Seeds of Earth

  dock key up to the verifier panel and held it there while

  poking his little finger into the biosampler slot.

  Something moved outside, occluding the light from

  the nearest dock flood, then suddenly it loomed closer

  and collided with the tube.

  'Does it usually take this long?' said Drazuma-Ha*,

  now poised quite close by.

  Kao Chih glared at the machine. 'Is that another of

  your predicaments? - look, it's trying to cut its way in!'

  A metre or two back from the airlock, the tube's heavy-

  grade material was being pinched. Kao Chih stared at the

  deforming plastic with panic and a growing sense of unre-

  ality enhanced by the hammering sounds coming from

  the access port at the other end of the tube. Then to his

  vast relief the verifier panel beeped and the airlock hatch

  slid open. Courtesy was not uppermost in his mind as he

  dragged himself in round the edge of the coaming, closely

  followed by the mech. Once they were inside he punched

  the hatch button and a moment later they were sealed off.

  'Show me to the pilot controls,' the mech said. 'We

  must leave immediately.'

  'This way,' Kao Chih said. 'But why the haste now

  that we're safe?'

  As they reached the main console he heard distinct

  hard knocks and thuds coming through the hull.

  'Who are those droids?' he muttered. 'And what do

  they want?'

  'Collectors,' said Drazuma-Ha*. 'Chasing an old

  debt. A moment, please.'

  Microfield extensors sprang out from the mech's aura

  to the console, connecting with several interface ports.

  Readouts and symbol telltales flickered in waves across

  the cockpit and one of the auxiliary screens unfolded

  from its niche to reveal an exterior shot of the

  Castellan's hull, underneath, near the midsection. A

  strange, angular machine crouched there on several

  articulated limbs, reflected light from further back cast-

  ing it in silhouette. A second screen showed the other

  two droids now in the access tube and making cumber-

  some progress towards the airlock. Then a faint whining

  noise came from underfoot, beneath the deck.

  'It's drilling through the hull,' Kao Chih said, striving

  to stay calm.

  For a moment the mech made no reply, then:

  'All is ready, Gow-Chee - shall we depart?'

  'Without delay!'

  The Castellan gave a lurch and suddenly he realised

  he should have been strapped in. Hurriedly he did so

  while keeping most of his attention on the exterior dis-

  plays. The access tube had unfastened from the airlock

  and was retracting into its housing with the two droids

  still holding on. The third still clung to the ship's under-

  side and the drilling sound continued unabated. On the

  screen, the jumbled shapes and structures of Blacknest

  receded as their reaction thrusters burned a departure

  trajectory.

  'We will soon be far enough away for a safe jump

  into hyperspace,' the mech said. 'But there is a problem.'

  'What kind of problem?' Kao Chih said hoarsely.

  'The hyperjump course data I obtained from Avriqui's

  system is supposed to take us to Bryag Station near the

  Indroma border, but the value set is several hours out of

  date. Clearly he meant to recompile it just before depart-

  ing with you and your deceased companion . ..'

  Kao Chih's heart sank. 'We could emerge inside a sun

  or a planetary atmosphere ...'

  'No, not with the safety features built into this vessel,'

  Drazuma-Ha* said. 'We would be safe from such perils,

  including the one currently attached to our hull - it would

  detach itself the moment the hyperdrive initiated its first

  phase. But our destination will be indeterminable.'

  'And if that breaches the outer hull, we're finished.'

  Kao Chih gripped the arms of his couch. 'Do it!'

  'You're certain?'

  'Just do it now!'

  The shield layer rolled across the viewpane and he

  murmured a brief prayer to his ancestors as the hyper-

  drive gathered all its forces and hurled the Castellan

  into the void.

  24

  GREG

  He was almost a dozen metres down the southern face

  of Giant's Shoulder, shivering in a cold night breeze,

  when his comm chimed. He called out to Teso and

  Kolum, his Uvovo accomplices, to stop lowering, then

  answered the call.

  'Greg Cameron here.'

  'Hello Greg, it's Catriona. Just thought I'd call you

  before the shuttle leaves.'

  'Ah, thanks Cat, that's, um, very thoughtful of you.'

  'So, what are you up to this evening? Sounds like

  you're outside ...'

  'Oh, just studying some pillar carvings, y'know,

  trying to figure out if they're ritual or ceremonial ...'

  He felt himself break out in a cold sweat, more from the

  gnawing sensation of vertigo, suspended there in the

  high darkness with a handilamp hanging from his neck,

  lighting up the rock face right in front of him.

  'Just a moment,' said Catriona. 'Are you ... dammit,

  you are! - you're climbing down the side of Giant's

  Shoulder in the middle of the night. Are you completely

  insane?'

  Greg sighed. In the aftermath of the shooting yesterday

  he had showed Catriona the scans revealing the passages

  and chambers beneath the temple, and together they had

  started planning how to reach the opening that led inside.

