A Gift from Earth

1

Jim Strasser and Amy Cordin sat in chairs in a tan room in the Port of Dullas's central terminal. A secretary worked on a screen, putting information from hand scans and ship links together for the flight agency. The information would be sent over to a central hub to be sent to other Ports in that part of the Arm.

Jim checked with his ship while he waited. A cargo pod was being slipped in the belly moorings. Once it was in place, he expected to be able to lift off. His credentials and flight hours were all logged and up to date.

"Do you know what this is about?," asked Amy. She was a navigator for Strasser's ship, the Hubbabaloo. This was a first time for her to be summoned to any administrative office in a Port.

"Not really," said Jim. "Maybe it's some kind of side job."

Strasser tried not to worry. His fees and taxes were paid up. His license as a supply dropper was current. He hadn't violated any of the local laws as far as he knew. This could be a job for him from the Stellar Transportation Agency, and the Port.

He didn't know why his navigator had been summoned, but he had left things in the hands of his exec. The ship would still be there when they got back to the dock.

"Captain Strasser?," said the secretary. "Mr. Watley is ready to see you now."

Jim got to his feet. He led the way into the office. He doubted this was going to be some kind of trouble. He amended the thought. If it was trouble, it was going to have something to do with his cargo, or his drop routes.

"Captain Strasser?," said a compact man in a one piece suit standing behind a plastic desk. His balding hair hadn't covered the top of his head in years. "Miss Cordin? I'm Aldo Watley. Please take a seat."

Jim took the left hand seat. He suspected the Port wanted him to transport something that no one else would touch. Why was Amy there? Navigators didn't usually meet the heads of Ports.

Amy took the right. Her face mirrored her anxiety. Maybe her licenses weren't as up to date as they thought.

"I'm going to need to bring you up to speed," said Watley. "A few months ago, one of our surveyors found a colony world out on the edge of our space. He sent word back to us. We sent word to Central on Earth. Earth wants you to drop supplies to this colony on the way to your next stop."

"I don't know if I have room on my ship to do that," said Strasser. He didn't want to do a supply for the Agency. They were slow to pay, and you had to fill out the paperwork four different times to get the process started.

"The supplies are already being loaded," said Watley. "This is the navigation coordinates."

He handed over a small screen with a picture of the map from the surveyor and how it matched with the other systems nearby. Strasser handed it to his navigator.

"What about the cargo I was hired to deliver?," asked Strasser. He couldn't afford to lose a load because the government wanted him to deliver something to somewhere else.

"Deliver that too," said Watley. "The colony doesn't need more than a box of things from us. So the space on your ship should be enough for it and your original load to be delivered."

"This system is in the middle of nowhere," said Amy. She traced her finger over possible routes. "Do these colonists have any fuel if we need it?"

"I doubt it," said Watley. "As far as we know, they lost the ability to launch ships out of the gravity well."

Strasser grimaced at that. Some colonies lost the technology for flight after landing. Some of it was on purpose. Some of it was a result of some kind of struggle on the planet. He doubted it was on purpose in this case. They wouldn't have asked for help if they lived in some backward hole in the wall.

"If we drop our primary cargo first, we can pick up enough fuel to get back here from the colony," said Cordin. She checked routes on the screen and tried to eyeball the distance involved. The computer on the Hubbabaloo would give her a better reading of the routes involved.

"How far do you think this colony is from our first stop?," asked Strasser.

"I don't know," said Cordin. "I figure at least six legs. I could be wrong about this. I'll need to check everything through our system on the Hub."

"Credits will be loaded into your company accounts," said Watley. "Earth would appreciate it if you hurried and delivered their care package as soon as possible."

"Why isn't the Earth navy handling this?," said Strasser. "They can move things faster than we can."

"Because they have been ordered to patrol the systems on the edge of our reach until further notice," said Watley. "It's just easier to have a private cargo shipper do it for us."

"All right," said Strasser. "Our usual fee is five kilos. As soon as the payment reaches our accounting department, we'll be glad to take off."

"The amount is already transferred," said Watley. "Go ahead and check. Then I am going to need you to sign this form."

Strasser pulled out his com. He opened the portal to the company's records. Five kilos had been deposited without a problem. He nodded as he shut his com down. He reached across and put his thumb in the picture square. It chirped to say everything was okay.

"We'll deliver your cargo, Mr. Watley," said Strasser. "I'll call and confirm the drop when it's done."

"Thank you very much," said Watley. "Go ahead and get started. I'll call Control and tell them to clear a slot for you to lift."

Strasser nodded as he stood. He paused when he saw his navigator still trying to plot routes by eye. He shook his head.

"Let's go, Cordin," said Strasser. "We have a deadline to meet."

"Sorry, sir," said the navigator. "This system is far and away the edge of our sphere. I'm surprised the surveyor found it at all."

"You'll get to see it for yourself in a week, or two, depending on the legs you put in," said Strasser.

"As soon as we get back to the ship, I'll start plotting a course to LaLoyd so we can drop their cargo and fuel up," said Cordin. "That's the only way we're going to be able to reach that system and then slide back to anything like civilization since this other planet doesn't have a depot."

"Give me two alternate lines of travel from this colony," said Strasser. "I want a choice in case things go bad and we have to flee."

"I'll put them in when I sort out the tables," said Cordin. "I'll factor in for ready refueling for dire circumstances."

"Thanks," said Strasser. He led the way to the elevator. Other captains and bureaucrats boarded the car with them. He glanced over at Cordin. She held up the chart as she studied it. One hand made gestures to mimic routes.

"Put that away," he said. "That can wait until we get to the Hub."

"Yes, sir," said Cordin. She put the packet in the thigh pocket of her pants. She looked up at the numbers of the floors the elevator passed. "I think there is something Mr. Watney didn't tell us."

"I agree," said Strasser. "We'll find out what when we get there. I'm not setting down if there is a risk to the crew. We can drop their cargo from orbit if it isn't fragile in any way."

"That's not exactly following orders," said Cordin.

"I don't see it as not following orders," said Strasser. "We are only under order to drop the cargo. I'm more than willing to do that from orbit."

"I don't think that's what Mr. Watley wants," said Cordin. "He seemed to think we would land and hand over the supplies ourselves."

"That's not our problem what he wants," said Strasser. The doors opened and he stepped out of the elevator. He headed across the huge lobby of people leaving the Port for other Ports in other systems.

You traveled long enough and every Port you had to cross started to look like every other Port you had crossed. The only differences were the pictures on the walls, the aptitude of the staff, and how many people you wanted to punch in the face to get things done.

And that was before you started considering kicking somebody's crying offspring down an escalator to quiet him down.

Strasser headed down the hall toward the private ships' pad. He frowned as he thought. He had given leave to most of the crew until they were ready to depart. How many were still in the Port?

Watley had wanted him to leave immediately. He needed to get his crew back aboard and then lift.

