The navigator, p.42
The Navigator, page 42
"Human feelings?"
Petal studied each item on the shelf, pulling them out, one-by-one. She snatched up a silver can with a green label, and then an orange box covered in blue paisleys. She put those down and fetched a pink jug full of some kind of heavy, sloshing liquid. She examined the alien items closely and then put them off to the side. When she put the silver tin down, Quill snatched it up out of curiosity.
The little tin seemed familiar. Quill turned it so its label was facing her. The white and green label had a spider/mantis creature printed on it. It was identical to the can of strange goop she'd forced herself to eat earlier.
"They're all so colorful. I wonder why." Petal smiled at a particularly brilliant, red and gold box. Across its face was an odd sketch that looked like a giant blimp or two conjoined footballs floating next to a spiral-armed galaxy.
"Can you read this? Do you remember how to read Khoi from your mother?" Quill tapped the copper pull tab on the alien tin. She pointed to the row of glyphs printed next to the spider/mantis. "I ate one of these earlier."
Petal took the tin and ran her finger across the label.
"Umm. No. It's - it's nonsense." She cocked her head to the side. "Well this part is nonsense." She thumbed the first row of alien glyphs. She then lowered her fingertip down to the second. "This part says 'meat'. . .I think. . .maybe. . ."
"What kind of meat?" Quill snatched the tin back.
"Flu – ta – as – ee – ma. Flutaaseema meat," Petal tried to sound out the glyphs. "I told you - nonsense."
"Hmm." Quill put the tin back on an upper shelf. "Well let me know if you can figure out what's inside of any of these cans. If we're bringing them with us as food, I only want to take ones that taste good. That stuff was horrible."
Petal nodded. While Quill gathered up some of the prettier boxes and cans, she walked over to the far wall and began to pop open lockers.
Inside of the lockers were Khoi clothes: boots, jackets, snow pants, helmets, socks, undershirts, gloves, and eye goggles. Petal picked up the various pieces of clothing and threw them over her shoulder, searching for something that would fit her.
After spending several minutes digging through the lockers, she combed through the pile of clothing she'd amassed, picking out a promising outfit. The jacket she picked out was snow white and thick as Kevlar body armor. It was made of a sleek, silver material that felt like tin foil. The pants and boots she selected matched the jacket's color and feel. Together, the set looked like an incomplete space suit – physically very light, yet awkwardly segmented and bulky.
Petal tried on the strange Khoi clothes, as Quill continued to gather up a horde of provisions. The Khoi jacket and pants felt comfortable and snug. They were incredibly warm too. They didn't breathe at all. No air came through the metallic fabric.
"Pick out anything cute for me to wear?" Quill balanced a collection of foodstuffs in her arms and walked them over to Petal. She then picked up a Khoi undershirt that was lying on the floor, and wrapped the provisions up in it, making a jury-rigged knapsack.
"I don't know your size. Just pick something that's warm and comfortable." Petal was distracted, now looking up at the ceiling. There was a green sign mounted on the wall above her head. It was pointing to another door. She tried to read it.
"Did you see that shell-box on the storage shelves or in any of those lockers?" Quill picked up a stray pair of Khoi boots. She turned them upside down. They had a wicked-looking set of spiked cleats on the bottom.
"It's. . ." Petal concentrated. A random memory hit her. "Over there on that wall. Center locker."
Quill put down the boots and walked to where Petal pointed.
Petal continued to peer up at the sign. "Tla-za-ka-mar-ki."
Quill pulled the locker open. Inside was a thin silver box that had a handle on it like a briefcase. At its center was a raised, golden scallop shell surrounded by five copper dots. She picked it up and waved it triumphantly.
"Wow, you really do know your way around here. Know what's inside of it too?"
Petal shook her head, her attention still fixed on the green, alien sign.
"Tlazakamarki. I know what that means. I know I do. It means. . .it means 'arms.' Armory!" She spun around. "It says armory! I can read it! I can read Khoi!"
"It does?" Quill looked up at the sign. She saw a row of evenly-spaced triangles and spirals. "I wish some other language was imprinted in my brain. I've always been awful at learning them. I can say 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I feel sleepy' in Yong. That's it. I almost failed my language courses at the Academy."
Petal put her hand on the access pad next to the armory door.
"I'm going to see if I'm right about the sign. See what's here."
On the other side of the door was another set of stairs. Petal walked down them.
Quill followed her, cautiously.
"Uh, we already got the clothes, the food, and the shell-box Cynax sent us here for. Why are we going down here?"
"I just want to see if-" Petal went quiet when she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Whoa. Quill - come see this!"
The room at the bottom of the stairway was small –eight feet by eight feet. Its walls were bare and gray. They looked similar to poured concrete. Across each wall were black racks lined with dulled metal hooks. Hanging from each hook were rows of strange, alien objects.
