DS02 Night of the Dragonstar (22 page)

He turned and handed the goggles to Kate. “Take a look at what our friends have been doing,” he said sadly.

“Oh no,” she said as soon as she focused in on the battle scene.

“I know. The poor sons of bitches are fighting for their lives down there.”

“I feel sorry for them,” Kate said.

“What?” Cavoli laughed with a hint of a sneer.

“No, really, I do,” she said with conviction. “I mean, think about it. The Saurians have had nothing but trouble since we’ve come to this place.”

“You know,” Cavoli said, “I never thought about it, but you’re right.”

“However,” Phineas said, “this may be just the kind of opportunity we need.”

“You mean to escape while they’re all occupied?”

Cavoli took back the tele-goggles and trained them on the distant Barrier.

“No, of course not. This is our chance to help them, to show them that we shouldn’t be fighting with each other and that we understand it wasn’t their fault about the riot.”

“It wasn’t?” Cavoli asked.

“No,” Kate said. “They’ve been affected by some kind of radiation leakage
—
we think it’s been inducing some very grave psychological damage to them.”

“I didn’t know about that.” The trooper shook his head slowly. “Poor bastards.”

“Let’s go back and get some reinforcements,” Phineas said.

Kate smiled. “Just like the old cowboy movies
—
here comes the cavalry at the last minute.”

Phineas grinned. “Yes, I suppose it would be something like that.”

“You want to head back now?” Cavoli asked.

Phineas nodded and gestured to begin the descent
from
the platform by the steps.

But as they turned to go down, a sharp series of sibilant sounds reached them. The translator around Kate’s neck announced a short message: “Wait! Please do not go away.”

The sounds had emanated from the landing above, and all three humans looked up to see an older Saurian leaning over the railing, peering down at them with large greenish eyes. He wore the traditional lemon-yellow robe of his class, cinched at the middle by a woven belt.

“Please do not go away. I must talk to you!”

“Thesaurus! Is that you?” Phineas asked.

“Indeed. Who is it that knows my human name?” The Saurian philosopher-king stepped off the landing and began slowly walking down the steps toward them. Cavoli trained his weapon on the creature, but Phineas ordered him to lower the automatic.

“Colonel Kemp. Phineas Kemp. I am a friend of Ian Coopersmith.”

The Saurian emitted a rasping sound that served his race as a signal of pleasure. “Ah yes, Ian Coopersmith. Is he well?”

“As far as I know,” Phineas said. “He will be joining us shortly.”

The Saurian approached the three of them and extended both arms in a gesture of openness. “I wish to apologize for the behavior of my people. My class is so embarrassed.”

“It’s all right, Thesaurus.” Kate Ennis introduced herself and then went on. “We understand the problem your people have been undergoing. We know that it’s not the fault of the warrior class.”

“No,” said Thesaurus. “In fact, I spoke with Mishima Takamura about the fears I had. About the possibility that there might be trouble. And yet there was the large gathering, the killing. It is a very sad occasion for my people. I am humiliated for all of us.”

Phineas could almost see the pain in the Saurian’s eyes, and as much as it bothered him to touch the flesh of the creature, he reached out and took Thesaurus’s hand. “Please,” Phineas said, “do not worry. We want our two races to remain friends. I hope that you realize and that your people understand that we only fired upon them in self-defense.”

Thesaurus hissed and barked. The translator untangled his speech: “Those of my class certainly understand. However, the agrarians are having difficulty doing so, and of course the warriors only wish to fight you now.”

“Can you make them understand?” Kate asked.

“It is possible, but the warriors do not have much patience for speech, for learning. They much prefer action over words.”

“Yes,” Kate said. “I know a few men like that.”

“What was that you said?”

Smiling gently, Kate touched Thesaurus on the forearm. “Oh, nothing. I was just making a small joke.”

“I fear that I do not comprehend the humor of humans yet.”

Kate chuckled. “That’s okay. There are many humans who don’t understand my sense of humor either.”

The Saurian nodded his head, and Phineas wondered if it was a natural gesture or if he had learned it from being around the humans so much.