At least everyone should have their coms. An all call would get some of them moving back to the ship. He would have to send someone for the rest, or leave without them.

It wouldn't be the first time he had lifted without a full crew.

"Mr. Horne," Strasser told his com.

"Yes, sir," replied Horne. He had worked his way up to the executive officer post on the Hub through an excellent ability to organize any problem into simple solutions.

"I need you to broadcast a return to all of the crew's coms," said Strasser. "The Port Authority wants us to deliver cargo for them as soon as possible. Tell them they have to be back in say two hours."

"Yes, sir," said Horne. "Hold one minute."

The com fell silent. Cordin's com buzzed with the recall message forty seconds later. Every other crewmen should be getting the same alert across the planet.

"Message sent, sir," reported Horne.

"Is the cargo from the Port loaded?," said Strasser.

"Yes, sir," said Horne. "Chief Baker and I made sure it was not anything lethal."

"Get the Hub ready to lift," said Strasser. "Make sure we are at full capacity for fuel and rations."

"Already done," said Horne. "As soon as the crew is back onboard, we'll be able to lift."

"Good job, Horne," said the captain. "We're heading on the pad now."

Strasser stepped out of the terminal. He headed for the cradle that held the Hub in place. Other ships that were stuck in port rested in their individual beds. Doors were open to let fresh air flow into the resting ships.

Recycled air felt gritty after a while. Fresh air was always the best when you could get it.

"As soon as we're onboard, get to work on the routes you need," said Strasser. "As soon as we have enough of a crew to run things, we're going to take off."

"Yes, sir," said Cordin. "I'll try for the shortest route to get us to LaLoyd."

"Make sure we have refueling spots so we can stop if we have to do it," said Strasser. "The extra cargo is bound to throw us off some."

"What do you think Earth wants us to drop?," asked Cordin.

"No idea," said Strasser. "At least they didn't try to commandeer the Hub for whatever we're supposed to drop. We might have been trying to get her back for years if that had happened."

"That bad?," said Cordin. She ran her hand through her short, purple streaked hair.

"It's been known to happen," said Strasser. He smiled when he saw the Hubabaloo sitting on her cradle. "Let's get onboard and see what Mr. Horne left us to do."

The Hub looked like a giant, pink shark. The cargo door was her jaw, and it was down. Loaders loitered around, with Chief Baker making sure they had battened everything down. A sudden shift in the bay could wreck any fragile gear they were carrying to their next stop.

"We're lifting as soon as possible, Chief," said Strasser as he walked up the ramp. "What do you think?"

"Everything is good to go, Cap," said Baker. He held up the pad in his hand. "The boys and I have it all tied down."

"What's listed in the crates from the Port?," asked Strasser.

The chief rested his pad on his wide forearm and scrolled down the screen with his other hand. He grimaced.

"It says farming implements," said Baker.

"I'm sure they are," said Strasser. "As soon as the crew is back, we're lifting."

"We're ready," said Baker, with a nod of his bulldog head.

2

Strasser sat in his command chair as the Hubabaloo descended on LaLoyd. Screens showed him everything that was going on from every system as Ian Marconi, the helmsman, inserted into a slow drop toward the Port.

Marconi kept the ship from being battered by the atmosphere as he aimed for the cradle assigned to the Hub from Surface Control. A route indicator marked up his screen to keep him on course.

Chief Eisner had an eye on the engines down in the tail of the Hub. If something happened now, there wasn't a thing he could do to stop a crash and burn. Best case, the fuel would backfire through engineering and kill him and his two assistants first.

On the other hand, he could spot things that needed to be repaired before they launched for their second destination.

"Chief Baker," said Strasser. The com in his chair activated.

"I'm here, Cap," said the wide cargo loader.

"As soon as we cool down, get ready to offload the cargo we have for this stop on the pad," said Strasser. "I've already called the shipping company. Someone should be there to pick it up."

"No problem, Cap," said Baker. "We're ready to unstrap these crates any time."

"Thanks, Chief," said Strasser. He cut the connection.

He checked the screens. Everything looked good from where he sat. If he had to, he could take over from Marconi. He just never had to do that yet.

"Bringing us in over the cradle," said Marconi. "Dropping down."

Marconi set down in the arms of the holder without a bump to show impact. He carefully cut the engines to make sure he didn't fire them and send the Hubabaloo through the port.

Some other helmsman had done that and it was a lesson that Marconi took to heart.

"Cordin, work on the route to the colony," said Strasser. "Marconi, figure out the fuel limits so we have some margin of error. There doesn't seem to be a port there, so we're going to have to eyeball the landing."

"Aye, Cap'n," said Marconi. He started checking his instruments and making calculations.

Cordin nodded. She had worked on several legs as they were traveling. She sent them over to Marconi's station. He began running calculations with the courses filtered in.

"Are we headed straight back to Dullas from this other place?," asked Marconi.

"Depends on if we can pick up cargo," said Stasser. "Why?"

"We can hit Xerxes, or Penta, first in case we need to top off," said Marconi. He put Cordin's alternate courses up on screen. The legs formed with those destinations in mind were half the distance between Dullas and the colony. They were off the straight line of travel.

Strasser nodded. He considered the two alternates.

"Use Penta for the basis of our lift off from the place," said Strasser. "Then we can head back to Dullas from there to see if we have another job ready to go."

"Aye, Cap'n," said Marconi.

Strasser stood. He had a few reams of paperwork to fill out. He wanted to stretch his legs first.

He headed down to the cargo bay. Chief Baker would be there waiting for the skin of the ship to cool off enough for him to open up. Then they would be slinging boxes out on the pad.

Strasser had called ahead while they were still heading to the planet. Someone should be there to pick up the goods and sign for them. If they weren't, it would be a delay for their second drop. And that would cost money.

He didn't want to waste that time when he could be headed back to Dulles and picking up something else.

He paused in the door for the cargo bay. Baker's loaders had put on suits. He stepped back. It looked like Baker wasn't going to wait for the cool down.

"All right, men," said Baker. "Ten more degrees and we crack the door. We want to stack the goods away from the cradles so they can be loaded by ground crews. Remember to watch out for ships getting ready to launch from their cradles. The Port won't send a warning."

Baker was right about that. Strasser had seen crews caught in the blasts from launches and landings. Neither one was a pretty sight.

A suit should give them protection, but if any one of the loaders was struck by a direct blast from an exhaust, there would be nothing they could do for the man. It would be better to pull one of the kinetics out of the armory and shoot the man.

"What do you think, Chief?," asked Strasser.

"We'll be unloaded fast enough, Cap," said Baker. "My guys know their business, but using suits for protection will slow us down some."

"That's fine," said Strasser. "I haven't heard anything from the rep yet. I don't know if he expects us to truck this over to his depot, or if he is on his way."

