'Sir,' Val Fayle, his second in command, spoke up, his face stony and
set.'ShallIactivatemainbatteriesandtargettheEmindianvessel?'
'What?'
'Theirpartymustberesponsibleforthisattack,sir.'
Fayle had personal reasons for disliking the Emindians more than most,
Vegarecalled.Occasionallyitcolouredhisthinking.
'Notuntilwehavemoreinformation,MrFayle.'
'Butwhoelsecoulditbe,sir?'
Who indeed? 'Shadows out of - what? Had the sender, presumably Tane,
meant something was coming out of the shadows? What was happening down
there?Ifonlytheyhadtwomodifiedshuttlesoperational...
HereopenedthechanneltotheResolve.
'Del, as soon as the marines are loaded get down there at maximum safe speed.We'llhavetheareailluminatedwiththemainbeamsagain.Makeonelow
pass over the landing area to assess the situation, then pull up out of the interferencezonesoyoucanreporttome.Donotmakealandinguntilordered,
understood?'
Argennodded.'Understood,sir.'
Thescopeobserversaid,'Gunfirehasceased,sir.'
'Anythingelse?'
Therewasapause.'Ithinktherearetwobodies,sir.'
Vega transferred the scope image to his own command-chair screen. The
image was less distinct than it should have been at this distance due to the
interference effect distorting the light waves, but he could see the dark strip of flatgroundbesidethetower.Andtwoblurredsmudgesthatmightindeedhave
beenbodies.
'ShuttleResolveloadedandaway'cametheannouncementfromthehangar.
Theexternalscreenshowedtheshuttledartoutofthehangarbayandbank
sharplytowardsthederelict.AsitpoweredawayVegawasonceagainassailed
by those doubts that all commanders lived with. Should he have waited until theyhadtwomodifiedshuttlesinoperation?Ifonehadremainedonthederelict
thenperhapsthelandingpartycouldhavebeenevacuatedwhentheycameunder
attack. But then the Emindians would have reached the derelict hours before them. His eyes fixed on the image of the alien ship. Its secrets had better be worthallthis.
OnthescreenhewatchedtheResolvemakeitslowpass,thenclimbbackup
towardsthem.Withthedecreasingdistancethecomlinkclearedsufficientlyfor
Argentomakehisreport.
'Icanconfirmtherearetwobodiesdownthere,Commander.Nosignofthe
restofthepartynoranyhostiles.Requestpermissiontolandandmakeground
search:
TherewasnochoiceandVegaknewit,buthehatedgivingtheorder.
'Request approved, Del. But take all possible precautions. At the slightest signofdangeryouaretoliftoffatonce,understand?'
'Understood,sir.Argenout.'
***
ArgensettheResolvedownlessthanthirtymetresfromthebodies,nowlitby
thestarkilluminationoftheIndomitable'searchlights.Hecouldseethetoppled tripod of the emergency sender and the cutting equipment still lying by the hatchway,butapartfromthetwotwistedbodiestheyhadseenontheirfirstpass
nothing else seemed out of place. He felt the familiar taste of fear, but oddly noneofthatcrawlingoftheskinonthebackofhisneckhehadsensedonthe
firsttripbackfromthederelict.
AstheytouchedgroundtheResolve'srearrampdroppedflat,disgorgingthe
reserve squad of marines that had been packed into the airlock with weapons powered and ready. Above them the turret gun whirred as it swung round to cover the looming mass of the derelict's tower. In seconds the soldiers had fanned out in a broad arc, running in a half-crouch. As soon as their line had encompassed the bodies the leaders dropped flat, facing out into the darkness beyondthespotlights'glare,whileamedicandhisassistantkneltbythefallen.
Argen saw them make a rapid examination, then the voice of the corporal commandingthesquadcameoverthecrackinglink.
'It'sDetter,fromSho'ssquad.'hesaidquickly.'Leastways,what'sleftofhim.'
'Washeshot?'Argenasked.
There -was a long pause, then, 'No. There are no blast marks. It looks... it lookslikehewastorntopiecesbysomekindofanimal.'