“Tell me, Phineas Kemp, why did you come here? And where do you now plan to go?”

“We came looking for you and your class,” Phineas said. “We wanted to make peace so that we can solve our problems together.”

“It seems to me a necessity that our peoples work together,” Thesaurus said. “I am very happy to see you making the effort.”

“We have discovered the problem you are having at the Barrier,” Kate said. “Is it very serious?”

“Yes, Kate Ennis, it is very serious. The whole city is employed in defense of the rift in the wall. I also would go, but I am like many of my class: too old, and not enough strength.”

“We were wondering why we could see none of your people from our place in front of the temple,” Phineas said.

“The ground tremors caused the fracture,” Thesaurus said. “My people believed that you humans caused the tremors to punish them for their behavior. Did you cause this to happen?”

“Oh no,” Kate said. “The tremors were caused by the engines of the ship starting up.”

“What is this you say?” Thesaurus sounded thoroughly confused.

Phineas attempted to explain what she had meant. Luckily, Thesaurus was one of the few members of his race who understood completely the physical setup of the Saurians’ encapsulated world. Phineas recalled how, many months back, Thesaurus and several other high-priests had been taken out through the airlock-hatch down by the paleo survey camp and given a tour of one of the shuttles and a short flight around the bulk of the Dragonstar itself. It had been a strangely beautiful moment to see the Saurian priests’ collective expression when they first gazed upon the stars, upon the infinite magic of space. Phineas recalled that it had been difficult to explain astronomy and cosmology, even to the philosophers of the Saurian race, but in the end the priests did seem to grasp many of the basics. But perhaps the most difficult thing for them to believe concerned the Dragonstar itself—that it was actually a giant spaceship, a vehicle designed to travel among the stars.

Phineas decided it would be enough merely to tell Thesaurus that the ship was changing position in the sky, but not that it was actually moving toward another star system. In fact, he doubted whether that would make much difference to Thesaurus. Just knowing that their entire world was picking itself up and going somewhere was enough of a shock. Especially when the priest learned that the humans had no control over it whatsoever.

Thesaurus nodded slowly. “Do you find this last piece of news alarming?” he asked.

“Alarming?” Phineas said. “Well, yes, I would have to say we’re not dancing in the streets about it.”

“What?”

“Yes, Thesaurus, it is alarming,” Kate said. “But we’re trying to deal with the problems as best we can.”

“Where is the ship moving? Away from your world? Away from the Earth?”

“Yes,” Phineas said, trying to tell Kate with a meaningful look that he didn’t want her to give the Saurian too much information. “The ship is moving away from the Earth, but we haven’t learned where it is going yet.”

Thesaurus nodded, “I see that this is a bad thing.”

“Bad for now, yes. But it is only a temporary problem. Our scientists are working on it,” Phineas said.

“Very well, Colonel Kemp,” the Saurian said. “I must leave such matters to your people. In the meantime, we have a more immediate problem. Do you think your armies could help us to defend the Barrier while we repair it?”

“That is exactly what I had in mind,” Phineas said. “I will contact them immediately.”

The Saurian whistled and hissed appreciatively, and again reached out to grasp Phineas’s hand. As he felt the cold, scaly flesh enclose his own, he felt a bit ill. Never knew he had such a bad case of xenophobia before. And there was no reason for it, really
—
Thesaurus was a very decent sort.

“We must go back to our people and get things organized, “ Phineas said. “There will be much to do.”

“I understand,” Thesaurus said. “Goodbye for now, Colonel Kemp.”

“Won’t you come with us?” Kate asked.

The Saurian paused before speaking, as though considering his reply. “Kate Ennis, I am old for my race. I have suffered from diseases and many battles in my time. I am not certain I could live through another
—
that is why the elders have allowed me to remain in my quarters, even in this time of great emergency.”

“Thesaurus, if you are ill, our doctors can give you help,” Phineas said. “You know that.”

“That is very kind, Colonel. I would very much like to accompany you, but I fear I would slow down your progress. I do not move very well anymore.”

Cavoli smiled and patted the Saurian gently on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about that, sir. I can help you along.”

