by C. Litka
03
Botts (and the committee) and I were sitting on the rocket lockers in the bow of the Complacent Dragon watching the slow approach of the Outward Islands, a faint wall of blue shadows and white clouds slowly emerging from the sky ahead. The Laezans had installed a series of navigational radio-beacons in these islands, so LyeCarr was busy computing our location, in order to adjustment our course for the island of Fretaire, in the Dontas, which was our first port of call to deliver the books. After that, we'd sail down along the Dontas, dropping off Py, and possibly Trin, at Cloud Home Community on Daeri, and then on to Tydora where Naylea and Siss would leave us before we'd set out for DeAnjen's island.
'How much does the Directorate know about the composition of the Tenth Star?' I asked Botts. 'Didn't Cimmadar send probes inwards?'
'Regrettably, very little. Cimmadar has launched probes inwards, but the results have been meager. Still, from the data they have collected, our best theory is that this is not really a star system - it is one extremely large planet. One school of thought considers the shell reef the planetary surface, making it a solid planet with a gas and plasma core. The other school of thought considers the shell reef to be analogous to the rings or asteroid belts of a planet, and considers this a massive gas-giant planet. In either case, we believe that the light and heat generated in its interior is a result of chemical rather than nuclear reactions. The core may be composed of plasma, or simply very dense gasses, the nature of which will have to wait until we can send the proper probes into these inner regions.'
'So it's not the Tenth Star, after all.'
'Without data we can't absolutely rule that out. But we think it highly unlikely.'
'How does the committee explain all these islands floating about on top of gas or plasma?'
'We believe that the gravitational effects of the shell and the core balance within the Pela layer. This, plus a complex, and massive, pattern of air circulation within the Pela, keeps the islands relatively stable. This might vary by location. This region may lie in a vast, warm updraft of air from its inner boundary - one of a series of circular air patterns of up and down drafts. This slow and massive updraft, together with the shell's gravitational attraction, keeps the islands of this region from settling deeper into the core. If true, there are likely an equal number of regions with a cool downdraft that are either without islands, or ones that are slowly sinking. Until we have much more complete data we can do no more than speculate?'
At this point the ship's fog horn gave a long, sustained blast.
'Radar contact on the lower quadrant port-side,' said Botts, tapping into the auto-pilot as it stood and started for the bridge. 'Likely a serrata.'
I hurried after it across the deck and up to the bridge.
Captain LyeCarr arrived from his quarters just as we reached the bridge's side door.
Bomtrand, who had the helm, stepped aside so that LyeCarr could study the radar screen, which he did, calmly, hands in pocket, whistling a little tune for half a minute - every now and again twitching a few dials to get a solid read on the storm's approach vector and velocity. Defere arrived before he had finished.
'Looks like we're in for a blow,' said LyeCarr, before stepping out onto the bridge's wing deck to study the sky and then the islands ahead.
He stopped whistling to say, mostly to himself, 'I think we're going to have to run with it.' He then turned back to us. 'Wil, will you see that the passengers secure everything in their cabins. We're about to get tossed about and anything loose can be dangerous. Everyone should ride out the storm strapped in their hammocks. We have about 15 minutes to get ready. No panic, but don't dally. Defere, Bomtrand, give the ship a run through to see that everything is as it should be. I have the bridge.'
'Aye, Captain,' we replied, and I followed Defere and Bomtrand down the steep stairs. Defere turned into the galley while Bomtrand continued down to the hold. I stepped out onto the small sheltered deck, where the rest of the passengers, alerted by the fog horn, had assembled.
'A serrata. It might get a bit rough.' I passed on LyeCarr's orders and added, 'If you have a chance, quickly dress for a jungle adventure? Just in case. We've got maybe ten minutes, so let's get a move on it.'
As they hurried for their rooms, I followed Naylea back into the galley where she'd been working. Defere was already shoving things into drawers.
