Hellworld (Deathstalker Prelude)

by Green, Simon R.

  “Fascinating,” said Williams. “I do hope we’re going to explore it.”

  “Great,” muttered Corbie. “Another bloody hero.”

  Williams ignored him and concentrated his charm on Lindholm and the esper. “What do you make of our new home, my friends?”

  “A little on the desolate side,” said Lindholm. “I’ve seen livelier cemeteries.”

  “It’s not very attractive, I’ll admit,” said Williams calmly. “But I wouldn’t write it off just yet. There may be hidden virtues. Geology isn’t my strong suit, but if I’ve read the signs correctly, the ship’s computers just might find these soil samples very interesting.”

  He patted the satchel he was carrying. Corbie looked at him with new interest.

  “Are you saying there might be something here worth digging for? Gold, precious stones; things like that?”

  “That sort of thing, yes,” said Williams. “I think a few test drillings might well turn up something to our mutual advantage.”

  “Jewels are fine,” said Lindholm. “But you can’t eat them. For a long time to come, our only interest in the soil is going to be how well it supports our crops. The ship’s rations will run out in a few months, and that’s if we’re careful. After that, we’re on our own. Presumably there are plants and animals here somewhere that will prove safe to eat, but we’ll always need our own crops to supply us with vitamins and trace elements. First things first, Doctor.”

  “You’ve been studying up on this,” said Corbie.

  “I thought one of us should,” said Lindholm.

  “I shouldn’t worry too much about the crops,” said Williams. “The volcanoes might look rather dramatic, but they help to produce good soil. All that pumice stone is full of phosphates, lime, and potash. Just add the right nitrates, and food should come leaping up out of the ground in no time.”

  “Unfortunately, there are complications,” said DeChance. “Have you come across any signs of life yet, Doctor?”

  “No,” said Williams. “Is that significant?”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me,” said Corbie darkly.

  “Don’t mind him,” said Lindholm. “He thinks they’re all hiding from him. And if I was an alien getting my first glimpse of Corbie, I’d think about hiding too.”

  “I’m surprised the Captain hasn’t joined us yet,” said Williams casually. “I thought he’d be eager to set about taking in his new territory. That is what military types like to do, after all. Or do we have a Captain who doesn’t like to get his hands dirty?”

  “He seems solid enough,” said Lindholm, frowning.

  “And he can take all the time he likes about coming out, as far as I’m concerned,” said Corbie. “It’s nice and peaceful out here without him. Who needs some officer type yelling orders? That’s one of the few good things about being in a Hell Squad; no more dumb rules and regulations.”

  “The Captain’s in charge of the Squad,” said Williams. “He still gives the orders.”

  “Yeah, but that’s different,” said Corbie. “What I’m talking about is no more having to salute, no more surprise inspections; no standing guard in the rain because your boots aren’t shiny enough, or slaving all day over make-work designed to keep the lower orders busy. I’ve had a bellyful of that in my time. And besides … just suppose I did decide I wasn’t going to obey an order; what could Hunter do about it? There aren’t any Guards or Military Police here to back him up. There’s just him….”

  “Wrong,” said Investigator Krystel.

  They all looked round quickly, to discover Krystel and Captain Hunter standing just outside the open airlock. Corbie couldn’t help noticing they both had hands resting near their disrupters. He smiled uneasily, and stood very still.

  “The Captain is in command here,” said Krystel. “You do as he says, or I’ll hurt you, marine. We’re still citizens of the Empire, with all the responsibilities that entails.”

  “Oh sure,” said Corbie quickly. “Anything you say, Investigator.”

  “I gather some of you are interested in mineral rights,” said Hunter. “Jewels, precious metals, and the like. If I were you, I should bear in mind that very few colonists ever strike it rich. They’re too busy working every hour God sends just to keep their heads above water. No, people; it’s much more likely you’ll get yourself killed doing something stupid, because you were daydreaming about gold mines instead of keeping your mind on the job. For the time being, just concentrate on keeping yourself and the rest of the Squad alive. Now then, since you’ve all had a nice little rest, I think it’s time for a spot of healthy exercise. Some fifteen miles from here is a deserted alien city. We’re going to go and take a look at it. On foot, with full field kit and standard backpacks. We start in thirty minutes.”