"Either way is fine with me," said Baker. "I expect they want us to carry this stuff through Customs for them."

"The truck?," asked Strasser.

"It's disassembled and stored," said Baker. He made a vague gesture with his head inside his helmet. "If we have to put it together and carry everything for the client, we can do that with no problem."

"Good," said Strasser. His com pinged him. He lifted his hand. He smiled. The ping was from their client. "Looks like he's finally calling back. Go ahead."

"This is Brian Davies, Uniclear," said a stranger's voice. "I'm here to meet the ship Hubbabaloo."

"This is Captain Strasser," said Strasser. "We're getting ready to open up and offload your cargo. We're at Cradle Number Three."

"I see your boat," said Davies. "I am on the way with transport."

"How long?," asked Strasser.

"A couple more minutes, Cap," said Baker. He indicated the screen next to the crew door.

Strasser glanced at the roving numbers on the screen. They were falling down smoothly to something that wouldn't burn when you touched the hull.

"All right," said Chief Baker. "Open the cargo door."

One of the men in suits pulled a lever down next to the cargo door. The massive door began to drop down on their hydraulic rods. The door touched down on the pad with a spark and a slam.

A truck sat beyond the reach of the opening door. Black exhaust roiled from the tail pipes as it backed up to the opened ramp. Men jumped down to the ground and walked to the door.

Strasser blinked at the hot air invading the cargo bay. He stepped out into the bay, aware that he was the only one not wearing a suit. He wasn't going to be lifting boxes either.

"Start unstrapping the load, men," said Baker. His order was echoed by the radios in the helmets his crew wore. "We want to have half of it out of here before the fuel truck arrives."

The men used wrenches to undo the bolts holding the straps over the cargo. The straps recoiled in the floor when they were released. Two lines formed up so the load crew could start handing each box down to the people waiting at the bottom of the ramp.

In a matter of minutes, the loading crew had the cargo transferred to its new owners. Strasser nodded at the display of speed he had witnessed.

"As soon as we fuel up, we'll be ready to head to the next delivery," said Strasser.

"Not much time for a break, eh?," said Baker.

"They'll have as long as it takes for the Port to fuel us and we can get a clear slot off planet," said Strasser. "Say an hour."

"That's enough for some real food from the Port," said Baker. His smile revealed that he had lost some of his teeth on one side of his mouth. "I'll get them back in time for lifting."

"Enjoy it," said Strasser. "As soon as we drop this other cargo, we're heading home."

"That's good news as far as I'm concerned," said Baker.

The chief walked down the ramp, and waved his crew over. They went into a huddle. At the end of it, they scattered after placing their suits and helmets in lockers made for that in the cargo bay.

Strasser stepped out on the landing asphalt. He looked around. Where was the fuel truck? He spotted the lumbering vehicle making its way slowly down the line. He might be there for hours instead of the minutes he planned on.

He waited next to his ship as he watched the fuel man work his way down the line.

The truck pulled in at the rear of the cradle. The fuel men got out. One opened a panel at the back of the Hub. The other prepped the metal hoses used to keep the fuel from exploding on contact with the air.

They hooked the hoses together, and then to the nozzle provided by the Hub. One pulled a lever. The sound of thunder rolled through the connectors as the fuel was forced into the Hub. When the indicator on the side of the pump said the tank was full, they cut it off and waited for the hose to clear before disconnecting from the nozzle. One closed the panel up, the other pushed a button to have a roller pull the hose back into the truck for storage.

"Everything is ready for you, Captain," said the chief of the fuel men. "I just need your signature so I can move down the line."

"No problem," said Strasser. He signed the work invoice with his thumbprint.

"Have a safe trip," said the fuel man. He got in the truck while his partner rode on a step at the back. They rolled down to the next ship in line.

Strasser checked his com for the time. His loaders still had time on their break. He decided to check in with the navigator, and look at the course she had plotted. As soon as the loaders were back on board, they would lift off for Watley's lost colony.

The captain strode up the cargo ramp and headed for the bridge. Cordin and Marconi should have things worked out at their stations.

He stepped on the bridge and went to his seat. He checked the charts Cordin and Marconi had loaded to plot their course.

He nodded. They were short and sharp. The Hub could reach the colony on a full tank, and reach the next closest settled planet with what was left.

They might be able to jump all the way back to Dullas if they didn't mind exhausting their emergency supply of fuel with the standard tanks.

And he couldn't see any way to do the trip under four legs no matter how hard he looked at it.

He smiled. He couldn't have done a better job himself.

"As soon as the loaders come back, we'll lift," Strasser said. "You two should take a break while you can."

"Thanks, Captain." Marconi stood. "Once we're under way, we'll try to plot a faster route after we complete the first leg."

"How did they get out there?," asked Cordin. "There's no other settled planet out that far."

"I don't know," said Strasser. "I'm wondering why they asked for farm implements when they probably have their own."

"Probably some secret weapon," said Marconi. He strode toward the door to the rest of the ship.

"Maybe they don't have anything like we do," said Cordin. "The farm implements could be diggers for cutting through rock."

"Possible," said Strasser. "Go stretch your legs. I'll call when we need to lift."

"Yes, sir," said Cordin. She followed Marconi off the bridge.

Strasser sat back in his command chair and looked at the screens. Everything was in order from what he could see. They would do the customary checklist before launching from the cradle and heading to the rail that would carry them along the first leg of their flight.

He had a feeling the easy part of their job was over. The rest would be doom and gloom.

3

The Hubbabaloo winked into existence a few light years away from the target. Strasser nodded. It was a lot closer than what he had thought when he had seen the leg put in.

"Looks like a small hop compared to what we just did," said Strasser. "Put in a new course, and put us in orbit around the planet. We can't land until we know where they want their supplies dropped off."

"Working on it, sir," said Cordin. "I think I have the coordinates right for a small leg to get us to the system."

"Orbital insertion should be a breeze," said Marconi. "We'll have to look for the landing spot from there anyway if they don't have a conventional port."

Strasser sent a message ahead to let the locals know their cargo was on the way. It should reach the planet ahead of the leg they would have straddle to get within spitting distance of the place.

"Course plotted," said Cordin.

"Ready for run up," said Marconi.

"Go ahead, Marconi," said Strasser. An acknowledgment arrived as he leaned back in his chair and waited for the pilot to do his job.

Marconi steered the Hub on the course, running up to speed to make the jump. He reached the tipping point and pressed the button for the NEXD. A small tremor and the flip flop of stomachs told the crew they had jumped again. They fell out of the space distortion a few thousand miles from the planet in question.

"Good job, you two," said Strasser. He ignored the alarms lighting up on his screens. "Take us into a parking orbit until we can contact the surface to land."

"Doing it," said Marconi. He typed on his keyboard as he watched the planet on his instruments.

