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Dog nodded and reached for the controls.
Jack had a sudden thought. Have you scanned for other ships? he asked.
What?
Or have you forgotten why we re here? This is the destination from Antille s
notes, isn t it? Shouldn t we be seeing their ship?
Dog frowned. Yeah, you re right. Sorry. Not surprisingly, my mind s been on
other things.
He touched a couple of panels, watched the readings, made some adjustments,
and scanned again. After a few seconds he shook his head.
Nothing.
Jack stared out at the approaching system, a hard constriction in his throat,
not wanting to draw the conclusion that lay staring him in the face. Something
had happened to Billie and Antille. Either here or on the way here. He kept
his gaze focused on the screen, not wanting to look at Dog.
We ll try the nearest one first.
Jack nodded.
If there was no sign of Billie s ship, then what might have happened to them?
The possibilities tumbled through his head. Who was to say that these aliens
weren t hostile? He d seen the damage to the City of Trees on Mandala. It was
as if the entire upper section of the city had sheared away as the result of
some vast force.
He had no indication that they were hostile. None whatsoever. He had to hold
on to that thought.
Thirty minutes, said Dog, and we ll be close enough to do a decent scan.
You know, this is weird, Stein. We re in the unknown in more ways than one.
Look at you. Look at me. Look at the system. He gave a short laugh. It s
weird, but it s great. I might have known when I ran into you that some
strange stuff was going to start happening.
Jack looked at him sidelong, and then turned back to the screen. Listen,
Dog, he said. I m going to see if I can get anything from the planet. I need
to concentrate.
Right, said Dog, the grin slipping from his face. He turned his attention
back to the controls.
Jack didn t want to think about the weird things that were happening. He
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tried to clear his mind instead, reaching out with his senses to the world
slowly growing in the screens in front of them. The bridge, the controls, Dog,
everything faded as he stilled his thoughts and reached focus.
The planet they were headed toward was blank. It sparked nothing in his guts
or his chest. There was nothing. He took a deep breath.
Not that one, he said. Head for the other.
Dog frowned at him but complied, trusting him at least that much.
Their heading changed, and the image in the viewscreen slid across. The
second planet was smaller, but greener at this distance. It centered in the
screen, and again Jack reached out. This time there was something. The barest
twinge, but something.
Yes, said Jack. That s the one.
How can you tell? asked Dog.
I can feel it. He closed his fist in the center of his chest. Here.
Uh-huh. Dog was watching him curiously, as if expecting to see some sort of
alterative. Jack didn t know what other change he expected. Personally, he
thought they d both changed enough for his liking.
Jack tried sending his thoughts out, questing for some sign that would
indicate Billie s presence, or at least alert her to the fact that he was
looking. He didn t know if it would do any good. He d never even attempted
anything like it before. He and Billie had a bond, but he had never thought to
experiment with using that bond to try to communicate. There hadn t ever been
the need. He sent the thoughts out and didn t know where they went, because
there was no sign of a response. Jack sighed, turning back to focus on the
approaching world.
If their ship s down there, would we know it? he asked.
I don t know, said Dog. But if it is, that s not a good thing.
Jack frowned. What do you mean?
These ships aren t built for planetary landing. Why do you think I
hadAmaranth berthed at the orbital? That s what we have the shuttles for. If
their ship is down on the surface, it means something bad s happened to it.
Something very bad. If they ve crashed on the surface and there s no signal, I
wouldn t like the chances of survival.
Jack swallowed.
Oh, he said.
They performed three full orbits while Dog checked readings and displays,
monitoring for anything that looked like traces of civilization. All the while
Jack kept his senses on alert, seeking anything more than the subtle pull
resting faintly in the base of his chest.
I wasn t sure on the last pass, said Dog, waving Jack over. But it looks
like there s something down there.
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The reading meant nothing to Jack, but he knew there was something down there
already. He didn t need any display to tell him.
So what is it?
Can t tell from here, but it s big.
Big enough to be a city?
Oh, yeah.
Jack peered down at the planet, trying to see marks of what Dog was pointing
to, but nothing was distinguishable at this distance. A wide continent lay
below, shaped something like a five-pointed star. Light clouds swirled in
spiral patterns above it, obscuring much of the green-brown surface. A deep
steel gray ocean bordered the landmass, darker, more monohued than Jack might
have expected. Dog had matched theAmaranth s orbit to what lay below them,
and Jack reached up a hand to touch the screen.
Hey, said Dog. No finger marks. They re hell to get off.
Sorry, mumbled Jack, still caught by the vision of the unknown world below
them.
Is it safe? he asked finally.
As far as I can tell, answered Dog, still checking his displays.
Atmosphere s fine. Looks hospitable enough. Somehow I don t think there s
going into be any bars down there, but damn, I could do with a drink.
Yeah, me too, said Jack. Me too.
So, what next?
Jack took a few moments before answering. I guess we go down.
The small ship that they used to get down to the surface was in much better
condition than the one Dog had ferried them to Utrecht in. Like the rest of
theAmaranth, Dog seemed to take pride in its upkeep. Perhaps the other
shuttle, the one sitting back at the orbital, was merely a front. There were
things about Dog that worried Jack still. How much more was a front?
On the way back to the shuttle, Dog had opened a locker, revealing a healthy
array of primed and clearly well-maintained weaponry.
I think we should take precautions, said Dog as he hefted a large rifle.
Take your pick.
Jack chose another, the same, and almost reached for a small hand weapon, but
somehow he didn t think he was going to need it. Feeling the weight of the
rifle in his grip brought back memories of a long time ago, when he was
much He cut the thought off almost as soon as it formed. Memories of a time
when he was as young as he was now. He rested the weapon in the crook of his
arm and automatically checked the charge pack. It was primed and ready to go. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Dog nodded and reached for the controls.
