Jack McDevitt - Infinity Beach

The marker seemed to change its aspect, growing alternately brighter and dimmer. “It’s tumbling,” Solly said.

They raced toward the sun, passed under it, eventually got it behind them and were able to get a clear visual.

It was a body.

She was barely breathing now, gripping the arms of the chair, conscious of Solly watching her.

“You all right, Kim?”

Six hundred kilometers.

It wore a dark blue jumpsuit with a shoulder patch. She couldn’t make out details of the patch, but she knew what it said. PERSISTENCE.

Kim watched the body tumble down its lonely orbit.

Emily.

By the time they caught her, they were on the dark side again. Solly instructed the AI that they would take her on board through the cargo lock. Then he turned to Kim. “You sure you’re—?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m okay.”

He nodded. “Stay here. If anything unexpected happens while I’m gone—”

“What do you mean unexpected ?”

“If we get jumped—”

“Oh.”

“Don’t hesitate to tell Ham to get us out of here.”

“It’ll obey me ?”

“Sure.”

“Solly, be careful.”

“Count on it.”

“You’re not going outside, are you?”

“No farther than I have to.” He switched on the cargo hold imager so she could watch the recovery. Then he held her for a moment and went downstairs. Several minutes later he walked into the cargo bay, wearing a pressure suit and a jetpack, and waved at her.

“Kim,” came his voice, “can you hear me?”

“I hear you, Solly.”

“I’m in the process of decompressing the hold. As soon as we’re ready, we’ll open up.” He was standing in front of the cargo door, which was half again as high as he was, and about six meters wide.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I’ll handle it from here.”

“What about if you fall out?” She wasn’t entirely joking.

“Can’t fall out,” he said. “I’m tethered.”

The engines slowed. Instead of a steady pulse, Hammersmith was now modulating its approach with occasional bursts from its turning thrusters.

The object came within range of their lights and she got a good visual. It was Emily, without question.

“I just don’t believe this,” Solly said. “Why in God’s name would they leave her out here?”

“Because they didn’t want to have to explain how she died.” Kim’s blood began to race. The sons of bitches had killed her after all.

Why?

The corpse drifted to within a hundred meters. Kim watched through the external imagers as the cargo door opened. She saw Solly framed in the light, silhouetted against the Jovian’s rings.

The thrusters kicked in again. Hammersmith rolled slightly, and slowed almost to a matching velocity with the body. It passed out of the forward view and appeared off to port.

“You okay, Solly?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll have her in a minute.”

She watched him lean out the open door. A moment later he hauled the body inside, laid it gently on the deck, placing it so it was out of the view of the imagers.

“Let me see her,” said Kim.

“You don’t want to,” he said.

But she insisted and Solly moved her.

The body had withered and caved it on itself. Yet the uniform was sharply pressed. She wore black grip shoes and white ceremonial gloves.

Her black hair still framed her face, which even in its mummified condition registered bewilderment and shock. Death, Kim thought, had come on her suddenly and unaware.

“ Kim, ” said the AI, “ I have movement. At nine hundred kilometers. ”

“What kind of movement?”

“ Non-orbital. ”

“Coming our way?” Her hopes soared. Not unmixed with a dash of apprehension.

“ Yes. It is closing at almost one kps. ”

“Close the door and repressurize, Ham. Solly, you hear that?”

“Yes, I did. Ham, is it on an intercept course?”

“ I would describe it as a collision course, Solly. ”

“Is it slowing down? Maintaining speed?”

“ It is accelerating. ”

“Okay. Prepare to leave orbit.”

“Wait a minute,” said Kim. “We don’t know that it’s hostile.”

“It’s sure as hell behaving that way. If they want to talk to us they can get on the radio.”

“Solly, for God’s sake, this is why we came. If somebody’s out there and we run for home, what good will it all have been?”

“Kim, trust me. It’s coming after us.”

He was right. She knew he was right, and it filled her with fury. What kind of stupidity was she facing?

Run.

“Ham,” she said, “can you put the object onscreen?”

“ Negative, Kim. It’s too far away. But I can tell you it has no identifiable propulsion system. ”

Kim jabbed a fist in the air. “You hear that, Solly? No tubes. It’s the same technology. The Valiant is the real thing.”

“I hear it, Kim. You’ve been right all along. But it’s still dangerous. Ham, are we ready to move out yet?”

“ In fifteen seconds. ”

“Come on, Solly. Think what you’re doing.”

“I am thinking.”

“Look how small it is.”

“That’s what bothers me, Kim. Mines are small. Nukes are small. Ships with friendly celestials are not small.”

“Solly—”

“Trust me. I’d like to make this work the way you want it to. But we don’t want to get killed over it. Ham—?”

“ Ready, Solly. ”

“Take us out of here. Accelerate at two gees for the moment. Take best course away from the object.” And to Kim: “If that thing’s directed by a friendly intelligence, it’ll recognize we’re scared, and it’ll pull off. If it continues to charge, that’ll tell us everything we need to know.” He opened one of the cargo containers, put the body inside, and secured it.

“They might not think the way we do,” she objected.

“Nobody friendly would launch something without trying to talk to us first. Ham, are we getting any kind of radio traffic?”

“No, Solly .”

“Put me on the multichannel,” Kim said. Solly threw her a pitying look. “It might be a misunderstanding of some sort,” she added.

Solly sighed loudly enough for her to hear. “I’m lost out here with a mad scientist,” he said.

She spoke into her throat mike: “Hello. This is Kim Brandywine on the Hammersmith . We come in peace.”

Static.

“Is anybody out there?”

“Just us goblins,” said Solly. “My guess is that the whole operation is automatic. You fly in, trigger the alarm, they shoot.”

“That couldn’t be. It’s stupid.”

“Maybe it is, but I’ll bet you that’s what’s happening. I’d say these people are a pretty ugly bunch.”

Kim tried several more times before giving up. “Where’s the object now?” she asked Ham.

“ Closing fast. Range sixteen hundred kay. ”

Solly waited impatiently, trapped in the hold while it repressurized.

“Solly,” she said, “Why don’t we take a chance here?”

“Kim, they are hostiles . What does it take? We’d better admit the reality.” A bell dinged and he pulled off his helmet and hurried out of camera range. “Ham,” he said, “what else can you tell us about this thing?”

“ Its casing deflects sensors, Solly. Regrettably, I can offer little additional data. I can report, however, that it has adjusted course and velocity and continues to gain on us, although it is now doing so at a constant rate. It is still on a collision course. ”