I have no idea what happened to the first post. It royally screwed up -- I've been having computer problems for a few days. I can't seem to get it to post in Word format. Anyway, this is another try. If it doesn't work, I'll try sending it to someone via email and see if they can do it for me.
Anyway, here goes. Attempt #2:
Volcano Island Ch 5
By Nancy Smith and Linda Garrick
5
"Sublight," Mark Linley announced.
There was a jolt and the stars reappeared on the viewscreen. A blue, green and brown planet, hazy with clouds, drifted lazily into view, dwarfed by distance.
The trip had taken five long, boring days, and the small crew of the ship was heartily tired of the cramped confines of the scout ship.
In the copilot's seat, Jeffery Stewart was examining the screen. Alan Westover appeared in the doorway behind them.
"We got a planet all right," Linley said. "Hang on. Data's comin' in now."
Stewart read off the information as it appeared on his board. "Earth-type planet. Gravity 0.92 Terran, oxy-nitrogen atmosphere … hmm. Lots of dust and ash in the atmosphere. The sunsets must be spectacular."
Slowly, the planet swelled in the screen. Jeff continued to examine the readouts. "Class K star."
"Just the kind of world the Jils like," Alan said.
"Looks like it." Linley glanced over his shoulder. "Go strap in. I'm establishin' an orbit so we can scan the planet and pick out the general location of the library. Jeff, you keep an eye out for ships. We ain't that far ahead o' the Leviathan. It could show up at any minute."
Stewart studied the display on the screen. "The land masses have changed from the ones on the maps," he commented.
"Wars," Mark said.
"Yeah; probably."
Another screen flickered to life, showing closeups of the planet's surface. Stewart had been right. Although it was clearly the same world shown on the maps that had been recovered from the Jilectan colony ship, the outlines of many of the land masses were different. Stewart's fingers moved across the controls and different views appeared on the screen. He frowned. "Can't be."
"What?"
Stewart's forefinger indicated a point on one of the displays. "From the location, this little patch here should be our island, but it sure doesn't look much like it."
Linley studied the small patch of green nestled in the wide expanse of blue ocean. Stewart was right. The shape of the island should have been elongated with smooth coastlines. It was now much smaller, half the expected size, almost spherical in shape, with ragged edges.
"The position's right," he said at last. "Must have been a helluva war, though. These archives we're lookin' for may be just a heap of ashes, though. Looks like we mighta made a long trip for nothin'."
"Yeah," Stewart agreed. "Hope not."
They were both silent a moment and then Linley heaved a sigh.
"There ain't nothin' to do but go see. Breakin' orbit."
"Mark." Alan's voice spoke from the passenger compartment.
"Yeah?"
"I'm getting a warning." He appeared in the doorway again. "I think the Leviathan might be about to arrive."
Linley grimaced. "Right. Look, kid, this planet's been pretty torn up. Even the island this library is supposed to be on has changed shape. The thing may be nothing but a pile o' dust -- or at the bottom of the ocean. You think it's worth the risk?"
Alan glanced at the screen and the image of the planet. He nodded. "It's worth it."
Mark sighed. "All right. Go strap in. I'm takin' us down."
Alan nodded. "The warning's getting stronger. I think they must be just about here." He vanished into the passenger compartment.
The proximity alarm went off with a shrill beep. Stewart swore unimaginatively. "There it is!"
Linley didn't react. He'd been expecting it with Alan's warning hanging over them. "All right. Here we go."
The com crackled. "Scout vessel, this is the Patrol. Identify yourself!"
Mark did not answer. After a pause the voice spoke again. "This is the Patrol battlecruiser Leviathan! Identify yourself at once!"
Again Mark failed to reply. He spoke to the inhabitants of the passenger compartment. "Prepare for maneuvers, everybody."
"We are," Alan's voice said.
"Scout ship, this is Strike Commander Thoroski in command. If you do not reply you will be considered hostile and we will disable your vessel. Lay to and prepare for boarding!"
"Sven sounds like he's enjoyin' himself," Linley remarked. He put the ship into a dive.
Within seconds a whine of air against their hull told him they were entering the upper layers of the planet's atmosphere. Thoroski's voice on the com continued to demand their unconditional surrender. Linley and Stewart ignored it, well aware that Thoroski expected nothing else. Mark took the ship down and over the planet's horizon as fast as the hull could tolerate, and he felt the deck grow warm beneath his feet. The small ship was much faster and more maneuverable than the huge battlecruiser, which would give them precious seconds to land and conceal themselves from the Patrol's scanners. They leveled out low over a blue, choppy ocean. The Leviathan had ceased transmission.
