Large yellow letters, each at least a meter high, glowed up from the back of the cavern.
‘YOU LEAVE NOW.’
“Goodbye AI Ogma. Thank you.” Monika pulled the cable from the access port. She walked backward away from the central memory core, and then turned and walked toward the shuttle. She glanced side-to-side, but none of the Crocks paid her any attention.
Jerome’s anger swelled up again, but he did not say anything. He wanted to scream and yell and begin shooting. He glanced at Cammarry, and she had holstered her Willie Blaster. Her eyes, behind the bubble helmet looked away from him, but her mouth silently made the words, ‘Not now.’
“We are leaving,” Eris said with as much command in her voice as she could muster up. “Everyone get inside the shuttle.”
“Just like that?” Jerome asked. “Leaving that AI system intact?”
“Yes. Just like that,” Eris stated. “I do not want to stir-up a conflict under these conditions. Understand?” She motioned for Jerome to get inside first. He reluctantly complied.
The four people strapped themselves into the seats of the shuttle. The hatch sealed, and Eris tapped the thrusters. The internal gravity manipulation of the shuttle switched on, and each person then shut down their own suit’s individual gravity controls.
Eris flew the shuttle out of the twisting cavern system as quickly as she could manage, keeping the maneuvers safe. No one spoke a word. Eris was praying for guidance, and for safety. She had calculated the number of Crock individuals present, and knew that there were more in the surrounding area. She had also surveyed the skills that were used in the disassembly of the hull sections, and other wreckage around AI Ogma’s central memory core. The inability to rescue the AI grieved her deeply, but there was a slight mitigation of that due to the fact that AI Ogma was not dead. She recognized the technical skills needed to repair a severely damaged central memory core, while preserving its artificial intelligence. Grudgingly, she respected the mechanical abilities of the Crocks, but also saw that their own technology was at about one-hundred-seventy years behind her own. At least, where hers was when she entered suspended animation just prior to launch. The Crock’s quad rail system was a rough equivalent of steam engine trains, but she knew it ran on a totally alien method of propulsion. However, it looked to serve the same basic purpose. Equivalent function, but vastly different details on how to achieve that function. Eris wondered about the threat level the Crocks posed. She saw nothing that suggested to her they could manipulate gravity, despite Jerome’s insistence of their being the cause of Beta’s gravity sink holes. However, her engineering mind told her, she had only witnessed a small slice of their abilities, and who knew what they had hidden away somewhere. ‘What would a stranger think seeing a biome of the Conestoga, but not the needle ship?’ Eris asked herself. Yet here, the Crocks had not attacked them, even though it would have been easy to do so. Eris prayed silently again for guidance and discernment.
Jerome’s anger was boiling. He clenched and unclenched his fists rhythmically. It did little to assuage his rage. His emotions were in conflict, partly from his own inability to do anything short of starting some maniacal suicidal act, and partly from his frustration at not know what really was happening. He feared that the AI Ogma had compromised all the safety of the Conestoga, yet he was unsure. The Crocks had the perfect opportunity to kill them all, but did not. ‘Why? What is their plan? Why let us escape, when they destroyed Beta?’ Anger and confusion masked over some real fear, yet Jerome did not address that fear. Fear brought back memories. He vividly recalled how he had seen Cammarry dragged off by the white automacubes. The memory of Cammarry blasting at the mechanical systems in Beta’s Terraforming unit, and the subsequent nightmarish explosions and destruction haunted his mind.
Cammarry was relieved that Jerome’s anger had not spiraled into violence. She too had been tempted to fight, yet that had not worked out so well in the past. The old woman, the systems in Terraforming, and then her own going off alone. She rubbed her arm where the Shadow implant had been located, and then realized she was rubbing a spacesuit, and could not feel her actual arm. ‘Why did I do that?’ She thought again about Jerome’s restraint, and was surprised, but pleased. Then her mind wandered to what the Crocks had said. They were impressed with Monika, but because of some primitive pregnancy issue? That was just strange, but they were aliens. Although she did not know the full story, she wondered what Monika had recovered through the cable connection with AI Ogma. ‘I should have been able to have that analysis done immediately.’ She ground her teeth a bit as she thought about Sandie, and how much processing should have taken place, but did not. ‘No Sandie connection, and not even some basic data sticks to make recordings. No story, except my memories.’ Her own frustrations whirled about in her thoughts. ‘At least I am not being carried away as a prisoner, this time.’
Monika kept looking at the light which was flashing ‘full’ inside her bubble helmet. That gauge was reading her suit’s information retention storage capability. It surprised her that AI Ogma had transmitted so much information. The AI had just dumped massive amounts of stuff into her suit, so much so, that no other data could be entered. She wondered what all that would show, but more than that, she went over in her mind how AI Ogma had spoken about her and her twins. AI Ogma had hinted the babies were thinking right now. ‘How did the AI know that? What are they thinking about? Do they know I am here carrying them?’ And then Monika recalled it was not so much the AI Ogma, but the strange alien life forms which had indicated that she and her babies had some exceptional connection which gave them some special status. ‘How did those Crocks know that? What does this all mean?”
