Journey to the Heart of Luna - Andy Frankham-Allen [48]
“It all conspired to bring out the wild man in you?” Annabelle offered, unable to keep a smile from her lips.
Bedford’s own smile was returned grimly. There was something of the Chiricahua about him, although he clearly had no Indian ancestry, and Annabelle was not entirely sure if she liked it or not. “I have no other reason that makes any kind of sense,” he said.
“Nor I. However it does not explain my extreme reaction, Lieutenant. I had ample supply of oxygen; I did not need to rely on residual traces within an atmosphere suit. As for the rarefied air of these caverns…I have been on Luna for some time, and I had not reacted in such a way until earlier.” Annabelle shrugged. “It is a mystery. As is the disappearance of Mister Stevenson.”
“Yes, I will confess that is something I cannot explain. I did not take him for a deserter.”
Annabelle shook her head. “He had no time to desert. He simply vanished.”
“That is quite impossible. I have seen many strange things since joining the Navy, but nothing that has given me a belief in magic. Since people do not simply vanish, he must have run away.” Bedford looked sideways with a sigh. Clearly he did not believe this of Stevenson either. “Perhaps your Selenite friends can explain things to us? They are native to this place after all.”
“They are drones, Lieutenant; they have no capacity for speech. However, their queen…”
“Clearly does. But where is she?”
They had been led to the Selenite village, a series of connected spherical caverns, and once in the first cavern they had been instructed by the queen to wait. This Bedford and Annabelle did, while Platt and Miller were requested to follow two Selenites to the food stores. Bedford gave them leave, and the two men followed the Selenites, who scaled the wall to a small hole which led to a hive. The Selenites had no trouble climbing the wall, their tarsal claws perfectly suited to the task. Miller and Platt had a bit more trouble, but soon found a way with Miller using his hands to lift Platt and then Platt pulling Miller up to him. The queen had watched this and made a shrill, unearthly sound, before she departed down a small slope which, Annabelle pointed out, led to a further hive and probably a nursery. She also felt pretty sure that the sound the queen had made was laughter.
The two of them had been alone for a good twenty minutes now, guarded by four Selenites; two by the main entrance of the cavern, and one each protecting the small entrances to the upper and lower hives. Clearly they were not that trusted yet, although they had not relieved the humans of their weapons. Perhaps word of Annabelle had spread throughout Luna? Annabelle thought this distinctly possible, since the Selenites were able to communicate with each other over great distances in various, inaudible ways.
“Perhaps she is deliberating?” Annabelle said. “If I am known, then you can be sure the Russians are equally known. The queen has already helped us once; perhaps she is now weighing up the pros and cons of helping us once again. This is, after all, a big decision.”
“That’s as may be, Miss Somerset, but aiding us in rescuing your uncle and putting paid to the Russians can only be good for her. After all, did you not say that her own people are held captive by the Russians, too?”
“Not necessarily, Lieutenant.” Bedford looked at her, confused. Annabelle continued. “There are many Selenite colonies throughout Luna, some have queens, others are led by retainers of knowledge, while others are mutually co-dependent on each other. There is nothing to say that the Selenites enslaved by Tereshkov are a part of this colony.”
“Nonetheless, Miss Somerset, they are Selenites.”
Annabelle was surprised by Lieutenant Bedford’s apparent naivety in this matter. He was a good deal older than her, and clearly had a distinguished career in the British Navy. He surely must have seen plenty in his time. Even Annabelle, with only