He looked at her surprise, “Wasn’t she at the troop formation?”
“No.”
Henry looked at Sergeant Colburn and, could not believe that her absence had slipped by him, “How come the Sergeant didn’t notice!?”
“Did you notice?”
Henry paused for a moment and tried to remember whether he had seen Maria. He couldn’t recall seeing her among the group which had stood opposite him. Henry looked at Keniko and said, “I have to admit that I don’t remember.”
“I don’t doubt it since she took care of that.”
“What does she want now?”
“I don’t know. She basically told me to come to you before I embark, to send you to the other transporter so that she is able to talk to you.”
“Good. I’ll go see her and find out what she wants.”
Frankly, Henry was interested in what Maria had to tell him and why she wasn’t with the others. Nancy’s voice brought him back from this thought. “I have to go back to the command bridge.”
“Did you hear what Keniko said to me?”
“Yes, I heard it all. Go and talk to her.”
“I will. But first I want to say goodbye to you.”
Henry kissed her on the forehead and hugged her. She whispered softly in his ear, “Do not even think about not coming back from that planet.”
“I do not intend to stay longer than necessary.”
“Take care of yourself and the others.” A tear come down her cheek and she dropped her head so as not to be seen by anybody.
Henry tried to cheer up Nancy even though he knew that the adventure that he was about to embark was a dangerous one, “You won’t have to worry about that.”
She closed her eyes and moved away from him. Too many times she had said goodbye to her friends and with many of them not returning. She trembled at the thought of not seeing him again. She opened her eyes, and he could see she was struggling with a lot of things going on in her head. She offered Henry a shake and although she smiled, she couldn’t hide the fear that hid in her mind. “Goodbye my friend, I think you’ll need all the luck that I can offer.”
“Thank you.”
She turned and offered a hand to Vallery, who was standing nearby. “Please, take care of him! He knows how to be unpredictable.”
Vallery smiled and shook her hand. “He is in an expert hand.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
She saluted them and quickly walked to the elevator.
Watching her, Henry said to Vallery, “I am going to talk to Maria. Get the pilots and co-pilots to wait for me until I come back.”
Vallery looked into his eyes inquisitively and said, “You have a lot of confidence in her, Brigadier.”
“Maybe, but so far she has never failed.”
“That’s true, but…”
He interrupted her and looked into her green eyes. “Trust my judgment.”
“She’s a bit weird.”
He laughed at that and turned his head. “Not a bit, she’s pretty weird.”
“I’d better carry out your order and not argue about Maria.”
“See you in a couple of minutes.”
Henry set off towards the aircraft in which Maria was waiting for him, and Vallery left to carry out his orders. The entire time Henry was wondering what was so important that she had to tell him five minutes before landing on Godeena.
At the entrance to the transporter, he lifted up the protective hatch with its opening mechanism and pressed the ratchet release lever. The door noiselessly glided aside. The storage room was filled with huge equipment which was necessary for setting up a camp on the surface of the planet.
“Maria!” Henry called out as he didn’t see her.
Deep from the interior of the transporter he heard her voice. “Here I am. Follow the narrow passage between the boxes and containers.”
Henry moved through the labyrinth, slipping through narrow passages here and there. Soon he found her sitting in a box deep in the interior of the transporter. She smiled and asked, “Surely you must have asked yourself as to why I invited you?”
“I suppose that the Being contacted you.”
“He knows that we’re coming, and he wants to kill us.”
“Is that news?”
“No, but the news is that he is near the crater.”
Henry punched his fist on one of the containers, “How? How did the Being come to know our location?”
“He didn’t get this information from me if you’re interested. I think that the Being has a developed a rather powerful intuition. The whole time since our last contacts the Being has comprehended and drew the conclusion that we might land in the crater, for it is the single place that he mustn’t approach.”
“Have you tried to get to his thoughts?”
“No, it’s too risky to do that now. This is his territory, and here he’s much stronger.”
“What do you suggest then?” Henry asked after a short consideration.
Maria looked at him with her blue eyes and at that moment he perceived Kir is appearing. Henry wasn’t able to turn his eyes from her pupils, which were twinkling as if a storm had caught them. Blackness covered her blue irises and then the complete whites of the eyes, turning them into the dark abyss. Kir stood up, let down her hair which Maria had tied in a braid, and addressed him with her icy voice. “I suggest I fly with you in the fighter-bomber.”
For a moment Henry thought about rejecting her idea, but he gave up. “Why? If anyone, Beny Hortans should fly with me.”
As stealthy as a cat she came closer to him and touched his forehead, down which a drop of sweat was gliding. She wiped it off with her forefinger and then put it in her mouth, closed her eyes and licked it as if it were ice-cream. “Mmm… You’ve got a nice taste!” She hastily opened her eyes. “You’re asking why?” She gently pushed him back towards the box. “Let me be closer to you.” She coyly leaned her head against his chest and started laughing. In a moment she separated from Henry, looked at him and fiercely asked, “And why do you think that I’d like to fly with you? Maybe I want to seduce you? You’re a little self-confident, Brigadier.”