Finally, as the shuttle left the cavern system, they emerged into the environment which was just starting to become lit by a coppery color glow on a horizon. The bright red sun of the solar system was trying to pierce the dense yellows and greens of the gases in Zalia’s atmosphere. Here at this latitude the sun’s morning affects were not yet powerful enough to reach the ground, but did cast an eerie glow across everything. The strange foliage took on odd colors, and shadows were everywhere. It its own way, dawn on Zalia was every bit as inscrutable, and perplexing, as were the beings which lived on the planet, the Crocks. Several of the large floating creatures scurried away from the flightpath of the shuttle.
Eris spoke. “Well, we are out of there. Now to Delta.”
“Can you hear me now?” Sandie’s voice rang through all four spacesuits. “I have been trying to reach you since the shuttle’s entire telemetry went blank. What happened?”
All four people began to speak at once. Sandie shifted the communications links to private channels and listened to each one separately, yet at the same time. Monika asked Sandie to remotely assess the information gained from AI Ogma. Sandie accessed that cache of data.
After the debriefings, Sandie opened the channels again so everyone could converse. There was little discussion.
“It will take me some time to fully evaluate this information transferred from artificial intelligence Ogma,” Sandie stated. “It is not typical log entries in the form of what I have previously seen on the Conestoga. There are unusual findings and encryptions which I need to unlock.”
The shuttle flew onward in the increasing light of the Zalian day. Colors were changing from coppery, shadowy taupe shades, to the yellows, greens, and chartreuse tints the humans were more familiar with.
7 Wreckage
Eris flew the shuttle along the pathway until they reached the wreckage of Delta. The blues and grays of the permalloy stood out against the background of Zalia, but the shattered parts were starkly jagged. The crashed habitat was in worse condition than they expected. The three major sections of wreckage looked like they had first perhaps burned internally, prior to being ripped apart by some massive explosive forces, then smashed to the ground. Permalloy was melted, torn, shredded, and scorched. The wreckages was scattered about a wide area.
The first section of wreckage was totally void of any functioning technology. Heaps of irregularly serrated edges spoke of immense strain and tearing.
“It reminds me of the ribs of some long dead deer, which scavengers have not fully ripped apart,” Monika related as the shuttle flew over. “Just a bare husk of what was once a grand design. Skeletons of technology.”
“I have been seeking that signal from SB Virginia Dare, but have gotten no responses. The chunk of ruins below us are the same temperature as the surrounding area. No energy signatures at all,” Eris said. “We will head to the next large section. I think I might need to be in the direct path of those transmissions to receive them, which is odd, being we are so close to the source.”
“We have picked up nothing here on the needle ship either,” Sandie related.
“Those signals might have been a Crock trap,” Jerome commented. “A lure as bait to get us to come down here.”
“They just had us surrounded, and let us escape,” Cammarry retorted with a snort of air. “Some trap.”
“They may have assessed our weapons, and known we would fight back,” Jerome said. “If their numbers could not overcome our superior technology, it would have been tactically relevant to release us.”
Cammarry snorted again, and there was a slight chuckle from one of the other women, Jerome was unsure which one.
The second wreckage section was not even as intact as the first. It was more of a flattened, smashed and crumped pile of broken habitat. It had plowed up a massive furrow in the Zalian ground, and some parts were undoubtedly deeply buried. No energy signatures, or signs of functional technology were seen at this sight either. The shuttle circled around, but at first there was not much else to see. Just the bizarre foreign landscape of Zalia, the details of which were growing more visible as the red sun rose over the destroyed ruins of part of Habitat Delta.
“There is a quad rail system down there,” Cammarry noted. “That may be where they recovered that other artificial intelligence system.”
Eris circled the shuttle lower, and indeed there was an excavation site, where something had been dug from deep in the ground.
“Looks like archaeology digs I have seen of ancient sites on Earth. People once had time to look at artifacts of the past to learn the people’s and societies’ histories and stories.” Cammarry’s voice held a tone of reverence.
“Military planners have long known the advantages of gathering intelligence on your enemy. Know yourself, know the enemy, and a thousand battles, will mean a thousand victories,” Jerome stated.
“Yes, the Crocks did recover and repair, AI Ogma,” Eris said with sorrow. “Having an AI on the needle ship would be so helpful.”
They flew on, and came to the final wreckage section. It was resting on the end of the habitat, with a goodly portion still in a rough cylindrical shape jutting up a fair distance from the ground. Here, somewhat more of the original shape of the habitat was visible, but damage was still everywhere.
“Delta needs extraction,” SB Virginia Dare’s voice suddenly echoed in their ears.
“Well, I found the signal.” Eris adjusted the shuttle’s flight to allow it to stay in the narrow beam of the signal.
“SB Virginia Dare, report your status,” Eris commanded. “How are you?”
“Your inquiries have been submitted to those at the library. Delta needs extraction,” SB Virginia Dare replied. “Delta needs extraction.”
