A Pattern of Details

by James Matt Cox

  Delroy's eyes widened, whether from shock or surprise Morris knew not.

  "I... think you need to... go to your cabin... Technician."

  "I, ahh... I think you're right." Morris spoke clearly now. "I hope you won't take that badly."

  She shook her head, expression still surprised.

  Morris navigated back to his cabin by the simple expedient of placing one hand against the wall. He tried to go straight there but Jackson and Lace both intercepted him before he left. He kept to his purpose but still ended up with a few more ounces of liquid uncertainty than he wanted.

  Lydia would have enjoyed this!

  That thought sent Morris a twinge of loss followed by a wash of gratitude. She might not be here to enjoy it but at least she taught him how.

  That thought comforted Morris as he fell onto his bunk and into oblivion.

  ***

  Morris' head pounded him awake the next morning. That and his bladder combined to send him lurching to the 'fresher with serious thoughts of throwing himself in. He slept in his clothes and they crawled over his skin now and the taste in his mouth belonged inside a bioreactor. The water and steam of the shower woke him and cleared his head, which only helped him realize just how badly it hurt.

  Jackson and Lace sat in the lounge, by themselves, discussing something on a datapad. Neither showed any sign or symptom of the previous night. When Jackson spotted Morris his face split into an enormous grin.

  "Party man!!"

  The words stabbed Morris' brain multiple times as they ricocheted around inside his skull. He grimaced but couldn't muster the energy to respond.

  "You have two choices," said Lace more softly, "Well, three if you count nothing. Hair of the dog or hide of the rabbit."

  Morris examined the bottles she placed on the table. The first and largest contained the nearly-clear liquid he swore to be his own personal nemesis. The second contained a dozen bright fluorescent multi-colored capsules. He chose the latter.

  "Pay up," said Jackson to Lace, "I told you he's a PARTY-gONe man."

  Jackson shook out two tablets and Morris swallowed them dry. Kelven swore by PARTY-gONe and seldom left his apartment without a bottle. Morris chided him for it but now he understood. After a hundred years or so the tabs took effect and his headache diminished. He started sweating profusely, though, and the taste in his mouth only got worse.

  "Try this," said Lace, with signs of telepathy, "It's blackbean tea."

  Morris sipped gingerly at the vile-looking liquid in the cup. It was hot and bitter and after the third sip strangely refreshing.

  "You," said Morris, fixing Jackson with as sharp a glare as he could manage, "are evil." He looked at Lace. "And you're no better! I feel awful."

  "But you're missing something, spiker," said Jackson, grin widening, "You needed last night. The benefit far outweighs the small discomfort you're feeling now. I'm serious about that, Morris. We all needed some downtime but you most of all."

  Unable to hold the glare, Morris smiled and nodded.

  "Was that your first time," asked Jackson.

  "Yes. And my last."

  "Well," said Lace, "you six-sigmas did it up right. I don't know what you said to Crystal but the look on your face afterward... And hers! I'd pay a million halcies to have a holo of that."

  Morris felt the heat rising to his face. "I'm not saying."

  Jackson had a rejoinder to that but Morris didn't hear it. Eisley walked into the room flanked by Polov and Garrett. She oozed misery as she speared Jackson with a stare Morris envied.

  "If those are Purgees," she said softly, "I'll have some."

  Jackson complied and Eisley swallowed the tabs gratefully.

  "You want one, Greg," she asked.

  "No." Polov shook his head, winced and spoke more softly. "Um... Yes. I believe I will."

  Garrett drew three large cups of double-strength chog and sat easily.

  "Do you three call yourselves college students," asked Lace reproachfully, "When I was in class what we had last night wouldn't even qualify as a study session. You're letting your studies interfere with you education, no blather."

  Eisley started to grace Lace with one of her stares but quickly transferred it to Garrett, who stifled a chuckle.

  The rest arrived in various states of recovery and Morris actually contemplated food. Over breakfast they planned their activities for the morning.

  ***

  Morris spent most of the day watching Harkin watch weather patterns develop.

  "I've studied atmospheres similar to this," said Harkin, more than once, "I've studied planets like this but never the two together. I could teach entire courses on just this planet!"

