Space 1999 #4 - Collision Course Page 5

  ‘Arra?’

  A name, a label for self-identification, but it was as good as any. She had called herself a queen—of a hive? Or had she borne within her body the seeds of a new race? Words and analogues had only touched the reality, The shape she had worn, the chamber in which she had sat, the huge vessel, the colossal world—all had been other than what they had seemed.

  She had been a creature struggling to survive, one vulnerable to the projected blast of nuclear devices, one who had trusted a man and been trusted in return.

  ‘John?’

  Helena was at his side, staring up at him, her eyes a little envious, a trace disturbed. He had been distant, travelling with a being impossibly remote in space and time, remembering the voice, the singing happiness, the hope and joy.

  ‘Sorry.’ He smiled down at the woman and gently touched her hair, her cheek. ‘Yes, it was Arra, and she’s left us a gift.’ He pointed at the tiny orb. ‘That planet. I think she copied the illusion from data received from it. In that case it could support life.’ His voice rose, strong, commanding. ‘Paul, I want an investigation team to check that world as soon as we are within range.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The animal was small, furtive, eyes darting from side to side, pointed ears quivering as it stared from the shadow of a clump of fern at the strange thing which had entered its environment.

  A hard, metallic construction, ridged and ribbed, modules joined, giving it the appearance of a monstrous insect.

  It lay in the centre of a clearing, the fronds of soaring trees rising in a ragged circle all around, leaves casting moving shadows in the brilliant heat of the day. A bird gave a rasping cry, another answered and there was a flash of gaudy plumage. Cautiously the animal crept forward. It was curious, as always hungry, and the open door at the side of the Eagle yielded unusual and tempting scents.

  A sudden dart and the creature was beside the hull. Another and it stood on the edge of the open door. Snout lifted, ears pricked, it sniffed at the air.

  Sniffed and ran as a voice came from the control panel.

  ‘Come in Eagle Six. Report your situation. If you read me answer. Come in Eagle Six.’

  High above the surface in his seat before the console in Alpha base, Morrow scowled at the lack of response. Irritably he tried again.

  ‘Come in Eagle Six. You are ordered to report immediately.’

  ‘Check the systems,’ said Koenig and, as Morrow obeyed, glanced around the busy activity of Main Mission. ‘Anything new, Sandra?’

  ‘No, Commander. Temperature rising a little and humidity is what you’d expect in a sub-tropical climate. Some evidence of electrical storms in the lower left quadrant but they are too far away to affect, the landing party.’

  She sounded enthusiastic. Retha, the name they’d given it, was a promising world and offered a potential home. It would be even more appreciated after the recent dangers they’d survived, and Koenig would be the first to approve the exodus should the preliminary investigations work out.

  Now, for some reason, the team was failing to answer.

  ‘Any trouble with the systems, Paul?’

  ‘None, Commander.’

  ‘Then try again.’ Koenig turned as Helena and Bergman came towards him. ‘Have you completed the spectroscopic analysis of the atmosphere, Victor?’

  ‘It checks out high in oxygen, John, otherwise it is almost identical to that of Earth.’

  ‘Almost?’

  ‘There’s a line in the spectrum which is unfamiliar,’ said Helena. ‘Victor and I have been working on it. As far as we can determine it is a rare earth element in a novel combination with one of the trans-uranic elements. That’s unusual enough in itself; radioactive decay would have debased any of the truly heavy elements early in the life of this world.’ She glanced at Morrow. ‘Is something wrong?’

  Morrow spoke before Koenig could answer.

  ‘Come in Eagle Six. Come in immediately. Report your situation.’

  ‘John, what’s happened?’

  ‘I don’t know what’s happened,’ said Koenig. ‘That’s the trouble, Helena. All I know is what hasn’t happened. A seven man reconnaissance party hasn’t returned when it should have and they haven’t checked in for the past two hours.’

  ‘Malfunction?’

  ‘No. According to the instrumentation all systems are in the green.’ Koenig made his decision. ‘Paul, bring it up on slave control.’

