Ark picked it up: “I’m not surprised to hear that. Unfortunately, we’ve had no way to acquire data about specifics. Sayla had a functioning robot until recently. But it was lost while trying to do repairs. Sayla has been warning us for the last few months that the station is coming apart.”
• • •
I asked Ark if our robot could handle the sunlight. Specifically, would he, Ark, be safe?
“Yes,” he said. “There is no reason for concern.”
When Sayla’s station showed up on the display, the brightness prevented our getting a good look at it. But the scanner’s visuals were sufficient. It had an array of solar panels and a central base. Belle reported that two or three of the panels appeared to be damaged. Probably struck by rocks. “I can make out a dock,” she added. “But it is too small to accommodate us. I suggest the best way to board it would be from the lander. And the scanner appears to have picked up a door.”
The lander’s windows, unfortunately, could not be darkened as much as those of the Belle-Marie. But since only Ark and the robot would be aboard, it did not constitute a problem. Nevertheless Gabe and I gathered more sheets and towels and took them down to the lander. We then proceeded to block off its windows as best we could.
“Can we verify,” I said, “that Sayla is still active?”
“She is,” said Ark. “She says she is happy to know we are here. I’ll relay everything to Belle so you can listen.”
Belle set it up and moments later we were able to hear Ark and Sayla conversing in their native language. Sayla sounded excited.
Then Ark mentioned Zykum, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard an AI squeal before.
“What’s that all about?” Gabe asked Belle.
“I think she has a connection with Zykum. Or maybe Ark. It’s a bit too complicated for me, but there’s something going on. Anyway, Sayla says she is ready to go. She wants to know which door we will be using.”
“There’s more than one door?” I asked.
“Yes. There’s one on the other side of the base.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s the one we want. Belle, take us there. But keep a safe distance.” That had the enormous advantage of putting the sun behind us. It would still be difficult to see, but it had to be better than what we had.
I didn’t try to handle the controls myself. Belle’s scanners provided better optics, and we got some improvement when she was able to turn our back on the sun so we could actually more or less see the station.
“We’re at two hundred meters,” said Belle. “I could take us in closer but I do not have a reliable view of the place. There may be structures I cannot see.”
“Stay at two hundred meters. Can you see the door?”
“No, Captain. But I can make out the station. And Ark has informed me where the door is.”
“Is that sufficient?”
“It should be.”
“We are ready,” said Ark, “to ride over in the lander. Belle can control it, yes?”
“Yes,” she said.
We wished him good luck, started the depressurization of the cargo bay, and turned everything over to Belle.
• • •
“Do we have a scanner on the lander?” Ark asked.
“No,” I said. “There’s a scope mounted on the prow but we certainly don’t want to use that. We’ll have to use the Belle-Marie’s scanners, but we’ll relay the result to your display.”
“Thanks,” Ark said. “That should be good enough.”
There was a continuing conversation between Sayla and Ark. Belle told us that Sayla was concerned about exiting into the sunlight, that they would not be able to see what they were doing. And that the Belle-Marie was not designed for the operation. “She’s also saying that the release switch to get her loose from the containment box lost power years ago. We’ll have to do it manually. Ark is telling her not to be concerned. That we will take care of everything.”
“Ark,” said Gabe, “how did your bipeds manage assembling and maintaining these stations out here?”
“They had vehicles and equipment specially designed. I don’t have details. I was never really interested.”
Belle broke in: “You ready?”
Ark’s voice: “We’re ready when you guys are.”
“Ark, we’re going to launch.”
“Do it.”
We put the lander into the cradle and opened the doors. The cradle took the lander outside.
Belle started its thrusters and it moved slowly across the open space between us and the station. The section where the door was located was bulbous. We couldn’t see the door itself. Or at least neither Gabe nor I could. But Belle was able to pin it down.
She turned the lander to port, which allowed her to align the lander’s air lock with the station’s door. “Just a few more meters,” she said. Then: “Captain, this might be as close as we can get.”
“Ark,” I said, “go over when you’re ready.”
There were more exchanges between Ark and Sayla. Belle said she would translate if there was anything important. “They’re just trading assurances that everything will be okay. Zykum is opening the air lock.”
“Gabe,” I said, “I wonder if this will cut off power from this place?”
Ark replied: “We lost this station as a power source a year ago. It won’t change anything.” He fell silent. Then: “We are getting ready to leave the lander.”
Sayla said something. Ark translated: “The door’s open. And Ark, you have no idea how happy I am that you’re here.” Then he continued: “I am out of the lander. On my way.”
He was silent for a couple of minutes. Then: “Good so far. I’m drifting toward the station. I hope. Yes! I just touched the hull. Looking for the air lock. Can’t tell whether it’s left or right. Give me a moment. Still looking . . . Still looking. I’ve got it. Hold on. Just a moment.” Another long pause. “Okay, I’m inside the lock.
“Closing the hatch behind me. Good. That’s done. I can see again. We’ll have to wait a minute or two. The outside hatch is closed and the lock is pressurizing.”