'This is so predictable,' she muttered as she turned off the cook stove fires while I helped Defere secure the drawers and lockers.
'You're blaming me for this serrata?'
'Yes. You're a Jonah, Litang. It had to be something. We couldn't just sail for two dozen rounds without some disaster.'
I would have argued, but we didn't have time - and, well, it was hard to argue her point?
Looking around to make sure everything was stowed, I said, 'Right. Let's go. And if you're right, you'd better be prepared for the worst.'
She flashed me a smile. 'Around you, I'm always prepared for the worst.'
I pushed her out the door ahead of me, and we crossed the shelter deck into the wardroom. I stopped to glance around, but everything looked secure. In free fall, that is pretty much standard practice. Hissi and Siss were waiting for us in the companionway. They both gave us a worried yelp.
'Yes, it's Litang's fault. But he can't help it,' said Naylea, as she pushed open her cabin's door and shoved Siss through it. 'Just climb into the hammock. I'll join you shortly.'
I followed suit. Shutting the door, I said, 'We'll be fine in the hammock. Climb in. I need to change.' Pulling open the locker under the hammock, I quickly pulled on my spaceer trousers and shirt. A bit over dressed, but I'd been shipwrecked too many times to care to skimp on clothing. I pulled out my darter and strapped it on under my arm before I donned my old uniform jacket and pocketed my trusty sissy in its sealed pocket of my coat. I glanced at my com-link, and out the cabin's porthole. It was still bright, and I still should have five minutes or more. 'Stay here. I'll be right back.'
I slipped back into the companion way and hurried back to the shelter deck - where everyone had gathered again, and, like me, in a ragged collection of hastily donned clothes.
The storm was now clearly visible - a dark smudge that faded in every direction without a visible edge. I wanted to climb up to the bridge, but realized that it wouldn't be proper. This was LyeCarr's ship. I was a mere passenger.
The Captain stepped out onto the wing platform of the bridge. 'To your cabins people - and be sure to strap yourselves in. It looks to be a strong storm - it will likely have the ship tumbling for a while. Botts has insisted on taking the helm. The storm will carry us into the islands, but with a little luck, we'll come across a big island and dodge behind it before we get too battered. Now move. It'll be on us within two minutes.'
We moved. 'Naylea,' I said as we reached our doors.
'Don't say anything. Just focus on your good luck, Litang,' she said grimly. 'It looks like we'll be needing it,' and slipped in before I could say anything more.
I returned to my little cabin and squeezed into the net hammock next to Hissi, drawing its restraining strap around us.
She hissed softly, her bright black eye, next to me, giving me a questioning look.
'Yeah,' I said, slipping my arm around her. 'Another tight spot, but I'm feeling lucky.' Which was a white lie. I don't think I fooled her, as she uttered another despairing hiss.
The light from the porthole grew greener and darker as the roar of the storm began to penetrate the cabin. Night came with a crash as the wall of rain struck the ship like a hammer - wind-driven debris banged and thumped against the hull. The cabin began to dance around the hammock as the Complacent Dragon moaned and lurched up and down several times before settling into a rapid, nervous dance. For a moment I hoped that the storm's leading edge had passed. But only for a moment. The storm screeched in rage and flipped the boat completely around, and around again, tumbling it towards the Outward Islands for what seeme
d like forever.
Long enough, anyway, to come to believe that Naylea was right. Long enough to wonder what it would be like when the ship was thrown on an island. And how soon it would happen. And then long enough to wonder how I might, in the future, avoid finding myself in spots like this again. Nothing occurred to me.
The front storm slowly passed us by. The bangs and knocks from onrushing debris grew less frequent and Botts was able to stabilize the ship - it stopped tumbling and settled into bounding along, no doubt still at the mercy of the storm - still liable to be flung upon an island at any time. Botts said later that it was able to avoid the islands using the various rudders to aid the winds that tended to sweep the ship and other debris around the smaller islands it encountered. We avoided dozens in the course of the perhaps quarter of an hour that the serrata had us in its maw. But in the end, it carried us to an island too large to avoid.