“Understood,” Eris answered. Then she stopped transmitting. She studied her instruments carefully. “Rotten luck!” The display on the cockpit showed where the signal was originating. “Under that rubble is where SB Virginia Dare is located. Deep, deep under that mound of junk. Sandie can you calculate how deeply buried down that system’s central memory core is?”
“Yes,” Sandie replied. “The location is precisely plotted, but making a route to that location is problematic. It appears to be covered over by about two hundred meters of debris. Scans shows some pockets of open spaces, but I cannot detect what exists in those spaces. There has been significant compression of internal constructions and superstructures. There is a, shall I call it a shaft, roughly consistent in configuration with that of a Conestoga companionway, which is gas filled, but what gases it contains is unknown.”
“Most companionways do have bulkhead doors at intervals. If something was to survive, those spots are hardened and tough. The location of SB Virginia Dare’s central memory core would be near a companionway.” Eris looked closely at the display’s reading. “There is a working directional transmitter on that outer section of that hull, which SB Virginia Dare has accessed. It is a miracle that the transmitter survived the crash, but its ability to rotate or redirect is defunct. That explains, in part, why we had so much trouble connecting from the needle ship. It can only transmit in one beam, in one direction. It begins as a tight beam here, but then widens out in a cone. SB Virginia Dare has apparently broadened that beam enough to hit the needle ship, but it dilutes out and makes the signal weak. It barely gets through the atmosphere. I am not sure at all how SB Virginia Dare is receiving our transmissions. Must be some working equipment in that mess somewhere.”
The shuttle circled around as they all looked down at the wrecked remains of Delta.
“Sandie said there were shuttles, and a hanger bay,” Cammarry stated. “I see nothing like that, but I can only see the exterior, and the entire wreckage is hard to make sense about. Is that upright, over there, the arc-like structure a part of the biome’s interior wall?”
“Yes, note the coloration is different. But that section there,” Eris pointed to a part of the wreck that was on the display, “is where Menlo 820 is located. I know it looks like just more of the same twisted, broken, and warped permalloy, but I promise you, that was once a hanger bay’s exterior door frame. It is offset by about a forty-degree obtuse angle. The door is mostly gone, but that upper section is marked by the characteristic yellow stripes.”
“Sandie?” Jerome asked with some incredulity. “You said there were operational shuttles inside that? I am reminded that those who have experienced shipwrecks shudder even at the sight of calm seas. That wreckage is hardly a calm sea.”
Sandie answered, “Yes, the wreckage is extensive. The nonphysicality showed there are five intact shuttles. I can understand your reluctance, as the condition is worse than I expected as well. However, the location in the nonphysicality does correspond to the distance from SB Virginia Dare, and where Eris has conjectured the hanger bay to be located.”
“Well, we go after those shuttles,” Jerome said. His mind was racing with the potentials of having better technology. “There is a relatively flat section not far from that opening to that hanger bay. Just set this shuttle down there, and we can walk in.”
“Will that spot hold the weight of this shuttle?” Monika asked Eris. She had been looking at the debris with a dubious visage. Zalia was so foreign to her, and yet she was handling the sights maturely. Her mind was racing with memories of Beta, and how her last sights of that habitat had been of its failing. Still she concentrated and offered helpful insights. “Captain Eris, you are an excellent pilot, but will that platform just collapse under the shuttle’s weight?”
“Not worth the risk,” Eris replied. “I want SB Virginia Dare’s central memory core, badly, but to land there would not be worth it. That crumbled mess is far too unstable to support us. Especially with the heavy gravity of Zalia. If we land on the ground, that is a nasty climb up to that location, even with the help of our spacesuits.”
“I could pilot this shuttle,” Monika suggested. “Hovering is not difficult, and dropping lines down to that spot should be easy. You could do your searches on foot, and the three of you could check on the shuttles, and see if it is even possible to fly any of them out. Judging from this distance, I cannot estimate the size of the opening where those doors are, but I do not think flying this shuttle into there, without knowing what is inside is a go
od idea. You three check it out, and if getting them out is not feasible, you three come back to the cables, and climb back into this shuttle and off we go.”
“Very good, Monika.” Eris smiled, then she said, “A jolly good idea! Just one small correction.” She offered a silent prayer for her own safety as she decided she was going into the wreckage. “I will go alone and see what is possible. There is what looked to be that companionway, that shaft and there might be some other crawlspace, or passageway to reach that central memory core. Unless it is impossible to extract, I want to get it. But first I will check on the shuttles. If any of those have a clear passage out, I will let the others come and get them.”
“You will not go alone,” Jerome said. “That is too risky.” He looked through the bubble helmet at Cammarry and spoke, “Bad things happen when someone goes off alone. No one should go alone, not anywhere. Too many bad things can happen.”
“I will be fine, and no reason to risk all three of us. You two stay here and assist Monika,” Eris replied. “Monika, take over the controls.” Eris unhooked her restraints and stood up.
“No,” Monika answered. “I agree with Jerome. You should not go alone. Besides, I do not need supervision. You taught me enough to hover a shuttle. As roustabouts, we listened to Jenna, our leader, but she also listened to us. Eris, you are too important to risk going alone.”
The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books Page 161