LINKS
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The Christa Affair
Chapter Seven
"Check... And mate!" Mowii touched a control on the second board in front of her. "You too, Suu." she said, laughing.
"Smart-alec! I don't know why I waste my time," Suu laughed. Lito silently began folding the 3-D chess boards into their storage cases.
Mowii was the undisputed chess champion of the \Klondike\, and neither of them had beaten her at chess in the last year. Even when she simultaneously played against both members of one of the telepairs, she had a slight edge. The ship's-time clock showed five hours till end-of-watch. "Think I'll find Rang and take that nap," she said.
On her way to their quarters, Mowii checked the galley and the recreation compartment; both were empty. "Must have already gone to the cabin," she muttered as the door closed behind her. She continued on down the passageway.
Mowii keyed in the \open\ code, and the cabin door slid noiselessly aside. She slipped quietly inside as the glowtubes automatically came on at low setting. In the dim blue-white light that filled the cabin, she could see the bed was empty. "Rang, you here?" she called softly.
Mowii adjusted the glowtubes to bright, then checked the fresher. She walked to the ship's intercom; carefully locking out the captain's stateroom to avoid disturbing Jashi and Karli, she touched the transmit control. "Attention First Officer Abram... This is the boss! Report to your cabin at once!"
"That ought to get his attention," she laughed softly as she slipped into the fresher to change. "Maybe I can take his mind off our problems for a little while." In the control room, Suu and Lito looked at each other and smiled.
Five minutes later Mowii emerged, wearing a gown of pastel sky-blue. It hung softly from her shoulders, reaching all the way to the floor; the color shimmered. As she walked, the movement of the fabric caused it to change from translucent to transparent, then back again; it was the latest creation of the Silkk-spinners of Elvira-Three.
"If this doesn't take his mind off things, nothing will," she thought as she glided seductively toward the bed. Suddenly realizing the cabin was still empty, she stopped short, then returned to the intercom panel. "Rang Abram! Where are you?!" she demanded sharply.
After a few moments with no answer, Suu's voice spoke from the intercom. "What's the matter, Mowii... The old man hiding from you?"
"Not funny, Suu." Mowii replied. "Dammit, Rang! Answer me!" She didn't know whether to be annoyed or afraid -- he \had\ been behaving rather strangely when he left the control room an hour earlier.
Lito's voice came from the intercom, firmly official. "Bridge to First Officer. Official. Answer, stat!" No reply; moments later the sound of General Quarters reverberated throughout the ship.
Mowii hurried back into her flight-suit. Snatching her utility belt from its hook by the door, she burst from her cabin and down the corridor, toward the control room.
*********
Jashi lay awake in their softly lighted cabin; Karli slept nestled in his left arm, her head pillowed on his shoulder. The link between them had been open as she drifted off to sleep. Karli was dreaming.
They were standing in lush fresh-mown grass, atop a high cliff. Far below, a blindingly-white beach outlined an ocean of pure azure that stretched to the horizon. The pearl-white of Karli's suit contrasted sharply with the golden-brown tan of her skin; her long honey-colored hair stirred softly in the light breeze as they stood looking out to sea.
Small hovercraft flitted back and forth across the glassy surface, and far out to sea, the tall turbo-sails of a wind-powered freighter protruded above the horizon. Behind them stood a gleaming castle-like structure of polished stone. Jashi recognized the ocean-front resort on Zakoda-Three where they had once spent two weeks R-and-R.
Karli stirred in his arms, and the scene changed. Now they were running along the sandy beach, Karli screaming in mock terror as he overtook her with a flying tackle. Jashi looked lovingly at the naked female sleeping beside him, and snuggled closer. He closed his eyes and sank deeper into her dream, merging his mind with her subconscious.
The scene changed again. Now they were in the water, swimming strongly side by side. They looked back, and the beach was far away; as they turned shoreward, suddenly there was a ship. It was bearing down on them, and they couldn't swim fast enough to get out of its path. Jashi raised up in the water and waved; the ship grew to monstrous size, moving toward them all the faster. Suddenly, it was a great sea-creature -- razor-toothed mouth open to devour them -- emitting the roar of a Terran lion. Drenched with sweat, Jashi sat bolt upright in the bed to the ear-splitting \Woop! Woop! Woop!\ of general quarters.
*********
Jashi ran down the corridor wearing only his briefs, his coveralls and utility belt slung over his left arm. He reached the flight deck in forty-five seconds flat; the scene on the bridge was utter pandemonium. Mowii was pointing to the screen and yelling, Suu was trying to calm her, and Lito was shouting for quiet.
The starboard video screen showed Rang lifting off in the sled, accelerating rapidly in the direction of the deserted base camp. The time-tic in the corner of the picture told Jashi at once that he was seeing a recording; a glance at the ship's-time readout told him the recording was barely an hour old. He put his thumb and forefinger to the corners of his mouth and whistled sharply. "I have the conn! Report!" he commanded when quiet had settled over the bridge. Karli slipped in unnoticed, and began pulling on her boots.
"You have the conn, Captain," Lito replied. "The video tells it. I don't know how he got out without us knowing. We weren't watching the screen, but I know the door alarm didn't sound."
