Exiled to the Stars

by Zellmann, William

  Ron frowned in thought. "Well, the one at Site One wasn't connected to the tube car system; in fact, it was on the other side of the installation. And it opened on a box canyon, with a wide ramp leading to it. I think you're onto something here, Denis."

  Major Chu nodded. "It's a theory. But it gives us two interesting things to consider. For one, a corral system this size means that we must be near a major living center. But more importantly, the whole corral system has been untended long enough to rust, or degrade, back into the soil. And the door is buried about a meter deep. I don't care how advanced they are, they have to eat. I don't think the neighbors live here anymore."

  Ron frowned. "Don't jump to conclusions, and above all, don't let your guard down. They may have developed synthetics."

  Denis grinned. "Yar? Ask an Earthborn how he'd like to go back on ship's rations after he's eaten real meat."

  Ron answered Denis' grin with one of his own. "You have a point. But theirs may taste better. At any rate, don't let this theory distract you, especially if you really are near a population center."

  Denis snorted. "Of course not. If I was that dumb, I'd have let them make me a Colonel, and stick me behind a desk."

  Ron struggled to maintain a threatening scowl while suppressing a grin. "I wonder if we have court-martials. I may have to look into that, Major."

  Denis shook his head. "I'm not worried. You'd have to take your feet down off your desk to do that." He sobered. "We'll be careful, Colonel."

  Ron nodded. "I know you will, Denis. I'll pass your theory along to the eggheads studying Site One. Who knows? They may even tell me that you're not a complete idiot after all."

  It was the next day before Denis called back. "Well, Colonel, we're in. We had to force the door, and we've only got an opening wide enough to let Jazzy through. I've sent the heli back, with samples of dirt from the edges of one of the cells. We hope it will have metals you can use to confirm our theory.

  "But Colonel," he continued, "I can already report that we can see light in there. It's dim, and it's red, but it's definitely artificial light. And there's more than a cem of dust on the floor."

  Ron frowned. "I wonder if they have some kind of power source that they can't shut off," he said musingly."

  Denis shrugged. "We'll be going in in a few minutes," he said. "I'll leave a repeater in the doorway, just in case it can keep us connected."

  Ron nodded. "Thanks. It probably won't help for long; we'll lose you at the first bend in the tunnel. But I'll take what I can get. Well, take care, and good luck."

  There were a dozen in the exploring party, besides Jazzy, of course.

  "Keep it quiet in there," Denis told them. "Use these sexy new throat mikes and mastoid implants they gave us. You don't even have to talk aloud. Just whisper or speak under your breath. Jazzy is already programmed to use the same method. If there is anything in here, we don't want to let them know we're coming. The first idiot to talk normally will be on guard duty for a week. Use your night vision glasses, and keep an eye on the dust on the floor. If it looks disturbed, warn us immediately. Watch out for spider people, and watch out for boojums!"

  They entered the tunnel, and went about ten meters inside before putting on their night vision glasses. Suddenly, the dimly red-lit tunnel was bright as day, and several team members relaxed visibly.

  The tunnel they were in mirrored the door. While only a bit more than two meters high, it was almost five wide, a subterranean highway whose openness kept the team on edge. They spread out, but stayed close to one wall, and Jazzy led them at a slow walk.

  After about ten meters, the tunnel curved, and they lost communication with the colony. After about three hundred meters, Denis noticed that the brightness seemed to be increasing slightly. They rounded a bend in the tunnel, and suddenly they were in a vast, low cavern, and the red light was almost blinding in their light-enhancing glasses.

  They retreated a few meters back down the tunnel, leaving Jazzy to watch for signs that they had been detected. "No life signs within detection range," Jazzy announced. "No movement within detection range." Denis nodded and the team cautiously approached the opening.

  The cavern was so immense that huge pillars, apparently of some bright metal, supported it. Asked to estimate the cavern's size, Jazzy reported it as "indeterminate at this time." But Denis could see several dozen of the pillars, and the cavern certainly stretched farther than the eye could see, even with light enhancement.

  "Something tells me we've found out where the power was going," quipped Captain Vito Carelli. "Anyone see a doorbell?"

