Their new planet home had been visible for days on the large screens in the passenger lounges. The contrast of white clouds against the blue created an inviting image. For the passengers not in sleep mode, their destination was real. They could see it growing larger each day.
As the ship cruised toward planet 26q395-3, the navigators captured dramatic photos of other planets in its star system. These images were on smaller screens along one side of each passenger lounge. While the travelers found these photos interesting, the bluish globe on the main screen captured their attention.
Enaida was talking with Nairben and his friend Elykin. These young men, both Amilikut, were in their early twenties and both in prime physical shape. Only the Landing Advance Teams and a few passengers recovering from injuries were up from sleep mode. The Commander met with the Advance Team daily to review plans for the first 48 hours on the surface. These meetings were to get their input and organize responsibility for various tasks.
“Nairben, how are the meetings going?” Enaida asked.
“Very well. This responsibility is flattering, and the Commander listens to our suggestions.”
“He treats us with respect,” Elykin added.
“I know the Commander was frustrated by the poor preparation on the ground before we left on this mission.”
“Don’t get me started,” Elykin complained.
“We were very frustrated, and we offered to help. Unfortunately, none of the instructors had ever been in a wilderness setting. So they had no idea what it takes to survive.”
“Will you be giving some training to the other passengers?” Enaida asked.
“That's what the Commander wants, but doing it on the ship is tough. So, we are organizing projects to teach them skills once we land. For example, we need to scout the surrounding area. So, small teams will include one or two who can handle the activity and get more experience. It's a practical, hands-on approach.”
“Yeah. The idea is to start with those with some survival skills first,” Elykin explained.
“What do you fear most?” Enaida continued.
“Being in a wilderness with wild animals isn’t a concern. However, an advanced civilization with powerful weapons is a real danger. The Commander agrees we should avoid contact until we have mastered the environment and understand the risks.”
Nairben's friend Elykin gestured his desire to leave. He wanted to get something to eat, and Enaida sensed he was uncomfortable talking to a crew member.
‘Go get something to eat,” she said to ease the situation.
Looks like the Commander has agreed to on-the-job training, she thought.
The blue orb on the screen got more prominent each day, and Enaida found herself drawn to it. None of the planets she had visited ever looked so beautiful. She wondered how much the scientists on Tridon had been able to see. Then she saw Aterga and waved to get her attention.
“What do you think about our new home?” Aterga asked, smiling.
“It looks fantastic, but what makes it so blue?”
“One of my travelers is a scientist. He said it's due to so much light reflecting off water.”
“Well, there better be some dry land. Tridon had many lakes, but it never had that blue look,” Enaida said unenthusiastically.
“I saw you talking to Nairben. He's been in a good mood lately.”
“Yes, He was very excited about being on one of the Landing Advance Teams. “
Aterga sighed. “I hope we are on the same descent vehicle.”
“I think you’ve fallen in love,” Enaida said softly to her friend. “Have you …”
“Yes,” she grinned. “But to your question, No. We have flirted some, and I think Nairben likes me, but we’ve never been alone.”
“From what I’ve seen, he seems very nice.” Then, changing the subject, Enaida asked, “How are your injured passengers doing?”
“Terrible. I have three that got hurt in the collision. Not one can exercise adequately. All three have a PPS of 2. I don’t think they can survive the G-forces. I don’t know what to do.”
“I only have one. The man broke his wrist and hurt his ankle, but it was enough to keep him from maintaining his strength. He tried, but that strained his ankle again. His Physical Performance Score is 3. I bet there are others like him.”
“What will the Commander do? He sees the scores and knows what they mean. “
“Aterga, we must push our passengers as hard as we can. Some will make it, and some may not. Regardless, we’ve done our job.”
The two medical specialists continued watching the travelers in the lounge. Some had just finished their afternoon workout. The two women could tell by how their charges moved that they were tough and confident. They would begin getting up the remaining travelers in only a few days.
The Commander had decided on the lander seating based on the traveler's PPS number. Those in the best condition would be first. Nireem believed in survival of the fittest. He had little patience for those who had neglected their physical stamina for over a year.
