Family Law 3: Secrets in the Stars (4 page)

"My point is however, that such a little place with a small population has been left alone all this time, very much like Switzerland on Earth. Why? I suspect my granddad knew what he was talking about, and they are left alone because the big boys know if you mess with them you'll get vaporized down to the bedrock. What are the chances they'd be left alone for so long otherwise?"

"Hmm. You might have something there," Gordon admitted. "I had somebody tell me pretty much the same thing, that it's always 'obvious' when somebody hands it to you on a platter. In any case thanks for the story. I have to go since we're coming up on jump," Gordon said, and closed the circuit.

It seemed an improbable story, but Gordon resolved to have it researched when they got back.

Chapter 4

"Coming up on jump in two minutes. Count is on the screen," Brownie called out as they watched silently.

A star appeared directly ahead, strongly blue in color. The collision alarm klaxon immediately sounded and gave them all a jolt. All the years Gordon had spent on ships he'd never heard it for real, just had it played for him in training. It only repeated three times before Brownie flipped the safety cover open and slapped the mushroom shaped button on his console. "All clear, it was a piece of junk. We were past it before the first toot was done. We missed it by ten kilometers, but that's plenty close to trigger a warning."

"How big was it, Brownie?" Gordon asked.

"Somewhere between three and five meters across. Irregularly shaped. Big enough to vaporize us if we'd hit it solidly at system entry speed."

"I've never entered close enough to anything to trip a collision warning," Thor said.

"Neither have I," Brownie agreed. "That was a once in a lifetime experience I hope. It had to be almost straight ahead or we wouldn't have seen anything that small."

"Has anybody ever
hit
some rock like that?" Lee asked, voice trembling.

"There was a merchant, I forgot the ship name, who entered the Thorn system and radioed their arrival. They were never seen again. There was a flash in approximately the right direction, but in system they never saw any debris on radar. Pretty much everybody agrees that what happened to them," Brownie told her. "At least with us, our companions would report what happened. With nobody in system and no scan we'd just disappear if we were alone."

"In between is usually pretty safe," Brownie said. "It's planets that are dangerous."

"Unless somebody is shooting at you," Thor added.

In another half hour Gordon was satisfied there was nothing nearby that would be a threat and turned the comm over to the alternate bridge crew. The main bridge crew went off to rest and left it up to the fresh folks to start on a system survey. By the time they were rested the furthest radar echoes would show what sort of system they were in, if not every detail. They wouldn't see the far edges until they were well on the run to jump again.

* * *

When Gordon returned rested and fed, Carl Bourne, the beta bridge crew commander didn't leave, he shifted over to an empty jump seat and waited unhurried for the main crew to settle in and Gordon to issue any commands he had in mind.

"Mr. Bourne, did you have something to discuss?" Gordon inquired, pleasantly.

"My coms tech is very interested in the second planet we can see from the star. Excited like a kid if you want to know the truth. He proposes we take the time to brake around the star and examine it. I know you've consulted with Ernie Goddard in engineering about stellar formation and planetary theory. Perhaps run it past him too, but it appears to be a water world from spectroscopic analysis. Are we to the point yet we don't get excited by water worlds?" Carl asked with a smile.

"That's a good question," Gordon admitted. "I wonder what the payback would be on a water world this far out? Perhaps more to the point
when
would it start paying off?"

"Well if it helps tip you over the edge to look at it we see a bunch of odd spectral lines that indicate complex organic molecules."

"Chlorophyll?" Gordon asked.

"No, not that specifically, but organic dyes of some sort," Carl said. "It doesn't appear to be a sterile world unless it is unlike anything we've seen before."

"Wow, we're all going to get greenies," Brownie said. A spacer's voyage rings were plain, but a water world added a blue gem and a living world a green one. They were rare.