  Denis shook his head. "We wouldn't want to wake anyone."

  The space in front of their 'highway' was largely open, occupied by hundreds of octagonal enclosures, each just over a meter high and three meters across. Holding pens for the ready meat supply, Denis told himself. The pens, if that was what they were, were empty. The city itself, if that was what it was, started about four hundred meters away.

  Denis was uncomfortable crossing so much open space, despite the fact that Jazzy was still reporting no life signs. Her range was only about a hundred meters, and Denis had no idea how good the spider peoples' distance vision was, or had been. Or, more to the point, how good the automated defenses' sensors were. He peered carefully around the corner of the cavern to examine its edge.

  The walls of the cavern were smooth, almost polished. A large cleared ribbon ran along them. A perimeter road, he thought. Probably for trucks to haul livestock or food.

  He frowned. The open space of the perimeter road was scarcely less comforting than the 'stockyards'. Still, the light did seem appreciably dimmer along the wall, and with the wall to their backs, they couldn't be encircled.

  He was half tempted to go straight across the 'stockyards'; the dust was more than a cem deep, and undisturbed. No one, and nothing, had been her for a long time. But he remembered Ron's caution at Site One. His team's lives depended on him, and he had no right to risk them unnecessarily. He was a Major because Ron trusted him to make solid decisions, not just convenient ones. He sighed.

  "All right," He began. "Single-file along the wall. Jazzy leads. Everyone else, keep your lasers ready, but no shooting! I will personally shoot anyone who fires without orders. We're here to explore, not to start a war with the neighbors!"

  They started along the wall, strung out with about two meters between them, Jazzy leading, of course. Denis found her almost constant refrain of "No life signs detected, no movement detected" almost comforting. Still, after awhile it became monotonous even to him, and he ordered her to report only if life signs or movement were detected.

  As they approached, he realized that, as far as he could tell, the buildings were identical to those at Site One: octagonal, and four stories high. They seemed about the same diameter, as well.

  There was no single source for the pervasive red light. It seemed to come from the huge pillars supporting the cavern's roof, as well as the walls of the buildings.

  Even as they approached the first of the buildings, Denis could not see the other end of the cavern, and Jazzy still reported its size as "indeterminate."

  Still, the dust was deep and undisturbed. Denis' theory was looking better all the time. Or maybe it was Kerry's theory. She'd been harping on her theory that the spider people were extinct for weeks, now. Anyway, Denis was almost convinced she was right. His main concern had become automated defense systems.

  Obviously, the city, or installation, or whatever it was, still had power. That would mean automated lasers, or even robot warriors would still be dangerous, even though the people they protected were long gone.

  As at Site One, the city's 'blocks' were octagonal in shape, linked by spacious streets. There were, Denis noted, no vehicles to be seen. He chuckled as he wondered what a bicycle built for a spider would look like.

  They had explored several square 'blocks' before Denis called a halt, and led the team to the nearest wall.

  "I'm g
oing back to report," he said. "You set up a perimeter here and relax. I may be gone a few hours. Captain Carelli is in charge until I get back. Sergeant Ives, you're with me."

  Vito nodded. "Yes, sir." He turned back to the troops as Denis and Ives walked away. "All right," Denis heard, "Ho, Teras, guard. The rest of you, grab lunch while you can. Headquarters is sure to have some absolutely wonderful ideas for us to follow up on."

  Denis grinned. Vito was turning into as big a clown as Tran had been before he became "Lieutenant Colonel Vanh, sir!" Good men, though, both of them.

  ******

  "Look, Colonel, I could wander around that ghost town until I have a long gray beard, and we still couldn't be sure there's not a surprise somewhere," Denis said. "It's just too big. If nothing else, I need some vehicles. Or some animals."

  Ron's eyebrows rose. "Vehicles?"

  "Yes, sir," Denis replied. "I was thinking about it on the way out here. I think you should send us a flitter or two. That would give us a quick overview of the place, and give the eggheads some idea of the size and layout."

  Ron frowned. "I dunno. You'd miss a lot of detail from the air, and even if you hugged the ground, your speed would make you miss a lot." He grinned. "Not to mention trying to see something through the dust cloud it would raise."

