Slither - Edward Lee [125]
But they had words, just like humans or any highly evolved .life form. They even had their own equivalent colloquialisms, profanities, and figures of speech.
"Where's the damn colonel?" the major asked.
The sergeant was wondering that himself as the manometer in his mask relayed his superior's query. "He said he'd meet us at the debark point, sir." He checked the grid readout on his task strip. It read: "And this is the debark point."
The major looked up. "I don't see the LRV. Maybe the regauge system didn't fire."
He's really worrying, isn't he? the sergeant thought, amused. "It's right there, sir."
The shadow roved over their faces. It took some squinting but eventually the major saw it, and sighed in relief. "That's incredible. The obfuscation systems work so well in this atmosphere."
"It's the nitrogen, sir."
The line of the particle synchrotron element glowed faintly above them, extending from one end of the ship to the other. The ship was called a lenticular reentry vehicle, which counterrotated gravity by manipulating nucleons and forcing them to divide and permute their para-atomic particles within a controlled field. It was simple.
Not so simple was the dilemma of the colonel.
"Maybe he was killed," the major said.
"By the humans?"
"Why not? They killed the corporal."
.The corporal wasn't very smart. And our reflexivity is twice as fast as the humans'."
"Do you think one of the specimens in the field got him?"
"Not unless the methoxychlor dispersors in his utility dress malfunctioned. I wouldn't worry about it, sir. The colonel probably wanted to double-check the control station one last time before debarkation."
The major didn't respond. It was clear he was concerned. One troop was already dead.
They remained in the small clearing as the LRV hung silently above them. To the sergeant's side hovered a Class I antigravity pallet, loaded with the specimen samples and prototypes, plus all their data-storage pins. Everything else had been left at the control station and would be destroyed by the blast.
The major was rubbing his gloved hands together. Nervous. He checked his own task strip and shook his head.
He doesn't know what to do, the sergeant realized. They should send field officers on these missions, not science administrators.
The major tried to maintain his acumen of authority, but wasn't doing a good job. "Sergeant ... what exactly are the emergency operating instructions for a ... situation like this?"
"We must be fully debarked and out of this planet's stratosphere at least ten points before count-off, with or without all personnel."
"When is count-off?"
"Fifteen points from now, sir."
The major stared off.
"Sir, if the colonel doesn't get back here in time, we have to leave him. The data from the mission is far more important than one officer."
"Right," the major said. He sighed again. "Open the egression port, Sergeant. Let's man our stations and prepare to debark."
The sergeant smiled behind his protective mask. It's about time. "Yes, sir," he said and pressed the proper sequence on his task strip. I've had just about enough of this planet.
(IX)
"Push! Push!" Loren yelled.
"What's it look like I'm doing! Playing fucking polo?" Nora pushed for all her adrenaline was worth, her hands pressed up against the aft of the Boston Whaler. When she'd stumbled into Loren back on the trails, she'd followed him to the lagoon he'd promised was there ... and the boat.
"It's only midtide!" he fretted. "I don't think we can get it over those rocks!"
"Don't think negative, damn it!" But Nora could easily see the large boulders pocking the shallow water. It's this ... or swim, she knew.
The water rose up to Nora's chin