Starhawk (29 page)

JAKE CAME BACK
through the air lock while Priscilla held her breath, listening for the radiation alarm. But it remained silent.

“I guess,” Jake said, “it's time to fold the tent.”

“I have an idea,” said Priscilla.

“If,” Andrea said, “you are planning to continue this mission, I suggest we return to the
Baumbachner
and refuel.”

“What's your idea?” asked Jake.

 * * * 

THEY WENT BACK
to the ship, where Priscilla retrieved one of the imagers from the library. Then she sat down in the pilot's seat and connected the unit to the feed. “Myra, I'd like to take a look at the record from Jake's descent to the
Vincenti
lander.”

The AI put it on-screen, the line of lights, at first no more than distant sparks seen through wispy clouds. Then a gradual brightening as Jake moved closer, the wave effect taking hold, the sparks growing into stars, then into luminous spheres. A perfect line of lights from front to rear. No way that could be anything but a signal.

Jake watched while she recorded it for the imager. When she'd finished, she ran a test, reproducing the lights on the bridge. Then she sat back and smiled. “Ready to go,” she said.

 * * * 

THE
VINCENTI
LANDER
was shrouded on its hilltop.

“You know,” Jake said, after he'd turned them around and shut off the engines, “I don't see any point in going back to the wreckage. We're in the general area. That should be enough.”

“Okay,” she said.

They climbed out of their seats, and activated the Flickinger fields. Priscilla collected her imager. They went through the air lock, and a soft wind pushed at her. “Midnight World,” she said. “Where the sun never rises.” She looked up at the hill on which the
Vincenti
lander had come to rest.

“When you're ready,” said Jake.

She aimed the imager directly ahead, raised it a bit above ground level, and turned it on. Two soft lights appeared, and the landscape brightened.

 * * * 

THEY WATCHED WITHOUT
moving. “Jake, I have a question.”

“I'm listening.”

“If there really
is
someone here, and they did, somehow, bring the lander down, why didn't they make an effort to save Otto?”

“Maybe,” said Jake, “they realized they had no way to get to him without killing him.”

She was looking around, hoping the lights would draw a response. The wind was moving the snow around.

“Try the entire series,” said Jake. “We might need all seven of the lights.”

She'd reproduced only two because she'd wanted to maintain the actual dimensions of the display, the size and degree of luminosity and the distance between the lights. In showing all of them, she'd lose that. But—She made the adjustment, and the original seven appeared. She raised the angle, putting them higher overhead.

“Good,” said Jake. “If that doesn't do it, I think we're out of options.” He turned toward her. “Why don't you let me hold it for a while?”

The imager wasn't heavy, but her arm tired quickly in the excess gravity. She handed it over.

The breeze kept pushing at her. But the landscape remained dark and motionless. “I guess,” she said, “it's a fool's errand.”

“Maybe.”

She walked clear of the lander, so she could see in all directions. “Anybody out here?” she asked. But it was a radio transmission; only Jake could have heard her. After a minute or two, she raised her hands. “Nope,” she said.
“Nada.”

“Maybe it's just as well, Priscilla. Wouldn't want a bunch of bloodthirsty aliens sneaking up on us.”

“Hey!” she said. “That's odd.”

“What is?”

“Wait a minute.” She had her right hand out, palm open. “I think it's
raining
.”

Jake held out his own hand. Nothing. “Andrea,” he said, “what's the temperature?”

“Eleven degrees centigrade,” said the AI.

“That's up a little bit,” he said.

Priscilla wanted to screech. “Up about 170 degrees.”

Now Jake was looking in all directions, including
up
. “Priscilla, I'm not sure what's going on—Hang on a second.” He had both hands out.

Something splatted into his palm.

 * * * 

PRISCILLA'S JOURNAL

There have been all kinds of scenarios for first-contact events: aliens show up orbiting Neptune; aliens who are so tiny that when they arrive without preliminary, somebody mistakes their lander for a football; aliens coming in from another dimension, but they're unable to see us, or we them. Some first contacts actually happened. The ancient monument on Iapetus. Ruins on Quraqua. Whoever it had been that Dave Simmons ran into at Talios. The only local functional aliens were on Nok, and they had turned out to be
boring
. Who could have believed that? Now we have this one: Aliens say hello by making it rain.