Chapter8
Family
The Cirrandaria's chief purser, social hostess and manager of entertainments wereallunnecessarytothemechanicaloperationorsafetyoftheship,butthey
wereindispensabletothecontentmentandwellbeingofitspassengersandcrew.
Therefore Lanchard had arranged additional meetings with them until the
emergency was over. For the moment the liner's complement were bearing up reasonablywell,butshewantedtobereadyforanyeventuality.Extradiversions
werebeingplannedshouldtheybeneeded.
'We'll keep them busy for you, Captain,' Oscar Castillo, the chief purser, promised.
'Ifneedbe,revivethatgamblingclubofyoursthatI'mnotsupposedtoknow
about,Oscar,'shetoldhim.
'Gamblingclub,Captain?'herepliedwithperfectinnocence.
The conference over, Lanchard returned to the bridge. Evan Arcovian was
stillthere.
Thelittlemanhadtalkedhiswayontothebridgeusinghisfamousclients'
namesasleverage,andnowthereseemednowayofremovinghimexceptby
force.Atleasthekeptoutoftheway,however,and,apartfromafewwhispered
callsonhispocketphonetoEmindarrelayedthroughtheship'stransmitterand
analmostabsent-mindedrequestforacupofcoffee,heremainedlargelysilent.
Hespenthistimestaringatthescreensshowingthealienshipand,beyondit,the Indomitable,whichhadmovedroundtoholdstationovertheareatheNimosian
landingpartyhadsetdownupon.
At first Lanchard had thought Arcovian was merely troubled by the
possibility of losing two valuable clients, and was putting on a show of concern.Then she suggested he wait in the officers' lounge, which was only a little way down the corridor, and promised to inform him as soon as anything happened.Hisresponsecausedhertomodifyheropinion.
'Nothanks.Captain,'hesaidwithaslightsmile.'I'vegottabehere.Thisis
the nerve centre, right? Anything that happens, you'll know it here first. I promisedI'dwatchoutforthem,yousee.They'retworeallygreatpeople...'
AndLanchardfoundherselflistening,halfmesmerisedbyhisenthusiasm,to
the story of how he met them, of Delray's rise to vid stardom, of Lyset's exhibitions,ofhowDonhadsaidthisreallyfunnything,andthefactthatLyset
hadoncebeensodeterminedtorecordacertainstoryshehadshavedherheadto
pass for a Kleckt native trader. There was something touching and a little sad
abouthisevidentconcernforthem,hiswatchingthescreensintentlyforanysign ofmovementevenashespoketoher,nervouslychewinghislowerlip.
The sudden approach of the Indomitable to the derelict caught them all by surprise. Without interrupting the monitoring of their own party's landing site, LanchardhadtheCirrandariamanoeuvretokeeptheIndomitableinview.They
saw it take up a new station point only four kilometres from the derelict and watchedasitsshuttledroppeddowntothesurfaceforasecondtime.
'Aretheyuptosomething?'Arcovianaskedanxiously.
'Idon'tknow,'Lanchardadmitted.
Foralmosttenminutesnothingfurtherappearedtohappen.Thenacallcame
throughfromVega.
'Yes,Commander,'Lanchardacknowledged,noticingasshedidsothatVega
lookeddrawnandhollow-eyed.
'Some unidentified force attacked my landing party within the last half-
hour,'
hesaidbluntly.'Atleasttwohavebeenkilledandtherestaremissing.
Couldyourpeoplehavebeenresponsible?'
The accusation was delivered so flatly that she found herself responding in thesamecontrolledmanner.'No.Theyarearmed,butthey'dhavenoreasonto
attackyourpeopleunlesstheywereprovoked.'
Vegastudiedherfaceintentlyforamoment,thennoddedfractionally.'No,I
didn't really think they would be stupid enough. In that case there's something verydangerousdownonthatship.That'sallthewarningI'llgiveyou,takeitor
leaveit.Ifyoucan,Isuggestyouremoveyourpartyfortheirownsafety.Vega
out.'
Thescreenwentblank.
'Wemustgetthemoutrightnow!'Arcoviansaid,hiseyeswide.
