Deep Space Dead (7 page)

Although she was greatly looking forward to taking her place in the history books Fratia Bel was a little uncomfortable with the Council’s decision to appoint Wal to head the mission. As far as she was concerned this was far from the cut and dried prestige operation most of the colonists seemed to be expecting, for the actions of the mission would determine the course of settlement and industry for hundreds of years. The Confederation would be expecting accurate reports and would certainly not appreciate any mining deposits or precious resources being overlooked. But behind his cocky demeanour Wal was determined to impress. He had departed a hero and he was determined to return as one. In preparation for his mission he had read up on the sorts of things the Confederation was looking out for, the deposits and resources that were of the most use to them, had read up on landslips, fault lines, the underground water supplies and the best areas of ground for building cities.

The positive reports continued.

“Instruments read an abundance of natural gases in this area with plains just beyond and a large lake which may serve as a water supply for another potential city.”

“From here
we are picking up
a weak signal indicating gold deposits may be secreted far down at a depth of five hundred feet.”

“Conditions are considered right for a diamond deposit.”

“Conditions are right for a potential spaceport here.”

“The sea is deep but is thought to contain massive deposits of oil and gas beneath the ocean floor.”

“There is a great deal of sulphur here and the readings show a poisonous environment completely unfit for natural human habitation. Even building a road over this part of the world would prove difficult.”

“Strange,” murmured Fratia Bel, and she began to study her equipment closely before leaning to look out of the window. “I’m getting some odd readings coming from that group of caves over there.” She pointed downwards. Wal craned his neck and looked below towards a rocky patch of ground snaking down from some of the highlands that appeared indistinguishable from the rest of the terrain.

“What kind of readings?” He asked her.

“Something that sends the instruments haywire,” she replied. “Something we haven’t seen before.”

“What could it be?” Asked the ranger captain, his interest piqued.

“No way of telling without going down there,” replied the geologist. “Although I know for a fact dark matter provides irregular readings.

“If so then we’re rich,” laughed Wal. “Dark matter is the mother load as far as resources go. And if you’re right and we relay it back to the Confederation I doubt they’ll take eight years to get over here.”

“Let’s not get above ourselves, it may be nothing,” said Bel, her tone matter of fact. “But we need to investigate it all the same.”

“Are you sure about that?” Said Wal, uncertainly. “Orders are we’re not to undertake any deep investigation. I’ll have to run it past the Admiral.”

“The Admiral will say no,” muttered Bel contemptuously. “She’ll put it down to a dodgy reading and tell us to carry on starring at the ground. But I think we’re on to something here, Wal. This computer system is top notch. If it sees something it doesn’t understand that means something. I’m not going to miss out on this whilst Bratten Jorg muscles in on behalf of the engineers and claims all the glory for herself. And what if they send Jak back here instead of you? Do you really want him claiming all the glory for discovering dark matter?”

This swung it for Wal. He thought quickly. “I suppose if it could be dressed up as a geological necessity,” he said hopefully.

“Easily,” replied Fratia Bel with confidence, and she smiled.

“We have stopped for the day outside a group of caves. Spirits are good but everybody is very tired. Geology Officer Fratia Bel has decided to take the opportunity to take some measurements. She is also going to collect some rock samples in order to confirm their geological makeup and get an idea of conditions for possible mining. The cave entrance is thirty feet high by ten feet wide, more a crack in the earth really.”

The terrain was harsh and forbidding, for they seemed to be in the middle of a volcano range. The thermometer monitoring the outside temperature read forty degrees Celsius. Wal and his rangers stripped down to their shorts and vests in preparation for the heat outside. The rovers hovered a few feet in the air in their resting position as Wal and the others climbed out. The stench of sulphur was almost unbearable and the heat reached up from the ground to assault their skin. Within seconds everyone was sweating profusely. Fratia Bel approached the cave entrance and shone the flashlight into the darkness. “Interesting,” she mused.

“Look over here,” said Wal. He was standing a few metres away to the side of the cave entrance. “It is almost as if the ground has been stamped down by living feet.”

Fratia Bel came over and regarded the hard earth sceptically. “We’re near a fault line,” she said knowledgeably. “Volcanic activity in this area as well. Pressures in the earth, wind, that sort of thing might all explain it. Dark matter might explain it as well. Gravity doesn’t usually behave itself whenever that stuff is around.”

Up ahead there came a strange rumbling sound. Wal noticed lava that had dried but still looked quite fresh to him before looking doubtfully upwards towards the volcano that loomed overhead.

“Don’t worry,” laughed Bel, as though reading his mind. “It isn’t going to blow, not in twelve hours anyway.”

“Come along then,” muttered Wal. “If I’d known it was going to be like this I’d have given the whole thing a miss. Still, we might as well get it over and done with. He turned to his fellow rangers. “Come along everyone,” he called cheerily. “We’re going to have a look inside. One hour tops and then we’ll have some dinner.”

The rangers came quickly, as anxious as their leader to be away from this place. Wal led the way, flashlight straight in front of him. He stepped past the cave threshold and into the inky blackness beyond.

“What the hell were they thinking going into that cave without authorisation?” Demanded Admiral Kalp angrily, and although she would never admit it Arianna did not doubt she deeply regretted her decision not to send Jak out on the mission instead.

“The consequences of going inside a cave in the middle of an unfamiliar fault line have the potential to be very dire indeed,” said Bratten Jorg. “If they all went inside it might have collapsed in on them, trapping them inside or worse.”

“Why weren’t they stopped?” Demanded Col Gayze haughtily. “Why are we only hearing these transmissions now?”

