means we’ll be annoying everything from predators like scimitar cats and dire wolves, right down to a lot of unfriendly insects that sting or carry diseases. Dig Site Command will make sure everyone has the latest inoculations, but we still can’t have vid teams roaming around without impact suits, and teaching them to wear suits would take days.’
‘I see your point, but we need to let people see what’s happening. How would you suggest we handle it?’
‘Let a couple of reporters from Earth Rolling News come to the site, but they’ll have to stay in a dome. My team can run the vid bees for them.’
‘I’m sure Earth Rolling News would love the exclusive,’ said Colonel Torrek. ‘I’ll patch them into this call.’
While he did that, I looked around. Fian had followed me, and was silently listening, but everyone else was keeping their distance. I spotted an elegant figure in deep red, and shouted across to her.
‘Dalmora! I may need you in a minute.’
The image of a man with a remarkably ugly but intelligent face appeared next to that of Colonel Torrek. They were already in mid conversation.
‘… delighted to handle coverage of this,’ said the man, ‘but if amateurs are running the vid bees then …’
I’d been through a lot recently, and I didn’t have the patience for this. I interrupted brutally. ‘I wouldn’t describe my team as amateurs at making vids.’
The man was obviously startled. ‘Major Tell Morrath! No criticism was intended, but …’
‘I understand your concerns. Please allow me to save time by reassuring you.’ I beckoned Dalmora into view of my lookup, and saw the man’s eyes widen as he saw what appeared to be a dazzling vid star.
‘Allow me to introduce you to Dalmora,’ I said. ‘She’ll be running the vid bees on the excavation with the help of her two assistants. Dalmora has some experience of making vids with her father. You may,’ I said, with completely fake innocence, ‘have heard of Ventrak Rostha.’
The man looked utterly grazzed. ‘Ventrak Rostha!’
‘I’ve just had a call from my father,’ said Dalmora. ‘He did his history degree in the days before they brought in the mandatory year on Earth dig sites, so he’s not familiar with impact suits, but he’d be delighted to help direct things from inside a dome.’
‘The Military would welcome the assistance of Ventrak Rostha,’ said Colonel Torrek. ‘I suggest Earth Rolling News discuss the details directly with him and his daughter. Major Tell Morrath and I have to deal with other urgent matters.’
A few minutes later, I was staring at a blank lookup. I felt like I’d been hit by a falling skyscraper, and my dazed thoughts kept reliving the moment when the nuking exo, Gaius Devon, had called me an ape in front of the whole of humanity.
‘Sir,’ said an unfamiliar voice.
I turned and saw two strangers in Military uniform.
‘We’ve brought your equipment, sir,’ said one of them, gesturing at a hover trolley loaded with boxes. ‘Where would you like us to set up your command desk?’
Equipment? Oh yes, Command Support were sending over a lot of stuff. I’d asked them to include skintights and impact suits, as well as …
Impact suits! I had to get into my impact suit and lead the excavation, or everyone from Alpha to Zeta sector would know Gaius Devon was right, the Military had made a huge mistake trusting an ape with something important, and this descendant of the heroic Tellon Blaze was a snivelling coward.
I pointed at a random spot where the men could set up whatever equipment they’d brought, and instantly forgot them. I went to the hover trolley, checked the boxes, and dug out the impact suit and skintight meant for me.
I’d hoped my head would think there was a difference between a Military impact suit and the one that had attacked me. It didn’t. I still felt the same unreasoning fear, as if the suit would suddenly come alive, turn into a chimera, and rip me into pieces.
Fate had had a vendetta against me since before I was born. It wasn’t satisfied with making me Handicapped and taking my parents, it had to hit me with a fear of impact suits as well. It must be very pleased with itself right now, because this time it was going to utterly destroy not just me, but everyone who had trusted me. Gaius Devon was going to laugh and laugh and …
I let my anger at fate take over and fill me. I wore the Artemis on my shoulder. I was the Honour Child of Colonel Jarra Tell Morrath. I was a descendant of the glorious Tellon Blaze. I couldn’t let them all down by being beaten by a nuking impact suit. I was fighting back!
I picked up the skintight and suit, and headed towards Alpha corridor, Area 1.
‘Jarra?’ Fian’s voice spoke from somewhere next to me. ‘What are you doing?’
I kept blindly walking.
‘Jarra?’ It was Playdon this time.
I ignored him as well. Nothing existed now except for the pure white fury inside me. I let it loose, riding it like a surfer on one of the great waves of the California rift beaches.
‘Jarra,’ said Fian. ‘We haven’t got the meds yet. Just give us a few minutes before you try this.’
I stood in the middle of the huge room that was Area 1, dropped the impact suit and skintight to the floor, and stripped. I tugged on the protective skintight, felt it hug my body, its warmth contrasting to the chill of the air, and then reached for the impact suit. I’d put on suits like this hundreds of times, and I automatically followed the routine of gently smoothing the material up legs, then arms, and sealing the front.
Military standard was to be able do it in two minutes. I don’t know how long it took me that time. The important thing was that I did it. I stood there for a moment, frozen in sheer terror, as I waited for the smooth cool material to crush me, to turn into razors’ edges and flay me alive.
It didn’t of course. There was no magnetic or other hazard in this underground chamber, so the suit remained just a suit, like those that had protected me from a thousand potential dig site accidents, life threatening or trivial.
The fury and tension suddenly vanished, and I hastily sat down before I fell over.
‘Jarra? Are you all right?’
I looked up at Fian’s anxious face. ‘I think so. I couldn’t let Gaius Devon win and …’ I broke off, and looked frantically around the room. ‘Oh chaos! Did I just strip stark naked in front of Playdon?’
Fian sat down next to me, and tugged me against him. ‘Not quite,’ he said. ‘The two of us followed you in here, trying to stop you, but when you got down to your underwear the poor man ran for it.’
He started laughing. ‘You could be in serious trouble, Jarra. I don’t know if the Gamma sector moral code gives you amber or red warnings for stripping in front of a lecturer, but given Playdon is from Delta …’
I joined in the laughter. ‘I’m currently on active Military service. Does that get me out of it?’
Fian solemnly shook his head. ‘That makes it worse. I should report you for conduct unbecoming an officer, like Leveque did with Drago.’ He paused. ‘Come to think of it, I may have to. If we find this alien artefact, I’m betting they promote you.’
I stopped laughing. ‘What scares me is what happens when we don’t find anything at all.’
32
The vid projection on the granite wall showed an aerial view overlaid by a targeting screen. Trees rushed by at incredible speed.
‘I’m getting motion sickness just watching this,’ said Rono.
‘This is Zulu One entering final approach,’ said the voice of Commander Drago Tell Dramis. ‘Requesting strike confirmation, sir.’
I was sitting at my command desk, in my impact suit with my hood down. I didn’t know what half the fancy equipment on my desk did, my theory was that most of it was only there to look impressive for the vid bees, but I