  As soon as Harkin looked down at his terminal Lace exchanged amused glances with Garrett then winked at Morris. He smiled in return and verified that nothing needed his immediate attention. The biogel showed no sign of spoilage, not so the people aboard the ship. The worst bioweapon agents would react quickly so that boded well. The people restricted to a cramped ship with a vast empty planet just outside the hatch developed tension just as quickly. It manifested mostly in small details that grew beyond where they should have.

  Morris knew the reason, as did the others. That helped a little. No matter they'd all just spent the better part of two weeks traveling, now the planet beckoned them. It beckoned only to be halted short by a few litres of sticky goo. The post-landing party, just as much a tradition as Harper ignoring its content, helped remove the edge.

  Dinner was a subdued affair. Conversation traveled in cliques with common data forming the topics. Afterward everyone left for their cabins save Lace, Kody and Garrett. Lace talked them into a quick game of two-across.

  Morris sat, freshly showered, watching his terminal. This time Delroy didn't bother masking her terminal.

  'Good evening, Specialist.'

  'Hello. I have something interesting to show you.'

  A graphic box opened to a scaled-down holo of their hemisphere. The site flashed in the center with several hazy blobs around the periphery.

  'This may not be an isolated installation. There's a high probability interval for a forward base, no surprise there, but it could also be an isopoint base.'

  That surprised Morris. The data fit and the Imperium had no known isolation chokepoint reserve bases anywhere near this region. He nodded, then realized she couldn't see it.

  'I see. That is a fascinating possibility.'

  'It was initially classified as low probability but these min-mets might indicate outlying facilities.'

  'It would fit the pattern. Have you told the Commander?'

  'Not yet. I think we should investigate it.'

  'Reasonable, but we have limited time and resources.'

  Another graphic box opened, this one with a well-marked and scaled diagram.

  'This is the likelihood cloud with all measurable dependencies factored in.'

  'It's very convincing.'

  'Will you tell her?'

  Morris thought a moment.

  'No. I doubt she'd order anything on my word.'

  'Why?'

  'No, Specialist.'

  The second graphic vanished and the third enlarged and morphed to show the entire planet.

  'We know they'd have satellites. Some may have survived reentry. We should search for wreckage.'

  'I'll mention it to Culle.'

  'Did you mean what you said last night?'

  That caught Morris off-guard. He blushed, even with no one to see it.

  'Yes, Specialist.' Difficult to type but he forced himself. 'I didn't mean to say it but it's still true.'

  'Thank you. Good night, Morris.'

  'Good night, Specialist.'

  ***

  Midmorning the next day the tension rose to a peak. Morris found himself fidgeting, which surprised him. Only Jackson, Rackwell and Garrett showed no signs of irritation at their confinement. Rackwell wanted out, but only to examine the site. Jackson and Garret
t took things in stride. The biogel showed minor streaking but Lace and Jackson attributed this to ordinary germs. The biogel in all the probes showed similar streaks which meant anything present was uniform across the area of dispersal.

  "We could go now," said Eisley, "If that gel hasn't spoiled by now it won't."

  "Steady, Tina," said Lace, "I agree but the protocol calls for the full forty-eight hours."

  "You don't want to incur the Commander's wrath," said Morris, "Just wait."

  Harper stiffened at this.

  "It won't be long now." Lace hurried to interject this. "This afternoon, Tina. Just be patient a little bit longer."

  "Besides," said Jackson, "In three hours and thirty-eight minutes we'll all be so busy we'll wish we were still here!"

  Chapter 11. A Brand New World

  Morris walked down the ramp, glad of the feel of the wind against his skin. Aptly named, Dustball had a dry, gritty breeze but still it felt good. They all wore respirators and protective coveralls but that left ample skin to feel the sun and wind.

  "Walkabout," said Harper, "Stay in touch and don't wander more than an hour away."

  Morris ground his foot into the soil and enjoyed the crunch and rustle of it. He started walking away from the ship, not caring about the direction. Polov crunched along beside him, content in his silence. Although Morris had traveled to and served on many settled worlds, including a brief follow-up visit to a second-contact world, he savored the thought of being among the first to walk on this particular planet since, perhaps, before the Collapse. Morris sensed an uneasiness in Polov.

