Gateway 8 -- Landing!
Sadler looked around at the four officers sitting at the conference table, his face impassive. He nodded.
"You did a good job yesterday, and I'm able to tell you that both flitters will take part today. Leaving the probe on the planet was good thinking, Captain Janizi, and the comms people have managed to track the signal. It's not really surprising to know that the signal comes from the fourth planet. After all, it is that planet's moon around which the portal is orbiting. Not only that, but the fourth planet is the only one in the system capable of supporting human life. The atmosphere is near Terra-normal. Slightly more oxygen, slightly less nitrogen, so you shouldn't need breathing equipment.
"Orbital survey indicates that most of the settlement is in the northern temperate zone, where the temperatures are higher than on Terra, but not too uncomfortable. There seems to be plenty of water, even though there also seems to be plenty of desert, too. The planet is about three-fifths ocean, with ice-caps at both poles. Three main land masses, two mainly northerly, the other from the equator, south.
"All of the indications of life we have found are on a single continent, the larger northerly one, and the tests indicate a population globally of only about three million people." He looked around. "Questions?"
"Any sign of technology, sir?"
"None, Lieutenant Mackay. No powered vehicles, no radio signals, no transmissions in any part of the spectrum, in fact."
"Did anyone manage to analyze any of their speech, sir? Determine whether it is a known language?"
"A very good question, Lieutenant Larsen, to which I'm afraid the answer is no, or at least, not yet."
"Are you sending both flitters through the portal, sir?"
"No, Captain, I'm not. Lieutenant Larsen will take
Green Dragon
through the portal, but Lieutenant Mackay will make a conventional landing with
Red Dragon
from orbit."
"Personnel, sir? Are we taking full squads?"
"Your thoughts, Captain?"
"Full flight crew, half squad of grunts, and xeno-liaison people, preferably with language specialists, sir. Those people seemed friendly. Curious, definitely, but friendly. And we need to know more about that dragon, or dragons. That is a definite first."
"Indeed it is, Captain. Good thinking, by the way.
Green Dragon
will carry eight troops, plus Lieutenant Delacroix and two of her language people.
Red Dragon
will take eight troops, plus three members of Colonel Jackson's liaison team. They're going to observe and learn what we can. The major problem we think will be language, so any assistance anyone can give to Lieutenant Delacroix will be encouraged. Right, any questions?"
"When do we launch, sir?"
"You're so eager to fly though that hole, Lieutenant?"
Larsen gave a wry smile. "It will be a first for me, sir."
"And everyone else, too. Launch in one hour. Lieutenant Mackay, you are authorised to land, but try to avoid contact with anyone until we know the portal is open. Once that's open, we'll have two flitters on the surface. They're both going to be fully fuelled, in fact you'll find that the optional booster tanks have been fitted while you've been asleep. You're taking rations for four days, and you're fully armed. I want all officers to carry only side arms, but your troops will be fully armed. Anything else?" He looked around. "No? Very well. I shall leave it to you to decide on who goes with you. I'll pay you the compliment of assuming you know your own people.
"Good luck, and may I just add, I wish I was going with you. Do us proud."
"We will, sir!"
"Very well. Dismissed."
As they made their way back to their quarters, Janizi moved to walk with Larsen.
"Any thoughts, Karen?"
"On personnel?"
"Yes. I think Callaghan, and although I'm tempted to take Sally Ewen, I think it ought to be Arnold. Three from
Andy
-origin troops, and three of the others. I'm not ready to play favourites, yet. If we're going through the portal I want everyone in pressure suits, including Delacroix and her people."
"I'd like Sally, yes, but I think you're right. If we can't take Sally, take Anne Jenner as one of the
Andy
people. She's good. And I totally concur on the pressure suits point."
"Okay, thanks, Karen. Anyway, you have your own problems, so I'll leave you and Perrault to get the shuttle ready. I need to get on to Delacroix, see if she has anything that needs loading. Rendezvous on the flight deck, launch minus fifteen, okay?"
"Aye, ma'am. Launch minus fifteen."
"Go!"
Janet Perrault was already on board when Larsen arrived.
"Everything on my console is in the green, Lieutenant."
"Good. Pressure suit on for take-off, corporal."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Stand easy, corporal. It's not so very long since I was a corporal myself."
"We've both changed since then, I think." Perrault grinned. "I can run, now, if I need to."
Larsen laughed. "Let's hope not, eh?"
A voice came on the hangar-deck comm. "Permission to come aboard?" The ID-sensor showed that it was Delacroix.
"One moment, Lieutenant. I'll meet you at the ramp."
Delacroix, a corporal, and a private were waiting when Larsen made her way to the ramp. Three boxes of equipment stood waiting. the three were already in pressure suits, faceplates open.
"Lieutenant Larsen? I'm Anne Delacroix. This is Corporal Pinner, and PFC Lee. Have you somewhere we can stow this lot? The equipment isn't that big, but we have it
well
padded, just in case."
"Sure thing. Come aboard. We're not usually this formal, by the way. It's just this whole thing is so different."