  Denis nodded. "Yes, sir. A flitter would only be good for a quick once-over from ten meters or so. But if we flew a grid, we could be pretty sure there aren't any traps or defenses to deal with."

  He took a deep breath. "As for detailed investigation, the streets are pretty wide. Some horses or riding mules would let us explore more thoroughly, and spot places of interest quicker than foot patrol. Of course, since the spider people are carnivores, maybe wheeled vehicles would be better. The Tepes brothers have been building those alky-powered light cars for a couple of years, now. Give me three or four of those, and this place will be ready for eggheads in a week. With horses, two weeks. But I'd need to be able to feed them."

  Ron snorted. "The Tepes brothers charge an arm and a leg for those things. I doubt the Council will go for it. All right," he continued more briskly. "I'm sure I can get the Administrator to loan you a flitter for a week or so. And I've already mentioned vehicles to the Administrator, but I'll give it another try. Don't get your hopes up, though." He paused. "Maybe I can arrange to borrow one of the smallest light trucks. I think a heli could haul one, since we can't use airships in those mountains. Horses might be harder. They'd probably have to be sent up in slings underneath the heli. We could only send one at a time, and you're 2000 klicks from here."

  Another pause. "Just how big is this place, anyway?"

  Denis shrugged. "Beats me. Jazzy just keeps saying 'indeterminate'. But there are at least a couple dozen of those monster pillars, and I couldn't see the end of them. At a guess, at least several hectares, and probably a lot more. Send me a flitter, and I'll find out."

  Ron nodded. "I'll see what I can do." He frowned, and then continued, "Tell me, Denis, what is your opinion about these creatures?"

  Denis shrugged. "I think Kerry Jenson is right. These things are extinct, and have been for a long time. But they might have left some good stuff behind for us. I figure there's probably a couple of centuries of research for a hundred eggheads waiting up here.

  "But I also agree that we can't take any chances, since any risk is a life-or-death gamble for the whole colony." He shrugged. "We put a flitter in the air over that city, and I guarantee that if there's anyone home, we'll get their attention."

  Ron smiled and shrugged. "I dunno," he said, "A crashing starship didn't do it, and neither did an exploding Cobb drive."

  Denis grinned. "If they can ignore a flitter overhead, they are dead."

  "All right," Ron said with a sigh. "You might as well bring your people out while I try to see what I can get you. I'll get back to you."

  "This place covers more than several hectares?" Ken asked, shocked.

  Ron nodded. "Yes, sire. I think this is what you've been looking for. Proof that the spider people are gone, and there's no risk to the colony. I'm not Earthborn, but I suspect it would be a major city, even on Earth. And people don't just abandon entire cities."

  Ken was frowning. "Human people don't. We can't make assumptions about sentient spiders." He straightened. "By the way, several hectares would be a small city on Earth, but still a city. I agree with the Major. It would be impractical to explore it on foot. By all means, send him a flitter. We'll talk about additional animals or vehicles after he's completed a survey of the site and sent back some vid footage. Tell him to get lots of footage; that's what it will take to convince the Council. Meanwhile, I'll have Lee feel out the Tepes brothers to get an idea what their starting offer would be."

  The flitter arrived the next day, slung beneath the belly of an obviously laboring heli. "Get that thing off my ship quick," demanded Mark Caruso, the pilot. "The other heli is behind me, with a tank of fuel and, unless they were able to stop her, Kerry Jenson."

  Denis groaned. He generally liked Kerry, especially in her normal "introvert" mode, when she spent most of her time huddled over her vocoder. But when she went into full 'reporter' mode, she became a real irritation and general pain in the backside, especially for those in authority. For instance, he thought, Major Denis Chu.

  They hadn't been able to stop her. Kerry arrived with the fuel for the flitter, and as soon as the heli touched down, she made a beeline for Denis.

  She stopped a meter away, hands on hips. "Well, well," she said in theatrical tones. "Denis Chu, and in his new Major suit, too."

