The Lost Colony, DM Arnold [ebook reader for laptop TXT] 📗

cryogenic coolant.”

“I've seen the warp coils that are in our shuttlecars. They don't require cooling.”

“This is a much bigger vessel than one of your shuttlecars,” Zane replied. “Come -- let's look in Main Engineering.”

They passed through another bulkhead and into a control room. Nyk saw the chief engineer and two mates watching status displays. A low thrum-thrum-thrum came from behind a bulkhead. “Behind there is the fusion reactor,” Zane said, pointing. “And, behind that are the hydrogen fuel tanks.” He pointed to a schematic diagram on the bulkhead. “Here are the helium vent ports.”

“We vent the fusion byproduct?” Nyk asked. “We only have single-stage reactors?”

“On a vessel as this, the additional power from two-stage reactors doesn't justify the additional weight and complexity -- better, instead, to use a larger one-stage reactor.”

Nyk perused the control panels.

“One of the tenders will be fueling us before we depart,” Zane continued. “We do that second watch.”

“I thought Captain Hayt said we were manning only a single watch.”

“Engineering is always manned,” the chief engineer replied.

“It must be a lonely watch, then,” Nyk remarked.

“Over here is the auxiliary bridge. We can run the ship from here if need be -- all the critical functions are replicated. With a skeleton crew, the second watch chief is responsible for all operations. Of course, we'll be in station-keeping -- but should anything arise, we'll have eyes on it at all times.”

“Thank you, Chief,” Nyk said.

“We'll continue our tour up two decks,” Zane said. “Directly above us is the cargo hold. It's empty and will stay that way.”

“Won't we be carrying the comm relay in there?” Nyk asked.

“It's too big. We have no way to get it below decks from the shuttlebay. It'll have to stay put there.”

“We've already seen the shuttlebay,” Nyk said, “on our way in.”

“That's right. The only other thing on deck four are the barracks, and we won't be using them on this voyage, either. We might as well go straight to deck three.”

“We have a skeleton crew on a big, empty ship,” Nyk said. “At least we won't feel claustrophobic.”

“Right,” Zane replied. “We won't be bumping into each other.”

“I imagine on a seeding mission -- this would be one busy ship,” Andra remarked.

“Yes, indeed -- we can accommodate five hundred colonists. We would need a full crew and we'd man both watches -- run the galley 'round the clock and hope our passengers behave themselves. Well, she and her sister are ready, willing and able if and when the next colony world is discovered. Missions like this one keep her limber. Come on, let's go up to the galley deck.”

Zane led them toward the lift. “Deck three is sick bay, galley, and crew and passenger mess. We have no medic aboard, so sick bay is closed -- not even stocked. We have one cook in the crew. We'll leave the mess halls shut and take our meals in our cabins....”

“Your friend Zane seems personable enough,” Nyk said to Andra.

“Yes -- he's a nice guy.”

“How much did you see of him at Vebinad?”

“Not an awful lot.” She giggled. “For a while he had a crush on Janna. It was before he realized how much the two of us resembled each other.”

“Don't tell me more... I imagine you two had quite a bit of fun at his expense.”

“Yes... He was a good sport about it. Of course, ax'amfinen aren't permitted love interests during academy. We are delivered to our assignees as virgins, and Destiny help anyone who isn't one.”

Nyk slipped his arm around her and she leaned against him. The lift doors opened and he looked around the observation deck.

“This is deck one -- observation lounge. We're actually standing outside the hull of the 501.”

The deck was covered by a transparent dome. Upholstered benches lined the dome, with others set in geometric patterns.

Nyk stood and looked toward the transit platform. “You get a great view from here,” he said.

“I believe that's why they call it the observation lounge,” Andra replied.

“Look -- you can see Floran City and Sudal from here... You can't appreciate the view from a packet viewport. You need to be standing in a place like this.”

Andra looked aft. “There's the fueling tender,” she said.

“It gives the second watch engineering crew something to keep their minds occupied. I understand some of the scouts can pull stray hydrogen from space and refuel in flight.”

“Not this bucket?” she asked.

“No -- not this one. Some of the newer ones... I'm just as happy we're leaving with a full tank. It wouldn't be good to run short on the other side of the galaxy.”

She embraced his arm and kissed his cheek. “You are enjoying yourself -- aren't you?”

“Immensely. I knew I was destined to be aboard one of these, one day.”

“Shall we return to our cabin?”

Nyk lay on his back, staring in the dim light at the patterns made by the metal plates forming the ceiling of their cabin. Beyond those plates lay a layer of insulating foam, more plates forming the hull of the vessel, and then -- deep space itself.

Andra pulled herself against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He caressed her, and fingered her fine, white hair. She kissed his chest. “Mmm,” she said. “You have a way of making me feel loved like I've never felt before.”

“It's because I love you, Andra.”

“Mmm ... I know -- like I've never been loved before.”

“You and Suki are the two I love most in the whole universe.”

“You and Sukiko are the two I love most in the whole universe,” she replied.

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me on this boondoggle. I was surprised you agreed so easily.”

“It gives me a chance to use the skills for which I was trained,” she replied.

“You were trained for political assignments -- not diplomacy.”

“Diplomacy is one of the political arts -- don't you think?” She kissed him again. “The real reason I agreed is a selfish one.”

“Selfish?”

“Yes -- to spend time with you.”

