Бесплатный фрагмент - Mesozoic zigzag

Preface by the author

I am a physics engineer by training, and this partly influences the style of presentation! I’m interested in history. From the Big Bang to ancient Greece… In this case, I wanted to write not just a science fiction story, but a paleo-science fiction story. Many people are probably intrigued by the past of our planet, right? Here I have tried to “describe” the Earth at the very end of the Paleozoic Era. To the best of my modest abilities, of course… The characters operate within an ecosystem that might have existed at that time. Terrain types, outlines of the continent, climate, vegetation, animals, insects — all of this is not just fictionalized, but, to varying degrees, consistent with the data of modern paleontology. No homunculi constructed by irrepressible imagination. All the living organisms that you will meet in the book, probably existed in reality. And made the heroes of the story, who accidentally got to the surface of our planet, to lead a full of adventures life. You will witness how a chain of random coincidences can change not only the fate of a few dozen living beings, but also the future of an entire planet. Read the story to the end and maybe you will have your own solution to the riddle of the Mesozoic Zigzag.

I am not an expert in English, so the story “Mesozoic Zigzag” was translated into English with the help of two neural networks. It was an interesting, though not always trivial experience. You, my dear readers, can judge what has turned out as a result.

Well, shall we begin?

---

Zwigg’s Nest

Facility: Zwigg’s Nest 299 space scout.

Coordinates: The center bend of the Second Great Arm.

(Point: 12115679-23-57 ХХ*^34^97^)

Date: 120st independent cycle from launch…

(Ship’s log entry)

***

The watch was over. From the loudspeaker above the bunk came the rasping voice of the duty officer, reporting for the hundred and twentieth time that there were no objects to be studied by the scientific part of the crew at the moment.

In short, boredom!

Assistant Explorer Jumoke (Jum for his friends and family) lay in his quarters with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, blissfully recalling the very beginning of the flight.

Admiral Obahh, dressed in a blue jumpsuit, was giving a pompous speech about the “great mission” before a steady line of crew. He was an old warrior who had lost an eye and the ability to question decisions made in the endless battles with rebels on the fringes of the Empire. The veterans (both crew and scientists) were thinking about something of their own, nodding in time with the chopped phrases that came out of the Admiral’s throat. The young people listened with their mouths open, catching his every word!

After the farewell speech was over, young chicks in pink clothes and with burning eyes came running up, extremely proud that they had been entrusted with such an important task as seeing off another Expedition into deep space. They hung garlands of flowers around the necks of all those departing, resembling the eyes of the great Kueff, the mythical ancestor of the Zwigg civilization. “May you achieve all your goals in your faraway wanderings!”

The Zwiggs were the progenitors of a huge Empire spread across the outer part of the First Great Arm. With all its attributes: His Majesty — the emperor (by the way, the current one is quite adequate in all respects zwigg), the planet — the metropolis, huge fleet and army, allies, to whom it is better not to turn your back… Nevertheless, while the zwiggs were in force — the Empire was growing. And any growing empire continuously absorbs resources and “warm” places to live. A Research fleet was created for this purpose.

A lot of time has passed since then. The Empire lived more by inertia, looking like a gray-haired old man, whose great deeds remained far away in his reckless energetic youth. Those, the first ships, have long ago found their final resting place somewhere in the backyards of abandoned space centers of distant planets. Now the profession of space searchers was mastered by old (if not to say ancient) cruisers, worn out by life.

“Zwigg’s Nest 299” was no exception. The only thing that was modern in it was the engines and navigation equipment. The appearance on board of new equipment for remote search and carrying out “on-planet” expeditions was the result of incredible luck.

To be honest, the science officials would have been happy to save money on it, as before. But here, at the solemn meeting dedicated to the completion of the reconstruction of the ship, the scientific director of the expedition very timely appeared before the bright eyes of the viceroy of the Emperor who happened to appear at the event and made a patriotic speech about “the importance of growing the great Empire with new planets and the impossibility of all this without the use of the latest discoveries and inventions”.

***

What else can be said about the Zwiggs? They were known to be creatures gifted in the exact sciences and valued discipline and solid logic above all else. Nevertheless, even among them, especially in recent times, there were some dreamy, adventure-loving and even adventure-seeking specimens.

Such was Jumoke. This was his first expedition. He had just finished the fourth cycle of training, and his hands were itching to discover and explore something “for the glory of the Empire”. Once he had made contact with a hitherto unknown people somewhere in the wilds of space and convinced their kings, or whoever was in charge, to join the great Zwigg Empire, he would be granted an audience with the Emperor. The Emperor will tearfully thank the young scientist for his gift to the Empire and appoint him head of all the researchers. He would be written about in textbooks, statues would be erected in the palace garden of the metropolis, and his name, along with the names of celebrities, would shine as a jewel in the centuries and millennia.

Such a dream he had had at the beginning of his journey. Now he just wanted to be on a planet. Any planet! Even if nothing but mold grew there, and the most intelligent creatures were dung flies.

***

All the ship’s systems were managed by a military crew headed by Captain Benaip, a middle-aged officer, sullen and contemptuous of everyone and everything. He immediately established a rigid daily routine and restricted the civilian crew from traveling around the ship outside of their quarters and the corridors connecting them to the wardroom. No one resisted. The scientists divided themselves according to their interests and day after day held meetings and discussions on the narrow problems of their sciences. The young people, who initially joined the discussions with enthusiasm, became bored.

Tabit, the head of the whole research group, seeing the universal boredom in the eyes of his young colleagues, realized that something urgent had to be done. He remembered how in his youth, at the university of his native Kressum, he had participated in team intellectual games with a huge number of puzzles that had captivated all the students with their originality. Later, these games were held at all universities in the galactic arm.

***

— Attention! Attention! I ask the staff of the scientific part, participating in the expedition for the first time, to gather in the wardroom! — The loudspeaker speakers blared.

When the youth filled the wardroom, Thabit stood up from the table and raised his hand. There was silence.

— Dear colleagues, the expedition leadership decided to form working teams for further work on the surface of the planets. The list composition of the teams was selected taking into account the recommendations of the onboard computer in accordance with the psychological compatibility and the list of professions.

There was an exclamation of satisfaction.

— To rally the teams, the Kressum Games are announced starting tomorrow’s cycle.

The hall applauded.

In fact, the Kressum games had a very long history, one could even say going back in time. Judging by the fragmentary information, which has reached modern zwigg historians, originally, they were not games at all, but rather a rite of voluntary transition of some young men and women of one of the most numerous communities living on the planet Kressum to the category of “Protectors of the Home”, with their own, sometimes quite cruel, unwritten rules. As far as we could find out, the essence of the games was this.

Young people who decided to participate in the Kressum Games were independently assembled into small teams, where the skills of some were complemented by the skills of others. What skills? You’re about to find out…

All groups of young people were dropped one by one from an air transport ship into the wilderness, far from any civilization. Each team had only a topographical map (given by lot) and the minimum amount of survival equipment. The map indicated the starting point (each team had its own), where a small airtight container with the first task was waiting for them. It was necessary to pass the section of the route indicated in the task and take the next container. And so on, until the whole route was completed (each team had its own). The only thing that all teams had in common was the finish point. The difficulty lay in the location of the containers. They could be at the bottom of a lake, on a mountain peak, in the lair of a bloodthirsty predator. And the route to the next point was not easy. Only a united team, capable of joint actions and mutual support had a chance to pass the route to the end. Of course, in case of big problems on the route, the team could call evacuation transport with the help of bonfires.

