Steph Bennion - Paw-Prints of the Gods

The hours passed. Momus received a further communication from the Dandridge Cole , this time from Quirinus who was eager to bring his pilot-for-hire up to speed regarding the plan to take the Platypus to Falsafah. One thing Professor Wak, Quirinus and Zotz had not known before Momus’ report was Nyx’s revelation that the Sky Cleaver deaths were somehow connected to an operation in the Tau Ceti system. In his earlier message, Wak had not mentioned Quirinus’ own conversation with Administrator Verdandi, but now Momus heard the news he could see why Ravana’s father looked more worried than ever. The plan itself sounded preposterous.

“Mining boosters!” he mumbled. “First they send me off in a crappy tanker chasing cannibals and now they expect me to fly a frigging heap of fireworks!”

The electric cat, curled beneath the seatbelt of the co-pilot’s chair, looked up at him and yawned. Momus did not expect any sympathy from that quarter.

The final hurried repairs to the Platypus continued unabated even as the freighter began its ascent on the hangar’s elevator up into the main airlock. The fitting of the external boosters added a few hours to the AI unit’s original estimate, but now all Quirinus had left to do was link the firing circuits of the three rockets to the flight-deck console.

Momus had returned and overseen the transfer of hydrogen and helium-three from the Indra to the Dandridge Cole ’s own tanks. Upon hearing that the automated systems at the cloud mine were operational, Wak sent the tanker straight back to Sky Cleaver on autopilot, for it would take several trips to replenish all the fuel lost. A nervous Momus made sure the tanker’s hatch was securely locked, fearful of what might hitch a lift back home.

Quirinus snapped the final connector into place and extracted himself from beneath the console. The flight deck of the Platypus still wore the blackened scars from the bomb blast but was otherwise clean, tidy and fully operational. After recalling the holovid image of Wak being half-strangled, he had not dared to even attempt the removal of tendrils, but the more obtrusive ones had been encouraged to hide out of sight.

The hangar elevator groaned to a halt. Quirinus heard the reassuring clunks as docking tethers and a refuelling gantry reached out and latched to the freighter’s hull, then again as the redundant undercarriage folded into the hull to leave the ship swaying gently in the zero-gravity wobble of the spinning asteroid.

The view through the flight-deck window was of the huge circular portal that led into the interior of the hollow moon itself. This had been opened just once since the Dandridge Cole left the Solar System more than a century ago; a spur-of-the-moment decision that had saved the crew from certain death wrecked inside an airless airlock, but which had ended with the stricken Platypus crashing into the artificial sun. Quirinus was still not sure whether to be grateful he had been unconscious at the time.

“Ship?” asked Quirinus. One curious development was that the AI unit no longer needed to be called via the customary switch. “Run pre-flight checks and prepare flight systems for a trip to Tau Ceti, coordinates to follow. Seal the cargo bay airlock, but leave the EV pod bay door open for now.”

“Confirmed,” replied the AI. “It is a pleasure to be back in service, Captain Quirinus.”

“Let’s hope so,” he muttered.

A murmur of voices wafted through the open floor hatch. Outside, Quirinus glimpsed the bobbing heads of Wak, Momus and Zotz near the beak-like nose of the ship. Sounds of scrabbling hands and feet were followed by Momus’ inevitable grumbling as each in turn made their way through the tiny pod bay and up into the flight deck.

“My word!” exclaimed Wak, clambering from the hatch. “You don’t make things easy for your poor passengers, that’s for sure!”

“This is frigging madness,” Momus muttered.

Quirinus watched as Zotz scrambled in after him. Both carried luggage, which for Zotz included Ravana’s electric cat. Despite his grumbles, Momus went straight to the co-pilot’s seat, buckled himself in and scrutinised the controls. He may have been the only one with a valid licence, but knew better than to take the pilot’s chair himself.

“Have you decided to come with us?” Quirinus asked Zotz.

“Ravana is my friend,” he said quietly. “I want to help you find her.”

“There’s still lots to do here,” Wak suggested. “It feels like we’ve hardly spent any time together and already you’re rushing off on another adventure!”

“Momus said Taranis’ horrible cyberclones might be at Tau Ceti,” said Zotz. “What if they’re on Falsafah? It was me who sent them into space and so it’s my fault they went mad and killed those people. If they find Ravana and hurt her that will be my fault too.”

“If anyone’s to blame it’s that damn priest,” Quirinus told him. “But this won’t be a comfortable trip. It’s two days to Falsafah and as the carousel isn’t working you’ll be eating and sleeping in zero gravity. It isn’t exactly the most welcoming of planets either.”

“I don’t mind staying,” Momus interjected. “I can feed the pigs and chickens.”

“Shut up!” retorted Quirinus. “You’re coming whether you like it or not.”

Zotz looked hesitant. Quirinus knew he was desperate to join the Platypus to Tau Ceti, but saw the boy’s loyalty was torn between his father and his friend.

“Zotz,” said Wak, quietly. “Go with Quirinus. You will always have family, but a good friend like Ravana is hard to find. We’ll have plenty of time for father-and-son stuff when you get back.”

Zotz grinned and darted into the crawl tunnel to stow his luggage in the hold. Momus opened his mouth to speak, caught Quirinus’ glare and closed it again.

“In that case, shall we make a move?” suggested Quirinus. “Ship! How are you getting on with those pre-flight checks?”

“Life-support systems are running at maximum efficiency,” said the unruffled tones of the AI. “Fuel tanks are full and all flight systems are fully operational. The AI unit has had a nice rest and is looking forward to getting back to work. Forward visual scanner assembly and carousel drive unit remain inoperative.”

They heard a clunk as the refuelling gantry uncoupled from the Platypus and retreated into the hangar wall. Zotz reappeared on the flight deck, went straight to his father and gave him a hug. Wak looked embarrassed at the sudden show of affection.

“Right! Well, I’ll be off,” he said, moving towards the hatch. “Good luck and all that!”

“You too,” replied Quirinus. “I expect the sun to be shining when we return.”

“And keep a look out for space cannibals,” added Momus.

Wak did not seem to know how to respond to that, so settled for a final brief wave to Zotz and quickly left. Quirinus watched the professor exit the airlock chamber, then manoeuvred himself to the pilot’s seat and strapped himself in. The four flight-deck chairs were in a row facing the windscreen, with the middle two pilot chairs set forward within banks of flight controls. Quirinus settled into his familiar centre-starboard seat with a satisfied smile and looked to Momus and Zotz either side of him. As usual, Zotz was having problems with his seatbelt, but managed a grin in return.

“Ship, seal the pod bay door,” said Quirinus. He gave Zotz a wink. “Ready?”

“Flight systems on standby,” said the AI. “Please clarify your last command.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Quirinus said irritably.

“I’m ready,” replied Zotz.