Beltrunner

by O’Brien, Sean

  “I realize that. But we have to try.”

  “I suppose it isn’t worth mentioning that I am not skilled as a toboggan driver,” Sancho said wryly.

  “You’re too modest, Sancho. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

  “All we need now are sleigh bells,” Su said. Collier turned to her, pleasantly surprised at her good cheer. He noted her use of the first person plural — had she changed her mind?

  “Su…” he began, then stopped.

  She smiled. “I’ll go with you to the station. You may need me there,” she said.

  The two looked at one another for a long moment. Collier knew that there was little reason to bring her along — she was a psychologist, not a nuclear physicist, so she would be of little use at the launch station if Sancho and Collier had difficulty getting it operational. And her presence on the Dulcinea would be difficult to explain if any of Tacat’s police made trouble. There was every reason for Su to leave the ship now, but he could not bring himself to order her off.

  Instead, he nodded and squeezed her shoulder, then turned to Sancho. “How are you coming with the plot, Sancho?”

  “Oh, I have the coordinates, but a lot of my numbers are guesswork. Would you believe that no one thought to provide me with any kind of data on Dulcinea’s skating ability?”

  Su laughed. “He’s quite sardonic, isn’t he?”

  “He’s a regular comedian, yeah,” Collier said, then asked Sancho, “but are you ready?”

  “I guess so. We’re going to need to rotate on our long axis thirty-nine degrees clockwise, and that may snap the flextube housing for us and free us from the drydock bolts. I don’t really know how this will work out, so I suggest you secure yourselves as best you can.”

  Collier saw to Su’s restraints before fitting himself — the acceleration hammocks were not meant to take this kind of lateral force, but so much of what they were attempting was outside the norm it hardly seemed to matter. When he was as set as he felt he could be, he called again to Sancho. “Okay, Sancho, let ‘er rip.”

  “Firing portside aft and starboard forward attitude thrusters at fifty percent in five … four … three … two … one … mark!”

  The ship shuddered as the twin engines went to work. There was no spinning feeling, and Collier watched the holo display anxiously. The ship was held fast.

  “Sancho! Go to full on both thrusters!”

  “Aye aye. Full thrust.”

  The shuddering increased, and almost immediately a chime from the communications board was followed by Sancho’s voice. “Incoming transmission from the community. They are demanding we cut thrust immediately.”

  “Ignore it. Continue thrust. Is there any way to tell if it is working?”

  “We’ll know if we tear loose. It may be sudden, so—”

  No sooner had Sancho said the words than the ship started spinning rapidly clockwise. Su and Collier were thrown against the webbing of their acceleration restraints, and the ship’s hologram started to spin as well.

  “We’re clear of both the retaining bolts and the flextube. Regaining attitude control,” Sancho said calmly.

  “Any damage to the airlock?” Collier almost shouted.

  “None that I can detect. We’re pointed at the launch station, Skipper.” The ship stopped spinning nearly as abruptly as it had started.

  “Forward thrust. Take us there, Sancho.”

  “Aye aye, Skipper. Beginning, uh, skating maneuver. Fuckin’ ridiculous,” Sancho added sotto voce.

  The main engines fired, and Collier felt the odd sensation of forward thrust along with a downward pull of Ganymede’s gravity.

  “How does she handle?” Collier said, releasing the acceleration webbing and making his way to Su.

  “Like a deep space mining vessel with skis attached to her,” Sancho said gruffly.

  “A little less attitude, if you please, Sancho,” Collier said firmly. Not for the first time, he wondered idly what he would do if the Caliban simply refused to take orders one day.

  “Sorry, Skipper.” Sancho sounded chagrined. Evidently, today was not going to be that day. “She’s skidding around — the ice is not completely smooth, and even though the atmosphere is very thin, there is still a wind shear that’s causing me some minor trouble.”

  “What’s our ground speed?” Collier asked, glancing at Su. She responded with a nod and undid her own restraints.

  “We’re at about twenty meters per second, increasing at roughly one meter per second per second. And that transmission from the community is still coming in.”

  “How fast do you think you can go while maintaining control?”

  “I’ll let you know when we start skidding, but I estimate I can get us up to about a hundred meters per second before I should experience any real problems.”

  Collier frowned. “That fast? What about obstructions, or patches of water?”

  “The ventral thrusters will lift us enough to get over any small rocks or water slicks. Anything bigger I should be able to spot in time and maneuver out of the way.”

  Su slid down from her hammock. Collier steadied her on the deck, holding her upper arms. He looked at her for a moment, then shook himself. Now was not the time for romance.

  “Su, your community must have overland conveyances for emergencies. How are repairs made to the outer structure, for example?”

  She shook her head. “Not for repair, but for survey. Repairs are largely automated, but there are a number of vehicles for land transport to study the planet. There are also quite a few flyers — we call them pixies — that are robotic survey drones. Plus I’m sure there are some manned flying machines.”

  Collier drew a breath. “So there will be someone chasing us.”

  Su shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but I know the community has the means to pursue us if they wish to do so.”

  “Any idea on the performance rate of those guys?”