  "What's on your mind, Mr. Polov?"

  Polov glanced at Morris sidearm, then back up.

  "It's a laser, Mr. Polov. Required by First Grounding protocol and also wise in case our landing didn't scare off the local wildlife."

  "I know, sir, it's just one of the differences."

  He meant between the League and Halcyon. Since Morris qualified in marksmanship and held a security clearance the protocol required him to carry a sidearm. Before dropping the ramp Harper issued sidearms to Morris, Jackson, Kody and, surprisingly, Delroy. Rackwell could have requested one but elected not to. Harper then admonished the others to team up with at least one armed person. They saw no evidence of dangerous fauna but she'd take no chances.

  "I'm not fond of it," said Morris, "but it is required."

  "Do you really think we'll crack the site, sir?"

  "Of course!" The question surprised Morris. "Why wouldn't we? That is our sole purpose for traveling here."

  "I know, sir, but now that we're here and facing it the amount of work to be done is, well, massive. I just wonder if we'll have time afterward."

  "Patience, Mr. Polov," chuckled Morris, "You've been studying League technology, now is your chance to live it. Once we get a solid start you'll be amazed how quickly things come together."

  When half of Harper's stipulated hour had passed and with the ship barely in sight Morris walked up to a large, flat rock.

  "I claim this rock," said Morris, touching it, "Mr. Polov?"

  Puzzled, Polov repeated the gesture and words on a smaller rock. Morris took out a sheet of weatherproof paper and pen.

  "What are you feeling, Mr. Polov?"

  "It's... It's hard to say, sir. Amazed that we're here, especially after... Sorry, sir. I'm excited about the Imperium site. Apprehensive about what we have to do... I almost feel as though I'm at a threshold."

  "Good, Mr. Polov."

  Morris wrote 'We are at the threshold' prominently across the paper, signed it and handed it to Polov. After he signed the paper Morris sealed it in a small tube and buried it beside the boulder.

  "That tube is an unusual alloy," explained Morris, "A year from now, maybe ten, maybe a hundred or more someone will find it and dig it up."

  Polov thought on this a moment. "I understand, sir."

  Back at the ship Morris found a scene of developing chaos and contention. Impatient to be about things, Rackwell wanted to begin preparing the camp immediately. Harper demurred, stating there would be ample time the next morning. Morris agreed with her but...

  "I'll help, Dr. Rackwell"

  Harper stiffened at Morris' words but didn't countermand them. Instead she turned sharply and went back into the ship.

  "Things will be smoother if we organize," said Morris, "Let me, sir."

  Though easily accessible and conveniently arranged from inside the cargo hold was a mess from the outside. Complicating matters, some of the items would suffer if exposed directly to the corrosive atmosphere. Under Morris' direction they managed to offload enough equipment to mollify Rackwell.

  By the time they cycled back into the ship Harper had finished her dinner and left for her office. The conversations centered around interesting things they saw and Morris suspected more than one container now rested within Dustball's soil.

  ***

  The next morning before anyone left Morris and Jackson checked the respirators. The filters had minor clogging but the seals showed no pitting. After a quick consultation they decided to add ion repellers. That would decrease battery life but prolong the unit's useful time before requiring major servicing.

  Polov looked at Morris expectantly. All the cargo they could offload sat stacked against the hull with tarps tied over it. Of the group only Harper, Kody and Delroy remained aboard the ship. The Naval officers would service the bridge and perform the parking protocol. Delroy worked with the data feeds from the satellites.

  Morris spread out a hardcopy of the proposed base camp.

  "Thoughts, Mr. Polov?"

  Polov looked from the map to the area it would occupy. He turned the map so that the lines would align, squinted and estimated some measurements.

  "I'd say we start with level areas for buildings. Fifty meters by twenty."

  "The plan calls for one hundred meters by fifty," said Morris, "Why reduce it?"

  "Initially we don't have the prefabs for it. It would save time."

  Rackwell scowled at this.