Well aware that the big ship would be in hot pursuit and scanning for them, Linley headed for the largest nearby island, heavy with jungle and irregular ground -- places to conceal their ship.
"Scanning," Stewart reported. "Lots of trees and undergrowth … looks like buildings in the trees. Ruins, I think. Like an abandoned city, or something."
"If there was a war, it might be a dead city, reclaimed by the jungle. Scan for radiation."
"I am," Stewart said. "I'm not getting anything but normal background radiation. Plenty of metal, plastic -- ruins of all kinds. I'm not picking up any indications of power use, though. Animal life indications -- mostly scattered. I don't see any signs of civilization."
"Good place to hide," Linley said. He brought the ship over the beach. "Ah! There we are. Let's get landed and the camouflage field on, and I think we're safe."
Stewart pointed. "Looks like an overhanging cliff there. Get in close, and we'll be out of visual range."
Linley nodded and began to maneuver the scout ship as close to the cliff as he could manage. At last, they settled onto rock and sandy ground and he cut the engines. "Any sign of the pursuit?"
"Negative," Stewart told him. "Field on." He raised his voice. "You can take off your safety webbing now."
"No need to shout," Alan said, appearing in the entranceway, flanked by the two female psychics. "Nice work."
"Natch," Linley said. "Let's break out the aircar and go see what we can see."
"Where are we?" Shelly asked.
"We're on an island a good way off from the one we want," her husband told her. "Don't want the Leviathan's scanners to find us."
"Can they?"
"Sure -- if they get too close. That's why we're here. I think we're okay, though. The cliff keeps us out of line of sight, and there's a bunch of ruined buildings and stuff in the jungle here. Pretty good camouflage, in case Thoroski sends scouts out. Besides, there's a bunch of islands in the area."
"I think you're right," Alan said. "They're going to be concentrating on the island with the library -- and that means we'd better get moving."
**********
The planet's star was sinking toward the horizon and cool, fragrant ocean air wafted through the open window. As Stewart had predicted, the sunset was a spectacular one, with colors shifting from brilliant gold and orange to blood red and glowing purple overhead as the star sank slowly into the sea. Unfamiliar constellations appeared as the light faded from the eastern horizon. To the west, the waves reflected the blazing colors of the sunset.
"Wow," Lyla Watson remarked to nobody in particular. "What a show! I think this is the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen!"
"Lots of dust in the air," Mark said. "From the looks of it, this planet was involved in a pretty nasty war."
"Oh," Lyla said, sounding a little subdued. "Do you suppose there were any survivors?"
"Maybe," Stewart said. "But they must have knocked themselves back into the stone age. We haven't picked up any signs of a technological civilization at all."
"I thought the Jils didn't go in for war," Shelly said.
"Maybe this was the war that taught them that," Alan said. "If they want our planets for their own use, it wouldn't be a good idea to mess them up like this one. I don't think they're all that peaceful even now, though."
"I guess," Shelly said. "It's a scary thought."
Beneath them, something large, with black glistening scales, broke the waves with startling suddenness and shot upward toward the aircar. Shelly screamed and Linley caught a harrowing view of a gaping red mouth and gleaming fangs. He jerked the controls, pulling the car sharply to one side. Jeff cursed breathlessly.
"What was that?" Alan had skewed around in the seat, peering backwards through the rear window.
"Native, tellin' us off," Mark said. "Holy hell!"
Something swooped toward them out of the sky -- something large and silver in color with a wingspan of at least two meters. Mark brought them down toward the water's surface, dodging the creature, and then pulled the car back upward to fly at a slightly higher elevation, scanning the sky for further airborne attacks.
Stewart swore vividly as another of the silvery things -- or maybe the same one -- smacked down onto the hood of the car with a shivering "whump", its wings completely covering the windshield. A round, sucker-like mouth was pressed against the plastic and two protruding dark eyes glared unwinkingly at them. The aircar dipped alarmingly.
Mark swore graphically as he fought the controls, absently aware of the screams of the two women in the rear seat.
He ducked instinctively at the sudden spitting of a blaster on needle beam. The flying creature voiced a pained shriek that made the metal of the aircar quiver and abandoned its perch. The huge form vanished beneath them and swooped upward behind them with another screech.
Alan was just holstering his blaster. "It's okay. I just singed its toe."
Stewart whistled. "That was close."
Linley found that he was holding his breath and released it slowly. The aircar flew on. Mark kept them as low as he could to confuse the Leviathan's scanners that were probably looking for them. Another of the flying things appeared beside them, flying effortlessly and keeping pace with them for a short distance.
Stewart watched it nervously. "It's pretty fast," he remarked. "What do you suppose it wants?"
"Just looking us over," Alan said.