“I didn’t say that!” Henry tried to grumble in vain.
“But you’ve thought about it. You men are all the same. It’s easy to manipulate you because your brain is between your legs.”
He watched with confusion, “I haven’t thought about sex! For God’s sake, what do you want from me?”
She laughed loudly. “There, I am pleased when you react without any hesitation.” She became serious at once. “I’d like to be with you in the fighter-bomber to be able to react when the Being advances on us.”
I wouldn’t like him to advance on us at the moment of landing.” Henry was watching Kir, but she was serious and didn’t provoke him. “All right, you’re going with me to the first landing.”
“We have to be quick and very clever when landing in the crater. Should we slow down we’ll surely die.”
“I’ve agreed on the landing plan with the others, but I’ll have to correct it a little. Tell me if you have something useful to inform me?”
“I don’t have anything so far.”
“Then we can set off.”
She stretched her hands and indolently bent her head aside. “Yes, we might, but there is still a trifle.”
“What now?”
“I’ll be Kir for the entire flight time.”
“It’s all the same to me whether you’re Maria or Kir.”
“Let’s go then.”
“Where’s your equipment?” Henry asked her when they moved to the exit door.
She laughed loudly and her laughter echoed in the hold when she answered, “In the cockpit of your fighter-bomber.”
“You’re always two paces ahead of me.”
She looked at him askance over her shoulder. “I think that you have much more potential, so don’
t underestimate yourself.”
She disappeared among the boxes like a ghost, so Henry had to pick up the pace to follow her. However, when he reached the outside, she was beside Major Vallery already. “Brigadier, all the pilots, and co-pilots are present. We’re ready for the briefing on the flight,” reported Vallery when he came closer.
All of them stood in attention behind Vallery. Henry looked for Beny Hortans. “I have come with a minor change of plan. Beny, you’ll go in Vallery’s transporter. Maria Conchez is coming with me.”
“All right, Brigadier.”
Henry nodded and turned to the others. He could sense a tense atmosphere. All of them were impatient for departure. Adrenaline was rushing through their veins already, and he wanted to delay them no more. “This applies to all of you. We shall fly in formation, with the transporters in the middle and fighter-bombers along the sides. When we enter the atmosphere, all of you have to follow the speed of my fighter. You’ll be informed of any changes during the flight. Is that clear?” When they all nodded, he asked, “Are there any questions?”
First Aurelia Braks, aka Baby, signaled. “What’s waiting for us down there, if it isn’t some secret?”
“On Godeena, waiting for us is the Being, and he would like to kill us before we reach the crater. Maria and I will do our best to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”
“I hope so,” Aurelia said, nodding.
“Me too,” Henry said.
Nobody else asked any further questions, so he gave orders quickly. “Aurelia, you and Randy are flying in the second fighter-bomber. Major Vallery, Beny Hortans will join you with the equipment; then Berry, you and Sergeant Colburn are responsible for the rest of the crew in the second transporter. Good luck! See you down there.”
Henry saluted them and then, not waiting for their response he started towards the fighter. “Kir, let’s go.”
The dark green military fighter was equipped with two sets of rockets placed on its short wings. The front part of the pilot cabin was set with two big Hamilton B23 plasma cannons. At the back was the same type of cannon, which was controlled by the co-pilot in the case of an attack from behind. Its main purpose was to protect the transport aircraft and fight against opposing fighters, but it could also be used to destroying the target on the ground. The cabin was pretty roomy, and behind the pilot seats, there were seats for six commandos, who could be transferred to a destination easily with the aircraft. Now the equipment was there.
Henry entered the fighter and across his shoulder saw Kir, who halted at the entrance. “Come, I have to show you some elementary things which you have to know.”
She looked at him, “What am I to do?”
Henry pointed to a seat. “Sit down and fasten your seat belt.” he handed her a helmet. “Not only this, but I must also tell you how to operate the cannon at the back.”
“I think that won’t be necessary.”
“Why?”
She leaned forward and pressed the button so that the handles for running the cannon leaped out of their bearings, and then she caught hold of them with her hands and moved the gun left and right. “As you see, I don’t need any instruction in running an aircraft.”
“Have you already run one?”
She watched him with dark eyes and confidently added with a smile, “Not quite, but I know exactly what to do. There are many things you don’t know about me, but you don’t have to worry about it. What you have to worry about is waiting for us down there.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, boss!” Henry sat in his pilot seat. He quickly fastened himself in and switched on the main consoles. Then he adjusted the communication monitor through which he could see all three pilots. First Henry noticed Berry’s smiling face. “Berry, can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, boss.”
“What’s Sergeant Colburn doing?”
“He isn’t content being a co-pilot.”
Then Henry heard Colburn. “Just like that, Brigadier. Couldn’t you have appointed any other co-pilot?”
“Maybe I could have, but nobody is that experienced. The flight won’t last that long anyway.”
