“They really were odd, weren’t they?”
“The only thing I could think of was that whoever had been in the lander set something up to get our attention.”
“Well, Otto was dead. And Simon says he didn’t know anything about it.”
“Simon’s the AI?”
“Yes.”
“So what was going on?”
“You tell me, Priscilla.”
“I have no idea.”
“Okay. Here’s something else: Simon says the lander was damaged during the launch. It lost its wings.”
“How do you mean ‘lost’?”
“Torn off.”
“Impossible. I mean, the lander was more or less intact on the ground, right?”
“Yes. Except for the wings. One was down on the slope; the other was missing.”
“So how’d they get down?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?”
“There’s somebody down there.”
Jake nodded. “I don’t see any other explanation.”
“And they’re friendly.”
“Maybe.”
“So do we go back to find out who it is?”
“What do you suggest?”
She thought about it. “The smart thing to do would be to quit while we’re ahead.”
Jake adjusted his harness. “Makes sense to me.”
“But we’ll spend the rest of our lives wondering—”
“I know,” said Jake. “That sounds like one of those comments that get engraved on tombstones.” He pushed back in his seat. “So, I take it you vote for going back?”
* * *
PRISCILLA’S JOURNAL
Orfano is the saddest, most dismal place I’ve ever seen. We talk about people needing sunlight and we use sunny as a synonym for optimism and so on. Nevertheless, I don’t think I ever realized how critical sunlight can be to setting a mood. Remove it, and darkness becomes a palpable force. In Orfano’s skies, there are, of course, stars, but they are only glimmers in an overwhelming night. There isn’t even a moon. Not that it would matter if there were because a moon needs sunlight, too.
—February 8, 2196
Chapter 40
THE ODDS OF encountering the object seemed remote, but to play it safe, Jake placed them well outside the orbit in which they’d found the exhaust tube and the chair. “I hope you’re right,” Priscilla said, “about all this. If the Vincenti was brought down by some sort of hi-tech weapon, we wouldn’t have much chance.” She looked genuinely concerned.
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” said Jake. “If there was a system to take out any strangers who went into orbit, we’d know about it by now.” He looked down at the ice-covered world. “It’s just hard to believe there’d be anything there. Myra, I know we have no idea how long ago Orfano was expelled from its planetary system. But what’s the minimum? What’s the least amount of time it’s been without a sun?”
“Indications,” said Myra, “are it could not have orbited any known star during the last three hundred million years. The consensus, however, is that it has probably been adrift more than one and a half billion years.”
“Well,” said Priscilla, “if you’re right about all this, the Baumbachner will go down in history.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t just go down.”
“We should inform Union of our intentions.”
“Do it. They’ll respond by directing us to use caution.” Priscilla looked uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?” said Jake.
“Aside from wondering what we’re getting into? If it turns out we’re going to make history, I’d like my name associated with something that sounds a little flashier than the Baumbachner.”
“You on that again?”
“It doesn’t seem like too much to ask.”
“Nothing wrong with going back to Starhawk, I guess. But I don’t think it’s going to fool anybody.”
“Valkyrie would be nice. Or maybe Defiant. Even Reliable. In fact, Reliable’s good.”
Jake couldn’t help smiling. “How about Reluctant?”
“You’ll be sorry when we become historic figures, and everybody’s laughing at us.”
* * *
THERE WERE NO lights anywhere. But the sculpted landscape had taken on a new significance. Jake had been inclined to dismiss it when they’d first arrived as simply natural formations mixed with an overactive imagination. He thought that the various symmetries would be explainable without resorting to aliens. Now it was hard to believe there wasn’t an alien force at work.
But after thirty hours in various orbits, they had nothing. No lights. No responses to radio transmissions. No sign of any activity whatever.
Although, in fact, they did come up with something. “I believe we’ve found our superdense object,” said Myra.
“Where?” they both asked.
“It is at a substantial distance.” The display lit up, and they were looking at a swirl of dust. “Actually, I noted it before, but since it had nothing to do with our objective, I paid no attention. Error on my part.”
“Is it in orbit?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Get it on the record so we can make sure we stay away from it.”
* * *
“IF SOMEONE’S ACTUALLY down there,” said Priscilla, “they don’t seem to be interested in setting up a conversation.”
“Maybe they can’t,” said Jake.
“How do you mean?”
“They might not have the right technology.”
“So how do you think they got the Vincenti’s lander down safely?”
“I don’t know, Priscilla. Why don’t we give them a chance to do another rescue?”
They went down to the cargo bay, where Jake equipped the lander with extra sensors. Priscilla rigged some pillows in the pilot’s seat, wrapped them in blankets, and put her cap on the resultant figure, creating the impression of a pilot. “Good,” said Jake. “That should work. Now let’s go set up the launch.”
Priscilla nodded. “We should get near the downed lander.”
They returned to the bridge and depressurized the cargo area. “I just can’t imagine,” Priscilla said, “anything being alive on that world. Maybe there’s some sort of automated mechanism at work.”
“What would be the point?” asked Jake.
She shook her head. “It could be something left over from another time.”
“We’re talking hundreds of millions of years, Priscilla. That would be a pretty substantial mechanism.”
“Four minutes,” said Myra.
Priscilla was back in the pilot’s seat. “Open the doors,” she said.
Jake opened a channel to the lander AI. “Andrea, after we launch, I want the lander to look as if it’s lost partial power. As if you’re struggling to keep it from going down. Do that for three minutes. Then shut off the engines, and do a free fall as long as you can without damaging the vehicle. If anything unusual happens, record all circumstances. If nothing intervenes to prevent the fall, restore power and return to the ship. We’ll pick you up on the next orbit. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Jake. It sounds simple enough. I wish you luck in this experiment.”
* * *
“LAUNCH IN ONE minute,” said Myra.
Jake turned toward Priscilla. “Wish us luck, kid.”
She gave him a thumbs-up. “What do we do if someone walks out of a cloud, grabs it, and takes it down?”