Part 19 (1/2)

”No,” said Silence. ”Their civilisation was never that advanced. In fact, the original Investigating team uncovered evidence that suggested the Ashrai actually evolved long after the trees had first been planted.

Which gives you some idea of how long these trees have been here.”

”But if the Ashrai didn't genegineer the trees,” said Ripper slowly, ”who did?”

”Good question,” said Silence. ”Whoever it was, let's hope they don't come back to find out who's been messing with their garden. Now then, where was I? Ah yes. There are twenty substations on Unseeli, overseeing the automated mining machinery as it destroys the forest's roots so that the trees can be easily felled and harvested. Base Thirteen oversees all the other substations, and is the only manned station on the planet. Its personnel spend most of their time sitting around waiting for something to go wrong so they can go out and fix it. They last communicated with the Empire four days ago. We haven't been able to get a word out of them since. At present, the situation is merely annoying, if a little disturbing. But if it continues, and the supply of metals slows as the mining machinery breaks down, the Empire could be in serious trouble. I'm afraid we've all become just a little too dependent on Unseeli's riches. Any questions so far?”

”Yes,” said Ripper. ”What are you doing here, Captain? It's not usual for a s.h.i.+p's Captain to expose himself to danger like this.”

”This is not a usual situation,” said Silence. ”And I have . . . personal reasons for being here. Which I don't intend to discuss at this time.”

”All right,” said Frost. ”Let's talk about Base Thirteen instead. A force screen is the last refuge for a base under attack. What could possibly have threatened them so much, scared them so badly, that they had to retreat behind a force screen to feel safe?”

”Maybe they saw ghosts too,” said Diana Vertue.

Silence smiled briefly. ”When we get inside the Base, you can ask them.”

”And just how are we supposed to get inside?” said Frost sharply. ”We don't have anything powerful enough to break through a force screen. The disrupter cannon on theDarkwind might do the job, but that kind of firepower would flatten everything inside a square mile, most definitely including everything and everyone inside the screen. You'd be able to carry away what was left of Base Thirteen in a medium-sized bucket.”

”Right,” said Stasiak, scowling unhappily. ”There's only one way we're going to get past that screen, and that's if someone inside the Base gets to the main command centre and shuts down the screen. And that doesn't seem very likely, just at the moment. So, Captain, unless you have access to some kind of super-weapon the Empire has never heard of, we've come all this way for nothing.”

Silence looked at him calmly. ”Don't raise your voice to me, Stasiak, there's a good chap, I know what I'm doing. Computer, any hostile life signs outside the s.h.i.+p?”

”Negative, Captain,” said the AI promptly. ”There are no life signs anywhere within reach of my sensors.

My files tell me that Base Thirteen has one hundred and twenty-seven personnel, but I regret I am unable to confirm that. The force screen blocks my sensor probes.”

”What about the things that attacked us on the way down?” said Diana Vertue. ”They can't have just vanished.”

”My sensors detected no life signs at any time during the descent,” said the AI. ”If there had been any attackers, I would have detected them and informed you of their nature. May I remind you, esper Vertue, this is a scorched world. Nothing lives here.”

”Well, something beat the h.e.l.l out of this s.h.i.+p on the way down,” said Frost. ”I can see some of the dents from here.”

”I agree that the pinnace has suffered extensive storm damage,” said the AI calmly. ”Nevertheless, I must insist that there were no life forms present in the storm. If there were, my instruments would have detected them.”

”I saw them with my esp,” said Diana. ”I felt their rage.”

”Hallucinations, perhaps,” said the AI. ”Possibly brought about by the stress of the descent. I can supply tranquillizers if required.”

”Not just now,” said Silence. ”All right, people, get ready to disembark. Full field kit for everyone, and that includes you, esper. Move it!”

The pinnace crew rose quickly to their feet and gathered around the Investigator as she broke open the arms locker and pa.s.sed out the equipment. The two marines looked at each other thoughtfully. Full field kit meant a steelmesh tunic, concussion and incendiary grenades, swords and energy guns, and a personal force s.h.i.+eld. That kind of kit was normally reserved for open firefights and full-scale riot control.

Stasiak took his armful of equipment and moved far away from the Captain and the Investigator as the cramped s.p.a.ce would allow. Ripper followed him, and the two marines put their heads together as they ostensibly busied themselves in sorting out their kits.

”I hate this,” said Stasiak quietly. ”I hate this planet, and I hate this mission. Full field kit for what's supposed to be a dead planet? A Captain who talks about ghosts and super-weapons? The man is seriously disturbed, Ripper. Dammit to h.e.l.l, only five more months and my time was up. Five short months, and I'd have been out of the Service and my own man again. But of course nothing ever goes right for me, so I end up being volunteered for this b.l.o.o.d.y mess. A crazy Captain and an insane mission.

Hallucinations, my a.s.s. I don't care if this is a scorched world; something's still alive here, and it isn't friendly.”