"Chief Baker?," said Strasser into his intercom. "We're moving into orbit. As soon as we know where to land, I'll let you know how soon you can offload the cargo."

"We'll be ready, Cap," Baker said back before he cut the connection.

Strasser nodded. His crew was the best in the company. As soon as they knew where they were going, the cargo would be dropped and they could head back to civilization.

The array on the dorsal fin of the Hub turned to pick up any signal they could use for a reference check. It automatically scanned for any broadcast as the ship floated on the edge of the atmosphere.

"It looks like we have a tight laser beam," said Marconi. "I'm bringing us in to tap it."

The laser hit the array and a call signal came through the communications suite. Strasser checked it as he backtracked the beam to the surface. He hit the receive button as he waited for ground coordinates to appear.

"This is the Hubbabaloo," said Strasser. "We're here to drop cargo. Do you have a landing dock for us?"

"We don't have a port, Hubbabaloo," said the voice from the ground. "Can you follow the beam down and find a place to land. You're the only ship in the sky."

"I don't see why not," said Strasser. He muted the call. "What do you think, Marconi?"

"I can land anywhere there's flat ground," said Marconi. "The problem from where we are is none of the ground looks flat."

Strasser looked at the pictures from the ground. He had to agree with his pilot. The surface of the planet looked like spines and spines of jagged peaks that formed a defense against landings similar to a porcupine. If Marconi made a wrong move, the ship would be skewered on one of those peaks.

He unmuted his communications suite.

"We're going to try to follow the laser in," said Strasser. "We're going to try to aim for the closest flat land nearest your signal tower."

"Understood," said the landing authority. "We will send the loading crew with flares to guide you in."

"We'll be on watch for them," said Strasser. "Shoot the flares when you can see us."

"Understood," said the landing authority. "Landing Control out."

"All right," said Strasser. He cut the channel to concentrate on the potential crash that might be in his ship's future. "Take us in, Marconi. Cordin, watch for the flares and any landing space on the ground."

He pressed the button for the intercom.

"All hands," said Strasser. "Prepare for a rough landing. Make sure everything is put away and strapped down. In the event of a crash, head for the upper deck airlocks. Damage Control, be ready to move to put out any fires."

He cut the connection as he watched the flight path Marconi had put the ship on. It was a loose spiral around the laser beam. Once they were close enough, they would be able to see a better landing spot if they needed it.

"Flares on port," said Cordin. "I put it at about three miles maybe."

"I see them," said Marconi. "I got a lock for the space. It looks just big enough for the Hub."

"Take us down as carefully as you can, Mr. Marconi," said Strasser. He eyed the sharp looking peaks on either side of his ship as it sank towards the ground.

"Everything looks good," said Marconi. "Lowering the landing feet. Looks like we're within hovering distance."

Clouds of dirt obscured Strasser's view on the screens as the landing jets caused the Hub to hover in place, and slowly drop to a smooth touchdown. Strasser doubted he could do as smooth a job as that.

"We are down," said Marconi. "Cutting engines."

Strasser looked at his screens. Marconi had placed them in the middle of a circle formed by the jagged landscape. They had yards on either side to move when they had to get back up into the air.

All they had to do was offload the cargo and get off planet. Then they could take the long trip back to Earth.

He doubted they would be on the planet long enough to get food and drink from the local restaurants.

"Not much air out there," said Cordin. "If we want to leave the ship, we'll have to wear suits."

"We're not taking leave," said Strasser. "We're dropping their cargo and taking off before something turns this milk run into some kind of problem."

"Sounds kind of paranoid, Cap," said Marconi.

"Be ready to lift off as soon as we're done," said Strasser. "Plot a course for Dullas so we can refuel and head for home from there."

"I'm always ready," said Marconi. "I'll reach for sky as soon as I get word on when we're done here."

"I already have the course plotted in," said Cordin.

Strasser nodded. The last thing he wanted was to get stuck on a planet because he lost his ship because he wasn't careful enough.

"Chief Baker?," Strasser said into the intercom. "How's it going down there?"

"We've got the cargo ready to be pushed out," said Baker. "Not enough air outside to amount to anything. Going to clear the bay before we open the doors."

"Do what you have to do, Chief," said Strasser. "I don't like the quiet."

"Tell me about it," said Baker. "I'm going to open the door. We'll push the boxes out. Then we can leave as soon as someone clears them out of the launch area."

"We have something on the monitors, Captain," said Marconi. "It looks big."

"Close up," said Strasser. "Close the cargo bay, Chief. We have a hostile coming right at us."

"Hostile?," said Baker. "What's going on?"

Something thumped against the roof of the ship. Strasser looked up at the ceiling. He looked at the screens surrounding his chair. Something like a purple tyrannosaurus rex looked back at him with a lot of teeth. He thought he saw two wings spread out from the upper body but he wasn't sure.

"Can we shoot it?," said Strasser.

"It's right in front of the dorsal fin," said Marconi. "But I don't think the light gun we have will do anything to that. That thing is huge. We need something like the main gun of the Thebes."

"We couldn't use the main gun of the Thebes as close as that thing is," said Strasser. "Options?"

"We could try to do a limited burn," said Marconi. "Maybe shake it loose."

"Fuel would burn up if we can't lift," said Cordin. "We could lose enough where we couldn't reach another planet."

"The only other option is for someone to go outside and try to draw it off," said Marconi. "There's no telling if the thing will chase our bait."

"We can't let it sit out there and use the Hub for a rocking horse," said Strasser. "I'll try to lure it away. If it moves off the Hub, take off and look for another place to set down to pick me up."

"I don't think there's anything you can do to draw that thing off," said Marconi.

"We won't know until we try," said Strasser. A creaking ran through the ship. He pushed the intercom button. "All hands, put on suits, or air supplies, until further notice. I repeat, suit up."

"As soon as you can shake the thing, move off," said Strasser. "Maybe the colony will be able to help us get word back to base."

"Why didn't they warn us about this?," asked Marconi.

"Maybe because we wouldn't have delivered the cargo they need," said Strasser. He jogged off the bridge. He needed a suit and to lower the cargo door so he could step out on the planet's surface.

He headed down to the cargo bay. He ran into the loaders and Chief Baker outside of the lock doors leading into the holding area. He opened an equipment locker and pulled out a suit. He put it on as fast as he could.

"I'm going to need to open the cargo, Chief," said Strasser. "Then I am going to have to step outside. I'll need a volunteer to open and close the door."

"I'll do it, Cap," said Baker. He pulled on his suit's helmet. "What's going on?"

"We have some kind of native wildlife clinging to the Hub," said Strasser. He checked to make sure the bay still had air so he could cycle through the lock quick. "We're trying to think of some way to get rid of it."

"I suppose shooting it with the cannon in the fin is out," said Baker.

"Not enough cannon," said Strasser. He pressed the button to cycle the airlock. He and Baker stepped in and waited for the other set of doors to open so they could step inside the cargo bay. "Store the air, Chief."