“Again, you are most kind,” Thesaurus said. He paused to consider. “Very well, I will go with you.”

Kate smiled and reached out to hold the old creature’s hand as everyone turned to begin the descent. Phineas led the way, followed by Kate and Cavoli on either side of Thesaurus.

“Do you know,” asked the Saurian, pausing on the steps and looking very seriously into Kate’s eyes, “if I might get the chance to see my first human friend, Ian Coopersmith?”

“WHAT’S THAT?”
Murphy cried. “Do you hear it, Captain?”

The trooper yelled across the treetops to a spindly redwood into which Ian Coopersmith had hoisted himself while it had still been dark. He had actually managed to doze off for an hour or so, before Murphy woke him up. There was the droning sound of an engine in the distance, punctuated by the telltale
whoomp-whoomp
of airfoils beating the moist air.

Opening his eyes with great difficulty, Ian looked across to the next tree, where Becky still slept, trussed up by the hammock he’d fashioned by the light of a flashlight.

“Captain, do you hear it?”

“Damnit, Murphy,” he said harshly. “I bloody well hear it, and it sounds like the ’thopter, all right.”

“Yes, sir,” said the trooper. “Sorry, sir.”

Ian waved him off and tried to collect himself. His exposed skin was welted with insect bites, and he was covered with a thick coating of sweat and dirt. He wanted a shower so bad he could scream, and he imagined that he smelled so awful that he must be projecting about a two-meter kill-radius. All around him the Mesozoic forest was waking up, and the air was filled with the screeching of Pteranodons and the skittering noises of the little scavenger dinosaurs that ran through the undergrowth with the speed of jackrabbits.

The sound of the ’thopter was indeed growing close, and they would have to be getting down from their perches. Looking across at Becky, hoisted up in her own tree, he smiled. Even in the severe conditions of the last twenty-four hours, she still maintained her innate ability to look good to him. Sure, she was sweaty and smelly and dirty, but she didn’t seem to wear it as badly as he did. Her long dark hair framed her face like a high-contrast photograph, and she looked sexy as hell dangling from the redwood limbs.

“Rise and shine!” he yelled out to her. “Time to go home, Miss Rebecca!”

Opening her eyes with a start, Becky seemed to suddenly remember where she had spent the night.

“Up and at ‘em, lady,” Ian shouted. “There’s beasties about, and we’ve got a ’thopter to catch.”

“Hey, Captain,” Murphy shouted. “Is it okay to get down from here?”

Ian was getting annoyed with Murphy. The man acted like a child who needed to be told every single thing. Of course, there was a theory that any kind of military or quasi-military service attracted a certain personality type who enjoyed being told what to do and was thus relieved of the burden of doing his own thinking. Murphy was definitely that type of fellow.

“Yes,” Ian said in an even voice. “We’re all getting down now. I don’t see any reason why you should remain hanging, Murphy, unless it might be by your neck.”

“Aw, c’mon, Captain, I ain’t that bad, am I?”

“You’re getting there,” Ian said. “Now, get down there and signal Zabriskie. She’s going to be looking for us.”

The sound of the ornithopter was growing very loud now, and Ian fully expected it to be overhead at any moment.

“You’re very handsome when you get mad,” Becky shouted over the din of the ’thopter. She had unhitched herself and was beginning to lower herself, mountaineer-style, to the earth. Ian smiled as he unsnapped his own harness and began to descend.

“I’m not mad,” he said, walking up to her once they had both touched down. “I guess I’m just getting a little tangy.”

Becky looked at him and giggled. “Getting a little ‘tangy’?”

“Oh, you know, I’m feeling a little ripe around the edges, and that kind of bugs me. I’m sure I’m starting to smell like it too.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Becky said. “We’re all getting on toward the ripe side.”

Ian smiled and tapped her lovingly on the arm. The two of them had been through plenty of scrapes together, and this one had the feeling of finally winding down.

Turning, Ian saw Murphy move out into the clearing at the edge of the paleo survey camp and commence a dance of some sort, which presumably would attract the attention of Zabriski better than the homing beacon that was bleating out its low-megahertz message.