  “On foot?” said Williams. “Why not fly there in the pinnace? There’s more than enough power in the batteries.”

  “That’s right, there is,” said Hunter. “And that’s where it’s staying, until we have an emergency that justifies using it. I’m certainly not wasting it on a joy ride. Besides, I think it’s better that we take our time approaching the city. This world is still new to us; if we’re going to make mistakes, let’s make them where it doesn’t matter. Oh, and people, keep your eyes open and your heads down. This is a reconnaissance mission, not an attack force.”

  “But what about the pinnace itself?” asked Williams. “Is it wise to just go off and leave it unguarded? Anything could happen to it while we were gone. And if anything were to happen to the equipment stored on board…”

  “Dr. Williams,” said Hunter pleasantly, “that’s enough. I’m the Captain; I don’t have to explain myself to you. And I don’t take kindly to having my orders questioned all the time. You must learn to trust me, Doctor, and obey my orders implicitly. Because if you don’t, I’ll let the Investigator have you. The pinnace will be perfectly safe in our absence. Isn’t that right, Investigator?”

  “Right,” said Krystel indistinctly, relighting her cigar. She puffed at it a few times to make sure she’d got it just the way she wanted, then fixed Williams with a cold stare. “We’ll activate the force screen before we go, and the computers will be on battle readiness until we return. All told, the ship will probably be safer than we will.”

  “You got that right,” said Corbie. “If we’re going up against aliens, I want hazard pay.”

  “Technically speaking, we shouldn’t really call them aliens,” said Dr. Williams. “This is their world, after all. If anyone’s alien here, it’s us.”

  The Investigator chuckled quietly. “Wrong, Doctor. Aliens are aliens, no matter where you find them.”

  “And the only good alien is a dead alien,” said Corbie. “Right, Investigator?”

  Krystel smiled. “Right, marine.”

  “How can you justify that?” said DeChance heatedly. “Everything that lives has some common ground. We share the same thoughts, the same feelings, the same hopes and needs….”

  “You ever met an alien?” asked Krystel.

  “No, but…”

  “Not many have.” Krystel drew on her cigar, blew a perfect smoke ring, and stared at it for a long moment. “Alien isn’t just a noun, esper; it’s an adjective. Alien; as in strange, different, inhuman. Unnatural. There’s no room for the alien inside the Empire, and this planet’s been a part of the Empire from the moment an Imperial ship discovered it. That’s Empire law.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way here,” said Lindholm slowly. “If we could contact the aliens peacefully, make some kind of alliance …”

  “The Empire would find out eventually,” said Hunter. “And then they’d put a stop to it.”

  “But why?” said DeChance. “Why would they care?”

  “Because aliens represent the unknown,” said Corbie. “And the Empire’s afraid of the unknown. Simple as that. Not too surprising, really. The unknown is always threatening to those in power.”

  “Sometimes they have reason to
be afraid,” said Krystel. “I was there on Grendel, when the Sleepers awoke.”

  For a long time no one said anything.

  “I thought no one got out of there alive,” said Lindholm finally.

  Krystel smiled humourlessly. “I was lucky.”

  “I think that’s enough chatting for one day,” said Hunter. “Get your gear together, people. Keep it simple, the bare minimum. Remember, you’ve got to carry it, and we might have to travel in a hurry. Report back here in thirty minutes, ready to leave. Don’t be late, or we’ll go without you. Now move it.”

  The Squad turned as one and filed quickly back into the pinnace. At the rear, hanging back, Corbie looked at Lindholm.

  “An alien city,” he said quietly. “You ever seen an alien, Sven?”

  “Can’t say I have,” said Lindholm. “That’s what Investigators are for. I met a Wampyr once, on Golgotha. He was pretty strange, but not actually alien. How about you? You ever met an alien?”

