Blighted Star

by Tom Parkinson

“Two hundred and ten.”

  “Oh. How many did we lose at the quarry?”

  “One hundred and forty-six, Thirty are out round the settlements. The rest are still in storage right here. There’s a good chance there’ll be at least a few more in private hands”

  “Hmm, that’s a few more than I thought we had. What have you got in mind?”

  “When I was a kid there was a mania for sky sports. I guess that’s what got me into being a pilot. Anyway, we used to build our own sky canoes. It’s really simple, all you do is build a simple frame, attach two A/G’s, one at either end, and some sort of simple propulsion. Even a cooling fan will do. You mostly steer by shifting your body mass round the cockpit.”

  “How much can one of these carry?”

  “We used to reckon on one A/G for the skyak, one for the pilot. But of course, A/G technology’s got much better since I was a kid. Without doing the sums I would say that it could carry two people in perfect safety, three people if you kept it low and slow. My brother built one which could carry seven kids, but the grown-ups stepped in and told him he would have to register it as an aircraft. Dad took it apart while he was at school. But we did fly it a couple of times before they stopped us.”

  “And you’re sure you could make one?” Athena tapped the sealing tool she was holding against her jaw.

  “Absolutely, it would take a few days, but the Tech’s not hard at all. The really useful thing is, you can tow things on a line behind you.”

  Athena brightened “Really? Is that safe?” The probes were hopeless at carrying material, they could only manage two kilos and even that was a strain on their tiny A/Gs

  “Safe-ish. Strictly only for in times of emergency. But it can be done. Each package gets its own unit, you tie them all together, get one end of the rope onto the back of the canoe and off you go. Easy to get going, easy in flight, an absolute pig when it comes to stopping. And totally not to be attempted in any kind of wind. But it would be one way we could get a decent service going again.”

  “Lana, would the first trip be out to where Grad is? Because he’s back in a couple of days anyway.”

  “Well, it would take that long to make the canoe anyway. The thing is, what if something goes wrong with the plans to make a new shuttle? Hopefully nothing will but if there were a delay they would be stranded out there even longer. This way they would definitely get some sort of help on Friday whatever happens. And after all, it’s not like I’m doing anything in the meantime. I haven’t got a shuttle anymore.”

  Athena thought for a moment, looking as she did so at the pilot’s hopeful face. She looked so young, so bright and eager. Athena remembered a few hours before when Lana had looked so haggard and careworn, and she couldn’t help the grin which pulled at the corners of her lips.

  “O.K. Lana, get two A/G’s out of stores and whatever else you need. If you have to scrounge around for materials you can do so in my name, if anyone challenges you. But the mining effort and the new shuttle take precedence. All right?”

  Lana could barely contain her eagerness to get away and begin. “Thanks Athena, you won’t regret it.”

  <><><>

  Gerard Pitot was getting really pissed off, and he wasn’t the only one. They had all signed up for this in good faith. Most had paid good money to show they were serious, and they had put themselves into the hands of the colony agency on the understanding that they would be going to a life which if not better in terms of material comforts, would at least better suit the pioneering aspects of their personalities. He wasn’t afraid of hardship, that wasn’t the problem. What was getting his blood up was the way things were being handled, or rather, mishandled. It was about time they were told what steps were being taken.

  Since the loss of the quarry the supply of sheet metal had dried up, and his house was only part built. At least he had the roof on which was more than some people. But now he was left with nothing to do, like all the other townspeople. Nothing to do but wait, and that wasn’t pioneering.