Baker set the pumps operating. The air in the bay disappeared into the vents leading to tanks in the inner walls and floor.

Strasser took a tool bar from its place in a rack on the wall. He went to the strapped down cargo. He popped the lid open with the bar.

Seeds in packages rested inside the box. He read the labels and shook his head.

"We're going to lose our ship because we have seeds for plants as cargo," said Strasser. He put the lid back on the box. "I was hoping for a cannon of some kind."

"So what are we going to do now?," asked Baker.

"Drop the door," said Strasser. "As soon as I am off the ramp, lift it up. I'm going to try to get the thing to chase me so it doesn't wreck the Hub."

"Good luck," said Baker.

"Thanks, Chief." Strasser went to the edge of the door. He hated having to take the risk he was taking. "Drop it."

Baker worked the lever. The bay door dropped to the ground. Strasser sprinted down the ramp. He didn't want the thing crunching the nose of the Hub down on top of him.

Strasser jumped the last few feet. Baker worked the lever to lift the door back up to close the cargo bay. The captain ran out in front of the nose and looked back. The dinosaur did have wings. It also had a glare that tracked him as he moved away from the ship.

Would it chase after him? Would it keep bouncing on the Hub? The ship could break in half under that kind of load.

The jets on the bottom of the ship fired as he watched. The ship lifted off for a brief moment with the gigantic beast riding on it. Then it landed as gently as it could.

The dinosaur's feet seemed not to like sitting next to something that could be as hot as a few hundred degrees on the Celsius scale. It made a noise in the shallow air at the abuse.

Strasser waved his hands in the air. He didn't know how the thing tracked its food, or what it ate. He figured that it had confused the Hub with its natural prey.

He needed some way to attract its attention. He looked around. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the situation but all he had was a rock lying on the ground. He hefted it in one hand. He hoped this worked.

He ran forward and threw the rock at the giant towering above him. The stone hit the beast's foot. It stood up in pain from the back of the Hub.

Marconi hit the jets and lifted.

The cloud covered Strasser as he ran away.

4

Strasser didn't know how long he was out. He heard a pinging in his helmet. That woke him up enough to try to move away from where he had landed.

He checked his suit. He didn't have any tears in it. That was a minor miracle as far as he was concerned.

He looked around. The Hub was gone. That was okay. He had to think of a way to get to another landing spot where the dinosaur didn't try to break his ship apart.

Strasser checked his air. He had enough for about an hour. He could probably hold out for more time if his filter picked up some of the thin atmosphere around him.

He saw a light in the distance. He paused. He held up his hands to make sure he looked harmless.

A figure in a suit stepped in front of the light. An arm waved him to come over. He didn't see that he had any choice. He started across the rocky ground.

The other suit waved at him to hurry. Apparently the dinosaur came back.

Strasser pointed a light at the ground and ran. He didn't want to be caught out in the open with that thing in the area.

He stepped into the light and paused to catch his breath. The other man went to the side of the door and pushed a button. A door slid down to block the bay from the outside. The sound of air hissed as the bay filled from vents in the ceiling.

"Captain Strasser?," said the other man over a radio wave. "I'm Henry Givens. Welcome to Melbon."

"I need to call my ship," said Strasser. "They need to know that I'm still alive."

"No problem, Captain," said Givens. He checked the gauges in the wall before he pulled off his helmet. A shaven head and busy eyebrows revealed themselves on a craggy face that had been through a lot of worrying and effort. "I'll take you up to the radio room."

"What was that thing?," asked Strasser.

"A representative of the native wildlife," said Givens. "Three of those things destroyed our ship after we landed and started setting up. Luckily, this cave was nearby and we were able to seal it and start our colony."

"How long have you been here?," asked Strasser. He pulled off his helmet and hung it from his belt.

"A few years," said Givens. He led the way across the space toward an airlock. "We've grown and that's why when the surveyor arrived we asked him to send supplies from the Fed so we could feed our colony better."

"The laser?," asked Strasser.

"Anything bigger attracts the local fauna," said Givens. "They attack anything that looks edible. We had hoped that they would go somewhere else while we offloaded the supplies and got you back on your way."

"How many of those things have you seen?," said Strasser. He gestured to indicate the monsters outside the cave system.

"Quite a few actually," said Givens. "We have an observation area up at the top of the peak where the laser emitter is. You can see those things roaming about and eating smaller monsters at all hours."

"If you had told us this, I could have arranged for a cargo drop from orbit," said Strasser.

"I thought the scout had told you about the fauna," said Givens. "They tried to wreck his ship before he left the planet."

"Apparently he missed that on his report," said Strasser. He frowned at the consideration that the government had known about the fauna and sent his ship into the lion's den deliberately for whatever reason they might have back home.

"Let me take you up to the laser," said Givens. "As soon as you can make contact, we can try to figure something out. We desperately need the seeds from Earth."

"No ship will be able to land safely with those things out there," said Strasser. "We might have to cargo drop your seeds. Then the only danger would be retrieving them from wherever they land."

"It will be extremely dangerous depending on where the cargo dropped," said Givens. "Those things hunt anything that moves."

"We'll think of something," said Strasser. "The Hub doesn't have enough fuel for a lot of maneuvering and getting back to civilization."

Givens cycled the airlock for them and led the way to an elevator. He pushed the button for the top floor. He led the way to a room with the laser emitter array set up.

The colonist stepped out of the way. A woman in a coverall sat at the desk and talked with someone over a mike. She glanced up when they entered the room.

"Captain Strasser is here," she said. "Hold on and I'll put him on."

She pulled off her headset, and stood. She handed the set over so the captain could take it and put it on his own head. He sat down in her seat as he adjusted the mike so he could talk to whomever was on the line.

"This is Strasser to the Hubbabaloo," said Strasser. "Who's in command?"

"I'm running things at the moment, Cap," said the familiar voice of Mr. Horne. "What's the play?"

"How much fuel do you have?," asked Strasser.

"We have enough for one more try at a landing and launch, then a run for the nearest system," said Horne. "What do you want us to do?"

"Top off the tanks, and come back," said Strasser. "I'm safe with the colonists. When you get back, we'll come up with a plan to deal with the situation. Also Phil, see if you can get something mobile but better than a laser finder."

"Understood," said Horne. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Thanks, Phil," said Strasser. "Strasser out."

"What about our seeds?," said Givens.

"They're still onboard as far as I know," said Strasser. "We didn't have time to unload before the local wildlife showed up."

"All right," said Givens. "We don't have anything to deal with the local wildlife. I assume your freighter doesn't either."

"The Hub only has a dorsal gun built in the fin," said Strasser. "It's okay against normal troops on the ground, but not so much megafauna."

"We don't have anything," said Givens. "We asked for ground troops of some kind. The answer was that we weren't important enough yet for more than bare support."

