Read Online Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C. J. Cherryh - Free Book Online Page B

voice said, and soon, very soon, the motion changed again, and the noise increased, which was the settling of the shuttle downward, gentle as the settling of a leaf to the ground.
    They waited, still silent, until the big cargo hatch opened where they had not realized a hatch existed. Daylight flooded in, and the coolth of outside breezes flooded through the double lock.
    “File out,” the voice told them. “Go down the ramp and straight ahead. A supervisor will give you your packets and your assignments. Goodbye.”
    They unlocked the restraints line by line in reverse order to that in which they had loaded, and in that order they went down the ramp.
    Light hit Jin’s eyes, the sight of a broad gray river—blue sky, and green forest of saplings beyond a hazy shore—the scars of a camp on this one, where earthmovers were already at work tearing up the black earth. Clean air filled his lungs, and the sun touched the stubble on his head and his face. His heart was beating hard.
    He knew what he had to do now. The tapes had told him before and during the voyage. He had reached the real beginning of his life and nothing but this had ever had meaning.

III
LANDING
 
    Military Personnel:
    Col. James A. Conn, governor general
    Capt. Ada P. Beaumont, It. governor
    Maj. Peter T. Gallin, personnel
    M/Sgt. Ilya V. Burdette, Corps of Engineers
    Cpl. Antonia M. Cole
    Spec. Martin H. Andresson
    Spec. Emilie Kontrin
    Spec. Danton X. Norris
    M/Sgt. Danielle L. Emberton, tactical op.
    Spec. Lewiston W. Rogers
    Spec. Hamil N. Masu
    Spec. Grigori R. Tamilin
    M/Sgt. Pavlos D. M. Bilas, maintenance
    Spec. Dorothy T. Kyle
    Spec. Egan I. Innis
    Spec. Lucas M. White
    Spec. Eron 678-4578 Miles
    Spec. Upton R. Patrick
    Spec. Gene T. Troyes
    Spec. Tyler W. Hammett
    Spec. Kelley N. Matsuo
    Spec. Belle M. Rider
    Spec. Vela K. James
    Spec. Matthew R. Mayes
    Spec. Adrian C. Potts
    Spec. Vasily C. Orlov
    Spec. Rinata W. Quarry
    Spec. Kito A. M. Kabir
    Spec. Sita Chandrus
    M/Sgt. Dinah L. Sigury, communications
    Spec. Yung Kim
    Spec. Lee P. de Witt
    M/Sgt. Thomas W. Oliver, quartermaster
    Cpl. Nina N. Ferry
    Pfc. Hayes Brandon
    Lt. Romy T. Jones, special forces
    Sgt. Jan Vandermeer
    Spec. Kathryn S. Flanahan
    Spec. Charles M. Ogden
    M/Sgt. Zell T. Parham, security
    Cpl. Quintan R. Witten
    Capt. Jessica N. Sedgewick, confessor-advocate
    Capt. Bethan M. Dean, surgeon
    Capt. Robert T. Hamil, surgeon
    Lt. Regan T. Chiles, computer services
    Civilian Personnel:
    Secretarial personnel: 12
    Medical/surgical: 1
    Medical/paramedic: 7
    Mechanical maintenance: 20
    Distribution and warehousing: 20
    Robert H. Davies
    Security: 12
    Computer service: 4
    Computer maintenance: 2
    Librarian: 1
    Agricultural specialists: 10
    Harold B. Hill
    Geologists: 5
    Meteorologist: 1
    Biologists: 6
    Marco X. Gutierrez
    Eva K. Jenks
    Education: 5
    Cartographer: 1
    Management supervisors: 4
    Biocycle engineers: 4
    Construction personnel: 150
    Food preparation specialists: 6
    Industrial specialists: 15
    Mining engineers: 2
    Energy systems supervisors: 8
    TOTAL MILITARY 45
    TOTAL CITIZEN STAFF 341; TOTAL NONASSIGNED DEPENDENTS: 111; TOTAL ALL CITIZENS: 452
    ADDITIONAL NONCITIZEN PERSONNEL:
    “A” class: 2890
      Jin 458-9998
      Pia 86-687
    “B” class: 12389
    “M” class: 4566
    “P” class: 20788
    “V” class: 1278
    TOTAL ALL NONCITIZENS: 41911
    TOTAL ALL MISSION: 42363
i
    Day 03, Colony Reckoning
Newport Base, Gehenna System
    The hatch opened, the ramp went down, and Conn looked about him…at stripped earth, at endless blocks of two-man tents, at the shining power tower and the solar array that caught the morning sun. Beyond them was the river and on their left, the sea. From the origin of the river, mountains rose; and forest skirted them; and plains running down to this site, with forest spilling onto it from another low surge of hills behind the shuttle landing. He knew the map in his sleep, what was here now and what would come. He inhaled the warm air, which was laden