The craft swooped down over the clearing and pulled up in a semi-stall, coming in for a landing. Its graceful, gull-like airfoils beat the air as it touched down. Murphy moved quickly to the equipment bay and took up a position guarding the craft’s flank. Ian and Becky broke into a trot and approached the command cabin.

The hatch swung open and the haggard face of Sergeant Zabriskie greeted them. The woman’s eyes seemed to have sunk deep into their sockets. Her cheeks were drawn and sallow. The pilot was a portrait of exhaustion.

“Before we go any further, Captain, let me go on record as saying I’m so tired I know I can’t make another flight, okay?”

“You didn’t have to tell me that,” Ian said. “I’d say it’s rather obvious at this point.”

“She can’t fly like this, Ian,” Becky said. “What’re we going to do?”

“She’s going to get into the equipment bay with you and rest. I know how to fly one of these rigs.”

Becky smiled and shook her head. “It figures. Is there anything you don’t know how to do?”

Tell you how I really feel about you, thought Ian. He wanted to say it, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead he just smiled and said, “I guess not.”

“Where do you want me, Captain?” Murphy asked. “You can ride shotgun and keep an eye for anything funny. But help Zabriskie down first, and get her squared away in the bay.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zabriskie slipped out of the pilot’s chair like a subject in a trance and allowed herself to be lifted up and slid into the equipment bay. Murphy climbed aboard, and Becky looked up at Ian before squeezing into the equipment bay.

“We’ll be okay in here,” she said. “Happy flying, Captain.”

Ian shrugged. “Well, it’s been a while since I’ve flown one of these things
—
and I’ve never flown one inside the ship.”

“So?”

“So we might be in for a wild ride. But don’t worry, I’ll get us there in just a
few
pieces.”

“I have a feeling you’ll do better than that.” Becky’s smile was radiant and genuine, warming him like gentle sunlight.

“All right,” he said. “In you go. We can talk more when we get back to the ruins.”

Becky blew him a kiss and snuggled down in the equipment bay. Ian closed the hatch and climbed aboard, where Murphy was anxiously scanning the area.

“Okay, Murph, it’s our turn. Let’s go.”

With Ian at the controls, the ’thopter jumped upward with an awkward leap, soon gaining purchase in the heavy atmosphere. He felt the machine fighting him as he coolly recalled all the little tricks to flying an ornithopter. Gaining altitude and confidence, he straightened out the aircraft and keyed in the coordinates that would bring him down at the site of the Saurian ruins.

The sprawl of the Mesozoic preserve slid beneath like an endless roll of thick, lush carpet. From his cruising height, it was impossible for Ian to see the prehistoric life that teemed within its foliage. The thought crossed his mind that if they were to crash-land down there, he didn’t know if he could handle the pressure of simply surviving. He and Becky had done it once, but he didn’t think he could do it again.

Just keep this bloody thing in the air, he thought solemnly, and you won’t have to worry about that.

* * *

“It doesn’t look too good over there, Colonel,” Cavoli said as he flipped up his tele-gogs. “A big boy just came out of the jungle, and I don’t think our buddies can stop him.”

“Let me see.” Phineas reached for the telescopic goggles. He and his party had paused to rest at the next lower landing because Thesaurus could not move very fast, and Cavoli had used the moment to check out the action along the Barrier.

One look told Phineas that the situation was worse than ever. While the warriors battled a fairly large carnivore at the very point of the fracture in the great wall, another predatory dinosaur, a much bigger one, had burst through the edge of the forest to see what all the commotion might be about. It was a very tall, tan-skinned Tyrannosaurus
—
larger than any beast Phineas had ever seen in the preserve. The Saurians already had their hands full and would never be able to stop this ravenous creature.

If even more of the beasts were drawn to the slaughter, the Barrier would be breached, and the Saurian city would be the new hunting ground for the carnivores. When he told Thesaurus what was happening, he thought the old Saurian might begin to cry, and Phineas wondered if Saurians were capable of such a thing.

