ground where he had
dropped it earlier, throwing the extra charge pack next to it, and followed
as fast as he could, but she reached the shelter of the trees well ahead of
him. While he ran he quickly scanned the sky. Still not a cloud in sight.
But somehow he did not doubt her anymore. It had almost cost him his
life and hers too.
Once under cover, he heard the cry of the craw, spurring him on to
keep up with her. He noticed that his shoulder had gone numb and that
the pain had disappeared. Glancing briefly at the wound, he saw that a
flexible, almost transparent scab had formed over the cut, very much like
the foam stuff sprayed on by surgeons on Palo. That much for modern
science. A little weed on Aros did the same job.
She led him back to the field of high grasses, which she called spear
grass. Rather than retrace their steps through the narrow path to get to the
shuttle from the other side of the field, she stayed on its northern side and
about a kilometer along entered the field, taking narrow passages
between the tufts of grasses. After a few hundred feet, he had lost all
sense of direction and wondered how she still knew where they were
going. But he kept himself from saying anything. He had made a fool of
himself too often already. And then all of a sudden he saw the craft rising
in front of him. How had she known where it was?
"We have to get inside fast. If the storm catches us in these grasses,
we will be cut to pieces. Open the door."
"I can’t. The AI unit doesn’t work anymore." He flinched under her
ironic glance. "We have to get in through the ceiling hatch. But how can
we climb on top?"
"Is there no rope ladder?"
"Rope ladder? What’s that?"
"A ladder to climb up, made of rope."
"No."
"And you did not leave a rope attached somewhere to the top to haul
yourself back up?"
She did not wait for an answer, but immediately got a thin rope out of
her pack, attached a clump of hard earth to one end, retreated a few steps
away from the shuttle and threw that end over its top. The clump broke
as it hit the craft on its far side, but the rope dangled down. He did not
need to be told to climb up while she held on to the rope, bracing herself
against the underside of the craft. A few seconds later he had the hatch
open and attached the rope to one of its hinges. She was up in a flash.
She put her head into the opening to look inside and then withdrew
promptly. "What a stench! Did you urinate inside?"
Then he remembered the wet clothing he had discarded on the floor.
He felt the blood rush into his face. Was he always going to humiliate
himself in front of this woman? "I’m sorry. I had an accident when I
crash landed and forgot to dispose of the soiled clothing. Wait, I’ll get it
out and then we can air out the inside a bit before we go in."
But she did not wait for him. She was down before he got himself
ready and passed him the offending garments through the hatch. He threw
them into one of the spear grasses and then climbed inside too. The
stench was overpowering.
"Can this door not be opened manually?" she questioned, standing in
front of it.
"I guess yes, but I don’t know how. If the AI unit still worked, I could
look it up in the on-line maintenance manual."
"Does the door swing out and up to open?"
"Yes." How did she know? From what she had told him he knew that
she had never been in a shuttle or even seen one before.
"And how is it locked in place at the bottom?"
"By bolts sliding into it from below."
She went down on her knees and with her knife removed the vinyl
floor covering next to the door. It lifted off neatly, revealing an eight-inch-wide cover that extended almost along the whole length of the door.
Inserting her knife into
dropped it earlier, throwing the extra charge pack next to it, and followed
as fast as he could, but she reached the shelter of the trees well ahead of
him. While he ran he quickly scanned the sky. Still not a cloud in sight.
But somehow he did not doubt her anymore. It had almost cost him his
life and hers too.
Once under cover, he heard the cry of the craw, spurring him on to
keep up with her. He noticed that his shoulder had gone numb and that
the pain had disappeared. Glancing briefly at the wound, he saw that a
flexible, almost transparent scab had formed over the cut, very much like
the foam stuff sprayed on by surgeons on Palo. That much for modern
science. A little weed on Aros did the same job.
She led him back to the field of high grasses, which she called spear
grass. Rather than retrace their steps through the narrow path to get to the
shuttle from the other side of the field, she stayed on its northern side and
about a kilometer along entered the field, taking narrow passages
between the tufts of grasses. After a few hundred feet, he had lost all
sense of direction and wondered how she still knew where they were
going. But he kept himself from saying anything. He had made a fool of
himself too often already. And then all of a sudden he saw the craft rising
in front of him. How had she known where it was?
"We have to get inside fast. If the storm catches us in these grasses,
we will be cut to pieces. Open the door."
"I can’t. The AI unit doesn’t work anymore." He flinched under her
ironic glance. "We have to get in through the ceiling hatch. But how can
we climb on top?"
"Is there no rope ladder?"
"Rope ladder? What’s that?"
"A ladder to climb up, made of rope."
"No."
"And you did not leave a rope attached somewhere to the top to haul
yourself back up?"
She did not wait for an answer, but immediately got a thin rope out of
her pack, attached a clump of hard earth to one end, retreated a few steps
away from the shuttle and threw that end over its top. The clump broke
as it hit the craft on its far side, but the rope dangled down. He did not
need to be told to climb up while she held on to the rope, bracing herself
against the underside of the craft. A few seconds later he had the hatch
open and attached the rope to one of its hinges. She was up in a flash.
She put her head into the opening to look inside and then withdrew
promptly. "What a stench! Did you urinate inside?"
Then he remembered the wet clothing he had discarded on the floor.
He felt the blood rush into his face. Was he always going to humiliate
himself in front of this woman? "I’m sorry. I had an accident when I
crash landed and forgot to dispose of the soiled clothing. Wait, I’ll get it
out and then we can air out the inside a bit before we go in."
But she did not wait for him. She was down before he got himself
ready and passed him the offending garments through the hatch. He threw
them into one of the spear grasses and then climbed inside too. The
stench was overpowering.
"Can this door not be opened manually?" she questioned, standing in
front of it.
"I guess yes, but I don’t know how. If the AI unit still worked, I could
look it up in the on-line maintenance manual."
"Does the door swing out and up to open?"
"Yes." How did she know? From what she had told him he knew that
she had never been in a shuttle or even seen one before.
"And how is it locked in place at the bottom?"
"By bolts sliding into it from below."
She went down on her knees and with her knife removed the vinyl
floor covering next to the door. It lifted off neatly, revealing an eight-inch-wide cover that extended almost along the whole length of the door.
Inserting her knife into
Similar Books