  But Cat had been ordered back to Nivyesta, leaving Greg

  to pore over the scans and and an assortment of pictures

  of Giant's Shoulder dug out of the files. Then came news

  of the bombings, which seized his attention for the rest of

  the day.

  'Look, I'm fine, I'm safe, the equipment is the best

  and I've got friends helping me,' he said, exchanging

  waves with the two Uvovo smiling down at him. 'I'm

  more worried about you, to be frank.'

  'I'm okay. Did you get hold of your mother and your

  brothers?'

  'I did, and they're all well - no one was anywhere

  near Founder Square or the Ros Dubh sports centre,

  but there's been no word from Uncle Theo since yester-

  day ...'

  'Greg, I just wish you'd give up this midnight expedi-

  tion and wait for daylight.'

  He smiled, thinking - Ah, she really does care. Things

  are looking up.

  'Och, don't worry, Cat,' he said, i'm strapped into a

  body harness with about a thousand D-rings and plenty

  of that Uvovo heavy-bearing line . ..' He gave the line a

  playful tug. 'Safe as houses . . .'

  Which was when the composite strap junction at his

  back snapped. He yelled as he swung to the right and

  down, head dipping. Through his cold terror he was

  aware of his lamp slipping off and falling away into the

  blackness, but most of his attention was on trying not to

  slip out of the loops that still gripped his legs and left

  arm. The two Uvovo called down in fearful voices but

&nb
sp; he tried to reassure them - then cursed when he realised

  that he had dropped his comm. By now he had worked

  himself into a more upright position, holding on to the

  safety line with a gloved hand.

  Gods, Cat was right! I must be mad to be doing

  this . . .

  He glanced down and started to tell the Uvovo to

  haul him up, then paused, staring at a faintly glowing

  spot on the rock face a few feet below. He stared, held

  his breath and listened . . . and, just on the edge of audi-

  bility, heard a tiny voice calling his name. Catriona! He

  laughed shakily - his comm must be lying on a ledge or

  in the tangle of a cliffside bush - and shouted to her to

  wait a minute or two. Quickly, he rigged the loose

  strapping onto the safety line with toothhooks to take

  some of the load off the damaged strap junction, then

  told the Uvovo to lower him. Slowly he descended

  towards the glow, which he now reckoned might well

  be sitting in a niche in the rock. Then he came level

  with it and saw his comm, resting in a tangle of dry,

  dead roots that spilled out of a sizeable gap in the cliff

  face.

  Reaching in he grabbed it and saw that Cat had dis-

  connected. Quickly he sent a note saying that he was

  okay, then activated the comm's little torch and shone it

  inside the opening. He stared in surprise for a moment,

  then chuckled - beyond the opening was a small pas-

  sageway sloping down towards the front of Giant's

  Shoulder. The opening was just wide enough to crawl

  into, which he did, pausing halfway in to undo the har-

  ness then shout to the Uvovo to pull it up. When he

  told them he was exploring a cave they became agitated,

  imploring him to return.

  'I'll be perfectly safe,' he yelled back. 'Just get the

  replacement harness from stores and listen out for m .'

  'Old places are dangerous, friend Greg,' came Teso's

  strained reply. 'Please be very careful.'

  'I will be, don't worry!'

  Then he turned his attention to the passage. It was

  quite narrow and low, just a little over average Uvovo

  height. The walls were smoothly worked with even

  curves, as was the opening through which he had

  entered. Shining his torch further down he could make

  out another similar aperture, but choked with coils of

  redthorn as well as the decaying detritus of dead plants.

  This had to lead to the opening he had seen on the

  Heracles scans, and which he had intended to find

  tonight.

  Perhaps this will be safer than hanging about in the

  air, he thought as he tugged out his forest blade and

  attacked the tangle of vegetation.

  The passage went on for another ten metres or so,

  blocked at regular intervals by bushes or creepers that

  had taken root in the soil-caked floor near the open-

  ings. He was sweating freely by the time the passage

  turned back the other way: the water-worn vestiges of

  steps were just visible under the layers of dirt and decay.

  Insects glimmered and settled in the slim beam of his

  comm-torch, which chimed just as he started hacking at

  another wall of desiccated twig. It was Cat. He took a

  deep breath and answered.

  'Hi, Cat!'

  'Right, what the hell happened?'

  'Eh, nothing serious, just juggling with my comm . ..'

  'Dammit, Greg, I... was worried ...'

  He heard the catch in her voice and instantly regret-

  ted the offhand remark.

  'I'm sorry, Cat, I'm okay, just had a wee fright when

  a clip broke. But I rigged a repair and I'm now inside the

  rock face of Giant's Shoulder and making my way down

  a passageway.'

  'Is it safe?' she said. 'What does it look like?'

  He gave a brief description and assured her that he

  was not in any danger.

  'Aye, well watch out for doubletails - they nest in

  dark, dank places.'