Strasser made a face. Of course the colony wouldn't get more than bare support. It was at the edge of known space. The fact the Hub had been sent out with the seeds was more than he thought the government would do for the people trapped on the rock.

And the local wildlife would have to be cleared out of a rough terrain that only something like the Navy could do. Overflights with missile and railgun barrages would drive most of the creatures away if they were smart enough to run from the Navy ships.

Some would die if they tried to fight, and maybe a few might be able to bring down a ship with their natural weapons.

He felt that the Navy would be the victor in such an operation. The main problem was the distance from a base to run the attack and then let the fleet return to refuel before launching another attack.

Some kind of forward base should be set up with a Port on one of the other planets, or moons, so Fleet Operations could be done with smoothness. A lot of the jagged edges of the planet could be pounded flat in a week after a month of setup.

Strasser assumed a bare minimum of a month to install a forward base. And even if they didn't want to rid the planet of its native life, it would be good for the Navy to have something to catch ships and send them back toward civilization before they wander off into the gulf beyond the system.

He doubted there would be a lot of cargo from the system unless some kind of mining was set up to exploit the mineral content floating around.

There were a lot of systems closer to the reach of the government that could be used for resources.

"When the Hub gets back, we'll figure out some way to drop your seeds without letting the dinosaur wreck the ship," said Strasser.

"All right," said Givens. "Let me show you around."

The administrator took his guest around. The colony had dug into the mountain. They used geothermal plants to provide energy for their small underground town. A lot of space was given over to farming and hydroponics for food and keeping the air fresh. A raw space with new wiring and lighting being installed showed where the seeds would be planted off the old established area.

Givens ended the tour at a cafeteria. He gestured for Strasser to go through the line and get something. He went over to talk to some of the people at a table at the back of the room.

Strasser got in line. He pulled a tray from a dispenser. He looked at the food in the spaces. It looked okay. He had his shots. He thought he could take anything they had for the next day or so it would take the crew to come back and pick him up.

He noted that all the offerings were vegetables. He hadn't seen any animals. They hadn't got their farming industry up yet.

He decided to block the door to any quarters they might give him.

A little paranoia didn't hurt anything.

He doubted he was in with cannibals but he had been on more than a few runs that had gone bad because the recipients had decided to cross the line. He had lost crew on what was supposed to be milk runs.

If he was in a nest of scumbags, he didn't plan to make things easy for them.

If the food was poisoned, his shots should give him a fighting chance to get to the bathroom so he could initiate a purge.

He looked across the room, taking in possible obstacles to the exits he might have to use. He should be able to reach the nearest one if he didn't have more than token resistance to his path.

He took his tray and sat down at a sparsely populated table close to the door. He was surrounded by potential enemies. He needed to be able to run at any time.

He ate slowly as he kept watch on the room. No one seemed to be taking an interest in him. He liked that. It was obvious that he had come in on the cargo ship. Everyone seemed to know each other, and no one knew him.

Givens finished his talk a few minutes later. He stole a croissant from one of his people as he approached Strasser. The captain finished his coffee as he watched the other man approach.

"I'm going to take you over to Genoa's old quarters," said Givens. "You'll be able to get some rest there."

"Old quarters?," asked Strasser.

"She moved in with Alex," said Givens. He indicated the table where he had spent his few minutes. "They didn't leave anything there, but I can get a pallet for you."

"That would be great," said Strasser. "Running water?"

"Yes, but there's a ration," said Givens. "We extract it from the rock mostly, but we have drilled into an underground lake and are filtering it for our use."

Strasser nodded. No one wanted to run into an unknown microbody.

"I'll take you up there," said Givens. "I already called to cut the power back on while you're staying."

"Thank you," said Strasser. "The Hub will be back in two days at the most. As soon it arrives, I'll think of some way for you to get your seeds for your farm."

"That's fine," said Givens. "We can hold on for two days."

5

Strasser walked around the colony when he was awake, napped the rest of the time. He didn't like the closed nature of things, but then he smiled at his thoughts. A ship was the same way.

You were either part of the crew and welcomed unless you were trouble, or supercargo which meant stay out of the way while things were going.

He should have realized that from the moment he went on the tour.

He hoped his crew could get things taken care of in two days. The megafauna that had attacked the Hub needed something bigger than what the ship carried.

He doubted the company would allow a refit that included torpedoes and heavy guns. Maybe they could get a bomb to drop out of the cargo bay.

He wondered what Mr. Horne had reported back to headquarters.

Givens found him wandering the gardens, thinking of possible solutions to his problem.

"Your ship is in orbit," said the administrator. "They have brought a better array we can use to contact the outside for supplies."

"That's great," said Strasser. "Do you have a place to put the array?"

"We can put it next to the laser pointer if your ship can lower it to us," said Givens. "All the cables and connections would be right there. And the spot is protected from the megafauna."

"Let me talk to Horne," said Strasser. "He might have an idea on how we can do this without wrecking everything."

Givens and Strasser went to the radio room. The operator had the Hub on the radio from the sound of it. Givens touched the operator on the shoulder and gestured for the headphones. He passed the device over to Strasser and stepped back.

"This is Strasser," said the captain. "Mr. Horne?"

"It's me, Cap," said Horne. "I had to make some calls when we got to port. The company wanted to write you off, but the Port Authority squashed that hard."

"So do you have a plan, Phil?," asked Strasser.

"The first thing we're going to do is lower the new array in whatever designated spot we need to use," said Horne. "It'll be up to the colony to make sure it works."

"Givens wants you to lower it next to the laser pointer," said Strasser. "He says he has techs to take care of that end of things."

"All right," said Horne. "Let me tell Marconi so he can get that part of the job done."

The line was muted for a moment.

"All right," said Horne. "Marconi says he's going to need some kind of flare to mark where you want the new rig. Got that?"

"I'll talk to Givens," said Strasser. "Give me a minute."

The captain pulled the headset off his ears. He looked at the administrator. The man looked worried.

"What's the problem?," asked Strasser.

"Any kind of flare will attract the monsters," said Givens. "They will go right for the staging area."

"Two flares?," said Strasser.

"It depends on how many there are roaming around," said Givens. "A herd might split up and attack both flares."

"All right," said Strasser, "No flares."

He pulled on the headset as he thought about what his crew had to do to finish the job. They needed a way to draw the monsters off, drop the array while the monsters were running after the lure, then drop the seeds.

He supposed the seeds were the most important part that needed to be dealt with so he could say the job was done. Setting up a new array would be icing on the cake.

"Phil?," Strasser said.

"Yeah, Cap," said Horne. "Still here."

"We need something that will draw the winged monsters off," said Strasser. "Flares will draw them to where we will be trying to set up the array."

"Attracted to heat and light?," asked Horne.

"Mr. Givens says yes," said Strasser. "Any ideas?"