But among young people it was so shameful not to pass the route that most of the teams did not even think of such a thing. As a result, the death of a part or even a whole team was not uncommon. The unwritten laws of honor and the high birth rate in those old days allowed society to look at it as an inevitability. The death on route of a young member of the community may have been a personal loss to their loved ones. But, to those around them, that death was a source of pride. So, he, the hero, was raised right and chose honor over dishonor, going to the goal “to the end”! The names of those who gave their lives for the right to be a “defender of home” were immortalized on the central alley of the capital, and those who survived and received the “sign of the defender” joined the elite ranks of the military and pioneers.

A long time has passed since then! Life had changed unrecognizably, and so had the goals of the Zwigg civilization. There was no need for such a brutal selection process. It was now an intellectual competition. Teams were formed not spontaneously, as before, but with the help of special algorithms that took into account the aptitudes and mutual compatibility of its potential members. The nuances, of course, changed from planet to planet, but, in general, the games evolved along with society.

Therefore, as it was customary, the leaders of scientific groups together with Tabit divided all the youth into teams consisting of specialists of different profiles, who had to not only search for containers with notes in different secluded places of the ship, but also to solve riddles from planetology, botany, zoology, astronomy and other things. The first team to reach the finish line was the winner.

Kressum games

— I don’t understand you, Tabit! This kind of thing is not in the charter! Am I supposed to go looking for them in all the nooks and crannies?

— Believe me, Benaip, this is a necessary measure. I don’t want to approach the first planet with a demoralized crew. Are you aware that the number of young scientists on this ship has been increased to almost three times the normal number? I promise we’ll take every precaution possible.

— You’re shamelessly taking advantage of my equal in rank! But I’m warning you: if a single foot of a “civilian” gets near the control room, or if my officers are disturbed by the clattering of these non-statutory spurs… What idiot invented them?! Well, if anything like that happens, I’ll stop it in a heartbeat.

— Very well. I agree, but I don’t understand your reluctance to help. After all, we’re doing the same thing!

The life of the young part of the expedition took on new colors from that moment on. Jumoke joined the group of two more boys and a girl. The guys’ names were Iabis and Dakkarei, and the lady’s name was Tanafriti.

Iabis (Abis to his friends) was a planetary biologist. He was short in stature, stocky, and wore an old blue army jumpsuit, which felt a little self-conscious about. Abys was obsessed with all sorts of animals, and could talk for hours about “rustling one-legged jumpers from the planet Krivz`s” or discuss “wide-mouthed gruss” from a star system he knew only to himself.

Dakkarei was a climatologist and spent most of his day taking notes and statistical models of the atmospheres of various planets. Unlike Abys, he was tall, slender, and aristocratic, but a lively, curious nature. Dakkarei always wore a neatly pressed overalls of the fashionable among young black color. He did not like his long name very much, so he asked to be called simply Dak.

Tanafriti (or simply Tana) was a pretty, short, smiling person. Her voice was quiet and melodic, but very clear and convincing. She liked to wear a bright green jumpsuit of soft feminine cut made of some rare beautiful fabric, which spoke of good taste. Tana studied the internal structure of celestial bodies from stars to small satellites of planets. Many asked her why she made such a choice? Most of the time Tanafrithi grudgingly hummed and avoided answering, but she told the boys that both of her parents, as her grandmother said, had been doing it all their lives. They had died on a distant expedition, and even the name of the planetary system where it had happened, Tanafriti had not been able to learn. She was raised by her grandmother, as were twenty other orphaned “chickens” like her. They lived on a farm in one of the peripheral star systems. Tana decided to study and study certainly in the metropolis to become a planetologist! As soon as she came of age, she ran away from home with the money she earned on the farm, writing a letter to her “sweet grandmother” asking her to forgive her.

To understand such an extravagant step from the Zwiggs’ point of view, one must know that every true female citizen was obliged first of all to bring new citizens into this world. Education, especially in the last three hundred cycles, was not only optional for the female population of the Empire, but was even considered harmful. And only a handful of women from the most noble or famous families could afford a career in science. Nevertheless, to the surprise and delight of Tanafriti herself, the university of the metropolis paid absolutely no attention to such defiant, seemingly uninformed behavior of an unknown poor visiting dreamer and after serious examinations accepted her to study (and even gave her a scholarship).

One evening, after running around and eating a hearty dinner, the whole group sat in Jum’s small cabin and discussed the quest they had almost won first place in.

— If we had been allowed to walk normally around the ship, we could have taken a side corridor to get past those snooty Cogl’s crewmen! — Jum was furious.

— Calm down! — Tana smiled. — You realize that would be cheating!

— Don’t you think it’s strange that there are non-standard restrictions for some of the crew? — Abys said faintly. — As far as I remember the charter of mixed expeditions, it doesn’t say a word about the prohibition of civilian movement on the ship. With the exception of the military arsenal, everywhere else is open. So the truth is on our side.

— Well, well. Take it easy, — Dak hummed. — Who are you going to make a claim to? We’re outside the Empire! And if Thabit has agreed to this development, then… I like your idea of going around the corridor, Jum, though, frankly!

— Boys, what are you doing? It’s dangerous! — Tana said fearfully.

But the trio, looking at each other, were already discussing a plan to win the first place.

As it turned out, Dak, working with his programs on atmospheric anomalies, “unintentionally”, of course, got into the ship’s database. And although almost everything in it was protected, but the young climatologist managed to get to the scheme of rooms. Now they had not only the desire to win, but also the shortest way to this victory.

In the evening, on the eve of the next quest, a printout of the plan of their deck and two neighboring ones (with all the corridors) was in Tana’s pocket. The guys had managed to not only get her to participate in their plan, but to keep the printout in her possession.

— In case of an emergency, the lady is less likely to be searched immediately, — Jum said reasonably.

The foursome slept poorly that night in anticipation of victory.

Several times Jum fell into a restless sleep with horrible dreams. Then he and the rest of the crew fell into cunning traps in forbidden corridors, then their deception was revealed, and the captain, eyes bulging and shaking with indignation, sentenced him, Jum, as the main troublemaker, to immediate ejection into outer space with his bunk tied to his leg as cargo! Jum, though in a dream, was still perplexed: what was the point of the cargo if he, Jum, would be in a state of weightlessness? But all his arguments led only to the fact that Benaip ordered to spin the system “Jum — bed” around the common center of mass in space! Anyway, in the morning, when the boys met in the wardroom, Jum made sure that everyone’s dreams, if any, had clearly not improved their mood or promoted rest. The red eyes, the earthy color face, and the gait of a criminal sentenced to execution were simply the trademark of their crew.

— So…, — Jum decided to take matters into his own hands, — Cheer up! We will have things to tell our children about!

The answer to him was fake smiles.

— Oh-ho-ho! — Abys scratched the back of his head. — I sense in my head that our best prospect is a thousand years in the disciplinary cell.

The usually cautious Dak, who had been thinking about something, raised his head and, to Jum’s surprise, said: “Guys, but this is going to be an adventure! Otherwise, you can die of monotony…”

— What does the lady think of our enterprise? — Jum asked.

— You know, I’m used to doubts before I make a decision, not after… So, let’s hurry up and have breakfast and go to the drawing of lots. May we get the lucky number! — smiled Tana.

Two hours later, the “Lucky Four,” as Jum called his team, moved deeper into the corridors, reading the task of today’s search as they went.

Forbidden route

The only unforbidden route led down the main corridor almost to the stern of the ship, where they had to walk back along the deck below to the same place where they were standing now and start performing tasks there. The question arose: wouldn’t it be possible to use the secret map of the ship to go down the forbidden side corridor and gain a lot of time?

— Okay, stop! I guess all the competitors are already ahead of us? — Jum stopped everyone after a bit of breathing from his fast walk. — Tana, get the plan! We’ll study it as we go.

The girl opened the flap of her bag and took out a printout of the ship’s corridor diagram from a hidden pocket and unfolded it. Everyone leaned over the map.

