Star Cruise: Marooned (2 page)

“Wow.” Red descended the short ramp to stand beside her, staring at the waterfall in the distance. “Impressive, like the brochures promised.”

“We specialize in conveying our passengers on a tour of exotic natural wonders,” Meg said. “This part of Sector Thirty is full of amazing sights on so many planets.”

“Seen one waterfall, seen them all. Come on, let’s get this done before the Primary starts complaining.” Drewson left the shuttle, jumped off the ramp, and went to open the cargo hold.

“Mr. Finchon and his guests have the place pretty much to themselves,” Red said, eyeing the empty landing pad, which held only one other shuttle, parked at the other end of the grid. “He should appreciate the exclusivity of the situation. Is this place usually so deserted?”

Meg paused to take a second look. Red was right, there was only one set of charter cruise passengers already on the beach. She recognized the TDJ Lines banner flying from their gaudy turquoise pavilion. “Odd, while this isn’t peak season, we usually have to share with more neighbors than this.”

“Can we cut the chitchat?” Drewson activated the three stubby robos inside the now-open hold. One after the other they trundled down their ramp, moving smoothly onto the terrain on their antigrav. The pilot tossed the control to Meg. “All yours.”

She’d done this routine many a time. Directing the robos to the beach was simple. Once there, the biggest unfolded itself into a pavilion similar to TDJ’s, if less colorful, and the other two disgorged lounge chairs, her cooking apparatus, and more necessary equipment.
 

Red brought the food and drink module, parking it next to Meg. “Are you sure you don’t need help? Shouldn’t the Chief Stew have come along today?”

“Yes, ideally, but she said she had a headache.” Meg was busy unwrapping the precooked hors d’oeuvres. “It’s only a beach picnic, half the passengers didn’t come. I can deal. And she’s going to work ahead on décor for dinner, consult with the chef, all the arrangements the guests will never even notice. Will you go set up the flotation devices and the net for games, in case anyone actually wants to play?”

“Aye aye.” He gave her a mock salute and trotted closer to the lakeshore, where the guests were settling into their comfortable chairs.

Meg followed to take drinks orders. The next hour or so was busy, but she enjoyed the pace. Made the time pass.
 

Moments before she was ready to serve lunch, Red checked in with her again.

“Anything else you need?”

She realized her party hadn’t cleared their presence yet with the park rangers. Pushing her bangs off her forehead, she said, “Yes, can you do me a favor and run to the ranger station on the far side of the landing field? Usually, someone would have come by to check our permit, but maybe there’s a staff meeting running long or something. Tell the person at the desk our permits are in order, and I can show them after I’ve served lunch. Our line has a good reputation, so the ranger should be okay about it.”

“No problem.” Despite his cheerful answer, he hesitated. “What does Drewson do on these trips ashore?”

“As little as possible, believe me. Privilege of rank, or so he says. Actually, he’s not too good with the guests, so his absence is probably better for all of us, as far as the size of the tip at the end of the voyage.” Meg hoped she hadn’t said too much to the rookie, but her frustrations with Drewson grew every time he was assigned as the pilot bringing her ashore with passengers.

As Red walked away, she served the buffet luncheon, which met with approval from their guests. The
Far Horizon
featured one of the Virochol Lines’ most experienced gourmet chefs—he shipped out as a package deal with their Captain, so her ship was much sought after for charters.
 

Red came to report in the middle of lunch service, a puzzled frown on his face.

“What did the ranger say?” Meg asked, plating more mini sandwiches.

Shaking his head, Red said, “No one there.”

“What?” She paused in the middle of drizzling artful condiments on the individual Azrigone beef patties. Laughing, thinking perhaps he was kidding, she said, “Are they out to lunch or something?”

“Place is all closed up. I knocked, on the off chance someone was left as a caretaker, but the station shows all the signs of being abandoned." He ran one hand through the dark maroon hair that gave him his nickname.

