Chapter Five

The Stopover

The Tilsin orbited the fourth planet of an unfamiliar sun. The planet appeared uninhabited. From a distance of ten thousand kilometers, as close as the traveling city-state starship could approach, it looked much like Earth. Tankar studied it from the Pilgrims’ observatory with Iolia at his side. He had not yet reached a decision, but the Pilgrims’ community accepted as a given that the two young people were engaged and would marry soon. Sometimes the thought bothered him, as if he had said too much. But, at other times, it gave him great happiness.

“The Tilsin will be orbiting for a long time,” the Patriarch had told him. “We need raw materials, water, metal, hydrogen. As soon as the explorers return, much of the population will set up camp and mine for necessities. Would you like to be our advance man, Tankar?”

“How would I know? What would I be doing?”

“On the first flight, you would fly low, take pictures, and secure soil samples, mainly from the atmosphere. Once we establish that none of the microorganisms would be harmful or resistant to our pan-vaccines, you will disembark and, without taking any needless risks, make sure there are no dangerous animals.”

“I’ll do it.”

Iolia asked, “Can I come with you? There are three seats on the vessel.”

“Too dangerous. Maybe later.”

“You always say that. Do you think I am a coward?”

He smiled kindly. “No, Iolia.”

“I can pilot a vessel.”

“I don’t doubt that, but these are the rules set down by your own people. The Stellarans always send a big crew. Look over there.” He pointed to the images of the planet. “Lovely, isn’t it?”

The spinning planet was majestic behind stripes of misty cloud. In between the openings, blue and green zones could be seen. “I’ll be there shortly. I’ll come back very soon, so you won’t have to wait too long. Now I need to go.”

She walked him to the entrance of the lock area. The vessel was ready, and a technician gave Tankar the final instructions. “Breathable atmosphere, somewhat rich in oxygen. High probability of plant life. Don’t land, not this time.”

“See you tomorrow, Iolia.”

“I shall be listening.”

“Don’t do that. I might not call for a while. You’d fret for nothing.”

“Okay. I will pray for you, Tankar.”

He kissed her forehead and stooped to enter the craft. He had piloted Stellaran launches when he was setting up revenge and escape plans. The tiny vessel was designed as a shuttle between city-states and planets and had no hyperspace equipment, but it was powerful and easy to use.

He locked the doors, checked the waterproofing as well as each individual piece of equipment. Guards did not joke about that kind of thing, and his life had been saved more than once by last-minute detailed effort.

“If I’d been this thorough on my last departure from Earth I wouldn’t be here now,” he thought out loud without knowing whether or not he regretted that oversight.

When everything was shipshape, he nose-dived toward the spinning planet below him. His radar revealed another object zooming in the same direction at top speed. It had to be the Stellaran explorers.

My work will be redundant, he thought. But the Pilgrims will have their independence, even though I’m sure that the Patriarch and the Teknor will review both our reports.

He lowered gear to enter the atmosphere so he would not end up a meteor. As a result, he lost sight of the fast-moving Stellaran vessel.

He zigzagged a kilometer above land for a long time, allowing the vessel’s camera to film the widest possible surface. The planet was beautiful and the landscape varied. He saw vast oceans, mountain chains, large continents and many islands. A dense, deep-green forest covered swathes of terrain, broken here and there by savannah, brush, lakes and swamps. A long river snaked lazily through the mountain ranges. He spiraled downward, to see herds of animals, swift and graceful as they loped through the tall grasses. Nothing suggested the presence of any of his two-legged counterparts. No villages, no roads, no sown fields. All the radio frequencies emitted silence save for the rumble of a faraway storm.

If there’s any intelligent life here, it’s stuck in the Stone Age, he thought.

The external temperature was 32 degrees centigrade. He methodically collected atmosphere and soil samples. From the distant mountains a smoke cloud rose to the sky: a volcanic eruption. Maintaining his distance, he watched as each explosion produced enormous volcanic bombs. Something rocket-shaped approached, and he recognized a Stellaran vessel. It circled the crater much too closely.

They’re nuts! They’ll be forced to crash!

An even more violent explosion littered the sky with debris. When the smoke cloud dissipated, the vessel had disappeared. Goddamn idiots! Now I have to go.

He did not for a second anticipate any joy at the steep price the hated Stellarans might pay, but another pilot, a comrade, was in danger.

He approached as speedily as prudence allowed, estimating the distance separating the ground and the crater. The volcano’s slopes, furrowed by shreds of lava, curved downward into a maze where the vessel might have fallen. At last he spotted a stack of twisted metal in the path of molten rock and magma from the volcano.

Shit, they’re in trouble. I need to move.

The volcanic eruption was losing potency, but a westward bar of gloomy descending black clouds promised a storm on the way. Tankar found a landing point, a narrow platform between two ravines. Landing required a great deal of effort but Tankar, one of the Guards’ top pilots, managed it on his second try.

He yanked on the light planet-specific spacesuit engineered to protect him from bacteria or poisonous plants. Along with provisions, he packed two fulgurator-pistols, four grenades, and a first aid kit.

