the lead with G-War at his side. Micah moved out to the left while Aadi with Skirill moved to the right.
‘What did you think of the livestock, Ess? Was it normal?’ Braden asked.
‘I believe so, Master Human. No birds though. And the world moved quickly beneath me while I flew. It was very odd.’
They continued, using only their mindlink to communicate. Although they crossed the wide open spaces, they felt like intruders, where at any moment, the owner would wake up and come after them. The grass was tall enough to hide small creatures if there were any. Braden looked at G-War.
The ‘cat shook his head and continued walking.
No rabbits for him or Skirill. The ‘cat looked longingly at a sheep that had strayed from the herd.
&nbs
p; ‘C’mon, G! We haven’t been here long enough for you to be hungry.’ Braden continued looking around, watching for movement. G-War was unconcerned, and that meant for the next thirty heartbeats, no one was going to die.
Small comfort.
The walking was easy and the humans removed the small towels covering their mouths. They could no longer smell anything. They took deep breaths and felt fine.
The ramp loomed ahead, cleverly disguised behind light foliage. Great trees protected each side. Beyond the tops of the trees, the ramp blended into the sky. At that point, they could see it became a tunnel disappearing into the ceiling.
They walked through the bushes and other foliage and onto the ramp. It was wide, maybe a hundred strides, and sloped gracefully upward.
As Braden understood it, the ramp was made for vehicles. He figured that he could have driven his water buffalo up or down the ramp with little trouble. It made sense to him. The ancients made it possible to share between the decks, integrate flora or fauna as they desired.
He had assumed it would be blocked by a door of some sort, but it wasn’t. This ramp was wide open. They made rapid progress as they climbed.
“It doesn’t feel like I’m walking uphill,” Micah said, now walking at Braden’s side, a blaster carried absently in her hand.
Aadi had problems moving once they entered this deck. They settled on pulling him. They tied a short rope to the bottom of Braden’s backpack. Aadi held the other end in his beak.
G-War jogged in front of them.
‘I really don’t like it here. Yes. We walk uphill but it feels level. I am pulled to the side as I walk. Let’s get where we need to go. Stop goofing around back there.’ Braden and Micah thought they were walking briskly, but the ‘cat disagreed.
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. ‘We love you, little orange man,’ Micah said using her tender thought voice. G-War stopped and turned to look at them.
“Look at him. I think he’s contemplating ways to kill us,” Braden suggested. The ‘cat hung his head, then continued up the ramp.
They started jogging since they felt like they were walking on level ground. G-War was right about not taking longer than they needed to. There were far too many things that scared the hell out of them, not the least of which was their ignorance of the space around them. They were a star in Vii’s sky. They were thankful that they couldn’t see how far they could fall. Holly assured them that they couldn’t fall back to Cygnus VII. Braden wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to find out just to prove Holly wrong.
Braden and Micah expanded their windows. ‘We’re almost at the top of the ramp to Deck Nine, Holly. Any words of wisdom?’
‘The Rainforest Level awaits. You will have difficulty crossing this deck. It’ll be wet and clogged with vegetation. I suggest you find the ramp and continue to Deck 8, The Garden Level. You should be able to make it to the fore access tubes without difficulty on Deck 8. I will update your map and directions to the ramp from Deck 9. Be advised, the rainforest grows rather exuberantly and four hundred turns could have significantly changed the landscape.’
‘Thanks for that, Holly. Just point us in the right direction and we’ll do the rest.’ Neither human thought Holly was much help at this point.
15 – Between Decks 9 & 10
When they reached the top of the ramp, there was a massive screen that prevented them from going further. To the side was a human-sized door. Braden waved his bracelet in front of it and it clicked open. He pushed it the rest of the way. Some light penetrated the screen, otherwise it was dark inside. Braden turned on his flashlight.
Equipment was haphazardly parked on the ramp. They couldn’t see past it.
G-War, alert, bolted in and dove under the closest ancient vehicle. They saw him run from one to the next, staying under the vehicles for protection.
‘Turn off your light,’ the ‘cat directed. Braden complied without question.
‘What do you see?’ Braden asked, trying to peer through the darkness.
‘Nothing. There is nothing living in here. I don’t know if there are Bots or not.’
‘Coming in,’ Braden said as he stepped through the open doorway. Micah guided Aadi and Skirill through. She had to lean the Tortoid as he was a little too wide. Skirill scrabbled to stay upright, but once they were through, they both straightened up.