— There, see? This corridor will definitely get us to the next game question faster than the others! Let the losers who are now running down the long deck corridors gnash their teeth! — gloatingly said the quiet Abis. The others, hearing these words from him, only smiled at each other. The boy, too, was caught up in their future adventure.

— By the way… If you look carefully at this corridor, my dear potential criminals, you can easily see that it cuts through all the main decks and leads straight to the warriors’ area, — Tana pointed her finger at the diagram. — Doesn’t that bother you?

— No risk, no prize! Isn’t that, right? And if you look carefully, it’s clear to beings who choose to take reasonable risks that the probability of meeting any of the crew and guards there is negligible! — Jum rubbed his palms together in anticipation. — Come on, colleagues, our prize and our glory await us.

The boys looked around to make sure that no one was around, then sneaked to one of a string of doors along the main corridor and quickly opened it, slipping inside.

The platform on which they stood was only lightly illuminated by a small lamp in the ceiling. The steep steps that began at the edge of the platform went up and down.

Jum took a quick look at his small group and shook his head: “Well? Shall we move? Let’s be as quiet as possible. Who knows, there might be some solitary warrior wandering up and down these stairs.

The four began to descend silently.

The light from the lamps in the walls barely reached their feet, and there was a danger of catching something on the stairs, not seeing it in time, and rolling down with a rumble, announcing violation. Jum, believing that he could see better than anyone else in the dark, went down first. After four spans there should have been an exit to the lower-level corridor. That was where they wanted to go, to get ahead of the competition. But the strange thing was… The door was locked! Not only was it locked, but it was welded at the top and bottom with something that fused the metal of the door and the bulkhead.

— Wow! — Jum whispered, twitching the handle of the door, which was now completely unnecessary. — What do you say? Something must be done quickly.

— All right! Let’s have a look at the diagram. There must be some other way into this corridor! — Abys replied.

— Guys, why don’t we go back upstairs before it’s too late? We may be the last ones, but at least we won’t end up in the punishment cell or something worse, — Tana said with fear in her voice.

— There’s still time! Don’t panic. Dak, give me the map, — Jum shook his head.

Dak was already unfolding the diagram, bringing it as close to the dim lamp as possible.

— Look, this descent can be continued down one level, and then cross the corridor below us and come up the other side to the place we need.

— All right! Let’s do that. We don’t have much time anyway, — Jum whispered quickly.

— By the way, did you notice that the weld is quite fresh? The verification labels that were partially burned during welding have our flight code, — Abis said thoughtfully.

— All the more reason not to stay here any longer, — Jum exhaled.

And they began to descend further. Indeed, after four stairs, another door appeared in the semi-darkness, and it appeared to be open. Dak, who went first with the scheme, carefully pulled the handle, and the door opened silently. Immediately after that, all four of them heard muffled voices outside in the corridor, just a few meters away. And that door was inaccessible to them.

Dak tried to close the door, but it wouldn’t close. Something was in the way. Dak and Jum, who was standing next to him, leaned over to see what was keeping the door from closing, and immediately recoiled. It was someone’s gloved hand. The body had evidently been leaning against the wall near the doorway, and the moment the door opened, the unknown man’s hand, which was leaning on it, fell inside.

The attempt to push his hand back into the corridor and close the unfortunate door resulted in something metal hanging from his hand hitting the corridor floor with a clang.

The guys flew up a little inaudibly, with huge leaps, and froze, someone downstairs at that moment opened the door wide from the corridor. Any further movement on their part would have given them away at once and with their heads!

The new captain

— Hey, is anyone here? — heard a vaguely familiar hoarse voice. A long silence followed. The stranger was listening. — Third, why isn’t this door locked?

— Captain, I had no direct orders to do so. And just in case the scientists try to poke their noses into anything outside their assigned corridor, I’ve ordered all the doors in the corridor to be welded shut,” came a guilty voice from the captain’s third mate. — Dummy Mdjey had obviously missed that exit!

— Okay, maybe there’s no one there, and Captain Benaip is trying to upset our plans even after such an ignominious end, — a voice belonging to a stranger hissed gloatingly. — How many loyalists are in the crew?

— Twenty out of thirty-four, Captain!

— All right. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Soon the planet we need will appear. Captain Benaip was very thoughtful, — the stranger chuckled, — in disabling the external seeker. Tomorrow we will “regretfully” report his untimely death and quickly dispose of the body. And tomorrow we’ll announce the discovery of the planet. Let those smart guys study it for us. Right! Now for the main thing. Does anyone know that he — the stranger emphasized the word “he” — is among the crew? And most importantly, have you been able to find out his identity?

— No, Captain, we only know that HE is among the “scientists”, but we have not yet been able to find out which one of them is. Only Captain Benaip, you and I knew he was on the ship.

— Well, all right. Too bad about those smart guys, but it can’t be helped. I do love secrecy. Sometimes it makes things so much easier. Get Mdjey and his crew out here. Have them take this dead idealist and will put his body in order. No one, you hear me, third, no one, must have a shadow of a doubt as to the naturalness of his demise. Otherwise, you can start a rumor about the conspirator — the second mate of the captain. The video of how you killed Benaip, my dear, is just lovely.

— But, Captain, how can you? I’m absolutely faithful to you!

— I know, I know. That’s just me… An old habit, you know. Well, so be it! Consider that this record does not exist. Call the team. You wait for them here, and I think I’ll be going. I’ve got a lot of things to do. That lowlife Zwigg has bled the Empire dry enough already. It’s time to put an end to him and his dynasty once and for all!

After saying that, one of the men who spoke began to slowly walk away while the other radioed for someone. The quick footsteps of several pairs of feet were heard. The third assistant said something to them. The team picked up the body with a barely audible rustle and carried it back down the hallway. The welding machine started up. Soon that door was welded shut as well. There was complete silence.

— F-f-f -u-u-u-u! — Jum exhaled noisily and looked around at his friends. — Wow!

Tana, frozen with horror, only clapped her eyes and could not utter a word. Dak rubbed the map he held in both hands and shook his head as if in disagreement.

— Wow, that’s right! — Abis repeated after Jum. — What is it? They killed the captain! Not only that, they’re conspirators against the Emperor!

— Exactly. You’ve captured the essence! The question is, what do we do with all this now? — Jum replied with a nod of his head.

— Colleagues, have you noticed one, or rather two additional details in this “conversation”? The first is that tomorrow we will be presented with a planet, and the second is that mysterious “HE” that the conspirators were talking about? — Dak said faintly.

— Guys, — Tana woke up, — let’s get out of here, or that Mdjey and his men might show up at any moment. And then we risk sharing Benaip’s fate.

— I take it, — grinned Jum, who had come to his senses, — no one wants to take the new route? Let’s go back. That Cogl will be first again. So, what! We might save the world! Or ourselves… Whatever… Let’s go.

And they began to climb the stairs carefully.

In the wardroom they had to endure a few unpleasant moments after, when asked by Tabit, why they had come empty-handed, Jum had lied that his crew had gotten lost in the main corridor. In response, the entire wardroom, filled with both old and young scientists, burst into laughter. After a quick meal, under a hail of taunts, sometimes good-natured and sometimes mocking (mostly from the team of the again victorious Cogl), the guys with their heads down quickly made their way to Jum’s quarters.

— Honestly, it wasn’t the most pleasant moment of my life! — Tana said gloomily.

— Ahhhh… Never mind. I had to say something, didn’t I? I think we’ll forget all about it tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of other headaches now.

— I agrees! — Abis reacted vigorously. — We have to decide what to do with the information we got thanks to, — he grinned, — Jum’s ingenuity.

— Okay, okay. It remains to be seen if this is so bad. You don’t have to thank me. Let’s think about what to do next! — Jum parried. — Dak, are you still not talking? As the most sensible of us all, surely you have your own thoughts on the matter? Share them.