'It'snotassimpleasthat,MrArcovian.'Itwaseasytoforgetthat,thoughthe
Cirrandariacarriedatransmittercapableofsignallingacrossseverallightyears, they were not in direct contact with a group of people only a few kilometres away. 'We arranged that they should call us every hour from the time they enteredthealienship,'sheremindedhim.'Wecan'ttellthemanythinguntilthen.'
Sheconsultedherwatch.'Andtheywon'tbecallingusagainforanothertwenty
minutesatleast.'
'Well,haven'tyougotanothershuttleyoucanuse?'
'Theengineersworkedforalmostfourteenhoursstraighttomodifytheone
they'reusing.Theyneedarestbeforestartingonanother.'
Arcovianlookeddespairingandclutchedataslenderreedofcomfort.
'Maybe Vega's message was just a bluff to get us to leave the alien ship to
theNimosians.Perhapsit'sallatrick,'hesuggestedhopefully.
'Perhaps,' Lanchard said. But privately she thought the look on Vega's face hadbeenveryconvincing.
Watching the small man's troubled expression she was reminded just how
much Arcovian genuinely cared for Delray and Wynter. Despite her own
preoccupationsshefoundherselfwonderingifhetreatedallhisclientslikehis
family.Suddenlyitoccurredtoherthathemighthavenocloserelationsofhis
own.PeoplelikeDelrayandWyntercouldbeallthefamilyhehad.
Chapter9
TheExperiment
The chamber beneath the surface hatch was clearly a shuttle bay of some sort, thoughSamcoulddetectnoindicationastowhattypeofcraftnormallyusedit.
Jenezsetthemdowninitscentreandtheyexaminedtheirsurroundings.
The bay was circular, perhaps a hundred metres across, illuminated by a score of large softly glowing, pale-blue discs set in the ceiling. About its perimeter the floor curved smoothly upward to become the wall, with several recesseddoorwaysspacedalongit.Besideoneofthesewereawheelandakey
panelidenticaltotheonestheyhadseenonthesurface.
On seeing this Rexton said,'Our first priority is to close the external hatch beforetheNimosiansfollowusinhere.Jenez,staywiththeshuttleandkeepit
locked and tight. If the Nimosians get in use the jets to keep them clear. If we don't return in three hours, use your own initiative. Otherwise stay put. I'm relying on you to be ready to lift us out of here if we need to make a rapid withdrawal.'
'Yes,sir,'Jenezsaidsolemnly.
Theysealedtheirsuitsanddisembarked.
Sam noticed, when they got beyond the shuttle's stabilising field, that the interference on the suit radios was less pronounced than it had been on the outsideofthehull.That,atleast,wasreassuring.
WithDesselandBendixbesidehim,Rextoncrossedthemarbledfloortothe
wallpanelandtriedthewheel.Itmovedfreely.HespunitvigorouslyandSam
watched the circle of stardusted sky contract and disappear. Had they shut the enemyout,shewondered,ortrappedthemselvesinsidewithsomethingworse?
She shivered and tried to get a grip on herself. Why should an innocent bare chambersuddenlyfillherwithsuchasenseofdisquiet?
Rextonwaslookingatthehatchwithafrown.'Canwestopitbeingopened
againfromoutside?ItwouldcoverourlineofescapeandpreventtheNimosians
followingusin.'
'Ifyoumust,'theDoctorsaid.'Isuspectthiswilldothetrick.'Andhepressed
fourkeysinquicksuccession.Rexton'sfrowndeepenedandhetriedthewheel.
Itwouldnotbudge.'Howdidyoudothat?'Rextondemanded.
'It's obvious,' the Doctor said gravely, 'as long as you look without
preconceptions. I could explain it, but then you'd probably think it was a joke, whichwouldbedangerousbecausethat'sthelastthingIthinkitis.'
Theywerealllookingathiminpuzzlement.Samwasasbaffledastherest
buttriednotshowit.
'Idon'thaveanytimeforriddles,Doctor,'Rextonsaid.'Aslongassomething
functionsreliablyIdon'tcarewhy.''That'swhatI'mafraidof,'theDoctorsaid.
Rextonignoredhim.'Showmethereleasesequenceagain.'
The Doctor pressed the same keys he had used on the surface panel.The
manualwheelturnedfreelyonceagain.Samcouldstillnotseewhathadcaused
theDoctortochoosethekeyshehad.