”Then why couldn't we find any targets for our guns?” murmured Ripper, pulling on his baldric with practiced ease. ”There's no doubt this is a scorched world. I checked the s.h.i.+p's computers before the drop. Ten years ago, six starcruisers. .h.i.t Unseeli with everything they had. Wiped the planet clean, pole to pole.”

”Six s.h.i.+ps?” said Stasiak. ”Standard procedure for a scorching is two starcruisers, three if you're in a hurry. What did they have down here that they thought they needed six s.h.i.+ps to deal with it?”

”There's more,” said Ripper. ”Guess who was in charge of scorching Unseeli?”

Stasiak stopped struggling with the buckles on his baldric. ”Silence?”

”Got it in one. He was in charge of putting down the Ashrai rebellion. When that got out of hand, he was the one who called for a scorch.”

Stasiak shook his head slowly. ”This just gets better and better. This is going to be a bad one, Rip. I can feel it in my water.”

”Don't worry; trust the old Ripper. He'll see you through.”

Stasiak just looked at him.

The esper Diana Vertue struggled to pull on her steelmesh tunic. The label said it was her size, but the label was a liar. She finally pulled it into place by brute force, and emerged from the neck red-faced and gasping. The long vest was heavy and awkward, and she hated to think what it was going to feel like after she'd been wearing it for a few hours. She looked at the sword and hand disrupter she'd been issued, hesitated, and then moved back to the arms locker to put them away.

”I wouldn't,” said Investigator Frost. ”The odds are you're going to need them.”

”I don't use weapons,” said the esper firmly. ”I'm not a killer. I'll keep the force s.h.i.+eld, but that's all.”

The Investigator shrugged. ”It's your neck.” She settled her holstered disrupter comfortably on her right hip, and drew a sword in a scabbard from the arms locker. It was a long sword, definitely not regulation issue, and the Investigator slung it over her left shoulder and buckled it into place so that it hung down her back. The tip of the scabbard almost touched the floor behind her. Frost noticed the esper's curious gaze, and smiled slightly.

”It's a claymore. Old Earth sword. Been in my clan for generations. It's a good blade.”

”Have you ever killed anyone with it?” asked Vertue. Her tone was polite, but the Investigator stiffened at the disapproval she sensed in the esper.

”Of course,” said Frost. ”That's my job.” She reached into the locker and brought out a bandolier of grenades. She pulled it tight across her chest and flexed her arms a few times to make sure it wouldn't interfere with her movements. She looked at the esper. ”If you're not willing to fight, stay out of my way.

And don't expect me to look after you. That's not my job.”

She slammed the arms locker shut and moved over to join the Captain and the two marines waiting at the airlock door. Vertue looked after her for a moment but said nothing. She joined the others, her gaze on her feet. Silence looked them all over, raised an eyebrow at the esper's lack of weapons, and then keyed in the security codes for the airlock door. The door hissed open, and Silence led the way in. The airlock was just big enough to take them all, and when the door hissed shut behind them, the cramped s.p.a.ce became disturbingly claustrophobic. Vertue hugged herself tightly to stop herself trembling. She'd never liked enclosed s.p.a.ces.

”Odin, this is the Captain,” said Silence through his comm implant. ”Respond, please.”

”Contact confirmed,” murmured the AI in his ear. ”Sensor scans are still normal. No life forms within sensor range. Air, temperature, and gravity are within acceptable limits. You have seven hours daylight remaining.”

”Open the hatch, computer.”

The outer door swung open with a hiss of compressed air. Silence stepped forward, and then hesitated in the doorway as a breeze brought him the scent of Unseeli. It was a sharp, smoky scent, and though he hadn't smelt it for ten years, it was immediately familiar to him, as though he'd never left. He lifted his head a little, and stepped out onto the landing pads followed by the others. The grey afternoon was bitter cold and his breath steamed on the air before him. There was a series of faint clicks as the heating elements in his uniform kicked in. Tall metal trees surrounded the landing field, filling the horizon no matter which way he looked. It was ten years since he'd last looked on the metallic forest of Unseeli. It seemed like yesterday.

Base Thirteen stood in the centre of the landing field, hidden behind its force screen. The protective dome swirled and s.h.i.+mmered, like a huge pearl in a dull metal setting. It was easy to imagine something dark and unknown squatting behind the screen, staring out at the pinnace's crew and waiting for them to come to it. A sudden chill ran up Silence's spine that had nothing to do with the cold. He smiled sourly and shrugged the thought aside. He looked around to see what his people made of their new surroundings. The two marines had their disrupters in their hands and were glancing quickly about them, checking for threats and familiarizing themselves with the territory. The Investigator was standing a little to one side, calmly studying the force screen. The esper was hugging herself against the cold and staring out at the forest, her eyes very large in her pale, bony face. None of them looked particularly worried. That would change, soon enough. Silence coughed loudly to get their attention.

”I'm going to have to leave you for a while. The Investigator is in charge until I return. Any problems, she can contact me on the command channel. But unless it's vitally important, I don't want to be disturbed.

We're going to need help to get through that screen, and I think I know where to find some.”