— All right! — Dak answered after a second pause, — I think so… Don’t say a word to anyone about what we’ve seen and heard. Not a living soul! It’s in our best interest. Tomorrow, when the crew is notified of the captain’s death, we’ll mourn with everyone else. No, Tana, I understand what you’re trying to say.… Not a word to Tabit either! We don’t know if he’s a conspirator too. Until we know for sure who’s loyal and who’s not, not a word to anyone. So, I continue, we grieve, we walk with sad faces. After the report on the planet, we’re going to work together. Finding out everything about the planet could be vital. In that sense, we’re the perfect team.

— Right, — Jum said. — You, Abis, learn all about life, both large and small; Tana, you take care of the planet’s structure; Dak finds out about the atmosphere; and I, if I have any luck with the local population, try to figure out how to communicate with them.

— All that’s great, — Dak said again, — but we mustn’t forget what they might do to us (I mean all the scientists and crew members loyal to the Emperor) after we’ve done all the work for this stranger and the third assistant captain! The good thing is that by tomorrow the name of this stranger will be known. After all, I understand he’s about to proclaim himself captain.

— Guys, what can they do to us? — Tana whispered fearfully.

— That’s what I understand Dak is going to talk to us about! — Abis said. — Isn’t that right, Dak?

— Yes! And I don’t just want to talk. I want to consider every possible hypothesis.

— That’s right! — Jum echoed his thought. — Perhaps our lives, and the lives of most of the people on our ship, will depend on how accurately we predict events.

— That’s true, — continued Dak, — but we have very little incoming information. Let’s try to build a logical chain. First! A usurper we know nothing about. Two! Conspirators on a ship who, for some reason, want to explore a planet somewhere on the fringes of the Empire. Three! A mysterious “HE” who is needed by the conspirators for some reason, but apparently doesn’t know it himself. And he could be anywhere among the scientists. You can say what you want, but I think he’s in danger. I suggest we all go to our quarters to think, analyze and compare. Tomorrow is a busy day. After what each of you can think up and find out more, we’ll get together in the evening and think it over again.

The next morning, just after breakfast, the mournful, but so familiar to them from yesterday’s events, voice of the third mate captain announced over the speakerphone that Captain Benaip had been treacherously murdered. — This atrocious murder was apparently committed by the captain’s first mate, as he is nowhere to be found. Apparently, after the crime, he tried to cover his tracks and was mistakenly thrown into a missile silo, from where, due to a false activation of the automatic ‘ejection’, he was thrown into space. There he goes! We all mourn the untimely passing of our wonderful Officer Benaip. — And so on…

Everyone in the wardroom stood with their mouths open in amazement, unable to believe what had happened. After all, in long-distance expeditions the loss of a leader is an extraordinary event, and the murder of a captain is something unimaginable. In the entire history of long-distance flights of the last hundred cycles, something like this had happened only once. And even then, it was a farce. The captain of that expedition had fallen in love with a beautiful woman on some distant planet and flatly refused to return not only to his duties, but to the ship at all. After that he was taken by force, bound and taken to the ship’s wardroom, where, in accordance with the Charter, he was demoted, subjected to civil execution and thrown back to the planet in the arms of his waiting girlfriend.

And here’s the second case. Not a civilian one, but a real physical death of the captain.

Our four did their best to pretend that they were dumbfounded and grieved as much as the others. Although the apparent murder of the first mate was an unpleasant surprise. Apparently, he had refused to join the conspirators and had signed his own death warrant.

In the middle of the afternoon, ship’s time, the funeral rites for Captain Benaip were somewhat hastily performed, as Chief Investigator Thabit observed.

After the official part, the scientists gathered in their wardroom, where they vividly discussed among themselves what had happened. But both Jum and his crew knew that there was more to come and were eagerly awaiting a new announcement.

And so, it was. Soon a new voice came over the speakers. He announced that in accordance with the ship’s Code and a secret order from the Imperial Chancellery, the second mate, Superintendent of the Imperial Security Service, Obahh, was taking over the duties of the ship’s captain.

— Wow, that’s something! Let’s go to my quarters. There’s something I can tell you. — whispered Jum.

— I know our new captain, — grinned Jum, as they reached his cabin, closed the door behind them, and settled down on the bunk and chairs. — No, not personally, of course. It was purely out of curiosity. I decided once between classes on linguistics of alien civilizations to prepare an essay on the genealogy of the kings of one run-down star system that had recently joined our beautiful Empire. And I was terribly surprised by the similarity of the surnames of their leadership and some of our military leaders. I had to dig through a bunch of old files in the Imperial Library. And you know what I found? First of all, the first settlers in this system were distant relatives of our Emperor’s great-great-grandfather. For some reason, they did not get a place at the throne of the Empire. Why did they, these uncles or nephews, jumped from the surface of the metropolis, I never understood, but my heart feels that if they had not taken their legs away, they would have had them, in the best traditions of those times, pulled out. Yes, what am I talking about… The last name of those immigrants was Obahh! You know what I’m saying?

The Admiral of the Northern Sector is the second man in the space Fleet. Well, the one who saw us off… is his last name not Obahh? — Tana said in surprise.

— Good girl! And now we have another Obahh as our captain. Apparently, ours is a relative of the Admiral, — confirmed Jum.

— And it follows that …, — Dak began.

New Planet

— Attention! Attention! — suddenly said the speaker built into the cabin wall, in the voice of Captain Obahh. — An important message for the entire crew. After many days of travel, the ship’s searcher has discovered a planet worthy of study by our fine scientists! I request the leader of the Tabit Study Group to report to the control room to develop a plan to study the planet. All scientists to assemble in the wardroom to form research teams.

— What’s the hurry? — Abis wondered. — We’re not going to land immediately, are we?

— But I know. Or at least I can guess what’s going on here! — Dak said quietly. — Guys, we have to go now, or there may be questions. But promise me we’ll get together again tonight. Can’t you see they’re trying to get rid of us? “Us” — I mean the entire disloyal crew.

— I see, — Jum waved his hand firmly, — Now everyone goes to get their assignments from their superiors, and then we’ll gather at Dak’s. It’s time to change the meeting place, or the Obahh supporters might wonder why a few scientists aren’t discussing their problems in the wardroom like the rest of us, but whispering in corners.

And they left the cabin and moved towards the wardroom.

All the scientists were already gathered there. The leaders were talking excitedly about something, and the junior staff listened to them very attentively. They all wanted a real job so badly, that they were clearly ready to land on the surface of the planet they had discovered.

Abis went to look for the biologists’ section, Dak, having just entered the hall, immediately saw the head of climatologists and resolutely moved in his direction. Young men — seismologists, having seen Tana at the entrance, waved her hands, inviting her to the table, at the head of which sat the chief seismologist of the expedition.

Jum’s supervisor was the head of the entire scientific section, and Jum was surprised to see him already entering the wardroom.

Suspiciously quickly, Obahh developed a plan and coordinated it with Tabit.

The focused Thabit smiled when he saw Jum, — Well, are you ready for great things?

Thabit generally singled out Jum among the others. Why? Jum was never able to answer that question. Maybe a lively mind and a whole bunch of non-standard solutions that the young linguist gave to the tasks set by his supervisor and teacher? Sometimes, however, the solutions were so out-of-the-box that the whole group laughed, and Tabit had a funny smile on his face.

The main screen in the wardroom displayed an image of the discovered planet. Everyone looked with great interest at the place where they were going to spend the near future.