"Brownie, check the data log and inform all ships that we are going to do a slow fuel conserving loop around the star and examine this anomalous planet the second shift has observed. We'll match the world's orbit around the star and
The Champion William
and
Sharp Claws
will assume a high orbit around the world to examine it. You may inform all ships we will be braking and to stand by for numbers and orders at your convenience once you have them calculated."

"Aye, sir. I am informing them to expect to decelerate on my numbers in about ten minutes."

"Also, go ahead and inform Mr. Goddard to access the survey data when he is off duty and advise us of his opinions and recommended actions for the planet."

"Thank you, Gordon. I was about to ask you to do that," Lee said. He just nodded acknowledgment.

"Aye," Brownie said, busy already.

"I didn't need his input," Gordon told both Lee and Bourne, "a water world is one thing, but the possibility of a living world is much too interesting, and profitable, to pass up."

"Thank you," Vigilant Botrel said, "I'm for my supper and bunk if you'll excuse me sir?"

"Have a good one," Gordon said waving him away. Then he caught himself. "Your coms and sensors tech is Mr. Hadak I believe?"

"Yes sir. Prudence Pathway Hadak," he said, "And not a female as the name would likely indicate if he were Earth-born."

"Ah, another Fargoer then." Carl just nodded yes with a smile.

"Well, tell Mr. Hadak that after we observe this world a bit closer if he wishes to name it he may do so," Gordon said.

"Very well sir. I think he will be pleased with that," Botrel said, and left having his captain's leave.

* * *

It was the beta crew's full shift again and into another turn for Gordon's crew before they pulled up in a stellar orbit trailing the world but well away from it. Their loop around the star revealed another planet tighter to the star which was somewhat smaller and while it had an atmosphere it was much drier and of temperature extremes that made it an unlikely candidate for life. It made them revise the status of the water world to third from its star.

The Champion William
took up an orbit around the planet out safely beyond the geostationary level so that it turned under them slowly without maneuvering. The
Sharp Claws
stayed at the same level but ahead of the Deep Space Explorer so that it came over the horizon and was exposed to view first from the surface. It was much more able to defend itself and move from any hostile action.

"Did you see
any
land?" Captain Priceless Fenton on the Explorer asked Frost, captain of the destroyer
Sharp Claws
, by private beam.

"Hey,
you
guys have far better instruments than
we
do," Frost reminded him. "Did you nod off or forget to tell somebody to look?"

"Very funny," the Fargoer human told the Derf. They knew each other so well there was no species barrier to understanding, and their humor was very similar. He knew very well what was bothering Captain Fenton. He hated to report such an oddity to Gordon without some confirmation. There was no known water planet in all of explored space that didn't have at least island groups. This planet looked bald as a billiard ball. There were clouds, but only one cyclonic system that could hide anything of significant size.

"We see some darker surface area by telescope, but nothing raised and nothing extensive. I'm going to ask permission to examine it with radar," Priceless decided.

"There's no artificial satellites and no radio emissions. That shouldn't be a problem," Frost agreed. Truth was, it gave him the willies too.

"Commander Gordon, we observe no significant surface features by visual inspection. There is no evidence of a technological presence. Cloud cover is not extensive, but we'd like permission to examine the surface with radar," Captain Fenton requested.

"Sure Priceless. Go ahead. I doubt it is going to rouse anybody who will put a missile up your butt," Gordon said.

Why did Gordon THINK of that?
Priceless wondered, unnerved. The man was a tactical genius, and he actually thought
man
without a trace of prejudice. In his mind man was a generic for sapient. He was disturbed he
hadn't
thought of that reaction to painting whatever was down there with radar.

"
Sharp Claws
, are we within your defensive missile envelope?" Priceless inquired. He'd switched to the fleet command band.

"Yes, we have your back, Priceless. I can close up with you a bit and give you better coverage. Do you want the board hot and manned?" Frost asked. His tone said he had other questions, unasked.

"Please, I'd like you set for all action, both defensive and offensive when I paint the surface with radar," Priceless requested. "Advise me when you are ready and we'll start radar mapping."

