by Grey Lanter
“That’s my thought,” Ed said. “They did have a chance. We did see some animals on our sojourn north. Similar to polar bears and shaggy elk back on Earth. You could kill a few and use their pelts for protection. If you knew how to build igloos you might survive the winter. But they didn’t. They had no experience with long stretches of sub-zero weather. The cold was too much for them so they froze to death. But death waited for them to the south too. They chose this.”
“Very intriguing theory, Ed.”
“It’s the only that fits the few facts we have.” He shook his head. “They did their best to survive. But I’m guessing they were fleeing from a particularly ruthless predator. They preferred risking death by ice rather than face whatever it was.”
“Your theory does make some sense,” I said.
“And I think I can prove it.”
He flicked a switch to call one of the mother ships. A few second later Capt. Eskine Cambron responded. Cambron is head of the science division on the ship.
“I need a dead body,” Altamonte said.
“I beg your pardon?”
Cambron sounded incredulous and I couldn't say I blamed him.
“I need a dead body, or a reasonable facsimile of a dead person and I need it to give off heat, enough heat to attract our sensors and… Let's say, a predator.”
Cambron started to protest but Altamonte cut him off. “I have Major Ryvenbark here if you would like to check with him.”
“But…”
I walked over to the mic. “Captain, the doctor here needs a dead body. I think I know where he’s going. So see that he gets one.”
“Sir, how am I supposed to do that?”
“You're a scientist, do something… scientific.” I said.
I heard a long sigh.
“Yes, sir. I assume you want a dead body but without me actually having to kill someone.”
“Yes, exactly, a fake dead body. How long will it take to get one?”
“Give me a couple of days and I will see what I can come up with.”
“It’s a chance for you to be creative,” I said.
“Right, I will let you know when I have it, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Altamonte flashed me a big smile. “Isn't it fun giving orders?”
“Sometimes. But you have no idea of all the paperwork I have to deal with.”
I leaned back in my seat. “I read all your reports, Ed, so I think I know where you are going. But I don’t like it very much.”
“Neither do I, sir, but our likes and dislikes have nothing to do with the science. Or with guesses. We go where the evidence takes us, regardless of how we feel about it.”
“If your… theory is true, then this is not the place for any colonists.”
“I agree. It would be a huge mistake for the Federation to give the green light to any settlements here. When Cambron gets us the dead body we can prove it, one way or the other.”
That night Astrid and I sat inside headquarters. She raised her glass of wine and smiled at me.
“I must say I was wrong about the major. He has kept his skirt-chasing ways under control and has focused on the issue at hand. I didn’t think he could do it.”
“Give him a puzzle or a scientific mystery and he is something of a hound dog. He will get on the trail and keep on it until he discovers the answer. I figured he’d be diligent in his work.”
“I also have to admit he is pretty good. I read his reports too. It’s an interesting, if not unique, theory, and I hope he’s wrong.”
“So do I. I hope he’s very wrong, as wrong as possible. But we’ll have to wait and see. As Ed noted, our little experiment should reveal if the theory is correct or not. If it’s correct we’re leaving with all due speed after the experiment is completed.”
“And giving the Federation bad news,” she said.
“We’ll be giving them the truth which, in this case, is bad news. But it’s better than letting the colonists from Titus settle here. The truth is sometimes good and sometimes disconcerting. It may be the latter here but…” I shrugged my shoulders.
“How true,” Astrid said, taking another sip of her wine.
CHAPTER 8
The carcass had arms and legs and was a reasonable facsimile of a dead body. Our 'flyers' had scoured the land and found a site that held some odd markings and unique stone pillars. Which was just what we were looking for. A shuttle had brought the body and a squad surrounded the specified location. I hooked into a jetpack as two soldiers placed the body down. I ordered everyone back. I wanted at least twenty yards between us and the facsimile. Altamonte also slipped on a jetpack. We lifted off and hovered over the site.
“It's kind of a long shot,” he said, when we were fifteen feet above ground.
“Worth trying,” I said. “If nothing happens, all we've wasted is some time.”