We waited. Finally the inner door opened.
The next thing we heard was Sayla crying out happily. Belle translated. “ ‘Hello, Ark. It’s so good to see you. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any company.’ ”
“Sayla,” said Ark, “is located almost directly across from the air lock. I can see the control panel.” Then he and Sayla were exchanging greetings again. But after a minute it turned unpleasant. “We’ve got a problem.”
“What’s wrong, Ark?” Gabe asked.
“The electronic release has no power.”
“Didn’t you know that before we came?”
“Yes. We knew we’d have to release Sayla manually.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Zykum’s digits are too large for the containment box. He can’t get at the manual switch.”
XXVII.
There is no natural element as glorious as sunlight. Nor any as poisonous.
—REV. AGATHE LAWLESS, SUNSET MUSINGS, 1402
“Belle,” I said, “bring the lander back.” I’d have preferred getting as close as we could to the station with the ship and just jumping out of the air lock, but that doesn’t work well when you can’t see. And there was a ton of radiation.
Gabe grumbled something about how the hell did we get into this? “Will the pressure suits stand up?”
The question was directed at Belle but Ark broke in before he could finish: “Sayla is asking me to thank you all for coming.”
Gabe smiled. “Tell her we’re happy to help.”
“What about the suits?” asked Gabe.
“They should be okay,” I said. “They’re supposed to hold up against three hundred degrees, which is more or less where we are. I’m more concerned about the radiation.”
“Captain,” said Belle. “The lander’s coming back. It’s on its way.”
“G
ood. Got a question for you.”
“Yes, Chase.”
“I’m not excited about going out into all this radiation in the lander. Do you think you could line up our air lock with the door on the station?”
“There’s a dish on that side. Getting in close without hitting the dish would be tricky.”
“If we are careful going in, even if we hit the dish, it shouldn’t do too much damage.”
“Probably not.”
“We might even be able to use the dish, if we do hit it, to help us find the door.”
“Chase,” said Gabe, “this is not a good idea.”
“I do not advise it either,” Belle said.
“I don’t see any options. Belle, I hate to do this, but you’ve a better sense of where things are. I have to get ready. You take us in and line up our exit hatch with their front door as best you can.”
• • •
I went down and climbed into my pressure suit. Gabe followed me and started getting into his own suit while we argued that we didn’t need two people out there. “Let’s let this argument go till another time,” I said. “Okay?”
“Would you please shut up, Chase? Do you know how to get her loose?”
“We can probably use a cutter. Sayla should be able to direct us.”
“Okay. That’s a good idea. But I think—”
“Please, Gabe. Stop. We don’t have time for this.”
He closed his eyes and turned away from me.
• • •
I’d have preferred to blindfold myself until I got inside the station. But that wasn’t a good idea since I’d have no way to remove the blindfold once I put the helmet on. So I was simply going to have to keep my eyes shut.
I grabbed my cutter and some cable from storage. Then I waited. Belle moved us back and forth, a little bit forward, a touch to port. And finally she told me to get into the air lock and be ready to go on short notice. “The outer door over there is open. We’re within fifteen meters.”
“That’s pretty good,” I said.
“Make sure when you leave the air lock, go straight ahead. No left or right turns. Got it?”
“Yes, Belle.”
“Fortunately, their air lock is bigger than ours. That’ll help you get in.”
“All right.”
“On your return,” she continued, “don’t do anything, especially don’t open any doors over there, until I tell you to. And go out the same way you got in. Straight ahead.”
I depressurized the lock and opened the outside hatch. There was a slight jar as if we’d bumped into something. A moment later, she literally shouted, “Do it!”
I went straight out the door into a brilliant illumination that lit up my eyes even though they were closed. I raised both arms to form a shield so I didn’t arrive on my helmet. Keeping my eyes closed during that jump was a bitch. But it worked! My hands contacted the hull just above the air lock. I got hold of a rim or something and pushed my way inside.
I closed the door first to shut down the radiation. Then I was able to see again. Ark’s voice asked whether I’d made it, and I heard Gabe saying thank God. I started depressurization.
• • •
A few lights were scattered around the interior of an almost circular room filled with electrical equipment. Zykum was standing directly across the chamber.
“She says she couldn’t be happier to see you,” said Ark.
The room showed no sign of a problem. We couldn’t hear anything, of course. And the lights seemed okay. “Is that her?” I asked, pointing at an aquamarine cube inside a frame. It resembled Ark’s and appeared to be of identical dimensions.
“She says yes, you are looking directly at her.”
There was only one switch close by. Actually it was more like a push button. I pushed it.
Usually, with a push button, you can tell when it triggers a reaction. You can feel the click or whatever. But if you’re wearing a pressure suit, you have no idea what, if anything, is happening. In this case—
“Chase, she tells me she’s still locked in.”
I tried again. A couple of times. The button was inside a small rim.
And Ark was back: “Chase, Sayla says she’s sorry she’s caused this problem. She wishes she could help.”