The ground he stepped onto was burning hot and trembling. He descended into a ravine through an avalanche of ash and cinders. Sensing immediate danger, he ducked. He would never have managed to climb out of the ravine without his ice ax. A chaotic collection of rocks awaited him on the rim at the other side. He walked around it and finally reached the right-hand side of the wreck that had been eviscerated by rocks.

Tankar did not look for the cause of the accident. Any survivors would require immediate medical attention, and the volcano was ready to erupt again at any moment. He entered the ship through a gap between two disjointed panels and almost immediately slipped on viscous liquid, swearing as he tumbled to the surface. A crushed male figure lay in a piteous state far beyond all help. Tankar picked his way around the corpse to see that the nose of the vessel had fared better. The distorted, unhinged command-post door was in his way, but he could hear cries and rapid breathing on the other side.

He grabbed a section of the door and pulled. It twisted, groaned and gave way. Armed with a discarded molecular saw, Tankar whittled out a tunnel for himself. A blood-soaked human form fell into his arms. Gently, Tankar laid the man on the ground and poked his nose into the opening. A quick, first look told him there were no survivors, but he pulled out his first aid kit and lit a lamp.

“Anaena!” It was indeed Anaena, covered in blood, a long scar across her forehead. He checked for broken limbs and assessed the depth of her wound. He injected a stimulant and disinfected the wounded area.

A dull groan shook him to his core. The volcano, perhaps? But nothing was raining down on him, and he remembered the brewing storm.

Softly, he said. “Anaena?”

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Tankar. We need to get out of here. The volcano’s going to blow again at any moment.”

She tried to sit up but fell back with a moan. “I can’t.”

“That’s not true. Nothing’s broken, and we have to get out of here right now. Courage, please. My launch is nearby.”

“The others?”

“Gone. Stand up.”

He helped her stand, and they made their way through the opening in the fuselage. The sky was inky black, and the first raindrops pelted the hot ground. Tankar held her by the waist, almost carrying her. Anaena groaned with each step, but she clenched her teeth and bravely continued. They could not see the far side of the ravine as the rain pounded down. Tankar’s spacesuit protected him, but Anaena was drenched. Rivulets of rainwater flowed around their feet; the wet ash turned it all into a thick bog. Over the torrential sound of the rain, he thought he heard the first hints of an avalanche.

He sat on the ravine’s edge and placed the young woman on his knees. Holding her with one hand, his ice ax in the other, he sledded through the mud. They made it down, but they had to climb out on the far side. He swept the walls with his hololight and saw that where the cooling lava flow had sealed the ashes, it had created footholds. He sheltered Anaena as best he could under an overhang and paddled through the mud to the other side.

“I’m going for some rope; I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” He did not know if she heard him.

He angled his hololight upward. The rain shone through the cone of light, but he could not see his vessel. He stumbled several times on the way up the other side, but finally reached what remained of the platform. An entire chunk of the overhang collapsed under the weight of his craft, which was now, no doubt, covered in debris.

“Shit!” he swore furiously. He wasted no time feeling sorry for himself and retraced his steps to find the young woman rolled into a little ball. “The launch is gone. I’m afraid we’re shipwrecked, Anaena.”

She moved ever so slightly, and he listened to her labored breathing. He put the lamp on top of a small rock and gave her a second injection. After a moment, she sat up, wearily ran her hand over her forehead, and then saw the blood, dark under the light. Flashes of lightning still rumbled, even though the deluge had pretty much ended. She looked down at her splayed fingers. “Tankar, Tankar, am I disfigured?”

He burst out laughing. “No, there’s nothing there the Tilsin’s surgeons can’t put right. That is, if we make it back, which I doubt.”

“Your vessel?”

“The landing platform collapsed under the weight of the rainwater. No idea where the devil the launch has got to. It’ll be useless in any case. Come, let’s move on, we’re much too close to the volcano.”

“Can’t we wait for daybreak?” she pleaded.

“No.” His tone left no room for argument. “The lava flow’s moving toward the wreckage of your starship. It’ll reach us before dawn.”

“I’m so weak. Do you think we’ll get out of here alive?”

“I hope so. You need to help. Please try to eat something.” He handed her a package from his provisions. “Here’s some food.”

“And you?”

“My spacesuit has hung on till now, and I’ve not had contact with indigenous bacteria that would put us in jeopardy. I’d like to stay in this bubble as long as possible. In a few hours, the air supply will run out. After that, I’ll try my luck with the pan-vaccine. Eat, drink this, and I’ll be back soon.”

He followed the ravine and explored for a few hundred meters below. Then he widened his search to include the rim of another ravine. Tankar climbed that one, hoping to spot the wreckage and secure weapons and provisions, but an enormous mudslide blocked his passage, and he realized that his vessel was now buried underneath and completely inaccessible.

He doubled back and found Anaena standing in her wet clothing, ready to go. They made their way along the floor of the ravine. The hololight illuminated the ground under their feet and the base of the ravine walls. The top was still black despite slivers of reluctant light. A slight mist rose from the hot, wet ground. The path was bumpy, littered with crumbled rock. The steep incline helped rather than hurt, and they managed to descend one kilometer.