  Unlike all the people milling around on the town’s green, though, Gerard had read every page of his colony charter. Clause 52 was an interesting one, and he had looked at it very carefully before he had set his signature down. In effect it was a fail-safe clause in case the administration proved incompetent for any reason or, in the deliberately vague wording of the document, “…unable to rise to the challenges of the programme…”. Gerard had a strong feeling that it was nearly time to invoke Clause 52, but he knew that he would require substantial backing for such a step. He decided to wander down into the crowd and see if he could gauge the swell of opinion in Heart Lake. The early afternoon air was still and heavy with moisture. It carried the low murmur of voices clearly to him. He passed a quartet of farmbots which were improving the main thoroughfare of the town. In the past few days since they had been set up they had cleared a hundred acres of stones from the surrounding fields, working tirelessly night and day. Now they were using the piles of graded stones to form the base of a road. The final part of the process would come when they lined up to cross and recross the pebbly surface, coating it with carbon drawn straight from the atmosphere which they would lay down in strands, forming a durable surface like a thick mat of black spider web. The whole process would take days, but would go on quietly in the background without any further need for supervision by the townsfolk.

  In a way that was part of the problem of human life, even here in a brand new colony, right on the edge of human expansion. There wasn’t really anything for a man to do anymore. All his needs could be supplied by robots either big or small. Vats could grow his meat, his clothing never wore out and cleaned itself as it soiled due to nano-tech. Even in the home tiny robots scurried about clearing up after him. You signed up for a colony thinking you were going on a great adventure of self-discovery and all you got was the same experience of being spoon-fed by machines. And now look at them, these so called pioneers; they were helpless because the chain had broken down. There was no way they could survive on this planet, benign though it was, without the constant attention of the robots. The whole thing was frankly depressing.

  By the time he reached the crowd on the green, Gerard’s self-confidence had eroded completely. What could he or anyone else do? The administration was a pathetic joke, but getting it replaced would be impossible with these sheep. He stood on the fringes, looking back along the street resentfully at the four robots glinting in the sunlight.

  <><><>

  Grad straightened up and looked at the bioscan the probe had brought. The rows of little green numbers meant little or nothing to him. He held up the screen to the eyes of the probe and back at Cassini Dr Clarke examined the readouts.

  “Right, well. There is extensive internal bruising but nothing immediately life-threatening. You’ll be fine, Jim, but don’t exert yourself in any way until you get back. I take it that the blood you were passing hasn’t been present the last few times you peed?”

  The probe wasn’t really designed for transmitting the human voice, and the doctor, like everyone else came out sounding slightly flat and tinny. Jim shook his head in reply, very gently because the muscles in his neck felt as if they had been torn by a giant hand, and his headache threatened to return with renewed force at the littlest movement. At least the nanos were masking most of the pain from his broken arm, and now that he was in the presence of a medic the age old magic was working and he was beginning to feel better just for being told by a doctor that he wasn’t on the point of death.

  “Well, keep an eye open for any recurrence. Grad, keep an eye on him. Make sure he rests. See you soon fellows.”

  The Doctor’s image projected by the probe was replaced by that of Lana, and Chan busied himself as best he could with nothing in particular while she and Grad had a rather forced conversation. It was hard not to steal glances at Lana. She was, he was sure, considered by all the males of the colony and a few of the females too to be the best looking person on the planet, h
er dark golden curls of hair falling across fine shoulders of the colour of honey. In fact, she and Grad made a startlingly handsome couple. Sickening, he thought wryly.

  After the probe had gone, Grad settled himself back down on the sand. He was unused to such a prolonged period of inactivity and found it really galling. Looking at the lake he wished he had some fishing gear…and some fish. Or better still, some diving gear. That would be something to look into for the future, diving tours of a planet covered in the most beautiful lakes, and not just diving; all kinds of water sports would do well here once things were properly established. Right now though, the weather was hot, the water was inviting…would Chan feel strong enough for a swim, or at least a paddle?

  <><><>

  Jackson snapped back into the present moment.

  “What did you say?”

  “Hmm, What? Why have you stopped?” Christel’s eyes opened slightly.

  “Just then, you called me Grad.” he rolled off her and stood at the side of the bed.

