Page 151 of Pets in Space 10

Bright Star Deuce

Adele slipped under Corporal Miles’ guard, spun and swept his ankle.

He staggered but did not fall. Springing into her stance, she balanced on the balls of her feet, relishing the strength and flexibility of her limbs.

Since founding SkyHigh, she had devoted minimal periods to training, enough for health but not true strength.

In the enforced idleness of two sevendays stellar transit, she had spent three to four bells a day training.

When she was not using the auto-racers and strengthening devices, she sparred with whoever was willing.

Along with Mr. Miles, the militia were glad to have a new challenger and offered a myriad of useful suggestions from stretching to diet.

She had not realized how far she had fallen in physical capability with her focus on SkyHigh.

Her figure was better defined than it had been in ages.

While she knew it was fantasy, she imagined the Nightingale’s fierce security chief would find her improved appearance appealing.

“Adele!” Robyn hovered outside the match area. “It is midday.”

Dropping out of her stance, she reached for a towel. “Thank you for the match, Corporal Miles.”

With a smile, he tossed her a water vial that she accepted with a nod of thanks.

Robyn handed her a towel. “Are you certain you want to do the briefing twice?”

Blotting sweat, she said, “It will do no harm for the Serengeti flyer pilots to have two briefings on the protocol for transporting our equipment. And, if they discover any flaws in our plans, we have time to correct the protocol before Third Day’s briefing with the Nightingale’s pilots.”

“With that goal, why wait until now and not start the briefings a sevenday gone?”

Adele tossed the towel into the launderer’s bin. “Because Bright Star security-privilege would not permit it. Other than our daily checks, they did not want anyone to have access to the bay until the last possible minute.”

“Seems excessively paranoid.”

“We all thought the despoilers an ancient fable until a year gone.” On the way to the door, she flipped her empty water vial into the recycler. “I approve of their paranoia. Although sabotage seems unlikely, simple curiosity could cause irreparable damage by someone ignorant of the equipment.”

Once installed and shielded, the platform and its controls could survive anything short of a fireburst canon. Until then, the components were vulnerable.

Sevenday 41, Day 3

Adele furiously tapped her slate, ignoring her half-consumed meal and the other occupants of the canteen.

They had no sooner dropped to stellar system velocity than her alert queue lit up with communications from Commander Lochan.

They were scheduled to begin transporting components within bells and he wanted to change the protocol.

Next to her, Lynx made a humming sound.

Looking up, she asked, “What?”

“This Damaris Orbit to Planet Carrier is interesting. The Nightingale’s revised protocol has merit.”

Taking a breath, she leaned back. “Reworking a protocol on the fly is beyond risky. You know that as well as I do.”

“A DOP-C, as they call it, can carry four flyers’ worth of cargo at once. It will double how much reaches the planet this afternoon with our first drop.”

“But it is not even half as fast, and we do not have sufficient time to revise load balancing.” Adele’s role was to supervise the loading of the equipment onto the flyers with Miguel’s assistance while Lynx and Robyn supervised storage on the planet.

“This does not improve the schedule, and it adds unknowns.”

A flyer could carry cargo or a passenger but not both.

The approved protocol had Lynx and Robyn each in a flyer with four additional cargo flyers for the first drop.

They would set up camp and establish secure storage near the Serengeti geologists’ camp.

The next day, the six flyers would make three round trips, and on the third day, two trips, with the last carrying Adele and Miguel.

“It eliminates the second drop on Fifth Day. Those periods are reserved as contingency.” Lynx waved his slate. “Eight cargo loads today instead of four. Twenty tomorrow instead of eighteen, and the last seven in one drop instead of two drops on Fifth Day.”

Adele returned her attention to her slate. “Today was for setting up the security barrier and camp. With four additional loads, you and Robyn will need to secure the equipment before making the camp. You could run out of daylight.”

“Then we will put our cots next to the containers. At least we will be under cover if it rains.”

“That assumes we can load-balance those four flyer loads for this DOP-C that we have never seen.”

“From the specifications, it should work, and the DOP-C will load faster and with more ease than four flyers.” At her snort, he shook his head. “We must try. If we cannot . . .” He trailed away with a shrug.

She glowered at the proposal outlined on her slate. “This protocol is all about minimizing our use of the promised Nightingale flyers.”

