Page 19 of Experimental Voyage
At a few presses of a button, an electronic voice began a ten second countdown. The ship’s rumble intensified, and at the count of one, he moved the ship forward. According to his body language, he expected something bad to happen, as he tensed as the glowing archway drew closer.
White light enveloped the ship.
Squealing alarms indicated Waldren was right to worry. Before I could do more than squeak, he cursed, hit some buttons on his armchair, and manipulated the controls. In the time it took me to draw three breaths and register we were no longer in space, the ship’s systems quieted.
Rather than the expected inky void, a sandy beach loomed in front of us with a band of trees in the distance. White capped waves crashed on the shore.
I marveled that Waldren had somehow managed to control the ship despite the utter change of environment. “How did you do that?”
“The ship’s autopilot was enabled, the ship detected the changes in gravity, initiated hover thrusters, and per my programming, came to a halt. That process can destabilize the ship, so I did some adjustments to level us out so the hover can work properly. Because things like this can happen, pilots enter the gates at a speed suitable for sustaining flight in most habitable atmospheres, so it was a matter of checking for risk of imminent collision, adjusting some settings, and stabilizing the ship’s course. That could have gone a lot worse.” Waldren focused on one of the monitors, and he tapped on the armrest of his seat. “In bad news, I have no idea where we are.”
“Uninhabited space?” I asked, a chill sweeping through me.
“I only load complex star charts and planetary coordinates for sectors of space I think I will need to go or have been. I don’t usually make use of gates like this, and nobody has a chart listing for that specific gate because it can literally go anywhere—it just tends to favor one set of gates, and with a ninety-five percent chance of going to that gate, most are willing to risk it. I’ll be able to evaluate our position once the planet’s night begins; Idohave a complete star map of known space for identifying our position so I can load up the relevant charts—if I have them. The star maps are usually enough to get us going in the right direction.”
“You can do that with star maps?”
“I can, yes. The flight system has star views from all angles, so it’s possible to identify a general location with a clear view of the stars from a planet,” he replied, and he unbuckled his harness, came over, and showed me how to unbuckle mine. “But now we have more than a few issues. First, if the planet is inhabited, we need to figure out who lives here, inform them ofthe gate mishap, and clear ourselves of legal issues. That won’t be a problem, as I registered us as using the shiftgem gate.”
I wondered if that would be truly good enough if somebody took offense to our presence. “The odds that this is an inhabited world?”
Waldren eyed one of the monitors, and after a moment, he said, “The atmospheric conditions are suitable for human life, with an oxygen density of 20.1%. That’s a little lower than what we like but plenty sufficient. Veloc prefer 21.5%, which is a little higher than what humans prefer, which is 21%. 20.1% is a little lower than what is comfortable for a Veloc, but they won’t have to wear masks to survive. They’re just going to be a little uncomfortable. Veloc would not choose to live here, which is a good thing—most species wouldn’t choose this planet despite its status as habitable.” He pressed a few buttons and grunted at whatever result he found on the monitor. A glare warned me the man disliked what he read. “We’re outside of the comm range to any spaceports for my ship, which means we’re on the edge of explored space, and I’m not picking up anything on the common communication frequencies.”
“Well, that’s not ideal,” I muttered, getting up from my seat to inspect the monitors and the various bits of information they spit out. The atmospheric intel intrigued me, as the ship reported the entire atmospheric conditions. “How does it get the data so quickly?”
“I invested in an exterior sensor system. It retracts during space travel, but once I had the ship hovering, I activated it. The atmospheric tests don’t take long to run. The next test is longer, and we stay on board until it completes.”
“Atmospheric biohazards?” I guessed. From viruses to toxins, there could be things in the air that didn’t get picked up on the basic readings capable of killing people in a hurry. “We were learning about those systems in school, but we wouldn’tactually be trained in deciphering the data until next year. We started with direct hazards first, registering unidentified life forms and generalized identification of what might try to kill us. If the teeth are sharp and pointy, it will probably try to kill us. If a single human can fit in its mouth without chewing, it will probably try to kill us. If it has sharp and pointy bits, period, it will probably try to kill us. That applies to plants and animals.”
Waldren snickered. “That is a good way to stay alive for a little longer, I do have to admit. Your schooling didn’t seem to indicate Veloc are possessing of sharp, pointy teeth, however. They also have long, pointy claws.”
“Veloc are definitely top-grade predators I shouldn’t pet.” I regarded him with a grin. “But now that I’m aware of how soft they are, I’m making it a mission to see how many different Veloc I can pet without losing my life.”
“Considering you have successfully petted one, you’re ahead of most humans.” Waldren held up three fingers. “When honest, I’ve petted this many unwilling Veloc, one of which is my brother-in-law. I demanded to pet him. To be a complete jackass about it, I demanded that he make certain his feathers were soft enough to be worthy of my sister. My sister loved it. Her Veloc? He tolerated me petting him, and the instant my sister looked the other way, he tossed me into the nearest river. I deserved it, but I threaten to pet him again—or take him into space so he’s trapped on my ship and I can pet him at my leisure.”
Something about the banter put me at ease, and I wondered at the man’s change of behavior without the Veloc around. “So, we’re agreed. Veloc exist to be petted, much like cats.”
“It’s a dangerous venture, but the reward might be worth the risk—especially since it’s their fault we are now in this position.”
Were they at fault? In a way, I supposed they held some responsibility. From my understanding of the situation, they were the driving force behind my restored hearing and new tail.I would find some way to repay that debt, although I would focus more on Waldren.
The Veloc all seemed like the kind to go across the universe for the sake of another as their default, where the man had come despite his misgivings and hesitancies. In a way, I understood both sides.
Waldren’s position made his presence more of a sacrifice and a duty, where the Veloc found their work to be a reward as much as it was a responsibility.
As I’d gotten Waldren to relax, I decided to hold my course and do my best to maintain the jovial atmosphere despite being lost on some planet possibly skirting explored space. “We could charge each Veloc on board with mandatory petting as compensation for being stuck on a possibly unexplored planet.” I giggled, turning my gaze to the beach before us. “What sort of planet would a shiftgem gate send us to?”
“Whichever one it wants, which is the issue. The gems have some ability to communicate with each other over vast distances. We haven’t figured outhow, but the gates obviously communicate with each other somehow.”
I nodded. I’d heard the theory before, but nobody truly understood the underlying workings of the gates, how’d they’d been formed, and what made them work. “So, I guess we need to evaluate what we discussed, our various feelings on the matter, and how the shiftgems might interpret that.”
With narrowed eyes, Waldren eyed the monitor. A moment later, a flood of information appeared. “Ah. Yes, good thought. The atmospheric conditions are a little questionable forus, but they’re ideal for Palta. They come from a high mountain environment with lower pressures and sometimes lower oxygen content. Cats of her species would be quite comfortable here. But how would the shiftgems have been able to locate a planet with ideal atmospheric conditions for a specific species of cat?”Frowning, he regarded the monitor again, and an image of a cat similar to Palta but with a paler coat appeared, including information on atmospheric and biologic requirements for the survival of the species. “It’s an almost perfect match to the conditions they prefer in the summer with the exception of elevation. And having the conditions in a lusher environment gives them a better chance of overall survival.”
“More prey and habitat options,” I muttered, joining him in reading the screen. “But how did you access the data so quickly?”
“I have a link, too. I’ll be the one primarily teaching you how to cope with the link installations. It can be overwhelming. I tapped into the ship’s database with the link so I wouldn’t have to dig out a keyboard and start typing.”
“Convenient.” I pointed at the section involving their diet. “But what are the odds that the planet will have the appropriate fare for her species?”