The planet was beautiful. Most of it was a deep blue color. Apparently, it was the color of a liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen. A great rarity! And here in the midst of this huge amount of water, like a ship, floated the colossal size of the continent, which resembled in shape either an embryo in the early stages of development, or the head of a predatory flying korra, the inhabitant of one of the distant planets of the Empire. The downward curving, closed beak almost completely encompassed a large inland sea along with several islands. The supercontinent stretched from pole to pole and was almost equally divided by the equator, along which, judging by the yellow-brown color, were deserts. Farther north and south the color of the continent’s surface changed to green.

Tabit waited a few moments and said loudly: “Distinguished colleagues, please take your seats and move from talk to business. I am expecting reports and forecasts from the team leaders within one standard period. All the data we have at our disposal necessary for this purpose will be available to interested parties through the ship’s information network within ten minutes. Please proceed.”

The noise instantly subsided to a slight hum.

Thabit, with a satisfied hum, took a decisive step toward the table where the linguists, the “contactors”, were waiting for him.

By the end of the ship’s time cycle it was more or less clear what the planet they had discovered was. The blue part of the surface was indeed nothing but liquid water. The temperature of the water near the equator was considerably higher than at the poles, but still within comfortable limits for possible living organisms. The same could be said about the atmosphere, which, in addition to nitrogen and carbon dioxide, contained a decent amount of oxygen.

The future members of the expedition could, without resorting to air masks, breathe this gas cocktail, very similar in composition to their atmosphere. The green parts of the continent were undoubtedly vegetation. It remained to be seen if there was higher life among the vegetation. The images from the reconnaissance satellites sent out immediately after the discovery of the planet showed that there were no objects of artificial origin on its surface. Unless, of course, they were hidden beneath the surface. The conclusions drawn in the initial report, compiled by Tabit for the ship’s commander and transmitted to the file data bank, were as follows. First, the planet, after minor atmospheric correction, would be able to be ideally suited for settlement by the Zwigg peoples. Secondly, the primary analysis showed the absence of highly developed civilizations on the surface. This should have made colonization much easier.

The report, in accordance with the Imperial Expeditionary Corps Rules, was solemnly handed over by Tabit to the new ship commander. In turn, Obahh announced that the ship would enter a circular orbit around the planet listed in the Imperial Property Register under the inventory number Z4274—0012 after a ship cycle. The research part of the expedition was to prepare everything necessary to conduct research on the surface and be ready for landing in two days. After that, the captain strode importantly from the wardroom toward the ship’s shaft leading to the central cabin. Tabit, in turn, asked everyone to gather tomorrow immediately after breakfast to prepare for the expedition to the planet’s surface.

The scientists, tired from a long and difficult day, began to retire to their quarters.

Jum discreetly approached each member of his crew and talked to them about something. Abis, Dak and Tana nodded and wandered back to their quarters, dragging their tired legs.

The next morning, half an hour before breakfast, the boys were already sitting in Jum’s cabin. Dak was as fit and alert as ever. Abis and Tana, though they had just washed their faces, were yawning, showing the sacrifices they had made in waking up an hour earlier than usual. Jum, judging by his red eyes and unmade bed, had not gone to bed at all. But unlike Tana and Abis, his enthusiasm kept him awake.

— Let’s decide what we’re going to do next, — Jum began. — I was thinking, — he nodded at the untouched bed, — that we should just stick together. It’s too quick for things to start happening that could be life-threatening.

— You know, I haven’t gotten much sleep tonight either! — Dak shrugged. — You and I are loyal citizens of the Empire, but the captain and some of the crews are not! That’s one! Next, we remember that, judging from our new captain’s conversation, a stop on this planet is premeditated, and therefore, and here I agree with Jum, dangerous for those who are not conspirators. For lack of precise information, we can assume the following. There could be a descent vehicle accident. Or, alternatively, once we’re down, we can’t take off. You know, some kind of malfunction or something like that. It is possible that the “surprise” will be the surface of the planet: wildlife, nuances of the atmosphere, and maybe the natives, if there are any.

— I’d agree with you, — Tana nodded, — if it were necessary for the conspirators to act this way. But why would they do that? None of them have any idea what we know about the conspiracy itself. Maybe they are preparing the planet for the usurper in case something goes wrong. In which case they have a vested interest in us, I mean the scientists. Well, at least until the planet’s exploration is complete.

— You’re forgetting one more factor, — Abis interjected, — and that’s the mysterious “HE”. Who is he? Someone who may be entrusted to become the usurper, or some person whose influence on the Empire’s politics the conspirators want to reduce?

— Yes, — Jum smirked, — and there are two possibilities. Either he will be guarded like the apple of their eye, or they will try to destroy him quietly! You’ve said a lot of things, but I haven’t heard anything about what we should do!

— Please, I can suggest a sequence of actions, — Dak waved his hands. — As you like to say, first of all, we should try to get into one landing craft. I think it won’t be difficult, because Tabit believes that the teams formed during the flight should act in the same composition when exploring planets. Tell me, are any of you familiar with the construction of a landing craft?

— Well, I’ve been studying something like that! — Jum blushed.

— You’re a linguist, aren’t you?

— Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. To be honest, it all came about by accident. Once at a lecture, Thabit said that a real specialist must “not only communicate, but also set up camp, and cook food and …". And then I, oh that language of mine, interrupted him: “Aha, and steer the ship! This will help a real linguist!”. As a result, I studied the landing boat documentation for almost six months. And there, I’ll tell you, there is both about the device and about the management. Thank Zwigg, he didn’t make me take the pilot’s exam like he promised. I think I could have done it, though, because I had so much technical information in me. It’s in me, a technophobe to the core!

— Well, that’s good, — Dak interrupted him, — that takes care of one problem. Why did I ask you that? It may happen that our boat, due to someone’s evil will, doesn’t want to lower us smoothly to the surface of the planet. I’m going back to my hypothesis. Well, if we land flat, good! In that case we continue to hold and work together and keep our eyes open. We exchange any information, even the most insignificant, which will become known to each of us.

— I would have told Tabit what had happened! — Tana couldn’t resist a comment.

— Don’t worry, it won’t take long. But we must check him out, too! — Jum nodded. — It’s time for breakfast. Let’s go. I think everyone will be preparing for the landing today. We absorb all the information from our groups. Tonight, we’ll gather at Tana’s.

Planting

The day passed very hectic. The start of the landing was moved forward by a standard cycle. But since the scientists had already waited for a long time for the opportunity to do their favorite work, no one resented it. Instruments were packed, teams formed. Jum, to his great joy, was put on the boarding team with Abis, Dak, and Tana. In addition to them, the head of the climatologists was enlisted aboard the runabout, much to Dak’s delight in turn. The rest of the boat was packed with air and soil composition instruments, as well as a quick-build dome, sleeping bags, and survival gear.

The landing site was determined to be a point north of the planet’s equator. Here the desert ended and the zone of vegetation began. The terrain was quite gentle, although a few minutes of flight, judging by the map, began steep hills.

The captain wished the whole research party a successful landing and complained that, of course, with great desire he would have taken a place on one of the landing boats, but the duty of the commander forced him to stay on the bridge of the ship and lead the expedition from there. After that a long line of scientists went through the corridors, which had been closed for them not so long ago. In the hangar stood several dozen landing boats loaded with equipment, provisions and things for the field camp. It was to be guarded on the surface by a military boat with a powerful force field generator. It was forbidden to move on the surface of the explored planet outside the group, accompanied by one of the expedition technicians with special tracking and protection equipment.

Guys and Tana, so as not to embarrass themselves in front of Jum’s supervisor Holdum, having thrown the bags with personal belongings behind their backs, quickly, one by one, slipped into the boat intended for them. Holdum, grinning, followed. He was a tall, middle-aged zwigg, not thin, but rather wiry, a little stooped, wearing clothes that were not bright and age-appropriate.

— Well, my fellow travelers, — he said, settling into his seat and fastening his seat belt, — let’s get acquainted. I know you, Dakkarei, well, but the rest of the group… — he paused questioningly.