But Jake thinks the correct pronoun should be
it
rather than
they
.

—February 9, 2196

THEIR REPORT ARRIVED
in the solar system eleven hours before they did. When the
Baumbachner
surfaced, 950,000 kilometers out, they checked in with Ops and, within moments, Frank was on the circuit.
“Jake,”
he said,
“are you
sure
there were no survivors?”

“We only found the one body,” he said. “But the
Vincenti
was torn apart. There's no way any of them could have gotten through it.”

“Were you able to recover the body?”

“No, Frank. It's in their lander. The gravity's too much.”

“Okay. There'll probably be a follow-up mission. We can get it then.”
He sighed.
“We're thinking about what part of this to release. We were hoping— Well, none of that matters. We'll see you when you get here.”

 * * * 

THEY ARRIVED IN
port two days later. One of Frank's staff people was waiting at the dock to escort them to his office. Patricia was with him when they arrived. “I've read the report half a dozen times,” Patricia said. “Tell us again: How did you guys find the lander?”

“It's hard to explain,” said Jake. “There were some atmospheric lights. They were directly over the spot where it had gone down.”

“Atmospheric lights? What actually do you mean?”

“I don't know any other way to describe them. They were literally
pointing
at the lander.”

Patricia broke in: “Jake, you're not exaggerating?”

“No. It's just the way I described it.”

The director glanced at Priscilla, who nodded. “That's correct. We have it all on the record.”

Patricia frowned. “Were they the only lights in the area?”

“Yes,” said Jake. “As far as we could tell, they were the only lights on the
planet
.”

“That's going to be hard to explain.”

“I guess,” said Jake. “But I'll tell you, without those lights, we'd still be out there looking.”

“Okay.” Frank's tone suggested the story made no sense. “We'll figure it out later. Tell me how the lander got onto the hilltop.”

Jake took a chip out of one pocket and held it out for him. “This is Simon, the lander AI. Giving his description of what happened.”

Frank inserted the chip into the projector. They listened while Simon went through it again. When it had finished, Frank and Patricia sat staring at each other. Finally, the director shook her head. “This gets crazier all the time, Frank.”

“I know.”

“Well, it's not really our business at this point.” The director looked frustrated. “You guys complete a report for us. Don't skimp on the details.”

“We already have it,” said Jake.

“Good.” She turned back to Frank. “Let's bring the Academy people up to date. I assume they'll want to figure out a way to retrieve the body. They'll be annoyed at us for not doing it.” Her eyes went back to Jake, but she didn't pursue the issue. “Let them know we'll give them whatever help we can.” She shook her head. “A superdense rock. And an invisible parachute. What's next?” With that closing comment, she got up and started to leave.

“Wait,” said Jake.

She stopped. “There's more?”

“I want to tell you about the rain.”

 * * * 

WHEN THEY'D FINISHED
explaining, Frank made no effort to hide his smile. “And you think that was, what, a way for an alien force of some kind to say hello?”

“It felt that way,” said Priscilla. “Rain in a place that was brutally cold. Or should have been.”

“Did you experience a change in the temperature?”

“Yes. It got warmer. A
lot
warmer.”

“What's the temperature usually like out there? A hundred and something below zero?”

“Usually,” said Jake. “But we're obviously getting some wild fluctuations.”

Patricia took a deep breath. “So
it
, whatever it is, was saying
hello
. Don't we usually associate getting rained on as a negative experience?”

“We're not suggesting anything,” Jake said. “We agreed before we got home that we wouldn't try to put an interpretation on this. And I guess we got carried away. We're just telling you what happened.”

“Still,” she said, “that's what you think?”

“Maybe you had to be there,” Priscilla said. “But yes, that's what I think.”

Patricia nodded. “If someone tossed water at me, I'd read it a little differently.” Her eyes seemed focused in a distant place.

“It might be a good idea,” Frank told them, “if you didn't repeat this part of the story outside.”