The objects were lengthy. At one end of each of them was a large, rectangular, copper-colored bulge. That bulge turned into a thin, cylindrical barrel that ended in something that looked like a notched sight. Between the rear bulge and the barrel was a reddish protrusion that looked like it was meant to hold a magazine. At the top of the protrusion, next to the beginning of the barrel, was a little gray square that looked like the access pads that lay next to each station door.
Petal picked up one of the objects and held it in her hands. It had the intrinsic feel of a weapon. She shouldered it and pointed the barrel toward the far wall. The rectangular end resting on her shoulder was definitely the weapon's stock. The protrusion at the base of the barrel was at the perfect distance to be the grip. Both the stock and barrel were made of an extremely lightweight metal that felt like aluminum. She wrapped her hand around the grip and put her thumb on the gray pad at its edge. The pad flashed red and the weapon gave off a hum like it was charging.
Quill reached the bottom step and saw Petal brandishing the alien weapon.
"Look at this thing!" Petal posed with it, continuing to point it at the far wall while closing one eye as if she was aiming at an invisible enemy. A row of white lights on the side of the barrel lit up and twinkled.
"Put that down!" Quill shoved the barrel aside. "You have no idea how powerful that thing is! You could kill us!"
"It's a gun." Petal pulled away from Quill, still clutching the gun. She stared down its silver barrel, enamored by the weapon's wavy shape and smooth sheen. It only weighed ten pounds, just enough mass to steady her hands, allowing it to be aimed precisely.
"Yeah, it's a gun. That means it's dangerous. Put it back on the rack and let's get out of here. Cynax didn't say anything about bringing him a gun."
"He's sending me to kill the Aii. He said the Aii could wake up when I'm near them. I want to be able to protect myself. We don't have a weapon."
"That gun is too big for you. You won't be able to manage it. It will slow you down. It's not worth taking."
The gun was too long for Petal to comfortably carry or wield, especially inside of an enclosed area. It was two thirds her body length.
"Fine." She hastily put it back. She rushed over to a different rack and snatched up a much smaller, yet similar weapon that was roughly the size of a pistol.
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm going to take this one instead." She waved the copper and silver pistol at Quill with a mocking smile. "See? Perfect size for me." She tucked it into her jacket.
"I don't think we should take anything we weren't asked to."
"I'll ask Cynax if it's okay. I don't think he'll mind. Come on - let's bring everything back to him and get out of here."
***
Cynax lowered several of its tentacles down above Quill and Petal's heads so it could survey the gear they'd assembled. Its tentacles writhed about like dying snakes as they flapped across the top of its pulsating trunk. The empty eyes that protruded out from their tips lingered on the silver kit lying on the floor, just in front of the girls.
"You were able to locate all of the necessary supplies?"
"Yup. They're all here. I remembered how to get to the storage dome too. And I think I can read some Khoi now. It just came to me, suddenly."
"Interesting. That knowledge has always existed inside of your mind, but it was likely meaningless to you until now because it lacked context. Perhaps being inside of a familiar location like this station gave your mother's imprinted memories that needed context, allowing you to comprehend what you already knew. This is very opportune. I am sure that having a working knowledge of Khoi will be of great aid to you in your task."
"I found this too." Petal pulled the alien pistol out of her jacket. "Is it loaded? I want to take it with me."
"Ion weaponry?" Cynax withdrew its tentacles from her airspace with a piercing hiss. "From the armory?"
"Uh-huh. I want to take it with me in case the Aii wake up. So I'll have a weapon to use against them."
"The Aii were able to overrun an entire colony of highly organized Khoi who were armed with more powerful weapons. If you find yourself in a situation where you would need to use that weapon, you are most likely doomed. It will only give you a false sense of security."
"Oh." Petal blanched. She tucked the pistol into her coat pocket. "Well, I'm going to take it anyway. I want to have something for an emergency."
"Have you figured out the plan for us yet?" Quill spoke up. "What exactly do we have to do to get rid of the Aii? And how do we get off this ice sheet?"
"I have formulated a plan. First, you must gain access to the Tear Drop Station, which is located in the upper-stratosphere of this planet. To transport you to it, I have adjusted the orbital path of mining trellis Zetic-7. That trellis will arrive in our airspace momentarily-"
"A trell?" Petal interrupted. "You can control the trells? How? What are they?"
"Consortium mining trellises are load-bearing, orbital platforms. They were used by the Consortium to haul ore up from mines on the seabed. Each trellis can carry several tons of material through an atmospheric or aquatic environment. Most were programmed to ferry materials across this planet's ocean and down to Amanahora. Others carried materials into space, so they could be loaded onto starships, like the Kingfisher."
"The Kingfisher?" Quill coughed. "What's that?"
Cynax paid her no attention, continuing to drone on to Petal.