— I, Endeju, — Jum spoke first, addressing Holdum, — am Jum. — I’m the linguist on our team. This is Abis, our biologist. And this is our best planetologist. Her name is Tana. When she heard this, Tana blushed, lowered her head, and began nervously clenching and unclenching her fingers.

— Oh, yes, we have a girl in the group! — exclaimed, as it seemed to everyone, the half-sighted Holdum. — Wonderful! Don’t be so embarrassed. Your friends, as I understand, are proud of you. I have no doubt that you will be able to make many interesting discoveries on this planet.

Tana, listening to Holdum, gradually got herself under control and even showed her fist to Jum from behind.

At that moment someone’s footsteps rattled up the stairs. An officer from the crew entered the cabin. He nodded silently to Holdum and began to adjust the auto-landing instruments. The runabout was to land this time without the crew’s input. The officer opened the control panel cover and fiddled with the instruments for quite a long time. Nobody could see what he was doing, as they were sitting just behind his back. After that, the officer closed all the protective shields, ran his fingers over the control panel keyboard once more and pressed the buttons to activate some systems. Then the officer walked between their chairs and checked the fastening of the overload belts. At Holdum’s chair he stayed a little longer, screwed something up, opened and closed the belt lock again. Then he turned to face the boat crew.

— Well, I’ve done everything, don’t touch anything, — he said in a satisfied tone, winking at Tanya, — I wish you a soft landing!

— Thank you, Officer Mdjey! — nodded politely to the “adjuster” and said Holdum.

The officer walked quickly out of the cabin. He was heard running down the steps to the deck of the ship. A moment later, the hatch closed hermetically, hissing, and all the sounds that had been coming from the outside were silenced. But noisily enough some of the boat’s own mechanisms began to work.

— Hey, Jum, — Dak whispered, poking Jum in the side, — did you hear that? Did you hear what Holdum called the officer?

— What?

— Mdjey! Doesn’t that remind you of anything?

— Should it?

— That’s the name of the officer who killed our captain.

— That’s right. Do they know what we know? Or don’t they?

— It may be a coincidence, but we have to be on our guard. Did you see where he was tinkering? You know, what kind of equipment? And another question: Do you know how to control the boat during landing?

— I knows.

— Then be ready.

— I will.

— What are you boys whispering about? — Tana looked at them suspiciously. — Is something wrong?

— Nothing definite yet. We’re thinking about how we can manually land the ship, — Jum said, choosing his words carefully.

— Do you understand the design of this type of landing craft? — Holdum, who had begun to doze off, woke up.

— We are considering a purely hypothetical case, when it may be necessary to manually land the boat on the surface of the planet. — Dak replied.

— Well, it’s simple, — Holdum shrugged his shoulders, making himself comfortable in the overload chair. — You see that bright yellow lever on the left side of the console, the size of a finger? It’s set to “Auto Landing” now. You just move it to the top position and that’s it! You can steer with your hands as much as you want.

— Thank you, Endeju! — Jum nodded, making a surprised face while trying to portray the sincere gratitude of a student who had learned very important information.

— What? What lever? — Abis came out of his thoughts.

— Never mind! — Dak waved his hand. — Thinking how to operate this thing. — He shook his head.

— Could there be a need?

— And Zwigg knows him!

— My dear Uabju, please do not use that name in such a derogatory manner! — Holdum said sternly.

— Sorry, Endeju, it’s nervous! — Duck said, hiding a smile.

At that moment, interrupting their conversation, the engines of the transporter, on which the boat was mounted, began to roar, and it started its rapid horizontal movement to the open landing gates. In just a few seconds, the transporter’s grips clanked open and the runabout began to fall. The engines had been disabled for the time being. They should start only at the last stage of landing. Now the short wings were to open. Thanks to them, the boat, moving almost into horizontal flight, had to head to the landing area embedded in its memory.

The freefall continued.

— Dear Holdum, is our landing going well? — Jum said, trying to sound calm.

— No, my Uabju! We were supposed to go into planning flight almost immediately. But apparently the wings didn’t come out of the hull.

Hearing this, the rest of the crew looked at each other. Tana her eyes glazed with horror, stared at the windshield, which was covered with red and yellow flashes. The cabin was getting hotter and hotter.

— Jum, come on! — shouted Dak.

Jum, overcoming the increasing overload, unhooked the straps holding him in his chair and in two steps reached the boat’s control stand. His rescue plan had matured. Now he would disengage the “auto-landing” and use the brake engines to reduce the speed of the fall. Jum knew that the runabout’s emergency rescue system had an ejectable soft dome for braking near the surface of planets with dense atmospheres.

— So, this planet has a dense atmosphere?

— Yes, it does! — Holdum answered instead of Dak, realizing Jum’s intention, -My boy, you are good! This is a real chance. Now…

He tried to unbuckle his belt, but it wouldn’t budge. It was even tighter.

— Well! — Holdum said irritably. — What’s the matter with the lock? A few more moves and it will strangle me! And it can’t be cut! My dear Uabju, we have a big problem! I won’t be able to operate the boat.

— If I may, Endeju, I’ll try! — said Jum with apparent calmness in his voice.

— Well, go ahead. We have no other choice.

Jum grabbed the lever with his fingers and tried to pull it toward him. The lever would not budge. Jum, already realizing the horror of the situation they were in, mechanically kept pulling the switch. It did not move. Holdum, who was watching carefully what Jum was doing, seemed to realize what was the matter.

— Come on, Abis, Dak! There’s a hatch in the far corner! See the handle? We’ve got to open it!

Dak and Abis unbuckled their harnesses and rushed to the hatch. Jum from the control panel and Tana from her chair watched them in bewilderment.

They tried to lift the floor hatch cover, struggling with the overload. At last, they succeeded.

— Is it open? There should be a universal screwdriver on top. Did you find it?

— Yes, Endeju!

We have to take the cover off the remote control! — he shouted. — And release the auto-landing lever.

Dak rushed over to Jum.

He began unscrewing the fasteners, and Jum, unhooking the shroud. After a few seconds, they were able to remove it. They saw the intricacy of wires and microcircuits. Ignoring all this, Jum rushed to the part of the console where the bright yellow lever was now free of the protection. Something glistened between the lever itself and the slot in which it was to move.

It was a metal star from an officer’s shoulder epaulet.

Dak instantly picked it up with his fingers and pulled it out of the slot. Jum immediately slid the freed toggle switch to the upper position. It moved quite freely. The buzzing of the autopilot disappeared. Jum began to press the buttons he knew and enter commands. Just a moment later the brake engines came on. When the brakes came on at full power, it was as if a giant hammer had struck the boat from below. Everyone collapsed to the floor. The overload became unbearable. Tana and Holdum passed out in their chairs. Abis lay motionless on the cabin floor. Dak, grabbing the handle of his chair, tried to pull himself up and stand. But he lacked strength.

Jum, with a jolt, hit the ceiling and was thrown right to the right edge of the console. If there hadn’t been a removed cover leaning against the console on that side, it was likely that Jum would have broken the console as he fell, and the boat would have become completely unmanageable. As it was… The consciousness he had lost when he hit the ceiling came back with a terrible pain: he had obviously broken his arm. Nevertheless, Jum, using his healthy left hand, managed to stabilize the boat in the air. Half lying on the bundles of wires, already falling into the darkness of unconsciousness, he reached the button responsible for ejecting the dome and slammed his palm on it.

On the planet

Tana awoke to a palpable silence. In the darkness, in the far corner of the cabin, the wires that had been severed in the crash were sparking. There was a disgusting smell of burning. The girl’s chair was lying on its side for some reason, making the seat belts press painfully into her shoulders. She tried to move her arms and legs. Everything was intact. At that moment something rustled on the floor and a flashlight beam cut through the darkness. Everything was filled up with yellowish-blue smoke.