  “Don’t be silly, come back to bed…” she regarded him through those long lashes, hand outstretched, beckoning impatiently. Her hair was pulled into a severe looking bun and pinned to the top of her head, and now it nodded back and forth as she gestured. He felt an overwhelming urge to grip that hair in his hand, feeling its strands crushed against his palm, and to shake it until the truth came out of her, until the hair tore in his fingers.

  A weird feeling was sweeping over him. He had suspected her so many times that now that he had proof positive he couldn’t quite believe that he had heard correctly. He felt that he must hold onto his belief and not let her steal it away as he knew she would try to. He fixed his eyes on hers, feeling them going dry, fighting back an incipient twitch, she would see that, she would know it for a sign of weakness.

  “Stop it Christel. Stop the lying. You’ve just blown it.”

  Christel’s hand stopped circling in the air between them. “Blown what? You’re being stupid.”

  “Christel, I heard you. You called me “Grad”.. Stop lying to me.” he felt his face reddening, Even he had heard a slight note of doubt in his voice.

  “Now, Hugo, I don’t know what you think you heard but I did not say ‘Grad’ or anything else. I may have grunted. Just a little. It’s unladylike I know, but there you are. Now come back to bed at once and finish what you began.” the hand was there again, jerking imperiously. For a moment he was paralysed with indecision. Even his cock seemed undecided. It jumped once, then continued to deflate, shrivelling to nothing. Someone passed down the corridor beyond their door, feet clinking a little on the metal surface. The footsteps sounded like those of a child. Jackson’s next words came out as a hissed whisper.

  “No Christel. Fuck you, you’ve blown it because you are a liar and you can’t help yourself. Well fuck you, I’ve had it. Get out! There are some free quarters at the other side of the ship, I suggest you go and set up in there.” he put his hands on his hips, felt slightly ridiculous in that pose and took them off, folding them across his chest. Christel glared at him.

  “You’re mad. I’ve done nothing. Nothing. It’s you who’s blown it. You. Don’t come crawling to me when you come to your senses.” Now she was out of bed and scrambling into her clothes. “How dare you accuse me of anything! I’ve been so good to you, far better than you deserve you little prick. I made you look good. Now everyone will see what a sad little shit you really are.” She had finished pulling on her long boots and stood up face burning with hatred. “And if I had fucked Grad, I bet he would have been a million times better than you.”

  The door slammed and he was on his own. He tried to assess how he felt, tried to run a damage report. He’d been right, hadn’t he? He hadn’t misheard? Her reaction had been that of a cornered animal surely, all that venom spitting. Even if he had been wrong her reaction showed their relationship for what it had been; if he so much as stepped out of line she whirled round on him, all piss and vinegar. Good riddance. Anyway, he was pretty sure he’d heard right in the first place. He felt strangely lightheaded, as if some part of his mind had suddenly been taken away. He got a glimpse, just a foretaste, of the loneliness that was to come.

  He wondered where she would go, then forced back the thought, reaching for his uniform. She would probably go to him. Well, good luck to her there, he’d already got a woman, one much better than Christel. He would like to be a fly on the wall when that conversation took place - Grad would soon tell her to fuck off. She’d see then what it felt like to have someone grind you down. She couldn’t take that, no way. It would destroy her. She was far too used to getting her own way in everything, but there was no way Grad would get rid of Lana for the sake of her. He suddenly realised what he had done. He had kicked her out! He had stood up to her and thrown her out! At last, he had put himself forward, and whether he was right or wrong about her cheating, (and he still thought he was right), he had won, had broken free. Now was the time to bask in the power he felt. The pain was, he knew, due any time soon. He lifted his uniform trousers off the back of the chair and sat on the bed. He had to face his squad now, and he knew that they would soon be all too aware of the break up. He wondered if there was any way of making it known to them that it was he who had dumped her, and not the other way round…

  <><><>

  The initial assembly was complete, and Athena and the two techs were attaching lifting A/G pads to the four corners. Athena looked at her creation, ruefully remembering the lovely brushed steel machine which they had brought with them. Oh well. if this monstrosity actually worked then, no doubt, it would become beautiful in her eyes. They lifted it and attached the lines. The marines took up the strain and began the long drag through the evening’s shadows to where they would start the new quarry. This time it would have to be a lot closer, only about five klicks away from Cassini, rather than the original quarry’s fifteen. Well there was nothing she could do about that, even if it did go against the plan, creating heavy industry so close to the planet’s future capitol.

