Nimisha's Ship
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Nimisha's Ship». Краткое содержание книги:
When Nimisha takes an experimental ship on a solo test flight, something goes horribly awry, marooning her light-years from home on a planet as deadly as it is beautiful. Now the ruthless members of a rival branch of the Rondymense family are given the chance they've been waiting for: to reclaim the Ship Yards by any means necessary.
Only Nimisha's ingenious child, Cuiva, stands in their way. But for how long? For just when her daughter needs her most, Nimisha is in a precarious situation herself--and unable to help. But Nimisha has never given up in her life--and she's not about to start now . . .
"Should be." Jon said, "unless the contractors were dishonest. Those may be old cargo pods, but they were vacuum-sealed to load. The Navy still uses that model because it is durable and sturdy."
They reached the wreck, its forward section broken off from the stern by the force of its landing. But then, as Casper remarked sadly, the freighter had never been intended as a landing craft. Supplies would have been lightered down to the surface.
"Commander," Helm said, "if you can plug in a portable power source, I can access the ship's computer system and discover, from the pod markings, the contents from the manifest."
"Excellent idea, Helm," Jon said, grinning. "That would save a lot of guesswork."
"Scanning indicates that some of the inner cargo holds withstood the force of the impact, though opening the hatches may pose some problems," Helm added, sounding as surprised as it was possible for an Al to sound.
"We're in luck," Casper said brightly.
"We hope," was Jon's reply.
Syrona bit her lip not to laugh but Nimisha had no similar need to be tactful.
"You really are a team, aren't you?" she said, chuckling at the two men. "The optimist and the pessimist."
"It's worked so far," Jon remarked unabashed.
Getting to the main computer with an independent power source was not a problem. The bridge area had split wide open, and while the explorers had to remove vegetation-carefully, since Syrona identified some of the growths as highly toxic-they were able to reach the main data console. They cleared off the accumulation of dirt and debris and found the units were intact. Once powered up, leads attached, Helm went right to the manifest and started scrolling the items.
"Prefab parts, farm tools, hand tools, extra power packs-"
"That is, if the recharger survived," Jon said.
"Oh, you!" Syrona said with disgust.
"Well, it would be our luck that it was packed in one of the cases that broke open," he said with a grin and a shrug.
"No, Captain," Helm interrupted. "Manifest lists two pods of recharger units still intact on board." He paused the scrolling list at the appropriate entry.
"So there, too," Nimisha couldn't help but put in, grinning.
"Hey, disassembled ground vehicles," Casper said, crowing with delight and pointing at the entry.
"Helm, pause at that entry," Jon said, leaning his hands on the console and peering at the screen. "Won't do us any good if they're open vehicles… Ah, no, good choice. Closed vehicles and some with light repellers." He looked pleased, but then his expression changed abruptly. "I don't suppose there's fuel gel aboard in any quantity."
"I will scan ahead, Commander." The speed with which it did rendered other items unreadable. Then the screen stopped to display fuel gel supplies. "Fuel gel is listed as part of the contents of several holds, two of which are still intact. Some of the strewn pods probably contain that item."
"Satisfied?" Nimisha asked.
"It's a start," he said.
"The question now is whether or not you're enough of a mechanic to assemble one," Nimisha said, folding her arms across her chest.
"If I'm not. I'm sure you are, Lady Nimisha, if you built a ship that could survive the wormhole with so little damage," Jon replied, giving her a bow.
"That was not I. That was Helm's piloting."
"Thank you, ma'am. Shall I continue to scan the manifests?"
"Yes, please," Syrona said. "For seeds, medical supplies, food essentials." She turned to the men. "My turn, I think, since you are so happy to find your particular hobbies."
"Hobbies?" Jon exclaimed.
"Well, she has a point, Jon. We need everything…" Casper swung his arms out in an expansive gesture.
"So you don't think we should investigate the other two M-type planets?" Nimisha asked, having listened long enough to their enthusiasms for the riches of the ship's cargo.
"Ah…" Jon looked over his shoulder at her in surprise, with a slightly guilty expression. "Yes. well." He paused again, flushing a little with chagrin. "I think we've all been so concentrated on surviving on this planet that the notion we're no longer stuck here hasn't quite seeped in." He raised his hands apologetically.
"We can do both," Casper said, ever the intermediary. "Establish a better base here and then go exploring. Or vice versa," he added quickly.
"And there're the aliens now, too," Syrona put in, slightly hesitant as she made eye contact with Nimisha. "It is up to you to say, Lady Nimisha. You are captain of the Fiver."
"That's not at issue," Nimisha said. "And I do understand your excitement over all this… wealth. It must be secured before we go haring off to any other world." Then her eye was caught by an unusual item on the list that was still scrolling down the screen. "Windmills? Helm, do we know where this ship was bound for, when it was diverted?"
"Vega, ma'am, possibly for Acclarke City on Vega III when it was first founded. Records confirm the loss of this vessel at an unknown location-"
"And there are prairies and deep water tables on Vega III," Nimisha said, nodding.
"Windmills are good for more than pumping water out of the ground," Jon said, intent on the lists still rolling past. "We could establish a much better living standard with all this."
"For the little people, too?" asked Timmy, who had been sitting in the captain's chair and undoubtedly pretending he was the master of the freighter.
The adults exchanged glances.
"If they are willing, yes, Tim," Jon said. "There's more than enough here to share."
"They may not want our help," Syrona said gently. "But we will offer, won't we?"
The other three nodded.
"They might even be better scroungers than we are," Casper said, grinning.
Jon looked out of the split hull to the wide-open space beyond the ship's final resting place. "They may even have found the wreck and not figured out how to open the pods."
Casper looked around him. "Or someone may have survived. I've noticed a significant absence."
"I'm just as glad there are no skeletons," Syrona murmured.
"Considering what I've met of the local life-forms," Nimisha said, "with this section wide open, the scavengers would have removed any edible debris."
"Shall we see what else is to be seen in the wreck?" Jon asked Casper.
"Why don't Tim, Syrona, and I do a survey of the pods outside. See what's worth securing," Nimisha suggested. Though she sided with Casper in optimism, there was no sense in wasting valuable resources. She tried not to think that she might not be rescued. The others had accepted the fact. Would she have to?
"Excellent notion," Jon said. Casper and Syrona nodded in agreement, so the two groups went about their chosen tasks.
"Helm," Nimisha said into her wrist com, "track the men. We'll be in plain sight, but Jon and Casper will not."
"I can keep watch over more than two groups, ma'am."
"Concentrate on them," Nimisha said firmly as she and Syrona, aiding Tim over the longer steps, made their way to the ground. "Lemme have a look round, Syrie," she said, holding up her hand to mother and son. "There don't seem to be any tracks, but then, the wreck's been here for centuries. Local interest would have waned."
"I'll do that, Nimisha," Syrona said, "since I'm more familiar than you with the tracks of the indigenous species." She grinned and, giving Timmy a little shove, added, "You help Nimisha, dear."
Nimisha held out her hand and suggested that they examine the cluster of pods a few meters from the ship.
"What're in these, Helm?" she asked when they got to the first weathered and intact unit. First she had to scrape off the mud and ingrained dirt from the stenciled coding.
"Clothing," was Helm's prompt response.
"Keep a running account, please, Helm," Nimisha said. Next it was Timmy who found the markings on a pod of blankets.