  "Besides," added Polov quickly, "with one dimension equal it can be extended as needed."

  "Fallacy, Mr. Polov," said Morris, "That would disrupt the original layout. Once we start clearing a space we might as well clear as much as we'll need. Besides, it won't delay our visit that much."

  Chuckles.

  Morris made the rover his first order of business. While intended for survey and exploration of uninhabited planets it would also serve well as a construction vehicle, if so configured. Morris worked to so configure it. He had a pushblade along with a simple lifter arm, both of which he meant to install. He'd swap them later for specific survey gear as needed but for now they needed the construction attachments.

  While the others started surveying and marking the area for the base Morris located the two crates labeled 'Exoskeleton, Muscular Amplification, Personal.' He made sure each had plenty of room to unfold, jacked them into his toolbelt and commanded them to deploy. He and Jackson each donned one, ran the motion and strength tests and lifted the pushblade into place. Once they had it in position Morris locked his suit, carefully slipped out of it and fastened the blade onto the rover.

  Mounting the lifter took more effort and left Morris wishing for a chillsuit. The exmap was little more than myoboosters and sensors incorporated into a heavy-duty, open frame with no cooling unit. The physical effort required to move the lifter into place, the sunlight streaming down and that reflected off the rover's roof left Morris uncomfortably hot.

  "You warm enough up there, Mo," asked Jackson.

  "Ultimately pyro," replied Morris, "No need to take my temperature."

  Jackson guffawed at this and Morris couldn't stop a short laugh. They managed to lock the lifter in place; again Morris left his exmap and fastened it securely. With that done he turned his exmap over to Harkin, who claimed he knew how to use one. Although uncertain at first his movements became solid and confident. He and Jackson would move the larger b
oulders from the camp area.

  When Morris tested the rover the blade worked perfectly but the lifter did not. They wouldn't need it soon but not having it work irritated Morris. He climbed atop the rover and began checking connections.

  Once he had the lifter working Morris stopped to examine the soon-to-be construction site. Jackson and Harkin had all the rocks stacked in a pile to the side and had started on the few trees there. Fine black ash covered everything, the result of Harper's plasma-washing the area, but saved them hacking through and clearing undergrowth.

  Work stopped for lunch. Jackson and Harkin were tired, as was Morris, and the others wanted respite from the gritty air. Decontamination removed the dust but did little for the hydraulic fluid on Morris' clothes and hair.

  "Phew," said Eisley, rubbing her eyes, "That was fun."

  "Work, lady," grinned Jackson, "Just wait 'till we have a level area."

  Polov mumbled something that made Lace laugh and Eisley slap his arm. Garrett took a swallow of chog and looked at Morris hesitantly.

  "Yes, Mr. Garrett?"

  "Erm... Dr. Taylor, I'd like to volunteer for the herc, sir."

  "EXMAP operation isn't a common skill, Mr. Garrett, are you certified on one?"

  "Well..." Garrett seemed uncomfortable. "No sir. But I have worked with them. I worked construction to earn money for college. Most of my foremen wanted all of us familiar with the equipment. Most of that was simple exosuits and all I really did was lift and carry, but I can do that. The Halcyon models aren't as fancy as yours but the basics look the same."

  Morris thought a moment. "You can help me set up the zrock plant, Mr. Garrett. If you satisfy me on the basics I'll turn you over to Jared for supervision and training. If you satisfy him and Culle I will certify you."

  "Pyronic," said Garrett, "You can do that?"

  "I can, but don't think it will be easy. I promise you I'll be harder and more demanding than any commercial certification training. I will expect you to perform up to Tech standards."

  "Think on it, lad," advised Jackson, "I'll be just as tough on you."

  "Yes sir. I won't let either of you down!"

  After lunch Jackson took the rover. He aligned it carefully with the marked boundaries of the base camp area, lowered the blade and moved slowly but inexorably forward. Lace grabbed a test kit, Eisley and Kody, finished with his shipboard duties and armed with a blast rifle, and headed away from the burned area to find some unharmed vegetation. Polov, Harkin and Rackwell located some Halcyon gear and began assembling it.