“Yes,
please
,” said Patricia. “We don't want people thinking we've completely lost our minds. But I think Samantha should be informed.” She meant Samantha Campbell, the director of the Academy Project. “Any other surprises?” she asked.

“That's it,” said Jake.

“Good.” She headed for the door. “I think I'll get out of here while I can.”

When she was gone, Frank leaned forward. “One more thing. The families will be setting up a memorial service in a few days. Just so you know. But I don't see any need for you to attend. Jake, you're clear. Thanks for helping. We appreciate it. You too, Priscilla.”

 * * * 

“PRISCILLA,” SAID JAKE
when they were alone, “you know we're going to hear from the Academy about this.”

“I'd be shocked if we didn't. I'm surprised Frank and Patricia brushed it off.”

“They weren't there. For them, it's just one more problem.” He looked toward the Cockpit. “I could use a drink. You with me?”

 * * * 

LIBRARY ENTRY

MCGRUDER PRESS CONFERENCE

UBS:
Governor, as recently as last week, you were saying that spaceflight was an unnecessary expense, that it had no long-term payback. Yesterday, during your remarks at the National Space Center, you said that—let me make sure I have the quote correct—you said that our expansion beyond this planet demonstrates who we are. Could you elucidate on that?

MCGRUDER:
Look, Bob, when I discussed long-term payback, I was talking about money. With the present technology, resources invested in space travel are effectively gone. I'm sorry it's that way, but that is the reality. That's not the same as saying there's no reason to do it. It's obvious to us all that we have an obligation to move off-world, to find other places where the human family can live. To go out and explore, to look around and learn everything we can about the universe. It's what we're about, Bob. To find out. All I'm saying is that we should do it without breaking the bank.

—February 12, 2196

JAKE CALLED ALICIA
from the hotel. “We're done here,” he told her. “I'll be heading down in the shuttle in a couple of hours.”

“I'll be happy to see you again, Jake. How did the mission go?”

“I'll tell you about it when I get there.”

“Okay. What time are you getting in?”

“About seven.”

“Good enough. Call me when you get home.”

 * * * 

HE AND PRISCILLA
had lunch at Skydeck. Then they said good-bye. He'd already sent his bags ahead, so there was nothing to do now except stroll down to the terminal. But he was only about halfway there when his link chimed.
“Jake Loomis?”
A female voice.

“Yes, it is.”

“Captain Loomis, I'm Margaret Brentwood. I'm with the Academy Project. I wanted to thank you for what you've done.”

Jake smiled. “I was glad to be in a position to help, Margaret. I'm sorry we didn't bring home better news.”

“Well, we all are. Still, we're indebted to you.”

“Thank you.”

“Captain, we don't know yet what's going on at Orfano. You found the lander because of some lights, right?”

“That's correct.”

“And they were the only lights you saw out there? On the entire planet?”

“Yes, Margaret.”

“Were they somehow under the control of one of the crew members? Maybe something they could have set up in advance?”

“I don't see how that would have been possible.”

“Then who was manipulating them?”

“I have no idea.”

“So we're faced with something of a mystery, aren't we?”

“I'd say so, yes.”

He could hear her breathing.
“Captain, we're putting together another mission. We're going to send some people out there to investigate. The plan is to establish a temporary shelter, move in, and try to find out what's going on. In your opinion, would there be any danger to the team members?”

“You mean other than whatever brought down the
Vincenti
?”

“Yes. Of course.”

He was slow to answer. “None that I'm aware of. Certainly nothing presented itself to us. But you'll want to warn them to use caution. Just in case. When will they be leaving?”

“As soon as we can get it organized.”

“Well, good. I'll look forward to hearing the results. Margaret, I have to get moving.”

“I understand. I've just one more question, Captain. Would you be willing to join the expedition?”

Well, he couldn't say
that
was a surprise. But a second mission wouldn't simply be in and out. He could expect to be there for a while. Still, it could become historic. It was the kind of operation he'd hoped for throughout a long career of routine flights hauling passengers and cargo around to the usual places. And now, when it would be so difficult to take advantage of, it arrives. Damn it.

“We need you,”
Margaret said.
“You've been there. You know what's going on, as much as anyone does. We'd be extremely grateful for your assistance.”