  Denis rolled his eyes. "No, Kerry, I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear. This is not the capital city of the spider people, and they did not leave us a note saying, 'Dear Earth people, we're going extinct now, and bequeathing you our planet'."

  "Ha!" she said, with a wide grin. "How do you know this isn't their capital city, and how do I know you didn't find the note and send it to Ken Terhoe?" she stepped forward, pulled Denis into a fierce hug. "It's good to see you again, Denis." She stepped back, waving airily. "I didn't come to cause you trouble," she said, "But this city is big news. You'll be flying over it, getting 'official' footage. I just want to ride along, and maybe get some for myself."

  Denis rolled his eyes. "There is never a 'just' with you, Kerry. First, you'll 'just' want to ride along. Then you'll 'just' want advance copies of my raw footage, before I edit it into something usable. And I'm sure you'll think of several other 'justs'.

  Kerry put on a wounded expression. "Why, Denis! I'm hurt! Surely you know that I really came up here to see you! But now that you mention that raw footage…"

  Denis shook his head, scowling. "Forget it. You'll get what I submit to the Council. And you'll get it when I submit it. I know I can't keep you from riding along, but I notice you didn't even bring a camera."

  She pinked. "Well, I was…I'm going to use my tablet's camera."

  Denis snorted. "Nonsense. It doesn't have the resolution or the memory for this kind of job. You just figured you'd con dumb old Denis out of the footage you need.

  Her grin was back. "Why Denis," she said, "You're not old."

  Denis rolled his eyes and shook his head. "They're fueling and preflighting the flitter now. First flight will be in the morning. I hope you brought a tent."

  She smiled prettily. "Why Denis! You know I've had Explorer training. Of course I brought a tent." She looked around ostentatiously. "Do you know where I could find a big, strong, handsome man to set it up for me?"

  Denis turned his face to the heavens in a "why me?" gesture, and stomped off, shaking his head.

  Teasing aside, Kerry was standing beside the flitter after breakfast the next morning when Denis arrived, and she was dressed for exploration.

  "We have two cameras," he said, "and two cameramen. I will sit in the front passenger seat, and Sergeant Ives, here, will sit behind the driver. That way, we can get footage from both sides of the vehicle. You, Mistr
ess Jenson, will sit behind me. You're welcome to get whatever you can with your tablet."

  Kerry was all sweetness and smiles. "Thank you, Messer Chu. I'll try not to get in the way."

  Denis grimaced. "You certainly will. Cause me any problems, and I'll put you in your tent, under guard, until I can get a heli back up here to take you back."

  Kerry shook her head sadly. "And I thought we were friends." She turned to the bystanders. "See what happens when someone gets a little military authority? They become a bully!"

  "Get in the flitter," Denis grated.

  Head high, with massive dignity, Kerry moved to the flitter and climbed into her assigned seat.

  Ducted fan flitters are designed for comfortable urban transportation, but the fact that their fans direct air downward and aft can make takeoffs and low flight messy in rural locations.

  Such as their present location. Bystanders ducked, flinched and fled as the flitter's fans threw dirt and pebbles at them with enough force to bruise, though the passengers, protected by the clear canopy, were unbothered.

  Denis didn't show it, but he was worried. In the tunnel and the city, they would be passing over a carpet of dust over a cem thick; fine dust, drifting out of the air over millenia. He'd already ordered the tunnel cleared. He'd known that the flitter's passage down the low tunnel would coat everything and everyone in the tunnel with a thick coat of dust.

  The cavern had much more headroom than the tunnel, but still, the dust was powder-fine, and they would have to raise the canopy to get their vid footage. He was keeping fingers crossed that their passage wouldn't stir up too much dust to permit filming.

  The trip down the tunnel confirmed his worst fears. Within seconds of entering the tunnel, its entrance was invisible in the swirling cloud trailing the flitter. The pilot did not dare slow, for fear the cloud would reach and overwhelm his engines and even his canopy. As they emerged into the cavern, the pilot lifted the flitter so quickly he had difficulty stopping its rise before it hit the ceiling. For a few moments, swirling clouds of dust from the tunnel made it impossible to judge whether the dust in the main chamber was also rising.