  Tomorrow, with Jim’s guidance over the link established by the drones, she would switch on the machine and, she hoped, begin the shaft boring phase. She had now been working without a significant break for two days, and she should have felt washed out. But in fact she felt more alive than ever. Strange the resources you can find within yourself she thought.

  She looked at Jackson directing his men in the delicate task of manoeuvring the machine past some low bushes. Jackson was keeping up the pressure and they were moving well. He looked tired, and Athena reflected that it had been a long couple of days for him too. He looked across to her and she gave him a reassuring smile. He looked away. That, she thought, is the first time I’ve ever smiled at Jackson. No wonder the poor guy’s embarrassed. Some of her old guilt about the Jackson situation returned and she resolved to cultivate him a little from now on. The men sweated and heaved on the lines and the heavy burden glided through the still evening a short way above the ground. On the horizon the first of the stars began to shine as the glowing sun left the sky.

  Chapter 7

  Lana took a break and looked out at the crowd of people who had gathered, as they seemed to do on every fine evening, out in the landing compound. Farmbots had transformed the area into a superb field of cut grass on which impromptu games were endlessly starting. Baseball and Soccer mostly, Technicians vs. Miners, Settlers vs. Marines, and Cooks vs. Support Staff… Sometimes, someone would think of a joke and you would see its progress from group to group, jumping the gaps between the knots gathered round the heaters brought out to cheer the evening. Lana missed Grad. The conversations they had had via the probe were too stilted. It was hard to talk to someone without using the internal comms. Comms gave you so much more than just their voice in your ear and extra privacy. They could show you things they had seen, and more importantly, you got a vague sense of whatever emotion they were feeling. These old fashioned telecoms could show you someone was alive, but that was
about all. Grad seemed strange to her, guarded, distant. She didn’t like it.

  Amy Chan ran past, waving. They had spent quite a lot of time together, Both feeling an initial connection at having a loved one in peril. This had quickly grown into an enjoyment of each other’s company, and Lana had to admit she was aware of the hero worship she had inspired in the child; she found it flattering and secretly something of an ego boost. Any associated guilt was lessened by the fact that she liked Amy right back. The kid was incredibly nice, with a kind side to her nature and a good word for almost everyone, except Sergeant Raoul, who she disliked for some reason which in the end turned out to be because he reminded her of an illustration of the troll from “Three Billy Goats Gruff”. Irrational dislikes aside, Amy was a seriously nice child, Lana reflected. Five was a charming age, and she thought about her own child, and how she or he would be at that age. She must make a point of talking to Jim Chan, she thought; whatever it was that he knew about parenting, she wanted to know herself.

  If only Grad were here. It was torture to have such a major secret to keep from him, and she had ached to tell him when she had talked to him through the clumsy medium of the probe earlier, but it just wasn’t the moment. Nor would she be able to talk to him about this through one of the wrist communicators which they were sending out. It was going to have to be done properly, and that meant on their own and face to face. Preferably in their own quarters with subdued lighting and their favourite meal set out before them…

  Before she went back in to work some more on the canoe, she decided to take a wander through the nearer elements of the crowd. She kept her ears open, curious to gauge the mood of the people. She was surprised at how up – beat they were. There was a little tenseness which had not been present before the crisis, but considering the loss of their prime industry they all seemed positive about the future. A common topic was the passing, about an hour before, of the column of marines hauling the new mining machine which everyone knew Athena had made. Having such a hands – on leader was something of a revelation, but was definitely a great morale booster. Reassured herself, Lana headed back to the hanger as the sun began to set.