Jay rolled up the solar-cell sheets while he lifted the sacks into the plough horses big saddle-bags.
Horst handed round his chill flask full of icy elwisie juice, then they set off again. Jay was glad of her hat. The sunlight was scorchingly hot on her arms and back, air rippled and shimmered all around. I never thought Id miss the rains.
There was a river to cross before they reached the Soebergs homestead. It was less than a metre deep, but about fifteen metres wide. A fast, steady flow from the mountains, winding in broad curves along the savannahs gentle contours. The bottom was smooth rock and rounded pebbles. Snowlily plants were growing right across it, their long fronds waving in the current. Flower buds as big as her head bobbed on the surface, the first splits starting to appear in their sides.
Jay and Horst took their boots off, and waded across clinging to the side of the horse. The water was invigorating, numbing her toes. She could easily believe it must have come directly from the snow peaks themselves, she wouldnt have been surprised to see nuggets of ice bobbing about. After she sat on the bottom of the bank and dried her feet she thought she could walk for another hundred kilometres. Her skin was still tingling delightfully when they started up the bank.
They had been walking for another ten minutes when Horst held up his hand. Mills, Russ, come down off the horse, he said with quiet insistence.
The tone he used set up an uncomfortable prickling along Jays spine. What is it? she asked.
The Soebergs homestead. I think.
She peered over the tops of the wavering grass stems. There was something up ahead, a white silhouette against the indistinct horizon, but the sun-roiled air made it hard to tell exactly what.
Horst fished his optical intensifier from a pocket. It was a curving band of black composite that fitted over his eyes. He studied the scene ahead for a while, his right forefinger adjusting the magnification control.
They are coming back, he said in a soft murmur.
Can I see? she asked.
He handed her the band. It was large and quite heavy; the edges annealed to her skin with a pinching sensation.
She thought she was looking at some kind of AV recording, a drama play perhaps. Sitting in the middle of the savannah was a lovely old three-storey manor house, surrounded by a wide swath of tidy lawns. It was made of white stone, with a grey slate roof and large bay windows. Several people were standing under the portico.
How do they do that? Jay asked, more curious than alarmed.
When you sell your soul to Satan, the material rewards are generous indeed. It is what he asks in return you should fear.
But Ingrid Veenkamp said
I know what she said. He removed the band from her face, and she blinked up at him. She is a lost soul, she knows not what she does. Lord forgive her.
Do they want our homestead too? Jay asked.
I shouldnt think so. Not if they can build that in a week. He sighed, and took one final look at the miniature mansion. Come along, well see if we can find a nice fat danderil. If we get back early Ill have time to mince the meat, and you can have burgers tonight. What do you say?
Yeah! the two boys chanted in chorus, grinning.
They turned round, and started to trek back across the heat-soaked savannah to the homestead.
Kelven Solanki floated through the open hatch into the Arikara s bridge. The blue-grey compartment was the largest hed ever seen in a warship before. As well as the normal flight crew it had to accommodate the admirals twenty-strong squadron-coordination staff. Most of their couches were empty now. The flagship was orbiting Takfu, the largest gas giant in the Rosenheim star system, taking on fuel.
Commander Mircea Kroeber was stretched out along his couch, supervising the fuelling operation with three other crew-members. Kelven had seen the cryogenic tanker as Ilex docked with the huge flagship. A series of spherical tanks stacked on top of a reaction drive section, and sprouting thermo-dump panels like the wings of a mutant butterfly.
The squadron of twenty-five ships was in formation around the Arikara , holding station five hundred kilometres away from Uhewa, the Edenist habitat which was resupplying them with both fuel and consumables. It was just one of the priority operations Ilex s arrival in the star system had kicked off ten hours ago. Rosenheims planetary government had immediately placed a restriction on all starship passengers and crew wanting to visit the surface. They now had to go through a rigorous screening process to make sure Laton wasnt amongst them, creating a vast backlog in the low orbit port stations. The systems asteroid settlements had swiftly followed suit. Reserve naval officers were being called up, and the 7th Fleet elements present in the system had been put on alert status along with the national navy.
Kelven was beginning to feel like a plague carrier, infecting the Confederation with panic.
Rear-Admiral Meredith Saldana was hanging in front of a console in the C&C section of the bridge, his soles touching the deckings stikpads. He was wearing an ordinary naval ship-suit, but it seemed so much smarter on him, braid stripes shining brightly on his arm. A couple of his staff officers were in attendance behind him. One of the consoles AV projection pillars was emitting a low-frequency laser sparkle. When Kelven looked straight at it he saw Jantrit breaking apart.
Meredith Saldana datavised a shutdown order at the console as Kelven let the stikpad claim his shoes. The Rear-Admiral was six centimetres taller than him, and possessed a more distinguished appearance than the First Admiral. Could the Saldanas sequence dignity into their genes?
Commander Kelven Solanki reporting as ordered, sir.
Meredith Saldana gave him a frank stare. You are my Lalonde advisory officer?
Yes, sir.
Just been promoted, Commander?
Yes, sir.
It always shows.
Sir, I have your orders flek from the First Admiral. Kelven held it out.
Meredith Saldana took the black coin-sized disk with some reluctance. I dont know which is worse. Three months of these ridiculous ceremonial fly-bys and flag-waving exercises in the Omutan system, or a combat mission which is going to get us shot at by unknown hostiles.
Lalonde needs our help, sir.
Was it bad, Kelven?
Yes, sir.
I suppose Id better access this flek, hadnt I? All weve received so far are the emergency deployment orders from Fleet headquarters and the news about Laton showing up again.
There is a full situation briefing included, sir.
Excellent. If we run to schedule we should be departing for Lalonde in eight hours. Ive requested another three voidhawks be assigned to the squadron for liaison and interdiction duties. Is there anything else you think I need immediately? This missions code rating gives me the authority to requisition almost any piece of hardware the navy has in the system.
No, sir. But you will have a fourth extra voidhawk, Ilex has been assigned to the squadron as well.
You can never have too many voidhawks, Meredith said lightly. There was no response from the young commander. Carry on, Kelven. Find yourself a berth, and get settled in. Report for duty here to me an hour before departure time, you can give me a first-hand account of what we can expect. I always feel a lot happier being brought up to date by someone with hands-on experience. Meanwhile I suggest you get some sleep, you look like you need it.
Yes, sir, thank you, sir.
Kelven twisted his feet free of the stikpad, and pushed off towards the hatch.