“Do what you think best,” Hutch said. “But be aware that you’re putting any landing party at risk.”
“Oh, come on, Hutch,” said Herman. “It can’t be that bad. A lot of people died here. We owe it to them to at least take a look.”
SHE RETREATED TO the holotank and spent several hours sitting on a crag overlooking a very terrestrial forest, bathed in moonlight. In the distance, lightning crackled, and the sky grew heavy. But when the clouds rolled in, she dissipated them.
“It’s not your fault,” said Bill.
“I know that.”
“Why don’t you shut this place down and go out with the others?”
“He was there when we needed him, Bill.”
“He had a chance to get to you. You had none to reach him.”
“I know that, too.”
“Then stop feeling sorry for yourself. And go spend time with your passengers. This is a difficult time, and they need you.”
Chapter 10
For they have found true isolation, in time as well as in space.
THE MOON WAS in its second phase. It was four hundred thousand kilometers from Safe Harbor, and it was actually one of three natural satellites, the others being negligible. It was barren, icy, mostly flat. Its surface was far smoother than Earth’s moon, prompting Pete to speculate whether it was considerably younger, or whether it was geologically active. Or whether…He went on, creating other possibilities.
The diameter at the equator was more than four thousand kilometers. A third the size of Earth. It had clouds, and Bill reported snow falling in a couple of places.
Hutch took the Memphis low, and they passed above fields of unbroken ice, occasional craters and rills, and then, unexpectedly, a chain of remarkably high mountains. Ahead, Safe Harbor was rising.
The planet was silver and blue in the sunlight, shrouded with clouds. She heard reactions from mission control, where George and his people were gathered. Beautiful world, poisoned beyond use by anybody now.
The sun set and they glided into a spectral night, filled with unearthly landscapes illuminated by the planet. Bill’s image appeared. “We’re over it now, Hutch,” he said.
The screens depicted a line of plateaus and low hills rising out of the dark. Bill put one of the plateaus on-screen, increased magnification, and rotated it for her. At the top, she saw a cluster of buildings. Domes of varying sizes, six of them, gray and drab, much the same shade as the surrounding rock. And there was a landing pad, complete with launch vehicle!
But there was no sign of life.
EVERYBODY WANTED TO make the flight down. “Can’t do it that way,” said George. “Somebody needs to stay. We have to establish an operations center here. On the ship.”
“Why?” asked Alyx, who looked genuinely distraught. This after pleading a few hours earlier to go home.
“Because it’s the way these things are done,” George said.
Hutch broke in. “He’s right. Look, there is a risk. Any deployment outside the ship always involves a risk. In this case, you’re going into an alien environment. We don’t know what might be waiting. So we want at least one person to stay here, out of harm’s way.” She was hoping to dampen the enthusiasm. In her view, no more than two people should have gone in until they knew for certain it was safe.
“I agree,” said Pete. “Best would be for George and me to go down, look the place over. Make sure everything’s okay…”
“Yes,” said Hutch.
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “Right,” he said. “And you guys be the first ones in. How about if Alyx and I go?”
“Hey,” said Herman. “I’m here, too. We’re going to be making history today. Old Herman’s not going to sit up here.” His features tightened, and Hutch saw that he wasn’t joking.
Tor made it clear he wasn’t planning on staying behind either.
George sighed. “Makes me proud,” he said.
“So what do we do?” asked Nick.
George surveyed his people for a volunteer who’d be willing to stay. But he got no encouragement. “Guess you’re it, Hutch,” he said.
“Not a good idea. You’ll want somebody along who’s familiar with the e-suits. In case there’s a problem.”
“Tor’s familiar with them,” said Herman.
She met his gaze and smiled politely. “Wouldn’t hurt to have two of us.”
“Right,” said Herman. But he was misjudging her. She couldn’t have all her passengers running around outside the ship while she sat in safety.
Hutch sighed. “Let’s let Bill keep an eye on things.”
“We should probably wait for sunrise,” said Alyx.
“That’ll be about three days,” observed Bill.
Hutch shook her head. “It is late,” she said. “Best would be for everybody to get a good night’s sleep. We’ll leave after breakfast.”
SHE TALKED WITH George for a few minutes, cautioning him about potential hazards in the moonbase, then went down to the launch bay and looked through her checklist to make sure everything was ready to go. She’d have to run some of them through a familiarity program with the e-suits. That would be another pleasure.
She loaded the harnesses, put in a couple of extra ones, checked the galley and the water supply. She connected the fuel line and told Bill to fill the lander’s tanks. Then she climbed inside, sat down in the pilot’s seat, turned out the cabin and bay lights, and began calibrating the gauges. She was suddenly aware she wasn’t alone.
Tor stood just outside the open airlock. “Hi,” she said. “Come on in.”
He smiled at her, a guy with something to say and not sure how to say it.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Can I be honest?”
“Sure.”
“The Condor hit you pretty hard.”
“It hit everybody.”
“We had each other. I mean, we’re a big club. Been together for years, more or less.” His face was lost in shadow. “I understand you were a friend of, um, the captain?” He struggled momentarily to recall the name. “Brawley?”
She felt her control beginning to go again. Damn. “Yes,” she said. “We were friends.”
His hand touched her forearm. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded. “We’re all sorry.”
“How well did you know him? If you don’t mind my asking.”
Not as well as I’d have preferred. “We’d been friends for a few years,” she said. “How did you know? About us?”
“George told me.”
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think anybody knew.”
His eyes grew very soft. “They all knew.”
He let her go, but she left the wrist where it was, draped across the chair arm. She had a rule about involving herself with passengers. Even passengers with whom she had a personal connection. But at that moment, she’d have liked to draw closer to him. She’d descended into a dark place, and she needed company.
He was still talking, standing just inside the lander’s airlock, but only part of her was listening. He was saying something about how confident he felt having her in command of the Memphis, and how glad he was to be there, despite everything that had happened. She looked up at him and startled herself and undoubtedly him by drawing him down onto the chair arm.
His hands went around her and held on to her and rocked her gently.
IN THE MORNING they gathered outside the lander and listened while Hutch explained and demonstrated how the e-suits worked. They were flexible force envelopes, she said, that molded themselves to the body, and which felt rather like a loose-fitting set of cotton clothes. The exception was the hard shell effect created over the face, allowing space to breathe. They strapped on the gear, activated the Flickinger fields, and made admiring sounds as they saw how the fields glowed when lamplight hit them in the right way.