The ship began to bounce wildly in the turbulence near the island. Then there was a great screeching as tree branches scraped by the hull and brushed against the porthole. This was followed by an ominous grinding as the ship scraped over some rocks. And then a moment of near silence. I though we were clear, until we hit the rocky shore with a ringing thump. The ship shuddered, bounced, and then got quiet for several very long eternities - or seconds. I could hear the wreckage rattling against the hull, but the wind seemed to have died down, though it was still nearly night outside the porthole. I began to hope that Botts had found a lee shore to hide behind.
As the seconds stretched to a minute or more, with the ship rocking only slightly and the sound of the storm fading, I cautiously unstrapped myself and slipped to the floor. 'You stay here, Hissi. I'm going to have a quick look to see where we're at.'
I had to wrench open my cabin door with a squeal - the ship had been warped and twisted - and hurried down the dark companionway to step out into the strange night. Naylea, a slim darker shadow against the darkness around us was already out on the shelter deck.
The storm still roared above us. Around us, its eddies eerily whistled and whined out of the darkness.
I stepped beside her She glanced at me and said over the storm, 'How did you ever manage to survive to adulthood?'
'My luck matches my curse.'
'Don't make assumptions. We may not be out of it yet.'
Above us I could see LyeCarr and his crew in the darkness of the bridge, having just come up from the Captain's office, where they had ridden out the storm. Trin and Py joined us on dark deck, followed shortly by CrisJarka and the two dragons.
A fine mist of scattered raindrops swirled out of that blackness as the damp black wind edged around us, whispering eerily out of the darkness. From the slowly receding roar of the storm it appeared that we were drifting deeper into the large, wide cave. A long streak of grey-green light that marked the cave's mouth could be seen astern, but in the blackness, there was no way to tell the size of the cave.
Botts could be heard reporting to LyeCarr. 'I was unable to avoid a rock wall, and struck it rather hard. I suspect that there will be extensive damage to the starboard wings. I also suspect the propeller cowlings have been damaged, Captain. I shut down the engines early on so the propellers may have survived the cowling damage. I am happy to report that we appear to be in no danger at the present time. My eye sensors show that we are in a large cave, with a bottom some 173 meters ahead, with 50 meter tall rock spire arising out from that end. At our present rate of drift, we will come to a rest before reaching either of them.'
'What else does your eye sensor show. I can't see a thing,' said LyeCarr.
'The canyon is roughly 50 by 200 meters wide and nearly 300 meters deep. My sensors indicate some very curious features - a regular pattern of ribs running from top to bottom. I'm unable to determine if they are some sort of natural formation or a constructed edifice, but they appear to be made of stone, perhaps carved out of the surrounding canyon walls. It is very curious,' said Botts, its eyes glowing as it took in the sights we couldn't see. 'Very curious indeed. We need to investigate it,' added the Pela Committee, from far, far away. Easy for them to say.
'Right. Defere, run down to the hold - if we still have one - and dig out those floodlights we made for the expedition,' said LyeCarr. 'Let's see where we are.'
In the ever-day of the Pela, lights are not a priority. Windows and skylights sufficed for most buildings. The ship had light fixtures in the cabins and the hold, but they were rarely used as portholes and skylights sufficed. Only in the galley, sanitary facilities, and the lower hold were they generally used. The ship had no exterior lights. Fortunately we had printed out some to aid in Bott's exploration of the ruins. It might not need them, with its broad-spectrum eye sensors, but we human observers required them.
'Well, folks, thanks to Botts, we're all here - wherever and whatever here is - and hopefully everyone is in one piece as well. I'm pretty sure we owe our lives to Botts. The last time I was in a storm like that I ended up riding a dragon. I'm glad we fared better this time. Thanks again, Botts!' said LyeCarr.
We echoed him with our thanks as well.