"Deciding if we're good to eat," Lyla put in. "I hope we don't look too tasty."
The creature veered closer and Mark could see its dark, protruding eyes. It was interested in them. No doubt of that.
Stewart fingered his blaster. "Maybe I should take a shot at it before it gets too brave," he ventured.
"Don't," Alan said. "It won't attack."
Stewart glanced back at him and scowled. "How the hell do you know? The last one did."
"This one won't," Alan said.
Stewart hesitated and then re-holstered his blaster. "I hope you're right."
"He is," Shelly told him. Stewart grunted.
From across the water came the sound of a muffled explosion. The aircar quivered.
"What was that?" Mark narrowed his eyes and peered at the glittering horizon.
An instant later, the sound was repeated. The creature flanking them veered suddenly away and vanished beneath the aircar. Mark glanced at his partner in the rear seat. "You got any idea, kid?"
Alan shook his head. "I don't know."
Another explosion, much louder than the two preceding it. The frame of the aircar vibrated.
Mark slowed their speed, squinting his eyes against the light. Through the glare of the sunset, something had become visible -- the low, dark shape of a land mass.
"There's our island," Stewart said.
Another, much louder "boom". It was almost a blow to the ears.
"What the devil is that?" Mark asked.
"It's a volcano." Shelly spoke from the rear seat. "at least I think it is."
"Sounds like it's coming from the island," Stewart remarked.
They were closing on the land mass. It was a big island, that had been bigger, according to the records they had seen. And now Mark could see, a good distance to the west, a column of smoke rising from one of the cone-shaped mountains silhouetted against the brilliant western sky. There was indeed a volcano on the island. A big, and very active volcano.
The island grew quickly in size as they approached, and now Mark could discern a second volcano, close to the first, also active. A minute later, he saw the third, somewhat north of the other two, and farther north, a fourth.
"Wow," Lyla said again. "That one is bigger than Xerxes, on Shallock."
"It sure is," Stewart agreed. "This might get kind of dangerous." He looked at Alan. "Are you sure it's worth the risk?"
"If we find the archives, it will be," Alan said.
"But -- " Shelly glanced worriedly at the row of volcanoes. "How close to those things do we have to get? We don't even know if the archives are there. They might have gotten burned up or blown to pieces, centuries ago. Or sunk at the bottom of the ocean when the city got bombed."
"They're here," Alan said quietly. He was looking down at the land flowing beneath the car. Mark glanced at his scanners to see what his partner was looking at. On the scanners, the view was clearer than seen by the naked eye. The ruins of an ancient city protruded from the luxuriant tangled growth of tropical jungle.
"That's got to be it," he said. "Our archives are down there, somewhere. Looks like we won't have to get too close to the volcanoes. Take it easy."
Another "boom" sounded, and one of the lesser volcanoes sent a thick cloud of smoke and glowing ash into the air.
"Set down here," Alan said suddenly.
Mark surveyed the terrain beneath skeptically. "Set down where?" he inquired. "There ain't no room!"
"Behind that big flowering tree. See it? There's a clearing."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "I don't see no clearin'."
"Circle a bit to the right," Alan said, pointing. "You'll see it."
Linley obeyed and the clearing came into view. Of course, Alan had been right. He was always right about things like that.
They settled the craft carefully into the clearing and jockeyed it forward so that it was concealed from the air by the foliage of the tree. The five Terrans clambered out, looking around at the luxuriant growth surrounding them. The air was warm and humid, and insects buzzed about them in clouds. Linley could hear bird calls -- or sounds from something that sounded like birds, anyway, he amended -- loud enough to make him wince. He certainly hoped there was nothing dangerous nearby, because with all the racket going on, he wouldn't be able to hear a thing.
"Looks like we made it ahead of the Leviathan," Stewart remarked.
"Yes," Alan said. He shivered slightly. "Spooky place."
"Spooky?" Mark glanced around at the still sunlit vegetation. "It don't look spooky to me."
Lyla moved over beside Shelly. "It's spooky," she agreed in a small voice. "This is a bad place -- a terrible place."
Linley looked uneasily at his partner and Lyla. What was the matter with the two of them? Shelly certainly seemed unaffected. Was their nervousness somehow connected with the psychometric talent that both of them possessed? It seemed a reasonable guess.
"I don't like it when psychics get nervous," Stewart said shortly. "What's the matter, Lyla?"
"It doesn't feel spooky to me," Shelly said reassuringly. "And I'm a pretty decent precog."
"We'd better hurry," Alan said abruptly. "The Leviathan will be here soon. Let's make use of the time we have."
"Yes," Shelly agreed. "Come on, Lyla."
**********
tbc
