hour, to near the gap in the hull where a phone might work once the jamming sub-sats have been neutralised, to check for the all-clear.’
‘Fine,’ Sal said, digging into another of the flier’s lockers. ‘You do that. I’m seizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a look round an intrinsically fascinating alien artefact. If you hear me screaming horribly it’ll just be me falling into the claws, suckers or… beaks of some unspeakable space-alien monster every single wreck-clearing team missed and which has chosen just this evening out of the last seven millennia to wake up and feel hungry.’
Taince took a deep breath, stepped back from the flier and said, ‘Okay, seems this must qualify as an emergency.’ She dug into her black fatigues and when her hand reappeared it held a small dark grey device.
Sal stared at her, incredulous. ‘What the hell is that? A gun? You’re not planning to shoot me, are you, Taince?’
She shook her head and thumbed something on the side of the device. There was a pause, then Taince frowned and looked closely at the thing in her hand. ‘Actually,’ she said, ‘at the moment I’m not even threatening to report you to the local Guard, not in real-time, anyway.’ Sal relaxed a little, but didn’t pull whatever it was he’d been looking for out of the locker. Taince shook her head and looked up into the black spaces of the cavernous craft around them. She held the little grey device up to show the others. ‘This baby,’ she said, ‘should be able to punch me through to a kid’s disposable on the far side of the planet, but it’s still searching for cosmic background.’ She sounded more puzzled than embarrassed or angry, Fassin thought. (In similar circumstances, he’d have been mortified, and it would have shown.) Taince nodded, still staring upwards. ‘Impressive.’ She put the hand-held away again.
Sal cleared his throat. ‘Taince, do you have a gun? It’s just that I’m about to pull one out of this locker and you looked kind of scary and trigger-happy just there.’
‘Yes, I do have a gun,’ she told him. ‘Promise I won’t shoot you.’ She gave a smile that wasn’t really. ‘And if you are intent on traipsing into the bowels of this thing, I’m not going to try and stop you. You’re a big boy now. Your responsibility.’
‘Finally,’ Sal said with satisfaction, pulling a plain but businesslike-looking CR pistol out of the locker and attaching it to his belt. ‘There’s food and water and bedrolls and extra clothes and stuff in the rear lockers,’ he told them, slapping a couple of low-light illuminator patches onto his jacket shoulders. ‘I’ll be back about dawn.’ He multiple-tapped his ear stud, then smiled. ‘Yep, internal clock still working.’ He glanced at each of them in turn. ‘Hey, there’s probably nothing to see; I could be back in an hour for all I know.’ They all just looked at him. ‘Nobody else coming along, huh?’ he asked. Ilen and Fassin glanced at each other. Taince was watching Sal, who said, ‘Well, don’t wait up,’ and turned to go.
‘You’re very well prepared for this,’ Taince said quietly.
Sal hesitated, then turned towards her, open-mouthed. He looked at Fassin and Ilen, then stared with wide eyes at Taince. He gestured towards the distant hull gap, upwards as though to space, then shook his head. ‘Taince, Taince,’ he breathed. He pushed one hand through his thick black hair. ‘Just how paranoid and suspicious do they insist you be in the military?’
‘Your father’s company makes our battlecraft, Saluus,’ she told him. ‘Wariness is a survival strategy.’
‘Oh, cheap shot, Taince.’ Sal looked mildly insulted. ‘But I mean, really. Seriously. Come on.’ He slapped his backpack, exasperated. ‘Hell’s teeth, woman, if I hadn’t made sure the flier was equipped with emergency gear you’d have chewed my ear for making a deep-desert flight without the necessary
‘Fine,’ Sal said, digging into another of the flier’s lockers. ‘You do that. I’m seizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a look round an intrinsically fascinating alien artefact. If you hear me screaming horribly it’ll just be me falling into the claws, suckers or… beaks of some unspeakable space-alien monster every single wreck-clearing team missed and which has chosen just this evening out of the last seven millennia to wake up and feel hungry.’
Taince took a deep breath, stepped back from the flier and said, ‘Okay, seems this must qualify as an emergency.’ She dug into her black fatigues and when her hand reappeared it held a small dark grey device.
Sal stared at her, incredulous. ‘What the hell is that? A gun? You’re not planning to shoot me, are you, Taince?’
She shook her head and thumbed something on the side of the device. There was a pause, then Taince frowned and looked closely at the thing in her hand. ‘Actually,’ she said, ‘at the moment I’m not even threatening to report you to the local Guard, not in real-time, anyway.’ Sal relaxed a little, but didn’t pull whatever it was he’d been looking for out of the locker. Taince shook her head and looked up into the black spaces of the cavernous craft around them. She held the little grey device up to show the others. ‘This baby,’ she said, ‘should be able to punch me through to a kid’s disposable on the far side of the planet, but it’s still searching for cosmic background.’ She sounded more puzzled than embarrassed or angry, Fassin thought. (In similar circumstances, he’d have been mortified, and it would have shown.) Taince nodded, still staring upwards. ‘Impressive.’ She put the hand-held away again.
Sal cleared his throat. ‘Taince, do you have a gun? It’s just that I’m about to pull one out of this locker and you looked kind of scary and trigger-happy just there.’
‘Yes, I do have a gun,’ she told him. ‘Promise I won’t shoot you.’ She gave a smile that wasn’t really. ‘And if you are intent on traipsing into the bowels of this thing, I’m not going to try and stop you. You’re a big boy now. Your responsibility.’
‘Finally,’ Sal said with satisfaction, pulling a plain but businesslike-looking CR pistol out of the locker and attaching it to his belt. ‘There’s food and water and bedrolls and extra clothes and stuff in the rear lockers,’ he told them, slapping a couple of low-light illuminator patches onto his jacket shoulders. ‘I’ll be back about dawn.’ He multiple-tapped his ear stud, then smiled. ‘Yep, internal clock still working.’ He glanced at each of them in turn. ‘Hey, there’s probably nothing to see; I could be back in an hour for all I know.’ They all just looked at him. ‘Nobody else coming along, huh?’ he asked. Ilen and Fassin glanced at each other. Taince was watching Sal, who said, ‘Well, don’t wait up,’ and turned to go.
‘You’re very well prepared for this,’ Taince said quietly.
Sal hesitated, then turned towards her, open-mouthed. He looked at Fassin and Ilen, then stared with wide eyes at Taince. He gestured towards the distant hull gap, upwards as though to space, then shook his head. ‘Taince, Taince,’ he breathed. He pushed one hand through his thick black hair. ‘Just how paranoid and suspicious do they insist you be in the military?’
‘Your father’s company makes our battlecraft, Saluus,’ she told him. ‘Wariness is a survival strategy.’
‘Oh, cheap shot, Taince.’ Sal looked mildly insulted. ‘But I mean, really. Seriously. Come on.’ He slapped his backpack, exasperated. ‘Hell’s teeth, woman, if I hadn’t made sure the flier was equipped with emergency gear you’d have chewed my ear for making a deep-desert flight without the necessary
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