— Hey, is anybody alive? — came Holdum’s voice. Judging by the shifting cone of light, he had managed to free himself from the straps of his chair, which had been skewed by the impact, stood up and tried to assess the situation.

— Endeju, I’m fine! — Tana replied, undoing the straps holding her in place. — What’s wrong with the guys?

— We’ll find out! — Holdum limped toward the other members of the boarding team. — Oh! My dear Uabju are alive… And even, if I’m not mistaken, practically healthy. Dak, Abis — let’s wake up.

The team leader patted them on the cheeks. Almost immediately, they stirred next to their chairs.

— Where is Jum? — Abis and Dak asked at the same time.

— As I recall, he was standing by the console when it happened.

Holdum, shining his flashlight in front of him, approached the mangled console. A faint groan came from under its cover, which lay in the far corner, partially crumpled by Jum’s fall.

Holdum and Tana, freed from her restraints, rushed toward the sound. Under the cover, face down, with his right arm unnaturally twisted, lay Jum. His clothes had burned through in several places and scorched and burned skin peeked through the holes. But he was alive.

Holdum, with the help of Abis and Dak, pulled the panel cover aside and rolled Jum over onto his back. He opened his eyes almost immediately and tried to smile.

— Here we are! — he whispered faintly. — Quite noisy, though. Did I break the boat?

— My dear! You saved us all. We’re on the surface of the planet. It’s an honorable thing to do. Really, I see it didn’t go well for you, did it? — Holdum jerked his head towards Jum’s hand. At that moment Tana tried to examine his hand with the utmost caution.

— We’re going to need an anesthetic and a splint. It looks like a fracture! — Tana said in a businesslike tone.

Everyone looked at her face, which was illuminated by the lantern beam.

— Why are you looking at me like that? It’s okay to know ancient first aid techniques. There won’t always be regenerators and medical analyzers around!

Jum winced in pain during all these manipulations, but did not utter a sound.

Finally, the anesthetic was given, and with the help of a piece of the long-suffering dashboard and the emergency first aid kit, Jum’s arm was secured in the area of the likely fracture and strapped to his body with two straps cut from the seat.

The emergency food kit lifted everyone’s spirits and gave them strength.

— And now let’s think quickly how to go on living, — said Holdum, who was still in good spirits. — Thanks to our hero’s efforts we are alive. And we are on the planet. The runabout, by all appearances, will not be able to take off. To get out through the warped hull, we’ll have to open the hull plating. We don’t know what’s waiting for us out there. I don’t think we’re in any danger of fire, so let’s have a good discussion before we stick our noses out.

The team sat down on the floor. The lantern was placed in the center of the cabin. Its light struck the ceiling. Dust flecks played in the beam, and a haze still lingered beneath the ceiling. Jum was leaned with his back against the wall.

— No one, I hope, had any doubts that they were trying to destroy us? So? So! Any thoughts? — Holdum said in a completely calm voice.

— Well, yes, there are thoughts, — said Jum, with a sidelong glance at his friends. — Since they tried to kill you, too, I think we can trust you. You see, we witnessed the murder of Captain Benaip during the flight. Not only that, but it turns out that most of the ship’s crew are conspirators involved in some kind of global operation to eliminate the Emperor. We think this is the reason for the staged runabout crash. Although we were very careful!

Tana, Dak, and Abis nodded in agreement. From the look on Holdum’s face, it seemed to the boys that he obviously knew something.

— Okay… so it’s likely that they think we’re dead. The question is… didn’t you think that it wasn’t really because you?

— What do you mean? — Jum raised his eyes in bewilderment.

— I suppose they might not have known that you’d heard or known anything. You haven’t been on their radar, have you? Maybe it’s something else. And that scares me even more. They could have tried to destroy all the landing boats!

— Endeju, — Abis interrupted him, — when we witnessed the crime, we heard another strange phrase from the mouth of the ‘new’ captain. He spoke of some mysterious person, who is, as we realized, among the members of the expedition. This unknown person himself does not know — who he is and the conspirators certainly do not know him, so to speak, “in person”. But he is in danger from them if he is discovered.

— It doesn’t get any easier from hour to hour! — Holdum muttered. — So, they’re planning to solve several problems at once?

The boys looked at each other in bewilderment.

— What do you mean, Endeju? — Dak expressed a general question.

— Just thinking out loud… Good! Since things are moving so fast, I don’t see the point in hiding it from you… Allow me to introduce myself — an employee of the Investigation Department of the Imperial Counterintelligence Holdum.

The whole team’s mouths dropped open at that confession.

— Of course, I can’t tell you everything yet. I’ll just give you a general outline, so to speak. You’re right. There is a deep-cover anti-government conspiracy. It involves many of the highest ranks in the metropolis. Army units are no exception.

— Tell me, is Admiral Obahh a traitor? — Abis inquired casually.

Holdum shuddered and looked carefully at the young climatologist.

— What makes you think that? Oh, yes, I was told about your team’s analytical skills. Don’t be surprised, we brought you together on purpose. Why? I can’t tell you yet. But I promise you’ll find out soon enough. The conspirators have enough money, but not enough influence to commandeer large ships to move troops to the center of the Empire. They don’t have much time either. Apparently, they felt they might be exposed soon enough, so they rushed in. Decided to expropriate the ships of long-range expeditions, so to speak. Wouldn’t you agree that’s a good move? By the time the information about the takeover reaches the edge of the Galaxy… According to my data, almost all such ships have embedded conspirators. Eighteen! Eighteen big ships could already be in their hands! That’s why we’ve had to look into these cases. I will not deny that I have something to counter the traitors. But in order to do that, I have to make sure that the expeditionary part of the crew is dead. That’s the way things are.

— Tell me, but you could have died, too, couldn’t you? Didn’t you realize that? What good is a dead scout? — Tana said hotly.

— Unfortunately, I didn’t see any other way to keep the conspiracy alive. I wish I had the information you have. I mean the information about the captain’s murder. Then surely, I would have acted sooner. If you had informed Thabit…

— Yes, we wanted to, but you must also understand. We didn’t know who was friend and who was foe! — Jum said in an apologetic tone, making his sore arm more comfortable. — What if Thabit had been a traitor?

— I’m not accusing you of anything. It’s just the way it is. All right. The general situation is clear. Let’s get back to reality. We need to get off the runabout, locate our position and the rest of the expedition. Only two of them have a medical regenerator. I foresee a long and dangerous hike through an area with unfamiliar flora and fauna.

Leaving Jum, despite his protests, to sit near the wall and ordering Tanya to take care of the “temporarily disabled member of the expedition”, the rest of the team, led by Holdum, began to open the jammed hatch. Eventually their superior strength and a pinch of explosives from the emergency kit did the trick. Through the cloud of smoke a bright light struck their eyes. A warm breeze blew into the cabin, bringing with it the smell of vegetation and the sound of the surf.

It’s awfully beautiful here!

Holdum was the first to get out of the boat with his paralyzer, followed by Abis and Dak, squinting and inhaling new, unfamiliar smells. Tana led her charge, gently supporting him by his healthy arm.

The boat lay at the beginning of a “surf” slope of small pebbles and loose rocks. The lower part of the craft was deformed. The brake engine nozzles were twisted outward, and the landing struts, which had not fully emerged, were flattened by the bottom. The parachute that had been shot off just in time was being carried by the wind along the hill. Below, the shoreline began, extending far to the right and left. On both sides it ended with rocky capes, hardly visible from here. Ahead, the turquoise-colored water stretched to the horizon, glistening under the rays of the yellow light high in the sky. Small white clouds floated across the sky. Above the boat, the steepness of the slope began to grow and blocked the view in the opposite direction from the shore. But that was where the strange smell of what they thought was the local vegetation was coming from.

