Read Online Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble (Noah Zarc, #1) by D. Robert Pease - Free Book Online
Authors: D. Robert Pease
Tags: adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Time travel, Animals, mars, spaceships, YA science fiction, Kids Science Fiction
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bringing the ARC down?” I took a sip of hot chocolate, then wiped the cocoa mustache off my lips. “We have Hamilton’s thermsuit. I could fly up and bring her down. The ARC ’s capable of inner-atmospheric flight, isn’t she?”
“Technically,” Dad said. “But not so fast. What about Hamilton’s thermsuit?”
I kept my mouth shut. Sam’s face split in a wide grin.
“Yeah, Dad, wait till you hear about Noah’s little adventure.”
He frowned. “I’m sure it’s a doozy, but we’ll talk about it later.” He fixed his gaze on me for a few seconds, then continued. “As I was saying, it’s possible to bring the ARC down, but we’ve never done it before. And then there’s all the additional weight we’ve added to her. Those whales alone might cause trouble.”
“I seriously doubt it, ” Hamilton said. “They’re a fraction of the total weight of the ship. I do agree it’s too great a risk, though. If we lose the ARC , we’re doomed.”
“It’s settled, then,” Sam said. “We get the Morning Star repaired fast as we can, then rescue Mom from that madman.” She looked at Hamilton and me. “I’ll need help.”
I frowned. I really wanted to go to the feast. “But—”
“I’ll help you,” Hamilton said. “Someone needs to be sure all the safety measures are observed.”
“Good.” Dad stood up. “Hail us on the comm if you run into trouble. Noah, let’s go see how they’re doing with your mastodon.” He opened a cupboard and pulled out three long knives. “Maybe they can use help.”
I grimaced at the idea of cutting up the meat but took one of the knives he handed me.
“Why not use a laser-blade?”
“Oh, I think knives will be advanced enough for them.” Dad winked. “We probably shouldn’t let cavemen play with lasers.”
I grabbed my coat and followed him out of the galley. Moments later we were back in the cold.
A horde of men, women, and children had descended on the carcass. I was amazed at how well the crude stone tools they used cut meat off the bone. We approached with our knives. Dad handed one to an old women who was cutting larger strips of meat into smaller, manageable chunks.
“Here, this might make things a little easier.”
She seemed skeptical when she accepted the thin metal blade, but after Dad showed her how easily his knife cut through the meat, her face exploded in a huge grin. Soon she was carving like a chef-bot. A group of people stood around her talking very fast.
“Back to work,” the old woman said. Immediately they scattered.
Eventually we gave up our knives to those more used to cutting mastodon meat, so I looked around for something to do. The girl from the Morning Star ’s wing was still carrying loads of meat wrapped in skins on her shoulders.
I lowered my chair, picked up a bundle, and placed it on my lap.
“Can I help?”
“Sure,” she said. “Our cave isn’t far.” She smiled. Dark eyes smiled too, under a mop of ratty brown hair. I watched her turn and walk down a trail through the woods and found myself wondering what she’d look like without all that hair all over her face.
I shook my head. What difference does it make what she looks like? I was thankful she couldn’t see my face. My cheeks felt so warm I knew I was blushing.
Looking anywhere but at the girl, I pushed my chair down the trail.
Not far turned out to be three kilometers. By the time the trail ended at the edge of a canyon, my arms burned from steadying meat that wanted to slip off my lap at every turn. The girl, on the other hand, didn’t look like she’d broken a sweat.
“Just down here.” She giggled when she saw me struggling.
I followed her when she climbed down a narrow trail in the canyon’s side that switched back and forth until eventually it dropped about forty meters. Smoke drifted toward the sky. She smiled at me again.
“We’re almost there.”
I caught an aroma that made my mouth water, then we rounded an outcropping of
“Technically,” Dad said. “But not so fast. What about Hamilton’s thermsuit?”
I kept my mouth shut. Sam’s face split in a wide grin.
“Yeah, Dad, wait till you hear about Noah’s little adventure.”
He frowned. “I’m sure it’s a doozy, but we’ll talk about it later.” He fixed his gaze on me for a few seconds, then continued. “As I was saying, it’s possible to bring the ARC down, but we’ve never done it before. And then there’s all the additional weight we’ve added to her. Those whales alone might cause trouble.”
“I seriously doubt it, ” Hamilton said. “They’re a fraction of the total weight of the ship. I do agree it’s too great a risk, though. If we lose the ARC , we’re doomed.”
“It’s settled, then,” Sam said. “We get the Morning Star repaired fast as we can, then rescue Mom from that madman.” She looked at Hamilton and me. “I’ll need help.”
I frowned. I really wanted to go to the feast. “But—”
“I’ll help you,” Hamilton said. “Someone needs to be sure all the safety measures are observed.”
“Good.” Dad stood up. “Hail us on the comm if you run into trouble. Noah, let’s go see how they’re doing with your mastodon.” He opened a cupboard and pulled out three long knives. “Maybe they can use help.”
I grimaced at the idea of cutting up the meat but took one of the knives he handed me.
“Why not use a laser-blade?”
“Oh, I think knives will be advanced enough for them.” Dad winked. “We probably shouldn’t let cavemen play with lasers.”
I grabbed my coat and followed him out of the galley. Moments later we were back in the cold.
A horde of men, women, and children had descended on the carcass. I was amazed at how well the crude stone tools they used cut meat off the bone. We approached with our knives. Dad handed one to an old women who was cutting larger strips of meat into smaller, manageable chunks.
“Here, this might make things a little easier.”
She seemed skeptical when she accepted the thin metal blade, but after Dad showed her how easily his knife cut through the meat, her face exploded in a huge grin. Soon she was carving like a chef-bot. A group of people stood around her talking very fast.
“Back to work,” the old woman said. Immediately they scattered.
Eventually we gave up our knives to those more used to cutting mastodon meat, so I looked around for something to do. The girl from the Morning Star ’s wing was still carrying loads of meat wrapped in skins on her shoulders.
I lowered my chair, picked up a bundle, and placed it on my lap.
“Can I help?”
“Sure,” she said. “Our cave isn’t far.” She smiled. Dark eyes smiled too, under a mop of ratty brown hair. I watched her turn and walk down a trail through the woods and found myself wondering what she’d look like without all that hair all over her face.
I shook my head. What difference does it make what she looks like? I was thankful she couldn’t see my face. My cheeks felt so warm I knew I was blushing.
Looking anywhere but at the girl, I pushed my chair down the trail.
Not far turned out to be three kilometers. By the time the trail ended at the edge of a canyon, my arms burned from steadying meat that wanted to slip off my lap at every turn. The girl, on the other hand, didn’t look like she’d broken a sweat.
“Just down here.” She giggled when she saw me struggling.
I followed her when she climbed down a narrow trail in the canyon’s side that switched back and forth until eventually it dropped about forty meters. Smoke drifted toward the sky. She smiled at me again.
“We’re almost there.”
I caught an aroma that made my mouth water, then we rounded an outcropping of
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