Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [24]
Conrad didn't seem to know how to place these two in a hierarchical list in his mind. They were younger, and a far cry from the traditional EDF norms of disciplined behaviour, but he finally conceded to Tasia. 'I admit you did a good thing for my wife and me when you came to see us after we thought Robb was dead, Captain Tamblyn. And your brother Jess… changed a lot of things for me. He was very clear about what he thought of the EDF operations against the Roamers. And he may well have been right. We'll go on a short side trip.'
In joining the EDF, Tasia had essentially cut herself off from her family. She hadn't been home for many years - hadn't been there to see her father on his deathbed, hadn't helped Jess try to run the place. Now she felt eager, as well as a bit intimidated. Home. Sometimes, that concept was a difficult one for Roamers.
A day later, though, when the transport arrived at Plumas, she began to get a bad feeling. Conrad circled the ice moon, scanning the frozen surface for tell-tale signs of industry and settlement.
Tasia peered at high-res images of the wreckage of one of the cargo lifts, the sealed-off wellheads where spacecraft came to fill up with water. Though there should have been a bustle of traffic, only two small vessels were docked. She saw only three of the giant water tankers that had been the pride of clan Tamblyn. 'Shizz, this place has really fallen apart.'
After landing and suiting up, they trudged across rough ice, tracked with treadmarks from heavy machinery and reached the water-pumping facilities. Robb followed Tasia, excited to see the place she had told him about; his father was reserved, speaking little through the suit comm system.
Tasia had to check three different lift shafts before she discovered a functional passage through the kilometre-thick ice.
Although she didn't voice any worry, she found herself growing very uneasy. Deep below, when the lift doors creaked open and the air seals indicated breathable atmosphere, Tasia flipped open her faceplate. She took a breath of the frigid air, but it had lost its familiarity. She smelled chemicals, grease, soot, ozone, and an undertone of rancid meat. 'What the hell happened here?'
It seemed as if a tornado had struck the underground grotto. A pair of dark sockets marked where two of the artificial suns implanted in the frozen ceiling had fallen out. The shadowy vault reflected weak light from the remaining artificial sun. Jagged chunks of the crust had broken off and fallen into the cold subterranean sea, leaving ominous black fissures.
'It's your place, Tamblyn. You tell me.' Robb looked around. A large generator was running, providing power for temporary lights strung to insulated buildings. 'Hello? Anybody home?'
Startled voices came from one of the huts, and three men scrambled out. Tasia recognized her uncles Caleb, Torin, and Wynn. The goofy expressions on their faces made her burst out laughing. 'You are one sorry trio of defenders!'
Caleb gaped. 'Tasia! Sweet girl, where have you been?'
Awkwardly in her environment suit, she hugged them, moving from one to another. She set her helmet down on the icepack. 'The mines were in a lot better shape when I left. I should fire your asses. This is still my family's business.'
'Our family's,' Torin said. 'We're all clan Tamblyn.'
Conrad said, 'So is anyone going to tell us what happened here?'
Tasia's uncles looked suspiciously at the EDF uniforms, so she took Caleb's bony arm. 'You better invite us inside one of those warm huts, show us decent Roamer hospitality--or at least some pre-packaged meals - and tell me everything I need to know.'
Inside the hut, after they had all made their introductions, the three men told their visitors how a tainted wental had possessed the frozen body of Karla Tamblyn, killed their brother Andrew, and nearly destroyed the water mines, until Jess and