Micah came through last. She shut the door behind her.
With Braden’s first few steps, the lights came on. They crouched, instantly wary.
‘Holly?’
‘I expected this. The lights should automatically come on when humans enter the tunnel between decks. I am pleased, despite the destruction…’ Braden minimized the window before Holly could bring up the great vine debacle in Engineering.
One immense vehicle stood before the screen, looking ready to drive down the ramp and do important work for the ancients. A number of smaller vehicles sat behind it. Some had tires that made Braden envious. If his wagon and cart had tires like these, they’d probably never feel another bump. They looked puffy and soft. The cycles had been kind to this equipment.
He expanded his window. ‘Holly, can we use one of these? It might make crossing the decks go much quicker.’
‘It would indeed. The best vehicle would be a hover car. Look for one of the smaller ones without wheels. Here’s a picture of one.’ Holly shared the image with both Braden and Micah. He then scrolled a number of other pictures for them so they would understand the purpose for each vehicle.
“We want a vehicle and Holly tells us to take the one without wheels?” Braden asked Micah. She shook her head. For as smart as Holly was, sometimes he made no sense.
‘I don’t see anything like that, Holly. Let me squeeze through here, get a better look.’ Braden checked each vehicle. Even if he found what he was looking for, he couldn’t get it out as everything was packed in tightly.
“Let’s get through this. Maybe we’ll find something that we can move.” Braden finally gave up trying to get between the vehicles. He climbed on one and walked along the tops. His Old Tech boots helped keep him from slipping. Aadi floated over it all and G-War walked underneath. Micah followed Braden’s lead, taking a route over the top. She stopped counting the small vehicles when she hit fifty. Why would they need this many? She couldn’t understand the logic of the ancients.
After a couple hundred strides, Braden could only guess the distance, the vehicle jumble cleared. An open ramp stood before them.
‘There’s no hover car, but what about this one?’ Braden asked Holly.
‘That’s a quad truck and it should serve your purpose. Here are the steps to start and operate the vehicle…’ Holly gave the instructions to the humans. They both listened intently. The other companions were nearby, waiting impatiently.
First step, turn on the power switch.
Nothing.
Braden and Micah closed their neural implant windows. “Thanks, Holly, for wasting our time,” Braden said and nodded forward. “We’re walking.”
G-War ran forward. They jogged along behind him, Braden pulling Aadi while Skirill leaned forward to maintain his balance on the Tortoid’s shell.
The wide ramp with a high ceiling turned to the left as it rose; the air was stale as there had been no movement for hundreds of cycles. They could only see a few hundred strides before the ramp disappeared around the next bend as it curved upward. Holly said each ramp was four kilometers long in total, spiraling from one deck to the next. Although they traveled the distance, it didn’t get them any closer to the Command Deck at the front of the ship, only closer to the cylindrical center.
They could tell when they had approached the entrance to Deck 9 as the humidity increased appreciably. The air was still stale, but a wet stale. At least there weren’t any vehicles blocking their way.
The screen door at the top of the ramp was closed and unmolested. The small door looked untouched. They stopped and instead of going through it, they
ate and drank. The animal companions were less than amused with their rations, which Holly had produced specifically for them. It gave them everything they needed to stay healthy.
But it was a miserable healthy. ‘Next rabbit is mine,’ G-War said without preamble. He had eaten well before they left, and could probably survive the entire trip without having to eat again. He sounded like he was leaning toward that if they didn’t run across any small game. Skirill appreciated the sentiment, hoping they found more than one rabbit.
Aadi didn’t say anything, but he dreamed of a nice bug hill that he could raid. It had been a while since he found a nest of grubs.
Only the humans wished to avoid eating anything from the ship. The metal-leafed vines, electrified humans, and walking dogs suggested nothing would be as it seemed.
‘Holly, can you connect me to Bronwyn’s communication device please?’
After a pause, she heard Bronwyn’s small voice. “Micah, is that you?”
As they did, whenever they could, they checked in. The reason they were on the ship was to help guarantee a safe future for their children. Braden leaned close, listening in through his own implant. Everything was fine. The children were ready to start walking. Micah cried softly. Tears welled up in Braden’s eyes as he wrapped an arm around his partner.
Yes, they were all eating well. The Earthshaker Herd had increased by seven. Bronwyn explained that the Aurochs calves were half the size of the horses, who had joined Brandt’s herd grazing and enjoying the open grasslands. The calves took a liking to their small cousins, Max and Speckles.
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