“Because they were one way broadcasts intended as a record only,” replied the communications man Barra Herr irritably. “If they wanted something from us they could have called us up on another channel. Had they not gone missing we probably wouldn’t have listened to these transmissions until well after they got back.”

“So whatever went wrong clearly took them by surprise,” mused Magnuj Bol. “Had they anticipated the problem they would surely have called on us for assistance.”

Sol fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair. “Let’s not be too hasty,” he cautioned. “Yes, they’ve breached protocol but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve come to harm. We’re still picking up the signals from the rovers. That means they must still be intact out there.”

“The rovers have been in the same spot for twenty-four hours now,” replied Bratten Jorg. “If you ask me that gives us even more cause for concern.”

“We must keep this to ourselves,” stated Kalp simply. “Morale is high at the moment and I want to keep it that way. Most likely Wal and his rangers have simply gone and gotten themselves trapped. If so we’ll go over there, blast them out and they can carry on with the mission as though nothing has happened.” She turned to Jak. “Looks like you’ll get your tour of duty after all,” she said wryly.

“I’ll go too,” said Arianna suddenly.

“You’re not a geologist,” objected Jak.

“I can operate the on board computers,” replied Arianna. “And I can analyse data too. This isn’t a research mission, Jak. I’m as good a navigator as anyone.”

“Why did you volunteer?” Demanded Jak angrily when they were back at their apartment after the meeting. “You’ve got no experience with stuff like this and it isn’t as if we’re entering a safe situation here what with the place being a fault line and right next to a volcano.”

“It’s like I said in the Council meeting,” replied Arianna flippantly.

“You know that’s not why you stepped forward.”

“I want to be out there,” said Arianna. “I want to explore, just like you.”

“Now is hardly the time,” said Jak. “We don’t know what might have happened to them.”

“You’re going to have to come back regardless,” laughed Arianna. “They’ll be pretty stuck if they lose all their rangers and that means you won’t take any chances. And I’m hoping that with me along this will be even more the case.”

Jak nodded. He thought he was beginning to understand.

“You know as well as I do what will have happened if there’s been a landslide inside that cave,” muttered Arianna. “I don’t know why Kalp keeps trying to fool us.”

“More like she’s looking to fool herself,” replied Jak perceptively. “Things have been going so well lately it’s hard for her to accept something might have gone seriously wrong. After all, if we’ve lost Wal and his party it means we’ve lost half the rangers and that’s going to seriously set us back let me tell you.”

“Hardly the time to get delusional,” said Arianna. “Just as well she’s retiring soon.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good thing,” replied Jak. “It means there’s going to be an election and I’ll bet you anything you like Sol will put himself forward.”

“Sol is damaged in the eyes of the Council,” said Arianna with a shrug of her shoulders. “Once the Admiral is gone he’ll be blamed for encouraging her to send out Wal.”

“You’re assuming they’ve met with some disaster,” said Jak. “It may be they’ve just got lost. They might radio in at any time.”

“Somehow I doubt that very much,” replied Arianna darkly. “We’re going out there to look for bodies, Jak, and the whole Council knows it even if nobody is prepared to admit it out loud.”

“She ran off again,” said Jen Henna, when she arrived to drop Ambra off after a day of babysitting. The librarian did not sound at all annoyed and ruffled Ambra’s hair affectionately as she spoke. “I told her she mustn’t leave the arboretum but when I looked she was gone. It was fifteen minutes before I found her again.”

“Playing in the grass down by the river I don’t doubt,” said Arianna.

“She’s quite the explorer that one,” laughed Jen. “She’s going to be a ranger, just like her dad.”

Arianna and Jak looked at once another in embarrassment.

After Jen had left Arianna went straight to Ambra’s bedroom and marched her out into the living room. “And just what is this I hear about you running off again?” She demanded with real anger. “Don’t you think we’ve got enough to worry about without you risking your life by that river day in, day out?”

“I wasn’t going to the river to play,” said Ambra defiantly. “I went there because the Moon Man told me to.”

Arianna rolled her eyes whilst Jak was unable to suppress a smile. “I’m not having this, do you hear me?” Snapped Arianna crossly. “I won’t have you using nonsense as an excuse to do whatever you like.”

“But he did call me over!” Exclaimed Ambra, her voice pained. “He told me that Mr Wal was dead and that we shouldn’t go over to those caves. He said we should leave everything alone and that we shouldn’t have come here at all.”

Arianna felt a chill run straight down her spine. Jak came forwards and bent down next to Ambra so he was looking into her eyes. He was not smiling now. “What do you mean, darling?” He said gently. “Who said Mr Wal was dead?”

“I told you,” said Ambra emphatically. “It was the Moon Man.”

“No,” said Jak, trying to hide his frustration. “We need to know the truth Ambra.”

“It is the truth!”

“It isn’t the truth,” snapped Arianna, and she was really angry now. The strain of the loss of the rangers was now coupled with the information seemingly having leaked out. She reached down and took her daughter by the shoulders. “Who told you this, Ambra?” She demanded. “Who was it? This is really important.”

“It is the truth!” Cried Ambra, bursting into tears. “He told me not to tell anyone but I did and now you don’t believe me!” And with that she shook herself free of her mother’s grip and ran back into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

“I’ll speak to Sol,” muttered Arianna. “He’s her father so maybe he’ll be able to get something out of her.”

“Sol might have been the one to tell her,” said Jak guardedly.

“He hasn’t seen her all day,” replied Arianna. “And he wouldn’t do that, not with Ambra. He might be malicious towards the two of us but he’s got the highest moral standards as far as his daughter is concerned.”