"You mean like orbit to surface in milli-seconds, that sort of different?" said Delacroix, dead-pan, then grinned.
Larsen laughed. "Yes, that sort." She looked at the other lieutenant. Early thirties, she guessed, bespectacled, an air of quiet competence. "Made anything of those recordings yet?"
Delacroix shook her head. "Not yet. There are similarities to several Terran languages, so we're hoping that close contact will do the trick." She gestured. "Here?"
"Yes. Those tie-downs should hold your gear. If you and the others belt-in just behind the flight-deck bulkhead, I'd like the combat troops next to the ramp. Just in case."
"Will do."
"If you'll excuse me, I think that's Sergeant Callaghan and his troops."
It was. Callaghan, Corporal Arnold, Anne Jenner. Of the other five, Larsen recognised Tony Molina and Jack Evans, both from the
Andromeda
, but the other three were still only vaguely familiar. All wearing combat pressure suits.
Callaghan saluted. "Permission to board, ma'am?"
"Granted, sergeant," said Larsen, returning the salute. "I'd like you next to the ramp, just in case. Pressure suits for the transit, but ordinary combat gear should be okay for the surface. That's for Captain Janizi to decide, of course. For the transit, it's no pressure suit, no go."
"Absolutely, Lieutenant." Callaghan turned to the others. "You heard the Lieutenant. We belt-in next to the ramp."
"Everything ready, Lieutenant?" Janizi, in pressure suit.
"Yes, Ma'am. If you'll excuse me, I need to get my own suit on."
"We lift in five minutes, Lieutenant."
"Five minutes. Aye, ma'am."
Twenty-five minutes later, they were holding position ten metres from the ring, at the moment still inert.
"Anything yet, corporal?" said Janizi, who'd come forward to the flight deck.
"No, ma'am," said Perrault. "Still inert. No, wait! Power coming on, ma'am. Yes, portal open!"
"Ah! We have a welcoming committee," said Janizi. "Our friends from yesterday, what looks like six soldiers, and a second dragon." She touched Larsen's arm. "Ease forward, dead slow, straight at the middle of the portal. See what our friends do."
Caressing the controls, Larsen eased the flitter towards the portal. "Looks like they were expecting us, they're clearing the path."
"Keep going, Karen," said Janizi quietly. "Corporal, keep a damned close eye on your sensors." She triggered intra-squad comm, into which Delacroix and the others had been patched. "Faceplates closed, everyone. We're going through. It looks like we were expected. Sing out at anything strange."
As the nose of the flitter entered the portal, it disappeared, the flitter appearing to dissolve as they went. Janizi and Larsen traded glances. Janizi shrugged, and Larsen continued to ease the flitter forward, concentrating on keeping it central. There was a brief moment of dizziness as the cockpit area went through, then Perrault's voice, slightly unsteady, began to give the readout.
"Temperature twenty-nine celsius, twelve life-forms, ten of them normal, two very big. Nothing significant." A pause. "Readings holding steady."
"Portal visible through rear scanner, Captain," Perrault added. "We're through."
"Put us down, Karen," said Janizi. "Brilliant piece of flying, by the way."
"No, ma'am, that was the portal. I hardly needed to touch the controls. Um, we're down."
"Atmosphere check, corporal?"
"Almost Terra-norm, ma'am. We don't need breathing gear."
"I'm going back to get Callaghan," said Janizi. "When I say the word, lower the ramp, let us out, then close again. Keep the comm open, okay?"
"Affirmative, ma'am."
Janizi made her way aft, and Larsen watched the strangers. Apparently calm, the troops disciplined, forming a line. The younger man, the apparent leader, stepped forward, and paused, a scant five metres away, gazing in at them, his face impassive.
"Okay, Larsen, let us out," said Janizi. Larsen keyed the controls, waiting for Janizi's command. "We're clear. Close up."
"Company waiting for you at the bow, ma'am."
"On our way. Keep us monitored."
Larsen held her breath as Janizi and Callaghan, pressure suits discarded, marched smartly forward, came to a parade halt. Janizi saluted the young man, who gave her a stiff half bow, then straightened, a smile on his face.
"Welcome," he said.
"You speak Standard?" said Janizi, surprise in her tone.
There was a pause. "No. I not speak. Standard?"
"Standard, yes. You just spoke it."
"Hroth. He - put - words in my - mouth?"
"Hroth?"
The larger of the two dragons stepped forward, lowered and raised its head, and stepped back again.
"That? Is Hroth? The dragon?"
"Not - dragon. Dracon."
"Dracon?"
"Is - correct."
Janizi turned slightly, facing the dragon, and bowed. The dragon repeated the gesture.
"I - Alnar. Prince Alnar. Lord of Kesrin." He gestured. "Hroth wishes to bespeak you." He beckoned the dragon forward. "Touch your - head - to his. You will be - disturbed? No - confused. You will be confused for a moment. Then you - understand? Yes, understand. Then you understand our speech."
"A moment, please." Janizi stepped back a pace. "Did you get that, Larsen?"