In Passenger Lounge Two
Adnilla was enjoying an afternoon when she didn’t have to help anyone. All the passengers out of sleep mode were motivated to push their exercise routine to the limit. She thought she had never seen such an impressive collection of male physiques. Even the women displayed intensity in their workouts. She wondered: Why are some so motivated?
At the start of the mission, the Amilikut had been very reticent to talk with her. But as the weeks passed, they became more comfortable. One, in particular, Treveon, stood out and always impressed her. He had a quiet authority about him, calm, never ruffled. She didn’t know why. She saw him toweling off and waved to him to join her.
“Treveon, have a good workout?” she asked as he got near.
“Absolutely,” he smiled and sat near her.
“I noticed you have improvised on the regular exercise routine.”
“Yeah. I wanted to tighten my abs and glutes. And jogging under tension builds stamina.”
“Heard you’ve been meeting with the Commander.”
“Yeah,” he blushed. “We are walking through the plans for when we land. He is very thorough.”
“That's the Commander. Do you have any big concerns?” she pressed.
“You know the crew inventoried everything the Planners loaded on the descent vehicles -- lots of clothing, some tools, but hardly any weapons. That's his big concern. And the weapons are mostly short-range lasers.”
She noticed he had used the Commander's expression for the Space Directorate.
“How do you load a laser?” Adnilla asked, looking very confused.
“They plug into a source of electrical power. Some have a removable power cell. That's another problem. The lasers are great for crowd control but not very helpful in hunting or fending off hostiles.”
“What would you rather have?”
“I like the Ze^Tan44, but an Amilikut could never get one on Tridon. They are incredibly lightweight and can knock a man off his feet at half a eugaelon. It uses a linear accelerator to fire a projectile with unmatched accuracy. And it would be nice to have a night scope. That's the equipment we should have.”
“So what do we do?” Adnilla continued.
“If we encounter hostiles, we will see what they carry. We may have to capture theirs. For hunting, we will have to improvise. Running out of ammunition is another issue.“
“Have you been on a lander?”
“We’re doing that in a few days. The Commander asked one of the pilots to explain different exit options. He said we might have to help some passengers. And we are working on the plans to unload the craft.”
“Treveon, Get something to eat. I enjoyed talking to you.” Adnilla was always surprised at how clever the Amilikut were.
She sat quietly, replaying in her mind the conversation she had just had with Treveon. Why would the Space Directorate send a ship halfway across the galaxy without the most effective weapons and limited ammunition? That didn’t make sense.
When that older Mamlaka man – the one whose quiet confidence had impressed her -- was out of sleep mode, she would ask him. Maybe the crew hadn’t looked in the right place for weapons. Adnilla couldn’t believe the Directorate was that incompetent.
It was nearly time to gather in the Crew Galley for the evening meal – if you can call protein powder, dehydrated vegetables, and some spices blended in a flavored liquid a meal. Most of their food was semi-liquid in a container designed to inject mouthful-size quantities. It was efficient and worked well in space. They could pick a flavoring to change the taste.
Adnilla saw Retepin and joined him. She had been thinking about Treveon's comments about the lack of weapons.
“Retepin, do the descent vehicles have any storage compartments that the crew can only open from the outside?
“Not on the smaller models we used before this mission. But I would have to check the technical documents to see what there is on these big ones. So why do you ask?”
“I was talking with one of the men on a Landing Advance Team, and he said the Planners had loaded very few weapons and none that would be very useful on this mission. That doesn’t make sense. So I thought they might be loaded somewhere else.”
“I’ll check it out. I agree it doesn’t make sense to land without weapons on a distant planet.”
“Thanks, Retepin. The way they planned everything else, it wouldn’t surprise me if they assumed there was no need for arms.”
“Have you started taking the other passengers out of sleep mode?” he asked.
“We start tomorrow. It's spread over eight days. So it will be easy. The last day is when we do the least able. That's always a lot of work, and I don’t know if they will survive the landing.”
“You know the passengers that died in the collision will land with us. The Commander decided he didn’t want to leave anyone behind.”
“Oh. I suppose they may have had friends or family. They can be buried where we set up the colony.”