— Well, that’s not bad at first glance, — said Holdum with a smirk.

— You know, I’ve read somewhere that these are the kind of planets where you have to keep your eyes open! — Jum said cautiously. — They’re relaxing and distracting in appearance, and then one day some creature eats your head!

Abis and Dak nodded in agreement.

— I agree, let’s not relax. We know nothing about fauna and flora, — agreed Holdum.

— And yet it is terribly beautiful and breathes well here! At least for now, — Tana sighed.

— Let’s go up the hill, shall we? I’d love to see what’s on the other side. And where does that wonderful smell come from? — Jum said excitedly.

— Well, if you can walk, — said Holdum doubtfully, — then let us walk. Wait a minute, though. Abis, would you mind fetching my luggage? It’s next to my chair. It’s strapped to the wall.

Abis rushed back into the boat and five minutes later pulled out a plastic box of “scouting gear”. It contained two optical enlargers, a positioning device, a water supply for everyone, and signal light “shots” in a set with military-style paralyzers.

— We won’t go far today! — said Holdum in a confident tone. — We’ll make a small reconnaissance of the area, determine the location, audit the equipment and everything necessary for survival, and then set up a temporary camp. Jum, how are you?

— I’m okay, thanks. I don’t know if I can walk much, though.

— Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. After all, am I a scout or what? I’ve got something among the loaded equipment that can be very useful in our situation, — Holdum smiled contentedly. — I just need to check that my cargo has survived the landing.

— So this suitcase is not all your cargo? — Dak exclaimed in surprise.

— If you look at each box separately, an uninitiated person will not say that there is something not quite necessary for a geologist or a climatologist, but if you screw a part from one box to a part from another box, you get… Anything can happen! — Holdum smiled again. — Shall we go for a walk? Dak will help Jum up the hill, for our lady is already tired. And you, Tana, take a good look around and appreciate the structure of this part of the land. Abis, the most important part of your research begins now. Here’s a optical enlarger. Observe and try to study the local wildlife. Our future lives may depend on you! — Holdum handed the device to Abis and, saying something in his ear, pointed to the crest of the hill. He began to climb up the hill at a brisk gait, getting a little bogged down in the small stones.

Once at the top, Abis took a close look at the surroundings through the optical enlarger, staring for a long time in the inaccessible for other direction beyond the crest. After ten minutes of observation, he waved to the others to come up. Taking a second enlarger, a signal shot, and a fully loaded paralyzer, Holdum, Jum and Dak, and Tana crawled to the summit ten minutes later, out of breath.

They could see the plain that began on the other side of the rampart. A dense, bluish-white fog swirled over the plain, stretching into the vast distance. At the foot of the rampart, where the fog was not so dense, one could see some brown scaly sticks of varying height and thickness sticking out above its surface. Some of them had a bunch of thin twigs or narrow leaves of a dark green color at the very top. To the left, very far away could be seen the mountains. But the mareva, coupled with the misty blanket over the plain, made their shape and color so erratic that it was impossible to determine their height or the presence of any vegetation.

— Wow! This is some terrain! — Jum, after a little breathing, said admiringly. — Do I think that this wonderful smell is coming from those broomsticks over there? — He pointed with his healthy hand to the plants sticking out of the fog.

— Maybe. I’m willing to bet that under the layer of fog there is a swamp that emits a completely different fragrance, — Abis said thoughtfully. — Did you notice those mountains over there? I tried to take a closer look at them: there was no obvious vegetation on them.

— It’s strange that this planet has so much oxygen with so little vegetation! — Dak joined the conversation.

— The atmosphere can be oxygenated by non-biological means. Under certain conditions it can also be released from rocks! — Holdum said instructively. — Now, since the atmosphere gives us a possibility to breathe without spacesuits, which, you must agree, is a great luck in our situation, and our inoculations and “techno-immunity” against alien microorganisms and other stuff are still working, let’s think about our salvation.

— May I say something? — Jum spoke again, carefully sitting down on loose stones, setting an example for the rest of the tired travelers. — Today I propose not to go anywhere. And it’s not even about my hand. It’s just that we need to take a good look around before we move. We’ll set up camp on the crest of this rampart. It’s safer. We’ll try to study the local wildlife. You know, so we know what to watch out for. We’ll get our bearings. Tomorrow we’ll move towards the main group’s landing site. If we can find one!

— Good suggestion! — Holdum noted with satisfaction. — For my part I can add the following… After setting up the camp we will establish a permanent duty. We will take turns in duty. I propose to exclude Tana from this list.

Tana shook her head indignantly.

— Well, all right, all right. Then Tana and Jum will be on duty together. Is that okay with you?

Everyone nodded.

— Okay. Next. I’ll need to bring all my suitcases along with the domes. There’s something I have to do. It’ll make our future a lot easier. Unless, of course, the instruments in those suitcases were damaged on landing. What we have in our first aid kit won’t heal your bones instantly, Jum, but it will do so for the foreseeable future. There don’t seem to be any complications. Unless the bone heals crookedly. It’ll give you that extra bit of glamor and make you look like an astronaut. What? No? I’m kidding. If something like that happens, it’ll be fixed in five minutes on the ship’s stationary instrument.

— Are you sure we’ll ever get to the ship? — Tana asked with hope in her voice.

— Almost one hundred percent!

— To be honest, I was beginning to fear that we wouldn’t be able to leave and would have to stay on this strange planet forever.

— Well, you just haven’t seen any strange planets yet, Uabju. This one’s pretty good. Trust me. Gather your strength! Well, let’s get started!

First Camp

For the rest of the day, Abis and Dak, bending under the weight of crates and drenched in sweat, hauled their loads to the crest of the hill where Holdum was leveling the camp site. By evening, two lightweight metal-plastic domes stood on the site. One consisted of two rooms — cabin for members of the expedition and a common dining room. The second dome contained the devices that Holdum had assembled with the help of Dak and Abis from a suitcase constructor and very small means of transportation over the planet surface. Like a magician, Holdum, who had been fiddling with the hardware for a long time, brought out of the small dome a square platform that hung above the surface of the planet at knee height. Smiling Jum and Tana followed him out.

— Ah! How does it feel? Our legs and backs must not work to exhaustion. While you, my friends, have been lugging weights to our camp, we have not been idle either. With the help of our wounded friend and the young lady, I have assembled a platform that may not be able to carry all of us, but it will be able to carry the heavy load. Now we can take a little break and finally get something to eat. Frankly, I’m awfully hungry.

Holdum removed a can of concentrates from the portable heater on the platform and opened its lid. The enchanting aroma of the officer’s rations wafted over the camp.

— These are not your ersatz food rations! — laughed Holdum. — I suggest, in order not to attract hungry local animals with these odors, to quickly transfer everything to our dome. We’ll eat there.

Everyone began to enter the dome with cheers of joy. Dak hesitated a little at the entrance and, having already moved his foot over the threshold, heard a loud buzzing behind him. Instinctively he scrambled inside the room and slid the door shut behind him. At the same moment something clattered loudly against the door from outside, as if someone were throwing small stones at it, and the buzzing intensified. Dak snapped the lock shut and bounced a couple steps away from the entrance. Everyone looked around fearfully. Only Holdum, seemed, to remain calm.

— I knew that theatrical effects were no good! — With a chuckle in his voice he muttered, and with a businesslike gait he walked over to a small camping table in the corner of the dining room. On it there was a monitor of the tracking camera. Holdum turned on the screen and began to adjust the image. The camera turned to the entrance, and the whole team saw an amazing sight: a cloud of insects swarmed around the door. They were black bugs the size of fists. With a loud buzzing sound, they swarmed over the door, making it make a drumming sound, but it wouldn’t budge.