Walker replies sternly, “I do not have to report my activities to you, young lady.”
Emma stands up, and is about to reply, when Cindy calmly responds, “General, there is no need to get harsh,” she gives him a curt look. “And Emma, I can tell you, that I know exactly what the General’s men are doing, and they are indeed, very busy.”
Walker glances at Cindy, nods respectfully, then looks at Emma, and says, “I apologize.”
Eyes raise and jaws drop as everyone in the room turns to look at Walker. Even Cindy is floored by his words. Emma sits down, she suddenly feels bad for turning her frustrations on the General, but only a little.
Cindy once again, takes charge of the meeting, “Knowing what’s on the planet has to be one of our highest priorities.” She gazes at the others, and upon receiving a series of nods in assent, continues, “Emma, short of slowing the construction efforts for the housing, you may allocate whatever resources you need.”
Barbara glances at Cindy sharply, oh no, not another delay to my radio telescope, but she says nothing. The scientist in her wants her facility built, but her practical side understands and appreciates that a radio telescope is not exactly needed by the colony right now.
The meeting breaks up shortly afterward. The day’s efforts have been fruitful and everyone walks away with a clear idea of what they are to do.
Liberty - Trash or Treasure
Joe walks along with George and Patrick, he stares at their Gamin bodysuits and wishes he had one for today’s task. The three men stride toward the Liberty, and the closer they get, the worse the ship looks. Numerous hull plates have fallen off her sides, and lay scattered around the grounded spaceship. The ship itself, is scored and streaked with burn marks, while many sections of the hull are obviously buckled.
Adams stands under the ship on its open ramp, and waves as the three men approach. He is a little perplexed, and says, “George, I didn’t know you were coming today.”
George, like Patrick, has his visor open, and says, “The sooner we get the Liberty’s power connected to the settlement, the better.” His eyes continue to rove over the ship’s catastrophic damage. With a deep sigh, he shakes his head and turns to Adams, “Based upon what we can see from the outside, the ship’s internal structure has to be severely compromised.”
Adams lowers his gaze, “So that’s it then, you’re scrapping her!”
Joe can feel the disappointment in the man’s voice, and says, “Let me have a quiet word with my colleagues.”
Adams shrugs his shoulders, “Sure,” he says as he heads into the ship to power up its internal lighting.
Joe leads Patrick and George toward the rear of the Liberty and points to its main drive, “For that reason alone, we should not scrap the ship. I am not saying that we can get it space worthy anytime soon, but let’s face it, it’s not like we have an abundance of spacecraft.”
Patrick tilts his head, and mentions, “You know, the Terran wasn’t in much better shape after we rammed that Kord space station.”
George adds his thoughts, “If we scrapped her, our suits would have an almost endless supply of heavy metals.” He gives both men an appraising look, then unexpectedly says, “But if anyone ever suggests we scrap the Terran, I will tell them to go to hell.”
Patrick nods, “It’s settled then.”
Joe smiles at his two friends, “So my assessment goes something like this, the Liberty is too great a resource to waste, and would serve us better if repaired.”
George shakes his head, and says, “Yeah! But damn, it’s going to take a miracle to get her off the ground.”
The three men find Adams on the bridge. He is wiping water off the displays and attempting to push piles of broken glass out of the way. Joe snorts at the mess and shakes his head. He turns to look back at George and Patrick, “Don’t bother coming in here, you might change your minds.”
Patrick chuckles, “Okay, we’ll head down to the ship's substation.”
Adams catches the words, “Change their minds?”
Joe looks at Adams and smiles, “We’re not scrapping her. But,” he says holding up a finger, “After we stop the rain coming in, we’re not doing much else to her for a long time.”
Adams face lights up, “Damn, if we can get her to pass a pressure test, well, that’s half the battle.”