“Well, don’t worry about it – I’ll follow this comedian carefully. I’ve read about what he did before he was taken to Hades.”
Henry laughed and asked Berry, “Berry is everything ready with your crew for departure?”
“Yes, boss!” he said.
“Aurelia?”
“We are ready.”
“Vallery?”
“I’m waiting for your signal.”
Henry then gave the order, “Pilots, start your motors and switch on your magnetic brakes.”
The empty space of the depot was filled with the loud thudding of the powerful jet motors. When the fighter’s trembling eased, Henry opened the channel to the commander’s bridge and caught sight of Nancy’s serious face. “Commander, we’re ready for departure.”
“We’re beginning with the procedure for take-off.” She turned around and began ordering commands and then she stared into his eyes. She was worried, but she wasn’t showing it. She only nodded. “We’ll hear each other when you’re down.”
“Yes, until then.”
“I take you at your word.” Then she stretched out a hand to switch off the communicators with the other ships; only his channel remained open.
The hold partitions of C-1 started vibrating, closed with a loud sound and light signals came on. Shortly the entire space was hermetically sealed and separated from the other part of the cruiser. A moment later the partition which protected the cruiser from cold space started to open. The strong thrust that happened in the process began to drag out tiny bits of paper and dust through the outlet, sending them into space. The partitions slowly opened, and from their pilot cabins, they could see the green-blue surface of the planet Godeena. The view was more than pleasing.
When the outlet partition was completely open, Henry heard Nancy’s serious voice through his communicator. “You’ve got permission for take-off!”
“Thank you, Commander Bauer.” Henry shut off the magnets which held the ship to the iron floor of the holding compartment and informed the others, “Pilots, we’re taking off! When we are out of the cruiser, take up the formation as we agreed!”
He caught the aircraft’s control stick and some images from his training at the Academy flew through his memory like a film. Henry easily lifted the fighter a couple of inch from the floor so for a while he was soaring in the air, and then when he pushed the control stick to take off, the fighter glided to the outlet of the cruiser. Everybody followed him and soon they were out. Maneuvering with the front jet pushers, Henry stopped the fighter and asked the other pilots, who were already in the agreed formation around him, “Pilots, are we prepped for entering into the atmosphere?”
After he had received their positive responses, Henry put the craft on autopilot for the computer to find the best trajectory for entering the atmosphere. Then he issued the order. “Follow me! We’re departing!”
Henry darkened the panels of the pilot cabin and activated the protective energy shield on the fighter, so as not to be burned in the upper layer of the atmosphere. When they had passed the dangerous part and entered the lower layer of the atmosphere, he raised the protective plate and took over manual control.
Kir, who had been silent for the whole time since they had taken off, suddenly warned him with a serious expression on her face, “Accelerate to three-quarters of the maximum speed and inform the others to do the same. The Being has sensed us!”
Henry quickly issued the order. “Pilots, speed up to three-quarters! From this moment there mustn’t be any falling behind or any stopping! The communication channel has to be constantly accessible!”
The sandy surface of the planet came closer and closer and the crater in which they intended to land looked like a large green oasis. At the opposite side of it, a sandstorm was raging.
&n
bsp; “Is that the Being?” ask Henry.
“Yes.”
Henry had a feeling that the storm was increasing and moving closer to them. “Is he trying to cut off the approach?”
“Oh yes, that’s his intention. Did you think that he wouldn’t try to stop us before we landed?”
“I didn’t doubt that he would try to, but he is closing a ring hurriedly around the crater.”
“Nonetheless, we have a chance to land at the crater, but you all have to listen to my commands!”
“The communication channel is open to all of us. We will listen to you with no objections.”
Kir didn’t turn her gaze from the surface of the planet. She completely concentrated on the storm being caused by the Being, who was trying to close access to the crater. Between the outer edges of the clouds, there was now a passage only half mile wide, and it was getting narrower and narrower. Just as it seemed to him that they would have no chance of crawling through the passage between the outer parts of the sandy storm clouds, Kir shouted loudly, “Now, turn to the right and speed up to the maximum! Don’t spare the aircraft! We have a single chance to fly through that narrow passage, and we have to use it.”
Henry pushed the control stick to speed up to maximum and yelled loudly, “Let’s go!”
The huge sand walls of clouds, some half mile high and of equivalent width were moving toward them from the left and the right. The fighter began to tremble slowly from the maximum load which they had been using for the last several seconds, and its motors were rather loud. Henry had a look through the dome of the cockpit to the left, at the transporter which was following him, but then from the second fighter, they heard Aurelia’s worried voice. “Randy, check what is the matter with the right motor!”
“It all seems to be normal.”
“What’s happening with you, Aurelia?” Henry asked worriedly.
“I don’t know. There’s something wrong with the motor. Just a minute…”
On the screen that showed the back camera, Henry noticed that their fighter was falling behind and had some smoke gushing out of its right motor. Kir hit him on his shoulder; when he turned to her she made a sign with her head that there was no help for them and shouted, “Watch how you’re flying!”
Godeena: SF Novel Page 20