  'And they're usually found further to the north than

  this,' he said. 'But I will keep my eyes open, I promise.

  When's your shuttle flight?'

  'Less than an hour.'

  'I'll call you when I reach the opening,' he said. 'Or

  wherever this is leading to.'

  After murmured goodbyes, he thumbed the torch

  back on and resumed chopping away dead foliage.

  Another thirty-odd minutes later he had hacked, kicked

  and torn his way through several barriers of roots,

  creepers and bushes, most of it dead growth. His exer-

  tions had raised wafts of dust which clung to his clothes

  and hair, working its way into the creases of his hands

  and face - he felt indescribably grimy and often coughed

  in the hazy gloom. But beyond the last clump of vegeta-

  tion he came to a level landing and a large square door

  in the rock. Opposite the door was a semicircular

  window that was blocked by a curtain of heavy-leafed

  creeper, some of which had spilled inside.

  Beyond the dark threshold of the door was a pitch-

  black corridor. With his torch lighting the way, Greg

  followed it inwards for about twenty paces before

  encountering a double row of pillars that completely

  blocked the way. The pillars were square and the rows

  were set close together in a staggered formation that

  obscured what lay further on. Frowning, he called

  Catriona.

  'Took ye long enough,' she said.

  'I've been doing a bit of pruning,' he said. 'Have you

  ever seen square pillars in a Uvovo building?' As he

  spoke he took out a small field cam and took a few pic-

  tures.

  'No, never.'

  'Well, I'm looking at some now.' He described them

  for her, then examined their tops and bottoms. 'The dirt

  and dust buildup is solid around the bases but up at the

  ceiling there's a definite gap, as if the pillars slid down -

  maybe this is some kind of primitive stone portcullis . ..

  wait a second, what's that?'

  After probing the gap around one pillar he had

  pushed it to see if there was any give, and immediately a

  sequence of four glowing symbols had appeared on its

  face, one by one down its length, and faded away. A

  moment later the sequence repeated itself and he swiftly

  took more pictures while describing what was happen-

  ing.

  'What do the symbols look like?' Cat said.

  'Nothing like any of the glyphs that the Uvovo use,

  now or in the past.' He bent down for closer study.

  'They're composed of straight and curved lines, some

  crossing others, some not.'

  'Could be ideograms,' she said. 'But what kind of

  technology can embed glowing characters in stone and

  still be functioning thousands of years later?'

  'Aye, those ancient Uvovo sure had a few tricks up

  their sleeves . ..'

  Suddenly there was more light in the passage as sev-

  eral triangular symbols lit up on the adjacent pillar.

  'Why have you gone quiet? Greg, what's happening

  now?'

  'Seven triangles have appeare
d on the next pillar ...

  wait, the one at the bottom has gone out so there's

  six ...'

  'Hmm, odd. Has it come back?'

  'No, and another just went out, the top one, when

  the four symbols went through the sequence.'

  'Hang on, the Uvovo use the triangle to symbolise an

  imperative demand for an answer so those other four

  ideograms ... must be some kind of question you have

  to answer before all the triangles are gone ... I think . . .'

  'So how do I answer the question?'

  'No idea - how many triangles are left?'

  'Two.'

  'Get out of there, Greg, now!'

  He dived away from the pillars and dashed for the

  entrance. As he did, a rumble came from the surround-

  ing rock then cracking sounds and a cluster of heavy

  impacts. Dust billowed out and settled on his shoes and

  trouser legs.

  'Greg, are you okay?'

  'I am,' he said. 'And now I'm going back inside for a

  look.'

  if I could reach through this comm . . .'

  'There're more pillars, Cat, about fifteen paces in this

  time.'

  The new obstruction was identical to the first but

  pristine, no windblown dust or dry leaf fragments nor

  insect remains.

  'Don't touch it, Greg - in fact, don't even go near it.

  Promise me you'll go back up and wait till morning.

  Then you can speak with Foyle at the Institute and get

  hold of one of the Listeners to see if they recognise those

  symbols.'

  'Aye . . . okay, Cat,' he said, retreating to the

  entrance. 'Maybe you're right. I'll head back up top,

  get some rest.'

  'Good, you sleep well and I'll... send you a message

  when I'm home.'

  'Okay, safe flight.'

  For a few moments after the line disconnected, Greg

  stood there, smiling thoughtfully, wondering where this

  thing with Catriona was going - if it actually was going

  somewhere. Then he shrugged.

  Hard to be sure now that she's away back to

  Nivyesta, he thought. As for this puzzle ... perhaps I'll

  wait for Chel, see what he thinks of those symbols, and

  when I've got something solid, then I'll tell Foyle at the

  Institute ...

  He shone the comm torch back along the corridor

  one last time, peering at the pillars in the dimness. Then

  he saw something he hadn't noticed before, that the

  walls were covered in the familiar Uvovo raindrop pat-