Joe smiles, pass a pressure test! The ship’s outer hull is ruined, the main frame rails are broken, and if we are lucky, the sub-rails are only bent. Heck it even rains in here, and that’s before we even consider the cooked thrusters. He shakes his head as the list goes on and on. The small terminal before him powers up and lists damaged systems all over the ship. Joe’s smile fades, “Gravity plate failure on half the ship, life support is down, and the water recycling center is offline.”
Adams gulps, “Maybe we should just scrap her? She can’t fly and we can’t live in her.”
Joe pauses thoughtfully, “How many terminals can access the ship’s systems?”
Adams replies, “That’s the only working bridge station.”
Joe stands up, “Really! So without this terminal, we would have no idea what was working and what wasn’t?”
“That’s right,” Adams replies slowly.
Joe picks up a piece of debris, then smashes it into the display, destroying it. “Oops,” he says, “It looks like we will have to eyeball the ship.”
Adams is flabbergasted, “But why?”
“We’ve seen damage like this repaired, as has the rest of our crew.” Joe replies.
Adams feels a chill run up his spine, “Your ship was this badly damaged, and got home?”
Joe looks around, “Yeah. We were in pretty bad shape a time or two. Besides, I have a feeling that this ship will fly again.”
Adams blinks in disbelief, “If there is anything you need me to do, just ask.”
Joe replies, “Let’s hook this ship up to the town’s power grid. That will keep the boss happy.”
Since it was expected that the Liberty would be the town’s main power supply for a period of time, the ship is equipped with its own substation. Patrick and George have no trouble running cables between the ship and the nearby power lines. Their bodysuits allow them to make short work of the task.
By the end of the day, the town’s mini-steel mill is powered, and ready for trials. Cindy also notices shuttles travelling to and from Barbara’s still vacant radio telescope site. George and Patrick are very busy today.
While everyone else keeps themselves busy, Joe types out his findings on the Liberty, then heads to the Town Hall. Cindy sighs as she reads Joe’s report listing the extensive damage to the Liberty. She reads his assessment with some skepticism, frowns, then looks him squarely in the eye, “You have read this?” Her comment is more of a statement than a question, because she knows he wrote it.
Joe nods his head and chuckles, “And that list, is after we patch up the holes in her hull.”
Cindy’s eyes narrow, “But you don’t think we should scrap the ship?”
Joe shakes his head, “No, because there is still a chance we can salvage her.”
Cindy stares at the list with serious doubts, but finally defers to the engineer. She rubs her forehead in frustration, “Well the good news is, the colony now has an abundance of power, ‘cause that ship is not going anywhere soon.” She closes her eyes and slowly shakes her head, “And the bad news is that we have to go back to Earth earlier than planned.”
It’s Joe’s turn to sigh, “Yeah, and with the loss of the Liberty as a transport, it will be up to us to pick up the slack.”
Cindy sags in her chair, “Transport duty,” she says with disdain. She looks at Joe and says “I would much rather be doing something more,” she hesitates, seeking the right word, “important.” and exciting, she thinks.
Joe nods in silent agreement. After the adrenaline rush of their last voyage, transporting goods and people just doesn’t have quite the same appeal.
Emma
’s Field Trip
Emma shakes in anticipation of finally being able to explore the forest and lake on the far side of Hawking’s canal, a dream come true. She has spent many sleepless nights thinking about this very day. Emma tries to contain her excitement, as she contemplates the trip. She mumbles quietly to herself, “Probably take me a couple of hours to get to the lake, then all day to walk around it. Be back in time for a late dinner, or sun set.” She smiles at her straightforward plan, then reviews the myriad of objects on her bed. She mentally checks each item off, tablet computer, flashlight, rope, spare camera, tripod, spare batteries for everything, binoculars, a day’s rations, some snacks, and eight bottles of water. Satisfied that she has what she needs for a day trip, she carefully packs everything into her backpack. She adds a handful of last minute incidentals, grins, grabs the backpack, her main camera, and then heads outside to greet the morning sun.