  Morrow hesitated. ‘Those people could have run into trouble, Commander. One or more of them could be hurt. They could be relying on the Eagle.’

  ‘They could also have obeyed routine landing procedures and maintained contact,’ snapped Koenig. ‘I don’t want to punish them, Paul, but I do want to discover what has happened. That Eagle might be able to tell us. Bring it up.’

  As Morrow reached for his controls Koenig added, to the others, ‘I’d like you to help me check it out when it docks. And we’d better have a few armed security men standing by just in case.’

  The guards weren’t needed. No savage animal sprang through the air-lock when it opened and, as far as Koenig could see, the passenger compartment was deserted. He gave it one glance then moved quickly into the command module.

  Bergman said, ‘No sign of a struggle, John.’

  ‘No,’ Koenig moved to the panel and checked the controls. Switches closed beneath his hands and he watched the movements of dials. ‘Power full, fuel plentiful, air and essential supplies as they should be. The controls were set as would be expected after a normal landing. Nothing unusual at all. As far as I can see the crew just got up and left.’

  ‘Leaving the lock fully open.’ Bergman frowned as he considered it. ‘That was wrong. The party had to investigate but they should have left one man behind in order to maintain link-contact and he should have been sealed against the environment. Was the commlock relay functioning?’

  ‘Yes—which means that seven people apparently didn’t receive our calls, chose not to answer them, or were unable to do so.’ Koenig frowned. ‘Two hours, Victor. That means they could have moved a distance of several miles from the landing site of the Eagle and—’ He broke off as Helena called out, ‘What is it?’

  ‘Here, John! Quickly!’

  She was in the passenger compartment, looking at the space between two seats set towards the rear. A spot which could not be seen at a casual glance. She pointed as the others joined her.

  ‘Look!’

  A man lay between the seats. He was stained and grimed with mud and soil and what appeared to be dried blood. His skin was roughened and creased. He wore tattered pelts and had strips of hide wrapped around his feet.

  He was a savage. A man from the Stone Age. He smelt and he was dead.

  Sandra Benes checked her instruments and made a notation on the automatic log. Retha had gained in surface temperature and, as was to be expected, the humidity had kept pace with the rise. From earlier reports she had a good idea of what the terrain below looked like and she had seen pictorial records of the Amazonian forests. A world of lush growth, sultry heat, moist air and exotic animals. Birds with brilliant plumage, odd cries, beady eyes which shone like gems in leafy shadows.

  She had a momentary picture of what she would look like in such an environment. Skins, sandals, the bare minimum of clothing. She would let her hair hang loose and revel in the touch of rain and wind on her naked skin. And, of course, there would be a man. Carter if she had a choice. She liked the pilot and she knew that he liked her.

  As if answering a mental summons he was suddenly at her side.

  ‘Like a trip, honey?’

  ‘Where to? The lower fungi beds in section eight? No thanks, Alan, I’ve seen them.’

  ‘How about Retha?’ He smiled at her expression. ‘This is official. The Commander’s mounting a relief expedition and I’ve got to maintain aerial contact and run a survey. You’re a good photographer so—how about a trip?’

  ‘Alan! You mean ride down
with you?’

  ‘That’s just what I mean.’ His smile widened. ‘It isn’t a pleasure trip, but I guess we can squeeze some fun out of it. Get your equipment and be at the boarding point in fifteen minutes for the final briefing.’

  Koenig was serious as he addressed the assembled members of the team.

  ‘This is a full scale rescue operation. As you know the initial team appear to have vanished. Our job is to find out what happened to them and we will operate as follows. Eagle One will make a landing while Eagle Two, piloted by Carter and with Sandra making a photographic record, will scan the area for a radius of a hundred miles from the point of landing. The ground party will consist of a co-pilot, security guards, a full medical team under Doctor Helena Russell, two radiographers and a geologist. I shall be in personal command.’

  Sandra said, ‘About the photographic record, Commander. You want me to use full-coverage film?’

