“I wouldn’t lie to you, Governor.”
“No,” he said. “I don’t guess you would.” He was silent for a moment. “Thank you. I appreciate your telling me.”
“I’d be grateful if you said nothing about it.”
“I won’t,” he said. “Unless I see a need. In any case, you’ll be protected. I’ll see to that.”
* * *
SO FAR, FOURTEEN monuments had been found. This one was unique because it was the only one that was arguably a self-portrait. The creature’s hands, each with six digits, reached for Saturn. That this was what the sculptor had looked like was established when the Steinitz expedition matched the prints on the ground with the statue’s feet.
“Governor,” said Devlin, “if you can move over a bit more and look up at the head, I’d like to get some more shots.”
McGruder waved him off. “We have plenty of time to take pictures, Al. Let it go for now.” He turned back to the monument. “It’s magnificent,” he said.
Priscilla looked away from the figure, out across the plain, frozen and white and scarred with a few small craters. The landscape ascended gradually toward a series of ridges, outlined in the pale light of the giant world. Saturn’s rings were tilted forward, a brilliant panorama of greens and blues, sliced off sharply by the planetary shadow.
Saturn was just above the hills. It would still be there when another twenty thousand years had passed, and Priscilla’s distant descendants were standing out here. She wondered where mankind would be then. Spread across the stars? Or would everybody instead be hanging out back on the home world watching talk shows? And maybe laughing at people who claimed we’d once walked on the Moon.
* * *
THEY WERE STILL taking pictures when Michael pressed a hand to his ear, listening to something. He nodded a couple of times. Then she heard his voice: “Governor, we’re being ordered home. Immediately.”
McGruder turned and stared at the agent. “Why?” he demanded.
“There’s a threat.”
“How the hell can anybody threaten us out here?”
“Not here, sir. Apparently there’s a credible threat to destroy the Wheel. They want us to start back without delay. To go directly to Reagan. They’re evacuating the space station.”
“Okay,” said Vesta, “let’s move.”
McGruder laughed. “Hold on. We come all the way out to Saturn, and we get ten minutes? Let’s just relax. I’m not finished yet.”
Priscilla’s link chimed. Yoshie’s voice: “Priscilla, we’re evacuating the Wheel. Bomb threat. We need the Thompson to help. Please get back here as quickly as you can. But take your passengers to Reagan first. Make all possible haste.” The message was, of course, already well over an hour old.
She acknowledged, then switched back to Michael. “You have any details?”
“Negative, Priscilla.”
“Okay,” she said. “Governor, I guess we’re ready when you are.”
* * *
THE MILES CONOVER SHOW
(The Science Channel—Guest: Howard Broderick)
MILES: Howard, what is your response to this latest threat?
HOWARD: I don’t see that we have a reasonable option, Miles. You’re not suggesting, I hope, that we should give in to these lunatics?
MILES: Bear with me, but I don’t see what’s so important about a terraforming operation light-years away that we should be willing to risk so much for it. Marcus Barnes was on the show yesterday, and he maintains that we’re only a few years away from developing the technology to do this without harming anything.
HOWARD: You’re suggesting we just shut everything down? That we cave in to these nut jobs? Do you have any idea what that will do to the colonists who are already planning to move out and claim these worlds for humanity? Or what it would cost? And if we were to do that, and the next time somebody got upset about some corporate or government policy, do they just threaten to blow up the Wheel to get their way? Is that the kind of precedent you want to set?
IVY: Mr. Broderick, I can’t help noticing you’re not on the Wheel today.
HOWARD: That’s correct, Ivy. I’m attending a Seattle convention, where I am the guest of honor. Consequently, as much as I would have liked to remain up there, I had no choice. I do not think, in any case, there’s any real danger. Security on the space station is solid. I’m not worried, and I expect to be returning as soon as the convention is over. If you’d like, Kosmik would be happy to have you come up and join us for a few days. At our expense.
Chapter 51
EMOTIONS WERE MIXED as the Venture left Orfano. Samantha sat with Jake on the bridge, watching the fading image of the dark planet on the auxiliary screen. A sad smile played on her lips. “Can’t believe it,” she said. “An intelligent life-form unlike anything we’ve seen. And we’re leaving it behind.”
“It’s the right call,” said Jake.
“I know. Thing like that: We don’t know how much patience it has. I didn’t want to push it. And when we get home, nobody’s going to buy the story.”
“Will you come back again at some point?”
“I’d like to say no. But I don’t see how we can avoid it in the long run. Eventually, there’ll have to be another mission. I’m just not comfortable with the idea.”
“You know what makes no sense?” said Jake. “Something alone like that for possibly millions of years. You’d think it would welcome some company.”
“I suppose,” she said. “Though I guess we shouldn’t expect much in the way of social skills.”
When Jake announced they were five minutes from entering Barber space, he heard Denise whisper a soft good-bye. Tony broke out his violin and played a few mournful notes. Everyone laughed, but the laughter was artificial.
Then the stars were gone.