"I have limited access to the trellises – just enough clearance to adjust their orbital paths. I am authorized to use them to resupply this monitoring station and to obtain materials necessary for repairs. There are eight trellises in the atmosphere of this planet, all of which are currently in geostationary orbits. You will use trellis Zetic-7 to gain ingress to your first target – the Tear Drop. I have reprogrammed Zetic-7 to pick you up from the polar plateau and take you to the station. There is an entrance hatch on the bottom of the Tear Drop which the Khoi will be able to access. Once you are both inside of the Tear Drop, I will guide you to its central computer."
"How?"
"The nanite kit at your feet contains a communication device which the Khoi can implant in her ear. That device will allow me to communicate with her over great distances."
Petal picked up the silver kit and put her fingers on the copper dots on its face. The kit immediately popped open. Inside were two foam-lined compartments holding two jade-green cubes that looked like they were made of glass, and two silver disks the size of a thumbnail.
"These?" Petal pulled the silver disks out of the box and held them up to Cynax.
"Affirmative. Once you enter the Tear Drop and link me up to its central computer, I will be able to map out an exit route for you - likely by using one of the Tear Drop's submersibles. Those submersibles will also allow you to reach your next target - Amanahora."
"How will Petal link you up to the Tear Drop's computer?" Quill asked. "We don't know anything about alien computer programming or hacking."
"You needn't. My access to the Tear Drop has been blocked. However, as the sole-surviving Consortium crewman, the Khoi has unrestricted access to the station's central computer. Once she is inside of the Tear Drop and gains access to its mainframe, all she needs to do is attach one of the emerald-colored devices in that nanite-kit to the station's main terminal." Cynax pointed down at the nanite-kit with an undulating tentacle. "Once the device is in place, it will automatically activate and bypass system security. Once it succeeds, it will enable me to control the Tear Drop remotely from this location. After I have gained control, I will be able to overload its reactor and destroy it to prevent further Aii contamination."
Petal picked up a jade cube from the kit and held it in her palm. The cube sucked all the warmth out of her hand. It was as cold as ice. It was also extremely heavy for its size.
Quill scratched her head, ruminating over what Cynax had just told them. "Who blocked your access to the Tear Drop?"
Cynax's body made a loud, pneumatic hiss. The mechanical cilia on its sides beat rapidly like the hairs on a paramecium.
"My system access was lost during the chaos immediately following the Aii infestation. It is up to the Khoi to see that it is restored."
"How long will it take to get to the Tear Drop?" Petal put the jade cube back in the kit and snapped the box shut.
"Less than a single planetary revolution. The trellises can move swiftly through this planet's atmosphere. The suits you gathered should protect you from the frigid conditions you will experience at high altitude. You should take the foodstuffs you brought here along as nourishment. Consume them before you enter the station so you will have energy going forward."
"What do we do for air if we're going to be that high up?" Quill blinked. "Won't the atmosphere up there be too thin to breathe?"
"While en route to the Tear Drop, I will keep you at a safe altitude. Once you begin to approach the station, you will need to be in a deoxygenated environment for an extremely short time period. You should be able to survive that exposure until you gain ingress to the station. Inside of the station, the air is pressurized and will be breathable."
"Should be able to survive?"
"You will be able to survive, barring any unforeseen occurrences."
"And once we're inside of the station, you'll guide us to the computer, and I'll put one of the green cubes on it." Petal jiggled the kit. "That's it, right? That's all we have to do there?"
Cynax wrapped its tentacles around the spider web of cables that crisscrossed the ceiling. It pulled its trunk up and shifted in its seat.
"That is a crudely accurate assessment."
"What about Amanahora? What do we do there? The same thing as on the Tear Drop?"
"The Tear Drop's computer will have more data on the present condition of Amanahora than I currently have access to. Once you link me up to the Tear Drop's computer, I will begin to formulate the next leg of your mission."
"We're doing this by the seat of your pants?" Quill scoffed.
"I do not understand that statement."
"It means that as of right now - you have no idea what we're going to do after we link you up to the Tear Drop. You're going to figure that out later. There is no plan."
"I have formulated over two hundred contingency plans for you to initiate after linking me up to the Tear Drop's central computer. It is unnecessary for me to outline those plans now. Your future course of action will be determined by the conditions as they exist once you complete the first leg of your mission. Until then, all subsequent plans remain contingencies - purely hypothetical."
Quill continued to stare at Cynax, skeptically. Ever fiber of her being wanted to refuse to undertake its 'task.' She felt like she was walking into a trap. She looked over at Petal, trying to say with her eyes, what she couldn't bring herself to verbalize.
Petal was glowing.
"When do we go?" Petal watched as a large drop of goo dribbled off one of Cynax's tentacles and splashed across the floor, just in front of her.
"Trellis Zetic-7 will arrive over the polar plateau momentarily. If you need to relieve yourself or make any other preparations for departure I suggest you do so now."
"I'm ready." Petal smiled at Quill. "Are you? Are you okay with all of this? You look worried. . ."