  “Not yet.” Corbie frowned unhappily. “I just hope our Investigator has enough sense not to get us in over our heads. We’re a long way from help.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  In the Forest of the Night

  The silver sun rode high on the pale green sky. The world lay stark and bare under the brilliant light, and no sound broke the silence. The mists were gone, dispersed by the rising sun, but the day was no warmer. The Hell Squad moved warily through the quiet morning, walking in single file, their hands never far from their gunbelts. Hunter led the way, alert for any sign of movement on the open plain, but for as far as he could see there wasn’t a trace of life anywhere. There were no animals, no birds in the sky, not even an insect. The continuing silence was eerie and disquieting. The soft sound of the Squad’s boots on the plain was quickly swallowed up by the quiet, and there wasn’t even a murmur of wind.

  Hunter hefted his backpack into a slightly more comfortable position and tried not to think about the miles of hard open ground that lay between him and the alien city. His legs ached, his back was killing him, and there was still another nine, ten miles to go. And what was worse, his feeling of being watched was back again. He’d been free of it for a while, but once they’d left the pinnace behind, the feeling had come back even stronger. Hunter scowled. He’d never felt this worried before, not even when he was heading into battle. Not even during the bad times; the times he’d panicked for no good reason. He swallowed hard. He felt light-headed and his hands were shaking. He could feel the beginnings of panic stirring within him.

  Not now. Please, not now!

  He fought the panic fiercely, refusing to give in to it, and slowly it subsided again. Hunter breathed more easily, but he wasn’t fooled. He knew it would be back again, the moment he weakened. Hairs prickled on the back of his neck. The feeling of being watched was as strong as ever. Hunter kept wanting to stop and look around him, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to look jumpy in front of the others.

  He raised his hands to his mouth and blew on them. The morning was several hours old, but it was still barely above freezing. Hunter rubbed his hands together, wishing the Empire had included winter clothing in its list of essential supplies. The heating elements in his uniform could only do so much. Right now he’d have traded his disrupter for a good pair of thick gloves.

  The forest drew slowly closer, and Hunter studied it dispassionately. It looked as if they were nearly upon it, but distances were deceiving in the overbright light. They’d been approaching the forest boundary for the best part of an hour, but only now was it starting to give up its secrets. Hunter frowned. What little he could make out wasn’t exactly encouraging. The huge trees were packed close together and soared up into the sky. The wide trunks were iron-black, gnarled and whorled, and the foliage was a dark, bitter yellow. The leaves were all different shapes and sizes, and the twisted branches drooped down to the ground as often as not.

  The ground approaching the forest was cracked and broken, and clumps of spiky grass sprouted up from the crevices. The grass grew thicker and more abundant as the Squad finally drew near the forest boundary, some of it rising to almost two feet in places. Hunter called a halt so that Williams could take a close look at it. The doctor knelt down and studied a clump of grass carefully without touching it. The long spikes were wide and flat, pale violet in color, and marked with a curious ribbing, almost like bones.

  “Interesting,” said Williams. “The grass is purple but the leaves on the trees are yellow. Vegetation is usually all the same color, particularly when it’s growing under the same conditions.”

  “Maybe they draw their nourishment from different sources,” suggested Hunter.

  “Perhaps,” said Williams. “I’ll take a few specimens and run them through the computers later.”

  Hunter looked at the Investigator, who shrugged. “No objections, Captain. We’ve all had the standard immunization shots.”

  “All right,” said Hunter. “Take your time, Doctor. I’m sure we could all use a little rest.”

  “Certainly,” said Williams. He looked at Corbie. “Pull me up a handful of grass, young man, while I prepare a specimen bag to hold it.”

  Corbie shrugged, and knelt down beside the nearest clump of grass. He grabbed a handful, and then gasped and let go quickly.

  “What is it?” asked Krystel.

  Corbie opened his hand and stared at it. Long cuts marked his palm and the insides of his fingers. Blood welled from his hand and dripped onto the thirsty ground. He reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulled out a grimy handkerchief, and pressed it gingerly against the cuts, then straightened up and glared at Williams, more angry than hurt. “The edges of the grass are razor-sharp! I could have lost my fingers!”