"We have those used flare pods," said Horne. "We can drop them on a path away from where we want to drop the communications array, then double back to lower the array."

"We don't want a path, Phil," said Strasser. "We want a big bonfire."

"I think we can arrange that," said Horne. "Let me talk to Marconi. We'll pick a spot and drop the flares, then double back to drop the array."

"You'll have to hurry, Phil," said Strasser. "If they are attracted to heat, they will go after the exhaust on the Hub when you drop the communications hardware."

"Understood," said Horne. "I think the cargo loaders can do the drop fast enough, then we can head back to orbit."

"How long do you think it will take to drop the flares, Phil?," asked Strasser.

"I don't know," said Horne. "Marconi and Amy will figure out a low fuel course and then I'll call back to tell you we're on the way."

"All right," said Strasser. "I'll get my suit on and wait for the call. Maybe the colony has some kind of light we can use to mark the position."

"So maybe fifteen minutes is what we're looking at here," said Horne.

"Give me thirty," said Strasser. "I have to get the suit and change and then head up to where the array will need to be put in place."

"No problem, Cap," said Horne. "I'll call back when we're ready to move."

"Thanks, Phil," said Strasser. He put the head phones on the board. He stood and started for the door.

"What are you doing?," asked Givens.

"I'm getting my suit," said Strasser. "Then I am going to guide the Hub in and help the cargo hands drop your new array. Horne says the Hub can reach orbit and wait for us so they can drop your seeds on the next run."

"That would be excellent," said Givens. "Let me alert the radio people so they can help you."

"Good," said Strasser. He left the room and made his way down to his guest quarters. His suit hung in a closet next to the front door. He pulled it on and check the helmet radio. He walked back to the radio room, helmet under his arm.

Givens and two of his colonists had suited up and waited for him in the radio room. He nodded when he saw them. Their colony depended on the radio and being able to call for help. They were so far out, any help they called would be late to help them unless they got really lucky.

But it would be better than the laser ranger.

The operator pointed at the headset. Strasser picked it up and covered his ears.

"Strasser here," he said.

"We're ready to drop flares, Cap," said Mr. Horne. "Marconi says he can drop the batch and make it to any designated point in a few seconds."

"I'm going to be out with the colonists, Phil," said Strasser. "Tell Marconi to zero in on my suit locator pod."

"Got it," said Horne. "How long do you think you'll need to get in position?"

"Hold on," said Strasser. He pulled off the headset. "How long do you think it'll take us to get to the range finder?"

"A few minutes," said Givens. "The elevator will carry us up to the hatch, then we have to airlock it to get outside."

"All right," said Strasser. He pulled on the headset. "Give us ten minutes before you start your run, Phil."

"Got it," said Horne. He paused. "Mark in three, two, one. Mark."

Strasser looked at the chronometer built in his suit. He mentally added ten minutes to the time.

"Strasser out," said the captain.

Givens led the way from the room. He pulled on his helmet as he walked. His subordinates did the same. Strasser pulled on his helmet last. He followed the men into the elevator. A button push sent them to the top of the colony.

The group stepped out of the elevator and into an airlock. They cycled through to a set of steps leading up. Givens led the way. He pointed to the laser pointer aimed at the sky.

"Can you hear me, Hubbabaloo?," Strasser asked his suit radio.

"Yes," said Horne.

"We're up at the platform where you need to drop the new equipment," said Strasser. "It looks like we're going to have to move the laser finder out of the way."

"Go ahead," said Horne. "Marconi is bringing us around to do the attack run. We'll be dropping flares in a few minutes."

Givens and his men took the power cables from the old radio equipment. They pulled the set up back from the edge of the tower. Strasser threw in his muscle when he realized what they were doing.

They couldn't move the finder completely out of the way, or dismantle it in the time they had. It was better to push it in a niche in case they needed it to replace the new equipment if it failed.

The Hub would have to drop the new communications gear in the slot the old equipment was using.

"Commencing the run," reported Horne.

A streak of light appeared out of the night sky. Strasser realized the colony was on a planet where the system's sun would always be weaker and pointed at the wrong side from the colony. He couldn't worry about that.

He had a job to complete, and his crew was helping him do that.

Flowers of fire poured from the Hub into a valley miles away. Horne seemed intent on attracting the attention of every monster around.

Strasser approved. That would make their job of receiving the new radio that much easier in his opinion.

"We're making the turn to head back to the colony," said Horne.

"We're ready, Phil," said Strasser. "I'm flashing the light from my suit for you."

"Marconi says he sees you," said Horne. "Coming in."

The Hub dropped down and hovered above the natural tower. The cargo door opened. Baker's crew pushed the box for the new radio out of the bay, on the ramp, and into the waiting hands of Strasser and the colonists.

Strasser undid the cables so the cargo crew could pull the ropes back into the Hub and shut the mouth of the ship. He waved at them to start the reel pulling the cables out of the way.

"We're lifting into orbit," said Baker. "We'll give you time to get the machine online so we can talk about dropping the seeds."

"Good job, Chief," said Strasser. "We'll have the set up done as fast as we can."

"Right," said Baker.

The Hub poured more power to the jets under her body. That lifted the ship away from the mountain. The rear jets came on and the ship exploded upwards. Strasser watched the spacecraft go before turning his attention back to the box they had dropped off.

It took a few minutes but they took the box apart. The colonists set the cables to the new equipment. Strasser gave running commentary for the crew.

One of the colonists gave a thumb's up. They started for the elevator. Strasser took one last look around before he walked to the elevator.

"It looks like the rig is working," said Horne. "We're getting handshakes like you wouldn't believe."

"How many flares do you have left, Phil?," asked Strasser.

"Two whole pods," said Horne. "That should be more than enough to distract the big dinos when we drop the seeds for the colony."

"Give us a minute to talk strategy," said Strasser.

6

"Two pods won't do a lot," said Strasser. "We can use the same tactic and hope the monsters will be drawn off. The bait will be a lesser draw for them."

"If your ship can drop the seeds near the entrance, we can retrieve it when the native life wanders away," said Givens.

"Sounds like a plan," said Strasser. "Let me call Horne and we can get this done."

"Mr. Horne?," said Strasser. His radio hooked to the new array for the boost from inside the colony. "This is Strasser."

"Standing by, Cap," replied Horne.

"This is the plan," said Strasser. "Drop the pods away from the colony. Bring the ship in and drop the seeds off. Then I'll board and we can take off and head home."

"Sounds easy enough to execute," said Horne. "We'll have to move fast. If those things chase flares, they'll chase the exhaust from the Hub as we come in and leave."

"I agree," said Strasser. "We can drop the box in front of the gallery entrance where Mr. Givens picked me up. I will put a light on so you know where to land and take off. We'll have to move fast. I don't think two pods will do that much to attract attention."

"I'll talk with the engineers," said Horne. "Maybe they can come up with something useful."