* * *
THE MOOD DURING the flight home was different from what it had been on the way out. The casual conversations about politics and science went away, the general lightheartedness was not to be found. They had succeeded, at least in their own minds, in establishing the existence of a sentient being. Or beings. And they’d even made contact, after a fashion. But, as Mary put it, “Who would have thought we could have done all that and still failed?”
The presence on that world became the sole topic of conversation. Where does it get its energy? What would it have done if we’d stayed? Obviously, it was empathetic, but did it have any curiosity at all about us? Was it there when Orfano was torn away from its sun? Was the superdense object a remnant of that event?
“We’ve always assumed,” said Denise, “that if a living world got expelled from the planetary system, everything would die. But here’s a possible exception. And if it was there at the time, what must it have been like watching the sun grow smaller and dimmer every day?”
“It probably doesn’t have eyes,” said Tony. “Maybe it just felt the cold coming on.”
That led to a discussion of senses.
And so it went.
* * *
BY MORNING, THE shock of the experience had, to a degree, worn off. They still talked about nothing else, but the conversation took a lighter tone. Since the presence had responded to Jake’s projections, Samantha argued, communication seemed possible. “Maybe we could get it to say hello. And eventually get answers to some of these questions.”
“Like how long it had been there?” asked Jake.
“Or,” said Tony, “how it brought the lander down.”
“That would be easy enough to explain,” said Mary, “if we really are talking about a sentient atmosphere. A thing like that could lift pretty much anything it wanted.”
Denise smiled. “Do you think it could tell us how long it had been there?”
“Sure,” said Samantha. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. How would i
t measure time?”
Tony had an answer for that one: “Maybe by counting Orfano’s rotations.”
“You think,” said Mary, “it’s been counting?”
“I’m kidding. But it might be aware of changes in the positions of stars.”
“Whatever,” said Jake, “it doesn’t seem as if it would have much else to do.”
“Except reshape mountains.” Denise frowned. “I feel sorry for it.” Nobody responded, so she continued: “We should give it a name.”
“The Omnivore,” said Brandon.
Samantha shook her head. “I don’t think we should use anything that has ‘the’ in front of it. That makes it sound like a monster.”
Tony laughed. “How about Herman?”
“Is it a male?” asked Mary.
“That’s a point,” said Samantha. “We need something sexually neutral.”
Brandon grinned. “Windy.”
* * *
THEY’D BE MAKING their jump into the solar system a couple hours before midnight.
As the time approached, Samantha came onto the bridge and looked down at the right-hand seat. “Mind?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Jake, I just wanted to say thanks. This has been an odd mission, the goofiest I’ve ever been on. We’ve got some major questions remaining. But we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without you.”
“I was glad to help,” he said. “Truth is, I wouldn’t have missed it. Orfano’s been a whole new experience for me.”
The others were in the passenger cabin, belting down.
“Two minutes,” said Lily.
“Are you going back to Virginia?” Samantha asked.
“I don’t know.”
“We’d like to have you at the Academy. This discovery will bring in some extra funding. I expect we’ll be expanding our operations. If that happens, we’re going to be looking for another pilot.”
“I appreciate the offer, Samantha. Let me know if it develops, okay? And let’s see how it goes.”
The engines began to pick up, signaling that the transition to normal space was beginning. Gradually, the mist swirling around the ship faded, and stars broke through. And the Moon and Earth.
* * *
“JAKE,” SAID LILY, “we are approximately six hundred thousand kilometers out. Estimated time to Union: twenty-two hours.”
Jake switched on the allcomm. “Okay, guys, we’re approaching the station at about twenty thousand kilometers per hour. We’re going to increase that a bit, but before we start, you have ten minutes to wander around. Then I’ll need you belted down again.” He opened a channel to the Wheel. “Ops,” he said, “this is Venture. We are insystem and on our way.”
There was laughter in the passenger cabin. And Tony started with his violin.
“Venture.” The response from the Wheel. “This is Ops. We have you logged in. Wait one. The chief of the watch wants to speak with you. Hold, please.”
Jake frowned, wondering what that was about.
Another voice took over, a baritone which he recognized. “Jake, this is Morgan. Do not approach the station. We want you to use your lander to take your passengers directly to the Reagan terminal. Stay away from the Wheel. When they’re safely down, come back to us. We’re under what the FBI is calling a viable threat. Someone is saying they’re going to destroy the station, and we’re taking it seriously. The Feds aren’t giving us many details. When your passengers are on the ground, we want you to come back and help with the evacuation. Over.”
“Roger that,” said Jake. “Terraforming again?”
He waited while the signal traveled to the station, and Morgan’s response came back. About fifteen seconds in all. “That’s what we’re hearing. They’re demanding Kosmik promise to stop.”
* * *
JAKE INFORMED HIS passengers, adjusted course, and began to accelerate. He talked to Reagan and set his arrival time, which would now be about thirteen hours. It would burn a lot of fuel, but that had become a minor consideration. Eventually, he was able to slip back into cruise. “You guys can go in and sack out now if you want,” he said. “See you in the morning.”