  “Now, that is interesting,” said Krystel. Corbie looked at her. He said nothing, but his gaze spoke volumes.

  “All right,” said Hunter quickly. “Let that be a warning to all of us. From now on, keep your hands to yourselves and don’t touch anything until we’re sure it’s safe. And Corbie, use your first aid kit. That rag you’ve got there is filthy, and I don’t want your cuts getting infected.

  Corbie sniffed and looked put upon, but accepted Lindholm’s offer of a clean bandage and wrapped it carefully round his cuts. Lindholm knelt down and cut away a few spikes of grass with his dagger. Williams slipped them into a self-sealing bag and tucked it carefully into his backpack. Hunter checked that everyone was ready, and then led his Squad on towards the waiting forest. He wasn’t too unhappy about the incident. Corbie hadn’t been badly hurt, and it was a lesson his people needed to learn. Apart from the Investigator, they hadn’t been showing nearly enough respect for their new environment. Even now, it might take a serious accident before they did, and he couldn’t afford to lose anybody.

  The forest spread out across the horizon as they approached its boundary. It was bigger than Hunter had expected, and looked to be several miles wide. He activated his comm implant and patched into the pinnace’s computers. Three point seven miles at its widest, to be exact. Hunter frowned suddenly as he shut down his implant. He shouldn’t really be using the implant for this sort of thing. Once the energy crystals in his body were depleted, all his high-tech implants would be useless. Better to save his tech for when it was needed. As he made a mental note to mention it to the others, the Investigator came to a sudden halt beside him. He turned to her enquiringly while the rest of the Squad pulled up around them. Krystel was looking intently at the ground just ahead.

  “Everyone stay where they are,” she said softly. “Captain, I suggest we all draw our guns.”

  “Do it,” said Hunter. There was a brief whisper of sound as the Squad’s disrupters left their holsters. Hunter glanced unobtrusively about him, but couldn’t see anything threatening. “What is it, Investigator?”

  “Straight ahead, Captain; two o’clock. I don’t know what it is, but it’s moving.”

  Hunter looked where she’d indicated, and
a chill went through him that had nothing to do with the morning cold. Something long and spiny was oozing up out of one of the cracks in the ground. It was flat and thin, and the same dirty yellow as the foliage on the trees. At first, Hunter thought it was some kind of jointed worm or centipede, but the more he looked at it, the more it resembled a long strand of creeper or ivy. It had no visible eyes or mouth, but the raised end swayed back and forth as though testing the air. It was as wide as a man’s hand, and already several feet long, though more of it was still emerging from the crack.

  Dozens of hair-fine legs suddenly appeared at its sides and flexed impatiently as the rest of the long body snapped up out of the crevice. The creature scuttled across the open ground with horrible speed and then froze in place, the front end slightly lifted, as though listening.

  “Ugly-looking thing,” said Corbie, trying to keep his voice light, and failing. “Look at the size of it. Is it a plant or an animal?”

  “Could be both, or neither,” said the Investigator. Her gun was trained on the creature and had been since it appeared. “Would you like it as a specimen, Dr. Williams?”

  “Don’t think I’ve got a bag big enough to carry it in, thank you,” said Williams.

  “Kill it,” said Corbie. “I’m not sharing the pinnace with that horrible thing.”

  “Take it easy,” said Hunter. “We don’t know that it’s dangerous, and it is the first living creature we’ve come across. It could tell us a lot about this world.”

  “I don’t think it’s got anything to say that I’d want to hear,” Corbie replied.

  “There are more of them,” said DeChance suddenly. The esper had one hand pressed to her forehead, and her eyes were closed. “They’re right here with us, just under the surface. They’re moving back and forth in the earth. I think they were attracted by the sound of our approach.”

  “Can you read them?” asked Hunter quietly.

  “No. They’re too different, Captain. Too alien. The few impressions I’m getting don’t make any sense at all.”