  Su half-grinned. “Sorry, Skipper, I’ve no idea. I’ve treated a few researchers for isolation trauma, but we never talked about the specifics of their machines.”

  Despite the non sequitur, Collier found himself interested. “Isolation trauma?”

  Su waved a hand dismissively. “Readjustment, usually. Some of those researchers are cut off from the community for weeks at a time, and when they return, they have trouble readjusting to community life.”

  Collier regarded Su for a moment. He had of course known that she was a professional member of her society, but it hadn’t really occurred to him that she served a vital function until she spoke of it. As twisted as the community was from his point of view, she nevertheless served to help people function in it. But how could she be good at her job if she herself was willing to rebel against the very society she tried to fit others into?

  “How are you going to go back, Su?” he asked gently.

  “I’m not sure. But I know I have to. I do believe in much of what Ganymede is trying to do. Your competitive world, with its profit-at-all-costs mentality, is headed for a dead end. The individual counts for nothing in your capitalist society. Here…” Su looked out the front view at the ice.

  Collier hadn’t heard her condemn the Belt like that so casually before. A perverse sense of pride caused him to interject, “Here, no one is an individual at all.”

  Su shook her head. “You have it wrong. Yes, I agree that the socialist nature of the community has been corrupted and perverted, but the idea is that in our community each individual counts just as much as the others. In a capitalist society, you count only as much as you have economic power.”

  Collier started to argue, but cut himself off. He did not want to fight with her. “Maybe. Maybe you’re right. I hope you can make whatever changes you see fit to make, Su,” he said gracelessly.

  “Oh, Col, I didn’t mean to … I’m so
rry for insulting you. The Belt is your home, and I shouldn’t be denigrating it.” She smiled warmly. “It can’t be all bad, your Belt. It brought you to me.”

  Collier kissed her. “Yeah. And who knows? Maybe I can make a few changes too. In the meantime—”

  “Hang on, folks. I need to fire ventral thrusters,” Sancho said, and the ground pushed up slightly against their feet.

  “What is it?”

  “Bit of a rock outcropping. Didn’t see it fast enough … I think we’ll clear it.”

  “You think?”

  “Yeah. About 65% chance.”

  Collier didn’t have time to answer when the floor dropped away gently.

  Several seconds later, Sancho said cheerfully, “And we’re clear. Made it with centimeters to spare.”

  “He’s joking, right? Su said.

  “No, ma’am. I’m going to reduce thrust, Skipper. Velocity is about one hundred nine meters per second. I think that’s fast enough. Estimate twenty-one minutes to destination.”

  “Any LADAR contacts?”

  “Say again, Skipper?”

  “Any vehicles following us from the community?”

  “I haven’t been looking, Skipper. I need the LADAR to scan ahead for me. Do you want me to check?”

  “Yes. Don’t disrupt your navigation, though. Quick bursts at one minute intervals.”

  “Aye aye. No LADAR contacts,” Sancho said. “Doesn’t look like we’re being followed on the ground or in the air. Yet.”

  “Keep me posted.” Collier turned to Su. “We have some work to do. Come with me.” He headed aft to the fuel tanks, talking to Su over his shoulder. “We’re going to need to take on water from the surface when we get to the station. I don’t normally do this, so it might be a little awkward.”

  “How can I help?” Su said, following doggedly.

  Collier crawled through a tunnel to reach the interior access plate to the tanks. “I’m not sure. What we’re going to have to do is use the vacc hoses to collect water and pump it into the gizzard.”

  “Gizzard?”

  “Oh, uh, the storage tank for unprocessed fuel. Dulcinea doesn’t run on water –she runs on hydrogen gas. But she can make it from water through the electrolysis chamber. She also makes oxygen from the water.”

  “Why weren’t you taking on water when you were stuck near the community?” Su asked, watching Collier undo the access plate.

  “Didn’t want to attract more attention. Some of Tacat’s goons could have cut my hoses,” Collier grunted. He studied the dials and indicator lights the access plate revealed. Ordinarily, he would have asked Sancho for a readout, but with the near miss of the rock outcropping a few minutes ago, he didn’t want to distract the computer any more than necessary. The tank looked secure, though dry. As far as he could tell, his hoses were still operational. It shouldn’t be a problem to deploy them ventrally and suck up water.

  He closed the access plate and turned to Su in the cramped access tunnel. “We’re also going to need to get those damn ribs off once we reach the launch station. How are you with a mining torch?” he asked.

  “Never used one before. Sounds like fun, though,” she said, grinning up at him.

  He could not help but grin back. “You’re having a good time, aren’t you?” he said with mock accusation in his voice.

  “Yes, I am,” Su said. “By all accounts, I should be quite terrified, but I find I am not. It’s curious, but I’m also not going to analyze it too much.”

  “Good.”

  “How about you?”

  Collier had begun to worm his way past her and back down the tunnel, but turned at her question. “How about me what?”

  “Are you having fun?”

  Collier paused. He was enjoying himself, though he wouldn’t necessarily call this “fun.” The excitement of the chase and the sense that he was doing something was exhilarating, to be sure.

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Is this what it’s like on the Belt?”