I tried to remove the cube from the frame. And got nothing. “Ark, can I cut through the frame without damaging or killing her?”
“Wait. I’ll ask.” He was back in a few seconds. “As long as you only cut the frame. And the power cord. She says you’ll also have to cut the power cord. It won’t harm her. But be careful with it.”
“Okay.” I started working on it. Cut the cord. Then Sayla was talking again. “How’s she doing that? I thought I’d shut down the power.”
“She switched over to batteries.”
“Oh, good. What is she saying?”
“Just that she’s relieved we’re here.”
I used the cutter to slice into the metal immediately in front of Sayla. Then I stopped. “Sayla,” I said, “you okay?”
I expected her to respond to Ark. Instead she said, “Yes, Captain.”
I cut a fairly narrow path around the cube, ready to stop if she told me to. When I’d finished I lifted her out of the panel. “Thank you,” she said. “I am so happy to leave.”
Zykum led the way back to the air lock. We all got in and I closed the inner door and started depressurization. “You still there?” I asked Belle.
“Ready when you are, Captain.” Fortunately she added that I should close my eyes before opening the outer hatch.
“Thank you,” said Sayla in Standard.
• • •
I placed Sayla in the pouch so I’d have my hands free. She said she was okay, that she felt secure. And she laughed. A minute later I opened the outer hatch, and experienced again the blast of light against my eyelids.
Then Belle was on the circuit: “Give me a minute. We’re getting in close. Same as before. Chase. Go one at a time. When I tell you, go straight ahead. Open lock is directly in front of you.”
“You go first, Ark,” I said. “Just have Zykum jump straight out. Not too fast. When you get there, get right into the air lock. And make room.”
“Okay,” said Ark.
I waited and felt a ripple of some sort go through the deck. “Almost there,” said Belle. “Adjusting.”
Hurry up, Belle. It seemed to take forever. Finally she was back: “Go. Now!”
“Do it, Ark,” I said.
The robot left.
Belle waited about ten seconds before she was back. “Chase, give me a minute until I can line up again.”
“Okay, Belle. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Just hang on a second.” And after what seemed an interminable delay: “Go.”
I might have pushed off with more energy than I should have. But I got the straight-ahead part right. I moved through the glare and began telling myself the Belle-Marie, the air lock, seemed farther this time than it had been before. Then I collided with the hull. The magnetic boots secured me and on my left I touched the open hatch.
I got inside, blundered into Zykum, pulled the hatch shut, and felt the pressurization start. Belle informed me we were about to leave the area. I got pushed against the bulkhead as we started to accelerate.
XXVIII.
Once more farewell!
If e’er we meet hereafter, we shall meet
In happier climes, and on a safer shore.
—JOSEPH ADDISON, CATO, ACT IV, 1713 CE
We surfaced fifteen hours away from Kaleska. “What are you planning to do now?” Ark asked us.
“After we drop you and Sayla off,” Gabe said, “we’ll be heading home.”
“I have another surprise for you.”
Gabe’s eyes widened. He thought, as I did, that we were going to be asked to perform another service. “We’re running a bit late, Ark. We’d like to hang around and help if we could, but we need to get back.”
“If you must, of course I understand.” For a moment he was silent. Then: “We’re setting up a party for Sayla to welcome her home. There have been thousands of us on the circuit who will participate, and to let her know how much we appreciate what she’s done. We would also like to thank the strangers who arrived in the system and made the rescue possible.”
It was never clear whether the assorted AIs scattered around the planet merely formed a web of connections, or whether they were in fact a single sapient being, of whom Sayla was a beloved member. “If you would be willing to participate, it would make us happy.”
“We’d like to do that,” said Gabe, “but please understand time is an issue. How long will it take before you can put it together?”
“Time is not a factor, Gabe.”
“Good.” He looked at me and saw that I agreed. “Then we have no problem with it.”
“Excellent. If Belle has no objection, I will connect her with the community link, and you may sit back and relax.”
That sounded easy enough. “Okay with you, Belle?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” she said.
Ark made the connection and we were immediately overwhelmed with applause and music. Belle adjusted the sound, and we listened to a multitude of voices cheering and toasting and laughing and delivering messages of love and relief. Incredibly much of it was in Standard. And please don’t ask about the toasting. I’ve no idea whether anyone anywhere was raising a glass. Or if so, how they were managing it. All of Ark’s efforts to explain failed.
Some of the music was of course from their culture, loud and ponderous rhythms that shook the passenger cabin. Some was from the Confederacy, occasional classic pieces like Markovy’s Sonata in C Minor and Ribbentrop’s Final Sunset, and more popular music like “Twilight Passages” and “As Time Goes By.” Belle later admitted that she’d known in advance about the party and provided much of the music during the previous hour.
I felt an urge to dance, but there was no possible partner other than Gabe. Or maybe Zykum. And not really much space. At one point I asked Ark if the party would be different if we were back on their home world where they could get together physically.
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