“It's the same reason I insisted you accompany me -- to spend time with you and to get to know you.”

“Nyk -- you know me better than anyone in the entire universe.”

“And at the same time I hardly do. There is something mysterious about you, Andra -- something unknowable. I think the program at Vebinad conditions you draw a veil across your true persona. I know your friend Janna exists behind such a veil, though I did glimpse the true she once.”

Andra rolled onto her back and stared at the cabin ceiling. “I think you might be right. Of course Janna must maintain the visage of a princess.”

“Ax'amfinen are called social chameleons,” Nyk replied, “able to assume whatever personality the situation requires.” He gazed at her and watched a tear roll from the corner of her eye. “Did I say something to hurt you?”

“Of course not. You haven't said anything I haven't heard countless times. Do you really believe I'm hiding something from you?”

“I don't believe you're hiding anything -- or anyone -- from me that you're not also hiding from yourself.”

She continued to stare upward. “You are perceptive, Nyk. You have a natural perception -- the sort that takes years of training at the academy to acquire. Believe me -- I am as true to you as I am to myself.”

“No doubt -- but I want to know the real Andra.”

“You might not like her. I might not like her.” She made a little snort. “She might not exist any more. Vebinad might have wiped the slate clean.”

“Well -- this is our chance to look for her. If we find her -- I'm sure we'll love her.” He coaxed her back against himself and kissed her forehead. She reached across and pulled herself tight against him. “I hope I haven't upset you.”

“It's reminding me of something. Once there was a girl at Vebinad who became so unhappy there, she tried to run away. Of course they found her, and punished her severely for her temerity -- to make an example of her. 'No one escapes Vebinad,' they lectured, 'remember that. No one escapes Vebinad Academy -- not now -- not ever.' It's very true -- I'll never escape Vebinad. The place has a hold on me to this day.”

“What happened to her?”

“She went on to fulfill her destiny -- as do we all.”

“Did you know her?” Nyk asked.

“Yes -- I knew her. I lost track of her over the years, though. I hadn't thought of her until our conversation awoke old memories.”

“What was her name?”

“Andra.”

4 -- Planetfall Varada

Nyk was startled awake by the bong-bong-bong of a chime. He looked up and saw white indicators blinking over his cabin's viewports. The flash shutters began to close.

“Andra -- Andra! Wake up.”

“Mmmmph,” she said and rubbed her eyes.

“We're getting underway.” He folded down a jump seat and belted himself in. Andra climbed out of the bunk, folded down another and fastened her restraints.

The indicators flashed white to blue. A thud shook the ship and Nyk was thrown against his restraint. Andra's overnight bag fell from a shelf onto the deck. Then a second jolt and a third. The warp indicators went dark and the viewport shutters opened.

“Where do you think we are?” she asked.

“I don't know.” He craned his neck to look through the viewport. “We slept through the start of the watch and the captain's briefing.” He pulled on his tunic. “I'm going to take a stroll to the bridge.”

“I'll join you after my shower.”

Nyk headed down the corridor and stepped onto the bridge. On the viewpane was a rust-colored planet. “Where are we?” he asked.

“We're making planetfall on Nalos,” the first officer replied.

“What's on Nalos?”

“Nothing. It's what's in orbit around Nalos -- ExoService salvage yard. We're here to pick up a comm relay.”

“How long will we be here?”

“Well, that depends, doesn't it -- on how long it takes to find one that Zane and the chief can coax back into life.”

“We've reached the coordinates,” the pilot reported.

“Thank you, helm,” replied the first officer. He touched a control panel at his post and a rectangular object tumbling lazily in space appeared on the viewpane. “That's it -- taken out of service a hundred years ago.”

An open transport with pressure-suited crew approached the relay station. “Are they from the salvage yard?” Nyk asked.

“Yes,” the first officer replied. “They'll control its roll so our men can have a look- see.”

“It looks like dangerous work.”

“It is dangerous -- but these guys are pros.”

One of the crew stepped from the transport. He paused for a moment and then activated his thruster pack. He approached the tumbling relay, his velocity matching its rotation and grabbed onto it. From a pack on his back he withdrew an object, secured it to the relay station, let go and headed back to the transport. Another crewman repeated the performance on the other side of the relay.

“What are those?” Nyk asked.

“Inertial sinks,” the first officer replied. “They'll control the rolling.” The relay station's tumbling slowed and stopped. “Ensign,” he called into a communicator, “you're on.”

Another figure, riding a personal thruster like a motorcycle, approached the station.

“Is that Zane?” Nyk asked.

“Yes. He'll give it the once-over. The yard master tells us they have three others if this won't do.”

“And, if none of them do?”

“We'll make one do.”

Zane approached the bridge in his pressure suit and carrying his helmet in the crook of his arm.

“Status?” the captain said.

“It appears to be functional,” Zane reported, “but...”

“But what, Ensign?”

“The control cabin won't hold atmosphere. It seems the door seals are hardened from being in space for so long. Also, it's missing its gravity generator. Likely explanation -- it was scavenged years ago. We'll have to do our work in pressure suits and zero-G. It won't be easy.”

“Ensign, where in your enlistment agreement did you see the word 'easy?'”

“Nowhere, Sir. Some day, though, a Communications Corps technician will be cursing us through her teeth. We'll be able to work on it here in the bay during the crossing to