"I should have gone with him," sobbed Mowii. "He was acting weird!" She began crying hysterically.
"Shut up!" snapped Jashi, struggling into his coveralls. "Lito, rewind to where you first picked him up, and replay. \How\ was he acting weird?"
"He seemed okay to me. Just a bit restless," said Lito as she keyed the recorder to the time Rang had first appeared in the picture, then started the replay.
"How did he seem to you, Suu? Lito, have you informed Roi?"
"Yes Captain, as soon as I sounded GQ."
"He \did\ seem restless... Kept pacing about and said something about wanting to go outside. Oh yeah, he kept looking out the port too -- even used the glasses once." Suu was still trying to comfort Mowii, holding her tightly as silent sobs racked her body. "Can I get her a hypo?"
"Tranquizene -- half-dose," said Jashi. "We may need her. Did he take a communicator?"
"Can't tell on the screen," said Lito. "Probably... Looks like he's wearing full gear. And he's got an Uzi."
"Well check, dammit! And sound emergency recall." Jashi had spoken more sharply than intended; he struggled to bring his adrenaline-charged emotions under control. The wail of the recall siren filled the surrounding countryside; simultaneously, the \Klondike's\ emergency beacon began transmitting its \all-hands-acknowledge-and-return- to-ship-at-once\.
Mowii had subsided to sniffles. "Sorry, Jashi," she apologized. "I'm all right now. I don't need that," she added as Suu returned from sick-bay with the hypospray.
"Half-dose. You can have a Revtab later if you need it." The hypo would put her frazzled nerves back together; the stimulant would restore her alertness if necessary. "Suu..." Mowii didn't argue further.
"Roi reports on-the-way. No change at the site," said Lito.
"Belay that!" snapped Jashi. "Tell them remain-on-site, comm-silence terminated." Lito relayed the message.
"His communicator's gone, Jashi," said Suu. "Doesn't mean its on though... Sorry I didn't check earlier."
"Forget it. No reason to... We were under comm-silence." Jashi cut the replay as Rang and the sled faded to a tiny dot against the background of the domes. "Looks like he's gone to the campsite," he said as he picked up the glasses and walked to the viewport. "Video-scan it -- full magnification; also full bioscan... Cut the horn, leave the beacon on." Outside, the siren trailed off into silence.
Jashi found himself in a quandary -- he needed Roi and Toko, but he was unwilling to leave the canyon unobserved. The ghost-ship might pick this time to reappear. "Scan results?" he asked, turning from the viewport.
"Nothing on video. I'm working on the bio now," replied Lito.
"Let me do it!" He elbowed her aside.
(.... "Easy, Darling. Let me help ....") Karli's voice inside his head almost made him jump. He had been unaware of her presence, so occupied had he been with the situation; she'd been careful not to disturb him. (.... "Let me take the surveillance unit to them. We'll meet you at the campsite ....")
(.... Reluctance ....) It was the last thing Jashi wanted to do, but alternatives seemed to be nonexistent. He couldn't allow the surveillance to be broken -- but he needed the rest of the troops. He intended to go to the campsite in full strength, prepared for anything.
(.... "Take an Uzi, but come back here....") Karli was out the control room door and running for the airlock before he'd finished the thought.
*********
Their contact remained open, but Jashi pushed her presence to the back of his consciousness as he continued working the bioscanner. Twice he thought he had something; twice he lost it. On the third try, he locked onto a faint return. It was weak and tenuous, didn't show the distinctive pattern of his brother's brain-waves and other biorhythms, but it was Human -- and alive. If it \was\ Rang, he was certainly unconscious -- possibly near death.
Jashi gave Lito the conn and placed Mowii in her care, with orders to knock her out with Seranaquell if she became difficult. He and Suu donned full battle gear -- medical kits, Carlsons in place of the less-effective needleguns, and Uzis. Full canteens of L-4 hung from their belts. They loaded an emergency medical unit aboard the number three sled, lashing it carefully to the cargo rack.
As they worked, Karli was in his head, keeping him aware of events at the canyon. She was almost finished setting up the surveillance link by the time he had their gear aboard the sled. (.... "On the way home, Jashi....") she spoke in his mind; simultaneously the communicator in his helmet broke the silence, "Surveillance team airborne -- ETA \Klondike\, five minutes." Jashi breathed a sigh of relief.
They made rendezvous outside the ship. The others picked up their battle gear, and they split into two groups. Jashi and Karli took one sled -- Roi, Toko and Suu mounted the other. Jashi wished fervently for two more of the deadly Uzis.
He had considered taking the \Klondike's\ two landingcraft. They were equipped with dual mounted Carlsons and high-speed needlecannon, but they were stowed in the ship's hanger-bay. He couldn't spare the half-hour necessary to unship them and bring them up to power -- the little sleds would have to do.
Jashi felt a bit foolish at the thought. There was really no reason to expect violence -- on the other hand, this planet seemed to have an unlimited capacity to dish out the unexpected. He stopped feeling foolish and wished again for heavier armament as the sleds lifted and accelerated toward the domes in tight formation.
CHAPTER EIGHT
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