“I’m observing the usual weather patterns for this class planet,” Beryl said, reading the sensor feed. “It has forested continents and rich mineralogical deposits, which confirms Fortenot’s info. I’m not detecting any humanoid lifeforms on the surface, although there is evidence of previous human habitation near the foot of a mountain.”
“At least we don’t have colonists to deal with,” Ty murmured. “Let’s move closer.” He moved his hands over the helm, and the Loshad dropped lower into the atmosphere. “Beryl, keep an eye on the sensors. If there’s anything down there to salvage, it should show up at this level.”
“It’s beautiful,” Vivi remarked as the Loshad zoomed over a row of mountains.
“Tyce, I’m picking up something else. Small bits of refined allenium alloy on the planet’s surface,” Beryl announced. “Not far from the deserted village.”
“Could have been a crash site,” Hal said.
“I’m taking us down. I see a spot where I can land,” Ty said.
Vivi watched as Tyce piloted the ship toward a tan, sandy beach near a small lake. The shores were wide and there was a grassy area under the shade of some tall trees where he set the Loshad down.
“Looks like the possible crash site is 1,200 meters north. Straight up the mountainside,” Hal said, eyeing the info feed at his own station. “Gonna need the hiking equipment for this one.”
“Let’s get a move on, then,” Ty said, standing up.
“Come on, Veevs,” Hal said as he headed for the equipment room.
Leaving Beryl on the ship, Ty, Hal, and Vivi walked along the lake, then found a trail to the mountain. They explored for an hour, passing several domed dwellings at the foot of the mountain before locating a path up. It was eerie, seeing the buildings slowly deteriorating as nature took them back over. The sun through the trees created a quiet green twilight which draped them all in a funereal silence. Vivi and Hal peered through the windows of one of the houses, but there was nothing left inside. Apparently, these colonists had been able to take most things of value with them when they left, fleeing what Vivi could only assume was the Mudar’s advance.
They passed through the simple streets and into a forest leading up the side of the mountain. Ty guided them using scanners. After a while, they saw what almost passed as a path through the trees, rocks shining as the sun reflected off the flecks of crystalized minerals contained within. Tyce took the vanguard, and Hal took the rear with Vivi in the middle. They all wore headsets to keep in communication with the ship.
The late afternoon was warm, and the cries of birds echoed among the trees. As they made their way along the ridge, Vivi looked up to see a large hawk, sitting in a nearby tree, its feathers shining like bronze in the sun. It was two feet tall, peering at her with its great, yellow-eyed gaze. She stopped, transfixed, as it cocked its head at her, seeming to decide whether to eat her for lunch or leave her alone.
Hal came up behind her. “Shake a leg, Veevs – woah!” he said, catching sight of the bird.
At the noise, the hawk flapped and rose from its perch; there was a swishing sound when its wings beat the air. Hal threw his arms around Vivi to protect her as it dove toward them, but it only swooped over them and sailed up above the tree line. Its wide wingspan was both impressive and intimidating.
“Wow. Did you see the size of that?” Hal laughed, clearly enjoying the excitement. But seeing her face, he instantly sobered. “You OK, Veevs?”
She nodded, looking past him to see where the bird had gone. “Yeah. Just startled I guess.” She laughed nervously, trying to hide the fact that it was his sudden movement toward her that had frightened her more than the bird.
“I’m not gonna let anything hurt you,” he said.
She nodded and was about to reply, but Ty’s voice came in over their headsets. “You guys alright?”
“Yeah,” Vivi called. “Sorry. There was this huge, er, bird.”
“OK. No problem, just checking.”
“Keep going. We’re right behind you,” Hal said.
They caught up to Ty and continued following him for the next few minutes. Ty and Hal both carried heavy packs with climbing gear, excavation equipment, scanners, and blasrifles. Vivi had the Robotic Exploration Unit in a backpack.
“I think I see something,” Ty called back.
Vivi sighed in relief. “Good. I could use a break. This hill’s straight up.”
“It’s not so bad,” Hal said, stepping forward to pull her backpack off. “I got this.”
She protested, but he took her pack anyway and led her through a gap in the trees.
The plateau was small, about fifteen meters long. There were the obvious markings of a recent shuttle landing and patches of disturbed earth in the clearing.
“So, this is the spot,” Tyce said, turning around and dropping his pack. He reached down and picked up a piece of twisted metal in his hand. “Hal, get a scanner out. I wonder if the crew of the Relentless just picked up surface artifacts when they were here? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence of large-scale diggings.”
Hal dropped both packs, then rummaged through his own, pulling out a handheld scanner. Then he swept the clearing. “Just bits under the surface. Different sizes, most no bigger than a handheld.” He began to walk toward the edge of the site then his scanner started to emit a strange beeping noise. “Gimme a minute. Let me track this.” He walked to the end of the clearing and disappeared back into the trees.
While they were waiting, Tyce walked the nearby area, holding a foldable shovel. When his own scanner went off, he turned up the ground, pulling a twisted, warped piece of metal out of the dirt. He brushed it off. “Part of a hull,” he said, tossing it to the side.
“How do you know?” Vivi asked.
“The thickness,” Ty replied.
She looked up as Hal came back through the trees. “Got something big,” he called to them. “C’mon.”
Ty and Vivi followed him through the foliage. The forest floor was carpeted with dry needles from the tall coniferous trees and a fresh, ferny smell rose up around them. “How far ahead?” Ty asked.
“About five hundred meters.”
When the forest opened out again, Vivi saw nothing but rocks and dirt and short scraggly bushes. It was another small clearing, bordered on one side by the rising mountain. “Where?” she asked.
“Under us,” Hal said, showing them the chiming scanner. “With the size of it, it’s got to be a ship. Maybe even a whole freaking ship, Ty.”
Ty began scanning the ground himself. “It keeps going. Right up to the mountain’s edge and beyond, I think. We could bring in the earth mover…” He studied the scanner’s readout. “Wait a minute. There’s a cave system below. Let’s look around and see if there’s an entrance.”
It took a while to scout around, but finally they found a small opening to the cave a little further up the mountainside.
“Let’s go see what’s in there,” Vivi said.
“Not yet,” Tyce replied. “We need to send in the REU first. That’s why we brought it.”
“I’ll go get it,” Hal said, hiking back down to where they’d left the gear.