Jack had a sudden thought. Have you scanned for other ships? he asked.
What?
Or have you forgotten why we re here? This is the destination from Antille s
notes, isn t it? Shouldn t we be seeing their ship?
Dog frowned. Yeah, you re right. Sorry. Not surprisingly, my mind s been on
other things.
He touched a couple of panels, watched the readings, made some adjustments,
and scanned again. After a few seconds he shook his head.
Nothing.
Jack stared out at the approaching system, a hard constriction in his throat,
not wanting to draw the conclusion that lay staring him in the face. Something
had happened to Billie and Antille. Either here or on the way here. He kept
his gaze focused on the screen, not wanting to look at Dog.
We ll try the nearest one first.
Jack nodded.
If there was no sign of Billie s ship, then what might have happened to them?
The possibilities tumbled through his head. Who was to say that these aliens
weren t hostile? He d seen the damage to the City of Trees on Mandala. It was
as if the entire upper section of the city had sheared away as the result of
some vast force.
He had no indication that they were hostile. None whatsoever. He had to hold
on to that thought.
Thirty minutes, said Dog, and we ll be close enough to do a decent scan.
You know, this is weird, Stein. We re in the unknown in more ways than one.
Look at you. Look at me. Look at the system. He gave a short laugh. It s
weird, but it s great. I might have known when I ran into you that some
strange stuff was going to start happening.
Jack looked at him sidelong, and then turned back to the screen. Listen,
Dog, he said. I m going to see if I can get anything from the planet. I need
to concentrate.
Right, said Dog, the grin slipping from his face. He turned his attention
back to the controls.
Jack didn t want to think about the weird things that were happening. He
Page 122
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
tried to clear his mind instead, reaching out with his senses to the world
slowly growing in the screens in front of them. The bridge, the controls, Dog,
everything faded as he stilled his thoughts and reached focus.
The planet they were headed toward was blank. It sparked nothing in his guts
or his chest. There was nothing. He took a deep breath.
Not that one, he said. Head for the other.
Dog frowned at him but complied, trusting him at least that much.
Their heading changed, and the image in the viewscreen slid across. The
second planet was smaller, but greener at this distance. It centered in the
screen, and again Jack reached out. This time there was something. The barest
twinge, but something.
Yes, said Jack. That s the one.
How can you tell? asked Dog.
I can feel it. He closed his fist in the center of his chest. Here.
Uh-huh. Dog was watching him curiously, as if expecting to see some sort of
alterative. Jack didn t know what other change he expected. Personally, he
thought they d both changed enough for his liking.
Jack tried sending his thoughts out, questing for some sign that would
indicate Billie s presence, or at least alert her to the fact that he was
looking. He didn t know if it would do any good. He d never even attempted
anything like it before. He and Billie had a bond, but he had never thought to
experiment with using that bond to try to communicate. There hadn t ever been
the need. He sent the thoughts out and didn t know where they went, because
there was no sign of a response. Jack sighed, turning back to focus on the
approaching world.
If their ship s down there, would we know it? he asked.
I don t know, said Dog. But if it is, that s not a good thing.
Jack frowned. What do you mean?
These ships aren t built for planetary landing. Why do you think I
hadAmaranth berthed at the orbital? That s what we have the shuttles for. If
their ship is down on the surface, it means something bad s happened to it.
Something very bad. If they ve crashed on the surface and there s no signal, I
wouldn t like the chances of survival.
Jack swallowed.
Oh, he said.
They performed three full orbits while Dog checked readings and displays,
monitoring for anything that looked like traces of civilization. All the while
Jack kept his senses on alert, seeking anything more than the subtle pull
resting faintly in the base of his chest.
I wasn t sure on the last pass, said Dog, waving Jack over. But it looks
like there s something down there.
Page 123
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The reading meant nothing to Jack, but he knew there was something down there
already. He didn t need any display to tell him.
So what is it?
Can t tell from here, but it s big.
Big enough to be a city?
Oh, yeah.
Jack peered down at the planet, trying to see marks of what Dog was pointing
to, but nothing was distinguishable at this distance. A wide continent lay
below, shaped something like a five-pointed star. Light clouds swirled in
spiral patterns above it, obscuring much of the green-brown surface. A deep
steel gray ocean bordered the landmass, darker, more monohued than Jack might
have expected. Dog had matched theAmaranth s orbit to what lay below them,
and Jack reached up a hand to touch the screen.
Hey, said Dog. No finger marks. They re hell to get off.
Sorry, mumbled Jack, still caught by the vision of the unknown world below
them.
Is it safe? he asked finally.
As far as I can tell, answered Dog, still checking his displays.
Atmosphere s fine. Looks hospitable enough. Somehow I don t think there s
going into be any bars down there, but damn, I could do with a drink.
Yeah, me too, said Jack. Me too.
So, what next?
Jack took a few moments before answering. I guess we go down.
The small ship that they used to get down to the surface was in much better
condition than the one Dog had ferried them to Utrecht in. Like the rest of
theAmaranth, Dog seemed to take pride in its upkeep. Perhaps the other
shuttle, the one sitting back at the orbital, was merely a front. There were
things about Dog that worried Jack still. How much more was a front?
On the way back to the shuttle, Dog had opened a locker, revealing a healthy
array of primed and clearly well-maintained weaponry.
I think we should take precautions, said Dog as he hefted a large rifle.
Take your pick.
Jack chose another, the same, and almost reached for a small hand weapon, but
somehow he didn t think he was going to need it. Feeling the weight of the
rifle in his grip brought back memories of a long time ago, when he was
much He cut the thought off almost as soon as it formed. Memories of a time
when he was as young as he was now. He rested the weapon in the crook of his
arm and automatically checked the charge pack. It was primed and ready to go. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]