Emma’s expression freezes instantly when she sees Peter, “What are you doing here?” She asks warily. Her eyes narrow as she peruses his wears. He also has a huge backpack, along with a large rifle, a bunch of knives, and other paraphernalia hanging off his belt.
With his eyebrows raised, Peter asks, “You didn’t think for one minute that you were going out there alone, did you?”
Emma puts her hands on her hips, and challenges, “And why not?”
He stares back at her blankly, “Because, it could be dangerous, and...” he stops mid sentence, unable to say what he really feels.
Emma sighs and shakes her head, “You’re a mystery to me.” She stares at him long and hard, “I still haven’t figured out where I fit, in your life.”
Peter stares at her with wide eyes, “Do I really have to spell it out?” He shifts his weight from foot to foot.
She likes the way he is squirming, “Actually, yes you do!” She says, and waits for his response.
John calls out from the nearby shuttle, “Are you guys coming?”
Peter shouts back, “Yes, we’re ready to go,” he gives Emma an innocent look, then offers his hand for her to hold.
She smiles at the gesture, takes his hand, then while walking to the shuttle, whispers, “You’re not getting off the hook that easily, Mister.”
Once the pair is on board, John notices Emma’s dour expression and quickly says, “Oh I am not coming with you for the ground expedition, but I will take you anywhere you want to go.”
Emma glances at Peter with narrowing eyes, “Another one of your ideas?”
Peter replies with conviction, “If you’re going, then you’ll do so with backup. I’m coming with you on the ground, while John will be available at a moment’s notice to pick us up.” He taps a military style radio that is attached to his belt.
Emma realizes she has no choice but to accept Peter’s company, and John’s assistance. “Okay then, but you,” she says, indicating to Peter, “had better not get in my way.”
Peter simply smiles and nods. Once they are all seated, John pilots the shuttle away from Hawking and flies off in the direction Emma indicates. They fly slowly, but even so, a trip that would take an hour on foot, only takes minutes by air. Emma notices a natural clearing not too far from the lake and points to it, “Land us there, please.”
As John swings the shuttle around, Emma notices how close their town is. She squints as she gauges the distance between the town and the mountains, “We encroached a lot farther into the forest that I thought we were going to.”
John replies, “The engineers had no choice. The contours of the land and all that.”
Emma looks at the mountain peaks, and can see a distant wind generator, its blades slowly turning. As they land, the surrounding tree tops obstruct her view.
John notices her gaze, “They were fun to build, that’s for sure. We plan to pave a road up there sometime soon, so the construction crews can build more.”
Peter throws his enormous backpack over his shoulder, then as soon as John lands, he opens the ramp and quickly steps out. With his rifle at the ready, he scans the area for danger. He is about to speak, when Emma barges past him. She turns to him, puts her hands on her hips and says indignantly, “You can quit that gung ho crap right now. This is not some war zone, it’s a woodland!”
Seated in the cockpit, John grins widely, then shouts out, “Call me if you need saving, Peter.” He closes the ramp, then takes off before anyone can reply.
Peter frowns, why would I need saving? He brings his attention from the departing shuttle, back to Emma, and meets her steady gaze. Oh, that’s why, he smiles sheepishly, “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Emma shakes her head, she knows he loves her, yet he seems unable to say the words. Men, she thinks, why did I have to fall for this one? She offers him a smile, then focuses her attention on the clearing they are standing in.
Peter keeps an eye on the nearby tree line, but also watches Emma with fascination, as she takes samples, photos, and notes. She suddenly swings her camera toward the trees, then says, “Wow, did you see that?”
Peter gulps, he missed it, but he can see that the trees still shake where something had disturbed them.
Emma says excitedly, “I think that was one of those tree climbers.” She glances at the time on her tablet computer, then says, “Okay, let’s head to the lake. I want to check it out.”