It would take him away from Alicia for several weeks. Or, more likely, months. “Thanks,” he said, “but I'm just not able to do it.”

“Sir, you could be the difference between success and failure.”

“Take Priscilla Hutchins,” he said. “She was with me. And she knows as much as I do.”

“You're the experienced pilot, Captain. The one we want. And please don't be too quick to close the door on this. To start with, you know where the
Vincenti
lander is. If we're reading the report correctly, Priscilla does not.”

“Actually she does. Anyhow, we left a radio with it. You probably already have the code to activate it.”

“Yes, we do. But it still would be advisable to have you there. You may have encountered a completely new life-form. Something unlike anything we've seen before.
We
have the data, but
you
have been on the scene. There's no way we could get it set up within the next ten days or so, so you'd have some time off. And we'd be more than happy to compensate you generously.”

“Margaret, I was under the impression that the Academy Project operated under a tight budget.”

“We do, normally. But we've let some of our backers know the potential in this matter. The situation has changed dramatically. Now, let me ask that you think it over for a day or so? Just think about it. I'll get back to you later.”

“I'm sorry, Margaret. But I'm not going to change my mind.”

“Please, Jake, just keep the door open. It's all we ask.”

 * * * 

HE RODE THE
shuttle down to Reagan, where he half expected to find Alicia waiting for him. But there was no sign of her. Well, she was too smart for that. It was a long ride from Radford, and, anyhow, the last thing she'd want would be to look needy.

He hauled his bags through the station, boarded the maglev to Richmond, and lowered himself into a seat. The tug of normal gravity felt good after the weightlessness of the
Bomb
and the overloaded gee force of Orfano. Funny how you tend to take things like weight for granted until they go away. Or you get heavier. Until he got involved with space travel, he'd never thought about it.

He changed trains at Richmond, rode into Lynchburg in the late afternoon, and caught the local to Roanoke, where Alicia
was
waiting. She smiled, but she didn't exactly throw herself into his arms. “Missed you, Jake,” she said.

“I missed you too, beautiful.” It was great to be home. To be with her again.

“So what happened out there?”

He told her as they came out of the terminal. Her eyes grew wide when he mentioned the superdense object, and even wider as he talked about rippling lights and oddball rain.

She seemed uncertain as they settled into her car. “Do you think it was really a black hole?” she asked at last.

“No. It wasn't actually a black hole. It was
like
one, though.”

“So it could have destroyed
your
ship, too, right?”

“If we'd run into it, yes. But we were watching for it. The
Vincenti
probably never saw it coming.”

“The rest of that story gives me chills.”

“I'm not surprised.”

“Well, anyhow, I'm glad you got back okay. I hope you don't get any more calls like that one.”

They stopped for dinner at Harvey's, just off the expressway. She loosened up a bit while they waited for the food to arrive. And, afterward, they went up to the cabin.

 * * * 

ALICIA LAY WITH
the blanket pulled over her shoulders, eyes closed, her features outlined in the early light. She was the most gorgeous creature Jake had ever seen. In a few short weeks, she had literally overwhelmed him. He wasn't sure, though, that it was real, that it wasn't a reaction to being stuck on this mountaintop. To facing the reality that he was retired, that he could now devote himself to taking care of the magnolias.

The glamour of being in this remote place had gone away. He missed the interstellars, missed the charge that came with sliding out through the launch doors and accelerating toward Capella or Sirius, missed the sense of doing something. Even if it was just sitting in the captain's chair and feeling the power at his disposal. The reality was that Alicia was now all he had. So maybe he was in love with her. Or maybe he was just clinging to her. The last thing in his life that really mattered. He didn't know. He just didn't trust himself anymore.

The alarm was about to sound. He reached over, shut it off, and pressed his lips against her cheek. “Time to get up, love.”

A smile appeared, but her eyes didn't open. “Is it seven o'clock already?”

“Afraid so.”

She moaned softly and pulled him down on top of her. He was trying to get the blanket out of the way when his commlink chimed. He ignored it.

