Нэнси Кресс - Terran Tomorrow

Marianne made a small sound.

The voice continued, “Can you provide positive identification that you are who you claim to be?”

Branch said, “What kind of proof?”

Marianne stepped forward. “Colonel Jenner, this is Marianne Jenner. Are you Ryan Anthony Jenner’s son? I know Jenner is a common name, but—”

“Yes. Ryan Jenner is my father. Can you provide positive identification that you are actually who you claim to be?”

Marianne, her voice thick, said, “When you were a small boy, you had an ant farm that fascinated you. It broke and there were ants all over the house. Colin ate one.”

Silence. Jane had a sudden qualm. If this man was a soldier like the ones that had come to World, there were very strict rules about what you could and could not say. Jane didn’t understand those rules, but no one had ever spoken so informally, so naturally, to Lieutenant Lamont. Although they did, eventually, to Lieutenant Brodie. It was all very confusing.

“Jason?” Marianne said.

The unseen soldier spoke again. His voice was still formal, but Jane could hear emotion underneath. “World ship Return —welcome home.”

Claire Patel laughed, as much from relief as mirth. Then they were all smiling. But it was Ranger Kandiss who astonished Jane. His body held as rigid as ever, his lips moving silently—in prayer?—he let tears course silently over his face.

Both smiles and tears both stopped at Jason Jenner’s next words. “ Return , we have a situation on Earth, developed since the Friendship launched twenty-eight years ago. You said that you are equipped with a drug that can counteract R. sporii ?”

“Not a drug,” Marianne said, while Jane struggled to keep up translation for the other four Worlders. “A microbe, a virophage. It… why do you need a counteraction for R. sporii ? When we left, Terrans were either immune or had already died from the original spore cloud, and a vaccine had been developed and—”

The voice cut her off. “ Return , you must land now. You’ve been detected by the enemy. Latitude and longitude to follow immediately. When your ship touches down, do not—repeat, do not—attempt to emerge unless you have sufficient esuits for everyone aboard. Do you?”

Carter said, “Yes, but—what enemy?”

“Are your esuits the same as the ones we’ve made from plans left by World scientists on your previous expedition?”

“Yes, they are, but what enemy ?”

“We are at war. Put on your esuits immediately, land, and cycle through your airlock to exit the ship. Do not let Terran air invade the ship or it will be contaminated. Stay under cover of trees, if you can. Troops will meet you and conduct you to safety. Go with them immediately. Now , Captain Carter!”

“But I’m not even sure if I—”

Some numbers, a burst of static, and then nothing.

“Do as he says,” Branch said. His young face had paled. “Go to the airlock and suit up. I’m going to land where he said.”

Jane ran with the others to the closest airlock. Did Branch know how to land the ship at a specific place? Would the ship help him? A war—why was there a war? With who?

Esuits lay on shelves in the vast room. Glamet^vor¡ and La^vor struggled to get Belok^ into his. He started to cry and La^vor comforted him.

The screen on the wall brightened, and the planet on it grew larger and larger until blue and white filled the whole screen. Suddenly a burst of red, eerie in its silence.

Kandiss said, “Enemy fire. We are under attack.”

Ka^graa grabbed Jane’s arm. “What did he say?”

“It is a weapon. It tried to hit us.”

The ship lurched. Somehow, Jane was more shocked by that than by anything else—the Return always flew sedately, even when it had launched, without perceptible motion. Belok^ cried out.

The screen now showed nothing but white—they were inside clouds. A moment later, the ground flew up at terrifying speed. Then they broke through trees—green trees, not purple!—and came to rest quietly on the ground.

Mason Kandiss activated the airlock.

“No, wait!” Marianne cried. “Branch!”

“Orders are to get you out. He can recycle later. Go now.”

It was, Jane realized numbly, the longest speech she had ever heard Mason Kandiss make.

He pushed them all into the airlock. Air, the good air of World, which Jane had probably breathed for the last time, was sucked out. The outer door opened and six soldiers rushed in. The leader’s eyes widened when he saw Mason Kandiss, but he didn’t slow. “Come with us! Now!”

They ran from the ship. There was no need to get under trees; a big cart waited, made of heavy metal. One man sat in a small housing in the front; the back was open. A truck , Jane remembered—it was fueled in ways forbidden on World. A soldier picked up Jane and threw her into the back.

“Wait!” Marianne cried. “There is one more person coming! The captain, Branch Carter—”

“We’ll come back for him if we can. Orders are to get you out.” He threw Marianne into the truck. She landed on top of Jane.

Something exploded with tremendous sound and fire in the trees beyond. Wood, leaves, dirt, even rocks flew into the air. The soldiers leaped into the truck, the back closed, and it sped away—so fast! Unlike the ship, it lurched and bounced on the uneven ground, crashing through bushes. Jane hung on to metal protrusions in the wall. Belok^ never stopped screaming.

Over the din, Kandiss yelled, “Destination, sir?”

“Signal station. Close now.”

The truck drove past more trees toward a hill. A section of the hill opened and the truck drove downward into a cave and stopped. The hill swung shut behind them. Lights came on.

Abrupt silence. Even Belok^ stopped yelling.

“Decon is this way, and it’s also the airlock,” a soldier said, leaping down from the truck. She was talking to Kandiss. “Bring your people through in groups of five, that’s probably all that will fit. Esuits stay on at all times.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The soldier thought Kandiss was in charge. But since Marianne said nothing, Jane merely translated for the others, who nodded. Belok^ clutched La^vor with one hand and touched the truck with the other, his eyes wide and mouth open in a wide O.

Decon—Jane would have to ask what the word meant—was a small airlock abruptly bathed in violet light. When the far door opened, they walked into an underground room, windowless, with walls of wood and metal. One wall held a bank of strange equipment. Four men and two women, all in uniform, waited until everyone had come from the airlock. The room was not meant for so many.

One of the men, the only soldier in an esuit, stepped forward. Jane, shaken by the rough ride, the violence, the strangeness of everything, nonetheless felt another tiny shock. His eyes, clear gray flecked with gold, were Marianne’s.

“I am Colonel Jenner, commander of Monterey Base. Do not remove your esuits, not yet, for your protection and ours. You must have questions, and I think we have much information to exchange. Almost nothing on Earth is as you remember it. But first… again, welcome home.”

Jane had never heard a greeting so weary and regretful. Jason Jenner’s face looked like petrified karthwood at home, set in hard ridges instead of supple in the wind. And so formal—this was Marianne, his grandmother and surely the mother of his lahk! Although there were no lahks here—but there were “families.” He did not even look at Marianne.

She had expected things on Terra to be different from World, but not like this.

Quietly, keeping fear and sorrow to herself so as not to increase theirs, she began to translate for her father and the other three.