“Impossible. The rangers and their families live here year round. I’ll go check for myself later.” Annoyed at his failure to complete the simple task, she said, “Mr. Trever asked to go fishing, and that’s your job.”

“Any hints on the best spot?” Red surveyed the lake.

“I never paid much attention. I think there’s a sand bar off to the left. Try there.” She gestured vaguely. “The fishing gear is in the boat module, which you’ll have to bring from the shuttle.”

Red departed to handle the task and she kept serving lunch and drinks. A few minutes later, she heard the purr of the small boat’s motor and raised her head long enough to watch Red skippering three guests onto the beautifully colored lake.
 

Finishing the lunch service, she had a bit of free time before the mid afternoon snack. Mingling with the passengers held no appeal for her. She wasn’t working charters to try and snag a generational billionaire or intergalactic businessman. Meg sent as many of her credits as she could to her family, on their home world, to buy more land for the Antille spice farms. Scanning the beach for a moment, she considered the primary guest and the men he’d brought along on this cruise. A mix of businessmen like himself and faded celebrities to fawn over him and impress the men he wanted to do deals with. Shaking her head, she couldn’t wait to see the last of this bunch.
 

Taking a glass of the refreshing faquilada fruit drink, she wandered toward the TDJ pavilion, hoping she knew a few of the cruise staff or crew. A woman in the other line’s uniform came to meet her, waving cordially. Delighted, Meg recognized Sallira, a casual acquaintance in the Guild. Their circle of mutual friends was wide, so catching up on gossip took a few minutes. Then Meg said, “Hey, what’s the deal with the ranger station? My guy said it was closed. Did you see anyone official when you landed?”

Sallira shook her head. “No, he’s right, the staff is all gone.” Making a funny face of regret, lips scrunched, she sighed. “Too bad, I had a flirtation going with the senior ranger last time I was here.” One eyebrow raised suggestively, she sipped her drink. “I was anticipating more fun and games this trip, if you know what I mean.” She nudged Meg in the ribs with her elbow. “Harmless fun, but he sure was cute.”

Meg stared at the Falls and then the lake. The park gave the appearance of order, serene and beautiful as always. Maybe the Sector Thirty government had decided to cut costs by eliminating the rangers? But then why hadn’t she seen a bulletin to that effect? The captain gave her the permit token before the shuttle left the
Far Horizon
this morning, so he must not have known the permanent staff was gone either.

There was a shout from the TDJ pavilion. One of the crew was hustling their obviously bewildered passengers toward Meg and Sallira, while a second man ran ahead, sprinting for the landing field as if he had a major predator on his heels. The other cruise staff member was matching him stride for stride, but skidded to a stop in the sand next to Sallira, breathing hard. “We gotta go, right now.”

Eyes wide, the woman’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“Captain called, emergency channel, said get our butts up to the ship immediately.”

Sallira twisted her hair into a knot as she prepared to return to work. “I guess gossip time is over, sorry, Meg. I’ll go pack the gear—”

But the other TDJ woman was shaking her head, pulling her by the elbow. “No, the captain said leave everything. Run before the pilot leaves
us
.”

“Is there something I should know?” Meg asked. No one ever abandoned the expensive robots and gear. Unease stirred in her gut.

“I don’t know, captain didn’t give any details. We’re out of here.” The staffer grabbed a dawdling child who was digging a hole in the sand, and hurried to the incline leading to the shuttles.

“Guess I better go,” Sallira said. “Maybe you should check with your captain, might be a solar flare or something.”

Her crewmates were yelling and gesturing for Sallira to hurry so she didn’t linger for any more chitchat, taking off at a fast pace, leaving Meg alone on the beach. Moments later, the TDJ shuttle lifted straight from the pad and shot into the azure sky. Meg rubbed her elbow, suddenly feeling goose bumps. The beach wasn’t as welcoming anymore, despite the bright sun and the ethereal music from the Falls. The forlorn pavilion and humming equipment bothered her.

“What’s with them?”