"I'm calling Battle Stations," Frost told him. "They will be ready in four minutes or somebody had better be able to tell me why not. It's good to drill them," he said. He didn't make Priceless feel like the unsaid thought was – Whether there is any need or not.

"Mr. Wong, tell the crew to be safe for maneuvering in four minutes. Advise me if there is a problem," Priceless ordered for his own vessel.

Probity Schlemmer on the com board was looking at Priceless expectantly.

"Ming Lee advises me he has a biscuits in the oven," the XO, Burt, told him. "He has turned them off and is prepared for acceleration. He warns that if you get a fire warning in the galley it is likely a false alarm. All other stations report ready."

"We shall not complain if the biscuits are too brown," Priceless promised. "Mr. Schlemmer, I'd like a high resolution map. Use the highest frequency that doesn't have too much absorption loss in the atmosphere. Can you do a penetrating scan at the same time as the surface?"

"Yes sir. We can do a long wave deep scan that would go as much as twenty meters in dry ground. However depending on the salt content it may only do four or five meters in water," Probity said.

"Very well, when Captain Frost indicates he is ready you may start to build a map for us. On a surface with no fixed points I leave it to your ingenuity to lay longitudinal lines on it."

"I'll establish the planet's rotation by Doppler," Probity said. "Even low chop gives enough of a return to do that at the horizons. The wave face itself has some velocity, but not significant compared to the planet's rotation. That may not be accurate enough for a couple years out, but we can find the same areas by timing for several months. I can only assume the water turns at very close to the speed of the core at various latitudes. I mean, it has to have some sort of core down there."

Captain Frost reported his vessel ready.

"One would certainly think so, Mr. Schlemmer. If it were liquid to the core I have no idea how water would behave at the pressures and temperatures that would exist. I doubt the surface would be so placid with the violent convection, and it isn't near dense enough for the gravitation it is displaying," Captain Fenton reasoned. "You may proceed," he added.

Probity blushed because it had been a stupid remark. He was just rattled at how bizarre it was to find an
all
water world.

"I'm seeing swells. Most of them are less than two meters and very long. There are areas with different reflectivity... They tend to be the same height as the water. That is, they rise and fall with the swells," Probity reported. He felt better now that he was doing what he knew, and the captain hadn't kept discussing his silly thought.

"We don't
have
a water landing capable shuttle," the XO, Burt Wong said. He seemed to be simply thinking out loud.

"We could put together an instrument package and soft land it. Get some idea of what is dissolved in the water at least," Probity said.

"Yeah, and maybe something to check for biological chemicals. Maybe a microscope to look for bacteria," Captain Fenton elaborated. "Possibly a camera and light to look for fish or whatever."

"Could you drop a small charge for sonar and see what sort of depth you get?" Ho'omanawanui, engineer on the
Sharp Claws
suggested.

"Setting off an explosive, even a small one, might seem hostile. Not until we know if anything lives there," Fenton insisted.

"Absolutely," Frost agreed sharply.

"Do you expect intelligence down there?" Ho'omanawanui asked, clearly astonished at the idea.

"I expected
dirt
," Captain Fenton said. "At least a little bit of it somewhere. With that strange a start I'm not expecting, or
excluding
, anything. I'm just as glad we don't have a water landing shuttle. Some damn fool would send it down before we have any idea what we are looking at. I want some idea what's under those waves before we float on them."

"Sir, there are definitely some areas that have a different texture. I was just able to focus the telescope on an area that absorbs radar more than the surrounding water. It's a very dark red color," Probity reported.

Lee had been quiet, but she spoke up. "A lot of plants have red pigmentation. I'm not sure if they do photosynthesis with it or it just masks the green color. But they are strongly colored."

"Some of the plants on Thorn are red too," Captain Frost chimed in.

Summer Hokkaido in Systems spoke up on the circuit. "If you didn't know, on Earth they have vegetation like kelp that forms tangled mats in the ocean. Perhaps this is something similar."