  ‘Yes. Ultra-violet, infra-red, thermographic, and spectroscopic. Try and alternate the same scene on various films and run a series of filter-shots. Alan, you will maintain a constant watch for any unusual signs of life with special reference to savages. We know they are down there and we know they could be close. Any questions?’

  A man said, ‘Commander, how long do we have before Retha is beyond exodus-range?’

  ‘Three days.’

  Another said, ‘What about that body which was found in Eagle Six, Commander?’

  ‘Male, weather-beaten, about middle-aged and dead.’ Koenig was abrupt. ‘Think of a cave-man and you’ve got a picture of what he looks like. As yet we don’t know what killed him, but Doctor Mathias is working on the body now. The thing is that we can’t afford to wait on his findings before going after the others. We’ve only got three days to complete evacuation if Retha is suitable and that means we have no time to waste.’ His voice hardened a little. ‘But I want no one to take any dangerous risks. Search procedure will be detailed on the way down. Alan, you’d better get moving.’

  ‘On my way, Commander.’

  ‘Good. The rest of you take your positions. Helena, check your team—we leave immediately.’

  It was good to breath natural air again, to catch the scent of growing things, to hear the stir and rustle of leaves, the passage of birds. Helena stood outside the open door of the Eagle and kicked at the dirt and watched as the rich loam flew from the impact of her boot. An insect moved quickly from the disturbed soil, its carapace glinting like gemmed metal. A flash and a bird had swallowed it, vanishing as swiftly as it had struck, only a memory of shimmering wings remaining of its passage.

  Above, in the sky, another bird flew, a man-made Eagle which swept across the area to circle, to bank and return.

  It began to speak.

  ‘Eagle Two to base. Am commencing search pattern. Heading north on first leg of north-east sector, check-system gamma, altitude constant over terrain.’

  ‘Base to Eagle Two. Acknowledged.’

  Morrow’s voice came from the panel In the grounded Eagle, a comforting link with civilization and familiarity. Should it be broken, should they all be stranded . . .

  Helena shook herself, wondering at her thoughts. Retha held great potential and would possibly make a good home. Why did she feel afraid of it? Was it reluctance to leave Alpha, perhaps? In many ways the base was a kind of womb; it had held them safe and secure for a long time now. Would others also feel reluctant to leave the complex?

  ‘Helena.’ Koenig was at her side. He had stepped from the Eagle and was checking the sky, the sun. ‘You look thoughtful—something on your mind?’

  ‘This.’ Her hand lifted, waved, embraced the planet. ‘A big change, John, if we move.’

  ‘If?’

  ‘You want us to move, don’t you?’ She turned to face him, her eyes serious. ‘You want to leave Alpha and settle down and stop having to worry every moment of every day as to the safety of the base, of what the next day might bring. But, John, once we leave there will be no going back. We have to be certain that we’ve made the right choice.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Time,’ she said. ‘There isn’t enough time. A whole world to be checked and only hours to do it in. It’s asking too much, John, taking too great a gamble. Those others—what happened to them? Why didn’t they keep In touch? How can we be sure that what happened to them won’t happen to us?’

  ‘We can’t, Helena—but all life is a struggle. You of all people should know that.’ He rested his hand on her shoulder, the fingers pressing with a warm intimacy, giving her some of the strength of his resolve. ‘We must do what we can. Now let’s go and find the rest of the party.’

  They had followed the path left by the original team, the trail blazed with orange arrows spiked to trees, the orange now accompanied by others of blue. Broken twigs and crushed leaves showed the passage of several figures and footprints in the dirt held a film of moisture.

  Koenig’s commlock buzzed. ‘Yes?’

  The face of the co-pilot appeared on the screen. The man was sweating, traces of dirt on one cheek, his hair rumpled.

  ‘We’re nearing a patch of mist, Commander. The trail heads into it. Do we follow?’

  ‘Yes. Take full security precautions. Any trace of the original party yet?’

  ‘Just the arrows and a handkerchief one of them must have dropped. No signs of a struggle or disturbance of any kind.’

