“That site should be adequate,” Tow said.
The AI orb said, “There are three agricultural habitats, called farms, and a small township. All are within—”
“It is fine,” Tow interrupted. “We need to hurry up and land… to shut down. Our propulsion system needs to go dark. We’ll just have to avoid making too much noise when initializing the drop thrusters. Who knows who or what is out there,” Tow said, gesturing to all that was beyond the forward observation window.
The Evermore hovered over the clearing below—pivoting on its center axis thirty degrees. Tow watched the outside world around them spin around. After long periods of seeing nothing but open space, he had to admit it was exciting to be here. Whatever lay in store for him would be a relief from the constant monotony. The ship’s soft-glowing running lights illuminated the closest tree branches, even though the dense foliage beyond them seemed dark and foreboding.
The embattled Evermore’s landing struts settled onto the soft forest soil. Once the propulsion system finished winding down, total silence ensued. How long had it been since there’d been such stillness? A year? Longer?
Tow knew he should sleep now—his fatigued body was demanding it. He leaned foreword, thinking he saw something moving around out there. “Stay vigilant, AI… we’re not alone here… I suspect this place is hostile.”
Chapter 2
Tow awoke just before dawn. Three times during the night, he’d awakened as the AI’s proximity sensors went off—alerting him that various creatures had approached the Evermore. Cross-referencing them, they were catalogued as a coyote, a brown bear, and something called a fox. After the third such alert, Tow instructed the AI orb that unless it was one of the indigenous savages, creeping up around them, or the Howsh, or that another advanced spacecraft was en route… not to wake him up again.
Now, yawning, he swung his legs over the side of his berth, placing a limited amount of weight on his injured leg. It hurt, but no more so than it did the night before. The pain seemed manageable, until it once again spasmed.
The AI orb hovered into view within the berth’s narrow compartment.
“What is it, orb?” Tow asked.
“I apologize, Captain; I have had to conduct a hard reset to each one of the Evermore’s systems. Apparently, during the last spatial attack, the Howsh were in close enough proximity to transmit a nearly undetectable systems-level virus.”
Tow closed his eyes and shook his head. The Evermore was a complex myriad of numerous interconnecting intelligence systems. No single system was capable of bringing down the whole ship. The AI orb interconnected with each of the ship’s systems, while internal firewalls kept the orb guarded from that very issue.
“Captain… two systems have been cleared and have come back online, but others are infected. Infected beyond repair. They have been wiped and are in the process of reloading from backups. After that, they must be rebuilt to the latest configuration modifications.”
“And the wellness chamber?”
“Offline. And like the propulsion system, physical repairs will still be needed to get the chamber up and running. I know you are in pain, Captain. I have made that system’s rebuild the highest priority.”
“I was going to get working on repairs first thing this morning, starting with the chamber. When will all systems be ready to come back online?”
“I apologize, Captain Tow. In my estimation, it will take sixty-three hours and twenty-two minutes. I can assist you with manual repairs, if you would like.”
“Sixty-three hours! We don’t have that kind of time. What were you thinking? And without getting my permission first!”
“There really was no alternative, Captain.”
Tow knew the orb was probably right, but he needed to vent his frustration. “What is the current status with the Howsh?”
“Thus far, they have not entered this planetary system. That is hopeful… yes?”
Annoyed, Tow shrugged, and watched the orb leave the compartment.
So… repairs will have to wait, he thought, looking around the claustrophobic space. For now—for his own sanity’s sake, he needed off this ship.
Hobbling down the extended gangway, Tow experienced some of Earth’s peculiarities for the first time. Breathing in the fresh atmosphere, he filled his lungs to capacity—then exhaled slowly. Immediately, an abundance of strange smells—some pleasant and others beyond disgusting—confronted his senses. Also, there was a larger insectile presence than he would prefer. Waving away an encircling swarm of annoying gnats, he used his telekinetic powers to thrust them upward—into the treetops.
He figured, after examining the exterior of the ship, he would venture no further than a click away; maybe a click and a half, if his leg could handle the exertion. Any farther, and he may lose sensory contact with the AI.
Tow stepped off the gangway onto the planet’s surface. Looking about his feet, he saw an assortment of leaves, pine needles, and tree bark, along with something soft and brown. Hmm… remnants of animal excrement?
The ground was soft, making walking far more comfortable than on the hard decking throughout the spacecraft. He walked into a beam of warm sunlight, shining through the trees, and stopped—appreciating the magnificent sensation. How I’d missed this. He tilted his head back, letting the sun’s radiant energy revitalize his entire being.
Three paces in front of him lay a four-foot-long branch. Tow casually raised an arm, willing the tree limb off the ground and up into his waiting hand. Tightening his grip, he felt the roughness of the wood against his palm, then thrust its woody point down into the soil. Sturdy. It would make a good walking stick. He continued on for several paces before spinning around, one hundred and eighty degrees, to look back over the Evermore in her entirety. He reflected back in time to when he’d first seen her, back on Mahli. He was beyond enamored with her sleek lines—her advanced technological capabilities. Close to two hundred feet long, she was fifty feet across at her widest beam, toward the stern. Enough sleeping berths on board for a crew of fifteen and with two emersion-type energy drives, she was fast. No other Mahli vessel had every exceeded FTL by a factor of twenty.
Inspecting her now, the craft appeared nearly unrecognizable—scarred and charred by too many enemy plasma strikes to count. Her stern and starboard aft sections were in the worst shape. Tow drew closer, until he was within arms’ length of the large starboard thruster cone. One of two, it was twice his height. Using his walking stick for leverage, enhanced by his telekinetic powers, he levitated himself into the orifice. Needing to duck down the farther in he went, he looked deep into the propulsion system’s exhaust. Although he spotted plenty of damage, if he was honest with himself, it wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d anticipated. Still, much work needed completion here. He used the end of the stick to pry off a dangling section of scarred metal. Picking it up, he examined it, then flung it out through the wide opening of the thruster.
He breathed in Earth’s heavy, pine-scented air, while observing nature’s rawness surrounding him. So much life here! Walking off, he slowed down to relieve his aching leg, a click’s distance away from the ship. From his recollection, the edge of the forest should be close by, and he needed to be careful. Being spotted by one of the local savages would not be good. He heard the sound of trickling water and soon came upon a small stream. More like a brook. He lowered to one knee and touched the swirling, cold, liquid surface. Like feeling that ray of sunshine on his face, the sensation here was remarkable too. He cupped his fingers together, bringing up enough water to taste. It was sweet and perfect.