 * * * 

THE DAY AFTER
she'd said good-bye to Jake, Priscilla had picked up a tour group. It had been one of the largest she'd seen, probably thirty people in all. And she was surprised to discover they knew who she was. “What was it like out there on Orfano?” a teenager asked. And a young woman: “How many planets are there like that? You know, where they're just drifting around?”

“Well, nobody really knows, of course. But the experts say there are literally billions of them.”

“Billions?” The questioner was a nervous-looking older man with white hair. (There was a retirement group among the tourists that day.)

“And that's just in this galaxy,” she said.

A middle-aged African-American woman looked shocked. “Where do they put them all?”

Priscilla smiled. “There's a lot of room out there.”

Accounts of the strange lights had leaked out, and she was asked about them, and whether she thought there might be something alive on Orfano. As far as Priscilla knew, the rainfall part of the story was still under wraps. When she'd finished with the tour, she took the rest of the day off, wandered over to the Cockpit, enjoyed a dinner with Drake Peifer, and was on her way home when her link sounded.

It was Jake. “Hi,” she said. “You called to tell me you're coming back?”

“Not really. Priscilla, have you heard from the Academy yet?”

“No,” she said. “I assume they've been in touch with you?”

“They're prepping a new mission out to Orfano. They want to recover Otto's body, but the real reason, of course, is to pin down what's going on out there. They're going to establish a ground base.”

“Well, I wish them luck.” And she realized why he'd called. “They want us to go with them.”

“Well, they need one of us. Do you have any interest in going?”

She stopped and sat down on one of the concourse benches. “Sure,” she said. “But they've already talked to you, haven't they?”

He hesitated.
“Yes.”

She was the fallback choice again. “And what did you do? Tell them no?”

“Look, Priscilla, I can go or stay. It could be a wild flight. Or maybe not. Who knows? Alicia wouldn't be very happy if I went. But one of us is going to have to help out.”

“You really want to go, Jake?”

“No. But I will if you want to pass.”

“You're doing it again, aren't you?”

“Doing what again?”

“Setting things up for me. Listen, Jake, this is your party. It has been from the start. Go ahead and do it.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes.”

 * * * 

SHE SETTLED IN
front of the HV that evening to watch the news. McGruder had all but clinched the Gold Party's nomination. And Gregory MacAllister, appearing as one of Rose Beetem's guests, was asked what he thought about terraforming. He commented that we should do something about the air in Baltimore. So the idiot was making a joke out of it.

And, still, where was Monika Wolf? All that talk about blowing off the roof?

 * * * 

NEWSDESK

GOLDS COMING STRONG FOR MCGRUDER

Hawkins Says Norman “Out of Touch with Reality”

“Lacks Practical Skills to Get Economy Moving”

AI CHESS TOURNAMENT ALL DRAWS AFTER FIRST ROUND

Organizers Suspect Prank by AIs

MEXICAN INVITATION REAL? OR ELECTION PLOY?

New White House Denies Floating Rumors of Mexican/NAU Merger

Callisto: “No Offense, but We're Not Interested”

NAU PROPOSES CURB OF PULSE WEAPONS

Attacks in LA, Chicago, South Jersey Shock Nation

Baxter: “No Access for Morons”

MAGLEV GOES INTO MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Seventeen Injured; One Missing

INMATES LOVE DANTE

Oregon Literary Program Meeting with Success

Writing Workshops Also Gain Popularity in Prisons

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION OLDER THAN WE KNEW

Artifacts Shock Historians

REST IN PEACE
COMPLETES FIFTH YEAR ON BROADWAY

Jane Pinkerton Comedy Sold Out Through August

DEAD MAN SHOWS UP AT MEMORIAL SERVICE

Mistaken Identities After Hotel Fire in Atlanta

Fire Department Sued

BASEBALL OWNERS WANT MORE TEAMS IN PLAYOFFS

ALL-OUT EFFORT TO SAVE PANDAS

Numbers Continue Downward Spiral

Estimates Sink Below Four Hundred

Natural Habitat, Bamboo Forests, Gone

EDUCATION STATS LOOK GOOD

Achievement Gains in Latin America, Europe, NAU, Eastern Asia

Science, Math, Language Skills Soaring