The volcano continued to make threatening noises. Though they had moved out of the worst hit area, from time to time a small yet violent burning pellet smashed onto the ash with a whistle. Instinctively, Anaena clutched Tankar’s arm and ducked her head. He did not make a sound. Nature’s bombing campaign was paltry compared to others he had been through. Finally the ravine broadened, the walls grew shallower, and the incline more gentle. They still encountered scattered lava flow, the remnants of earlier eruptions. Anaena was close to collapsing with exhaustion, so Tankar decided to stop right there. It was a relatively safe place. He spotted a natural cavity left by a gas bubble. The hole was big enough to hold both survivors.

“Climb down. I think I saw some bushes; I’ll try to start a fire.”

Sparse dry vegetation sprouted from cracks in the lava, and dead tree trunks dotted the surface around the cave. The wind rustled through their white branches with mournful snapping sounds. He returned to the grotto with an armful of twigs and palms. He lit a fire with his fulgurator, and soon it began to crackle and shine light through the darkness, bathing the little cave in a reddish glow.

“Take off your wet clothes so we can dry them. I won’t look.”

He sat at the entrance gazing into the distance. He had seen no fauna and doubted any animals would approach the erupting volcano, but the fire might lure them. Keeping the fulgurator handy, he waited, listened, but heard only the sounds of the young woman changing her clothes.

“How did you get shot down? Who was your idiot pilot?”

“Me.”

He chuckled with contempt.

“I can pilot as well as you can,” she snapped.

“How many were on board?”

“Five. But the others all agreed to fly over the volcano,” she insisted. “I didn’t kill them, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

“What were you doing atop the crater? Catching a show?”

“We’re free! But I was planning to collect debris and gas samples. Those can help identify the deep crust.”

“Ah.” He did not speak. In his view, the act of folly had transformed into a dangerous mission. She had scored a point.

“Why did you leave, Tankar?” she asked abruptly.

“You’re not surprised that I did, are you?”

“Hand me some wood, but don’t turn around. Yes, it did surprise me. It surprised everyone.”

“It was about the blueprints.”

“I didn’t have them stolen.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why would I take them? You’d promised to hand them over.”

“To stop me from doing just that. To prove that I’m nothing more than an untrustworthy planetary.”

“It’s very likely we’ll never make it back to the Tilsin, Tankar. Why would I lie now? I didn’t take the blueprints. I found out they were gone when the Patriarch told my uncle.”

“Then where are they?” Tankar demanded.

“I don’t know,” Anaena sighed. “Maybe some advantist took them. The next Teknor election isn’t scheduled until two years from now, but the timing can be brought forward if a petition gets enough signatures to charge the Teknor with tyranny, or if a candidate brings something really useful, like a tracer, for instance. You wouldn’t be able to prove that the tracer was built from your blueprints.”

“Oh, yes, I would!” he insisted.

“Hmmm. Maybe the people who stole the blueprints built one. It could be operational without the Teknor suspecting it. Can you imagine the outcome if this or that person were one day to warn of the approach of a city-state? Most of my countrymen wouldn’t give a damn that the information had been stolen.”

“That may well be. But it’s too late for me in any case.”

There might have been one or more tracers in operation. There was at least one, his own. He thought it highly likely that others might be out there. Despite Anaena’s protests to the contrary, there might be one in the command post itself.

“It’s not too late, Tankar.”

He remained still then spoke slowly. “Yes…it is. I’m probably going to marry Iolia.”

“Do you think that bothers me? That’s not at all what I had in mind.” Despite her bravado, her voice sounded off. “You can turn around now. I’m dry.”

“Sleep now, you need the rest.”

He collected some sand, tucked the provisions bag under her head, and then resumed his spot at the entrance.

“Tankar?”

“Yes. Go to sleep!”

“I’m too tired. Do you think we’ll get out of here?”

“It all depends on the Tilsin’s rescue actions. If the Guards were in charge, they’d comb this entire place rather than leave one comrade behind.”

“We would also do that.”

“All right. Even then, the odds of our getting out are slim. We should be okay if the beasts aren’t too beastly and a rescue team comes fairly soon. We also need the bacteria not to be harmful and to see if we can find something to eat. A lot of ifs there.”

“Tan will do his utmost.”

“That I believe. But if you’re not going to sleep, at least be quiet. I need to think.”

Tankar was still pacing around the fire when daylight broke outside the cave. The weather was fine and the air fresh. He ambled up a cone-shaped heap of lava. The volcano was still smoking, but the plume wavered in the wind. An occasional explosion launched a pellet in the air, sketching dark freckles against the pale sky. The first rays of an unfamiliar sun scanned the sierra and pinpointed the shadows in the valley.

Below his observation point, lava was flowing and vanishing under the forest floor. He could just make out birdlike flying creatures in the half-light. They were too far away for him to get a good look, but he heard their piercing cries. The cluster of massive trees seemed dark and impenetrable. Much farther away he spied the barren mound of an extinct volcano with a spout at its center. He could not fully make it out, but he knew that was where they needed to go to set up an SOS.