'Jenez,'Rextonsaid,alertingtheshuttlepilot,'takeanoteofthisincaseyou needtouseit.Toreleasethebayhatchpressthekeysonthepanelinthisorder, workingdowntherowsandcountinginfromtheleft:three,four,two,five,three andsix.Tosealitpressfour,five,fourandone.'
'Gotthat,sir!'Jenezsaid.
Thedoorwaybesidethekeypanelwasanothersmallerversionoftheirising
surfacehatch,butthistimemountedvertically.Theremusthavebeenasimple
sensorbuiltintothefloorbecauseitopenedasRextonsteppeduptoit.Attheend of the small chamber beyond was an identical hatch. Rexton stepped inside confidentlyandtheothersfollowed.Thehatchclosedautomaticallybehindthem
andamomentlatertheoneinfrontopened.Therewasanotheridenticalchamber
beyondthat.AstheypassedthroughManderslookedatthegaugeonthearmof
hersuit.
'Pressure'sbuildingup,'sheobserved.
Againthedooraheadopenedafewsecondsaftertheonebehindhadshut.
They stepped through this to find themselves in the ship proper. Sam saw Rextonlookingabouthimwitheager,hungryeyes.
They were at the junction of three corridors, each circular in section, about fourmetresacrossanddimlylitbymoreoftheblueceilingdiscs.Thecurving
lower halves of the corridors were floored with some dark rubber-like material moulded with a heavy transverse rippling tread. A pair of handrails carried by close-set stanchions ran continuously along them, dividing the floor into three lanesandbreakingonlyatthejunctionitself.Totheleftandrightthecorridors appeared perfectly level, but the corridor in front of them arched slightly, followingthecurveofthehull,sothattheceilinglightsseemedtodiptowards
thefloorinthedist
ance.
'Corridors with abundant railings and a high-traction floor,' observed the Doctor. 'No doubt provision for shifts in the centre of gravity when the ship's functioning.'
'Ofcourse,'SamheardRextonmuttertohimselfunderhisbreath.
"They'reratherhigh,'Sampointedout.
'Yes,' the Doctor agreed. 'Perhaps the users are taller than the humanoid
average.Thediameteroftherailisalsoratherlarge,suggesting-'
'Thattheyhadbighands,'Samconcludedwithasmile.
Manders had been using a direct-reading radiation counter on their
surroundings. Now she was holding up a chemical sampler. She examined the reagentpatchescarefully,thensaid,'TheairisOK.Oxygenlowbutwithinthe
limits. No paniculate or biohazard indicators showing.' She checked the
thermostriponthebackofherglove.'Temperaturefourdegreesabovezero.Fine
for suit work. If we can breathe in here that'll extend our EVA endurance by hours.I'mgoingtotestit.'
'IthinkIshoulddothatfirst;theDoctorsaidquickly.'!haveanoseforsubtle toxins.'
Hereleasedhisvisor,raiseditcautiouslyandsniffed.Apparentlytsatisfied,
hetookadeeperbreath,thenanother.
'Alittlemustyandratherthin,'hedeclared,'butotherwisequiteacceptable.'
Heopenedhisvisorfully,andtheothersfollowedhisexample.
Sam thought she could taste dust and a tang of ozone, combined with faint chemical odours she could not identify. But as the Doctor had said, it was breathable.
'Now,whereshallwegofromhere?'theDoctormused,facingtheradiating
corridors in turn. 'Eeny, meeny, miny, mo -' "This way,' Rexton said, pointing downthemiddlecorridor.'Asyouwish,'theDoctorsaideasily.
Simmons, one of Manders's assistants, undipped a small can from his belt and sprayed a luminous orange arrow on the corridor wall pointing in the direction they were taking. 'I thought we'd better not get lost,' Manders explained.'Ididn'tthinkofthat,'theDoctoradmitted.'OfcourseIwasintending torelyonmyownsenseofdirection.'HeturnedsuddenlytoRexton.'Butwhat
wereyougoingtouse?'
Doctor Who - The 8th Doctor - 14 - Vanderdeken Page 9