Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [15]
“The symptoms of geological aging are even more pronounced than what we were reading from orbit,” Saavik said. “I’m reading some tremendous instability here.”
“That’s really odd,” David said as he removed his heavy equipment pack from his back to retrieve his own tricorder.
“Is it any less odd than our detection from orbit of four different climate zones within the same sector?” Saavik inquired.
“The whole thing is odd,” David said, powering up the device and beginning his own scan of the area. “I mean, sure, the matrix is designed to produce a varied climate. But it’s like everything has been…I don’t know, amplified…and accelerated somehow.”
Saavik shouldered her own tricorder and reached into a pocket. “Any theories, Doctor?”
“I have a few,” David said, allowing a touch of concern to creep into his voice. He looked up at her. “And please, call me David.”
“As you wish,” she replied, retrieving her communicator and flipping it open. “Saavik to Grissom.”
“Esteban here,” came the immediate reply. “Saavik, what’s your status?”
“Orbital readings are confirmed. We have life-form indications approximately two point four kilometers southwest, at bearing zero-two-four. Radioactivity detected in the same vicinity, well within safe levels.”
“Very well. Proceed, Saavik, but exercise caution. This landing is at captain’s discretion, and I’m the one who’s out on a limb.”
“I’ll try to remember that…Captain.”
David smiled at Saavik’s thinly veiled contempt. They both hoisted their gear and turned to their left, marching parallel to the forest’s edge. Together they followed the tree line, stepping carefully through the knee-high vegetation. Even though he knew that the planet couldn’t possibly harbor any advanced life-forms yet-the unknown readings notwithstanding-David still found himself feeling nervous about their inability to see what might be lurking beneath the greenery around their feet.
For the first kilometer or so, the vegetation slowly began to thin out, and the ground sloped upward. The distance from the forest edge on their left to the foot of the plateau on their right was gradually decreasing, and on the horizon they could see a point where the two would meet at the apex of the hill they presently ascended. The humid air, fresh with the scent of oxidized compounds emanating from the woods, was unexpectedly cut by the chill of a cool breeze in their faces.
David looked over at his hiking partner, and feeling that the silence was becoming awkward, decided to make a little small talk. “So…what about those Starfleet folks, huh? It was like pulling teeth to get them to let us beam down.”
Saavik shrugged. “It is logical for them to take precautions when dealing with unknown phenomena.”
“I guess so,” David admitted. “But clearly there’s something down here that wasn’t part of the original matrix. Makes sense that you’d want the best scientific minds to investigate.”
“I agree.”
“Right. Well, luckily Captain Esteban agreed, too!” He laughed nervously. Saavik shot him an odd glance. David began to seriously regret all the years he’d spent holed up with older scientists, never having much opportunity to develop relationships with girls his own age.
He regrouped, opting for the more personal approach. “I, uh, understand you know Ambassador Sarek pretty well.”
“Correct.”
“Yeah…I met him once, on Andoria, back when I was…oh, I dunno, about twelve or thirteen. How did you come to know him so well?”
A pause. Saavik flipped her hair back out of her face and stared off at the Regula sun, dipping down toward the horizon off to their right. “Sarek saved me from Hellguard when I was ten years old,” she simply stated.
“Hellguard?” David asked. “I’m not sure I’ve heard of it.