“Give me that radio,” Phineas said, reaching out to Cavoli for the equipment.

“What are you going to do?” Kate asked.

“I’m going to get some of our people in there to help,” Phineas replied.

“But how will the Saurians know we’re coming to help? Suppose they think we’re attacking them?” Kate asked.

“You’re right. We’ve got to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“I must take you to my people,” Thesaurus said.

“He’s right, Phineas,” Kate said. “It’s the only way. You can call for reinforcements, and then we’ll go with Thesaurus to the Barrier. That way we’ll get there before the troopers do.”

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Phineas said. “Anything could happen down there.”

Kate smiled. “Colonel Kemp, please. I’m a big girl, and I volunteered for this mission. I really don’t want anybody telling me what might be too dangerous for me, all right?”

Phineas didn’t even bother to reply, but simply nodded his head and managed a very weak grin. Radioing out on a Mayday all-frequencies band, he succinctly described the situation to whoever was listening and ordered as many armed people as possible to meet him at the break in the Barrier as soon as possible.

After a short pause, he received a reply from Mishima Takamura, who was dispatching everyone who was available. Phineas thanked him and signed off.

“All right, people, I’ve called in the cavalry. Now we’ve got to get down there and warn everybody that they’re coming. I suggest we get moving as quickly as possible.”

* * *

Ian Coopersmith intercepted the Mayday communication when they were within ten kilometers of the ruins. Looking at Murphy, he spoke above the whine of the engines. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, it sounds like they’re in some deep shit, Captain.”

“We’re going to have to help them,” Ian said. “How are the ammo banks on this thing?”

Checking the indicators, Murphy nodded. “You’ve got plenty of rounds. We going in?”

“Not ‘we,’” Ian said. “Just me.”

He leaned on the controls, and the ’thopter swooped wildly to the left, veering away from the ruins and establishing a new course which would bring it down at the coordinates of the broken Barrier.

“Wait a minute!” Murphy yelled. “What’re you gonna do with us?”

“I’ll drop you off behind the Barrier. It’ll be safer that way.”

“Aren’t you going to need somebody to do your shooting for you?” Murphy asked. “I’m getting pretty good at popping these critters.”

Ian smiled. Perhaps he had underestimated Murphy
—
or maybe certain situations bring out the best in some of us, despite our basic personalities.

Looking ahead, he could see the great, dark bulk of the Saurian Barrier materializing out of the steamy mist of the morning. Stretching far out to the east and west, the Barrier encircled the interior of the Dragonstar, sealing off the entire end of the ship and forming what was known as the Saurian preserve. As the ’thopter drew closer, Ian could see details of the Saurian countryside beyond the Barrier and beyond all of that he could finally see the flat, gray, metallic end of the giant cylinder.

Behind that impossibly huge wall lay the alien control section and the ship’s engines. If only they could get back in there, and perhaps they could take control of everything again, Ian thought as he bore down on the Barrier.

As the ’thopter reached the Barrier, Ian headed west, following the Saurian wall.

“There,” Murphy said. “Look at that. Do you see it?”

“Right,” Ian said. Even from the distance of several kilometers, Ian had no trouble picking out the trouble spot. Like a cracked, festering wound, the break in the containment wall stood out from the rest of the architecture. It appeared as if gee-forces had caused the base of the Barrier to shift and twist, causing structural upheaval.

Leaning again on the controls, Ian forced the ’thopter down to a thousand meters and dropped the velocity to less than fifty kilometers per hour. As he closed the distance between his ship and the break in the Barrier, many more details became visible.

There was a great throng of Saurian warriors along the top of the Barrier on each side of the break. These defenders were raining down spears, arrows, rocks, and other missiles against a large carnivorous dinosaur that was trying to enter the Saurian preserve. In the center of the break in the wall a large body of Saurian warriors were also attacking the carnivore. The beast had been punctured and pummeled so many times that it staggered about as though drunk. Its maw and snout were a scarlet mess, smeared with the remains of unfortunate defenders. The beast was bleeding profusely, and Ian had to admire the plucky spirit of the Saurians to stand their ground against a nightmare like that.