The pair walks into the woods. Peter, rifle in hand, is ready for anything, while Emma seems oblivious to any potential dangers. They only walk a short distance when she stops, and looks down at a creature twitching on the ground. It is about the size of a domestic cat, and covered in what appears to be either fur, or short feathers. Its two large talons shudder as the small creature goes through its death throes. Her sympathies are pushed to one side as her scientific mind ponders this new discovery.
THUD
Emma turns in alarm at the sound and finds another laying on the ground. She quickly looks up, and gasps at the sight. Hundreds of these strange creatures are flying amongst the treetops. The pair watches silently as two of these creatures collide, apparently in combat. Seconds later, one falls, while the other gains altitude. Far above the battle throng, is a solitary bird. It flies in a seemingly casual orbit over the rest. Emma lifts her binoculars and watches the spectacle with fascination.
In a flash of insight, she understands what is happening and explains, “The males are proving their dominance and right to mate the female above.” She lowers her gaze to the creatures on the ground, then in turn, carefully examines them. She spots a small sheath under their bellies, “They have a poison system like those ten legged spiders. I wonder what the genetic relation is between these two species?”
Peter frowns, then asks cautiously, “What ten legged spiders? And what poison system?”
Emma, with her attention focused on the strange creature on the ground says absentmindedly, “Oh they live in trees and they’re a little smaller than this fella. Let me find one for you, once I’m done here.”
He looks at the trees in alarm, “You can find one? Just like that?”
“It’s what I do.” Emma retorts.
“You didn’t tell me about these poisonous spiders!” he says, a little concerned.
Emma looks at him and says bluntly, “And you don’t tell me everything you do either. Running off for days on end, leaving a girl to wonder.”
Peter subconsciously looks at his radio. She catches his glance, and laughs. Between chuckles, she says, “You’d better call him!”
Another flying creature falls from the sky and hits the ground near them with a solid thud. Emma gets back to the task of examining and recording all she can.
Peter glances from the strange creatures on the ground to those in the air, “Hey, with this planet having a slightly heavier gravity, how do those things even fly with those tiny wings?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Emma replies.
She wanders amongst the growing number of victims. Finally she selects on
e, then after making sure it is actually dead, packs it into a thick, plastic, biohazard bag.
The pair moves to the edge of the forest, where Emma starts scouring the trees. She easily finds what she is looking for, puts a finger to her mouth to tell Peter to be quiet, then points.
Peter peers at a large hole in the tree, then spots the spider-like creature and shudders. They both step back when it begins to exit the hole. At fifteen paces away, he is not feeling very secure. Emma however, is taking photos and more notes.
The baseball sized, ten legged spider slowly crawls the rest of the way out of its tree hole. It seems to stare at the couple for a second with a pair of large multifaceted eyes, then leisurely makes its way down the tree trunk. It crawls along the grass toward the fallen flying creatures. Peter is fascinated by its double thorax. The forward segment has four legs, while the rear has six. Every now and then it rears up, lifting its front section completely off the ground.
Peter squints, then notices a forward facing spike on its upper body in the rear segment. The spike retracts into a sheath and vanishes from sight. He looks at Emma and asks, “What is that thing?”
She keeps a straight face, and quietly replies, “That’s a New Earth spider.”
He blinks a few times in surprise, then says, “You’re kidding right?”
She stifles a laugh, “Yes. My team and I are still classifying much of the life here before we assign technical names, so spider will do for now.”
Peter turns back to see the spider pick up a fallen flying creature with its front forelegs, and crawl back to its home.
Emma takes numerous pictures, and updates her notes. Once she is finished, she says, “They hunt small prey, and use that spike to inject their victims with a neurotoxin. The paralyzing effects are almost instantaneous to the affected area. The poison spreads quickly through the bloodstream, and once it reaches the heart, stops it.”
He looks down at the ground for more of them, “I wouldn’t want to step on one.”
Colony (Terran Chronicles Book 3) Page 24