She jumped, turning to find Red standing behind her. This time it was a bit comforting to have him by her side. “I don’t know.”

“Is the other crew coming back later for their stuff?” His face was set in serious lines.

“I-I don’t know.” Meg walked toward their own set up. “The TDJ staff member in charge said their captain got on the com from orbit about some emergency and recalled them.”

“Did we get any bulletins?” Red asked. “Storms? Warn offs?”

She shook her head. “Not that I heard of. You’re ship’s crew, you’re more likely to know than I am. Think I should ask Drewson to check in with the
Far Horizon?
”

He scanned the beach, eyes hooded. “Yeah, I think you’ve got a good idea. I’ll cover things here.”

Meg handed him her empty glass. “Do you mind turning off their power grid?”

Eyebrows raised, he gave her an incredulous stare. “The TDJ staff left the equipment running?”

Not bothering to answer beyond a distracted nod, she made her way to the landing pad. The shuttle portal was locked, which seemed like excessive caution on Drewson’s part, but of course she had the override code. The cabin was empty, but she heard sounds from the rear, where there was a luxurious private bedroom. Reluctantly, she walked aft. Drewson and at least one of the passengers were obviously enjoying themselves, from the exclamations and noises she was overhearing. Maybe he wasn’t as bad with interpersonal relations as she’d believed.

She knocked on the thick Zulairian mahogany door, another of the many expensive touches on their shuttle. Luxury all the way, was the Virochol Lines’ boast.
 

No answer, but the voices inside the room had gone silent.

She rapped her knuckles on the door again. “Drewson, it’s Meg. I need to talk to you—we may have a problem.”

The door opened a crack, enough for her to see her fellow crew member’s naked body. Averting her eyes, she said, “Have you heard anything from the ship?”

“Of course not. Why would I?” Drewson’s smile was more of a leer. “I’ve been busy.”

“There’s something weird going on—”

“I’m waiting,” said an impatient female voice from further inside the room. “You don’t want me to get cold, do you?”

The Second Officer turned his head a fraction. “I’ll warm you up again, baby, no problem.”

Meg tamped down her irritation. He was risking his job, not to mention the tip the entire crew worked for, if he got caught screwing a guest while on duty, but he was her commanding officer right now. He could make a lot of trouble for her. She wasn’t going to yield on her demand, though. “I think we need to check with the ship.”

“All
right
,” he said, a rough edge of anger in his voice. He shut the door in her face and opened it open a moment later, extending his hand, the control panel token dangling on the chain of his suskadi-foot lucky charm. “You know how to open the coms; you call if you’re so damn worried. Tell them I’m attending to passenger relations, understand? And barring war breaking out between the rangers and us, do
not
interrupt me a second time.” The threat was clear.

“Yes, sir.”

The door slammed in her face. Meg turned and walked slowly to the bow, where the gravlift to the cockpit was located. Doubt assailed her. There were bound to be awkward questions why she was calling the ship. Maybe the TDJ crew had a problem with their vessel, nothing at all to do with anything affecting their own situation. In the galley, she paused, swinging the little good luck charm. “Am I overreacting?” Red didn’t think so, but then he was a rookie. Although rumor had it he was retired military, Special Forces or something, a drifter now, bumming his way through the galaxy pleasure spots. Maybe his opinion did count more than most rookie crew members’. Chewing her lip, she sank into her jump seat. But the passengers were her responsibility right now and the TDJ crew had abandoned a lot of pricey hardware in their haste to leave.

“Okay, I’ll pretend I need clarification on dinner tonight, something the Primary might have asked.” Plan in mind, she left the chair to take the gravlift into the cockpit.

All kinds of lights were flashing and there was a loud klaxon sounding. Hands over her ears, Meg rushed to the com panel, which she’d received cursory cross-training on, early in her stint as a cruise staff member. Hesitating for a moment, she flipped the controls to off. Then she swallowed hard and opened the link to their ship in stationary orbit above.

“Hello,
Far Horizon
, shuttle calling—”