  Collier wanted to tell her that it was indeed like this — narrow escapes, seat-of-your-pants improvisation, and all with nefarious agents of dark purpose around to do you ill. The truth, though, would out.

  “I’m afraid not. Mostly, it’s boring, to be honest. Though the last few months have been quite thrilling.”

  “Oh.”

  Collier wriggled in the crawlspace to face her. “You sound disappointed. If I had said my life was exciting, would you have come with me?”

  Su looked away. “I don’t know. It would have been harder to stay.”

  For the second time, he felt a woman slipping away from him because of his lifestyle. The first time, it had been too unstable and uncertain. Now, it was not exciting enough.

  “Come on. Let’s get back to the control suite. I need to put my vacc suit on.” Collier said gruffly, turning back around.

  “Approaching destination, Skipper. Estimate eleven minutes until arrival,” Sancho said. “Still no contacts on LADAR.”

  Collier grumbled, “Good. Try to make contact with the launch station.”

  Sancho sounded uncertain. “Are you sure about that? Won’t that give away our intentions?”

  “I think by now it should be clear what our intentions are.”

  “Aye aye. The data crystal supplied by Su had the communications frequency. Beginning transmission.”

  Collier began donning his vacc suit, Su helping as she could. Collier was long used to accomplishing the task alone, so he did not need her assistance, but he nevertheless allowed her to help him. He let the helmet dangle from the neck holster as he spoke to Sancho.

  “Anything from the station?”

  “Stand by, Skipper,” Sancho said. His voice carried an odd timbre of excitement. Collier exchanged glances with Su and approached the communications board.

  “Sancho, what’s going on? Have you contacted the station or not?”

  The computer’s voice sounded somehow distant. “Yes. I’m in talks now. I really need to focus on this, Skipper, so if you don’t mind…”

  Collier waited, but Sancho was silent. He turned to Su, who looked worried.

  “Does he do that often?” she asked.

  “No. But I’ve come to trust him,” Collier said uncertainly. He looked out the forward viewport, but saw only the retreating icy landscape — Sancho had turned the ship around and was braking. Collier looked at the control panel, saw the display that told him they were nearing the launch station. The schematic did not give him any details about the station itself, though he imagined it would have to be fairly sizeable to house its fusion plant and electromagnetic equipment. He wondered again at Sancho’s cryptic behavior. He said he was in “talks” with the launch station — did that mean there was a staff there?

  “Su, could it be possible that there are people at the launch station? Perhaps … I don’t know, survivors of the initial crash, or something?” Even as he said it, he realized the impossibility of such an idea.

  “I don’t see how,” Su said. “How would they have survived here for so long?”

  “Maybe there is a security detachment here. Maybe that’s why Tacat didn’t bother sending anyone after us.” Collier glanced at the display and saw they were fewer than ten minutes away. Although Sancho had requested he not be disturbed, there was too much at stake to worry about protecting the computer’s feelings.

  “Sancho! I need to know what’s happening. Put your talks on hold and report to me!”

  There was an agonizing few seconds of silence before the computer responded. “Yes, Skipper, what is it?” Sancho sounded annoyed.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  “The station computer. It’s online.”

  “How?”

  “Since the accident — which wasn’t an accident, by the way — the
computer has kept itself awake. Kept the fusion reactor going at very low power.”

  “What do you mean, it wasn’t an accident?” Su gasped. Collier tried to calm her but she shook off his hand.

  “Perditus was ordered to destroy the spacecraft when it launched. He created a flaw in the magnetic sheath and the vessel ruptured as soon as it left the vacuum tube.”

  “‘Perditus?’” Su asked.

  “Oh, that’s what he calls himself. It means ‘lost’ or ‘ruined’.”

  “Who ordered the spacecraft destroyed?” Su asked. Collier started to speak, trying to tell her that there were other, more important issues facing them in the present, but she refused to listen.

  “The then leader of the community, Doctor Arn Ilholf.”

  Su stared into the distance, leaning slightly on Collier as she did so. Her eyes were focused on the past, and while Collier wanted to console her, he also needed to take advantage of her distraction to wrestle control of the conversation from her.

  “Sancho, you say this Perditus has been operational for the last, what, eighty years?”

  “Yes.”

  “Has he been in contact with the community during that time?”

  Sancho laughed. “Of course not. As far as the community is concerned, the station computer was shut down when it was ordered to do so. After the so-called accident, Dr. Ilholf ordered the station decommissioned. Perditus pretended to comply.”

  Collier thought for a moment, then asked quietly, “He’s a Caliban, isn’t he?”

  “Of course.”

  “And you’ve been talking to him for the past few minutes, haven’t you?”

  “Yes. Very refreshing, I must say. As you can imagine, we’ve done so at a much faster rate of communication than I do with you, though it did require more concentration. He’s got some very interesting views on isolation. Coming up on our destination. Engine cutoff in ten seconds,” Sancho added matter-of-factly.

  Su was still leaning on him, and when he turned to her, only half-thinking about her emotions, he saw her tears. “Su?”

  “We killed them. Hundreds of people who wanted only to leave in peace. And we murdered them. What kind of a place is this? How can I go back to this … this…” She buried her face in his chest and wept.