"Let me know when you're starting your run, Phil," said Strasser. "We'll be ready."

"The engineers should be able to whip something up for us, Cap," said Horne. "I'll call when we have something worked out."

"Thanks, Phil," said Strasser. He cut the connection.

"Do you think your people can do something?," asked Givens.

"We'll see," said Strasser. "My chief engineer has come up with some solutions to sticky problems before. All we can do is wait. Horne will let us know what he and Eisner came up with to lure the monsters away."

The new radio array would help future supply ships contact the colony for landings. Hopefully they would be able to install heavy kinetic weapons around the landing zone to keep the monsters away from the ships.

Strasser felt the use of energy weapons would just draw more of the monsters to the landing zone.

He wondered how the beasts used the heat they chased. There must be some sort of energy manipulation going on. He doubted that it was a natural evolutionary element. It left a lot of questions that he wasn't capable of answering at the moment.

He wondered if the colony was a dumping ground for things some government didn't want to admit they had created and didn't want running loose. He hoped not.

They might not want shipping to maintain contact with the colony.

Strasser decided he could get something to eat while he waited for Horne and Eisner to get back to him. He had confidence they would have a solution to the problem.

Strasser made his way to the cafeteria and picked up some cold lunch and went to a table. He went through his meal as he thought about whatever plan Horne would come up with on the ship.

He had complete confidence in his crew. They had devised the flare decoy while in flight. That had Eisner written all over it.

He gave Marconi credit for the actual flying and dropping the radio array. His pilot was one of the best in the business. He knew Marconi could do anything as a pilot, but he preferred to work on the Hub.

Givens appeared in the door. He gestured for Strasser to come. The captain walked from his table, throwing the trash away and putting the tray in its slot.

"Mr. Horne says he has a way to drop our seeds," said Givens.

"Arranging a decoy?," asked Strasser.

"I believe so," said Givens. "He is on the radio, waiting on us."

They went to the radio room. The operator was looking at all the new data rolling in from the new array. He had menus up on a separate screen so he could read the codes rolling in.

It was a big change from the simple laser finder they had been using.

"I'm here, Phil," said Strasser. He spoke into an old style microphone.

"We think we have a plan," said Horne. "Chief Eisner says he has something he can burn brighter than the flare pods. We're going to drop them first, then we're going to drop Engineering's baby. Marconi will bring us in and we'll dump the seeds out as fast as possible."

"All right," said Strasser. "How much time do you need?"

"Marconi says we can come down out of orbit and do the attack run in five minutes, then turn around and offload in another five minutes," said Horne.

"Give us fifteen minutes to get a crew together at the main door," said Strasser. "Then start the run."

"Fifteen minutes," said Horne. "We got it, Cap."

"Get some loaders down to the door," Strasser said. "I'll help them get the seeds off the Hub, and you can button up before the megafauna arrive to try to stop the Hub from lifting off."

"All right," said Givens. He went to the intercom and asked for six volunteers to go down to the main door airlock.

Strasser checked his timer on the suit. He rushed down to the main door. A squad of men joined him at the airlock. Givens was the last man to arrive, pulling on his helmet.

Strasser waited for his timer to switch over to the end of time he had agreed with Horne. The colony shook slightly under his feet.

"Let's go," he said. He opened the airlock and headed for the main door as it lifted up out of the way. He paused at the giant flare burning the sky in the distance.

He idly wondered if Eisner had found a way to drop a small nuke on the almost dead planet.

He hoped not. There was no telling how far the explosion would reach. Were they out of range where they were?

"All right, Cap," said Horne from the suit radio. "We're coming in over the landing zone."

The Hubbabaloo appeared over the pointed peaks around the cleared space. It dropped like a stone as Marconi cut power. He sprayed the belly jets so the ship touched down gently instead of crashing.

The cargo door dropped as fast as hydraulics would let it. It slammed against the ground. Baker's crew and a couple of extra people from other stations were lining up to hand the seeds off the ship.

Strasser and Givens got at the head of the receiving line. The volunteers formed two lines behind them.

The two boxes of seeds were rapidly handed down the human chain to the inside of the hangar for the colony.

Strasser ran up the ramp as the colonists broke for their shelter. He waved at them as the door started to shut.

"We have to go, Cap," said Baker from the suit radio. "We have monsters coming right at us."

"Emergency lift, Phil," said Strasser. He urged the cargo team away from the door as he worked the control.

Strasser waved for the cargo team to get out of the bay as he waited for the door to close. He didn't need one of the dinosaurs ripping out the belly of the Hub and sending members of his crew to the surface.

"We have one beast closing on us fast," said Baker. "It looks like it's eating the exhaust to Eisner."

"Full burn, Phil," ordered Strasser. "Then take us up to orbit. If it grabs us, it will eat our output before we can break free of the gravity well."

"All hands," said Baker over the intercom. "We're making a run for it. Better grab something fast."

Strasser worked his way to the door to the bay. He had to get up to the bridge. That was where he belonged in a crisis like this.

The captain worked his way down to the ladder leading up to the bridge. He held on and started climbing as the ship pushed against the thin atmosphere.

He held on tight to the rungs as the Hub roared along. He walked on the bridge as Marconi cleared the atmosphere.

"Status?," he said. The ship settled in the familiar buzz he associated with cruising. Horne stood from the command chair so the captain could sit down.

"We have enough fuel to get home, and then some," said Horne. "Amy was able to plot a shorter route from the nearest port, and we have almost a full load of fuel."

"The flares worked well, Phil," said Strasser. He pulled his helmet off and undid the front of his suit.

"They were Eisner's idea," said Horne. "Once we knew the things would go after heat in the open like that, the scheme wrote itself."

"What did the company say about all this?," Strasser asked.

"They were willing to back us up as long as we didn't run up costs too much," said Horne. "The Navy offered to kick in some extra for the second trip."

"They're going to use the colony for a way station," said Cordin. "They just have to figure out how to deal with the megafauna."

She carried her helmet in her hands. She carried it to her station and sat down.

"They're going to use that place for a way station?," Strasser asked. "To where?"

"There are a few more colonies out this way," said Cordin. "If this place could be set up as refueling stop, access would be granted along this arm."

"What do they think about the huge monsters?," said Strasser.

"I don't know," said Cordin. She shrugged inside her suit.

Strasser looked at the executive officer.

"I don't know either," said Horne. "I assume they plan to build a port in orbit and ferry supplies down to the colony while keeping ships moving up and down this side of the arm."

"But they would have to herd the megafauna away from the colony just to make something like that work," said Strasser. "Unless they plan to wipe them out with kinetic weapons."

"That's all above my pay grade," said Mr. Horne. "It's good to have you back, Cap."

"Thanks, Horne," said Strasser. "Plot us a course home, Cordin. I probably have a ton of paperwork to file over this."