“I am sure they have good reason.”

Adele picked up her slate, her commerce ambition murmuring, two planets needing launch platforms. As much as she wanted to send a scathing alert insisting the Nightingale adhere to the approved protocol, alienating the command crew would be unwise to the point of self-destructive.

“I am going to agree to the revised protocol for this day, but the DOP-C must be proven before I agree to the revisions for tomorrow and Fifth Day.”

Lynx grinned. “Fantastic. I cannot wait to examine this DOP-C. A cargo craft that does not require a launch platform. Think of the possibilities.”

“I am. And none of them promise SkyHigh commerce advancement.”

“It is not capable of stellar transit. It could not even reach Deuce’s moon before exhausting fuel and environmentals. I doubt it is a threat to SkyHigh expansion.”

***

Adele’s annoyance at the protocol changes had increased in the last period and half while she scrambled to revise her briefing. The result left unsatisfactory gaps around the DOP-C that could not be filled until they had loaded it once. She was also late.

In preparation for the first drop, the barrier between the cargo and the launch bay had been deactivated. The four spear flyers were positioned for flight along with three from the Nightingale. Next to the flyers was a craft that resembled a large silver lozenge with a blunted back end. The DOP-C.

The six spear pilots were sprawled in the temporary seating around the portable reviewer while their five Nightingale counterparts wandered around the stacked containers.

At least the Nightingale had adhered to the commitment for backup flyer pilots.

Four of the Nightingale pilots were as Adele expected, fit men and women in their late twenties and early thirties.

The fifth was a compelling man in his mid-forties, three or four inches taller than Adele and lean in the manner of one who is all sinew and muscle.

He kept his swarthy head shaved but maintained a tightly trimmed black beard.

His dark gray eyes were sharp under heavy brows.

Abandoning his scrutiny of the containers, he stepped forward.

“Mistress Adele? I am Security Chief Lochan Rondel.”

Adele’s breath caught. He was even more riveting in person. She set the thought aside. Her crush on the fierce security chief was irrelevant. All that mattered was that he was the man who changed her protocol. She inclined her head, hoping her smile was pleasant. “Commander Lochan.”

His eyes narrowed, but all he said was, “We are ready for the briefing.”

She glanced around the bay and found Lynx emerging from the DOP-C. He stepped aside and Miguel emerged, followed by a slender woman in a Nightingale flight suit. “Adele, it is perfect. The restraints are a series of nets. Versatile enough for any of our containers.”

“Nets?”

“Come and see for yourself. It is ingenious.”

Intrigued despite her pique, Adele left her gear bag by the entrance and followed him up into the craft.

To her surprise, she did not have to crouch, although the ceiling was only a few inches above her head.

Beyond the pilot’s console and fixed chair, there was an empty central area lined with storage compartments. “Is that a freshening closet?”

“It is.” Lochan’s husky baritone replied from behind her. “Minimal, but enough that the DOP-C can serve as a campsite for short periods.”

Lynx opened a compartment to reveal heavy gray mesh. “The attachment points are everywhere.” He pointed out locations along the floor, walls, and ceiling. “Miguel is already calculating how to load-balance for this configuration.”

Not yet convinced, Adele reached into a pocket and pulled out a small measuring device. Scanning the interior, she watched the calculations emerge. “It appears that it will carry four flyer-equivalent loads.”

Lochan asked, “How many devices do you carry in your pockets?”

She turned to answer, “As many as I can fit. The gear bag is not ideal in tight spaces.”

Lynx chuckled. “Adele seems to have seer’s skill in knowing what she will need. Except for the utility tool, the contents change regularly.”

Ignoring Lochan’s skeptical expression and Lynx’s laughter, Adele said, “Lynx. The flyers will need to take you, Robyn, and the security barrier. The camp equipment can come on the DOP-C with the first three cargo loads. Same order as planned.”

Lynx nodded. “We should have time to erect the security barrier before the DOP-C lands. With luck, we will not run out of daylight before setting up camp.”

“Far from ideal, but I can think of naught else. If you run out of daylight, there should be time in the morning to set the camp while you wait for the first flyer drops.” Mind racing, she ran her eyes over the strange craft.

“Once we know how to load the DOP-C, we will need to allow for the slower transit time.”

Lochan asked, “Why?”