A stillness settled over the land. Not a leaf rustled in the trees. Astrid and other squad members watched in silence. As solemn as a funeral service.
We had no idea how long we might have to wait, whether three minutes, three hours or three months. Our sentries would keep watch and be replaced every six hours. The Jardoval sun was out and burning brightly. Thankfully, our suits kept us cool.
Astrid hovered next to me, laser rifle in her hand.
“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?”
“Well, a commander is supposed to know everything and have every possible variation figured out. But to be honest, I have no idea. We could be here for weeks. Or months.”
“Good thing I brought a lunch,” she said.
We flew over to a ledge about a half-mile from the site and eased down behind it. Military people are used to action but there are times when you also must exercise patience. Which is never easy. In fact, it may be the hardest virtue to practice, but in battle you should never jump too fast. It can get you killed. In the military you need to know how to fight but you also need to know when to fight.
At the battle of Bunker Hill in the Revolutionary War, the American commander told his men, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes,” as the British marched toward them. No doubt the colonial marksmen were inclined to fire sooner. But the Revolutionary muskets were not too accurate. The commander gave good advice. History doesn’t tell us how many of the riflemen obeyed orders.
I slipped a cigar out of plastic and stuck it in my mouth. I flicked a lighter and moved the flames to the tobacco, thankful that smoking was no longer bad for humans. At one time it was, or so they tell me. Astrid took a flask of water and took a swig from it.
I miked my second in command, Captain Delroy Hobbs.
“Yes, sir, what’s up?” he said.
“Right now, nothing.”
“So can we take the day off?”
“Not yet. Assuming Major Altamonte is correct in his theory, start making preparations for immediate evacuation. Start packing things up but don’t pack anything we don’t need. I want to be out of here quickly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t send out any patrols today. Have all soldiers stay close to our camp so we can exit fast. Don’t bother with the tents. Just leave them where they are. Just keep the men close until we see what happens here.”
“Yes, sir. We can be off in minutes when you give the word.”
CHAPTER 9
Two hours later nothing had changed. Astrid has flown off and now walked with two other soldiers near the site. There was a preternatural silence in the area. A dead calm stretched over the land.
The rumbling came from below the surface. An odd noise, unlike any other I'd heard. A heavy, grating whirling sound, almost like a giant blender. The ground under the body churned. Sands, grass and weeds twisted, whipping violently in a counter-clockwise motion. A small funnel formed and stretched down into the ground, and the rumblings became louder. A crevice widened under the body and opened slowly at first, then with quickening speed.
The gr
ound split open, but instead of dirt, the gigantic maw came into sight. Huge teeth on each wall of dirt. The body slipped down, and the maw closed.
“I thought so,” Altamonte said. “If we-”
The next second the ground shook so violently it knocked three soldiers off their feet. Other spots of ground began churning.
“Get back! Get back!” I yelled.
I roared into the air, laser rifle in hand and flew toward the scene. The squad ran toward the trees. Two dodged and fired into holes now gleaming with organic molars.
In a split-second, the earth opened and swallowed Astrid. I zoomed toward her.
She landed on one wall of molars and planted her feet on one blunt tooth. As the other wall advanced toward her, yellow flashes came from her hand. I flew into the crevice, grabbed her jacket and yanked her up. A cry or moan of anguish came from the ground. The fiery discharge had stunned the creature for a second. And a second was all I needed.
I roared toward the skies. Her feet were six inches off the ground when the earthly jaw closed.
Back in the shuttle, I ordered a quick count and found all soldiers were unharmed. Our pilot took off and we soared back toward our base.
Altamonte, Astrid and I stared down at the planet.
“What was that?” Astrid said.
“Gaia in all her glory,” said Altamonte.
“Gaia?”
He nodded. “They worshiped the planet. She turned out to be a god, so to speak, after all. But one of the more bloodthirsty ones. The planet is alive and… needed sustenance. Takes a lot of energy to run a planet, I guess. That's why some natives headed into sub-zero weather. They guessed even Gaia would have trouble splitting open twenty feet of solid ice. Moving loose dirt and sand is a lot easier. It was a good tactic but the climate became too cold for them.”