All but Samantha retired to their cabins. She was working on a project, or just reading. Jake wasn’t sure, but he stayed on the bridge. Everything remained quiet. He kept a feeder circuit open to the station, so he would know if something happened. Two hours after midnight, Yoshie called. “We’re still here,” she said, with a smile in her voice. “The people in charge are beginning to think it’s a false alarm. I hope they’re right.”
“So do I, Yoshie.”
Eventually, Jake fell asleep. Lily’s blinker woke him. “Incoming message,” she said. “It’s from Alicia Conner. Addressed to you. Do you know her?”
“Yes,” he said. His spirits rose. “I believe I’ve heard the name somewhere.”
He heard the click as Lily switched to the transmission. Then Alicia’s voice: “Jake. Glad you’re back. When you get a chance, let’s talk. Okay?”
Yes. By all means, Alicia. He closed his eyes and was still wearing a silly smile when Lily broke in again. “Got another one, Jake. From Lyda Bergen. Sounds as if the women are all very happy to have you back in town.”
“From who?”
“Lyda Bergen.”
“Who’s it addressed to, Lily?”
“Actually, just to Venture.”
He sighed. She was probably a reporter. “Okay. Let’s hear what Lyda has to say.”
Lily paused. Then, a scrambled voice, actually a series of voices, said, “Welcome, home, Venture. We, are, really, happy, to have you back, again.”
“That’s it,” said Lily.
It was unsettling: There were a lot of pauses, and the words were spoken by several different voices, both male and female. “Anything else?”
“That’s it.”
“Okay, Lily. Thanks.”
Crank transmission. He called Samantha. “Hate to bother you.”
“It’s okay, Jake. What is it?”
“Does the name Lyda Bergen ring any bells with you?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t know her. Why do you ask?”
“Captain,” said Lily.
“Yes?”
“Something strange is occurring.”
“How do you mean, strange?” He became suddenly aware that the ship was changing course. It was a gradual shift, barely noticeable. But it was happening nonetheless.
“I no longer have access to some circuits. I am most concerned over those that control navigation.”
Jake opened the allcomm. “Everybody wake up and belt down. Let me know when you’ve complied.”
Samantha again: “Jake, what’s going on?”
“Not sure,” he said. “The AI is experiencing a minor problem. Give me a minute.” They were beginning to accelerate. He heard a couple of yelps from the passenger cabin, and somebody crashed against a bulkhead. But they all checked in. He turned back to Lily: “You have any idea what’s going on?”
“No, Captain. But I think there is a connection with the message from Lyda. It may have contained a code of some sort.”
“Somebody screwed around with you, Lily.”
“Yes. I think that is exactly what happened. Somebody got into the software. A virus has been introduced, and I retain only partial control.”
“Where are we going?” The acceleration was increasing. He was pinned in his chair, barely able to move.
“I’m not sure. We have also executed a modest course change.”
“If present conditions hold, where would we go?”
“We would be headed for Pluto.”
Pluto was shorthand for leaving the Earth-Moon system. “Lily, get me Ops.”
He sat staring out at the distant Earth. And finally Ops
responded. “Go ahead, Venture.”
“Is Morgan available?”
Tony’s voice from the passenger cabin: “What’s going on, Jake?”
“Give me a couple of minutes, Tony. I’ll get back to you.”
Then Ops: “Morgan’s stepped away, Jake. This is Yoshie. What’s wrong?”
“The threat to destroy the station: Did you guys get any details?” When the answer came back, there was nothing that Jake hadn’t already heard. “Yoshie,” he said, “is there any information on the specific nature of the threat? Is it supposed to be a bomb?”
Another long wait. He could hear the voices in the passenger lounge. They were all unhappy.
Then Yoshie was back. “We don’t have anything specific, Jake. As far as I know, nobody actually mentioned a bomb.”
“Okay, Yoshie, thanks.” He went back to the allcomm: “We don’t know yet precisely what’s happened. Still trying to find out.”
“I might be able to help,” said Lily.
“Go ahead.”
“We are back on a course that could take us to the station. Although we would run out of fuel well before an arrival.”
“We’re talking about a collision.”
“Yes, if we keep moving at our present pace, we will be just past 220,000 kph when we exhaust our fuel. The appropriate way to control an impact would be to shut down the engines while some fuel remains, and have that available for any final course adjustment.”
Damn. Had he still been aboard the Baumbachner, he could dump the fuel. But the newer ships, like the Venture, had no such provision.
He stared out at the stars. “Lily,” he said, “we’re the bomb.”
* * *
THE MILES CONOVER SHOW
(The Science Channel—Guest: Biologist Janice Edward)
IVY: Janice, did you see the lost world story we now have from Samantha Campbell?
JANICE: Yes, I did. This is one that simply blows me away.
MILES: Why is that, Janice? I mean, even if they’re right, and there is something alive out there on—what is it?—Orfano, it’s not as if it’s the first time we’ve found life outside the solar system.
JANICE: Miles, this one, if it turns out to be true, flies in the face of everything we thought we knew about life. I mean, the place is brutally cold. There’s no sunlight and no water. If we weren’t hearing this from Samantha Campbell, I wouldn’t believe any part of it. And, of course, she admits the evidence they have will probably be seen by many as less than persuasive.
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