They couldn’t. Didn’t mean they didn’t know our location. In a universe where nanosnoops were common and anyone could be adapted to be anyone else, nothing was secret for long.
“Can you tell us, Major,” began Rynd slowly, “what happened to the ships that vanished from the first expedition?”
“No. I’d like to. I’d like to know myself. So would everyone else. One instant, the Norfolk was in orbit and on station. She’d fired a flash torp to get a ground reading and spectra. The next moment she was gone. There were no traces of standard energy release, no weapons tracks or disruptions…”
Sounded like the Norfolk had been translated. “There aren’t any Gates around Danann?”
“No, Lieutenant Chang. That was Commander Da-negel’s first thought.”
Tepper hadn’t really answered the question behind the question. Should have phrased it better, but didn’t want to try again.
Rynd looked to Lindskold, then to Rigney. All three looked at Tepper. Beurck didn’t look at anyone.
“When something snatched a D.S.S. frigate, you want to know why we’re back here?” asked Tepper “Isn’t that in itself a good enough reason?”
That made sense. D.S.S. would love to have some sort of weapon that removed ships without a trace, and without evidence. Then, so would the Sunnis and Covenanters. The godlovers could use it to claim all sorts of things as the will of their god.
“It’s risky, but as Commander Morgan pointed out, we don’t have that much time before no one will be able to research what may exist on Danann. If we don’t look now, we don’t get a good look at all. The Alwyn’s security sweeps haven’t revealed anything unexpected.” Tepper looked at me, then at Braun. “We’ll be using the shuttles to set up an orbital commnet to cover the whole planet. Outside of tasks like that, the next few days will be orbital surveillance only.”
Had to wonder how much good that would do. I hadn’t forgotten how big the complex was that lay under the ice on that dark orb ahead of us.
31
Goodman/Bond
I’d just reported to the armory after morning quarters. I’d thought I’d round up a few connector blocs before the chief arrived. The aft bay was my work space, and over the last few days, I had begun to assemble some of the smaller items necessary for the AG signaler. Those were the components that looked harmless enough, and wouldn’t be missed, except in a complete inventory, and we’d just completed one of those. Even if they found them in my work bins, no one would give it a second thought.
At breakfast, Klyseen had told me we were getting close to orbit. She’d know. She was one of the nav techs. I’d looked at the farscreens in the tech lounge after breakfast but couldn’t tell that much. The renegade planet— they were calling it Danann, after some heathen god—looked featureless and gray to me. It could have fit the Prophet’s definition of Gehenna, all cold and gray and filled with the souls of the damned.
I’d slipped a pair of the connector blocs into my bin and was laying out my gear for an inspection of the last torp that had been brought back by the needleboats. We’d needed to replace most of the nav sections of the pair from the damaged boat. There hadn’t been a mark on the two torps, and the accel monitors hadn’t shown an over-stress, but we couldn’t get anything in the green. Ciorio couldn’t tell me why, and neither could Chief Stuval.
I’d just gotten out the diagnostic kit when Ciorio came puffing into the bay. “Been looking for you.”
“I’ve been here.”
“You’re always here, except when you’re not. Anyway, we got to get ready for orbit,” Ciorio announced. “We’ll be there by ten-thirty, Major Sewiki says. Chief wants us to transfer four surveillance torps topside soon as we can get the slider ready.”
“Did the chief or the major say anything about what we’re orbiting?”
Ciorio snorted. “He doesn’t know any more ‘n we do. We don’t even see the surveillance packs. Comm techs add them topside before launch.”
Why was Ciorio telling me that? I knew, and so would any armorer tech second. Had I said something to indicate I knew less than I was supposed to? “What else is new? They’ve always been like that. They trust us to take out the warhead, but not see a frigging datapak.”
“You got it.”
“You really think there are alien ruins down there?”
“Got to be something, Bond. Got to be. Comity and D.S.S. space marshals wouldn’t spend all those credits if there wasn’t something.”
“But what? The place is billions of years old.”
“Beats me. Anyway, we got to get the surveillance torps up to the comm techs. Chief’ll burn bom of us if we don’t get moving.”
As I maneuvered the slider toward the end bays, I wondered just how much Colonel Truesdale really knew. C.I.S. must have some idea where Danann was. The Galaxy was too big to scan everywhere for the signal from me locator I needed to get assembled. Still, I’d have to be careful… very careful. Ciorio and the chief kept close tabs on everything in the armory.
32
Chang
Soon as we got to orbit, Special Deputy Minister Allerde announced it on shipwide screens, something about our real work just beginning. After the Sunni attack, I hoped the real work was a lot more boring.
The Magellan and the Alwyn orbited Danann twoday, threeday, and fourday. Sent out surveillance torps, imaged the planet with every kind of technology the Comity had. Lerrys, Braun, and I studied all the information about Danann. On twoday and threeday, we used the shuttles to place surveillance satellites and comm relays in equidistant orbital points. Easy job—lots easier than what I’d been doing on McClendon.
After that came sims in the shuttles. Also went over emergency procedures for planetside liftoffs and descents. Hadn’t done that many in a while. Not many pilots did anymore, with most of the travel to orbit by elevator.
Ten-thirty on fiveday morning, I was running through the prelaunch checklists for real.
Navigator Control, this is Porter Tigress. Standing by at prelaunch.
Porter Tigress, Control, wait one.
Sat in my armor, except for the helmet, and waited. Aft of me were five ground support techs, five scientists. Aft of them in the cargo hold was a tractor and a bunch of support equipment, including an interim power supply. Mass load was seventy percent of T-norm, the most I’d want to drop with onto Danann.
Porter Tigress, this is Navigator Control, stand by for null grav bay two.
Control, standing by.
Null grav gave my guts the usual momentary jolt. Boards were green.
Porter Tigress, Control, bay doors opening, atmosphere barrier in place.
Control, Porter Tigress, understand bay doors opening. Looked at the bay doors and the blackness beyond. Could sense where everything was through the links. You get used to the feeling of seeing nothing with your eyes, and yet they show you the images fed through the links.
Porter Tigress, Navigator Control, bay doors open, cleared to launch.
Control, Porter Tigress, uncradling.
Took only a moment to release the cradle blocks and pulse the steering jets—slower and more careful with the mass in the shuttle.