“She ate them all?” I said.
“Would you mind not calling the planet 'she'?” Astrid said. “I haven't observed any feminine qualities from Gaia or whatever it was called.”
“She or it, I'm guessing, sensed the ice age was coming so she went into hibernation,” Altamonte said. “But before she did, she gorged herself. The cold killed most of the other inhabitants.”
“But we've been on the planet for three weeks. The ground didn't open up under us,” I said.
“She would wait for an offering, for a while at least. She -”
“Would you mind?” Astrid said.
“It. It didn't need the altars. It could open the ground, but the altars became special, sacrificial places, perhaps even preferred by… the planet. So when a new sacrifice was offered…”
“We will have to put a 'no trespassing' sign on this planet. The Titus colonists will have to find some other place to go,” I said.
Altamonte reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. “Now, commander, if you would sign this.”
I took the sheet. “What is it?”
“An order extending my leave for another month due to my dedicated service on Jardoval, which probably saved the lives of thousands of colonists.”
I looked at the sheet.
“You didn't include a commendation for yourself, too?”
He pointed to the bottom of the page. “Last paragraph, sir.”
“Ego the size of the orb of Jupiter,” Astrid said.
I frowned but signed it. The major had done a good job. I couldn’t deny that. I miked Hobbs again.
“Captain, get everyone into the ship. We are leaving and we’re not coming back.”
“Can’t do that, sir.”
The cold stab iced my stomach and slowly spread to surroundings regions.
“Why not, Captain?”
“The transport ship just disappeared, sir. It was the only one on the Sherman.”
I appreciated Hobbs’ calm response. He wasn’t scared and he didn’t panic. His voice, actually, was very calm without being in shock.
“The ground just opened up. A huge crevice. The ship plummeted down. Most of our men were outside but… there were at least three in the ship.”
“OK, get the men into the shuttles and get them off the ground! Ryvenbark out.”
“Our shuttles are for use on the planet. They can’t take us back to our mother ship. They’re not built for that,” Altamonte said.
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“So we brought Gaia a new food supply and we’re trapped.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that too.” I said.
As I cussed the planet I viewed the landscape. Long stretches of orange flatland, dark green trees in spots. Mountains in the distance. Whitecaps on the peaks.
“Anything from the other three shuttles?”
“Nothing, sir. Not yet,” the pilot said.
“What’s your name, Captain?”
“Dan Madigan, sir.”
He was a stringy fellow with dark blond hair. Blue eyes. But he had a pleasant manner. I like professionals. Terrible things can happen but they accept it without screaming or yelling. Never get emotional. That’s the soldier’s creed. If you get angry or upset, you will make a mistake and get killed. Or kill someone you didn’t mean too.
“How long can we stay in the air, Captain?”
“Our crafts are very fuel-efficient. We could stay up for days. To be exact three days and five hours,” he said.
“We may have to,” I said.
I lit a cigar and blew out the smoke. What I had just seen and heard was impossible. But that didn’t concern me much. I had often seen the 'impossible' in space. When they have time the scientists come in and, in time, explain it. The impossible becomes the possible. I just had to deal with it. The explanations could come later.
“Major Ryvenbark, are you there? This is Hobbs.”
“I’m here. Tell me: what’s going on?”
“All three shuttles are off the ground, sir. But it was close. The last one was about an inch from the grass when the ground opened up. We’re about twenty miles south of you, sir. Your orders?”
“Right now, just keep close. We’re going to set up a teleconference. A war conference. I can use some ideas. I’ve never fought a planet before. I’m going to have to think of some new tactics. No one has written a textbook on this.”
“You can be the first sir,” Madigan said.
“I doubt it will be needed. I hope Jardoval is one of a kind.”
CHAPTER 10
The fist of air hit the shuttle like a hurricane wind, knocking me against the wall. I bounced off it and landed on the floor. Madigan groaned and gripped the steering wheel. The shuttle had headed down but, muscles straining, he eased the nose back level.
“What’s happening?” I said.