  ‘Animal tracks?’

  ‘None.’

  ‘Signs of savages? No? Well, remember they could be around.’

  Koenig clipped the commlock to his belt and moved on, Helena at his side. She paused, looking at a flower, an orchid-like growth the size of a plate. Beneath it a clump of fern moved.

  As Helena sprang back Koenig fired.

  He’d aimed at the ground, not at the fern. Threads of vapour rose from the hole the laser had punched in the damp soil. Behind the fronds something moved and crashed heavily away.

  ‘John!’ Helena was trembling. ‘What was it?’

  ‘An animal of some kind.’ Koenig looked around, gun in hand. The air had grown thick with tendrils of mist, streamers coiling overhead, drifting lower, veiling the sun and sky. The birds had fallen silent and the air held a strange eerieness.

  ‘Something is happening, John.’ Helena came close to where he stood. ‘Perhaps we should be getting back to the Eagle.’

  It lay behind, hidden by trees and mist, but within easy reach. Koenig holstered his gun and lifted the commlock from his belt.

  ‘Hogan? Answer me, Hogan.’ The screen remained black; the co-pilot was not responding. Frowning, Koenig pressed a button. ‘Alan? Do you read me?’

  ‘Yes, Commander.’ Carter smiled from the screen. ‘Having a nice time down there?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Is something wrong? Haven’t you found the others yet?’

  ‘Not yet. Report on local conditions.’

  ‘A large patch of mist is close to where you are standing. It has probably engulfed the others of the forward search party by now. There are other patches drifting over the jungle. They look a little like clumps of smoke but they aren’t dissipating. From up here they look a little like small, compact clouds.’ He added, ‘It will be dark soon.’

  ‘I know. Get base to try and make contact. Keep overhead and ride low.’

  Morrow frowned as Carter relayed the message. ‘I’ve been trying, Alan, but I can’t get any response. Can you make a visual check?’

  ‘No. The mist is too thick.’

  ‘Then I’ll have to keep trying. If you manage to make contact order a retreat to the Eagle.’ Morrow threw a switch. ‘Commander we—Commander? Base calling Eagle One. Come in Eagle One.’

  ‘Something wrong?’ Bergman, his face anxious, joined Morrow at the console.

  ‘We’ve lost contact with the search party.’

  ‘And John?’

  ‘We’ve lost contact with him too.’ Morrow was grim. ‘Even the Eagle doesn’t answer. Everythin
g’s dead down there—and it’s getting dark. Orders, Victor?’

  ‘Get me Eagle Two, Paul.’ As Carter’s face appeared on the screen Bergman said, ‘Trouble, Alan, but we don’t know what kind. All contact has been lost with the others. How do you feel about spending the night on Retha?’

  ‘On or over?’

  ‘On. I want you to land close to Eagle One. Do nothing until dawn unless contact is made or there is an emergency. I’ll send a back-up team down as soon as possible.’

  They would hunt, search, try to solve the mystery if possible, abandon it if it wasn’t. The men and women lost on this strange world, unable or unwilling to communicate were important but nothing could stop the moon’s steady progress through space. They had only hours in which to find them.

  CHAPTER SIX

  It had been a pleasant break in routine and Sandra had enjoyed every moment of it. Only the missing personnel had cast a cloud over the evening and, as Carter had pointed out, they couldn’t be far. With a signal light flashing from the hull of the Eagle, the receivers set on automatic, they had done all they could.

  And it was a wonderful chance to be alone.

  To be alone and to talk about the old days, the early hopes and fears, their lives since they had so drastically changed.

  ‘I thought you were in love with Paul at one time,’ said Carter. ‘I used to be jealous of him.’

  ‘I was—are you still?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘That’s good, Alan.’ Sandra grew serious. ‘There’s no room for that kind of emotion at the base. Nor anywhere, I suppose, but old habits die hard. Maybe we’ll all revert back to what we used to be like once we settle down somewhere. Here, perhaps?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘On a farm growing crops and raising animals?’

  ‘Can you see me as a farmer?’